This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP, File)2025-02-18T00:36:22Z The crash of a Delta Airlines plane in Toronto is the fourth major aviation disaster in North America in the last month.Heres a look at each of the crashes.Passenger plane flips during landing in Toronto A Delta Airlines plane arriving Monday at Torontos Pearson Airport from Minneapolis flipped and landed on its roof, injuring at least 17 people. The airport confirmed that an incident occurred Monday with the Delta flight and that all 80 passengers and crew are accounted for. Ornge air ambulance said it was transporting one child to Torontos SickKids hospital and two adults with critical injuries to other hospitals in the city.Video from the scene showed the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR upside down on the snowy tarmac as emergency workers hose it down. According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, the airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph (51 kph) gusting to 40 mph (65 mph). The temperature was about 16.5 degrees (minus 8.6 Celsius). Endeavor Air, based in Minneapolis, is a Delta subsidiary and the worlds largest operator of CRJ-900 aircraft, a popular regional jet developed by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier.The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will head up the investigation and provide any updates. Commuter plane crashes in Alaska, killing all 10 aboard A small commuter plane on its way to Nome crashed on Feb. 6, killing the pilot and nine passengers. The Bering Air single-engine turboprop Cessna Caravan was traveling from Unalakleet when it disappeared about an hour after taking off. The Coast Guard said the aircraft went missing about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Nome.After a wide search, the planes splintered body and debris were found the next day on the sea ice. The day of the crash there was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 17 degrees (minus 8.3 Celsius).The commuter flight was part of a workhorse network of short-hop flights that people in the immense and rugged state rely on to get to medical appointments, attend work meetings, buy essential supplies or even travel to away sports games.The victims included two men who were on a work trip to service a heat recovery system vital to a communitys water treatment plant, a retired teacher who was on a trip mentoring other teachers, and another person who was flying for a doctors appointment. Air ambulance crashes onto busy Philadelphia street, killing seven A medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood on Jan. 31, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes. The crash killed seven people, including all those aboard, and injured 19 others. The Learjet 55 took off and then plummeted in a steep descent, crashing less than a minute after takeoff from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The plane hit the ground during a busy Friday evening less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the airport, leaving a crash scene of at least four blocks. A father who was inside his car when the small plane crashed was among those killed.The plane operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance was on its way to Mexico, returning the child, who had spent months in treatment at Shriners Childrens Philadelphia hospital.Jet Rescue is based in Mexico and has operations both there and in the U.S. Helicopter and plane collide near Washington, killing 67A midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight about to land at Washingtons Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29 killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft. It was the countrys deadliest aviation disaster since 2001.The regional jet out of Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew and preparing to land when the helicopter apparently flew into its path, causing a collision that sent both aircraft into the icy waters of the Potomac River. The UH-60 Black Hawk, based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was on a training exercise and carried three soldiers. Among those killed were members of the Skating Club of Boston who were returning from a development camp that followed the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.The victims also included a group of hunters returning from a guided trip in Kansas, four members of a steamfitters local union in suburban Maryland, nine students and parents from Fairfax County, Virginia, schools and two Chinese nationals.

A Lebanese man watches bulldozers at work on the Hamamis hill, background, near the town of Khiam, southern Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)2025-02-17T19:11:30Z KHIAM, Lebanon (AP) Sabah Abdullah comes to her hometown in Lebanon every morning and sits next to her destroyed home. She is waiting for experts from Hezbollahs construction arm to compensate her for the damage caused by the Israel-Hezbollah war that has left her homeless.The 66-year-old woman from Khiam now rents a home in the nearby village of Kawkaba and is repairing her small grocery store, which was badly damaged by the 13-month war that ended in late November as a result of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The war has left more than 4,000 people dead and over 16,000 wounded in Lebanon and caused damage worth billions of dollars. Damage can be compensated but the loss of souls cannot be replaced, said Abdullah as she sat on a plastic chair in the sun outside her shop. Israeli forces will remain in parts of southern Lebanon The 60-day ceasefire that was supposed to end on Jan. 27 with an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and Hezbollah ending its armed presence along the border area was extended until Tuesday. But an Israeli official said Monday that Israeli forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after the deadline.One of these locations is the Hamamis hill on the southern outskirts of Khiam. On Monday, bulldozers could be seen from a distance at work building what appeared to be fortifications in an apparent sign that Israels military is planning to stay long beyond Tuesdays deadline.Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said in a speech Sunday that Israel has to fully withdraw from Lebanon on Tuesday, saying there is no pretext for five points nor other details. He added that the Lebanese state should prevent Israel from staying in the country after Tuesday as stated in the ceasefire deal. The Israel-Hezbollah war began a day after Hamas carried out its deadly attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 people hostage triggering the Israel-Hamas war. The Israel-Hezbollah war intensified as of Sept. 23, when Israel expanded its attacks and killed Hezbollahs longtime top leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah. Widespread damage in KhiamKhiam, one of the largest towns close to the Israeli border, suffered widespread damage, including entire blocks that were turned to piles of debris, while graffiti left behind by Israeli troops could be seen on the walls as well as inside homes. The towns cemetery suffered severe damage, with many graves blown out. On Monday, workers were removing debris in different locations in Khiam as many residents come during the day to spend a few hours at their homes and leave before sunset since the town still has no electricity or running water. New poles were being put in place by the countrys state-run electricity company as the infrastructure suffered severe damage.In Khiam everyone was martyred, read a graffiti on a wall in Arabic. Khiam is Golanis graveyard, another one read referring to Israels Golani Brigade.In a building on the eastern edge of Khiam, a woman showed a journalist a Star of David sprayed in red at the entrance of her apartment. The woman, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, then walked through her apartment showing a reporter the damage in the sitting room and kitchen. Abdallah said when she first came to Khiam days after the ceasefire went into effect in late November, she found that hungry cats and dogs inside her badly damaged shop had eaten cakes, croissants and chocolates. The metal door of her shop was blown wide open, she said. Seeing her home, which was built by her late father, destroyed saddened her but Abdallah said she is happy that none of her siblings or relatives were hurt during the war.The future is obscureAbdallah said that soon after the war ended, Hezbollahs construction arm Jihad al-Binaa paid her $12,000, of which $8,000 were to compensate her for lost furniture and $4,000 for a years rent.Abdallah said that since the Israel-Hezbollah war began she rented a house in Marakaba and had spent most of her savings and was selling some of her jewelry. She said she is now waiting for government experts to visit her and estimate the losses to pay her for rebuilding her two-story house that she shared with her brother. I will rebuild my house but the future is obscure. We live close to the border, Abdallah said, referring to repeated wars with Israel over the past decades.Another Khiam resident, Dalal Abdallah, said if Israel decides to stay in Lebanon, Israel will be eventually forced to leave again.Valuable blood and souls were paid for this land, she said. She added that no one should think that we will leave our land.

South Korean actor Kim Sae-ron arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. (Yonhap via AP)2025-02-18T06:03:17Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korean actor Kim Sae-rons death this week has triggered an outpouring of grief and calls for changes to the way the countrys celebrities are treated in the public arena and on social media, which critics say can foster a culture of harassment. The 24-year-old, who began her career as a child actor and earned acclaim for her roles in several domestic films, including the 2010 crime noir The Man from Nowhere, was found dead by a friend at her home in the countrys capital, Seoul, on Sunday. The National Police Agency has said that officers are not suspecting foul play and that Kim left no note. Once among the brightest stars on South Koreas vibrant movie and television scene, Kim struggled to find work after a 2022 drunk driving incident, for which she was later fined in court.Online posts in South Korea are notoriously harsh toward celebrities who make missteps, especially women, and Kim faced constant negative coverage from news organizations that capitalized on public sentiment. Newspapers and websites criticized her whenever she was seen partying with friends, or when she complained about her lack of work and nasty comments on social media. She was even criticized for smiling while filming an independent movie last year. Following Kims death, several of the countrys major newspapers on Tuesday published editorials and opinion pieces lambasting the toxic online comments about the actor. Some invoked the 2019 deaths of K-Pop singers Seol-li and Goo Hara and the 2023 death of Squid Games actor Lee Sun-kyun while calling for a change in the harsh, zero-tolerance culture toward celebrities. The Hankook Ilbo newspaper said the countrys media outlets were part of the problem, lamenting that some outlets continued to exploit Kim for clicks even after her death, using provocative headlines that highlighted her past struggles. The watchdog Citizens Coalition for Democratic Media on Tuesday criticized news organizations for blaming social media without considering their own sensational and provocative reporting.Born in 2000, Kim began her acting career at age 9, with the 2009 film A Brand New Life, portraying a girls struggles to adjust to a new life after being left at an orphanage by her father. She rose to stardom with The Man from Nowhere, which was one of the biggest hits in the South Korean movie scene that year and won her a domestic acting award. She starred in various movies and TV shows before the 2022 drunk driving incident. Gold Medalist, Kims former management agency, did not immediately answer calls for comment. KIM TONG-HYUNG Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Koreas economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)2025-02-18T02:28:02Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Social Security Administration s acting commissioner has stepped down from her role at the agency over Department of Government Efficiency requests to access Social Security recipient information, according to two people familiar with the officials departure who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.Acting Commissioner Michelle Kings departure from the agency over the weekend after more than 30 years of service was initiated after King refused to provide DOGE staffers at the SSA with access to sensitive information, the people said Monday. The White House has replaced her as acting commissioner with Leland Dudek, who currently works at the SSA, the people said. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields released a statement Monday night saying: President Trump has nominated the highly qualified and talented Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration, and we expect him to be swiftly confirmed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner. Fields added, President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long. Kings exit from the administration is one of several departures of high-ranking officials concerned about DOGE staffers potential unlawful access to private taxpayer information. DOGE has accessed Treasury payment systems and is attempting to access Internal Revenue Service databases.Since Republican President Donald Trump has retaken the White House, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk has rapidly burrowed deep into federal agencies while avoiding public scrutiny of his work through the DOGE group. Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the preservation of Social Security benefits, said of DOGEs efforts that there is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is. And my understanding is that it has already occurred. The information collected and securely held by the Social Security Administration is highly sensitive, she said. SSA has data on everyone who has a Social Security number, which is virtually all Americans, everyone who has Medicare, and every low-income American who has applied for Social Securitys means-tested companion program, Supplemental Security Income.If there is an evil intent to punish perceived enemies, someone could erase your earnings record, making it impossible to collect the Social Security and Medicare benefits you have earned.The future of Social Security has become a top political issue and was a major point of contention in the 2024 election. About 72.5 million people, including retirees, disabled people and children, receive Social Security benefits. 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

Paquita La Del Barrio performs at the 14th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Nov. 21, 2013, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP), File2025-02-17T19:23:19Z MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican musical legend Paquita la del Barrio, known for her powerful voice and fierce defense of women, died at her home in Veracruz early Monday at the age of 77.Her passing was announced on her official social media accounts and confirmed by her representatives to The Associated Press. The state capital of Veracruz will mourn the loss of the iconic singer, who had faced a number of recent health problems.With deep pain and sadness we confirm the sensitive passing of our beloved Paquita la del Barrio at her home in Veracruz, the statement said. She was a unique and unrepeatable artist who will leave an indelible mark in the hearts of all of us who knew her and enjoyed her music. Born Francisca Viveros Barradas, Paquita la del Barrio captivated audiences with songs of heartbreak and betrayal, including anthems like Rata de dos patas and Tres veces te enga. While her fan base was predominantly women, her powerful performances also drew men to her concerts. At the beginning, many men said Why would I go, to get shamed? ... Now they join the concerts. They go with their girlfriend, their wife and they love it, Paquita said in a 2016 interview with the AP. A two-time Grammy and Latin Grammy nominee, Paquita la del Barrio received recognition from across the industry, including the Billboard Latin Music Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2021, which was presented to her by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. News of her death sparked an outpouring of grief on social media. The Latin Grammys and Apple Music were among the many who took to social media to mourn her passing.RIP Paquita la del Barrio, the feminist icon from Mexico who sang what others were afraid to say, wrote Apple Music on the social platform X.____Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, right, and Maria Medvedeva, the deputy CEO for external communication for the fund, walk across the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)2025-02-18T06:18:20Z RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) Top Russian and U.S. officials are set to hold talks hold talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in a bid to improve their ties and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The meeting between the two countries top diplomats in Riyadh would be their most significant since the Russia invaded its neighbor almost three years ago, and is meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump earlier this month upended U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia, saying he and Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov arrived in the Saudi capital on Monday night. Ushakov said the talks would be purely bilateral and would not include Ukrainian officials.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. The recent U.S. diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that wont be favorable to them. France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the U.K. on Monday to decide how to respond. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday his country wont accept the outcome if Kyiv doesnt take part. U.S.-Russia talks would yield no results without Ukrainian officials, Zelenskyy said on a conference call with journalists from the United Arab Emirates. Ahead of the talks, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund who the Kremlin said might join the meeting, underscored the importance of the meeting in comments to The Associated Press. Good U.S.-Russia relations are very important for the whole world. Only jointly can Russia and the U.S. address lots of world problems, resolve for global conflicts and offer solutions, Dmitriev, who said he and his team would focus on economic issues at the talks, told AP. The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al Arabiya, citing the Russian delegation, described Moscows priority as real normalization with Washington.For Saudi Arabia, the talks are a major step toward a goal de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pursued throughout the war putting the kingdom in the middle of diplomatic negotiations. It has helped in prisoner negotiations and hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit in the kingdom in 2023. Zelenskyy will likely travel to Saudi Arabia later this week.For Prince Mohammed, once described as a pariah by former President Joe Biden over the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, hosting such talks burnish the otherwise-tarnished image the West has for him. LikeAhead of the summit, the Saudi daily newspaper Okaz described the moment as the worlds eye on Riyadh. Writing in the London-based but Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al Awsat, journalist Mishari al-Dhaidi described the summit as a major step on the international political chess arena, revealing the status of Saudi Arabia and its positive influence for the benefit of the people all the people, he wrote. the neighboring United Arab Emirates, the prince also has maintained close relations to Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically as well. Hosting the summit also balances the harsh criticism recently levied by the kingdoms tightly controlled media at President Donald Trump over his repeated comments that he wants the U.S. to own the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the Israeli military offensive there since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The Palestinians want Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, something backed by the wider Arab world and nearly all of the international community.___Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. BARAA ANWER Anwer is a video journalist for The Associated Press, specializing in news coverage across the Gulf region. twitter instagram mailto DASHA LITVINOVA Litvinova is an Associated Press correspondent covering Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. She has covered Russia and the region for over a decade. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Casts of skulls are seen inside an exhibit of early human species inside the Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins, Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)2025-02-18T10:01:04Z Why did humans start speaking? Scientists suggest genetics played a big role and they say the evolution of this singular ability was key to our survival.A new study links a particular gene to the ancient origins of spoken language, proposing that a protein variant found only in humans may have helped us communicate in a novel way. Speech allowed us to share information, coordinate activities and pass down knowledge, giving us an edge over extinct cousins like Neanderthals and Denisovans.The new study is a good first step to start looking at the specific genes that may affect speech and language development, said Liza Finestack at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved with the research. What scientists learn may someday even help people with speech problems. The genetic variant researchers were looking at was one of a variety of genes that contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens as the dominant species, which we are today said Dr. Robert Darnell, an author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. Darnell has been studying the protein called NOVA1 and known to be crucial to brain development since the early 1990s. For the latest research, scientists in his lab at New Yorks Rockefeller University used CRISPR gene editing to replace the NOVA1 protein found in mice with the exclusively human type to test the real-life effects of the genetic variant. To their surprise, it changed the way the animals vocalized when they called out to each other. Baby mice with the human variant squeaked differently than normal littermates when their mom came around. Adult male mice with the variant chirped differently than their normal counterparts when they saw a female in heat. Both are settings where mice are motivated to speak, Darnell said, and they spoke differently with the human variant, illustrating its role in speech. This isnt the first time a gene has been linked to speech. In 2001, British scientists said they had discovered the first gene tied to a language and speech disorder.Called FOXP2, it was referred to as the human language gene. But though FOXP2 is involved in human language, it turned out that the variant in modern humans wasnt unique to us. Later research found it was shared with Neanderthals. The NOVA1 variant in modern humans, on the other hand, is found exclusively in our species, Darnell said.The presence of a gene variant isnt the only reason people can speak. The ability also depends on things like anatomical features in the human throat and areas of the brain that work together to allow people to speak and understand language.Darnell hopes the recent work not only helps people better understand their origins but also eventually leads to new ways to treat speech-related problems.University of Minnesotas Finestack said its more likely the genetic findings might someday allow scientists to detect, very early in life, who might need speech and language interventions.Thats certainly a possibility, she said.---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. LAURA UNGAR Ungar covers medicine and science on the APs Global Health and Science team. She has been a health journalist for more than two decades. twitter mailto

2025-02-18T10:55:28Z MILAN (AP) A pro-Russian hacker group attacked Italian government websites on Tuesday in what it said was a reaction to a speech by Italian President Sergio Mattarella that compared Russias invasion of Ukraine to the Nazis wars of conquest.The NoName57 hacker group, which announced the attacks on social media, hit the websites of the defense, interior and transport ministries, as well as law enforcement agencies. Access to the sites was spotty.The group on Monday it attacked Italian banks, ports, airports and local transport agencies, but those attacks did not cause major disruptions.In a speech in Marseille, France on Feb. 5, Mattarella said that patterns that led to World War II were repeating, including wars of conquest. This was the project of the Third Reich in Europe. Todays Russian aggression against Europe is of this nature, he said.Russias foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, expressed dismay about Mattarellas remarks.Mattarellas office has declined to comment on the attacks.

