Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he received from Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, as they arrive to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-21T00:31:59Z OXON HILL, Md. (AP) Billionaire Elon Musk appeared at a conservative gathering outside Washington on Thursday waving a chainsaw in the air, showing openness to auditing the Federal Reserve and accusing Democrats of treason.Musk, the Tesla CEO who has become perhaps President Donald Trumps most influential adviser, spoke about his crusade to cut government spending and downsize the federal workforce with the administrations Department of Government Efficiency. The entrepreneur was first announced earlier that day as a speaker, drawing huge cheers from activists gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Before his appearance, he met with Argentine President Javier Milei, who has been frequently praised by Musk and popularized the power tool while campaigning in 2023 and proposing slashing public spending.After Musk appeared onstage, wearing shades and his trademark black Make America Great Again hat, he said Milei had a gift for him. The Argentine leader then walked onstage with the red chainsaw and passed it to Musk. The chainsaw was engraved with Mileis slogan, Viva la libertad, carajo, which is Spanish for Long live liberty, damn it. This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy, he said. Musk slammed the previous Biden administration for its immigration policies, specifically naming an app that was used by nearly 1 million people to be allowed into the U.S. on two-year permits with eligibility to work. He accused Biden and Democrats of doing that as an investment to get more support in swing states. A lot of people dont quite appreciate that this was an actual real scam at scale to tilt the scales of democracy in America, Musk said before Newsmax host Rob Schmitt asked him, Treason? Musk responded, Treason.When Schmitt asked him if he would consider auditing the Federal Reserve, Musk responded, Yeah, sure, while were at it. Waste is pretty much everywhere, Musk said.The billionaire joked that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has told him he is worried about his security and said he was open to ideas on how to improve his safety measures.President Bukele from El Salvador, who managed to put in prison like a hundred thousand murderous thugs, and he called me. I am worried about your security, he said the Central American leader told him. Im like, Dude, you are worried about my security?When asked to describe what is like inside his mind, Musk replied: My mind is a storm. Its a storm.Steve Bannon, a popular Trump ally who once served as his chief strategist, followed Musks appearance and acknowledged he was not the evenings top attraction as he took the stage to a far less enthusiastic reception.How did I draw the card to follow Elon Musk? Bannon asked about a man he has frequently criticized as insufficiently loyal to Trump. Cmon man! You bring out the worlds wealthiest guy, Superman. Im supposed to follow it? Im just a crazy Irishman!_____Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed from New York. ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Gomez Licon writes about national politics for The Associated Press. She is based in Florida. twitter mailto

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and fellow Republicans to discuss President Donald Trump's agenda at a luncheon, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-02-20T23:27:03Z WASHINGTON (AP) Senators are ready to stay up all night, launching a budget vote-a-rama late Thursday in a crucial, if dreaded, step toward unleashing a $340 billion package President Donald Trumps team says it needs for mass deportations and security measures that top the Republican agenda.If ever there was a time to watch Congress in action this might be it. Or not. Senators will be voting in rapid-fashion for hours on one amendment after another diving into intricate policy details, largely from Democrats trying to halt the package. The end result will be a final push by the Republicans, expected in the early hours of the morning, to use their majority power to pass it on a party-line vote.What were doing today is jumpstarting a process that will allow the Republican Party to meet President Trumps immigration agenda, Senate Budget Committee chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said while opening the debate. Graham said Trumps top immigration czar told senators that the administrations deportation operations are out of money and need more funding from Congress to detain and deport immigrants. With little power in the minority to stop the onslaught, Democrats will instead use the all-night debate to force GOP senators into potentially embarrassing votes including the first one, on blocking tax breaks to billionaires.This is going to be a long, drawn out fight, warned Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Days like today, where we vote on amendments late into the night, go a long way in revealing where each party stands and who each party is fighting for, the New York senator said. Democrats are glad to have this debate.The package that senators are pushing forward is what Republicans view as a down-payment on Trumps agenda, part of a broader effort that will eventually include legislation to extend some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and other priorities. Thats being assembled by House Speaker Mike Johnson in a separate budget package that also seeks up to $2 trillion in reductions to health care and other programs. Trump has preferred what he calls one big, beautiful bill, but the White House is open to the Senates strategy of working on the border package first, then turning to tax cuts later this year. Whats in the Senate GOP packageThe Republican Senate package would allow up to $175 billion to be spent on border security, including money for mass deportation operations and building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, in addition to a $150 billion boost to the Pentagon and about $20 billion for the Coast Guard.But even if the Senate pushed the package to approval in the all-night session, there wont be any money flowing just yet. The budget resolution is simply a framework that sends instructions to the various Senate committees Homeland Security, Armed Services, Judiciary to hammer out the details. Everything will eventually be assembled in another package, with another vote-a-rama, down the road.Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the No. 2-ranking Senate Republican, said GOP lawmakers are acting quickly to get the administration the resources they have requested and need to curb illegal border crossings. The budget will allow us to finish the wall. It also takes the steps we need toward more border agents, Barrasso said. It means more detention beds... It means more deportation flights.Republicans insist the whole thing will be paid for, rather than piled onto debt, and they are considering various options with both spending cuts and new revenues. The committees may decide to rollback the Biden administrations methane emissions fee, which was approved by Democrats as part of climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and hoping to draw new revenue from energy leases as they aim to spur domestic energy production. Democrats are ready for battleFirst up from Democrats will be a vote to prevent tax breaks for billionaires, according to a person familiar with the planning and granted anonymity to discuss it.Democrats argue that the GOP tax cuts approved in 2017 flowed to the the wealthiest Americans, and extending them as Trump wants Congress to do later this year would extend the giveaway.Schumer launched a strategy earlier this week to use this first budget debate to focus on both the implications of the tax policy and also the Trump administrations Department of Government Efficiency, which is slashing across the federal government. Its a better strategy for Democrats than arguing against tougher border security and deportations, which divides the party.Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the single biggest driver of the national debt since 2001 has been a series of Republican-led tax cuts.And youll never guess what our Republican colleagues on the other side of the aisle are focused on right now, nothing to lower the cost of eggs, its actually more Republican tax cuts, Murray said. She called the budget plan a roadmap for painful cuts to programs families count on each and every day, all so they can give billionaires more tax cuts. Congress is racing itself The budget resolution is setting up whats called the reconciliation process, which used to be rare, but is now the tool often used to pass big bills on party-line votes when one party has control of the White House and Congress, as Republicans do now. But Republicans are arguing with themselves over how to proceed. The House is marching ahead on its big, beautiful bill, believing they have one chance to get it right. The Senate views its two-bill strategy as more practical, delivering on border security first then turning to taxes later.Budget rules allow for passage by a simple majority vote which is key in the Senate where it typically takes 60 votes to break a filibuster on big items. During Trumps first term, Republicans used the reconciliation process to pass GOP tax cuts in 2017. Democrats used reconciliation during the Biden presidency era to approve COVID-19 relief and the Inflation Reduction Act.Trump appears to be stirring the fight, pitting Republicans in the House and Senate against each other to see which one delivers fastest.

DarNisha Hardaway poses with her son Joseph, 12, at home in Detroit, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)2025-02-20T22:20:45Z WASHINGTON (AP) It was obvious to Christine Smith Olsey that her son was not doing well at school, despite educators telling her to leave it to the experts. The second-grade student stumbled over words, and other kids teased him so much he started to call himself an idiot. Though her son had been receiving speech and occupational therapy, Smith Olsey said his Denver charter school resisted her requests for additional academic support. She filed a complaint with the state and then, in September, the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights. In January, her sons case came to a halt. I have to postpone meetings with you to discuss the case, a department mediator wrote to her on Jan. 23, three days after President Donald Trumps inauguration. I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will be in touch as I am able. As Trump began to reshape the Education Department, investigations and mediations around disability rights issues came to a standstill. Standing up for children with disabilities has been a primary role of the departments civil rights office, which enforces protections guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Historically, most complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination parents saying their disabled child is not receiving accommodations they need to learn, which schools must provide under federal law. Its not unusual for new presidential administrations to freeze cases while they adjust priorities, but exceptions typically are made for urgent situations, such as a childs immediate learning situation. The freeze on pending cases and Trumps calls to dismantle the department altogether left many parents worrying about the federal governments commitment to disabled students rights. In the first weeks of the Trump administration, the Education Department has launched investigations of complaints involving antisemitism and transgender athletes allowed to compete in womens sports, delivering on Trumps vow to use federal funding as leverage to assail perceived wokeness in schools. Its worrisome the administration has said so little about responding to complaints from families of students with disabilities, said Catherine Lhamon, who led the Office for Civil Rights under former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. If it is not aggressively engaged in protecting those rights, the office is not doing its job, Lhamon said in an interview. An Education Department spokesperson said the Office for Civil Rights ended the pause on its review of disability complaints Thursday, after The Associated Press asked for comment on the findings of reporting for this story. The Trump administration lifted its pause on disability cases sooner than the Biden administration did in its first months in office, spokesperson Julie Hartman said. Progress stalled for families relying on federal intervention The freeze had upended progress for families like Smith Olseys, whose childrens special education services may hinge on the outcomes of the departments dispute resolution process. Its a scary time right now to be a parent of special needs kiddos, Smith Olsey said.Her son has been diagnosed with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder, autism, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, a learning disorder caused by differences in parts of the brain involved with numbers and calculations. Since preschool, he has had an individualized education program for a developmental delay. This month, the school agreed her son needs extra academic help, but she is seeking compensatory services to make up for time he went without adequate support. She also is seeking reimbursement for money she spent out of pocket on therapy, tutoring and testing. When families believe their child is not receiving adequate services for their disability, filing a complaint with the Education Department is one way of prompting districts to provide additional help. Parents may also file a complaint with state agencies or pursue litigation. Education Department serves as referee of disability rights cases Between 2021 and 2024, the departments Office for Civil Rights received 27,620 complaints related to disability rights. The office is required to process all complaints it fields, but politics can play a role in setting priorities and choosing which cases to pursue.Typically, more than half of the complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination, but last year accusations of sex discrimination surged to account for a majority of them, according to an annual report. Disability discrimination accounted for 37%, while discrimination over race or national origin accounted for 19%.In recent years, the office has seen a significant decline in its staffing, even as the number of cases it must look into has increased.Parents and advocates say they are concerned about the future of the departments oversight role as Trump and his nominee for education secretary, Linda McMahon, outline a vision for a dramatically reduced footprint for the agency. At her confirmation hearing, Democrats pressed McMahon on whether she would support the departments enforcement role in disability rights. She suggested the Department of Health and Human Services could take over that work.There is a reason the Department of Education exists, and it is because educating kids with disabilities can be really hard, Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said during the hearing. It takes national commitment to get it done.The freeze leaves families feeling outraged and adriftIn the fall, DarNisha Hardaway was relieved when an Education Department mediator found her sons school needed to reevaluate him and provide tutoring. She had filed a complaint with the department after a series of suspensions that she said stemmed from her son being overwhelmed and not getting enough academic help. The 12-year-old has an intellectual disability, autism and epilepsy. The Education Department, Hardaway said, made the school system do what theyre supposed to do.If the school district broke the mediation agreement, she was told to contact the Office for Civil Rights again. This month, after her son had an outburst in class, his suburban Detroit school told her he would need to learn online for the rest of the year a ruling Hardaway saw as a violation of his disability accommodations. On Tuesday, an Office for Civil Rights representative told her they could not respond with any substantive information.Every day she waits, her son learns in front of a computer. He cant learn online, and DarNisha is not a teacher, said Marcie Lipsitt, who is working with the family. The OCR is just closed for business, and Im outraged.Complaints about racial discrimination in schools are also pending. Tylisa Guyton of Taylor, Michigan, filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights on Jan. 20 over her 16-year-old sons repeated suspensions from a suburban Detroit school district, alleging a white administrator has been targeting him and a group of other Black children. The teen has been out of school since Dec. 4 with the latest suspension, and she has heard nothing about when he might be allowed to return or be placed in an alternative school. Since missing so much school, she doubts he will be able to graduate on time.I just feel lost, she said.___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 ANNIE MA Ma is an Associated Press national writer who covers K-12 education. twitter mailto

The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)2025-02-20T23:29:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) The layoffs of roughly 7,000 IRS probationary workers beginning this week likely mean the end of the agencys plan to go after high-wealth tax dodgers and could spell disaster for revenue collections, experts say.The majority of employees shown the door at the federal tax collector are newly hired workers focused on compliance, which includes ensuring that taxpayers are abiding by the tax code and paying delinquent debts, among other duties.The IRS layoffs, one of the largest purges of probationary workers this year across the government, could also hurt customer service and tax return processing during tax season this year, the union representing Treasury Department employees warned Thursday.The upheaval comes less than two months before the tax filing deadline and as the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump adviser Elon Musk seeks to shrink the size of the federal workforce in an effort to radically cut spending and restructure the governments priorities. Vanessa Williamson, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, said on a Thursday call with reporters that the layoffs at the IRS will disproportionately harm enforcement efforts. When you underpay and understaff the IRS, the agency doesnt have the power or the resources it needs to go after wealthy tax evaders with their high priced lawyers, she said, adding, The result is, of course, a disaster for revenue. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, gave the IRS $80 billion and the ability to hire tens of thousands of new employees to help with customer service and enforcement as well as new technology to update the tax collection agency, though congressional Republicans later clawed back some of the money.Former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, appointed by Biden, placed a particular focus on aggressively auditing high-income tax cheats as well as executives who use business aircraft for their personal use while still writing it off as a tax expense and wealthy people who sought to get favorable tax treatment through Puerto Rico without meeting certain tax requirements. A Congressional Budget Office report issued last year describes how rescissions in funding for the IRS affect baseline projections of future revenues, offering a variety of scenarios depending on the severity of the cuts.A $5 billion rescission would reduce revenues by $5.2 billion from 2024 to 2034 and increase the deficit by $0.2 billion. A $20 billion rescission would reduce revenues by $44 billion and increase the deficit by $24 billion for the same period. A $35 billion rescission would reduce revenues by $89 billion and increase the cumulative deficit by $54 billion.If you starve the IRS, youll be providing a feast for the tax evaders, Williamson said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during his confirmation hearing last month that we do not have a revenue problem in the United States of America, we have a spending problem.However, both revenues and spending will be an ongoing point of contention for congressional Republicans, who are trying to come up with how to pay for extending provisions of President Donald Trumps Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Penn Wharton Budget model estimates that permanently extending Trumps tax cuts would increase deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade. Chye-Ching Huang, executive director of NYUs Tax Law Center, called the layoffs misguided and said they will hurt everyday Americans who pay their taxes and count on the IRS to pay refunds on time while encouraging wealthy people and large businesses to cheat on their taxes.Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said: In the middle of a tax filing season, when taxpayers expect prompt customer service and smooth processing of their tax returns, the administration has chosen to decimate the whole operation by sending dedicated civil servants to the unemployment lines.The union representing IRS workers has already filed multiple legal challenges over the administrations mass layoffs. Mark Mazur, a former assistant secretary for tax policy at Treasury, said that since most of the laid-off workers were in the IRS small business and self-employment division, employees who had handled bigger corporate enforcement cases will be forced to stop their work and handle easier small-business cases.For sure this mean less enforcement activity, and the deterrence effect of audits will be diminished, he said.Representatives from Treasury, the IRS and the White House did not respond to Associated Press requests for comment on Thursday.___Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report. 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

