President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he prepares to sign a proclamation declaring Feb. 9 Gulf of America Day as he travels from West Palm Beach, Fla. to New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-10T18:09:50Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge found Monday that the Trump administration hasnt fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending and told the White House to release all the money.U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell found theres evidence that some federal grants and loans are still not going out to the recipients and ordered that the cash be released.McConnell ordered a halt to Trump administration plans for a sweeping freeze of federal funding in late January. The Republican administration has said the pause was necessary to ensure federal spending fits with the presidents agenda.The judge said his temporary restraining order also blocks the administration from making billions of dollars in cuts to the National Institutes of Health that were announced Friday.These pauses in funding violate the plain text of the (temporary restraining order), he wrote. The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The administration has said in court documents that it was making good-faith efforts to comply with the judges ruling. The Justice Department argued that the judges ruling didnt apply to other spending pauses, including funds that were part of President Joe Bidens signature climate, health care and tax package. McConnell disagreed. The order comes in a lawsuit filed by nearly two dozen states.A different federal judge in Washington has issued a temporary restraining order against the funding freeze plan and since expressed concern that nonprofit groups werent getting their funding. ___Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this story. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This weekend, thousands of people rallied for transgender (or trans), nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and gender nonconforming youth faced with appointment cancellations, and lags in prescription refills by leading New York City caregivers like NYU Langone, Mt. Sinai and New York Presbyterian, according to parents and families impacted. The cancellations and medication refill lags are in direct [...]The post Thousands Rise Up for Trans Youth in New York City, Leading National Conversation on Denial of Healthcare Across Major Hospital Systems first appeared on GLAAD.

If you thought RuPauls Drag Race was done shaking up the judges panel, think again, because Law Roach just slid into the third seat, and according to him, hes here to stay. The iconic celebrity stylist, known for dressing people like Zendaya and Celine Dion, just spilled some major tea about his alleged future on the show as a judge. Roach first appeared as a guest judge during Season 16, where he quickly became a fan-favorite for his sharp critiques and undeniable presence. Now, after his appearance on Episode 6 of Season 17, he is dropping major hints this is no one-time gig.See on InstagramI am not the special guest judge, Roach told Parade in an exclusive interview prior to the episode airing. I am sitting next to Ru, and Hunter Schafer is the special guest judge this episode.He also said his new position was rotating. The rotating third seat he took in the episode has historically been occupied by Drag Race regulars like Ross Mathews, Carson Kressley, and Ts Madison. While Roach hasnt indicated hes replacing anyone, he hinted that fans should expect to see him more often. As of this writing, World of Wonder has not officially confirmed or commented on Roach joining the cast. See on InstagramWhen asked about his future on the panel, he played coy: I dont know what I can say. But I mean, we all know what that third seat represents.Fans have supported the idea of Roach becoming more regular on the show since he first appeared, and this isnt the first time hes expressed interest in joining, either. Back in November, he told Gay Times that if he was asked to join Drag Race full-time, he definitely would. @gaytimesWould @Luxury Law join the @RuPauls Drag Race judges panel? #dragrace #rupaul #rupaulsdragrace #dragracecontent #fashion #fashiontiktok #rupaulsdragraceallstars #legendaryMaybe he got his wish?Although the show hasnt said anything yet, if his words (and that prime real estate next to Ru) are any indication, he may already have one foot in the Werk Room door for good.

Jenny Blake Isabella is proof that it is never too late to embrace being your true authentic self.A former writer for both Marvel and DC comics Isabella is most well-known for creating the characters Black Lightning, Misty Knight and Tigra. Over the weekend Isabella came out as transgender with a post on her social media with the meme Keep Calm and Yes I'm Transgender". She elaborated further in the caption writing, This is real. I'll have more to say soon. In the meantime, I ask you respect my privacy and especially that of my wife and our children. Thank you.Isabella is married to Barbara Isabella and the two share two children. While Isabella is now personally using the name Jenny Blacke, she shares that she will continue to write under both that name and her professional name Tony Isabella, and will be presenting as Tony Isabella at upcoming conventions this year. (@) Isabella is married to her wife Barbara and the two share two children. While Isabella is now personally using the name Jenny Blacke, she shares that she will continue to write under both that name and her professional name Tony Isabella and will be presenting as Tony Isabella at upcoming conventions this year. She is also deep in her gender euphoria posting, THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY: Coming out as transgender on my social media was one of the scariest things I have ever done. The love and support I was shown lifted my spirits and gave me hope. Ill have more to say soon. For now...thank you. (@) While there were, unsurprisingly, hateful responses to Isabellas coming out on X, which have become endemic of the social media platform, but the support from fans was actually overwhelming. Good for you and I hope that you and your family are doing well and everyone is safe and happy. Chris B. | Cowboy Christopher (@KryptonianBlerd) February 9, 2025 "Good for you and I hope that you and your family are doing well and everyone is safe and happy."To quote a TV show I quite like: every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place, so thank you. The Mayor of Christmas (@TinseltownMayor) February 9, 2025 "To quote a TV show I quite like: 'every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place, so thank you.'Congratulations and you have the support of your true fans. Comic not Cosmic (@Comic_Geek94) February 9, 2025 "Congratulations and you have the support of your true fans."Full support for you. Thank you for creating a hero and their family that my family could enjoy BlazeLaserand Blazer (@Traenmane) February 9, 2025 "Full support for you. Thank you for creating a hero and their family that my family could enjoy."Thank you for sharing and speaking out. It wont be easy, but it is never too late and you have a lot of siblings out there who will support you and cheer you on as you work out how to express yourself. Youre doing this to be your best self and live with joy. Lain Kaplan Black Trans Lives Matter (@LainKaplan) February 10, 2025 "Thank you for sharing and speaking out. It wont be easy, but it is never too late and you have a lot of siblings out there who will support you and cheer you on as you work out how to express yourself. Youre doing this to be your best self and live with joy."As someone who ran into burning buildings as a career for just shy of three decades, this is absolutely the bravest thing that I have ever seen! Respect! Advent Comics - 15th Anniversary on 8/1/24 (@AdventComics) February 9, 2025 "As someone who ran into burning buildings as a career for just shy of three decades, this is absolutely the bravest thing that I have ever seen! Respect!"Congrats to Jenny Blake, and welcome to the family.

South Africa's Caster Semenya celebrates after winning the woman's 800m final at Carrara Stadium during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, April 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-02-10T16:15:06Z Track and field moved toward adopting rules that would place athletes assigned female at birth but have higher testosterone levels, like Caster Semenya, under the same set of rules as transgender athletes who were born male and transitioned to female.World Athletics, which in 2023 banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty, announced recommendations Monday that would apply strict transgender rules to people like Semenya, who was born female but has what the organization describes as naturally occurring testosterone levels in the typical male range.Previously, athletes like Semenya with differences in sex development (DSD) had to undergo testosterone-suppression therapy for two years to be eligible. Now they may be ineligible regardless of whether theyve done hormone therapy.The new rules would also eliminate exceptions into the female category for any transgender athlete who hasnt gone through male puberty. No such athletes currently compete at the highest elite levels of track. The recommendations propose reinstating a version of chromosome testing that was discontinued in the 1990s, requiring athletes who compete in the female category to submit to a cheek swab or dry blood-spot test for the presence of a gene that indicates whether the athlete has a Y chromosome present in males. In 2023, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said new DSD regulations could impact up to 13 current high-level runners; that number is believed to be even smaller now. It includes Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion at 800 meters who has taken the argument to the highest court in sports and the European Court of Human Rights. How the new guidelines might impact Semenyas protests is unknown. The ECHR has ruled Semenya was discriminated against by tracks rules, but that did not impact a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport that upheld those regulations. In a nod to the fact that the rules could knock Semenya and others completely out of elite track, the recommendations proposed the adoption of measures to address any reasonable reliance interests DSD athletes may have as a result of new restrictions. One possibility would be adding a mixed-gender category to some athletics events.World Athletics says its proposed changes reflect the latest developments in science, sport and law.Among the new developments it cites is evidence that makes clear that an exclusive focus on male puberty is wrong. It cites evidence that children born male have an already an athletically significant performance gap before the onset of puberty, and that athletic disadvantages associated with female body structure and physiology contribute to the performance gap.The governing body has opened a consultation period on the recommended rule changes through March 5. The next council meeting, at which the rules could be adopted, is set for the end of March, likely after the new president of the International Olympic Committee a spot for which Coe is running is selected. Coe, the Olympic champion middle-distance runner, has been vocal about protecting the female category in track and field. More recently, he has said the IOC needs to take a leadership role in the transgender debate instead of letting each individual sport decide their own regulations.Preserving the integrity of competition in the Female Category is a fundamental principle of the sport of Athletics and we look forward to this collaborative consultation process with our key stakeholders in this area, Coe said in a statement accompanying the announcement of the proposed changes.The new guidelines issued by Coes current organization, which are geared toward elite and not grassroots sports, come out only days after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in girls sports in the U.S. and pressured the Olympics to do the same.___AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports

A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)2025-02-10T20:30:59Z HONOLULU (AP) Hawaiis Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurance companies cant bring their own legal actions against those blamed for Mauis catastrophic 2023 wildfire, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The ruling allows a $4 billion settlement under threat by insurance issues to move forward. Other steps remain in finalizing the deal between thousands of people who lodged lawsuits and various defendants, including Hawaiian Electric Company.A settlement was announced last summer, but insurance companies held out, insisting that they should have the right to go after the defendants separately to recoup money paid out to policyholders.Mondays ruling resolves a key roadblock to finalizing the deal and sends the case back to a Maui judge to determine next steps.A representative for the insurance companies said he would get back to the The Associated Press to comment on the ruling and whether they will ask for review at the U.S. Supreme Court. A key question that was before Hawaii Supreme Court was whether state laws controlling health care insurance reimbursement also apply to casualty and property insurance in limiting companies ability to pursue independent legal action against those held liable. The justices answered yes. Gerald Singleton, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said theyre still trying to make sense of the ruling but are pleased with it. Now the settlement can take the next step forward, he said.

Last week, the 13th annual SCAD TVfest took place in Atlanta, Georgia. The festival aims to put the spotlight on the latest in design, creativity, and innovation on television, streaming, and digital media. This year, SCAD honored actress and activist Laverne Coxwith the Impact Award, for her new seriesClean Slate. The Amazon Prime Video seriesClean [...]The post Laverne Cox Delivers Powerful Speech Upon Receiving SCAD TVfest Impact Award: We need our allies more than ever right now as LGBTQ+ people. first appeared on GLAAD.

Sonya Deville, the first openly gay woman in WWE history, is parting ways with the company after nearly a decade.Reports from OutSports confirm that WWE will not renew Devilles contract, which expires later this month, making her a free agent without the standard 90-day noncompete clause.Deville first rose to prominence in 2015 as a contestant on WWE Tough Enough, where she came out publicly as gay. Since then, she has been a vital force for LGBTQ representation in wrestling, making history as the first openly lesbian woman to compete at WrestleMania. She won the WWE Womens Tag Team Championship in 2023 and was a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sport, regularly representing WWE at GLAAD events and playing a key role in the companys first significant Pride Month celebration.See on InstagramGLAAD has responded to the news, voicing disappointment over the loss of a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ figure in wrestling.News broke that the WWE chose not to renew the contract of fan favorite and our friend Sonya Deville, said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement. Sonya is the first openly gay woman to be a WWE Superstar and a fierce talent who changed the game for LGBTQ visibility in the WWE. For a decade, she has received loud cheers from LGBTQ and allied WWE fans. Womens wrestling is the fastest-growing youth sport in the country and this decision strips Netflix of a huge opportunity to reach a key growth audience as it brings WWE to its platform. She will be missed, and Im joining fans to support her.See on InstagramThe timing of Devilles exit coincides with WWEs highly publicized transition to Netflix, a historic shift that could bring an even larger global audience to the brand. WWEs $5 billion deal with Netflix makes the streaming giant the exclusive home of Monday Night Raw, with additional programming like SmackDown and WrestleMania available internationally.While WWE has yet to comment on Devilles departure, she acknowledged the news by updating her Instagram bio to read, To be continued Whether that means a return to wrestling elsewhere or a new path entirely, her legacy in WWE is cemented as one of the most significant for LGBTQ+ athletes in professional wrestling history.

If you havent kept up with the 17th season of RuPauls Drag Race, you are missing out on some fierce looks, some quirky twists, and a lot of behind-the-scenes drama. Spoilers ahead if you have not caught up on the sixth episode.See on InstagramLast week, during Lets Get Sea Sickening Ball, we saw a major meltdown from fan-favorite Lexi Love after someone spray-painted one of her ball looks on accident.After she confronted the werk room about the culprit, Onya Nurve waited until Love had gone back outside to admit that she and eventual episode winner Arrietty had done it on accident though Jewels Sparkles noted this was the second time Nurve had ruined someones outfit after a similar altercation between the two happened a few weeks ago.See on InstagramOver the weekend, the Reddit thread for RuPauls Drag Race drama posted a video of Sparkles from TikTok user @yyavxy of her divulging that the on-screen battle between Nurve and Love was a lot more intense than viewers got to see.Heres what I will say, Sparkles said, noting that she also didnt want to say too much. What she did say is that what we saw was a very humble edit. Very humble, adding that it got fierce.See on InstagramThe tension got so fierce in the end that all of the girls reportedly had to stop working on our outfits for, like, three hours for the girls to get mediation from the producers.After spilling the tea, Sparkles said the editors did a good job of putting the episode together and also asked for a round of applause for all of the runway looks.At the end of the video, Sparkles couldnt resist some last-minute shade with the runway looks, saying, Some of them were fierce, and some of them wereCheck out the video below, and keep scrolling for some more reactions to the tea.@yyavxythe teaaa #dragrace #drag #rpdr #rupaulsdragrace @Jewels Sparklesthe teaaa #dragrace #drag #rpdr #rupaulsdragrace @Jewels SparklesComment byu/D1ckRepellent from discussion inRPDRDRAMA"We had to stop working for like 3 hours.""oh my gawwwwwuuhhd "Comment byu/D1ckRepellent from discussion inRPDRDRAMA"Wouldve been more interesting to see some of the mediation. The resolution felt like it didnt match the energy of how mad Lexi was and how defensive Onya seemed- like it went from 10 to 0 with barely any communication."Comment byu/D1ckRepellent from discussion inRPDRDRAMA"Take a shot everytime she says fierce."Comment byu/D1ckRepellent from discussion inRPDRDRAMA"Boooo gimme more! Who was involved? What was the argument? Were piggies, feed us!"Comment byu/D1ckRepellent from discussion inRPDRDRAMA"if I said Jewels Sparkles was my favorite would u all be mad"Comment byu/D1ckRepellent from discussion inRPDRDRAMA"Before hearing this, I thought Lexi only came in the next day trying to bury it because 1. She wanted to have a more positive day and 2. It felt more like Lexi had to apologise first just to get somewhat of an apology from Onya.But now I'm not sure. Maybe Lexi went too far and had to apologise or something. Who knows."

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell walks out after holding a news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, at the Federal Reserve in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-02-10T17:59:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) The odds of further interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve dwindled last week as unemployment fell and more officials say they want to see how new policies from the White House affect the economy. While Fed officials penciled in two rate cuts this year at their December meeting, economists and Wall Street investors are increasingly skeptical, with some predicting no reductions at all this year. On Friday, economists at Morgan Stanley said they now expect just one rate cut in 2025, and investors also expect just one in July according to pricing in futures markets. Fewer cuts could translate into a longer period of elevated mortgage rates and high costs to borrow money for everything from autos to credit cards. Still, mortgage rates are closely tied to the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which can move independently of the Feds actions. The shifting expectations come as Chair Jerome Powell heads to Capitol Hill for two days of testimony this week, beginning Tuesday, before House and Senate committees that oversee the central bank and the financial industry. Fed chairs are required by law to appear before Congress twice a year. Members of Congress may urge that he cut rates more quickly. He will also likely be grilled about issues that are taking a higher profile under the Trump administration, such as crypto regulation, banking regulation, and allegations of de-banking. De-banking is the practice of banks shutting down customer accounts because they believe they pose financial, legal or reputational risks to the banks. Some crypto executives have charged that Biden administration regulators pressured financial firms to target their industry for de-banking. Regarding interest rates, Fed officials have suggested recently that after cutting their key rate three times at the end of last year to about 4.3%, down from two-decade high of 5.3% they are likely to be on hold for an extended period, though none will specify how long that might be. On Friday, Fed governor Adriana Kugler said that the labor market was stable and that gives us a little bit of time to make some decisions. She noted that inflation has moved sideways since the fall and is above their 2% target. She added that potential policy changes from the Trump administration have added uncertainty to their outlook for the economy. Economists have said that widespread tariffs, and the deportation of immigrants that Trump has also promised, could push up inflation. Others argue that Trumps deregulatory policies could, by increasing supply, reduce prices. The cautious and the prudent step is to hold the (Feds key) rate where it is for some time, Kugler said. Given that the economy is solid, given the fact that we havent achieved our 2% target, and given the fact that we may have uncertainties and other factors that may be pushing up inflation.Separately, Austan Goolsbee, president of the Feds Chicago branch, said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press Friday that he still expects the central banks rate will be lower in the next 12 to 18 months than it is now. But he also said it makes sense for the Fed to take a slower approach as it nears a point where it may stop reducing rates. He also noted that the prospect of tariffs has muddied the waters a bit for the Fed in the coming months. Tariffs may cause a one-time increase in prices but dont necessarily cause ongoing inflation. As a result, Goolsbee said, Fed officials will have to sort through any price increases that do occur to determine whether they are one-time changes, or a reflection of persistent inflationary pressures. Thats not that easy to do, its going to take time to figure that out, he said. Weve still just got to wait for the dust to clear.Other officials also suggested that it will take time for the Fed to determine what steps it needs to take next. Lorie Logan, president of the Feds Dallas branch, said Thursday that while in some scenarios the Fed may soon cut rates, its also possible well need to hold rates at least at the current level for quite some time. Even if inflation were to fall close to the 2% target, she added, that wouldnt necessarily mean the Fed should cut rates soon. Instead, with the economy mostly healthy and hiring holding up, the Feds key rate may already be close to the level at which it doesnt restrict or stimulate growth, she said a level that economists refer to as the neutral rate. The government said Friday that employers added a solid number of jobs last month while the unemployment rate ticked down for the second straight month to 4%, historically quite low. Hiring in November and December was revised much higher. Steady hiring and a mostly-healthy job market suggest that there is less of an urgent need for the Fed to reduce borrowing rates. It implemented a steep half-point cut in September after weak hiring over the summer spurred fears that the economy was stumbling, possibly into recession. The jobs report bolsters our confidence that the Fed cutting cycle is over, economists at Bank of America wrote in a note Friday. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

