A man walks past boxes of USAID humanitarian aid at a warehouse at the Tienditas International Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 21, 2019, on the border with Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)2025-02-05T18:27:29Z The Trump administrations decision to close the U.S. Agency for International Development has drawn widespread criticism from congressional Democrats and raised questions about the influence billionaire ally Elon Musk wields over the federal government.The United States is the worlds largest source of foreign assistance by far, although several European countries allocate a much bigger share of their budgets. While aid to Africa dwarfs the roughly $2 billion that Latin America receives annually, the Western Hemisphere has long been a spending priority of both Democratic and Republican administrations.Here is a look at USAIDs impact around the world: Protecting the Amazon rainforest and fighting cocaine in South AmericaUSAID has been critical in providing humanitarian assistance in Colombia, conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon and coca eradication in Peru. Recent USAID money has also supported emergency humanitarian aid to more than 2.8 million Venezuelans who fled economic crisis.In 2024 alone, the agency transferred some $45 million to the U.N. World Food Program, mostly to assist Venezuelans.In Brazil, USAIDs largest initiative is the Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity, which focuses on conservation and improving livelihoods for Indigenous peoples and other rainforest communities.Over in Peru, part of USAIDs $135 million funding in 2024 was dedicated to financing cocaine-production alternatives such as coffee and cacao. The humanitarian agency has been seeking to curb production of the drug since the early 1980s. Disease response, girls education and free school lunches in Africa Last year, the U.S. gave the sub-Saharan region more than $6.5 billion in humanitarian assistance. But since Trumps announcement, HIV patients in Africa found locked doors at clinics funded by an acclaimed U.S. program that helped rein in the global AIDS epidemic.Known as one of the worlds most successful foreign aid program, the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has been credited with saving more than 25 million lives, largely in Africa.The world is baffled, said Aaron Motsoaledi, the health minister of South Africa, the country with the most people living with HIV, after the U.S. freeze on aid.Motsoaledi says the U.S. funds nearly 20% of the $2.3 billion needed each year to run South Africas HIV/AIDS program through PEPFAR, and now the biggest response to a single disease in history is under threat.Meanwhile, without U.S. aid, other groups cant give volunteers allowances for food and public transport as they do outreach to keep girls in school and out of early marriages.In civil-war-torn Sudan, which is grappling with cholera, malaria and measles, the aid freeze means 600,000 people will be at risk of catching and spreading those diseases, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. A busy shelter left without a doctor in MexicoIn the southern Mexican city of Villahermosa, the Peace Oasis of the Holy Spirit Amparito shelter is one of several beneficiaries of U.S. humanitarian assistance to those fleeing persecution, crisis or violence.However, under the funding freeze, the charitable organization that runs the shelter had to cut its only doctor as well as a social worker and child psychologist. The shelter has since appealed to the Mexican government for alternate funding for programs managed by the United Nations to pay for flights and bus rides to Mexicos border with Guatemala for migrants who want to return home.The crisis is only going to worsen, the shelter said in a statement. The most affected will be the population we serve.Wartime help in UkraineU.S. funding in Ukraine has helped to pay for fuel for evacuation vehicles, salaries for aid workers, legal and psychological support, and tickets to help evacuees reach safer locations.That includes the cost of using a concert hall in eastern Ukraine as a temporary center for civilians fleeing the relentless Russian bombardment. That shelter is now in peril because 60% of the costs equivalent of $7,000 a month to run were being covered by the U.S.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government expects $300 million to $400 million in aid to be cut. Most of that was for the energy sector that has been targeted by Russia.

Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris stand as Christopher Macchio performs "The Star-Spangled Banner" after President Donald Trump was sworn in during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool photo via AP)2025-02-05T22:33:19Z NEW YORK (AP) CBS 60 Minutes posted online Wednesday the unedited transcripts of its October interview with Kamala Harris that sparked a lawsuit by Donald Trump, saying that they proved its broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.Thats what Trump contended in a $10 billion lawsuit he filed against the network in November, reportedly the subject of ongoing settlement talks.In a separate track, the Federal Communications Commission last week called for CBS to send transcripts and clips of the interview, which CBS did before making them public on Wednesday. The interview with the Democratic presidential candidate, portions of which were aired on 60 Minutes and Face the Nation, attracted attention because clips showed her giving different answers to a question about Israel that was posed by correspondent Bill Whitaker.In his lawsuit, filed before Trump won election to his second term, the Republican contended the editing was done to give advantage to Harris, his Democratic opponent. Yet CBS said that the material it was releasing on Wednesday show consistent with 60 Minutes repeated assurances to the public, that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful, CBS said in a statement. The network said that journalists regularly edit interviews for time, space and clarity.In making these edits, 60 Minutes is always guided by the truth and what we believe will be most informative to the viewing public, all while working within the constraints of broadcast television, the network said.Despite CBS News contention that it did nothing wrong in its editing, the news divisions parent company Paramount is reportedly engaged in settlement talks. Paramount executives are seeking the Trump administrations approval of a sale to another entertainment firm, Skydance. ___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.bs 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

President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-06T01:08:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) Top Trump administration voices on Wednesday contradicted some of the comments the president made a day earlier about the U.S. taking long-term control of war-shattered Gaza, the possibility of sending in American troops and the areas residents being permanently resettled.President Donald Trump s remarks Tuesday set off alarm in Arab countries and even among some of his Republican allies before Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to walk them back.Heres a look at what Trump, Rubio and Leavitt said, and the key areas in which they disagree: On refugee resettlement outside of GazaTrump: I hope we can do something where they wouldnt want to go back.If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like whats happening in Gaza. Rubio: In the interim, obviously, people are going to have to live somewhere while youre rebuilding it. It is akin to a natural disaster. What he very generously has offered is the ability of the United States to go in and help with debris removal, help with munitions removal, help with reconstruction the rebuilding of homes and businesses and things of this nature, so that then people can move back in.Leavitt: The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza. On sending US troops to GazaTrump: We will do what is necessary. If its necessary, well do that.Leavitt: The president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza.Rubio: It was not meant as a hostile move. It was meant as, I think, a very generous move, the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding. On the US taking long-term control and overseeing reconstruction of GazaTrump: I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East.Were going to take over that piece and were going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs. And it will be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I dont want to be cute. I dont want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East.This could be so magnificent. But more importantly than that is the people that have been absolutely destroyed that live there now can live in peace in a much better situation because they are living in hell. And those people will now be able to live in peace. Well make sure that its done world class.Rubio: What President Trump announced yesterday is the offer, the willingness, of the United States to become responsible for the reconstruction of that area. Leavitt: 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. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort. It means Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Subscribe nowAs of this week, the State Department has dropped the T from the LGBTQ acronym and now only addresses LGB Travelers. Similarly, what was originally a page titled Resources for LGBTQI+ Prospective Adoptive Parents now just says LGB Prospective Adoptive Parents.The Social Security Administration's website formerly had a page about Social Security for LGBTQI+ People. It has now been updated to LGBQ People. In addition, the Health and Human Services Department announced that grant funding for gender ideology programs is permanently terminated.There is a loud minority of gay, lesbian, and bisexual folks who are thrilled about the idea of erasing our trans and nonbinary siblings. They dont believe the idea that someone can actually be trans. Or theyre riled up by algorithms telling them to use transphobia as a vehicle to quell their insecurities, their despair, or their loneliness.Michael Deacon, British political journalist for The Telegraph, published a column this week titled LGBT is over whether the BBC likes it or not. He wrote about how radical activists combined gay and trans issues into one and that dropping the T isyou guessed itcommon sense.But heres where Deacon and many folks who feel similarly to him are misinformed and manipulated by the messaging that exists in Americas right-wing circles: The folks in charge of erasing trans people from American existence are waiting with bated breath and are ready to come hard and fast for the rest of the alphabet. Yes, that means gay marriage. Yes, that means same-sex adoption. Yes, that means revisiting whether homosexuality should be classified as a mental illness or not.Many of the organizations and the people in Trumps ear are connected to anti-LGBTQ hate groups who are in favor of gay conversion therapy and are opposed to marriage equality. These groups operate in developing countries where they come after not just trans people butwait for itgay and bisexual people as well. For them, undermining the whole alphabet is their version of common sense.Just ask Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who has compared gay marriage to giving pets and pedophiles the right to marry and described it as the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic.As American culture bleeds further to the far-right when it comes to LGBTQ issues, be prepared to continue the fight for the LGB rights that many of us assumed had already been won.It pains me to even have to write something to convince LGB folks and allies to care about our trans and nonbinary siblings. Whether or not you like the idea of having us all part of one alphabet, this is a conversation about basic human rights. To cheer on or stay silent as the American government aims to erase one of the most marginalized groups in our society is inhumane.Upgrade to paid to support LGBTQ-focused accountability journalism. Government Agencies Scrub LGBTQ Web Pages, Remove Info on Trans, Intersex People (NBC News)The State Departments web page providing adoption information to LGBTQI+ prospective parents now only addresses LGB people.Trump Administration Faces Lawsuit Over Transgender Care Executive Order (The Washington Post)The lawsuit also seeks to undo another order Trump signed to officially recognize only male and female sexes.2025 Grammys: Here are the Notable LGBTQ+ Moments and Winners (Gay Times) New York Attorney General Address Transgender Care Policies (The New York Times) A White House executive order threatened to pull federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for trans youths. But not providing the care could violate state law, Letitia James said in a letter on Monday.We passed 6,000 subscribers this week! Thank you to everyone who has subscribed, commented, shared, and read our work. Subscribe nowThis weekend, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting: A 2021 study found that asexuality is overrepresented in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The reasons why may surprise you. In her first story for Uncloseted Media, Lauren Farkas examines the correlation. People with an ostomy, an artificial opening in an organ of the body thats meant to treat diseases of the digestive or urinary systems, experience unique emotional and mental health challenges. But what does it mean when it comes to sex and dating? Ahead of Valentines Day, Sam Donndelinger dives in. Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints, tips, and story ideas! Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chiefspencer@unclosetedmedia.comIf objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, center left, waves as he is escorted by Hamas fighters to be handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City, Saturday Feb.1, 2025.(AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar, File)2025-02-06T08:32:35Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) For the final two months of his captivity in Gaza, American-Israeli Keith Siegel was forced to lie down at all times in a cramped room. For most of his ordeal there was little electricity or running water, which made hygiene impossible, he said.When he returned to Israel last week, gaunt and pale, the first words to his family, according to his brother, Lee Siegel, were: Im back, Im home.Then, he asked, What can I do to help bring the other hostages home?Hostages are returning after 15 months in captivity as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and with their freedom, the first details of their ordeals are emerging. Their accounts, told mostly through relatives, are shining a light on what the roughly 75 captives who remain in Gaza are facing, and are driving families of the released captives to keep up their public campaign until everyone is free. My family and I traveled the globe, knocking on every door, sharing our story with anyone who would listen, Siegels wife, Aviva, a former hostage, told reporters after the release of her husband. We must not rest. We must not turn away, she said, adding that the hostages remaining in Gaza deserve better.After 15 months of devastating war sparked by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire deal last month. Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during the attack; around 75 remain in Gaza. About half are presumed by Israel to be dead. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says more than half the dead are women and children. The first stage of the ceasefire calls for a pause in fighting, the release of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza. Another three hostages are expected to be released on Saturday. The families of the hostages and their supporters have waged a tireless campaign in Israel and abroad to keep public attention on their loved ones and secure their release. Their commitment to securing the release of all the remaining hostages is made all the more difficult because extension of the ceasefire is not guaranteed and relies on renewed negotiations between Israel and Hamas to carry the deal into a second phase, when more hostages are expected to be freed. Siegel, 65, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken captive along with Aviva from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities hardest hit in Hamas attack. She was released in a brief ceasefire in November 2023.Lee Siegel, 73, said his brother told the family he was moved frequently and that for about six months he was kept alone, separate from other hostages. Beyond what his captors told him, he had very little exposure to the outside world, other than hearing rare snippets of radio or TV reports.For long periods he was required to stay silent, he told his family. Siegel drew on his meditation practice to help him stay grounded, his brother said. He would keep track of time by saying the date and the day of the week every day. Siegel would have imagined conversations with each family member, according to his brother. If his captors allowed him to speak aloud, he would whisper these; otherwise he would have the conversations silently in his head. He would say, Aviva, I love you, or to his daughter, Gal, I dreamed of you, I saw you.Even as he has started sharing some of his experiences with the family, Lee Siegel said they cant begin to comprehend his ordeal. His brother is also grappling with the challenges of catching up on everything he missed, the seismic changes in Israel as well as personal family news: the death of their mother, the birth of great nieces and nephews.Its a human being who was taken for 484 days, suffering the worst things we can appreciate, Lee Siegel said. Romi Gonen, 24, who was released on the first day of the ceasefire, will need a complex surgery and lengthy physical therapy for an untreated hand wound she suffered during the Hamas attack, according to her mother, Meirav Leshem Gonen. While doctors said Gonens condition was stable when she returned, her mother said her skin was gray after being kept out of sunlight for nearly her entire captivity.Leshem Gonen said her daughter lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds), a fifth of her body weight, and was often deprived of food by her captors, even when they had food to share. When she was freed, Gonen had lost the ability to recognize hunger, and didnt want to eat at all, her mother said, adding that it was more than two weeks before she finally asked for something specific to eat.Gonen has spoken very little to her family about what she went through, except to share humorous stories, trying to inject a bit of levity into a horrific situation because thats the kind of person she is, her mother said. I ask everybody to take action to make sure the ceasefire will continue for the hostages to get out, said Leshem Gonen, who has been a prominent voice for the hostages freedom and has continued the campaign for those still in captivity. Lee Siegel said his family is taking some time to themselves before returning to the demonstrations, overseas travel and media interviews for the remaining hostages release.For now, the family is concentrating on the small things: just being able to embrace Siegel.It will take time for him to regroup physically and emotionally, but hes strong, and hes resilient, Lee Siegel said.Actually, I think he provides us with more strength than we can provide for him. MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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)2025-02-06T08:44:48Z OREBRO, Sweden (AP) The shooter who killed 10 people in Swedens worst mass shooting earlier this week was connected to the adult education center where he opened fire with at least one rifle-like weapon, law enforcement officials said Thursday. Authorities said the gunman, who has not yet been officially identified, may have attended school there before Tuesdays violence on the school campus west of Stockholm. The shooter was later found dead with three guns and a large amount of unused ammunition next to his body, officials told a news conference. It was not clear how he died.The school, Campus Risbergska, offers primary and secondary educational classes for adults age 20 and older, Swedish-language classes for immigrants, vocational training, and programs for people with intellectual disabilities. It is on the outskirts of Orebro, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Stockholm. Police officers stand guard near the scene of a shooting at an adult education center on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Police officers stand guard near the scene of a shooting at an adult education center on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Some 130 officers arrived Tuesday after alarms summoned them to the school to find chaos across the campus. They described the scene as an inferno.Dead people, injured people, screams and smoke, local police chief Lars Wirn said during the news conference. Officers found at least five people, all over age 18 with serious gunshot wounds. Two of them remained in intensive care Thursday in serious but stable condition. The other three were in stable condition after surgery. A sixth person was treated for minor injuries.Police were forced to search the large school 17,000 square meters (182,986 square feet) to ensure that there were no other casualties. Authorities said the shooter had licenses for four weapons, three of which were found next to his body. Police have seized the fourth.Investigators had not uncovered a definitive motive behind the bloodshed by Thursday. Police said there were no warnings beforehand, and they believe the perpetrator acted alone. Authorities said there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point. Days of shock and grief A man lights a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting at an adult education center on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) A man lights a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting at an adult education center on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In Orebro, a town of 160,000 thats considered Swedens seventh-largest municipality, Thursday brought more sadness but still few answers.It has been two days of shock and grief, John Johansson, chairman of the towns municipal board, told The Associated Press. We are still asking questions of why, still wondering what has happened. The outpouring of grief and togetherness has been enormous.King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, as well as Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, visited Orebro on Wednesday and attended a memorial service.Mourners elsewhere in the the Scandinavian nation of roughly 10.5 million, where gun violence at schools is very rare, struggled to process the thought of mass violence in their own country."This is not a Swedish problem, its a problem that we have seen throughout the world, Johansson said.The shootings online presence has prompted friends of Orebro resident Petter Jorman, a 60-year-old father whose son previously attended the school, to call and text him asking how are you? Are you OK? I know you live close. The worst hours of my lifeThe shooting started Tuesday afternoon, after many students had gone home following a national exam. Survivors scrambled for cover as shots rang out, sheltering behind or under whatever they could find to escape the gunman and the gore. One woman with children feared she might never see them again, while another used her friends shawl to staunch the bleeding of a man whod been shot in the shoulder. Those were the worst hours of my life. I did not know if I would get shot there and then, or in 10 minutes. You simply waited, Hellen Werme, 35, told the Expressen newspaper. People light candles at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) People light candles at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More 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) 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) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More 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) 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) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Guns in SwedenPolice wouldnt say whether the shooter had multiple guns, nor would they say what kind of firearm was used in the shooting. While gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden, people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes in several incidents in recent years.In order to possess a firearm legally, applicants must obtain a weapon license and demonstrate that it will be used for an acceptable purpose, such as hunting or target shooting. Applicants must also submit previously obtained hunting or target shooting certificates. Hunting certificates require people to pass a training course, while target shooters must be certified as active and experienced members of clubs. All weapons must be stored in secure cabinets approved by the police. Applications for fully automatic weapons or one-handed weapons are only granted for exceptional reasons, and such permits are generally time-limited.Permits are revoked if the weapon is modified to be substantially different from its original function.___Dazio reported from Berlin. Mimmi Montgomery and Kwiyeon Ha in London, and John Leicester in Paris, contributed to this report. STEFANIE DAZIO Dazio covers Northern Europe from Berlin for The Associated Press. She previously covered crime and criminal justice from Los Angeles.