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gives her morning news conference at the national palace in Mexico City, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)2025-02-20T15:39:24Z MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday she will propose constitutional reforms aimed at protecting Mexicos sovereignty after U.S. President Donald Trumps administration designated six Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.The U.S. designations have stirred worry in Mexico that it could be a preliminary step toward U.S. military intervention on Mexican territory in pursuit of the cartels, something Mexico sharply rejects.The Mexican people will not accept under any circumstances interventions, interference or any other act from abroad that could be harmful to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the nation, Sheinbaum said.On Thursday, the designation of eight Latin America-based criminal organizations was published in the U.S. Federal Register, carrying out a Jan. 20 executive order by Trump. The U.S. hopes the designation, something usually reserved for terrorist groups with political rather than economic objectives, will increase pressure on the groups. Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing Thursday that Mexico also wouldnt allow outside involvement in investigations or prosecutions without authorization and collaboration of the Mexican government. Former President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, Sheinbaums predecessor, had already written into Mexican law limits to how foreign agents could operate in Mexico, limiting their independence and requiring that Mexican authorities be informed of their movements. Sheinbaum proposes enshrining those limits in the constitution. What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty, Sheinbaum said. This cannot be an opportunity for the United States to invade our sovereignty.Her administration also proposed reforming the constitution to apply the most severe penalties available under law to foreigners involved in the building, smuggling and distribution of guns. Mexico has long demanded that the U.S. do more to prevent the flood of guns into Mexico from U.S. gun shops and manufacturers.Her Morena party and its allies hold majorities in both chambers of Congress and have been able to pass a number of other constitutional reforms. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, arrives for talks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, at the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb.15, 2025. (Sven Hoppe/DPA via AP, Pool)2025-02-21T05:06:24Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Days before the third anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion, Ukrainians are as somber and tense as they were right before Moscow launched the war. Only now, they arent just worried about their longtime enemy.Ukraines stunning new threat comes from its once staunchest ally, the United States, whose support appears to be fading as President Donald Trump parrots the propaganda of Russian President Vladimir Putin while pledging to stop the fighting between the two countries.After their initial shock at Trumps false claims this week that Ukraine is led by a dictator who started the war with Russia, the Ukrainian people are rallying around a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who publicly criticized Trump for promoting Russian disinformation.Yes, hes not a perfect president, but hes not a dictator, said Kateryna Karaush, a 25-year-old tech worker from Kyiv who like many Ukrainians and even some Republicans in Congress is struggling to wrap her head around Trumps embrace of Russia, which represents a major about-face in U.S. foreign policy. It feels like the whole world is against us, Karaush said. Against long odds, Ukrainians with massive military support from the U.S. have prevented Russia from overtaking their country, even if roughly one fifth of it is now under Russia control.But after three years of war, both civilians and soldiers are exhausted. Hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded, tens of thousands are missing, and millions have fled the country. The mood only became gloomier in recent days as Trump signaled his desire to rapidly bring the fighting to a close on terms that Zelenskyy and many in the West say are too favorable to Russia.After Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator for legally postponing an election last year -- and as reports emerged of U.S. and Russian officials meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible ceasefire without input from Ukraine, even some of Zelenskyys harshest domestic critics have begun defending him. We may have different opinions about Zelenskyy, but only Ukrainian citizens have the right to judge his support, said Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a lawmaker from the opposition party Holos. And to publicly criticize him too, because, in the end, he is our elected leader.Trumps harsh words for Zelenskyy have drawn criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in the U.S. Congress, where defending Ukraine from Russia with tens of billions of dollars in military aid has had bipartisan support. But Vice President JD Vance admonished Zelenskyy for publicly warning Trump about falling for Russian disinformation.On Thursday, the deepening tensions led to the cancelation of a news conference that had been planned to follow talks between Zelenskyy and Trumps Ukraine envoy over how to end the war.A poll released Wednesday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology put public trust in Zelenskyy at 57%. The survey was conducted Feb. 4 to Feb. 9 among 1,000 people living across Ukraine in regions and territories controlled by the Ukrainian government. We have a president whom we support. During war, we are united, said Larysa, a 52-year-old resident from the northeastern city of Kharkiv, who refused to give her last name due to security concerns. The political rift with the U.S. comes as Ukrainian forces, outnumbered and outgunned, increasingly struggle to hold back Russias slow but steady advances.Speaking from the front lines, some Ukrainian soldiers said they were not panicking yet, and not ready to give up the fight.Even if we dont get enough weapons or if funding is cut, that doesnt change our duty to (fight), said a Ukrainian officer who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military rules. No shells? Well take up rifles. No rifles? Well grab shovels.On Wednesday, Trump echoed one of Putins frequent talking points, claiming Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, must hold elections. But the idea has little traction within Ukraine even among opposition politicians, who recognize Zelenskyys right to postpone elections during wartime. Elections are not needed right now because they should only take place when we understand the framework of (a peace) agreement with Russia, said Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party. Holding elections now would only benefit the Kremlin, further dividing Ukrainians and installing a new president who could sign a deal favorable to Moscow.An adviser to Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak, gave an additional reason for holding off any election until there is peace: Russia might seek to interfere in an electoral process that would already face significant challenges.Millions of displaced Ukrainians living abroad would struggle to participate not to mention the hundreds of thousands Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territories, whose ability to vote would be virtually impossible. Around 800,000 Ukrainians are currently serving in the armed forces, making it difficult for them to cast ballots without weakening the military. And those fighting would be unable to run for office a right guaranteed under Ukrainian law. Holding elections before a peace agreement with security guarantees is signed would be devastating for Ukraine, said Valerii Pekar, a professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School. The U.S. and Russia are now united in promoting the idea of elections first, then peace which is the quickest and cheapest way to bring Ukraine down.___Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine. HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, shake hands ahead of their bilateral talks at Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Carl Court, Pool Photo via AP, File)2025-02-21T05:09:17Z LONDON (AP) As the U.S. and Russia push ahead so far without Ukraine at the table on talks to end the war, political and military leaders in Europe are fleshing out details of a plan for European forces to help ensure Moscow does not attack again.After months of quiet discussions, the proposal has become increasingly public. It will likely be on the agenda when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, two major backers of the idea, visit Washington on separate days next week for talks with President Donald Trump.Starmer, who will visit Thursday, has stressed that the force wont work without U.S. military might to back it up. Persuading Trump to provide it could be a tall order. What is the plan?The security guarantee that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy really wants is NATO membership. European members of the military alliance still back that goal, but the U.S. looks to have taken it off the table, along with Ukrainian hopes of regaining the fifth of its territory seized by Russia.In the absence of NATO membership, Zelenskyy has said that more than 100,000 European troops could be needed in Ukraine to guarantee the conflict does not flare up again after a ceasefire.But Western officials say whats being discussed is a reassurance force, not an army of peacekeepers posted along the 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line in Ukraines east. The proposal backed by Britain and France would see fewer than 30,000 European troops on the ground in Ukraine away from the front line at key infrastructure sites such as nuclear power plants backed by Western air and sea power.Under the plan, the front line would largely be monitored remotely, with drones and other technology. Air power based outside Ukraine perhaps in Poland or Romania -- would be in reserve to deter breaches and reopen Ukrainian airspace to commercial flights. That could include U.S. air power.There must be a U.S. backstop because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again, Starmer said on Monday.What do the Americans say?Trump has long expressed the view that Americas NATO allies dont pull their weight and that Europe must do more for its own security.U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told European allies that there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine, but has not ruled out American support such as air transport or logistics.Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trumps Ukraine envoy, said during a visit to NATO this week that all options must be kept on the table because the shape of any force will depend on the outcome of peace negotiations that have yet to be held.Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official, said different people in the administration are sending different signals Who do you believe is an issue.Its unclear whether Ukraine will be happy with the proposal.Russia, meanwhile, has rejected the idea outright. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said deployment of troops from NATO nations, even if not under the banner of the alliance, will certainly be unacceptable for us. Are other European countries onboard?Britain, France and the Nordic and Baltic states that are the closest NATO nations to Russia appear most likely to play the main roles in any force.Italy has constitutional limits on the use of its forces. In some countries including The Netherlands, deploying troops would need parliaments approval.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country, a key logistics base for support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion three years ago, will not send troops into its neighbor.After a hastily arranged meeting of European leaders in Paris this week to discuss the war, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said talk of a Europe-lead security force was premature. Scholz said 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. Could the plan work?The success of the plan depends on the nature of any agreement to stop the fighting. Russia has some 600,000 troops in Ukraine, and analysts say any ceasefire deal that leaves the bulk of them there is a recipe for renewed conflict.Frances military has just over 200,000 personnel, Britains less than 150,000. Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, said Europe would struggle to mount a force even in the tens of thousands. European countries will have a limited ability to deploy something that can be sustained for multiple rotations, potentially over several years, he said.And it could be many years. Michael Clarke, visiting professor in war studies at Kings College London, noted that peacekeeping forces in Cyprus and Lebanon have remained in place for decades.If it is successful, it will last 20 or 30 years, he said. If it is not successful, it will break down into fighting inside two years. Lithuanian defense minister Dovil akalien said there was truth in the Trump administrations painful criticism of Europes defense spending and military strength.Russia is preparing for a long war, she told the AP. They have now three times the manpower and their defense industry is moving quicker than that of Europe. Does anybody believe that this is only aimed at Ukraine?What is the use of security guarantees from a weak party? Europe needs to muscle up right now to be actually able to provide security guarantees that will hold.___Lorne Cook in Brussels and Emma Burrows in London contributed to this story. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is an Associated Press reporter covering U.K. politics and more. She is based in London. twitter mailto

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-20T20:46:48Z WASHINGTON (AP) A top White House official said Thursday that President Donald Trumps increasingly tough criticism of Volodymyr Zelenskyy reflects the administrations growing frustration with what they see as the Ukrainian leader creating roadblocks to finding an endgame to Russias invasion of Ukraine.The comments from White House national security adviser Mike Waltz came a day after Trump described Zelenskyy as a dictator and warned that he better move fast to negotiate an end to the war or risk not having a nation to lead. Zelenskyy earlier Wednesday had said Trump was living in a Russian-made disinformation space.His frustration with President Zelenskyy that you heard is multifold, Waltz said Thursday of Trump. There needs to be a deep appreciation for what the American people and the American taxpayer, what President Trump did in his first term and what weve done since. Theres some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump (that) were unacceptable. Waltz, speaking at a White House press briefing, did not respond when asked whether Trump sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator and didnt directly answer a separate question about whether Trump thinks Zelenskyy or Putin is more responsible for the war. The escalating rhetoric comes just days before the third anniversary of Russias war in Ukraine and as the U.S. posture toward both countries has dramatically shifted under the new Trump administration. Trump has been pushing for a peace deal between the two countries while blaming Zelenskyy for allowing the war to start in the first place not mentioning that Putin ordered the invasion of a sovereign nation. Waltz noted that Trump is also frustrated that Zelenskyy rejected an offer presented last week by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that would have given the U.S. access to Ukraines critical minerals as repayment for U.S. support during the war as well as future aid for Ukraine. U.S. officials also presented the deal during a meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy in Munich days after the Bessent meeting. But Zelenskyy directed his ministers not to sign off on deal, which he believed lacked sufficient security guarantees for the Ukraine side and was too U.S.-focused. Rather than enter into some constructive conversations about what that deal should be going forward, we got a lot of rhetoric in the media that was incredibly unfortunate, Waltz said of the Ukrainians decision to decline the American offer.Trump earlier this week suggested Ukraine was to blame for starting the war even though the smaller nation was invaded by Russia in February 2022. Asked whether Trump believed Putin or Zelenskyy was more responsible for the grinding war, Waltz offered a roundabout response.His goal here is to bring this war to an end, period, Waltz said of Trump. And there has been ongoing fighting on both sides. It is World War I-style trench warfare.The back-and-forth comes amid an escalation of tension between the two leaders and rising concern in many European capitals over the Trump administrations reengagement with Russia. Trump dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Waltz to engage in preliminary talks in Saudi Arabia with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Putins foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.Zelenskyy and some European officials criticized Trump for holding the talks without Ukrainian or European representatives at the table. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Children play in the ruins of the Church of Virgin Mary, which was destroyed by the Islamic State group in 2015, in the northeastern Syrian village of Tel Nasri, which is currently controlled by the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)2025-02-21T05:14:11Z TEL TAL, Syria (AP) It was a mournful moment for Christians in Syria. A bell that once summoned residents to worship rang out, but the church was no longer there.The Saint Odisho church was blown up by the Islamic State group a decade ago, leaving Tel Tal village almost empty of residents.A local Christian who fled the attack, Ishaq Nissan, walked the streets and pointed to uninhabited homes, explaining where families had gone: U.S., Australia, Canada or Europe.This month, northeast Syrias remaining Christians will mark the 10th anniversary of the IS attack on over 30 villages along the Khabur river. On Feb. 23, 2015, dozens of Christians were killed or wounded and over 200 were taken hostage. Churches were blown up, and thousands of people fled.The anniversary comes as Christians worry about the future of Syria following the ouster of longtime president Bashar Assad in December by insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa is now interim president, and most government members come from Islamic factions. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly said religious rights will be protected in post-Assad Syria. Though HTS had been an al-Qaida affiliate, it is opposed to IS and fought deadly battles with it over the years. IS was defeated in Syria in 2019, but sleeper cells still carry out attacks. Since Assads fall, there have been some attacks by others targeting Christians. In December, a Christmas tree was set on fire in Suqailabiyah village. Authorities called it an isolated incident. We hope as Christians that there will be cooperation between all parties of Syria in what gives everyone their rights, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Maurice Amsih, who leads the church in the northeast, told The Associated Press.Amsih said Christians in Syria are opposed to Islamic rule: We want them to treat us in a civil way. Western countries have pressed Syrias new authorities to guarantee the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, as well as those of women. The vast majority of Syrians are Sunni Muslims, while about a quarter of the population is Christian, Druze or Alawite.Christians made up about 10% of Syrias prewar population of 23 million, co-existing with the Muslim majority and enjoying freedom of worship under the Assad government. The last parliament speaker under Assad was Christian.But since civil war began in 2011 with a popular uprising against Assad and a government crackdown, hundreds of thousands of Christians have left the country. The rise of IS, and its attack 10 years ago, helped to drive them out.We were living in peace and never expected this dark day to happen in our modern history, said Elias Antar Elias, a Tel Tal resident who represents the villages of the Khabur river region in the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria.The 78-year-old and his family fled in the middle of the night as the extremists stormed one Christian village after another, horrifying the population that had lived in relative peace for decades. Elias, a retired teacher, fled with his family to the northeastern city of Hassakeh and stayed until Kurdish and Christian fighters regained control of their hometown months later.We saw the beheaded bodies of Christians on the side of the road as dogs were eating them, Elias said, calling it an image that pains our hearts.Elias said Tel Tal had about 400 residents before the IS attack. Today, there are about 30.At the spot where the Saint Odisho church once stood, Elias recalled its importance: This is where we baptized our children. This is where I got married.Asked why his family didnt leave for good like many others, he replied: Im in love with this place. Our graves and martyrs are here. This is our land.The archbishop said 34 Christian villages along the Khabur river were home to 45,000 Assyrians before the 2015 attack.Amsih said about 2.2 million Christians were in Syria before the civil war, and he estimated that two-thirds of them have left the country. In nearby Tel Nasri, Christian residents have left and the village is full of displaced people from other regions. The Church of Virgin Mary still stands but is badly damaged after being blown up in 2015.Some Christians who witnessed the violence say they have no plans to leave Syria, even with uncertainty ahead under new leaders.Janet Chamoun was praying in a church in Qamishli in 2015 when a car bomb exploded outside, throwing her and her daughter to the floor. Glass shattered and some people were injured.Despite the fear we decided to stay, Chamoun said outside the repaired Virgin Mary Syriac church, where she still comes every day to pray.Our home and roots are here, she said.

A convoy carrying the coffins of four bodies arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, after they were handed over by Hamas in Gaza. Israel has identified three of the bodies as hostages and said the other was of an unknown person. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)2025-02-21T07:26:06Z Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a body that Hamas militants released during the handover of remains of Israeli hostages is that of a woman from Gaza instead of that of Shiri Bibas, the mother of two young boys whose bodies were returned on Thursday.In a statement released Friday, Netanyahu criticized the handover of the wrong remains as a cruel and malicious violation of the ceasefire agreement, which has halted fighting in the Gaza Strip, and said Hamas would pay the full price for the action.Hamas militants turned over four bodies on Thursday under the tenuous ceasefire, which has paused over 15 months of war. Israeli confirmed one body was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel that started the war on Oct. 7, 2023.The remains of Shiri Bibas two young sons, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, were positively identified, the Israeli Defense Forces said, but added the fourth body was not that of their mother, nor of any other hostage. We will work with determination to bring Shiri home together with all our hostages both living and dead and ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and malicious violation of the agreement, Netanyahu said. The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz and Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be forever enshrined in the heart of the nation. May God avenge their blood. And so we will avenge, he added.

French street artist Shuck One tears up archive images as he prepares a mural for the exhibition "Paris Noir", at the Centre Pompidou Museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)2025-02-21T07:07:05Z PARIS (AP) French street artist Shuck One is honoring Black figures who shaped Frances recent history on the mainland and overseas, in an art installation being produced for an exhibition starting next month at the Pompidou Center in Paris.Shuck One is a Black graffiti and visual artist native of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, which is a French overseas department. He is participating in the Black Paris exhibition, which retraces the presence and influence of Black artists in France from the 1950s to 2000.The Pompidou Center, one of the worlds top modern art museums, said that it will celebrate 150 artists of African descent, from Africa to the Americas, whose works have often never been displayed in France before. Shuck One is one of five artists chosen to provide contemporary insights.I wanted to invoke the memory of the Black figures who created the Black Paris and who, in a way, were pioneers before us in artistic, intellectual and other fields, Shuck One told The Associated Press. Its a way for me to honor them. Activist and artistDescribing himself as an activist who became an artist, Shuck One grew up in the 1970s in Guadeloupe. After he arrived in Paris in the 1980s, he was considered one of the pioneers of French street art and graffiti inspired by figures of the Ngritude movement that denounced colonialism, racism and Eurocentrism. His installation, titled Regeneration, is four meters (13 feet) high and 10 meters (33 feet) long. It shows major moments of Black history through paintings and collages of maps of Paris, archives and photos.The starting point of the installation is the Tirailleurs Sngalais, a corps of colonial infantry in the French army that fought in both World Wars. One highlight is the May 1967 riots in Guadeloupe that led to the massacre of possibly dozens of people figures are still being questioned by historians. Another feature is the BUMIDOM, a French state agency that between 1963 and 1981 organized the migration of 170,000 people from French overseas departments to the mainland for economic purposes, now considered by historians a symbol of post-colonial domination and discrimination. Portraits of Black figuresIt also shows portraits of Black figures, including politicians, writers, civil rights activists and other pioneers.They include U.S.-born entertainer and civil rights activist Josphine Baker; Aim Csaire, poet and founder of the Ngritude movement; and American political activist Angela Davis. But there are also less known names like writer and activist Paulette Nardal; Eugnie Ebou, the first Black woman elected to Frances National Assembly and Gerty Archimde, the second to be elected shortly after; and Maryse Cond, a novelist from Guadeloupe.The overall message of the exhibition is to revive these forgotten figures, but also a next-generation aspect, a way to pass their history on, Shuck One said as he carefully studied the elaborate collage of photos and archive documents on a big wall of the exhibition.Its also a way of making people understand whats activism is about (its) very well to talk about the community, but its also important to know its history, he said.The exhibition, which runs from March 19-June 30, is one of the last at the Pompidou Center before it shuts down later this year for renovations, which are due to last five years. SYLVIE CORBET Corbet is an Associated Press reporter based in Paris. She covers French politics, diplomacy and defense as well as gender issues and breaking news. twitter

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is silhouetted by window light as he heads to the chamber to begin the week, on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 21, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-02-21T05:00:41Z FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) The scramble to fill Mitch McConnells Senate seat in Kentucky began as soon as the long-serving Republican lawmaker revealed he wont seek reelection in 2026.Former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron jumped into the campaign Thursday, looking for a political comeback after losing his bid for governor in 2023. Elsewhere in the GOP, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr signaled he would announce his plans soon and said hes been encouraged by his support as he considers a Senate run. Businessman Nate Morris has signaled his strong interest in the Senate race, too.Another prominent Kentucky Republican, U.S. Rep. James Comer, will not run for the Senate next year but is strongly considering a run for governor in 2027, a Comer spokesman said.Although the prize is a Senate seat that will be open for the first time in more than 40 years, leading Kentucky Democrats did not rush to embrace the challenge in a state that has turned solidly Republican in recent years. The two Democrats holding statewide office Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman signaled Thursday that they wont enter the Senate race. McConnell announced to his Senate colleagues on Thursday that he will retire when his current seventh term ends. The longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, McConnell relinquished his leadership post after the November 2024 election. His departure will mark the loss of a powerful advocate who steered large amounts of federal money to Kentucky. But his popularity with Republicans back home sagged after his relationship with President Donald Trump cratered. Some Kentuckians worried that his departure would mean a loss of influence for the state.Someone will serve in his seat, but they will not step into his shoes in terms of seniority that he has built as the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history, GOP political consultant T.J. Litafik said. A top legislative Democrat, state House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, recently filed to raise money for the Senate race. She would become the states first Black U.S. senator if she were to win.Whoever wins the Democratic nomination wont have history on their side. The last Democrat to win a Senate race in the Bluegrass State was Wendell Ford in 1992.Meanwhile, jockeying on the Republican side after McConnells announcement previewed what looks to be a bumpy primary. Sniping began after Cameron signaled his Senate intentions by posting on X: Kentucky, its time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Lets do this.That provoked a bare-knuckled response from Barrs camp. Barr spokesman Tyler Staker said Cameron had embarrassed Trump and the GOP by losing the governors race to Beshear. Staker added the party needs proven winners, perhaps foreshadowing Barrs pitch for a coveted Trump endorsement.Cameron, who also would become the states first Black U.S. senator if he won, fired back, saying, You get outside of his district, nobody knows who Andy Barr is. Cameron told The Associated Press that hes in the race to succeed his one-time mentor, having formerly worked as McConnells legal counsel. He has been planning a political comeback since his defeat in 2023. He said his values align with Kentucky voters and touted his support for Trump.Serving in the Senate, Im going to make sure I stand up for the America First agenda and the values of Kentucky, Cameron told the AP in a phone interview Thursday evening.A presidential endorsement, if its forthcoming, could tip the scales in bright red Kentucky.If Trump endorses, it would likely -- very likely -- be determinative, said Scott Jennings, a Republican political strategist. His influence in the party is unquestionable and Kentucky Republicans would respond to his judgment for sure.Things could change, of course. The party in the White House typically loses ground in midterm elections. A downward shift in the economy or any negative impact of tariffs on bourbon and other Kentucky-made products could diminish the value of Trumps endorsement with some Kentuckians. Republicans in Washington are weighing potential cuts to Medicaid, a health care lifeline for many people in Kentucky. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said the now-open Kentucky Senate seat in 2026 would create an additional defensive headache for national Republicans.Trump has previous ties with both Cameron and Barr. He endorsed Camerons run for governor about 11 months before the 2023 gubernatorial primary. Cameron never looked back in winning the nomination but lost to Beshear, who won a second term. In 2018, Trump gave Barr a boost by campaigning for him when the congressman faced a tough Democratic challenge in a closely watched House race.Meanwhile, Morris has cast himself as a political outsider. While Cameron and Barr jockeyed behind the scenes while awaiting McConnells decision on the 2026 race, Morris bluntly said it was time for McConnell to retire. He ripped into the senator for opposing a trio of Trump nominations, and accused his potential GOP rivals of lacking the backbone to speak out about the McConnell votes. Anyone afraid to upset the establishment will undoubtedly be too cowardly to deliver real, conservative results for the American people, Morris said in a recent Kentucky newspaper op-ed.___

