People walk amidst the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-02-24T20:00:29Z The first phase of the ceasefire that paused 15 months of brutal warfare between Israel and Hamas militants is set to end on Saturday and its unclear what comes next.The two sides were supposed to start negotiating a second phase weeks ago in which Hamas would release all the remaining hostages from its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which triggered the war, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.But those negotiations have not begun there have only been preparatory talks and the first phase has been jolted by one dispute after another.Hamas has freed all 25 living hostages included in the first six-week phase ending on March 1 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. It has also released the bodies of four captives and is expected to turn over four more, though its unclear if that will happen Thursday as planned. That leaves it with more than 60 captives, around half of whom are believed to be dead. Israel has meanwhile delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be freed last weekend over the treatment of the captives, who were paraded before crowds. Israel is reportedly seeking an extension of the first phase to secure the freedom of more captives. But Hamas says it wont negotiate anything until the prisoners whose release was delayed are freed.Negotiations over Phase 2 will be even more contentious. Phase 2 was always the biggest challengeThe second phase was always going to be the most difficult because it would likely force Israel to choose between its two main war goals the safe return of the hostages and the annihilation of their captors.Hamas, though weakened, remains in power with no internal challengers. In exchange for the remaining living hostages its main bargaining chip it is demanding a lasting ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces. A third phase would see the exchange of remains and the start of Gazas daunting reconstruction process, which is expected to take years and cost billions of dollars. Steve Witkoff, the Trump administrations Mideast envoy, is returning to the region this week. In an interview with CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, he said he will aim for an extension of Phase 1 to buy time for negotiating the second phase.But Egypt, which has served as a key mediator, has refused to discuss an extension of Phase 1 until negotiations over Phase 2 begin, according to two Egyptian officials who were not authorized to brief reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.One official familiar with the negotiations said the mere launch of Phase 2 talks would keep the truce intact, according to the language of the deal. That would mean a continued halt in fighting and aid flowing into Gaza, though there would be no further hostage releases beyond what has already been negotiated, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed diplomatic contacts.Hamas has previously said it is open to a short extension to complete talks on Phase 2, but that was before Israel held up the release of the prisoners. One of the Egyptian officials said Egypt is also demanding Israel complete its withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, before moving on to the next phase. The agreement calls for that withdrawal to begin this weekend and be completed within eight days.Netanyahu has not publicly stated what he will do this weekend. He is under heavy pressure from hard-line coalition partners to resume the war against Hamas. But after images showed freed hostages returning home in poor condition, he also faces heavy public pressure to bring the remaining hostages home.Witkoff said Netanyahu is committed to bringing back all the hostages but has set a red line that Hamas cannot be involved in governing Gaza after the war. Netanyahu has also ruled out any role in Gaza for the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, dominated by Hamas main rival, Fatah.Hamas has said it is willing to hand over control of Gaza to other Palestinians. But the militant group, which does not accept Israels existence, would still be deeply entrenched in Gaza. And it says it wont lay down its arms unless Israel ends its occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war that Palestinians want for a future state.Hamas has also dismissed Israels suggestion that its Gaza leadership go into exile.Phase 1 is unfinished and has further embittered both sidesThe first phase of the ceasefire has yet to be completed and has only deepened the bitter mistrust on both sides.Israelis were shocked to see the captives some of whom were emaciated paraded before crowds upon their release, with some forced to smile, wave, deliver statements and, in one case, kiss a masked militant on the head. After returning to Israel, hostages said they were held under harsh conditions. Last Thursday, Hamas displayed coffins holding what it said were the remains of Shiri Bibas and her two small children, who it said were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel said a forensic investigation showed the two children were killed by their captors. The third body turned out to be someone else. Hamas then released another body that was confirmed to be the mother.On Saturday, Hamas filmed two hostages who were forced to watch the release of others, turning to a camera and begging to be released, in yet another public spectacle that infuriated Israel. That appears to have prompted Israel to postpone the release of the prisoners.Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by killing dozens of people who the army said had approached its forces or entered unauthorized areas. It also accused Israel of dragging its feet on the entry of mobile homes and equipment for clearing rubble, which entered late last week, and of beating and abusing Palestinian prisoners prior to their release.Israel has also launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank that has displaced some 40,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations. Israel says it is cracking down on militants who threaten its citizens, while Palestinians see it as trying to further cement its decades-long rule.Mixed signals from TrumpU.S. President Donald Trump took credit for the ceasefire, which Witkoff helped push across the finish line after a year of negotiations led by the Biden administration, Egypt and Qatar.But Trump has since sent mixed signals about the deal.Earlier this month, he set a firm deadline for Hamas to release all the hostages, warning all hell is going to break out if it didnt. But he said it was ultimately up to Israel, and the deadline came and went.Trump sowed further confusion by proposing that Gazas population of some 2 million Palestinians be relocated to other countries and for the U.S. to take over the territory and develop it. Netanyahu welcomed the idea, which was universally rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries, including close U.S. allies. Human rights groups said it could violate international law.Trump stood by the plan in a Fox News interview over the weekend but said hes not forcing it.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war SAMY MAGDY Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses. twitter facebook mailto

The Supreme Court at sunset in Washington, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)2025-02-24T15:43:27Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a pair of cases from abortion opponents who say laws limiting anti-abortion demonstrations near clinics violate their First Amendment rights. The majority did not explain their reasoning for turning down the appeals, as is typical, but two conservative justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, disagreed.The cities said the laws were passed to address disturbing behavior from protesters outside of health care clinics. But anti-abortion activists said the measures violate free-speech rights and should be on their deathbed after the justices overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion. One case comes from Carbondale, Illinois, which is located near the states southern border and passed an ordinance after becoming a destination for patients from nearby states with abortion bans. The measure was quickly challenged in court, and has never been enforced. The city argued the appeal should be tossed because the ordinance was repealed shortly before abortion opponents went to the Supreme Court. The other case is from New Jersey, where activist Jeryl Turco says she has approached women in Englewood for years to try to convince them not to have abortions. She says an 8-foot demonstration-free zone the city passed in 2014 in response to an aggressive group of protesters also wrongly kept her from approaching women. Englewood argues that Turco has still been able to share her message outside of the immediate area near clinic entrances. Lower courts have ultimately upheld the ordinance, finding it isnt a major First Amendment burden. Both challengers pointed out that the high court struck down a Massachusetts law creating 35-foot demonstration free buffer zones around clinic doors in 2014. They say the Illinois and New Jersey laws should meet the same fate. But cities say their rules are in line with a different Supreme Court decision from 2000, when the high court allowed a Colorado law to stand. It barred people from getting within 8 feet of others without permission in a 100-foot bubble zone around clinics. Thomas said that case, known as Hill v. Colorado, was wrongly decided. In a dissent from the decision to decline the Illinois case, he said that the court wrongly treated it differently than other First Amendment cases because abortion was involved. Hill has been seriously undermined, if not completely eroded, and our refusal to provide clarity is an abdication of our judicial duty, he wrote. 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

Workers around the federal government are scrambling to figure out how and if they should respond to an all-government email sent Saturday at the behest of Elon Musk asking them to list five things they did at work within the last week. During the confusion caused by Musks email, workers at the Treasury Department received an email from a former Heritage Foundation staffer who is not the Treasury Secretary from an email address that billed itself as being from Secretary of the Treasury. How and whether to respond to the What did you do last week email has itself resulted in much discussion and confusion, and efforts to clarify any confusion have resulted in additional confusion as well as worries about sharing classified or otherwise private information. FBI employees were told by new FBI director Kash Patel not to respond to the email, so were members of the military. Musk tweeted Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.The Treasury Department email, seen by 404 Media and currently being discussed widely on Reddit, came from an email address with the name *Secretary of the Treasury but signed by John W. York, who is not the Secretary of the Treasury and who previously worked for the Heritage Foundation, the architects of Project 2025. The current Secretary of Treasury is Scott Bessent, not York. Treasury workers seem to not know who York is or why he is sending emails from an email address previously used by past Secretaries of Treasury.It was used in the past rarely: wishing Treasury employees a Merry Christmas or noting there is a return to office mandate, one source told 404 Media about the email address Yorks email came from. In the past, the emails included the title of the sender (Sec of Treasury, for example) and more often than not a picture of said person. Like when Steven Mnuchin sent emails ordering the evacuation of the buildings in 2020, they had his face on the email. No such embellishments this go round.Do you know anything else about what's happening with the 'What did you do last week' email? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at jason.404. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.In the email, York tells workers that they must respond to the What did you do last week email: Given the voluminous and extremely important work that Treasury staff perform [sic] on a daily basis, we expect that compliance will not be difficult or time consuming.Your responses should be descriptive enough to show the significance of the work you performed; however, the descriptions should not reveal confidential, privileged, otherwise non-public, pre-decisional or deliberative aspects of that work, given that these responses will be sent outside Treasury, he wrote. If you have any questions about how to respond, please consult with your manager.Sources at the Treasury Department told 404 Media that they have not previously received any emails from John W. York, that they are not sure what his job is or whether he actually works for the Treasury Department, and that giving descriptive, substantial rundowns of their work tasks without giving non-public or sensitive information is not an easy task.John York had no title associated with his signature line (unusual as ALL Fed service employees are proud to put their title, Dept, etc in the sig line as a default), one source told 404 Media. Employees at the Treasury Department have been doing research on York to attempt to figure out who he is. York worked for the Heritage Foundation before joining the Office of Personnel Management towards the end of Trumps first term. His LinkedIn says he has worked as a Strategic Human Capital Lead at Accenture since March 2021. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether he is now a Treasury Department employee.Top comments on a Reddit post discussing this email are Who the fuck is John W. York? and Schrodinger's phishing email. you're fired if you respond. you're fired if you dont.Other federal employees tell 404 Media that they have been receiving similar clarification emails from agency heads about how and whether to respond, and have been getting follow up emails from their supervisors about what to say if the things they work on are classified. The majority of these emails, which 404 Media is not sharing specifics on because they were in many cases sent to small teams of people, are begging employees to respond to the What did you do last week emails while threading the needle of sharing specifics but not sharing private or confidential information.

A man walks to the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)2025-02-24T21:01:18Z Federal employees across the country, many of whom have worked from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, were back at agency offices Monday under President Donald Trumps return-to-office mandate.Billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading Trumps Department of Government Efficiency scouring government agencies for suspected waste, delivered a warning Monday to workers on his platform X.Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave, Musk wrote.Lee Zeldin, Trumps new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, Full-time, COVID-era remote work is DONE under @POTUS leadership.In a video he posted, Zeldin said average attendance at EPA headquarters on Mondays and Fridays last year was less than 9% of employees.Our spacious, beautiful EPA headquarters spans two city blocks in D.C. across five buildings, Zeldin said. But our hallways have been too vacant, desks empty and cubicles filled with unoccupied chairs. It appears at least some federal agencies are not prepared for all remote workers to return to the office. In an email to U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid employees on Friday obtained by The Associated Press, agency officials noted that some regional offices in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco were not ready for workers to return. The message also noted that employees who live more than 50 miles from regional offices in some major cities would not be required to return to the office Monday. We should treat it like the first day of school plan a little time in your calendar to get oriented, find your way around, and figure out how to connect in the conference rooms, etc., the email said. There will, no doubt, be some who get lost or are late to class or have to scramble to find a seat because of a snafu. The email also noted that while some workers would begin reporting to offices Monday, others would begin relocating back to offices in phases through April and beyond.Mike Galletly, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 4016, said the information technology workers he represents at the U.S. Department of Agriculture across the country have been struggling to comply with the back-to-office mandate.For my bargaining unit members, its been a whole lot of work scrambling to find hardware for people, monitors, docking stations, Galletly said. You have an office that up until this month normally seated four people. Now they have to seat eight people. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is directing its remote employees to return to offices, even if they were hired into a remote role.Federal workers with the department received the formal notice Monday in an email that was sent to employees who work more than 50 miles from a regional office. It says they will need to report to an office by April 28.The federal government employed more than 3 million people as of November of last year. That accounted for nearly 1.9% of the nations entire civilian workforce, according to the Pew Research Center. -Murphy reported from Oklahoma City, Okla. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he waits to greet France's President Emmanuel Macron before a news conference at the White House, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-24T19:15:31Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge was hearing arguments Monday afternoon in The Associated Press lawsuit against three staff members of President Donald Trump, whose administration has barred the news agency from presidential events.The AP is appearing in federal court in Washington over its emergency motion to undo the administrations move to shut its journalists out of the Oval Office, Air Force One and other areas where the outlet has long operated as part of the White House press pool.The dispute stems from the news agencys refusal to conform to Trumps renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The AP says it is adhering to the Gulf of Mexico terminology because its audience is global and the waters are not only in U.S. territory, but it is acknowledging Trumps rechristening as well. AP says the issue strikes at the very core of the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment, which bars the government from punishing speech. The White House says access to the president is a privilege, not a right. MATT SEDENSKY Sedensky is a national writer for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Businessman Mark Cuban speaks after attending meetings at the White House, March 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-02-24T17:49:05Z WASHINGTON (AP) Conservatives from across the country filled a ballroom a few blocks from the White House and lamented that the United States is abandoning the ideals that forged a great nation. Some attendees donned red hats with various inscriptions mocking President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again movement. It was the largest gathering to date of the Principles First Summit, expanded upon Trumps second term to welcome independents and center-left Democrats under a shared pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian aim.This is not a time to bend the knee, to play along, said Heath Mayo, the Yale-educated attorney who founded Principles First five years ago for self-identified politically homeless conservatives. This is a time for stiffening your spine, standing up and getting ready for a long fight.Yet three days of conversations and recriminations still left 1,200 attendees without a clear roadmap to loosen Trumps grip on the conservative movement and Americas national identity. There was not even consensus on whether to fight within Republican spheres at all, migrate to the Democratic Party or find a different path altogether. It makes you feel better to know that youre not alone and that youre not crazy, said Jeff Oppenheim, a retired U.S. Army colonel from Austin, Texas. The question is how to translate that into action in a political system thats very difficult to influence, because its structured in a way that two parties have complete control. Mark Cuban, the entrepreneur and Shark Tank co-host who was one of then-Vice President Kamala Harris most prominent surrogates last fall, got a rousing ovation when he took the stage but vowed that he would not run for the White House. He dismissed the Democratic Party, profanely, as unable to sell its own message. Im not here to throw him under the bus, Cuban said of Trump, praising the Republican presidents ability as a marketer who convinced voters he could help them. Democrats, Cuban said, make their critiques of Trump moot because they cant sell worth s. Trumps allies mocked the gathering in advance as full of RINOs, or Republicans in name only. White House communications director Steven Cheung called it the Cuck Convention on his government account. The word cuck, which describes a man who likes to watch his wife have sex with other men, was frequently used during the campaign to insult and emasculate rivals.Trump has far greater control of the Republican Party in his second term, with allies across Congress and the loyalty of most of the partys base. But his few remaining rivals within the party argue there are still ways to break his hold. Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a frequent Trump target who was among the people to receive a preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden, pointed to Republicans narrow 218-215 majority in the House and said lawmakers are privately nervous as recent town halls show voter anger over billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and his sweeping moves to fire federal workers, shut down agencies and limit federal services. Kinzinger urged critics to ratchet up pressure in public settings because critical town hall audiences, he argued, offer the most uncomfortable moments of a politicians job.Right now, Republican members of Congress fear one person: Donald Trump. They dont fear you, Kinzinger said. When they start fearing you, thats when they start having a different calculus.Julie Spilsbury, a councilmember from Mesa, Arizona, wants to maintain her place in Republican ranks. Like more than two dozen attendees and speakers interviewed by The Associated Press, Spilsbury cast her 2024 ballot for Harris for president. But she also publicly endorsed the Democratic nominee, saying it was a matter of character and integrity. She now faces an ongoing recall effort by Trump backers in Mesa. If youre looking for something you can do, send me $10 for her retention campaign, Spilsbury told fellow conference attendees. When Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor who ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a centrist Democrat, offered carefully measured assessments of Trumps opening weeks, they got mixed or muted responses. Especially tepid was the reaction when Hutchinson said he believes Trump when the president says he will respect court decisions in the many early challenges to his executive actions.But roars rang out for the police officers who tried to protect the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and their unyielding assessments of Trump and his pardon of 1,500 supporters who breached the seat of Congress, including many who violently attacked law enforcement.We need to hold on to the outrage and hold on to the anger and set aside the fear, insisted Michael Fanone, a former Washington officer who was attacked by rioters. Asked whether he would accept an invitation to talk to Trump, Fanone said the president is incapable of being convinced he is wrong and dismissed him with a profanity. Fanone and his fellow officers later were accosted in an upstairs lobby by Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, freshly freed from prison by Trumps pardon. The following day, Principles First leaders received an emailed bomb threat specifically mentioning Fanone, his mothers address and other potential targets. The summit space was evacuated as Washington police and Secret Service agents swept the area and found no bomb, allowing the conference to conclude Sunday evening. Organizers blamed the threat on Tarrio, who denied the claim in a post on his social media. Maria Stephan, a progressive at her first Principles First gathering, called the evacuation emboldening given the weekends themes.Yet Rich Logis of Broward County, Florida, offered caution as a former MAGA acolyte whose red hat now reads: I LEFT MAGA. Another wave of converts, Logis argued, is coming if Trump continues to impose tariffs, cut public services and impose policies that hurt Americans broadly.Everyone has to find their own breaking point, Logis said. Our job is to be there talking to people as they find it. BILL BARROW Bill Barrow covers U.S. politics. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

