Last year, when Utah lawmakers passed the nations first statewide ban on community water fluoridation, they included a provision making it easier for people to get fluoride supplements without having to visit a dental provider.This would make fluoride available through individual choice, rather than mass public dosing, as a Utah House of Representatives webpage put it part of the rising rhetoric of skepticism thats led to rollbacks of water fluoridation, a proven method to reduce tooth decay.Its what I like to refer to as the win-win, right? Speaker Mike Schultz said on a June episode of the House Rules podcast from the Utah House. Those that want fluoride can now get fluoride easier, and those that dont want fluoride in their drinking water dont have to have that.But even as critics point to fluoride supplements as an alternative along with fluoride toothpaste, rinses and varnishes many are creating barriers to these same products.Under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s oversight, the Food and Drug Administration said it issued notices to four businesses about their ingestible fluoride supplements for children and also put out new guidance for health professionals.In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into two large companies over their marketing of fluoride toothpaste to parents and children.And changes to Medicaid in President Donald Trumps so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act threaten to make it harder than it already is for the most vulnerable people to access any oral health care at all, let alone fluoride treatments at a dentists office.More than anything, experts say, alarmist language from high-profile officials is trickling down to the public, leading more people to question whether any form of fluoride in drinking water or in other treatments is a good idea.Scott Tomar, a professor and associate dean at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry, is among those who have watched with dismay as the conversation about fluoride has been affected by arguments likely to scare people.Im certain that the net result of all of this is going to be a greater reluctance on the part of parents and providers to prescribe fluoride supplements, Tomar said.Low, consistent exposure to fluoride is widely credited for dramatic declines in decaying teeth. But long-simmering skepticism about its use gained more influence in recent years, especially with Kennedys credibility and influence as the nations chief health officer.The evidence against fluoride is overwhelming, he said as he stood alongside Utah lawmakers at a press conference in Salt Lake City last April.Even though the science to support his conclusions is limited, he claimed that fluoride causes IQ loss, profound IQ loss, and he linked water fluoridation to ADHD, hypothyroidism, osteoarthritis, and kidney and liver issues.Lee Zeldin, who leads the Environmental Protection Agency, spoke at the Utah event, too, crediting Kennedy for helping to spur the agencys review of its standard for fluoride in drinking water. An EPA spokesperson, in a statement to ProPublica, said that the agencys next analysis of new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water was not due until 2030, but this agency is moving at Trump Speed.Meanwhile, the FDA is partnering with other federal agencies to develop what it called a fluoride research agenda. And, as part of a series of drastic cutbacks last spring, the Division of Oral Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was eliminated.In a statement emailed to ProPublica, an HHS spokesperson argued that fluorides predominant benefit to teeth comes from topical contact with the outside of the teeth, not from ingestion. There is no need, therefore, to ingest fluoride.Fluorides opponents cite a hotly debated state of the science report from the National Toxicology Program in 2024, saying that it shows an association between fluoride exposure and a lowered IQ in children.But those findings are not widely embraced because of the reviews limitations. It analyzed studies conducted outside the U.S., with different water conditions, and involving fluoride levels at more than twice the standard for drinking water here. The report itself states, in bold type, that it does not address whether the sole exposure to fluoride added to drinking water at the recommended level in the United States and Canada is associated with a measurable effect on IQ.In this atmosphere, as ProPublica has reported, theres been widespread wavering on water fluoridation, even in Michigan, where the treatment debuted more than 80 years ago.Florida joined Utah in banning fluoridation statewide. Bills to do the same were introduced in at least 19 other states last year, and that momentum is carrying forward, with statewide bans recently proposed in Arizona and South Carolina. Meanwhile, local debates over fluoridation are turning raucous.Utahs dental professionals are concerned about how to stave off an expected hit to oral health, as other communities experienced when they cut off fluoridation.We get heartburn over the situation, said James Bekker, a pediatric dentist and past president of the Utah Dental Association.Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB 81 into law in 2025, making Utah the first state to ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. Utah State LegislatureBekker and others are piecing together ways to provide other forms of fluoride treatment to Utahns. But hes worried, he said, about all these susceptible, vulnerable children in underserved populations that dont have a choice and dont have a voice, but they are going to suffer.Shortly after Utah banned fluoridation, the FDA took aim at the kind of supplements that lawmakers had presented as a key alternative. The agency announced that it was working to remove certain ingestible fluoride products for children from the market. Its press release described associations with changes to the gut microbiome, thyroid disorders, weight gain and possibly decreased IQ.More than 4,600 public comments poured into the FDA, including many from people worried about losing access to supplements while simultaneously losing water fluoridation.Now that fluoride has been removed from much of Utahs water, it is imperative to provide supplementation through other means, one orthodontist wrote. A dentist in South Florida criticized the scare tactics and bad science leading states like hers to ban fluoridation and said that prescribing fluoride drops and lozenges is one of the few alternatives for pediatric patients.On Oct. 31, the FDA announced efforts to restrict the sale of unapproved ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children. The agency said it sent notices to four companies about marketing the supplements for children under 3 and older children with moderate or low risk for tooth decay. It also said it issued letters to health care professionals warning about the risks associated with these products.Even though the FDA landed short of a ban, Stuart Cooper, executive director of the Fluoride Action Network, called the agencys shift a major victory. He said he believes its just the start of federal action to limit the use of fluoride products that FAN has long campaigned against.Fluoride supplements, which emerged in the 1940s alongside water fluoridation, never went through an FDA review. A decade ago, Cooper said, FAN submitted a citizens petition that called for the agency to pull ingestible fluoride supplements from the market. What were seeing is that come to fruition, he said, because we finally have FDA employees who were willing to look at the issue.The FDAs stance on supplements is now at odds with several health organizations, including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Several of them jointly support a graduated fluoride supplementation schedule that starts at six months for high-risk children.Johnny Johnson, a retired pediatric dentist in Florida, questions the FDAs risk parameters. If you dont have fluoride at appropriate levels in your water, by definition, you are at high risk of tooth decay, said Johnson, who heads the nonprofit American Fluoridation Society.The FDAs letter to health professionals recommends topical fluoride as an alternative, such as toothpaste. But even that method faces scrutiny. The Texas attorney generals office launched investigations into Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble, which sell Colgate and Crest fluoride toothpastes.Their marketing to parents and children is misleading, deceptive and dangerous, Paxtons office said in a press release. Referencing the NTP report on fluoridation, the release said the investigation came amid a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that excessive fluoride exposure is not safe for children.In September, Paxtons office announced a historic agreement with Colgate-Palmolive. When its packaging and promotional material for childrens fluoride toothpaste shows the paste on a brush, the company will display a pea-sized amount, rather than the traditional swirl. This month, Paxtons office reported a similar settlement with Procter & Gamble.A representative from Colgate-Palmolive said in a statement to ProPubica that Paxtons press release acknowledged that we already provide directions on our packaging that complies with U.S. FDA requirements for how our childrens fluoride toothpastes should be used. Procter & Gamble said in a statement that the Texas Attorney General acknowledged in the settlement that our products comply with all laws and regulations regarding directions for use.Another tool for fluoride treatment is varnish applied during a dental checkup, which may be provided at free or reduced cost through insurance programs. But even with health coverage, there are barriers that often make it difficult to see the dentists and pediatricians providing such treatment. Recent research found that insurance denials for fluoride varnish applications can add another layer of complication for patients and providers.Supplemental fluoride treatments are limited, compared with the effectiveness, reach and cost of fluoride in drinking water, said Johnson, the retired pediatric dentist, but it is the only option that we have in Florida and in Utah.Nothing replaces fluoridated water, he added. Nothing comes close.The post After Sowing Distrust in Fluoridated Water, Kennedy and Skeptics Turn to Obstructing Other Fluoride Sources appeared first on ProPublica.