Medical researchers from universities and the National Institutes of Health rally near the Health and Human Services headquarters to protest federal budget cuts Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)2025-02-21T10:00:08Z BOSTON (AP) A court battle is set to resume Friday over the Trump administrations drastic cuts in medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and delay new lifesaving discoveries.A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the cuts from taking effect earlier this month in response to separate lawsuits filed by a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions nationwide.The new National Institutes of Health policy would strip research groups of hundreds of millions of dollars to cover so-called indirect expenses of studying Alzheimers, cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses anything from clinical trials of new treatments to basic lab research that is the foundation for discoveries. Now U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, must decide whether to extend the temporary restraining order blocking those cuts. The states and research groups say such a move is illegal, pointing to bipartisan congressional action during President Donald Trumps first term to prohibit it. Yet here we are again, attorneys argued in a court motion, saying the NIH is in open defiance of what Congress decreed.In its own written arguments, the Trump administration said NIH has authority to alter the terms after awarding grants and that Kelleys courtroom isnt the proper venue to arbitrate claims of breach of contract. States and researchers have failed to show that they would suffer an irreparable injury, according to the administration motion.The NIH, the main funder of biomedical research, awarded more than 60,000 grants last year totaling about $35 billion. The total is divided into direct costs covering researchers salaries and laboratory supplies and indirect costs, the administrative and facility costs needed to support that work. The Trump administration had dismissed those expenses as overhead but universities and hospitals argue theyre far more critical. They can include such things as electricity to operate sophisticated machinery, hazardous waste disposal, staff who ensure researchers follow safety rules and janitorial workers.Different projects require different resources. Labs that handle dangerous viruses, for example, require more expensive safety precautions than a simpler experiment. So currently each grants amount of indirect costs is negotiated with NIH, some of them small while others reaching 50% or more of the total grant.If the new policy stands, indirect costs would be capped at 15% immediately, for already awarded grants and new ones. NIH calculated that would save the agency $4 billion a year.A motion filed earlier this week cited a long list of examples of immediate harm in blue states and red states. They included the possibility of ending some clinical trials of treatments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, that could leave a population of patients with no viable alternative. Officials at Johns Hopkins University were more blunt, saying the cut would end or require significantly scaling back research projects potentially including some of the 600 NIH-funded studies open to Hopkins patients.The care, treatments and medical breakthroughs provided to them and their families are not overhead, university president Ron Daniels and Hopkins Medicine CEO Theodore DeWeese wrote to employees.Attorneys also argued the cuts would harm state economies. The University of Florida would need to cut critical research staffing by about 45 people, while construction of a new research facility in Detroit expected to create nearly 500 new jobs could be paused or even abandoned, they wrote.Implementing this 15% cap will mean the abrupt loss of hundreds of millions of dollars that are already committed to employing tens of thousands of researchers and other workers, putting a halt to countless lifesaving health research and cutting-edge technology initiatives, the lawsuit said. ___Neergaard reported from Washington. ___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. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto

U.S. Forest Service crew members put tree branches into a wood chipper as they prepare the area for a prescribed burn in the Tahoe National Forest, June 6, 2023, near Downieville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vsquez, File)2025-02-21T05:04:23Z SEATTLE (AP) The termination letters that ended the careers of thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires, raising the specter of even more destructive blazes across the American West, fired workers and officials said.The Forest Service firings on the heels of deadly blazes that ripped through Los Angeles last month are part of a wave of federal worker layoffs, as President Donald Trumps cost-cutting measures reverberate nationwide.Workers who maintained trails, removed combustible debris from forests, supported firefighters and secured funds for wildfire mitigation say staffing cuts threaten public safety, especially in the West, where drier and hotter conditions linked to climate change have increased the intensity of wildfires.Im terrified of that, said Tanya Torst, who was fired from her position as a U.S. Forest Service partnership coordinator in Chico, California, on Feb. 14. Torst, whose probationary period was set to end in March, worked with groups to bring in nearly $12 million for removing dead trees and other fuels in the Mendocino National Forest. This is 100% a safety thing, she said of her concerns, recalling the deadly Paradise blaze that killed 85 people east of Chico in 2018. Thats why Im speaking out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, said in a statement that Secretary Brooke Rollins supports Trumps directive to fire about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees, which he said was for efficiencys sake. Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted, the statement said. The statement didnt address the fired workers who were responsible for removing combustible fuels and other projects aiming to lower a wildfires intensity. The Trump administration has frozen funds for wildfire prevention programs supported by legislation championed by former President Joe Biden, The Associated Press reported. Programs not funded by that legislation can continue, an Interior Department statement said.U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington state Democrat, said on the social platform X that the Forest Service layoffs are already hurting the state, and it is only going to get worse. Fire season is coming.The Washington state Department of Natural Resources said the firings forced them to develop contingency plans to deal with a degraded federal force this coming fire season.Melanie Mattox Green, who was fired from her land management and environmental planning job at the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana, said their fire-prevention efforts prioritized areas where towns border forest lands. Staffing cuts put those towns at risk, she said.If a fire breaks out now without these projects occurring, that fire is going to be far more dangerous to our local communities, she said.The cuts also mean fewer people will keep trails free of fallen trees and other debris, she said. Maintaining trails is critical in remote areas that firefighters access by foot. Without those trails being cleared, it means that now firefighters cannot easily and more effectively get to these fires to fight them, she said.Many Forest Service workers who dont occupy official firefighter positions still have firefighting certifications, known as a red card, that must be renewed annually. Josh Vega, who maintained 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) of trails as a forestry technician in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana before being fired, said his crew was the first to arrive at a wildfire that broke out in 2023.For about two days, Vegas crew monitored the blaze before firefighters arrived. We spent the next few days keeping an eye on the fire, making sure that the trailheads were all closed and that the public knew what was happening so that they wouldnt find themselves in a predicament.Many Forest Service operations involve supporting firefighters beyond fire season, including surveying areas for prescribed burns or ensuring trail access, said Luke Tobin, who was fired from his forestry technician role in Idahos Nez Perce National Forest. Everybody helps with fire in some aspect, some way, shape or form, he said.Gregg Bafundo, who was fired last week from his post as a wilderness ranger and wildland firefighter at the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, said the staffing cuts came at a critical time.This is the time of year when they hire everybody, he said during a press conference organized by Washington Sen. Patty Murray. Its the time of year when firefighters renew their red cards and practice redeploying their fire shelters. This is when they train to be ready to fight next summers fires.We cant train while the fire is burning over the hill. ___Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. MARTHA BELLISLE Bellisle is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington state. She reports on a range of topics, including police accountability, police training and mental health. She also has covered the Winter Olympics. twitter mailto CLAIRE RUSH Rush is an Associated Press reporter covering Oregon state government and general news in the Pacific Northwest more broadly. twitter mailto

Luigi Nicholas Mangione leaves the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)2025-02-21T05:11:56Z NEW YORK (AP) The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City and leading authorities on a five-day manhunt is scheduled to be in court Friday for the first time since his December arraignment on state murder and terror charges.Luigi Mangione, 26, is set for a hearing in state court in Manhattan. Prosecutors and Mangiones defense lawyers are expected to provide updates on the status of the case and Judge Gregory Carro could set deadlines for pretrial paperwork and possibly even a trial date.Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. The executive was ambushed and shot on a sidewalk as he walked to an investor conference.Mangione also faces federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty. He is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean Diddy Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first. The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. A Feb. 24 hearing in Pennsylvania on charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police was canceled. In a statement posted on a website for his legal defense, Mangione said: I am overwhelmed by and grateful for everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support. Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions. Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonalds on Dec. 9. Police said he was carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, authorities said. Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued at his Dec. 23 arraignment that warring jurisdictions had turned Mangione into a human ping-pong ball. She accused New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other government officials of tainting the jury pool by bringing Mangione back to Manhattan in a choreographed spectacle involving heavily armed officers escorting him up a pier from a heliport.Friedman Agnifilo singled out Adams comment on a local TV station that he wanted to be there to look him in the eye and say, you carried out this terroristic act in my city. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement and courts in New York City, including former President Donald Trumps criminal and civil cases and problems plaguing the federal prison system. twitter mailto

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., calls on a reporter, Feb. 19, 2025, after a Senate policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)2025-02-21T11:08:39Z WASHINGTON (AP) The budget resolution from Republicans was on the agenda in the Senate, but the late-night debate encompassed so much more.Democrats used the overnight session that ended early Friday morning as a platform for their outrage over what President Donald Trump has wrought during his first month in office and their warnings of what is still to come.From Trump adviser Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency slicing through the federal workforce to Trumps attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the GOP plan to extend tax breaks including for the wealthy and cut safety net programs, far more than the $340 billion budget framework on border security and deportations came under scrutiny. Out of power in Washington, D.C., the Democrats instead brought to the Senate floor pages of amendments, keeping the chamber long into Thursday night and early Friday morning. People dont send us here to make their lives worse. But thats exactly what Trump and Musk are doing, said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., launching the debate. They are looking at our most pressing problems and making them so much worse. And this budget proposal will only add fuel to the fire. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, test-drove a new term Trumpflation and asked what in the presidents big, beautiful, bill would help Americans. Take this plan and put it in the woodchipper, Merkley said, repurposing Musks quip about chopping up the federal government. Theres nothing beautiful about destroying programs families depend on.As the vote-a-rama dragged into the wee hours Democrats proposed amendments to bar tax breaks for billionaires and millionaires, reverse DOGE firings of public workers and program cuts to government services, preserve Medicaid, help Ukraine and on and on. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado offered an amendment to reinstate the fired federal employees at the Forest Service, National Park Service and other public lands agencies.Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., sought to prevent reductions in government programs fighting avian flu at a time of soaring prices of eggs.Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire wanted to ensure the U.S. commits to supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia.But none of them were being approved. Still, Democrats preferred talking about almost anything but Trumps plans for deporting immigrants and beefing up border security, the main provisions of the $340 billion budget framework, which also includes funding for the Pentagon and Coast Guard. Those immigration-related issues divide the Democrats, who struggled during the fall election to counter Trumps deportation plans and still have not formed a ready response. Republicans happily pointed out the disconnect as they marched their budget framework to passage. It was approved, 52-48, on a mostly party-line vote, a key step in the budget process. One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, opposed it, as did all Democrats. The package now must sync up with one from the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson is working up Trumps big, beautiful bill with some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and up to $2 trillion in spending cuts.Nearing daybreak, when Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., offered an amendment to prevent unvetted and unaccountable DOGE workers to access Americans private information in government databases, Republicans brought it down on a voice vote, with a thundering no.After the various prohibitions on billionaire tax breaks didnt pass, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts tried to block breaks for those earning $10 million. It was turned back. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona suggested the cap be set at $100 million. It failed. Sen. Angus King of Maine tried $500 million. Nope.GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana assessed the whole evening as comparable to professional wresting and chided Democrats for drifting off topic. He said the bill was about border security not the tax cuts, which would be addressed later. At the start of the evening, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former chairman of the Budget committee, spent some time discussing his own ideas, including his plan to expand Social Security benefits and extend Medicare health care coverage to provide seniors with access to dental, vision and hearing aid benefits.The Vermont senator said its unacceptable that millions of seniors cant afford eyeglasses, hearing aids or dentures. That should not be happening in the United States of America in the year 2025, Sanders said.Then he zeroed in on Trumps remarkable suggestion it was Ukraine that started the war, rather than Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of the country in 2022.Really? an incredulous Sanders asked, urging fellow senators to speak out. That is, as I hope every member of the Senate knows, an absolute lie.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute summit in Miami Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Pool via AP)2025-02-21T12:10:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge in Washington has allowed President Donald Trumps mass firings of federal workers to move forward.U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper decided Thursday he could not grant a motion from unions representing the workers to temporarily block the layoffs. He found that their complaint amounted to an employment dispute and must follow a different process outlined in federal employment law.Cooper acknowledged that the Republican presidents second term has been defined by an onslaught of executive actions that have caused, some say by design, disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society.But Cooper, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, wrote that judges are duty-bound to decide legal issues based on even-handed application of law and precedent no matter the identity of the litigants or, regrettably at times, the consequences of their rulings for average people. The ruling comes as thousands of federal government employees have been shown the door during in the first month of Trumps second administration.The administration argued in court the unions failed to show that they were facing the kind of irreparable, immediate harm that would justify an emergency order stopping layoffs. The unions, representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers, maintain that Trumps efforts to slash the federal workforce conflicts with Congress power to shape the size and direction of agencies through funding decisions, as well as laws detailing how such layoffs must be carried out. The president of the National Treasury Employees Union, Doreen Greenwald, said that Coopers decision was a temporary setback and that federal employees will get their day in court to challenge the unlawful mass firings and other attacks on their jobs, their agencies, and their service to the country.The lawsuit is among more than 80 challenging a range of actions Trump has undertaken with his blitz of executive orders. Unions also filed a separate suit challenging mass firings in California this week. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Singer Chantal Kreviazuk performs "O Canada" prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship hockey game, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)2025-02-21T02:22:53Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. The anthem singer who performed the Canadian anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game Thursday night changed a lyric in O Canada as a response to U.S. President Donald Trumps repeated remarks about making the country the 51st state.Publicist Adam Gonshor in an email to The Associated Press confirmed Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyric from in all of us command to that only us command and confirmed Trumps 51st state comments were the reason why. During Canadas 3-2 overtime victory, Kreviazuk told the AP she did it because I believe in democracy, and a sovereign nation should not have to be defending itself against tyranny and fascism.Im somebody who grew up on music that spoke to the heart and the moment, and it shaped me as a songwriter and really as a human being, she added. I dont think it would be authentic to me to be given a world stage and not express myself and be true to myself. Kreviazuk, who is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, also wrote the phrase that only us command with mascara on her left hand. She posted a picture of that on her Instagram with emojis of a Canadian flag and a flexed muscle. I just put it on there so if I ever had a moment and I kind of froze, I would be able to look at my hand and see it, Kreviazuk said. Id love to see people sort of get inspired and catch the fire and say their heart more in their art. ... Sometimes you just got to speak the truth in your art and its awesome. Thats what it should be about. The NHL declined comment on the situation.Fans in Boston lightly booed the song, though it was soon drowned out by Kreviazuks singing. The crowd in Montreal booed The Star-Spangled Banner prior to U.S. tournament games at Bell Centre last week, more vociferously before the team faced Canada.Tensions have risen between the neighbors and longtime allies over the past several weeks as Trump since being inaugurated has suggested multiple times that Canada become the 51st U.S. state, in relation to a trade dispute, and threatened a series of tariffs. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that will never happen. The subject of Canada becoming the 51st state was brought up Thursday during a news conference with David McGuinty, Canadas Public Safety Minister.Sounds like President Trump is worried about the outcome of the hockey game, McGuinty said. Canada is a sovereign and independent country. It has been for over 150 years and will remain so. This discussion of 51st state is a non-starter.Trump called the U.S. team prior to their morning skate Thursday to wish players luck in the game. Players told reporters in Boston it was an honor to hear from him, with defenseman Noah Hanifin saying, Hopefully we can get the win tonight for our country and for Trump.___Whyno reported from Washington. Freelancer Jim Morris contributed.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL STEPHEN WHYNO Whyno has covered the NHL, Washington Capitals, the NFLs Washington Commanders and horse racing for The Associated Press since 2016. twitter facebook RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Displaced tenant Heather McAlpine who lost her Altadena studio in the Eaton fire, stands inside her temporarily home in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)2025-02-21T05:01:54Z LOS ANGELES (AP) The one-bedroom cottage with a woodsy vibe reminded Heather McAlpine of the home she lost to the brutal Los Angeles-area wildfires. But only two hours after seeing the listing, the rental was snapped up. She is one of tens of thousands of people displaced by the fires who is now competing for housing in a region that is among the most expensive and competitive in the country, partly due to lack of supply.McAlpine, had lived in her Altadena house for four years and is now staying with her boyfriend. She isnt surprised by spiking rents.I know theyre expensive, and it sucks, she said.Tenants who were just getting by before the fires now face a daunting housing search after the January fires leveled entire neighborhoods. The LA fires destroyed more than 16,000 homes, businesses and other structures in upscale Pacific Palisades and working-class Altadena, where the U.S. Census reports 22% of homes were occupied by renters. Its hard to quantify exactly how the wildfires are affecting the rental market, but LA rents rose faster than prices nationwide in January compared to the previous month, according to housing platform Zillow. The added competition from residents displaced by the fires is likely to worsen housing affordability, increase overcrowding and contribute to homelessness, says Sarah Karlinsky, research director at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley. Already, more than half of all renter households or a little over 1 million households in LA County spend 30% or more of their income on rent. Shane Phillips, housing initiative project manager at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, expects prices to increase significantly for months, if not a few years. Theres only so many people moving at any given time, and suddenly adding another 20,000 households to that amount is just an extraordinary pressure, he said. Rental pageviews in LA County on the real estate platform Redfin are up 50% from a year ago, said Daryl Fairweather, the companys chief economist. She said people will feel the impact of shorter supply, more fierce competition for rentals.Egregious rents cropped up soon after the fires broke out, prompting an ad-hoc group of tenant organizers, web programmers and others to crowdsource examples. The Rent Brigade found more than 1,300 examples of illegal rent increases advertised between Jan. 7 and Jan. 18. Many have since been removed or relisted at lower prices.California Attorney General Rob Bonta has warned repeatedly of the states anti-gouging laws, which limits price increases to no more than 10% from whatever the price was before the emergency. His office has so far filed three misdemeanor criminal price-gouging charges.A 10% cap is still too high for Wendy Dlakic. She was paying about $3,000 a month for a now uninhabitable two-bedroom condo in Altadena, a community she loved. Shes searched rental websites, but for now is staying with friends, family and at Airbnbs. It was already expensive, said Dlakic, an educator who moved to Southern California two years ago. Its tough to be in LA on one income. Youre right on the edge, you know? The typical rent in the U.S. was $1,968 as of Jan. 31 up 0.2% from the previous month, according to Zillow. But in the LA metro area, the typical rent was up 0.8% to $2,954. Zillow calculates the typical rent figure by averaging the middle 30% of rents. Daniel Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, says fears of rent-gouging have been overblown by tenant advocates and hes angry that Bonta has filed criminal charges. Some mistakes were unknowingly made, he said. If these infractions were pointed out to these few owners, corrections would have surely been made immediately,McAlpine, the displaced tenant, realized the Eaton Fire was coming for her in-law unit while she was helping to evacuate neighbors as a Altadena Mountain Rescue Team volunteer. She scooped up her cat, ski gear and camera equipment and fled the 300-square-foot (28-square-meter) cottage. Shes grateful for donations through GoFundMe, which will help with essentials, but is worried about finding a standalone unit close to nature and within her monthly budget of $1,800 for rent and utilities. The cottage that McAlpine, a photographer, and her boyfriend wanted was listed for $2,750 a month. Even though they have a bigger budget together, the hunt has been dispiriting.Im quickly looking for the photos. Oh, does this look sketchy or not? Or, you know, is this the right price? she said. Its just very different from how I would normally look for a place to live. ____Har reported from San Francisco.