A lone penny is illuminated in a bin of completed pennies at the U.S. Mint in Denver, Aug. 15, 2007. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)2025-02-10T19:46:06Z RICHMOND, Va. (AP) The lowly penny, the forgotten mainstay of coin jars and car cupholders everywhere, may soon be no more. President Donald Trump announced Sunday hes ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin, whose buying power is long past its prime.Advocates for ditching the penny cite its high production cost currently almost 4 cents per penny, according to the U.S. Mint and limited utility. Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel, which costs almost 14 cents to mint.Trumps surprise order comes after decades of unsuccessful efforts to pitch the penny.Only tradition explains our stubborn attachment to the penny. But sometimes traditions get ridiculous, the Farmers Almanac said in its 1989 edition.Heres a look at some questions surrounding Trumps order. Can Trump really order the Treasury to stop minting pennies without Congress approval?Yes, according to legal scholar Laurence H. Tribe, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard University.U.S. code gives the Treasury Secretary the authority to mint and issue coins in amounts the secretary decides are necessary to meet the needs of the United States.If Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent decides the amount necessary for the penny is zero, hes within his legal rights, Tribe said.Unlike a lot of what the new administration has been doing pursuant to the flood of executive orders since Jan. 20, this action seems to me entirely lawful and fully constitutional, Tribe said, referring to the aggressive executive action Trumps taken on other issues since taking office. Congress, which dictates currency specifications like the size and metal content of coins, could make Trumps order permanent through law. But past congressional efforts to ditch the penny have failed. Pennies are mostly made of zinc, and the American zinc lobby has been a major opponent to suggestions that the penny be eliminated. How many pennies are in circulation?It depends on what you mean by circulation.Pennies are the most popular coin made by the U.S. Mint, which reported making 3.2 billion of them last year. Thats more than half of all the new coins it made last year.MIT professor Jeff Gore, who founded Citizens to Retire the Penny, said coins are supposed to stay in circulation for about 30 years and that in the last three decades the U.S. Mint has made about 250 billion pennies.But, he says, because nobody wants to use pennies, they fall out of active circulation much faster than other coins.If pennies sit in drawer for a decade, Gore asks, Does that qualify as being in circulation?Will Americans miss pennies? The experience in other countries suggests no.Canada started phasing out its penny a dozen years ago and urged store owners to round prices to the nearest nickel for cash transactions. Electronic purchases were still billed to the nearest cent. The move came after New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, and others dropped their lowest-denomination coins.After dropping the penny or its equivalent, those countries have not looked back. What comes next?Trumps order, which he announced in a social media post as he was departing New Orleans after watching the first half of the Super Bowl, was the latest in his administrations rapid-fire efforts to cut government costs. Lets rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if its a penny at a time, Trump wrote in his post, which was light on details about plans for a post-penny future. After Canada stopped minting new pennies, it began recycling them for their valuable copper and zinc, according to a 2022 report from the Canadian Mint. ALAN SUDERMAN Suderman is an Associated Press investigative reporter interested in national security, cybersecurity and other related topics. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nicole Kidman is no stranger to turning looks on the red carpet, but her latest sartorial triumph is one for the Sapphics. Were calling it lesbian boyfriend chic. (Disclaimer: This is all in good fun; were not outing anyone, so dont @ us!)Kidman attended the Critics Awards over the weekend, in support of her nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Special Ops: Lioness, and while she may not have won the statue that evening, she certainly deserves one for the sheer amount of lesbian thirst she inspired in her Saint Laurent suit.Kidman rocked the oversized tan wool suit paired with a striped shirt, silk tie, and a pair of sling back pumps. In other words, if lesbian root was an outfit, it would be this.Kidman partied the night away with a guest list that included no shortage of lady-kissing excellence including Clea Duvall, Cynthia Erivo, Hannah Einbinder, Zoe Saldana, and Angelina Jolie, and was dressed, or rather, well-suited for the occasion.Now for a close up. The manicure is correct and has us humming Both Hands by Ani DiFranco.Speaking of hands, did you see this? Are you picking up what shes putting down? No? Well then allow us to translate.... (@) We kid, but seriously if Kidman keeps turning it out like this, she may just be Hollywoods new lesbian boyfriend.

Measles and tetanus vaccine vials are ready to be administered at the Dallas County Health & Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas, on March 8, 2019. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News via AP)2025-02-10T21:44:53Z Fifteen measles cases mostly in school-aged children have been confirmed in a small county in West Texas with one of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions in the state.South Plains Public Health District Director Zach Holbrooks said Monday that his department was first notified in late January about the first two cases in Gaines County, which he said were two children who had seen a physician in Lubbock.Some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools in the district, said Holbrooks, who cautioned that the investigation is ongoing.I wouldnt say theyre all connected, but our teams are looking into exposure sites and the background of those cases, he said.Local health officials set up a drive-through vaccination clinic last week and are offering screening services to residents.The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. This month, health officials in metro Atlanta are working to contain a measles case that spread to two unvaccinated family members. Texas law allows children to get an exemption from school vaccines for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs. The percentage of kids with exemptions has risen over the last decade from .76% in 2014 to 2.32% last year, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data. Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine: Nearly 14% of children from kindergarten through grade 12 had an exemption in the 2023-24 school year, which is more than five times the state average of 2.32% and beyond the national rate of 3.3%. But the number of unvaccinated kids in the county is likely significantly higher, DSHS spokeswoman Lara Anton said, because Gaines County has many children who are homeschooled and whose data would not be reported. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccines is a two-shot series: The first is recommended at 12 to 15 months old and second between 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is required to attend most public schools in the U.S. But vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic and most states are below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergartners the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks. Lawmakers across the country have proposed various vaccine requirement changes at a time when anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is awaiting confirmation as the secretary of Health and Human Services.One of the early Gaines County cases traveled to neighboring New Mexico while they were still infectious, Anton said, but there were no immediate reports of infection. New Mexico Department of Health spokesman Robert Nott said the agency has been in communication with Texas officials but there was no known exposure to measles in his state.Were going to watch this very closely, Nott said.Two cases of measles were reported in early January in the Houston area, but Holbrooks said the West Texas cases dont appear to be connected. Measles is a highly contagious virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, its usually fewer than 200 in a normal year. ___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. SEAN MURPHY Murphy is the statehouse reporter for The Associated Press in Oklahoma City. He has covered Oklahoma news and politics since 1996. twitter mailto DEVI SHASTRI Shastri is a public health reporter for The Associated Press, based in Milwaukee. She covers housing access, the social safety net, medical misinformation and other topics that influence the health of communities broadly. twitter mailto

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with random binary data, March 9, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)2025-02-10T21:51:40Z A group of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97.4 billion to buy OpenAI, escalating a legal dispute with the artificial intelligence company that Musk helped found.Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a consortium of investment firms want to take control of the ChatGPT maker and revert it to its original charitable mission as a nonprofit research lab, according to Musks attorney Marc Toberoff.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly rejected the deal on Musks social platform X, saying, no thank you but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want. Musk bought Twitter, now called X, for $44 billion in 2022.Musk and Altman, who together helped start OpenAI in 2015 and later competed over who should lead it, have been in a long-running feud over the startups direction since Musk resigned from its board in 2018.Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company last year, first in a California state court and later in federal court, alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good. Musk had invested about $45 million in the startup from its founding until 2018, Toberoff said in court last week. Musk and OpenAI lawyers faced off in a California federal court last week as a judge weighed Musks request for a court order that would block the ChatGPT maker from converting itself to a for-profit company. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers hasnt yet ruled on Musks request but in court said it was a stretch for Musk to claim he will be irreparably harmed if she doesnt intervene to stop OpenAI from moving forward with its planned transition toward becoming a for-profit corporation. But the judge also raised concerns about OpenAI and its relationship with business partner Microsoft and said she wouldnt stop the case from moving to trial as soon as next year so a jury can decide. It is plausible that what Mr. Musk is saying is true. Well find out. Hell sit on the stand, she said.Along with Musk and xAI, others backing the bid include Baron Capital Group, Valor Management, Atreides Management, Vy Fund, Emanuel Capital Management and Eight Partners VC.Toberoff said in a statement that if Altman and OpenAIs current board are intent on becoming a fully for-profit corporation, it is vital that the charity be fairly compensated for what its leadership is taking away from it: control over the most transformative technology of our time.Toberoff added that Musk, as an OpenAI co-founder and successful tech leader, is the person best positioned to protect and grow OpenAIs technology. MATT OBRIEN OBrien covers the business of technology and artificial intelligence for The Associated Press. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In January, Lucy Dacus put out a call for "hot mascs" to be in her new music video. And now, its finally here and it was worth the wait Fans were freaking out at the start of the year when Dacus made the savvy decision to use TikTok for her open casting call."I am seeking some people to be in the music video for this song," she wrote as her latest song, "Best Guess," played.Everyone interested was invited to upload a TikTok using the corresponding audio. Her team would pore over them to find people who "are smooth or suave or can pretend to be."The results did not disappoint.The final video features a handful of familiar faces Dacus herself, along with Cara Delevingne, Towa Bird, MUNAs Naomi McPherson, and Greys Anatomy actor E.R. Fightmaster are all front and center throughout. But the diverse group of hot mascs Dacus wound up casting from TikTok are much more than background fodder.@lucydacusbest guess feb tenWhile theres no specific narrative at play here, we are instead treated to a variety of scenes of everyone partaking in activities that are traditionally viewed as masculine. Donning suits, they play a game of poker, led by Delevingne. Stripping down to undershirts (and sometimes less), others reenact being in a gym alongside Fightmaster. Beyond that, theres pool, darts, arm wrestling, and moments where everyone gets their close-ups.All, of course, while Dacus looks on appreciatively, singing, "You are my pack a day / You are my favorite place / You were my best friend before you were / My best guess at the future."It somehow manages to pull off being both adorable and hot at the same time, which feels like the perfect crossover vibes for Dacuss intended audience.But don't take our word for it; you're definitely going to want to check this one out for yourself."Best Guess," written, performed, and directed by Lucy Dacus.

Everyone could use a glass of a Ros.This lovable queen from season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race made it all way to the top four and nearly snatched the crown. Since his run on the show, Ros has tremendously grown as a drag artist and performer.With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, Ros is using the romantic holiday as the perfect opportunity to officially pivot into a new direction in his career: music!"I've always been a musician first and foremost. It translates into everything I do, including my drag. It's just nice to know that the people who did fall in love with my drag are here to support me with what comes next," Ros tells PRIDE. See on Instagram One key theme that's featured in Ros's music? Sex, naturally! The Drag Race star hasn't been afraid to show skin in the past, so fans better gear up for plenty of spicy photos and visuals."It is all about confidence. It's all about sex and embracing sexiness. I'm always channeling my inner sexy. I wanted to strip everything down for a second and address and celebrate everything under the drag."Although it's an exciting time as Ros focuses his energy on music, the entertainer isn't hanging up the wigs and heels anytime soon."I will never, ever quit drag. As RuPaul says, 'You're born naked and the rest is drag.' We're all doing drag every day. My drag is just evolving! Who says that I can't be completely puss with a mustache and a chest full of hair?"In fact, Ros is still open to the idea of competing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in the not so distant future."I will always be potentially available and interested for something like that. If it's going to happen some time soon, then RuPaul's Drag Race needs to be ready to crown their first winner with a mustache. They can call me and we can have a discussion about that. I will show up and win."Ros's debut EP oh, boy drops this Friday. To see the full interview, check out the video at the top of the page.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-10T23:35:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) In the first three weeks of his administration, President Donald Trump has moved with brazen haste to dismantle the federal governments public integrity guardrails that he frequently tested during his first term and now seems intent on removing entirely.In a span of hours on Monday, word came that he had forced out leaders of offices responsible for government ethics and whistleblower complaints. And in a boon to corporations, he ordered a pause to enforcement of a decades-old law that prohibits American companies from paying bribes to win business in foreign countries. All of that came on top of the earlier late-night purge of more than a dozen inspectors general who are tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse at government agencies.Its all being done with a stop-me-if-you-dare defiance by a president who the first time around felt hemmed in by watchdogs, lawyers and judges tasked with affirming good government and fair play. Now, he seems determined to break those constraints once and for all in a historically unprecedented flex of executive power. The end goal is to avoid accountability this time, said Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer. Not just being protected by his party and counting on the public to move on when scandals or problems emerge, but this time by actually removing many of the key figures whose job it is to oversee his administration. Zelizer added: Its a much bolder assertion than in his first term, and if successful and if all these figures are removed, youll have a combination of an executive branch lacking independent voices that will keep their eye on the ball and then a congressional majority that at least thus far isnt really going to cause problems for him. To some degree, Trumps early actions reflect a continuation of the path he blazed in his first term, when he dismissed multiple key inspectors general including those leading the Defense Department and intelligence community and fired an FBI director and an attorney general amid a Justice Department investigation into his ties between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. This time, though, his administration has moved much more swiftly in reprisal against those he feels previously wronged him or still could.His Justice Department last month fired more than a dozen prosecutors involved in two separate investigations one into his hoarding of classified documents, the other into his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election that resulted in since-abandoned indictments after he left office. Its also demanded a list of all agents who participated in investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, with Trump saying Friday that he intends to quickly and surgically fire some of them. The actions reflect the administrations intent to keep a tight grip on the Justice Department and even purge it of investigators seen as insufficiently loyal, even though career civil servants are typically not replaced by new presidents. Trumps actions are in keeping with the dramatic dismissal on his first Friday night in office of nearly 20 inspectors general in a broad cross-section of government agencies, all in seeming violation of a law requiring that Congress be given 30-day advance notice of such firings. The latest moves came Monday, when the recently fired head of the Office of Special Counsel, which processes whistleblower complaints and handles the Hatch Act that prohibits federal employees from partisan activities on the job, sued over his dismissal days earlier. Trump separately fired the head of the Office of Government Ethics. Together, these actions will streamline any efforts he and his administration make to personally profit, install loyalists and avoid oversight of corruption and waste, Donald Sherman, the executive director and chief counsel for the good-government group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. By all indications, Trump is planning to run a lawless administration and these unprecedented moves are an alarming first step to put those plans into action. Trump, who in 2016 campaigned on a pledge to rid Washington of corruption with his drain the swamp refrain, has also taken aim at ethics and watchdog rules when it comes to business. On Monday, he paused enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 law that prevents U.S. companies from paying bribes to foreign government officials to win business, until new Attorney General Pam Bondi can design new rules.The White House said the action was needed because American companies are prohibited from engaging in practices common among international competitors, creating an uneven playing field.It sounds good on paper but in practicality its a disaster, Trump said at the White House. On his first day in office last month, Trump signed an executive order that rescinded one issued by former President Joe Biden that had prohibited executive branch employees from accepting major gifts from lobbyists and bans people jumping from lobbying jobs to executive branch jobs, or the reverse, for two years. The bans were aimed at curbing the revolving door in Washington, where incoming government workers could bring a minefield of ethical conflicts and later find lucrative lobbying jobs.The move came as Trump returned to power with fresh overlaps between his personal and business interests, including his launch of a new cryptocurrency token.His family business, the Trump Organization, meanwhile, adopted a voluntary agreement that bars it from making deals with foreign governments but not with private companies abroad, a significant change from the companys ethics pact in the first term.The Trump Organization has in recent months struck deals for hotels and golf resorts in Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Government ethics experts have raised concerns that the presidents personal financial interests in the deals could influence the way he conducts foreign policy. 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 MICHELLE L. PRICE Price is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). (CDC/NIAID via AP, File)2025-02-10T22:03:51Z NEW YORK (AP) A dairy worker in Nevada was infected with a new type of bird flu thats different from the version that has been spreading in U.S. herds since last year, federal health officials said Monday.The illness was considered mild. The persons main symptom was eye redness and irritation, similar to most bird flu cases associated with dairy cows. The person wasnt hospitalized and has recovered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The newer strain had been seen before in more than a dozen people exposed to poultry, but this is the first time an infection was traced to a cow. The Nevada dairy worker was exposed at a farm in Churchill County, in the west central part of the state, state health officials said.CDC officials said there is no evidence the virus has spread from this person to any other people. The agency continues to say the virus poses a low risk to the general public. The bird flu currently spreading through animals, and some people, is known to scientists as Type A H5N1 influenza. But there are different strains.A version known as B3.13 was confirmed in March after spreading to cattle in late 2023, scientists said. It has infected 962 cattle herds in 16 states, the vast majority of them in California. The newer version, known as D1.1, was confirmed in Nevada cattle on Jan. 31. It was found in milk collected as part of a monitoring program started in December. That discovery meant distinct forms of the virus spread from wild birds into cattle at least twice. Experts said it raises questions about wider spread and the difficulty of controlling infections in animals and the people who work with them.At least 68 people in the U.S. have been reported infected with bird flu in the last year, according to CDC data. All but a small handful worked closely with cows or poultry.Most caught the B3.13 version. The CDC previously said the D1.1 version had been seen only in cases in Louisiana and Washington state. But on Monday, the agency revealed that available data indicates D1.1 last year likely infected a total of 15 people in five states Iowa, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin all related to poultry. The D1.1 version of the virus was linked to the first U.S. death tied to bird flu and to a severe illness in Canada. A person in Louisiana died in January after developing severe respiratory symptoms following contact with wild and backyard birds. In British Columbia, a teen girl was hospitalized for months with a virus traced to poultry.While the risk to the general public is low, the CDC says bird flu poses a greater threat to people with close or prolonged contact with infected cows, birds or other animals. Those people are encouraged to wear protective equipment and take other precautions.___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.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in New York. A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams and halt the ongoing investigation. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)2025-02-10T23:55:17Z NEW YORK (AP) A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has cultivated a warm relationship with President Donald Trump.In a two-page memo obtained by The Associated Press, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said the decision to dismiss the charges was reached without an assessment of the strength of the prosecution and was not meant to call into question the attorneys who filed the case.But, Bove said, that the timing of the charges and more recent actions by the former U.S. attorney who led the office, Damian Williams, have threatened the integrity of the proceedings, including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity that risks impacting potential witnesses and the jury pool.Bove also wrote that the pending prosecution has unduly restricted Adams ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that has escalated under the policies of the prior Administration. The Justice Departments order directs that the case be dismissed without prejudice, which conceivably means that it could be refiled later. The memo is a radical departure from longstanding Justice Department norms, both in terms of the directive to dismiss an already-charged case that prosecutors had already deemed meritorious and because of its stated rationale that a powerful defendant could be too occupied with official duties to face accountability for alleged crimes. Public officials at the highest level of government are routinely investigated by the Justice Department, including Trump while he was president, without prosecutors advancing a claim that they should be let off the hook to attend to government service.Williams did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.A spokesperson for the Southern District of New York prosecutors who had been ordered to drop the charges, Nicholas Biase, declined to comment. The development comes after months of speculation that Trumps Justice Department would take steps to end the criminal case against Adams, who was accused of accepting bribes of free or discounted travel and illegal campaign contributions.Trump had hinted at the possibility of a pardon in December, telling reporters that the mayor had been treated pretty unfairly. He had also claimed, without offering evidence, that Adams was being persecuted for criticizing former President Joe Bidens policies on immigration.After Trumps inauguration, Adams lawyers had approached senior Justice Department officials, asking them to intervene and drop the case.Adams attorney, Alex Spiro, did not immediately return a request for comment. A mayoral spokesperson and a representative of his campaign all did not return inquiries.After Adams was indicted in September, he shifted his tone on Trump, rankling some in his own party for his public praise of the Republican and his hardline immigration agenda.The Democrat chastised people who called Trump a fascist. While he still said he was voting for Kamala Harris, Adams stopped saying the then-vice presidents name at public events, except when goaded by reporters. Adams flew to Florida to meet with Trump on Jan. 17. Afterward, he said the two men hadnt discussed his criminal case or the possibility of a pardon, but implied that Trumps agenda would be better for New York than former President Joe Bidens.Im looking forward to the next four years of having a president that loves the city like I love this city, Adams said the day after the meeting. He has denied doing anything illegal, and said the criticism of his overseas trips and deeply discounted first-class travel was unfair.Trump, who was convicted last year of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment, has previously expressed solidarity with Adams.I know what its like to be persecuted by the DOJ, for speaking out against open borders, Trump said in October at a Manhattan event attended by Adams. We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric. The criminal case against Adams involves allegations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions and lavish travel perks worth more than $100,000 including expensive flight upgrades, luxury hotel stays and even a trip to a bathhouse while serving in his previous job as Brooklyn Borough President.The indictment said a Turkish official who helped facilitate the trips then leaned on Adams for favors, at one point asking him to lobby the Fire Department to allow a newly constructed, 36-story diplomatic building to open in time for a planned visit by Turkeys president.Prosecutors also said they had evidence of Adams personally directing campaign staffers to solicit foreign donations, then disguising those contributions in order to qualify for a city program that provides a generous, publicly-funded match for small dollar donations. Foreign nationals are banned from contributing to U.S. election campaigns under federal law. Williams stepped down after Trumps election victory. But as recently as Jan. 6th, prosecutors had indicated their investigation remained active, writing in court papers that they continued to uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams. Federal agents had also been investigating other senior Adams aides. Prior to the mayors indictment, federal authorities seized phones from a police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and the mayors director of Asian Affairs. Each of those officials denied wrongdoing but have since resigned.In December, Adams chief adviser and closest confidant, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was indicted by a state prosecutor the Manhattan district attorney on charges that she and her son accepted $100,000 in bribes related to real estate construction projects. JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto 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