Nature, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00082-1Millions of people worldwide carry genetic mutations that weaken their immune system.

When Ciji Graham visited a cardiologist on Nov. 14, 2023, her heart was pounding at 192 beats per minute, a rate healthy people her age usually reach during the peak of a sprint. She was having another episode of atrial fibrillation, a rapid, irregular heartbeat. The 34-year-old Greensboro, North Carolina, police officer was at risk of a stroke or heart failure.In the past, doctors had always been able to shock Grahams heart back into rhythm with a procedure called a cardioversion. But this time, the treatment was just out of reach. After a pregnancy test came back positive, the cardiologist didnt offer to shock her. Graham texted her friend from the appointment: Said she cant cardiovert being pregnant.The doctor told Graham to consult three other specialists and her primary care provider before returning in a week, according to medical records. Then she sent Graham home as her heart kept hammering.Like hundreds of thousands of women each year who enter pregnancy with chronic conditions, Graham was left to navigate care in a country where medical options have significantly narrowed.As ProPublica has reported, doctors in states that ban abortion have repeatedly denied standard care to high-risk pregnant patients. The expert consensus is that cardioversion is safe during pregnancy, and ProPublica spoke with more than a dozen specialists who said they would have immediately admitted Graham to a hospital to get her heart rhythm under control. They found fault, too, with a second cardiologist she saw the following day, who did not perform an electrocardiogram and also sent her home. Although Grahams family gave the doctors permission to speak with ProPublica, neither replied to ProPublicas questions.Graham came to believe that the best way to protect her health was to end her unexpected pregnancy. But because of new abortion restrictions in North Carolina and nearby states, finding a doctor who could quickly perform a procedure would prove difficult. Many physicians and hospitals now hesitate to discuss abortion, even when women ask about it. And abortion clinics are not set up to treat certain medically complicated cases. As a result, sick pregnant women like Graham are often on their own.I cant feel like this for 9mo, Graham wrote her friend. I just cant.She wouldnt. In a region that had legislated its commitment to life, she would spend her final days struggling to find anyone to save hers.Carolyn Graham holds a portrait of her daughter Ciji, who was a police officer. Andrea Ellen Reed for ProPublicaGraham hated feeling out of breath; her life demanded all her energy. Widely admired for her skills behind the wheel, she was often called upon to train fellow officers at the Greensboro Police Department. At home, she needed to chase her 2-year-old son, SJ, around the apartment. She was a natural with kids shed helped her single mom raise her nine younger siblings.She thought her surprise pregnancy had caused the atrial fibrillation, also called A-fib. In addition to heart disease, she had a thyroid disorder; pregnancy could send the gland into overdrive, prompting dangerous heart rhythms.When Graham saw the first cardiologist, Dr. Sabina Custovic, the 192 heart rate recorded on an EKG should have been a clear cause for alarm. I cant think of any situation where I would feel comfortable sending anyone home with a heart rate of 192, said Dr. Jenna Skowronski, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina. A dozen cardiologists and maternal-fetal medicine specialists who reviewed Grahams case for ProPublica agreed. The risk of death was low, but the fact that she was also reporting symptoms severe palpitations, trouble breathing meant the health dangers were significant.All the experts said they would have tried to treat Graham with IV medication in the hospital and, if that failed, an electrical shock. Cardioversion wouldnt necessarily be simple likely requiring an invasive ultrasound to check for blood clots beforehand but it was crucial to slow down her heart. A leading global organization for arrhythmia professionals, the Heart Rhythm Society, has issued clear guidance that cardioversion is safe and effective in pregnancy.Even if the procedure posed a small risk to the pregnancy, the risk of not treating Graham was far greater, said Rhode Island cardiologist Dr. Daniel Levine: No mother, no baby.Custovic did not answer ProPublicas questions about why the pregnancy made her hold off on the treatment or whether abortion restrictions affect her decision-making.The next day as her heart continued to thump Graham saw a second cardiologist, Dr. Will Camnitz, at Cone Health, one of the regions largest health care systems.According to medical records, Grahams pulse registered as normal when taken at Camnitzs office, as it had at her appointment the previous day. Camnitz noted that the EKG from the day before showed she was in A-fib and prescribed a blood thinner to prepare for a cardioversion in three weeks if by then she hadnt returned to a regular heart rhythm on her own.Some of the experts who reviewed Grahams care said that this was a reasonable plan if her pulse was, indeed, normal. But Camnitz, who specializes in the electrical activity of the heart, did not order another EKG to confirm that her heart rate had come down from 192, according to medical records. Hes an electrophysiologist and he didnt do that, which is insane, said Dr. Kayle Shapero, a cardio-obstetrics specialist at Brown University. According to experts, a pulse measurement can underestimate the true heart rate of a patient in A-fib. Every cardiologist who reviewed Grahams care for ProPublica said that a repeat EKG would be best practice. If Grahams rate was still as high as it was the previous day, her heart could eventually stop delivering enough blood to major organs. Camnitz did not answer ProPublicas questions about why he didnt administer this test.Three weeks was a long time to wait with a heart that Graham kept saying was practically leaping out of her chest.Ciji Grahams business card from the Greensboro Police Department hangs on the fridge in Shawn Scotts home above a baby picture of their son, SJ. Graham used to leave love notes on the fridge for Scott before she left for work. Andrea Ellen Reed for ProPublicaCamnitz knew about Grahams pregnancy but did not discuss whether she wanted to continue it or advise her on her options, according to medical records. That same day, though, Graham reached out to A Womans Choice, the sole abortion clinic in Greensboro.North Carolina bans abortion after 12 weeks; Graham was only about six weeks pregnant. Still, there was a long line ahead of her. Women were flooding the state from Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina, where new abortion bans were even stricter. On top of that, a recent change in North Carolina law required an in-person consent visit three days before a termination. The same number of patients were now filling twice as many appointment slots.Graham would need to wait nearly two weeks for an abortion.Its unclear if