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talk during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)2025-02-21T15:17:20Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) President Donald Trumps envoy to Ukraine and Russia said on Friday that he had held extensive and positive discussions with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the three-year war with Russia and praised the Ukrainian leader as an embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war.Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg who traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday and whose planned news conference with Zelenskyy on Thursday was changed at the last minute to a simple photo opportunity struck a positive tone after what he said on the social platform X was a long and intense day of talks with Ukraines senior leadership.His comments marked a departure from recent rebukes of Zelenskyy by Trump and other senior U.S. officials that appeared to indicate an abrupt deterioration of relations. Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator without elections and warned him that hed better move fast to negotiate an end to the war or risk not having a nation to lead. The possibility that vital U.S. military aid for Ukraine was in doubt darkened the mood in Kyiv as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russias bigger army on the battlefield. European governments, uneasy about being sidelined so far in talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials, have jumped to shore up Zelenskyy and at the same time avoid a breakdown in transatlantic relations. Polish President Andrzej Duda, whose country has been a vocal supporter of neighboring Ukraine, said Zelenskyy phoned him on Friday. Duda said he told Zelenskyy to remain committed to the course of calm and constructive cooperation with Trump.We consistently believe there is no other way to stop the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace in Ukraine except with the support of the United States, Duda said he also told Zelenskyy.I trust that goodwill and honesty form the foundation of the U.S. negotiation strategy, Duda said on X. I have no doubt that President Trump is guided by a deep sense of responsibility for global stability and peace. The European Unions top defense official said Friday that the bloc plans to send a strong message of support to Ukraine next week with a new aid package to mark Mondays third anniversary of the war.EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said senior members of the blocs executive branch are weighing how, in a very urgent way, to send a very strong message to Ukrainians and to the world that we are standing together with Ukraine.European policy commissioners, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU officials are traveling to Kyiv on Monday.Russia has pressed on with its invasion even as talks with the U.S. take place, striking civilian targets almost daily.On Friday, Russian forces dropped three powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, killing one man and injuring two others, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.Another Russian glide bomb damaged homes and injured five people in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukraines Interior Ministry said. The public quarrel between Trump and Zelenskyy began after Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. With that, and a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump abruptly reversed the three-year U.S. policy of isolating Russia.Trumps national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said during a White House briefing on Thursday that the U.S. president is obviously very frustrated with Zelenskyy.Zelenskyy was unhappy that a U.S. team opened the talks without inviting him or European governments that have backed Kyiv.When Trump claimed without evidence Zelenskyy was deeply unpopular in Ukraine and falsely suggested that Ukraine was to blame for the war, Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made disinformation space, suggesting he had been duped by Putin.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Hadi Matar, charged with severely injuring author Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack, listens to his defense team in Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)2025-02-21T06:01:46Z MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) Lawyers delivered their closing arguments Friday in the trial of a New Jersey man charged with trying to kill Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in a knife attack that left the author blind in one eye and with other serious injuries.Hadi Matar, 27, is charged with attempted murder and assault in the August 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.District Attorney Jason Schmidt played a slow-motion video of the attack for the jury and pointed out the assailant emerging from the audience, walking up a staircase to the stage and breaking into a run toward Rushdie.I want you to look at the unprovoked nature of this attack, Schmidt said. I want you to look at the targeted nature of the attack. There were a lot of people around that day but there was only one person who was targeted. Assistant public defender Andrew Brautigan told the jury that prosecutors have not proved that Matar intended to kill Rushdie. You will agree something bad happened to Mr. Rushdie, but you dont know what Mr. Matars conscious objective was, Brautigan said. The testimony you have heard doesnt establish anything more than a chaotic noisy outburst that occurred that injured Mr. Rushdie. Schmidt said while its not possible to read Matars mind, its foreseeable that if youre going to stab someone 10 or 15 times about the face and neck, its going to result in a fatality. Rushdie, 77, was the key witness during testimony that began last week. The Booker Prize-winning author told jurors he thought he was dying when a masked stranger ran onto the stage and stabbed and slashed at him until being tackled by bystanders. Rushdie showed jurors his now-blinded right eye, usually hidden behind a darkened eyeglass lens.Jurors also heard from a trauma surgeon who said Rushdies injuries would have been fatal without quick treatment, and a law enforcement officer who said Matar was calm and cooperative in his custody. They were shown video of the assault and aftermath that was captured from multiple angles by Chautauqua Institution cameras. The recordings also picked up the gasps and screams from audience members who had been seated to hear Rushdie speak with City of Asylum Pittsburgh founder Henry Reese about keeping writers safe. Reese suffered a gash to his forehead.From the witness stand, institution staff and others present that day pointed to Matar as the assailant.Stabbed and slashed more than a dozen times in the head, throat, torso, thigh and hand, Rushdie spent 17 days at a Pennsylvania hospital and more than three weeks at a New York City rehabilitation center. He detailed his long and painful recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife. Throughout the trial, Matar often took notes with a pen and sometimes laughed or smiled with defense attorneys during breaks in testimony. His lawyers declined to call any witnesses of their own and Matar did not testify in his defense. Instead, the attorneys challenged prosecution witnesses as part of a strategy intended to cast doubt on whether Matar intended to kill, and not just injure, Rushdie. The distinction is important for an attempted murder conviction. Matar had with him knives, not a gun or bomb, his attorneys said. And Rushdies heart and lungs were uninjured, they noted in response to testimony that the injuries were life-threatening.Public Defender Nathaniel Barone said Matar likely would have faced a lesser charge of assault were it not for Rushdies celebrity. We think that it became an attempted murder because of the notoriety of the alleged victim in the case, Barone told reporters after testimony concluded Thursday. Thats been it from the very beginning. Its been nothing more, nothing less. And its for publicity purposes. Its for self-interest purposes.A separate federal indictment alleges that Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, was motivated to attack Rushdie by a 2006 speech in which the leader of the militant group Hezbollah endorsed a decades-old fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdies death. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa in 1989 after publication of the novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous.Rushdie spent years in hiding. But after Iran announced that it would not enforce the decree, he had traveled freely over the past quarter century. A trial on the federal terrorism-related charges will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo. CAROLYN THOMPSON Thompson is an Associated Press reporter based in Buffalo, New York. twitter mailto

Flores y un letrero afuera de las oficinas de la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID, por sus siglas en ingls), el viernes 7 de febrero de 2025, en Washington. (AP Foto/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-21T16:40:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) A pair of court orders have had only limited effect in slowing the Trump administrations dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and have left some USAID workers stationed worldwide in precarious situations, staffers assert. The Trump administration has stalled medical evacuations for as many as 25 USAID staffers and spouses in the later stages of high-risk pregnancies overseas, according to testimony in lawsuits and a person familiar with the cases. The person was not authorized to speak publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.USAID will undertake all measures as appropriate to ensure the safety and security of current employees, deputy administrator Pete Marocco said in a court filing Thursday asking a judge to let him move forward with a plan to pull all but a fraction of employees off the job worldwide. The administration says it is taking all required care of staffers as it terminates USAID programs and aims to recall thousands of workers and their families abroad. Multiple lawsuits from groups representing USAID workers and nonprofits and businesses are challenging President Donald Trumps freeze on foreign assistance, USAID job cuts and the sudden shutdown of the agency overall. Court orders have temporarily blocked the halt to funding and removal of thousands of workers from their posts, with a judge set to decide Friday whether to keep the staffing moves on hold. The administration has accused USAIDs programs of being wasteful and promoting a liberal agenda. Pregnant women fear over their care Meanwhile, American women and their spouses say they have been left in substandard medical care in posts in unstable countries, fearing for their lives.Everyone says I need to wait and see what happens with Trump administration decisions, a USAID staffer, whose pregnancy is complicated by high-blood pressure, said in a court filing from her posting in an undisclosed country in Africa. The womans affidavit and others from staffers were filed with courts anonymously because of repeated warnings from the Trump administration that USAID staffers risk dismissal if they speak publicly. I have a due date that does not allow me to just wait and see what happens, the USAID staffer wrote. If I cannot medevac as planned, I will be in a life-threatening situation.In another case, a pregnant spouse of a USAID worker was left hemorrhaging in a foreign hospital bed to await delivery, her husband said in another affidavit. The intervention of a U.S. senator, who was not identified in the the affidavit, secured the governments agreement to pay for a medical evacuation. But doctors say the approval came too late in her pregnancy for her to safely take a long series of flights back to the U.S., even with medical escort.The State Department did not respond to requests for comment on workers allegations that the government was stalling or refusing medical evacuations. Workers facing other uncertainty abroadU.S. District Judge Carl Nichols was due to decide whether to keep temporarily blocking a Trump administration order that would put thousands of USAID staffers on leave. Lifting that order also could allow the administration to start the clock on a 30-day deadline for USAID workers abroad to leave their posts.This is a mess, Nichols said in a hearing this week of the administrations handling of USAID staff cuts.Lawyers for employee groups presented Nichols with accounts saying that the Trump administration had left workers without direction or funding when political violence in Congo forced their evacuation. USAID officials paid for two meals and offered the evacuated Congo-based employees an opportunity to look at boxes of donated clothing once they arrived in Washington, said the staffers, who were not identified in court documents.Administration officials otherwise have left the evacuated staffers to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in uncompensated hotel bills, with no guidance on whether they should stay in Washington, go elsewhere or whether they still will have a job, the lawsuit charges. USAID workers still overseas describe their lives as in chaos and lacking guidance from the government, including USAID failing to pay electricity bills. Staffers told the courts in written testimony that they fear being left without time or the means to sell their homes or pay off angry landlords owed money. But they say they fear being targeted if they try to stay beyond the current 30-day deadline frozen by Nichols earlier order to return to the U.S. at government expense.Other staffers offered testimony about being cut off from U.S. government communications. Multiple contract employees have told the AP that panic button apps and other alert systems on their phones meant to notify the U.S. government in the event of a safety threat were cut off for at least some time. Lifesaving programs still offlineCurrent and former USAID officials say the funding freeze and staff reductions have kept even lifesaving programs worldwide offline despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio granting waivers.That includes programs such as a two-decade-old AIDS and HIV program called the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR credited with saving more than 20 million lives in Africa as well as a disease-outbreak response that normally would be trying to prevent further spread of recent Ebola cases in Uganda, according to two officials for those programs.Staffing cuts also have reduced some of the U.S. disaster-response teams for earthquakes and other global crises, said a former senior USAID official with direct knowledge of the situation. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.While Rubio and others say waivers are allowing programs including PEPFAR to continue and warned USAID staffers in a recent memo against saying otherwise agency staffers and federal judges have found that no funding is getting through to allow that to happen. USAIDs payment system was disabled earlier in the shutdown, and it remains nonfunctioning, according to USAID staffers and filings. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter

A teenage baseball player warms up at the start of a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)2025-02-21T11:00:08Z BAN, Dominican Republic (AP) There was little sleep in the days leading up to Jan. 15.Dozens of teenage baseball players across the Dominican Republic lay in bed, unable to close their eyes. They had batted, pitched and ran until sore, sacrificing time away from family since they were children with hopes of returning with a life-changing pay day. Hopes of becoming the next David Ortiz or Pedro Martnez big league stars with inconceivable financial security. Those journeys started as young as 10, players racing against time to lock in a contract before turning 16 before its too late.When you say youre 17, they dont even look at you, player-turned-trainer Carlos lvarez said. Now, for some, that future they fought for was at risk, all because of one promising pitcher half a world away. Japanese right-hander pitcher Roki Sasaki, 23, is helped with his #11 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey as he is introduced during a news conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Japanese right-hander pitcher Roki Sasaki, 23, is helped with his #11 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey as he is introduced during a news conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Pursued this offseason by presumably every major league team, Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki announced on Jan. 17 that he intended to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, two days after MLBs signing season for top international prospects opened the same period in which hundreds of Dominican players hoped to finalize handshake deals with MLB teams and finally cash the checks theyd sought for years. The 23-year-old Sasaki signed a minor league contract with a $6.5 million bonus - money that otherwise might have gone to those Dominican players. Instead, the Caribbean countrys baseball industry was once again forced to reckon with a system many say is broken as it struggles to find a solution.Its the dream of a young boy to play in the major leagues, said Junior Noboa, the Dominican Republics baseball commissioner. It also gives him the opportunity to not only change his life, but his familys life completely. A teenage baseball player grooms the field during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) A teenage baseball player grooms the field during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The demands are too muchOn a recent January afternoon, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred strode into the Dominican Republics sprawling National Palace to meet with President Luis Abinader behind closed doors.Upon emerging, Manfred told reporters that an international draft was the best solution to end early verbal deals with the families of young Dominican players.I draft you, you sign, you know you have an agreement, he said. Young baseball players work on their compact swing during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Young baseball players work on their compact swing during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Such a system is years away, at best. What remains, despite years of corruption and criticism, is a form of free agency in which scouts fan out across the Caribbean country in search of talented players as young as 10 years old who then live and train at academies in hopes of reaching a handshake deal on a multimillion-dollar contract with an MLB franchise before theyre 16. This years signing period was for players born between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008. The Dominican poverty rate is over 20%, and some families live on less than $2 per day. One big league signing bonus for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars can transform the life of a player, his family and others around him. Its an enormous amount of pressure, and it falls squarely on kids who would be middle schoolers in the U.S.The concerns are many. Fear that loan sharks might target huge shares of players future earnings. Verbal commitments with teams that fall apart. And most recently, mounting examples of players being pressured to falsify their age by as many as seven or eight years to increase their value. That includes news last November of a prominent player under the assumed name Cesar Altagracia who was punished by MLB for pretending to be 14 to land a deal with the San Diego Padres. He was actually 19. I believe that the demands are too much, and thats why were seeing some cases of falsifying ages, Noboa said, noting that baseball scouts insist on seeing young teens play like adults. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Every year in the Dominican Republic, theres at least 40,000 players who are 16 and able to sign under MLB rules, but only some 550 to 600 are given deals, said Eddy Lorenzo, a local scout.The push to get noticed weighs heavily in a country with limited options, where an estimated 95% of players training at academies are impoverished and a majority quit school to pursue their big-league dreams.The earlier you develop a kid, the earlier he can enter the market. And the earlier he gets into the market, the more money you can get, Lorenzo said. This is a Third World country and a business. Everyone tries to get the most money for a player. Its the reality. A teenage baseball player chooses a bat during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) A teenage baseball player chooses a bat during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More They dont even look at youPhones across the Dominican Republic recently pinged with a message detailing the names of local players that MLB suspected of lying about their age.Trainers took note, but not all those seeking a multimillion-dollar contract get caught that early in the game. lvarez, formerly known as Esmailyn Smiley Gonzlez, played for three years with the Washington Nationals before he was caught. At 15 years old, he assumed his cousins name and took four years off his real age after pressure from his coach and despite initial resistance from him and opposition from his mother and uncle.I really tried to make a go at it with my real age, but there was no chance, lvarez said.He signed with the Nationals in 2006 for $1.4 million and tried to focus on the sport he loved despite persistent fear would lose everything. Carlos Alvarez, formerly known as Esmailyn Smiley Gonzlez, who lied about his age to play for the Washington Nationals in 2006, speaks during an interview in Pizarrete, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Adames) Carlos Alvarez, formerly known as Esmailyn Smiley Gonzlez, who lied about his age to play for the Washington Nationals in 2006, speaks during an interview in Pizarrete, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Adames) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The day the team introduced its new players, lvarezs heart dropped when he looked up and saw his face plastered on the big screen. He assumed the Nationals were just minutes away from finding out he lied. lvarez was headed to his physical, and since he had never had one, he thought it involved X-rays that would somehow reveal his real age.Now a trainer based in the western city of Ban, where the wind rustles mango and palm trees, lvarez says the pressure on young players can be unbearable.They feel like theyre the only ones who can help their family, lvarez said. Teenage baseball players practice during their daily training at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Teenage baseball players practice during their daily training at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Willing to do anythingJuan Emilio Pimentel, who played as a catcher for the Dodgers in the Dominican complex league, recalled growing up with two pairs of shoes: one to play ball and the other for the weekends.Around 15 years old, at the urging of his coach, he assumed the name of his neighbor and close friend: Amaury Arias. He was so committed, he even memorized the name of his friends great-grandmother.People who are poor are willing to do anything, he said.Pimentel played with the Dodgers Dominican minor league team for three years then left for reasons that when asked, he demurred, saying, They never found out about me. A young baseball player works to refine his swing during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) A young baseball player works to refine his swing during a daily training session at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Too old to signAt 14 years old, Carlos de la Rosa is familiar with the pressure to secure an MLB contract.He started playing baseball at age 9 with a plastic bottle every day until his mother said, Lets better take you to a baseball field. He hasnt left it since, playing shortstop in hopes he can follow in the footsteps of his brother, who signed two years ago with the Kansas City Royals.Its different here compared with over there (in the U.S.), because here, at my age already, I have to be at 100%, he said with a soft smile as sweat rolled down his forehead.Its possible to sign at a later age, but bonuses are smaller and theres sometimes scrutiny there, too. Johan Quezada, a former MLB pitcher who now plays in Mexico, signed at 18. He recalls MLB confirming where he studied, where he was baptized and even taking his DNA to match it to his parents since hes 6-foot-9 and his father is only 6-1. A coach helps a young baseball player lift dumbbells during a weight training exercise at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) A coach helps a young baseball player lift dumbbells during a weight training exercise at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More No easy solutions in sightNoboa said he is working with the government to cut down on persistent age fraud. They have started registering academies to keep track of them, but they only have 300 out of thousands that operate across the country, with hundreds more added each year by players who didnt sign and became coaches. Noboa also has contacted government agencies to keep an eye on official documents being issued or altered, since he believes public employees are illegally profiting from the fraud.Theyre not doing it for free, you know, Noboa said. But other changes are out of his hands, and out of the hands of trainers, players, scouts and the Dominican Republic in general.Most notably, an international draft. Noboa believes a draft could fix many of the systems problems by eliminating incentive for MLB teams to strike handshake deals with players as young as possible. Teenage baseball players pull on resistance bands during their daily training at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Teenage baseball players pull on resistance bands during their daily training at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More For starters, support in the DR isnt uniform. Some coaches still see value for players in a market where they are technically free agents, although their ability to cash in has dropped sharply. Until 2017, there was no cap on how much a team could spend on a Latin American player. Then MLB negotiated a cap as part of its collective bargaining agreement with major league players, and total spending dropped 25% the next year, to $153 million. Management tried to get a draft agreement for the second time in 2022 and proposed a minimum spend of $191 million for 2024 but the union rejected an international draft acceptance would have led to the end of draft pick compensation for qualified free agents. Spending on international amateurs in 2024 totaled $181 million.The current labor contract expires in December 2026, making change unlikely until 2028 at the earliest. If and when conversations on the international draft resume, itll be MLB and active major league players at the table not Noboa, Dominican coaches or the teenagers fighting for those life-changing deals.They say, Dont change what works, Lorenzo said. Theres a lot of hypocrisy from everyone, from the teams to the trainersThey say theyre against this. Theyre the first ones to pick up a 10-year-old kid and start training him. A teenage baseball player, wearing an MCB Sport Event jersey, arrives for practice at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) A teenage baseball player, wearing an MCB Sport Event jersey, arrives for practice at the Trinitarios ballpark in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss the new Murderbot show, ChatGPT for journalism, and birdwatching from afar.EMANUEL: Yesterday Apple released the first two images from its upcoming sci-fi show, Murderbot, and announced that it will debut on May 16 this year. I, like many fans of the The Murderbot Diaries books the series is based on, am very excited about the show, but also already disappointed with one major deviation from the source material thats obvious just from these two still images. The gist is in the show Murderbot is played by Alexander Skarsgrd, who in the images looks like a guy, while in the books Murderbot is neither a he or a she, but an it, and while its not at all the focus of the story, the fact that the main character is androgynous make it much more interesting.To back up, The Murderbot Diaries are set in the far, far future and follow a SecUnit, a super advanced, super lethal cyborg who does private security for scientists and corporations exploring deep space and dangerous planets. Eventually the SecUnit, who we come to know as Murderbot hacks the governing module that keeps it enslaved and has to choose what to do with its independence as it goes off on a series of pulpy space adventures.