It was August 18, 2024, at about 7 p.m., and the doors to the Rattlestick Theatre were not yet open. Entering up past the 17-step walkway, a young long-haired theater employee smiled. Can you please come back in 5-to-10 minutes? We should be ready then, they said. That night, the theater filled just before a [...]The post One Year Later, Cecilia Gentili Lives on Through Her One-Woman Show, RED INK first appeared on GLAAD.

A Honeywell plant on April 4, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)2025-02-06T11:31:25Z Honeywell, one of the last remaining U.S. industrial conglomerates, will split into three independent companies, following in the footsteps of manufacturing giants like General Electric and Alcoa.The company said Thursday that it will separate from its automation and aerospace technologies businesses. Including plans announced earlier to spin off its advanced materials business, Honeywell will consist of three smaller entities in hopes that they will each be more agile. The formation of three independent, industry-leading companies builds on the powerful foundation we have created, positioning each to pursue tailored growth strategies, and unlock significant value for shareholders and customers, Honeywell Chairman and CEO Vimal Kapur said in a statement.Honeywell had said in December that it was considering spinning off its aerospace division. The public announcement arrived about one month after Elliott Investment Management revealed a stake of more than $5 billion in the aerospace, automation and materials company. Elliott had been pushing for the Charlotte, North Carolina, company to separate its automation and aerospace businesses. The board of Honeywell International Inc. had been exploring strategic options for the company since earlier in 2024. The company, which makes everything from eye solution to barcode readers, has been seeking ways to make itself more nimble. Over the past year and a half, just after Kapur took over as CEO, Honeywell has announced plans for the advanced materials business spinoff, entered into an agreement to sell its personal protective equipment business, and made several acquisitions. The separation of the automation and aerospace technologies businesses is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026. The spinoff of the advanced materials business is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year or early next year. Like Honeywell, other U.S. conglomerates have been pressured by shareholders to simplify their structures, allowing each segment of the company to move more freely and adapt to changes in their respective markets. Iconic CEOs like Jack Welch of General Electric spent years building corporate American behemoths with the belief that with scale came power. Yet those massive companies were forced to compete with upstarts with a narrow focus and a more clearly defined set of goals. Investors also wanted a more clear view of the priorities within each division, which became more murky as the companies grew. In 2015 metals maker Alcoa said that it was splitting into two independent companies, separating its bauxite, aluminum and casting operations from its engineering, transportation and global rolled products businesses.GE announced in 2021 that it was dividing itself into three public companies focused on aviation, health care and energy. At the time, the move was viewed as a potential signal of the end of conglomerates as a whole thanks to the move toward a digital economy. Shares fell almost 3% before the market opened Thursday.

India's opposition lawmakers, some of them wearing shackles, stage a protest outside the Parliament in New Delhi, to condemn the reported mistreatment of Indian immigrants during their deportation from the United States, Thursday, Feb.6, 2025. The banners in Hindi language read "Indians in shackles, will not tolerate the insult." (AP Photo)2025-02-06T08:45:35Z NEW DELHI (AP) Indias Parliament was disrupted on Thursday as opposition lawmakers protested the alleged mistreatment of 104 Indian immigrants deported by the United States.A U.S. military plane on Wednesday carrying 104 deported Indian migrants arrived in a northern Indian city, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration.The lawmakers and media reports said the deportees arms and legs were shackled while on the aircraft.Parliaments proceedings were adjourned Thursday as the lawmakers chanted slogans and called to discuss the deportation.Renuka Chowdhury, a lawmaker in the Congress party, said the deportees were handcuffed, had their legs chained and even struggled to use the washroom. Her colleague, Gaurav Gogoi, called it degrading.Parliament speaker Om Birla tried to calm the lawmakers, saying the transportation of the deportees was a matter of U.S. foreign policy. The foreign country also has its own rules and regulations, he said.The Press Trust of India news agency quoted one of the deportees, Jaspal Singh, saying deportees handcuffs and leg chains were taken off only at the Amritsar airport in India. Singh, 36, said they initially thought they were being taken to another camp in the U.S. Then a police officer told us that we were being taken to India, he said.The U.S. government usually carries out deportations on commercial and chartered flights. The use of the U.S. military to return people to their home country is a relatively new method that started under the Trump administration. Opposition lawmakers, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also protested outside the Parliament building as they demanded a response from the government. Some wore handcuffs and carried placards that read: Humans, not prisoners.The deportation came ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Washington, which is expected next week. U.S. President Donald Trump and Modi discussed immigration in a phone call last week and Trump stressed the importance of India buying more American-made security equipment and fair bilateral trade. A spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi said enforcing immigration laws was critical for the countrys national security and public safety. It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens, he said.India has cooperated with the U.S. and said it is ready to accept the deported Indians after verification.New Delhi says it is against illegal immigration, mainly because it is linked to several forms of organized crime, and it has not objected to the U.S. deporting its citizens.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week the deportation flights were an effective way to stem the flow of illegal migration, which he said is destructive and destabilizing.The State Department said such deportations deter other people considering migrating illegally.Indias junior External Affairs Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh recently told Indias Parliament that 519 Indian nationals were deported to India between November 2023 and October 2024, citing U.S. government data.A Pew Research Center report said that as of 2022, India ranked third after Mexico and El Salvador on the list of countries with the largest number of unauthorized immigrants 725,000 living in the U.S.

Vice President JD Vance speaks before swearing in Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Vice Presidential Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-06T13:02:01Z The sense of Catholic unity didnt last long. Less than a week after Vice President JD Vance shared the inauguration stage with a senior Catholic cardinal, Vance picked a fight with the top American leaders of his church.The new vice president, a Catholic convert, accused the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops of resettling illegal immigrants in order to get federal funding. New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who gave the invocation shortly before Vance took his oath of office, denounced the remarks as scurrilous and nasty.Vance has claimed that a concept from medieval Catholic theology ordo amoris in Latin justifies the Trump administrations America-first immigration crackdown. He contended that the concept delineates a hierarchy of care to family first, followed by neighbor, community, fellow citizens and lastly those elsewhere. Several scholars say Vance is promoting a simplistic misreading of the concept and that Catholic teaching requires the helping of strangers in urgent need.But Vance received support from others, particularly those in a largely Catholic movement he identifies with, known as postliberalism. It combines a social conservativism with a belief in using the power of the state to promote Christian values and build community. The movements leading thinkers have advocated for precisely the sort of sweeping regime change underway in the Trump administration, cheering its largescale cuts to the federal agencies and workforces deemed antithetical to these goals. The Catholic rift comes as leading bishops applauded some of the new Trump administration initiatives. Statements from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed executive orders supporting school choice, rolling back federal support for gender transitions and requiring foreign agencies receiving U.S. aid to certify that they dont provide or promote abortion. Catholic power shift in WashingtonThe change of administrations seems to mark a tectonic shift in Catholic power in Washington. Democrats Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi liberal, Mass-attending Catholics who supported abortion rights, prompting some bishops to oppose their receiving Communion are gone from the White House and House speakers chair, respectively. Trump has nominated a leading conservative Catholic activist, Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, as Vatican ambassador even as Pope Francis appointed a relatively progressive cardinal, Robert McElroy, as archbishop of Washington. But Vances blast at the bishops conference stung.Vance called himself a devout Catholic who was disappointed bishops have not been a good partner in common sense immigration enforcement. He claimed they took $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants. Dolan, on his SiriusXM show, called the statements harmful.Thats just scurrilous, its very nasty, and its not true, Dolan said. The bishops conference is one of 10 national U.S. organizations that resettle refugees, who have been legally brought to the country under decades-old policy until Trump paused the program. Dolan said government grants dont match expenses and are supplemented by private donations. You think we make money on it? Were losing it hand over fist, Dolan said, adding that he hoped better from Vance in the future.But Vance has stood by his ordo amoris justification for Trumps migration restrictions. You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, Vance said on Fox News. Then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world. He claimed that the far left has inverted that.What the ordo amoris concept meansIn a follow-up social-media skirmish, Vance urged people to Google ordo amoris or order of love.On the concept, St. Augustine, an ancient theologian, said while everyone must love everyone equally, no finite person can help everybody and thus should particularly look after those with whom one has a closer connection.St. Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century, agreed that people have a particular obligation to family and fellow citizens. But, he added, it also depends on circumstances: In certain cases one ought, for instance, to succor a stranger, in extreme necessity, rather than ones own father, if he is not in such urgent need. David Hollenbach, a Jesuit theologian and professor at Georgetown Universitys Walsh School of Foreign Service, said Vance seriously misinterprets Aquinas.Aquinas says we love most effectively those who are near us, said Hollenbach, who is also senior fellow of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. But, he added, Aquinas goes on to say if there are people at a greater distance who are at great need, they take priority.Hollenbach cited the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, in which an outcast took care of a badly beaten traveler neglected by others. If there are refugees out there and there are people who are fleeing for their lives, theyre in great need and we need to respond to their needs, Hollenbach said.He also cited Pope Francis exhortations to countries to receive immigrants. Francis, in a 2020 encyclical, warned against a xenophobic response that denies the inalienable dignity of migrants in need.Immigration, gender identity and other Catholic social issuesVance has received plenty of support from conservative Catholics who see the Trump administration as bringing many of their ideas to reality. You know youre in a postliberal order when high elected leaders explain their views in terms of political theology, and the main debate isnt over whether they are intolerant but whether the political theology is right or wrong, Harvard law professor Adrian Vermeule posted on the social media platform X. R.R. Reno, in an article for the online journal Compact, argued Vance was correct about ordo amoris. He cited the fictional Mrs. Jellyby in a Charles Dickens novel someone who is so busy with charitable work that she neglects her own family as an example of misplaced love.Christ-like love encourages concern for victims of fires in other states, regions, or countries, Reno wrote. But all the more so does Christ-like love compel us to come to the aid of neighbors whose houses down the street are burning.Other Catholic bishops have maintained their support for aid to immigrants. Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, defended the dignity of every immigrant, regardless of his or her status. He said immigrants have enriched the nation and the church. Catholic teaching, he said in a statement, does not allow for an open border but rather emphasizes a common sense approach where the duty to care for the stranger is practiced in harmony with the duty to care for the nation.Immigration is not the only issue that divides high-level Catholics in Washington and elsewhere there also are sharp divisions over LGBTQ+ inclusion.Trumps recent executive order mandating the federal government to define sex as only male or female a repudiation of transgender people was welcome by Washington-based Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.Yet Cardinal McElroy has advocated for radical inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the church. And the outgoing archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, apologized at a recent prayer service for the churchs treatment of LGBTQ+ Catholics and his own lack of courage to bring healing and hope.Vance, meanwhile, continues citing Catholic names more often discussed in seminary than in politics. In a speech Wednesday on religious freedom, he quoted the ancient theologian Tertullian in support of freedom of conscience.It is, I think, a conceit of modern society that religious liberty is a liberal concept, he said at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington. But we know that religious freedom flows from concepts central to the Christian faith, in particular the free will of human beings and the essential dignity of all peoples.___Associated Press writer David Crary contributed.___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. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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)2025-02-06T11:34:59Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump will participate in the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol on Thursday, joining a more than 70-year-old Washington tradition that brings together a bipartisan group of lawmakers for fellowship. Trump will also speak at a separate prayer breakfast at a Washington hotel sponsored by a private group. The Republican president made waves at the final prayer breakfast during his first term. That year the gathering came the day after the Senate acquitted him in his first impeachment trial. Trump in his remarks threw not-so-subtle barbs at Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who publicly said she prayed for Trump, and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who had cited his faith in his decision to vote to convict Trump.I dont like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong, Trump said in his winding speech, in which he also held up two newspapers with banner headlines about his acquittal. Nor do I like people who say, I pray for you, when they know that thats not so. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to attend the prayer breakfast, in February 1953, and every president since has spoken at the gathering. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas are the honorary co-chairs of this years prayer breakfast. In 2023, the National Prayer Breakfast split into two dueling events, the one on Capitol Hill largely attended by lawmakers and government officials and a larger private event for thousands at a hotel ballroom. The split occurred when lawmakers sought to distance themselves from the private religious group that for decades had overseen the bigger event, due to questions about its organization and how it was funded.In 2023 and 2024, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, spoke at the Capitol Hill event, and his remarks were livestreamed to the other gathering.___Follow the APs coverage of Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. AAMER MADHANI Aamer Madhani is a White House reporter. twitter mailto

JD Vance is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as Usha Vance holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)2025-02-06T13:03:21Z Vice President JD Vance recently cited medieval Catholic theology in justifying the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump.Just google ordo amoris, he posted Jan. 30 on the social media platform X.He posted this in reply to criticism over statements he made in a Fox News interview: You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world. He claimed that the far left has inverted that.Vance posted that the concept is basic common sense because ones moral duties to ones children outweigh those to a stranger who lives thousands of miles away. What is ordo amoris?Its been translated as order of love or order of charity. Its a concept discussed by St. Augustine, an ancient theologian, who said everyone and everything should be loved in its own proper way.Now he is a man of just and holy life who ... neither loves what he ought not to love, nor fails to love what he ought to love, nor loves that more which ought to be loved less, nor loves that equally which ought to be loved either less or more, nor loves that less or more which ought to be loved equally, Augustine wrote. Further, all men are to be loved equally, Augustine wrote. But since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special regard to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstance, are brought into closer connection with you. St. Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century, expounded on this theme while also noting it depends on circumstances.We ought to be most beneficent towards those who are most closely connected with us, he wrote. And yet this may vary according to the various requirements of time, place, or matter in hand: because in certain cases one ought, for instance, to succor a stranger, in extreme necessity, rather than ones own father, if he is not in such urgent need.The modern catechism of the Catholic Church briefly refers to the order of charity where it cites obligations to honor ones parents and be good citizens. ___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. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-06T05:02:40Z WASHINGTON (AP) Thousands of miles from Elon Musks office in the White House complex, a federal worker based in the Pacific Northwest is wondering whether to quit.Musk, one of President Donald Trumps most powerful advisers, has orchestrated an unprecedented financial incentive for people to leave their government jobs, promising several months of pay in return for their resignation. The worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, wants to take the money and move overseas.But shes worried. What if the offer is too good to be true? What if this is really a covert effort to make a list of disloyal government employees?Her situation is a microcosm of the uncertainty sweeping through the federal government, which is the countrys single largest employer. More than 2 million workers analysts, nurses, scientists, accountants, food inspectors and loan processors face a deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday to decide if they should leave. Trump administration is urging workers to take the dealThe deferred resignation program is part of Trumps plan to remake the federal government, weakening what allies describe as the deep state that undermined the Republican president during his first term. Administration officials said they can save taxpayer money by presenting employees with a valuable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop working while still collecting a paycheck until Sept. 30. On Wednesday, the administration ramped up its pressure on employees to leave, sending a reminder that layoffs or furloughs could come next. The majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force, said the message from the Office of Personnel Management, which has been a nexus of Musks efforts to downsize the government. The email said anyone who remains will be expected to be loyal and will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward. Some employees could be reclassified to limit civil service protections as well. Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination, the email said. Democrats and unions warn that workers could be stiffedDemocrats said workers shouldnt accept the deferred resignation program because it wasnt authorized by Congress, raising the risk they wont get paid. Unions have sued to stop Trumps plans, and a judge will consider whether to block the buyout offer at a hearing Thursday afternoon in Boston.Its a scam and not a buyout, said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.Kelley said he tells workers that if it was me, I wouldnt do it. An employee at the Department of Education, who also spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said the administration appeared desperate to get people to sign the agreement. However, she said there were too many red flags, such as a clause waiving the right to sue if the government failed to honor its side of the deal. The deal is exactly what it looks like, says Trump officialTrump put Musk, the worlds richest man, in charge of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is a sweeping initiative to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. The original email offering the deferred resignation program was titled Fork in the road, echoing a similar message that Musk sent Twitter employees two years ago after he bought the social media platform. Trump administration officials have organized question-and-answer sessions with employees as the deadline approaches. Rachel Oglesby, the chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Education who previously worked at the America First Policy Institute, said Trump is trying to reduce the federal workforce. I know theres been a lot of questions out there about whether its real and whether its a trick, she said, according to a recording obtained by The Associated Press. And its exactly what it looks like. Its one of the many tools that hes using to try to achieve the campaign promise to bring reform to the civil service and changes to D.C. The issue was also discussed during a meeting with Department of Agriculture employees, according to another recording obtained by the AP. Marlon Taubenheim, a human resources official, acknowledged that these are very trying times and theres a lot of stress.Unfortunately, we dont have all the answers, he said.Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk, another agency leader, said employees probably didnt have the runway of time that you might have liked to make a life-changing decision.For those who remain, she said, well just keep plugging along.Assurances from administration officials have not alleviated concerns across a range of agencies. Some federal workers said they did not trust the validity of the offers, doubting that Trump has the authority to disburse money. Others point to his record of stiffing contractors as a New York real estate mogul. Musks plans spark demonstrations in WashingtonScattered protests have sprung up outside federal buildings, including on Tuesday at the Office of Personnel Management.Im taking a risk and being bold and trying to get more federal workers to take a risk to speak out, said Dante OHara, who said he works for the government. Because if we dont, then were all going to lose our jobs and theyre going to put all these loyalists or people that will be their shock troops.Government jobs have often been considered secure positions, but OHara said theres fear in the workforce. The sense from his colleagues is I dont know if Im going to be here tomorrow because, like, we dont know whats going to happen.Dan Smith, a Maryland resident whose father was a research scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said federal workers are so underappreciated and so taken for granted.Its one thing to downsize the government. Its one thing to try to obliterate it, Smith said. And thats whats going on. And that is what is so frightening and disgusting and requires pushback.Mary-Jean Burke, a physical therapist for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Indianapolis, said shes worried that too many people will leave, jeopardizing health care services. Burke, who also serves as a union official, said doubts have also been growing over whether to take the offer.Originally, I think people were like, Im out of here, she said. But then they saw a social media post from DOGE, which said employees can take the vacation you always wanted, or just watch movies and chill, while receiving your full government pay and benefits.The message backfired because that kind of thing sounded a little bit too good to be true and people were hesitant, Burke said.Either way, she said, Trump has achieved his apparent goal of shaking up the federal workforce. Every day, its something, Burke said. If he signed up to be a disrupter, hes doing it.___Associated Press writers Nancy Benac, Nathan Ellgren, Gary Fields, Joshua Goodman and Brian Witte contributed to this report. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto 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