she explained her symptoms to the clinic; A Womans Choice spokesperson said it routinely discards appointment forms and no longer had a copy of Grahams. But the spokesperson told ProPublica that a procedure at the clinic would not have been right for Graham; because of her high heart rate, she would have needed a hospital with more resources.Dr. Jessica Tarleton, an abortion provider who spent the past few years working in the Carolinas, said she frequently encountered pregnant women with chronic conditions who faced this kind of catch-22: Their risks were too high to be treated in a clinic, and it would be safest to get care at a hospital, but it could be very hard to find one willing to terminate a pregnancy.In states where abortions have been criminalized, many hospitals have shied away from sharing information about their policies on abortion. Cone Health, where Graham typically went for care, would not tell ProPublica whether its doctors perform abortions and under what circumstances; it said, Cone Health provides personalized and individualized care to each patient based on their medical needs while complying with state and federal laws.Graham never learned that she would need an abortion at a hospital rather than a clinic. Physicians at Duke University and the University of North Carolina, the premier academic medical centers in the state, said that she would have been able to get one at their hospitals but that would have required a doctor to connect her or for Graham to have somehow known to show up.Had Graham lived in another country, she may not have faced this maze alone.In the United Kingdom, for example, a doctor trained in caring for pregnant women with risky medical conditions would have been assigned to oversee all of Grahams care, ensuring it was appropriate, said Dr. Marian Knight, who leads the U.K.s maternal mortality review program. Hospitals in the U.K. also must abide by standardized national protocols or face regulatory consequences. Researchers point to these factors, as well as a national review system, as key to the countrys success in lowering its rate of maternal death. The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is more than double that of the U.K. and last on the list of wealthy countries.Grahams friend Shameka Jackson could tell that something was wrong. Graham didnt seem like her usual perky and silly self, Jackson said. On the phone, she sounded weak, her voice barely louder than a whisper.When Jackson offered to come over, Graham said it would be a waste of time. Theres nothing you can do but sit with me, Jackson said she replied. The doctors aint doing nothing.Graham no longer cooked or played with her son after work, said her boyfriend, Shawn Scott. She stopped hoisting SJ up to let him dunk on the hoop on the closet door. Now, she headed straight for the couch and barely spoke, except to say that no one would shock her heart.I hate feeling like this, she texted Jackson. Aint slept, chest hurts.All I can do is wait until the 28th, Graham said, the date of her scheduled abortion.Scott sits on a bed in the apartment complex where he once lived with Graham. Andrea Ellen Reed for ProPublicaOn the morning of Nov. 19, Scott awoke to a rap on the front door of the apartment he and Graham shared. Hed been asleep on the couch after a night out with friends and thought that Graham had left for work.A police officer introduced himself and explained that Graham hadnt shown up and wasnt answering her phone. He knew she hadnt been feeling well and wanted to check in.Most mornings, Graham was up around 5 a.m. to prepare for the day. With Scott, she would brush SJs teeth, braid his hair and dress him in stylish outfits, complete with Jordans or Chelsea boots.When Scott walked into their bedroom, Graham was face down in bed, her body cold when he touched her. The two men pulled her down to the floor to start CPR, but it was too late. SJ stood in his crib, silently watching as they realized.The medical examiner would list Grahams cause of death as cardiac arrhythmia due to atrial fibrillation in the setting of recent pregnancy. There was no autopsy, which could have identified the specific complication that led to her death.Scott shows a collage of photos from his relationship with Graham. Andrea Ellen Reed for ProPublicaHigh-risk pregnancy specialists and cardiologists who reviewed Grahams case were taken aback by Custovics failure to act urgently. Many said her decisions reminded them of behaviors theyve seen from other cardiologists when treating pregnant patients; they attribute this kind of hesitation to gaps in education. Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in pregnant women, a recent survey developed with the American College of Cardiology found that less than 30% of cardiologists reported formal training in managing heart conditions in pregnancy. A large proportion of the cardiology workforce feels uncomfortable providing care to these patients, the authors concluded in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The legal threats attached to abortion bans, many doctors have told ProPublica, have made some cardiologists even more conservative.Custovic did not answer ProPublicas questions about whether she felt she had adequate training. A spokesperson for Cone Health, where Camnitz works, said, Cone Healths treatment for pregnant women with underlying cardiac disease is consistent with accepted standards of care in our region. Although Grahams family gave the hospital permission to discuss Grahams care with ProPublica, the hospital did not comment on specifics.Three doctors who have served on state maternal mortality review committees, which study the deaths of pregnant women, told ProPublica that Grahams death was preventable. There were so many points where they could have intervened, said Dr. Amelia Huntsberger, a former member of Idahos panel.Shawn SJ Scott Jr. at his aunts house in Kannapolis, North Carolina Andrea Ellen Reed for ProPublicaGrahams is the seventh case ProPublica has investigated in which a pregnant woman in a state that significantly restricted abortion died after she was unable to access standard care.The week after she died, Grahams family held a candlelight ceremony outside of her high school, which drew friends and cops in uniform, and also Greensboro residents whose lives she had touched. One woman approached Grahams sisters and explained Graham had interrupted her suicide attempt five years earlier and reassured her that her life had value; she had recently texted Graham, If it wasnt for you, I wouldnt be here today, expecting my first child.As for Grahams own son, no one explained to SJ that his mother had died. They didnt know how to describe death to a toddler. Instead, his dad and grandmother and aunts and uncles told him that his mom had left Earth and gone to the moon. SJ now calls it the Mommy moon.For the past two years, every night before bed, he asks to go outside, even on the coldest winter evenings. He points to the moon in the dark sky and tells his mother that he loves her.The post A Pregnant Woman at Risk of Heart Failure Couldnt Get Urgent Treatment. She Died Waiting for an Abortion. appeared first on ProPublica.