People protest during a rally against Elon Musk outside the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-10T23:06:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) A coalition of labor unions filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal court to stop Elon Musks team from accessing private data at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management.The suit, led by the American Federation of Teachers, alleges the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave Musks Department of Government Efficiency access to systems with personal information on tens of millions of Americans without their consent. It was filed in federal court in Maryland.Its the latest in a flurry of legal challenges to Musks growing influence over federal agencies he has promised to slash or dismantle. A federal judge in New York blocked Musks team from a Treasury Department system on Saturday after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued over privacy concerns. Also Monday, DOGE cut about $900 million in Education Department contracts after concluding they were a waste of taxpayer money, a department spokesperson said. The cuts spanned 90 contracts at the Institute of Education Sciences, a research branch of the federal agency. The department did not immediately release additional details. The cuts will not affect core operations at IES, including the NAEP exam, known as the nations report card, and the College Scorecard, which provides data about the cost and outcomes of U.S. universities, the department said. The AFT suit warns of safety risks to personal data that has been shared with Musks team, including an Education Department system housing information on more than 40 million Americans with federal student loans. The database includes Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers, home addresses and more.The Department is effectively one of Americas biggest banks if there was a breach of this magnitude in the private sector, it would rightly be a national scandal, said Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT. The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of handing over sensitive data for reasons beyond its intended use, allegedly violating the Privacy Act. Instead of carrying out the functions of the federal student loan program, the lawsuit says DOGE has been accessing loan data for purposes of destroying the Education Department.President Donald Trump has vowed to close the Education Department and turn over its authority to states and schools. Musk on his social media site X said Friday that the department doesnt exist, responding to Democrats in Congress who attempted to visit the agencys headquarters but were turned away by security.The suit asks a federal court to stop Musks team from accessing that data along with Treasury systems and an OPM database with sensitive information on all 2.3 million federal employees. It also seeks the destruction of any records that were already disclosed.Steamrolling into sensitive government record systems has led to a massive data breach that threatens to upend how these critical systems are maintained and compromises the safety and security of personal identifying information for Americans all across the country, according to the suit. One of the nations largest teachers unions, the AFT says it represents 1.8 million workers in education, health care and government. Also joining the suit are six people with sensitive information stored in federal systems, including military veterans who received federal student loans and other federal benefit payments.The suit also is backed by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.On Friday, a separate lawsuit on behalf of the University of California Student Association asked a federal judge in Washington to halt Musks access to Education Department systems. The plaintiffs in that case filed for an emergency restraining order on Monday seeking to block DOGE from sensitive data.___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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the briefing with President of the European Investment Bank Nadia Calvino in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)2025-02-11T00:14:05Z PARIS (AP) President Donald Trump s senior advisers are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the path toward ending Russias nearly three-year war in Ukraine.Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trumps special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told The Associated Press that the White House is ironing out details of the highly anticipated talks during the annual summit for international security discussions. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kellogg are among the Trump administration officials traveling to Germany for the summit, and all could be involved in the critical talks with Zelenskyy and his team on the sidelines of the event.Knowing how the process works, it would probably be better for Zelenskyy if we all met together and talked through it as a group, Kellogg said in an interview. Trump on Monday said hed probably speak with Zelenskyy this week.The U.S. president said administration officials also would use the Munich gathering to get a better gauge of the support that European nations are willing to provide Kyiv as it tries to repel Russian President Vladimir Putins grinding invasion. Kellogg and other administration officials have already been meeting with European diplomats in Washington to discuss Ukraine. But the talks in Munich give Trumps top aides their first major opportunity to deliver a message about the new administrations foreign policy outlook and its approach to a war that Trump has said is costing too much American taxpayer money. He complained anew about Europe not doing enough in its own backyard. Trump argued that countries on the continent should repay the U.S. what Washington has spent helping Kyiv. We will deliver our expectation to the allies, Kellogg said. When we come back from Munich we want to deliver to the president the options, so when he does get (directly) involved in the peace process, he knows what it will look like for him. Trump, who had previously said he would bring about a rapid end to the war, recently suggested that administration officials have already begun talks with Russian officials. Trump has said his administration has been in contact with Putin but he has declined to provide further detail about the purported talks.Trump also has in recent days said he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the countrys rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support for Ukraines defense against Russia. The president told reporters Monday that his aides were working toward striking such a deal.We have people over there today who are making a deal that as we give money, we get minerals and we get oil and we get all sorts of things, Trump said. Because why are we doing this?Kellogg said a rare earth deal could help ensure continued American economic support for Ukraine.The answer to that is yes, Kellogg, said of the potential for such a deal keeping U.S. support for Ukraine flowing. The economics of that would allow for further support to the Ukrainians. Vance will lead the delegation to the security conference and is set to arrive in Munich on Thursday as part of his first overseas trip since becoming vice president. Hes now in Paris attending an artificial intelligence summit and is set to meet Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The war in Ukraine is expected to be on the agenda in all those meetings.Like Trump, Vance has been an outspoken critic of U.S. sending billions in military aid to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden.AP writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed reporting. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)2025-02-11T00:54:11Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Department of Government Efficiencys embed into the federal government has raised a host of concerns, transforming a debate over how to cut government waste into a confrontation over privacy rights and the nations financial standing in the world.DOGE, spearheaded by billionaire Donald Trump donor Elon Musk, has rapidly burrowed deep into federal agencies and taken drastic actions to cut spending. This includes trying to get rid of thousands of federal workers, shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development and accessing the Treasury Departments enormous payment systems. Advocacy groups and labor unions have filed lawsuits in an attempt to save agencies and federal worker jobs, and five former treasury secretaries are sounding the alarm on the risks associated with Musks DOGE accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment systems and potentially stopping congressionally authorized payments. Any hint of the selective suspension of congressionally authorized payments will be a breach of trust and ultimately, a form of default. And our credibility, once lost, will prove difficult to regain, said former treasury secretaries Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew and Janet Yellen in an op-ed in The New York Times on Monday. They warn about the risks of arbitrary and capricious political control of federal payments, which would be unlawful and corrosive to our democracy. Musk said on his social media platform X on Monday that we need to stop government spending like a drunken sailor on fraud & waste or America is gonna go bankrupt. That does mean a lot of grifters will lose their grift and complain loudly about it. Too bad. Deal with it.Experts in the financial and digital privacy worlds warn that the U.S. financial system is delicate and complicated and could be harmed by unilateral moves. They also say that Americans personal information could be compromised by the unsafe handling of sensitive data. Andrew Metrick, director of the Yale Program on Financial Stability, says DOGEs actions as a go fast and break things group pose a danger to the U.S. financial system and the U.S. dollars standing as the worlds reserve currency.On the issue of cutting government programs or potentially undermining U.S. democratic norms, DOGE is not going to care, but they should care about harming the dollar and harming the safety of U.S. government debt, Metrick said. Crossing the Rubicon of danger would be something perceived as a default event on bonds, Metrick said, especially as the U.S. runs very close to its statutory debt limit.We maintain a complicated financial system a few wrong actions and the world loses confidence in our ability to manage that system.On cybersecurity issues, the public has no idea what safeguards or policies, if any, Musk and his staffers used to protect the sensitive data they accessed, according to John Davisson, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based nonprofit that advocates for digital privacy. Davisson called DOGEs access the largest data breach and most consequential data breach in U.S. history. The Treasury Departments databases include information about individual and business taxes, medical records, Social Security payments and numbers, and government payments, as well as a long list of other personal data, such as birthdates, home addresses and phone numbers, military records and disability information, Davisson said.Typically, government employees who handle the data are subject to training requirements and myriad rules to ensure the data isnt mishandled, leaked or breached. Often, data is kept segregated in different systems to ensure no one person has easy access to all the information. What may look like inefficiency, Davisson said, is actually a means of securing sensitive data.It was an imperfect but quite robust system, Davisson said, and without it, Americans could be at greater risk of identity theft, stalking or other crimes. Personal information could be sold to online data brokers, who could use the data to gain an even more accurate portrait of Americans and their habits. Davisson said he doesnt accept arguments from Musk and Trump that the data access is about finding efficiencies in government.This is about control. There are ways to improve efficiency in government. ... They involve legislation, they involve regulation, they involve trained personnel and experts, he said. This is about establishing control over databases and thereby establishing control over federal agencies.In one of several disputes over DOGEs access to the Treasury Department, labor unions and advocacy groups have sued to block the payments system review from proceeding because of concerns about its legality. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Thursday restricted DOGEs read-only access of Treasurys payment systems to two workers, one of them Tom Krause, who now appears on the Treasury Department website as performing the functions of fiscal assistant secretary. Saturdays court ruling in favor of 19 Democratic attorneys general who sued to block DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department records shows Americans arent powerless to stop Musk, said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, one of the groups that has sued the government over DOGEs access. She said her group and other advocacy organizations will work to ensure the new administration follows the law and that court orders are followed.This is really clear law. Our federal records have personal information in them. Theyre protected, she said. They are moving fast and doing things that normal governments wouldnt try, and the courts are responding appropriately.Trump told Fox News on Sunday that Musk is not gaining anything from his role in DOGE. Were going to find billions, hundreds of billions, of dollars of fraud and abuse and, you know, the people elected me on that, Trump said.Metrick said: I am nervous they have a hammer and the whole government looks like a nail to them, but Treasury is a thumb. 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

Selena Gomez addressed the ongoing racism controversy surrounding her Emilia Prez co-star Karla Sofia Gascn, expressing her support for the film and her involvement in the project despite the backlash. Speaking at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, Gomez was asked about how she was handling the chaos surrounding the films Academy Awards campaign, which has been marred by controversy over Gascns past social media posts.When asked by a moderator how she was feeling amid the turmoil, Gomez responded, Im really good. Some of the magic has disappeared, but I choose to continue to be proud of what Ive done, and Im just, Im just grateful and live with no regrets. The star, who has been involved in a variety of high-profile projects recently, added, And I would do this movie over and over again if I could, earning applause from the audience.The Gascn ControversyThe controversy surrounding Gascn, who plays the titular character in Emilia Prez, began in late January when past offensive social media posts resurfaced. The posts, which contained racially charged comments targeting Black people, immigrants, and Islam, sparked outrage. Gascn, the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for an Oscar, has since apologized multiple times, attempting to defend herself against accusations of racism and xenophobia. In an hour-long interview with CNN en Espaol, Gascn addressed the controversy, offering further apologies.Despite Gascns public efforts to make amends, the backlash continued, leading some cast members, including Gomezs co-star Zoe Saldaa, to distance themselves from the comments. Saldaa, during a recent Q&A in London, emphasized her disapproval of Gascns remarks, stating, It makes me really sad because I dont support [it], and I dont have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric toward people of any group.Jacques Audiards Response and Gascns SilenceThe controversy surrounding Gascns comments also led to director Jacques Audiard, who helmed Emilia Prez, severing ties with the actress. Audiard confirmed his decision last week, following an interview where he distanced himself from Gascns behavior. In response, Gascn chose to step back from discussing the film publicly, acknowledging that her silence might allow the film to be appreciated for its artistic merit rather than the controversy surrounding her.Following Jacques interview that I understand, I decided, for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself, Gascn wrote in an Instagram post. I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way.Gascns statement signified her attempt to focus attention back on the film itself, which tells the story of love, identity, and difference.Gomezs Continued Support for the FilmDespite the controversy, Gomez has remained steadfast in her support for Emilia Prez and her involvement in the project. In her comments at the film festival, Gomez emphasized that while the recent events have undoubtedly impacted the experience, she remains proud of the work. Some of the magic has disappeared, she noted, referring to the way the films Oscar campaign has been overshadowed by the scandal. Still, she reiterated that she holds no regrets about her participation in the movie.The film, which centers on Gascns portrayal of the titular character, has drawn attention not only for its storytelling but also for Gascns groundbreaking role as the first openly transgender actor to receive an Oscar nomination in the acting category. However, Gascns past posts have overshadowed the films accolades, turning the conversation toward her actions off-screen.A Larger Conversation on Accountability and ToleranceThe incident has sparked a larger discussion about accountability in the entertainment industry, particularly in regard to past behavior and public figures social media history. It has also raised questions about the line between an artists personal history and their professional accomplishments. While many have condemned Gascns comments, others have pointed out the need for ongoing dialogue about race, discrimination, and the impact of words in the digital age.For Gomez, the controversy surrounding her co-star has added a complex layer to her experience working on Emilia Prez. Yet, she has remained focused on the work itself, emphasizing that she is proud of what the film represents, even if it has been marred by controversy.As Emilia Prez continues its awards season run, the conversation around Gascns past and the broader issue of racism within the entertainment industry remains at the forefront. The film, which had initially garnered attention for its groundbreaking nature and positive reception, now faces the challenge of being overshadowed by the controversy surrounding its lead actress. However, with support from fellow cast members like Gomez, it seems that the films artistic merit may still shine through as the story unfolds in the public eye.The situation continues to evolve, and it remains to be seen how it will impact the films potential at the Oscars and beyond. For now, Gomezs unwavering support of the film serves as a testament to her commitment to the work, regardless of the external challenges that have emerged.The post Selena Gomez Proud of Emilia Perez Despite Karla Sofia Gascns Online Controversy appeared first on Gayety.

Egale Canada, one of the leading LGBTQ+ rights organizations in the country, has announced its decision to boycott all in-person events in the United States, citing the Trump administrations ongoing attacks on the transgender community. The boycott will affect major gatherings such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations and WorldPride, which is set to take place in Washington, D.C., later this year.In a statement released this week, Egale Canada explained the rationale behind the decision, highlighting the significant risks faced by transgender and nonbinary individuals in the U.S. due to recent policy changes. After deep consideration, we have decided not to engage in-person in this years Commission on the Status of Women or any other UN, OAS (Organization of American States), or global convergences, including WorldPride, taking place in the United States in the foreseeable future, the group said.Boycotting U.S. Events Amid Ongoing Transgender Rights ChallengesEgale Canadas move comes as the U.S. government continues to roll back protections for transgender people. A key factor in the boycott decision was the U.S. State Departments decision to stop allowing gender marker changes on U.S. passports, effectively halting the issuance of travel documents with the X gender marker. This change has left many nonbinary individuals unable to obtain documents that align with their gender identity. The removal of transgender-specific resources from the U.S. State Department website, replaced by the acronym LGB instead of LGBTQI+, has further marginalized transgender and intersex individuals within the larger LGBTQ+ community.Egale Canada pointed to these actions as the primary reason for its withdrawal from participation in U.S.-hosted events. The organization expressed concerns about the safety of its transgender and nonbinary staff members, who would face potential discrimination or mistreatment at U.S. borders. This decision is foremost based on the need to safeguard our trans and nonbinary staff who would face questionable treatment at land and aviation borders to attend such convenings, the statement read.The group also noted its solidarity with international colleagues who share similar concerns about entering the U.S. amid the ongoing legal and policy changes. The U.S. governments crackdown on gender identity recognition has caused significant anxiety for many LGBTQ+ activists and travelers, particularly those from outside the country.ACLU Lawsuit and Legal Uncertainty for Transgender TravelersIn response to these issues, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of seven individuals who have been unable to obtain U.S. passports that accurately reflect their gender identity. The lawsuit challenges the Trump administrations gender ideology executive order, which mandates that government-issued identification documents, including passports, reflect a persons sex at conception.The full impact of this directive on transgender and nonbinary travelers remains uncertain. Immigration Equality, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, warned that travelers whose federal identification documents do not match their state-issued documents, such as a drivers license, may face harassment or discrimination by travel security agents or airline personnel.Broader Economic and Political Context for the BoycottEgale Canadas boycott is not limited to the Trump administrations policies on transgender rights. The organization also cited the presidents recent threats against Canada, including a proposed 25% tariff on Canadian goods entering the U.S., as a factor in its decision. These economic and political threats have led some Canadians to reconsider their travel plans to the U.S. and to advocate for a broader boycott of U.S. goods and services in retaliation.The group emphasized that its decision to boycott U.S. events is also a response to what it describes as economic warfare and threats to national sovereignty. We cannot in good conscience engage in a process of disentangling our organization from the U.S. goods and services and then proceed to travel to the U.S., Egale Canadas statement read.In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has stirred controversy by making light of Canadas sovereignty, joking about annexing the country as the United States fifty-first state. This idea was echoed in a Super Bowl interview with Fox News, where Trump reiterated his support for the notion.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to these remarks on Friday, calling Trumps threats a real thing that could have serious consequences for both countries.Ongoing Support for Transgender Rights and Global AdvocacyDespite the challenges, Egale Canada remains committed to advocating for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights on the global stage. The organization has long been a vocal supporter of policies that protect the rights of marginalized communities, and its decision to boycott U.S. events is a demonstration of its commitment to those principles.While Egale Canadas actions are rooted in the protection of transgender rights and a rejection of discriminatory policies, the organization also seeks to raise awareness about the broader implications of these policies for global LGBTQ+ communities. The boycott serves as both a protest and a call to action, urging the international community to stand in solidarity with transgender people and to hold the U.S. accountable for its treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals.As the situation continues to unfold, Egale Canadas decision to withdraw from U.S. events marks a significant stance in the ongoing battle for LGBTQ+ rights and the fight against discriminatory policies.The post LGBTQ+ Groups Announce Boycott of U.S. Events in Protest of Anti-Transgender Policies appeared first on Gayety.