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown departs a press availability after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship in a case brought by the states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)2025-02-06T05:17:48Z SEATTLE (AP) A federal judge who already questioned the constitutionality of President Donald Trumps birthright citizenship executive order is set to hear arguments Thursday over a longer-term pause of the directive, which aims to end citizenship for children born to parents not legally in the country. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle has scheduled a hearing involving lawyers from the Trump administration, four states suing to stop the order, and an immigrant rights organization, which is challenging it on behalf of a proposed class of expectant parents.The latest proceeding comes just a day after a Maryland federal judge issued a nationwide pause in a separate but similar case involving immigrants rights groups and pregnant women whose soon-to-born children could be affected.Heres a closer look at where things stand on the presidents birthright citizenship order. Where do things stand on birthright citizenship?The presidents executive order seeks to end the automatic grant of citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to parents who are in the country illegally or who are here on a temporary, but lawful, basis such as those on student or tourist visas.For now, though, its on hold. Two weeks ago, Coughenour called the order blatantly unconstitutional and issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking its implementation. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman followed that up with an injunction keeping it on hold long-term, until the merits of the case are resolved, barring a successful appeal by the Trump administration.Asked by Boardman if the administration would appeal, an attorney for the administration said he didnt immediately have the authority to make that decision. Whats happening in the latest case?On Thursday, the birthright citizenship issue is back before Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee. During a hearing last month, he said the case stood out in his more than four decades as a federal judge. I cant remember another case where the question presented was as clear as this one is, he told a Justice Department attorney. His temporary order blocking the executive action was set to expire Thursday when hell hear arguments over whether he should issue an injunction similar to the one issued by the judge in Maryland. What about the other cases challenging the presidents order?In total, 22 states, as well as other organizations, have sued to try to stop the executive action. The matter before the Seattle judge Thursday involves four states: Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington. It also has been consolidated with a lawsuit brought by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Eighteen states, led by Iowa, have filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the Trump administrations position in the case.Yet another hearing is set for Friday in a Massachusetts court. That case involves a different group of 18 states challenging the order, including New Jersey, which is the lead plaintiff. Whats at issue here?At the heart of the lawsuits is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War and the infamous Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, which held Scott, an enslaved man, wasnt a citizen despite having lived in a state where slavery was outlawed. The plaintiffs argue the amendment, which holds that 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, are indisputably citizens. The Trump administration has asserted 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 ... the children of those who have circumvented (or outright defied) federal immigration laws, the government argued in reply to the Maryland plaintiffs suit.Attorneys for the states have argued that it certainly does and that has been recognized since the amendments adoption, notably in an 1898 U.S. Supreme Court decision. That decision, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, held that the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.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. ____Catalini is based in Trenton, New Jersey. Associated Press writer Michael Kunzelman contributed from Greenbelt, Maryland. 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 work at a textile factory in Tlaxcala, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)2025-02-06T05:13:10Z CIUDAD JUREZ, Mexico (AP) As soon as the sun glints over miles of border fence dividing the United States and Mexico, the engines of cargo trucks packed with auto and computer parts roar to life along border bridges and bleary-eyed workers file into factories to assemble a multitude of products geared toward the U.S. market. For more than half a century, this daily rhythm has helped fuel the heartbeat of a transnational machine that generated more than $800 billion in trade between the U.S. and Mexico in 2024 alone.Over the past year, however, President Donald Trumps threatened 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada have plunged manufacturing hubs all along the northern Mexican border into limbo, a state that persists despite a one-month reprieve to which Trump agreed on Monday. Tariffs would cripple Mexican border economies that are reliant on factories churning out products for the U.S. auto parts, medical supplies, computer components, myriad electronics and likely thrust the country into a recession, economic forecasters have warned. Some workers wonder how much longer theyll have jobs, while business leaders say the uncertainty has already led many investors to start tightening their purse strings. Its a conflict between governments and were the ones most affected, said 58-year-old truck driver Carlos Ponce, leaning against his rig at the customs border crossing between Ciudad Jurez and El Paso, Texas. Tomorrow, who knows what will happen? Ponce, who was driving a truck full of car shock absorbers, said hes spent the past 35 years moving goods across the border, just as his father did before him. Now, hes unsure how much longer that will last. Manufacturing in export-oriented assembly plants known as maquiladoras are the heart of Ciudad Jurezs economy, with 97% of its goods going to the U.S., according to figures from Mexicos Economic Ministry. The factories were born in the 1960s in an attempt to boost economic development in northern Mexico and lower prices for U.S. consumers. The maquiladora program later took off after the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was signed in 1994. The agreement was supplanted by a similar pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, negotiated between the three countries during Trumps first term.Today, neon signs with the dollar-to-peso exchange rate flash across the city, a reminder of the close ties binding both sides of the border.Everything that happens in the United States: its economic, social policy directly affects us because companies here in Mexico depend on what they sell in the United States, said Thor Salayandia, head of his familys auto-parts manufacturing facility in Ciudad Jurez. The United States also needs Mexico to keep manufacturing, but theyre not seeing things like that.This week, workers and business leaders alike breathed a sigh of relief when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced she had negotiated with Trump to delay tariffs one month. Now, were buying time, Salayandia said.Workers here assemble everything from auto parts to computer panels to T-shirts emblazoned with the American flag, logos of popular U.S. football teams and slogans such as Proud to be a federal employee. Parts can cross the border multiple times before the final product is sold to U.S. consumers. That economic interdependence has left many in the city struggling to imagine a future without it. One U.S. company said it would likely have to move part of its manufacturing in the city to the U.S., but at a sharp cost. Antonio Ruiz, a compliance officer at Tecma, a U.S. firm that helps foreign companies set up shop along the border, said his was among a number of businesses to call emergency meetings over the weekend as economic forecasters warned that the tariffs could drive Mexico into a recession. Its very difficult to be prepared for something that has never happened before, Ruiz said. As much as you want to prepare for it, the best you can do is prepare to brace yourself in the short term. Salayandia and economists warn that any sort of tax could lead to cascading unemployment and rising prices on both sides of the border. In Mexico, they say, it could also spur a rise in violence in border areas by pushing the unemployed into the hands of drug cartels, as well as an increase in Mexican migration to the U.S.Manuel Sotelo, a leader of Mexicos National Chamber of Freight Transportation who owns a fleet of trucks that cross the border every day, sees the tariff threats as more of a political power move than a future economic reality. Both countries would be paralyzed, said Sotelo, who sat at a desk covered with local newspapers carrying bold headlines on the tariffs, a Trump bobblehead positioned behind him. Lets say he did slap a 25% tariff (on Mexico), what would they do during the Super Bowl without avocados? On the other hand, Sotelo acknowledges that the tariff talk has already inflicted some damage. He and other business leaders say that over the past year theyve watched investment dip in Ciudad Jurez because of political uncertainty, as investors hesitate to funnel their money into businesses that could collapse with the stroke of a pen in Washington.While Trumps election has been the primary driver of that uncertainty, June elections in Mexico and a controversial judicial reform carried out by Mexicos governing party have added to it. Sotelo said he saw a 7% drop in business last year, and only expects that to continue until lingering tariff threats are resolved. One collective of maquiladoras in the city says it has seen at least three factories halt production.Every time we hear this discourse from political leaders, the people running our governments, it sends shock waves through the border, Salayandia said. Because the border is a global thermometer. Our products go all over the world. Those companies will go look in other parts of the world where they offer conditions to keep competing.___Associated Press journalist Fernanda Pesce contributed to this report.

Wednesday night, ABC News reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been the acting archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration since shortly after President Trumps inauguration.The idea that Rubio might be their new bossand has been their boss, apparently, for weeksis news to National Archives employees and apparently to its current director Colleen Shogan. Shogan held an all-hands meeting with archives employees on Tuesday in which nothing was said about Rubio and in which Shogan still seemed to be in charge.The suggestion that hes been the archivist since the transition is a lie or misunderstanding, we just had a staff meeting with Shogan Tuesday, one NARA employee told 404 Media. Everyone is very confused. My coworkers seem to mostly assume its a bad news source.404 Media agreed to provide anonymity to sources in this article to discuss sensitive issues.404 Media obtained notes from that all-hands meeting, in which Shogan was introduced as the archivist of the United States and in which she spoke at length about working with the Trump administration in recent weeks. Shogan is still listed as the Archivist of the United States on NARAs website.We are required by law to follow the direction of the President, and we must implement the administrations guidance, Shogan said. I understand that many of you are experiencing uncertainty and pressure from these developments, and I acknowledge the times of change are not easy, but I also believe that change can be an opportunity for growth, innovation, and strategic thinking.Do you have any idea what the hell is going on here? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 202 505 1702. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.A NARA employee told 404 Media that Shogan has been working with the White House in recent days and that they are not aware of any changes to her role. A theme of Tuesdays all hands was the idea that much of the federal government is being surprised with a variety of executive orders and actions and that everyone is doing the best they can with limited information.Over the last two weeks, the President has released about 70 executive actions, Shogan said. We are often learning about these decisions at the same time you are. Many of these orders are complex and we are getting new guidance from OPM [Office of Personnel Management] and OMB [Office of Management and Budget] every day and have had to take specific actions under tight deadlines. Were doing everything that we can to make the best choices possible for the National Archives and deliver clear information to you.Jay Boskano, the deputy director of NARA, told employees in the meeting that weve not had any requests from DOGE and they have not contacted us and are not looking to gain access as far as we know to any of our systems. DOGE is the Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk and a small group of young engineers from Musks private companies who have seized control of Federal infrastructure, gaining access to the Treasury Departments payment system and classified information at USAID. DOGE has also removed several programs or mere mentions of DEI across a number of government agencies and websites.There may be unique opportunities to work with DOGE to position the archives but at this point, we havent had any contact from them, he added.404 Media spoke to four NARA employees and asked whether they had heard anything about Rubio apparently having run the agency for weeks. Lmao, no Shogan is still in place, one said. She addressed us this week. Also, why Marco Rubio? State Department and NARA have no overlap.NARA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Executive Summary Despite continued political pressures and varying degrees of corporate hesitancy around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (WEF) in Davos demonstrated remarkable resilience in maintaining LGBTQ visibility and inclusion. This summary of takeaways examines how NGOs and corporate allies are turning to quiet strategies that build [...]The post Resilience Amid Uncertainty: Business and Civil Society Organizations Chart New Collaborations at the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos first appeared on GLAAD.

Workers with Southern California Edison remove a utility pole damaged by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)2025-02-06T16:23:18Z LOS ANGELES (AP) A California utility said Thursday that its equipment likely sparked a wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes.The admission by Southern California Edison over its likely role in the Hurst Fire, which did not destroy any structures or result in any deaths, came in a required filing with state utility regulators.The utility acknowledged last month that fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started the Hurst Fire, which scorched about 1.25 square miles (3.2 square km) around the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.Absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire, Thursdays filing said.In a second filing, the utility said it is looking into whether an idle transmission line became energized and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton Fire, which devastated Altadena. But it still maintains theres no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze.The Eaton Fire, which killed at least 17 people, was fully contained last week. Full containment was also reached on the Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 12 people.

Elon Musk reacts as President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-06T16:07:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) The emergence of X owner Elon Musk as the most influential figure around President Donald Trump has created an extraordinary dynamic a White House adviser whos using one of the worlds most powerful information platforms to sell the governments talking points while intimidating its detractors.In recent days, Musk has used X to promote Trumps positions to his 215 million followers, attack an agency hes trying to shut down as evil and claim a Treasury employee who resigned under pressure over payment system access committed a crime.His use of the social media platform he owns has become both a cudgel and a megaphone for the Republican administration at a time that his power to shape the electorates perspective is only growing, as more Americans turn to social media and influencers to get their news.Musk isnt bound to all the same ethics and financial disclosures as some other federal workers because he is classified as a special government employee. Trump earlier this week dismissed concerns about Musks conflicts of interest, saying, Where we think theres a conflict or theres a problem, we wont let him go near it. Yet for the worlds richest man to single-handedly control the levers of one of the most influential online communication channels while holding an office in the White House complex is unthinkable in our current system of government, said Steven Levitsky, a political scientist at Harvard University and the author of How Democracies Die. This is a combination of economic, media and political power that I believe has never been seen before in any democracy on Earth, he said.Requests for comment from Musks special commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, and X were not returned. A foot in two powerful worldsThe close link between Musks X account and Trumps administration has been criticized not only because it gives Trump an unusually large mouthpiece. Musks ownership of X also could give him financial incentive to use his own platform instead of other pathways to disseminate the most urgent and vital government information.In the first two weeks of Trumps term, Musk has used his long-held celebrity cachet to amplify the presidents talking points on Californias wildfires, federal spending, Cabinet picks and more to his enormous following. He used X to criticize and intimidate those who spoke out against his far-reaching takeover of government agencies as the head of DOGE.He also held a livestream on X featuring entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and two Republican senators to discuss DOGEs work, inviting users to listen in live. Twelve hours later, DOGE posted it to Facebook for non-X-users to hear the recording.Trumps stake in the much smaller social platform Truth Social which he transferred last year into a revocable trust of which he is the sole beneficiary is another example of such a consolidation of power.Musk insists his X postings about DOGE and other government business are to benefit the public, as a transparency measure. Supporters say he deserves credit for sharing his unfiltered thoughts and strategies, and they view his style as a breath of fresh air after years of government obfuscation.He has pledged that DOGE, tasked with slashing federal spending, will post all its actions online though its official government website is currently blank, with only the tagline, The people voted for major reform. A mouthpiece for Trumps narrativesSince it became clear Musk would join the administration, he has repeatedly amplified Trumps narratives on X, where the platforms owner is the most followed user and is reportedly often recommended as a new users first account to follow.Sometimes those narratives include misleading information. After wildfires blazed through Los Angeles last month, Musk shared another users post declaring that TRUMP UNLEASHES CALIFORNIAS WATER while BIDEN AND NEWSOM LET WILDFIRES BURN.The Army Corps of Engineers did start releasing large flows of water from two California reservoirs on Friday and continued to do so through the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reported. But that federally controlled water flows to farmland in Californias crop-rich Central Valley, not the Los Angeles County neighborhoods coping with the aftermath of last months deadly fires. It also was released at a time it was not needed by farmers. In December, before Trump took office, Musk helped him temporarily sink a government funding deal, whipping up outrage with a torrent of X posts attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.More recently, Musk has taken to X to advance DOGEs efforts to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, posting Sunday to label the agency as evil and a criminal organization. Intimidation and a lack of transparencyMusk also has used the platform to insinuate that others may have committed crimes. Its finger-pointing that, from Musks office adjacent to the West Wing, could be seen as having the approval of the administration and thus the Justice Department.The day after the Treasury Departments acting deputy secretary, David Lebryk, resigned under pressure over payment system access, Musk posted that Lebryk had committed crime on a scale that makes the mafia look like preschoolers stealing cookies.At least one Trump-appointed prosecutor seems ready to listen to tips that come from Musks platform. Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin recently thanked an anonymous pro-Trump X account when it recommended he look into another user who posted criticizing DOGE.On Monday, Musk posted that he had deleted 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS Direct File program. The news, which was not shared elsewhere, led to confusion about whether Direct File is still available to taxpayers, but the free filing program is still available, at least for the coming tax season.Critics say that instead of complete transparency, Musk is showing only what he wants to reveal about the commission he leads. The X owner has suspended the accounts of some X users who posted the names of his DOGE team members. And many details of the commissions work have been left vague as it has rapidly taken control of agency databases, slashed costs and gained access to the U.S. Treasury payment system without congressional approval.Blurring the line between government and personal interestsMusks influence in the Trump administration comes as other CEOs who run the worlds biggest social media companies have shown deference to the president and even changed policies to align with his worldview. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew all attended Trumps inauguration. Zuckerberg, whom Trump threatened to imprison last year, recently shifted his platforms policies to do away with fact-checking and echoed Trumps concerns that the government harassed social media companies to censor lawful speech.Meanwhile, TikToks future in the U.S. depends on the app finding new ownership. Trump has taken a lead role in brokering that deal and suggested the government might explore an ownership stake.Steven Livingston, the founding director of the Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics at George Washington University, said Musks role shows how American democracy is already faltering.Its bending to the will and the whim of a billionaire and not to Congress, he said. Where does X and Elon Musk end and the government begin? Im not sure where that line is anymore.___Swenson reported from New York.___The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about the APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ALI SWENSON Swenson reports on election-related misinformation, disinformation and extremism for The Associated Press. twitter CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