The U.S. Department of the Treasury building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-02-24T16:22:22Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on dozens of people and oil tankers across China, the United Arab Emirates, India and other jurisdictions for allegedly helping to finance Iran and its support for militant groups that launch attacks against the U.S. and its allies.The U.S. Treasury and the U.S. State departments sanctioned more than 30 people and ships, including the heads of Irans National Iranian Oil Co., and the Iranian Oil Terminals Co., for their role in brokering the sale and transportation of Iranian oil. The sanctioned ships move crude oil valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Treasury. This is the second round of sanctions imposed on Iranian oil sales since President Donald Trumpissued the National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which calls for the U.S. to drive Irans export of oil to zero. It also states that Iran can never be allowed to acquire or develop nuclear weapons. At the time of the memos signing in February, Trump said from the Oval Office that hopefully were not going to have to use it very much. We will see whether or not we can arrange or work out a deal with Iran, the president said. We dont want to be tough on Iran. We dont want to be tough on anybody, Trump added. But they just cant have a nuclear bomb.Trump added that hes given his advisers instructions to obliterate Iran if it assassinates him. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. will use all our available tools to target all aspects of Irans oil supply chain, and anyone who deals in Iranian oil exposes themselves to significant sanctions risk. During his confirmation hearing, Bessent criticized the Biden administrations sanctions policies and called for the U.S. to have a more muscular sanctions regime and to be more aggressive in targeting Iran and Russian entities and oil. An October 2024 U.S. Energy Information Administration report estimates that Iran brought in $253 billion in oil revenues during both Joe Biden and Trumps presidencies, between 2018 to 2024.State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce in a statement said that as long as Iran devotes its energy revenues to financing attacks on our allies, supporting terrorism around the world, or pursuing other destabilizing actions, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable. 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

Conservative commentator Dan Bongino speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., March 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)2025-02-24T23:02:23Z NEW YORK (AP) The popular right-wing podcaster Dan Bongino has built a career of unleashing sometimes inflammatory rants against the media, Democrats and the federal government.Now, the 50-year-old former New York police officer and U.S. Secret Service agent will return to the government he has so often criticized as President Donald Trumps selection for deputy FBI director. He said Monday hell soon leave his daily show to take on the new role.Bongino, who will serve under FBI Director Kash Patel, does not have any experience at the premier federal law enforcement agency. Nonetheless, he has strong opinions about how it should be run.A sampling of Bonginos podcast commentary from the past year reveals hes a loyalist to Patel and wants to see sweeping changes, from clearing the bureau of anyone he views as inappropriately political to redirecting investigations away from domestic extremism. Heres a closer look at how Bongino views the FBI, in his own words: He thinks Patel is the only viable leaderEven before Trump nominated Patel for FBI director, Bongino was one of his loudest advocates, arguing on his podcast that Patel was the only potential candidate who could go in there and clean that mess up.Kash knows where the bodies are buried, Bongino told his listeners last November. And hes got shovels, man. Hes ready to rock and roll. Thats why theyre so terrified.Like Patel, Bongino says the FBI needs to expose political weaponization within the agency and move agents out of the nations capital to chase criminals elsewhere in the country. In January, Bongino urged his millions of listeners whom he refers to as his Bongino Army to call their senators on Patels behalf.We dont get this guy in at the FBI, youre never going to get any answers at all, the podcaster said.He often criticizes FBI employees, past and present In Bonginos words, Patels predecessor Christopher Wray was incompetent, awful and potentially corrupt. Andrew McCabe, the former acting director of the FBI who was a key figure in the bureaus Trump-Russia investigation, is an absolute buffoon. And former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann, who served on special counsel Robert Muellers team during Trumps first term, is an absolute tool bag.The podcaster isnt shy about bashing past FBI leadership, sometimes crudely. He views them as having compromised the agencys morals to unfairly target conservatives.Bongino has also extended some harsh words toward the current FBI ranks. Earlier this month, after Trumps border czar Tom Homan accused the FBI of leaking information about planned immigration raids, Bongino called the supposed leakers stupid and said they would be caught and go to jail.Do you know how hard it was for me in my last line of work, how hard it was for me to listen to these stupid Obama speeches about big government? Bongino said of his time as a Secret Service agent under President Barack Obama. But I always took my job as serious as a freaking stroke. Because I swore to do a job, not to be a politician. Hes ready for sweeping changes immediatelyBongino said in December the Republican trifecta in the U.S. government is fleeting and thats one reason why he wants FBI reform to happen quickly, within the next two years.What changes would he like to see? For one, he wants agents fired if they were involved in investigations into Trump.If you swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States as an FBI agent and engaged in a tyrannical investigation against Donald Trump with partisan intent and not the Constitution in mind, you do not deserve your job, he said on his podcast earlier this month.The Justice Department has already demanded a list from the FBI of the thousands of agents who participated in investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, a move some within the bureau see as a possible precursor to mass firings.Bongino also has argued the FBI has placed too much focus on domestic intelligence-gathering and as a result dropped the ball on serious criminals and overseas threats. He has suggested federal law enforcement wasted time investigating Jan. 6 rioters and anti-abortion activists. These are threats to the United States? he said on a podcast last December. Grandma is in the gulag for a trespassing charge on January 6th. He has also criticized the Department of Justice and former Attorney General Merrick Garland for directing the FBI to respond to harassment and threats directed toward school boards and educators.We are going to make the FBI great again, because if we dont have an FBI breaking up counterterror plots trying to kill us and theyre worried about Moms for Liberty and pro-lifers, then we got a problem, folks, Bongino said on his podcast earlier this month, referring to the conservative parental rights group. He may be motivated by a personal connectionBongino frequently laments how he doesnt feel he can trust the FBI and says the agency has lost its credibility.Whatever the FBI says these days, I tend to believe the opposite, he said in January after Wray said in an interview that the agency wasnt tracking any specific or credible threats to Trumps inauguration.But the new deputy directors interest in reforming the FBI may hold more personal significance than some realize. In March, Bongino said an FBI representative used to visit his high school when he was a teenager. All I wanted to be was an FBI agent. That is it, man. I, like, adored these guys, man, he said. What happened to this agency?___Associated Press Artificial Intelligence Product Manager Ernest Kung contributed to this report.___The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ALI SWENSON Swenson reports on election-related misinformation, disinformation and extremism for The Associated Press. twitter

Employees of a security firm, LEAR Asset Management, drag Post Falls resident Teresa Borrenpohl out of a town hall meeting on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Post Falls, Idaho. (Hailey Hill/Coeur D'Alene Press via AP)2025-02-24T18:21:25Z BOISE, Idaho (AP) A Republican-hosted legislative town hall meeting in northern Idaho descended into chaos after three plainclothes security workers forcibly removed a woman who was heckling the speakers. The incident Saturday at Coeur dAlene High School, first reported by the Coeur dAlene Press, drew widespread attention after videos of the turbulence were posted online. Now more than $120,000 has been raised for Teresa Borrenpohls legal costs, and the police chief has asked to have the security firms business license revoked. The city attorneys office also dismissed a misdemeanor battery citation against Borrenpohl in the interest of justice, Coeur dAlene Police Chief Lee White said Monday, and detectives are reviewing video to determine whether the security officers violated any laws. Roughly 450 people attended the legislative town hall hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, said the organizations chairman Brent Regan. All of them were told that security officers were present, and that anyone who refused to respect the rights of others would be removed from the event. Still, videos show cheers and jeers were erupting throughout the crowd at times including when one lawmaker mentioned legislation that he said protected doctors from being forced to do abortions. Women are dying, one person in the audience shouted. And doctors are leaving our state! another yelled. A moderator tried to quiet the crowd, scolding people for popping off with stupid remarks. Thats when Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who has run unsuccessfully in the deeply Republican region, began to shout as well. Is this a town hall, or a lecture? she asked, others in the audience echoing the question. By that point, Borrenpohl had been warned at least three times to stop interrupting the speakers, said Regan. Were trying to respect the rights of the 450 people that were there to listen. One person cant stand up to bring a halt to the whole event, Regan said. Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris, who was in plain clothes but wearing his badge on his belt, approached Borrenpohl. He introduced himself and told her to leave or she would be escorted out. Then the sheriff stepped back and began recording on his cellphone as three unidentified men approached and began grabbing Borrenpohl. Tonya Coppedge, who was sitting behind Borrenpohl and shot video of the disruption on her cellphone, said the men refused her repeated requests to identify themselves. One of the men bent Borrenpohls wrist into a flexed position, and later Borrenpohl bit one of the men on the hand as he continued to grab her, Coppedge said.They were not very kind to her it was pretty violent and traumatic, Coppedge said.Alicia Abbott, a friend of Borrenpohls who organized a GoFundMe on her behalf, said Borrenpohl has bruises from the incident. She suggested Borrenpohl was wrongly detained.Who were these people to detain Teresa in the first place? Abbott asked. This is not the first time weve seen this kind of security presence in public meetings or town halls. If theyre going to be detaining people, do they even have knowledge of the law? Are they trained to safely remove people? The men worked for the private security company LEAR Asset Management, based in Hayden, Idaho. Messages left for CEO Paul Trouette were not immediately returned. The men appeared to have violated Coeur dAlene City ordinances, which require security personnel to wear uniforms with the word Security clearly marked in letters no less than 1-inch tall on the front of the uniform.White, the police chief, told The Associated Press, said he had requested the revocation of companys business licenses and the security agent licenses from the individuals who were involved.Organizers arranged for extra security at the event after one of the lawmakers told them he had been facing death threats, Regan said. Rep. Jordan Redman, a Republican, had recently been threatened with bombings by an individual on social media, and so KCRCC notified the sheriff and arranged for security, Regan said. The Coeur dAlene Police Department also had officers stationed in the parking lot outside.On Monday, Kootenai County Undersheriff Brett Nelson released a statement saying the agency will have a complete and independent investigation of the incident conducted by an outside agency. ___Bellisle reported from Seattle. REBECCA BOONE Rebecca is a correspondent based in Idaho. twitter mailto MARTHA BELLISLE Bellisle is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington state. She reports on a range of topics, including police accountability, police training and mental health. She also has covered the Winter Olympics. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Members of the Dwaima family stand on the rubble of their home, which was leveled by an Israeli airstrike during the Israel-Hamas war, in the Tal al Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-02-25T05:13:09Z BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) When night falls over northern Gaza, much of the cityscape of collapsed buildings and piled wreckage turns pitch black. Living inside the ruins of their home, Rawya Tambouras young sons get afraid of the dark, so she turns on a flashlight and her phones light to comfort them, for as long as the batteries last.Displaced for most of the 16-month-long war, Tamboura is back in her house. But it is still a frustrating shell of a life, she says: There is no running water, electricity, heat or services, and no tools to clear the rubble around them.Nearly 600,000 Palestinians flooded back into northern Gaza under the now month-old ceasefire in Gaza, according to the United Nations. After initial relief and joy at being back at their homes even if damaged or destroyed they now face the reality of living in the wreckage for the foreseeable future. Some people wish the war had never ended, feeling it would have been better to be killed, Tamboura said. I dont know what well do long-term. My brain stopped planning for the future.The six-week ceasefire is due to end Saturday, and its uncertain what will happen next. There are efforts to extend the calm as the next phase is negotiated. If fighting erupts again, those who returned to the north could find themselves once again in the middle of it. A massive rebuilding job has no way to startA report last week by the World Bank, U.N. and European Union estimated it will cost some $53 billion to rebuild Gaza after entire neighborhoods were decimated by Israels bombardment and offensives against Hamas militants. At the moment, there is almost no capacity or funding to start significant rebuilding.A priority is making Gaza immediately livable. Earlier in February, Hamas threatened to hold up hostage releases unless more tents and temporary shelters were allowed into Gaza. It then reversed and accelerated hostage releases after Israel agreed to let in mobile homes and construction equipment.Humanitarian agencies have stepped up services, setting up free kitchens and water delivery stations, and distributing tents and tarps to hundreds of thousands across Gaza, according to the U.N.President Donald Trump turned up the pressure by calling for the entire population of Gaza to be removed permanently so the U.S. can take over the territory and redevelop it for others. Rejecting the proposal, Palestinians say they want help to rebuild for themselves.Gaza Citys municipality started fixing some water lines and clearing rubble from streets, said a spokesperson, Asem Alnabih. But it lacks heavy equipment. Only a few of its 40 bulldozers and five dump trucks still work, he said. Gaza is filled with over 50 million tons of rubble that would take 100 trucks working at full capacity over 15 years to clear away, the U.N. estimates. Families try to get by day by dayTambouras house in the northern town of Beit Lahiya was destroyed by an airstrike early in the war, so she and her family lived in the nearby Indonesian Hospital, where she worked as a nurse.After the ceasefire, they moved back into the only room in her house that was semi-intact. The ceiling is partially collapsed, the walls are cracked; the surviving fridge and sink are useless with no water or electricity. They stack their sheets and blankets in a corner.Tamboura said her 12-year-old son lugs heavy containers of water twice a day from distribution stations. They also have to find firewood for cooking. The influx of aid means there is food in the markets and prices went down, but it remains expensive, she said.With the Indonesian Hospital too damaged to function, Tamboura walks an hour each day to work at the Kamal Adwan Hospital. She charges her and her husbands phones using the hospital generator. Many of Tambouras relatives returned to find nothing left of their homes, so they live in tents on or next to the rubble that gets blown away by winter winds or flooded during rains, she said.Asmaa Dwaima and her family returned to Gaza City but had to rent an apartment because their home in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood was destroyed. It was only weeks after returning that she went to visit their four-story house, now a pile of flattened and burned wreckage. I couldnt come here because I was afraid. I had an image of my house in my mind its beauty, and warmth. ... I was afraid to face this truth, the 25-year-old dentist said. They dont just destroy stone, they are destroying us and our identity.Her family had to rebuild the house once before, when it was leveled by airstrikes during a round of fighting between Israel and Hamas in 2014, she said. For the time being, they have no means to rebuild now.We need to remove the rubble because we want to pull out clothes and some of our belongings, she said. We need heavy equipment There are no bricks or other construction tools and, if available, its extremely expensive. Desperation is growingTess Ingram, a spokesperson with UNICEF who visited northern Gaza since the ceasefire, said the families she met are grieving the lives that they used to live as they begin to rebuild. Their desperation, she said, is becoming more intense.Huda Skaik, a 20-year-old student, is sharing a room with her three siblings and parents at her grandparents house in Gaza City. Its an improvement from life in the tent camps of central Gaza where they were displaced for much of the war, she said. There, they had to live among strangers, and their tent was washed away by rain. At least here they have walls and are with family, she said.Before the war interrupted, Skaik had just started studying English literature at Gazas Islamic University. She is now enrolled in online classes the university is organizing. But the internet is feeble, and her electricity relies on solar panels that dont always work.The worst part is that were just now grasping that we lost it all, she said. The destruction is massive, but Im trying to remain positive. ___Khaled reported from Cairo.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, claps as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk prepares to depart after speaking at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-25T05:02:04Z Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program arent expected to save the government any money, the administrations own data shows.The Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk last week published an initial list of 1,125 contracts that it terminated in recent weeks across the federal government. Data published on DOGEs Wall of Receipts shows that more than one-third of the contract cancellations, 417 in all, are expected to yield no savings.Thats usually because the total value of the contracts has already been fully obligated, which means the government has a legal requirement to spend the funds for the goods or services it purchased and in many cases has already done so.Its like confiscating used ammunition after its been shot when theres nothing left in it. It doesnt accomplish any policy objective, said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and expert on government contracting law. Their terminating so many contracts pointlessly obviously doesnt accomplish anything for saving money. Dozens of them were for already-paid subscriptions to The Associated Press, Politico and other media services that the administration said it would discontinue. Others were for research studies that have been awarded, training that has taken place, software that has been purchased and interns that have come and gone. An administration official said it made sense to cancel contracts that are seen as potential dead weight, even if the moves do not yield any savings. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. In all, DOGE data says the 417 contracts in question had a total value of $478 million. Dozens of other canceled contracts are expected to yield little if any savings. Its too late for the government to change its mind on many of these contracts and walk away from its payment obligation, said Tiefer, who served on the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.Tiefer said DOGE appeared to be taking a slash and burn approach to cutting contracts, which he said could damage the performance of government agencies. He said savings could be made instead by working with agency contracting officers and inspectors general to find efficiencies, an approach the administration has not taken.DOGE says the overall contract cancellations are expected to save more than $7 billion so far, an amount that has been questioned as inflated by independent experts.The canceled contracts were to purchase a wide range of goods and services.The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a contract in September to purchase and install office furniture at various branches. While the contract does not expire until later this year, federal records show the agency had already agreed to spend the maximum $567,809 with a furniture company.The U.S. Agency for International Development negotiated a $145,549 contract last year to clean the carpet at its headquarters in Washington. But the full amount had already been obligated to a firm that is owned by a Native American tribe based in Michigan. Another already-spent $249,600 contract went to a Washington, D.C., firm to help prepare the Department of Transportation for the recent transition from the Biden to the Trump administration.Some of the canceled contracts were intended to modernize and improve the way government works, which would seem to be at odds with DOGEs cost-cutting mission.One of the largest, for instance, went to a consulting firm to help carry out a reorganization at the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, which led the agencys response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum $13.6 million had already been obligated to Deloitte Consulting LLP for help with the restructuring, which included closing several research offices.___Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa. RYAN J. FOLEY Foley covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Iowa City, Iowa. A 20-year AP veteran, hes known for investigative reporting and using open records laws to obtain information. twitter mailto