Plus, the battle over taxing billionaires.

The presidents assertion of unlimited authority is a total rejection of popular sovereignty and the logic of the Constitution.

After securing strong recruits on a tough Senate map, the Democratic leader is not only predicting an upset 2026 victory, but also naming the states he thinks his party can flip.

Many indicators appear to suggest that the United States is growing despite tariffs, not because of them.

Hundreds of families are hoping their loved ones will be freed by the Venezuelan government, which has said little about who would be released or when.

2026-01-14T03:35:29Z HONG KONG (AP) Chinas trade surplus surged to a record of almost $1.2 trillion in 2025, the government said Wednesday, as exports to other countries made up for slowing shipments to the U.S. under President Donald Trumps onslaught of higher tariffs. Chinas exports rose 5.5% for the whole of last year to $3.77 trillion, customs data showed, as Chinese automakers and other manufacturers expanded into markets across the globe. Imports flatlined at $2.58 trillion. The 2024 trade surplus was over $992 billion.In December, Chinas exports climbed 6.6% from the year before in dollar terms, better than economists estimates and higher than Novembers 5.9% year-on-year increase. Imports in December were up 5.7% year-on-year, compared to Novembers 1.9%.Chinas trade surplus surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time in November, when the trade surplus reached $1.08 trillion in the first 11 months of last year. Economists expect exports will continue to support Chinas economy this year, despite trade friction and geopolitical tensions.We continue to expect exports to act as a big growth driver in 2026, said Jacqueline Rong, chief China economist at BNP Paribas. While Chinas exports to the U.S. fell sharply after Trump returned to office and escalated his trade war with the worlds second-largest economy, that decline has been largely offset by shipments to other markets in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on For the whole of 2025, Chinas exports to the U.S. fell 20%. In contrast, exports to Africa surged 26%. Those to Southeast Asian countries jumped 13%; to the European Union 8%, and to Latin America, 7%. Strong global demand for computer chips and other devices and the materials needed to make them were among categories that supported Chinas exports, analysts said. Exports of electronics and electrical equipment were by far the largest export category, rising 8.4% from a year earlier. Car exports also grew last year. Auto exports surged 21% in 2025 to more than 7 million units, driven by electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry group, on Wednesday.China also exported more grain and fertilizer, while its sales of furniture, shoes and other labor intensive products fell. Strong exports have helped keep Chinas economy growing at an annual rate close to its official target of about 5%. That has triggered alarm in countries that fear a flood of cheap imports is damaging local industries.China faces a severe and complex external trade environment in 2026, Wang Jun, vice minister of Chinas customs administration, told reporters in Beijing. But he said Chinas foreign trade fundamentals remain solid.The head of the International Monetary Fund last month called for China to fix its economic imbalances and speed up its shift from reliance on exports by boosting domestic demand and investment. A prolonged property downturn in China after the authorities cracked down on excessive borrowing, triggering defaults by many developers, is still weighing on consumer confidence and domestic demand. Chinas leaders have made increasing spending by consumers and businesses a focus of economic policy, but actions taken so far have had a limited impact. That included government trade-in subsidies over the past months that encouraged consumers to buy newer, more energy efficient items, such as home appliances and vehicles.We expect domestic demand growth to stay tepid, said Rong of BNP Paribas. In fact, the policy boost to domestic demand looks weaker than last year -- in particular the fiscal subsidy program for consumer goods.In the case of autos, domestic sales rose 6% in 2025, but they fell back toward the end of the year as those subsidies were scaled back or phased out in some areas. Gary Ng, a senior economist at French investment bank Natixis, forecasts that Chinas exports will grow about 3% in 2026, less than the 5.5% growth in 2025. With slow import growth, he expects Chinas trade surplus to remain above $1 trillion this year. CHAN HO-HIM Chan covers China business, economy and finance for The Associated Press, reporting on key sectors from technology to trade. He is based in Hong Kong. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