When it comes to the LGBTQ+ community and commercial tobacco use, the statistics are daunting.According to what was last available via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)whose numbers have now been erased because of an executive order from President Donald Trumpabout one in six lesbian, gay and bisexual adults smoke cigarettes, compared with about one in nine of their heterosexual/straight counterparts. Cigarette smoking is also higher among transgender adults than cisgender adults.Also, commercial tobacco use among queer youth is more prevalent than non-LGBTQ+ youth. Smoking prevalence is 38-59% for LGBTQ+ youth, compared to 28%-35% for the general youth population, according to theAmerican Lung Association.Commercial tobacco use (as opposed to ceremonial tobacco use among Native Americans) in the queer population is about 40% higher than with their non-queer counterparts, confirmed National LGBT Cancer Network Executive Director Scout. (Side note: Scout got involved in healthcare advocacy from their days in ACT UPwhen, at one point, they were arrested with Windy City Times Owner Tracy Baim at a protest in Chicago against Westboro Baptist Church.) Scout noticed a trend: The numbers started to move downbut as soon asother tobacco products came into play, the numbers started to go back up again.But there are also stressors that can trigger commercial tobacco use, or nicotine addiction, as Scout has classified itand the current president embodies one of those triggering factors.The new administration put out an edict that all data related to trans people had to be stripped off of federal websites by5 p.m.[on Jan. 31], they explained. But also, federal data is not fast enough to measure those changes, but we did another research project knowing that this was coming. It covered about five states, and we got volunteer researchers and community organizations to interview people right before and right after the election. Smoking changes didnt happen that quickly, but as an indicator of the stress-based changes, anxiety increased 45%, depression by 19% and feelings of dread by 30% among trans Americans from the month before to the election until the week after; 80% reported that these health problems interfere with their daily functioning.However, simply being part of the queer community increases the likelihood of commercial tobacco usage as well. Multiplestudieshave shown factors such as internalized LGBTQ+-phobia, perceived stigma, and prejudice regarding sexual orientation and gender identity (which now mayincrease with developments such as DEI rollbacks) were associated with increased probability of cigarette and marijuana use in LGBTQ+ individuals.Marketing also contributes to the increased usage in the LGBTQ+ community, especially on social media. However, Scout talked about another aspect of nicotine-addiction marketingdirectly reaching out to traditionally underserved demographics: The tobacco industry is using a strategy of using newer products that fall outside of any regulatory frameworklike [the nicotine pouch] ZYNfaster than the FDA can respond.We fought so hard to get flavored cigarettes off the market and the only flavor thats left with traditional cigarettesand thats disproportionately used by queers, Latinx people, African Americans and Native Americansis menthol, they said. The one disproportionately used by minority populations was the only one that was allowed to stay. And the tobacco industry went on a huge campaign hiring people such as Al Sharpton. As a result, people like the ACLU are defending keeping this in; theyre using the argument that, since Black folks are using it, taking the items away will hurt that population.But then Scout added, Now you get to the new game. Those flavors arent banned for all the new products, so now were going to get an e-cigarette that looks like a high-tech product and were going to get a vape bar that looks like Starbucks. And youre going to go in for a customized experience and were going to give you 200 flavors like cherry Starburst or Capn Crunch. You put It all together and its a huge [attraction] for youth. And then if you had the vulnerable youth to the equationthose already struggling to fit inand its a toxic brew.National LGBT Cancer Network Executive Director Scout. Photo: LinkedInThe marketing also includes direct outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, according to Scout: Theyre now reaching out directly to our thought leadersparticularly, an organization run by a dear friend of mine who was a big tobacco-control advocate. A year before, he signed a letter about how menthol needed to be out. The Center for Black Equitya parent organization to all Black Prides around the countrywas run by Earl Fowlkes, a dear friend of mine. Last spring, the vaping industry came around and said, You know, all this regulation is really going to deny access. All of these smokers who are trying to get off of cigarettes and want to use vapes. Can we please partner with you on this?They asked different EDs and most said no. Eight months later, the Center for Black Equity came out with a reportslick as icethat was written by a white former Clinton Administration member; it said that we really need vapes, particularly the flavored ones. Now, people are seeing so many ads that reporters are asking What is up with this? Now theyre using our influencers against us. [Note: The Center for Black Equity vaping report is atthis link. A related press release is atthis link.]Marketing efforts, according to theTruth Initiative, can also include funding HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations and events.Waking up in the middle of the night to smokeThe effects of nicotine addiction are many, encompassing everything from anxiety to restlessness to cardiovascular disease to cancer to depression. So how does one recognize nicotine addiction?A really good test that stands the strength of time is seeing how long you can go without smoking after you wake up, Scout said. Back in the day, people would wake up in the middle of the night to smoke, or had to have a smoke while showering. But now, people are smoking less, so thats great.But the problem with nicotineespecially these little tobacco products theyre usingis that people will say, I just smoke occasionally. But then youll wake up and say, Ive been smoking occasionally for the last decade. Oops!With our community, we also have an increase in social smoking. People just do it when theyre out with their friendswhich, I guess, is better than doing it every day. But we want to be healthy influences on each other. But there are things you can do, like dont smoke around other people. Do it as much as you want, but dont do it around other people because its a socially transmitted disease. Weve talked with people in youth groups and they said that they hadnt started smoking until they joined other people outside.Scout underscored the significance of addiction with an astounding statistic: I read an article in a doctors office that said that if youre a cigarette smoker, the only semi-conscious thing in your life that youve done more than smoke is blink.Scout conceded that smoking cessation is a comprehensive endeavor: First, you try to combat the actual physiological addictionbut battling the habit is a long effort.However, they had tips on how to tackle cessation. You have to be gentle with yourself, Scout said. It takes about an average of seven times before people achieve success, so dont try it once and quit. Also, dont say, Im going to quit on Tuesday because thats what my cousin did and it worked for them. Well, my cousin mightve won the lottery but that doesnt mean Im going to buy a ticket. Use the sciencecall a quit line.Scout noted that quit lines such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW have people trained to be queer-welcoming.The quit lines might recommend that you see your doctor about medications. See your doctors and tell your friends; get social support. Get the counseling. Slowly gather your resources so you can start your cessation attempt. If you dont make it to full cessation but you cut down, thats a win.The tobacco industry wants you to blame yourself for smoking, because that freezes you from being able to do something about it. If you look at the fact that theyve been targeting our community with this kind of manipulation for decades, its a little easier for you to get upset about the freeze. For most people, if you dont smoke before youre 18, youre home-free so this is a pediatric thingand its the only pediatric epidemic where we somehow blame the victim. So please dont blame yourself.The post Why LGBTQ+ communities face higher risks of nicotine addiction appeared first on News Is Out.

This photo provided by researchers in February 2025 shows two pots, one with boiling water, left, and the other with a basket of eggs in lukewarm water, in a new method of boiling eggs dubbed "periodic cooking." (Emilia Di Lorenzo, Ernesto Di Maio via AP)2025-02-06T16:01:05Z NEW YORK (AP) Scientists say theyve cracked the code for boiling the perfect egg.Its a recipe you can test for yourself though the timing isnt ideal with soaring egg prices in the United States from a bird flu outbreak. The perfect boiled egg has a velvety yolk paired with a soft, solid white. Achieving this balance can be a challenge because the yolk cooks at a lower temperature than the white. Hard boiling an egg can yield a chalky yolk, while cooking low and slow can produce jelly-like, undercooked whites.Researchers cooked hundreds of eggs and used math to tackle this runny conundrum. One equation dealt with how heat travels between a hot surface and an egg; another captured how the eggs contents morph from liquid to solid with a gel-like state in between.Their final recipe involves transferring eggs in a steamer basket every two minutes between two bowls of water one boiling and the other lukewarm at 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) for a total of 32 minutes before cooling under running water and peeling. You could definitely do this at home with half a dozen eggs or so, said Gregory Weiss, a chemist at the University of California, Irvine, who was not involved with the research. In the method proposed by the researchers, dubbed periodic cooking, the egg whites heated and cooled until fully set. The yolk, on the other hand, held firm at a constant temperature and cooked until creamy. You can almost spread it, like on bread, said study author Emilia Di Lorenzo from the University of Naples Federico II.To confirm they had cooked up something new, the researchers tested the chemical makeup of the prepared eggs and served them to a panel of eight tasters alongside traditional boiled eggs.The research was published Thursday in the journal Communications Engineering.This new technique could mean more time in the kitchen compared to a standard hard-boiled egg, said food scientist Joanne Slavin from the University of Minnesota. But the blend of textures on the tongue could be worth the extra time.This is a slower process to get a better outcome, said Slavin, who had no role in the study. ___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. ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in New York. She covers research and new developments related to space, early human history and more. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-06T15:54:05Z President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed last weeks deadly collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter on what he called an obsolete computer system used by U.S. air traffic controllers, and he vowed to replace it.Trump said during an event that a lot of mistakes happened on Jan. 29 when an American Airlines flight out of Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army helicopter as the plane was about to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, killing all 67 people on board the two aircraft.In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, Trump blamed diversity hiring programs for the crash. But on Thursday, he blamed the computer system used by the countrys air traffic controllers.Its amazing that it happened, Trump said during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol. And I think thats going to be used for good. I think what is going to happen is were all going to sit down and do a great computerized system for our control towers. Brand new not pieced together, obsolete. Trump said the U.S. spent billions of dollars trying to renovate an old, broken system instead of investing in a new one. He said in his own private jet, he uses a system from another country when he lands because his pilot says the existing system is obsolete. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons theyve cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements. Trump said that if the nation had a newer system, alarms would have sounded when the Black Hawk helicopter, which was on a training exercise, reached the same altitude as the plane.But an FAA report after the crash said that the controller did get an alert that the plane and helicopter were converging when they were still more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) apart. The controller responded by asking the helicopter if it had the plane in sight and directed the helicopter to pass behind the plane. The helicopter responded that it did have the plane in sight. An early focus of the investigation has been confirming the altitude of the plane and helicopter. The jets flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet (99 meters), plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters).Data from the airports air traffic control system suggests the helicopter was above its 200-foot (61-meter) flight ceiling. The screen the controller was looking at that night showed that based on radar and other data, the helicopter was at 300 feet (91 meters), the NTSB said, noting that the figure would have been rounded to the nearest 100 feet (30 meters).To get more precise information, investigators need to be able to examine the wreckage of the still-submerged Black Hawk to verify the data. The helicopter isnt expected to be recovered until later this week. This crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground.___Associated Press reporter Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto

You read that right.Just in time for Valentines Day, Men.com is once again creating content that's never been seen before by premiering their first adult musical.The Bussycal is a very steamy and campy scene that stars Reese Rideout, Dom King and Jake Preston. All of these models are singing with their own vocals and serving up original choreography in the new film.Once the talented performers finish their opening number, the adult entertainers start getting naughty on-camera. 20 years in the adult industry, Rideout is still keeping things fresh by starring as the lead in this musical. See on Instagram It's also no surprise that fan-favorite model Dom King is joining this sexy scene as he's a huge lover of pop culture and The Real Housewives."Porn needs to reference pop culture more. People can find that relatable! [I'd love to recreate] the Amsterdam dinner with Lisa Rinna and Kim Richards. Eat some bread and calm down! Let's not talk about the husband," King tells PRIDE.The Bussycal premieres Friday, February 14th, exclusively on Men.com. Watch the trailer below!

Siquoia Jackson, of Huntington, pulls a bike through the floodwater while trying to travel through the Enslow Park neighborhood on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Huntington, W.Va. (Ryan Fischer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP)2025-02-06T17:08:47Z CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) Storms sent creeks over their banks and caused flash flooding in portions of West Virginia and Kentucky on Thursday, while a wintry mix coated trees and roads in ice and even dropped thunder ice in several states.Residents and storm spotters in portions of Indiana, southern Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania reported the unusual thunder ice mix early Thursday freezing rain accompanied by flashes of lightning in the unstable air.You ever seen that? Brian Heffner of Spencerville, Ohio, said in a video he posted on Facebook. Ive never seen lightning and heard thunder during an ice storm. Its cool.In West Virginia, the thunder just kept coming and coming. A long line of thunderstorms kept residents awake overnight with hours of heavy rains, flooding neighborhoods and causing accidents where water ponded on some interstate highways. Schools in numerous counties delayed classes or closed Thursday. Several inches of rain in Charleston prompted county officials to activate an emergency operations center. Authorities responded to multiple rescue calls before the waters began to recede by late morning, officials said. Most of West Virginia and portions of eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio remained under flood warnings by midday. In south-central Kentucky, a National Weather Service team was surveying damage reports after high winds tore part some roofs and scattered debris. The storm left trees and roads in several mid-Atlantic states coated in ice before warmer temperatures moved in by midday Thursday. Most areas avoided significant power outages that can accompany accumulating ice on trees and power lines.Forecasts for several inches of snow prompted closures and delays for dozens of school systems in New England. In Maine, more than 200 schools and businesses were closed or shutting early. The Kennebunk area school district was one of many that chose to close fully rather than risk a messy commute for afternoon school buses.Road conditions are expected to rapidly deteriorate once the snow begins, potentially putting students and staff at risk if we were to implement an early release scenario, said district superintendent Terri Cooper. ___Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield Cockeysville, Maryland, and Patrick Whittle in Scarborough, Maine, contributed to this report.