A Chinese military helicopter flies close to a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic (BFAR) aircraft above Scarborough shoal on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Joeal Calupitan, File)2025-02-24T10:56:38Z BANGKOK (AP) Chinese authorities said they began live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday, only days after Vietnam announced a new line marking what it considers its territory in the body of water between the countries. Chinas Maritime Safety Administration said the exercises would be focused on the Beibu Gulf area, closer to the Chinese side of the Gulf of Tonkin, and would run through Thursday evening. It gave no further details, but the drills follow an announcement last week by Vietnam establishing a baseline used to calculate the width of its territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. State-run Vietnam News reported that the baseline was in compliance with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and would provide a robust legal basis for safeguarding and exercising Vietnams sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction. Vietnam has not publicly responded to the Chinese drills. China and Vietnam have long had a maritime agreement governing the Gulf of Tonkin, but have been locked in competing claims in the nearby South China Sea over the Spratly and Paracel Islands and maritime areas. China has been been growing aggressive in pursuing those claims, and in October assaulted 10 Vietnamese fishermen near the Paracel Islands, three of whom suffered broken limbs. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own, though it has not publicly released exact coordinates of its claim other than a map with 10 dashed lines broadly demarcating what it calls its territory. In addition to Vietnam, Chinas claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, while Indonesia has also figured in violent confrontations with the Chinese coast guard and fishing fleets in the waters around the Natuna Islands.Tensions have been particularly high with the Philippines, with regular confrontations between the two countries. Most recently, a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine patrol plane last week over the South China Sea, near the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines.Leaders in Australia and New Zealand also said China should have given more warning before its navy conducted an unusual series of live-fire exercises in the seas between the two countries, forcing flights on Friday and Saturday to divert on short notice. Political leaders from both countries emphasized that China didnt breach international law, but said they had only been given a couple hours notice rather than the usual 12 to 24 hours. DAVID RISING Rising covers regional Asia-Pacific stories for The Associated Press. He has worked around the world, including covering the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and was based for nearly 20 years in Berlin before moving to Bangkok. twitter mailto

This is a display of iPhone 16s in an Apple Store in Pittsburgh on Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)2025-02-25T06:00:08Z Apple shareholders on Tuesday are expected to reject an attempt to pressure the technology trendsetter into scrapping its corporate programs designed to diversify its workforce.The proposal drafted by the National Center for Public Policy Research a self-described conservative think tank urges Apple to follow a litany of high-profile companies that have retreated from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives currently in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.It comes a month after the same group presented a similar proposal during Costcos annual meeting, only to have it overwhelmingly rejected. A similar outcome is expected during Apples annual meeting despite the strident objections of critics. Just as Costco does, Apple has steadfastly stood behind diversity and inclusion efforts that its management contends good business sense. But the National Center for Public Policy Researchs proposal has attacked Apples diversity commitments for being out of line with recent court rulings and said the programs expose the Cupertino, California, company to an onslaught of potential lawsuits for alleged discrimination. The group estimated about 50,000 Apple employees could file cases against Apple without detailing how it arrived at that figure. Its clear that DEI poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties, the National Center for Public Policy Research says in its proposal. The specter of potential legal trouble was magnified last week when Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a federal lawsuit against Target alleging the retailers recently scaled-back DEI program alienated many consumers and undercut sales to the detriment of shareholders. In its rebuttal to the anti-DEI proposal, Apple said its program is an integral part of a culture that has helped elevate the company to its current market value of $3.7 trillion greater than any other business in the world. We believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apples success as making the best products in the world, the company said in its statement against the proposal. We seek to conduct business ethically, honestly, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.In its last diversity and inclusion report issued in 2022, Apple disclosed nearly that three-fourths of its global workforce consisted of white and Asian employees. Nearly two-thirds of its employees at that juncture were men.Other major technology companies for years have reported employing mostly white and Asian men, especially in high-paid engineering jobs a tendency that spurred the industry to pursue what have been largely unsuccessful efforts to diversify. MICHAEL LIEDTKE Liedtke has been covering technology and wide range of other business topics for The Associated Press since the turn of the century. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with France's President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP)2025-02-24T21:36:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Monday that his tariffs on Canada and Mexico are starting next month, ending a monthlong suspension on the planned import taxes that could potentially hurt economic growth and worsen inflation.Were on time with the tariffs, and it seems like thats moving along very rapidly, the U.S. president said at a White House news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.While Trump was answering a specific question about the taxes to be charged on Americas two largest trading partners, the U.S. president also stressed more broadly that his intended reciprocal tariffs were on schedule to begin as soon as April.The tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule, Trump said.Trump has claimed that other countries charge unfair import taxes that have come at the expense of domestic manufacturing and jobs. His near constant threats of tariffs have already raised concerns among businesses and consumers about an economic slowdown and accelerating inflation. But Trump claims that the import taxes would ultimately generate revenues to reduce the federal budget deficit and new jobs for workers. Our country will be extremely liquid and rich again, Trump said. In a interview with Fox News late Monday, Macron said he hoped he had convinced Trump to avoid a possible trade war, noting the difficulty of taking on a traditional ally such as Europe while simultaneously using tariffs to challenge Chinas industrial might. We dont need a trade war, Marcon said. We need more prosperity together.Most economists say the cost of the taxes could largely be borne by consumers, retailers and manufacturers such as auto companies that source globally and rely on raw materials such as steel and aluminum that Trump is already, separately, tariffing at 25%.Still, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum appeared confident Monday that her administration would reach agreements with the U.S. government before the deadline set by Trump. We would need to be reaching important agreements this Friday, Sheinbaum told reporters Monday morning before Trumps remarks. On all of the issues there is communication and what we need is to complete this agreement, I believe were in a place to do it.If necessary, she said she would seek to speak directly with Trump again. In high-level discussions between both governments, Mexico has insisted that the U.S. also take a hard look at the drug distribution and consumption in its own country rather than pointing only at production in Mexico, Sheinbaum said.Companies like Walmart have warned about uncertainty, while the University of Michigans latest consumer sentiment index plunged by roughly 10% over the past month in part due to fears about tariffs and inflation worsening. In the 2024 presidential election, voters backed Trump on the belief that he could cool inflation that had spiked to a four-decade high in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic during President Joe Bidens time in office. But Trump has persistently threatened tariffs and kept up those calls even as Macron, standing beside him, had previously suggested that talks on trade had produced some common ground.We want to make a sincere commitment towards a fair competition where we have smooth trade and more investments, Macron said at the news conference, according to a translation of his French remarks.Macron said the idea is to help the U.S. and Europe both prosper, saying that further talks would be carried out by their respective teams to flesh out their ideas.Investors, businesses and the broader public are still trying to determine whether Trump is merely threatening tariffs as a negotiating tool or if he sincerely backs the tax hikes as a way to offset his planned income tax cuts.Despite talks the Trump administration has held with Canadian and Mexican officials, the U.S. president signaled Monday that he would end the 30-day suspension of tariffs that were initially set to take effect in February. Trump plans to tax imports from Mexico at 25% as well as most goods from Canada, with energy products such as Canadian oil and electricity being tariffed at a lower 10%. Trump is placing tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods with the stated goal of pressuring them to do more to address illegal immigration and the smuggling of illicit drugs such as fentanyl. While relatively little fentanyl comes from Canada, the country announced a czar to address the issue and appease Trump in addition to existing measures. Mexico has relocated 10,000 members of its National Guard to the border with the United States in addition to existing measures.Trump also plans to impose new tariffs to match the rates charged by other countries. Set to begin as soon as April, the tariffs could be higher than what other countries would charge as subsidies, regulatory barriers and the value added tax which is akin to a sales tax common in Europe would be included in the calculations.The possibility of retaliatory tariffs planned by Canada, Mexico and Europe could lead to a broader trade conflict that sabotage growth. In February, the Yale University Budget Lab estimated that the Canadian and Mexican tariffs could depress average U.S. incomes by $1,170 to $1,245 a year. __Sanchez contributed reporting from Mexico City. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

People walk outside St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)2025-02-25T05:43:57Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Thousands of people gathered in St. Peters Square Monday evening to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, hope for his recovery and gratitude for his efforts to steer the Catholic Church in new directions.The 88-year-old Francis has pneumonia in both lungs and remains in critical condition despite showing a slight improvement after 11 days in the hospital.As Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vaticans No. 2, led prayers for 45 minutes on a chilly, rainy night, the faithful fingered rosary beads while hoping for Francis recovery. The Vatican issued a dose of optimism earlier in the evening, delivering a more upbeat health bulletin than in recent days.Still, the mood was mostly grim in the monumental square, with many of the roughly 4,000 assembled understanding they may be in Rome for Francis final days. Crowds sat under umbrellas on folding chairs or stood by the vast colonnades as they reflected fondly on the pontiffs legacy. To see him suffer hurts, said Robert Pietro, a Romanian seminarian who stood at the prayer holding a small, fragrant candle in tribute. But we also pray in thanksgiving for what he has done for the Church. Roberto Allison, a priest from the Mexican state of Guadalajara, said members of his community had come together to show appreciation for all that we have learned from him. Stopping to deliver personal blessings to some at the end of the ceremony, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said the crowds diversity many world languages could be heard spoken was a big sign of comfort for the Catholic Church.The Argentine pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been hospitalized at Romes Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14 and doctors have said his condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and preexisting lung disease.But in Mondays update, they said he hadnt had any more respiratory crises since Saturday, and the supplemental oxygen he is using continued but with a slightly reduced oxygen flow and concentrations. A couple of Catholic tourists from Chicago, who arrived holding umbrellas well before the service started, said they prayed for the pope at daily Mass earlier at St. Peters Basilica, and decided to come back. Like many, they found it hard to process they may be in Rome for Francis final days.No one knows the day and time, but its a historic moment nonetheless, said Edward Burjek. It felt the same for Hatzumi Villanueva of Peru. She was particularly fond of former pope St. John Paul II but said that Francis, as the first Latin American pope, draws a bit closer.We came to pray for the pope, that he may recover soon, for the great mission hes sharing with his message of peace, said Villanueva, who praised his empathy for migrants.Francis papacy has also emphasized the defense of the environment and partial openness to LGBTQ+ rights.Outside of the Vatican, Romans, pilgrims and even non-Catholics said they were offering special prayers for the hospitalized pope. We are all sorry, said Raniero Mancinelli, who has tailored ceremonial clothing for Francis and the two previous popes in his shop just outside the Vaticans walls. Elisabetta Zumbo carried a 5-foot-long cross down a cordoned-off section of the street leading to St. Peters as she prepared to lead a group of 34 pilgrims from the northern Italian city of Piacenza. With the rain pouring down, she pledged her group would pray intensely for the pope.There is a lot of emotion and a lot of sadness, Zumbo said.Nearby, a couple from London visiting St. Peters with their son said that even though theyre not Catholic, they felt close to the pontiff being there in his home in the monumental basilica.___AP videojournalist Paolo Santalucia contributed from Rome.___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.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-02-25T00:40:38Z WASHINGTON (AP) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that he was replacing the top lawyers for the military services because he didnt think they were well-suited to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given.Speaking at the start of a meeting with Saudi Arabias defense minister, Hegseth refused to answer a question about why the Trump administration has selected a retired general to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman, when he doesnt meet the legal qualifications for the job.President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the chairman, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., and Hegseth followed that by firing Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, and Air Force Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force. He also said he was requesting nominations for the jobs of judge advocate general, or JAG, for the Army, Navy and Air Force. He did not identify the lawyers by name. The Navy JAG, Vice Adm. Christopher French, retired about two months ago, and there was already an ongoing effort to seek a replacement. The Army JAG, Lt. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, and Air Force JAG, Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer, were fired. The removals which came without any specified reasons in terms of their conduct sent a new wave of apprehension through the Pentagon. And they added to the broader confusion over the changing parameters of Elon Musks demand that federal employees provide recent job accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, even though government officials later said the edict is voluntary. Throughout the Pentagon on Monday, military and civilian workers juggled their routine national security duties with a growing unease that anyone could be next on the firing block.Hegseth has defended Trumps firing of Brown, saying it was not unusual and the president deserves to pick his own team. The defense chief argued that other presidents made changes in military personnel. Trumps choice of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine is unusual. Caine would have to come back onto active duty, but he does not meet the legal requirements for the top post. According to law, a chairman must have served as a combatant commander or service chief. Those requirements can be waived by the president. Historically, Pentagon leaders have deliberately shifted top admirals and generals into a job as service chief for even a brief period of time in order to qualify them for the chairmans post. In recent decades, a number of three-star and four-star officers have been fired, but Pentagon leaders have routinely made clear why they were ousted. Those reasons included disagreements over the conduct of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, problems with the oversight of Americas nuclear arsenal and public statements critical of the president and other leaders.Brown, a history-making fighter pilot and only the second Black general to serve as chairman, is the first in that post to be fired in recent history. Hegseth made it clear before he took the secretarys job that he thought Brown should be fired, and he questioned whether Brown got the job because he was Black. Hegseth has also repeatedly argued that military officers would be reviewed based on meritocracy. Its unclear, however, how Franchetti, Slife and the lawyers were evaluated and what meritocracy they were found to lack.As a result, Pentagon workers are left to decipher whether the officers were fired due to political reasons or because of their race or gender. Hegseth has laid out a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks. And there have been persistent threats from the Trump administration that military officers advocating diversity and equity or so-called wokeism could be targeted.Hegseth has said that efforts to expand diversity and equity have eroded the militarys readiness. LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto

Sheep look for water in a dry pond used by local farms for their livestock, in Contrada Chiapparia, near the town of Caltanissetta, central Sicily, Italy, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)2025-02-25T03:00:06Z BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) An annual United Nations conference on biodiversity that ran out of time last year will resume its work Tuesday in Rome with money at the top of the agenda.That is, how to spend whats been pledged so far and how to raise a lot more to help preserve plant and animal life on Earth.The talks in Colombia known as COP16 yielded some significant outcomes before they broke up in November, including an agreement that requires companies that benefit from genetic resources in nature say, by developing medicines from rainforest plants to share the benefits. And steps were taken to give Indigenous peoples and local communities a stronger voice in conservation matters.But two weeks turned out to be not enough time to get everything done. A bumblebee flies between poppy flowers near the buildings of the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) A bumblebee flies between poppy flowers near the buildings of the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Cali talks followed the historic 2022 COP15 accord in Montreal, which included 23 measures aimed at protecting biodiversity. Those included putting 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030, known as the Global Biodiversity Framework. Montreal was about the what what are we all working towards together? said Georgina Chandler, head of policy and campaigns for the Zoological Society London. Cali was supposed to focus on the how putting the plans and the financing in place to ensure we can actually implement this framework. They eventually lost a quorum because people simply went home, said Linda Krueger of The Nature Conservancy, who is in Rome for the two days of talks And so now were having to finish these last critical decisions, which are some of the the nitty gritty decisions on financing, on resource mobilization and on the planning and monitoring and reporting requirements under the Global Biodiversity Framework. Deforestation is visible near the areas of several wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri, File) Deforestation is visible near the areas of several wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The overall financial aim was to achieve $20 billion a year in the fund by 2025, and then $30 billion by 2030. So far, only $383 million had been pledged as of November, from 12 nations or sub-nations: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Province of Qubec, Spain, and the United Kingdom.Participants will discuss establishing a global financing instrument for biodiversity intended to effectively distribute the money raised. And a big part of the talks will be about raising more money. Completely off track on larger financial goal A group of men and a woman carry bananas and fish from the port, in Leticia, Colombia, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia, File) A group of men and a woman carry bananas and fish from the port, in Leticia, Colombia, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Chandler and Kruger both said the finance points at Colombias talks were particularly contentious. Its really about how do we collect the money and how do we get it distributed fairly, get it to the ground where its needed most, so that thats really the core issue, said Kruger. Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, a think tank specializing in global economic and environmental policy, was pessimistic about raising a great deal more money.We are completely off track in terms of achieving that money, Soria said. Key sources of biodiversity finance are shrinking or disappearing, he said.What was supposed to be a good Colombian telenovela in which people will actually bring the right resources, and the happy ending of bringing their money, could actually end up being a tragic Italian opera, where no one actually agrees to anything and everyone loses, Soria said. Antelope run as they migrate through national parks and surrounding areas in South Sudan, June 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File) Antelope run as they migrate through national parks and surrounding areas in South Sudan, June 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Susana Muhamad, Colombias former environment minister and the COP16 president, said shes hopeful of a good message from Rome.That message is that still, even with a very fragmented geopolitical landscape, with a world increasingly in conflict, we can still get an agreement on some fundamental issues, Muhamad said in a statement. And one of the most important is the need to protect life in this crisis of climate change and biodiversity. Global wildlife populations have plunged on average by 73% in 50 years, according to an October report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London.Biodiversity is basically essential to our livelihoods and well-being, Chandler said. Its essential to the the air we breathe, the water we drink, rainfall that food systems rely on, protecting us from increasing temperatures and increasing storm occurrences as well. Fishermen push a boat in the Aleixo Lake amid a drought in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros, File) Fishermen push a boat in the Aleixo Lake amid a drought in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Chandler said deforestation in the Amazon has far-reaching impacts across South America, just as it does in the Congo Basin and other major biodiverse regions worldwide. We know that has an impact on rainfall, on food systems, on soil integrity in other countries. So its not just something thats kind of small and isolated. Its a widespread problem, she said. A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise on Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File) A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise on Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. STEVEN GRATTAN Grattan reports on the Amazon rainforest and deforestation around Latin America for The Associated Press. He is based in Bogota, Colombia. twitter instagram mailto