Jerry Butler performs "Only the Strong Will Survive" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York on March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)2025-02-21T17:37:36Z NEW YORK (AP) Jerry Butler, a premier soul singer of the 1960s and after whose rich, intimate baritone graced such hits as For Your Precious Love, Only the Strong Survive and Make It Easy On Yourself, has died at age 85.Butlers niece, Yolanda Goff, told the Chicago Sun-Times that Butler died Thursday at his home in Chicago. Butler was a former Cook County board commissioner who would still perform on weekends and identify himself as Jerry Iceman Butler, a show business nickname given for his understated style.A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a three-time Grammy Award nominee, Butler was a voice for two major soul music hubs: Chicago and Philadelphia. Along with childhood friend Curtis Mayfield, he helped found the Chicago-based Impressions and sang lead on the breakthrough hit For Your Precious Love, a deeply emotional, gospel-influenced ballad that made Butler a star before the age of 20. A decade later, in the late 60s, he joined the Philadelphia-based production team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who worked with him on Only the Strong Survive, Hey Western Union Man and other hits. His albums Ice on Ice and The Iceman Cometh are regarded as early models for the danceable, string-powered productions that became the classic Sound of Philadelphia. Butler was an inspired songwriter who collaborated with Otis Redding on Ive Been Loving You Too Long, a signature ballad for Redding; and with Gamble and Huff on Only the Strong Survive, later covered by Elvis Presley among others. His credits also included For Your Precious Love, Never Give You Up (with Gamble and Huff) and He Will Break Your Heart, which Butler helped write after he began thinking about the boyfriends of the groupies he met on the road. You go into a town; youre only going to be there for one night; you want some company; you find a girl; you blow her mind, Butler told Rolling Stone in 1969. Now you know that girl hasnt been sitting in town waiting for you to come in. She probably has another fellow and the other fellows probably in love with her; theyre probably planning to go through the whole thing, right? But you never take that into consideration on that particular night. Butler was the son of Mississippi sharecroppers who moved north to Chicago when Butler was 3, part of the eras Great Migration of Black people out of the South. He loved all kinds of music as a child and was a good enough singer that a friend suggested he come to a local place of worship, the Traveling Souls Spiritualist Church, presided over by the Rev. A.B. Mayfield. Her grandson, Curtis Mayfield, soon became a close friend. (Mayfield died in 1999). In 1958, Mayfield and Butler along with Sam Gooden and brothers Arthur and Richard Brooks recorded For Your Precious Love for Vee-Jay Records. The group called itself the Impressions, but Vee-Jay, anxious to promote an individual star, advertised the song as by Jerry Butler and the Impressions, leading to estrangement between Butler and the other performers and to an unexpected solo career. Fame didnt change me as much as it changed the people around me, Butler wrote in his memoir Only the Strong Survive, published in 2000.One of his early solo performances was a 1961 cover of Moon River, the theme to Breakfast at Tiffanys. Butler was the first performer to hit the charts with what became a pop standard, but Moon River would be associated with Andy Williams after the singer was chosen to perform it at the Academy Awards, a snub Butler long resented. His other solo hits, some recorded with Mayfield, included He Will Break Your Heart, Find Another Girl and Im A-Telling You. By 1967, his formal style seemed out of fashion, but Butler was impressed by the new music coming out of Philadelphia and received permission from his record label (Mercury) to work with Gamble and Huff. The chemistry, Butler recalled, was so fierce they wrote hits such as Only the Strong Survive in less than an hour. Things just seem to fall into place, Butler told Ebony magazine in 1969. We lock ourselves in a room, create stories about lovers, compose the music, then write the lyrics to match the music.By the 1980s, Butlers career had faded and he was becoming increasingly interested in politics. Encouraged by the 1983 election of Harold Washington, Chicagos first Black mayor, he ran successfully for the Cook County Board in 1985 and was re-elected repeatedly, even after supporting a controversial sales tax increase in 2009. He retired from the board in 2018.Butler was married for 60 years to Annette Smith, who died in 2019, and with her had twin sons. Many of his generational peers had struggled financially and he worked to help them. He chaired the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which provides a wide range of assistance to musicians, and pushed the industry to provide medical and retirement benefits. Butler considered himself relatively lucky, even if he did pass on the chance to own a part of Gamble and Huffs Philadelphia International recording company.You know, I have lived well. My wife probably would say I couldve lived better, Butler told the Chicago Reader in 2011. Did I make 40, 50 million dollars? No. Did I keep one or two? Yes. The old guys on the street used to say, Its not how much you make. Its how much you keep. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A "For Sale" sign is displayed in front of a home in Morton Grove, Ill., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)2025-02-21T15:01:49Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in January as rising mortgage rates and prices put off many would-be homebuyers despite a wider selection of properties on the market.Sales fell 4.9% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.08 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Friday.Sales rose 2% compared with January last year, marking the fourth straight annual increase. The latest home sales, however, fell short of the 4.11 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 19th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 4.8% in January from a year earlier to $396,900.Mortgage rates have refused to budge for several months despite multiple rounds of short-term interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, said Lawrence Yun, NARs chief economist. When combined with elevated home prices, housing affordability remains a major challenge. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage briefly fell to a 2-year low last September, but has been mostly hovering around 7% this year, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. Thats more than double the 2.65% record low the average rate hit a little over four years ago. While mortgage rates have been easing in recent weeks, the decline hasnt been enough to change the affordability equation for many prospective home shoppers.Home loan applications fell 5.5% last week from the previous week to the lowest level since the start of the year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to price home loans. Fears that inflation may remain stubbornly high amid a solid U.S. economy and the potential impact of tariffs and other policies proposed by the Trump administration have driven the 10-year Treasury yield higher since the election, though it has eased in recent weeks. Rising home prices and elevated mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have kept many prospective home shoppers on the sidelines, especially first-time buyers who dont have equity from an existing home to put toward a new home purchase. They accounted for 28% of all homes sold last month, matching the share in January 2024, but down from 31% in December. The annual share of first-time buyers fell last year to a record-low 24%. Its been 40% historically.If mortgage rates dont ease from current levels, first-time buyers will continue to struggle, because housing affordability is not there, Yun said.Forecasts from several economists mostly call for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6% this year, with some economists including an upper range as high as 6.8%. Home shoppers who could afford to buy at current mortgage rates or pay all-cash to sidestep financing altogether had more homes to choose from last month.There were 1.18 million unsold homes at the end of last month, up 3.5% from December and up 16.8% from January last year, NAR said.That translates to a 3.5-month supply at the current sales pace, up from a 3.2-month pace in December and a 3-month pace at the end of January last year. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.One reason the inventory of homes for sale has been rising is properties are taking longer to sell.Homes typically remained on the market for 41 days in January before selling the longest since before the pandemic. In December, homes were typically on the market 35 days before they sold.Despite the improved inventory, sellers still generally have the edge over buyers.Some 15% of homes purchased last month sold for above their list price. And, on average, homes received 2.6 offers last month, Yun said.Yun expects there could be 1.5 million homes on the market when the spring homebuying season gets going, but noted the U.S. needs there to be closer to 2 million properties for sale.We are still supply constrained, but the worst of the supply constraint is over, he said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is wasting workers time and taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt to find any content deemed bad, according to a source familiar with the work and internal communications viewed by 404 Media. Specifically, people who work on HHS websites are spending days scanning those sites and any documents they share in search of a list terms like gay, sexuality, non-binary, inclusion, queer, and gender, potentially so they could be later removed to comply with Trumps executive orders attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government.The most obvious issue to me about this list is that its being done in the name of efficiency and saving money. It is not efficient to take engineers off their work to scan old content for any keywords this new administration hates. The bigotry is astounding, the source who is familiar with the work and who asked to be anonymous because they were not permitted to speak to the press, told me. If they were being true to the concept, sure, they could say that moving forward, we will no longer support creation of new data about these topics. But to go backward decades, scrubbing for stuff they hate, thats not a savings of time and money, thats a huge expenditure. It's hypocritical on top of it all.Do you know anything else about DOGE and how Trump's executive orders are impacting HHS or other agencies? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at emanuel.404. Otherwise, send me an email at emanuel@404media.co.The source said that part of what makes the work so time consuming is that the current HHS administration doesnt just want to know about every page on its sites that include these terms, but also pages that link out to .PDF files that include those terms. For example, last week we reported that the Trump administration added a note rejecting gender ideology on a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations website page that shared a .PDF of a study about substance abuse among gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other nonheterosexual adolescents. According to the source, HHS administrators want that page added to a spreadsheet of pages and documents that include the terms it's looking for because of the content of the study.Since HHS websites share thousands of .PDFs, the source said, very expensive engineers spent multiple days scanning the files for the list of terms instead of doing their regular tasks.Other terms on the list include they/them pronouns, pregnant people, Biden, and intersex, according to a copy of the list seen by 404 Media.The fact that the government is wasting resources finding every instance of a term it finds objectionable directly contradicts Trumps and Musks stated goal of government efficiency. Finding these terms in thousands of studies and papers and potentially removing them is not saving any taxpayer dollars, but just purging government sites with a perspective it disagrees with. Other agencies have also scrambled to find similar terms. Axios reported that DOGE representatives at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are searching for DEI content and Stat News has reported that a number of federal health agencies are searching grants for taboo words like trans and diversity.The spitefulness is such a waste of time and money. It's infuriating, the source said. Sure, they might argue not to do anything inclusive or helpful in the future, but to burn so much time and money trying to scrub out any content he [Trump] hates from past decades is ... I'm kinda at a loss for words.At the moment, it appears that HHS is not removing pages that contain the terms its looking for because a federal judge ordered it and other agencies to restore several webpages they removed as a result of Trumps executive order. The court ordered the administration to restore the webpages to their versions as of January 30, 2025, meaning they were supposed to revert the webpages to what they looked like on January 30 with no changes. The versions that have been restored now have this additional disclaimer about gender ideology we reported on last week.

2025-02-21T18:19:58Z NEW YORK (AP) A federal judge on Friday adjourned the corruption trial for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and appointed counsel to advise him on how to handle the Justice Departments controversial request to drop charges against the Democrat.The ruling by Judge Dale E. Ho will delay by at least a couple weeks when he will decide whether to grant the request to dismiss the case against the embattled mayor of the countrys largest city.At a hearing Wednesday, Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove cited an executive order by President Donald Trump outlining his criminal justice priorities as he defended the request to drop charges.Adams confirmed at the hearing that he accepted that charges could later be reinstated, a feature of the request to dismiss charges that has led critics to suggest that the mayor would be required to carry out Trumps plans to round up New Yorkers who are in the country illegally if he wanted to remain free from prosecution. The request is virtually unreviewable in this courtroom, Bove argued at the hearing.Adams was indicted in September and accused of accepting more than $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and travel perks from a Turkish official and business leaders seeking to buy influence while he was Brooklyn borough president. He faces multiple challengers in Junes Democratic primary. To assist him in deciding whether to dismiss the charges as Bove requested, the judge said in his order Friday that he has appointed Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general and acting U.S. attorney general, as amicus curiae to present arguments on the governments request to throw out the charges. Ho said he wanted all parties and Clement to address the legal standard for dismissing charges, whether a court may consider materials beyond the motion itself and under what circumstances additional procedural steps and further inquiry would be necessary. He also said he wants to know under what circumstances, dismissal can occur without the ability to reinstate charges or with the ability to reinstate charges.He said briefs should be filed by March 7 and, if necessary, oral arguments can occur on March 14.Adams will not be required to attend future hearings, he said.Boves initial request last week to then-interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon to drop charges against Adams was rejected and she resigned.Another prosecutor, Hagan Scotten, told Bove in a resignation letter that it would take a fool or a coward to meet Boves demand, but it was never going to be me.In all, seven prosecutors, including five high-ranking prosecutors at the Justice Department in Washington, had resigned last week before Bove made the request himself, along with two other prosecutors from Washington, to drop the case.On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wont immediately use her authority to remove Adams from office over concerns that such a move could result in disruption and chaos and would ultimately be undemocratic.

In this image provided by Beth Hill, Warren Hill poses for a photo at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska July 15, 2018. (Beth Hill via AP)2025-02-21T17:00:44Z ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Warren Hill spent more than two decades working at the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, which spans 4 million acres of coastline, forests, lakes and glaciers in Alaska.Last summer, he was promoted to serve as maintenance supervisor, in addition to his roles as carpenter and mechanic. But because Hill was starting a new role, he was on probationary status when President Donald Trump s administration began firing thousands and thousands of federal workers who had less civil service protection.Im furious, he said. I am just a few years away from retirement, not to mention all my benefits disappeared in a flash.Probationary employees are generally younger, with less than a year or two on the job. However, the classification can also apply to workers with much more experience who were placed on probation when they transferred between agencies or moved into a different position. Now many have been swept up in layoffs championed by Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who is advising Trump. A lot of them, including Hill, were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were often terminated in cursory letters that described their services as no longer needed or accused them of poor performance even in cases where they had received positive reviews for their work. They have no idea how many lives they are destroying and the negative economic impact they are having in our community and all the others like ours, Hill said. The total number and experience level of probationary employees who have been fired isnt clear. The layoffs have taken place across many agencies, including Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Education, Energy, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Park Service. Roughly 2,000 employees were cut from the U.S. Forest Service, and another 7,000 people are expected to be let go at the Internal Revenue Service. Unions for federal workers filed a lawsuit Thursday to stop and reverse the layoffs, accusing the administration of the indiscriminate firing of thousands of patriotic public servants across the country.The Trump administration has defended its handling of probationary employees, which is part of a sweeping effort to downsize the federal government.The probationary period is a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment, said McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management.Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, brushed off concerns about employees being falsely accused of lackluster work.Ive never seen a person who was laid off for poor performance say that they were performing poorly, he told reporters on Thursday.Trumps allies have long considered civil service protections to be an impediment to achieving his agenda, and theres been talk about reclassifying employees to make them easier to fire. For now, administration officials have tried to push out as many as possible, either by giving them financial incentives to quit or laying off those on probationary status. Probationary periods are an essential tool for agencies to assess employee performance and manage staffing levels, read a memo distributed on Inauguration Day. Employees on probationary periods can be terminated during that period without triggering appeal rights to the Merit Systems Protection Board.Federal agencies were given four days to draw up lists of all probationary employees. Some of them were working as civilians after long careers in the military.Terri Wollenberg said she spent more than three decades in the U.S. Army and Navy before retiring and going to work at the Cedar Rapids Veterans Center in Iowa, where she remained in probationary status. She met clients at the door, confirmed schedules and assisted the centers counselors. But last Friday, Wollenberg said her director let me know that I was done.I didnt even know I was on a list that could possibly be considered, but it appears that any one of us could be on that list, she said. Theres no one left to do her job, Wollenberg said during a press conference organized by Iowa Democrats. Were not here to get rich, she said. Were here to work for the citizens of the United States. Kayleigh McCarthy was among the probationary U.S. Forest Service employees fired last week, allegedly for performance issues.She had been hired as a seasonal employee at the Anan Wildlife Observatory in Alaska, but she was upgraded to a permanent position within the last year. She monitored and recorded black and brown bear behavior in the Tongass National Forest, and sometimes she would stop tourists on hiking trails to give the animals the right of way. A lot of times, mama bears especially black bears are walking across with their cubs, McCarthy said. McCarthy had spent her summers living on a float house and became entrenched in the community, where she met her boyfriend. Her situation began to unravel on Sunday, when her supervisor reached out.She had to call me and told me that I had been terminated and that it was supposedly because of performance, even though she told me that my performance had always been exemplary, McCarthy said.It says on the termination letter that its because of performance, when in fact I only have exemplary performance, and so it doesnt seem that theres just cause for these firings, she said.McCarthy plans to appeal her firing. But once she finishes her graduate degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, shell likely need to leave the state to find a new job. I am angry, and I am upset and I am heartbroken, she said. -Writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska. Megerian reported from Washington. MARK THIESSEN Thiessen is an Associated Press all-formats reporter based in Anchorage, Alaska. He covers Alaska Native issues and other general assignments. twitter mailto 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

Steve Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-21T19:38:44Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Six weeks after devastating wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the citys fire chief amid a public rift over preparations for the fires and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall.Bass says in a statement she is removing Chief Kristin Crowley immediatelyBass says 1,000 firefighters could have been on duty the morning the fires broke out but were instead sent home on Chief Crowleys watch.