AP Illustration/Annie Ng2025-02-06T15:23:36Z NEW YORK (AP) They snooze in parking garages, on side streets before the afternoon school run, in nap pods rented by the hour or stretched out in bed while working from home.People who make a habit of sleeping on the job comprise a secret society of sorts within the U.S. labor force. Inspired by famous power nappers Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein, todays committed nap-takers often sneak in short rest breaks because they think the practice will improve their cognitive performance but still carries a stigma. Multiple studies have extolled the benefits of napping, such as enhanced memory and focus. A mid-afternoon siesta is the norm in parts of Spain and Italy. In China and Japan, nodding off is encouraged since working to the point of exhaustion is seen as a display of dedication, according to a study in the journal Sleep. Yet its hard to catch a few zs during regular business hours in the United States, where people who nap can be viewed as lazy. The federal government even bans sleeping in its buildings while at work, except in rare circumstances. Individuals who are willing and able to challenge the status quo are becoming less hesitant to describe the payoffs of taking a dose of microsleep. Marvin Stockwell, the founder of PR firm Champion the Cause, takes short naps several times a week. They rejuvenate me in a way that Im exponentially more useful and constructive and creative on the other side of a nap than I am when Im forcing myself to gut through being tired, Stockwell said. The art of napping Sleep is as important to good health as diet and exercise, but too many people dont get enough of it, according to James Rowley, program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Rush University Medical Center. A lot of it has to do with electronics. It used to be TVs, but now cellphones are probably the biggest culprit. People just take them to bed with them and watch, Rowley said.Napping isnt common in academia, where theres constant pressure to publish, but University of Southern California lecturer Julianna Kirschner fits in daytime naps when she can. Kirschner studies social media, which she says is designed to deliver a dopamine rush to the brain. Viewers lose track of time on the platforms, interrupting sleep. Kirschner says she isnt immune to this problem hence, her occasional need to nap. The key to effective napping is to keep the snooze sessions short, Rowley said. Short naps can be restorative and are more likely to leave you more alert, he said.Most people dont realize naps should be in the 15- to 20-minute range, Rowley said. Anything longer, and you can have problems with sleep inertia, difficulty waking up, and youre groggy. Individuals who find themselves consistently relying on naps to make up for inadequate sleep should probably also examine their bedtime habits, he said. A matter of timingMid-afternoon is the ideal time for a nap because it coincides with a natural circadian dip, while napping after 6 p.m. may interfere with nocturnal sleep for those who work during daylight hours, said Michael Chee, director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the National University of Singapore.Any duration of nap, you will feel recharged. Its a relief valve. There are clear cognitive benefits, Chee said. A review of napping studies suggests that 30 minutes is the optimal nap length in terms of practicality and benefits, said Ruth Leong, a research fellow at the Singapore center. When people nap for too long, it may not be a sustainable practice, and also, really long naps that cross the two-hour mark affect nighttime sleep, Leong said. Experts recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes, which gives nappers a few minutes to fall asleep. But even a six-minute nap can be restorative and improve learning, said Valentin Dragoi, scientific director of the Center for Neural Systems Restoration, a research and treatment facility run by Houston Methodist hospital and Rice University. Bucking the trend While workplace dozing is uncommon in the U.S., some companies and managers encourage it. Will Bryk, founder of AI search startup Exa, swears by 20-minute power naps and ordered two sleeping pods for employees to use in his companys San Francisco office.Ice cream maker Ben & Jerrys has had a nap room in its Vermont headquarters for a couple of decades, and a handful of employees use it, company spokesman Sean Greenwood said. Employees who feel taken care of are much more likely to use this responsibly, he said. Arianna Huffington, the celebrity author who co-founded the news website Huffington Post, became an advocate of a good nights sleep and occasional naps after she collapsed from exhaustion in 2007. She installed a nap room at her former company, now called HuffPo, and at Thrive Global, a wellness technology company where she serves as founder and CEO. If people have been up all night because of a sick child or a delayed flight, if they have the opportunity to nap, ... then they will be much more productive and creative for the rest of the day instead of dragging themselves or trying to boost their energy through multiple coffees or cinnamon buns, Huffington said in an email.Kirsten Perez, 33, is a devoted napper. She used to use her lunch break at work to catch a few winks in her car. When she got her own office, she closed the door for a siesta while sitting at her desk.Nowadays, working from home as a marketing manager at Nvidia, the Atlanta resident usually takes her daily nap in bed. She sets an alarm for 15 minutes, falls asleep within a minute and wakes up 30 seconds before the alarm rings.I can tell when my reasoning, my mood are dropping, just kind of feeling the drag of the day, Perez said. In those situations, she asks herself, Do I have a chunk of time in the next hour or so? And then Ill figure out when I can find 15 minutes and find myself horizontal.Creating space for sleep Naps are accepted and even a necessity in some occupations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages naps for nurses working night shifts. But many nurses cant sleep at the hospitals where they work because theyre too busy and arent given access to beds. Nurses regularly struggle to have sufficient time to use the bathroom or go outside for fresh air, no less take a nap, Michelle Morris, spokesperson for the National Nurses United union, said.Some companies are trying to fill the void. Inspired by his mother who worked as a nurse, Neil Wong founded Nap York, which offers sleeping pods in Manhattan and Queens that can be rented for about $27 an hour. His regular customers include super-commuters, UPS drivers, a security guard who works two full-time jobs, and doctors who work at nearby hospitals. Nap York also gives half-off prices to essential workers such as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel.In this society, you really only have two place to sleep: you have your bed at home and you have a hotel room you can probably get for 100 bucks, Wong said. Theres really no third space thats quiet, that provides some privacy, where you can also rest.___Have you overcome an obstacle or made a profound change in your work? Send your questions and story ideas to [emailprotected]. Follow APs Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well. CATHY BUSSEWITZ Bussewitz is a national business reporter for The Associated Press. She writes about the workplace, job issues and wellness. twitter mailto

While responding to the most damaging wildfires in the history of California, FEMA employees received an order for immediate compliance this week that states they must immediately change their vocabulary to comply with the Trump Administrations preferred terminology on gender and immigration.For example, FEMA employees are no longer allowed to call undocumented immigrants migrants or undocumented individuals, they must instead call them undocumented aliens or illegal aliens. FEMA can no longer refer to the idea of integration, it must begin to say assimilation.The terminology changes were sent to FEMA employees in the recovery division of Region 9 of FEMA, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and U.S. Pacific Islands. The language changes mirror those required of ICE agents and Department of Homeland Security employees (FEMA is a part of DHS). Similar notices have gone out to huge parts of the federal government, including NASA. While the most devastating wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles are no longer burning, FEMA is busy with recovery efforts as the city tries to begin planning how to rebuild. California governor Gavin Newsom has called the fires the worst natural disaster in US history.But the email obtained by 404 Media indicates that Trumps war on words extends to the federal workers tasked with helping, for example, people in Los Angeles recover from devastating wildfires. The mission of the recovery division is to provide assistance to individuals and communities overwhelmed by all hazards, including acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or other emergencies.This is the most 1984 email Ive ever seen, a FEMA employee told 404 Media. For a group that hates political correctnessthis contains politically correct terminology."Folks are too busy with the fires, seems like everyone is trying to ignore [this] stuff," the FEMA employee added. "Were all just locked in to focus on response and recovery efforts."The email contains a table of changes but does not specifically say where forbidden words should not be used. They include the following:In a follow-up email, the employees were told that any FEMA forms that the agency uses to interact with people and contain forbidden words are forbidden from being used. Again, the Region 9 recovery division of FEMA is actively responding to the most devastating wildfire in Los Angeles history, which is a city that includes many immigrants.In the event that there is a FEMA pre-printed, standardized form that would cause a violation of the newly established expectations for compliance with EO 14168 Defending Women and DHS Memo re: Immigration Language, employees are directed to refrain from using the form, the email says. And to notify your immediate supervisor of the conflict for resolution.Do you work for DHS, FEMA, or ICE? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 202 505 1702. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.Defending Women is an executive order Trump signed that has caused the widespread deletion and editing of government websites to remove anything the administration perceives to be associated with DEI. The DHS memo regarding immigration language refers to the requirement to call undocumented immigrants illegal immigrants or aliens.In the aftermath of the wildfires, Trump has proposed eliminating FEMA altogether. As Los Angeles gets rain, FEMA is now concerned about the possibility of flash floods and mudslides exacerbated by scorched wildlands.

Troye Sivan revealed he has new music coming and hes really inspired by sex.: Troye Sivan is ready to heat things up again. The Bloom singer recently revealed new details about his fourth studio album, hinting it will be as bold and sex-positive as ever.In 2023, Sivan dropped his third LP, Something to Give Each Other, which he described as a celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love, and friendship. The record boasted 10 pop gemsincluding fan-favorite singles Rush, One of Your Girls and Got Me Startedand received widespread acclaim for its unapologetically queer lyrics, slick production and Sivans signature vocals.Critics werent the only ones who noticed. Something to Give Each Other snagged three Grammy nominations and took home two ARIA Music Awards, for Album of the Year and Best Pop Release. Still, while listeners continue to binge the albums irresistible hooks, Sivan has his sights set firmly on whats next.Related | Troye Sivan and Ross Lynch are Flirting on TikTokDuring the 67th Grammy Awards, the Blue Neighbourhood artistaccompanied by longtime friend and collaborator Lelandtold PRIDE hes already in the studio cooking up new music. And if you thought Something to Give Each Other was sultry, brace yourselves for round two.I am really inspired by sex, Sivan told the outlet. Were going into the studio tomorrow, literally!Beyond teasing more sexy sounds, the Australian pop star also underscored the significance of LGBTQIA+ representation at major events like the Grammys.[Theres an] unbelievable showing of resilience and strength. I think we have to look out for each other and have each others backs at the moment, he said, adding, I feel so proud to be a gay man [and] to be a queer man today more than ever.If you need even more proof Sivan isnt holding back on the steamy details, look no further than his recent appearance in Grindrs Tap or Block? video. Joined by several of his tour dancers, the 28-year-old singer gamely dished on topics like hotel sexreceiving a unanimous thumbs-up from the squad.Related | Shawn Mendes Liked Troye Sivans Butt Pic on InstagramI mean, if we didnt [have hotel sex], then we would be celibate for seven months, which would be crazy, Sivan joked.When asked about a partner being super hairy, Sivan shrugged off any hesitations.Its kinda hot, he said, though one dancer, Mauro, disagreed. For me, the ick is [when] you can tell theyve shaved, and its growing back everywhere, Sivan explained. Im like, girl, its fine. Know what I mean?The group also tackled other provocative promptslike taking a nude next to an everyday object (for, ahem, size comparison), skipping a post-gym shower (for the musk, of course), satin sheets and open relationshipskeeping the banter playful and revealing.For a taste of Sivans candid sense of humor (and plenty of laughs), check out the full Tap or Block? clip below. As for his forthcoming album, fans will have to stay tuned. But if his latest confessions are any indication, Troye Sivans next era is set to be an even more electrifying mix of sultry pop anthems, unabashed queer visibility and fearless self-expression.More StoriesRoss Lynch Waves Pride Flag On StageTroye Sivan Talks to Elton John About Coming Out, HIV and SNLTroye Sivan Wishes He Played Elio in Call Me By Your NameKeiynan Lonsdale Rocks Braids and Briefs in Revealing SelfieTroye Sivan Finally Confirms the Meaning Behind BloomThe post Troye Sivan Teases New Music Inspired by Sex appeared first on Gayety.

Kansas City Chiefs' Nikko Remigio, left, runs the opening kickoff past Houston Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn (15) during the first half of an NFL football AFC divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)2025-02-06T18:59:06Z NEW ORLEANS (AP) Last seasons Super Bowl featured just about everything.There were trick plays, clutch performances and plenty of high drama as Kansas City rallied for a 25-22 overtime win against San Francisco.The one thing missing a single kickoff return.All 13 kickoffs went for touchbacks, marking the first Super Bowl ever without a kickoff return and providing the final impetus for the NFL to approve one of its most significant rules changes in years by completely overhauling the kickoff.The new kickoff rule that did lead to a reduction in the rate of injuries and an increase in returns gets the opportunity to appear on the highest-profile stage on Sunday when the Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.Its kind of brought a new life to it, Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. Gives us something to coach off of, kind of go back to the drawing board and kind of get creative with our ideas. The new rule called the dynamic kickoff was implemented with the hopes of decreasing injuries by limiting the high-speed collisions and incentivizing returns after the rate of returns fell to an all-time low of 21.8% last season. For the uninitiated, the new setup looks odd at first with the kicker alone at his 35 and his 10 coverage players lined up at the opposing 40. The return team has at least nine blockers lined up in the setup zone between the 30- and 35-yard line with at least seven of those players touching the 35. Up to two returners are allowed inside the 20. Only the kicker and two returners will be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20.Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback and possession at the 30. Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also will result in a touchback at the 30. According to the NFL, the change led to 332 more returns in 2024 with the return rate increasing to 32.8%. There were also 59 returns of at least 40 yards, the most in the league since 2016, and seven TD returns. The concussion rate fell 43% from the previous three years and there were the fewest lower-extremity strains on kick return plays since 2018.The return rate has increased to 45.1% in the postseason, but that might be based more on the difficulty of kicking deep in cold weather, which wont be an issue with the Super Bowl set to be played in a dome.For the regular season, both teams had about one-sixth of their kicks reach the landing zone requiring a return with the Chiefs at 17.2% and the Eagles at 16.5%. Philadelphias rate increased to 43.5% in the playoffs which was a function of weather more than strategy of trying to stop the opposition before the 30.We want to minimize any of the risk that can possibly happen, Clay said. Were just trying to eliminate any added variables that get us in trouble.The rule was adopted on a one-year trial and could be altered or eliminated this offseason. Kansas City special teams coach Dave Toub has liked the rule in general but would be in favor of at least one change to increase the rate of returns even more. If we move touchbacks to the 35 there will be a lot more returns, he said.The kick returns have played a key role for both Philadelphia and Kansas City on the way to the Super Bowl. The Eagles coverage units have generated two takeaways, forcing a fumble on the opening kick of a wild-card win against Green Bay and again in the NFC title game against Washington. Kenneth Gainwell also had a 44-yard return in the divisional round against the Rams.Nikko Remigio set the tone for the Chiefs when he returned the opening kick in their first playoff game in the divisional round against Houston 63 yards to set up a score.The guys like it, Clay said. Theyve embraced it and they just want to do anything to help this team advance as far as possible.___AP NFL : https://apnews.com/hub/NFL JOSH DUBOW Dubow is an NFL writer for The Associated Press who covers the San Francisco 49ers and provides weekly analysis of NFL statistics. twitter mailto

This image provided by NSF's NOIRLab shows an artist's illustration of the largest radio jet ever found in the early Universe. (M. Garlick/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA via AP)2025-02-06T18:42:03Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) Telescopes around the world have spotted a monster radio jet streaming from a quasar dating back to the first 1 billion years of the universe. At double the width of our Milky Way galaxy, this jet of radio waves is the biggest ever detected so early in the history of the universe, astronomers reported Thursday. Radio jets like this are not uncommon in our cosmic neighborhood. But theyve been elusive in the distant early universe until now because of the obscuring cosmic microwave background left over from the Big Bang.Its only because this object is so extreme that we can observe it from Earth, even though its really far away, lead author Anniek Gloudemans of the National Science Foundations NoirLab said in a statement.Observatories across Europe and in Hawaii and Texas contributed to the study appearing in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The double-sided radio wave is estimated to be at least 200,000 light-years across. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles. Discovered just a few years ago, the quasar powering this jet formed when the universe was just 9% of its current age within the first 1.2 billion years. Some of the brightest objects in the universe, quasars are galactic cores with gas and dust falling into a black hole, releasing a tremendous amount of energy that makes them exceedingly luminous. The mass of this quasar is equivalent to 450 million times our sun with a black hole that is not particularly massive. ___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.

On Tuesday, February 5th,President Trumpannounced another executive order baselessly targeting transgender people. Thisinaccurate, discriminatoryorderaims to bantrans women and girls from competing in womens and girls sports. This comes just days after the administrations slew of inaccurate, discriminatory directives and executive orders that aim torestrict funding for schools that are LGBTQ-inclusive,deny access to gender affirming care, [...]The post Busy Philipps Calls Out Trumps Latest Anti-Trans Executive Order: It doesnt protect us. It hurts all of us. first appeared on GLAAD.

Troye Sivan is ready to heat things up again. The Bloom singer recently revealed new details about his fourth studio album, hinting it will be as bold and sex-positive as ever.In 2023, Sivan dropped his third LP, Something to Give Each Other, which he described as a celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love, and friendship. The record boasted 10 pop gemsincluding fan-favorite singles Rush, One of Your Girls and Got Me Startedand received widespread acclaim for its unapologetically queer lyrics, slick production and Sivans signature vocals.Troye Sivan Confirms New Music is Indeed ComingCritics werent the only ones who noticed. Something to Give Each Other snagged three Grammy nominations and took home two ARIA Music Awards, for Album of the Year and Best Pop Release. Still, while listeners continue to binge the albums irresistible hooks, Sivan has his sights set firmly on whats next.Related | Troye Sivan and Ross Lynch are Flirting on TikTokDuring the 67th Grammy Awards, the Blue Neighbourhood artistaccompanied by longtime friend and collaborator Lelandtold PRIDE hes already in the studio cooking up new music. And if you thought Something to Give Each Other was sultry, brace yourselves for round two.I am really inspired by sex, Sivan told the outlet. Were going into the studio tomorrow, literally!Beyond teasing more sexy sounds, the Australian pop star also underscored the significance of LGBTQIA+ representation at major events like the Grammys.[Theres an] unbelievable showing of resilience and strength. I think we have to look out for each other and have each others backs at the moment, he said, adding, I feel so proud to be a gay man [and] to be a queer man today more than ever.If you need even more proof Sivan isnt holding back on the steamy details, look no further than his recent appearance in Grindrs Tap or Block? video. Joined by several of his tour dancers, the 28-year-old singer gamely dished on topics like hotel sexreceiving a unanimous thumbs-up from the squad.Related | Shawn Mendes Liked Troye Sivans Butt Pic on InstagramI mean, if we didnt [have hotel sex], then we would be celibate for seven months, which would be crazy, Sivan joked.When asked about a partner being super hairy, Sivan shrugged off any hesitations.Its kinda hot, he said, though one dancer, Mauro, disagreed. For me, the ick is [when] you can tell theyve shaved, and its growing back everywhere, Sivan explained. Im like, girl, its fine. Know what I mean?The group also tackled other provocative promptslike taking a nude next to an everyday object (for, ahem, size comparison), skipping a post-gym shower (for the musk, of course), satin sheets and open relationshipskeeping the banter playful and revealing.For a taste of Sivans candid sense of humor (and plenty of laughs), check out the full Tap or Block? clip below. As for his forthcoming album, fans will have to stay tuned. But if his latest confessions are any indication, Troye Sivans next era is set to be an even more electrifying mix of sultry pop anthems, unabashed queer visibility and fearless self-expression.More StoriesRoss Lynch Waves Pride Flag On StageTroye Sivan Talks to Elton John About Coming Out, HIV and SNLTroye Sivan Wishes He Played Elio in Call Me By Your NameKeiynan Lonsdale Rocks Braids and Briefs in Revealing SelfieTroye Sivan Finally Confirms the Meaning Behind BloomThe post Troye Sivan Revealed He Has New Music Coming and Hes Really Inspired By Sex appeared first on Gayety.