The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is pictured, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Va., near the wreckage of a mid-air collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in the Potomac River. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-25T05:12:24Z Tens of thousands of planes take off, land and perform touch-and-goes at the Marana Regional Airport in southern Arizona every year. Without an air traffic control tower, its a calculated dance that requires communication by pilots.Two small planes collided in midair over one of the runways on the outskirts of Tucson last week. One hit the ground and caught fire, sending up a plume of black smoke. The remains of two people were found in the charred wreckage. The other plane was able to land, with those occupants uninjured.The collision was the latest aviation mishap to draw attention in recent weeks. The circumstances vary widely with each case, however, and experts who study aviation accidents say they dont see any connection between them.Chatter over the airwaves has provided some clues about what happened in Arizona. A chief flight instructor who was in the air with a student that day heard the commotion over the radio: One plane was attempting a touch-and-go when another clipped its propeller while attempting to land. Erwin Castillo, who works for IFLY Pilot Training, recalled hearing one pilot scream: Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! He just hit us. It will be up to federal investigators to determine what caused the crash, a detailed process that will take months.While some observers suggest having a control tower may have made a difference, experts say not having a tower doesnt mean the airport is any less safe; pilots just have a different set of communication procedures to follow. How many airports in the US have control towers?Of the 5,100 public airports across the country, only about 10% have towers staffed by people who direct the flow of traffic. These are the busiest of airports, with complex operations and large volumes of commercial flights.For the airports without control towers, pilots rely on radio communications and the principle of see and avoid to ensure they can maneuver safely. The concept is drilled into pilots from Day 1 of their training and its applicable regardless of the kind of airspace theyre in, said Mike Ginter, a retired Navy aviator and senior vice president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations Air Safety Institute. He likened it to being behind the wheel of a car and practicing all the safety rules learned in drivers ed. You dont have to tell the state police that youre getting ready to drive to the supermarket to get groceries. You just go out, and you look both ways before you turn, and you turn on your turn signal and you drive, he explained, saying there are basic tenets of safety that are ingrained in pilots.The system has worked well, considering the sheer number of planes coming and going daily from small airports and the roughly 26 million hours of flight time logged by general aviation pilots. What prompted regulation of the friendly skies? It was a summer day in 1956 when two commercial flights left Los Angeles within minutes of each other one en route to Chicago and the other to Kansas. Flying under visual flight rules, the planes collided over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, killing all 128 people aboard. The crash site is now a National Historic Landmark.Even though U.S. air traffic had more than doubled since the end of World War II, it was this disaster that helped to fuel efforts to overhaul aviation safety.Legislation was introduced in 1958 to create an independent federal agency that would provide for the safe and efficient use of national airspace. The bill was signed within months and the first Federal Aviation Agency administrator was appointed. Responsibilities evolved, and the agency became the Federal Aviation Administration as air traffic control systems were being modernized. Are new control towers being planned?Through the FAA, airports can apply for federal grants to modernize and build air traffic control towers that are staffed by private companies and contract workers, rather than FAA staff.Nearly 180 airports nationwide are eligible for funding under the program, with most looking to upgrade existing towers some that date back to the 1940s and others that were meant to be temporary. A review of funding awarded through the program over the past four fiscal year shows a handful of airports were awarded money specifically for site studies, environmental work and construction of new towers. That includes airports in Bend, Oregon; Boulder City, Nevada; and Mankato, Minnesota.In the case of Marana, the airport was first accepted into the program in 2019 but the coronavirus pandemic stalled efforts to get a tower built by the five-year deadline. Airport officials have said they now are on track to complete the project by 2029. Will federal job cuts affect air traffic safety?U.S. President Donald Trump issued a memo in late January to top transportation officials, ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety following the midair collision of an Army helicopter and commercial passenger jet over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Sixty-seven people were killed.Trump raised questions about hiring practices within the FAA, suggesting previous Democratic administrations had shifted away from merit-based hiring.Some FAA jobs have been eliminated as Trump streamlines the federal workforce and looks to ferret out waste and curb spending, but less than 1% of the agencys more than 45,000 workers were probationary employees targeted as part of the job cuts, federal officials have said. In addition, the administration has said no air traffic controllers or critical safety personnel were fired as part of the effort. But labor and industry groups say even without cuts, air traffic control towers were already understaffed.Trump has said that he would support legislation aimed at modernizing the nations air traffic control system. In a letter sent to members of Congress last week, the industry group Airlines for America pushed for emergency funding for critical air traffic control technology and infrastructure as well as air controller staffing and training.___Associated Press writer Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to talk to reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans to find agreement on a spending bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. The current stopgap measure lasts through March 14. After that, without congressional action, there would be a partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-02-25T12:04:42Z WASHINGTON (AP) House Speaker Mike Johnson will try against the odds to muscle a Republican budget blueprint to passage this week, a step toward delivering President Donald Trumps big, beautiful bill with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts over stiff opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans.With almost no votes to spare in Johnsons bare-bones GOP majority, the speaker is fighting on all fronts against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators as he works to keep the package on track. Votes set for Tuesday evening are in jeopardy, and the outcome is uncertain.Were going to get everyone there, Johnson, of Louisiana, said at an event at the start of the week, half-joking that he had a prayer request involved.The package, if approved, would be a crucial part of the budget process as Trump pushes the Republicans who control Congress to approve a massive bill that would extend tax breaks, which he secured during his first term but are expiring later this year, while also cutting spending across federal programs and services. Slashing government is not always popular at homeBut Republicans are running into a familiar problem: Slashing federal spending is typically easier said than done. With cuts to the Pentagon and other programs largely off limits, much of the other government outlays go for health care, food stamps, student loans and programs relied on by their constituents.Its all unfolding as billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk is tearing through federal agencies with his Department of Government Efficiency firing thousands of workers nationwide, and angry voters are starting to confront lawmakers at town hall meetings back home. While we fully support efforts to rein in wasteful spending and deliver on President Trumps agenda, it is imperative that we do not slash programs that support American communities across our nation, wrote Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and several other GOP lawmakers in the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Democrats protest tax cuts for wealthyDemocrats in the House and the Senate are vowing to fight the whole process. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York was planning to gather lawmakers on the Capitol steps in protest during Tuesdays session.This is not what people want, said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., during a rules debate ahead of planned votes.We all know that trickle-down economics, he said about the 2017 tax breaks that flowed mainly to the wealthy, dont work. Trump has signaled a preference for the big bill but also appears to enjoy a competition between the House and the Senate, lawmakers said, as he pits the Republicans against each other to see which version will emerge on a path toward approval.Senate Republicans, wary that Johnson can lift his bill over the finish line, launched their own scaled-back $340 billion package last week. Its focused on sending Trump money his administration needs for its deportation and border security agenda now, with plans to tackle the tax cuts separately later this year. Im holding my breath. Im crossing my fingers, said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who said he is rooting for the Houses approach as the better option. I think a one-shot is their best opportunity. The House GOP faces pitfalls aheadJohnson, whose party lost seats in last Novembers election, commands one of the thinnest majorities in modern history, which means he must keep almost every Republican in line or risk losing the vote.Already, several lawmakers have objected to the package either because it cuts too much or because it doesnt cut enough. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, departs a news conference joined from left by Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, R-Ariz., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., after discussing work on a spending bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, departs a news conference joined from left by Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, R-Ariz., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., after discussing work on a spending bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The most conservative Republicans warn it will pile onto the nations $36 trillion debt load, because the cost of the tax breaks, at least $4.5 trillion over the decade, outweighs the $2 trillion in spending cuts to government programs.More moderate Republican lawmakers worry that the enormous budget cuts being eyed some $880 billion to the committee that handles health care spending, including Medicaid, for example, or $230 billion to the agriculture committee that funds food stamps will be too harmful to their constituents back home. GOP leaders are trying to convince lawmakers that the details will be debated in the weeks to come and that this weeks vote is just a first step.The budget is being compiled during a lengthy process that first sends instructions to the various House and Senate committees, which will then have several weeks to devise more detailed plans for additional debate and votes.The committees need time to go work to find savings, said Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. But we cant even get to that if we dont get through the budget. So, weve got to get the first step done later this week.Ten House GOP chairmen of the committees involved issued a joint statement in a show of force to push the package forward.The Houses one big beautiful bill delivers on the entirety of President Trumps policy agenda, they wrote in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. We must meet this historic moment with the bold action it requires. Rep. Jodey Arrington, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters he recognizes the tension between Republicans who want more cuts and those from politically competitive districts who have a higher level of sensitivity to some of the spending reforms.Arrington said with economic growth assumptions, from 1.8% as projected by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to 2.6% as projected by House Republicans, the package would generate about $2.6 trillion in savings over 10 years and would ensure the plan helps reduce the deficit. Some fiscal advocacy groups view the GOPs economic projections as overly optimistic.___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives at https://apnews.com/hub/united-states-house-of-representatives. MATT BROWN Brown is a reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues. twitter instagram mailto

Hoang Phuc Nguyen, a Vietnamese pilgrim, prays for Pope Francis at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 where Pope Francis is hospitalised since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)2025-02-25T07:44:59Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis was well enough to meet with the Vatican secretary of state to approve new decrees for possible saints and make some major governing decisions that suggest he is getting essential work done and looking ahead despite being hospitalized in critical condition with double pneumonia.The audience, which occurred Monday, signaled that the machinery of the Vatican is still grinding on even though doctors have warned the prognosis for the 88-year-old Francis is guarded.Decisions on saints and a formal meeting of cardinals The Vaticans Tuesday noon bulletin contained a series of significant decisions, most importantly that Francis had met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, the so-called Vatican substitute or chief of staff. It was the first known time the pope had met with Parolin, who is essentially the Vatican prime minister, since his Feb. 14 hospitalization.During the audience, Francis approved decrees for two new saints and five people for beatification the first step toward sainthood. Francis also decided to convene a consistory about the future canonizations.Francis regularly approves decrees from the Vaticans saint-making office when he is at the Vatican, albeit during audiences with the head of the office, not Parolin. But the calling of a consistory, which is a formal meeting of cardinals, was also significant and forward-looking, given his illness. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State during a rosary prayer service held for the health of Pope Francis in St Peters Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State during a rosary prayer service held for the health of Pope Francis in St Peters Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More No date was set for the meeting. But it was also at a banal consistory to set dates for canonizations on Feb. 11, 2013, that Pope Benedict XVI announced, in Latin, that he would resign because he couldnt keep up with the rigors of the papacy. Francis has said he, too, would consider resigning if he found himself in that situation, after Benedict opened the door and became the first pope in 600 years to retire. Giovanna Chirri, the reporter for the Italian news agency ANSA who was covering the consistory that day and broke the story because she understood Latin, said she didnt think Francis would follow in Benedicts footsteps, even if some would want it.I could be wrong, but I hope not, she told The Associated Press. As long as hes alive, the world and the church need him.Francis English biographer, Austen Ivereigh, said it was possible and that all that matters is that Francis be wholly free to make the right decision. The pope has always said that the papacy is for life, and he has shown that there is no problem with a frail and elderly pope, Ivereigh said. But he has also said that should he ever have a long-term degenerative or debilitating condition which prevents him from fully carrying out the exercise of the papal ministry, he would consider resigning. And so would any pope. Catholic worshippers gather during a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Catholic worshippers gather during a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hoang Phuc Nguyen, a Vietnamese pilgrim, prays for Pope Francis at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 where Pope Francis is hospitalised since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Hoang Phuc Nguyen, a Vietnamese pilgrim, prays for Pope Francis at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 where Pope Francis is hospitalised since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Francis ideas about resignation Francis has said that if he were to resign, he would live in Rome, outside the Vatican, and be called ''emeritus bishop of Rome rather than emeritus pope given the problems that occurred with Benedicts experiment as a retired pope. Despite his best efforts, Benedict remained a point of reference for conservatives before he died in 2022, and his home inside the Vatican gardens something of a pilgrimage destination for the right.Francis has also written a letter of resignation, to be invoked if he became medically incapacitated.In addition to the audience with Parolin, the Vatican released Francis message for Lent, the period leading up to Easter, in yet another forward-looking sign. In a subsequent bulletin, Francis named a handful of new bishops for Brazil, a new archbishop for Vancouver and modified the law for the Vatican City State to create a new hierarchy. Francis recently named the first-ever woman to head the city-state, Sister Raffaella Petrini, who takes over March 1. In the announcement Tuesday, Francis specifically empowered her to lead and to tell her priestly deputies what to do.Many if not all of these decisions were likely in the works for some time. But the Vatican has said Francis has been doing some work in the hospital, including signing documents, and regardless there is no provision in the Catholic Church to transfer full papal power except in the case of a resignation or death of a pope. The only other outsider who is known to have visited the pope, other than his personal secretaries and medical personnel, is Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, who visited Feb. 19.The pope slept well People attend a rosary prayer service held for the health of Pope Francis in St Peters Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) People attend a rosary prayer service held for the health of Pope Francis in St Peters Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More On Tuesday morning, the Vaticans typically brief morning update said: The pope slept well, all night.The previous evening, doctors had said he remained in critical condition at Romes Gemelli hospital with double pneumonia but reported a slight improvement in some laboratory results. In the most upbeat bulletin in days, the Vatican said Francis had resumed work from his hospital room, calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began.Doctors have said the condition of the Argentine pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease before the pneumonia set in.But in Mondays update, they said he hadnt had any more respiratory crises since Saturday, and the flow and concentration of supplemental oxygen has been slightly reduced. The slight kidney insufficiency detected on Sunday was not causing alarm at the moment, doctors said.Allies and ordinary faithful hopeful Francis right-wing critics have been spreading dire rumors about his condition, but his allies have cheered him on and expressed hope that he will pull through. Many noted that from the very night of his election as pope, Francis had asked for the prayers of ordinary faithful, a request he repeats daily.Im a witness of everything he did for the church, with a great love of Jesus, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga told La Repubblica. Humanly speaking, I dont think its time for him to go to Paradise.At Gemelli on a rainy Tuesday morning, ordinary Romans and visitors alike were also praying for the pope. Hoang Phuc Nguyen, who lives in Canada but was visiting Rome to participate in a Holy Year pilgrimage, took the time to come to Gemelli to say a special prayer for the pope at the statue of St. John Paul II outside the main entrance.We heard that he is in the hospital right now and we are very worried about his health, Nguyen said. He is our father and it is our responsibility to pray for him.___Giovanna dellOrto contributed.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. TRISHA THOMAS Thomas covers events throughout Southern Europe, Italy, and the Vatican for The Associated Press based in Rome. twitter instagram mailto

This photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Richard Glossip on Feb. 19, 2021. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File)2025-02-25T15:09:11Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who has steadfastly maintained his innocence and averted multiple attempts by the state to execute him.The justices found that Glossips trial violated his constitutional rights because prosecutors did not turn over evidence that might have bolstered his defense.Glossip is entitled to a new trial, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for five justices.Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, voting to uphold the conviction and death sentence, while Justice Amy Coney Barrett would have allowed a state appeals court to decide how to proceed. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not take part in the case, presumably because he participated in it at an earlier stage when he was an appeals court judge.The justices heard arguments in October in a case that produced a rare alliance in which lawyers for Glossip and the state argued that the high court should overturn Glossips conviction and death sentence because he did not get a fair trial. The victims relatives had told the high court that they want to see Glossip executed. Oklahomas top criminal appeals court had repeatedly upheld the conviction and sentence, even after the state sided with Glossip.Glossip was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1997 killing in Oklahoma City of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese, in what prosecutors have alleged was a murder-for-hire scheme. Glossip has always maintained his innocence. Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing Van Treese and beating him to death with a baseball bat but testified he only did so after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.In 2023, state Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, said new evidence persuaded him that Glossips trial was not fair. Drummond has said he does not believe Glossip is innocent and has suggested he could face a new trial. If Glossip were to be tried again, the death penalty would be off the table, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna has said.Among Drummonds concerns are that prosecutors knew Sneed lied on the witness stand about his psychiatric condition and his reason for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium. Drummond, a Democrat, also has cited a box of evidence in the case that was destroyed, including motel receipts, a shower curtain and masking tape that Glossips attorney, Don Knight, said could have potentially proven Glossips innocence.At least five justices voted last year to block efforts to execute Glossip while his case played out.That was just the latest reprieve for a death row inmate who has eaten three last meals and been married twice while awaiting execution. Oklahoma has set execution dates nine times for Glossip.The court faced two legal issues, whether Glossips rights were violated because the evidence wasnt turned over and whether the Oklahoma court decision upholding the conviction and sentence, reached after the states position changed, should be allowed to stand. The justices issued their most recent order blocking Glossips execution last year. They previously stopped his execution in 2015, then ruled against him by a 5-4 vote in upholding Oklahomas lethal-injection process. Glossip avoided execution then only because of a mix-up in the drugs that were to be used.Glossip was initially convicted in 1998 but won a new trial ordered by a state appeals court. He was convicted again in 2004.___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

This May 18, 1969 photo provided by NASA shows Earth from 36,000 nautical miles away as photographed from the Apollo 10 spacecraft during its trans-lunar journey toward the moon. (NASA via AP)2025-02-25T15:27:18Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) Scientists have finally given the all-clear to Earth from a newly discovered asteroid. After two months of observations, scientists have almost fully ruled out any threat from the asteroid 2024 YR4, NASA and the European Space Agency said Tuesday. At one point, the odds of a strike in 2032 were as high as about 3% and topped the worlds asteroid-risk lists. ESA has since lowered the odds to 0.001%. NASA had it down to 0.0027% meaning the asteroid will safely pass Earth in 2032 and theres no threat of impact for the next century. But theres still a 1.7% chance that asteroid could hit the moon on Dec. 22, 2032, according to NASA. The worlds telescopes will continue to track the asteroid as it heads away from us, with the Webb Space Telescope zooming in next month to pinpoint its size. Its expected to vanish from view in another month or two. Discovered in December, the asteroid is an estimated 130 feet to 300 feet (40 meters to 90 meters) across, and swings our way every four years.While this asteroid no longer poses a significant impact hazard to Earth, 2024 YR4 provided an invaluable opportunity for study, NASA said in a statement.___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.