2025-02-18T09:05:04Z Ronald Donats longtime dream of becoming a police officer was in jeopardy.The 41-year-old struggled to stand after completing a flurry of pushups, sprints and pullups in the notoriously grueling start of physical training that recruits call Hell Day.You are dead! classmates recall a sergeant berating Donat, ordering him to sit on concrete at the suburban Atlanta police academy.Donat, a Haitian immigrant on his third attempt to land a law enforcement job, assured instructors he wasnt giving up. He managed to get off the ground and rejoin recruits in a bear crawl exercise. But he soon went limp. Sharline Volcy shows a picture of her husband, Ronald Donat, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Sharline Volcy shows a picture of her husband, Ronald Donat, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More One hundred minutes after training began that October 2021 morning, he was dead, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.Donat is among at least 29 recruits who died during basic training at law enforcement academies around the country in the last decade, an AP investigation found. Most died of exertion, dehydration, heat stroke and other conditions tied to intense exercise often on the first day of training, like Donat. Others died several weeks in, sometimes after suffering trauma during boxing or use-of-force drills or collapsing during high-stakes timed runs on hot days. Experts and police advocates were surprised by APs findings based on an extensive review of lists of law enforcement deaths in every state, workplace safety records and news reports and said many of the deaths were preventable. No federal agency or outside organization comprehensively tracks recruit deaths, unlike officers who die in the line of duty. A memorial Sharline Volcy set up in honor of her husband, Ronald Donat, is seen Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at her home in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A memorial Sharline Volcy set up in honor of her husband, Ronald Donat, is seen Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at her home in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Training shouldnt have one death, much less 29, said David Jude, a retired Kentucky State Police academy commander and instructor. To hear that number, it is shocking.Black recruits represented nearly 60% of those who died, a striking disparity given that federal data show Black officers make up 12% of local police forces. Many carried sickle cell trait, a condition most prevalent among Black Americans that increases the risk of serious injury following extreme exertion. Overall, the deaths amount to a tiny percentage of the nations 800,000 sworn officers but highlight another hazard in a profession where shootings, car accidents and other dangers are part of the job.APs tally shows the deaths have grown at a time when departments are tapping an older and more diverse pool of applicants to address officer shortages. More than two-thirds of the deaths occurred since 2020. A heartbreaking string of deathsA Texas recruit collapsed minutes after instructors denied his request for water, saying: You cant get water in a fight, video obtained by AP shows.An Arkansas cadet died after he was forced to run wearing long pants in the scorching midday sun. A North Carolina trainees temperature was 106 degrees an hour after his death, when he had no water breaks during an hourlong obstacle course.Citing similar cases, one expert warned in a medical journal in mid-2023 of a troubling spate of exertional collapse and death of police trainees.This sad tragedy is preventable, but will not become so until our police chiefs begin to heed the message, wrote Dr. Randy Eichner, a retired University of Oklahoma professor who has long studied exertion-related deaths. At least 29 recruits have died during basic training at law enforcement academies nationwide in the last decade according to new reporting by the Associated Press. Experts say many of deaths could have been prevented. (AP video: Mark Vancleave and Ryan J. Foley) But deaths have only continued to mount. At least five were recorded in 2024, including a New York City recruit who died of heat stroke, a Kentucky man who exerted himself during water-based survival training and a Massachusetts cadet who became unresponsive during defensive tactics training.Police leaders say some deaths can be prevented through improved awareness and practices, acknowledging that the field needs to better screen for and accommodate health conditions that put recruits at risk and to rein in unnecessarily harsh drills.Not only are we potentially putting students in danger, but were also putting instructors in precarious situations where they may not know about the risks, said Jude, an expert witness in the 2022 death of 38-year-old Jonesboro, Arkansas, recruit Vincent Parks. Jude cited a law passed in Arkansas, amid outrage over video showing Parks collapsing while training on a hot afternoon, as a positive step. It requires trainers be educated on heat exhaustion, dehydration and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, and mandates that instructors remove cadets from physical activities if they faint or lose consciousness. This photo provided by the Jonesboro Police Department shows Vincent Parks in 2022. (Jonesboro Police Department via AP) This photo provided by the Jonesboro Police Department shows Vincent Parks in 2022. (Jonesboro Police Department via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More APs investigation found instances in which recruits who were in serious medical distress were pushed to continue training before they died. In addition to calling off drills in such cases, academy leaders must ensure adequate hydration and breaks and limit training when heat makes it unsafe, experts said.Bill Alexander, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, said the number of deaths could be reduced but probably not eliminated given the nature of policing, which can require chasing and arresting combative suspects. If youre training people physically and if youre training them hard, youre going to have these very rare medical events, said Alexander, who previously led an academy in Maryland. Have a news tip?Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected]. For secure and confidential communications, use the free Signal app +1 (202) 281-8604. Still, some leaders say the field needs urgent action to better protect recruits.It was just heartbreaking. Ill never forget it. And Ill do anything at all to get this message out, said Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey of Hamilton County, Ohio, who witnessed the 2023 death of 36-year-old Marcus Zeigler after he collapsed during a training run. Were talking about life or death.An eager recruit for a department in need When Ronald Donat arrived at the Gwinnett County Police Department Academy in Lawrenceville, Georgia, he thought hed finally found his place in law enforcement.He always wanted to become an officer, but his wife, Sharline Volcy, said she initially discouraged him due to safety concerns when their children were young. Both immigrated from Haiti in the 1990s to New Jersey, where they met at church. Sharline Volcy poses for a portrait on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Sharline Volcy poses for a portrait on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Donat earned a college degree and worked various jobs, including installing satellites and cable, but longed for the responsibility and community service that policing would bring.He finally applied but was initially passed over. When Gwinnett County recruited applicants from New Jersey, Donat applied because he already had a sister living in Georgia, Volcy said.Georgias second-largest police agency, Gwinnett County has held hiring events around the country as it struggles to fill hundreds of vacancies. Its offered bonuses to combat the officer shortage, which grew during the coronavirus pandemic and 2020 protests against police brutality. In this photo provided by Sharline Volcy, Volcy, her husband Ronald Donat, their two daughters and two other relatives pose for a photo at a 2016 family picnic in West Orange, N.J. (Sharline Volcy via AP) In this photo provided by Sharline Volcy, Volcy, her husband Ronald Donat, their two daughters and two other relatives pose for a photo at a 2016 family picnic in West Orange, N.J. (Sharline Volcy via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A physician who evaluated Donat for the department concluded he was healthy, with no concerning conditions, according to a form the doctor submitted to the states police standards agency. Following the normal process for the county and most U.S. police departments, the doctor didnt screen Donat for sickle cell trait.Donat began working out with other recruits, passed a state-mandated physical fitness test and was given badge 2423. He smiled for a selfie in a squad car. He shared advice with a classmate: Never give up.Most departments lack policies on sickle cell traitUp to 3 million Black citizens in the U.S. have sickle cell trait, yet many adults with the genetic condition dont know their status, researchers say. Unlike people with sickle cell disease, they carry only one gene for sickle cell, and one normal gene.The condition, which is diagnosed through a blood test, doesnt usually affect their daily lives. But it can cause decreased blood flow and muscle breakdown after intense exertion, dehydration or high body temperatures. In very rare cases, that can result in collapse and death. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The NCAA and U.S. military now screen recruits for the condition, which has contributed to some deaths during football practices and boot camps. Researchers say exertional deaths among college athletes plummeted after NCAA-mandated testing and precautions went into effect in 2010, while the impact of the military programs is under review. Slowly building intensity, resting between drills, remaining hydrated during workouts and responding quickly to signs of distress are recommended.Most police departments have no such screening programs. Many longtime law enforcement trainers say theyve never heard of the condition, which AP found was cited as a contributing factor in several deaths and serious injuries of recruits. Sharline Volcy holds a photo from her wedding to Ronald Donat, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Sharline Volcy holds a photo from her wedding to Ronald Donat, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More McGuffey, the Ohio sheriff, said the cause of Marcus Zeiglers death was initially a mystery. Before his collapse in May 2023, Zeigler was in peak condition and a top recruit, she said.The sheriff said she learned about sickle cell trait afterward from another employee, who himself had been seriously injured during academy training. She asked the coroner to investigate whether Zeigler had the condition. After ruling that Zeigler died of exertional heatstroke, the coroners office added sickle cell trait as a contributing factor.Since the death, Hamilton County has started screening recruits for the condition, which costs $75 per test. A physical and mental test For Donat and his 27 classmates, academy staffers planned an intense hourlong workout -- a first-day ritual designed to test physical and mental fitness.Pushups. Flutter kicks. More pushups. Hill sprints. Burpees. Pullups. Bear crawls.Trainers say the exercises set the tone for the monthslong academy, which seeks to instill a never-quit mindset and prepare recruits for the most dangerous aspects of policing. But the military-style drills have long led to allegations of harsh treatment that cross the line into hazing.The risks were so well-known that an ambulance usually sat nearby on the first day at the Gwinnett County academy. But that year, a major declined the staffs request, saying an ambulance would create the perception of danger, according to statements in an internal investigation report.Donat kept up with classmates for 45 minutes but became exhausted during a set of pullups and couldnt complete the next exercise, air squats. A diagram shows an obstacle course that Ronald Donat completed in less than two minutes as part of a required physical ability test to join the department. Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department record A diagram shows an obstacle course that Ronald Donat completed in less than two minutes as part of a required physical ability test to join the department. Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department record Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More An instructor ordered Donat to sit: You are dead! six recruits recalled him screaming, according to the investigation.The instructor insisted that he told Donat You are done! Either way, it was intended as a reminder, the investigation found, that giving up on police work could lead to death.Donat didnt want to quit. Three minutes later, he got up with the help of another recruit and got in formation for a 25-foot bear crawl. Everything is all right, Donat, a recruit assured him. But Donat collapsed and stopped breathing.A paramedic on scene quickly treated Donat with oxygen and chest compressions. An ambulance arrived 10 minutes later.After Donat was pronounced dead at a hospital, instructors wondered whether his life could have been saved with an ambulance on site. Widow Sharline Volcy holds a picture of her deceased husband, Roland Donat, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Widow Sharline Volcy holds a picture of her deceased husband, Roland Donat, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Orange, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Changes but no discipline after a Georgia deathHours after Donat died, Gwinnett County released a statement saying Donat had been instructed by supervising staff to rest after becoming lethargic. A fellow recruit who saw that statement on the news questioned the claim, texting classmates, as far as I know I never heard that or saw that. One responded that Donat was last seen in the planking position before his collapse.A county medical examiner ruled Donat died of natural causes, saying he had an enlarged heart prone to abnormal rhythms. That shocked his wife, Volcy, who said her husband was a fit soccer player with no known heart issues.The autopsy report didnt mention sickle cell trait. Volcy believes her husband had it shes learned their daughters do, she said, and she has tested negative. Today, Gwinnett County still doesnt screen recruits for the condition, spokesperson Sgt. Collin Flynn said.The departments investigation, completed weeks after Donats death, found no policy violations and resulted in no disciplinary action. A major who led the investigation concluded, I cannot imagine a scenario, had different actions been taken, that would have changed the tragic death of Recruit Donat.Still, the department now requires an ambulance with emergency responders on scene during the first day of physical training, Flynn said. Changes to the workout allow instructors to keep a closer eye on those who are struggling, he said.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration didnt investigate because local government agencies arent under its jurisdiction. Thats the case in many states, which have not extended workplace safety protections to municipal employees such as police officers.Families of deceased recruits face obstacles to recognition, benefitsBecause most of the recruits in APs investigation hadnt been sworn in as officers before they died, their names dont appear on the national memorial for deceased officers or some state memorials. And many of their families cant qualify for death benefits. This undated photo provided by the Knoxville, Tenn., Police Department shows Wisbens Antoine. (Knoxville Police Department via AP) This undated photo provided by the Knoxville, Tenn., Police Department shows Wisbens Antoine. (Knoxville Police Department via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Aware of those stakes last year, the police chief in Knoxville, Tennessee, summoned a judge to the hospital room of unconscious recruit Wisbens Antoine.On that February night, a fellow recruit took the oath on behalf of Antoine, whod collapsed during training a week before graduation.Hours later, Officer Antoine, 32, died.Like Donat, he was a Haitian immigrant who left behind a wife and two daughters.In Gwinnett County, officials honored Donat by adding his name to its Fallen Heroes Memorial in 2022. But his name isnt on federal or state memorials. Donats family was ineligible for state death benefits because he hadnt graduated.Congress in 2021 passed a law allowing trainees relatives to be eligible for the same federal death benefits as those of sworn officers. The program includes a payment of nearly $450,000, plus college assistance. This undated photo provided by the Knoxville, Tenn., Police Department shows Tristants Simpson, a fellow recruit class member, taking the police oath on behalf of Wisbens Antoine, while Sgt. Jimmy Wilson, Police Chief Paul Noel, Mayor Indya Kincannon, Officer Terry Crowe and Municipal Court Judge Tyler Caviness, look on. (Scott Erland/Knoxville Police Department via AP) This undated photo provided by the Knoxville, Tenn., Police Department shows Tristants Simpson, a fellow recruit class member, taking the police oath on behalf of Wisbens Antoine, while Sgt. Jimmy Wilson, Police Chief Paul Noel, Mayor Indya Kincannon, Officer Terry Crowe and Municipal Court Judge Tyler Caviness, look on. (Scott Erland/Knoxville Police Department via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More But three years later, Volcy said, shes still awaiting a ruling from the Department of Justice on her application for benefits, which she said she desperately needs to afford college tuition and other expenses.Volcy was unaware of the investigation into her husbands death until AP gave her the report last year. She said the department put recruits like Donat and their families at risk.It is disappointing to know that excessive strain and physical activities brought an end to his life, Volcy said. What was supposed to be a new beginning, a lifetime achievement, a dream come true turned children into orphans, a wife into a widow and a lifetime of grief. RYAN J. FOLEY Foley covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Iowa City, Iowa. A 20-year AP veteran, hes known for investigative reporting and using open records laws to obtain information. twitter mailto

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gestures during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday Feb. 17, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-18T12:00:47Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabias crown prince may not be inside the room for the first high-level talks between Russia and the United States over Moscows war on Ukraine on Tuesday, but Mohammed bin Salman still wins the day for hosting the gathering that could be a game changer in the bloody conflict.The assertive 39-year-old heir to the throne in the oil-rich kingdom already has taken over Saudi Arabia as its de facto leader under his father, the 89-year-old King Salman. But the princes war in Yemen and the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence agencies believe came at his orders, tarnished his reputation internationally. Crown Prince Mohammed now finds himself at the center of the Trump administrations outreach to Russia, a country Saudi Arabia carefully maintained ties to during the war through the OPEC+ oil cartel. The prince likely caught President Donald Trumps attention when he announced plans for a $600 billion investment in the United States prompting the American leaders musings about whether to make Saudi Arabia the location for his first foreign trip in this presidency. And with Trump suggesting his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin something Moscow hopes can bring it in from the cold of Western nations will take place in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed is likely to remain a top player. As the summit opened, the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced that upon directives from the royal, talks between Russa and the U.S. are taking place in Riyadh as part of the kingdoms ongoing efforts to promote global security and peace firmly putting Prince Mohammeds fingerprints on the proceedings. Risks remain for the princes strategyThe strategy still holds risks for Prince Mohammed, particularly as the shaky ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that ravaged the Gaza Strip remains in question. Trumps repeated comments that he wants the U.S. to own the Gaza Strip have inflamed the Arab world. The Palestinians want Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, something backed by nearly all of the international community.Also, Saudi state media in recent days have openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu something that was avoided while Prince Mohammed weighed a possible diplomatic recognition deal with Israel under the Biden administration. The idea of an American ownership of Gaza as muddy as to what that would mean exactly has similarly angered Saudis who support the Palestinians. The Saudi Foreign Ministry, in a quickly reaction to Trumps initial remarks, said its unwavering position is nonnegotiable and not subject to compromises. But the kingdom did not criticize Trump directly. Then theres Trump longstanding criticism of OPEC, in which Saudi Arabia remains the top power. In January, Trump claimed OPEC price cuts would be able to automatically stop the tragedy thats taking place in Ukraine. One way to stop it quickly is for OPEC to stop making so much money and to drop the price of oil, because they have it nice and high, Trump said in January. And if you have it high, that war is not going to end so easily. However, global oil prices are down from highs of over $120 a barrel in 2022 after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to around $75 a barrel today. The lower prices threaten Prince Mohammeds ambitious projects, including his vision of the futuristic city of Neom, priced at $500 billion. The princes peace push eases the burden on Saudi Arabia During years in the cold after the Khashoggi killing, both Russia and China offered Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed the cachet of being respected by Moscow and Beijing, bypassing persistent human rights concerns of the West. Prince Mohammed has hosted and spoken by phone with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin.Then, a 2023 Chinese-mediated deal on the kingdom reestablishing ties with Iran have Prince Mohammed a new opportunity to show the U.S. that others can shape Mideast politics. It also eased a major security concern for the kingdom after a likely Iranian attack in 2019 temporarily halved the kingdoms oil production. What the kingdom perceived as a slow American response to that attack and others, by the Iran-backed Yemeni rebels, has promoted Saudi Arabia to hedge its risks through outreach to both Western friends and foes alike. In the Saudi-owned, London-published newspaper Asharq Al Awsat, journalist Mishari al-Dhaidi described the summit as restoring dialogue between the two poles of the world and saying exuberantly that it opens a window of hope to let in fresh air and a bright ray that spreads the leaves of optimism.It is a major step on the international political chess arena, revealing the status of Saudi Arabia and its positive influence for the benefit of the people all the people, he wrote.Flowery language aside, Prince Mohammeds strategy appears to be working at the moment regardless of the outcome of Tuesdays meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and Trump himself may turn up sooner or later. ___EDITORS NOTE Jon Gambrell, the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press, has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the Mideast and wider world since joining the AP in 2006. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim reacts after Leicester's Bobby Decordova-Reid scored the opening goal during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Manchester United and Leicester City at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)2025-02-18T12:43:26Z MANCHESTER, England (AP) Its been a year since one of Britains richest men bought into its most famous soccer team and vowed to bring the good times back. So far, it hasnt gone to plan for Manchester United or Jim Ratcliffe. The record 20-time English champion is languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, losing vast sums of money every year and facing fan unrest.Even head coach Ruben Amorim said recently that this might be the worst team in the clubs storied history. Thats not all on Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS, but it has been a rocky start since he paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25% stake in United and assumed control of its soccer operations. There have been high profile hirings and firings, brutal cost cutting, a hike in ticket prices and new lows on the field for a team that had been in decline for more than a decade before he became minority owner. While there was triumph in the FA Cup last year, that success has been overshadowed by supporter protests, job losses, unconvincing transfers and humbling defeats. Bold plansRatcliffe said his investment was just the beginning of our journey to take Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football. Those ambitions feel further away now than they have in decades, with United 15th in the standings and closer to the relegation zone than the top six after a woeful campaign. Sundays 1-0 loss to Tottenham was the 12th in the league this season and an eighth under Amorim, who only took charge in November. Amorim said: I have a lot of problems, my job is so hard, but I am here to continue my job to the next week with my beliefs. Major overhaulHe was one of a number of key hires made as part of Ratcliffes overhaul of Uniteds soccer operations. Omar Berrada was lured away from Manchester City to become CEO and Dan Ashworth left Newcastle to take up the role of sporting director. Jason Wilcox, formerly director of Citys academy, became technical director. Key figures at Ratcliffes Ineos Sport, Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, were appointed to the board and Amorim became the final piece of a new leadership team after former manager Erik ten Hag was fired in October. But that restructuring has been far from a smooth process. Ten Hag was fired three months after being handed a one-year contract extension with United having lost four of its opening nine league games.Ashworth left the club less than six months after taking up his role, and after months of negotiations to take him away from Newcastle. They were expensive missteps.In total it cost United 10.4 million pounds ($13.09 million) to pay off Ten Hag and his staff and another 11 million pounds ($13.85 million) to trigger Amorims release from Sporting Lisbon. It was reported it cost between 2 and 3 million pounds ($2.5-3.78 million) to hire Ashworth, who spent five months on gardening leave during negotiations with Newcastle. Cost cuttingThose numbers make uncomfortable reading at a time when United has implemented cost-saving initiatives that it said included staff redundancies of around 250 roles. More could be on the way, according to reports. In October it emerged that managerial great Alex Ferguson was not beyond the reach of those measures. He will step down from his lucrative role as club ambassador at the end of the season.In addition to cuts, United raised its lowest-priced tickets to 66 pounds ($81) partway through the season, up from 40 pounds ($49).It defended that decision by telling fans it could not sustain its current financial losses and was in danger of breaching league rules if it did not act. United reported losses last year of 113.2 million pounds ($140 million).We will get back to a cash positive position as soon as possible and we will have to make some difficult choices to get there, it said in a letter to fans. Fan protestsThat explanation has not gone down well with supporters. Fans should not be paying the price for previous bad ownership & bad management, Manchester United Supporters Trust posted on X. The supporters bring far more value than the simple collective ticket revenue.Supporters spent years trying to drive out the American Glazer family, which is still majority owner, and there continues to be anger towards them after Ratcliffes investment. There have been jeers for the team while Uniteds performances on the field have continued to slide. New lowsRatcliffes first season as co-owner saw United endure its worst league campaign in 34 years when it finished in eighth place. The end of his first full season could be even worse. The last time it lost 12 of its first 25 games in a league season was in the 1973-74 campaign when it was relegated from the top flight. Transfer strategyUnited has spent around $260 million on players in the two transfer windows under Ratcliffe, but the squad still looks well short of the quality required to challenge for the title. Forward Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and defender Leny Yoro missed a large part of the season through injury. The pressure of complying with the leagues financial rules has placed uncertainty on Uniteds ability to spend big in the summer to bring in players to suit Amorims preferred system, and there is unlikely to be a quick fix. Stadium rebuildRatcliffe wants a world class stadium, either by way of redeveloping Uniteds iconic Old Trafford or building one from new. His plans, which include an ambitious redevelopment of the surrounding area, have been backed by the U.K. government. Financing them, however, is another issue and it is not yet clear where that money will come from. The modernization of Uniteds Carrington training ground is well underway after 50 million pounds ($63 million) of investment.The futureUnited hasnt lifted the league title since Fergusons last season in 2013 and behind the scenes the focus is on winning it for a record-extending 21st time. But with Liverpool on course to equal Uniteds haul of 20 this season, it is the clubs great rival from Merseyside that could set that new bar first. Ratcliffe is a hugely successful businessman but, as he is discovering, that does not guarantee success in soccer. ___James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina walks around the ground during a familiarization tour ahead of her Women's World Cup Group H match with Germany in Melbourne, Australia, on July 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Victoria Adkins, File)2025-02-18T13:15:20Z Amnesty International is urging French lawmakers to reject a bill this week that would ban headscarves in all sporting competitions.The bill is backed by right-wing senators and will be debated from Tuesday in the upper house of the French parliament. Its aim is to ban all ostensibly religious clothing and symbols during competitions. Amnesty International says the move would be discriminatory.The vote is likely to refuel the lingering debate on secularism still volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on separation of church and state that established it as a principle of the French Republic.Until now, sporting federations have been free to decide whether or not to allow headscarves, with two of the countrys most powerful sports, soccer and rugby, opting to ban them.The bill is at an early stage and this weeks vote marks the beginning of a long legislative process with an uncertain outcome. Even if senators vote in favor, the bills future will remain unclear since the lower house has the final say. To pass, the bill would need a coalition of forces that dont usually collaborate in the deeply divided lower house. Amnesty Internationals calls come after French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla said last summer she was barred from the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics because she wears a hijab. She was eventually allowed to take part wearing a cap to cover her hair. France enforces a strict principle of lacit, loosely translated as secularism. At the Games, the president of the French Olympic Committee said its Olympians were bound by the secular principles that apply to public sector workers in the country, which include a ban on hijabs and other religious signs. At the Paris Olympics, Frances ban on French women athletes who wear headscarves from competing at the Games drew international outrage, said Anna Bu, an Amnesty International researcher on gender justice. Just six months on, French authorities are not only doubling down on the discriminatory hijab ban but are attempting to extend it to all sports.Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have previously criticized the decision by the French soccer and basketball federations to exclude players wearing the hijab, and the French governments decision to prevent its athletes wearing headscarves from representing the country at the Paris Games.Amnesty International said the bill in reality targets Muslim women and girls by excluding them from sporting competitions if they wear a headscarf or other religious clothing. Lacit...which is theoretically embedded in the French constitution to protect everyones religious freedom, has often been used as a pretext to block Muslim womens access to public spaces in France, Amnesty International said. Over several years, the French authorities have enacted laws and policies to regulate Muslim womens and girls clothing, in discriminatory ways. Sport federations have followed suit, imposing hijab bans in several sports.Two years ago, Frances highest administrative court said the countrys soccer federation was entitled to ban headscarves in competitions even though the measure can limit freedom of expression. Wielding the principle of religious neutrality enshrined in the constitution, the countrys soccer federation also does not make things easy for international players who want to refrain from drinking or eating from dawn to sunset during the Ramadan, Islamic holy month.Supporters of the bill cite growing attacks on secularism in sport, arguing that its core values are based on a principle of universality. To protect sports grounds from any non-sporting confrontation, they say, a principle of neutrality needs to be implemented to ensure that no political, religious or racial demonstration or propaganda can be promoted.The bill also states that using part of a sports facility as a place of worship would be a misuse of its purpose, and bans the wearing of religious clothing, such as the burkini, in public swimming pools. By placing the wearing of a headscarf on the spectrum of attacks on secularism, which range from permissiveness to terrorism, this legislation, if passed, would fuel racism and reinforce the growing hostile environment facing Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in France, Amnesty International said.___Associated Press reporter Sylvie Corbet contributed to this story. SAMUEL PETREQUIN Petrequin has been covering sports and general news for The Associated Press for more than two decades. twitter mailto