A recent Dolly Parton musical production, Here You Come Again, has faced unexpected homophobic abuse from some members of the audience, who appeared shocked by the inclusion of a gay character in the show. The musical, featuring iconic hits like I Will Always Love You and Jolene, was staged at the Opera House in Manchester for a five-night run, which concluded on Saturday, February 8.Steven Webb, a West End star who plays comedian and Dolly Parton fan Kevin in the production, took to TikTok to reveal the disturbing level of homophobia that the cast and crew encountered during the performances. Webb shared that a significant number of audience members had to be ejected due to homophobic outbursts, calling it insane. @thatsteviewebb #musicaltheatre original sound Stevie Webb Its crazy to me that in this day and age, were still dealing with this kind of thing, Webb wrote in his post. He went on to describe a particularly alarming incident during the final performance, where one person was removed from the auditorium for shouting out slurs during the show. Earlier in the week, a woman was removed after expressing her disgust over the presence of a gay character on stage, prompting an outburst that caused the show to be temporarily halted.Webb recounted the incident, saying, She was shouting out, and then all the audience started shouting at her. There was a massive ruckus. Webb, who plays a character with a romantic storyline involving a male partner, emphasized how surprising it was to encounter such hostility in a show centered around the legendary country star, Dolly Parton.London was the worst, which is crazy to me, Webb continued. I remember one guy who was shouting the F slur, saying, Im not here to watch some f*ing f**t talk about his boyfriend, I just want to see Dolly Parton. Its like, Its a Dolly Parton musical, mate. Its going to be a little bit gay, obviously.The musical Here You Come Again is based on the life and music of Dolly Parton, who is known for her philanthropic work, including significant contributions to LGBTQ+ causes. Despite Partons long-standing support for the LGBTQ+ community, some theatergoers still found the depiction of a gay character in the show difficult to accept.Webbs comments shed light on the disconnect between the inclusive message often celebrated within the theater industry and the challenges of traveling to various parts of the country. The actor shared his surprise at how many people in different locations were visibly uncomfortable or outright hostile when faced with the portrayal of a gay person on stage.This experience has really opened my eyes, Webb admitted. We are in such a bubble in this industry. But traveling the country and seeing how many people cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage, its wild.Webb, who has also appeared in The Book of Mormon, went on to compare the situation to something as inconsequential as personal preference for color. It would be like if I had that reaction to the color blue, he said. It exists, its not going anywhere, but I could not escape it. I feel really bad for them because Id be like, Oh f**k, the sky. Eventually, Id probably just realize its not actually hurting me, its not affecting my life, its just blue, and its just not my favorite color.Parton has long been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, with her charitable endeavors benefiting several LGBTQ+ organizations and causes. Despite her history of support, Webbs experience on stage revealed how deeply ingrained prejudices still persist in certain areas of the country, even within the context of a musical about an artist renowned for her inclusive and open-hearted values.The incidents of homophobic abuse at Here You Come Again serve as a reminder that LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream entertainment remains a contentious issue for some. The backlash also highlights the progress yet to be made in fostering greater acceptance and understanding of LGBTQ+ characters and stories on stage and screen.While Webbs experience was disheartening, he continues to express his hope that these types of reactions will eventually fade as audiences grow more accustomed to the diverse representations of love, identity, and humanity that are now becoming increasingly common in the arts. For now, the musicals message of inclusivity and Dolly Partons enduring legacy of love and acceptance remain at the heart of the production, despite the challenges it faced during its run in Manchester.The post Dolly Parton Musical Here You Come Again Forced to Kick Out Attendees for Shouting Homophobic Slurs at Cast Members appeared first on Gayety.

Jacob Elordi, best known for his roles in Euphoria and Saltburn, is set to star in the upcoming queer drama On Swift Horses. The film, which is based on Shannon Pufahls acclaimed novel, will be released in the U.S. on April 25.On Swift Horses takes place in the 1950s and follows the complex lives of its central characters. Elordi plays Julius, a Korean War veteran who transitions into a gambler. The film explores his intricate relationships with a married couple, Muriel and Lee, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) and Will Poulter (The Bear, The Maze Runner). Despite her marriage to Lee, Muriel finds herself drawn to Julius, the younger brother of her husband, setting the stage for a compelling love triangle.While Julius and Muriel are separated by distance, their connection remains strong. As the story unfolds, Julius embarks on a passionate affair with Henry, portrayed by Diego Calva (Narcos: Mexico), whom he meets in a Las Vegas casino. The love triangle at the heart of the film examines themes of longing, identity, and forbidden desire, set against the backdrop of post-war America.The film also showcases a talented ensemble cast, including Andrew Keenan-Bolger, known for his work in theater, adding another layer of depth to the story. The movie has garnered significant attention since its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September, particularly for its dream-like queer sex scenes, which have been described as both intimate and powerful.The film is directed by Daniel Minahan, whose previous work includes directing episodes of Game of Thrones, True Blood, and Fellow Travelers. Minahan said he was particularly drawn to On Swift Horses because it offers a re-imagining of the American dream, except through a queer lens. He noted that Pufahls novel tells the story of characters who are hiding themselves, watching, exploring, and trying to find themselves. Minahan emphasized that the narrative is not tragic, but ends on a hopeful notea key element that he and his team were committed to preserving.I was really attracted to the idea that these characters connect in a way that feels like a search for something deeper, but its not tragic, Minahan said. Its a story about exploration and hope, which felt like something important to me.The screenplay for On Swift Horses was adapted by Bryce Kass, whose writing credits include Lizzie (2018). Kass script brings Pufahls novel to life with vivid character development and emotional depth, carefully balancing the historical setting with contemporary themes of identity and love.The film also marks a significant moment for LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood, with its exploration of queer love in a 1950s settinga time when such relationships were often hidden from view. The film is expected to resonate with audiences who are drawn to narratives of self-discovery, love, and the pursuit of personal freedom, set against the constraints of societal expectations.Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordis chemistry is one of the key draws of the film, with critics already praising their performances. Elordis portrayal of Julius promises to be both intense and vulnerable, while Edgar-Jones brings a sense of longing and complexity to Muriels character. Together, the pair creates a compelling dynamic that is sure to captivate audiences.The films atmosphere is enhanced by its striking visuals and evocative cinematography, which transports viewers to the vibrant yet tense world of mid-20th-century America. With its blend of romance, drama, and queer representation, On Swift Horses is positioned to become a landmark film in both the queer cinema genre and mainstream storytelling.Alongside Elordi, Edgar-Jones, Poulter, and Calva, the film features performances from a talented supporting cast, further elevating the story. Minahans direction, combined with Kass screenplay, ensures that On Swift Horses is not only an exploration of love and identity but also an examination of a pivotal moment in American history.As the release date approaches, fans of Elordi and queer cinema alike are eagerly anticipating the films debut. On Swift Horses promises to be a visually stunning and emotionally resonant exploration of love, self-discovery, and the pursuit of happiness in a world that often tries to keep people hidden.For those interested in a unique perspective on love and identity, On Swift Horses is a film to watch out for.The post Jacob Elordis Queer Drama On Swift Horses Gets Release Date appeared first on Gayety.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC., speaks during the Republican National Convention July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-02-11T02:24:41Z CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fianc of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual misconduct.Mace said she was speaking out because her home states top prosecutor didnt take action even after she alerted investigators. That same prosecutor is likely to be Maces opponent if she runs for governor of South Carolina in 2026, which she is considering.Saying she was going scorched earth, Mace detailed how, in November 2023, she says she accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable. Were talking about rape, non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district. Mace mentioned four men as being involved, including Charleston-area businessman Patrick Bryant, who was her fianc until 2023 and went door-to-door stumping for her during her 2022 reelection campaign. The AP wasnt able to independently verify Maces claims. Bryant told AP: I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to state authorities. Did South Carolinas attorney general have any of these predators indicted after being provided clear cut-and-dry evidence including video, photos and witnesses? Mace asked, noting that her office had stood up a tip line for anyone with information on the allegations.In a statement after Maces speech, Wilsons office called her comments regarding the prosecutors conduct categorically false and said the office has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters. Mace, a former South Carolina state House member, was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the states military college, where her father then served as commandant of cadets. Briefly serving in the state House, in 2020 she became the first Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, flipping the 1st District after a single term with a Democratic representative.Her decision to air the allegations in a floor speech was unusual. In a release, Mace stressed that members statements on the House floor are quintessential legislative acts and thereby protected by the speech or debate clause, which generally protects lawmakers from being sued for what they say.This isnt a story about bitter ex-girlfriends or consensual sex tapes there are plenty of those. I dont care what two consenting adults agree to do, Mace said. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the House, on topics ranging from stopping voyeurism to banning transgender women from using womens bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings. In 2019, Mace spoke publicly for the first time about a sexual assault she said had occurred more than two decades earlier, addressing South Carolina legislative colleagues in advocating for adding a rape and incest exception to a state House ban on all abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat.On Monday, Mace said she was joined in the House gallery by several women she said had been victimized by Bryant and the other men. Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.Nancy Mace is our friend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get that message out, Boebert said.Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is seriously considering a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson in the Republican primary. Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, working for his 2016 campaign but levying criticism against him following the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, critique that spurred Trump to back a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated that opponent, won reelection and was endorsed by Trump in her 2024 campaign.Mace declined additional comment to reporters in the Capitol after the speech. Asked how she felt now, she said: Im at peace.___Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking contributed.Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP MEG KINNARD Kinnard covers national politics for The Associated Press. She lives in South Carolina. twitter instagram mailto

A crashed Learjet sits next to a plane it collided with as Scottsdale Airport Fire Deapartment vehicle sits nearby at Scottsdale Airport Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)2025-02-10T23:36:31Z SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) One person was killed and others were injured when a private jet owned by Mtley Cre singer Vince Neil collided with another jet Monday afternoon at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, authorities said.Neils jet was landing at the airport when it veered off the runway and collided with another parked plane, Neils representative Worrick Robinson, IV, said in a statement. There were two pilots and two passengers on Neils plane, but he was not among them.Mr. Neils thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today, Robinson said.The arriving jet veered off the runway and collided with the Gulfstream 200 jet that was parked, according to Kelli Kuester, aviation planning and outreach coordinator at the Scottsdale Airport. It appeared that the primary landing gear of the arriving jet failed, resulting in the collision, she said. Kuester said four people were on the arriving jet, which had come from Austin, Texas, and one person was in the parked plane. Two people injured in the collision were taken to trauma centers and one was in stable condition at a hospital, Scottsdale Fire Department Capt. Dave Folio said. He said they were working to recover the body of the person killed in the collision. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody involved in this, Folio said. The runway has been closed and will remain closed for the foreseeable future, Kuester said.Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowskysaid in a statement that she is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with the airport, police and federal agencies.On behalf of the city of Scottsdale, we offer our deepest condolences to those involved in the accident and for those who have been taken to our trauma center for treatment, she said. We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers. The airport is a popular hub for jets coming in and out of the Phoenix area, especially during big sports weekends like the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament, which attracts huge crowds just a few miles away.The Scottsdale collision comes after three major U.S. aviation disasters in the past two weeks. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nations capital on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground. And last week a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome, killing all 10 people on board.___Associated Press reporter Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix contributed. 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

Israeli soldiers overlook the Gaza Strip from a tank, as seen from southern Israel, on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)2025-02-11T05:16:05Z THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) An Israeli army reservists dream vacation in Brazil ended abruptly last month over an accusation that he committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip.Yuval Vagdani woke up on Jan. 4 to a flurry of missed calls from family members and Israels Foreign Ministry with an urgent warning: A pro-Palestinian legal group had convinced a federal judge in Brazil to open a war crimes investigation for his alleged participation in the demolition of civilian homes in Gaza.A frightened Vagdani fled the country on a commercial flight the next day to avoid the grip of a powerful legal concept called universal jurisdiction, which allows governments to prosecute people for the most serious crimes regardless of where they are allegedly committed.Vagdani, a survivor of Hamas deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on an Israeli music festival, told an Israeli radio station the accusation felt like a bullet in the heart. The case against Vagdani was brought by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a legal group based in Belgium named after a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City. Aided by geolocation data, the group built its case around Vagdanis own social media posts. A photograph showed him in uniform in Gaza, where he served in an infantry unit; a video showed a large explosion of buildings in Gaza during which soldiers can be heard cheering. Judges at the International Criminal Court concluded last year there was enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes against humanity for using starvation as a method of warfare and for intentionally targeting civilians. Both Israel and Netanyahu have vehemently denied the accusations. Since forming last year, Hind Rajab has made dozens of complaints in more than 10 countries to arrest both low-level and high-ranking Israeli soldiers. Its campaign has yet to yield any arrests. But it has led Israel to tighten restrictions on social media usage among military personnel. Its our responsibility, as far as we are concerned, to bring the cases, Haroon Raza, a co-founder of Hind Rajab, said from his office in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It is then up to authorities in each country or the International Criminal Court to pursue them, he added. The director general of Israels Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar-Tal, last month said fewer than a dozen soldiers had been targeted, and he dismissed the attempted arrests as a futile public relations stunt by terrorist organizations.Universal jurisdiction is not new. The 1949 Geneva Conventions -- the post Second World War treaty regulating military conduct specify that all signatories must prosecute war criminals or hand them over to a country who will. In 1999, the United Nations Security Council asked all U.N. countries to include universal jurisdiction in their legal codes, and around 160 countries have adopted them in some form.Certain crimes like war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity are crimes under international law, said Marieke de Hoon, an international law expert at the University of Amsterdam. And weve recognized in international law that any state has jurisdiction over those egregious crimes. Israel used the concept to prosecute Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Holocaust. Mossad agents caught him in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel where he was sentenced to death by hanging.More recently, a former Syrian secret police officer was convicted in 2022 by a German court of crimes against humanity a decade earlier for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail. Later that year, an Iranian citizen was convicted by a Swedish court of war crimes during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.In 2023, 16 people were convicted of war crimes through universal jurisdiction, according to TRIAL International, a Swiss organization that tracks proceedings. Those convictions were related to crimes committed in Syria, Rwanda, Iran and other countries. In response to Brazils pursuit of Vagdani, the Israeli military has prohibited soldiers below a certain rank from being named in news articles and requires their faces to be obscured. It has also warned soldiers against social media posts related to their military service or travel plans.The evidence Hind Rajab lawyers presented to the judge in Brazil came mostly from Vagdanis social media accounts. Thats what they saw and thats why they want me for their investigation, he told the Israeli radio station Kan. From one house explosion they made 500 pages. They thought I murdered thousands of children.Vagdani does not appear in the video and he did not say whether he had carried out the explosion himself, telling the station he had come into Gaza for maneuvers and was in the battles of my life. Social media has made it easier in recent years for legal groups to gather evidence. For example, several Islamic State militants have been convicted of crimes committed in Syria by courts in various European countries, where lawyers relied on videos posted online, according to de Hoon. The power of universal jurisdiction has limits.In the Netherlands, where Hind Rajab has filed more than a dozen complaints, either the victim or perpetrator must hold Dutch nationality, or the suspect must be in the country for the entirety of the investigation factors likely to protect Israeli tourists from prosecution. Eleven complaints against 15 Israeli soldiers have been dismissed, some because the accused was only in the country for a short time, according to Dutch prosecutors. Two complaints involving four soldiers are pending.In 2016, activists in the U.K. made unsuccessful attempts to arrest Israeli military and political leaders for their roles in the 2008-09 war in Gaza.Raza says his group will persist. It might take 10 years. It might be 20 years. No problem. We are ready to have patience.There is no statute of limitations on war crimes. ___Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Relatives of hostages, held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, block a highway in Tel Aviv, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 after the militant group announced it would delay hostage releases in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating a fragile ceasefire. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)2025-02-11T05:16:46Z JERUSALEM (AP) The Hamas announcement that it will delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from Gaza has threatened a fragile truce thats seen as having the potential to wind down 16 months of war.It has brought new dismay for Israelis who watched the latest Hamas handover of hostages in growing horror over the weekend as the three emaciated men came into sight. Of the hostages yet to be released from Gaza under this phase of the ceasefire, Israel has said eight are dead.The next handover of three hostages had been scheduled for Saturday, and families say time is running out for those still alive. Israel now awaits what comes from a security Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning, moved up in response to Mondays Hamas announcement.The developments also have led to new fear in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have surged to what remains of their homes in the territorys north after being evacuated in the wars earliest weeks. The uncertainty, just over halfway into the ceasefires six-week first phase, complicates talks on the far more difficult phase that were meant to begin a week ago. It also jeopardizes the pause in the devastating fighting and the increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza that it has made possible.Already, there had been concerns that the war would resume at the end of the first phase in early March. What happened?Hamas accused Israel of not holding up its end of the deal by not allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, carrying out strikes across the territory and failing to facilitate the entry of aid.The militant group, which rushed to reassert control over Gaza when the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, said the next hostage release would be delayed until further notice.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the delay a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement, and he instructed the military to be on highest alert. The prime ministers coordinator for hostages said the government intends to live up to its end of the deal. A later Hamas statement called the postponement a warning signal to Israel and noted that five days remained for mediators the United States, Qatar and Egypt -- to pressure Israel to act: The door remains open for the exchange to proceed as planned if Israel abides by its obligations.There was no immediate public reaction from mediators.Whats Trump saying?The Hamas announcement came as U.S. President Donald Trump pressed further on his stunning proposal to remove the Palestinian population from devastated Gaza and have the U.S. take ownership of the territory. He told FOX News on Sunday that the Palestinians would not have the right to return.That deepened the shock among Palestinians, who live with the history of fleeing or being forced from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war. And it brought new astonishment and condemnation from Arab nations that have long pressed for an independent Palestinian state.Trumps comments contradicted some of his own administration officials who have said the president has been calling only for the Palestinians temporary relocation.The Hamas statements on Monday made no mention of Trumps proposal, which they have rejected multiple times. Who and what are at stake?In immediate limbo is the planned release on Saturday of three more Israeli hostages, along with dozens more Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.Such exchanges five so far in a gradual release of 33 hostages have been sometimes tense and chaotic acts of trust that have gradually pushed the ceasefire forward, allowing its other measures to fall into place.But the latest release brought home like no other the bleak and dangerous conditions for those still held in Gaza.Relatives of the newly released hostages, at times sobbing, have described people being chained or held underground for months and eating half a piece of pita per day. Freed hostages have described going months without showering.The accounts have put furious new pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government to begin the delayed talks on the ceasefires second phase, which is meant to see more hostages released and bring a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.The hostages are in a clear and present danger. Their lives are at risk, a doctor working with families of hostages, Hagai Levine, warned Monday. Delaying their release means that some of them will not survive. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Margelis Rodriguez, right, of Venezuela, gets a hug from her son Mickel during a birthday party at a shelter for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)2025-02-11T05:06:24Z TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) Margelis Rodriguez and her two children took selfies on their flight to Tijuana, showing off the T-shirts she had custom-made to mark what she expected to be her familys life-changing moment.On the back of the shirts were their names and the flags of the six countries they passed through in 2024. On the front between the flags of her native Venezuela and the United States, was written in Spanish: Yes it was possible, thank God. The wait was worth it. I made it!! The celebratory words now sting driving home how close they came without making it and how precarious their lives are with their future more uncertain than ever, Rodriguez said while standing near the tent her family lives in at a shelter in Tijuana, a block from the towering wall marking the U.S. border. The family is among tens of thousands of people who had appointments into February, many of them left stranded in Mexican border cities after President Donald Trump took office. As part of a broader immigration crackdown, his administration quickly canceled all appointments people had made through a U.S. government app. Under the Biden administration, the CBP One app facilitated the entry of nearly 1 million people since January 2023, and supporters say it helped bring order to the border and reduced illegal crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates about 280,000 people were trying to get appointments each day, many of them after traveling to Mexico, the only country where the app worked. Now they face the daunting question of what to do next. Some returned home. Others left shelters vowing to cross the border illegally. The Rodriguez family appears to capture the prevailing mood: Stay put and see how Trumps policies unfold over the next few months. Everything changed in a momentRodriguez flew to Tijuana with her 12-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter on Jan. 19, the day before Trump was sworn in. She never worried the change in administrations would affect their Jan. 21 appointment. A Venezuelan friend in Chicago had a job for her at a factory, a place to live and a school for her children. She cried when the notification popped into her email. It felt like being punched, she said. But she still went to the port of entry with her children at 5 a.m. and waited seven hours, hoping to be called. They never were. It has been over a year since they left their hometown of Tumeremo in a region plagued by violence and gang feuds tied to illegal gold mining in the remote, mineral-rich area near the borders of Guyana and Brazil. Rodriguez said gangs increasingly controlled life there, including by shuttering her childrens school periodically and hiding in peoples houses. She and her family left with her friend and the friends 16-year-old son, taking buses and walking 2 1/2 days through the rugged Darin Gap. They spent nine months in Pachuca, outside Mexico City, where Rodriguez, 38, found jobs at a tortilla shop, butchery and then caretaking while waiting for their CBP One appointment. Life in TijuanaNearly all the money she earned was spent on the trip to Tijuana. She doesnt have the $1,200 needed to return to Pachuca. She and her children pass the days in an uncomfortable state of boredom piqued with anxiety. They help clean the bathrooms, cook and sweep at the shelter. There are no kids here my age so I dont play with anyone, said her son, Mickel, who dreams of becoming a soccer player and buying his mom a house.At night, the family stays in the shelters covered patio filled with roughly three dozen small tents under a giant banner that reads: This is about humanity. They share their tent with her Venezuelan friend and her son, the boys feet hanging out of the opening. Rodriguez has not been able to sleep.I have so many worries, she said.She wont put her children at risk by trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Her mom says things in Venezuela are worse than ever. Family and friends in Denver and Chicago who entered the United States under a Biden administration program that granted them humanitarian parole fear they may be deported. I dont see anything that gives me hope, she said. All I see is everyone getting deported.Though she worries about safety in Tijuana, she is applying for a Mexican visa so she can work there. She plans to start apartment hunting and enrolling her children in school. Looking for hopeOn a recent afternoon, she and her children and a half dozen other migrants walked to a laundromat, the T-shirts she had made wadded up in a bag of dirty laundry that teetered on a stroller she pushed down unbroken pavement past a pack of dogs and people picking through a pile of trash. A Haitian friend of Rodriguezs hung back and scanned for trouble as they walked on the edge of a red light district filled with strip bars. A few days later, she was more at ease. A local pastor had reassured Rodriguez that shes in the best spot right now.Look at the situation with migrants in the United States, where they are chasing out everyone, she said, echoing his words. Her relatives tell her things might improve in a few months, saying the U.S. is just cleaning out the immigrants with criminal records and maybe the Trump administration will open another legal pathway. We have been left stranded, stuck in limbo, she said. Of course at times I still despair, but I also keep a bit of hope, too. We just have to start over, start over again.