The city of Gwadar, Pakistan, is seen from a hilltop, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)2025-02-06T02:00:06Z GWADAR, Pakistan (AP) There was a time when few people in the coastal Pakistani city of Gwadar understood what climate change was. After a decade of extreme weather, many more do. Rain battered Gwadar for almost 30 consecutive hours last February. Torrents washed out roads, bridges, and lines of communication, briefly cutting the peninsula town off from the rest of Pakistan. Homes look like bombs have struck them and drivers swerve to avoid craters where asphalt used to be. A puppy walks on an area with mud and saltwater in a neighborhood of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) A puppy walks on an area with mud and saltwater in a neighborhood of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A man walks through mud and saltwater in a neighborhood of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) A man walks through mud and saltwater in a neighborhood of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Gwadar is in Balochistan, an arid, mountainous, and vast province in Pakistans southwest that has searing summers and harsh winters. The city, with about 90,000 people, is built on sand dunes and bordered by the Arabian Sea on three sides, at a low elevation that makes it vulnerable to climate change in a country that has already seen its share of catastrophe from it. Its no less than an island nation situation, warned Gwadar-based hydrologist Pazeer Ahmed. Many low-lying areas in the town will be partially or completely submerged if the sea level continues to rise. People walk along a beach next to a cliff in Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) People walk along a beach next to a cliff in Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Fishers work after returning from sea in Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Fishers work after returning from sea in Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The sea, once a blessing for Gwadars fishing and domestic tourism sectors, has become an existential threat to lives and livelihoods. Warming oceans mean bigger and more powerful waves, and those waves get whipped higher by summer monsoon winds. Warmer air holds more moisture -- about 7% more per degree Celsius (4% per degree Fahrenheit) and that means more big rain events. Waves have become more violent due to the rising sea temperatures and eroded beaches, said Abdul Rahim, deputy environment director at Gwadar Development Authority. The tidal actions and patterns have changed. Hundreds of homes have been washed away. It is very alarming.Melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels, another cause of coastal erosion. The sea level at Karachi rose almost 8 inches (almost 20 centimeters) between 1916 and 2016, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its projected to rise another half-inch (about 1.3 centimeters) by 2040. Houses reflect in standing water in a neighborhod of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Houses reflect in standing water in a neighborhod of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Fishers boats are docked along the beach next to a new built highway in Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Fishers boats are docked along the beach next to a new built highway in Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In areas near Gwadar, like Pishukan and Ganz, waves have swallowed up mosques, schools, and settlements. There are gashes in the cliffs at the popular picnic spot of Sunset Park, and rocks have cascaded onto the shore. Beaches run flat for dozens of kilometers because no structures remain on it. Authorities have built seawalls from stone or concrete to hold back saltwater intrusion. But theyre a small solution to a massive problem as Gwadars people and businesses are fighting climate change on different fronts.Saltwater pools on government land, salt crystals glistening in the sunshine. In the Shado Band neighbourhood, former local councillor Qadir Baksh fretted about water seeping up through the ground and into his courtyard every day, held at bay only by regular pumping. Dozens of houses have the same problem, he said. A laborer works at the construction site of a drainage system by the local government in the downtown of Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) A laborer works at the construction site of a drainage system by the local government in the downtown of Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Officials, including Ahmed and Rahim, said changes in land use and unauthorized building are worsening flooding. Locals said some major construction projects have destroyed traditional drainage pathways. Gwadar is the centerpiece of a massive Chinese-led initiative to create an overland route between its western Xinjiang region and the Arabian Sea through Gwadar. Hundreds of millions of dollars have poured into the town to create a deep seaport, an international airport, expressways and other infrastructure. The more sensitive projects, especially the port, are tightly secured by the Pakistani military, out of sight and off-limits to the public.But there is no proper sewage or drainage system for residents despite a decade of foreign investment, and Gwadars porosity, high water table, rising sea levels, and heavier rainfall are rocket fuel for the towns vulnerability. Former local councillor Qadir Baksh, center, talks with his brother Amanullah who starts a generator to drain water from their neighborhood of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Former local councillor Qadir Baksh, center, talks with his brother Amanullah who starts a generator to drain water from their neighborhood of Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Theres nowhere for the water to go.In the past when it rained, the water disappeared up to 10 days later, said Baksh. But the rain that came last year hasnt gone. The water rises from the ground with such speed it will reach the four walls of my home if we dont run the generator every day to extract it. Officials say its because of climate change but, whatever it is, were suffering. Gwadars fishing community is also hurting. Catches are smaller, native fish are disappearing, and migration patterns and fishing seasons have changed, said Ahmed and Rahim. There is also algae bloom and the invasion of unwanted marine species like pufferfish.Illegal fishing and foreign trawlers are responsible for a few of these things, but its mostly rising sea temperatures. Hydrologist Pazeer Ahmed speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at an office of Climate Resilience Information Center, in Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Hydrologist Pazeer Ahmed speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at an office of Climate Resilience Information Center, in Gwadar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More People have migrated from places like Dasht and Kulanch because of water scarcity. What agriculture there was in Gwadars surrounding areas is vanishing due to loss of farmland and livestock deaths, according to locals. Its part of a wider pattern in which Pakistans farmers are seeing declining crop yields and increasing crop diseases due to climate extremes, particularly floods, droughts and heat waves, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. There are heat waves and dust storms in Gwadar, said Ahmed. But the main impact of climate change here is that there is too much water and not enough of it. If nothing is done to address this problem, we will have no option but to retreat. A resident walks through the rubble of homes damaged by last years territorial rains, in Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) A resident walks through the rubble of homes damaged by last years territorial rains, in Gwadar, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ____Associated Press 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.

Treasury Union Employees president Doreen Greenwald speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)2025-02-05T22:46:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season will not be allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline, according to a letter sent Wednesday to IRS employees.The letter says that critical filing season positions in Taxpayer Services, Information Technology and the Taxpayer Advocate Service are exempt from the administrations buyout plan until May 15. Taxpayers have until April 15 to file their taxes unless they are granted an extension.Union leaders and worker advocates have criticized the proposal and question whether the government will honor any buyout contract.The news comes after President Donald Trump announced a plan to offer buyouts to federal employees through a deferred resignation program to quickly reduce the government workforce. The program deadline is Feb. 6, and administration officials said employees who accept will be able to stop working while still collecting a paycheck until Sept. 30. The buyouts, sent to roughly 2.3 million workers, are for all full-time federal employees with some exemptions, including military personnel, employees of the U.S. Postal Service and positions related to immigration enforcement. Its unclear if IRS workers who accept the buyout would only receive five months of pay instead or if they would also get a full eight months. The federal government employed more than 3 million people as of November, accounting for nearly 1.9% of the nations entire civilian workforce, according to the Pew Research Center. Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, has advised all federal workers not to accept the offer, which she says is dubious. This is not a good deal for them, Greenwald told The Associated Press. If you sign this document and then later change your mind, you are left without any power to fight back. Since federal employees are working under what is called a continuing resolution that keeps the government funded until March and the Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits agencies from spending more money than is actually appropriated funding for the buyout plan has not been approved, Greenwald said. She added: I do not recommend people sign the document. They need to have control of their own career, and this document does not give it to them.The NTEU union represents roughly 150,000 employees in 37 departments and agencies. This country needs skilled, experienced federal employees, she said we are urging people not to take this deal because it will damage the services to the American people and it will harm the federal employees who have dedicated themselves and their career to serving.Jan. 27 is the official start date of the 2025 tax season and the IRS expects more than 140 million tax returns to be filed by the April 15 deadline.What most people dont realize is that 85% of the federal workforce works outside of D.C., she said. Theyre your neighbors, your family, your friends. And they deliver key services for the American people. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto

Chris Mosier is an out transgender athlete, and a trailblazer, and hes speaking out about President Donald Trumps executive order that seeks to ban transgender athletes from competing in womens and girls school-sponsored sports. Mosier told CNN, Sports has just been the entry point to other areas of discrimination against our community, including health care [...]The post Chris Mosier: Trans athletes play sports for the same reasons as anybody else. For our love of the game. first appeared on GLAAD.

Alaska, the iconic drag queen and fan favorite, is returning to her role as Kitty Galloway inDRAG: The Musicalstarting February 8, at New World Stages. The show is also proud to announce new cast additions, including two-time Grammy Award winner Tamika Lawrence as Dixie Coxworth, beginning February 26, and Lisa Helmi Johanson, who will take [...]The post Alaska Returns to DRAG: The Musical in Iconic Role with Cast Additions Announced, New Music Video Released first appeared on GLAAD.

Queer actress Mara Wilson is going viral on social media after posting a scathing critique of President Donald Trumps executive order banning trans women and girls from competing in womens sports.Wilson took to Bluesky on Wednesday after Trump signed his fourth executive order targeting transgender people that he has signed since taking office on January 20.I know pointing out hypocrisy doesnt matter anymore, but if theres one person I wouldnt want to be the judge of who goes into locker rooms, it would be the man who openly boasted about walking into dressing rooms of underage girls, the former child star wrote on Bluesky on February 6.The executive order, titled Keeping Men Out of Womens Sports, prohibits the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports categories and will mandate immediate enforcement against school and athletic associations that "deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms.At a signing ceremony surrounded by young female athletes, Trump falsely claimed that men are beating up, injuring, and cheating our women and our girls and told the crowd that "womens sports will be only for women, the Advocate reports."Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls," Trump said at a signing ceremony surrounded by young female athletes.Wilsons post pointed out that Trump has railed against trans women who he insists are men entering womens locker rooms despite the fact that in 2005, he bragged on Howard Sterns radio shows that he was allowed backstage at the pageants he owns where women are often naked. Trump owned not only the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants but also Miss Teen USA, which features girls as young as 15.Well, Ill tell you the funniest is that before a show, Ill go backstage and everyones getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and Im allowed to go in because Im the owner of the pageant and therefore Im inspecting it, Trump said, as reported by CNN. You know, Im inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good.This isnt the first time Wilson, who came out as bi/queer back in 2017, has spoken out against rampant conservatism. She has also railed against Trump, criticized ICE, and taken on anti-abortion rights activists by posting on X (formerly Twitter).

While billionaire CEO Elon Musk has been busy quickly infiltrating every corner of the U.S. government, Tesla profits have been plummeting.Musks increased visibility and connection to the Trump administration has been a popularity test that he seems to have failed at least in Europe. The electric car company sold nearly 60% fewer cars in Germany last month than it did in the previous January.On Wednesday, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority reported that the number of newly registered Tesla vehicles dropped 59.5% in January, while the overall German market was only down 2.8% during the same period, Reuters reports.This drastic drop in sales comes during the same month when Musk criticized Germans for having too much of a focus on past guilt for crimes Nazis committed during the Holocaust and urged people to vote for a hard-right nationalist party during Germanys general election, according to the New York Times.Despite Germany being home to Teslas only factory in Europe, only 1,277 new Teslas were registered last month. Instead, Germans were buying domestic and Chinese electric cars, which increased by 54% in demand in January.But it wasnt just Germany where Tesla sales are taking a nosedive, sales also plummeted 63% in France and 12% in Britain, where Musk has made inflammatory comments about Prime Minister Keir Starker. Car registration data earlier this month shows that registered Teslas were down 44% in Sweden where Tesla mechanics have been striking for more than a year now and 38% in Norway.According to the New York Times, a report by Schmidt Automotive Research linked the drop in sales in Germany to incendiary comments Musk made while speaking at a gathering of the ultra-conservative Alternative for Germany party just days before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the gesture Musk at Trumps inauguration celebration, which most people agree was a Nazi salute.There could be reasons for dwindling Tesla purchases other than Musk being embroiled in controversy, including that consumers may be waiting for the updated Model Y to make their purchase.In the U.S., where Musk has had increased visibility this year as he inserts himself into the American government and the Trump administration, there has also been a drop off in sales, though it hasnt been as drastic as in Europe. According to the California New Car Dealers Association, registrations of new Teslas in the state plummeted by 11.6% in 2024 despite the overall sale of electric cars and trucks increasing by 1.2%.

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)2025-02-06T21:48:09Z Democratic attorneys general in several states vowed Thursday to file a lawsuit to stop Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiencys from accessing federal payment systems containing Americans sensitive personal information.A dozen attorneys general, including New Yorks Letitia James, said in a statement that they were taking action in defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on.As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told no, but in our country, no one is above the law, the statement said. The President does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon. Government officials and labor unions have been among those raising concerns about DOGEs involvement with the payment system for the federal government, saying it could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Also Thursday, a federal judge ordered that two Musk allies have read only access to Treasury Department payment systems, but no one else will get access for now, including Musk himself. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by federal workers unions trying to stop the billionaires DOGE from following through on what they call a massive privacy invasion.It was not immediate clear when the Democratic attorneys general will file their lawsuit.Joining James in the statement were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-02-06T21:36:04Z WASHINGTON (AP) A familiar pattern has emerged since President Donald Trump returned to the White House less than three weeks ago: He makes a brash proposal, his opponents file a lawsuit and a federal judge puts the plan on hold. Its happened with Trumps attempts to freeze certain federal funding, undermine birthright citizenship and push out government workers.Now the question is whether the court rulings are a mere speed bump or an insurmountable roadblock for the Republican president, who is determined to expand the limits of his power sometimes by simply ignoring the laws. Although Democrats may be encouraged by the initial round of judicial resistance, the legal battles are only beginning. Lawsuits that originated in more liberal jurisdictions like Boston, Seattle and Washington, D.C., could find their way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where a conservative majority has demonstrated its willingness to overturn precedent. Whats constitutional or not is only as good as the latest court decision, said Philip Joyce, a University of Maryland public policy professor.Roughly three dozens lawsuits have already been filed, including by FBI agents who fear theyre being purged for political reasons and families who are concerned about new limitations on healthcare for transgender youth. The spotlight on the judiciary is brighter because the Republican-controlled Congress has essentially abdicated its role of serving as a check on the presidency. Lawmakers from Trumps party have acceded to his demands to unilaterally cut spending and fire government watchdogs without proper notice. That leaves only the courts as a potential guardrail on the presidents ambitions.Were down to two branches of government, said Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School.The latest setbacks for Trump came Thursday. In Seattle, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour blocked Trumps executive order on birthright citizenship, which was intended to prevent the children of parents who are in the country illegally from being automatically considered Americans. Coughenour described birthright citizenship, which was established by the 14th Amendment, as a fundamental constitutional right and he assailed Trump in scathing terms. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain, said the judge, who was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.There are moments in the worlds history where people look back and ask, Where were the lawyers? Where were the judges? Coughenour added. In these moments, the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable. I refuse to let that beacon go dark today.The judge had previously called the order blatantly unconstitutional when issuing a temporary ruling.Ive been on the bench for over four decades, Coughenour said then. I cant remember another case where the question presented was as clear as this one is.Also on Thursday in Boston, U.S. District Judge George OToole Jr. paused Trumps plan to encourage federal workers to resign by offering them paid leave. OToole, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1995, did not express an opinion on the deferred resignation program, which is commonly described as a buyout. He scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon to consider arguments.We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members rights, American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.The White House said at least 40,000 federal workers have already agreed to quit in return for being paid until Sept. 30. We are grateful to the judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Its unclear which legal battles will reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices can choose what cases to consider. But Trump has nominated three out of nine members, and the court has taken an expansive view of presidential power. In a case involving criminal charges against Trump, the justices ruled that presidents are immune from prosecution for any official actions taken during their term. Sonia Sotomayor, one of the few liberal justices on the bench, said the ruling would make the U.S. president a king above the law.Steve Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, said the courts have been pushing back on Trump in his second term. But he warned that judicial decisions need to be enforced. The collapse of any congressional pushback, any congressional responsibility, I think is an ominous sign for what would happen if this administration starts openly defying court orders, Vladeck said. Historically, that would be a political non-starter and leave a president vulnerable to impeachment. But Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate despite two House impeachments from his first term, and then reelected by American voters, leaving him with little fear of punishment.One closely watched legal issue involves the presidents ability to withhold funding authorized by Congress, a practice known as impoundment. Although its restricted by legislation passed in 1974, after scandals involving former President Richard Nixon, some of Trumps allies have described the law as an unconstitutional limit on White House authority. The concept was tested by Trump when the Office of Management and Budget decided to freeze federal grants and loans while the administration conducted an ideological review of spending. The directive was blocked by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2023.Defendants actions in this case potentially run roughshod over a bulwark of the Constitution by interfering with Congresss appropriation of federal funds, AliKhan wrote.____Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi contributed reporting from Washington. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto

Travis Kelce is getting side-eyed for recent comments he made about Donald Trump. But is his relationship with Taylor Swift protecting him from genuine backlash?On Tuesday, the White House announced that Trump will be attending the Super Bowl in New Orleans this coming Sunday. Hell be the first sitting president to attend the annual game, so it isnt surprising that various players were asked their thoughts on the matter during subsequent press conferences."Thats awesome. Its a great honor," he said. "I think, no matter who the president is, Im excited because its the biggest game of my life. And having the president there its the best country in the world, and thats pretty cool." (@) There are plenty of people who already bent over backwards trying to find ways to justify Kelces remarks. Theyve suggested he didnt want to jump into political fights, or that he tried to toe the line and not offend anybody. Maybe hes thinking about his bottom line and doesnt want his brand deals or attempts at an acting career jeopardized. And hey, maybe we just shouldnt be asking football players about politics at all! (@) (@) (@) (@) But there are a number of flaws with all of these arguments. To start, Kelce has had no problems wading into topics of public interest in the past when it suits him or his multi-million dollar podcast, anyway. That makes asking him about things that go beyond football fair game because he opened that door.And there really is no such thing as trying to toe the line when it comes an administration that has already targeted essentially everyone other than cis straight white Christian men in the first two weeks of taking power. Declining to condemn the cult of MAGA is an implicit suggestion that everything is business as usual, at best. And calling it an "honor" to be in the presence of their leader, a convicted felon with a litany of sexual assault allegations against him, is pretty disgusting. (@) "Trump ripping apart the foundations of our country but Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce excited to throw a ball in front of him for a couple hours" (@) "'travis kelce isnt a trump supporter' idk if i were a famous person id think a little harder and come up with something other than its a great honor to play for any president when this president is destroying the democratic frameworks of our government." (@) "'travis kelce was media trained and' and the media training needs to shift as the world shifts. the current media training should be nothing less than i denounce donald trump." (@) To be clear, Swifties seem split on the matter. Some are make excuses for Kelce while others are genuinely horrified about his complacency here.But that there is such a notable divide here itself is jarring, considering it was only last year that Trump took to social media to declare, in all caps, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT." (@) Swifts fandom is known for swooping down and taking vengeance on any perceived wrongs against her. If it had been Joe Alwyn or Matty Healy who showed an iota of support for someone who went on a tirade against their ex, its difficult to imagine anyone whose online identity revolves around their love of Swift defending them. (@) But because Kelce is Swifts current beau, and because they have so deftly turned themselves into this all-American couple for people to project their own fantasies onto, the Chiefs player seems to have earned some special layer of protection from their wrath. (@) "it's not hard to believe that someone like travis kelce would be a trump supporter but my god stand up for your girl!!!" (@) "The travwives putting community notes onto every piece of journalism which critiques Travis Kelce for supporting Donald Trump is truly embarrassing. What happened to this fandom exactly? Do you actually like Taylor Swift?" (@) "Some of you care more about Travis Kelces image and reputation than minorities who are actively having their lives destroyed by Trump and you should just admit it rather than gaslighting the rest of us that his statement was neutral when it wasnt at all" (@) "imagine that your boyfriend says it's an "honor" to have the man who slanders you publicly and stand for him. oh they would never make me like you" (@) "She really dated one liberal man and went to two conservatives back to back. Loving him is red I guess !" (@) After all, if Taylor is still with him, he must be good, right?Ultimately, Swift isnt responsible for anything that Kelce says, just like Kelces proximity to her shouldnt protect him from the consequences of his own actions. But theres a ripple effect here, just as there has been regarding her friendship with Brittany Mahomes. And when the result is watching a subsection of her fans defend complacency, it is, once again, difficult not to feel disappointed. (@)

Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-06T22:18:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) Officials working with Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency sought access to the U.S. Department of Treasury payment system to stop money from flowing to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to two people familiar with the matter.DOGEs efforts to stop USAID payments undermine assurances that the department gave to federal lawmakers in a Tuesday letter that it sought only to review the integrity of the payments and had read-only access to the system as part of an audit process.The two people familiar with the matter spoke Thursday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. The actions by DOGE, a Trump administration effort to find ways to reduce the federal workforce, cut programs and slash federal regulations, have raised concerns among civil servants, Democratic lawmakers and others that Musks team is withholding funds appropriated by Congress to suit the presidents political agenda. USAID, a federal agency charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas, has been a particular target of President Donald Trump and Musk, both of whom have argued that much of the agencys spending is wasteful. Supporters of the agency, however, say that it is essential for national security, helping counter Russian and Chinese influence while providing humanitarian assistance across the globe. A judge on Thursday sided with advocates and federal workers unions who sought to stop the department from giving DOGE and Musk access to the payment systems. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly restricted DOGEs read-only access to Tom Krause, a software CEO, and Marko Elez, who reported to Krause but has since left his role at Treasury. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Treasury Departments Fiscal Service conducts over 1.2 billion transactions annually and accounts for 90% of federal disbursements, including for Social Security and Medicare. Krause, who is listed online as the CEO of Cloud Software Group, works at the department as a special government employee and is subject to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures than other federal workers.The departments acting deputy secretary, David Lebryk, retired after more than 30 years of service when Krause and DOGE requested access to sensitive data, the two people told The AP. Trump ordered a funding freeze at USAID his first day in office, saying, the United States foreign aid industry was not aligned with American interests. The funding freeze and subsequent stop-work orders shuttered most U.S. programs, which are worth billions of dollars and are in more than 100 countries.While the funding freeze is supposed to last for as little as 90 days, aid workers say the damage done to aid work globally would require extensive investment and rebuilding to mend. Musk has tweeted repeated criticisms and unsubstantiated accusations about USAID as his DOGE crew dismantles much of the agency. Spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper, Musk tweeted early this week.The news that the department was trying to stop foreign aid payments was first reported by The New York Times.___Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed reporting from Washington. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves goodbye as he boards a plane at Juan Santamaria International Airport near San Jose, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, en route to Guatemala. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)2025-02-06T21:33:14Z SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio may have hoped to spend his first trip abroad focused exclusively on issues close to his heart: immigration, counternarcotics and curbing Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere.Instead, the five-nation tour to Central America a destination he deliberately chose for his maiden voyage as President Donald Trumps top diplomat was overshadowed by a massive Washington-centered upheaval in U.S. foreign policy.Just two weeks into his new job, the Miami-born former Florida senator did stay true to his original intent in meetings with the leaders of Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. He secured significant agreements on migrant deportations, and at least one country said its exiting Chinas oft-criticized Belt and Road development and infrastructure initiative. And his fluency in Spanish, which he used almost exclusively in those discussions and about 50% of the time in public, appeared to have impressed his hosts.But the dismantlement of the U.S. Agency for International Development and Trumps surprise proposal for a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip both of which were widely panned and led to speculation that Rubio had been sidelined even before stepping into the field dominated his public engagements and downtime.Heres a look at the main developments from the trip: Trying to explain the USAID upheavalWithout a doubt, the controversial unraveling of the worlds premier foreign aid agency was the biggest distraction from Rubios travel agenda, particularly after he found himself in charge of it at his first stop in Panama City on Sunday. Rubio quickly delegated his authority to another Trump appointee, Peter Marocco, who development workers believe is on a mission along with Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency to eliminate virtually all U.S. foreign assistance. Trump, on his first day in office, ordered a freeze on such aid pending a 90-day review by the State Department. Rubio, who as a senator had defended foreign assistance, had earlier sought to mitigate the damage by issuing a waiver to exempt emergency food aid and life-saving programs. By Tuesday, when Rubio was in Guatemala, an order came down to shut down all but the most essential USAID missions and repatriate American staff within 30 days. He defended the dismantlement and resulting layoffs of thousands of contract workers by accusing agency staff of insubordination for ignoring or refusing legitimate demands to justify their spending.Rubio said Thursday that people will be on leave of absence beginning Friday and given 30 days to return home if they so desire. He said the department was willing to listen to those who have exceptional circumstances regarding family or displacement.Were not being punitive here, Rubio said. But this is the only way weve been able to get cooperation from USAID. Walking back Trumps Gaza commentsAs people were still processing the USAID decision, Trumps unexpected proposal Tuesday for the U.S. to take control of the Gaza Strip, then rebuild and develop the Palestinian territory was the next bump in Rubios journey, which was literally jolted later that night by a 1 a.m. earthquake. Asked for his reaction Wednesday to the almost universally criticized idea, which would upend decades of U.S. support for an independent Palestinian state, Rubio sought to downplay Trumps comments. Rubio called it a very generous offer that deserved to be taken seriously and suggested that any U.S. role in Gaza would be temporary. He reiterated that on Thursday, saying to fix a place like that, people are going to have to live somewhere else in the interim.Thats far from what Trump had actually proposed during a news conference in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Amid conflicting signals from the White House about whether U.S. money could be spent or troops deployed, Trump then doubled down on the idea, leaving it for his special Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff and perhaps Rubio to sort out. Rubio, who is expected to travel to the Middle East before the end of the month, will have a hard sell on his hands as every country in the region except for Israel is vehemently opposed. Warning about the Panama CanalIn Panama, Rubio generated headlines by repeating a Trump warning to the Panamanian president that unless steps were taken to radically reduce Chinese influence in and around the canal, the United States would be forced to do so itself. With port facilities at both ends of the canal managed by a Hong Kong-based company, Rubio said Chinas presence in Panama constituted a direct threat to U.S. national security interests, particularly in the event of a conflict. Panamanian President Jos Ral Mulino said the government was already auditing the contract with the Hong Kong firm and could make adjustments when it was complete. Rubio did win one major concession when Mulino said Panama would not renew its membership in Chinas Belt and Road initiative when it expires. Uncertainty swirled on another key U.S. concern the payment of canal transit fees for American naval vessels. U.S. officials said Sunday that an agreement in principle had been reached to eliminate those fees, and the State Department tweeted on Wednesday that a deal had been finalized. But Mulino forcefully denied the claim Thursday.Mulino said the U.S. statement really surprises me because theyre making an important, institutional statement from the entity that governs United States foreign policy under the president of the United States based on a falsity. And thats intolerable.Rubio said later Thursday that he was not confused about the status of the canal agreement and understood that Panama has to follow a legal process to eliminate the fees. Theyre a democratically elected government. They have rules. They have laws. Theyre going to follow their process, he said.Given that the U.S. has a treaty obligation to protect the canal, Rubio said, I find it absurd that we would have to pay fees to transit a zone that we are obligated to protect in a time of conflict.Reaching deportation agreementsRubios immigration successes on the trip have the potential to lay the groundwork for Trumps promised mass deportations. He secured agreements with El Salvador and Guatemala to receive migrants from other countries who are deported by the U.S.In the case of El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele said he would take in not only deportees of any nation but also offered his countrys prison space to hold U.S. prisoners, including American citizens if needed. Trump and Rubio acknowledged the offer raised legal issues.Guatemala agreed to expand its capacity to receive its own citizens sent back by the U.S. and to take migrants from other countries and then repatriate them home at U.S. expense.Guatemala pledged during Rubios visit to create a border security force that would police its borders with El Salvador and Honduras.Rubio said the U.S. would support Costa Ricas immigration enforcement efforts by trying to provide more biometric technology to identify who was transiting that Central American nation. And he said the U.S. would continue to pay for Panamas deportation flights to other countries.After watching Colombian migrants loaded onto one such deportation flight in Panama, Rubio said, You could say our border doesnt begin in Texas or Mexico, it begins much farther down.___AP writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Let's make a deal... on queer joy!Wayne Brady is living his best life since he came out as pansexual nearly two years ago. While attending the 67th Grammy Awards, the actor dished on the misconceptions people had following his coming out and why he's the happiest he's ever been."The best part of living in your truth is that it's no work! There's some people [who thought there] was going to be a huge change and I'm dating 16 people and they're going to catch me at Revolver on a Wednesday night and popping bottles. No! The truth is me. Now, I'm free to do any of those things if I want to. That's the best part," Brady tells PRIDE. See on Instagram Since Brady is now walking in his truth, the singer also shared crucial words of advice to queer youth or anyone in the LGBTQ+ community dealing with anxiety and fear."This is no surprise to Black people. Talk to your Black friends. We've had things rolled back all our lives. Find your people. Be with your tribe. Learn to move in this world. Don't place yourself in a situation where you know that these other people don't want you. Be with the people who want you."Fans of Brady's will notice that the star has a pep in his step ever since he accepted his sexuality. 2025 just might be the year where the TV host embraces his sexiness like never before."You should feel confident in whatever your skin is. That's a big part of coming out... is that confidence. I walk down the street with a little bit of a better swag. You better get ready! I'm manifesting safety for all of us. Let's find the joy within that. Let's give each other joy." Fans can keep up with Wayne Brady by following him on Instagram. To see the full interview from the 67th Grammy Awards, check out the video at the top of the page.

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they disrupt the federal government, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, which administers foreign aid approved by Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-02-06T23:36:31Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands.Two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID official told The Associated Press of the administrations plan, presented to remaining senior officials of the agency Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity amid a Trump administration order barring USAID staffers from talking to anyone outside their agency.The plan would leave fewer than 300 staffers on the job out of what are currently 8,000 direct-hires and contractors. They, along with an unknown number of 5,000 locally hired international staffers abroad, would run the few life-saving programs that the administration says it intends to keep going for the time being. It was not immediately clear whether the reduction to 300 would be permanent or temporary, potentially allowing more workers to return after what the Trump administration says is a review of which aid and development programs it wants to resume. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a trip to the Dominican Republic that the U.S. government will continue providing foreign aid.But it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest, he told reporters. The Trump administration and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who is running a budget-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, have targeted USAID hardest so far in an unprecedented challenge of the federal government and many of its programs.Since President Donald Trumps Jan. 20 inauguration, a sweeping funding freeze has shut down most of the agencys programs worldwide, and almost all of its workers have been placed on administrative leave or furloughed. Musk and Trump have spoken of eliminating USAID as an independent agency and moving surviving programs under the State Department.Democratic lawmakers and others call the move illegal without congressional approval.___AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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)2025-02-06T22:38:14Z Donald Trump, the candidate, pledged to get transgender insanity the hell out of our schools and keep men out of womens sports.Donald Trump, the president, wasted little time delivering on his promise to address a topic that seemed to resonate across party lines. Trump issued an executive order on the day his second term began that called for restoring biological truth to the federal government and signed another on Wednesday titled Keeping Men Out of Womens Sports. " The federal government now has wide latitude across multiple agencies to penalize federally funded entities that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.The war on womens sports is over, Trump declared.Probably not. Legal challenges like the ones that have met some of the other executive orders aimed at transgender people are likely. What is in the executive order?The biggest takeaway is that the Trump administration has empowered the federal government to take aggressive steps to go after entities be they a school or an athletic association that do not comply. Federal funding and potentially grants to educational programs could be pulled.The threshold for noncompliance: Any entity that denies female students an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them, in the womens category, to compete with or against or to appear unclothed before males.The Education Department announced less than 24 hours after the orders signing that it was investigating San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, all of which have had Title IX violations reported against them for allowing transgender athletes to compete. Determining sex vs. gender and how will that affect Title IX? Every administration has the authority to issue its own interpretations of the landmark legislation best known for its role in ensuring gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses.Given the push-pull of how recent presidencies view Title IX, it has created a whiplash effect.Joe Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office that interpreted sex as gender identity under Title IX, a move that protected transgender athletes from being discriminated against if they wanted to participate in a sport that aligned with their gender identity, not their sex assigned at birth.Yet it took more than three years for Title IX regulations saying that to be finalized. And when they were, they lacked specifics sports and were put on hold by courts.Trumps order explicitly states that sex means the immutable biological classification as either male or female. Sex is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of gender identity. The order adds that sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.The decision marks a significant shift in the way Title IX is viewed and more explicitly, how it will be enforced.How many transgender athletes will be affected?That number is hard to pin down.The NCAA, for example, does not track data on transgender athletes among the 544,000 currently competing on 19,000 teams at various levels across the country, though NCAA President Charlie Baker testified in Congress in December that he was aware of fewer than 10 active NCAA athletes who identified as transgender. A 2019 survey of high school students by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) noted just 5% of respondents said they participated in a sport that aligned with their gender identity. A 2022 report by the Williams Institute estimated about 300,000 high school-age students (ages 13-17) identified as transgender. How many of those young people participate in sports is unknown, but it is likely a tiny fraction.Does the order have actual teeth?The reach of Title IX extends far beyond the participation of transgender athletes. Noncompliance is believed to be widespread.The Womens Sports Foundation noted in a 2022 report that there were still gross gender inequities across all college divisions and that there was cause for concern about widespread Title IX noncompliance in high school and college and university athletic programs even before the COVID-19 pandemic made womens sports even more vulnerable. Yet to date no school at any level has had its federal funding rescinded for not meeting Title IX standards that require institutions to provide women with equal access and treatment, said Cheryl Cooky, a professor at Purdue University who studies the intersection of gender, sports, media and culture. She wondered where all this support for womens sports in general and not on this issue specifically has been for the last five decades.All of these other inequalities have existed and now youre in a position of power to address those opportunities and this is what youre addressing? Cooky said. The fact that this is the issue that the administration is concerned about speaks volumes in terms of how we value women in this society and how we value womens sports in this society.Yet given Trumps unpredictable approach to governing, precedent and history might not apply. How will this work at the state level?About half the states have already enacted legislation that effectively bars transgender athletes from competing in the category that aligns with their gender identity. The AP reported in 2021 that in many cases, states introducing a ban on transgender athletes could not cite instances where their participation was an issue. Some states are already planning to challenge the Trump order in court. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called the order mean spirited and unlawful and called for those opposed to the order to stand together and fight back.What also remains unclear is whether a federal agency can go after specific organizations like state high school sports associations that do not receive money directly from the federal government.How will this affect college sports?The NCAA Board of Governors moved quickly, amending its transgender participation policy to limit competition in womens sports to athletes assigned female at birth. The NCAA has more than 500,000 athletes competing for some 1,100 schools. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve todays student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions, Baker said Thursday. To that end, President Trumps order provides a clear, national standard.The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the governing body for more than 200 small schools across the country, voted unanimously in 2023 to effectively ban transgender athletes from competing in womens sports.What about the Olympics?On a move most saw coming once Trump won a second term, his administration still managed to sneak in a curveball.The order calls for the office of the secretary of state to use all appropriate and available measures in hopes of having the International Olympic Committee come up with a uniform transgender policy. The organization has passed the buck for years, deferring to the international federations for each sport.That could change, however, when a new IOC president replaces the retiring Thomas Bach. Several candidates to replace Bach notably former track star and current director of World Athletics Seb Coe have voiced support for a uniform policy.The IOC this week said it will continue to explain and discuss the various topics with the relevant authorities.___AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar and Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report. 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