A destroyed mosque, caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive, is seen in the town of Khiam, southern Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)2025-02-18T08:29:25Z DEIR MIMAS, Lebanon (AP) Israeli forces withdrew Tuesday from border villages in southern Lebanon under a deadline spelled out in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, but stayed put in five strategic overlook locations inside Lebanon. Top Lebanese leaders denounced the continued presence of the Israel troops as an occupation and a violation of the deal, maintaining that Israel was required to make a full withdrawal by Tuesday. The troops presence is also a sore point with the militant Hezbollah group, which has demanded action from the authorities.Lebanese soldiers moved into the areas from where the Israeli troops pulled out and began clearing roadblocks set up by Israeli forces and checking for unexploded ordnance. They blocked the main road leading to the villages, preventing anyone from entering while the military was looking for any explosives left behind. Most of the villages waited by the roadside for permission to go and check on their homes but some pushed aside the roadblocks to march in. Elsewhere, the army allowed the residents to enter. Many of their houses were demolished during the more than year-long conflict or in the two months after Novembers ceasefire agreement, when Israeli forces were still occupying the area.In the border village of Kfar Kila, people were stunned by the amount of destruction, with entire sections of houses wiped out. What Im seeing is beyond belief. I am in a state of shock, said Khodo Suleiman, a construction contractor, pointing to his destroyed home on a hilltop. There are no homes, no plants, nothing left, said Suleiman, who had last been in Kfar Kila six months ago. I am feeling a mixture of happiness and pain.In the main village square, Lebanese troops deployed as a military bulldozer removed rubble from the street.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli army will stay in a buffer zone in Lebanon in five control posts to guard against any ceasefire violations by Hezbollah. He also said the army had erected new posts on the Israeli side of the border and sent reinforcements there. We are determined to provide full security to every northern community, Katz said.However, Lebanons three top officials the countrys president, prime minister and parliament speaker in a joint statement said that Israels continued presence at the five locaions was in violation of the ceasefire agreement. They called on the U.N. Security Council to take action to force a complete Israeli withdrawal.The continued Israeli presence in any inch of Lebanese territory is an occupation, with all the legal consequences that result from that according to international legitimacy, the statement said.The Israeli troop presence was also criticized in a joint statement by the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country, Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lzaro.The two, however, warned that this should not overshadow the tangible progress that has been made since the ceasefire agreement. Near the Lebanese villages of Deir Mimas and Kfar Kila, hundreds of villagers were gathered early on Tuesday morning as an Israeli drone flew overhead.Atef Arabi, who had been waiting with his wife and two daughters before sunrise, was eager to see whats left of his home in Kfar Kila. I am very happy I am going back even if I find my home destroyed, said the 36-year-old car mechanic. If I find my house destroyed I will rebuild it.Later on Tuesday, Kfar Kilas mayor Hassan Sheet told The Associated Press that 90% of the village homes are completely destroyed while the remaining 10% are damaged. There are no homes nor buildings standing, he said, adding that rebuilding will start from scratch.The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war last September. More than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million were displaced at the height of the conflict, more than 100,000 of whom have not been able to return home. On the Israeli side, dozens of people were killed and some 60,000 are displaced.Hussein Fares left Kfar Kila in October 2023 for the southern city of Nabatiyeh. When the fighting intensified in September he moved with his family to the city of Sidon where they were given a room in a school housing displaced people.Kfar Kila saw intense fighting and Israeli troops later detonated many of its homes.I have been waiting for a year and the half to return, said Fares who has a pickup truck and works as a laborer. He said he understands that the reconstruction process will take time.I have been counting the seconds for this day, he said.___Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Displaced Palestinians, traveling in vehicles, wait to cross through a security checkpoint at the Netzarim corridor as they make their way from central Gaza to the northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-02-18T13:21:25Z CAIRO (AP) A top Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, a surprise increase that apparently comes in return for Israel allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the devastated Gaza Strip.The six are the last living hostages set to be freed under the ceasefires first phase. The warring sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which Hamas says it will release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks, said the Bibas family would be included in the handover of four bodies, apparently referring to Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who for many Israelis embody the captives plight.Israel has not confirmed their deaths, and the prime ministers office urged the public not to distribute photos, names and rumors. Israel has said it was gravely concerned about the Bibas family, while Hamas said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war. Yarden Bibas, the husband and father, was kidnapped separately and released this month. Kfir, who was 9 months old at the time, was the youngest hostage taken in Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. A video of the abduction showed Shiri swaddling her redheaded boys in a blanket and being whisked away by armed men. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to allow long-requested mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza as part of efforts to accelerate the hostages release.Hamas last week threatened to hold up releases, citing the refusal to allow in mobile homes and heavy equipment among other alleged violations of the truce. Israel is expected to continue releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences for deadly attacks, in exchange for the hostages. Others were detained without charge.The ceasefire that began in mid-January has paused the deadliest fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, surged aid into devastated Gaza and allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes as Israeli forces withdrew from much of the territory.Israelis and Palestinians marked 500 days of war on Monday.Major challenges are ahead. Israels government says it wants to eliminate Hamas military and governing capabilities in Gaza. But the militant group quickly reasserted its control of the territory during the ceasefire despite losing leaders and many fighters.In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump s proposal to relocate the Palestinians out of Gaza so the U.S. can redevelop the territory has been rejected by the Arab world and by the Palestinians, who fear theyll never be allowed to return. Egypt is working on a counter-plan to rebuild without moving Palestinians.Israel has embraced the plan, and it and the Trump administration have emphasized they share the same goals in the war. Israelis were horrified by the sight of three emaciated hostages in an earlier release this month, and revelations about hostages being held alone, barefoot or in chains have increased the pressure on Netanyahus government to push ahead with the ceasefires next phase.Under the current phase, Hamas is gradually releasing 33 Israeli hostages, eight of whom are believed to be dead. If the upcoming releases go as planned, four bodies will remain and are set to be returned next week.Hamas-led militants would still hold some 70 captives, around half believed to be dead.The ceasefires current phase ends at the beginning of March, and there are fears that fighting will resume. Talks on the second phase were to start early this month.The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 in the Oct. 7 attack. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements and other deals, while eight have been rescued in military operations.Israels air and ground war killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The offensive destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced most of its population of 2.3 million. ___Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

M23 rebels guard outside the South Kivu province administrative office, at the centre of east Congo's second-largest city, Bukavu, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)2025-02-18T11:55:48Z DAKAR, Senegal (AP) The U.N. human rights chief accused Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a second major city in eastern Congo of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid.Volker Trk said in a statement Tuesday that his office confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week. We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons.He provided no details or did not refer to specific events, but U.N. agencies have previously accused both Congolese government forces and the rebels of recruiting children. The United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this month launched a commission that will investigate atrocities, including rapes and killings akin to summary executions committed by both sides since the beginning of the year.The M23 rebels on Sunday captured Bukavu, the city of 1.3 million people, after seizing Goma, 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the north last month. At least 3,000 were reported killed and thousands displaced in the Goma fighting. Early Tuesday, the bodies of over 20 people were recovered in Bukavu, Franois Moreillon, from the International Committee of the Red Cross, told The Associated Press. The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congos trillions of dollars in mineral wealth thats critical for much of the worlds technology. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts. Rwanda accuses Congo of enlisting Hutu fighters responsible for the 1994 genocide of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. M23 says its fighting to protect Tutsis and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination and wants to transform Congo from a failed into a modern state though critics say its a pretext for Rwandas involvement. Unlike in 2012, when the M23 briefly seized Goma and withdrew after international pressure, analysts have said the rebels this time are eyeing political power.The decades-long fighting has displaced more than 6 million people in the region, creating the worlds largest humanitarian crisis.

This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo)2025-02-18T14:12:55Z CAIRO (AP) Attacks by Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Force have killed hundreds of civilians, including infants, in White Nile state, Sudanese officials and rights groups said Tuesday.Sudans Foreign Ministry said in a statement cited by Egyptian state-run Qahera News TV that the paramilitary group targeted civilians in the past few days in villages in the al-Gitaina area after they were certain of their crushing defeat by the Sudanese army. The statement put the death toll at 433, while the Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors Trade Union put that figure at 300. Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement Tuesday morning that more than 200 people, including women and children, were killed in RSF attacks and hundreds of others were injured over the past three days.The attacks included executions, kidnapping, forced disappearance, looting, and shooting those trying to escape, the group said. Minister of Culture and Information Khalid Ali Aleisir said on Facebook that recent attacks by the RSF in Al-Kadaris and Al-Khalwat villages in White Nile state are the latest systematic violence against defenseless civilians. The Sudanese military said Saturday it had advanced in White Nile and liberated more cities and villages, cutting crucial supply routes to the RSF, a rival group it has battled for control of the country since April 2023. The war in Sudan has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people about 30% of the population from their homes, according to the United Nations. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.The U.N. on Tuesday said that throughout 2024, its human rights office documented more than 4,200 civilian killings, adding that the total number is likely much higher. Meanwhile, Norways Minister of International Development smund Aukrust denounced an escalation in violence and attacks against civilians.I am deeply concerned about the sharp increase in civilian deaths caused by the intensified conflict in Sudan. I am also shocked by reports of indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Any such attacks must stop immediately, Aukrust said.The developments on the ground have given the military the upper hand in the war as the paramilitary suffered multiple blows, including losing control of the city of Wad Medani, the capital of Gezira province, and other areas in the province. The Sudanese military also regained control of the countrys largest oil refinery.The RSF appears to have lost control of the Greater Khartoum area and the cities of Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri.The war has showed no end in sight despite international mediation attempts, including a U.S. assessment that the RSF and its proxies are committing genocide.

American Indian activist Leonard Peltier speaks during an interview at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., April 29, 1999. (Joe Ledford/The Kansas City Star via AP, File)2025-02-18T05:01:32Z SUMTERVILLE, Fla. (AP) Native American activist Leonard Peltier was released from a Florida prison on Tuesday, weeks after then-President Joe Biden angered law enforcement officials by commuting his life sentence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.For nearly half a century, Peltiers imprisonment has symbolized systemic injustice for Native Americans across the country who believe in his innocence. The decision to release the 80-year-old to home confinement was celebrated by supporters.He represents every person whos been roughed up by a cop, profiled, had their children harassed at school, said Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe who advocated for Peltiers release.But the move just before Biden left office also prompted criticism from those who say Peltier is guilty, including former FBI Director Christopher Wray, who called him a remorseless killer in a private letter to Biden obtained by The Associated Press. Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law, Wray wrote. The commutation was not a pardon for crimes committed, something Peltiers advocates have hoped for since he has always maintained his innocence.Peltier left the prison Tuesday morning in an SUV, according to a prison official. He didnt stop to speak with reporters or his supporters outside the gates. One of his attorneys, Jenipher Jones, said Peltier was looking forward to going home.Were so excited for this moment, Jones said. He is in good spirits. He has the soul of a warrior.After being released from USP Coleman, a high-security prison, Peltier planned to return to North Dakota, where he is expected to celebrate with friends and family on Wednesday.Biden commuted Peltiers sentence Jan. 20, noting he had spent most of his life in prison and was now in poor health. We never thought he would get out, Ray St. Clair, a member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, said shortly before Peltiers release. It shows you should never give up hope. We can take this repairing the damage that was done. This is a start.Peltier, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota, was active in the American Indian Movement, which beginning in the 1960s fought for Native American treaty rights and tribal self-determination.The group grabbed headlines in 1969 when activists occupied the former prison island of Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay, and again in 1972, when they presented presidential candidates with a list of demands including the restoration of tribal land. After they were ignored, they seized the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.From then on, the group was subject to FBI surveillance and harassment under a covert program that sought to disrupt activism and was exposed in 1975. Peltiers conviction stemmed from a confrontation that year on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in which FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed. According to the FBI, the agents were there to serve arrest warrants for robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors maintained at trial that Peltier shot both agents in the head at point-blank range. Peltier acknowledged being present and firing a gun at a distance, but he said he fired in self-defense. A woman who claimed to have seen Peltier shoot the agents later recanted her testimony, saying it had been coerced.He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two consecutive life sentences.Two other movement members, co-defendants Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted on the grounds of self-defense.Peltier was denied parole as recently as July and was not eligible to be considered for it again until 2026.Leonard Peltiers release is the right thing to do given the serious and ongoing human rights concerns about the fairness of his trial, his nearly 50 years behind bars, his health and his age, Paul OBrien, executive director with Amnesty International USA, said in a statement before Peltiers release. While we welcome his release from prison, he should not be restricted to home confinement. Prominent Native American groups like the National Congress of the American Indian have called for Peltiers release for decades, and Amnesty International considered him a political prisoner. Prominent supporters over the years included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, actor and director Robert Redford and musicians Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte and Jackson Browne.Generations of Indigenous activists and leaders lobbied multiple presidents to pardon Peltier. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American to hold the secretarys position, praised Bidens decision. I am grateful that Leonard can now go home to his family, she said Jan. 20 in a post on X. I applaud President Biden for this action and understanding what this means to Indian Country. As a young child, Peltier was taken from his family and sent to a boarding school. Thousands of Indigenous children over decades faced the same fate, and were in many cases subjected to systemic physical, psychological and sexual abuse. He hasnt really had a home since he was taken away to boarding school, said Nick Tilsen, who has been advocating for Peltiers release since he was a teen and is CEO of NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy group based in South Dakota. So he is excited to be at home and paint and have grandkids running around.___Brewer reported from Norman, Oklahoma. GRAHAM LEE BREWER Brewer reports for the APs Race and Ethnicity team, focusing on Indigenous communities and tribal nations. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and is based in Oklahoma. twitter mailto

On January 24 we received a pretty unusual email. The sender, a procurement officer from government contractor Cirrus Systems, wanted to buy multiple licenses for Graykey, the iPhone and Android hacking technology widely used by U.S. law enforcement and agencies.Hello sales Team, I hope this email finds you well, the email started. I would be grateful if you provide us with best/lowest price quote for the following items for Federals demand. Please assist in me in the below.This was a government contractor trying to buy a phone hacking tool directly from a group of journalists. So, pretty weird.The email included a table laying out how many licenses Cirrus Systems is after (it looks like four). A statement of work (SOW) then lists what specific capabilities the desired system must be capable of doing. They include full forensic acquisition capability for the latest generations of iOS as implemented on the latest iPhone (iPhone 16 at this time) cellular telephones, and the same for the latest generations of Android.Graykey, owned by the company Magnet Forensics, is a staple across local, state, and federal U.S. law enforcement agencies, with officials using it constantly to unlock and extract data from seized mobile phones. Recently 404 Media published a never-before-seen list of what specific devices Graykey was able to access. On its website, Magent says that Graykey is restricted to select countries. Graykey is not available to the private sector.A screenshot of the email. Image: 404 Media.The end user, the email said, would be Washington Headquarters Services (WHS), an agency that provides human resources, personnel security, and other services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other Department of Defense components. The date of closing was February 13, the email added.The contractor does business as Cirrus Systems but the company itself is called FSR Consulting LLC, according to the email. FSR Consultings customers include the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Navy, the Air Force, and other government agencies, according to public procurement records.Do you know anything else about Graykey? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.Weirdly, this isnt the first time someone has tried to buy something from me that is typically limited to just governments. In 2019 a Saudi cybersecurity company wanted to source zero day exploits from me.I dont know whether WHS got the Graykeys it was after. Plenty of other agencies have, though. One procurement record this month points to Graykey license renewals for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Neither Cirrus Systems or the DoD responded to a request for comment.

This image taken from video provided by CTV shows an aerial view of the overturned plane at Toronto Pearson Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (CTV via AP)2025-02-18T16:35:47Z TORONTO (AP) The Delta Air Lines jet came down fast, wobbled so hard that it lost its right wing, and burst into flames on a runway in Toronto. The aircraft slid to a stop, upside down, leaving a trail of black smoke in its wake. Miraculously, all 80 people on board the flight from Minneapolis to Torontos Pearson International Airport survived the crash Monday. Most of them walked away with minor injuries, the airports chief executive said. Delta said some of the 18 injured were released from hospitals Tuesday.Authorities said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Communications between the tower and pilot were normal on approach and its not clear what went wrong when the plane touched down. At the time of the flights arrival, Pearson was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph (51 kph) gusting to 40 mph (65 kph), according to the Meteorological Service of Canada. The temperature was about 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.6 degrees Celsius). Peter Carlson, a passenger traveling to Toronto for a paramedics conference, said the landing was very forceful.All the sudden everything just kind of went sideways and the next thing I know, its kind of a blink and Im upside down still strapped in, he told CBC News. Canadian authorities held two brief news conferences Monday but provided few details. The aircraft was a Mitsubishi CRJ-900 made by the Canadian company Bombardier. We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries, Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, told reporters. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement that the hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected. The crash was the fourth major aviation accident in North America in recent weeks. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground. And on Feb. 6, 10 people were killed in a plane crash in Alaska. The last major crash at Pearson was on Aug. 2, 2005, when an Airbus A340 from Paris skidded off the runway and burst into flames in stormy weather. All 309 passengers and crew aboard Air France Flight 358 survived.The Delta flight was cleared to land at about 2:10 p.m. Audio recordings show the control tower warned the pilots of a possible air flow bump on approach. It was windy, but the airplanes are designed and certified to handle that, said John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida. The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that.The plane came to a rest at the intersection of Runways 23 and 15L. Carlson said when he took off his seat belt he crashed onto the ceiling, which had become the floor. He smelled gas, saw aviation fuel cascading down the cabin windows and knew he needed to get out, but his paramedic skills kicked in and he looked for those he could help. Carlson and another man assisted a mother and her young son out of the plane and then Carlson dropped onto the tarmac. He said snow was blowing but I didnt care how cold it was, didnt care how far I had to walk, how long I had to stand all of us just wanted to be out of the aircraft.Cox, who flew for U.S. Air for 25 years and has worked on U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigations, said the CRJ-900 has been in service for decades and does a good job of handling inclement weather, but that its unusual for any plane to end up on its roof. Weve seen a couple of cases of takeoffs where airplanes have ended up inverted, but its pretty rare, Cox said.Among the questions that need to be answered, Cox said, is why the crashed plane was missing its right wing. He said the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be imperative to understanding what actually occurred.The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would head up the investigation and provide any updates. The NTSB in the U.S. said it was sending a team to assist.Endeavor Air, based in Minneapolis, is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and the worlds largest operator of CRJ-900 aircraft. The airline operates 130 regional jets on 700 daily flights to over 126 cities in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, according to the companys website. ___Casey reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists Michael Sisak in New York, Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, Alex Veiga in Los Angeles, and Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed reporting. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

People shovel snow to dig out their cars in Montreal, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, after over 70 centimetres of snow fell in 4 days, breaking a snowfall record in the city. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-02-18T16:41:05Z BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakota felt more like the North Pole on Tuesday as lows broke records in the state capital of Bismarck and other parts of the state that had stood for more than a century.Bismarck hit minus 39 on Tuesday, breaking the record of minus 37 (-38.3 C) set in 1910 for the same date, said National Weather Service Meteorologist James Telken in Bismarck. And late on Monday, Bismarck set a record of minus 35, shattering a 150-year-old record of minus 30 for the date of Feb. 17.Much of the Midwest including Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska also is gripped by low temperatures double digits below zero. People should make sure to bundle up with hats, jackets and other winter gear even if they are outside for only a few minutes in such subzero cold, and they should bring pets indoors, Telken said. Warm clothing is especially important for drivers should they become stranded, he added. A gradual warmup is expected with lows on Wednesday night across most of North Dakota forecasted to be in the minus 10s to minus 20s. By Thursday, lows are projected to be in the single digits above and below zero.Forecasted highs for Monday are in the 50s for parts of southwestern and south-central North Dakota, he said. JACK DURA Dura covers the North Dakota state government for The Associated Press. He is based in Bismarck, North Dakota. twitter mailto

French President Emmanuel Macron, center right, walks with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, center left, as she leaves the Elysee Palace, after an informal meeting of leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom, in Paris, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)2025-02-18T16:29:44Z PARIS (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron painted a veneer of European unity by inviting a small number of handpicked European leaders to the lyse Palace, while the Trump administration sidelined the continent by moving ahead with direct negotiations on Tuesday with Russia on the war in Ukraine. But beneath the diplomatic pageantry, cracks in European consensus were hard to ignore.One question loomed: Could Europe take charge of its own security, or would it remain reactive to U.S. and Russian decisions?From Macrons push for European-led defense to Keir Starmers third way diplomacy, Giorgia Melonis balancing act between Brussels and Washington, and Olaf Scholz s resistance to breaking with NATO, Europe remains divided on its next move. France Macron seeks to take the leadBy hosting the Monday summit in his Parisian palace, Macron reinforced his image of the imperial French Sun King and his bid to become the dominant voice on Ukraine and European security. With Germanys Scholz politically weakened and potentially soon out of office, the U.K. outside the EU, and Italy leaning toward Trump, Macron has emerged as the blocs de facto leader in a push for strategic autonomy.With a presidential mandate until 2027 and Frances nuclear arsenal making it Europes only atomic power, Macron has positioned himself as the only politician with both the ambition and authority to act. His proposal for a European-led security force in Ukraine, even in a limited training and logistics role, fits into his broader push for a continent less dependent on Washington. But forging consensus is proving difficult: Germany is resisting, key frontline EU nations were left out of the summit, and Trumps unpredictability clouds Europes security outlook.Macron has sought to impose himself as Europes strongman, said French political analyst Jean-Yves Camus. United Kingdom Starmers third way strategyKeir Starmer is charting a different course, positioning himself as Europes key link to Washington while maintaining a firm pro-Ukraine stance. Having met Trump before the election I like him a lot, the U.S. president said the British prime minister is set to travel to Washington next week in what some see as an effort to bridge the U.S.-Europe divide, and a hallmark of the special relationship.While Trump moves toward de-escalation in Ukraine, Starmer is doubling down on support for Kyiv, stating the U.K. is ready and willing to send British troops if necessary. This stance stands in contrast to Macron and Scholzs more cautious approach.Starmers surprising decision not to sign a key international declaration on the future of AI last week aligning with the U.S. rather than the EU has raised questions about whether Britain is shifting closer to Washington on broader geopolitical issues. The U.K. is unique in that its practically the only major ally that Trump hasnt purposefully antagonized since his inauguration, said Anand Sundar, a special advisor at the European Council on Foreign Relations. The Starmer government is doing everything it can to not put a target on its back.Some analysts suggest Starmer is positioning himself as Trumps European whisperer, able to influence the White House while staying in step with Europe. Italy Melonis balancing actGiorgia Meloni, a Trump ally and the only leader of a major European economy to attend his inauguration in January, arrived late to the Paris summit and left without making a public statement moves observers saw as signs of skepticism toward the meeting.According to Italian news agency ANSA, Meloni questioned why the summit was held in Paris rather than Brussels, the EUs natural decision-making hub, and criticized the exclusion of frontline states such as the Baltic nations, Sweden, and Finland.At the summit, she pushed back against deploying European troops to Ukraine, calling it the most complex and least effective option - especially without firm security guarantees for Kyiv.Observers noted that Meloni echoed some of U.S. Vice President JD Vances criticism of Europes reliance on U.S. protection. We shouldnt be asking what the Americans can do for us, but what we must do for ourselves, she said, according to ANSA.Despite her skepticism, Meloni still engaged in the talks, bringing Italys concerns over long-term European military commitments to the table. Hungary Orbans absenceNotably absent from the Paris talks was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, a close Trump ally and frequent critic of EU policies. While no official reason was given for his exclusion, some observers saw it as a pointed message from Paris and its European allies about the limits of engagement with leaders seen as too closely aligned with Trumps worldview.Germany Scholzs irritation If Macron is stepping forward, Scholz is pushing back. At the summit, the German Chancellor rejected Macrons proposal for a European-led security force in Ukraine, calling it completely premature and highly inappropriate given the ongoing war.Scholz didnt hide his frustration, saying he was a little irritated that peacekeeping forces were even being discussed at the wrong time. He insisted NATO not an independent European force must remain the foundation of security.Due to its historical legacy from the world wars, some argue that Germany has always been willing to cede European security leadership to France, a role the French have pursued since President Charles de Gaulle. At the same time, the debate over military spending is intensifying, as NATO officials stress the alliances 2% GDP target is now a baseline rather than a cap.