President Donald Trump stands with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House, June 25, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-02-11T05:01:44Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump will host Jordans King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza perhaps permanently as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future releases of hostages and as Trump has called for Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend. Trump has proposed the U.S. take control of Gaza and turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East, with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighboring nations with no right of return.He suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold U.S. funding from Jordan and Egypt, longtime U.S. allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza. Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not? Trump told reporters. If they dont, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes. Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Trumps plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.Jordans foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, said last week that his countrys opposition to Trumps idea was firm and unwavering. In addition to concerns about jeopardizing the long-held goals of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about welcoming large numbers of additional refugees into their countries even temporarily.When asked how hed persuade Abdullah to take in Palestinians, Trump told reporters, I do think hell take, and I think other countries will take also. They have good hearts.The king is also meeting with top Trump administration officials during his visit, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He is the third foreign leader to hold an in-person meeting with Trump since his Jan. 20 inauguration. Trump announced his ideas for resettling Palestinians from Gaza and taking ownership of the territory for the U.S. during a press conference last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump initially didnt rule out deploying U.S. troops to help secure Gaza but at the same time insisted no U.S. funds would go to pay for the reconstruction of the territory, raising fundamental questions about the nature of his plan.After Trumps initial comments, Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that Trump only wanted Palestinians relocated from Gaza temporarily and sought an interim period to allow for debris removal, the disposal of unexploded ordnance and reconstruction.But asked in an interview with Fox News Bret Baier that aired Monday if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory under his plan, he replied, No, they wouldnt. ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

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)2025-02-11T05:17:40Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraines mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology.Trump said he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyivs hand in future negotiations with Moscow.We really have this big potential in the territory which we control, Andrii Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. We are interested to work, to develop, with our partners, first of all, with the United States.Here is a look at Ukraines rare earth industry and how a deal might come together: What are rare earth elements? Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are essential in many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.It is unclear if Trump is seeking specific elements in Ukraine, which also has other minerals to offer.It can be lithium. It can be titanium, uranium, many others, Yerkmak said. Its a lot.China, Trumps chief geopolitical adversary, is the worlds largest producer of rare earth elements. Both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing. For Ukraine, such a deal would ensure that its biggest and most consequential ally does not freeze military support, which would be devastating for the country that will soon enter its fourth year of war against Russias full-scale invasion.The idea also comes at a time when reliable and uninterrupted access to critical minerals is increasingly hard to come by globally. What is the state of the Ukrainian minerals industry?Ukraines rare earth elements are largely untapped because of the war and because of state policies regulating the mineral industry. The country also lacks good information to guide the development of rare earth mining.Geological data is thin because mineral reserves are scattered across Ukraine, and existing studies are considered largely inadequate. The industrys true potential is clouded by insufficient research, according to businessmen and analysts.In general, the outlook for Ukrainian natural resources is promising. The countrys reserves of titanium, a key component for the aerospace, medical and automotive industries, are believed to be among Europes largest. Ukraine also holds some of Europes largest known reserves of lithium, which is required to produce batteries, ceramics and glass.In 2021, the Ukrainian mineral industry accounted for 6.1% of the countrys gross domestic product and 30% of exports.An estimated 40% of Ukraines metallic mineral resources are inaccessible because of Russian occupation, according to data from We Build Ukraine, a Kyiv-based think tank. Ukraine has argued that it is in Trumps interest to develop the remainder before Russian advances capture more.The European Commission identified Ukraine as a potential supplier for over 20 critical raw materials and concluded that the countrys accession to the EU could strengthen the European economy. What happens next?Details of any deal will likely develop in meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Zelenskyy and Trump will probably discuss the subject when they meet.U.S. companies have expressed interest, according to Ukrainian business officials. But striking a formal deal would likely require legislation, geological surveys and negotiation of specific terms.It is unclear what kind of security guarantees companies would require to risk working in Ukraine, even in the event of a ceasefire. And no one knows for sure what kind of financing agreements would underpin contracts between Ukraine and U.S companies.___Associated Press journalist Susie Blann contributed to this report. SAMYA KULLAB Kullab is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine since June 2023. Before that, she covered Iraq and the wider Middle East from her base in Baghdad since joining the AP in 2019. twitter instagram mailto

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)2025-02-11T05:07:40Z WASHINGTON (AP) Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.Now, Musks close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches could vanish within weeks or months.On the potential chopping block: crash investigations into Teslas partially automated vehicles; a Justice Department criminal probe examining whether Musk and Tesla have overstated their cars self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Teslas Autopilot.The consequences of such actions could prove dire, say safety advocates who credit the federal investigations and recalls with saving lives. Musk wants to run the Department of Transportation, said Missy Cummings, a former senior safety adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ive lost count of the number of investigations that are underway with Tesla. They will all be gone. Within days of Trump taking office, the White House and Musk began waging an unbridled war against the federal government freezing spending and programs while sacking a host of career employees, including prosecutors and government watchdogs typically shielded from such brazen dismissals without cause. The actions have sparked outcries from legal scholars who say the Trump administrations actions are without modern-day precedent and are already upending the balance of power in Washington.The Trump administration has not yet declared any actions that could benefit Tesla or Musks other companies. However, snuffing out federal investigations or jettisoning safety initiatives would be an easier task than their assault on regulators and the bureaucracy. Investigations into companies like Tesla can be shut down overnight by the new leaders of agencies. And safety programs created through an agency order or initiative not by laws passed by Congress or adopted through a formal regulatory process can also be quickly dissolved by new leaders. Unlike many of the dismantling efforts that Trump and Musk have launched in recent weeks, stalling or killing such probes and programs would not be subject to legal challenges.As such, the temporal and fragile nature of the federal probes and safety programs make them easy targets for those seeking to weaken government oversight and upend long-established norms.Trumps election, and the bromance between Trump and Musk, will essentially lead to the defanging of a regulatory environment thats been stifling Tesla, said Daniel Ives, a veteran Wall Street technology and automobile industry analyst. Musks empireAmong Musks businesses, the federal governments power over Tesla to investigate, order recalls, and mandate crash data reporting is perhaps the most wide-ranging. However, the ways the Trump administration could quickly ease up on Tesla also apply in some measure to other companies in Musks sprawling business empire.A host of Musks other businesses such as his aerospace company SpaceX and his social media company X are subjects of federal investigations. Musks businesses are also intertwined with the federal government, pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars each year in contracts. SpaceX, for example, has secured nearly $20 billion in federal funds since 2008 to ferry astronauts and satellites into space. Tesla, meanwhile, has received $41.9 million from the U.S. government, including payment for vehicles provided to some U.S. embassies.Musk, Teslas billionaire CEO, has found himself in his newly influential position by enthusiastically backing Trumps third bid for the White House. He was the largest donor to the campaign, plunging more than $270 million of his vast fortune into Trumps political apparatus, most of it during the final months of the heated presidential race.Those donations and his efforts during the campaign including the transformation of his social media platform X into a firehose of pro-Trump commentary have been rewarded by Trump, who has tapped the entrepreneur to oversee efforts to slash government regulations and spending. As the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk operates out of an office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where most White House staff work and from where he has launched his assault on the federal government. Musks power under DOGE is being challenged in the courts. Even before Trump took office, there were signs that Musks vast influence with the new administration was registering with the public and paying dividends for Tesla.Teslas stock surged more than 60% by December. Since then, its stock price has dropped, but still remains 40% higher than it was before Trumps election.For Musk, said Ives, the technology analyst, betting on Trump is a poker move for the ages. Proposed actions will help TeslaThe White House did not respond to questions about how it would handle investigations and government oversight involving Tesla or other Musk companies. A spokesman for the transition team said last month that the White House would ensure that DOGE and those involved with it are compliant with all legal guidelines and conflicts of interest.In the weeks before Trump took office on Jan. 20, the president-elects transition team recommended changes that would benefit the billionaire and his car company, including scrapping the federal order requiring carmakers to report crash data involving self-driving and partially automated technology.The action would be a boon for Tesla, which has reported a vast majority of the crashes that triggered a series of investigations and recalls.The transition team also recommended shelving a $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, something Musk has publicly called for. Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla, Musk wrote in a post on X as he campaigned and raised money for Trump in July.Auto industry experts say the move would have a nominal impact on Tesla by far the largest electric vehicle maker in the U.S. but have a potentially devastating impact on its competitors in the EV sector since they are still struggling to secure a foothold in the market.Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Before the election, he posted a message on X, saying he had never asked Trump for any favors, nor has he offered me any.Although most of the changes that Musk might seek for Tesla could unfold quickly, there is one long-term goal that could impact the autonomous vehicle industry for decades to come.Though nearly 30 states have rules that specifically govern self-driving cars, the federal government has yet to craft such regulations.During a late October call with Tesla investors, as Musk was pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Trumps campaign, he signaled support for having the federal government create these rules.There should be a federal approval process for autonomous vehicles, Musk said on the call. If theres a department of government efficiency, Ill try to help make that happen.Musk leads that very organization. Those affected by Tesla crashes worry about lax oversightPeople whose lives have been forever changed by Tesla crashes fear that dangerous and fatal accidents may increase if the federal governments investigative and recall powers are restricted. They say they worry that the company may otherwise never be held accountable for its failures, like the one that took the life of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon.The college student was on a date with her boyfriend, gazing at the stars on the side of a rural Florida road, when they were struck by an out-of-control Tesla driving on Autopilot a system that allows Tesla cars to operate without driver input. The car had blown through a stop sign, a flashing light and five yellow warning signs, according to dashcam video and a police report. Benavides Leon died at the scene; her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, suffered injuries but survived. A federal investigation determined that Autopilot in Teslas at this time was faulty and needed repairs. We, as a family, have never been the same, said Benavides Leons sister, Neima. Im an engineer, and everything that we design and we build has to be by important codes and regulations. This technology cannot be an exception.It has to be investigated when it fails, she added. Because it does fail.Teslas lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement on Twitter in December 2023, Tesla pointed to an earlier lawsuit the Benavides Leons family had brought against the driver who struck the college student. He testified that despite using Autopilot, I was highly aware that it was still my responsibility to operate the vehicle safely.Tesla also said the driver was pressing the accelerator to maintain 60 mph, an action that effectively overrode Autopilot, which would have otherwise restricted the speed to 45 mph on the rural route, something Benavides Leons attorney disputes.Federal probes into TeslaThe federal agency that has the most power over Tesla and the entire automobile industry is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is part of the Department of Transportation.NHTSA sets automobile safety standards that must be met before vehicles can enter the marketplace. It also has a quasi-law enforcement arm, the Office of Defects Investigation, which has the power to launch probes into crashes and seek recalls for safety defects.The agency has six pending investigations into Teslas self-driving technology, prompted by dozens of crashes that took place when the computerized systems were in use.Other federal agencies are also investigating Musk and Tesla, and all of those probes could be sidelined by Musk-friendly officials:The Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department are separately investigating whether Musk and Tesla overstated the autonomous capabilities of their vehicles, creating dangerous situations in which drivers may over rely on the cars technology.The Justice Department is also probing whether Tesla misled customers about how far its electric vehicles can travel before needing a charge.The National Labor Relations Board is weighing 12 unfair labor practice allegations leveled by workers at Tesla plants. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is asking a federal judge to force Tesla to enact reforms and pay compensatory and punitive damages and backpay to Black employees who say they were subjected to racist attacks. In a federal lawsuit, the agency has alleged that supervisors and other employees at Teslas plant in Fremont, California, routinely hurled racist insults at Black employees.Experts said most, if not all, of those investigations could be shut down, especially at the Justice Department where Trump has long shown a willingness to meddle in the departments affairs. The Trump administration has already ordered the firing of dozens of prosecutors who handled the criminal cases from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.DOJ is not going to be prosecuting Elon Musk, said Peter Zeidenberg, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Justice Departments public integrity section who served during the Clinton and George H.W. Bush administrations. Id expect that any investigations that were ongoing will be ground to an abrupt end.Trump has also taken steps to gain control of the NLRB and EEOC. Last month, he fired Democratic members of the board and commission, breaking with decades of precedent. One member has sued, and two others are exploring legal options.Tesla and Musk have denied wrongdoing in all those investigations and are fighting the probes.The small safety agency in Musks crosshairsThe federal agency that appears to have enjoyed the most success in changing Teslas behavior is NHTSA, an organization of about 750 staffers that has forced the company to hand over crash data and cooperate in its investigations and requested recalls.NHTSA has been a thorn in Musks side for over the last decade, and hes grappled with almost every three-letter agency in the Beltway, said Ives, the Wall Street analyst who covers the technology sector and automobile industry. Thats all created what looks to be a really big soap opera in 2025.Musk has repeatedly blamed the federal government for impeding Teslas progress and creating negative publicity with recalls of his cars after its self-driving technology malfunctions or crashes.The word recall should be recalled, Musk posted on Twitter (now X) in 2014. Two years ago, he posted, The word recall for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong! Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, said some investigations might continue under Trump, but a recall is less likely to happen if a defect is found.As with most car companies, Teslas recalls have so far been voluntary. The threat of public hearings about a defect that precedes a NHTSA-ordered recall has generally prompted car companies to act on their own.That threat could be easily stripped away by the new NHTSA administrator, who will be a Trump appointee.If there isnt a threat of recall, will Tesla do them? Brooks said. Unfortunately, this is where politics seeps in.NHTSA conducting several probes of TeslaAmong the active NHTSA investigations, several are examining fundamental aspects of Teslas partially automated driving systems that were in use when dozens of crashes occurred. An investigation of Teslas Full Self-Driving system started in October after Tesla reported four crashes to NHTSA in which the vehicles had trouble navigating through sun glare, fog and airborne dust. In one of the accidents, an Arizona woman was killed after stopping on a freeway to help someone involved in another crash. Under pressure from NHTSA, Tesla has twice recalled the Full Self-Driving feature for software updates. The technology the most advanced of Teslas Autopilot systems is supposed to allow drivers to travel from point to point with little human intervention. But repeated malfunctions led NHTSA to recently launch a new inquiry that includes a crash in July that killed a motorcyclist near Seattle.NHTSA announced its latest investigation in January into Actually Smart Summon, a Tesla technology that allows drivers to remotely move a car, after the agency learned of four incidents from a driver and several media reports.The agency said that in each collision, the vehicles were using the system that Tesla pushed out in a September software update that was failing to detect posts or parked vehicles, resulting in a crash. NHTSA also criticized Tesla for failing to notify the agency of those accidents.NHTSA is also conducting a probe into whether a 2023 recall of Autopilot, the most basic of Teslas partially automated driver assistance systems, was effective.That recall was supposed to boost the number of controls and alerts to keep drivers engaged; it had been prompted by an earlier NHTSA investigation that identified hundreds of crashes involving Autopilot that resulted in scores of injuries and more than a dozen deaths.In a letter to Tesla in April, agency investigators noted that crashes involving Autopilot continue and that they could not observe a difference between warnings issued to drivers before or after the new software had been installed.Critics have said that Teslas dont have proper sensors to be fully self-driving. Nearly all other companies working on autonomous vehicles use radar and laser sensors in addition to cameras to see better in the dark or in poor visibility conditions. Tesla, on the other hand, relies only on cameras to spot hazards.Musk has said that human drivers rely on their eyesight, so autonomous cars should be able to also get by with just cameras. He has called technology that relies on radar and light detection to discern objects a fools errand.Bryant Walker Smith, a Stanford Law School scholar and a leading automated driving expert, said Musks contention that the federal government is holding him back is not accurate. The problem, Smith said, is that Teslas autonomous vehicles cannot perform as advertised. Blaming the federal government for holding them back, it provides a convenient, if dubious, scapegoat for the lack of an actual automated driving system that works, Smith said.Smith and other autonomous vehicle experts say Musk has felt pressure to provide Tesla shareholders with excuses for repeated delays in rolling out its futuristic cars. The financial stake is enormous, which Musk acknowledged during a 2022 interview. He said the development of a fully self-driving vehicle was really the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money and being worth basically zero.The collisions from Teslas malfunctioning technology on its vehicles have led not only to deaths but also catastrophic injuries that have forever altered peoples lives.Attorneys representing people injured in Tesla crashes or who represent surviving family members of those who died say without NHTSA, the only other way to hold the car company accountable is through civil lawsuits.When government cant do it, then the civil justice system is left to pick up the slack, said Brett Schreiber, whose law firm is handling four Tesla cases. However, Schreiber and other lawyers say if the federal governments investigative powers dont remain intact, Tesla may also not be held accountable in court.In the pending wrongful death lawsuit that Neima Benavides Leon filed against Tesla after her sisters death, her attorney told a Miami district judge the lawsuit would have likely been dropped if NHTSA hadnt investigated and found defects with the Autopilot system. All along we were hoping that the NHTSA investigation would produce what it did, in fact, end up producing, which is a finding of product defect and a recall, attorney Doug Eaton said during a March court hearing. And we had told you very early on in the case if NHTSA had not found that, we may very well drop the case. But they did, in fact, find this.___Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ BRIAN SLODYSKO Slodysko is an investigative reporter for the Associated Press based in Washington. mailto