2026-01-14T11:04:01Z TOKYO (AP) Japans Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve the lower house of Parliament soon to pave the way for a snap election to seek the publics mandate for her policies, a top party official said Wednesday. Takaichi was elected as Japans first female prime minister in October. A snap election is seen as an attempt to capitalize her still strong approval ratings of around 70% to help her beleaguered governing party gain more seats.Shunichi Suzuki, secretary general of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters that Takaichi told him and other top officials her plan to dissolve the lower house soon after it convenes on Jan. 23.Suzuki did not give dates for a dissolution or a snap election, and said Takaichi will explain her plans at a news conference next Monday.Her scandal-tainted LDP and its coalition has a slim majority in the lower house, the more powerful of Japans two-chamber Parliament. With an early election, Takaichi appeared to be aiming for securing a bigger share for the LDP and its new junior partner, the Japan Innovation Party. Opposition lawmakers criticized the plan as a selfish move that would delay parliamentary discussion on the budget, which needs to be approved as soon as possible. Media reports have said Takaichi plans to dissolve the house on Jan. 23, the first day of this years ordinary session, paving the way for a snap election as early as Feb. 8. Winning an upcoming election also would help Takaichi and her governing bloc to pass the budget and other legislation more easily. In late December, her Cabinet approved a record 122.3 trillion yen ($770 billion) budget that needs to be approved before the upcoming fiscal year starting April to fund measures to fight inflation, support low-income households and projects to help economic growth.Takaichi, known for her hawkish and nationalistic views and is ultra-conservative on social issues such as gender and sexual diversity, wants to win back conservative voters wooed by emerging populist parties in the past two major elections.The LDP has since handpicked a number of independents to join the governing coalition to reach a slim majority, but still is a minority in the upper house. MARI YAMAGUCHI Yamaguchi is based in Tokyo and covers Japanese politics, security, nuclear energy and social issues for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

South Carolina Rep. RJ May, R-West Columbia, walks down the aisle of the House on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins,File)2026-01-14T05:15:11Z COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence a former Republican South Carolina legislator to 20 years in prison for sending hundreds of videos of children being sexually abused to people across the country on social media as he advocated for several laws meant to protect kids. RJ May is asking the judge for mercy and a five-year sentence, saying he was addicted to pornography and screens made worse by an increased sex drive from testosterone treatments. He said he wants a chance outside prison to be an example of how easily porn can destroy lives and families.Judge Cameron McGowan Currie will listen to both sides Wednesday before handing down her decision in a federal courtroom just blocks from where May used to be a member of the South Carolina House.May, 39, pleaded guilty in September to what prosecutors in court papers called a five-day child pornography spree in the spring of 2024. May, who resigned earlier this year, is accused of using the screen name joebidennnn69 to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children on the Kik social media network, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos. Prosecutors said May revictimized those children every time he shared a file. They said his crime showed extra hypocrisy as he voted eight times for laws protecting children or strengthening penalties for abusing them. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on May operated an abusive and degrading child pornography distribution scheme that harmed and continues to harm hundreds of children. He sought out minors being sexually abused by their parents, and when he found those files, he sent them to others. He chose to amplify and compound their abuse, prosecutors wrote in their brief asking for the 20-year sentence. Guidelines from federal probation officials call for a sentence between about 17 to 22 years for May. Defense attorneys are asking for less than that, but they did not make a specific request in court papers. May wrote a note to the judge saying he was sorry several times and asking for a five-year sentence, pointing out he will never watch his sons soccer games or have tea in his home with his daughter again.My arrest marked the swift and total destruction of all my hopes and dreams. Every plan has been shattered. Every worldly possession is gone. I have been made penniless. My crimes have been published to a global audience. I have brought shame and embarrassment to friends and family alike. My wife has left me, May wrote.Mays request for mercy included seven letters from his relatives detailing how May had an abusive mother but still thrived to end up near the top of his class and earning the William Jefferson Clinton Scholarship in 2008 to study Middle Eastern Studies at the American University in Dubai. His father promised May could live on his Virginia farm and work when he is released.Prosecutors included statements from several victims detailing how the videos keep being passed around and haunt them well into their adulthood. May will have to pay $72,000 in restitution to the victims, register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and cant vote or own a gun because he is a convicted felon.May was in his third term in the South Carolina House and was attacking fellow Republicans to go in a more conservative direction before he was arrested. We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them, May said in January 2024 on the House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors. JEFFREY COLLINS Collins covers South Carolina from Columbia for The Associated Press. He has been with the AP since 2000. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Korean pop band BTS appears at the 2019 Variety's Hitmakers Brunch in West Hollywood, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)2026-01-13T17:11:36Z NEW YORK (AP) The BTS comeback is upon us. The K-pop septet has announced a 2026 - 2027 world tour, kicking off in South Korea in April and running through March 2027 with over 70 dates across Asia, North America, South America, Australia and Europe.They mark the groups first headline performances since their 202122 Permission to Dance on Stage tour. A presale will take place Jan. 22 and Jan. 23 for ARMY Membership holders who register on Weverse, an online fan platform owned by BTS management company HYBE. A general sale for all regions will follow on Jan. 24.The news arrives a few weeks after the entertainment company BigHit Music revealed that BTS will make their return to music on March 20, following a nearly four-year hiatus. Thats because all seven members of BTS RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope had to complete South Koreas mandatory military service. Rapper Suga was the last group member to be released, from his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to serving in the military that he reportedly chose due to a shoulder injury. That was in June 2025. The six others, RM, V, Jimin, Jung Kook, Jin and j-hope, served in the army.See the full tour dates below. BTS 2026 World Tour DatesApril 9, April 11-12 Goyang, South KoreaApril 17-18 TokyoApril 25-26 Tampa, FloridaMay 2-3 El Paso, TexasMay 7, May 9-10 Mexico CityMay 16-17 Stanford, CaliforniaMay 23-24, May 27 Las VegasJune 12-13 Busan, South KoreaJune 26-27 MadridJuly 1-2 BrusselsJuly 6-7 LondonJuly 11-12 MunichJuly 17-18 ParisAug. 1-2 East Rutherford, New JerseyAug. 5 -6 Foxborough, MassachusettsAug. 10-11 BaltimoreAug. 15-16 Arlington, TexasAug. 22-23 TorontoAug. 27-28 ChicagoSept. 1 - 2, Sept. 5 - 6 Los AngelesOct. 2-3 Bogot, ColombiaOct. 9-10 Lima, PeruOct. 16-17 Santiago, ChileOct. 23-24 Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 28, Oct. 30-31 So PauloNov. 19, Nov. 21-22 Kaohsiung, TaiwanDec. 3, Dec. 5-6 BangkokDec. 12-13 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaDec. 17, Dec. 19-20, Dec. 22 SingaporeDec. 26-27 JakartaBTS 2027 World Tour DatesFeb. 12-13 Melbourne, AustraliaFeb. 20-21 SydneyMarch 4, March 6-7 Hong KongMarch 13-14 Manila, Philippines MARIA SHERMAN Maria Sherman is the music reporter at The Associated Press. She is based in New York City. mailto