This image taken from video provided by CTV shows an aerial view of the overturned plane at Toronto Pearson Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (CTV via AP)2025-02-18T16:18:37Z A passenger jet flipped onto its roof while landing in Toronto, Canada, the fourth major aviation accident in North America in the past three weeks. While at least 18 people were injured, all 80 people on board the Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis survived the crash Monday. Here are some things to know about the crash: What caused the airplane to flip?Communications between the tower at Torontos Pearson International Airport and the pilot were normal on approach and right now its not clear what went wrong when the plane touched down.Were strong winds a factor in the crash?Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken has said the runway was dry and there was no cross-wind conditions.Audio recordings indicate that the control tower warned the pilots of a possible air flow bump on the approach. Winds were gusting up to 40 mph (65 kph) during the day at the airport, according to the Meteorological Service of Canada. But airplanes and pilots should be equipped to handle those kind of winds while landing, said John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in Florida. Were the passengers badly injured? Those hurt had relatively minor injuries, the airports chief executive said. The airport fire chief said 18 passengers were taken to the hospital. An air ambulance operator said it had transported one pediatric patient and two adults to hospitals. Delta said Tuesday that some of those injured had been released. What happened inside the plane? One passenger told told CBC News that he found himself upside down and still strapped in his seat after a forceful landing. Peter Carlson said he crashed onto the ceiling when he took off his seat belt and smelled gas. He and another man helped a mother and her young son out of the plane before getting out. Who is investigating? The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S. said it was sending a team to assist. Is it safe to fly?The fourth major aviation accident in North America in less than a month has many people concerned about the safety of flying. Fatal crashes remain rare and the track record of U.S. airlines is remarkably safe.But there have been deadly crashes recently around the world and U.S. officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years___Associated Press writers John Wawrow and Michael Casey contributed to this report. JOHN SEEWER Seewer covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Toledo, Ohio. twitter mailto

This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., on Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP, File)2025-02-18T15:25:37Z CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) A Maryland court on Tuesday ordered a blogger known as Ziz who leads a cultlike group connected to six killings held without bail.The blogger, Jack LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, and Daniel Blank, 26, of Sacramento, California. They face charges including trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in a vehicle.The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and five other killings in three states.LaSota, Zajko and Blank were arrested in Frostburg, Maryland, on Sunday afternoon.The judge in the case ordered LaSota held without bail citing concerns about her being a flight risk and a danger to public safety. Prosecutors said LaSota appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as Zizians that has been linked to killings. The three were expected to appear remotely for a bail hearing Tuesday at Allegany District Court in Cumberland, Maryland, court officials said.The Zizians have been tied to the death of a woman during an attack on a California landlord in November 2022, the landlords subsequent slaying in January, the December 2022 deaths of Zajkos parents in Pennsylvania and a highway shootout last month in Vermont that left U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland and a car passenger dead. A Frostburg resident told police he wanted three suspicious people off his property after theyd parked two box trucks there and asked to camp for a month, according to police documents. They were dressed in black and two wore gun belts holding ammunition, according to police. Officers found a rifle in the back of one truck and a handgun on the front floorboard. Zajko, who refused to put her hands behind her back and was taken to the ground, also was carrying a handgun, police said. Maland, 44, was killed in a Jan. 20 shootout following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Canadian border. Felix Bauckholt, a passenger in the car, also died, and the driver, Teresa Youngblut, has pleaded not guilty to federal firearms charges.Officials have said the guns they were carrying were bought by a person of interest in the Dec. 31, 2022, deaths of Richard and Rita Zajko in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, and that Youngblut had been in close contact with a person of interest in a homicide in Vallejo, California.Maximilian Snyder, who applied for a marriage license with Youngblut in November, is charged with the Jan. 17 stabbing death of Curtis Lind, a Vallejo landlord who had survived an earlier attack by members of the Zizian group and was set to testify against them. Officials have offered few details of the cross-country investigation, but Associated Press interviews and a review of court records and online postings tell the story of how a group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists, most of them in their 20s and 30s, met online, shared anarchist beliefs, and became increasingly violent. Their goals arent clear, but online writings included topics such as radical veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence.At the middle of it all is Ziz, the leader of the strange group whose members are sometimes called Zizians in online forums.LaSota published a dark and sometimes violent blog under the name Ziz and, in one section, described her theory that the two hemispheres of the brain could hold separate values and genders and often desire to kill each other.LaSota, who used she/her pronouns, and in her writings says she is a transgender woman, railed against perceived enemies, including so-called rationalist groups, which operate mostly online and seek to understand human cognition through reason and knowledge. Some are concerned with the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.LaSota has not responded to emails from the AP in recent weeks, and her attorney Daniel McGarrigle declined to comment on whether she is connected to any of the deaths. Shes wanted for arrest in two states for missing court appearances. McGarrigle would only confirm Monday that he has represented LaSota and wouldnt confirm her arrest or any details of the latest case. Attempts to reach attorneys for Zajko and Blank were not successful.Pennsylvania state police records describe Daniel Blank as Michelle Zajkos housemate in Vermont. In January 2023, police investigating the shooting deaths of Zajkos parents detained both LaSota and Blank at a hotel where Zajko was staying. Blank was not charged. LaSota was charged with obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct.___Associated Press writer Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this story. PATRICK WHITTLE Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans. twitter mailto

Relatives of Samira Ayoub, and her three granddaughters, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, weep over their coffins in the town of Ainata, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, after they were killed in an Israeli drone strike while in a car near the Lebanon-Israel border. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File)2025-02-18T12:06:02Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. But the number of civilians killed has also soared, fueling fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people.Militaries have for years hired private companies to build custom autonomous weapons. However, Israels recent wars mark a leading instance in which commercial AI models made in the United States have been used in active warfare, despite concerns that they were not originally developed to help decide who lives and who dies.The Israeli military uses AI to sift through vast troves of intelligence, intercepted communications and surveillance to find suspicious speech or behavior and learn the movements of its enemies. After a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, its use of Microsoft and OpenAI technology skyrocketed, an Associated Press investigation found. The investigation also revealed new details of how AI systems select targets and ways they can go wrong, including faulty data or flawed algorithms. It was based on internal documents, data and exclusive interviews with current and former Israeli officials and company employees.This is the first confirmation we have gotten that commercial AI models are directly being used in warfare, said Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute and former senior safety engineer at OpenAI. The implications are enormous for the role of tech in enabling this type of unethical and unlawful warfare going forward. This compilation video of airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces was part of a post on the agencys website in February 2023 describing the Israeli militarys use of artificial intelligence systems in the war in Gaza. The rise of AI As U.S. tech titans ascend to prominent roles under President Donald Trump, the APs findings raise questions about Silicon Valleys role in the future of automated warfare. Microsoft expects its partnership with the Israeli military to grow, and what happens with Israel may help determine the use of these emerging technologies around the world.The Israeli militarys usage of Microsoft and OpenAI artificial intelligence spiked last March to nearly 200 times higher than before the week leading up to the Oct. 7 attack, the AP found in reviewing internal company information. The amount of data it stored on Microsoft servers doubled between that time and July 2024 to more than 13.6 petabytes roughly 350 times the digital memory needed to store every book in the Library of Congress. Usage of Microsofts huge banks of computer servers by the military also rose by almost two-thirds in the first two months of the war alone. Israels goal after the attack that killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages was to eradicate Hamas, and its military has called AI a game changer in yielding targets more swiftly. Since the war started, more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza and Lebanon and nearly 70% of the buildings in Gaza have been devastated, according to health ministries in Gaza and Lebanon. The APs investigation drew on interviews with six current and former members of the Israeli army, including three reserve intelligence officers. Most spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive military operations.The AP also interviewed 14 current and former employees inside Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and Amazon, most of whom also spoke anonymously for fear of retribution. Journalists reviewed internal company data and documents, including one detailing the terms of a $133 million contract between Microsoft and Israels Ministry of Defense.The Israeli military says its analysts use AI-enabled systems to help identify targets but independently examine them together with high-ranking officers to meet international law, weighing the military advantage against the collateral damage. A senior Israeli intelligence official authorized to speak to the AP said lawful military targets may include combatants fighting against Israel, wherever they are, and buildings used by militants. Officials insist that even when AI plays a role, there are always several layers of humans in the loop.These AI tools make the intelligence process more accurate and more effective, said an Israeli military statement to the AP. They make more targets faster, but not at the expense of accuracy, and many times in this war theyve been able to minimize civilian casualties.The Israeli military declined to answer detailed written questions from the AP about its use of commercial AI products from American tech companies.Microsoft declined to comment for this story and did not respond to a detailed list of written questions about cloud and AI services provided to the Israeli military. In a statement on its website, the company says it is committed to champion the positive role of technology across the globe. In its 40-page Responsible AI Transparency Report for 2024, Microsoft pledges to manage the risks of AI throughout development to reduce the risk of harm, and does not mention its lucrative military contracts. Have a news tip?Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected]. For secure and confidential communications, use the free Signal app +1 (202) 281-8604. Advanced AI models are provided through OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, through Microsofts Azure cloud platform, where they are purchased by the Israeli military, the documents and data show. Microsoft has been OpenAIs largest investor. OpenAI said it does not have a partnership with Israels military, and its usage policies say its customers should not use its products to develop weapons, destroy property or harm people. About a year ago, however, OpenAI changed its terms of use from barring military use to allowing for national security use cases that align with our mission. Relatives of Samira Ayoub, and her three granddaughters, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, weep over their coffins in the town of Ainata, south Lebanon, Nov. 7, 2023, after they were killed in an Israeli drone strike while in a car near the Lebanon-Israel border. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File) Relatives of Samira Ayoub, and her three granddaughters, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, weep over their coffins in the town of Ainata, south Lebanon, Nov. 7, 2023, after they were killed in an Israeli drone strike while in a car near the Lebanon-Israel border. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Students display a poster of the three sisters, Liane, 10; Taline, 12, and Rimas, 14, who were killed with their grandmother, Samira Ayoub, by an Israeli airstrike days earlier, during a protest in front of the headquarters of U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 9, 2023. Arabic words read, From Ainata to Gaza, living children on the path to Jerusalem (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File) Students display a poster of the three sisters, Liane, 10; Taline, 12, and Rimas, 14, who were killed with their grandmother, Samira Ayoub, by an Israeli airstrike days earlier, during a protest in front of the headquarters of U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 9, 2023. Arabic words read, From Ainata to Gaza, living children on the path to Jerusalem (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The human toll of AIIts extremely hard to identify when AI systems enable errors because they are used with so many other forms of intelligence, including human intelligence, sources said. But together they can lead to wrongful deaths.In November 2023, Hoda Hijazi was fleeing with her three young daughters and her mother from clashes between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah on the Lebanese border when their car was bombed.Before they left, the adults told the girls to play in front of the house so that Israeli drones would know they were traveling with children. The women and girls drove alongside Hijazis uncle, Samir Ayoub, a journalist with a leftist radio station, who was caravanning in his own car. They heard the frenetic buzz of a drone very low overhead. Soon, an airstrike hit the car Hijazi was driving. It careened down a slope and burst into flames. Ayoub managed to pull Hijazi out, but her mother Ayoubs sister and the three girls Rimas, 14, Taline, 12, and Liane, 10 were dead. In this footage from a store's security camera video, members of the Hijazi family get into a car in the Lebanese border village of Bilda, headed toward Beirut on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (AP Photo) Before they left their home, Hijazi recalled, one of the girls had insisted on taking pictures of the cats in the garden because maybe we wont see them again. In the end, she said, the cats survived and the girls are gone.Video footage from a security camera at a convenience store shortly before the strike showed the Hijazi family in a Hyundai SUV, with the mother and one of the girls loading jugs of water. The family says the video proves Israeli drones should have seen the women and children.The day after the family was hit, the Israeli military released video of the strike along with a package of similar videos and photos. A statement released with the images said Israeli fighter jets had struck just over 450 Hamas targets. The APs visual analysis matched the road and other geographical features in the Israeli military video to satellite imagery of the location where the three girls died, 1 mile (1.7 kilometers) from the store.An Israeli intelligence officer told the AP that AI has been used to help pinpoint all targets in the past three years. In this case, AI likely pinpointed a residence, and other intelligence gathering could have placed a person there. At some point, the car left the residence. This satellite image shows where the family stopped at a convenience store before an Israeli airstrike hit their car about one mile away. (AP Marshall Ritzel/Planet Labs) This satellite image shows where the family stopped at a convenience store before an Israeli airstrike hit their car about one mile away. (AP Marshall Ritzel/Planet Labs) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Humans in the target room would have decided to strike. The error could have happened at any point, he said: Previous faulty information could have flagged the wrong residence, or they could have hit the wrong vehicle.The AP also saw a message from a second source with knowledge of that airstrike who confirmed it was a mistake, but didnt elaborate. A spokesperson for the Israeli military denied that AI systems were used during the airstrike itself, but refused to answer whether AI helped select the target or whether it was wrong. The military told the AP that officials examined the incident and expressed sorrow for the outcome.How it worksMicrosoft and the San Francisco-based startup OpenAI are among a legion of U.S. tech firms that have supported Israels wars in recent years. Google and Amazon provide cloud computing and AI services to the Israeli military under Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 when Israel first tested out its in-house AI-powered targeting systems. The military has used Cisco and Dell server farms or data centers. Red Hat, an independent IBM subsidiary, also has provided cloud computing technologies to the Israeli military, and Palantir Technologies, a Microsoft partner in U.S. defense contracts, has a strategic partnership providing AI systems to help Israels war efforts. Google said it is committed to responsibly developing and deploying AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security. Dell provided a statement saying the company commits to the highest standards in working with public and private organizations globally, including in Israel. Red Hat spokesperson Allison Showalter said the company is proud of its global customers, who comply with Red Hats terms to adhere to applicable laws and regulations.Palantir, Cisco and Oracle did not respond to requests for comment. Amazon declined to comment. This image from Israeli Defense Forces drone video shows a car in crosshairs, moments before it was destroyed in the town of Ainata, southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, Nov. 5, 2023. (IDF via AP) This image from Israeli Defense Forces drone video shows a car in crosshairs, moments before it was destroyed in the town of Ainata, southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, Nov. 5, 2023. (IDF via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Israeli military uses Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls, texts and audio messages, according to an Israeli intelligence officer who works with the systems. That data can then be cross-checked with Israels in-house targeting systems and vice versa. He said he relies on Azure to quickly search for terms and patterns within massive text troves, such as finding conversations between two people within a 50-page document. Azure also can find people giving directions to one another in the text, which can then be cross-referenced with the militarys own AI systems to pinpoint locations.The Microsoft data AP reviewed shows that since the Oct. 7 attack, the Israeli military has made heavy use of transcription and translation tools and OpenAI models, although it does not detail which. Typically, AI models that transcribe and translate perform best in English. OpenAI has acknowledged that its popular AI-powered translation model Whisper, which can transcribe and translate into multiple languages including Arabic, can make up text that no one said, including adding racial commentary and violent rhetoric.Should we be basing these decisions on things that the model could be making up? said Joshua Kroll, an assistant professor of computer science at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, who spoke to the AP in his personal capacity, not reflecting the views of the U.S. government. The Israeli military said any phone conversation translated from Arabic or intelligence used in identifying a target has to be reviewed by an Arabic-speaking officer.Errors can still happen for many reasons involving AI, said Israeli military officers who have worked with the targeting systems and other tech experts. One intelligence officer said he had seen targeting mistakes that relied on incorrect machine translations from Arabic to Hebrew. The Arabic word describing the grip on the launch tube for a rocket-propelled grenade is the same as the word for payment. In one instance the machine translated it wrong, and the person verifying the translation initially didnt catch the error, he said, which could have added people speaking about payments to target lists. The officer was there by chance and caught the problem, he said.Intercepted phone calls tied to a persons profile also include the time the person called and the names and numbers of those on the call. But it takes an extra step to listen to and verify the original audio, or to see a translated transcript.Sometimes the data attached to peoples profiles is wrong. For example, the system misidentified a list of high school students as potential militants, according to the officer. An Excel spreadsheet attached to several peoples profiles titled finals in Arabic, contained at least 1,000 students names on an exam list in one area of Gaza, he said. This was the only piece of incriminating evidence attached to peoples files, he said, and had he not caught the mistake, those Palestinians could have been wrongly flagged. The remains of a Hyundai SUV are seen in the town of Ainata, a Lebanese border village with Israel in south Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2023, after Samira Ayoub, and her three granddaughters, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, were killed in the car during an Israeli airstrike the previous evening. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) The remains of a Hyundai SUV are seen in the town of Ainata, a Lebanese border village with Israel in south Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2023, after Samira Ayoub, and her three granddaughters, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, were killed in the car during an Israeli airstrike the previous evening. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More He said he also worried that young officers, some still younger than 20, under pressure to find targets quickly with the help of AI would jump to conclusions. AI alone could lead to the wrong conclusion, said another soldier who worked with the targeting systems. For example, AI might flag a house owned by someone linked to Hamas who does not live there. Before the house is hit, humans must confirm who is actually in it, he said.Obviously there are things that I live peacefully with and things that I could have done better in some targeted attacks that Im responsible for, the soldier told the AP. Its war, things happen, mistakes happen, we are human. Tal Mimran served 10 years as a reserve legal officer for the Israeli military, and on three NATO working groups examining the use of new technologies, including AI, in warfare. Previously, he said, it took a team of up to 20 people a day or more to review and approve a single airstrike. Now, with AI systems, the military is approving hundreds a week. Mimran said over-reliance on AI could harden peoples existing biases. Confirmation bias can prevent people from investigating on their own, said Mimran, who teaches cyber law policy. Some people might be lazy, but others might be afraid to go against the machine and be wrong and make a mistake. Deep tiesAmong U.S. tech firms, Microsoft has had an especially close relationship with the Israeli military spanning decades.That relationship, alongside those with other tech companies, stepped up after the Hamas attack. Israels war response strained its own servers and increased its reliance on outside, third-party vendors, according to a presentation last year by the militarys top information technology officer. As she described how AI had provided Israel very significant operational effectiveness in Gaza, the logos of Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services appeared on a large screen behind her. Weve already reached a point where our systems really need it, said Col. Racheli Dembinsky, commander of the Center of Computing and Information Systems, known by its Hebrew acronym, Mamram.One three-year contract between Microsoft and the Israeli Ministry of Defense began in 2021 and was worth $133 million, making it the companys second largest military customer globally after the U.S., according to a document reviewed by the AP. The Israeli military is classified within Microsoft as an S500 client, meaning that it gets top priority as one of the companys most important customers globally. The Israeli militarys service agreements with Microsoft include at least 635 individual subscriptions listed under specific divisions, units, bases or project code words. Subscription names reviewed by the AP included Mamram and 8200, an elite intelligence unit known for its technological prowess.One urgent Azure support ticket filed about two weeks after the Oct. 7 attack asked for delays of planned maintenance outages for the rest of the year due to the war, because any downtime could have a direct impact on life-saving systems. The request was flagged as being from Glilot 8200, a highly secure army base that houses Unit 8200, responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and code decryption, cyber warfare and surveillance.Records show Microsofts global Azure support team responded to about 130 direct requests from the Israeli military through the first 10 months of the war. Microsofts consulting services unit also works closely with Israels military, which represented half of that sections overall revenue, an internal document said. An Israeli flag is draped over the Microsoft offices in a building in the Gav Yam technology park in Beersheba, Israel, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) An Israeli flag is draped over the Microsoft offices in a building in the Gav Yam technology park in Beersheba, Israel, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Within Israel, a team of at least nine Microsoft employees is dedicated to serving the militarys account. Among them is a senior executive who served 14 years in Unit 8200 and a former IT leader for military intelligence, according to their online resumes. Microsoft data is housed in server farms within two massive buildings outside Tel Aviv, enclosed behind high walls topped with barbed wire. Microsoft also operates a 46,000-square-meter corporate campus in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, and another office in Gav-Yam in southern Israel, which has displayed a large Israeli flag. The Israel Defense Forces has long been at the forefront of deploying artificial intelligence for military use. In early 2021, it launched Gospel, an AI tool that sorts through Israels vast array of digitized information to suggest targets for potential strikes. It also developed Lavender, which uses machine learning to filter out requested criteria from intelligence databases and narrow down lists of potential targets, including people. Lavender ranks people between 0 and 100 based on how likely it is they are a militant, said an intelligence officer who used the systems. The ranking is based on intelligence, such as the persons family tree, if someones father is a known militant who served time, and intercepted phone calls, he said. In May 2021, the Israeli military launched what Israeli intelligence officials described as their First AI War, an 11-day bombing campaign against Hamas. At the time, Israeli military officials described AI as a force-multiplier, allowing them to carry out far more airstrikes than in prior conflicts. A 2021 post by the Israeli military also described the stakes surrounding the use of AI in war: Unlike in the realms of AdTech and Gaming, wrong decisions in the realm of intelligence may cost lives, it read. The same post described the militarys incorporation of AI approaches to analyze the emotional tone of communications, a technique experts have found can fail to pick slang, jargon or nuance in peoples speech.Pushback from workersThe relationship between tech companies and the Israeli military also has ramifications in the U.S., where some employees have raised ethical concerns. In October, Microsoft fired two workers for helping organize an unauthorized lunchtime vigil for Palestinian refugees at its corporate campus in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft said at the time that it ended the employment of some people in accordance with internal policy but declined to give details.Hossam Nasr, one of the employees fired by Microsoft who works with the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, said he and former colleagues are pushing for Microsoft to stop selling cloud and AI services to the Israeli military.Cloud and AI are the bombs and bullets of the 21st century, Nasr said. Microsoft is providing the Israeli military with digital weapons to kill, maim and displace Palestinians, in the gravest moral travesty of our time. In April, Google fired about 50 of its workers over a sit-in at the companys California headquarters protesting the war in Gaza. Google employee Emaan Haseem talks to the media as other demonstrators protest against the war in Gaza and Googles work with the Israeli government, April 16, 2024, in front of the Google offices in Sunnyvale, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group via AP) Google employee Emaan Haseem talks to the media as other demonstrators protest against the war in Gaza and Googles work with the Israeli government, April 16, 2024, in front of the Google offices in Sunnyvale, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Former Google software engineer Emaan Haseem was among those fired. Haseem said she worked on a team that helped test the reliability of a sovereign cloud a secure system of servers kept so separate from the rest of Googles global cloud infrastructure that even the company itself couldnt access or track the data it stores. She later learned through media reports that Google was building a sovereign cloud for Israel. It seemed to be more and more obvious that we are literally just trying to design something where we wont have to care about how our clients are using it, and if theyre using it unfairly or unethically, Haseem said. Google said the employees were fired because they disrupted work spaces and made colleagues feel unsafe. Google did not respond to specific questions about whether it was contracted to build a sovereign cloud for the Israeli military and whether it provided restrictions on the wartime use of its AI models.Gaza is now in an uneasy ceasefire. But recently, the Israeli government announced it would expand its artificial intelligence developments across all its military branches.Meanwhile, U.S. tech titans keep consolidating power in Washington. Microsoft gave $1 million to Trumps inauguration fund. Google CEO Sundar Pichai got a prime seat at the presidents inauguration. And OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with the president on Trumps second full day in office to talk up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for AI infrastructure. In a new book set to be published Tuesday, Palantir CEO Alexander Karp calls for the U.S. military and its allies to work closely with Silicon Valley to design, build and acquire AI weaponry, including the unmanned drone swarms and robots that will dominate the coming battlefield.The fate of the United States, and its allies, depends on the ability of their defense and intelligence agencies to evolve, and briskly, Karp wrote, according to an advance copy obtained by the AP.After OpenAI changed its terms of use last year to allow for national security purposes, Google followed suit earlier this month with a similar change to its public ethics policy to remove language saying it wouldnt use its AI for weapons and surveillance. Google said it is committed to responsibly developing and deploying AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security. Mahmoud Adnan Chour, center, the father of three girls, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, who were killed with their grandmother Samira Ayoub, by an Israeli airstrike, weeps during their funeral procession in the town of Ainata, a Lebanese village near the border with Israel, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File) Mahmoud Adnan Chour, center, the father of three girls, Rimas, 14; Taline, 12, and Liane, 10, who were killed with their grandmother Samira Ayoub, by an Israeli airstrike, weeps during their funeral procession in the town of Ainata, a Lebanese village near the border with Israel, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More As tech companies jockey for contracts, those who lost relatives still search for answers.Even with all this pain, I cant stop asking: Why? said Mahmoud Adnan Chour, the father of the three girls killed in the car in southern Lebanon, an engineer who was away at the time. Why did the plane choose that car the one filled with my childrens laughter echoing from its windows?___Biesecker reported from Washington and Burke from San Francisco. AP reporters Abby Sewell and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Julia Frankel and Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem, Dake Kang in Beijing and Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.___Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/___The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. 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. MICHAEL BIESECKER Biesecker is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington. He reports on a wide range of topics, including human conflict, climate change and political corruption. twitter instagram mailto SAM MEDNICK Mednick is the West and Central Africa reporter for the Associated Press. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses. twitter GARANCE BURKE Garance is a global investigative journalist. twitter mailto