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a dinner at the Elysee Palace, during an event on the sidelines of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)2025-02-11T08:33:15Z BRUSSELS (AP) European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday that U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum will not go unanswered, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc.The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests, von der Leyen said in a statement in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trumps imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum the previous day. Tariffs are taxes bad for business, worse for consumers, von der Leyen said. Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures. In Germany, home to the EUs largest economy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told parliament that if the U.S. leaves us no other choice, then the European Union will react united, adding that ultimately, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity. Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax in the hope that they will give local producers relief from intense global competition, allowing them to charge higher prices. He imposed similar tariffs during his first presidency but the move damaged relations with key U.S. allies and drove up costs for downstream manufacturers that buy steel and aluminum. EU Commission vice-president Maro efovi said Tuesday that the tariffs are economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains established through our extensive transatlantic trade and investment ties. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers, efovi said, but added that it is not our preferred scenario. We remain committed to constructive dialog. We stand ready for negotiations and to find mutually beneficial solutions where possible. There is a lot at stake for both sides, he told the EU legislature. ___Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin

Haitians deported from the Dominican Republic get out of trucks in Carrizal, Dominican Republic, on the border with Haiti, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Adames)2025-02-11T05:14:30Z BELLADERE, Haiti (AP) A crowd of 500 descended from dusty trucks on a recent morning and shuffled through a tiny gap in a border gate separating Haiti from the Dominican Republic.They were the first deportees of the day, some still clad in work clothes and others barefoot as they lined up for food, water and medical care in the Haitian border city of Belladre before mulling their next move.Under a broiling sun, the migrants recounted what they said were mounting abuses by Dominican officials after President Luis Abinader ordered them in October to start deporting at least 10,000 immigrants a week under a harsh new policy widely criticized by civil organizations.They broke down my door at 4 in the morning, said Odelyn St. Fleur, who had worked as a mason in the Dominican Republic for two decades. He had been sleeping next to his wife and 7-year-old son. The number of alleged human rights violations ranging from unauthorized home raids to racial profiling to deporting breastfeeding mothers and unaccompanied minors is surging as officials ramp up deportations to Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. More than a quarter million people were deported last year, and more than 31,200 in January alone.The situation has reached a critical point, said Roudy Joseph, an activist who accused officials of ignoring due process during arrests. Every day, children are left abandoned at schools. Ill wait for you on the other sideOn a recent afternoon, dozens of vendors lined up on either side of the men, women and unaccompanied children who marched single file into Belladre after being deported, their feet sinking into a muddy, garbage-strewn trail that smelled of urine.The men tried to sell them jeans, water, SIM cards and illegal trips back to the Dominican Republic: Would you like to pass through? Ill wait for you on the other side, they whispered in Creole.Despite the crackdown, many re-enter the Dominican Republic, exposing a broken system.That afternoon marked the second time Jimmy Milien, a 32-year-old floor installer, was deported. He was arrested in the capital, Santo Domingo, in 2024 and again in mid-January when authorities boarded a public bus and pointed at him.Damn devil Haitian, get off, he recalled them saying before they even asked for documents.He left behind his wife and two children, ages 3 and 12, and doesnt know when hell see them again.He was planning to travel to Haitis capital, but like thousands of others dropped off in Belladre, he would have to cross through gang territory where gunmen open fire on public transport.Theres no food, theres nothing, only criminals, he said of Haiti, where more than 5,600 people were reported killed last year, the majority by gangs that control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.If Milien were to return a third time to the Dominican Republic, dozens of smugglers await.Mack, a Haitian who only gave his first name to speak freely about smuggling, said he ferries migrants across the border up to six times a week. He charges $3 per person, and then offers $8 to Dominican border guards: If you pay them, they will let you through, he said.He lived almost three years in Santo Domingo, installing drywall until he got deported. He then joined a thriving smuggling operation and said he doesnt plan on returning to the capital until the crackdown eases.Here, everyone knows me, he said. They dont bother me.Young and alone at the borderMilitary checkpoints dot the road leading out of the dusty border to the Dominican capital. Authorities board buses, stick their heads into car windows and detain suspected undocumented migrants, but many jump out before a checkpoint and hop on again further down the road.The influx of Haitian migrants and their attempts to re-enter illegally is something that vexes Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, Dominican migration director.The Dominican Republichas taken too much responsibility for the situation in Haiti, he said. We are willing to provide support, but its important that Haitis leaders instill order in their country, that they look after their people. Dominican officials argue that Haitian immigrants have overburdened the countrys public services, with more than 80,000 new Haitian students enrolled in public schools in the past four years. Health officials say Haitian women account for up to 70% of births in the country, costing the government millions of dollars.Ballester said he will deploy additional migration officials across the country to tackle what he described as a surge in undocumented immigrants, saying theyre a burden and a danger to his country.While he denied abuse allegations, he acknowledged officials are allowed to enter homes during a hot pursuit and that personnel are being retrained because our commitment to respecting human rights is unquestionable. Ballester said the Dominican Republic does not deport unaccompanied minors and that officials now separate women and children from men during deportations.But in late January, five teenagers without their parents were deported. Among them was Jovenson Morette, 15, who said he was detained while working in a field.He and the four others were interviewed by Haitian officials in Belladre who were trying to track down their parents.Further north, in the Haitian border town of Ouanaminthe, a 10-year-old unaccompanied girl was deported in late January, said Geeta Narayan, UNICEFs representative in Haiti.These children are amongst the most vulnerable, she said, noting that gangs along the border prey on them.Last year, the Dominican Republic deported 1,099 unaccompanied children; 786 of them were reunited with their families, according to UNICEF.Josette Jean, 45, feared for her 16-year-old son, who was born in the Dominican Republic, when he was recently deported alone to Haiti.Clutching a picture of him, she said she rushed to the Dominican detention center where he was being held but was told the government doesnt deport unaccompanied minors. He was deported anyway.Jean paid a smuggler to bring her son back to the Dominican Republic days later.Children who are born here have no idea where to go, she said of those deported to Haiti, a country her son had never visited.A significant number of those deported, like Jeans son, were born in the Dominican Republic but lack birth certificates or other official documentation proving their legal status, with activists accusing the government of allowing work permits to expire or refusing to process their paperwork. The Dominican Republic does not automatically bestow citizenship to everyone born there.As mass deportations continue, Dominican employers in the agriculture and construction industries are complaining.Ballesters response? Hire Dominican workers.Haiti is drowningAt least one cell phone was recording when Mikelson Germain, 25, tried to evade Dominican authorities late last year. He was running on a roof when an official caught him and pushed him off it. The woman recording shrieked and started crying, thinking he was dead.By the grace of god, I fell on an electrical wire first, Germain said in a video taped by a nonprofit organization.With his leg injured and his cousins children holding on to him, Germain said authorities left the scene.Activists accused the official of attempted murder, but despite the widespread outcry, they say abuses persist.Last year, a group of Dominican men, outraged at what they said was the treatment and arrests of their Haitian neighbors, threw rocks, bottles and other objects at authorities. One man tried to disarm a migration official before shots were fired and everyone scattered.As mass deportations continue, President Abinader warned Haitis situation is a danger to the region and that there could be an uncontrollable wave of migration as he called for more support for a U.N.-backed mission in Haiti struggling to fight gangs.There is no Dominican solution to the Haitian crisis, he said. Haiti is drowning while an important part of the international community watches passively from the shore.___Associated Press reporter Martn Adames Alcntara in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, contributed.

Displaced Palestinians make their way from central Gaza to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-02-11T09:02:51Z Hamas has brushed off President Donald Trumps threat that all hell will break out if it does not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Saturday.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday that the dozens of hostages would only be returned if all parties remain committed to a ceasefire deal reached last month.Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, he said, adding that threatening language only complicates matters.Hamas has threatened to delay the next release of three Israeli hostages, due Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, including by not allowing a surge of tents and shelters into the devastated territory.While Trump said the ceasefire should be canceled if Hamas doesnt release all the remaining hostages Saturday, he also said such a decision would be up to Israel. During the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas has committed to freeing a total of 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19, freeing 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners so far. The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce. Heres the latest: Hamas brushes off Trumps words CAIRO Hamas has brushed off President Donald Trumps threat that all hell will break out if it does not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Saturday.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday that the dozens of hostages would only be returned if all parties remain committed to a ceasefire deal reached last month.Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties. This is the only way to bring back prisoners, he said. The language of threats has no value; it only complicates matters, he added.Hamas has threatened to delay the next release of three Israeli hostages planned for Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, including by not allowing a surge of tents and shelters into the devastated territory.Trump said Monday that the ceasefire should be canceled if Hamas doesnt release all the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza by midday on Saturday though he also said that such a decision would be up to Israel.The agreement calls for the gradual release of dozens of hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.Israeli man thought to be the oldest hostage was killed in 2023 attack, military saysTEL AVIV, Israel An Israeli man who was thought to be alive and in Hamas captivity was killed during the 2023 attack and his body taken to Gaza, the military said Tuesday.Shlomo Mantzur was thought to be the oldest hostage held by the militant group in Gaza and because of his age became a symbol in Israel of the brutality of Hamas hostage-taking tactic.He was 85 at the time of the attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The military said the determination of Mantzurs death was based on intelligence gathered in recent months. News of Mantzurs death comes as Israelis have been outraged over the poor condition of hostages who are being freed under the ceasefire with Hamas. On Tuesday, protesters briefly blocked a main highway calling for more hostages to be freed.That anger is putting heavy pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the ceasefire, what would allow for more hostages to be freed. More than 70 hostages, nearly half of them said by Israel to be dead, are still held captive in Gaza.Kibbutz Kissufim, where Mantzur was from, said he was a father, a grandfather, a true friend and the beating heart of the community. Malaysias Anwar criticizes Israels actionsKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim criticized Israels actions in the Gaza Strip as colonization as the ceasefire with Hamas seemed to falter.This is a colonization, a project of colonization, he said at a news conference Tuesday with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. How much negotiations can you have when the colonizer has not withdrawn?Israel and Hamas are halfway through the six-week first phase of their ceasefire, but Hamas has threatened to delay the next release of hostages because it accused Israel of continuing airstrikes and hindering humanitarian aid and the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza. Predominantly Muslim Malaysia is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has pushed for a two-state solution.Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state. This is also an issue of politics of dispossession. When you rob peoples land, peoples houses, peoples property therefore there are two issues here we have to resolve. One of course immediate humanitarian assistance, but also a long term just amicable resolution to the problem, Anwar said. UN chief says renewed fighting would led to an immense tragedyUNITED NATIONS U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres has called for the extension of a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying a resumption of hostilities would lead to an immense tragedy.He called on the Hamas militant group to continue freeing Israeli hostages after it threatened to delay the next release. Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.Both sides must fully abide by their commitments, Guterres said in a statement Tuesday. He also urged the sides to hold serious negotiations over the next phase of the agreement, in which Hamas is to release dozens of remaining hostages abducted in its 2023 attack in exchange for an end to the war.Egyptian envoy says Arab countries reject Trumps Gaza planCAIRO Egypts top diplomat has told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Arab countries reject President Donald Trumps proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate its Palestinian population.Thats according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry after Foreign Minister Badr Abdelattys meeting late Monday with Rubio in Washington.The statement said Abdelatty stressed the importance of accelerating Gazas reconstruction while Palestinians remain there.Abdelatty also stressed the importance of finding a political horizon leading to a final settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a way that ensures the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement said.Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. There is wide international support for a two-state solution to the decadeslong conflict along those lines.

A mural depicting steel workers stands at the Stelco steel production facility in Hamilton, Ontario, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-02-11T03:59:56Z VOLTAGE, Wash. (AP) Four people were killed and seven others were hurt when a motorist trying to pass another car on a two-lane highway hit a charter bus in central Washington state. A Toyota Camry was heading west on Highway 28 east of Wenatchee on Sunday afternoon when it hit an oncoming Northwestern Stage Lines charter bus, The Seattle Times reported. A 66-year-old Spokane man who was driving the bus was killed, along with a 17-year-old female driver and a 17-year-old male passenger in the Camry, both from East Wenatchee, the Washington State Patrol said. A bus passenger died later at a hospital. Seven others, ages 24 to 71, were hurt in the crash and taken to local hospitals, troopers said.The car also hit and damaged the car it was trying to pass, but no one inside that vehicle was hurt, according to the state patrol.Jacob Price, owner of the Spokane-based bus company, said the crash happened during a scheduled route between Seattle and Spokane. He said about 20 people were on the bus. Price told the newspaper the crash was caused by a driver trying to pass while traveling at an excessive speed, and that the company was working with state troopers and the state Department of Transportation to learn more.Sadly, our talented and dedicated driver was among the fatalities, he said. The names of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.

United States Vice-President JD Vance addresses the audience at the Grand Palais during the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)2025-02-11T09:24:04Z PARIS (AP) U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday warned global leaders and tech industry executives that excessive regulation in the artificial intelligence industry will kill the rapidly growing industry just as its taking off.Vance, making his first major policy speech since becoming vice president last month, said the Trump administration will ensure that AI systems developed in America are free from ideological bias, and that the United States would never restrict our citizens right to free speech.He also said the Trump administration is troubled that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on U.S. tech companies with international footprints.Now, at this moment, we face the extraordinary prospect of a new industrial revolution, one on par with the invention of the steam engine, Vance said. But it will never come to pass. If overregulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball. Vances address challenged Europes regulatory approach to artificial intelligence and its moderation of content on Big Tech platforms, underscoring divergence between the United States and its allies on AI governance. With the global public both excited and worried about the power of AI, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that, AI needs the confidence of the people and has to be safe.' She mentioned EU guidelines intended to standardize how the blocs AI Act is applied across the 27-nation bloc. At the same time, I know that we have to make it easier and we have to cut red tape and we will, she added.Von der Leyen announced that the so-called InvestAI initiative reached a total of 200 billion euros in investments in Europe, including a new fund of 20 billion euros for AI gigafactories.The summit has drawn world leaders, top tech executives, and policymakers to debate AIs impact on security, economics, and governance. A three-way race for AI dominanceThe differences were openly displayed at the summit: Europe seeks to regulate and invest, China expands access through state-backed tech giants, and the U.S., under President Donald Trump, champions a hands-off approach. Among the high-profile attendees is Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, special envoy of Xi Jinping, reflecting Beijings interest in shaping global AI standards. Vance has been an outspoken critic of European content moderation policies. He has suggested the U.S. should reconsider its NATO commitments if European governments impose restrictions on Elon Musks social media platform, X. His Paris visit is also expected to include candid discussions on Ukraine, AIs role in global power shifts, and U.S.-China tensions. How to regulate AI?Concerns over AIs potential dangers have loomed over the summit, particularly as nations grapple with how to regulate a technology that is increasingly entwined with defense and warfare. I think one day we will have to find ways to control AI or else we will lose control of everything, said Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATOs commander who oversees the alliances modernization efforts. Beyond diplomatic tensions, a global public-private partnership is being launched called Current AI, aimed at supporting large-scale AI initiatives for the public good. Analysts see this as an opportunity to counterbalance the dominance of private companies in AI development. However, it remains unclear whether the U.S. will support such efforts. Separately, a high-stakes battle over AI power is escalating in the private sector. A group of investors led by Musk who now heads Trumps Department of Government Efficiency has made a $97.4 billion bid to acquire the nonprofit behind OpenAI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, attending the Paris summit, swiftly rejected the offer on X. The US-China rivalry In Beijing, officials on Monday condemned Western efforts to restrict access to AI tools, while Chinese company DeepSeeks new AI chatbot has prompted calls in the U.S. Congress to limit its use over security concerns. China promotes open-source AI, arguing that accessibility will ensure global AI benefits. French organizers hope the summit will boost investment in Europes AI sector, positioning the region as a credible contender in an industry shaped by U.S.-China competition. French President Emmanuel Macron, addressing the energy demands of AI, contrasted Frances nuclear-powered approach with the U.S.s reliance on fossil fuels, quipping: France wont drill, baby, drill, but plug, baby, plug. Vances diplomatic tour will continue in Germany, where he will attend the Munich Security Conference and press European allies to increase commitments to NATO and Ukraine. He may also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Talking Ukraine and Middle East with MacronVance will discuss Ukraine and the Middle East over a working lunch with Macron. Like Trump, he has questioned U.S. aid to Kyiv and the broader Western strategy toward Russia. Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine within six months of taking office. Vance is also set to meet separately with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. ___Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet and Kelvin Chan in Paris contributed to this report. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Mifepristone tablets are seen in a Planned Parenthood clinic Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)2025-02-11T05:01:33Z Lawmakers in some states where abortion is already banned are seeking to explicitly bar abortion pills or take a step that most leading anti-abortion groups oppose: punish women who seek to end their pregnancies.Its too early in some legislative sessions to know whether the measures will get serious consideration. But it does show that the policy debate continues to evolve following the Supreme Courts 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state bans on abortion. Heres a look at where things stand: Some lawmakers target pills that are used in most abortionsLawmakers in several states have introduced measures to classify the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol which are used together in the majority of U.S. abortions as controlled dangerous substances, making it a crime to possess them without prescriptions.Louisiana last year became the first state to adopt such a law, despite concerns from doctors who contended that the restrictions would make it harder for them to access the drugs to perform life-saving procedures.The measures have been introduced in states where Republicans control the government and where there are bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions. The legislation has died or appears unlikely to advance in Indiana and Mississippi. Elsewhere including Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas its too early to know whether they have a chance.In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt, a staunch opponent of abortion, has vowed to sign any anti-abortion measure that comes to his desk. And one scholar who follows abortion policy said that the bills can affect the debate even if they dont pick up momentum.The more often that theyre introduced, the more normalized these sorts of bills and these sorts of concepts that theyre pushing become, said Laura Hermer, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. The pill fight is roaring even without additional state lawsAuthorities in two states with stringent abortion laws have targeted a New York doctor for allegedly sending abortion pills to patients in those states.Last month, a Louisiana grand jury indicted Dr. Maggie Carpenter on charges of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, a felony. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Carpenter in civil court under similar circumstances.The legal actions set up a test of laws in some Democratic-controlled states, including New York, that seek to protect health care providers who use telehealth to prescribe and then mail abortion pills to patients in states where theyre banned. New York officials say they will not extradite the doctor to Louisiana.Since Carpenters indictment, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law that allows doctors to leave their names off prescription bottles for abortion pills as a way to further insulate them. Similar legislation has been introduced in Maine.The attorneys general of Idaho, Kansas and Missouri are also suing in federal court to roll back federal approvals for mifepristone and bar prescriptions for it by telehealth.Some advocates are calling on President Donald Trump to enforce an 1873 law to ban mailing medication or instruments used in abortion, but he has not done so. While critics say the drugs are unsafe, some major medical groups disagree. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there is decades of evidence that mifepristone and misoprostol are safe and effective. The group cited a study showing that major adverse events such as significant infection and excessive blood loss occur in less than 0.32% of patients taking mifepristone for a medication abortion. Medical organizations say mifepristones safety compares to that of the over-the-counter pain medication ibuprofen.There are attempts to punish women, though they rarely gain tractionBills in several states would open the door to criminal charges against women who seek or obtain abortions on charges including murder.Thats a step no state has taken so far, and which leading anti-abortion groups such as Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and the National Right to Life Committee oppose.Still, such bills have been introduced in Idaho and Indiana, where theyre unlikely to advance, and Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Carolina, where theyre all early in the legislative process. Reached by phone, South Carolina Rep. Luke Rankin, a Republican who added his name to a list of bill sponsors last week, said, Ive always been pro-life. When asked about the provision to allow prosecution of women seeking abortion, he said: I cant help you there and declined to answer questions.___Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho; Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Laura Ungar Louisville, Kentucky; and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this article. GEOFF MULVIHILL Mulvihill covers topics on the agendas of state governments across the country. He has focused on abortion, gender issues and opioid litigation. twitter mailto