Nature, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00086-xMany US scientists have reported a rise in targeted harassment. Here are tools and tips to safeguard your cybersecurity.

Nature, Published online: 13 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00149-zSame-sex sexual behaviour could help some primates cope with complex social hierarchies. Plus, new clues as to where birds came from and the US Environmental Protection Agency will stop including human health in costbenefit analyses.

We look at how the actions of federal agents in Minneapolis are impacting life in the city.

A little-known and rarely enforced law prohibits ball games on some Los Angeles streets and sidewalks. The local council has begun the process of repealing it.

A visit to Greenland reveals a swirl of feelings as people nervously await talks with the Trump administration about the islands future.

In Minneapolis and other cities where federal agents have led immigration crackdowns, residents have formed loose networks to track and protest them.

The companies that turn oil into gasoline and diesel are likely to benefit more, right away, than the businesses that pump oil out of the ground.

Locks? Bubble watch? A bonus 25th player?! We're unveiling our 2026 rosters full of legends, first-timers and a few difficult cuts.

The 2025-26 NBA regular season is almost halfway over. Where do all 30 teams stand?

How does every NFL team's rookie group stack up? Aaron Schatz ranked all 32 based on first-year production, starting with surprises up top.

Texas beat South Carolina in a nonconference game in November. Can the Gamecocks even the series?

Joo Cancelo's return to Barcelona began in confusion, but his loan move for the rest of the season could give the team a boost in a number of ways.

Neel T. Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, defended Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, in an interview. He also said interest rates should be held steady this month.

Flix Plasencia, an envoy of the interim government, will travel to the United States on the day the opposition leader Mara Corina Machado is to meet President Trump.

Everythings on the table, an executive at JPMorgan Chase said, as the industry seeks to head off President Trumps effort to cap interest rates.

In A Private Life, the actress takes on her first solo lead role in which she speaks fluent French, but her French connection goes all the way back to childhood.

Republican election officials welcome the review, which relies on a federal verification tool, but they say they have not discovered a major problem when it comes to noncitizen voters.

We start this week with Josephs article about Webloc, a tool ICE bought that can monitor phones in entire neighborhoods. After the break, Emanuel and Sam talk about their recent coverage of Grok. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains how police inadvertently unmasked millions of their surveillance targets through a Flock redaction error.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:50 - First Story 23:00 - Second StoryInside ICEs Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire NeighborhoodsDHS Is Lying To YouInside the Telegram Channel Jailbreaking Grok Over and Over AgainMasterful Gambit: Musk Attempts to Monetize Grok's Wave of Sexual Abuse ImageryPolice Unmask Millions of Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error

Nature, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03804-zDo you struggle with the blank page? These strategies could help.

Nature, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04030-3Friends reunited.

Nature, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04093-2Intense droughts have caused water stress and elevated mortality for trees in the Amazon, foreshadowing the future of tropical forests as the climate changes.