Measles and tetanus vaccine vials are ready to be administered at the Dallas County Health & Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas, on March 8, 2019. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News via AP)2025-02-18T19:25:36Z The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 58 cases as of Tuesday, and eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed with measles. Public health officials in New Mexico have said they suspect some of the states cases are linked to the Texas outbreak, but havent confirmed it. Measles is a highly contagious disease. Heres what you should know about how to protect yourself against measles, as well as whats happening in Texas and New Mexico.Where are measles spreading currently?The West Texas cases are concentrated in Gaines County, which has 45 infections. Terry County to the north has nine confirmed cases, while Lubbock and Lynn counties have a case each and Yoakum County has two.The Texas Department of State Health Services said Monday that 13 people are hospitalized with measles. State health officials say this outbreak is Texas largest in nearly 30 years. Health department spokeswoman Lara Anton said last week that cases have been concentrated in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled.At least three of the New Mexico cases are in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas. The state health department has said people may have been exposed at a grocery store, an elementary school, a church, Nor-Lea Hospital and a Walgreens in Hobbs, New Mexico. What is measles?Measles a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. Is the vaccine safe?Yes, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing measles infection and severe cases of the disease. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide.Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, its usually fewer than 200 in a normal year.There is no link between the vaccine and autism, despite a now-discredited study and health disinformation.Why do vaccination rates matter? In communities with high vaccination rates above 95% diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called herd immunity. But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. Five years earlier, measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019.Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year. Health officials say that number is likely higher because it doesnt include many children who are homeschooled and whose data would not be reported. What are public health officials doing to stop the spread?Health workers are hosting regular vaccination clinic and screening efforts in Texas. They are also working with schools to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offering shots.___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. DEVI SHASTRI Shastri is a public health reporter for The Associated Press, based in Milwaukee. She covers housing access, the social safety net, medical misinformation and other topics that influence the health of communities broadly. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump waves from his vehicle as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-18T15:44:05Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is giving Americas schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money, raising the stakes in the presidents fight against wokeness and sowing confusion as schools scramble to comply.In a memo Friday, the Education Department gave an ultimatum to stop using racial preferences as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other areas. Schools are being given 14 days to end any practice that treats students or workers differently because of their race.Educators at colleges nationwide were rushing to evaluate their risk and decide whether to stand up for practices they believe are legal. The sweeping demand threatens to upend all aspects of campus operations, from questions on college applications to classroom lessons and campus clubs. Its meant to correct what the memo described as rampant discrimination in education, often against white and Asian students.Schools have been operating on the pretext that selecting students for diversity or similar euphemisms is not selecting them based on race, said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. No longer. Students should be assessed according to merit, accomplishment and character. The guidance drew sharp backlash from civil rights groups and university groups. Some believe its vague language is meant to have a chilling effect, pressuring schools to eliminate anything touching on the topic of race even if it may be defensible in court. Creating a sense of risk around doing work that might promote diverse and welcoming campuses is much more of the goal than a clear statement of existing law, said Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, an association of college presidents.The memo is an extension of President Donald Trumps executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs. It essentially reflects a change in the federal governments interpretation of antidiscrimination laws. As legal justification, it cites the 2023 Supreme Court decision barring race as a factor in college admissions. Although the ruling applied only to admissions, the memo says it applies more broadly. Put simply, educational institutions may neither separate or segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race, it said.On Monday the Education Department announced it also cut $600 million in grants for organizations that train teachers. The programs promoted divisive concepts like DEI, critical race theory and social justice activism, the department said.The new guidance seeks to remove race from areas including financial aid, housing, graduation ceremonies, hiring and promotion. It also takes aim directly at college admissions, suggesting colleges have sought to work around the Supreme Courts decision.Using non-racial information as a proxy for race will now be viewed as a violation of federal law, the memo said. As an example, it said its unlawful for colleges to eliminate standardized testing requirements to achieve a desired racial balance or to increase racial diversity. Dozens of colleges across the U.S. have dropped SAT and ACT requirements in recent years for a variety of factors.The guidance reaches beyond the scope of the Supreme Courts decision and is almost certain to be challenged in court, said Angel B. Prez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. While the Supreme Court decision bans race as a factor in evaluating applicants, the memo aims to ban race even in the recruitment of potential students, he said.Practices that have long been commonplace could suddenly become legal liabilities, Prez said, including recruiting in underrepresented areas or buying lists of potential students with certain academic and demographic information.Companies including the College Board and ACT have long sold lists of students to colleges, acting as a matchmaker and providing a pool of potential applicants who meet certain criteria. Colleges and universities are going to find themselves between a rock and a hard place, Prez said. They know that what theyre doing is not illegal, but they are worried that if they do not comply, not having federal funding will decimate them.College application essays are targeted by the memo, raising questions about how far colleges can go in inviting students to share their personal experiences, including their race. The guidance says colleges cant use essays as a way of predicting a students race. In the Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice John Roberts said nothing in the ruling prevents colleges from considering an applicants discussion of how race affected his or her life, though he warned that colleges couldnt simply use essays as an indirect workaround to consider applicants race. In a campus letter at the University of Michigan, President Santa J. Ono said leaders are working to understand the implications.Some colleges said they expect little change from the memo. At Oregon State University, a legal review concluded that its programs are fully compliant with all state and federal laws, according to a campus message from Rob Odom, vice president of university relations and marketing.The department memo appears to take aim at scholarships reserved for students from certain racial backgrounds. Theres been legal debate about whether the Supreme Court decision extends to financial aid, with some schools and institutions deciding to scrap racial requirements for certain scholarships.The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators said theres no consensus on the question, and the group is trying to understand how the memo could affect student aid.What we do know, however, is that 14 days is insufficient time for schools to assess and implement any necessary changes to be in compliance, the group said in a statement. The last thing students need when making plans about how to pay for college is uncertainty over when or whether they will receive financial aid theyve been relying on.The confusion around Trumps order was apparent at last weeks confirmation hearing for education secretary nominee Linda McMahon. Asked whether classes on African American history would run afoul of the presidents order, McMahon said she wasnt quite certain.___The Associated Press education 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. 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

A worker at the General Services Administration told colleagues in a Slack message Tuesday that they have resigned in protest after Elon Musk ally Thomas Shedd requested admin/root access to all components of the Notify.gov system, which is a government system used to send mass text messages to the public that contains information the worker said is highly sensitive and would give Shedd unilateral, private access to the personal data of members of the public.Shedd is a former Tesla engineer who now runs Technology Transformation Services (TTS), a group of coders and software engineers within the GSA, who is closely allied with Elon Musk and DOGE. Notify.gov contains not just the phone numbers of everyday people but also information about whether they participate in government programs such as Medicaid, which is based on a person's financial situation. In recent days, Musk has become obsessed with the idea of "fraud" in Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and in identifying those he suspects are committing fraud.The TTS commissioner, Thomas Shedd, has required us to provide admin/root access to all components of the Notify.gov system, the Slack message, seen by 404 Media starts. It then says this would allow Shedd to view all personally identifiable information (PII) moving through the Notify system, including phone numbers and variable data for members of the public. It says Shedd would be able to download and store this data without anybody else receiving a notification.I dont believe that I can operate a program and system without the ability to manage access to PII, they added. As a result, I have submitted my resignation to GSA. Today will be my last day.404 Media previously obtained leaked audio from a meeting Shedd had with TTS employees in which he suggested that a tool called login.gov could be turned into an information sharing platform across government agencies that could be used to identify people doing fraud. He also suggested that many government employees could be replaced with AI coding agents that would be created by his team.Notify.gov is a platform that allows government agencies to text people. Examples shown in a demo include, for example, telling someone that their Medicaid coverage is expiring and must be renewed alongside instructions to renew it.The resignation note. Full text belowSources at TTS told 404 Media that the fact Shedd wants access to Notify.gov is scary news.Someone at TTS resigned rather than surrender a vast trove of data to Thomas Shedd, one employee said. Im scared that well run out of people who will tell him no.The employee told 404 Media that "Notify contains PII, including at least: names, phone numbers, and the status of participating in public benefit programs which are based on financial status."Another employee also told 404 Media that the development was concerning, and that granting Shedd admin access to the system outside of established protocols would be dangerous for the resigning worker to do.The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) requires creating these policies for every information system, the second employee told 404 Media. They are a legal requirement. The policies spell out who can have access and under what circumstances. An authorizing official must accept the policy by formally signing it and personally accepting the risk.Do you know anything else about TTS, GSA, or DOGE? 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.FISMA says that to provide someone access to a system they must go through an Authorization to Operate (ATO) process that determines who should have access to what systems, and for what reasons. The resigning worker said in their Slack message that they had been instructed to skip that process and place the system in non-compliance.The worker who resigned said in their resignation note that Shedd would have unfettered, private access to the information of anyone who has interacted with the Notify system.Here is the full message:The TTS commissioner, Thomas Shedd, has required us to provide admin/root access to all components of the Notify.gov system. With this access: Thomas would be able to view all personally identifiable information (PIl) moving through the Notify system, including phone numbers and variable data for members of the public. This information exists in our Ul, cloud.gov-managed resources, and AWS resources. Thomas would be able to download and store this data without anybody else receiving a notification. Thomas would be able to fully manage the access of others, including granting the same access to others or removing it from existing team members. Granting the same access would, of course, grant the same ability to view and download PII.We have not received a justification for this request, which makes it difficult to suggest alternative approaches that would accomplish Thomas's goals while still being protective of PlI for members of the public. We have made clear to Thomas that this level of permission would allow access to PII. While we have suggested alternatives, such as read-only access, Thomas has continued to request full admin/root access.We also believe that this level of access for somebody outside of the product team is not contemplated by the system's authority to operate. While it's entirely possible to properly update the SSPP [System Security and Privacy Plan] to add this sort of access using our established ATO [Authorization to Operate] processes, we have been instructed to skip that process and place the system in non-compliance until the access is remediated.I don't believe that I can operate a program and system without the ability to manage access to PII. As a result, I have submitted my resignation to GSA. Today will be my last day.It has truly been a pleasure to work with each and every one of you. I have valued your individual and collective contributions toward building a new-to-government shared system that has already had an impact. I have valued your care, commitment, and diligence. We have built a program together on a stable foundation, which can allow it to survive even beyond our time on this team. I am proud of that, and l am proud of you.The GSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Postmaster General of the United States Louis DeJoy speaks during a news conference, Dec. 20, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-02-18T20:27:15Z WASHINGTON (AP) Louis DeJoy, the head of the U.S. Postal Service, intends to step down, the federal agency said Tuesday, after a nearly five-year tenure marked by the coronavirus pandemic, surges in mail-in election ballots and efforts to stem losses through cost and service cuts.In a Monday letter, Postmaster General DeJoy asked the Postal Service Board of Governors to begin looking for his successor. As you know, I have worked tirelessly to lead the 640,000 men and women of the Postal Service in accomplishing an extraordinary transformation, he wrote. We have served the American people through an unprecedented pandemic and through a period of high inflation and sensationalized politics.DeJoy took the helm of the postal service in the summer of 2020 during President Donald Trumps first term. He was a Republican donor who owned a logistics business before taking office and was the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who was not a career postal employee. DeJoy developed a 10-year plan to modernize operations and stem losses. He previously said that postal customers should get used to uncomfortable rate hikes as the postal service seeks to stabilize its finances and become more self-sufficient. The plan calls for making the mail delivery system more efficient and less costly by consolidating mail processing centers. Critics, including members of Congress from several states, have said the first consolidations slowed service and that further consolidations could particularly hurt rural mail delivery. DeJoy has disputed that and told a U.S. House subcommittee during a contentious September hearing that the Postal Service had embarked on long-overdue investments in ratty facilities and making other changes to create a Postal Service for the future that delivered mail more quickly. DeJoy also oversaw the postal service during two presidential elections that saw spikes in mail-in ballots. Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge limited one of the postal services cost-cutting practices after finding it contributed to delays in mail delivery. DeJoy had restricted overtime payments for postal workers and stopped the agencys longtime practice of allowing late and extra truck deliveries in the summer of 2020. The moves reduced costs but meant some mail was left behind to be delivered the following day.DeJoy said in his letter that he was committed to being as helpful as possible in facilitating a transition.

President Donald Trump gestures to supporters gathered for a Presidents Day rally as he leaves the Trump International Golf Club, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-18T16:17:28Z WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) President Donald Trump on Tuesday was set to sign new executive orders from his Florida home while his first joint TV interview with adviser Elon Musk airs in prime time.Trumps Florida home will also be the setting for an awards program by a conservative group led by Mike Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser in the Republican presidents first term. Trump was spending part of Tuesday at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The White House had no immediate comment on the executive actions Trump was signing later Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Palm Beach. In the first weeks of Trumps second term, he has used executive orders signed statements about how the president wants the federal government to be managed to address issues including border security, the environment and transgender rights. Trump and Musk, head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, gave their first joint interview to Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel. The interview was taped on Friday at the White House and is set to air as Musk leads Trumps effort to cut federal spending and slash the federal workforce. Musk has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress and others for the methods he and his team at DOGE are using to cut spending, including foreign aid, and eliminate jobs across the bureaucracy. The Fox News interview also follows Musks appearance with Trump in the Oval Office last week, when both defended Musks approach to federal cost-cutting. In an excerpt from the interview that Fox News released on Sunday, Musk said he used to be adored by the left but less so these days because of the work hes doing at Trumps direction. They call it Trump derangement syndrome. You dont realize how real this is until you cant reason with people, Musk said, adding that normal conversations with Democrats about the president are impossible because its like theyve become completely irrational. Trumps Mar-a-Lago club is the setting Tuesday night for an awards program by Americas Future, which is led by Flynn to preserve individual rights and promote American values and traditions, according to its website. The event, celebrating American exceptionalism, will honor one member from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force and the Space Force. The event includes a poolside reception, musical performances and dinner in Mar-a-Lagos Grand Ballroom, where other award presentations are expected from a lineup that includes such names as Russell Brand, Ted Nugent and Mike Tyson.Its unclear whether Trump will participate in the event. ___Follow the APs coverage of President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Superville covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a special emphasis on first ladies and first families. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain poses for cameras as he arrives to the F1@75 launch event at the O2 arena in London, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)2025-02-18T10:45:05Z LONDON (AP) Formula 1 is kick-starting its 75th anniversary season with music, glitz and glamor Tuesday as the race series aims to reach beyond a sports audience with a two-hour televised arena show.Lewis Hamilton arrived wearing a tie in Ferrari red for his biggest event yet since joining the Italian team, before the seven-time champion emerged to rousing cheers in a full race suit to present the teams livery alongside teammate Charles Leclerc.Asked to pick a word to describe his mood ahead of the new season, Hamilton picked invigorated, because I feel so full of life and so much energy, because everythings new.Just focused on whats up ahead. Im so proud to be part of the team, something new and exciting for me.The F1 75 Live event at Londons O2 arena is the first time the sport hosted its own large-scale launch event, rather than leaving it to the individual teams. Drivers arrived on the red carpet for a televised two-hour show unlike any other event in F1 history.Lavish team presentations have included a James Bond parody for Aston Martin, a line of drummers with glowing sticks, cars sliding down the stage on motorized platforms and a comedy skit that played on Racing Bulls sponsor-heavy full name. Lewis Hamilton arrived wearing a tie in Ferrari red for the seven-time champions biggest event yet since joining the Italian team.The live crowd of F1 fans brought some unpredictability, with some boos for a mention of the governing body, the FIA, which has been in dispute with drivers over how it enforces punishments for swearing, and for Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. There were also musical acts like country singer Kane Brown, who introduced Haas, British band Take That. American rapper and singer MGK, also known as Machine Gun Kelly, gave the show a high-energy, guitar-heavy intro.Teams will present their 2025 liveries, but dont have to show off the actual cars theyll race this season. Teams are still allowed to hold their own launch events to present their 2025 cars, as McLaren and Williams did last week. It comes at a time when F1 is keen to expand beyond a sports audience, with races in cities like Miami and Las Vegas, a movie called F1 starring Brad Pitt releasing in June, and the ongoing popularity of the Drive To Survive series on Netflix.To have this many fans out shows that we bring the sport together away from the racetrack. Theres a lot of excitement, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said Tuesday.The Brad Pitt movie will no doubt create a huge amount of awareness for the sport. Netflix, Im sure, knowing what happened last year, will be a drama-filled television show again, which has been great for all of us. So I think the sports going from strength to strength.Drivers broadly welcomed the new launch show, though two-time champion Fernando Alonso warned it could be a little bit of distraction at a time when drivers and teams are fine-tuning their approach to the season.Asked if he thought the launch would become a regular event, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: Im sure if they think they can make some money out of it, well be doing this most years.F1s preparations for the new season which marks the series 75th anniversary continue with preseason testing next week at the Bahrain International Circuit. The first race is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-18T21:05:30Z RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) Top U.S. and Russian officials had their most extensive high-level engagement since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine almost three years ago, meeting for nearly four hours Tuesday in Saudi Arabia as President Donald Trump sought to advance his goal of ending the fighting in Ukraine and mending ties with Moscow.The delegations led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the discussions were a good first step.They agreed to set up teams to look into restoring staffing at the U.S. and Russian embassies in Moscow and Washington that have been decimated by a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions. The effort is aimed at using those channels to support Ukraine peace negotiations and to explore ways to restart economic and global cooperation. A Russian official pointed to possible joint energy ventures. However, the rapprochement may come at a cost to the transatlantic alliance of the U.S. and Europe and significantly damage Washingtons standing with Ukraine as well as with other nations counting on U.S. leadership in NATO and elsewhere for their security and protection. During former President Joe Bidens administration, the U.S. and Europe focused on isolating Russia and defending the post-World War II international order.Heres a look at the meeting and what comes next: Reestablishing tattered diplomatic relationsFirst on both countries list of accomplishments was an agreement to end what has been years of dwindling diplomatic relations that hit a post-Cold War low point after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.The meeting, which came just a week after Trump spoke to Putin by phone, was the first substantive face-to-face discussion between the nations top diplomats since former Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Lavrov in Geneva in January 2022 in an unsuccessful bid to prevent the Ukraine conflict.Lavrov said after Tuesdays talks that the sides agreed to fast-track the appointment of new ambassadors, adding that senior diplomats from the two countries will meet shortly to discuss specifics related to lifting artificial barriers to the work of the U.S. and Russian embassies and other missions.In reality, the decimation of the U.S. and Russian embassies personnel began well before Russian troops rolled into Ukraine in 2022, starting after 2014 Russias annexation of Crimea that was seen as illegal by most of the world during the Obama administration, which ordered several Russian offices in the U.S. to close.It picked up steam after the 2018 poisoning in Britain of an exiled Russian spy and his daughter, which British authorities blamed on Russia, and resulted in mass expulsions of diplomats and the closure of numerous consulates in both countries and Europe.Asked by The Associated Press if the U.S. now considered those cases closed, Rubio declined to say but said it would be impossible to get a Ukraine peace agreement without diplomatic engagement.Im not going to negotiate or talk through every element of the disruptions that exist or have existed in our diplomatic relations, on the mechanics of it, he said. Bringing an end to the conflict cannot happen unless we have at least some normalcy in the way our diplomatic missions operate in Moscow and in Washington, D.C. Negotiating an end to the conflict in UkraineThe two sides agreed to set up high-level working groups to begin exploring a negotiated end to the conflict. It was not immediately clear when these teams would first meet, but both said it would be soon.As to concessions that may need to be made by all sides, Trumps national security adviser, Mike Waltz, who participated in the talks Tuesday, said the issue of territory and security guarantees would be among the subjects discussed.Rubio said a high-level team, including experts who know technical details, will begin to engage with the Russian side on parameters of what an end to this conflict would look like.On the key issue of a prospective peacekeeping mission to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, the top Russian diplomat said Moscow would not accept any troops from NATO members, repeating its assertion that Ukraines bid to join the Western military alliance poses a major security issue.We explained that the deployment of troops from the countries that are NATO members, even if they are deployed under the EU or national flags, will not change anything and will certainly be unacceptable for us, Lavrov said. Exclusion of Ukraine and Europe from the talksNeither Ukraine nor European nations were invited to Tuesdays talks in Riyadh, but U.S. officials said there is no intention to exclude them from peace negotiations should they begin in earnest.No one is being sidelined here, Rubio said. Obviously, theres going to be engagement and consultation with Ukraine, with our partners in Europe and others. But ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort.Waltz agreed: If youre going to bring both sides together, you have to talk to both sides. ... We are absolutely talking to both sides.He noted that Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately after speaking with Putin last week and that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Rubio met Friday with Zelenskyy in Germany. Still, Zelenskyy was clearly peeved at being omitted from the meeting, postponing plans to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to avoid any linkage of his trip with Tuesdays U.S.-Russia talks.This whole negotiation from the start seems very tilted in Russias favor. And its even a question whether it should be termed a negotiation or in some sense, a series of American capitulations, said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Eurasia and Russia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and a former British ambassador to Belarus.Meanwhile, European leaders who have been among Ukraines staunchest supporters held an emergency summit a day ahead of the Riyadh talks. Immediately after the talks, Rubio briefed the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom and the EUs high representative for foreign affairs.Possible lifting of U.S. sanctions against RussiaAsked whether the U.S. could lift sanctions against Moscow imposed during the Biden presidency, Rubio noted that to bring an end to any conflict, there has to be concessions made by all sides and were not going to predetermine what those are.Asked if the U.S. could officially remove Lavrov from its sanctions list, Rubio said that were just not at that level of conversation yet.Potential U.S.-Russian cooperationKirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund who joined the Russian delegation in Riyadh, told reporters that Russia and the U.S. should develop joint energy ventures.We need joint projects, including in the Arctic and other regions, he said.Should the parties succeed in negotiating an end to the Ukraine conflict, Rubio said, it could open incredible opportunities to partner with the Russians on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term.He did not say what those would entail.___Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press Writer Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks after being sworn in as Health and Human Services Secretary in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-18T22:39:32Z WASHINGTON (AP) To earn the vote he needed to become the nations top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a special promise to a U.S. senator: He would not change the nations current vaccination schedule.But on Tuesday, speaking for the first time to thousands of U.S. Health and Human Services agency employees, he vowed to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio and other dangerous diseases.Nothing is going to be off limits, Kennedy said, adding that pesticides, food additives, microplastics, antidepressants and the electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones and microwaves also would be studied.Kennedys remarks, which circulated on social media, were delivered during a welcome ceremony for the new health secretary at the agencys headquarters in Washington as a measles outbreak among mostly unvaccinated people raged in West Texas. The event was held after a weekend of mass firings of thousands of HHS employees. More dismissals are expected. In his comments Tuesday, Kennedy promised that a new Make America Healthy Again commission would investigate vaccines, pesticides and antidepressants to see if they have contributed to a rise in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity that have plagued the American public. The commission was formed last week in an executive order by Donald Trump immediately after Kennedy was sworn in as the presidents new health secretary. That directive said the commission will be made up of cabinet members and other officials from the administration and will develop a strategy around childrens health within the next six months. Kennedy said it will investigate issues, including childhood vaccinations, that were formally taboo or insufficiently scrutinized. His call to examine the vaccination schedule raises questions about his commitment to Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician who harbored deep misgivings over the health secretarys anti-vaccine advocacy. Cassidy ultimately voted to send Kennedys nomination to the Senate floor after he said Kennedy gave him assurances that he would not alter the federal vaccine schedule. On this topic, the science is good, the science is credible, Cassidy said during a Senate floor speech earlier this month explaining his vote. Vaccines save lives. They are safe.Rigorous studies of thousands of people followed by decades of real-world use have proven that the vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration for both children and adults safely and effectively prevent diseases.Cassidy said during his Senate speech last month that Kennedy had made a number of promises that stemmed from intense conversations to garner his support. Specifically, Cassidy said Kennedy would maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations without changes.Those recommendations are what pediatricians around the country use to decide the safest and most effective ages at which to offer vaccinations to children. The committee meets every year to review the latest data on both old and new vaccines to ensure there are no red flags for safety or other issues before publishing its annual schedule. When contacted about Kennedys remarks, Cassidys office did not comment.Kennedy gained a loyal following for his nonprofit by raising objections to COVID-19 protocols and doubts around the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite his work, Kennedy repeatedly told senators that he was not anti-vaccine during his confirmation hearings.Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious-disease expert at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia who sits on a federal vaccine panel, didnt believe him.I think he will do everything he can to make vaccines less available and less affordable because hes an anti-vaccine activist, Offit, who developed the rotavirus vaccine that is on the CDCs childhood immunization schedule, said last week.Kennedy promised staffers on Tuesday during his speech that he would keep an open mind in his new job and asked them to return the favor.A lot of times when I read these articles characterizing myself, I think I wouldnt want to work for that guy, either, Kennedy said, eliciting some laughs from the crowd. Lets start a relationship by letting go of any preconceived perceptions you may have of me. ___Associated Press writers Matthew Perrone and Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. AMANDA SEITZ Seitz is an Associated Press reporter covering federal health care policy. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-18T21:29:51Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge refused Tuesday to immediately block billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing government data systems or participating in worker layoffs. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan found that there are legitimate questions about Musks authority, but said there isnt evidence of the kind of grave legal harm that would justify a temporary restraining order. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by 14 Democratic states challenging DOGEs authority to access sensitive government data. The attorneys general argued that Musk is wielding the kind of power that the Constitution says can only be held by those who are elected or confirmed by the Senate. The Trump administration, for its part, has maintained that layoffs are coming from agency heads, and asserted that despite his public cheering of the effort Musk isnt directly running DOGEs day-to-day operations himself. DOGE has tapped into computer systems across multiple agencies with the blessing of President Donald Trump, digging into budgets and searching for what he calls waste, fraud and abuse, even as a growing number of lawsuits allege DOGE is violating the law. Chutkan recognized the concerns of the group of states, which include New Mexico and Arizona. DOGEs unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion, she wrote. Their questions about Musks apparent unchecked authority and lack of Congressional oversight for DOGE are legitimate and they may be able to successfully argue them later. Still, at this point, it remains unclear exactly how DOGEs work will affect the states, and judges can only issue court only issue orders to block specific, immediate harms, she found. Chutkan, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, previously oversaw the now-dismissed criminal election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C. __ 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