Shoppers at the Walden Galleria in Buffalo, NY, stop by the Starbucks kiosk on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)2025-02-25T16:06:48Z NEW YORK (AP) Starbucks is making cuts to its menu, with some of the coffee giants less popular beverages set to take their final bow next week.In an announcement Monday, Starbucks outlined plans to remove a selection of its drinks including several blended Frappuccino beverages, the Royal English Breakfast Latte and the White Hot Chocolate starting on Tuesday, March 4.These items arent commonly purchased, can be complex to make, or are like other beverages on our menu, Starbucks wrote. The Seattle-based company added that simplifying its menu would allow it to focus on fewer, more popular items, executed with excellence. Starbucks says these cuts will reduce wait times, improve consistency and make way for innovation. The chain says it will continue to introduce a handful of other new items and seasonal specials, such as its Cortado beverage introduced last month and a new Iced Cherry Chai set to debut in the spring. The menu changes arrive amid wider restructuring at the Seattle-based company. Starbucks also said that it would be laying off 1,100 corporate employees globally this week with CEO Brian Niccol citing needs to operate more efficiently. Niccol joined the chain as CEO in August. Beyond next weeks menu cuts, Starbucks says that additional beverages and food will also exit its menu in the coming months representing a roughly 30% reduction by the end of the 2025 fiscal year in the U.S. But heres a list of the drinks that are set to be removed on March 4, which the company shared with The Associated Press: 1. Iced Matcha Lemonade2. Espresso Frappuccino3. Caff Vanilla Frappuccino4. Java Chip Frappuccino5. White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino6. Chai Crme Frappuccino7. Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crme Frappuccino8. Double Chocolaty Chip Crme Frappuccino9. Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crme Frappuccino10. White Chocolate Crme Frappuccino11. White Hot Chocolate12. Royal English Breakfast Latte13. Honey Almondmilk Flat White RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Mohamed Amra, nicknamed ''The Fly", is escorted by armed police officers at the Henri Coanda international airport in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, before being extradited to France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)2025-02-25T14:33:40Z BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) A notorious French fugitive who staged a deadly escape that killed two guards last year was being extradited Tuesday to France from Romania, an official said, days after his arrest in Bucharest ended a nine-month international manhunt.Mohamed Amra, nicknamed The Fly, was arrested near a shopping center in Bucharest on Saturday after being identified by Romanian police, despite the 30-year-old having dyed his hair red, possibly to evade detection. The Bucharest Court of Appeal approved his extradition request on Sunday.An official at Romanias Ministry of Internal Affairs, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the legal case was still ongoing, confirmed to The Associated Press that Amra was handed over to French authorities for extradition Tuesday at an airport near Bucharest where he arrived in handcuffs, flanked by armed police officers. The high-profile search for Amra began last May, when armed assailants ambushed a prison convoy in Normandy, killing two guards and seriously wounding three others in the process of aiding his escape.Amra fled after being sentenced for burglary in the Normandy town of Evreux. He was also under investigation for an attempted organized homicide and a kidnapping that resulted in death, French prosecutors said. The international police organization Interpol issued a notice for his arrest, while French investigators alerted counterparts in other countries after they suspected Amra had left France. After his arrest on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed his capture a formidable success and praised European colleagues who had ended the long cross-border hunt.Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau has said that Amra had connections with Marseilles organized crime syndicates and was suspected of heading a drug trafficking network.As of Monday night, 25 people had been detained in multiple countries suspected of some role in his escape or the aftermath, the Paris prosecutor said.___McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

A venture capital-backed AI performance monitoring system for factory workers is proposing what appears to be dehumanizing surveillance of factories, where machine vision tracks workers hand movements and output so a boss can look at graphs and yell at them about efficiency.In a launch video demoing the product, Baid and Mohta put on a skit showing how Optifye.ai would be used by factory bosses.The YC deleted video for sweatshop startup Optifye pic.twitter.com/vCJvm2HTce Adam Lerman (@AdamLerman5) February 25, 2025Ugh, its workspace 17. Workspace 17 is the bottleneck. The worst performing workspace here, one of the bosses says, while watching a video of a man making clothing in a factory. Hey number 17, whats going on man? You are in red, he says. I have been working all day, the person playing the worker says. Working all day? the line boss replies. You havent hit your hourly output even once today. And you have 11.4% efficiency, this is really bad!Its just been a rough day, the worker replies. Rough day? the boss says, looking at a calendar full of red days. More like a rough month.Optifye.ai, launched by Duke University computer science students Vivaan Baid and Kushal Mohta, is backed by Y Combinator, according to the companys site. On their Y Combinator company profile, they write that both of their families run manufacturing plants, where theyve been exposed to factory working conditions since they were children. I've been around assembly lines for as long as I can remember, Baid wrote.Mohta wrote, My family also runs several manufacturing plants in various industries, which has given me unrestricted access to assembly lines since I was 15.They hope to sell cameras to factory owners to use on assembly lines, their website says, and use computer vision to tell supervisors who's working and who's not in real-time.Y Combinator deleted its recent Linkedin and X posts congratulating the company on launching.On their Y Combinator profile, Baid and Mohta outline who gets what out of installing micromanaging AI surveillance on assembly lines. Owners gets accurate real-time factory, line, and worker productivity metrics, production heads get line-wise and worker-wise metrics, shopfloor supervisors get to identify who/what is causing inefficiency in the line and fix the problem on the go. For the workers? They get the tantalizing benefit of being held accountable for good or bad performance.Worker surveillance is already happening across industries. After the rise of remote work, companies started tracking workers productivity based on mouse movements, so workers started using mouse jigglers so they could walk away from their computers and use the bathroom in peace. In Amazon warehouses, workers are tracked and punished for not meeting grueling expectations and bathroom breaks are timed, resulting in more injuries and less safe working conditions. Optifye.ais approach and pitch, however, stands out because of the way its founders seem to embrace cruelty to workers in the name of productivity.Optifye.ai and Y Combinator did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Elon Musk, left, receives a chainsaw from Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, as they arrive speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-25T16:02:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to dismantle critical public services.We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations, the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trumps administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them.The mass resignation of engineers, data scientists and product managers is a temporary setback for Musk and the Republican presidents tech-driven purge of the federal workforce. It comes amid a flurry of court challenges that have sought to stall, stop or unwind their efforts to fire or coerce thousands of government workers out of jobs. Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was dismissive of the mass resignation. Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years, Leavitt said. President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers. The staffers who resigned worked for what was once known as the United States Digital Service, an office established during President Barack Obamas administration after the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov, the web portal that millions of Americans use to sign up for insurance plans through the Democrats signature health care law. All had previously held senior roles at such tech companies as Google and Amazon and wrote in their resignation letter that they joined the government out of a sense of duty to public service.Trumps empowerment of Musk upended that. The day after Trumps inauguration, the staffers wrote, they were called into a series of interviews that foreshadowed the secretive and disruptive work of Musks Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.According to the staffers, people wearing White House visitors badges, some of whom would not give their names, grilled the nonpartisan employees about their qualifications and politics. Some made statements that indicated they had a limited technical understanding. Many were young and seemed guided by ideology and fandom of Musk not improving government technology. Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability, the staffers wrote in their letter. This process created significant security risks. Earlier this month, about 40 staffers in the office were laid off. The firings dealt a devastating blow to the governments ability to administer and safeguard its own technological footprint, they wrote.These highly skilled civil servants were working to modernize Social Security, veterans services, tax filing, health care, disaster relief, student aid, and other critical services, the resignation letter states. Their removal endangers millions of Americans who rely on these services every day. The sudden loss of their technology expertise makes critical systems and Americans data less safe.Those who remained, about 65 staffers, were integrated into DOGEs government-slashing effort. About a third of them quit Tuesday.We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services, they wrote. We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGEs actions. The slash-and-burn effort Musk is leading diverges from what was initially outlined by Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. DOGE, a nod to Musks favorite cryptocurrency meme coin, was initially presented as a blue-ribbon commission that would exist outside government. After the election, however, Musk hinted there was more to come, posting to his social media site, X, Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!! He has leaned aggressively into the role since. Last week he stood on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference gathering outside Washington, where he boasted of his exploits and hoisted a blinged-out, Chinese-made chainsaw above his head that was gifted by Argentinian President Javier Milei. This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy, Musk bellowed from the stage. Still, Musk has tried to keep technical talent in place, with the bulk of the layoffs in the Digital Service office focused on people in roles like designers, product managers, human resources and contracting staff, according to interviews with current and former staff.Of the 40 people let go earlier this month, only one was an engineer an outspoken and politically active staffer name Jonathan Kamens, who said in an interview with the AP that he believes he was fired for publicly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, on his personal blog and being critical of Musk in chats with colleagues.I believe that Elon Musk is up to no good. And I believe that any data that he gains access to is going to be used for purposes that are inappropriate and harmful to Americans, Kamens said. U.S. Digital Service veterans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, recalled experiencing a similar sort of shock about how government processes worked that Musk and his team are discovering. Over time, many developed an appreciation for why certain things in government had to be treated with more care than in the private sector.Move fast and break things may be acceptable to someone who owns a business and owns the risk. And if things dont go well, the damage is compartmentalized. But when you break things in government, youre breaking things that belong to people who didnt sign up for that, said Cordell Schachter, who until last month was the chief information officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation.USDS was established over a decade ago to do things like improving services for veterans, and it helped create a free government-run portal so tax filers did not have to go through third parties like TurboTax. It also devised systems to improve the way the federal government purchased technology.It has been embroiled in its fair share of bureaucracy fights and agency turf wars with chief information officers across government who resented interlopers treading in their agencys systems. USDS power across government stemmed from the imprimatur of acting on behalf of the White House and its founding mission of improving service for the American people.___AP video journalist Rodrique Ngowi contributed from Boston.___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, D.C. mailto BYRON TAU Tau is an investigative reporter in the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Associated Press. He focuses on reporting stories about national security, law enforcement, technology and government accountability. He can be reached on Signal at byrontau.01 twitter mailto

AP Illustration / Annie Ng2025-02-25T15:04:50Z LONDON (AP) No matter your ailment, there are plenty of TV doctors waiting to treat you right now on a selection of channels and streamers.Whether its Noah Wyle putting on his stethoscope for the first time since ER, Morris Chestnut graduating to head doctor, Molly Parker making her debut in scrubs or Joshua Jackson trading death for life on a luxury cruise, new American hospital dramas have something for everyone.Theres also an outsider trying to make a difference in Berlin ER, as Haley Louise Jones plays the new boss of a struggling German hospitals emergency department. The shows doors slide open to patients Wednesday on Apple TV+.These shows all contain the DNA of classic hospital dramas and this guide will help you get the TV treatment you need.Berlin ER Haley Louise Jones and afak engl in Berlin ER (Apple TV+ via AP) Haley Louise Jones and afak engl in Berlin ER (Apple TV+ via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Dr. Suzanna Zanna Parker has been sent to run the Krank, which is only just being held together by hardened and authority-resistant medical staff and supplies from a sex shop. The result is an unflinching drama set in an underfunded, underappreciated and understaffed emergency department, where the staff is as traumatized as the patients, but hide it much better. From former real-life ER doc Samuel Jefferson and also starring Slavko Popadi, afak engl, Aram Tafreshian and Samirah Breuer, the German-language show is not for the faint of heart. Jones says she eventually got used to the blood and gore on the set. Its gruesome in the beginning, highly unnerving. And then at some point, its just the most normal thing in the world, she explains. Thats flesh. Thats the rest of someones leg, you know, lets just move on and have coffee or whatever.As its set in the German clubbing capital, the whole city seems to live at a frenetic pace and the staff deals with the pressure by partying. The music, the lighting and the pulse of the drama also rubs off on the audience. When I saw it the first time I was sitting there, my heart was racing, says Jones of watching the program. I knew what was coming, but I just, you know, my body just reacted. And I think that really says a lot.Would she agree to be treated by Dr. Parker? Jones reckons it depends on what day you catch her.DIAGNOSIS: This is Going To Hurt gets the ER treatment side effects include breathlessness and heartbreak.The Pitt Noah Wyle, Mackenzie Astin and Rebecca Tilney in The Pitt (Warrick Page/MAX via AP) Noah Wyle, Mackenzie Astin and Rebecca Tilney in The Pitt (Warrick Page/MAX via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Emergencies are often against the clock, but in The Pitt, they are on a timer. Attached to a bomb.Each episode shows an hour of Dr. Michael Robinavitchs emergency room shift on one of the worst days of his life. After avoiding all doctor roles since the finale of ER in 2009, Wyle pulls on the navy hoodie of a weary Dr. Robby this time in Pittsburgh.Initially an idea for a ER reboot with producer John Wells, the show morphed into a fresh take on the challenges medical professionals face in the wake of the world-shifting pandemic.It felt a little sacrilegious to try to walk back into that arena prematurely, says Wyle. It was really only thoughtfully, soberly, cautiously and meticulously that we attempted it again. Robby is calm and competent in showing his medical students how its done, while keeping his own mental health crisis hidden. Not that there are many places to hide: Wyle explains that they are setting themselves apart from other hospital dramas by turning up the lights, cutting the mood-telegraphing music and showing the real dimensions of the department.All of those kind of lend themselves to doing something different, he says. Rattling the cage, you know, trying to put a new spin on an old form.Joining him in Maxs The Pitt are co-stars Tracy Ifeachor, Katharine LaNasa, Patrick Ball and Supriya Ganesh.As for his own medical knowledge, Wyle says there are procedures he feels adept at least pretending to do. With the amount of time hes spent playing a doctor, he could have earned his own degree by now.Ive been doing this long enough, he says. So Im either the worst student or one of the best doctor actors around.DIAGNOSIS: With front-line workers against the clock, it has a similar pathology to both ER and 24. Watson Morris Chestnut in Watson (Colin Bentley/CBS via AP) Morris Chestnut in Watson (Colin Bentley/CBS via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Also in Pittsburgh, youll find The Holmes Clinic for Diagnostic Medicine, where its still life-and-death, but your heart rate can afford to slow a little.Its run by Dr. John Watson, former colleague of Sherlock Holmes, the famous sleuth who has bequeathed the funding for the medical center.Chestnut he plays the lead doc-tective, as he puts it, leading a team trying to solve medical mysteries while avoiding old foe Moriarty (Randall Park) Watson is still dealing with a traumatic brain injury from their last encounter.And Chestnut is no stranger to the long words and Latin terms that accompany hospital dramas. Chestnut was a nurse in ER, a former army doc in Nurse Jackie and a pathologist in Rosewood. More recently, he was the ruthless and talented neurosurgeon Barrett Cain on The Resident. Luckily, his Watson has a better beside manner and uses cutting-edge science to help puzzle out a unique selection of patients, alongside his staff, played by Eve Harlow, Inga Schlingmann and Peter Mark Kendall.The Sherlock mythology is provided by show creator, Arthur Conan Doyle fan and ex-Elementary writer Craig Sweeny, who brings a case-of-the-week style to the program. Chestnut reckons its this literary twist on the medical mystery formula that sets it apart from House MD, whose lead character was more of a Sherlock.And he wouldnt hesitate to be treated by Dr. Watson because he wants to understand you as a person and truly cares about his patients.DIAGNOSIS: More tests needed to confirm if Elementary or House is the leading condition.Doc Molly Parker in Doc (Peter H. Stranks/Fox via AP) Molly Parker in Doc (Peter H. Stranks/Fox via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Over her 30-year career, Molly Parker has never played a doctor before. In Doc, based on a true story, she jumped right in with the top job, chief of internal medicine, at Minneapolis Westside Hospital. A car crash causes the overachieving, work-centric Dr. Amy Larsen to lose eight years of her memory, turning her into a patient with a traumatic brain injury. Parker portrays both versions of Larsen through Foxs debut season the career woman in flashback and the mother learning to trust again in the present.The focus of the show is on feelings over physical ailments, as Larsen has to deal, all over again, with the loss of her son.What I liked about this is that it has all the elements of that genre, like it has the high stakes and the mystery illness and the romantic love triangle, explains Parker, who stars alongside Anya Banerjee, Jon-Michael Ecker, Amirah Vann and Omar Metwally. But at the center of it is this woman who is going through this really profound grief.Parker has learned not to diagnose yourself on the internet, a deeper respect for health care workers and that playing a doctor is not easy.The most you can do is sort of try to get the words right sometimes, she says with a smile, admitting she still cant pronounce the name of one particular drug.Its, like, so important in the entire season, Parker adds, and I said it wrong every single time.DIAGNOSIS: For fans of Greys Anatomy, where complications come from relationships rather than infections.Doctor Odyssey Kate Berlant and Joshua Jackson in Doctor Odyssey (Ray Mickshaw/Disney via AP) Kate Berlant and Joshua Jackson in Doctor Odyssey (Ray Mickshaw/Disney via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More An honorable mention goes to Dr. Max Bankman of Doctor Odyssey, who set sail at the end of 2024 and is finishing up Season Ones maiden voyage March 6 on ABC.Joshua Jackson, who previously portrayed real-life man of malpractice Christopher Duntsch in Dr. Death, is on board as the accomplished and smiley new head of a luxury cruise liners medical team. Doctor Odyssey comes from super producer Ryan Murphy and is set in the same world as his 9-1-1 franchise, with an upcoming crossover episode starring Angela Bassett.Philippa Soo and Sean Teale complete the ships medical threesome contending with a surprisingly frequent number of bizarre illnesses and accidents that befall the guest stars (episode one: a broken penis). Jackson acknowledges the cases are absurd and fun and wild and over-the-top, much to the amusement of his brother, who runs an actual ER.But that is the appeal, he says, for viewers to exhale and find welcome relief from the stress of real life.To have this, you know, pretty bauble in the middle of your week to just come in and go on an adventure, Jackson explains. The stakes are high, the relationships are intense. Everythings very dramatic. And 42 minutes later, you realize youre just in the most beautiful place in the world.Unfortunately, his own medical skills remain more Dr. Death than Dr. Bankman.I could really, really, deeply mess somebody up, he says. I have just enough terminology and jargon to sound like I know what Im doing, but none of the practical skills.Jackson wouldnt hesitate to put his own health in the hands of Dr. Bankman, though, citing the miracles hes able to perform weekly on The Odyssey.DIAGNOSIS: Call 9-1-1 for a therapeutic trip on The Love Boat.