Tech giant Google is ending its diversity hiring targets and reviewing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, becoming the latest U.S. company to scale back or eliminate such programs.The decision comes after years of public commitment to diversity initiatives following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked nationwide protests and calls for racial justice. At the time, Google announced it would set goals to increase leadership representation of underrepresented groups, particularly among Black and Latino communities. Approximately 96% of Googles U.S.-based leaders were white or Asian, and about three-quarters of global leadership were men. The company aimed to change this by setting aspirational hiring targets to boost diversity within its workforce.Between 2021 and 2024, the company provided regular updates on its progress, stating its commitment to integrating DEI principles into everything it does. Google made it clear in annual reports that it sought to create a workforce that better reflected the diversity of the users it served.However, a noticeable shift occurred in Googles latest report released on February 5. The line about integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into the companys ethos was absent, signaling a significant change in direction.In a company-wide email, Googles Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi confirmed that the company would no longer set specific hiring targets for improving workforce diversity. In 2020, we set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing our offices outside California and New York to improve representation, Cicconi wrote. Well continue to invest in states across the U.S. and in many countries globally, but in the future, we will no longer have aspirational goals.This move marks a shift in Googles stance, and the company has indicated that it will now review DEI programs, policies, and grants that may pose risks or fail to deliver the intended results. The companys decision follows similar actions by other major corporations, such as Amazon and Meta, which recently scaled back or eliminated their DEI initiatives due to changes in the legal and political landscape.Googles decision has been widely interpreted as a response to right-wing pressure, particularly from those who have criticized corporate DEI efforts. The company is reportedly considering recent executive orders from former President Donald Trump, which targeted DEI initiatives within the federal government.Despite eliminating hiring targets, Google has pledged to continue supporting resource groups for minorities within the company. These employee-led groups are designed to provide support and advocacy for various communities and currently include 17 different groups with more than 50,000 members.Were committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the past year weve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there, a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic.Parul Koul, president of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), strongly criticized the changes, calling them a real attack on gains that workers have made in the tech industry through movements fighting against racism, gender and LGBTQ discrimination, going all the way back to the civil rights movement. Koul further described the move as part of a troubling trend in tech companies, where there is a growing anti-worker, right-wing influence.We are committed to fighting against this trend, Koul added.Googles decision to scale back its DEI initiatives is part of a broader shift in corporate America. Amazon and Meta also made similar moves in January, eliminating their DEI policies. Meta attributed its decision to changes in the legal and policy landscape and announced that it would stop moderating comments on topics such as immigration and gender, while ending independent fact-checking in favor of a community notes system. Amazon, on the other hand, said it was winding down outdated programs and materials, emphasizing a new focus on programs with proven outcomes.Several other major companies, including Ford, Lowes, Walmart, Harley-Davidson, and Jack Daniels, have distanced themselves from DEI initiatives in response to pressure from conservative campaigners, including pundit Robby Starbuck.As more companies reconsider or abandon their diversity programs, the future of DEI initiatives in corporate America remains uncertain, with ongoing debates about their effectiveness and the political ramifications surrounding them. The move by Google, one of the largest tech companies in the world, signals a growing divide in how corporations approach issues of diversity, inclusion, and equality.The post Google Scraps Diversity Hiring Targets and Reviews DEI Programs Amid Growing Backlash appeared first on Gayety.

Elton John and Brandi Carlile have teamed up for a highly anticipated album, Who Believes In Angels?, set to be released on April 4. The Oscar-nominated duo, who previously earned a nod for their collaboration on the track Never Too Late from the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, have crafted a 10-track album together, blending their iconic musical talents.The first single, the title track Who Believes In Angels?, was released on February 5, 2025, giving fans an early taste of the upcoming project. Along with the album, the pair will perform a special one-off concert titled An Evening With Elton John & Brandi Carlile, which will take place on March 26 at The London Palladium. Described as a one-night-only event, the concert will feature both performance and storytelling, offering fans an intimate experience with the artists.Tickets for the event will be available exclusively to fans who pre-order the album, giving them the chance to attend what promises to be a memorable occasion.The album is the result of a unique collaboration not only between John and Carlile but also with producer Andrew Wyatt and Johns long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin. The creative team behind the album shares a nomination for Best Original Song at the Oscars for their work on Johns documentary. The nominated track will also appear on the upcoming album.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)John expressed excitement about the albums creation, telling Variety, Between the four of us, what went down in the studio is pretty magical. And you know, I dont wanna let cats out of the bag, but you aint heard nothing yet. Theres something coming your way which is gonna blow your a** off.The album was recorded in just 20 days in October 2023 at L.A.s Sunset Sound Studio. In addition to John and Carlile, the album features contributions from some well-known musicians, including Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, bassist Pino Palladino, and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who has also toured with Pearl Jam.In addition to the album, fans can look forward to a short film offering a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Who Believes In Angels?. The film, captured through static cameras placed around the studio, documents the entire creative process including moments of creative struggle, breakthroughs, and emotional highs and lows. The raw footage offers fans an unprecedented, candid view into the challenging yet rewarding journey of creating the album.Ahead of the release, Carlile, a 11-time Grammy Award winner, shared her excitement about the collaboration. Reflecting on her long admiration for John, Carlile wrote, Ive been singing together with him for basically my whole life he just didnt know it. She continued, Ive been working and dreaming my way towards this moment since I was 11 years old. Every album Ive ever made has carried Eltons name in the liner notes, my quiet thank you to the artist without whom I would have never written a song. It was impossible to imagine that one day, hed not only be my hero, but probably my best friend. In some way though, I think maybe I knew?Who Believes In Angels? promises to showcase a deep, emotional connection between the two artists, built on years of mutual respect and admiration. Carlile has frequently cited John as a major influence in her own music career, and this collaboration marks a culmination of their shared musical history.The albums release on April 4 will be followed by the highly anticipated concert, An Evening With Elton John & Brandi Carlile, which will take place at The London Palladium on March 26. This special evening will offer fans a rare opportunity to see the two artists perform together in an intimate setting, blending their musical talents with personal stories from their respective careers.Who Believes In Angels? will undoubtedly be a standout release for both artists, combining the timeless sound of Elton John with Brandi Carliles powerful vocals and emotional songwriting. Fans can expect an album filled with heartfelt tracks and a glimpse into the powerful creative process that shaped this collaboration.Mark your calendars for April 4, when Who Believes In Angels? will be available for purchase, and make sure to pre-order for a chance to attend the exclusive concert event next month.The post Elton John and Brandi Carlile Announce Collaborative Album Who Believes In Angels? appeared first on Gayety.

Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's choice for Director of the Office of Management and Budget, attends a Senate Budget Committee hearing on his nomination, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-02-06T21:08:59Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate confirmed Russell Vought as White House budget director on Thursday night, putting an official who has planned the zealous expansion of President Donald Trumps power into one of the most influential positions in the federal government.Vought was confirmed on a party-line vote of 53-47. With the Senate chamber full, Democrats repeatedly tried to speak as they cast their no votes to give their reasons for voting against Vought, but they were gaveled down by Sen. Ashley Moody, a Florida Republican who was presiding over the chamber. She cited Senate rules that ban debate during votes.The Thursday night vote came after Democrats had exhausted their only remaining tool to stonewall a nomination holding the Senate floor throughout the previous night and day with a series of speeches where they warned Vought was Trumps most dangerous nominee. Confirming the most radical nominee, who has the most extreme agenda, to the most important agency in Washington, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a floor speech. Triple-header of disaster for hardworking Americans. Voughts return to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which he also helmed during Trumps first term, puts him in a role that often goes under the public radar yet holds key power in implementing the presidents goals. The OMB acts as a nerve center for the White House, developing its budget, policy priorities and agency rule-making. Vought has already played an influential role in Trumps effort to remake the federal government as one of the architects of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trumps second term. The budget office is also already shaking up federal spending. It had issued a memo to freeze federal spending, sending schools, states and nonprofits into a panic before it was rescinded amid legal challenges. In the Senate, Republicans have stayed in line to advance Voughts nomination and argued that his mindset will be crucial to slashing federal spending and regulations.Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushed for his confirmation this week, saying he will have the chance to address two key economic issues cutting burdensome government regulations and addressing excessive spending.Vought has often advanced a maximalist approach to conservative policy goals. After leaving the first Trump administration, he founded the Center for Renewing America, part of a constellation of Washington think tanks that have popped up to advance and develop Trumps Make America Great Again agenda. From that position, Vought often counseled congressional Republicans to wage win-at-all-costs fights to cut federal programs and spending.Writing in the Heritage Foundations Project 2025, Vought described the White House budget directors job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the Presidents mind.The OMB, he declared, is a Presidents air-traffic control system and should be involved in all aspects of the White House policy process, becoming powerful enough to override implementing agencies bureaucracies. During Trumps first term, Vought pushed to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers as political appointees, which could then enable mass dismissals.Vought has also been a proponent of the president using impoundment to expand the executive branchs control over federal spending.When Congress passes appropriations to fulfill its Constitutional duties, it determines funding for government programs. But the impoundment legal theory holds that the president can decide not to spend that money on anything he deems unnecessary because Article II of the Constitution gives the president the role of executing the laws that Congress passes.During confirmation hearings, Vought stressed that he would follow the law but avoided answering Democrats questions on whether he would withhold congressionally allotted aid for Ukraine.Democrats charged that Voughts responses amounted to an acknowledgment that he believes the president is above the law. In response to questions from Republican lawmakers, Vought did preview potential budget proposals that would target cuts to discretionary social programs.The president ran on the issue of fiscal accountability, dealing with our inflation situation, he said.Vought has also unabashedly advanced Christian nationalism, an idea rising in the GOP that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and the government should now be infused with Christianity. In a 2021 opinion article, Vought wrote that Christian nationalism is a commitment to an institutional separation between church and state, but not the separation of Christianity from its influence on government and society.___ STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, flags fly at half-staff at Camp Justice, Aug. 29, 2021, in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-06T23:15:50Z WASHINGTON (AP) Newly unsealed documents give one of the most detailed views yet of the evidence gathered on the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, including how prosecutors allege he and others interacted with the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.The summaries of evidence released Thursday include Mohammeds own statements over the years, phone records and other documents alleging coordination between Mohammed and the hijackers, videos included in al-Qaidas planning for the attacks and prosecutors summaries of government simulations of the flights of the four airliners that day. But few other details were given.Also to be presented are the photos and death certificates of 2,976 people killed that day at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field, where the fourth airliner commandeered by the al-Qaida hijackers smashed into the ground after a revolt by passengers. The newly revealed framework of military prosecutors potential case against Mohammed, who prosecutors say conceived of and executed much of al-Qaidas attack, is contained in a plea agreement that the Defense Department is battling in court to roll back. Mohammed and two co-defendants agreed in the plea deal with military prosecutors to plead guilty in the attack in return for life sentences.The Associated Press, The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, Fox News, NBC and Univision are suing to get the plea bargains unsealed. The summaries of the prosecution evidence were released Thursday in a partially redacted version of Mohammeds agreement. The evidence summaries point to the possibility of additional revelations about the attacks yet to come.As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors, defense and the senior Pentagon official overseeing the cases at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, agreed to an unusual step a hearing that would allow them to make public the evidence compiled against the three. It appears designed to address complaints from families and others that a plea bargain typically would otherwise keep the evidence from fully being revealed.Another unusual part of the deal mandated Mohammed to agree to answer questions from the families of victims. Military prosecutors, defense attorneys and Guantanamo officials negotiated the deal over two years under government auspices. The negotiations were an attempt to bring a resolution to the 9/11 case, which has remained in pretrial hearings for more than two decades since the attacks.Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin interceded to try to void the plea agreement after it was announced, saying that waiving the possibility of the death penalty in so grave an attack was a decision that defense secretaries should handle.Federal court hearings in the Defense Departments attempts to roll back the plea agreements are ongoing.Legal arguments over whether the sustained torture that Mohammed and other 9/11 defendants underwent in CIA custody has rendered their statements in the case inadmissible and has slowed the case. So have repeated staffing changes at the Guantanamo court and the logistical difficulties of holding a trial in a courtroom a plane flight away from the U.S. ___Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister contributed reporting from New York. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter

While things were beginning to improve for the LGBTQ+ community in the 2000s, same-sex marriage being legalized was still years away, and bad gay jokes were still the norm on television. Which is why we latched on to every gay character who provided us a little bit of hope for a brighter future. In the decades before, we were lucky to get queer-coded characters, but the first ten years of the new millennium treated us to fully developed and even delightful messy LGBTQ+ characters to identify with and, at times, live vicariously through.The cast of The L WordAfter years of lesbian side characters (like on Friends) and queer-coded sapphic romances (Xena: Warrior Princess), it was a breath of fresh air to have an entire show dedicated to depicting queer women.Marco Del Rossi Degrassi: The Next GenerationMarco was the first openly gay main character on Degrassi, and actor Adamo Ruggiero credits playing the queer character with helping him to come out in real life.David Six Feet UnderMichael C. Halls character David spent much of Six Feet Under struggling with his sexuality and navigating his relationship with partner Keith, who he eventually marries on the show.Inara FireflyInara was not only queer but a respected sex worker on the one-season show, and while her clientele was overwhelmingly male, we did get to see her with a female client, a rarity in 2003.The cast of Queer as FolkQueer as Folk helped to redefine LGBTQ+ characters and featured the first sex scene between two men ever depicted on American television. The unapologetic gay characters were a beacon of light to queer people who had only seen the sanitized version of gay life as shown on shows like Will & Grace.Anna One Tree HillAnna is a bisexual character from the teen drama One Tree Hill who came out during the shows second season and starts dating a woman.Andrew Van de Kamp Desperate HousewivesWhile Wisteria Lane was mostly full of straight couples, Shawn Pyfroms character Andrew was one of a few gay recurring characters on the show. Andrew struggled with his sexuality and dealing with his mother initial disapproving of his sexuality. Mystique and Destiny (X-Men Evolution)Mystique and Destiny have one of the longest-running romances in the history of Marvel comics and one of the most beloved queer relationships. While Mystiques queerness has largely been erased from the X-Men movies, we got to see the pair in a relationship in the animated series X-Men Evolution.Stanford Blatch Sex and the CityWhile he may have fallen into the gay best friend stereotype sometimes, Stanford was a beloved addition to the cast as Carries bestie.Ian Gallagher ShamelessIan Gallagher first comes out in the first season of Shameless and goes on to be an openly gay character who dates a few different men throughtout the run of the show. Willow & Tara Buffy the Vampire SlayerWillow came out on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1999, but she didnt start dating Tara until 2000 so were counting it!