In this undated photo, a rainbow appears after a hike to the top of Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park near Sperryville in Madison County, Va. (Frank Green/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)2025-02-18T22:40:38Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.The firings, which werent publicly announced but were confirmed by Democratic senators and House members, come amid what has been a chaotic rollout of an aggressive program to eliminate thousands of federal jobs plan led by billionaire Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency, an outside-government organization designed to slash federal spending. Adding to the confusion, the park service now says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs that were initially rescinded last month as part of a spending freeze ordered by President Donald Trump.Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve more than 325 million visitors who descend on the nations 428 parks, historic sites and other attractions each year. Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts will leave hundreds of national parks including some of the most well-known and most heavily visited sites understaffed and facing tough decisions about operating hours, public safety and resource protection. Fewer staff means shorter visitor center hours, delayed openings and closed campgrounds, said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group. Trash will pile up, restrooms wont be cleaned, and maintenance problems will grow, she predicted. Guided tours will be cut back or canceled and, in the worst cases, public safety could be at risk.The Trump administrations actions are pushing an already overwhelmed Park Service to its breaking point, Brengel said. And the consequences will be felt in our parks for years. A spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the park service, declined to comment Monday. A separate email to the park service received no answer.Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees confirmed the firings as part of a larger list of terminations ordered by the Trump administration.There is nothing efficient about indiscriminately firing thousands upon thousands of workers in red and blue states whose work is badly needed,' said Sen. Patty Murray. D-Wash., vice chair of the Appropriations panel, who blamed both Trump and Musk.Two billionaires who have zero concept of what the federal workforce does are breaking the American government decimating essential services and leaving all of us worse off, Murray said.Among other cuts, 16 of 17 supervisory positions at Wyomings Grand Teton National Park were eliminated, Brengel said, leaving just one person to hire, train and supervise dozens of seasonal employees expected this summer at the popular park where thousands of visitors marvel at grizzly bears and bison.At Virginias Shenandoah National Park, meanwhile, fee collectors and trail maintenance employees were laid off, potentially making trails at the popular park near Washington, D.C., unpassable after heavy rains. Theyre basically knee-capping the very people who need to train seasonal employees who work as park rangers, maintenance staff and trail managers, Brengel said in an interview. It puts the park in an untenable position. Youre going to hurt tourism.The firings may force small parks to close visitor centers and other facilities, while larger parks will have to function without cultural resources workers who help visitors interpret the park, fee collectors and even wastewater treatment operators, she said. Stacy Ramsey, a ranger at the Buffalo National River in Arkansas, wrote on Facebook that she was fired on Friday. She had been a probationary employee in the first year of a four-year position funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the climate law signed by former President Joe Biden.Did those who made the decision know or care that the main objective of my position is to provide preventive search and rescue education, to keep park visitors safe? she asked in a widely shared Facebook post. Brian Gibbs, who had been an environmental educator at the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, was heartbroken after losing what he called his dream job on Friday. I am the defender of your public lands and waters,' Gibbs wrote on Facebook in another widely shared post. I am the motivation to make it up the hill...the Band-Aid for a skinned knee and the lesson that showed your children that we live in a world of gifts not commodities. That gratitude and reciprocity are the doorway to true abundance, not power, money or fear.A freeze on spending under a five-year-old law signed by Trump also jeopardizes national parks, Brengel and other advocates said. The Great American Outdoors Act, passed with bipartisan support in 2020 and signed by Trump, authorizes $6.5 billion over five years to maintain and improve national parks. The program is crucial to whittling down a massive maintenance backlog at the parks and is frequently hailed as a success story by lawmakers from both parties. The freeze could slow road and bridge improvements at Yellowstone National Park, which is in the midst of a $216 million project to improve safety, access and experience on park roads. The project is mostly funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.Democratic senators denounced the job cuts, saying in a letter before the mass firings were imposed that if a significant number of National Park Service workers take an early retirement package offered by Trump or are terminated from their positions, park staffing will be in chaos. Not only does this threaten the full suite of visitor services, but could close entire parks altogether, the senators wrote.The letter was led by Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Angus King of Maine and signed by 20 other senators.Gutting staff at national park units will devastate local gateway communities where parks generate significant economic activity from hotels to restaurants to stores to outfitters, the senators wrote. Park visitors supported an estimated 415,000 jobs and $55.6 billion in total economic activity in 2023, they said.Ramsey wrote on Facebook that she assisted with at least 20 search-and-rescues on the Buffalo National River in Arkansas over the past five years. She said she worked as a river ranger, upper district fee collector, interpreter and even helped with concessions and maintenance during her time at the park.The Buffalo, established as the first national river in the U.S. by Congress in 1972, flows freely through the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas for 135 miles of quiet pools, majestic bluffs and churning rapids. It is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states.Ramsey stayed in the river ranger job despite opportunities for more permanent positions, she said, because I loved looking out for the safety of people on the river.I truly loved my job, she wrote. The river is home to me.___ MATTHEW DALY Daly covers climate, environment and energy policy for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Pool via AP)2025-02-18T23:40:35Z President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aiming to reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure that helps people facing infertility build their families.Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000, the order said. Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence.The order instructed the assistant to the president for domestic policy to give Trump a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment within 90 days.IVF became a talking point during the 2024 presidential campaign when Alabama agreed to protect in vitro fertilization providers from legal liability a couple of weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Trump said at the time he strongly supported its availability. And a June poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults support protecting access to IVF, with 26% neutral and about 1 in 10 opposed. In 2018, assisted reproductive technology, including IVF, contributed to 2% of all infants born in the United States, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heres what to know about this increasingly common fertility treatment. What is IVF? The procedure offers a possible solution when a woman has trouble getting pregnant, and its normally tried after other, less expensive fertility treatments have failed.It involves retrieving the womans eggs and combining them in a lab dish with a mans sperm to create a fertilized embryo, which is then transferred into her uterus in an attempt to create a pregnancy.IVF is done in cycles and may take more than one. The procedure can use a couples eggs and sperm or those from a donor. Does insurance cover the procedure?Insurance coverage of IVF and other fertility treatments can be patchy and depends on who provides insurance for the patient. More large employers are offering the coverage to attract and keep workers. Many businesses also are extending coverage beyond those with an infertility diagnosis, making it accessible to LGBTQ+ couples and single women. Government-funded programs such as Medicaid largely limit fertility treatment coverage. Coverage is less common among smaller employers.Critics have said the lack of widespread coverage creates a divide, limiting treatments mainly to people who can pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. What is the history of IVF?The first baby conceived through IVF was born in 1978 in England. But the first in the U.S. was in 1981 in Norfolk, Virginia, with the birth of Elizabeth Carr.Her mother, Judith Carr, had had three abnormal pregnancies, forcing the removal of her fallopian tubes. She and her husband sought treatment from Howard and Georgeanna Jones, doctors who opened a fertility clinic at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The Norfolk clinic faced resistance before it even opened. When it sought a required state certificate in 1979, more than 600 people jammed into a public hearing. Several women voiced support for IVF and testified about wanting to start a family, while anti-abortion groups raised concerns about doctors interfering with human conception and embryos being discarded.Despite proposed state legislation to stop the clinic, it opened in 1980, with others following soon afterward in California, Tennessee and Texas. By 1988, at least 169 in vitro centers were operating in 41 states.The use of IVF continued to grow, but sentiments against it never really went away in the American anti-abortion movement, said Margaret Marsh, a history professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey.Many abortion opponents had made an uneasy peace with the technology as a treatment for infertility, Marsh said. But opposition to IVF has gained momentum since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Not everyone in the anti-abortion movement opposes these reproductive technologies, but many do, she said. How are embryos made? The treatment often uses hormones to trigger ovulation so multiple eggs are produced and a needle is used to remove them from the ovaries.Eggs can be fertilized by adding the sperm to the eggs in a lab, or a single sperm can be injected into each egg.The fertilized egg is cultured over about five to six days to create the blastocyst the early stage of an embryo and is either transferred or stored for future use, said Dr. Jason Griffith, a reproductive endocrinologist in Houston.Griffith said that on day three after fertilization, an embryo is anywhere from six to 10 cells. By day six, its between 100 and 300 cells. In comparison, he said, a person contains more than 1 trillion cells. How are embryos frozen and stored?Frozen embryos can be used for future pregnancies, and the vast majority survive the thawing process.The freezing process involves replacing the water in embryo cells with a protectant fluid and flash-freezing with liquid nitrogen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Frozen embryos are stored in tanks containing liquid nitrogen at hospital labs or reproductive medicine centers. Griffith said they can also be kept in storage facilities contracted by health care facilities, especially when they are stored for many years. Frozen embryos can be safely preserved for a decade or more. Griffith said conditions are monitored in these facilities and there are physical security mechanisms to safeguard the tanks and backup generators in case of power outages.___Ungar reported from Louisville, Kentucky. Associated Press writers Tom Murphy in Indianapolis and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia contributed reporting. ___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. LAURA UNGAR Ungar covers medicine and science on the APs Global Health and Science team. She has been a health journalist for more than two decades. twitter mailto

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrives for a luncheon with senators from his support base, at the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)2025-02-19T00:00:19Z RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Brazils prosecutor-general on Tuesday filed charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro for attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat.Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges that Bolsonaro and 33 others participated in plan to remain in power despite losing to current President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva.Last November, Federal Police filed a 884-page report with Gonet detailing the scheme. They allege it involved systematically sowing distrust of the electoral system among the populace, drafting a decree to give the plot a veneer of legality, pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan, and inciting a riot in the capital. The Supreme Court will analyze the charges and, if accepted, Bolsonaro will stand trial.The far-right leader denies wrongdoing. I have no concerns about the accusations, zero, Bolsonaro told journalists earlier on Tuesday during a visit to the Senate in Brasilia.Have you seen the coup decree, by any chance? You havent. Neither have I, he added.A lawyer for Bolsonaro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.____Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.____Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america MAURICIO SAVARESE Savarese is a reporter since 2004, with a vast experience covering soccer and politics. English, Espaol, Portugus, some French and a bit of Italian. twitter instagram facebook mailto

President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk, joined by his son X A-Xii, speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-18T18:20:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) The White House says billionaire Elon Musk is not technically part of the Department of Government Efficiency team that is sweeping through federal agencies, but is rather a senior adviser to President Donald Trump.Musks exact role could be key in the legal fight over DOGEs access to government data as the Trump administration moves to lay off thousands of federal workers. Defining him as an adviser rather than the administrator in charge of day-to-day operations at DOGE could help the administration as it pushes back against a lawsuit arguing Musk has too much power for someone who isnt elected or Senate-confirmed. The declaration was filed Monday as the Trump administration fends off the lawsuit from several Democratic states that want to block Musk and the DOGE team from accessing government systems. The litigants say Musk is wielding virtually unchecked power in violation of the Constitution. The Trump administration, on the other hand, says Musk is not a DOGE employee and has no actual authority to make government decisions himself, Joshua Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, said in court papers. The documents do not name the administrator of DOGE, whose work Musk has championed in posts on his social-media platform X and in a public appearance at the White House. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined Tuesday to tell reporters at the White House who the DOGE administrator is, though minutes before she said in an interview with Fox News Channel that Musk has been tasked with overseeing the effort on behalf of the president. Layoffs, she told reporters, are up to individual agency heads. Elon Musk, just like everybody else across the federal government, works at the direction of President Trump, Leavitt said.The DOGE team has roamed from agency to agency, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and searching for waste, fraud and abuse, while lawsuits pile up claiming Trump and DOGE are violating the law. At least two are targeting Musk himself. Last week, Musk called for the U.S. to delete entire agencies from the federal government as part of the push to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan seemed skeptical in a hearing Monday when Justice Department lawyers asserted that Musk has no formal authority.I think you stretch too far. I disagree with you there, Chutkan said.___Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this story. 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

A$AP Rocky hugs attorney Joe Tacopina after he was found not guilty during his trial Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Daniel Cole/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-18T22:56:27Z LOS ANGELES (AP) A$AP Rocky dove from the defense table into the arms of Rihanna Tuesday as a clerk read the not guilty verdict at his trial on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The Los Angeles courtroom, full of fans of the hip-hop performer and his singing superstar partner, exploded into screaming glee as Rocky and Rihanna embraced and sobbed. After a three-week trial, the jury deliberated for just three hours to reach the verdict that spared Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, a prison sentence that could have run more than two decades. Thank yall for saving my life, he told the jurors as they left the Los Angeles courtroom. Amid the chaos, it took the clerk a while to read the second not guilty verdict, though it was very unlikely the jury would split on the counts. On the eve of trial, Rocky turned down a prosecution offer of just six months in jail, along with probation and other conditions, if he would plead guilty to one count. Insisting on his innocence, Rocky decided to gamble that a jury would feel the same. It paid off. The jurors felt at least that there was reasonable doubt of his guilt. Rihanna cried and hugged the defense lawyers, as did Rocky. She attended the trial sporadically and brought the couples two sons 2-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and 1-year-old Riot Rose Mayers for some of the closing arguments. The verdict came at the height of Rockys fame, if not the pinnacle of his music career. The three-time Grammy nominee, fashion mogul and actor has a banner year in the works, and can now look to it without the threat of prison hanging over him. He is scheduled to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in March; he is one of the celebrity co-chairs of fashions biggest night, the Met Gala, in May; and he stars with Denzel Washington in director Spike Lees film Highest 2 Lowest, set for release in early summer. Prosecutors and their witnesses said that he was beefing with a former friend, A$AP Relli, with whom he had been in a crew who called themselves the A$AP Mob since high school. They said the two men met up in Hollywood on Nov. 6, 2021, and after a scuffle Rocky pulled the gun and fired twice at Relli, who said one of the shots grazed his knuckle but was not seriously hurt. Rockys lawyer Joe Tacopina said in his closing argument that Relli is an angry pathological liar who committed perjury again and again and again and again.Rockys lawyers and witnesses they called said Rocky had shot a prop gun that only fires blanks, which he had been carrying for security since taking it from a music video set months earlier. They said he fired it as a warning because Relli was attacking another member of their crew. The jurors were told that despite three years passing since the incident, no one mentioned the phony gun to authorities until the day jury selection began at the trial. They were also instructed that if they found that Rocky reasonably believed that he or one of the two friends with him that night were in imminent danger of injury, and that he used reasonable force, they could find the defendant not guilty. It wasnt immediately clear whether they reached the verdict because they believed he was in fact carrying a prop gun or that he acted in self-defense. They did not have to agree on their reasoning, or explain it outside of the jury room. They just had to reach the same conclusion. Rocky opted not to testify in his own defense. In his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin urged the jurors not to be influenced by the celebrity or family aspects of the case, and suggested Rihanna bringing the kids to closing arguments was an attempt to manipulate the jury.You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids, the prosecutor said. We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.After the verdict, Tacopina said outside the courthouse that Rocky did not want her here, I will tell you that.He said Rocky wanted to shield her from this. Wild horses couldnt keep her away.I cant imagine this has been anything but a life-altering experience for them, he said. ANDREW DALTON Dalton covers entertainment for The Associated Press, with an emphasis on crime, courts and obituaries. He has worked for the AP for 20 years and is based in Los Angeles. mailto