Elon Musk gestures during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-25T18:52:19Z WASHINGTON (AP) The turmoil that enveloped the federal workforce over the last few days is unlikely to cease anytime soon as the U.S. governments human resources agency considers how to fulfill Elon Musk s demands.The Office of Personnel Management told agency leaders Monday that their employees did not have to comply with a Musk-inspired edict for workers to report their recent accomplishments or risk getting fired. But later that evening, OPM sent out another memo suggesting that there could be similar requests going forward and workers might be sanctioned for noncompliance.Agencies should consider whether the expectation for employees to submit activity and/or accomplishment bullets should be integrated into the agencys Weekly Activity Report, wrote acting director Charles Ezell. He added that agencies should consider any appropriate actions regarding employees who fail to respond to activity/accomplishment requests. OPM originally sent employees an email over the weekend with the subject line what did you do last week? Recipients were asked to respond with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that more than 1 million employees had responded, which would be less than half of the estimated 2.4 million people in the federal workforce, according to U.S. statistics. She said the idea for the request came from Musk, who used similar management tactics at his own companies, and she said that the administration was working as one unified team. Federal workers faced conflicting directions on whether to respond. One employee, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, was told to expect guidance that the request was optional. But when that never came, the employee sent in bullet points to avoid possible repercussions. Musk continued to press the issue on X, his social media platform, and criticized people in the administration that stood in his way. The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send! he wrote. Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers.He also approvingly shared the news that unemployment numbers were rising in Washington, saying the DC swamp is actually draining.The billionaire entrepreneur, who serves as President Donald Trump s most powerful adviser, also suggested that hes being held back from even more dramatic reductions in government spending.I will do whatever I can, he wrote in response to calls for deeper cuts. There are limitations place(d) upon me.Musk is facing a growing backlash that has extended from outraged Democrats to skeptical Republicans who fear political fallout in their own districts. About half of Americans say its a bad thing that Trump has given Musk a prominent role in his administration, according to CNN polling from last week. Only a third saw it as a good thing.Another survey by The Washington Post and Ipsos found that Americans are divided on whether Musk is mainly cutting wasteful spending or necessary programs, with about a third following into each camp. Another quarter said theyre not sure. Rep. Lisa McClain, a Michigan Republican, said Tuesday that her party was only delivering what voters asked for in the last election.We got our marching orders. We listened to the American people, she said. And told us they wanted change. And buckle up, because thats exactly what were giving them.Alina Habba, a former member of Trumps personal legal team who now serves as a counselor in the White House, told reporters that the government workforce needed to get on board with the presidents goals.If youre not on an America First agenda, youre not here, she said.Habba also suggested that employees could face more demands to explain their jobs.If you struggle to do that for a week, theres no excuse for that, she said. You can have an extra day to answer that, but you better be able to answer that. Leavitt, the White House press secretary, is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on first- and fifth-amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America._____Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez runs to first on a single during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)2025-02-25T18:46:55Z NEW YORK (AP) The Los Angeles Dodgers owe $1.051 billion in deferred pay to eight players from 2028-46 following Tanner Scotts $72 million, four-year contract and Teoscar Hernndezs $66 million, three-year deal.Los Angeles high payment point is $100.95 million in both 2038 and 39, according to details obtained by The Associated Press.Major League Baseball proposed during collective bargaining on June 21, 2021, to put an end to the practice, but the players association rejected the change.The Dodgers have gone out and done everything possible, always within the rules that currently exist, to put the best possible team on the field and thats a great thing for the game. That type of competitive spirit is what people want to see, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said last week.By the same token, he added, its clear that we have fans in some markets that are concerned about the ability of the team in their market to compete with the financial resources of the Dodgers. And I think if weve been consistent on one point it is we try to listen to our fans on topics like this and I have heard people on this, believe me, I get a lot of emails about it. Scotts contract includes $21 million in deferred money and Hernndezs $23.5 million.Hernndez is owed a total of $32 million in deferred pay from the team. He already was due $8.5 million as part of his $23.5 million, one-year deal for 2024, to be paid in 10 equal installments each July 1 from 2030-39. Ohtani, Betts, Snell and Freeman among others owed deferredLos Angeles also owes deferred payments to two-way star Shohei Ohtani ($680 million from 2034-43), outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts ($115 million in salaries from 2033-44 and the final $5 million of his signing bonus payable from 2033-35), left-hander Blake Snell ($66 million from 2035-46), first baseman Freddie Freeman ($57 million from 2028-40), catcher Will Smith ($50 million from 2034-43) and utilityman Tommy Edman ($25 million from 2037-44).Its just how you account for it, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said when Snell was introduced. Were not going to wake up in 2035 and (say): Oh my God, thats right. We have this money due. Well plan for it along the way. Dodgers deferred obligations reach peak in 2038 and 2039The Dodgers deferred obligations total $4 million each in 2028 and 29, $7.2 million annually from 2030-32, $17.2 million in 2033, $90.2 million in 2034, $98.95 million a year from 2035-37, $100.95 million in 2038 and 39, $98.75 million in 2040, $93.75 million annually from 2041-43, $20.75 million in 2044 and $7.25 million a year in 2045 and 46.Los Angeles must fund the deferred money in an amount equal to its present-day value by the second July 1 following the season in which it is earned, according to MLBs collective bargaining agreement.Hernndez received a $23 million signing bonus payable on Feb. 1 as part of the deal announced by the World Series champions on Jan. 3.His agreement includes salaries of $10 million this year, $12 million in 2026 and $14.5 million in 2027. The Dodgers will defer $7.5 million from this year and $8 million in each in 2026 and 27, and that $23.5 million will be paid in 10 equal installments each Dec. 1 from 2030-39.Scotts deferred money is due in a dozen $1.75 million payments each Dec. 1 from 2035-46.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of France's President Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP)2025-02-25T20:21:43Z PARIS (AP) The meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump was a spectacle of thigh-patting, prolonged hand-holding and other touch-heavy displays that have become a signature of their public appearances.It was another chapter in a relationship where physicality has often spoken louder than words as the two men have engaged in an unusual degree of touch since their first meeting early in Trumps first term.At the rendezvous Monday at the White House, Macron executed his signature maneuver: praise laced with correction. Calling Trump Dear Donald four times in a single news conference, he underscored their shared goals, particularly on Ukraine. But when Trump declared that Europe would get their money back for supporting Kyiv, Macron gently corrected him, explaining that allies had given more than loans. A smiling Macron patted Trumps forearm and thigh and countered: We provided real money.When Trump mused about government employees who dont even exist, Macrons eyebrows lifted in an expression that flickered between curiosity and skepticism. But when Trump turned to him and proposed a visit to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there, because maybe someone stole the gold, Macron laughed. It was a moment of shared bonhomie, with Macron instinctively mirroring his American counterparts demeanor.As Trump pivoted to praising Elon Musk and floated the idea of withholding pay from federal employees who failed to respond to an inquiry from Musks Department of Government Efficiency, Macrons expression shifted again, his amusement fading into something more measured. The politics of touch Theirs is a relationship best understood not in words, but in gestures.Perhaps the most revealing moment came when Trump became irked by Macron slipping into French. Trump cut him off with a compliment: That is the most beautiful language, followed by a firm thigh pat. An unfazed Macron then placed his hand atop Trumps.Nothing sums up their connection better than a prolonged, almost 30-second handshake in 2017, when Macron acknowledged he wanted to prove he was no pushover. With their knuckles turned white and jaws clenched, Trump tried to pull away, only to find Macron holding firm.That first grip battle set the tone for the relationship that followed part power play, part theater.When Trump visited Paris for Bastille Day in 2017, Macron turned a day of national pride into a grand Franco-American showcase, dazzling Trump with a military parade and a carefully staged series of handshakes. One particularly revealing moment saw Trump yanking Macron off balance, clinging to his hand even as they greeted their wives.Gestures have become more refined over timeNow their physical exchanges are more refined. The handshakes still linger a second too long and look like something between camaraderie and control.At one point on Monday, Trump slapped Macrons arm half-friendly, half-assertive before seizing his hand. They burst into hearty laughter.Hes a smart customer, Trump said, after suggesting Macron had once twisted a conversation they had at the Eiffel Tower by speaking in French, which Trump could not understand. Their hands remained clasped, a near-fist-like grip stretching just past the moment of comfort. Then, as if recalibrating the balance, Macron placed a hand on Trumps thigh.Macron and Trump have perfected the political pas de deux. And in the high-stakes world of diplomacy, sometimes a well-placed pat says more than words ever could. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

France's President Emmanuel Macron, from second left, speaks with President Donald Trump as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio react during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP)2025-02-25T19:59:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Washington seeking to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to stand by Europes side in his talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine. As Macron left the White House, he called the meeting a turning point yet Trump made no promises.Macron was the first European leader to visit Trump since his reelection, aiming to capitalize on their friendship to urge Trump not to be weak in dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Trumps recent statements that echo Putins narrative and plans to have direct negotiations with Moscow have left European allies and Ukrainian officials worried. Following Mondays meeting, Macron praised Trumps move towards Putin in an interview on Fox News, saying it may lead to a truce between Russia and Ukraine in the coming weeks. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine, Macron said.We want peace swiftly, but we dont want an agreement that is weak, Macron said earlier in a joint news conference with Trump. Any deal with Russia, Macron insisted, must be able to be assessed, checked and verified. Asked at the news conference by an Associated Press reporter what makes Trump believe he can trust Putin in negotiations about Ukraine, Trump answered, I may be wrong, but I believe he wants to make a deal. Macron is known for his bold diplomatic moves.In February last year, he was the first European leader to publicly consider sending Western troops to Ukraine. In December, as he welcomed Trump to Paris to celebrate the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, he hastily arranged a three-way meeting at the Elysee Palace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And last week, he called an emergency meeting of key EU leaders and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who is scheduled to meet with Trump Thursday to insist Europeans have a say in talks to end the war in Ukraine. Macron, who came into office in 2017, is one of the few leaders who got to know Trump during his first term. We call each other several times a week, Macron told the French online news channel HugoDcrypte, according to excerpts released Tuesday. Even if it doesnt have an immediate impact, this allows us to know each others thinking.Their friendly relations were reflected Monday in Macrons gentle correction, hand on Trumps arm, to make clear that Europeans gave real money to Ukraine, not just loans.Macron did not come to Washington empty handed. He repeatedly said he would push to boost French and European defense spending, in response to one of Trumps most insistent demands. He also voiced support for Trumps push to make a deal for access to Ukraines valuable mineral resources, which he described as a sign of very strong American involvement. Paris, like Kyiv, sees the deal as a way to secure long-term U.S. support for Ukraines sovereignty.Trump said he agreed with the possibility to deploy European security forces in Ukraine once a peace deal is achieved.But he didnt make any promises regarding Ukraines sovereignty or Europes security. SYLVIE CORBET Corbet is an Associated Press reporter based in Paris. She covers French politics, diplomacy and defense as well as gender issues and breaking news. twitter

A damaged apartment building is seen after a Russian guided aircraft bomb attack in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)2025-02-25T21:29:24Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine and the U.S. have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include the exploitation of rare earth minerals, three senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. The officials, who were familiar with the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. One of them said that Kyiv hopes that signing the agreement will ensure the continued flow of U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs.There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement could be signed as early as Friday and plans are being drawn up for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Washington to meet Trump, according to one of the Ukrainian officials.Another official said the agreement would provide an opportunity for Zelenskyy and Trump to discuss continued military aid to Ukraine, which is why Kyiv is eager to finalize the deal. HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto

The air traffic control tower stands at Chicago's Midway International Airport, March 12, 2013. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)2025-02-25T19:43:10Z CHICAGO (AP) Pilots on a Southwest Airlines flight attempting to land at Chicagos Midway Airport were forced to climb back into the sky to avoid another aircraft crossing the runway on Tuesday morning. Airport webcam video posted to X shows the Southwest plane approaching a runway just before 9 a.m. Tuesday before its nose abruptly pulls up. A smaller jet is seen crossing the runway that the passenger plane was set to use. Southwest Flight 2504 safely landed after the crew performed a precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with another aircraft that entered the runway, an airline spokesperson said in an email. The crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident.Audio recording of communication between the crew and the tower includes the ground tower employee breaking off mid-message to the plane. AP AUDIO: Southwest Airlines flight abruptly rises to avoid another plane crossing Chicago runway Sound of air traffic control tower in Chicagos Midway Airport communicating with pilot of Southwest Airlines flight 2504 COURTESY: LiveATC.net. The pilot then said Southwest 2504 going around and followed directions to climb back to 3,000 feet.Seconds later, the audio captures the pilot asking the tower: Southwest 2504, howd that happen?The second plane, described as a business jet, entered the runway without authorization, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flexjet, the planes owner, said the company is aware of the occurrence in Chicago.Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards and we are conducting a thorough investigation, a spokesperson said in a statement. Any action to rectify and ensure the highest safety standards will be taken. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board say they are investigating the incident.The Southwest Flight was en route to Midway Airport from Omaha, Nebraska, according to FlightAware.John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member, said the near-crash shows the system worked exactly as it was designed to.That is because the Southwest pilot was aware that the other plane wasnt going to stop in time, he said. In probing the incident, investigators will likely look at factors including how well-staffed the tower was and whether instructions coming out of the tower were clear, he said.Those things do happen, he said, citing possible miscommunication, including a pilot mishearing instructions.The past few weeks have seen four major aviation disasters in North America. They include the Feb. 6 crash of a commuter plane in Alaska that killed all 10 people on board and the Jan. 26 midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight at Washingtons Ronald Reagan National Airport that killed all 67 aboard the two aircraft.A medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed Jan. 31 into a Philadelphia neighborhood. That crash killed seven people, including all those aboard, and injured 19 others.Twenty-one people were injured Feb. 17 when a Delta flight flipped and landed on its roof at Torontos Pearson Airport.___Williams reported from Detroit. Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu contributed to this report. KATHLEEN FOODY Technology and breaking news twitter mailto