Maryland Department of Transportation employees use a backhoe to load a truck with salt at the State Highway Administration District 6 Office in LaVale, Md., Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Steve Bittner/Cumberland Times-News via AP)2025-02-11T05:11:41Z A wintry mess was bearing down on mid-Atlantic states Tuesday with forecasts of significant snow and ice accumulations prompting warnings of potential power outages.The National Weather Service said travel would become treacherous Tuesday through early Wednesday in much of Virginia and West Virginia.Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, allowing state agencies to assist local governments. Schools and government offices throughout Virginia were closed Tuesday.The heaviest snow, up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters), was forecast in portions of northern and central Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Ice accumulations could range from a glaze in Kentucky and West Virginia to a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) in the Roanoke Valley of southwest Virginia, the weather service said. Power outages and tree damage were likely in places with heavy ice buildups. Did you think winter was over? Think again! the weather services office in Blacksburg, Virginia, said in a post on the social media platform X.Appalachian Power, which serves 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said it has requested 700 additional workers from neighboring utilities to assist with problems by Tuesday morning. In northern Virginia, the National Park Service closed a portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a narrow highway that winds its way through woods along the Potomac River. The parkway connects multiple small national park sites and has historically been a trouble spot during winter storms for abandoned cars that created a slalom course for snowplows and other vehicles. Winter storm warnings extended from Kentucky to southern New Jersey, and a flood watch was posted for a wide swath of Kentucky, Tennessee, southwest Virginia and northern Georgia. The snow-and-ice mix was expected to become all rain as temperatures climb by Wednesday afternoon. A separate storm system is set to bring heavy snow from Kansas and Missouri to the Great Lakes on Wednesday, the weather service said. Dangerous cold was forecast Tuesday from an Arctic air mass stretching from Portland, Oregon, to the Great Lakes.The temperature was expected to bottom out Tuesday morning at minus 33 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 36 degrees Celsius) in Butte, Montana, where over the past two winters at least five people died due to cold exposure, said Brayton Erickson, executive director of the Butte Rescue Mission. Advocates for the homeless in the city of about 35,000 planned to be out on the streets distributing sleeping bags, jackets, mittens and other cold weather gear to anyone who needs them, Erickson said.When it gets this cold, we kind of pull out all the stops, he said. Having all those resources available literally can save their life or keep them from frostbite.___Associated Press writers from across the U.S. contributed to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Mohammed Shula speaks at a relative's house, where he and his wife have taken refuge, in the West Bank village of Kafr al-Labad, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)2025-02-11T10:23:50Z KAFR AL-LABAD, West Bank (AP) The call came in the middle of the night, Mohammed Shula said. His daughter-in-law, eight months pregnant with her first child, was whispering. There was panic in her voice.Help, please, Shula recalled her saying. You have to save us.Minutes later, Sondos Shalabi was fatally shot.Shalabi and her husband, 26-year-old Yazan Shula, had fled their home in the early hours of Sunday as Israeli security forces closed in on Nur Shams refugee camp, a crowded urban district in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem.Israeli military vehicles surrounded the camp days earlier, part of a larger crackdown on Palestinian militants across the northern occupied West Bank that has escalated since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect last month. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced the expansion of the armys operations, saying it aimed to stop Iran Hamas ally from opening up a new front in the occupied territory. Palestinians see the shooting of Shalabi, 23, as part of a worrying trend toward more lethal, warlike Israeli tactics in the West Bank. The Israeli army issued a short statement afterward, saying it had referred her shooting to the military police for criminal investigation. Also on Sunday, just a few streets away, another young Palestinian woman, 21, was killed by the Israeli army. An explosive device it had planted detonated as she approached her front door. In response, the Israeli army said that a wanted militant was in her house, compelling Israeli forces to break down the door. It said the woman did not leave despite the soldiers calls. The army said it regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.Across the West Bank and east Jerusalem, at least 905 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack triggered the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Many appear to have been militants killed in gunbattles during Israeli raids. But rock-throwing protesters and uninvolved civilians including a 2-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy and 73-year-old man have also been killed in recent weeks. The basic rules of fighting, of confronting the Palestinians, is different now, said Maher Kanan, a member of the emergency response team in the nearby village of Anabta, describing what he sees as the armys new attitude and tactics. The displacement, the number of civilians killed, they are doing here what they did in Gaza. Mohammed Shula, 58, told The Associated Press that his son and daughter-in-law said they started plotting their flight from Nur Shams last week as Israeli drones crisscrossed the sky, Palestinian militants boobytrapped the roads and their babys due date approached.His son was worried about (Shalabi) all the time. He knew that she wouldnt be able to deliver the baby if the siege got worse, he said.Yazan Shula, a construction worker in Israel who lost his job after the Israeli government banned nearly 200,000 Palestinian workers from entering its territory, couldnt wait to be a father, his own father said. Shalabi, quiet and kind, was like a daughter to him moving into their house in Nur Shams 18 month sago, after marrying his son. This baby is what they were living for, he said.Early Sunday, the young couple packed up some clothes and belongings. The plan was simple they would drive to the home of Shalabis parents outside the camp, some miles away in Tulkarem where soldiers werent operating. It was safer there, and near the hospital where Shalabi planned to give birth. Yazan Shulas younger brother, 19-year-old Bilal, also wanted to get out and jumped in the backseat.Not long after the three of them drove off, there was a burst of gunfire. Mohammed Shulas phone rang. His daughter-in-laws breaths came in gasps, he said. An Israeli sniper had shot her husband, she told her father-in-law, and blood was flowing from the back of his head. She was unscathed, but had no idea what to do.He coached her into staying calm. He told her to knock on the door of any house to ask for help. Her phone on speaker, he could hear her knocking and shrieking, he said. No one was answering. She told him she could see soldiers approaching. The line went dead, said Mohammed Shula, who then called the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service.We couldnt go outside because we were afraid wed be shot, said Suleiman Zuheiri, 65, a neighbor of the Shula family who was helping the medics reach their bodies. We tried and tried. All in vain. (The medics) kept getting turned back, and the girl kept bleeding.Bilal Shula wasnt hurt. He was arrested from the scene and detained for several hours.The Red Crescent said that the International Committee of the Red Cross had secured approval from the Israeli military to allow medics inside the camp. But the paramedics were detained twice, for a half-hour each time, as they made their way toward the battered car, it said. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on why soldiers had blocked ambulances.It wasnt until after 8:00 a.m. that medics finally reached the young couple, and were detained a third time while rushing the husband out of the camp to the hospital, the Red Crescent said. Yazan Shula was unconscious and in critical condition, and, as of Tuesday, remains on life support at a hospital. Shalabi was found dead. Her fetus also did not survive the shooting. Mohammed Shula keeps thinking about how soldiers saw Shalabis body bleeding on the ground and did nothing to help as they handcuffed his other son and marched him into their vehicle.Why did they shoot them? They were doing nothing wrong. They could have stopped them, asked a question, but no, they just shot, he said, his fingers busily rubbing a strand of prayer beads.Israeli security forces invaded the camp some hours later. Explosions resounded through the alleyways. Armored bulldozers rumbled down the roads, chewing up the pavement and rupturing underground water pipes. The electricity went out. Then the taps ran dry. Before Mohammed Shula could process what was happening, he said, Israeli troops banged on his front door and ordered everyone his daughter, son and several grandchildren, one of them a year old, another two months old to leave their home.The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on why it was forcibly evacuating civilian homes in Nur Shams. Mohammed Shula pointed to a bag of baby diapers in the corner of his friends living room. Thats all he had time to bring with him, he said, not even photographs, or clothes. ISABEL DEBRE DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai. twitter mailto

In the first installment of GLAADs Heroes of the Resistance, were taking time to highlight changemakers and freedom fighters who are committed to supporting LGBTQ people and advancing policies and rhetoric that ensure our full dignity, respect, and equal treatment in daily life. With an overwhelming news cycle and uncertainty, it can be hard to [...]The post Heroes of the Resistance: A Compilation of Recent Moments of Joy and Positivity for LGBTQ People first appeared on GLAAD.

Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)2025-02-11T05:05:03Z COMPTON, Calif. (AP) Math is the subject sixth grader Harmoni Knight finds hardest, but thats changing. In-class tutors and data chats at her middle school in Compton, California, have made a dramatic difference, the 11-year-old said. She proudly pulled up a performance tracker at a tutoring session last week, displaying a column of perfect 100% scores on all her weekly quizzes from January. Since the pandemic first shuttered American classrooms, schools have poured federal and local relief money into interventions like the ones in Harmonis classroom, hoping to help students catch up academically following COVID-19 disruptions. But a new analysis of state and national test scores shows the average student remains half a grade level behind pre-pandemic achievement in both reading and math. In reading, especially, students are even further behind than they were in 2022, the analysis shows. Compton is an outlier, making some of the biggest two-year gains in both subjects among high-poverty districts. And there are other bright spots, along with evidence that interventions like tutoring and summer programs are working. The Education Recovery Scorecard analysis by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth allows year-to-year comparisons across states and districts, providing the most comprehensive picture yet of how American students are performing since COVID-19 first disrupted learning. The most recent data is based on tests taken in spring 2024. By then, the worst of the pandemic was long past, but schools were dealing still with a mental health crisis and high absenteeism not to mention students whod had crucial learning interrupted. Students work in a classroom at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Students work in a classroom at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6,, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6,, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The losses are not just due to what happened during the 2020 to 2021 school year, but the aftershocks that have hit schools in the years since, said Tom Kane, a Harvard economist who worked on the scorecard. In some cases, the analysis shows school districts are struggling, even though their students may have posted decent results on state tests. Thats because each state adopts its own assessments, and those arent comparable to each other. Those differences can make it impossible to tell whether students are performing better because of their progress, or whether those shifts are because the tests themselves are changing, or the state has lowered its standards for proficiency. For example, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Florida seem to have relaxed their proficiency cutoff in math and reading in the last two years, Kane said, citing the analysis. A teacher points to a board as students listen in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) A teacher points to a board as students listen in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Scorecard accounts for differing state tests and provides one national standard. Higher-income districts have made significantly more progress than lower-income districts, with the top 10% of high-income districts four times more likely to have recovered in both math and reading compared with the poorest 10%. And recovery within districts remains divided by race and class, especially in math scores. Test score gaps grew by both race and income. The pandemic has not only driven test scores down, but that decline masks a pernicious inequality that has grown during the pandemic, said Sean Reardon, a Stanford sociologist who worked on the scorecard. Not only are districts serving more Black and Hispanic students falling further behind, but even within those districts, Black and Hispanic students are falling further behind their white districtmates. Tutors in class, after school and on SaturdaysStill, many of the districts that outperformed the country serve predominantly low-income students or students of color, and their interventions offer best practices for other districts.In Compton, the district responded to the pandemic by hiring over 250 tutors that specialize in math, reading and students learning English. Certain classes are staffed with multiple tutors to assist teachers. And schools offer tutoring before, during and after school, plus Saturday School and summer programs for the districts 17,000 students, said Superintendent Darin Brawley.The district also now conducts dyslexia screenings in all elementary schools. The low-income school district near downtown Los Angeles, with a student body that is 84% Latino and 14% Black, now has a graduation rate of 93%, compared with 58% when Brawley took the job in 2012. A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Harmoni, the sixth grader, said tutoring has helped her grasp concepts and given her more confidence in math. She has data chats with her math specialist that are part performance review, part pep talk.Looking at my data, it kind of disappoints me when the numbers are low, said Harmoni. But it makes me realize I can do better in the future, and also now.Brawley said hes proud of the districts latest test scores, but not content.Truth be told, I wasnt happy, he said. Even though we gained, and we celebrate the gains, at the end of the day we all know that we can do better. A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More That could be more difficult in coming years. Federal pandemic relief money has ended; many schools used it for programs like tutoring. Going forward, schools must prioritize interventions that worked. Districts that spent federal money on increased instructional time, either through tutoring or summer school, saw a return on that investment, Kane and Reardon said. Brawley said Compton hopes to maintain its tutoring programs using other funding sources. The question is, at what scale? Elsewhere in the country, reading levels have continued to decline, despite a movement in many states to emphasize phonics and the science of reading. So Reardon and Kane called for an evaluation of the mixed results for insights into the best ways to teach kids to read. Schools also must engage parents and tell them when their kids are behind, the researchers said.And schools must continue to work with community groups to improve students attendance, they said. The scorecard identified a relationship between high absenteeism and learning struggles.Tutors also help with attendanceIn the District of Columbia, an intensive tutoring program helped with both academics and attendance, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said. In the scorecard analysis, the District of Columbia ranked first among states for gains in both math and reading between 2022 and 2024, after its math recovery had fallen toward the bottom of the list. Pandemic-relief money funded the tutoring, along with a system of identifying and targeting support at students in greatest need. The district also hired program managers who helped maximize time for tutoring within the school day, Ferebee said. Students who received tutoring were more likely to be engaged with school, Ferebee said, both from increased confidence and because they had a relationship with another trusted adult. Students expressed that Im more confident in math because Im being validated by another adult, Ferebee said. That validation goes a long way, not only with attendance, but a student feeling like they are ready to learn and are capable. A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Even now that federal pandemic relief money has ended, Ferebee said many of the investments the district made will have lasting impact, including the money spent on teacher training and curriculum development in literacy. Christina Grant, the District of Columbias superintendent of education until 2024, said shes hopeful to see the evidence emerging on whats made a difference in student achievement.We cannot afford to not have hope. These are our students. They did not cause the pandemic, Grant said. The growing concern is ensuring that we can ... see ourselves to the other side. ___Sharon Lurye contributed from New Orleans.___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. ANNIE MA Ma is an Associated Press national writer who covers K-12 education. twitter mailto JOCELYN GECKER Gecker is an Associated Press reporter covering education with a focus on social media and youth mental health. twitter mailto

Fatima Guzman prays during a church service at the Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-size Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Kissimmee, Florida, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)2025-02-11T14:05:45Z More than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists filed a federal court lawsuit Tuesday challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship.The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, contends that the new policy is spreading fear of raids, thus lowering attendance at worship services and other valuable church programs. The result, says the suit, infringes on the groups religious freedom namely their ability to minister to migrants, including those in the United States illegally.We have immigrants, refugees, people who are documented and undocumented, said the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. We cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear, he told The Associated Press. By joining this lawsuit, were seeking the ability to gather and fully practice our faith, to follow Jesus command to love our neighbors as ourselves. The new lawsuit echoes and expands on some of the arguments made in a similar lawsuit filed Jan. 27 by five Quaker congregations and later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. It is currently pending in U.S. District Court in Maryland. There was no immediate Trump administration response to the new lawsuit, which names the Department of Homeland Security and its immigration enforcement agencies as defendants. However, a memorandum filed Friday by the Department of Justice, opposing the thrust of the Quaker lawsuit, outlined arguments that may also apply to the new lawsuit.In essence, the memo contended that the plaintiffs request to block the new enforcement policy is based on speculation of hypothetical future harm and thus is insufficient grounds for issuing an injunction. The memo said that immigration enforcement affecting houses of worship had been permitted for decades, and the new policy announced in January simply said that field agents using common sense and discretion could now conduct such operations without pre-approval from a supervisor.One part of that memo might not apply to the new lawsuit, as it argued the Quakers and their fellow plaintiffs have no basis for seeking a nationwide injunction against the revised enforcement policy.Any relief in this case should be tailored solely to the named plaintiffs, said the DOJ memo, contending that any injunction should not apply to other religious organizations.The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit represent a vastly larger swath of American worshippers including more than 1 million followers of Reform Judaism, the estimated 1.5 million Episcopalians in 6,700 congregations nationwide, nearly 1.1 million members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the estimated 1.5 million active members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church the countrys oldest predominantly Black denomination. Among the other plaintiffs are the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), with more than 3,000 congregations; the Church of the Brethren, with more than 780 congregations; the Convencin Bautista Hispana de Texas, encompassing about 1,100 Hispanic Baptist churches; the Friends General Conference, an association of regional Quaker organizations; the Mennonite Church USA, with about 50,000 members; the Unitarian Universalist Association, with more than 1,000 congregations; the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, with more than 500 U.S. congregations; and regional branches of the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ.The massive scale of the suit will be hard for them to ignore, said Kelsi Corkran, a lawyer with the Georgetown University Law Centers Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection who is lead counsel for the lawsuit.Prior to the recent Trump administration change, Corkran said immigration agents generally needed a judicial warrant or other special authorization to conduct operations at houses of worship and other sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals. Now its go anywhere, any time, she told the AP. Now they have broad authority to swoop in theyve made it very clear theyll get every undocumented person.She cited a recent incident in which a Honduran man was arrested outside his familys Atlanta-area church while a service was being held inside.The lawsuit includes details from some of the plaintiffs as to how their operations might be affected. The Union for Reform Judaism and the Mennonites, among others, said many of their synagogues and churches host on-site foodbanks, meal programs, homeless shelters and other support services for undocumented people who might now be fearful of participating. One of the plaintiffs is the Latino Christian National Network, which seeks to bring together Latino leaders with different traditions and values to collaborate on pressing social issues. The networks president is the Rev. Carlos Malav, a pastor of two churches in Virginia, who described to the AP what network members are observing.There is deep-seated fear and distrust of our government, he said. People fear going to the store, they are avoiding going to church. ... The churches are increasingly doing online services because people fear for the well-being of their families and children.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which leads the nations largest denomination, did not joint the lawsuit, though it has criticized Trumps migration crackdown. On Tuesday, Pope Francis issued a major rebuke to the deportation plan, warning that the forceful removal of people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and will end badly.Many conservative faith leaders and legal experts across the U.S. do not share concerns about the new arrest policy.Places of worship are for worship and are not sanctuaries for illegal activity or for harboring people engaged in illegal activity, said Mat Staver, founder of the conservative Christian legal organization Liberty Counsel.Fugitives or criminals are not immune from the law merely because they enter a place of worship, he said via email. This is not a matter of religious freedom. There is no right to openly violate the law and disobey law enforcement.Professor Cathleen Kaveny, who teaches in the theology department and law school at Boston College, questioned whether the plaintiffs would prevail with the religious freedom argument, but suggested the Trump administration might be unwise to disregard a traditional view of houses of worship as places of sanctuary for vulnerable people.These buildings are different almost like embassies, she said. I think of churches as belonging to an eternal country.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. DAVID CRARY Crary has headed APs 11-person Religion team since 2020. Among previous AP jobs, he was a foreign correspondent for 14 years, and has used that experience to bolster APs worldwide religion coverage. twitter mailto