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Pool via AP)2025-02-19T01:08:52Z President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will continue to restrict The Associated Press access to his events and news conferences until the news outlet goes along with his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico in its reports. He acknowledged that the move was a presidential retaliation against the news agencys editorial policy. Were going to keep them out until such time as they agree that its the Gulf of America, Trump said, speaking to reporters who witnessed the signing of an executive order at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate. Were very proud of this country, and we want it to be the Gulf of America.It was the first time the president himself had commented on the issue since the White House began not allowing AP to cover several of his events last week. Two journalists from AP were denied entrance to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday; they watched a live television feed of Trumps remarks and were unable to ask questions. Shortly after taking office, Trump renamed the international body of water, which borders the United States, Mexico and other countries and has been named the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years. The AP, whose influential Stylebook is the arbiter for editorial choices at thousands of news outlets and other editorial operations, said it would continue to use Gulf of Mexico and note Trumps decision, to ensure that names of geographical features are recognizable around the world. The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is, Trump said, an apparent reference to his executive order renaming the Gulf. No law prevents the AP from choosing the style it deems fit. AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said Tuesday that this is about the government telling the public and press what words to use and retaliating if they do not follow government orders. The White House has restricted APs coverage of presidential events because of how we refer to a location. AP frames it as a free-speech issueWhile the AP has framed the dispute as a First Amendment issue, Trumps team says access to its events most of which are funded by tax dollars is a privilege extended by invitation, and that while AP is still permitted on White House grounds, it no longer has the right to be part of pools that cover events where space is limited.While Trump characterized AP as standing alone against the name change, outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post are also using Gulf of Mexico. Fox News Channel said it will use Gulf of America as a reference. Axios, noting that it primarily serves a U.S. audience, said its reference will be Gulf of America (renamed by the U.S. from Gulf of Mexico). Additionally, APs myriad customers that use its content follow AP style. Its all part of an ongoing series of actions by the White House that has targeted legacy media. The Pentagon has evicted eight news organizations from workspaces at the Pentagon, and Trump is continuing his lawsuit against CBS News for how it edited a 60 Minutes interview with his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, last fall.Elon Musk, who is coordinating cutbacks in government staffing for Trump, posted on his X social media platform after a 60 Minutes broadcast Sunday that people there deserve a long prison sentence. Trump has issues with AP beyond the Gulf disagreementThrough a story in Axios over the weekend, the Trump administration broadened its complaints against the AP beyond the Gulf dispute. White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich told Axios that the administration is concerned about AP weaponizing language through their Stylebook to push a partisan world view.Specifically, it objects to the Stylebooks use of the phrase gender-affirming care to describe medical treatments for transgender people, and the capitalization of Black and not white in racial descriptions.Trump said that some of the phrases that the AP wants to use are ridiculous and obsolete. I guess some are OK, but many arent, the president said, without being specific.He also said, referring to himself in the third person, that AP has been very, very wrong on the election on Trump and the treatment of Trump and other things having to do with Trump and Republicans and conservatives. And theyre doing us no favors. And I guess Im doing them no favors. Thats the way life works. It was unclear which election he was referring to. The AP reported Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election against Trump, and Trump the victor over Harris last fall.Trumps Mar-a-Lago appearance on Tuesday was opened to several news outlets that were not part of the small group of reporters that have been traveling with the president in Florida since Friday. Among the outlets admitted into Mar-a-Lago Tuesday were The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Fox News Channel and Agence France-Presse.___AP White House correspondent Darlene Superville contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)2025-02-19T00:11:18Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments. Over the past few days, President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have said on social media and in press briefings that people who are 100, 200 and even 300 years old are improperly getting benefits a HUGE problem, Musk wrote, as his Department of Government Efficiency digs into federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse.It is true that improper payments have been made, including some to dead people. But the numbers thrown out by Musk and the White House are overstated and misrepresent Social Security data. Here are the facts: What has the Trump administration said about payments to centenarians?On Tuesday, Trump said at a press briefing in Florida that we have millions and millions of people over 100 years old receiving Social Security benefits. Theyre obviously fraudulent or incompetent, Trump said.If you take all of those millions of people off Social Security, all of a sudden we have a very powerful Social Security with people that are 80 and 70 and 90, but not 200 years old, he said. He also said that theres one person in the system listed as 360 years old.Late Monday, Musk posted a slew of posts on his social media platform X, including: Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security, and Having tens of millions of people marked in Social Security as ALIVE when they are definitely dead is a HUGE problem. Obviously. Some of these people would have been alive before America existed as a country. Think about that for a second How big of a problem is Social Security fraud?A July 2024 report from Social Securitys inspector general states that from fiscal years 2015 through 2022, the agency paid out almost $8.6 trillion in benefits, including $71.8 billion or less than 1% in improper payments. Most of the erroneous payments were overpayments to living people.In addition, in early January, the U.S. Treasury clawed back more than $31 million in a variety of federal payments not just Social Security payments that improperly went to dead people, a recovery that former Treasury official David Lebryk said was just the tip of the iceberg. The money was reclaimed as part of a five-month pilot program after Congress gave the Department of Treasury temporary access to the Social Security Administrations Full Death Master File for three years as part of the omnibus appropriations bill in 2021. The SSA maintains the most complete federal database of individuals who have died, and the file contains more than 142 million records, which go back to 1899, according to the Treasury.Treasury estimated in January that it would recover more than $215 million during its three-year access period, which runs from December 2023 through 2026.So are tens of millions of people over 100 years old receiving benefits?No.Part of the confusion comes from Social Securitys software system called COBOL, which has a lack of date type in its programming. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago. The news organization WIRED first reported on the use of COBOL programming language at the Social Security Administration. Additionally, a series of reports from the Social Security Administrations inspector general in March 2023 and July 2024 state that the agency has not established a new system to properly annotate death information in its database, which included roughly 18.9 million Social Security numbers of people born in 1920 or earlier but were not marked as deceased. This does not mean, however, that these individuals were receiving benefits.The agency decided not to update the database because of the cost to do so, which would run upward of $9 million. A July 2023 Social Security OIG report states that almost none of the numberholders discussed in the report currently receive SSA payments. And, as of September 2015, the agency automatically stops payments to people who are older than 115 years old. What are some of the concerns about misinformation on Social Security payments?Chuck Blahous, a senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, said, Two cheers for Elon Musk if he can root out and put a stop to improper payments. But to pick the places in the federal government where error rates are high, Social Security would be near the bottom of the list, not near the top, Blahous said. Medicaid improper payment rates are quite substantial, and soared after the Medicaid expansion of the ACA.By all means go after any improper payments that are found, but lets not pretend thats where the systems biggest financial problems are, he said.Sita Nataraj Slavov, a professor of public policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, said the claims by Musk and Trump will make people think the solutions to the governments financial problems are simpler than they appear.The real concern is that this claim may mislead people into thinking theres an easy fix to Social Securitys financial problems that we can somehow restore solvency without making sacrifices through higher taxes or lower benefits, Slavov said. This is simply not true. What does the White House say about the criticism?Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokesperson, referred back to the Social Securitys inspector general report.A previous investigation revealed the SSA paid at least $71.8 billion in improper payments, she said. The Social Security Administration is now working to find even more waste, fraud, and abuse in the Administrations whole-of-government effort to protect American taxpayers. __ 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

Columbine High School shooting survivor Anne Marie Hochhalter reacts during a vigil remembering the 25th anniversary of the mass shooting, April 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)2025-02-18T23:57:26Z DENVER (AP) Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was partially paralyzed in the Columbine High School shooting but found strength to forgive and to heal her soul after bonding with another family devastated by the tragedy, has died. She was 43.Hochhalter was found in her home in suburban Denver on Sunday. Her family suspects she died of natural causes stemming from her injuries in the 1999 shooting in which 12 students and a teacher were killed.The investigation into how she died has been transferred to the office that conducted the autopsies of those killed at Columbine, the coroners office for Adams and Broomfield counties said. Hochhalter in 2016 wrote a letter to one of the gunmens mother saying, Bitterness is like swallowing a poison pill, and offering her forgiveness. Attending a vigil on the tragedys 25th anniversary last year after skipping a similar event five years earlier she said she was flooded with happy memories from her childhood and wanted those killed remembered for how they lived, not how they died. Hochhalter struggled with intense pain from her gunshot wounds over the past 25 years. Yet her brother said she was tireless in her drive to help others from people with disabilities to rescue dogs and members of her family.She was helpful to a great many people. She was really a good human being and sister, her brother, Nathan Hochhalter, said Tuesday. Her own tragedy was compounded six months after the shooting, when her mother, Carla Hochhalter, went into a pawnshop, and asked to look at a gun before using it on herself. In the wake of her mothers death, Anne Marie Hochhalter was embraced by another family who lost a daughter at Columbine. Sue Townsend, whose stepdaughter, Lauren Townsend, was killed, reached out to help Hochhalter as a means of easing ease her own pain. At first, Townsend took Hochhalter to doctors appointments and physical therapy, but their bond soon deepened as they got lunch and went shopping together and eventually began sharing family dinners and vacations. Townsend and her husband, Rick, called Hochhalter their acquired daughter.On a trip to Hawaii together, Hochhalter, who used a wheelchair, was able to float in a lagoon pain-free, she said. This relationship would never had happened if it hadnt been for Columbine. So I tried to focus on the gift that Columbine gave us in Anne Marie instead of what it took away, Townsend said.In 2016, the mother of one of the Columbine gunmen, Sue Klebold, released a memoir exploring the causes of her sons violence and ways to prevent future attacks through mental health awareness. Hochhalter said at the time she was grateful that Klebold was donating the book proceeds to help those with mental illness. Hochhalter said her mother suffered from depression and did not believe the shootings were directly to blame for her death. She said she was sure Klebold had agonized over what she could have done differently just as she had thought of ways she could have prevented the death of the mother she loved. A good friend once told me, Bitterness is like swallowing a poison pill and expecting the other person to die. It only harms yourself. I have forgiven you and only wish you the best, Hochhalter said in a message she posted on Facebook. She also included a photo of a card Sue and Tom Klebold sent to her as she recovered in the hospital after the shooting.Hochhalter attended the 25th anniversary vigil in April with her brother, who was trapped in a classroom during the shooting. She had not attended the 20th anniversary event because of post-traumatic stress disorder, she said in a social media post last year.Ive truly been able to heal my soul since that awful day in 1999, she wrote.

Inmates stand inside a corridor during time they are allowed to be outside of their cells at Najayo jail in San Cristobal, west of Santo Domingo, May 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)2025-02-19T05:05:11Z SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) Theyre known as frog men, inmates who are forced to sleep on prison floors across the Dominican Republic, often next to overflowing toilets or holes in the ground that serve as one.Thousands of them are crammed into the countrys severely overcrowded prisons, some operating at seven times their capacity. A majority languish there without ever having been charged with a crime, and activists warn they face inhuman conditions and a lack of medical care.Despite promises to improve the system, critics say the Dominican Republic continues to push for and allow pretrial detentions in nearly all criminal cases where no charges have been filed and has made few changes as problems within prisons keep mounting.Prisons have become no mans land, said Rodolfo Valentn Santos, director of the Dominican Republics National Public Defense Office. Over 60% of the countrys roughly 26,000 inmates are being held under preventive detention, without any charges, according to the National Public Defense Office. Proponents argue the measure aims to protect society and allows authorities time to collect evidence in a case. But some detainees have spent up to 20 years in prison without ever being found guilty of a crime, Valentn said.He noted that the countrys Constitution and penal code dictate that preventive detention is an exceptional measure. There are six other measures that dont involve prison time, including bail, but Valentn said they are rarely used. We have a situationOn a recent afternoon, Darwin Lugo and Yason Guzmn walked out of La Victoria National Penitentiary, in the northeast corner of the sprawling capital, Santo Domingo.The prison was built for a maximum of 2,100 inmates but holds more than 7,000 of them, with more than 3,300 under pretrial detention, according to the National Public Defense Office. It is the countrys oldest and most populated prison.You have to watch out for your life, said Lugo, who with Guzmn visited several friends held there, some under pretrial detention.There are a lot of them who are not doing well, Guzmn said of inmates there. Theres extreme poverty.They said their friends, who have spent more than five years incarcerated there, are well-connected and only occasionally request money or ask that their cell phones SIM card be recharged.Last year, at least 11 inmates died at La Victoria following a short circuit in a cell that sparked a fire and an explosion. It was one of the countrys deadliest prison fires since 2005, when at least 134 inmates were killed in the eastern town of Higey after rival gangs set their bedding ablaze.After last years fire at La Victoria, Dominican President Luis Abinader appointed former prisons director Roberto Santana as head of a commission tasked with overhauling and improving the countrys more than 40 prisons.We must admit, gentlemen, that we have a situation in all of the countrys prisons, Abinader said when he announced the appointment last March. He also announced that money recovered from corruption cases would help fund construction of new prisons. Santana has long called for the closure of La Victoria and the 15 de Azua prison, located in the countrys western region. The commission he leads is working on those and other monumental tasks, free from outside interference, he said.We dont take orders from politicians or anyone else, said Santana, who previously trained staff for the new prisons built in the early 2000s.Santana, who once served as president of the Federation of Dominican Students in the 1970s, was arrested multiple times under President Joaqun Balaguer, known for having political opponents and dissidents jailed and sometimes killed.Santana knows first-hand the conditions of La Victoria he spent two years in solitary confinement there. On the brink of collapseIn the early 2000s, the Dominican Republic began building 21 new prisons to improve conditions. They were staffed by trained personnel, not police and soldiers, which oversee the countrys other 19 prisons.But conditions in the new prisons have deteriorated, according to the Dominican Republics National Commission of Human Rights.The Dominican Republics prison system is on the brink of collapse, the commission said in its 2023 report, the latest one available.In prisons across the country, overcrowding is rampant. Cells lack bathrooms, natural light and ventilation, leading to worsening health conditions. Some 5,000 inmates are ill with conditions ranging from heart problems to cancer to HIV, but they receive only the most basic medication, if that, and some prisons have no medical staff, according to Valentn, whose office issues a yearly in-depth report on the conditions of all prisons.In its 2023 report, the latest year available, his office called for the closure of prisons including one in the north coastal city of Nagua. The level of overcrowdingmakes it impossible to achieve true rehabilitation for the inmates since they have been forgotten by the state, the report read. In the conditions they are in, it is obvious that they are treated as objects and not as human beings endowed with rights.Another prison was so overcrowded that the government held inmates outdoors in trucks with metal roofs that broiled under the sun, sparking lawsuits, Valentn said.A spokesperson for Col. Roberto Hernndez Basilio, director of prisons, did not respond to requests for an interview. Hernndez has previously said his office is taking measures to improve conditions.Meanwhile, Dominican Attorney General Miriam Germn Brito has repeatedly spoken out against pretrial detention but noted that the decision lies in the hands of judges. A spokesperson for Germn said she is not granting media interviews.Both Santana and Valentn said they believe government corruption is one reason the country has dragged its feet in overhauling the system, accusing soldiers and police who run prisons of benefiting from illegal activities.Public corruption also prompted authorities to halt construction of a much-touted prison in recent years that was expected to ease overcrowding.Even as that half-built prison wastes away, Santana said he expects that 25 new prisons capable of holding more than 20,000 inmates will be built by 2028.While those are expected to help ease overcrowding, concerns remain. Activists note that inmates are not freed even when a judge has legally released them.The National Commission of Human Rights noted that roughly 2,700 inmates are still in prison because their paperwork is paralyzed in backlogged courts. Meanwhile, hundreds of others remain incarcerated despite being officially freed because they owe the government money and are unable to pay fines ordered by a judge.____Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Construction workers walk outside a data center building under construction in Johor Bahru town at Johor state, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)2025-02-19T05:01:06Z JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AP) Winson Lau has always had contingency plans. But he wasnt prepared for data centers.Lau relies on water and electricity to operate his thriving export business in Malaysias Johor province, where he raises a kaleidoscope of tropical fish in rows of aquariums, including albino fish with red spots that can fetch up to $10,000 from collectors. His contingency plans in the event of an outage involve an intricate system of purifying wastewater through friendly bacteria and an alarm system to quickly switch to backup power.But these measures cant compete with the gigantic, power-guzzling and thirsty data centers being built in Johor. The province is on track to have at least 1.6 gigawatts of data centers at any given moment from nearly nothing in 2019, making it the fastest-growing data center market in Southeast Asia, according to a report published in April. Data centers are large, windowless buildings filled with racks of computers that need lots of electricity. To prevent overheating, they rely on energy-intensive air conditioning systems using pumped water. Increasingly used by tech companies for running artificial intelligence systems, the power demand from future facilities in Malaysia may rise to over 5 gigawatts by 2035, according to researchers at Malaysias Kenanga Investment Bank. This is more than half of Malaysias entire renewable capacity in 2023. Over 95% of the energy available to Malaysia in 2022 was from fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency. The country is now fifth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas globally. And with planned renewable projects, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in September that the country was confident of a surplus of energy to fuel large projects and keep exporting. But Lau doesnt fancy the chances of his homegrown business competing against the foreign-funded behemoths for energy. Even without data centers, Malaysia is susceptible to power interruptions because of storms, including one that lasted 30 minutes last year and killed 300,000 fish, costing Lau over $1 million. He worries that data centers would result in longer outages. To survive, he is moving to Thailand and already scouting potential locations for a new fish farm. Big data center is coming and there is shortage of power, he said. Itll be crazy. Costs versus benefitsMalaysia is betting that potential economic growth from data centers justifies the risk. Once touted as an Asian tiger on the cusp of becoming rich, its industries shrunk in the late 1990s after the Asian financial crisis. It has since languished in the middle-income trap. Data centers, the government hopes, will modernize its economy and indirectly create thousands of high-paying jobs.But experts worry that Malaysia, and others like Vietnam, Indonesia and India vying for billion-dollar investments from tech giants, may be overstating data centers transformative capabilities that also come at a price: Data centers gobble up land, water and electricity while creating far fewer jobs than they promise. Most data centers provide 30 to 50 permanent jobs while the larger ones create 200 jobs at most, according to a report by the American nonprofit Good Jobs First. Add to this the rapid increase in power and water use and some experts like Sofia Scasserra, who researches digital economies at the Amsterdam-based think tank Transnational Institute, said that tech companies exploiting resources in poorer countries while extracting data from their populations to get rich is akin to digital colonialism. She compared data extraction to silver mining in Bolivia, which enriched colonial Spain but left nothing behind for Latin America.They are extracting data in the same way. Data doesnt even leave (behind) taxes, she said. Indeed, only a small portion of Malaysias data center capacity is actually for Malaysian users. Through a network of submarine cables that fans out into the world, they service East Asia, China and Europe. And the data centers themselves are run by foreign companies like Americas Equinix and Microsoft as well as Chinese competitor GDS Holdings that works with tech giants like Alibaba. These data centers are also on the front lines of AI competition between the U.S. and China. Shortly before he left office, U.S. President Joe Bidens administration proposed new rules that would limit exports of advanced AI chips made by U.S. companies like Nvidia, part of a strategy to deprive China and other U.S. adversaries from gaining access to AI technology through data centers in places likes Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Although its unclear if the Trump administration will retain the policy, which hasnt yet taken effect, GDS Holdings saw its stock drop more than 18% on the day of the announcement. Filling the voidFor now, artificial intelligence is driving the hunger for even more data centers, with tech companies seeking out bigger and cheaper sites worldwide as a part of a global strategy, said Rangu Salgame, chairman and CEO of Singapores Princeton Digital Group, which is building a 170-megawatt site in Johor. Data centers larger than 40 megawatt typically need land the size of seven football fields about enough power for 36,000 American homes, according to data center service provider Stream Data Centers. Thats costly to build in rich nations like the U.S., which over time has built more data centers than any other country but where land comes at a high price. Enter Malaysia, with its inexpensive land, excess power capacity and tax incentives. The country was the fastest growing data center market in Asia Pacific in the first half of 2024, according to global real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield. This makes Malaysia the eighth-largest data center market in terms of operations and the fifth-largest behind China, India, Japan and Australia when accounting for projects already in the pipeline. Globally Malaysia ranks 14th in terms of operational capacity still smaller than Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin but it is on track to be among the top 10 markets in five to seven years, according to Pritesh Swamy, who heads research on data centers in Asia for the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.We are talking about a region that really grew at a pace that nowhere in the world has seen, Salgame said.Next door to Malaysia is Singapore, which paused the construction of new data centers in 2019. The moratorium was over concerns that the energy-guzzling infrastructure was straining the tiny countrys limited resources. In 2019, data centers consumed 7% of the total electricity in the city-state that imports both power and water while aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They have been trying to build data centers sustainably since 2022, when the moratorium ended. In the meantime, Malaysia has stepped in to fill the void, attracting investments of over $31 billion three times the investments for 2023 in the first 10 months of 2024, according to research by real estate firm Knight Frank. Johor already has 22 mostly foreign data centers spanning over 21 hectares, according to the research firm Baxtel. Thats the equivalent of nearly 40 football fields, although not all of the data centers are operational. Concerns over power and water shortagesThe data centers that are running look anonymous from the outside. But they can be identified by the tell-tale signs of barbed wire fences, CCTV cameras and patrolling security guards. Elsewhere, a thicket of cranes and workers operating construction machinery is transforming the landscape in the sleepy province. Salgame said that he hoped data centers could accelerate clean energy growth and experts like Putra Adhiguna of the Jakarta-based think tank Energy Shift Institute agreed that this could happen, but warned that the sheer volume of unforeseen, future demand complicates the transition.Add data centers on top of that, it just becomes much more challenging, he said.Tropical Malaysia is warmer than the countries that were initially preferred by data centers, including Ireland, and would require more water and power for cooling, said Alex de Vries, the founder of Digiconomist, a research company studying the unintended consequences of digital trends. He said that these companies are moving to new countries after their promises of economic growth were found to be empty. And while new solar or wind farms can be built faster than other forms of energy, data centers need a lot of electricity from the get-go. These big tech companies are trying to distract you from the really simple math, he said.Malaysia acknowledges that the energy demand from data centers is substantial but believes that Johors rise as a data center powerhouse will make it a key player in Southeast Asias digital ecosystem, said Malaysian Investment, Trade and Industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz in an email. He added that Malaysia was writing efficiency guidelines for data centers and has a policy to let them buy clean energy directly from producers.But concerns are rising among residents about potential water shortages in the future echoing the concerns of other developing countries like Chile. Malaysia, like much of Southeast Asia, is at risk of extreme weather including drought, according to a 2022 U.N. climate change report. Francis Hutchinson, an analyst at Singapores ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said that Johor has faced recent disruptions and new stressors, like a growing population and water parks to boost tourism, could exacerbate the crisis. Water, more than power, is a potential issue, he said.______AP writer Eileen Ng contributed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Matt OBrien in Providence, Rhode Island contributed to this report..______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. ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Ghosal covers the intersection of business and climate change in southeast Asia for The Associated Press. He is based out of Hanoi in Vietnam. twitter mailto VINCENT THIAN Thian is a Malaysia-based photographer for The Associated Press. twitter instagram facebook mailto