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-25T19:07:45Z The White House said Tuesday that its officials will determine which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close a sharp break from a century of tradition in which a pool of independently chosen news organizations go where the chief executive does and hold him accountable on behalf of regular Americans.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the changes would rotate traditional outlets from the group and include some streaming services. Leavitt cast the change as a modernization of the press pool, saying the move would be more inclusive and restore access back to the American people who elected Trump. But media experts said the move raised troubling First Amendment issues because the president is choosing who covers him. The White House press team, in this administration, will determine who gets to enjoy the very privileged and limited access in spaces such as Air Force One and the Oval Office, Leavitt said at a daily briefing. She added at another point: A select group of D.C.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly of press access at the White House. Leavitt said the White House will double down on its decision to bar The Associated Press from many presidential events, a departure from the time-tested and sometimes contentious practice for more than a century of a pool of journalists from every platform sharing the presidents words and activities with news outlets and congressional offices that cant attend the close-quarter events. Traditionally, the members of the pool decide who goes in small spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. Its beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925, Leavitt said. There are First Amendment implicationsThe change said one expert on presidents and the press, is a dangerous move for democracy.It means the president can pick and choose who covers the executive branch, ignoring the fact that it is the American people who through their taxes pay for the running of the White House, the presidents travels and the press secretarys salary, Jon Marshall, a media history professor at Northwestern University and author of Clash: Presidents and the Press in Times of Crisis.Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents Association, said the organization consistently expands its membership and pool rotations to facilitate the inclusion of new and emerging outlets.This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president, Daniels said in a statement. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps. It comes in the context of a federal lawsuitLeavitt spoke a day after a federal judge refused to immediately order the White House to restore the APs access to many presidential events. The news outlet, citing the First Amendment, sued Leavitt and two other White House officials for barring the AP from some presidential events over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America as Trump ordered. AP has said its style would retain the Gulf of Mexico name but also would note Trumps decision. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden said said the AP had not demonstrated it had suffered irreparable harm. But he urged the Trump administration to reconsider its two-week-old ban, saying that case law in the circuit is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.McFaddens decision was only for the moment, however. He told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling. Another hearing was scheduled for late March.The AP Stylebook is used by international audiences as well as those within the United States. The AP has said that its guidance was offered to promote clarity.Another Trump executive order to change the name of the United States largest mountain back to Mount McKinley from Denali is being recognized by the AP Stylebook. Trump has the authority to do so because the mountain is completely within the country he oversees, AP has said. LAURIE KELLMAN Kellman has covered U.S. politics and foreign affairs for the Associated Press, including 23 years reporting from Washington and three from Jerusalem. She is based in London. twitter facebook mailto

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-24T20:59:47Z KINSHASA, Congo (AP) An unknown illness first discovered in three children who ate a bat has rapidly killed more than 50 people in northwestern Congo over the past five weeks, health experts say.The interval between the onset of symptoms which include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding and death has been 48 hours in most cases and thats whats really worrying, said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center.These hemorrhagic fever symptoms are commonly linked to known deadly viruses, such as Ebola, dengue, Marburg and yellow fever, but researchers have ruled these out based on tests of more than a dozen samples collected so far.The latest disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on Jan. 21, with 419 cases recorded and 53 deaths. AP AUDIO: A mystery illness in Congo has killed more than 50 people hours after they felt sick AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports an unknown illness has killed over 50 people in northwestern Congo, according to doctors on the ground and the World Health Organization. The outbreak began in the village of Boloko after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours, the Africa office of the World Health Organization said Monday. There have long been concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where wild animals are popularly eaten. The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, the WHO said in 2022. After the second outbreak of the mystery disease began in the village of Bomate on Feb. 9, samples from 13 cases were sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congos capital, Kinshasa, for testing, the WHO said. All samples were negative for common hemorrhagic fever diseases, although some tested positive for malaria.Last year, another mystery flu-like illness that killed dozens of people in another part of Congo was determined likely to be malaria. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

People listen to speakers during a rally against Elon Musk outside the Treasury Department in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-25T23:14:14Z The acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency is a low-profile executive who has expertise in health care technology and worked in the first Trump administration.The White House on Tuesday afternoon identified Amy Gleason as the acting leader of DOGE, which has been pushing agencies to fire employees, cancel contracts and make other budget cuts.Although DOGEs cuts have been championed by billionaire Elon Musk and his associates, the White House has insisted that Musk is overseeing the effort as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, not a DOGE employee.The identity of who was technically running DOGE had been a mystery, even though an executive order signed by Trump last month called for the appointment of an administrator to report to the White House. A government lawyer on Monday told a judge that he didnt know who that person was, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had declined to identify the person earlier Tuesday in a press briefing. There are career officials and there are political appointees who are helping run DOGE on a day-to-day basis, she said. Gleason, 53, worked from 2018 through 2021 in the United States Digital Service, an agency that has been renamed the US DOGE Service, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that role, she worked with the White House on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. She returned to the agency in January after Trump took office. DOGE and Gleason did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. More than 20 members of the former digital service resigned Tuesday with a letter criticizing Musk for working to dismantle critical public services.In the interim, she had been working as chief product officer at two small Nashville-based health care startups, Russell Street Ventures and Main Street Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. Both companies were founded by health care entrepreneur Brad Smith, who worked in the first Trump administration in several key health care roles and has also been working on the DOGE initiative.Russell Street Ventures website has recently been deleted, but the company has called itself an innovative healthcare firm focused on launching and scaling companies that serve some of the nations most vulnerable and underserved patient populations.Main Street Health says it works with primary care physicians in rural areas to provide clinics with the data and opportunities they need to succeed in value-based care.The companys website deleted Gleasons biography. But an archived version shows that it said she spearheaded technology efforts for the federal COVID-19 response and worked on projects with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Gleason also has a consulting firm, Gleason Strategies, according to her LinkedIn profile.Gleason has long been an advocate to cure a condition called juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that can cause muscle weakness and a skin rash in children. It affects her now-adult daughter. Gleason shared her frustrations with how the health care system handles such diseases in a 2020 TED talk and called for technology and data changes that could help patients and doctors.She worked as vice president for research at the Cure JM Foundation from 2014 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was also a co-founder and executive at Care Sync, a telehealth company based in Florida.___Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa. RYAN J. FOLEY Foley covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Iowa City, Iowa. A 20-year AP veteran, hes known for investigative reporting and using open records laws to obtain information. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)2025-02-25T21:53:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) A satellite company owned by Elon Musk has the inside track to potentially take over a large federal contract to modernize the nations air traffic communications system. Equipment from Musks Starlink has been installed in Federal Aviation Administration facilities as a prelude to a takeover of a $2 billion contract held by Verizon, according to government employees, contractors and people familiar with the work.Musk said that the network used by air traffic controllers is aging and requires drastic and quick action to modernize it.The Verizon system is not working and so is putting air travelers at serious risk, Musk on Monday posted on X, the social media site he has owned since 2022. The emergence of Starlink as a potential replacement for the Verizon-led effort underscores the extraordinary conflicts of interest inherent in Musks position as both a senior White House adviser to President Donald Trump and a business mogul in charge of a sprawling array of companies. It is not clear what role Musk might be playing in helping Starlink parent company SpaceX win such business. Theres very limited transparency, said Jessica Tillipman, a contracting law expert at George Washington University. Referring to Musk, she said: Without that transparency, we have no idea how much non-public information he has access to or what role hes playing in what contracts are being awarded. Former FAA officials also told The Associated Press that they were alarmed at the prospect of Starlink being used as a critical part of the nations aviation system without adequate testing, review and debate about its benefits and drawbacks. SpaceX is angling to use its constellation of satellites to replace an aging ground-based communications system that facilitates the FAAs text and voice communication, the sources said. The Verizon contract, awarded in 2023, was to update part of that system to a more modern standard relying on fiber optic cables. Contracting records show that nearly $200 million in work has already been done on Verizons 15-year modernization effort to update the FAAs communications system. A Verizon representative said the company is unaware that the contract is being amended or terminated. The FAA announced on X on Monday that the agency is testing a Starlink terminal at its facility in Atlantic City and two terminals at non-safety critical sites in Alaska. Terminals are ground-based receivers that connect devices or computers to orbiting satellites. Another FAA contractor, L3 Harris, confirmed it was responsible for acquiring and testing Starlink terminals for incorporation into the FAAs telecommunications infrastructure network. An L3 Harris spokesperson said the company has been working with SpaceX on the initiative for many months.Bloomberg News reported earlier about the FAA installing Starlink terminals at its facilities.Details about SpaceX employees deployed to work on the project are unclear, but three of its software developers appeared on a Trump administration list of government workers given ethics waivers to do work that could benefit Musks company. Government ethics laws require that people who could profit from government work either recuse themselves from specific projects or first sell their financial holdings or sever ties with the company that could benefit. Waivers can be granted by the heads of government departments or other officials, but only in limited circumstances.Ted Malaska, a senior director of application software at SpaceX, got a waiver along with two software engineers, Brady Glantz and Thomas Kiernan, according to the waiver list and LinkedIn profiles. The AP could not determine if the three are still working for SpaceX or the precise nature of work for the federal government.Malaska posted on social media on Thursday that he had been meeting at FAA headquarters with officials responsible for implementation of the telecommunications modernization.The FAA contract is not Musks only conflict. His acolytes have also taken over many of the operations at the General Services Administration, which controls real estate and contracting for numerous government agencies. GSA currently offers other agencies the ability to launch payloads through an existing SpaceX contract - putting the agency in a position to direct business toward Musk. The Department of Transportation regulates aspects of SpaceX and his electric car company Tesla. NASA and the Department of Defense are major customers of SpaceX. His brain-computer interface company Neuralink has regulatory issues in front of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ___AP writer Kimberly Kindy contributed from Washington. BYRON TAU Tau is an investigative reporter in the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Associated Press. He focuses on reporting stories about national security, law enforcement, technology and government accountability. He can be reached on Signal at byrontau.01 twitter mailto BERNARD CONDON Condon is an Associated Press investigative reporter covering breaking news. He has written about the Maui fire, the Afghanistan withdrawal, gun laws, Chinese loans in Africa and Trumps business. twitter facebook mailto

A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)2025-02-25T22:38:31Z BOSTON (AP) Sensitive financial and health data belonging to millions of veterans and stored on a benefits website is at risk of being stolen or otherwise compromised, according to a federal employee tasked with cybersecurity who was recently fired as part of massive government-wide cuts. The warning comes from Jonathan Kamens, who led cybersecurity efforts for VA.gov an online portal for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services used by veterans, their caregivers and families. Kamens was fired Feb. 14 and said he doesnt believe his role will be filled, leaving the site particularly vulnerable. Given how the government has been functioning for the last month, I dont think the people at VA ... are going to be able to replace me, Kamens told The Associated Press Monday evening. I think theyre going to be lacking essential oversight over cybersecurity processes for VA.gov. Kamens said he was hired over a year ago by the U.S. Digital Service, whose employees duties have been integrated into presidential adviser Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, which is leading the downsizing effort. Kamens was a digital services expert and the VA sites information security lead when he was fired by email at night, along with about 40 other USDS employees, he said. Millions of people use the VA.gov website monthly, Kamens said, and the department is responsible for securing private health and financial information including bank account numbers and credit card numbers. Others on the team will focus on protecting the site, but his expertise cant be replaced, he said, noting he was the only government employee with an engineering technical background working on cybersecurity. VA.gov has access to a huge number of databases within VA in order to provide all of those benefits and services to veterans, Kamens said. So if that information cant be kept secure, then all of that information is at risk and could be compromised by a bad actor. Peter Kasperowicz, a Veterans Affairs spokesman, said the loss of a single employee wouldnt affect operations, and noted that hundreds of cybersecurity workers are among the departments staff of nearly 470,000. Meanwhile, more than 20 civil service employees whod also previously worked for USDS resigned Tuesday from DOGE, saying they refused to use their technical expertise to dismantle critical public services. Kamens said he was required to have a background check and a drug test before he was allowed to access any system containing veterans data. He said he doesnt understand why Musk and DOGE shouldnt have to jump through the same hoops. I dont think they should have access to that data, Kamens said. These are people who have never been background-checked. Theyre not confirmed to be trustworthy.Kamens also said hes worried that DOGE is trying to break down the walls of decentralization that have kept data isolated in individual agencies. Centralization, he said, could increase the chances for abuse. He also described confusion since DOGE became involved people didnt know who their manager was, work became isolated, and people were frozen out. The only motive that I can think of, Kamens said, is exactly because they want to be able to use that data to harm citizens that they perceive as enemies of the state.____Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A woman looks at photos of slain hostages (bottom row, L-R) Ariel Bibas, his mother Shiri, his brother, Kfir and Oded Lifshitz, right, that are displayed in the dining hall at Kibbutz Nir Oz, in southern Israel, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)2025-02-25T23:13:07Z JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli and Hamas officials said Tuesday they have reached an agreement to exchange the bodies of dead hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, keeping their fragile ceasefire intact for at least a few more days.Israel has delayed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it says is the cruel treatment of hostages during their release by Hamas. The militant group has said the delay is a serious violation of their ceasefire and that talks on a second phase are not possible until they are freed.The deadlock had threatened to collapse the ceasefire when the current six-week first phase of the deal expires this weekend.But late Tuesday, Hamas said an agreement had been reached to resolve the dispute during a visit to Cairo by a delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya, a top political official in the group. The breakthrough appeared to clear the way for the return of the bodies of four more dead hostages and hundreds of additional prisoners scheduled to be released under the ceasefire.The prisoners previously slated for release will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners who were agreed to be handed over, along with the release of a new set of Palestinian prisoners, the Hamas statement said. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed an agreement to bring home the bodies in the coming days. He gave no further details. But Israeli media reports said the exchange could take place as soon as Wednesday. The Ynet news site said the Israeli bodies would be handed over to Egyptian authorities without any public ceremony. Hamas has released hostages, and the bodies of four dead hostages, in large public ceremonies during which the Israelis were paraded and forced to wave to large crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have said the ceremonies were humiliating to the hostages, and Israel last weekend delayed the scheduled prisoner release in protest. The latest agreement would complete both sides obligations of the first phase of the ceasefire during which Hamas is returning 33 hostages including eight bodies in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. It also could clear the way for an expected visit by the White Houses Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the region. Witkoff, who is expected in the region in the coming days, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas are to be released and an end to the war is to be negotiated. The Phase 2 talks were supposed to begin weeks ago, but never did. The ceasefire, brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of heavy fighting that erupted after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 people hostage.Israels military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gazas population and decimated the territorys infrastructure and health system. The Hamas-run Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but it says that over half of the dead have been women and children.___Sewell reported from Beirut. ABBY SEWELL Sewell is the Associated Press news director for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. She joined the AP in 2022 but has been based in the region since 2016, reporting and guiding coverage on some of its most significant news stories. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi smiles during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)2025-02-25T22:35:01Z PHOENIX (AP) Diana Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers in womens basketball history.The WNBAs career scoring leader and a three-time league champion, Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday in an interview with Time magazine. The Phoenix Mercury the only WNBA team she played for also confirmed her decision.Mentally and physically, Im just full, Taurasi told Time. Thats probably the best way I can describe it. Im full and Im happy.With her taut hair bun and supreme confidence, Taurasi inspired a generation of players while racking up records and championships.Taurasi led UConn to three straight national titles from 2001-04 and kept on winning after the Mercury selected her with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 WNBA draft.Its hard to put into words, it really is, what this means. When someones defined the game, when someones had such an impact on so many people and so many places. You cant define it with a quote, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. Its a life that is a novel, its a movie, its a miniseries, its a saga. Its the life of an extraordinary person who, I think, had as much to do with changing womens basketball as anyone whos ever played the game. The 42-year-old won her sixth Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games and finishes her WNBA career with 10,646 points, nearly 3,000 more than second-place Tina Charles. I thank Diana for everything that she has brought to the WNBA her passion, her charisma and, most of all, her relentless dedication to the game, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. She leaves a lasting legacy and the future of the WNBA is in a great position because of her impact, that will be felt for generations to come. In addition to her three WNBA championships with the Mercury, Taurasi won six Euroleague championships while playing year-round most of her career. She was the 2009 WNBA MVP and is one of four players to earn WNBA Finals MVP honors more than once (2009, 2014). Diana is the greatest to have ever played the game. Ive been a fan of her my entire life, she is the ultimate leader and teammate, Mercury owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement. Shes had an incredible impact on our franchise, our community and the game of basketball. Her name is synonymous with the Phoenix Mercury and she will forever be part of our family.Taurasi made the all-WNBA first team 10 times and was on the first or second team a record 14 times. Shes also an 11-time WNBA All-Star, four-time USA Basketball female athlete of the year and was the 2004 WNBA rookie of the year.In my opinion, what the greats have in common is, they transcend the sport and become synonymous with the sport, Auriemma said. For as long as people talk about college basketball, WNBA basketball, Olympic basketball, Diana is the greatest winner in the history of basketball, period. Ive had the pleasure of being around her for a lot of those moments, and shes the greatest teammate Ive ever coached. The Glendale, California, native holds numerous WNBA records, including playoff scoring, field goals, 3-pointers and 30-point games. She also holds 16 Mercury records. Now that shes retired, Taurasi will be able to spend more time with her wife, Penny Taylor a former Mercury teammate and their two children. For her career, Taurasi averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds. She averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists while leading the Mercury to the playoffs during her 20th season.I mean, she just scored at all three levels, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon said. Just nasty out there. Just had that nasty, which I love. Like, you love that as a competitor. So our league is going to miss her.___Feinberg reported from New York.___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