President Donald Trump throws pens used to sign executive orders to the crowd during an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)2025-02-21T20:29:39Z AP AUDIO: Details about Trumps executive orders around DEI are causing confusion On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, AP correspondent Haya Panjwani speaks with deputy global business editor Pia Sarkar and reporter Alexandra Olson. WASHINGTON (AP) HAYA PANJWANI, host: In front of a large crowd in Washington, Donald Trump, shortly after being sworn into office for his second presidential term, signed a slew of executive orders. Those orders were what he calls Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity and Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.That executive order prompted companies around the United States to roll back their own diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. But the details of Trumps order and what its actually implementing are still murky.Im Haya Panjwani. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, we speak with deputy global business editor Pia Sarkar and reporter Alexandra Olson.Firstly, Alexandra, what is DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion?ALEXANDRA OLSON, reporter: Its not a specific policy. It is an idea that you want to make your workplace or your school or any number of institutions inclusive and diverse and welcoming to a diverse population. I think companies over time have evolved to become more deliberate in these efforts. Some of the first waves of what people think of as modern-day DEI initiatives started in the wake of the civil rights movement. Part of the Civil Rights Act is ensuring that your workplace is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. Some of the policies that companies had to institute involved compliance with those laws. And over time, you saw some prominent companies also institute an employment resource group for black employees or LGBTQ employees. Some of these companies started these groups in the 80s, even. PANJWANI: The Trump administrations executive order moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually laid off. Some businesses reacted. OLSON: Businesses have been rolling back their DEI initiatives or at least evaluating their DEI practices for many months now in response to conservative-led lawsuits that target some of these policies that they claim are discriminatory. But this review has taken on more urgency in response to the election of President Trump, and even more recently, his executive orders aimed at ending DEI-related policies both in the federal and private sectors. PIA SARKAR, editor: And businesses are also rolling back DEI initiatives. PANJWANI: Thats Pia Sarkar, deputy global business editor. You saw a lot more of them starting to join the movement of sorts. First, it started off with a handful of companies like Tractor Supply and John Deere. They were kind of smaller companies, but still name brands. But then suddenly you started to see much bigger companies also jumping in, including Walmart and McDonalds. And those are much bigger employers. And their rollback of some of these policies are much more impactful and may influence even bar companies to do the same.OLSON: Trumps executive orders were both very aggressive and at the same time not specific about what constitutes what the government is calling illegal or discriminatory. The orders did lay out the intention to harness the enforcement power of the federal government of the day against these policies. And thats what has gotten a lot of peoples attention. For example, the executive order threatens to impose financial sanctions on federal contractors deemed to have illegal DEI programs under new contracts. Federal contractors have to have a clause stating that they do not engage in discriminatory DEI programs. If they are found to be in violation of that, they could be subject to massive damages under the 1863 False Claims Act. PANJWANI: Whats being rolled back at companies varies.OLSON: Very few companies have gotten rid of everything that falls under their DEI buckets. What theyre trying to do is figure out which DEI practices or programs or policies could eventually be deemed illegal by a court responding to a lawsuit or by the federal government under these new Trump executive orders. One practice that has been prominently challenged is tying executive compensation to promoting diversity. What the argument is from the conservative side is that this kind of practice can pressure hiring managers to make decisions on who to hire and who to promote and who even to let go based on race. So its important to note that it is illegal under Title VII of the civil rights law to take race into account in hiring or promotion decisions. And prominent companies that have long promoted their DEI efforts say they do not do that.SARKAR: And some of the other DEI practices that are worth noting are a little bit more open-ended. If a company was sponsoring a pride event, for instance, some have pulled back on how much sponsorship theyre going to give. Some of those events, I think, Walmart, for instance, said that it was not going to renew its equity racial center that it set up in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd. And that was a five-year commitment, and it is not renewing it. PANJWANI: Consumers are reacting differently than they have in the past.SARKAR: So some are reacting to the rollback of the initiative initiatives a little bit more, at least from what I could see, in a more muted way than some of the protests that you saw, like, after George Floyd there was a huge demand for these kind of programs in 2020 and afterwards, in terms of people boycotting these companies because theyre rolling back the initiatives, you dont see as much of that. There was a boycott that had been planned against, I believe, Target. There was a lot of pressure on social media, specifically from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, going after companies that were promoting DEI. And so that had raised a lot of social media backlash and calls for boycotts. Those boycotts never seem to have taken place, but the companies reacted to the threat of a boycott, in some cases by rolling back their DEI initiatives. And those rollbacks of the DEI initiatives havent really led to more boycotts.It seems like because so many companies have gone in this direction, it almost is starting to feel like its becoming more the norm than the exception. Youre only hearing about the companies that are rolling back their DEI policies, right? Were not hearing from companies who are keeping them in place except for Apple and Costco and Microsoft. But there could be a lot more that just arent saying anything at all.PANJWANI: Now what exactly is the confusion?OLSON: The confusion is what is illegal. What is illegal discrimination or preference? The trouble is that DEI can constitute such a wide range, a wide range of programs, that nobody is quite sure whether their policies and practices and programs that theyve had in place in some cases for many years, in some cases maybe even decades. Whether these are in fact illegal or not. Theres been a few hints of, of backlash or of people protesting that some of this anti-gay effort has gone too far.So we saw that, for example, when some government institutions or museums decided to stop celebrating Black History Month or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Theres some indication that the government is trying to clarify that that is not what theyre after. That speaks to the confusion, because these executive orders are so wide-ranging that nobody knows exactly what they are trying to target and what they are not. But it also speaks to a certain sensitivity that the anti-drag campaign might also go too far.I think theres also a danger for these companies. They want to make sure that they dont go so far as to dismantle policies that are geared towards ensuring that they comply with anti-discrimination laws.SARKAR: And I think there is also some caution around letting this issue go up to the Supreme Court, considering that its a conservative Supreme Court right now in terms of whether or not there will be the pendulum swing back.It is worth noting that a lot of these companies that are rolling back their DEI programs are also making it a point to say, we still care about these issues. Were not pulling back completely. So it kind of feels like they want to keep one foot in the door still. And I dont know if thats because the pendulum might swing back. So kind of playing it both ways might be the best way to approach it right now, just in case it does go the other way.But right now, it doesnt look like thats going to happen in the foreseeable future.PANJWANI: This has been The Story Behind the AP Story. For more information on APs DEI coverage, visit APNews.com.

Voletta Wallace poses for a portrait on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)2025-02-21T18:12:59Z NEW YORK (AP) Voletta Wallace, the dedicated mother of the late great rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and protector of his legacy, died Friday morning. She was 78.Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac confirmed her death Friday to The Associated Press, saying she died at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, after a stint on hospice care. She died of natural causes.A representative for the estate of The Notorious B.I.G. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Notorious B.I.G., one of the raps greatest performers, was shot to death at age 24 in Los Angeles in 1997. The case remains unsolved. He was survived by his wife, the musician and actress Faith Evans, and his two children, Christopher Jordan Wallace and Tyanna Dream Wallace.Wallace was a dedicated keeper of the legacy of her son, born Christopher Wallace. When he first emerged on the scene as one of raps most distinctive talents with songs that expertly detailed street life in Brooklyn, she labeled his music noise. Since his death, his gift took on a new meaning for her. She told AP in 2017, 20 years after his death, I remembered my son said, Dont listen to my music. And I never listened to his music. I heard it on the radio and it sounded good, because it was clean. But I said, You know what, I have to. I have to listen to that music. And thats what I did.I cried so much that day just listening to the music. I remember I sat, I stood. I rested my head on the stereo and I just cried like a baby. And that was therapy for me. And I said, Oh my God that was a talented young man to put those words together. He had a beautiful voice. I love his voice, she continued. Wallace launched the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation following her sons death, an organization that provides educational resources for children. In 2003, she honored mothers of other musicians who died untimely deaths Aaliyah, Lisa Left Eye Lopes, Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L and Freaky Tah at B.I.G. Night Out, a benefit for the foundation. It is our way of saying, Keep your head up, Wallace told AP at the time. Its the foundations way just to let these parents know that we love them.She also took legal action on behalf of her son. In 2004, she dropped a wrongful-death lawsuit against a former suspect in the rap stars slaying Amir Muhammad, aka Harry Billups. The 2002 lawsuit also named the city of Los Angeles and Muhammads former college roommate, David A. Mack, a Los Angeles policeman. It accused Mack of hiring Muhammad to shoot the hip-hop artist and police of failing to investigate properly after a fellow officer came under suspicion.In 2021, Wallace worked as an executive producer on the Netflix documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, and told AP about her role in the public eye. They never knew me. The public never knew me. I was thrust into this environment, I should say, after he passed away, because Im a very private person. Extremely private, she said. What he was doing out there, maybe I should have known. But honestly, I didnt. And to this day, there are people who are saying, Oh, she knew. (whispers) But I never knew. Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut album for Bad Boy Records, Ready to Die, has sold over six million units as of 2018, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and included the hits Big Poppa and Juicy. His sophomore album, Life After Death, released two weeks after his death, sold more than 11 million units. It launched multiple hits, including the timeless No. 1 hits Mo Money Mo Problems and Hypnotize. In 1997, Wallace accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best rap video for Hypnotize on behalf of her son. ___Associated Press journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report. MARIA SHERMAN Maria Sherman is the music reporter at The Associated Press. She is based in New York City. twitter instagram mailto

President Donald Trump speaks at the Governors Working Session in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (Pool via AP)2025-02-21T21:22:22Z The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists.The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government, the AP said in its lawsuit, which names White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.This targeted attack on the APs editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment, the news agency said. This court should remedy it immediately. In stopping the AP from attending press events at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, or flying on Air Force One in the agencys customary spot, the Trump team directly cited the APs decision not to fully follow the presidents renaming.Were going to keep them out until such time as they agree that its the Gulf of America, Trump said Tuesday. This week, about 40 news organizations signed onto a letter organized by the White House Correspondents Association, urging the White House to reverse its policy against the AP. READ the full lawsuit. 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

Steve Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-21T19:15:28Z OXON HILL, Md. (AP) Steve Bannon was accused of making a Nazi salute as he concluded a speech at a conservative gathering where President Donald Trump is slated to speak this weekend, but Bannon said Friday the gesture was merely a wave.Bannon, who once served as Trumps chief strategist and helped lead his 2016 Republican campaign, was onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Washington on Thursday evening when he extended his right arm in the air, his palm flat, after imploring the crowd to Fight! Fight! Fight! a reference to what Trump shouted after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, during last years campaign.The gesture drew immediate backlash due to its similarities with the right-arm salute linked in history to the Nazis and their allies.Steve Bannons long and disturbing history of stoking antisemitism and hate, threatening violence, and empowering extremists is well known and well documented by ADL and others, the Anti-Defamation League, an antisemitism and human rights watchdog, wrote on X in response. We are not surprised, but are concerned about the normalization of this behavior. Meanwhile, French far-right National Rally president Jordan Bardella said he had cancelled his scheduled speech at CPAC on Friday in reaction to what he described as a gesture referring to Nazi ideology. While I was not present in the room, one of the speakers allowed himself, out of provocation, a gesture referring to Nazi ideology. As a consequence, I made the immediate decision to cancel my speech, Bardella said in a written statement. Bannon, speaking to a French journalist from Le Point news magazine on Friday, said the gesture was not a Nazi salute but was a wave like I did all the time.I do it at the end of all of my speeches to thank the crowd, Bannon said.Bannon, whose War Room podcast is extremely popular on the right, also blasted Bardella for his decision to cancel, calling him unworthy to lead France. Hes a boy, not a man, Bannon said, according to video posted by correspondent Claire Meynial.He echoed those comments later Friday, telling The Associated Press that, If he canceled because I waved to the crowd like I did at the Front National seven years ago ... hes not a man and he will never be the leader of France.Online, some far-right users suggested Bannon had made the gesture purposely to trigger liberals and the media, while others distanced themselves. Nick Fuentes, a far-right influencer and Trump ally who uses his platform to share his antisemitic views, said in a livestream that Bannons salute was getting a little uncomfortable even for me.Bannons gesture came at the end of a speech in which he repeated lies about the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and continued to press for Trump to serve a third term, something the Constitution explicitly bars.The future of America is MAGA. And the future of MAGA is Donald J. Trump, he said. We want Trump in 28! Bannon is not the only person in Trumps orbit whose gestures have come under scrutiny.Trump adviser Elon Musk drew criticism last month after he slapped his hand on his chest and then extended his arm out in a speech at Capital One Arena celebrating Trumps inauguration. But extremist monitors and experts said it was unclear what Musk was trying to convey to the crowd.Musk, made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, the ADL concluded.Musk also pushed back. Frankly, they need better dirty tricks, he posted on X several hours after he left the stage. The everyone is Hitler attack is sooo tired.Marshall Lerner, a Jewish conservative who attended CPAC but had not seen Bannons appearance or gesture, said he was bothered by how some critics look to link Trumps Make America Great Again movement with Nazism and mentioned the criticism of Musk.Its like saying if the Nazis got up in the morning and they ate breakfast and Trump got up in the morning and ate breakfast, he is doing things that the Nazis are doing, Lerner said. Thats silly. Thats ridiculous. That doesnt make any sense. CPAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Bannons gesture.This years gathering, held in Oxon Hill, Maryland, has drawn a whos who of conservative leaders and Trump administration officials, including numerous Cabinet members. Vice President JD Vance addressed the convention earlier Thursday.___ Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report. JILL COLVIN Colvin is an Associated Press national political reporter covering the 2024 presidential campaign. She is based in New York. mailto ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Gomez Licon writes about national politics for The Associated Press. She is based in Florida. twitter mailto

People drive past billboards with a picture of the late Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hashem Safieddine displayed on Beirut airport highway, Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)2025-02-21T18:53:54Z BEIRUT (AP) Nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, thousands of supporters of the longtime leader of Lebanons militant Hezbollah group have flown into Beirut for Hassan Nasrallahs funeral on Sunday.Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27 when Israels air force dropped more than 80 bombs on Hezbollahs main operations room in southern Beirut. It was the biggest and most consequential of Israels targeted killings in years. The death of Nasrallah, one of the Iran-backed Shiite groups founders and Hezbollahs leader of more than 30 years, was a huge blow to the group he had transformed into a potent force in the Middle East. Hezbollah, which the U.S. and some of its allies has designated a terrorist organization, has suffered significant losses in the latest war with Israel, including the killing of several of its most senior military and political figures. His cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb a few days later, will be laid to rest in his hometown in southern Lebanon. The two had temporarily been buried in secret locations. Hezbollah earlier this month announced plans for their official funerals. Crowds are expected to gather on Sunday at Beiruts main sports stadium for a funeral ceremony before Nasrallahs interment. Flights from Iraq, where Hezbollah has a huge following among Iraqi Shiites, have been full for days on end. According to an Iraqi transportation ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the flights, up to 6,000 people have flown to Beirut over the past days. Among those who arrived from overseas was also American commentator Jackson Hinkle, who regularly spreads false information on social media, especially in support of Russia and its war on Ukraine.I am honored to be attending the funeral, Hinkle posted on the social media platform X after arriving this week in Beirut. Hinkle posted a photo of himself visiting a war-wrecked southern Lebanese border village, waving a Hezbollah flag. Nasrallah, idolized by his supporters and with large followings among the Shiites and the Islamic world, also held the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shiite clerics lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.However, Lebanese authorities have revoked permission for a passenger plane from Iran, leaving dozens who had wanted to attend the funeral stranded in Tehran and triggering protests by Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon. The ban came after the Israeli army accused Iran of smuggling cash to Hezbollah by way of civilian flights, leading some in Lebanon to allege that their government had caved in the face of a threat from Israel. Some of those who were expected to fly in from Iran were now coming to Lebanon via Iraq. Also, members of Iran-backed groups in the region also were traveling to Beirut to attend Nasrallahs funeral. Kazim al-Fartousi, spokesman for the Iran-backed Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada group in Iraq, arrived on Friday. He said Nasrallah was the father, commander and the book that we read every day to learn about freedom. U.S. Republican Rep. Joe Wilson criticized Lebanese politicians who were planning to attend the funeral. Any Lebanese politician who attends the funeral of the murderous terrorist Hasan Nasrallah is standing with the Iranian Regime, Wilson said on X.___Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.