President Donald Trump gestures to supporters gathered for a Presidents Day rally as he leaves the Trump International Golf Club, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-19T05:01:08Z WASHINGTON (AP) Months into his first term as president, Donald Trump was furious with the snowballing Russia investigation and ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn to make sure that special counsel Robert Mueller got fired.Mueller has to go, McGahn recalled Trump saying. Call me back when you do it.But McGahn didnt do it, and Trump didnt even bring it up the next time they saw each other. Such incidents were common during Trumps initial experience in the White House, where officials would soften or ignore his most outrageous decisions and the president seemed unwilling to enforce his will.Its hard to imagine the same thing happening during Trumps second term. Instead of repeating his laissez-faire attitude toward his own administration, the Republican president is asserting control at every opportunity, backed up by loyalists at all levels of government. Despite occasional disorganization and confusion, theres a headstrong determination to push through any obstacles. Trump doesnt just want to change course from Joe Bidens presidency, his team is holding back congressionally authorized funding championed by his predecessor. Not only did Trump officials tell the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop working, his team set up a tip line so people could report unauthorized actions taken by staff at the agency.Trump wasnt satisfied with simply firing all the board members at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He made himself chairman. This time, Trump seems to be saying, his orders will not be ignored. This time, there will be follow through. The White House summarizes Trumps approach with the mantra promises made, promises kept. Administration officials also dismiss concerns that the president is exercising too much control. They say Trump is entitled to impose his vision on the government that he was elected to lead. Others see something darker and more menacing for the country and its future. Donald Trumps instincts havent changed, said Timothy Naftali, a Columbia University historian. Hes just angrier, meaner and more effective than he was in his first term.Trump often felt like he was undermined in his first term by the deep state, a term used by his allies to describe civil servants and career officials. Now, hes moving swiftly to cut the federal bureaucracy with the help of Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur Trump has empowered to oversee the downsizing of the workforce.Weve never had a president come into office with such a deep desire for revenge, Naftali said. Donald Trump is trying to hollow out institutions that he thinks embarrassed him.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created to protect Americans from financial fraud, abuse and deceptive practices, has been brought to a standstill. The U.S. Agency for International Development, a leading distributor of humanitarian assistance, was shut down.A prime target is the Department of Justice, which infuriated Trump by investigating him during his first term and after leaving office. He was indicted twice by federal authorities, although the cases were dropped after he won last years election because sitting presidents cant be prosecuted while in office. Now Trump has placed loyalists in leadership positions, such as Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general who was previously Trumps defense attorney. Last week, Bove pushed to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, saying it was more important for Adams to help Trump enact stricter immigration policies. The pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration, Bove wrote. Several prosecutors in New York and Washington resigned in protest, and a court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.Trump said that he wasnt involved in the decision to drop the case against Adams, but hes previously said that the mayor had been unfairly targeted for political reasons. Another example of Trumps heavy-handed approach this time has been his handling of criminal charges against supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Hours after taking the oath of office a month ago, the president pardoned roughly 1,500 people, including those who attacked police officers. Then his administration decided to push even further. Thousands of FBI employees are being questioned about their role in Jan. 6 investigations, with suggestions that they could face punishment.Bove said agents who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner were not at risk, adding that the only individuals who should be concerned ... are those who acted with corrupt or partisan intent. Its a sharp change from Trumps first administration, which included a number of establishment figures who resisted his impulses.Olivia Troye, a former national security official who has been a critic of Trump, said staff members would confer with each other after meetings with the president.Why dont you hold on that before you go do something, and lets see what happens, Troye recalled people saying. Lets see if it passes.The mixed signals were partly a matter of inexperience. The president and some of his advisers had never served in government. During the first administration, quite frankly, they had no idea what they were doing, Troye said. Now they have people in place who were there the first time around. Theyve been preparing to execute for several years.Trump has taken a scorched-earth approach to uprooting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, commonly known as DEI. Hes signed executive orders to end the programs, but that wasnt enough for his administration. Messages distributed by the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as the human resources agency for the federal government, said employees should not try to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. Anyone who sees evidence of DEI should immediately disclose it.There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information, the messages said. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences. 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

Panama's Minister of Public Security Frank Alexis Abrego, speaks to reporters after watching people board a repatriation flight bound for Colombia at Albrook Airport in Panama City, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-02-19T00:30:16Z PANAMA CITY (AP) Panama is detaining in a hotel nearly 300 people from various countries deported under U.S. President Donald Trump, not allowing them to leave while waiting for international authorities to organize a return to their countries.More than 40% of the migrants, authorities say, wont voluntarily return to their homeland. Migrants in the hotel rooms held messages to the windows reading Help and We are not save (sic) in our country.The migrants hailed from 10 mostly Asian countries, including Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and others. The U.S. has difficulty deporting directly to some of those countries so Panama is being used as a stopover. Costa Rica was expected to receive a similar flight of third-country deportees on Wednesday.Panamas Security Minister Frank Abrego said Tuesday the migrants are receiving medical attention and food as part of a migration agreement between Panama and the U.S. The Panamanian government has now agreed to serve as a bridge or transit country for deportees, while the U.S. bears all the costs of the operation. The agreement was announced earlier this month after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubios visit. Panamanian President Jos Ral Mulino, who faces political pressure over Trumps threats of retaking control of the Panama Canal, announced the arrival of the first of the deportation flights last Thursday. The confinement and legal limbo the deportees face has raised alarm in the Central American country, especially as images spread of migrants peaking through the windows of their rooms on high floors of the hotel and displaying the notes pleading for help.Abrego denied the foreigners are being detained even though they cannot leave the rooms of their hotel, which is being guarded by police.Abrego said that 171 of the 299 deportees have agreed to return voluntarily to their respective countries with help from the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. Refugee Agency. U.N. agencies are talking with the other 128 migrants in an effort to find a destination for them in third countries. Abrego said that one deported Irish citizen has already returned to her country. Those who do not agree to return to their countries will be temporarily held in a facility in the remote Darien province through which hundreds of thousands of migrants have crossed on their journey north in recent years, Abrego said.The Panamanian Ombudsmans Office was scheduled to provide more details on the deportees situation later Tuesday.

A road barrier blocking access to the Ennab Israeli military checkpoint, leading toward the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, reads "No future in Palestine," near the West Bank village of Ennab Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)2025-02-19T06:40:29Z FARA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and snipers sight lines, tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank the largest displacement in the occupied territory since the 1967 Mideast war.After announcing a widespread crackdown against West Bank militants on Jan. 21 just two days after its ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza Israeli forces descended on the restive city of Jenin, as they have dozens of times since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. But unlike past operations, Israeli forces then pushed deeper and more forcefully into several other nearby towns, including Tulkarem, Fara and Nur Shams, scattering families and stirring bitter memories of the 1948 war over Israels creation.During that war, 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes in what is now Israel. That Nakba, or catastrophe, as Palestinians call it, gave rise to the crowded West Bank towns now under assault and still known as refugee camps.This is our nakba, said Abed Sabagh, 53, who bundled his seven children into the car on Feb. 9 as sound bombs blared in Nur Shams camp, where he was born to parents who fled the 1948 war. Tactics from Gaza Humanitarian officials say they havent seen such displacement in the West Bank since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the territory west of the Jordan River, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, displacing another 300,000 Palestinians.This is unprecedented. When you add to this the destruction of infrastructure, were reaching a point where the camps are becoming uninhabitable, said Roland Friedrich, director of West Bank affairs for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency. More than 40,100 Palestinians have fled their homes in the ongoing military operation, according to the agency. Experts say that Israels tactics in the West Bank are becoming almost indistinguishable from those deployed in Gaza. Already, President Donald Trumps plan for the mass transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza has emboldened Israels far-right to renew calls for annexation of the West Bank.The idea of cleansing the land of Palestinians is more popular today than ever before, said Yagil Levy, head of the Institute for the Study of Civil-Military Relations at Britains Open University. The Israeli army denies issuing evacuation orders in the West Bank. It said troops secure passages for those wanting to leave on their own accord. Seven minutes to leave home Over a dozen displaced Palestinians interviewed in the last week said they did not flee their homes out of fear, but on the orders of Israeli security forces. Associated Press journalists in the Nur Shams camp also heard Israeli soldiers shouting through mosque megaphones, ordering people to leave.Some displaced families said soldiers were polite, knocking on doors and assuring them they could return when the army left. Others said they were ruthless, ransacking rooms, waving rifles and hustling residents out of their homes despite pleas for more time.I was sobbing, asking them, Why do you want me to leave my house? My baby is upstairs, just let me get my baby please, Ayat Abdullah, 30, recalled from a shelter for displaced people in the village of Kafr al-Labd. They gave us seven minutes. I brought my children, thank God. Nothing else.Told to make their own way, Abdullah trudged 10 kilometers (six miles) on a path lighted only by the glow from her phone as rain turned the ground to mud. She said she clutched her children tight, braving possible snipers that had killed a 23-year-old pregnant woman just hours earlier on Feb. 9.Her 5-year-old son, Nidal, interrupted her story, pursing his lips together to make a loud buzzing sound.Youre right, my love, she replied. Thats the sound the drones made when we left home. Hospitality, for nowIn the nearby town of Anabta, volunteers moved in and out of mosques and government buildings that have become makeshift shelters delivering donated blankets, serving bitter coffee, distributing boiled eggs for breakfast and whipping up vats of rice and chicken for dinner. Residents have opened their homes to families fleeing Nur Shams and Tulkarem.This is our duty in the current security situation, said Thabet Amar, the mayor of Anabta.But he stressed that the towns welcoming hand should not be mistaken for anything more. We insist that their displacement is temporary, he said. Staying putWhen the invasion started on Feb. 2, Israeli bulldozers ruptured underground pipes. Taps ran dry. Sewage gushed. Internet service was shut off. Schools closed. Food supplies dwindled. Explosions echoed. Ahmad Sobuh could understand how his neighbors chose to flee the Fara refugee camp during Israels 10-day incursion. But he scavenged rainwater to drink and hunkered down in his home, swearing to himself, his family and the Israeli soldiers knocking at his door that he would stay.The soldiers advised against that, informing Sobuhs family on Feb. 11 that, because a room had raised suspicion for containing security cameras and an object resembling a weapon, they would blow up the second floor. The surveillance cameras, which Israeli soldiers argued could be exploited by Palestinian militants, were not unusual in the volatile neighborhood, Sobuh said, as families can observe street battles and Israeli army operations from inside.But the second claim sent him clambering upstairs, where he found his nephews water pipe, shaped like a rifle.Hours later, the explosion left his nephews room naked to the wind and shattered most others. It was too dangerous to stay.They are doing everything they can to push us out, he said of Israels military, which, according to the U.N. agency for refugees, has demolished hundreds of homes across the four camps this year.The Israeli army has described its ongoing campaign as a crucial counterterrorism effort to prevent attacks like Oct. 7, and said steps were taken to mitigate the impact on civilians. A chilling returnThe first thing Doha Abu Dgehish noticed about her familys five-story home 10 days after Israeli troops forced them to leave, she said, was the smell. Venturing inside as Israeli troops withdrew from Fara camp, she found rotten food and toilets piled with excrement. Pet parakeets had vanished from their cages. Pages of the Quran had been defaced with graphic drawings. Israeli forces had apparently used explosives to blow every door off its hinges, even though none had been locked. Rama, her 11-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, screamed upon finding her dolls skirt torn and its face covered with more graphic drawings.AP journalists visited the Abu Dgehish home on Feb. 12, hours after their return.Nearly two dozen Palestinians interviewed across the four West Bank refugee camps this month described army units taking over civilian homes to use as a dormitories, storerooms or lookout points. The Abu Dgehish family accused Israeli soldiers of vandalizing their home, as did multiple families in Fara.The Israeli army blamed militants for embedding themselves in civilian infrastructure. Soldiers may be required to operate from civilian homes for varying periods, it said, adding that the destruction of civilian property was a violation of the militarys rules and does not conform to its values.It said any exceptional incidents that raise concerns regarding a deviation from these orders are thoroughly addressed, without elaborating.For Abu Dgehish, the mess was emblematic of the emotional whiplash of return. No one knows when theyll have to flee again.Its like they want us to feel that were never safe, she said. That we have no control. ISABEL DEBRE DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai. twitter mailto

An Israeli flag is draped over the Microsoft offices in a building in the Gav Yam technology park in Beersheba, Israel, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)2025-02-18T12:12:11Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. But the number of civilians killed has also soared, along with fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people.Militaries have for years hired private companies to build custom autonomous weapons. However, Israels recent wars mark a leading instance in which commercial AI models made in the United States have been used in active warfare, despite concerns that they were not originally developed to help decide who lives and who dies.The Israeli military uses AI to sift through vast troves of intelligence, intercepted communications and surveillance to find suspicious speech or behavior and learn the movements of its enemies. After a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, its use of Microsoft and OpenAI technology skyrocketed, an Associated Press investigation found. The investigation also revealed new details of how AI systems select targets and ways they can go wrong, including faulty data or flawed algorithms. It was based on internal documents, data and exclusive interviews with current and former Israeli officials and company employees. Israels goal after the attack that killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages was to eradicate Hamas, and its military has called AI a game changer in yielding targets more swiftly. Since the war started, more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza and Lebanon and nearly 70% of the buildings in Gaza have been devastated, according to health ministries in Gaza and Lebanon. This is the first confirmation we have gotten that commercial AI models are directly being used in warfare, said Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute and former senior safety engineer at OpenAI. The implications are enormous for the role of tech in enabling this type of unethical and unlawful warfare going forward. Israels Use of AI and Cloud Computing Soared During WarAmong U.S. tech firms, Microsoft has had an especially close relationship with the Israeli military spanning decades.That relationship, alongside those with other tech companies, stepped up after the Hamas attack. Israels war response strained its own servers and increased its reliance on outside, third-party vendors, according to a presentation last year by Col. Racheli Dembinsky, the militarys top information technology officer. As she described how AI had provided Israel very significant operational effectiveness in Gaza, the logos of Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services appeared on a large screen behind her.The Israeli militarys usage of Microsoft and OpenAI artificial intelligence spiked last March to nearly 200 times higher than before the week leading up to the Oct. 7 attack, the AP found in reviewing internal company information. The amount of data it stored on Microsoft servers doubled between that time and July 2024 to more than 13.6 petabytes roughly 350 times the digital memory needed to store every book in the Library of Congress. Usage of Microsofts huge banks of computer servers by the military also rose by almost two-thirds in the first two months of the war alone. Microsoft declined to provide any comment for this story and did not respond to a detailed list of written questions about the cloud and AI services it provides to the Israeli military.In an expansive statement on its website, the company says respecting human rights is a core value of Microsoft and it is committed to champion the positive role of technology across the globe. In its 40-page Responsible AI Transparency Report for 2024, Microsoft pledges to map, measure, and manage generative AI risks throughout the development cycle to reduce the risk of harm, and does not mention its lucrative military contracts.Advanced AI models are provided through OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, through Microsofts Azure cloud platform, where they are purchased by the Israeli military, the documents and data show. Microsoft has been OpenAIs largest investor. OpenAI said it does not have a partnership with Israels military, and its usage policies say its customers should not use its products to develop weapons, destroy property or harm people. About a year ago, however, OpenAI changed its terms of use from barring military use to allowing for national security use cases that align with our mission.The Israeli military declined to answer detailed written questions from The AP about its use of commercial AI products from American tech companies, but said its analysts use AI-enabled systems to help identify targets and independently examine them together with high-ranking officers to meet international law, weighing the military advantage against the collateral damage. These AI tools make the intelligence process more accurate and more effective, said an Israeli military statement to the AP. They make more targets faster, but not at the expense of accuracy, and many times in this war theyve been able to minimize civilian casualties. Have a news tip?Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected]. For secure and confidential communications, use the free Signal app +1 (202) 281-8604. Other U.S. Tech Firms Also Work With Israels MilitaryGoogle and Amazon provide cloud computing and AI services to the Israeli military under Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021, when Israel first tested out its in-house AI-powered targeting systems. The IDF has used Cisco and Dell server farms or data centers. Red Hat, an independent IBM subsidiary, also has provided cloud computing technologies to the Israeli military, while Palantir Technologies, a Microsoft partner in U.S. defense contracts, has a strategic partnership providing AI systems to help Israels war efforts. After OpenAI changed its terms of use last year to allow for national security purposes, Google followed suit earlier this month with a similar change to its public ethics policy to remove language saying it wouldnt use its AI for weapons and surveillance. Google said it is committed to responsibly developing and deploying AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.What Is Commercial AI Used For?The Israel Defense Forces uses Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls, texts and audio messages, according to an Israeli intelligence officer who works with the systems. That data can then be cross-checked with Israels in-house targeting systems and vice versa.He said he relies on Azure to quickly search for terms and patterns within massive text troves, such as finding conversations between two people within a 50-page document. Azure also can find people giving directions to one another in the text, which can then be cross-referenced with the militarys own AI systems to pinpoint locations.The Microsoft data AP reviewed shows that since the Oct. 7 attack, the Israeli military has made heavy use of transcription and translation tools and OpenAI models, although it does not detail which. Typically, AI models that transcribe and translate perform best in English. OpenAI has acknowledged that its popular AI-powered translation model Whisper, which can transcribe and translate into multiple languages including Arabic, can make up text that no one said, including adding racial commentary and violent rhetoric.Are Israels AI Systems Reliable?Errors can happen for many reasons involving AI, said Israeli military officers who have worked with the targeting systems and other tech experts. Intercepted phone calls tied to a persons profile include the time the person called and the names and numbers of those on the call. But it takes an extra step to listen to and verify the original audio, or to see a translated transcript.The Israeli military says a person who knows Arabic is supposed to check translations. Still, one intelligence officer said he had seen targeting mistakes that relied on incorrect machine translations from Arabic to Hebrew.___Biesecker reported from Washington and Burke from San Francisco. AP reporters Abby Sewell and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Julia Frankel and Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem, Dake Kang in Beijing and Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.___Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/___The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. 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. SAM MEDNICK Mednick is the West and Central Africa reporter for the Associated Press. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses. twitter GARANCE BURKE Garance is a global investigative journalist. twitter mailto

A mosquito, captured by a resident, flies to a glass enclosure with a UV light trap in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as their village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)2025-02-19T07:40:19Z MANILA, Philippines (AP) A village in the densely populated Philippine capital region launched a battle against dengue Wednesday by offering a token bounty to residents for captured mosquitos dead or alive.The unusual strategy adopted by the Addition Hills village in Mandaluyong City reflects growing concern after the nearby city of Quezon declared an outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness over the weekend. Eight more areas reported an upsurge in cases of the potentially deadly viral infection.At least 28,234 dengue cases have been recorded in the Philippines this year up to Feb. 1, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, according to health department statistics. Quezon City declared a dengue outbreak Saturday after deaths this year reached 10 people, mostly children, out of 1,769 residents infected.A urban village of more than 100,000 residents living in crowded neighborhoods and residential condominium towers, Addition Hills has done clean-ups, canal de-clogging and a hygiene campaign to combat dengue. But when cases spiked to 42 this year and two young students died, village leader Carlito Cernal decided to intensify the battle. There was an alarm, Cernal told The Associated Press. I found a way. Residents line up to show their captured mosquito larvas in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as their village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Residents line up to show their captured mosquito larvas in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as their village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Village chief Carlito Cernal, center, pours a container with mosquito larvas that was captured by a resident in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as their village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Village chief Carlito Cernal, center, pours a container with mosquito larvas that was captured by a resident in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as their village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A resident shows his captured mosquito which he placed inside a plastic cup in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as a village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A resident shows his captured mosquito which he placed inside a plastic cup in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as a village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Residents will get a reward of one Philippines peso (just over 1 cent) for every five mosquitos or mosquito larva they turn in, Cernal said. Critics warned the strategy could backfire if desperate people start breeding mosquitoes for the reward. Cernal said that was unlikely because the campaign would be terminated as soon as the uptick in cases eases.As the campaign began, about a dozen mosquito hunters showed up at the village office. Miguel Labag, a 64-year-old scavenger, handed a jug with 45 dark mosquito larvas squirming in some water and received a reward of nine pesos (15 cents).This is a big help, Labag said, smiling. I can buy coffee. Michael Labag shows the 9 pesos reward he got from the 45 mosquito larvas he captured in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as the village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Michael Labag shows the 9 pesos reward he got from the 45 mosquito larvas he captured in Mandaluyong city, Philippines as the village started offering bounty for captured mosquitos, dead or alive, as part of an anti-dengue campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and rashes, and in severe cases can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a persons fluid levels is seen as critical.Officials in another village in Quezon City were considering releasing swarms of frogs to eat mosquitoes.Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said its crucial to clean up mosquito breeding sites, and for anyone who might be infected to seek immediate medical attention. Despite an increase in dengue infections, the Philippines has managed to maintain low mortality rates, he said.Dengue cases surged unexpectedly ahead of the rainy season, which starts in June, likely because of intermittent downpours that have left stagnant pools of water where dengue-causing mosquitos can breed, Health Undersecretary Alberto Domingo said, adding that climate change was likely contributing to off-season downpours.

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor, left, is pictured on Capitol Hill, Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-02-19T10:00:08Z NEW YORK (AP) Union leaders have described President Donald Trumps nominee to lead the Department of Labor as a friend of organized labor. But as her confirmation hearing begins Wednesday, advocates for workers rights question whether Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be able to uphold that reputation in an administration that has fired thousands of federal employees.Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican member of Congress from Oregon and former mayor of a small city on the edge of liberal-leaning Portland, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, the first stop in her confirmation process. During her one term as a congresswoman, Chavez-DeRemers voting record earned her strong union support. Some political observers surmised that Trump picked her as his labor secretary as a way to appeal to voters who are members of or affiliated with labor organizations. She is the daughter of a Teamster member. Before she lost her House reelection bid in November, Chavez-DeRemer backed the PRO Act, legislation that would allow more workers to conduct union organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers rights. The bill, one of former President Joe Bidens priorities, passed the House in 2021 but didnt gain traction in the Senate. If confirmed as secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would be in charge of the Department of Labors nearly 16,000 full-time employees and a proposed budget of $13.9 billion in fiscal year 2025. She would set priorities that impact workers wages, ability to unionize, and health and safety, as well as employers rights to fire employees. But its unclear how much power Chavez-DeRemer will be able to wield as Trumps Cabinet moves to slash U.S. government spending and the size of the federal workforce. During his first month in office, the president froze trillions of dollars in federal funding and offered buyouts to most federal workers. His administration last week started laying off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection. Billionaire Elon Musk, who leads Trumps Department of Government Efficiency, has called for getting rid of entire agencies. The Department of Labor is the agency where people in building are supposed to wake up every day thinking about how they can improve the lives of working people, said Adam Shah, director of national policy at Jobs with Justice, a nonprofit organization that promotes workers rights. Its quite possible that no matter what the secretary of labor stands for, the billionaire embedded in the Trump administration, who is so keen on destroying the institutions, will be interested in gutting the Department of Labor.In January, Trump fired two of three Democratic commissioners serving on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that enforces civil rights in the workplace. He also fired the acting chair of the National Labor Relations Board, Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve as an NLRB member, as well as General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. Wilcox sued the Trump administration, arguing that federal law protects her from being arbitrarily dismissed. Republicans have made inroads with working-class voters. Despite decades of labor unions siding with Democrats, and Trumps apparent support for firing striking workers, his populist appeal gained him votes from rank-and-file union members. Many major unions, including the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential race. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to endorse a candidate, and Teamsters leader Sean OBrien spoke at the Republican National Convention. The Teamsters have endorsed Chavez-DeRemers nomination. Some observers expect Chavez-DeRemer to receive more votes from Senate Democrats than some of Trumps other Cabinet selections did. But the same positions that won her support from unions may make her a harder sell with business groups; the American Trucking Associations and the International Franchise Association said they hoped she would disavow her past support for the Pro Act by working to get it overturned. Emily Twarog, an associate professor in the school of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois, said a question mark hangs over the labor secretary-designate even if she gets the Senate committees approval. With the ongoing efforts by the current administration to limit or eliminate certain government functions, how much will she actually be able to do to help workers in the Department of Labor if theres limited funding and restrictions put on the work that can be done? Twarog said. CATHY BUSSEWITZ Bussewitz is a national business reporter for The Associated Press. She writes about the workplace, job issues and wellness. twitter mailto