A TV screen shows footage of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's address at the final hearing of his trial during a news program at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joo)2025-02-25T15:14:34Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) In a final statement at his impeachment trial, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree that plunged the country into chaos as a bid to inform the public of the danger of the opposition-controlled parliament as he vowed Tuesday to push for political reform if reinstated.Yoon spoke at the Constitutional Court as it wrapped up arguments in his impeachment trial. The court is expected to rule by mid-March on whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate his presidential powers.The liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached Yoon, a conservative, after his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law decree caused political turmoil, rattled its financial markets and hurt its international image. He has been separately arrested and indicted on rebellion charges in connection with his decree. If convicted, he would face the death penalty or life imprisonment. Yoon has denied any wrongdoing and blamed the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which obstructed his agenda, impeached many senior officials and slashed key parts of the governments budget bill, for the political crisis. During his marital law announcement, Yoon called the assembly a den of criminals and anti-state forces. The reason why I declared martial law was because of desperation as I could no longer neglect a do-or-die crisis facing this country, Yoon said. I tried to inform the people of these anti-state acts of wickedness by the mammoth opposition party and appealed to the people to stop it with intense surveillance and criticism. After declaring martial law, Yoon sent troops and police officers to the assembly, but enough lawmakers still managed to enter an assembly chamber to vote down Yoons decree unanimously, forcing his Cabinet to lift it. Yoon reiterated Tuesday that he had no intentions of disrupting assembly work and that deploying troops and police was meant to maintain order. But some commanders of military units sent to the assembly have testified that Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to prevent them from overturning his decree. During the hearing, Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rai said that Yoon must be dismissed as he undermined the constitution by trying to seal the assembly and suppress its authority with armed troops. Jung also said Yoons imposition of martial law disturbed public order because South Korea wasnt in an emergency that required such a drastic step.Yoon Suk Yeol is still refusing to have self-reflection and soul-searching and repeating sophistry and crafty remarks that say his emergency martial law was a high-level act of governance, Jung said. We should dismiss him as soon as possible to get the Republic of Korea back on track.Massive rallies by opponents and supporters of Yoon have divided the streets of Seoul and other major South Korean cities. Whatever the Constitutional Court decides, experts say it will likely further polarize the country and intensify its conservative-liberal divide. If Yoon is formally thrown out of office, a national election must take place within two months to find his successor. During more than an hour of testimony Tuesday, Yoon said that he would push for political reforms and a constitutional revision to change the current presidential system if he regains his presidential powers. He also suggested stepping down before his single five-year term ends in 2027 to promote political reform.Its unclear whether and how Yoons statement could affect the courts ruling. South Korea adopted the current system that limits a president to a single five-year term in 1987, following decades of military-backed dictatorships. After Yoons martial law stunt, there have been calls to change it. Some favor a parliamentary Cabinet system, others want a U.S.-style setup in which a president can run for a second four-year term or a system in which a president and prime minister split key responsibilities. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-26T03:04:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is creating a registry for all people who are in the United States illegally, and those who dont self-report could face fines or prosecution, immigration officials announced Tuesday.Everyone who is in the U.S. illegally must register, give fingerprints and provide an address, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It cited a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act the complex immigration law as justification for the registration process, which would apply to anyone 14 and older. The announcement comes as the administration seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally and seal the border to future asylum-seekers.An aliens failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both, the statement said. For decades, this law has been ignored not anymore. On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would soon create a form and process for registration. In one of his 10 inauguration day executive orders related to immigration, President Donald Trump initially outlined plans for creating a registry and required that Homeland Security immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply. It was not immediately clear how many people living in the country illegally would voluntarily come forward and give the federal government information about who they are and where theyre living. But failure to register would be considered a crime, and the administration has said its initial priority target for deportation is people whove committed crimes in the U.S. The National Immigration Law Center, an immigration advocacy group, said in a posting on its website before the Tuesday night announcement that the Alien Registration Act of 1940 is the only time the U.S. government carried out a comprehensive campaign to require all noncitizens to register. The organization said under that process, people had to go to their local post office to register, and the goal was to identify potential national security threats broadly characterized as communist or subversive. The group warned that the registry was meant to help find potential targets for deportation. Any attempt by the Trump administration to create a registration process for noncitizens previously unable to register would be used to identify and target people for detention and deportation, the organization said. 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

Retired United States Agency for International Development worker Julie Hanson Swanson, left, join supporters of USAID workers outside the USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian affairs office in Washington, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-25T18:47:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, saying the administration had given no sign of complying with his nearly two-week-old court order to ease its funding freeze.The lawsuit was filed by nonprofit organizations over the cutoff of foreign assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development and State Department, which followed a Jan. 20 executive order by President Donald Trump targeting what he portrayed as wasteful programs that do not correspond to his foreign policy goals. Nonprofit groups and businesses that receive federal money for work abroad said the freeze breaks federal law and has shut down funding for even the most urgent life-saving programs abroad. Those USAID and State partners say the administration has stiffed them on hundreds of millions of dollars in money already owed, forcing them to lay off tens of thousands of staffers and pushing some organizations toward financial ruin. U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali on Feb. 13 had ordered the administration at least temporarily to get funding flowing again, including to make good on its bills. Despite the order, USAID staffers and the businesses and nonprofit groups say they know of no payments that have gotten through. Im not sure why I cant get a straight answer from you on this: Are you aware of an unfreezing of the disbursement of funds for those contracts and agreements that were frozen before Feb. 13, the judge asked Indraneel Sur, the lawyer for the government. Are you aware of steps taken to actually release those funds? Im not in a position to answer that, Sur said.The case had been brought by the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council, representing health organizations receiving U.S. funds for work abroad. They had asked Ali to find the Trump administration in contempt of his earlier order. Its the second time a judge has found the Trump administration did not follow a court order. U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island also found this month that the administration had not fully unfrozen federal grants and loans within the U.S., even after he blocked sweeping plans for a pause on trillions of dollars in government spending. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter

A general view of a fishing port at Kubura village on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)2025-02-26T03:05:32Z YONAGUNI, Japan (AP) This tiny island on Japans western frontier has no convenience store. Nature lovers can dive with hammerhead sharks and watch miniature horses graze on a hill. But the wooded mountain ranges now carry radar sites. A southern cattle ranch has been replaced with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces Camp Yonaguni. Japan and its ally, the United States, hold joint military exercises here. Plans are underway to add a new missile unit and expand a small airport and port.All of the buildup has cemented the islands as a front line in a potential clash over Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that China claims as its own. Wild horses roam on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Wild horses roam on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Radar towers set up by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) stand on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Radar towers set up by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) stand on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More As a child, I was so proud of this westernmost border island, said Fumie Kano, an innkeeper on Yonaguni. But recently, we are repeatedly told this place is dangerous, and I feel so sad. The militarization has been especially felt as the islands population shrinks. There are less than 1,500 local residents. Supporters say new servicemembers arriving are needed for the islands safety and struggling economy. Opponents like Kano say the military buildup is damaging the environment, making the islands economy dependent on the military and could provoke an attack. On the front line A Japanese flag flutters in the wind inside the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) base on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) A Japanese flag flutters in the wind inside the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) base on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Yonaguni is only 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Taiwan, around which China has bolstered military activity. Worried about a conflict, Japan has made a southwestern shift in its military posture and accelerated defense buildup and spending around the front line.Missile units for PAC-3 interceptors have been deployed on Yonaguni and nearby Ishigaki and Miyako islands. Yonaguni residents find themselves at the center of the geopolitical tension. A recent government plan to deploy more missiles, possibly long-range, has caused unease about the future of the island, even among those who initially supported hosting troops. Kano, a Yonaguni native, recalls that officials and residents once wanted to improve the economy and environment through commercial exchanges with Taiwan by operating direct ferries between the islands. But that was set aside when a plan to host Japanese troops became an easier alternative to gain government subsidies and protection. Kyoko Yamaguchi, left, Fumie Kano, center, and Takako Ueno, who oppose the presence of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) base on Yonaguni island, gather for an interview with the AP at Kanos inn in Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Kyoko Yamaguchi, left, Fumie Kano, center, and Takako Ueno, who oppose the presence of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) base on Yonaguni island, gather for an interview with the AP at Kanos inn in Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Disagreement about the plan has divided the small community. Support for hosting Japanese troops carried in a 2015 referendum; that meant the islands fate would be largely decided by the central governments security policy.A year later a 160-member coast watch unit was set up to monitor Chinese military activity, with radars built on Mount Inbi and elsewhere. Now there are about 210 troops, including an electro-warfare unit. Servicemembers and their families account for one-fifth of the islands total population.The local economy largely depends on the servicemembers and their families who use local shops, schools and community services.Theres worry on the island about the pace and extent of the militarization, says Kyoko Yamaguchi, a potter. Everything is pushed through in the name of the Taiwan emergency, and many feel this is too much. A nonfatal crash in October of a Japanese army tilt-rotor aircraft Osprey during a joint exercise with the U.S. military on the island also caused apprehension. Japan and China build their militariesJapans air and maritime forces in Okinawas prefectural capital of Naha are key to protecting the countrys southwestern airspace and territorial waters. The Naha-based Southwestern Air Defense Force is the busiest of Japans four regional air forces. In fiscal 2023, the force was scrambled 401 times, or 60% of the national total of 669, mostly against the Chinese, according to the Defense Ministry.Rear Adm. Takuhiro Hiragi, commander of Fleet Air Wing 5 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, says his groups mission is to fly P-3C aircraft over the East China Sea near Okinawa and its remote islands, including Yonaguni, and the Japanese-controlled Senkaku island, which Beijing also claims.We have to be mobile, quick and thorough to keep tabs in this region, Hiragi said, noting the presence of key sea lanes in the area, including those that China uses to navigate the Pacific Ocean. We watch over their exercises, not only near Taiwan but wherever necessary. Defense officials say China has been accelerating its military activities in the area between Taiwan and Yonaguni.In August, a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane briefly violated Japanese airspace off the southern main island of Kyushu, prompting Japans military to scramble fighter jets and warn the plane. A Chinese survey ship separately violated Japanese territorial waters off a southern island days later. In September, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and two destroyers sailed between Yonaguni and nearby Iriomote, entering a band of water just outside of Japans territorial waters. Growing fearYonaguni fisherfolk, who closely monitor foreign vessels, have been among the first to see the growing Chinese military activity. In 2022, several ballistic missiles China fired as part of an exercise landed off Japans southwestern waters following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis Taiwan visit in August. One of them landed just 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Yonaguni while more than 20 local fishing boats were operating. Shigenori Takenishi, the head of the fisheries cooperative, stands beside a hanging swordfish during an interview on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi) Shigenori Takenishi, the head of the fisheries cooperative, stands beside a hanging swordfish during an interview on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Though it caused no injuries or damage, the Chinese drills kept fisherfolk from operating for a week, Yonaguni fisheries association chief and town assembly member Shigenori Takenishi said. It was an extremely dangerous exercise that really made us feel Chinas potential threat right next to us. Fear of a Taiwan war rekindles bitter memories here of the Battle of Okinawa, in which about 200,000 people, nearly half of them civilians, were killed. Historians say the army sacrificed Okinawa to defend Japans mainland. Today Okinawa s main island hosts more than half of the 50,000 American troops in Japan. A fishing boat returns from a catch on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) A fishing boat returns from a catch on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Being at the center of this issue is very stressful for residents, said shopkeeper Takako Ueno. I dont want people to imagine this beautiful island turning into a battlefield. To keep that from happening Yonaguni needs to be fortified, says Mayor Kenichi Itokazu, a military buildup advocate who has campaigned for the deployment of more Japanese troops for decades.What happens in an emergency? Some residents feel uneasy about their vulnerability, even amid the military buildup.A government evacuation plan last year showed moving 120,000 people from five remote islands, including Yonaguni, to Japans main islands would take at least six days. Some question whether such an evacuation is even possible.Itokazu, the mayor, wants to build a shelter in the basement of a new town hall and to expand the Higawa port for evacuation by ship, a plan opposed by environmentalists who say there are rare marine species there. Yonaguni Mayor Kenichi Itokazu talks during an interview with the AP on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi) Yonaguni Mayor Kenichi Itokazu talks during an interview with the AP on Yonaguni, a tiny island on Japans western frontier, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More But theres skepticism from some. Its absurd, Kano said of the evacuation plan, because all of Japan would be in danger if Okinawa is dragged into fighting. I just hope the money will be spent on policies that will help the people in Yonaguni live peacefully.___Associated Press video journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report from Yonaguni.

Sebastian Padrn, from La Plata, Argentina, poses in his ice cream in Rome, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Paolo Santalucia)2025-02-26T03:41:23Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis was a frequent visitor to Rome long before he became pope, and over time found his favorite shops and artisans who are now pulling for him as he battles double pneumonia.The pope is by now a friend, a beloved person for me, not a customer, said Francis optician, Alessandro Spiezia. I am praying for his recovery.Francis occasional unannounced visits to Spiezias shop, on the tony Via del Babuino near Piazza del Popolo, often created mob scenes as tourists and Romans alike realized the pope was inside.Francis has popped in a few times since becoming pope in 2013 to get new lenses for his glasses, arriving in a simple Ford or Fiat with minimal security detail and waving to well-wishers as he came and went.The Argentine pope also has his favorite ice cream flavors, and a shop near his Vatican hotel has catered for years to his sweet tooth. When Argentine ice cream maker Sebastian Padrn opened his gelato laboratory around the corner from the Santa Marta hotel, his dulce de leche ice cream, a typical Argentine caramel dessert, became the popes favorite.He called me on the phone after COVID to invite me, Padrn told The Associated Press. He wanted to meet me since he had been eating our ice cream for a few years. We went with my family, we talked to him for a long time. A very nice meeting, very friendly, very simple, as if we were neighbors and as if we had known each other our whole lives. Padrn added: After we came to know of the hospitalization we sent him our greetings, and as he always says, we must pray for him, he said. A Vatican-area tailor also was following news of Francis hospitalization.We are all saddened and we all pray for the recovery of the pope, said Raniero Mancinelli, who sold the modest pectoral cross that Francis has been wearing for the past few decades.Before Francis papacy, Mancinelli sold lavish crosses set with gemstones to cardinals and bishops. But afterward, the clerical style shifted to simpler crosses made of silver, Mancinelli said. They are similar to the one that a bishop friend purchased in 1998 and later gave to the future pope, who at the time was archbishop of Buenos Aires. According to Mancinelli, the current cross that the pope still wears was bought in his shop.Francis immediately went on a much simpler and essential style, he explained as he cut the fabric for a bishops garment in his historic workshop, steps away from the Vatican.When he became pope in 2013, Francis decided not to live in the lavish, baroque papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peters Square, but to stay in an austere room at the Santa Marta hotel inside Vatican City.He has lamented that he cant walk around freely as he did when he lived in Buenos Aires, when he was known for taking public transportation.As an archbishop, Francis came to Rome frequently on periodic visits to the Vatican and frequented his favorite shops, including a record shop where he would stock up on his beloved classical music and tango. In 2022, when he went to bless the newly renovated shop and visit its owners, a Vatican reporter happened to be nearby and filmed him exiting. Francis later reached out and mused about the attention he draws during his local outings.I wont deny that it was (bad luck) that after taking all the precautions, there was a journalist waiting, Francis later wrote the journalist, Javier Martinez-Brocal. You cant lose your sense of humor. PAOLO SANTALUCIA Santalucia covers events throughout Southern Europe, Italy, the Mediterranean sea and the Vatican for The Associated Press based in Rome. instagram mailto

Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland, second right, speaks as Karina Gould, lfrom eft, Frank Baylis, and Mark Carney look on during the English-language Liberal Leadership debate in Montreal, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-02-26T04:17:14Z VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) The four candidates vying to become the next leader of Canadas Liberal party made the case during a debate Tuesday night why they are best suited to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.Former central banker Mark Carney, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, former government House leader Karina Gould and former Montreal-area Member of Parliament Frank Baylis all agreed Trumps tariff threats pose a danger to Canadas sovereignty.Carney, who is considered the frontrunner to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said his experience dealing with financial crises as the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England gives him an advantage.During a crisis its important to distinguish what you cant control, what you can control, he said. We cannot change Donald Trump, but we can control our economic destiny. Carney said he would gather the Canadian premiers together and fight back with dollar-for-dollar tariffs against the U.S. that would have a minimal impact on Canada.Freeland said she was part of the Canadian team that negotiated the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal during Trumps first administration. I have the experience, the plan and the guts to stand up to Trump, to tell him that Canada is not for sale, she said. If he hits us, well hit back.Freeland also favors retaliatory tariffs. She would target Florida orange juice and the Wisconsin dairy industry and would put a 100% tariff on Tesla vehicles coming into Canada. Trump said Monday his executive order to implement 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports, with a lower 10% levy on energy, would go ahead March 4.Trump also has irritated Canadians by saying Canada should become the 51st state.Baylis, a Montreal businessman, said he would meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and devise a unified strategy to deal with Trump. Were not going to let him take our jobs away and were going to be putting into place very intelligent counter tariffs, he said.Gould said she would spearhead a Team Canada approach in the U.S. to contact both business leaders and citizens.It is American citizens who are going to feel the impact of these tariffs and we need to let them know that is not Canadas decision, she said.Gould would encourage Canadians to stop traveling to Florida and also to stop buying Florida orange juice.Freelands surprise resignation in December prompted Trudeau to announce Jan. 6 he was stepping down as party leader and prime minister. The Liberals chose a new leader on March 9.The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the countrys history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes on March 24.A fifth Liberal leadership candidate was disqualified from the race. The party said former MP Ruby Dhalla was removed because she violated multiple rules.During the debate, the candidates also discussed topics such as improving Canadas health care system, affordability and improving the countrys military.A French language debate was also held Monday night in Montreal.