People drive past billboards with a picture of the late Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hashem Safieddine displayed on Beirut airport highway, Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)2025-02-21T18:49:10Z LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Police say three people were shot and killed at a motor vehicle office in Louisville on Friday.Louisville Metro Police Department Maj. Donald Boeckman told reporters officers were called to the office around noon and found one person dead and two others wounded. The two wounded were taken to the hospital where they died.He said theres no ongoing threat to the public.The shooting happened at a state Driver Licensing Office on the southern outskirts of Louisville.Boeckman said the victims were a man and two women and the suspect or suspects left in a vehicle. Boeckman did not have a description of the vehicle and said investigators were still reviewing surveillance video.Its absolutely a tragedy and Im surprised there wasnt more people injured, Boeckman said.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's new director of the FBI, is pictured during his ceremonial swearing-in, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-02-21T23:08:00Z WASHINGTON (AP) Kash Patel was sworn in Friday as the FBI director, calling the opportunity to lead the nations premier federal law enforcement agency the greatest honor of his life.Patel was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday by a 51-49 margin, with two Republican lawmakers, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, breaking party ranks and voting against him.I think hell go down as the best ever at that position, President Donald Trump told reporters Friday ahead of the White House swearing-in, which was conducted by Attorney General Pam Bondi and attended by Republican supporters in Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Trump added that the agents love this guy.Patel will inherit an FBI gripped by turmoil as the Justice Department over the past month has forced out a group of senior bureau officials and made a highly unusual demand for the names of thousands of agents who participated in investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats had sounded the alarm about the appointment, saying they fear Patel will operate as a loyalist for Trump and abuse the FBIs law enforcement powers to go after the presidents adversaries. Theyve cited past comments such as his suggestion before he was nominated that he would come after anti-Trump conspirators in the government and media. Patel sought to assuage those concerns at his confirmation hearing last month, saying he intended to follow the Constitution and had no interest in pursuing retribution, though he also said at his swearing-in Friday that reporters had written fake, malicious, slanderous and defamatory stories about him. Republicans angry over what they see as law enforcement bias against conservatives during the Democratic Biden administration, as well as criminal investigations into Trump, have rallied behind Patel as the right person for the job. Patel has spoken of his desire to implement major changes at the FBI, including a reduced footprint in Washington and a renewed emphasis on the bureaus traditional crime-fighting duties rather than the intelligence-gathering work that has come to define its mandate over the past two decades as national security threats have proliferated.He said Friday that the FBIs national security mission was equally as important as its efforts to fight violent crime and drug overdoses.Anyone that wishes to do harm to our way of life and our citizens, here and abroad, will face the full wrath of the DOJ and FBI, Patel said. If you seek to hide in any corner of this country or planet, we will put on the worlds largest manhunt and we will find you and we will decide your end-state.A former Justice Department counterterrorism prosecutor, Patel was selected in November to replace Christopher Wray, who was picked by Trump in 2017 and who resigned at the conclusion of the Biden administration to make way for his chosen successor. Wray infuriated Trump throughout his tenure, including after FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August 2022 for classified documents in one of two federal investigations that resulted in indictments against Trump that were dismissed after his election win. FBI directors are given 10-year terms as a way to insulate them from political influence and keep them from becoming beholden to a particular president or administration. But Trump fired the FBI director he inherited, James Comey, after Comey had spent over three years on the job and replaced Wray after more than seven years in the position. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

The New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2025-02-21T03:59:54Z NEW YORK (AP) U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday after reports showed that worries among consumers and businesses about President Donald Trumps policies may be hitting the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 sank 1.7% for its worst day in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 748 points, or 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.2%.The losses accelerated through the day following several weaker-than-expected reports on the economy. One suggested U.S. business activity is close to stalling, with growth slowing to a 17-month low. The preliminary report from S&P Global said activity unexpectedly shrank for U.S. services businesses, and many in the survey reported slumping optimism because of worries about Washington. Companies report widespread concerns about the impact of federal government policies, ranging from spending cuts to tariffs and geopolitical developments, said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Sales are reportedly being hit by the uncertainty caused by the changing political landscape, and prices are rising amid tariff-related price hikes from suppliers. A separate report said U.S. consumers are also preparing for higher inflation, in part because of potential tariffs that could raise prices for all kinds of imports. Theyre broadly expecting prices to be 4.3% higher 12 months from now, which is a big jump from their forecast of 3.3% inflation last month, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. That fits with preliminary data in the survey earlier this month. Among U.S. households, though, a divide is evident underneath the surface. Expectations for inflation are rising for political independents and Democrats, while falling slightly for Republicans. A third economic report, meanwhile, said sales of previously occupied homes were weaker last month than economists expected. Relatively high mortgage rates, along with expensive prices for homes, have been hurting sales. To be sure, the U.S. stock market is still up for the young year so far and is not far from its all-time high set earlier this week. Virtually no one on Wall Street is forecasting a recession anytime soon. But Fridays reports raise concerns about whats been a remarkably resilient economy, and the losses on Wall Street were widespread. Stocks of the smallest companies, whose profits can be more closely tied to the strength of the U.S. economy than big multinational rivals, fell more than the rest of the market. The Russell 2000 index of small stocks dropped a market-leading 2.9%.Within the big companies of the S&P 500 index, 3 out of every 4 stocks fell. Everything from Big Tech stocks that have been bid up amid the artificial-intelligence frenzy to airlines to metals companies dropped. Nvidia sank 4.1%. United Airlines lost 6.4%, and Newmont Mining fell 5.7%. Akamai Technologies had the sharpest drop in the S&P 500, even though the cybersecurity and cloud computing company reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It lost a fifth of its value and fell 21.7% as investors focused instead on its forecasts for revenue and other financial measures this upcoming year, which fell short of analysts expectations. On the winning side of Wall Street was Celsius Holdings, which sells better-for-you energy drinks. It leaped 27.8% after saying it agreed to buy Alani Nu, a beverage company that focuses on female customers. Analysts called the purchase price, $1.65 billion net of tax effects, reasonable and said the deal should quickly add to profits for Celsius, which also reported its latest quarterly results. Other winners included stocks of companies that can provide steadier profits regardless of the U.S. economys strength. Water utility American Water Works rose 3.1%, for example.All told, the S&P 500 fell 104.39 points to 6,013.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 748.63 to 43,428.02, and the Nasdaq composite sank 438.36 points to 19,524.01.Before Fridays sharp drop, the S&P 500 had been heading for a week of almost zero movement. Helping to lift stocks had been a steady parade of better-than-expected profit reports. That helped offset worries about stubbornly high inflation, which could prevent the Federal Reserve from delivering more relief for the economy and financial markets through lower interest rates. The Fed has been holding its main interest rate steady after sharply cutting it through the end of last year. At their last policy meeting in January, Fed officials suggested they may stay on hold for a while given worries about how Trumps proposed tariffs and mass deportations of migrants, along with other factors, could push upward on inflation.While lower rates can boost the economy, they can also encourage spending that puts upward pressure on inflation. Treasury yields fell in the bond market following Fridays weaker-than-expected economic reports. The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.42 % from 4.51% late Thursday.In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe after rising across much of Asia. Hong Kongs Hang Seng jumped 4% for one of the worlds largest moves,, boosted by a surge for e-commerce firm Alibaba, which reported stronger profit for the end of last year than expected. It also talked up its artificial-intelligence developments. ___AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The Supreme Court in Washington, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)2025-02-21T23:16:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily kept on the job the head of the federal agency that protects government whistleblowers, in its first word on the many legal fights over President Donald Trumps second-term agenda.The justices said in an unsigned order that Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, could remain in his job at least until Wednesday. Thats when a lower-court order temporarily protecting him expires.With a bare majority of five justices, the high court neither granted nor rejected the administrations plea to immediately remove him. Instead, the court held the request in abeyance, noting that the order expires in just a few days. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has scheduled a Wednesday hearing over whether to extend her order keeping Dellinger in his post. The justices could return to the case depending on what she decides. Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito sided with the administration, doubting whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. Acknowledging that some presidentially appointed officials have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote that those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement. Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson would have rejected the administrations request. The conservative-dominated court has previously taken a robust view of presidential power, including in last years decision that gave presidents immunity from prosecution for actions they take in office.The Justice Department employed sweeping language in urging the court to allow the termination of the head of an obscure federal agency with limited power. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote in court papers that the lower court had crossed a constitutional red line by blocking Dellingers firing and stopping Trump from shaping the agenda of an executive-branch agency in the new administrations critical first days. The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, such as retaliation for whistleblowing. Its leader may be removed by the president only for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.Dellinger was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term in 2024.I am glad to be able to continue my work as an independent government watchdog and whistleblower advocate, Dellinger said in a statement. I am grateful to the judges and justices who have concluded that I should be allowed to remain on the job while the courts decide whether my office can retain a measure of independence from direct partisan and political control.Harris said the court should use this case to lay down a marker and check federal judges who in the last few weeks alone have halted dozens of presidential actions (or even perceived actions) that encroached on Trumps presidential powers. The court already has pared back a 1935 ruling, known as Humphreys Executor, that protected presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed leaders of independent agencies from arbitrary firings.Conservative justices have called into question limits on the presidents ability to remove the agency heads. In 2020, for instance, the court by a 5-4 vote upheld Trumps first-term firing of the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court that the Presidents removal power is the rule, not the exception. But in that same opinion, Roberts drew distinctions that suggested the court could take a different view of efforts to remove the whistleblower watchdog. In any event, the OSC exercises only limited jurisdiction to enforce certain rules governing Federal Government employers and employees. It does not bind private parties at all or wield regulatory authority comparable to the CFPB, Roberts wrote.The new administration already has indicated it would seek to entirely overturn the Humphreys Executor decision, which held that President Franklin D. Roosevelt could not arbitrarily fire a Federal Trade Commission member. Trump has taken aim at people who are on the multimember boards that run an alphabet soup of federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit System Review Board.Like Dellinger, they were confirmed to specific terms in office and the federal laws under which the agencies operate protect them from arbitrary firings. Lower courts have so far blocked some of those firings.

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)2025-02-21T22:49:29Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Defense Department said Friday that its cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place.It comes after staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, were at the Pentagon earlier in the week and received lists of such employees, U.S. officials said. They said those lists did not include uniformed military personnel, who are exempt. Probationary employees are generally those on the job for less than a year and who have yet to gain civil service protection.We anticipate reducing the Departments civilian workforce by 5-8% to produce efficiencies and refocus the Department on the Presidents priorities and restoring readiness in the force, Darin Selnick, who is acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in a statement.President Donald Trumps administration is firing thousands of federal workers who have fewer civil service protections. For example, roughly 2,000 employees were cut from the U.S. Forest Service, and an 7,000 people are expected to be let go at the Internal Revenue Service. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has supported cuts, posting on X last week that the Pentagon needs to cut the fat (HQ) and grow the muscle (warfighters.) The Defense Department is the largest government agency, with the Government Accountability Office finding in 2023 that it had more than 700,000 full-time civilian workers.Hegseth also has directed the military services to identify $50 billion in programs that could be cut next year to redirect those savings to fund Trumps priorities. It represents about 8% of the militarys budget.

People protest during a rally outside the Treasury Department in Washington, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-02-22T00:46:56Z NEW YORK (AP) A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday extended a ban on Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency accessing sensitive Treasury Department information, but rejected broader restrictions sought by 19 Democratic state attorneys general who sued over the issue.Judge Jeannette A. Vargas issued a preliminary injunction but said she may lift the ban which she initially put in place earlier this month if the Treasury Department certifies by March 24 that DOGE members have received required cybersecurity training.Vargas said DOGEs efforts to modernize Treasury payment systems were not undercut by the delay, which she said was meant to ensure the security of sensitive personal data for millions of Americans.Without addressing these issues, the potential consequences of a cybersecurity breach could be catastrophic, Vargas wrote in a 64-page ruling. The attorneys general had sought to ban Musks DOGE team from developing automated or manual processes to halt payments flowing through the Treasury Departments payment systems.Vargas said that rather than broad and sweeping relief she opted for a narrowly tailored remedy to address concerns that private banking data could become exposed in a data breach.___ RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-22T00:22:03Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge on Friday largely blocked sweeping executive orders from President Donald Trump that seek to end government support for programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore granted a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from terminating or changing federal contracts they consider equity-related.Abelson found that the orders likely carry constitutional violations, including against free-speech rights. Trump signed an order his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all equity-related grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they dont promote DEI.The White House didnt immediately return a message seeking comment. The plaintiffs including the city of Baltimore and higher education groups sued the Trump administration earlier this month, arguing the executive orders are unconstitutional and a blatant overreach of presidential authority. They also allege the directives have a chilling effect on free speech. The Trump administration has argued that the president was targeting only DEI programs that violate federal civil rights laws. Whats happening is an overcorrection and pulling back on DEI statements, attorney Aleshadye Getachew said during a nearly three-hour hearing Wednesday. Abelson, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, agreed with the plaintiffs that the executive orders discourage businesses, organizations and public entities from openly supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. The harm arises from the issuance of it as a public, vague, threatening executive order, he said during a hearing this week.Abelsons order does allow for the attorney general to investigate and prepare a report on DEI practices, but blocks enforcement. Efforts to increase diversity have been under attack for years by Republicans who contend the measures threaten merit-based hiring, promotion and educational opportunities for white people. However, supporters say the programs help institutions meet the needs of increasingly diverse populations while addressing the lasting impacts of systemic racism.Their purpose was to foster equitable environments in businesses and schools, especially for historically marginalized communities. Although researchers say DEI initiatives date back to the 1960s, more were launched and expanded in 2020 during increased calls for racial justice. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued in their complaint that Trumps efforts to abruptly end such programs will cause widespread harm, not least because of the vague language in his executive orders. Ordinary citizens bear the brunt, they wrote. Plaintiffs and their members receive federal funds to support educators, academics, students, workers, and communities across the country. As federal agencies make arbitrary decisions about whether grants are equity-related, Plaintiffs are left in limbo.The plaintiffs include the city of Baltimore, which receives federal funds for public safety, housing, the environment, infrastructure and more, according to the complaint. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who won reelection last year, has championed efforts to increase opportunities for the citys most vulnerable residents, including people of color. Scott became the subject of racist attacks online last year as some commenters labeled him a DEI mayor, and he recently coined the phrase Definitely Earned It to highlight the accomplishments of Black figures throughout history.In addition to the mayor and the Baltimore City Council, the plaintiffs include the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which represents restaurant workers across the country.Their attorneys claim the groups are already suffering the effects of the executive orders as Trump encroaches on the powers of Congress and seeks to suppress views he doesnt agree with.But the President simply does not wield that power, they wrote in the complaint. And contrary to his suggestions otherwise, his power is not limitless. 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