Nature, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00145-3More than half of Gen Z now have a side gig. Are researchers among those seeking a second income?

Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have parted ways. But will Pittsburgh now change its roster-building approach under the next coach? And who should replace Tomlin?

A lot of major fights took place in 2025 -- but which megafights do we want to see in the year ahead?

Ja Morant says he has to "live with it" over the possibility of the Grizzlies seeking to trade him. He also told reporters he will "hopefully" play in a pair of games in Europe this week.

Sydney amateur Jordan Smith beat defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner on his way to claiming the $1 million Australian first prize at the Australian Open's 1 Point Slam.

What makes a great signing? Is it trophies won, goals scored, a long run of dominance ... or all of the above? Bill Connelly breaks down the best 50 Premier League moves since it began in 1992-93.

It is exceedingly rare, even in investigations of classified disclosures, for federal agents to search a reporters home.

President Trump has left himself plenty of room for maximal intervention. But there are a host of potential wild cards, each with risks for the president.

The treaty that created NATO did not contemplate an attack by one ally on another. A seizure of Greenland by President Trump would test the endurance of the mutual-defense pact.

Neko Health, backed by the Spotify founder Daniel Ek, plans to open in New York this spring.

Under Bill Pulte, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have pulled away from efforts to help low-income people buy homes.

This otherwise unremarkable home is serviced by a real 10-out-of-10 panty-melting stud of a postal worker.Reference #45823The post Really Hot Mailman appeared first on The Onion.

It wasnt at a plantation, okay? It was just a big Southern house.The post Amy Warburton and Zachary Kemp appeared first on The Onion.

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PITTSBURGHAcknowledging that the erotic, ultrarealistic episodes had been a frequent occurrence since the NFL season began, local resident Peter Hayward told reporters Tuesday that his vivid sex dream from the previous evening was once again about Pittsburgh Steelers mascot Steely McBeam.Oh Jesus, I had another weird Steely dreamwhy does this keep happening? said Hayward, 41, recounting how he had awoken with sweat-soaked sheets after enduring a multipart dream in which the girder-toting character playfully joined him in the teams shower facilities at Acrisure Stadium before eventually making love to him on the 50-yard line. As soon as I fall asleep, there he is, peeling off his overalls and calling me a dirty little Yinzer who needs to get fucked, Steely-style.I dont know where any of this is coming from, but I really wish it would stop, he added.When pressed on the topic, Hayward described dozens of sex dreams centered on the lantern-jawed NFL mascot, including a terrifying one in which Steely pursued him down Art Rooney Avenue, placed a yellow and black wig on the Pittsburgh natives head, and vigorously sodomized him at the foot of the Mister Rogers Memorial.Hayward, who is heterosexual, also admitted that several of these incidentsamong them a dream in which Steely held him down and went to work on my penis with his hungry mouthhad caused him to produce voluminous nocturnal emissions, to his intense shame and bewilderment.Noting that he had resorted to taking beta-blockers and high doses of trazodone in a fruitless effort to fend off the fantastical sex dreams, Hayward confirmed that the phantasmagoric encounters with Steely had begun to interfere with his daily routine.Its really hard to focus on work when you spent the previous night getting railed by Steely in Franco Harris living room, he said, adding that the dreams often culminated with the mascot angrily ordering him to clean up his discharge with a Terrible Towel. Like, Ill have eight hours of frantic sleep where Im getting pounded and spanked by Steely the entire time. How am I supposed to look my family in the eyes after that?Also, his penis is an I-beam, he continued. Forgot to mention that part.At press time, a dreaming Hayward was reportedly being held at gunpoint by McBeam and forced to masturbate onto a Primanti Bros. Italian sausage and cheese sandwich.The post Vivid Sex Dream About Steely McBeam Again appeared first on The Onion.

AMAGANSETT, NYSaying he couldnt wait for Bravos audience to meet the dynamic cast of his latest production, a shaking, wild-eyed Andy Cohen took to Instagram Live Monday to announce he had just greenlit The Real Housewives Of My Attic.Based on the scuttling and scampering noises I hear coming from up there 24 hours a day, I know these attic-dwelling divas are going to deliver the drama, said the Real Housewives executive producer, who went on to hold up his phone to a hatch in the ceiling of his Hamptons home, capturing only the sound of his own ragged breathing. These bold and bossy women arent afraid of anything or anyone, including law enforcement officers who say theres nobody up there and tell me if I make one more call Im going to be fined. Wait, shhtheyre whispering right now. You hear that? Come find us, Andy, come find us. I think its a tagline. Im absolutely obsessed. And soon, you will be too.Cohen was later overheard preparing to host the shows debut episode by striking a wall with a sledgehammer and screaming, You cant hide yourselves forever!The post Wild-Eyed Andy Cohen Announces The Real Housewives Of My Attic appeared first on The Onion.

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