The Wikimedia Foundation is building new tools that it hopes will help Wikipedia editors stay anonymous in part to avoid harassment and legal threats as Elon Musk and the Heritage Foundation ramp up their attacks on people who edit Wikipedia. Some of the tactics have been pioneered by Wikimedia in countries with authoritarian governments and where editing Wikipedia is illegal or extremely dangerous. Last month, Forward obtained a document created by the Heritage Foundation called Wikipedia Editor Targeting, which set a goal to identify and target Wikipedia editors abusing their position by analyzing text patterns, usernames, and technical data through data breach analysis, fingerprinting, HUMINT (human intelligence), and technical targeting.The document discusses creating sock puppet accounts to reveal patterns and provoke reactions, discusses trying to track users geolocation, searching through hacked datasets for username reuse, and using Pimeyes, a facial recognition software, to learn the real identities of Wikipedia editors. Molly White of Citation Needed has an extensive rundown on Elon Musks crusade against Wikipedia, and both Slate and The Atlantic have written about the rights war on Wikipedia in recent days.In a series of calls and letters to the Wikimedia community over the last two weeks, Wikimedia executives have told editors that they are trying to figure out how to keep their users safe in an increasingly hostile political environment. Im keeping an eye on the rising noise of criticism from Elon Musk and others and I think thats something we need to grapple with, Wikimedia founder Jimmy Wales said in a meeting on January 30.Were seeing an increase in threats, both regulation and litigation across the world, Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander told community members during the same January 30 meeting. Were all just trying to understand what is happening not only in the United States [but across the world], so the best we can do is monitor, check-in on staff, and try to understand whats needed thats the most honest answer I can give you to an impossible set of questions were all grappling with on a daily basis.Wikimedia lawyers told the community that the project is trying to change how editing Wikipedia for logged-out accounts works. Currently, if a user edits an article while not logged in, their IP address will show publicly, which can provide information to someone looking to file a defamation or libel lawsuit. Wikimedia is launching a temporary accounts program which will give editors who are not logged in a temporary username rather than showing an IP address. Its a way of ensuring that for logged-out users, their IP address isnt visible to everyone asunder but rather available only to people who are really engaged in anti-vandalism, Phil Bradley-Schmieg, a Wikimedia lawyer, said.Bradley-Schmieg also suggested that Wikimedias human rights team, which is focused on helping users stay safe, particularly in countries where freedom of speech and expression is under attack on a regular basis, may need to play a larger role across the entire project.Jacob Rogers, another Wikimedia lawyer, said during a separate meeting on January 30 that some Wikimedia projects in non-English languages have a feature where users are allowed to create and register a sock-puppet account (a dummy username, basically) to edit controversial articles and to register that account with administrators.A number of the different language projects have the option to make legitimate sock puppet accounts if youre going to work on something you know is going to be controversial, you can make a sock puppet and register it with admins on that project so its more obscure, kept separate from the rest of your life, Rogers said.Both Rogers and Bradley-Schmieg said that Wikimedia has worked to limit the amount of data that the foundation has on any given user. IP addresses associated with edits are deleted or anonymized after 90 days, for example.The foundation has very little data about most users, so if somebody is stepping up their harassment and coming to the foundation, we generally dont really know anything about users in most cases and theres not a lot they can get from us, Rogers said. In the first six months of 2024, the last period for which data is available, Wikimedia received 26 formal requests for information on users; it provided info in two cases. Six of those requests came from the United States, the most of any jurisdiction.Wikimedia has also created a legal defense program that will in some cases fund the defense of Wikipedia editors who are attacked through the legal system as long as that editor or staffer was contributing to a Wikimedia project in good faith, Rogers said. Wikimedia has recently fought cases in both India and Germany.While Musks and the Heritage Foundations attacks on Wikipedia have escalated in recent days, these general trends are not new, and they were outlined as a threat in the foundations 2024 annual plan, which states the following:Human rights threats are growing. Physical and legal threats against volunteers and staff who fight disinformation continue to grow. Accusations of bias and inaction by those whose preferred narratives do not prevail on Wikipedia may be encouraged and amplified by purveyors of disinformation, the foundation wrote in an update to users. Law is weaponized in important jurisdictions. Bad-faith lawsuits, by people who dont like the verified information appearing on Wikipedia pages, are succeeding in some European countries. Some incumbent leaders are abusing their powers to silence and intimidate political opponents.Iskander said in the meeting that the foundation is going to consider the safety of Wikipedians for its in-person events, such as Wikimania, an annual conference and party.Were paying very close attention trying to understand what the impacts might be and ensure those might be considered in any decisions we make. I will remind folks part of our processes in any event related to community gatherings is to do a risk assessment for community conferences for Wikimania, she said. Its an imperfect and imprecise exercise but theres a real intentionality around being thoughtful about the places that were selecting to ask people to gather and manage within our control.It is not clear whether any of these steps will be sufficient, or whether any of them are going to make Wikipedia more resilient to right-wing attacks. What makes Wikipedia so strong is the fact that it has a distributed global base of dedicated volunteer editors, and a governance structure that is not very easy to infiltrate. Wikimedias decentralized power base makes it resistant to but not invulnerable from takeover attempts.During one of the meetings, Rogers was asked if Wikimedia would consider moving its headquarters out of the United States because of the political situation here. Rogers said moving would probably not do very much because the projects would remain accessible in the United States and many things would still be subject to US law even if the foundation moved its headquarters to a different jurisdiction.I think a move would be extremely expensive and cost something in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, he said. I see that as one of the most significant, expensive, and extreme possible options. You would only do that if it was like, the only solution to a major problem where doing that would make sense. The Wikimedia Foundation did not respond to a request for comment. The Heritage Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)2025-02-10T22:59:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) The acting head of the federal agency responsible for responding to disasters said Monday that hes suspending payments sent to New York City to house migrants and that staff who made them will be held accountable, after Elon Musk blasted the transactions on his social media platform.Musk, who as head of the Department of Government Efficiency has consolidated control over much of the federal government and is working to cut costs and shrink the workforce, posted on X that his team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants. He said the money is intended for disaster relief and would be clawed back.Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reposted Musks comments and said the payments were suspended as of Sunday. Musk gave no evidence to support his claim, and information from the city of New York indicated that money its received to care for migrants was appropriated by Congress and allocated to the city last year by FEMA. The city hasnt been notified of any pause in funding, spokeswoman Liz Garcia said. A statement noted that the city has received federal government reimbursements through the past week and said the matter would be discussed directly with federal officials. Neither Hamilton nor Musk specified what kind of payments were involved. But the comments on X reposted thousands of times likely referred to payments made by the Shelter and Services Program, which gives money to reimburse cities, towns or organizations for immigration-related expenses. FEMA did not respond to questions about the payments. But spokesman Trisha McLaughlin for the Department of Homeland Security to which FEMA belongs pointed to recent statements by Secretary Kristi Noem. As Secretary Noem said yesterday, we must get rid of FEMA the way it exists today, McLaughlin told The Associated Press on Monday. This is yet another egregious example. Individuals who circumvented leadership and unilaterally made this payment will be fired and held accountable. What is the Shelter and Services Program? When migrants arrive at the border, theyre often released into the U.S. because the federal government doesnt have enough space to hold them all. Feeding and housing them often falls on local and state governments, as well as nonprofits.In 2019, with the number of people coming directly to the southern border climbing dramatically, Congress authorized the federal government to reimburse some of those costs. Those were the first such payments and the beginning of the Shelter and Services Program. The money comes directly from Congress and is specifically for Customs and Border Protection also part of the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA administers the payments.The money is separate from the disaster relief fund, which is FEMAs main funding stream to help people and governments affected by disasters. The Shelter and Services Program has become a flashpoint for criticism by Republicans, who incorrectly claim its taking money from people hit by hurricanes or floods. Critics also have questioned whether taxpayer money should go to cities and states where right-to-shelter laws mean everyone must be given a place to stay. At least two other localities that received money through the Shelter and Services Program said they had not heard from the federal government about whether they would take back the money.What did Elon Musk say about the program?Musk called the $59 million his team has identified gross insubordination to the Presidents executive order and said the funds would be recouped. It was not clear where the $59 million figure came from, and officials did not provide details to AP. The New York City mayors office said it received $81 million in payments from the federal government for immigration-related costs last week in two separate pieces one of which was about $59 million, with $19 million for direct hotel costs.New York Citys right-to-shelter laws require the city to provide shelter to anyone whos homeless. It has historically housed homeless people in hotels. City resources have been strained with an influx of roughly 230,000 migrants since the spring of 2022. In addition to housing migrants temporarily in hotels, it also uses tent complexes.The city says it currently shelters 46,000 migrants, most of whom are part of families.In another post Monday, Musk said that under the Biden administration, FEMA took money away from disaster relief and spent it on 5 star hotels for illegals.Garcia said the city has never paid luxury rates. The vast majority are outside Manhattan, and the government has paid on average $152 a night for rooms, according to a 2024 city comptroller report. In comparison, 5-star hotels in Manhattan for the coming weekend run from $400 a night to well over $1,000. The payments of $81 million, Garcia said, covered reimbursements for November 2023 to October 2024, including hotel, security, food, and other costs. She said the city applied in April, the money was appropriated last year by Congress, and FEMA allocated it last year. The city has millions more in outstanding reimbursements, she said..Is the Trump administration getting rid of FEMA?The confusion over the payments comes amid intense interest in FEMAs future. In a North Carolina trip last month, President Trump said he was considering getting rid of FEMA. Hes also creating a task force to carry out a full-scale review on the organization. Republicans last fall lambasted FEMA, saying it wasnt doing enough to help survivors hit by double hurricanes Helene and Milton. The agency was also beset by false claims about the storms and withheld aid often fueled by Trump and others just ahead of the presidential election. Criticism of FEMA intensified after the agency announced that a staffer was fired after she directed workers not to go to homes with yard signs supporting Trump.Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate from Virginia, previously worked on emergency management issues for the departments of Homeland Security and State but has limited experience handling natural disasters. Hes been critical of FEMA on social media and outspoken about increasing security along the southern border, where the agencys resources could be redirected. Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trumps second term prepared by the presidents allies, called for dismantling Homeland Security and relocating FEMA to the Department of Interior or the Department of Transportation.It also suggested changing the formula that the agency uses to determine when federal disaster assistance is warranted, shifting the costs of preventing and responding to disasters to states.__Attanasio reported from New York. REBECCA SANTANA Santana covers the Department of Homeland Security for The Associated Press. She has extensive experience reporting in such places as Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. twitter mailto CEDAR ATTANASIO Attanasio covers New York City for The Associated Press with a focus on immigration and the ocean. He uses remote sensing to support the APs global coverage. twitter instagram facebook mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Steve Bannon arrives at court in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)2025-02-11T15:24:21Z NEW YORK (AP) Steve Bannon pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a fraud charge related to duping donors who gave money to a private effort to build a wall along the U.S. southern border a case the conservative strategist has decried as a political persecution.Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty to one scheme to defraud count as part of a plea agreement that spares him from jail time in the We Build the Wall scheme. He received a three-year conditional discharge, which requires that he stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment.Asked how he was feeling as he left the courtroom, Bannon said, Like a million bucks.Bannon spoke to reporters afterward and called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to begin an immediate criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Leticia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Defense attorney Arthur Aidala called the case against Bannon flimsy, saying it was never about his client.Mr. Bannon deserves credit. He wants to fight. Everyone knows Steve Bannon, he always wants to put up a fight, Aidala said. The district attorneys office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Bannons deal comes just days after Bondi ordered the Justice Department to investigate what the president called the weaponization of prosecutorial power.The case had been scheduled to go to trial March 4. Braggs office charged Bannon in state court after a Trump pardon in 2021 wiped away federal charges on the same allegations.In November, Judge April Newbauer ruled prosecutors could show jurors certain evidence, including an email they say shows Bannon was concerned the fundraising effort was a scam.Bannon had been planning an aggressive defense strategy and recently hired a new team of attack dog lawyers who sought to portray the case to jurors as a selective and malicious prosecution. In January, Bannons lawyers filed papers asking Newbauer to throw out the case, calling it an unconstitutional selective enforcement of the law. The judge had been expected to rule on that on Tuesday before Bannons plea deal made the request moot.Bannon, 71, pleaded not guilty in September 2022 to a state court indictment charging him with money laundering, fraud and conspiracy.He was accused of falsely promising donors that all money given to the We Build the Wall campaign would go toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, prosecutors alleged the money was used to enrich Bannon and others involved in the project.The campaign, launched in 2018 after Trump fired Bannon as his chief strategist, quickly raised over $20 million and privately built a few miles of fencing along the border. It soon ran into trouble with the International Boundary and Water Commission, came under federal investigation and drew criticism from Trump, the Republican whose policy the charity was founded to support.Bragg, a Democrat, took up the case after Trump cut Bannons federal prosecution short with a pardon in the final hours of his first term in the White House. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state offenses. Early in the fundraising campaign, Bannon pooh-poohed it, prosecutors said at a November hearing.Isnt this a scam? You cant build the wall for this much money, Bannon wrote in an email, according to prosecutor Jeffrey Levinson. He said Bannon went on to add: Poor Americans shouldnt be using hard-earned money to chase something not doable.Two other men involved in the project, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pleaded guilty to federal charges and were sentenced to prison. A third defendant, Timothy Shea, was convicted and also sentenced to prison.Bannon went to prison in an unrelated case last year, serving four months at a federal lockup in Connecticut for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. He was released in October.Bondi last week formed a Weaponization Working Group at the Justice Department to examine cases she said appear to have been motivated by political objectives or other improper aims, including Braggs pursuit of criminal charges against Trump.___Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/. 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

Elon Musk talks with President-elect Donald Trump before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File)2025-02-11T16:30:53Z WASHINGTON (AP) Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create self-driving automobiles.Now, Musks close relationship with President Donald J. Trump means many of those federal headaches could vanish.The Trump administration could quickly nix a host of federal probes and safety programs: crash investigations into Teslas partially automated vehicles; a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation examining whether Musk and Tesla have overstated their cars self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Teslas Autopilot.Safety advocates, who credit such federal investigations and recalls with saving lives, say the consequences of such actions could prove dire. Musk wants to run the Department of Transportation, said Missy Cummings, a former senior safety adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ive lost count of the number of investigations that are underway with Tesla. They will all be gone.Here are some key things to know about what what experts think might happen: Musk and Trump are aggressively seeking to revamp government The White House and Musk is waging an unbridled war against the federal government freezing spending and programs while sacking a host of career employees, including prosecutors and government watchdogs typically shielded from such brazen dismissals without cause.The actions have sparked outcries from legal scholars who say the Trump administrations actions are without modern-day precedent and are already upending the balance of power in Washington.The Trump administration has not yet declared any actions that could benefit Tesla or Musks other companies. However, snuffing out federal investigations or jettisoning safety initiatives would be a much easier task than their audacious assault on regulators and the bureaucracy.Trumps election, and the bromance between Trump and Musk, will essentially lead to the defanging of a regulatory environment thats been stifling Tesla, said Daniel Ives, a veteran Wall Street technology and automobile industry analyst. Federal government has a lot of power over TeslaThe federal governments power over Tesla is wide-ranging. It can investigate, order recalls and mandate crash data reporting. However, the Trump administration could quickly ease up on Tesla and on the other companies in Musks sprawling business empire.A host of Musks other businesses such as his aerospace company SpaceX and his social media company X are subjects of federal investigations.Tesla alone is facing federal probes from a litany of agencies, including the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. The federal agency that has the most power over Tesla and the entire automobile industry is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is part of the Department of Transportation.NHTSA sets automobile safety standards that must be met before vehicles can enter the marketplace. It also has a quasi-law enforcement arm, the Office of Defects Investigation, that has the power to launch probes into crashes and seek recalls for safety defects. The agency has six pending investigations into Teslas self-driving technology, prompted by dozens of crashes that took place when the computerized systems were in use.NHTSA has been a thorn in Musks side for over the last decade and hes grappled with almost every three-letter agency in the Beltway, said Ives, the Wall Street analyst who covers the technology sector and automobile industry. Thats all created what looks to be a really big soap opera in 2025. Victims and attorneys worry about a lack of oversightPeople whose lives have been forever changed by Tesla crashes fear that dangerous and fatal accidents may increase if the federal governments investigative and recall powers are restricted.They say they worry that the company may otherwise never be held accountable for its failures, like the one that took the life of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon, who was killed when a Tesla blew through a three-way intersection in rural Florida. Benavides Leon died at the scene; her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, suffered injuries but survived. A federal investigation determined that Autopilot in Teslas vehicles at this time was faulty and needed repairs.We, as a family, have never been the same, said Benavides sister, Neima. Im an engineer and everything that we design and we build has to be by important codes and regulations. This technology cannot be an exception.It has to be investigated when it fails, she added. Because it does fail.Teslas lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement on X in December 2023, Tesla pointed to an earlier lawsuit the Benavides family had brought against the driver who struck the college student. He testified that despite using Autopilot, I was highly aware that it was still my responsibility to operate the vehicle safely. Tesla also said that because the driver was pressing the accelerator to maintain 60 mph his actions effectively overrode Autopilot, which would have otherwise restricted the speed to 45 mph on the rural road, something Benavides attorney disputes.In the pending wrongful death lawsuit that Neima Benavides filed against Tesla after her sisters death, her attorney told a Miami district judge the lawsuit would have likely been dropped if NHTSA hadnt investigated and found defects with the Autopilot system.All along we were hoping that the NHTSA investigation would produce what it did, in fact, end up producing, which is a finding of product defect and a recall, attorney Doug Eaton said during a March court hearing. And we had told you very early on in the case if NHTSA had not found that, we may very well drop the case. But they did, in fact, find this. BRIAN SLODYSKO Slodysko is an investigative reporter for the Associated Press based in Washington. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Egg cartons for sale are displayed at a grocery store, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 in Grosse Pointe, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)2025-02-11T16:30:01Z NEW YORK (AP) Trader Joes and other grocers are limiting the number of eggs customers can buy across the U.S., citing limited supply caused by the ongoing bird flu outbreak.Trader Joes is capping purchases to one carton per customer each day, the Monrovia, California-based chain confirmed. That limit applies to all of Trader Joes locations across the country.We hope these limits will help to ensure that as many of our customers who need eggs are able to purchase them when they visit Trader Joes, the company said in a statement sent to The Associated Press Tuesday.Photos of in-store notices about eggs purchase limits at retailers nationwide have swirled around online in recent weeks. In addition to Trader Joes, consumers and several local media outlets have also reported varying limits seen at stores like Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger and Aldi locations. When each limit went into effect is unclear, however. And not all are being implemented nationally. A spokesperson for Kroger, for example, confirmed that the supermarket giant doesnt currently have enterprise-wide limits in place but said some of regional divisions and store banners are asking customers to cap egg purchases to two dozen per trip.Walmart says it also hasnt imposed national limits expect for bulkier purchases of 60-count cartons, which have been capped to two per purchase, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant confirmed Tuesday. Although supply is very tight, were working with suppliers to try and help meet customer demand, while striving to keep prices as low as possible, Walmart said in an emailed statement.Costco, Whole Foods and Aldi did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. But Costco confirmed to CNN that the chain was limiting its customers to three packages of eggs, which are typically sold in two-dozen or four-dozen cartons. Meanwhile, notices previously seen in some Target locations have warned about supplier shortages, but dont indicate specific purchase limits. The AP reached out to the retailer for further information. Avian flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December and it appears there may be no relief in sight, with the Agriculture Department predicting prices will soar another 20% this year. Retailers could notably feel added pressures with Easter demand fast approaching.Beyond grocery stores limits, U.S. consumers are also facing more expensive eggs in some restaurants. Last week, Waffle House, for example, said it would be adding a 50-cent surcharge per egg on all of its menus. WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Grantham-Philips is a business reporter who covers trending news for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site