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown speaks during a press briefing, April 26, 2024, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)2025-02-22T00:40:47Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.The ouster of Brown, only the second Black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. His 16 months in the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East.I want to thank General Charles CQ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family, Trump posted on social media.Trump says he is nominating Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Razin Caine to be the next chairman. Caine is a career F-16 pilot who served on active duty and in the National Guard, and had most recently served as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA, according to his official military biography. Caines military service includes combat roles in Iraq, special operations postings and positions inside some of the Pentagons most classified special access programs. However, it does not include key assignments that were identified in law as prerequisites for the job, with an exemption for the president to waive them if necessary in times of national interest. The 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act states that to be qualified, a chairman must have served previously as either the vice chairman, as a combatant commander or a service chief but that requirement could be waived if the president determines such action is necessary in the national interest. The role of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was established in 1949 as an adviser to the president and secretary of defense, as a way to filter all of the views of the service chiefs and more readily provide that information to the White House without the president having to reach out to each individual military branch, according to an Atlantic Council briefing written by retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro. The role has no actual command authority. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement praising both Caine and Brown, announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife.Brown had spent Friday at the U.S.-Mexico border, assessing the militarys rapid buildup of forces to meet Trumps executive order on countering illegal immigration.Trump acted despite support for Brown among key members of Congress and a seemingly friendly meeting with him in mid-December, when the two were seated next to each other for a time at the Army-Navy football game. Brown had been meeting regularly with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took over the top Pentagon job just four weeks ago.But Browns future was called into question during the Senate Armed Services Committees confirmation hearing for Hegseth last month. Asked if he would fire Brown, Hegseth responded bluntly, Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality and commitment to lawful orders they will be given. Hegseth has embraced Trumps effort to end programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values.Hegseth had previously taken aim at Brown. First of all, you gotta fire, you know, you gotta fire the chairman of Joint Chiefs, he said flatly in a podcast in November. And in one of his books, he questioned whether Brown got the job because he was Black.Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? Well never know, but always doubt which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesnt really much matter, Hegseth wrote.As he walked into the Pentagon on his first day as defense chief on Jan. 27, however, Hegseth was asked directly if he planned to fire Brown. Im standing with him right now, said Hegseth, patting Brown on the back as they headed into the building. Look forward to working with him.In his second term, Trump has asserted his executive authority in a much stronger way and removed most carryover officials from President Joe Bidens term, even though in typical transitions, many of those positions are meant to carry over independently from one administration to the next.Just prior to his Senate confirmation vote in June 2020 to become chief of the Air Force, Brown gained some attention when he spoke out on the police killing of George Floyd the month before. While he knew it was risky, he said, discussions with his wife and sons about the killing convinced him he needed to say something. As protests roiled the nation, Brown posted a video message to the Air Force titled, Heres What Im Thinking About. He described the pressures that came with being one of the few Black men in his unit. He recalled pushing himself to perform error-free as a pilot and officer his whole life, but still facing bias. He said hed been questioned about his credentials, even when he wore the same flight suit and wings as every other pilot.As chairman, he pushed the same campaign he had when leading the Air Force that the Pentagon must accelerate its ability to change or it would lose future wars.Prior to leading the Air Force, Brown had served as the top air power leader in the Indo-Pacific. He had repeatedly warned that U.S. warplanes had to change the way they would fight, by moving them from large, vulnerable bases and shifting to a format where drone swarms and small dispersed units would be able to independently counter threats from the thousands of islands throughout the Pacific. Im thinking about my mentors, and how I rarely had a mentor that looked like me, Brown said in the video. Im thinking about how my nomination provides some hope, but also comes with a heavy burden I cant fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force.Brown was overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 98-0. Not long afterward, his name began to surface as the likely successor to Gen. Mark Milley, who was set to retire as chairman.Browns path to the chairmanship was troubled he was among the more than 260 senior military officers whose nominations were stalled for months by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Tuberville caused ire in the Senate and organizational juggling in the Pentagon when he blocked the confirmations in protest over a department policy that paid for travel when a service member had to go out of state to get an abortion or other reproductive care. But when the Senate vote was finally taken in September 2023, Brown easily was confirmed by a vote of 89-8.It had been 30 years since Colin Powell became the first Black chairman, serving from 1989 to 1993. But while African Americans made up 17.2% of the 1.3 million active-duty service members, only 9% of officers were Black, according to a 2021 Defense Department report.Browns service as chairman made history in that this was the first time that both the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and the Joint Chiefs chairman were Black. TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Nevada Sue Fahami speaks about an alleged romance scheme that turned deadly during a news conference in Las Vegas, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)2025-02-21T21:57:13Z LAS VEGAS (AP) A woman used online dating apps to lure at least four older men to meet her in person, then drugged them with sedatives and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in a sinister romance scheme, FBI officials in Las Vegas said Friday. Three of the men died, authorities said, and she has been charged in one of their deaths. Aurora Phelps, 43, who is in custody in Mexico, faces 21 counts including wire fraud, identity theft and one count of kidnapping resulting in death, Sue Fahami, the acting United States attorney for the District of Nevada, said at a news conference.This is a romance scam on steroids, said Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBIs Las Vegas division. One of the four victims, who were targeted in 2021 and 2022, awoke from a coma after Phelps gave him prescription sedatives over the course of a week, Evans added. In one instance Phelps is alleged to have kidnapped a victim by heavily sedating him and taking him across the U.S.-Mexico border in a wheelchair and then to a Mexico City hotel room, where he was later found dead.After incapacitating her victims, Evans said, Phelps stole their cars, withdrew money from their bank accounts, used their credit cards to purchase luxury items and gold and even tried to access social security and retirement accounts. According to the indictment, Phelps met one man in July 2021, went on lunch dates with him and that November ordered lunch to his house and slipped him a prescription drug. While he was mostly unconscious for about five days, Phelps gained access to his accounts and stole his iPhone, iPads, drivers license and bank cards, according to the indictment. She also allegedly accessed his E-Trade account and sold Apple stock worth about $3.3 million, though she was unable to withdraw that money.Authorities believe Phelps used popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge and Bumble to find her targets. The men were lonely and looking for companionship and went on multiple dates with Phelps before she stealthily gave them sedatives, according to Evans. Its folks that are out looking for love that ran into something far more sinister, he said.Phelps, a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S., had been on the FBIs radar for a couple of years, according to Evans. He declined to comment on her criminal history.Phelps does not have a U.S.-based attorney who could speak on her behalf, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said. The Associated Press left messages seeking comment with Mexicos Foreign Affairs Ministry and Attorney Generals Office.Several of the victims relatives called authorities when they were unable to contact their loved ones, Evans said. One woman was unable to reach her father the day after he went on a date with Phelps in Guadalajara, Mexico, in May 2022, according to court records. The next day Mexican police found him dead on the bathroom floor of his home. Phelps then used an account belonging to the victim to purchase a gold coin, along with other transactions, the indictment alleges. The FBI is aware of more alleged victims in the U.S. and Mexico, Evans said, and is making information about the case public, including suspected aliases, in hopes of identifying others who fell victim to her scams and whose trust in her may have cost them their life. The FBI is also working with the Department of Justice and Mexican authorities to secure her extradition.If convicted on every charge, which include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, six counts of bank fraud, three counts of identity theft and one count of kidnapping, Phelps faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, Fahami said. ___Bedayn reported from Denver, and Govindarao from Phoenix. JESSE BEDAYN Bedayn is a statehouse reporter for The Associated Press based in Denver. He is a Report for America corps member. mailto SEJAL GOVINDARAO Govindarao covers Arizona government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Phoenix. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump speaks at the Governors Working Session in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (Pool via AP)2025-02-21T19:37:21Z President Donald Trump sparred with Maines Democratic governor during a meeting of governors at the White House on Friday, with Gov. Janet Mills telling the Republican president, Well see you in court, over his push to deny federal funding to the state over transgender athletes.Trump told the governor he looked forward to it and predicted the end of her political career for opposing his order. Later Friday, the U.S. Department of Education said it was initiating an investigation into the Maine Department of Education over the inclusion of transgender athletes.The confrontation during the meeting came after Mills and Trump had traded barbs over the last 24 hours regarding his push to bar transgender athletes from playing in girls and womens sports. The confrontation in the State Dining Room was an unusual breach of the typically courteous interactions that lawmakers, even of opposing parties, have historically shared at the White House. The back-and-forth came in the middle of the presidents remarks welcoming the nations governors to the White House. As he was speaking about an executive order he signed earlier this month on transgender athletes, he sought out Mills in the room after singling her out a day earlier in remarks to the Republican Governors Association. Is Maine here, the governor of Maine? he asked.Im here, she replied.Are you not going to comply with it? he asked. Im complying with state and federal laws, Mills replied.Trump responded, We are the federal law. He again threatened the states federal funding and said Maine may be a Democratic state but its residents largely agree with him on this issue.Were going to follow the law, she said.Youd better comply, Trump warned. Otherwise, youre not getting any federal funding.Well see you in court, the governor replied.Good, Ill see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one, Trump said. And enjoy your life after governor because I dont think youll be in elected politics. Trump made a similar funding threat Thursday night as he spoke to a group of Republican governors. He said that he heard men are still playing in Maine and that he would pull funding because of it.So were not going to give them any federal funding. None whatsoever, until they clean that up, Trump said.The Maine Principals Association, which governs high school sports in the state, said earlier this month that it would continue to allow transgender female athletes to compete. The associations executive director, Mike Burnham, said it would follow the Maine Human Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on gender identity.The U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights said in a letter sent later Friday to the commissioner of the state Department of Education that it was launching an investigation amid allegations that it continues to allow male athletes to compete in girls interscholastic athletics, which it called a violation of federal antidiscrimination law. The U.S. Department of Educations statement said state laws do not override federal antidiscrimination laws. If the state wants to continue to receive federal funds from the education department, it must follow Title IX, said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights with the education department, in a statement.Mills said she would work with the attorney general to defend the state in court, but she predicted that Maine would not be the last state Trump tried to target.I imagine that the outcome of this politically directed investigation is all but predetermined, she said in a statement. She added: But do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.Earlier Friday, Mills and Maines Democratic attorney general, Aaron Frey, pushed back against Trumps comments the night before. Mills said the state will not be intimidated by Trumps threats.If the president attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my administration and the attorney general will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides, Mills said in a statement before the confrontation with Trump.Frey said he would defend Maines laws and block efforts by the president to bully and threaten us. The order Trump signed earlier this month gives federal agencies wide latitude to make sure entities that receive federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administrations view, which interprets sex as the gender someone was assigned at birth.The federal government could penalize organizations such as schools or athletic associations that do not comply, possibly by pulling funding such as grants to educational programs. ___Price reported from New York. Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine. Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report. MICHELLE L. PRICE Price is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto PATRICK WHITTLE Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This image made from video provided by Hawaii News Now shows Gordon Cordeiro in court on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Wailuku, Hawaii. (Hawaii News Now via AP)2025-02-22T00:25:59Z HONOLULU (AP) A judge on Friday ordered the release of a Hawaii man who was imprisoned for 30 years for a murder he has long said he didnt commit. New evidence, including DNA test results, would likely change the results of another trial against Gordon Cordeiro, Judge Kirstin Hamman ruled Friday in vacating his convictions and life sentence. There were gasps and cries in the courtroom when Hamman said, And the judgement and sentence is vacated and the defendant is ordered to be released from custody, before a Zoom feed broadcasting the hearing suddenly turned off. In 1994, a man was murdered on Maui during a drug deal robbery. Cordeiro would eventually be found guilty of murder, robbery and attempted murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The Hawaii Innocence Project took up his case and during a hearing earlier this week argued Cordeiro must be released on the grounds of new evidence proving his innocence, ineffectiveness of his previous attorney and prosecutorial misconduct. Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin didnt immediately return a phone message seeking comment after the judge ordered Cordeiros release. Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, said he was waiting for Cordeiro, now 51, to be processed and released from custody after the hearing. It was very, very emotional. He cried, we all cried, Lawson said. He believed that he was going to be exonerated ... but having gone through two trials you lose faith in the justice system. To finally hear a judge say Im vacating your convictions, thats when it hit him. According to court documents filed by Cordeiros attorneys, he was wrongfully convicted for the shooting death of Timothy Blaisdell partly because police relied upon four jailhouse informants. They say those informants were motivated by promises of reduced sentences and concocted a fabricated murder-for-hire plot. The plot, they say, claimed Cordeiro tried to arrange the killing of the man who tried to pin the death on Cordeiro due to a previous dispute. Unfortunately for Cordeiro, the States use of incentivized jailhouse informants and their fabricated evidence and testimony about the murder-for-hire plots, was enough to convince a jury of his guilt in his second trial, the Hawaii Innocence Project said in a court filing.The first trial against Cordeiro ended in a hung jury, with only one juror voting to convict him. Cordeiro had several alibi for the day Blaisdell was killed, his attorneys said: The then 22-year-old was at home with his parents and sisters, spending the day building a shelving unit in his familys open-air garage and installing a stereo in his sisters car. He was nowhere near the area known as Skid Row in upcountry Maui where Blaisdell was killed. Blaisdell had gone to Skid Row with a man named Michael Freitas, where Blaisdell planned to buy a pound of marijuana with $800 in cash, according to court documents. Blaisdells body was found at the bottom of a ravine there. Freitas kept changing his story, Cordeiros attorneys said, and shifted the blame onto Cordeiro, a friend he falsely believed had snitched on him in an unrelated drug case. After Cordeiros conviction, new testing on physical evidence from the scene excluded Cordeiro as the source of DNA on Blaisdells body and other crime scene evidence, and found there was a DNA profile of an unidentified person on the inside pockets of Blaisdells jeans, the Hawaii Innocence Project said.Cordeiros attorneys believe Freitas set up Blaisdell to get robbed and was involved in his killing. Freitas died in 2020, Lawson said. The judge agreed that the new DNA evidence and new information about gunshot residue would change the results of a later trial. The police botched this case from the beginning and turned the No. 1 suspect into the states star witness, resulting in a 30-plus-year nightmare and miscarriage of justice for Gordon and his family, Lawson said.

In this undated and unknown location photo released by the Department of Homeland Security shows Border Patrol Agent David Maland posing with a service dog. (Department of Homeland Security via AP, File)2025-02-22T05:10:55Z MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A U.S. Border Patrol agent whose killing in Vermont during a traffic stop near the Canadian border has been tied to a cultlike group is scheduled to be buried with full military honors Saturday at a national cemetery. David Maland, 44, died Jan. 20 during the stop on Interstate 91 in Conventry, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the border with Canada. The driver of the stopped car is accused of opening fire on Maland and other agents, sparking a shootout that left her companion dead. Both belonged to a group called the Zizians that may be linked to six deaths in three states, investigators said. Maland, who went by Chris, is to be buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. A native of Minnesota, he served in the Air Force and the State Department before joining the Border Patrol. Chris was a loving son, brother, uncle, fiance and dedicated colleague, his family said in a statement released late Friday. His kind heart and fighting soul made him a warm and inviting person to be around and pillar of strength for his country. We love you, Chris. Youll live in our hearts forever. In the Air Force, Maland was responsible for protecting bases, personnel and property. In 2001, he worked security duty at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attacks, his family said.He received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other honors, according to his obituary. Maland was a K-9 handler at the State Department and at his Border Patrol job in Vermont. He first joined the Border Patrol in Texas. He will be remembered for his courage and commitment to protecting fellow Americans, Minnesota state Rep. Krista Knudsen, Malands cousin, said on the House floor last month. He is also a person who served faithfully with honor and bravery. He always put his service above himself.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, third left, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, left, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, second right, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-22T01:30:38Z UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United States has proposed a draft U.N. resolution that stops far short of a competing European-backed statement demanding an immediate withdrawal of all of Moscows forces from Ukraine.Both are timed to the third anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, which falls on Monday, when the U.N. General Assembly will vote on the nonbinding resolutions.It sets up a clash between the United States and Europe as the strength of the transatlantic alliance has been called into question over the Trump administrations extraordinary turnaround on Russia, opening negotiations with Moscow after years of isolation as the U.S. looks to broker a rapid end to the war. European leaders were dismayed that their officials and those from Ukraine werent invited to preliminary U.S.-Russia talks this week in Saudi Arabia.The very short U.S. draft resolution offers mourning for the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict and implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia. Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told U.N. reporters about the U.S. resolution, Its a good move. Russia also suggested an amendment, seeking to add the phrase including by addressing its root causes so the final line of the U.S. resolution reads, implores a swift end to the conflict, including by addressing its root causes, and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia. By contrast, the draft resolution from the European Union and Ukraine refers to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and recalls the need to implement all previous assembly resolutions adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine.It singles out the assemblys demand that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and its demand to immediate halt all hostilities. The General Assembly has become the most important U.N. body dealing with Ukraine because the Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed by Russias veto power.There are no vetoes in the General Assembly, but its resolutions are not legally binding unlike Security Council actions. Nonetheless, assembly resolutions are closely watched as a barometer of world opinion.The dueling resolutions come as President Donald Trump has falsely blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for allowing the war to start and describing him as a dictator who better move fast to negotiate an end to the war or risk not having a nation to lead. Zelenskyy responded by saying Trump was living in a Russian-made disinformation space.

President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2025-02-22T05:21:54Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) As Ukraine approached the three-year mark of Russias full-scale invasion, the countrys hoped-for path to a favorable and lasting peace was upended in a matter of days by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.Kyiv had benefited from years of staunch support by its allies in the United States and Europe which had provided crucial military and financial support to help defend against Moscows grinding incursions.But when Trump held a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week undoing years of U.S. policy to isolate the Russian leader over his aggression it was taken as a signal in Kyiv and other European capitals that their alliance to contain Moscow was fraying.Heres a timeline of events: Wednesday, Feb. 12On their 90-minute call, Trump and Putin agreed to begin negotiations to end the war, a move that was met with jubilation in Russia but which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned would be very dangerous " if Ukraine were excluded from talks. Although Trump spoke to Zelenskyy immediately after the Putin call, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that day that NATO membership for Ukraine, something Kyiv believes would protect the country and Europe from future Russian attacks, was unrealistic. He suggested Ukraine should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back, a perspective that is remarkably close to Moscows. The breakneck speed of Trumps transformation of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia left many war-weary Ukrainians feeling that they were being left out of the conversation on their future, and fearing that a deal forced by Washington and Moscow would result in lost territory and vulnerability to future Russian aggression. Friday, Feb. 14European leaders had their first chance to meet with members of the new Trump administration at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where they hoped to gain clarity on Trumps approach to the war. But leaders were stunned as senior U.S. officials including Vice President JD Vance lambasted European nations, gave mixed signals on support for Kyiv and suggested Europe would not be at the table for negotiations on Ukraine.During highly anticipated talks between Vance and Zelenskyy in Munich, the Ukrainian leader told Vance that his country needed security guarantees as a precondition for engaging in any talks with Moscow to end the war. Zelenskyy also said hed ordered his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraines rare earth minerals, a key part of his talks with Vance. Ukrainian officials said the U.S. proposal did not offer any specific security guarantees in return for access to Ukraines vast reserves of critical minerals that are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries. A senior White House official described Zelenskyys refusal as short-sighted. Sunday, Feb. 16On the final day of the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron began rallying European leaders to fortify their support for Ukraine, with his foreign minister announcing an emergency working meeting in Paris to assess the continents next steps. Meanwhile, amid concerns that U.S. support for Kyiv was faltering, a group of European countries was quietly working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia. Tuesday, Feb. 18U.S. and Russian officials met for talks in Saudi Arabias capital, sidestepping Kyiv and its European backers. The two countries agreed to work together to end the war in Ukraine and to improve diplomatic and economic ties, an extraordinary about-face in U.S. foreign policy.Yet the three U.S. principals at the meeting in Riyadh Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trumps special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff maintained that the four-hour discussion was aimed mainly at assessing Russias seriousness about wanting a peace deal.All three said publicly that no specific proposals had been put on the table, and that it remained to be seen if the Russians were willing to negotiate in good faith. They also rejected assertions that either Ukraine or the Europeans were being excluded, noting that although they werent present in Riyadh, Trump, Vance and Rubio had all spoken with both Zelenskyy and European officials who would be involved if and when peace talks actually start. Zelenskyy dismissed the talks, saying they would yield no results in the absence of Ukrainian participation. He postponed a plan to visit Riyadh the next day to avoid any linkage of his trip with the U.S.-Russia meeting.Trump showed little patience for Kyivs objections to being sidelined in Riyadh, and ramped up inflammatory rhetoric that caused anger and alarm in Ukraine and seemed to contradict the assurances that Rubio, Waltz and Witkoff had endeavored to provide. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump made the jarring suggestion that Ukraine itself was responsible for starting the war that has cost tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives, and criticized Zelenksyy for Ukraine delaying elections because of the invasion, in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution. Wednesday, Feb. 19Trumps comments, and a Wednesday post on social media that called Zelenskyy a dictator, led to Zelenskyy saying that some of the presidents claims were disinformation that originated in Russia, and that he would like Trumps team to be more truthful. Trump, Zelenskyy said, is living in a Russian-made disinformation space.As relations between the two leaders eroded, one thing remained on the horizon that some observers thought could serve to lower the temperature on the disagreements between Washington and Kyiv: Trumps special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, arrived in Ukraines capital by train Wednesday morning for discussions with Zelenskyy and other officials. Kellogg has long been Trumps top adviser on defense issues. He was due to speak with Zelenskyy about Trumps efforts to end the war, and the Ukrainian leader had previously said he looked forward to explaining what was happening in Ukraine to Kellogg and accompanying him to see the front line. Thursday, Feb. 20A news conference that was set to follow a meeting between Zelenskyy and Kellogg was abruptly cancelled at the request of the U.S. delegation. Friday, Feb. 21In a complimentary gesture that stood in stark contrast with the tone of the preceding days, Kellogg wrote on X that hed had a long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine.He said hed had positive discussions with the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war and his talented national security team. Still, Trump continued to lay into Zelenskyy, grumbling that a visit to Kyiv last week by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was a wasted trip after the Ukrainian side declined to agree to a U.S. proposal to procure profits on rare earth minerals. At the same time, Waltz, Trumps national security adviser, expressed confidence that Zelenskyy would seal a rare earths deal. Heres the bottom line. President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, Waltz said.Trump, speaking to The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News radio, also dismissed Zelenskyys complaints about not being included in the Saudi talks. He voiced certainty that Putin wanted to strike a deal. He doesnt have to make a deal, Trump said of Putin. Because if he wanted, he would get the whole country.___Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. ___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine JUSTIN SPIKE Spike is an Associated Press reporter based in Budapest, Hungary. twitter mailto

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)2025-02-22T03:37:27Z WASHINGTON (AP) The White House and Ukraine have made significant progress toward reaching an agreement that would provide the U.S. with access to Ukraines rare earth minerals and tighten the long-term relationship between Kyiv and Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter.The progress in talks comes after President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traded sharp rhetoric this week about their differences over the matter. Zelenskyy said he balked at signing off on a deal that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed during a visit to Kyiv last week, and the Ukrainian leader objected again days later during a meeting in Munich with Vice President JD Vance because the American proposal did not include security guarantees.Trump earlier Friday renewed his criticism of Zelenskyys handling of the three-year war and accused the Ukrainians of wasting Bessents time. But the two sides made significant progress during a three-day visit to Ukraine this week by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trumps special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, according to the person familiar with the ongoing negotiations who was not authorized to comment publicly. While the Ukrainians were rattled by Trump, the still-not-completed agreement came into focus over three days of meetings in Ukraine between Kellogg and Zelenskyy and other top-ranking Ukrainian officials, the person said. In addition to Zelenskyy, the talks included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Rada speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and others, the person said.As Kellogg returned to Washington on Friday evening, Zelenskyy in his nightly address said the two sides were still working on a draft agreement. It was a notably optimistic tone after Trump earlier in the day in a Fox News Radio interview said Bessents visit to Kyiv had been a wasted trip.Today, Ukrainian and U.S. teams are working on a draft agreement between our governments, Zelenskyy said in his address. This agreement can add value to our relations what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it truly works. I look forward to a just result. Trump said he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyivs hand in future negotiations with Moscow.Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.Trumps national security adviser also expressed confidence Friday that Zelenskyy would eventually accept a deal letting the U.S. access his countrys rare earth minerals.Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Mike Waltz said: Heres the bottom line. President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal. Its not clear whether the White House has offered Ukraine any security guarantees in the emerging deal.Earlier proposals focused on how the U.S. could use Kyivs minerals as compensation for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid. The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the reported progress.Trump aides Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Waltz met with senior advisers to Russias Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia earlier this week for preliminary talks about ending the war.The U.S. president faced criticism from Zelenskyy for not including Ukraine and other European allies in the talks.Trump, in the radio interview, pushed back against that criticism and once again laced into Zelenskyy. The U.S. president said he didnt think it was important for Zelenskyy to be in the meetings and dismissed Zelenskyy as negotiating with no cards.Earlier this week, Trump warned Zelenskyy that he better move fast to negotiate an end to Russias invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead.Trump also said of Putin that the Russian leader wants to make a deal but has options. He doesnt have to make a deal, Trump said. Because if he wanted, he would get the whole country.Trumps harsh words for Zelenskyy drew criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress, where Ukraines defense against Russian aggression has had bipartisan support. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto