Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2025-03-12T04:51:45Z NEW YORK (AP) Wall Street got some relief Wednesday after an encouraging report said inflation slowed last month by more than expected, and the U.S. stock market is scraping back a chunk of its sharp losses from recent weeks.The S&P 500 was 1.2% higher in early trading, a day after it briefly fell more than 10% below its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 145 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2% higher. Companies in the artificial-intelligence industry were leading the way, after recently getting crushed by worries their prices had gone too stratospheric in the markets run to record after record in recent years. Nvidia climbed 6.4% to trim its loss for the year so far to 13.8%. Server-maker Super Micro Computer rallied 6.8%, and GE Vernova, which is helping to power AI data centers, rose 5.8%. Elon Musks Tesla, whose price had more than halved since mid-December, was heading toward its first back-to-back gain in a month. It added 7.8%.Its a respite for the stock market, which has been rocked in recent weeks by a barrage of on -again- off -again announcements on tariffs by President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, for example, Trump said he would double tariffs announced on Canadian steel and aluminum, only to walk it back later in the day after a Canadian province pledged to drop a retaliatory measure that had incensed Trump. The U.S. president still imposed on Wednesday 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum coming into the country, and trading partners around the world have already begun announcing their countermeasures. The European Union, for example, is targeting U.S. motorcycles and bourbon, along with steel and other products. The question hanging over Wall Street is how much pain Trump will let the economy endure through tariffs and other policies in order to get what he wants. Hes said he wants manufacturing jobs back in the United States, along with a smaller U.S. government workforce, more deportations and other things. Wednesdays inflation report gave some encouragement when worries are high that Trumps tariffs could drive prices even higher for U.S. households after U.S. importers pass on the costs to their customers. Its also good news for the Federal Reserve, which had been cutting interest rates last year to boost the economy before pausing this year. Worries had been rising about a worst-case scenario for the economy and for the Fed, one where growth was stagnating but inflation remained high. The Fed has no good tool to fix such stagflation because lower interest rates can push inflation higher. But even if Trump ultimately goes with milder tariffs than feared, damage could still be done. The dizzying, confusing rollout of tariffs has already begun sapping confidence among U.S. consumers and businesses by ramping up uncertainty. That in itself could cause U.S. households and businesses to pull back on spending, which would hurt the economy.Several retailers and airlines have said theyve already begun seeing a change in behavior among their customers. Caseys General Stores, the Ankeny, Iowa-based company that runs nearly 2,900 convenience stores in 20 states, offered some more encouragement, though. It reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected thanks in part to strength for sales of hot sandwiches and fuel. It also kept steady its forecast for upcoming revenue this year. Caseys stock rose 4.9%. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe after a mixed session in Asia. In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed to regain more of their losses from recent months sparked by worries about the U.S. economys strength. The 10-year Treasury rose to 4.31% from 4.28% late Tuesday and from 4.16% at the start of last week.___AP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama contributed.

College student and research subject Sam Srisatta eats a lunch of chicken nuggets and chips in his room during a study on the health effects of ultraprocessed foods at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-03-12T13:12:56Z BETHESDA, Md. (AP) Sam Srisatta, a 20-year-old Florida college student, spent a month living inside a government hospital here last fall, playing video games and allowing scientists to document every morsel of food that went into his mouth.From big bowls of salad to platters of meatballs and spaghetti sauce, Srisatta noshed his way through a nutrition study aimed at understanding the health effects of ultraprocessed foods, the controversial fare that now accounts for more than 70% of the U.S. food supply. He allowed The Associated Press to tag along for a day.Today my lunch was chicken nuggets, some chips, some ketchup, said Srisatta, one of three dozen participants paid $5,000 each to devote 28 days of their lives to science. It was pretty fulfilling.Examining exactly what made those nuggets so satisfying is the goal of the widely anticipated research led by National Institutes of Health nutrition researcher Kevin Hall. What we hope to do is figure out what those mechanisms are so that we can better understand that process, Hall said.Halls study relies on 24/7 measurements of patients, rather than self-reported data, to investigate whether ultraprocessed foods cause people to eat more calories and gain weight, potentially leading to obesity and other well-documented health problems. And, if they do, how? At a time when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made nutrition and chronic disease a key priority, the answers cant come soon enough. Kennedy has repeatedly targeted processed foods as the primary culprit behind a range of diseases that afflict Americans, particularly children. He vowed in a Senate confirmation hearing to focus on removing such foods from school lunches for kids because theyre making them sick.Ultraprocessed foods have exploded in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent decades, just as rates of obesity and other diet-related diseases also rise. The foods, which are often high in fat, sodium and sugar, are typically cheap, mass-produced and contain added colors and chemicals not found in a home kitchen. Think sugary cereals and potato chips, frozen pizzas, sodas and ice cream.Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to negative health effects, but whether its the actual processing of the foods rather than the nutrients they contain or something else remains uncertain.A small 2019 analysis by Hall and his colleagues found that ultraprocessed foods led participants to eat about 500 calories a day more than when they ate a matched diet of unprocessed foods.The new study aims to replicate and expand that research and to test new theories about the effects of ultraprocessed foods. One is that some of the foods contain irresistible combinations of ingredients fat, sugar, sodium and carbohydrates that trigger people to eat more. The other is that the foods contain more calories per bite, making it possible to consume more without realizing it.Teasing out those answers requires the willingness of volunteers like Srisatta and the know-how of health and diet experts who identify, gather and analyze the data behind the estimated multimillion-dollar study. During his month at NIH, Srisatta sported monitors on his wrist, ankle and waist to track his every movement, and regularly gave up to 14 vials of blood. Once a week, he spent 24 hours inside a metabolic chamber, a tiny room outfitted with sensors to measure how his body was using food, water and air. He was allowed to go outside, but only with supervision to prevent any wayward snacks. It doesnt really feel that bad, Srisatta said. He could eat as much or as little as he liked. The meals wheeled to his room three times a day were crafted to meet the precise requirements of the study, said Sara Turner, the NIH dietitian who designed the food plan. In the basement of the NIH building, a team carefully measured, weighed, sliced and cooked foods before sending them to Srisatta and other participants. The challenge is getting all the nutrients to work, but it still needs to be appetizing and look good, Turner said. Results from the trial are expected later this year, but preliminary results are intriguing. At a scientific conference in November, Hall reported that the first 18 trial participants ate about 1,000 calories a day more of an ultraprocessed diet that was particularly hyperpalatable and energy dense than those who ate minimally processed foods, leading to weight gain.When those qualities were modified, consumption went down, even if the foods were considered ultraprocessed, Hall said. Data is still being collected from remaining participants and must be completed, analyzed and published in a peer-reviewed journal.Still, the early results suggest that you can almost normalize energy intake, despite the fact that theyre still eating a diet that is more than 80% of calories from ultraprocessed food, Hall told the audience. Not everyone agrees with Halls methods, or the implications of his research.Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Childrens Hospital, criticized Halls 2019 study as fundamentally flawed by its short duration about a month. Scientists have long known that its possible to get people to eat more or less for brief periods of time, but those effects quickly wane, he said. If they were persistent, we would have the answer to obesity, said Ludwig, who has argued for years that consumption of highly processed carbohydrates is the prime dietary culprit and focusing on the processing of the foods is distracting. He called for larger, better-designed studies lasting a minimum of two months, with washout periods separating the effects of one diet from the next. Otherwise, we waste our energy, we mislead the science, Ludwig said.Concerns about the short length of the studies may be valid, said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and food policy expert. To resolve that, Hall needs funding to conduct longer studies with more people, she said in an email. The NIH spends about $2 billion a year, about 5% of its total budget, on nutrition research, according to Senate documents. At the same time, the agency cut the capacity of the metabolic unit where investigators conduct such studies, reducing the number of beds that must be shared among researchers. The two participants enrolled now at the center and the two planned for next month are the most Hall can study at any one time, adding months to the research process. Srisatta, the Florida volunteer who hopes to become an emergency room physician, said participating in the trial left him eager to know more about how processed foods affect human health.I mean, I think everyone knows its better to not eat processed foods, right? he said. But having the evidence to back that up in ways that the public can easily digest, is important, he said. HHS officials didnt respond to questions about Kennedys intentions regarding nutrition research at NIH. The agency, like many others in the federal government, is being buffeted by the wave of cost cuts being directed by President Donald Trump and his billionaire aide Elon Musk. Jerold Mande, a former federal food policy advisor in three administrations, said he supports Kennedys goals of addressing diet-related diseases. He has pushed a proposal for a 50-bed facility where government nutrition scientists could house and feed enough study volunteers like Srisatta to rigorously determine how specific diets affect human health.If youre going to make America healthy again and youre going to address chronic disease, we need better science to do it, Mande said.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. JONEL ALECCIA Aleccia covers food and nutrition at The Associated Press. She is based in Southern California. twitter mailto

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen speaks as she participates in a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)2025-03-12T13:58:39Z Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will not seek reelection next year, a decision that will end the longtime senators historic political career and deals a significant blow to Democrats, who were already facing a difficult path to reclaiming the Senate majority.Shaheen, who turned 78 in January, was the first woman elected to serve as both governor and senator in the United States. A spokesperson confirmed her decision not to seek reelection on Wednesday. Even before Shaheens move, Democrats were facing a challenging political map in next years midterm elections especially in the Senate, where Republicans now hold 53 seats compared with the Democrats 47, including two independents who caucus with Democrats. The party that controls the Senate majority also controls President Donald Trumps most important political and judicial nominations and his legislative agenda. At least for now, Maine represents the Democrats best pickup opportunity in 2026. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the sole GOP senator remaining in New England, is the only Republican serving in a state Trump lost whos up for reelection. But with a four-seat advantage in Congress upper chamber already, Republicans have legitimate pickup opportunities in Georgia, Michigan and now New Hampshire. Shaheen has been a political force in New Hampshire for decades and climbed through the ranks of Senate leadership to serve as the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She likely would have been easily reelected had she sought another term. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who served as ambassador to New Zealand in the first Trump administration, was considering a New Hampshire Senate bid even before Shaheens announcement. Brown challenged Shaheen unsuccessfully in 2014. New Hampshire has narrowly favored Democrats in recent presidential elections, but the state has a long history of electing leaders from both parties. Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte was elected last fall, when Trump lost the state by less than 3 percentage points.Shaheen became the first woman elected New Hampshire governor in 1996. She served for three terms and was later elected to the Senate in 2008.

A woman looks at products in the aisle of a store as her daughter naps in the shopping cart in Waco, Texas, on Dec. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)2025-03-12T13:13:44Z In the Trump administrations quest to Make America Healthy Again, there may be no bigger target than ultraprocessed foods.Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nations new health secretary, has cited highly chemically processed foods as a chief culprit behind an epidemic of chronic disease in the U.S., including ailments such as obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disorders.Such foods are poisoning people, particularly children, Kennedy said during Senate confirmation hearings. He has vowed to work to remove such foods from federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track, he told lawmakers.Key to that goal, however, could be making sure that consumers understand basic facts about ultraprocessed foods and the role they play in daily meals. From sugary cereals at breakfast to frozen pizzas at dinner, plus in-between snacks of potato chips, sodas and ice cream, ultraprocessed foods make up about 60% of the U.S. diet. For kids and teens, its even higher about two-thirds of what they eat. Thats concerning because ultraprocessed foods have been linked to a host of negative health effects, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease, depression, dementia and more. One recent study suggested that eating these foods may raise the risk of early death.Nutrition science is tricky, though, and most research so far has found connections, not proof, regarding the health consequences of these foods. Food manufacturers argue that processing boosts food safety and supplies and offers a cheap, convenient way to provide a diverse and nutritious diet.Even if the science were clear, its hard to know what practical advice to give when ultraprocessed foods account for what one study estimates is more than 70% of the U.S. food supply.The Associated Press asked several nutrition experts and heres what they said: What are ultraprocessed foods?Most foods are processed, whether its by freezing, grinding, fermentation, pasteurization or other means. In 2009, Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro and colleagues first proposed a system that classifies foods according to the amount of processing they undergo, not by nutrient content.At the top of the four-tier scale are foods created through industrial processes and with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives that you couldnt duplicate in a home kitchen, said Kevin Hall, a researcher who focuses on metabolism and diet at the National Institutes of Health.These are most, but not all, of the packaged foods you see, Hall said.Such foods are often made to be both cheap and irresistibly delicious, said Dr. Neena Prasad, director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Food Policy Program.They have just the right combination of sugar, salt and fat and you just cant stop eating them, Prasad saidHowever, the level of processing alone doesnt determine whether a food is unhealthy or not, Hall noted. Whole-grain bread, yogurt, tofu and infant formula are all highly processed, for instance, but theyre also nutritious. Are ultraprocessed foods harmful?Heres the tricky part. Many studies suggest that diets high in such foods are linked to negative health outcomes. But these kinds of studies cant say whether the foods themselves are the cause of the negative effects or whether theres something else about the people who eat these foods that might be responsible.Ultraprocessed foods, as a group, tend to have higher amounts of sodium, saturated fat and sugar, and tend to be lower in fiber and protein. Its not clear whether its just these nutrients that are driving the effects.Hall and his colleagues were the first to conduct a small but influential experiment that directly compared the results of eating similar diets made of ultraprocessed versus unprocessed foods.Published in 2019, the research included 20 adults who went to live at an NIH center for a month. They received diets of ultraprocessed and unprocessed foods matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and macronutrients for two weeks each and were told to eat as much as they liked. When participants ate the diet of ultraprocessed foods, they consumed about 500 calories per day more than when they ate unprocessed foods, researchers found and they gained an average of about 2 pounds (1 kilogram) during the study period. When they ate only unprocessed foods for the same amount of time, they lost about 2 pounds (1 kilogram).Hall is conducting a more detailed study now, but the process is slow and costly and results arent expected until late next year. He and others argue that such definitive research is needed to determine exactly how ultraprocessed foods affect consumption.Its better to understand the mechanisms by which they drive the deleterious health consequences, if theyre driving them, he said. Should ultraprocessed foods be regulated?Some advocates, like Prasad, argue that the large body of research linking ultraprocessed foods to poor health should be more than enough to spur government and industry to change policies. She calls for actions such as increased taxes on sugary drinks, stricter sodium restrictions for manufacturers and cracking down on marketing of such foods to children.Do we want to risk our kids getting sicker while we wait for this perfect evidence to emerge? Prasad said. Last year, former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf broached the subject, telling a conference of food policy experts that ultraprocessed foods are one of the most complex things Ive ever dealt with.But, he concluded, Weve got to have the scientific basis and then weve got to follow through.How should consumers manage ultraprocessed foods at home?In countries like the U.S., its hard to avoid highly processed foods and its not clear which ones should be targeted, said Aviva Musicus, science director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which advocates for food policies.The range of ultraprocessed foods is just so wide, she said.Instead, its better to be mindful of the ingredients in foods. Check the labels and make choices that align with the current dietary guidelines, she suggested.We have really good evidence that added sugar is not great for us. We have evidence that high-sodium foods are not great for us, she said. We have great evidence that fruits and vegetables which are minimally processed are really good for us.Its important not to vilify certain foods, she added. Many consumers dont have the time or money to cook most meals from scratch.Foods should be joyous and delicious and shouldnt involve moral judgment, Musicus said.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. JONEL ALECCIA Aleccia covers food and nutrition at The Associated Press. She is based in Southern California. twitter mailto

Some Spotify employees are not happy that the audio streaming giant was, until this week, hosting and profiting from a course about pimping hoes by Andrew Tate, according to internal Spotify communications viewed by 404 Media.Pretty vile that were hosting Andrew Tates content, one Spotify employee said in a company Slack channel called #ethics-club, and linked to a Linkedin post that criticized Spotify for hosting the course.Happy Womens History Month, everybody! another employee said, adding a sweating smiling emoji.Tate is an infamous manosphere influencer known for promoting misogyny and anti-semitic conspiracy theories and who was previously charged for human trafficking and rape.Since those Slack messages were posted, Spotify appears to have removed the pimping hoes class from its platform. Another course titled How to get girls FAST AND EASY by Andrew Tate (PHD Course), is still hosted on Spotify, and has over 70 comments from users calling for its removal.Before it was removed, the pimping hoes course had 276 comments on Spotify that unanimously called on the company to remove it.These courses actively teach men how to manipulate, control, and profit from the exploitation of women, one comment says. They are in breach of Spotifys own terms of use, and they are promoting criminal activity.Do you work at Spotify? We would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message Emanuel securely on Signal at (609) 678-3204. You can Signal Joseph on +44 20 8133 5190.The Tate class was available through Spotify for Creators, a special program thats supposed to make it easier for podcasters to monetize their content. A subscription costs $4.99 a month and according to Spotify Tate would keep 100 percent of the revenue with the exception of processing fees.Internal Spotify Slack messages viewed by 404 Media show that Spotify employees attempted to report the Tate show via Spotifys public report content on Spotify form, but that some of them encountered technical issues. In testing those claims, 404 Media was able to report the show for hateful or abusive content without issue.Tates Pimping Hoes Degree course has been available on Spotify since 2023. Its existence on Spotify gained renewed attention this month when multiple people flagged the course on social media, and some trade press outlets covered it too.I cancelled my Spotify Premium subscription on Sunday night, Sam Taylor, a now former Spotify user, said on LinkedIn. When a company like Spotify gives a home to so-called 'educational' content like Andrew Tate's 'Pimping Hoes Degree course'which gives people a playbook for coercive [sic] and control and sexual manipulationI can't continue to give that company money each month.A Change.org petition called Demand Spotify Remove Andrew Tates Harmful Courses on How to Traffic Women had more than 55,000 signatures by Wednesday.In mid-February, the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration had pressed Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on the Tate brothers, who are both dual US and UK nationals. At the end of the month, the brothers were allowed to leave Romania and flew on a private jet to the United States. The Romanian justice minister has denied that U.S. pressure led to the decision.Floridas attorney general has since said they are investigating the brothers over allegations of human trafficking and sex with a minor.Spotify did not reply to multiple requests for comment. The first was sent earlier in the week, asking if Tates course violated the platforms terms of service. The second was sent after 404 Media reviewed the internal Spotify communications. The third was sent after Spotify removed the PHD Course.

Tiger Woods walks on the 18th hole during the weather delayed second round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 8, 2023, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)2025-03-12T15:05:40Z PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Golf without Tiger Woods was inevitable simply because of age.He turns 50 at the end of this year and once leaned on the adage that Father Time remains undefeated. But for Woods, it has been the mother lode of injuries that is keeping him from going out on his own terms.The latest was revealed in a social media post saying he had ruptured his left Achilles tendon and had surgery Tuesday the minimally invasive variety, but one that keeps him out of the Masters next month and likely everything else the rest of the year.It sucks, Rory McIlroy said Wednesday at The Players Championship. He doesnt have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body. Hoping hes in good spirits and hoping hes OK. We obviously wont see him play golf this year, and hopefully we see him maybe play in 2026.Everything is maybe with Woods, the player who made golf cool to watch, who caused TV ratings to spike and prize money to soar, who delivered a level of dominance measured not only by his 15 majors and 82 titles on the PGA Tour but the fact that he had no lasting rival until the injuries and surgeries began to accumulate. His mother, Kultida, died last month and Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational as he coped with the loss. He chose not to be at The Players Championship, the final year of his exemption from winning the 2019 Masters. As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured, he said in the post. Another lost year for a player running out of time. The list of injuries is staggering.The left knee. The lower back. Two stress fractures in his left tibia while winning the 2008 U.S. Open. An injury to his right Achilles tendon while running. An injury to his left Achilles tendon from hitting a shot off an awkward lie at the Masters. Six back surgeries, the most significant to fuse his lower back in 2017. A car crash on a coastal road outside Los Angeles that so badly damaged his right leg and ankle that he said doctors contemplated amputation. Plantar fasciitis. A strained oblique. Surgery to fuse his right ankle.He kept coming back, and he remained a must-see attraction even though his appearance were largely limited to the majors. He has played eight majors since the 2021 car crash and only twice finished all 72 holes both at the Masters. He was never in hunt at either one.There was a time when Woods was on pace to break the gold standard in golf 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus until that looked more unlikely with each injury.If hed have been healthy, I think he would have got it, Nicklaus said in an interview two weeks ago with Golf Channel. But he didnt remain healthy. We all have injuries, we all have different things that change things. Tiger had his problems. I feel bad for him.Nicklaus recalled telling Woods: Nobody wants their records to be broken. But I dont want it not to be broken because you dont have the ability to do so. I feel bad for him on that. Woods won his last major at the 2019 Masters, an astonishing victory considering it was only two years earlier that he struggled to walk up the stairs to the Masters Club dinner. And then he won later in the year in Japan for his record-tying 82nd title on the PGA Tour.That was his last win. He hasnt come close since.What keeps him going? What is there left to prove? Thats a question all golfers face, whether its age or injury. Few other sports offer such longevity.McIlroy turns 36 in May this is his 18th year as a pro. He knows the day is coming, and he has mapped out an exit strategy.Whenever I feel like the time is right, Ill have no problem moving aside and letting the next generation do their thing, McIlroy said. Id also like to walk away with a little bit left in the tank. I dont want to be out there embarrassing myself. Id like to walk away maybe a little before I should, put it that way.I think if you can come to terms with that and walk away on your own terms, then thats a good thing. Nicklaus never wanted to be a ceremonial golfer. He played in all the majors for 12 years after winning his last one at the 1986 Masters.Has golf seen the last of Woods? He is exempt for life at the Masters and PGA Championship. He can play the British Open for 10 more years. He can walk away on his own terms, but his health will have a big say in that.McIlroy was asked if he could ever see Woods being competitive again. Thats what so many fans want to see hope to see in the absence of any evidence the last five years.Hell try I know hell try, McIlroy said. But thats a question for him, not for me. I obviously dont know whats in his head. But judging by prior behavior, hell definitely try.___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf DOUG FERGUSON Doug Ferguson has been the APs golf writer since 1998. He is a recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award. twitter mailto

FILE U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-03-12T16:38:53Z By signaling its openness to a ceasefire, Ukraine has handed the Kremlin a difficult challenge at a time when the Russian military has the upper hand in the war: Should Moscow accept a truce and abandon hopes of making new gains, or should it reject the offer and risk derailing a cautious rapprochement with Washington?Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly ruled out a temporary break in hostilities, saying it would only benefit Ukraine and its Western allies by letting them replenish their arsenals. He has insisted Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement that would ensure a lasting settlement.The Kremlin responded cautiously to the news of Ukraine accepting the U.S.-proposed truce during Tuesdays talks in Saudi Arabia, saying that it needs to know details of the discussions before expressing its view.The careful approach reflects Putins awareness of the risk that a blunt rejection of the offer could upset t entative efforts to normalize Russia-U.S. ties.Observers say that instead of an outright rejection, Putin will likely propose linking the truce to certain conditions that would protect Moscows interests. Why would the Kremlin oppose a ceasefire?The Russian military held the battlefield initiative last year, making slow but steady gains along several sections of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. The tempo of Russian advances accelerated in the fall, when Moscows forces captured the most territory since the start of the war.Ukraine has sought to retake the initiative with a surprise foray into Russias Kursk region that began in August, seeking to distract Moscows forces from their offensive in eastern Ukraine and make gains that potentially could be exchanged for Russia-occupied areas in peace talks. The incursion, however, has diverted Ukrainian resources from defending the Donetsk region in the east and it failed to stem Russian advances there. Now Ukrainian forces are on the verge of losing their last remaining bridgehead in Kursk under the brunt of a swift Russian counteroffensive. Moscow also ravaged Ukrainian energy infrastructure with waves of missiles and drones, destroying much of its power-generating capacity.Putin has repeatedly said a temporary halt to hostilities at a time when Russian forces firmly hold the initiative would only allow exhausted Ukrainian troops a break to rest and rearm.As for the settlement of the situation, I would like to emphasize that it shouldnt be aimed at a brief truce some sort of a break for regrouping troops and rearmament in order to continue the conflict but a long-term peace, Putin has said.Moscow has made it clear it wouldnt accept any troops from NATO members as monitors under a prospective peace deal. What does Putin want?Putin key goals remain what he declared when he launched the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022: Ukraine renounce joining NATO, sharply cut its army, and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscows orbit. On top of that, he now wants Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the four regions Moscow has seized but doesnt fully control.Russian officials also have said that any prospective peace deal should involve unfreezing Russian assets in the West and lifting other U.S. and European Union sanctions. The Trump administration has put a potential sanctions relief on the table.Along with that, Putin has repeatedly emphasized the need to remove the root causes of the crisis, a reference to the Kremlins demand to roll back a NATO military buildup near Russian borders it describes as a major threat to its security.The Kremlin leader has argued that Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Kyiv maintains that elections are impossible to hold amid a war. U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken of the need for Ukraine to hold an election in comments that echoed Moscows view. What more could Moscow demand?Some observers noted that instead of an outright rejection of the proposed truce, Putin could put forward several conditions.Pro=Kremlin commentator Sergei Markov suggested Moscow could agree to a truce if Ukraines allies halt arms supplies to Kyiv. The U.S. said it resumed weapons shipments and intelligence sharing with Kyiv after it agreed to a truce Tuesday in Saudi Arabia.Russia could say yes, but to a ceasefire offer, accepting a 30-day truce on condition that an embargo is imposed on arms supplies to Ukraine, Markov wrote.Another Moscow wish is a presidential election in Ukraine, which would be possible after Ukraine lifts martial law.Peace would allow Russia to influence Ukrainian politics and use peaceful means to ensure friendly relations, Markov said.Moscow-based foreign policy expert Alexei Naumov also predicted that Russia would likely accept the ceasefire offer if it leads to an election in Ukraine.There is a paradox in these talks and peace initiatives Ukraine and Russia are both vying for Donald Trumps attention and seeking to improve their positions with his help, Naumov said in a commentary. Sam Greene of the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis said it would be hard to imagine Putin saying a categoric no to the ceasefire proposal, adding that the Kremlin leader has already achieved in some ways more through this negotiation process then he achieved in a long time on the battlefield, describing a brief halt in the U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and the talk about rolling back sanctions as big wins for Russia.Putins statements against a temporary truce mean simply that Russia is not likely to agree to a ceasefire without extracting various things along the way, Greene said.The sort of ceasefire that it might be interested in is quite clearly not the kind of ceasefire that the Ukrainians or the Europeans might be interested in, although the Americans may be more malleable on that, he added.Moscow has every reason to believe that if this process lands anywhere, it will land in a place that is more or less on Russias terms, as long as the process is being driven by Washington, Greene said.

Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)2025-03-12T04:14:58Z NEW YORK (AP) A government lawyer asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to move the legal fight over the detention of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil to New Jersey or Louisiana, two locations where he has been held as the Trump administration seeks to deport him over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests at the school.Immigration enforcement agents arrested Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen, in New York on Saturday. After initially being held in New Jersey, he was moved to an immigration detention center in Louisiana.After Khalils arrest, Judge Jesse M. Furman ordered that the 30-year-old not be deported while the court considers a legal challenge brought by his lawyers, who are seeking to have Khalil returned to New York and released under supervision. They argue that he engaged in protected free speech and that the government is illegally retaliating against him over it. During a brief hearing Wednesday, attorney Brandon Waterman argued on behalf of the Justice Department that the venue for the deportation fight be moved from New York City to Louisiana or New Jersey. Furman, calling the legal issues important and weighty, asked the two sides to submit a joint letter on Friday describing when they propose to submit written arguments over the legal issues raised by Khalils detention. Ramzi Kassem, representing Khalils interests, said the students lawyers have been unable to have even a single attorney-client-privileged conversation with Khalil since he was taken into custody.Kassem told Furman that Khalil was identified, targeted and detained because of his advocacy for Palestinian rights and his protected speech. He said Khalil has no criminal convictions, but, for some reason, is being detained.Furman ordered that Khalil be able to have at least one attorney-client phone call with his lawyers on Wednesday and at least one phone conference with his attorneys on Thursday. Kassem said lawyers for Khalil will file a rewritten lawsuit on Thursday.Columbia University became the center of a U.S. pro-Palestinian protest movement that swept across college campuses nationwide last year and led to more than 2,000 arrests.President Donald Trump heralded Khalils arrest as the first of many to come, vowing on social media to deport students he described as engaging in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.During a stopover in Ireland while headed from Saudi Arabia to a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Canada, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Khalils case is not about free speech.This is about people that dont have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card, Rubio said.Khalil, who acted as a spokesperson for Columbia protesters, has not been charged with a crime. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the administration moved to deport him under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that gives the secretary of state the power to deport a noncitizen on foreign policy grounds. Civil rights groups and Khalils attorneys say the government is unconstitutionally using its immigration control powers to stop him from speaking out. Khalils detention has sparked protests in New York City and other cities. On Tuesday, a man was arrested and 11 other people were given summonses for alleged disorderly conduct during a demonstration near Washington Square Park in lower Manhattan, police said.Khalil, whose wife is pregnant with their first child, finished his requirements for a Columbia masters degree in December. Born in Syria, he is a grandson of Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland, his lawyers said in a legal filing.U.S. Jewish groups and leaders and organizations have been divided in their response to Khalilis detention.Among those welcoming the move was the Anti-Defamation League, which said it hopes it serves as a deterrent. We appreciate the Trump Administrations broad, bold set of efforts to counter campus antisemitism and this action further illustrates that resolve by holding alleged perpetrators responsible for their actions, the ADL said on social media.Amy Spitalnick, CEO of Jewish Council for Public Affairs, decried Khalils detention.The Trump administration is exploiting real concerns about antisemitism to undercut democracy: from gutting education funding to deporting students to attacking diversity, equity, & inclusion, she wrote on Bluesky. As weve repeatedly said: this makes Jews & so many others less safe.___Associated Press reporters Matthew Lee in Shannon, Ireland, and David Crary in New York contributed. JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press. twitter mailto

A Saudi Arabian company that was created by the Saudi Arabian government just purchased Pokmon Go, the most popular augmented reality game of all time, with a collective worldwide player base of more than 100 million people and their locations in the real world.Niantic is selling Pokmon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now to Scopely, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a Saudi Arabian company called Savvy Games, which itself is owned by the Saudi Arabian governments Public Investment Fund. Scopely, Niantic, and Savvy Games have collectively published six separate blog posts about the $3.85 billion deal, none of which specifically address what is happening with the location data of Pokmon Gos 100 million players and none of which address how location data collected in the future will be handled under Scopely and its Saudi Arabian owners.Two other apps, called Campfire and Wayfarer, are also part of the deal. Campfire is a tool that lets people meet up in the real world to play Pokmon Go (or other Niantic games) together, and Wayfarer is an app that specifically leverages the players of Niantic games to map real-world locations for Pokmon Go. Niantic will keep Ingress, its first augmented reality game, and another game called Peridot.Niantic said that a knock-on effect of this massive deal is that it will be spinning off its nascent AI mapping business, which was using Pokmon Go data to create a large geospatial model, into a separate company called Niantic Spatial. Notably, Scopely is a new investor in the Niantic Spatial, which suggests an ongoing relationship between Niantic and Scopely, and an interest from Scopely in the use of Pokmon Go user data to create an AI mapping business. The companies collective blogs make it seem like Niantic Spatiala data businessis going to become a totally separate entity, but Scopelys direct, $50 million investment in it suggests that monetizing Pokmon Go players location data and AR camera scanning data is very much still part of the plan.What is happening here, then, is that an already very complicated and vast location data ecosystem that was previously controlled by only one American company (Niantic) has now become a far more complicated location data ecosystem controlled by an American company that is wholly owned by a Saudi Arabian conglomerate whose largest shareholder is the Saudi Arabian government. Pokmon Go and all of the games Niantic is selling to Scopely require a players location in order to work at all, and Pokmon Go is partially monetized with in-game, location-targeted ads.There is no world in which Scopely does not collect players locations moving forward. But what remains unclear is what is going to happen with location data moving forward and what is going to happen with historic location data.None of this is explained to users in any of the many blog posts about this deal, but Ed Wu, who leads the Pokmon Go team, called it a partnership with Scopely, and Scopelys blog post says they are teaming up with Niantic. It remains very unclear whether there will be any ongoing relationship between Scopely and Niantic and whether it includes any data sharing, what will happen to data that Scopely collects, how it will be monetized, and how and if it will flow to Savvy Games or the Public Investment Fund.This opacity is unfortunately par for the course when it comes to the monetization of any user data and, especially, location data collected through apps. As Joseph has reported numerous times, it is essentially impossible for any single person to track how their location is being collected and who it is being sold to and what it is being used for after it has been collected.Niantic and Scopely did not respond to a request for comment about whether there would be ongoing data sharing and what would happen to historic location data collected from these games.

Jeff Ware, president of Resurgence Brewing Company, poses for a portrait near a stockpile of aluminum cans, which are sourced from Canada, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)2025-03-12T17:23:47Z Steel and aluminum are ubiquitous in Americans lives. A stainless steel refrigerator holds aluminum soda cans. A stainless steel drum tumbles inside an aluminum washing machine. Theyre the metals used in cars and airplanes, phones and frying pans, skyscrapers and zippers.Thats why President Donald Trumps 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports which went into effect Wednesday could have widespread impact on manufacturers and consumers.Here are some of the industries and products that rely on aluminum and steel: ConstructionThe construction industry uses about one-third of all U.S. steel shipments, more than any other industry, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The industry depends on a global supply chain to build everything from airports to schools to roads, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group with more than 23,000 members.The group says some contractors were able to lock in prices on steel or aluminum ahead of the tariffs. But if they are prolonged, the import taxes will ultimately raise prices at a time when the construction industry is already struggling with higher costs for labor and materials. And uncertainty around the tariffs will make it less likely that companies will commit to big building projects, the group said. Annie Mecias-Murphy is the co-owner and president of JA&M, a contractor for commercial buildings based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Some of the main materials her company uses are rebar, or reinforced steel, and post-tension cables, which reinforce concrete after its poured. In attempts to get ahead of the tariffs, we do try to lock in our prices and work with our trade partners and clients on different strategies, Mecias-Murphy said. But ultimately, the rising costs make it difficult for small business owners like myself to contemplate large-scale multi-year projects. Steel cansTin mill steel is used for a wide variety of packaging, from soup cans to hairspray. And the U.S. currently imports 70% of its tin mill steel, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute.The institute said the more limited tariffs Trump imposed in 2018 resulted in the closure of nine tin mill lines in the U.S. as manufacturers shifted to other types of steel or simply shut down. As a result, only three U.S. tin steel lines remain open.Mick Beekhuizen, the president and CEO of The Campbell Co., said in an earnings call last week that his company imports tin mill steel from Canada. Beekhuizen said Campbell is working with its suppliers to mitigate the impact of tariffs, but it may need to raise prices.The Consumer Brands Association, which represents packaged food makers, said its urging the Trump administration to exempt aluminum and steel products that arent available in adequate quantities in the U.S. Otherwise, consumers will likely see higher grocery prices.We encourage the Trump administration to recognize the different needs of different U.S. manufacturing sectors, said Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain resiliency at the Consumer Brands Association. AutosMost of Ford, GM and Stellantis steel and aluminum already comes from the United States, reducing the direct impact the companies would feel from higher duties.But experts have warned that tariffs might mean the three Detroit automakers have to raise their prices. Domestic steel and aluminum producers will have to increase their capacity to meet demand or risk a short supply in the near term, making these products more expensive and driving up vehicle costs.Another automaker who could feel the pain from tariffs: Elon Musks Tesla. During a January earnings call, Teslas Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja noted the uncertainty around tariffs.The imposition of tariffs, which is very likely... will have an impact on our business and profitability, Taneja said.This could be detrimental to an already inflation-sensitive American car buyer. The average transaction price for a new vehicle was just over $48,000 last month, according to Kelley Blue Book.And as with the steel and aluminum tariffs of Trumps first term, automakers are likely to have to revisit their financial outlooks for the year as they brace for impact. AppliancesMakers and sellers of products ranging from microwaves to dishwashers are having to navigate cost increases.Some like Whirlpool, which produces 80% of what it sells in the U.S. domestically, appear to be more insulated from the tariffs. Whirlpool executives told analysts at an investor conference earlier this month that Whirlpool has locked in contracts for a minimum of one year for most of its raw materials, including steel.We are in a pretty good position as of right now, said Roxanne Warner, a senior vice president and controller at Whirlpool.But Abt, a family-owned appliance and consumer electronics store in Glenview, Illinois, received notices this week from manufacturers that said they would raise the suggested retail price of countertop products like espresso makers and toasters anywhere from 10% to 15% starting April 1, according to Richie Palmero, the stores small appliance buyer. Abt sells coffee makers that range from $100 to $500, as well as espresso makers priced from $1,000 to $5,000.Palmero said that putting another $250 on the price of a $2,500 is a lot, but she said she doesnt think sales will suffer significantly.I think customers would still buy it because its good quality, she said. But they might think about it. They might take longer to buy it. It might not be an impulse buy. I dont think theyre going to go down to Mr. Coffee or a $20 coffee maker.During Trumps first term, tariffs were slapped in early 2018 on washing machines, and prices for the appliances spiked 12%, according to the American Economic Review, an academic journal. Clothes dryers became pricier as well, even though they werent targeted. The median price of washing machines and dryers increased by about $86 and $92 per unit, respectively, according to the academic journal.Aluminum cansU.S. beverage companies use more than 100 billion aluminum cans each year, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute. Most of the thin rolled sheets of aluminum alloy that are used for cans are made in the U.S., but can makers do import a small percentage, the institute said.The Brewers Association, which represents 9,500 independent U.S. craft beer makers, estimates that 10% of U.S. cans are made from Canadian aluminum. Aluminum tariffs will force small brewers to pay more for cans, the association said, even as steel tariffs drive up the cost of equipment like kegs and fermentation tanks.But not all manufacturers are worried about aluminum tariffs. Molson Coors says it shifted production in recent years and now gets almost all of its aluminum for U.S. consumption from U.S. sources.Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said during a recent earnings call that if aluminum cans get more expensive, Coke can shift to other materials like plastic bottles. Quincey told investors he didnt want to exaggerate the cost of aluminum tariffs.You should not conclude that this is some huge swing factor in the U.S. business, he said. Its a cost. It will have to be managed. It would be better not to have it relative to the U.S. business, but we are going to manage our way through.AviationAirplanes have a mixture of metal parts, from aluminum frames, wings and door panels to steel landing gear and engine parts. Many are extremely specialized and sourced from overseas.The Aerospace Industries Association, which represents nearly 300 aerospace and defense companies, says tariffs put their industry and national security at risk.We are concerned about additional downward pressure on an already stressed American supply chain, Dak Hardwick, the associations vice president of international affairs, said. We are investigating mitigation strategies that would minimize the impacts of new tariffs on our industry, and we hope to work with the Trump Administration to highlight the critical role we play in Americas economic prosperity, national defense and deterrence.___AP Climate reporter Alexa St. John in Detroit contributed reporting. DEE-ANN DURBIN Durbin is an Associated Press business writer focusing on the food and beverage industry. She has also covered the auto industry and state and national politics in her nearly 30-year career with the AP. twitter mailto ANNE DINNOCENZIO DInnocenzio writes about retail, trends, the consumer economy and hourly workers for The Associated Press. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters as House Republicans push ahead with a go-it-alone strategy on an interim GOP spending bill that would keep federal agencies funded through Sept. 30, at the Capitol, in Washington, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-03-12T17:06:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) A familiar scene has played out over and over in the U.S. House: Republicans, unable to approve federal funding legislation on their own, edge toward a risky government shutdown, until Democrats swoop in with the votes needed to prevent catastrophic disruptions.Until now.House Speaker Mike Johnson has accomplished the seemingly unexpected, keeping his GOP majority in line to pass a bill to keep the government running, convincing even the most staunch conservatives from the Freedom Caucus to come on board.It wasnt just President Donald Trumps public badgering of the lawmakers and threats of political retribution against Republicans who refused to fall in line, although his sharp warnings resonated, preventing wide dissent.What also won over rank-and-file Republicans was what Trump is already doing through the chainsaw-wielding billionaire Elon Musk slashing the size of federal government and firing thousands of workers through the Department of Government Efficiency and the White Houses promise to do more. In DOGE we trust, said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., a longtime deficit hawk who was among those voting yes. The result is a newly emboldened House GOP majority that, for the first time in years, is able to capture and utilize the vast power of sticking together, rather than disassembling into chaotic rounds of public infighting. And its leaving the Democrats, in the minority in the House and Senate, shifting rapidly to respond. The story the Democrats have leveraged to their advantage for years that Republicans simply cant govern may no longer be as true as it once was.In fact, the Republicans who control Congress and the White House are governing at lightning speed over the dismantling of the very government itself.As if on cue, as the House was acting Tuesday, the Department of Education axed some 1,300 employees, about half its staff, on its way to unwinding the agency. The DOGE efforts and the other things that are happening in the administration are very important for the American people, Johnson said in a victory lap, because ultimately what were going to be able to do is downsize the size and scope of the federal government.The bill now heads to the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority and Democrats are almost powerless to stop the head-spinning series of events. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer faces politically difficult options either provide the Democratic votes needed to advance the bill to the 60-vote threshold needed, or vote to block it, allowing a federal shutdown after midnight Friday.Lacking leverage to shape the funding package, the Democrats are left to warn what Trump and Musk will do next.This is not what the American people want, Schumer said Wednesday. Trump is pushing the GOP-led Congress to next pass what he calls a big beautiful bill with some $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending reductions, including some $880 billion to Medicaid the health care program used by some 80 millions Americans and another $220 billion to agriculture programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, to hungry adults and kids. Musk said that Social Security and other mainstay entitlement programs also need drastic cuts.The Republican majority just voted to hand a blank check to Elon Musk, said Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the Democratic whip.No wonder Republicans are canceling their town halls, she said. They know what the American people know: No one voted for this.For Republicans, particularly in the House, its a new day.On Tuesday almost every House Republican and one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine backed the government funding bill, which will keep federal offices running through the end of the budget year, in September.The party was also unified last month as Johnson led House Republicans in approving a budget framework for the big tax-and-spending cuts bill, setting the process in motion for action as soon as April. Johnson said the White House would be sending a rescissions package next legislative shorthand for a proposal to roll back already-approved funding across the federal government. Other Republicans are encouraging the Trump administration to impound other federal funds that have been approved by Congress but not yet spent in a way that would challenge the law, setting up a potential legal showdown over the checks and balances of constitutional power.For rank-and-file Republicans, the DOGE cuts that are steamrolling through the federal government are beyond what they could have imagined. Exhilarating, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the head of the Republican campaign committee, told The Associated Press.The most conservative deficit hawks said they are willing to stand down on their usual antics to block funding bills, knowing Trump and Musk are wielding the ax on their own. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has routinely voted against government spending bills, said whats changed is Trump in the White House. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., who has rarely voted for any continuing resolution to fund the government, said the cuts are underway.As long as DOGE is calling the shots, I can support this CR, said McClintock of California.The speaker said Trump is watching step by step. Trump berated the one Republican holdout on the funding package, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and was calling others.Massie, the libertarian leaning MIT graduate who wears a homemade debt calculator on his lapel pin, is popular among his colleagues in part because he is so consistent in his views. He refused to bend.Another holdout, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said he even though he didnt personally have a call from Trump, he was on the line when the president called another GOP lawmaker. I want him to succeed, McCormick said.

A sign on the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency is photographed Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-03-12T18:36:34Z WASHINGTON (AP) In what he called the most consequential day of deregulation in American history, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of actions Wednesday to roll back landmark environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles.We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in Americas Golden Age,' EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an essay in The Wall Street Journal. His actions will eliminate trillions of dollars in regulatory costs and hidden taxes, Zeldin said, lowering the cost of living for American families and reducing prices for such essentials such as buying a car, heating your home and operating a business.Our actions will also reignite American manufacturing, spreading economic benefits to communities, Zeldin wrote. In all, Zeldin said he is rolling back 31 environmental rules, including a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.Zeldin said he and President Donald Trump support rewriting the agencys 2009 finding that planet-warming greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. The Obama-era determination under the Clean Air Act is the legal underpinning of a host of climate regulations for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources. Environmentalists and climate scientists call the endangerment finding a bedrock of U.S. law and say any attempt to undo it will have little chance of success. In the face of overwhelming science, its impossible to think that the EPA could develop a contradictory finding that would stand up in court, said David Doniger, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. In a related action, Zeldin said EPA will rewrite a rule restricting air pollution from fossil-fueled fired power plants and a separate measure restricting emissions from cars and trucks. Zeldin and the Republican president incorrectly label the car rule as an electric vehicle mandate.' President Joe Bidens Democratic administration had said the power plant rules would reduce pollution and improve public health while supporting the reliable, long-term supply of electricity that America needs.The EPA also will take aim at rules restricting industrial pollution of mercury and other air toxins, as well as separate rules on soot pollution and federal protections for significant areas of wetlands.This isnt about abandoning environmental protection its about achieving it through innovation and not strangulation, Zeldin wrote. By reconsidering rules that throttled oil and gas production and unfairly targeted coal-fired power plants, we are ensuring that American energy remains clean, affordable, and reliable.University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann called the EPAs action just the latest form of Republican climate denial. They can no longer deny climate change is happening, so instead theyre pretending its not a threat, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that it is, perhaps, the greatest threat that we face today. MATTHEW DALY Daly covers climate, environment and energy policy for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

A sign is mounted on a shelve of eggs at a grocery store in Northbrook, Ill., Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)2025-03-12T16:58:43Z NEW YORK (AP) Egg prices again reached a record high in February, as the bird flu continues to run rampant and Easter and Passover approach.The latest monthly Consumer Price Index showed a dozen Grade A eggs cost an average of $5.90 in U.S. cities in February, up 10.4% from a year ago. That eclipsed Januarys record-high price of $4.95.Avian flu has forced farmers to slaughter more than 166 million birds, mostly were egg-laying chickens. Just since the start of the year, more than 30 million egg layers have been killed. If prices remain high, it will be third year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter on April 20 and Passover, which starts on the evening of April 12, both occasions in which eggs play prominent roles.The price had consistently been below $2 a dozen for decades before the disease struck. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects egg prices to rise 41% this year over last years average of $3.17 per dozen. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel. The USDA reported last week that egg shortages are easing and wholesale prices are dropping, which might provide relief on the retail side before this years late Easter, which is three weeks later than last year. It said there had been no major bird flu outbreak for two weeks. Shoppers have begun to see shell egg offerings in the dairycase becoming more reliable although retail price levels have yet to adjust and remain off-putting to many, the USDA wrote in the March 7 report. David Anderson, a professor and extension economist for livestock and food marketing at Texas A&M University, said wholesale figures dropping is a good sign that prices could go down as shoppers react to the high prices by buying fewer eggs.What that should tell us is things are easing a little bit in terms of prices, he said. So going forward, the next CPI report may very well indicate falling egg prices. However, he doesnt expect lasting changes until bird stock can be replenished and production can be replaced.Record high prices is a market signal to producers to produce more, but it takes time to be able to produce more, and we just havent had enough time for that to happen yet, he said. But I do think its going to happen. But its going to take some more months to get there.Advocacy groups and others have also called for a probe into whether egg producers have used the avian flu to price gouge. But egg producers say the avian flu is solely behind the elevated prices.Meanwhile, restaurants have added surcharges and made other changes to offset the cost of eggs.The Trump administration has unveiled a plan to combat bird flu, $500 million investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures, $400 million in additional aid for farmers whose flocks have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million to research and potentially develop vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks. But it will likely take a while for that plan to make an impact. MAE ANDERSON Anderson reports for The Associated Press on a wide range of issues that small businesses face. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

A protester chants during a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, Monday, March 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)2025-03-12T11:06:25Z DENVER (AP) When President Donald Trump gave his joint address to Congress last week, he boasted that in his first few weeks back in the White House he had brought free speech back to America.But First Amendment advocates say theyve never seen freedom of speech under attack the way it has been in Trumps second term.Trumps Republican administration has threatened Democratic members of Congress with investigation for criticizing conservatives, pulled federal grants that include language it opposes, sanctioned law firms that represent Trumps political opponents and arrested the organizer of student protests that Trump criticized as anti-Semitic, anti-American.Your right to say something depends on what the administration thinks of it, which is no free speech at all, said Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan First Amendment group. Trump on Monday took credit for the arrest by immigration agents of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and legal permanent resident who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests there. Khalils lawyers say the government is targeting him for his activism and to discriminate against particular viewpoints. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the administration will revoke the visas or green cards of supporters of Hamas, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization and denied that the policy threatened the First Amendment. This is not about free speech, Rubio told reporters in Shannon, Ireland. This is about people that dont have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card. A federal judge earlier this week ordered immigration officials not to remove Khalil from the country while his case is sorted out.This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it, Trump wrote. Targeting universities over language and demonstrationsEven some Trump allies were uncomfortable with that approach: Theres almost no one I dont want to deport, wrote conservative commentator Ann Coulter on X, but, unless theyve committed a crime, isnt this a violation of the first amendment?On the other end of the political spectrum, activists who organized to protest the war in Gaza were aghast at the administrations move.We learn about our First Amendment rights since were children, said Germn Rafael Gonzlez, a member of Stanford Universitys Students for Justice in Palestine. But that is very much a myth. Its not the reality we live in right now. And its scary.Prior to the arrest of Khalil over the weekend, the administration pressured Columbia University to crack down on anti-Israel activism among students and faculty, and Trump has threatened to go after any college that supports protests he deems illegal. He also issued an order forbidding federal funding of what his administration labels diversity, equity and inclusion, which led to a freeze on federal grants as the administration reviews them for forbidden words such as gender.Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, which sued the Trump administration over its DEI ban and won an injunction against it from a federal judge, said the administration is pulling funding from projects that have prohibited words, yanking grants from research into such areas as crop diversity or differences in infant mortality in urban and rural areas.Nobody really wants Big Brother telling you what you can research, Wolfson said. These are questions our country needs to know the answers to. The most serious of threats to free speechRepublicans for several years have been the party complaining about infringements on the First Amendment, from complaints about woke colleges canceling conservative speakers to bashing social media companies they accuse of censoring conservative viewpoints, including cutting Trump off after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol. GOP-controlled Florida and Texas even drew up laws to limit how social media firms regulate content, though the U.S. Supreme Court kept them on hold last year because of possible First Amendment violations.Last year, Trump positioned himself as a champion of the First Amendment during his campaign, and he signed an executive order just hours after being sworn into office prohibiting anyone in the federal government from interfering with Americans free speech rights. But he also made pledges that signaled he might oppose some of the First Amendments fundamental protections, such as deporting foreign students who protested Israel or outlawing flag-burning, which the Supreme Court has ruled is protected free speech. Creeley, of the individual rights foundation, said he tried to be optimistic before Trump took office that the new president would fix some First Amendment issues. Instead, he said, its gotten worse.I cannot recall anything like this, Creeley said. Ive been defending First Amendment rights since 2006, and this is the most serious of threats I can recall.Actions against media and lawyers to chill dissent The Trump administration also has gone after the news media.The president has sued several outlets for coverage he dislikes, and his appointees at the Federal Communications Commission have helped pressure those media companies. Meanwhile, Trumps FCC is opening investigations of other media companies with which Trump has feuded, and the administration has barred The Associated Press from the White House press pool because it wont use Trumps preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico. The AP is suing to restore its access on First Amendment grounds.The administration also has targeted law firms for their affiliations with Democrats or the previous administration. It stripped security clearances for lawyers at a firm that helped special counsel Jack Smiths investigations of Trump during President Joe Bidens administration and Perkins Coie, a longtime Democratic firm that Trump blames for the investigation into his campaigns relationship with Russia during his first term. On Tuesday, Perkins Coie sued the administration to reverse the action, saying it violated the First Amendment and other constitutional guarantees.Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia, said the attacks on the law firms have scared some high-profile attorneys out of taking cases that challenge the administration, which, he contended, is the point.Theres a long tradition of lawyers taking on controversial clients, sometimes against our government, Jaffer said. The Trump administration has made it clear it will retaliate against lawyers.Jaffer said attacks on free speech and association are intended to chill dissent by convincing people in the opposition that they could become targets.All of us are able to participate in government by engaging in protest, Jaffer said. When the government shuts down that kind of speech, its shutting down democracy.I will not be silencedThe Trump administration has even targeted members of Congress.Trump appointed Ed Martin, a defense attorney who represented some of those charged in the Jan. 6 attack, as acting U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia. Martin wrote to Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader and one of the nations top Democrats, telling him that a comment he made in 2020 warning conservative Supreme Court judges they would pay the price for overturning the right to abortion could be seen as a threat. Schumer has since apologized for the statement.Martin also wrote to Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, warning him that comments he made about Trump adviser Elon Musk could be seen as a threat. Garcia had said Democrats should bring actual weapons to this bar fight.Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration, Garcia replied on Musks X platform. I will not be silenced.___Fernando reported from Chicago. Matt Lee in Shannon, Ireland contributed to this report.___The Associated Pressreceives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about the APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This image provided by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in March 2025, shows a fossil of the left midface of a hominin, right, between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old, recovered from the Sima del Elefante site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain, and a mirrored simulation of the other side. (Maria D. Guilln/IPHES-CERCA, Elena Santos/CENIEH via AP)2025-03-12T16:01:23Z WASHINGTON (AP) A fossil of a partial face from a human ancestor is the oldest in western Europe, archaeologists reported Wednesday. The incomplete skull a section of the left cheek bone and upper jaw was found in northern Spain in 2022. The fossil is between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old, according to research published in the journal Nature.The fossil is exciting, said Eric Delson, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the study. Its the first time we have significant remains older than 1 million years old in western Europe.A collection of older fossils from early human ancestors was previously found in Georgia, near the crossroads of eastern Europe and Asia. Those are estimated to be 1.8 million years old.The Spanish fossil is the first evidence that clearly shows human ancestors were taking excursions into Europe at that time, said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonians Human Origins Program. But there is not yet evidence that the earliest arrivals persisted there long, he said. They may get to a new location and then die out, said Potts, who had no role in the study. The partial skull bears many similarities to Homo erectus, but there are also some anatomical differences, said study co-author Rosa Huguet, an archaeologist at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain. Homo erectus arose around 2 million years ago and moved from Africa to regions of Asia and Europe, with the last individuals dying out around 100,000 years ago, said Potts.It can be challenging to identify which group of early humans a fossil find belongs to if theres only a single fragment versus many bones that show a range of features, said University of Zurich paleoanthropologist Christoph Zollikofer, who was not involved in the study.The same cave complex in Spains Atapuerca Mountains where the new fossil was found also previously yielded other significant clues to the ancient human past. Researchers working in the region have also found more recent fossils from Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens.___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. CHRISTINA LARSON Larson is a science writer on The Associated Press Global Health & Science team. She has reported on the environment from five continents. mailto

The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, are seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-03-12T18:08:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Education Departments civil rights branch is losing nearly half its staff in the Trump administrations layoffs, effectively gutting an office that already faced a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families across the nation.Among a total of more than 1,300 layoffs announced Tuesday were roughly 240 in the departments Office for Civil Rights, according to a list obtained and verified by The Associated Press. Seven of the civil rights agencys 12 regional offices were entirely laid off, including busy hubs in New York, Chicago and Dallas. Despite assurances that the departments work will continue unaffected, huge numbers of cases appear to be in limbo. Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The Trump administration has not said how it will proceed with thousands of cases being handled by staff its eliminating. The cases involve families trying to get school services for students with disabilities, allegations of bias related to race and religion, and complaints over sexual violence at schools and college campuses.Some staffers who remain said theres no way to pick up all of their fired colleagues cases. Many were already struggling to keep pace with their own caseloads. With fewer than 300 workers, families likely will be waiting on resolution for years, they said. I fear they wont get their calls answered, their complaints wont move, said Michael Pillera, a senior civil rights attorney for the Office for Civil Rights. I truly dont understand how a handful of offices could handle the entire country. Linda McMahon, President Donald Trumps nominee for Secretary of Education, attends a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Linda McMahon, President Donald Trumps nominee for Secretary of Education, attends a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Department officials insisted the cuts will not affect civil rights investigations. The reductions were strategic decisions, spokesperson Madison Biedermann.OCR will be able to deliver the work, Biedermann said. It will have to look different, and we know that.The layoffs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by President Donald Trump as he moves to reduce the footprint of the federal government. Along with the Office of Civil Rights, the top divisions to lose hundreds of staffers in the layoffs included Federal Student Aid, which manages the federal student loan portfolio, and the Institute of Education Sciences, which oversees assessments of whether the education system is working and research into best teaching practices. Do you have a confidential tip for an AP reporter? Heres how to reach us securely. Trump has pushed for a full shutdown of the Education Department, calling it a con job and saying its power should be turned over to states. On Wednesday he told reporters many agency employees dont work at all. Responding to the layoffs, he said his administration is keeping the best ones.After the cuts, the Office for Civil Rights will only have workers in Washington and five regional offices, which traditionally take the lead on investigating complaints and mediating resolutions with schools and colleges. Buildings are being closed and staff laid off in Dallas, Chicago, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco.Many lawyers at the New York City office were juggling 80 or more cases, said one staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear for reprisals. The branch often mediated cases with New York City schools, the nations largest district, and its lawyers were handling a high-profile antisemitism investigation at Columbia University a priority for Trump.The staffer described several pending cases involving students with disabilities who are wrongly being kept out of school because of behavioral issues. With limited oversight from the office, they said, school districts will be less likely to comply with legal requirements. The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, are seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, are seen Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Pillera, who had said before the cuts that he was leaving the department, said its unclear how complaints will be investigated in areas that no longer have offices.We have to physically go to schools, Pillera said. We have to look at the playground to see if its accessible for kids with disabilities. We have to measure doorways and bathrooms to see if everything is accessible for kids with disabilities.Even before the layoffs, the civil rights office had been losing staff even as complaints rose to record levels. The workforce had fallen below 600 staffers before Trump took office, and they faced nearly 23,000 complaints filed last year, more than ever.Trump officials ordered a freeze on most cases when they arrived at the department, adding to the backlog. When Education Secretary Linda McMahon lifted the freeze last week, there were more than 20,000 pending cases. Historically, most of the offices work deals with disability rights cases, but it has fielded growing numbers of complaints alleging discrimination based on sex or race. It has also played a prominent role in investigating complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia amid the Israel-Hamas war and a wave of campus demonstrations that spread across the country last year.Craig Trainor, Trumps appointee over the office, directed staff to focus on antisemitism cases as a top priority last week. In a memo, he accused former President Joe Biden of failing to hold colleges accountable and promised tougher action against violators.At her confirmation hearing, McMahon said the goal is not to defund key programs but to make them operate more efficiently. She vowed to uphold the agencys civil rights work but said it might fit better being moved to the Justice Department. The civil rights office was not the only division to lose attorneys key to the Education Departments portfolio. Tuesdays layoffs have nearly eliminated all staff working in the departments Office of the General Counsel, say two people familiar with the situation, who didnt want to speak publicly for fear of reprisals.Attorneys in the division advised the department on the legality of its actions, helped enforce how states and schools spent federal money meant for disadvantaged K-12 students, and watched for conflicts of interest among internal staff and appointees, among other things.Of the approximately 100 staff members working before Trump took office, only around two dozen remain. The majority of those still employed advise the department on higher education, including financial aid programs.An email the Education Department sent to all staff after the layoffs said there will need to be significant changes to how they work.What we choose to prioritize, and in turn, not prioritize, will be critical in this transition, the message said. A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More ___AP Education Writer Bianca Vzquez Toness contributed reporting.___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. COLLIN BINKLEY Binkley covers the U.S. Education Department and federal education policy for The Associated Press, along with a wide range of issues from K-12 through higher education. twitter mailto

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-03-12T21:30:56Z Again and again the Trump White House has turned to a 73-year-old legal statute to defend its immigration crackdown.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt cited the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 on Tuesday to explain the arrest and planned deportation of a Palestinian activist and legal U.S. resident with a green card.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem cited it in late February when announcing that anyone living in the U.S. illegally would have to register with the federal government.The act has been mentioned in presidential orders, press releases and speeches.But what is it? Why do officials keep talking about the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952?The act comes up so frequently because it is the legal foundation of modern immigration law, encompassing a vast range of regulations and procedures. It has been amended hundreds of times since it was passed, during the Truman administration.Decades of sweeping changes in immigration law link back to the act.These were all massive public laws in their own standing, but they were all amending the 1952 legislation, said Niels Frenzen, an immigration expert at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.The law, also known as the McCarran-Walter Act, came amid the anti-communist fears of the early Cold War. While it eased some race-based immigration restrictions, particularly for Asians, it effectively limited most immigration to Europeans. It also codified rules allowing ideology to be used to deny immigration and allow deportation. How has the Trump administration used the act and its many provisions?Most recently, the Trump White House used the act as the basis to arrest Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who helped organize campus protests at Columbia University against the Israel-Hamas war. Khalil, a Palestinian who was born and raised in Syria, became a legal permanent resident, also known as a green card holder, last year. He is married to an American citizen.But the administration says he still can be expelled.Under the Immigration and Nationality Act the secretary of state has the right to revoke a green card or a visa for individuals who are adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the U.S., Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.The reality is more complicated, legal scholars say. The provision the White House is using Section 237 (a)(4)(C) - is rarely invoked, requires extensive judicial review and is intended for unusual cases when someones presence in the U.S. could cause diplomatic turmoil.The deportation has to have some seriousness to it, said Richard Boswell, a University of California San Francisco law professor whose work often focuses on immigration. The burden is on the government to show the person should be deported.Scholars often point back to the Clinton administration for a recent, high-profile example. Mario Ruiz Massieu was a former deputy attorney general in Mexico when he was arrested in 1995 for trying to leave the U.S. with $26,000 in undeclared cash. Then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that not deporting Ruiz-Massieu would jeopardize our ability to work with Mexico on law enforcement matters. When else has the act been invoked?-Under Section 212(f) , the president may block entry of any aliens or class of aliens into the United States whose presence would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. Donald Trump used that broad language to impose a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries during his first term and, on the first day of his second term, laid groundwork for a renewed travel ban. His advisers are expected to make recommendations later this month.-In late February, Noem said in a statement she would fully enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act, and would require anyone living in the U.S. illegally to register with the federal government, with those who dont facing fines, imprisonment or both.- Joe Biden used the acts humanitarian parole provision more than any president to allow temporarily allow people into the U.S. from countries including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Specifically, it allows the president to admit anyone on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit for ending the long-standing legal tool.

U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler speaks during a ceremony to raise the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag at the State Department, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-03-12T21:17:36Z WASHINGTON (AP) Kuwait has released a group of American prisoners, including veterans and military contractors jailed for years on drug-related charges, in a move seen as a gesture of goodwill between two allies, a representative for the detainees told The Associated Press on Wednesday.The release follows a recent visit to the region by Adam Boehler, the Trump administrations top hostage envoy, and comes amid a continued U.S. government push to bring home American citizens jailed in foreign countries. Six of the newly freed prisoners were accompanied on a flight from Kuwait to New York by Jonathan Franks, a private consultant who works on cases involving American hostages and detainees and who had been in the country to help secure their release.My clients and their families are grateful to the Kuwaiti government for this kind humanitarian gesture, Franks said in a statement. He said that his clients maintain their innocence and that additional Americans he represents also are expected to be released by Kuwait later. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The names of the released prisoners were not immediately made public. Kuwait, a small, oil-rich nation that borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia and is near Iran, is considered a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio paid tribute to that relationship as recently as last month, when he said the U.S. remains steadfast in its support for Kuwaits sovereignty and the well-being of its people. The countries have had a close military partnership since America launched the 1991 Gulf War to expel Iraqi troops after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the country, with some 13,500 American troops stationed in Kuwait at Camp Arifjan and Ali al-Salem Air Base. But Kuwait has also detained many American military contractors on drug charges, in some cases, for years. Their families have alleged that their loved ones faced abuse while imprisoned in a country that bans alcohol and has strict laws regarding drugs. Others have criticized Kuwaiti police for bringing trumped-up charges and manufacturing evidence used against them allegations never acknowledged by the autocratic nation ruled by a hereditary emir. The State Department warns travelers that drug charges in Kuwait can carry long prison sentences and the death penalty. Defense cooperation agreements between the U.S. and Kuwait likely include provisions that ensure U.S. troops are subject only to American laws, though that likely doesnt include contractors.Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, his Republican administration has secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel in a prisoner swap with Russia and has announced the release by Belarus of an imprisoned U.S. citizen.The Americans released Wednesday had not been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. The status is applied to a subsection of Americans jailed abroad and historically ensures the case is handled by the administrations special presidential envoy for hostage affairs the office that handles negotiations for a release. But advocates of those held in foreign countries are hopeful the Trump administration takes a more flexible approach and secures the release of those not deemed wrongfully detained.The sad reality is that these Americans were left in prison for years due to a misguided policy that had, before President Trump took office, effectively abandoned Americans abroad who hadnt been designated wrongfully detained, Franks said in a statement.These releases, he added, demonstrate what is achievable when the U.S. government prioritizes bringing Americans home.___Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft scrubbed prior to liftoff for a mission to the International Space Station from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)2025-03-12T23:10:16Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) A launch pad problem prompted SpaceX to delay a flight to the International Space Station on Wednesday to replace NASAs two stuck astronauts.The new crew needs to get to the International Space Station before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can head home after nine months in orbit.Concerns over a critical hydraulic system arose less than four hours before the Falcon rockets planned evening liftoff from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. As the countdown clocks ticked down, engineers evaluated the hydraulics used to release one of the two arms clamping the rocket to its support structure. This structure needs to tilt back right before liftoff.Already strapped into their capsule, the four astronauts awaited a final decision, which came down with less than an hour remaining in the countdown. SpaceX canceled for the day. The company did not immediately announce a new launch date, but noted the next try could be as early as Thursday night. Once at the space station, the U.S., Japanese and Russian crew will replace Wilmore and Williams, who have been up there since June. The two test pilots had to move into the space station for an extended stay after Boeings new Starliner capsule encountered major breakdowns in transit. Starliners debut crew flight was supposed to last just a week, but NASA ordered the capsule to return empty and transferred Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX for the return leg. ___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.an astronaut launch for NASA on Wednesday night.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks from a military airplane upon arrival at Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec, Canada, March 12, 2025, as he travels to a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)2025-03-13T04:01:39Z LA MALBAIE, Canada (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio may be walking into unusually unfriendly territory this week when he meets his counterparts from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies strong American allies stunned by President Donald Trumps actions against them.Just hours after Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs kicked in prompting responses from the European Union and Canada and threatening to ignite full-scale trade wars with close U.S. partners Rubio arrived at the scenic Quebec town of La Malbaie on the St. Lawrence River for two days of talks with the top diplomats of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. All of them have been angered by the new American presidents policies.Rubio will likely be hearing a litany of complaints about Trumps decisions from once-friendly, like-minded countries in the G7 notably host Canada, to which Trump has arguably been most antagonistic with persistent talk of it becoming the 51st U.S. state, additional tariffs and repeated insults against its leadership. Canadian Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly, the official host who will see each participant separately, said that in every single meeting, I will raise the issue of tariffs to coordinate a response with the Europeans and to put pressure on the Americans. The only constant in this unjustifiable trade war seems to be President Trumps talk of annexing our country through economic coercion, Joly said Wednesday. Yesterday, he called our border a fictional line and repeated his disrespectful 51st state rhetoric. Rubio downplayed Trumps 51st state comments, saying Wednesday that the president was only expressing what he thought would be a good idea.The G7 grouping is not a meeting about how were going to take over Canada, Rubio said, noting that they would focus on Ukraine issues and other common topics. Facing allies as tariffs take holdOn tariffs, Rubio said G7 partners should understand that these are a policy decision by Trump to protect American competitiveness.I think it is quite possible that we could do these things and at the same time deal in a constructive way with our allies and friends and partners on all the other issues that we work together on, Rubio told reporters on a refueling stop in Ireland as he headed to Canada from talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia. And thats what I expect out of the G7 and Canada.Asked if he expected a difficult reception from his counterparts, Rubio brushed the question aside: I dont know, should I be? I mean, theyve invited us to come. We intend to go. The alternative is to not go. I think that would actually make things worse, not better.Rubio notably skipped a meeting of G20 foreign ministers a bigger but less powerful group that includes developing nations last month in South Africa because of his concerns that the agenda, which included climate change and diversity, did not align with Trump administration policies.The agenda for the G7 meeting includes discussions on China and the Indo-Pacific; Ukraine and Europe; stability in the Americas; the Middle East; maritime security; Africa; and China, North Korea, Iran and Russia. Discussing peace in UkraineRubio and Trumps national security adviser, Mike Waltz, had been in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier in the week securing a potentially huge win for the administration a possible ceasefire to end the Russia-Ukraine war, an issue that galvanized the G7 since even before the conflict began. Armed with Ukraines acceptance of the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire but still awaiting a Russian response, Rubio can expect cautiously optimistic responses from his fellow diplomats.Yet, Trumps apparent desire to draw Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the fold including saying he would like to see Russia rejoin the group to restore it to the G8 continues to alarm G7 members. They united behind Ukraine, with large amounts of military assistance and punishing economic sanctions against Moscow, after the invasion began in February 2022. Russia was thrown out of the G8 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Among international groupings, the G7 whose members, with the exception of Japan, are all NATO allies had been the toughest on Russia. At the last G7 foreign ministers meeting before the 2022 invasion, members warned Russia in a joint statement in December 2021 of massive consequences should it attack Ukraine. Three months later, they coordinated to impose sweeping financial, travel and other sanctions on Moscow. Since Trumps election, that appears to be changing, at least from the U.S. side.Rubio said his goal was not to antagonize Russia as it considers the ceasefire proposal by issuing statements that are abrasive in any way. He noted that all of the sanctions against Russia remain in place but that new threats of action could be counterproductive to getting Putin on board with the U.S. peace plan. That throws into question hopes that the G7 can unify around a common statement condemning Russia. Britain, along with France, has been spearheading efforts to set up a coalition of the willing to help safeguard a future ceasefire in Ukraine, including with troops on the ground. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who has said the plan will only work with U.S. security guarantees to back it up plans to host a virtual meeting of about two dozen countries Saturday to discuss progress.Rubio and other Trump administration officials have so far refused to endorse European peacekeepers. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said G7 unity has been critical in ensuring that Putin to this day hasnt achieved his war aims in Ukraine. The way to peace goes via strength and unity a language that Putin understands, she said in a statement before the meeting.___Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto, Jill Lawless in London, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley volunteer Veronica Yoo loads boxes of donations on to a cart at a storage facility in McAllen, Texas on June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes, File)2025-03-13T04:07:49Z McALLEN, Texas (AP) The Trump administration has launched a review of organizations that provide temporary housing and other aid to migrants, suggesting they may have violated a law used to prosecute smugglers.The Department of Homeland Security has significant concerns that federal grants used to address a surge of migration under former President Joe Biden were used for illegal activities, wrote Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.His letter, dated Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press, asks recipients of grants from FEMAs Shelter and Services Program to provide names and contact information for migrants served and a detailed and descriptive list of specific services provided within 30 days. The letter says funding will be withheld during the review. While it doesnt explicitly threaten criminal prosecution, it raises concerns that recipients may have violated U.S. Criminal Code Section 1324, a felony offense against bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the United States. It also says executive officers must sign sworn statements that they have no knowledge or suspicions of anyone in their organizations violating the smuggling law. FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Wednesday. The demand appears to be a new salvo against organizations that provide food, housing and travel aid to people who cross the border. Migrants often arrive exhausted, low on money and unsure how to navigate on their own through bus stations and airports. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who was at odds with the Biden administration over immigration and is closely aligned with the Trump White House, took a similar tack against migrant aid groups but was blocked in court.FEMAs Shelter and Services Program awarded $641 million to dozens of state and local governments and organizations across the country in the 2024 fiscal year to help them deal with large numbers of migrants who crossed the border from Mexico. They include the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver, as well as the United Way of Miami, the San Antonio Food Bank and several branches of Catholic Charities.It was unclear if any any governments received the letters, but the Trump administration has fiercely criticized states, counties and cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Last month, it sued Chicago over laws that it said thwarted federal law enforcement.

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, looks on during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)2025-03-13T05:06:25Z BEIRUT (AP) After Syrias longtime autocratic ruler was toppled late last year, the man who led rebel groups to victory immediately faced a new challenge: unifying the country after more than a decade of civil war.The peril and promise of Syria under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa the former leader of an Islamist insurgent group were on dramatic display over the past week. After days of deadly sectarian violence, a diplomatic triumph united a powerful force in the countrys northeast with the new national army.By Tuesday, it seemed as if Syria had made major steps toward quelling the tensions that erupted over the weekend. But analysts say the country still has a long way to go, and that the risks of sliding back into civil war, or partitioning the country along ethnic and sectarian lines, remain. The path to rebuilding trust will require Syrias new leaders to do more to protect lives and foster a sense of unity among all communities, said Ammar Kahf, executive director of Omran Center for Strategic Studies in Istanbul.Building a stable, pluralistic society is also key to convincing Western countries to lift crushing economic sanctions that were placed on Syria during the brutal rule of former President Bashar Assad. A week of political whiplashBeginning last Thursday, clashes between government security forces and armed groups loyal to Assad spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks that killed hundreds of civilians, most of them Alawites, a minority sect to which Assad belongs.Government reinforcements eventually restored order, and calm appeared to hold by late Monday. That same day, al-Sharaa had signed a landmark pact under which Kurdish-led forces in the countrys northeast would be merged with the new national army. The deal marked a major step toward unifying the disparate factions that had carved up Syria into de facto mini-states during its civil war. The civil war began in 2011 after the Assad governments brutal crackdown on massive anti-government protests. Not a professional armyMost of the armed factions that fought to unseat Assad announced in January that they would join the national army. In practice, though, they have maintained their own leadership.This is not a professional army, said Issam al-Reis, a military adviser with Etana, a Syrian research group. In theory, there are plans to join the factions into an army and merge everybody together under the Ministry of Defense. But so far, in reality, on the ground, everybody is still under his own umbrella.On the other side, there are thousands of former soldiers from the disbanded Assad-era army who are now unemployed and very easy targets for local or international actors interested in upsetting Syrias fragile stability, al-Reis said.The sectarian violence over the weekend was difficult to contain, analysts say, because the government had to turn to a patchwork of undisciplined factions including armed civilians -- to combat pro-Assad militants who attacked security forces along the coast. Members of some of those factions launched bloody revenge attacks on Alawite civilians. The violence only reinforced the significant challenge to the Syrian (governments) efforts to consolidate power, said Kahf, of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies. A landmark dealUnexpectedly, the violence appears to have expedited the deal to bring the Kurdish-led armed group controlling most of northeastern Syria, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, under the umbrella of the national army.The agreement came about when it did because al-Sharaa needed to achieve a diplomatic victory after the weekend violence damaged his image, said Ahmed Aba Zeid, a Syrian researcher. At the same time, the SDF calculated it could achieve greater gains if it gave Sharaa this gift at this time, he said. Under the agreement, border crossings, airports and oil fields in the northeast will also be brought under the central governments control by the end of the year. Many details still need to be ironed out including who will manage prisons holding Islamic State fighters captured by SDF but the agreement gives al-Sharaa a much-needed political boost.He appears to have eliminated the two most significant threats of division in the country within days, Aba Zeid said. International players pushing for unificationThe agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government came about with the blessing of two important international players: the United States, which has supported the SDF as a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State militant group; and Turkey, which backs Syrias new leaders.This would not have happened if the Turks werent willing to let it happen, according to a senior U.S. defense official who said Washington encouraged SDF to reach an agreement with Syrias leaders. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.Although not written into the agreement, the official said Ankara had demanded assurances that the SDF would remove foreign fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that had waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey before recently announcing a ceasefire.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech Tuesday, The full implementation of the agreement reached yesterday will serve the security and peace of Syria.Still, the new Syrian government faces an array of challenges.Since the fall of Assad, Israel has seized pockets of territory in southern Syria, saying that it is moving to protect its borders.With sanctions by the U.S. and its allies still in place, the country will struggle to make significant investments in its economy and rebuild areas destroyed during the civil war.Alawites and other minorities that were already skeptical of the Islamist-led authorities in Damascus are more frightened and hostile than they were a week ago, despite promises by the countrys new leaders that those who attacked civilians will be held accountable.Al-Reis said that reassuring them will require the government to take very strong measures against the perpetrators. 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

The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)2025-03-13T04:08:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) Mia Francis, a 22-year-old barista from Boston, filed her taxes on her own this year for the first time, using a free government tax filing program that made it easy because it did most of the work for her.Francis said it took 45 minutes to finish her taxes with the IRS Direct File program, an electronic tax return filing system that the IRS made permanent last year and that has rolled out to 25 states.Francis is expecting a $530 refund. And because she saved cash by not using a commercial tax preparation company to file her taxes, that money will go a long way, she said. She plans to use it for a trip to Amsterdam this year.Despite its popularity with Francis and other members of the American public, the IRS Direct Files fate remains unclear as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency cleave their way through the federal bureaucracy. So far, the program is still available for use ahead of the April 15 tax filing deadline, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent committed during his January confirmation hearing to maintaining it, at least for this tax season. Representatives from the Internal Revenue Service and DOGE did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on their plans for Direct File. But one Republican tax expert says the IRS never got congressional authorization to create Direct File. And Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation firms complain the program is a waste of money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. Direct File was rolled out as a pilot program in 2024 after the IRS was tasked with looking into how to create a direct file system as part of the money it received from the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. Last May, the agency announced that the program would be made permanent. The IRS accepted 140,803 returns filed by taxpayers using Direct File in the 12 states where it was available last tax season. Its been expanded to include half the country this year. It is unclear how many taxpayers have used Direct File this year. Merici Vinton, an original architect of Direct File from the U.S. Digital Service, noted the ease and accessibility of the program and called it a great example of how people should interact with the government in the 21st century.We effectively launched a startup in the IRS, she said. It was built by an in-house product team, in an iterative manner, and we ship updates to the software to improve user experience in real time based on feedback. If we continue to invest in it, both taxpayers and the IRS can benefit.Musk posted last month on his social media site that he had deleted 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS Direct File program. This led to some confusion about whether Direct File is still available to taxpayers. However, conversations inside the IRS indicate that no decision has been made on whether to cut the program, two people familiar with these conversations tell the AP. Former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, who oversaw the rollout of the program, said Treasury officials considering the future of the program should take into account the voice of the taxpayers. My reflection is that taxpayers are in very different situations and have very different preferences for how they want to file, he said. Those whose preference is to file electronically direct with the IRS for free, its a good option to have on the menu. But it should not replace other options.Derrick Plummer, a spokesperson for Intuit, one of the countrys largest commercial tax preparation firms, said free tax preparation had been available for years before Direct File came along.IRS Direct File is a solution in search of a problem, a waste of taxpayer dollars and a drain on critical IRS resources, he said. A June 2024 Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report estimates that the annual costs of Direct File may range from $64 million to $249 million. The IRS should focus on its core mission including data privacy and customer service while policymakers in Washington focus on simplifying the tax code, Plummer said. However, other taxpayers, like 31 year-old Aquiel Warner in Austin, Texas, say they want to avoid using commercial tax preparation software.Warner filed her taxes with Direct File in 10 minutes using her phone and a chatbot that the IRS provides. She likes the programs convenience, that it prepopulated her tax forms and that it allowed for free filing. Although she has some concerns about data privacy in the government DOGE is reported to have access to some of the IRS internal systems she feels more secure going through the IRS than commercial tax preparation services.I dont want to be a product. I dont want my information sold when I file my taxes, she said. I have to file my taxes, and I dont want to be put in a situation where, in order to file my taxes, I have to pay to get the help I need because Im not a professional tax preparer. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said the IRS never got explicit permission from Congress to create the Direct File system.It really doesnt matter if its a good idea. It was done illegally, he said, calling on Congress and the Justice Department to look into what he says is unauthorized spending that went into the creation of Direct File. Democratic lawmakers in January asked Bessent and IRS commissioner nominee Billy Long to preserve the program. They wrote in a letter that ending Direct File would hurt everyday Americans. Long has not yet received a nomination hearing.In the meantime, Musk and his cadre of computer programmers could decide to wield their tech skills to boost the program or use the very same digital savvy to delete it.For his part, Werfel hopes that the agency will keep the program. Its a big country with a lot of taxpayers with a lot of different preferences, he said.Francis, the Boston barista, hopes so, too.There are a lot of young people like me who are working and figuring out how to file their taxes this just makes it faster and easier, she said. 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

Visitors enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)2025-03-13T04:08:37Z LONDON (AP) It may be winter and there may be a biting chill in the air, but the dozen men and women who have packed this small sauna room in east London are happily sweating away in their swimwear. Its more than 90 degrees Celcius (194 Fahrenheit) in here and its about to get even hotter.As ice blocks infused with lavender oil melt over sizzling hot stones, releasing fragrant steam, sauna master Oliver Beryl turns on some ambient music and starts to vigorously wave a towel in a circular motion above his head to spread overpowering waves of dry heat around the room. Callum Heinrich, left, and Ella Price, second left, enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Callum Heinrich, left, and Ella Price, second left, enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Now try finding someone and sit back to back with them, Beryl suggests. Or, if you want, maintain eye contact with the person sitting next to you. A brief hesitation, but most gamely oblige for a few minutes.Sauna-bathing has taken London and the rest of the U.K. by storm, particularly among trendy 20- and 30-somethings interested in trying a new pastime thats healthier than nights out in pubs and bars.Sweating it out in communal spaces for relaxation, physical or mental therapy and socializing has long been a staple of many cultures around the world, from Scandinavias saunas and Native American sweat lodges to Japans onsens and Turkish baths. Callum Heinrich, right, and Ella Pricetake shower during their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Callum Heinrich, right, and Ella Pricetake shower during their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More But the most popular saunas now are those that emphasize community and connectedness, or offer something novel alongside sitting in a heated box. Think sauna club nights featuring DJs, saunas combined with a poetry workshop, or aufguss (meaning infusion in German) rituals like the one hosted by Beryl an intense session blending heat therapy, music and scent.Many sites also offer open-air ice baths next to the saunas so people can cycle between hot and cold. Its exhilaratingI loved the feeling of losing yourself. Its a 15-minute detachment from normal life, said Jess Carmichael as she emerged from her first aufguss at Community Sauna Baths in Stratford, east London.She likened the exhilaration she felt to the experience of running into the freezing sea with hundreds of others on New Years Day. I think people need this right now this warmth coming from the outside and feeling that youre sharing an experience with others, she added. Callum Heinrich enjoys his sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Callum Heinrich enjoys his sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Charlie Duckworth, a co-founder of Community Sauna Baths, said it all started in 2022 when he and fellow sauna nutters installed two small saunas including one in a horse box in a disused parking lot in the trendy neighborhood of Hackney.The not-for-profit social enterprise proved so popular that it has since expanded to four sites across the capital, with two more opening soon. A large part of the appeal for many fans is that saunas serve as a place of communion, much like a pub or a church, Duckworth said. Callum Heinrich, left, and Ella Price, second left, enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Callum Heinrich, left, and Ella Price, second left, enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Sauna lowers inhibitions and also gives you a feeling of mild euphoria, not unlike the effects of social drinking, he said. I think its an excellent place to socialize.Around the U.K., the number of public sauna sites has jumped from 45 in 2023 to 147 so far this year, according to the British Sauna Society.Have a bit more fun with it Visitors enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Visitors enjoy their sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Compared to countries where the practice is steeped in tradition, one benefit of the U.K.'s sauna culture being so new is that providers can have a bit more fun with it and be more creative, Duckworth said. At Peckham Sauna Social in south London, weekends feature relaxed ambient sauna nights with resident DJs and a non-alcoholic cocktail bar. One of its most popular monthly sessions is the creative writing sauna": a short poetry reading followed by a chai tea and writing workshop afterward in the lounge.Reading in the sauna was something Id never done before just being hot and sweaty and dripping onto the page was challenging at first, said Caroline Druitt, a writer who leads the workshops. Something about sharing a chat with other semi-clothed strangers in the sauna seemed to encourage participants to be more open about sharing their ideas and writings, Druitt said. Besides, I know that many of my best ideas have come out of the bath, she added.Reported health benefits David Saville sits by a camp fire during his sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) David Saville sits by a camp fire during his sauna session at the Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, in London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Besides reducing stress and getting ideas flowing, some swear by saunas and cold plunges for soothing joint inflammation and improving heart health and sleep. Some studies go further, with one suggesting a link between going to the sauna at least four times a week and a reduction in the risk of psychosis among middle-aged Finnish men. Authentic sauna done well should be as regular as the gym, and doing it regularly is what offers the reported health benefits, said Gabrielle Reason, secretary at the British Sauna Society.While those health benefits arent yet well established and those with high blood pressure or heart conditions should check with their doctors before going to a sauna and ice bath many converts return regularly for the mood boost.It just resets your brain in a really lovely way, said Callum Heinrich, submerged in a barrel of frigid water, his skin still steaming from the sauna. He says he attends twice a week when he can. For your mental health, it is the best thing in the world. SYLVIA HUI Hui, based in London, reports on UK news for The Associated Press with particular interest in foreign and social affairs and human rights. twitter mailto

Haile Tsege, 76, sits on a rock in the Sebacare internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp, on the outskirts of Mekele, Tigray region, Ethiopia, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo)2025-03-13T05:26:18Z MEKELE, Ethiopia (AP) As a displaced person in Ethiopias northern Tigray region, 76-year-old Haile Tsege is no stranger to hunger.During its war with Tigray fighters that devastated the region in 2020-2022, Ethiopian government restrictions on the rebellious region reduced aid flows to a trickle. Then in 2023, U.S. and U.N. aid distributions of grain were halted for months over a corruption scandal.Now the Trump administrations dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, has again halted food deliveries to a sprawling camp of over 20,000 people outside Tigrays regional capital, Mekele.We will just die in silence, said Tsege, one of the 2.4 million people in Tigray who depend on humanitarian grain, most of it provided by the U.S. Haile Tsege, 76, sits on a rock in the Sebacare internally displaced persons camp. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) Haile Tsege, 76, sits on a rock in the Sebacare internally displaced persons camp. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Ethiopia with its over 125 million people had been the biggest beneficiary of U.S. aid in sub-Saharan Africa, receiving $1.8 billion in the 2023 financial year. In addition to life-saving food, the funds were spent on HIV medications, vaccines, literacy programs and jobs creation, as well as services for 1 million refugees hosted by Ethiopia.Most of these programs have been stopped. The USAID staffers who oversaw them have been placed on administrative leave and told not to work, as they face the threat of termination. The U.S. Embassy didnt respond to questions. Emergency food was exempted from President Donald Trumps executive order, signed on his first day in office, suspending foreign aid during a 90-day review amid the administrations allegations of waste. Aid agencies in Ethiopia had to apply to USAID for waivers to continue handing out U.S. grain. These have been secured, but USAIDs payments system is still not functioning.As a result, a consortium of aid agencies in Tigray has had to stop distributions to the over 1 million people it has been responsible for feeding with U.S.-provided grain. It has no money to pay for fuel, trucks and drivers to distribute existing food stockpiles. That includes 5,000 metric tons of sorghum enough to feed 300,000 people for a month stuck in a storage facility in Mekele that could rot before it reaches those in need.This is just one warehouse. There are several others across the region, said Teklewoini Assefa, head of the Relief Society of Tigray, part of the consortium. This will create malnutrition, disease. If this situation continues, what follows? Death.He added: Everything boils down to the payment system. A sign reading USAID stands at the entrance of the Sebacare internally displaced persons camp. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) A sign reading USAID stands at the entrance of the Sebacare internally displaced persons camp. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The effects of the aid cuts are widespread, with many USAID contracts terminated. Already, Ethiopia has been forced to lay off 5,000 local healthcare workers who were working on its HIV response.Tigray relied heavily on U.S. funds. More than two years after the war killed hundreds of thousands, full-scale recovery efforts are yet to start. The regions health system is in ruins and hundreds of schools remain closed.In 2024, child malnutrition stood at 21% in some areas, according to a survey reviewed by The Associated Press far above the World Health Organizations threshold of 15% at which a situation is classified as an emergency.Now, aid workers say many programs to improve nutrition have halted. Projects to deliver medicines and vaccines have stopped. Dozens of camps for displaced people have had water sources cut off.The impact has been huge, said Ashenafi Asmelash, executive director of Mums for Mums, which has had two USAID- funded programs terminated. One helped build long-term resilience among farmers. The other helped improve the nutrition of children and new mothers. A man walks through the Sebacare IDP camp, on the outskirts of Mekele, Tigray region, Ethiopia, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) A man walks through the Sebacare IDP camp, on the outskirts of Mekele, Tigray region, Ethiopia, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Management Sciences for Health, another Tigray organization, has halted a project to combat tuberculosis and told its staff to expect mass layoffs in March, according to a senior executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.Efforts to assist thousands of women who were raped during the war have been derailed, said Rigat Bishaw at Ayder Hospital, Tigrays biggest healthcare facility.This includes counseling and physiotherapy sessions for survivors run by the U.S.-based Center for Victims of Torture, which received a stop-work order from the Trump administration in February and furloughed its staff. An internally displace woman stands outside her makeshift home in the Sebacare camp. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) An internally displace woman stands outside her makeshift home in the Sebacare camp. (AP Photo/Alexander Mamo) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More CVT also halted a program to train health workers to recognize sexual abuse cases and refer survivors to appropriate health services.This sudden disruption is having a huge impact on the healing of traumatized people, said Yohannes Fisseha, a CVT manager.Major projects to support people living with HIV, improve access to life-saving nutrition services and improve relations between war-affected communities have also been cut off, said Yirga Gebregziabher, the Tigray branch manager of an Ethiopian organization called OSSHD, which helped implement the projects.The organization has been forced to fire dozens of expert staff.Our picture of America was as a protector of rights, a positive force in the world, Yigra said. That image has now been broken. If there was a process, maybe the shock would have been less. But there was no consultation, no engagement. ___The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

Passengers rescued by security forces from a passenger train attacked by insurgents arrive at a railway station in Much, Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, Thursday March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)2025-03-13T08:05:46Z QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) Pakistans prime minister traveled to restive southwestern Balochistan province Thursday to meet survivors of a train attack and the commandos who rescued over 300 passengers from the insurgents who killed 21 civilians and four troops.The Baloch Liberation Army, an outlawed group behind multiple deadly attacks in recent months, claimed responsibility for the attack that began Tuesday and ended Wednesday when troops killed all 33 insurgents in an operation that the military said resulted in no further passenger deaths. The train was heading from the Balochistan capital, Quetta, to the northern city of Peshawar when insurgents blew up the track, forcing nine coaches and the engine of the Jafer Express train to stop partially inside a tunnel.The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has attacked trains, but had never been able to hijack any train in the past. They have also attacked outsiders such as Chinese workers, thousands of whom are involved in multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects in Balochistan. Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistans largest and least populated province. Members of the ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was to visit Quetta on Thursday. Authorities said arrangements were made to transport the bodies of victims to their hometowns and people who were wounded were receiving medical treatment. In an overnight statement, the military said it had confirmed intelligence indicating that the assault was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident.Pakistan often accuse Kabul of sheltering Pakistani Taliban and BLA, a charge the Afghan government denies.However, the military in the statement urged the Afghan Taliban government to uphold its responsibilities and deny the use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan. According to a military statement, the terrorists, after blowing up the railway track, took control of the train and held the passengers hostage including women, children and elderly, using them as human shields.Most of the survivors said the assailants opened fire on the windows of the train, entered the cars and killed or wounded people before taking them hostage. Three soldiers who had been guarding the railroad track were also killed, according to military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif.

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival as a staff installs partitions to block fans from the arrival route of the Dodgers team members at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers to play their MLB opening games against and Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)2025-03-13T08:38:35Z TOKYO (AP) Hundreds of fans at Tokyos Haneda airport, who lined up 10 deep and hoped to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as he arrived on Thursday, saw nothing of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.What they saw was a 40-meter-long (130 feet) temporary white wall to shield the players in case they came through the arrival area. The Chicago Cubs exited this way when they arrived late Wednesday night.The Dodgers were seen on the tarmac disembarking from their charter from Phoenix, and Ohtani was one of the first off. But the players didnt make it to the arrival area, apparently taking an escape route.The next chance to see Ohtani and the Dodgers will be Friday when the teams open practice at the Tokyo Dome. The two-game series to open the MLB season is Tuesday and Wednesday, early evening starts in Tokyo. Games will go live in the early morning the same day in North America. Japan is 13 hours ahead of the American east coast. Fans waited for hours inside the terminal, hoping Ohtani would might show up. Many carried signs of welcome. One was a bright yellow board that read: I love LA. Others wore Dodgers caps and shirts and other garb. Several times excited fans reached high with smart phones, thinking Ohtani had arrived. It was always a false alarm with mere passengers from other flights coming into view.Patient and polite, fans eventually departed the reception area when it was clear that Japans most famous citizen would not appear. Most fans were hopeful, but realistic.I just came hoping for any chance I might see him. But I knew, probably not. said Satoshi Yoshii, a local accountant.Misaki Ueta came with her husband Reishi and a friend, Ryusei Takahashi. The two men wore Ohtanis No. 17 Dodgers jersey.We just came to be able to breathe the same air, Misaki said. The Ohtani air.Others came for the event like a rock concert. I dont care if I cant see him because Im not really a fan of Othani, said Kotomi Miyakoda. Standing alongside was her friend, also Kotomi Kotomi Nakatsu.Im not a fan but I want to see him, the person, Nakatsu said.This is billed as the Japan Series by MLB. It could be billed as the marketing-Ohtani-in Japan series. Othani is probably the countrys most famous citizen and MLBs most marketable asset.This is the second straight season that MLB has opened its season in Asia. Last year it was South Korea with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres where the gambling scandal broke around Ohtanis interpreter.Cubs vs. DodgersThe two teams come to Tokyo with five Japanese players. The Dodgers have Othani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. The Cubs come with DH Seiya Suzuki and pitcher Shota Imanaga.Imanaga and Yamamoto are expected to oppose each other on Tuesday in the first game.The American clubs will face the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers in two exhitition games on Saturday and Sunday. Marketing the Dodgers in JapanChris Marinak, MLBs chief operations officer, talked with The Associated Press in an interview about advatanges of having a player like Ohtani. It helps to have a generational talent like Ohtani essentially the best player in the game to be from a different market, Marinak said. It changes how you can communicate about the game in different markets.Its not difficult. Japan has adopted the Dodgers as its national team. There has always been a strong connection, but now its rock soild since Ohtani won the World Series with the Dodgers.The Dodgers have set up an exhibition in central Tokyo called Dodgers Experience at MLB Tokyo Series. Fans can see the World Series trophy and a few World Series championship rings.Theres also a chance to view the Dodgers rich history, dating to Brooklyn before the team moved to Los Angeles to start the 1958 season. There are also interactive experiences where fans can try to hit an Ohtani pitch.Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has also designed artwork around the series. His work will also be on display during the series.Not a cheap ticketTickets on resale sites have been listed at as much a $20,000 for a single game. Many tickets for resale are more in the $2,000 to $8,000 range.Reselling tickets for above the face value it technically illegal in Japan. The government approved the rule before the 2020 Olympics, which were delayed by the pandemic until 2021.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb STEPHEN WADE Wade has written about sports and the politics of sports around the globe for The Associated Press. He has covered nine Olympics and five soccer World Cups and has been based for AP in Madrid, London, Beijing, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, before moving to Tokyo. twitter mailto

Displaced Palestinians lives in a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, west of Gaza City, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-03-13T09:58:16Z United Nations-backed experts have accused Israel of the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.Israels mission to the U.N. in Geneva rejected the accusations and accused the commission, which was created by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, of relying on second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources.The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory is led by former U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay. Its findings can be used as evidence for the International Criminal Court or other bodies that seek to prosecute war crimes.Israel has refused to cooperate with the commission, accusing it and the council of being biased against it.In its report released Thursday, the commission examined the widespread destruction of Gaza, the use of heavy explosives in civilian areas and Israeli attacks on hospitals and health facilities. It said all three led to disproportionate violence against women and children. Israel says it took extraordinary measures to avoid harming civilians in the 15-month war, which has been paused by a fragile ceasefire. It blames civilian deaths and destruction on Hamas because the militants operate in residential areas. The commission also accused Israeli security forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. Israel denies any systematic abuse of prisoners and says it takes action when there are violations. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. A U.N. envoy last year said there were reasonable grounds to believe Hamas committed rape and sexual violence in the attack.Israels retaliatory offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants.

In this image made from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov as he visits military headquarters in the Kursk region of Russia. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)2025-03-13T09:20:34Z Russian forces have driven the Ukrainian army out of the biggest town in Russias Kursk border region, officials claimed Thursday, as U.S. officials sought the Kremlins response to a proposed 30-day ceasefire in the three-year war that Ukraine has endorsed.The Russian Defense Ministrys claim that it recaptured the town of Sudzha, hours after President Vladimir Putin visited his commanders in Kursk and wore military fatigues, could not be independently verified. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.The renewed Russian military push and Putins high-profile visit to his troops came as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a diplomatic end to the war. The U.S. on Tuesday lifted its March 3 suspension of military aid for Kyiv after senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials made progress on how to stop the fighting in talks held in Saudi Arabia. Trump said Wednesday its up to Russia now as his administration presses Moscow to agree to the ceasefire.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that U.S. negotiators were on their way to Russia, but he wouldnt comment on Moscows view on the ceasefire proposal. Before the talks start, and they havent started yet, it would be wrong to talk about it in public, he told reporters.Senior U.S. officials say they hope to see Russia stop attacks on Ukraine within the next few days.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that national security adviser Mike Waltz spoke Wednesday with his Russian counterpart. She also confirmed that Trumps special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will head to Moscow for talks with Russian officials, possibly including Putin. By signaling its openness to a ceasefire, Ukraine has presented the Kremlin with a difficult challenge at a time when the Russian military has the upper hand in the war whether to accept a truce and abandon hopes of making new gains, or reject the offer and risk derailing a cautious rapprochement with Washington. The Ukrainian armys seven-month foothold inside Russia has been under intense pressure for months from a renewed effort by Russian forces, backed by North Korean troops. Ukraines daring incursion last August led to the first occupation of Russian soil by foreign troops since World War II and embarrassed the Kremlin.Ukraine launched the raid in a bid to counter the unceasingly glum news from the front line, as well as draw Russian troops away from the battlefield inside Ukraine and gain a bargaining chip in any peace talks.But the incursion didnt significantly change the dynamic of the war.

A couple kiss in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)2025-03-13T08:13:42Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis marked the 12th anniversary of his papacy Thursday with increasingly positive medical updates four weeks into his hospitalization for double pneumonia.The pope spent another tranquil night, the Vatican said in its brief morning statement. A chest X-ray confirmed improvements, the Vatican said on Wednesday, just two days after days after doctors declared hes no longer in imminent danger of death. The latest medical bulletin said that the 88-year-old popes condition remained stable, but indicated a complex picture considering his overall fragility.The Holy See hasnt said how the anniversary of his election as the 266th pope might be commemorated. It is a public holiday at the Vatican and Masses are planned in his honor at churches in Rome. No medical bulletins will be issued. Francis on Wednesday remotely followed a Lenten spiritual retreat that has been a mainstay of his papacy. He continues to receive high flows of oxygen through nasal tubes during the day and a non-invasive mechanical mask to aid his rest at night. The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected on the fifth ballot of the 2013 conclave, which was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.While Francis has praised Benedicts humility in stepping down and said he might follow in his footsteps, more recently he has said the papacy is a job for life.Another milestone comes Friday, when Francis marks four weeks of hospitalization. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

People wait in line to visit the European Parliament during Europe Day celebrations in Brussels on May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)2025-03-13T11:18:24Z BRUSSELS (AP) Belgian federal prosecutors said Thursday they have arrested several individuals as part of a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament amid reports in local media that Chinese company Huawei bribed EU lawmakers.Some 100 federal police officers carried out 21 searches in Brussels as well as in Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal, the federal prosecutors office said.The suspects were arrested for questioning in connection with their alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries, prosecutors said. The offences were allegedly committed by a criminal organization.According to an investigation by Le Soir newspaper and other media, lobbyists working for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei are suspected of bribing current or former MEPs to promote the companys commercial policy in Europe. Huawei public relations representatives in London did not respond to an emailed request for comment and could not be reached by phone.A European Parliament spokesperson said only that the assembly takes note of the information. When requested, it always cooperates fully with the judicial authorities. The federal prosecutors office, which did not name Huawei, said that corruption is believed to have been practiced regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, and taking various forms, such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches. Prosecutors believe that payments might have been disguised as business expenses and in some cases may have been directed to third parties. From this point of view, the investigation also aims to detect any evidence of money laundering, they said.Police seized several documents and objects during the searches. Staff at Huaweis offices in Brussels declined to speak to an AP reporter. They turned the lights off inside when he started taking pictures through the window.This is the second corruption case targeting the EU Parliament in less than three years. In December 2022, the legislature was left reeling after a corruption scandal in which Qatari officials accused of bribing EU officials to play down labor rights concerns ahead of the soccer World Cup.The scandal scarred the reputation of the EUs only institution comprised of officials elected directly in the 27 member countries. It undermined the assemblys claim to the moral high ground in its own investigations, such as into allegations of corruption in member country Hungary.The impact of the scandal is still being felt, with the parliament due to rule soon on whether to lift the immunity of two more lawmakers who were implicatedAccording to Follow The Money, an investigative journalism platform, one of the main suspects in the latest probe is 41-year-old Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019. Before becoming Huaweis EU Public Affairs Director, Ottati was an assistant to two Italian MEPs who were both members of a European Parliament group dealing with China policy, Follow the Money reported.___Lorne Cook in Brussels and Kelvin Chan in London contributed. Petrequin reported from Paris. SAMUEL PETREQUIN Petrequin has been covering sports and general news for The Associated Press for more than two decades. twitter mailto

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte checks the scope of a Chinese-made CS/LR4A sniper rifle during the presentation of thousands of rifles and ammunition by China to the Philippines at Clark Airbase in northern Philippines on June 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)2025-03-13T12:01:52Z MANILA, Philippines (AP) Ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened a police general with lawsuits, refused to be fingerprinted and told law enforcers you have to kill me to bring me to The Hague in a tense confrontation after his arrest in Manila that was ordered by the International Criminal Court, a Philippine police general said Thursday.Police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre provided details for the first time of Tuesdays 12-hour standoff at a Philippine air base before he and other police officers managed to bring the 79-year-old former leader onto a government-chartered jet that took him to The Hague, Netherlands, where he was detained by the global court on charges of crimes against humanity. Dutertes reversal of fortuneDuterte was once feared for his brutal anti-crime crackdowns and reviled for his irreverence while in office he called Pope Francis a son of a bitch at one time and said that U.S. President Barack Obama could go to hell. Dutertes stunning reversal of fortune was celebrated by human rights groups as a historic triumph against state impunity everywhere.Duterte was arrested Tuesday after he arrived at Manilas Ninoy Aquino International Airport with his common-law wife, daughter and friends from Hong Kong. He was later taken under heavy police guard to a nearby presidential lounge at the Villamor Air Base to undergo booking for arrested criminal suspects, including fingerprinting, before being taken to a plane for the long flight to The Hague to be turned over to the ICC, Torre said.But Duterte, his family, lawyers and friends resisted and prevented the former leader from being brought to a Gulfstream G550 executive jet, according to Torre. A tense half-day impasseThe standoff lasted for about 12 hours, Torre said.It was very tense, Torre told The Associated Press. One of my officers sustained a head injury after being hit hard with a cellphone by Dutertes common-law wife and his daughter was cursing me with expletives, but I kept my cool.The ex-president, who used to be a government prosecutor and congressman, refused to undergo the police booking procedure after his arrest, Torre said.We wanted to have him fingerprinted, but he resisted, Torre said. In a separate interview, he said that he arrested and handcuffed the former presidents executive secretary for blocking Dutertes transfer to the plane.Torre confirmed to the AP the authenticity of a video that has gone viral on social media showing Duterte surrounded by his family, lawyers and friends and asking Torre, who led the arresting officers, Are you going to bring me straight to the airplane?You have to kill me to bring me to The Hague, Torre quoted Duterte as saying.Thats not our intention sir, Torre said as his men dragged away one of several men surrounding Duterte. Dutertes legal team challenges his arrestDutertes lawyers said that Philippine authorities didnt show any copy of the ICC warrant and violated his constitutional rights. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s administration allowed the global court to take custody of Duterte, although the Philippines was no longer a party to the ICC, the legal team said.Our own government has surrendered a Filipino citizen even a former president at that to foreign powers, Vice President Sara Duterte, the ex-presidents daughter, said Tuesday before her father was flown out of Manila.This is a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nations independence, she said. This is not justice this is oppression and persecution, she said.Marcos appeared on nationwide television around midnight shortly after Duterte was flown out and denied the allegations of the vice president, who has had a bitter falling out with him after their whirlwind political alliance as running mates in the 2022 elections crumbled. Duterte predicts his fateIn Hong Kong, Duterte told a gathering of flag-waving followers Sunday before he flew back to Manila that he was aware that an ICC warrant for his arrest has been issued and added he was ready to be locked up. If this is my fate in life, its OK, Ill accept it. I cant do anything if I get arrested and jailed, he said in an expletives-laced speech.Duterte carved a political name decades ago with his violent approach to criminality and his profanities, which became a trademark of his political persona especially when threatening to kill drugs dealers as part of his war on illegal drugs that left thousands dead in his long years in power.While president, Duterte got incensed when Obama criticized his bloody campaign against illegal drugs and told him in one speech to go to hell.In 2015, he shocked the dominant Roman Catholic Church when he fired off an expletive while expressing his disgust over a monstrous traffic jam that trapped him while Francis was visiting Manila.I wanted to call. Pope, you son of a bitch, go home. Dont visit here anymore, he told a mob of supporters, some of whom laughed.He later apologized after Filipino bishops expressed shock and outrage.___Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report. JIM GOMEZ Gomez is The AP Chief Correspondent in the Philippines. twitter mailto

Former Congressman Dr. David Weldon speaks in The Villages, Fla., on May 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Brendan Farrington, File)2025-03-13T13:38:16Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. David Weldon, a former Florida congressman, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Senate health committee announced Thursday morning that it was canceling a planned hearing on Weldons nomination because of the withdrawal. A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the White House pulled the nomination because it became clear Weldon did not have the votes for confirmation.Weldon was considered to be closely aligned with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary who for years has been one of the nations leading anti-vaccine activists.A former Florida congressman, Weldon also has been a prominent critic of vaccines and the CDC, which promotes vaccines and monitors their safety.Weldon becomes the third Trump administration nominee who didnt make it to a confirmation hearing. Previously, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for attorney general and Chad Chronister for the Drug Enforcement Administration. ___Stobbe reported from New York.___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. ZEKE MILLER Miller leads coverage of the president and the presidency for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A sign outside the New York Stock Exchange marks the intersection of Wall and Broad Streets, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2025-03-13T04:45:39Z NEW YORK (AP) The U.S. stock market is drifting lower Thursday, even after getting a double-shot of encouraging news on the economy. President Donald Trump keeps upping the stakes in his trade war, with his most recent threat to tax European wines and spirits. The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in early trading, coming off a dizzying stretch where it set a record and then briefly tumbled as much as 10% from the mark within just a few weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 39 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower. Stocks have been turbulent because of questions about how much pain Trump will let the economy endure through tariffs and other policies in order to reshape the country and world as he wants. Hes said he wants manufacturing jobs back in the United States, along with a smaller U.S. government workforce and other fundamental changes. U.S. households and businesses have already reported drops in confidence because of all the uncertainty about which tariffs will stick from Trumps barrage of on -again, off -again announcements. Thats raised fears that they could pull back on their spending and sap energy from the economy. Some U.S. businesses say theyve already begun seeing a change in behavior among their customers. A particularly feared scenario for the overall economy is one where its growth stagnates but inflation stays high because of tariffs. Few tools are available in Washington to fix such stagflation. But good news came on both economic fronts Thursday. One report showed inflation at the wholesale level last month was milder than economists expected. It followed a similarly encouraging report from the prior day on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. A separate report, meanwhile, said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. Its the latest signal that the job market remains relatively solid overall. If it can continue, that can allow U.S. consumers to keep spending, and thats the main engine of the economy. On Wall Steet, Intel jumped 16.7% for one of the markets bigger gains after naming former board member and semiconductor industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as its CEO. Tan, 65, will take over the daunting job next week, more than three months after Intels previous CEO, Pat Gelsinger, abruptly retired amid a deepening downturn at the once-dominant chipmaker.In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.34% from 4.32%. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell across much of Europe and Asia, but the moves were relatively modest. ___AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Women look at a phone while sitting on the pedestal of statue on International Women's Day in downtown Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)2025-03-13T13:52:57Z LONDON (AP) If youve got a smartphone, you probably spend too much time on it checking Instagram, watching silly TikTok videos, messaging on WhatsApp or doomscrolling on X. It can be hard to curb excessive use of smartphones and social media, which are addictive by design. Reducing your screen time is often more than just a matter of willpower, especially for younger people whose brains and impulse control are still developing. If youre a phone addict who wants to cut down on the hours a day spent looking at your device, here are some techniques you can try to free up more IRL time: Delete appsAn easy first step is getting rid of any apps youve been wasting time on. Over the past year, Ive deleted Facebook, Instagram and Twitter from my phone because I wanted to use them less. Now and then Ill have to go the app store and reinstall one because I need to do something like post a photo I took on my phone. (Sometimes Ill transfer the photo to my laptop and then post it to the web from there, but usually, its too much hassle.)The danger with this approach is that if you do reinstall the app, you wont bother deleting it again. Use built-in controlsBoth iPhones and Android devices have onboard controls to help regulate screen time. They can also be used by parents to regulate childrens phone usage. Apples Screen Time controls are found in the iPhones settings menu. Users can set overall Downtime, which shuts off all phone activity during a set period. If you want a phone-free evening, then you could set it to kick in from, say, 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. The controls also let users put a blanket restriction on certain categories of apps, such as social, games or entertainment or zero in on a specific app, by limiting the time that can be spent on it. Too distracted by Instagram? Then set it so that you can only use it for a daily total of 20 minutes. The downside is that the limits arent hard to get around. Its more of a nudge than a red line that you cant cross. If you try to open an app with a limit, youll get a screen menu offering one more minute, a reminder after 15 minutes, or to completely ignore it. Android users can use turn to their Digital Wellbeing settings, which include widgets to remind users how much screen time theyve had. Theres also the option to create separate work and personal profiles, so you can hide your social media apps and their notifications when youre at the office. Dont be distractedThere are other little tricks to make your phone less distracting. I use the Focus mode on my iPhone to silence notifications. For example, If Im in a meeting somewhere, I mute it until I leave that location. Android also has a Focus mode to pause distracting apps. Change your phone display to grayscale from color so that it doesnt look so exciting. On iPhones, adjust the color filter in your settings. For Android, turn on Bedtime Mode, or tweak the color correction setting. Android phones can also nag users not to look at their phones while walking, by activating the Heads Up feature in Digital Wellbeing. Block those appsIf the built-in controls arent enough, there are many third-party apps, like Jomo, Opal, Forest, Roots and LockMeOut that are designed to cut down screen time. Many of these apps have both free and premium versions with more features, and strongly push you toward signing up for a subscription by minimizing the option to skip for now on the payment screen. I tested out a few on my iPhone for this story.To try out Opal, I reinstalled Facebook so I could block it. Whenever I tapped the Facebook icon, Opal intervened to give me various inspirational messages, like Gain Wisdom, Lose Facebook, and tallied how many times I tried to open it. To get around the block, I had to open Opal and wait through a six-second timeout before requesting up to 15 minutes to look at Facebook. Theres an option to up the difficulty by increasing the delay before you can look again. Jomo, which I used to restrict my phones Reddit app, worked in a similar way: tap the Unlock button, which took me to the Jomo app, where I had to wait 20 seconds before I could tap the button to unlock Reddit for up to 10 minutes. The OneSec app takes a different approach by reminding users to first take a pause. The installation, which involves setting up an automation on the iPhones Shortcuts, can be confusing. When I eventually installed it for my Bluesky app, it gave me a prompt to run a shortcut that wiped my screen with a soothing purple-blue and reminded me to take a deep breath before letting me choose to open the app but in practice it was too easy to just skip the prompt. The Android-only LockMeOut can freeze you out of designated apps based on criteria like your location, how many times youve opened an app, or how long youve used it. The obvious way to defeat these apps is simply to delete them, although some advise users to follow the proper uninstall procedure or else apps could remain blocked. Use external hardwareDigital blockers might not be for everyone. Some startups, figuring that people might prefer a tangible barrier, offer hardware solutions that introduce physical friction between you and an app. Unpluq is a yellow tag that you have to hold up to your phone in order to access blocked apps. Brick and Blok are two different products that work along the same lines theyre squarish pieces of plastic that you have to tap or scan with your phone to unlock an app. The makers of these devices say that software solutions are too easy to bypass, but a physical object that you can put somewhere out of reach or leave behind if youre going somewhere is a more effective way to get rid of distractions. What about stashing the phone away entirely? There are various phone lockboxes and cases available, some of them designed so parents can lock up their teenagers phones when theyre supposed to be sleeping. Yondr, which makes portable phone locking pouches used at concerts or in schools, also sells a home phone box. See a therapist Perhaps there are deeper reasons for your smartphone compulsion. Maybe its a symptom of underlying problems like anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression or low self-esteem. If you think thats the case, it could be worth exploring therapy that is becoming more widely available. One London hospital treats technology addiction with a plan that includes dealing with discomfort in face-to-face time with other people, and exploring your relationship with technology.Another clinic boasts that its social media addiction treatment also includes working on a patients technology management skills, such as setting boundaries for device usage, finding alternative activities to fill the void of reduced online interaction, and learning how to engage more with the physical world. Downgrade your phone Why not trade your smartphone for a more basic one? Its an extreme option but theres a thriving subculture of cellphones with only basic features, catering to both retro enthusiasts and people, including parents, worried about screen time. They range from cheap old-school brick-and-flip phones by faded brands like Nokia to stylish but pricier devices from boutique manufacturers like Punkt.The tradeoff, of course, is that youll also have to do without essential apps like Google Maps or your bank. ___Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at [emailprotected] with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip. KELVIN CHAN Chan covers technology and innovation in Europe and beyond for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

A mallard duck rests on the edge of a path around the Tidal Basin as the sun rises in Washington, Sunday, March 5, 2023, with the Washington Monument in the background. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)2025-03-13T14:09:22Z WASHINGTON (AP) At least 112 North American bird species have lost more than half their populations in the past 50 years, according to a new report published Thursday.Among the birds showing the steepest declines are Allens hummingbirds, Florida scrub jays, golden-cheeked warblers, tricolored blackbirds and yellow-billed magpies.These are the very real consequences if we are unable to conserve and protect the crucial habitats that birds need, said study co-author Mike Brasher, a senior scientist at the nonprofit Ducks Unlimited.For several decades, waterfowl stood out as a conservation bright spot with duck populations growing nationwide even as many other groups of birds declined in the U.S. But that trend has reversed, the new data shows.The total number of dabbling and diving ducks is down about 30% from 2017, said Brasher. Loss of grasslands habitat and a prolonged drought affecting the wetlands of the Great Plains prairie pothole region have taken a toll. Among all waterfowl, numbers are down 20% since 2014, the report found. The latest report is a collaboration between several groups including Cornell University, Ducks Unlimited, American Bird Conservancy, National Audubon Society and the American Ornithological Society. The work draws on survey data from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and citizen projects such as Cornells eBird. There are some 2,000 bird species in North America. A third of the species examined are rated as high or moderate concern for conservation due to declining numbers, habitat loss or other threats. These birds need urgent conservation attention, said Amanda Rodewald, a study co-author from Cornell, adding that bird survey trends also reveal the health of their habitats. The report focuses on birds that must breed and feed in specific habitats such as forests, grasslands and coastal regions. Grassland birds including the Bobolink are most at risk. For each species that were in danger of losing, its like pulling an individual thread out of the complex tapestry of life, said Georgetown University biologist Peter Marra, who was not involved in the new report.Marra pointed to key past conservation successes in the U.S. such as the comebacks of bald eagles, egrets and osprey. We know that we can bend the curve back with targeted conservation plans. But we cant just close our eyes and hope, he said. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. CHRISTINA LARSON Larson is a science writer on The Associated Press Global Health & Science team. She has reported on the environment from five continents. mailto

Last week, Aix Marseille University, Frances largest university, invited American scientists who believe their work is at risk of being censored by Donald Trump administrations anti-science policies to continue their research in France. Today, the university announced that it is already seeing great interest from scientists at NASA, Yale, Stanford, and other American schools and government agencies, and that it wants to expand the program to other schools and European countries to absorb all the researchers who want to leave the United States.We are witnessing a new brain drain, ric Berton, Aix Marseille Universitys president, said in a press release. We will do everything in our power to help as many scientists as possible continue their research. However, we cannot meet all demands on our own. The Ministry of Education and Research is fully supporting and assisting us in this effort, which is intended to expand at both national and European levels.Has your research been impacted by the Trump administration? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at emanuel.404. Otherwise, send me an email at emanuel@404media.co.The press release from the university claims that researchers from Stanford, Yale, NASA, the National Institute of Health, George Washington University, and about 15 other prestigious institutions," are now considering scientific exile. More than 40 American scientists have expressed interest in the program, it said. Their key research areas are health (LGBT+ medicine, epidemiology, infectious diseases, inequalities, immunology, etc.), environment and climate change (natural disaster management, greenhouse gases, social impact, artificial intelligence), humanities and social sciences (communication, psychology, history, cultural heritage), astrophysics.The current Executive Orders have led to a termination of one of my research grants. While it was not a lot of money, it was a high profile, large national study, one researcher who has reached out to Aix Marseille University in order to take advantage of the program told me. 404 Media granted the researcher anonymity because speaking about the program might jeopardize their current position at a leading American university. While I have not had to lay off staff as a result of that particular cancellation, I will have to lay off staff if additional projects are terminated. Everything I focus on is now a banned word.The program, called Safe Place for Science, initially will fund 15 researchers with 15 million Euros.Aix Marseille University says that it is already working closely with the regional government and Frances Chamber of Commerce and Industry to facilitate the arrival of these scientists and their families in the region, offering support with employment, housing, school access, transportation, and visas.We are doing what is necessary to provide them with the best living environment. We are ready to welcome them and will make them true children of the country! Renaud Muselier, President of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Cte d'Azur, said in a statement in support of the program.The Trump administration and Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency in particular have already frozen federal grants and loans for the National Institutes of Health, the US National Science Foundation, fired NASAs chief scientist, and fired thousands of workers across the federal government, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, critical for weather forecasting for natural disasters. The language of many of his executive orders is also so broad that researchers at public universities and other research institutions worry theyll lose funding for their work if they even mention climate, gender, race, or equity, terms that the Trump administration has been trying to wipe off any federal site and program.It is surreal that people are so scared and silent, because scientists and administrators are worried about losing ALL of their funding or MOST of their funding if they appeal or speak out against terminated grants, the researcher at the leading American university told me. I have been shocked that many in academic leadership seem to not see how similar these actions are to other totalitarian regimeswhich have taught us that we have to push back hard on EVERYTHING that is unethical and inhumane, not just the thing that affects us personally the most.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives to speak with reporters as Republicans work to pass an interim spending bill that would avoid a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded through September, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-03-13T15:21:50Z WASHINGTON (AP) A day before a shutdown deadline, Senate Democrats are mounting a last-ditch protest over a Republican-led government funding bill that already passed the House but failed to slap any limits on President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musks efforts to gut federal operations.Senate Democrats are under intense pressure to do whatever they can to stop the Trump administrations Department of Government Efficiency, which is taking a wrecking ball to long-established government agencies by purging thousands of federal workers from jobs.Democrats are pushing a stopgap 30-day funding bill as an alternative. But its prospects are dim in the Congress controlled by Republicans. And its unlikely the Democrats would allow a government shutdown, worried about the further chaos they say Trump and Musk could cause.As the Senate opened Thursday, with one day to go before Fridays midnight deadline, the Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said: Its time to fish or cut bait. Debates over funding the federal government routinely erupt in deadline moments but this year its showing the political leverage of Republicans, newly in majority control of the White House and Congress, and the shortcomings of Democrats who are finding themselves unable to stop the Trump administrations march across federal operations. In a rare turn of events, House Republicans stuck together to pass their bill, many conservatives cheering the DOGE cuts, leaving Democrats sidelined as they stood opposed. They House then left town, sending it to the Senate for final action. Options for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are limited, especially as the party is wary of fully withholding their votes and being blamed for a full shutdown of services. Schumer announced that Democrats were unified in pressing for a 30-day stopgap measure as an alternative to the House passed bill, which would instead fund operations through the end of the budget year in September. With his party united, Schumer said the Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority, lack the support needed to reach the 60-vote threshold, which is required to overcome a filibuster.But Senate Republicans have shown little interest in Schumers offer.What is more likely is that senators will have a chance to vote on the Democrats stopgap measure, but if it fails as expected, the Senate would then turn to the broader bill for passage, hours before Fridays midnight deadline.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to shift attention from Trumps tariff tit-for-tat tariff war to a looming federal government shutdown.I can tell you whats not good for the economy is this government shutdown, Bessent said outside the White House. I dont know what Democrats are thinking here. Theyre going to own it.But Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has called Trump and Musk two billionaires to dont know the first thing about what American families need.In an highly unusual turn, the House package also required the District of Columbia, which already approved its own balanced budget, to revert back to 2024 levels, drawing outcry from the mayor and city leaders who are pushing the Congress to revert course. They warn of steep reductions to city services.Both choices that we are being offered are full of despair, said Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.__Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

Damon LaSalle (19) blocks against University of Mount Saint Vincent's Olatomiwa Ibitayo (4) during a men's NCAA Division III college volleyball game, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2025-03-13T15:25:00Z Damon LaSalle keeps the athletic trainers busy at New Jersey City University.As he gets out of bed, his hamstrings, knees and back give him daily reminders that playing college volleyball can take a toll on the body. He has standing appointments with a chiropractor and acupuncturist in addition to the frequent visits to the training room.I have like a professional team taping me and sewing me together, he said, laughing.Those aches and pains are magnified for LaSalle.He is, after all, 40 years old.LaSalle plays middle blocker for the Knights, and most of his teammates werent born 20 years ago when he was one of the biggest stars in Division III. His first go in college ended because he was ruled academically ineligible before what would have been his senior season. With his wifes encouragement, the stay-at-home dad went back to school so he could honor his late mothers wish that he earn a degree and to set an example for his three children. He also wanted to put a proper bow on his volleyball career. The academic part has been no problem. LaSalle is a fire science major who is on the deans list with a 3.8 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, and he is on track to graduate this spring.The volleyball part has been an adventure. He has been limited to 10 of the Knights first 18 matches because of his assortment of injuries. Not all were volleyball-related. He missed two matches with a classic dad injury he tweaked his hamstring shoveling snow and the pain migrated to his back. 40 going on 20LaSalle doesnt jump as high or move as quickly as he once did. The way he describes it, he once could dunk a basketball and now can grab the rim with both hands. The guy can still play a little volleyball, though.Knights coach Carlo Edra, who played with LaSalle at NJCU from 2004-06, said hes shown two opposing coaches a photo array of the team and asked them to identify the 40-year-old. Both pointed to someone other than LaSalle.LaSalle can keep up with his younger teammates, but hes not the intimidating middle he once was. In 2006, he was national player of the week once and division player of the year in the old North East Collegiate Volleyball Association, which was Division IIIs top league. He is NJCUs career leader in block assists, and in wrapping his fourth season he is on the cusp of becoming the programs all-time leader in total blocks.His resume was right on hall of fame level at this college, said Ira Thor, the schools former sports information director.A sudden endingLaSalles first stint at NJCU ended suddenly. He was in preseason training during the fall of 2006 when an assistant athletic director pulled him out of practice and told him he was ineligible. His grade-point average was 1.4, the equivalent of a D-plus.I was more of an athlete-student instead of a student-athlete, he said. That happens to a lot of kids, and I let it get too far. I got to a point where when the athlete part wasnt available to me, it wasnt as interesting to be a student.So he quit school and, needing a job, asked Edra for help. Edra had graduated the year before and worked at a kitchen cabinet company. Edra recommended LaSalle, and he spent six or seven years there and became warehouse manager. LaSalle ended up marrying the woman who interviewed him for the job, and when Christina and he began a family, he was able to stay home. The LaSalles live about a 35-minute drive from NJCUs Jersey City campus and have daughters ages 4 and 6 and a son whos 8.When he asked Christina if she would be OK with him going to school and playing volleyball again, she told him it would make her proud if he did.That gave me goosebumps, he said. It made me feel like I could really do this. His biggest regretLaSalle said his biggest regret was dropping out of school, and his desire to go back grew stronger several years ago when he came across his wifes diploma from Rutgers.I looked at it and I was, I want one of these, he said. Carlo and I had a conversation, What if my kids ask me why I dont have one, what would my answer be to them about why I didnt finish?LaSalle, Edra and their former teammates have remained close over the years, and during their get-togethers or in their group texts somebody occasionally would suggest LaSalle finish what he started academically and athletically. In Division III, an athlete gets 10 semesters as a full-time student to play four seasons. There is no running eligibility clock as in Division I, so an athlete could leave school and return in, say, 20 years and pick up where he left off.In LaSalles case, he had played three seasons over seven semesters. To get his grades up and preserve his one remaining season of eligibility, LaSalle could only enroll as a part-time student and take a couple classes per semester. The slog to eligibility ended last summer. He became a full-time student in the fall and joined the team. Coming off the scrap heapThe only volleyball LaSalle had played since 2006 was with Edra in a summer sand volleyball league at a bar. Im not coming off the club court or anything, LaSalle said. I was coming off the scrap heap, as they say, off the couch.Actually, LaSalle had stayed fit over the years and that picked up once he decided to pursue college volleyball again. LaSalle knew he would have to earn his playing time and that Edra wouldnt give him special treatment because of their two-decade friendship.So if one of your kids is throwing a temper tantrum and youre late to practice, Ive got to make you run, dude, Edra said he told LaSalle.Sure enough, LaSalle stopped for coffee on his way to practice one day, had trouble finding a parking spot on campus and showed up late. He had to run laps, do 100 squat lifts, 30 pushups, a three-minute wall sit (a grueling quadriceps exercise) and a three-minute plank.Theres been plenty of days when I get home from these practices and Ill tell my wife, Should I be doing this? Am I going to be OK tomorrow? LaSalle said. Every day I wake up and here I am.Embraced by teammatesHis teammates have embraced him, first calling him Unc, as in uncle. The nickname morphed to Big 40 and stuck. Alex Casais, the team captain, said he treated LaSalle like any other teammate when practice started.I was not giving him the props, he said. I couldnt. I had to make sure to he was earning it on the court. He hit one ball and I knew it was over. I knew we were good.LaSalle said his approach was to blend in with his new teammates. That meant being quiet and doing what everybody else was doing. He said he never expected his teammates to know what he had accomplished 20 years ago, calling it immaterial. He came in with a sense of dignity, Casais said. He stepped on the court, and his head was down and he was going to work. I felt like a lot of the younger guys looked up to him, and thats where Big 40 came from. He was someone working as hard as everyone else, if not harder.Savoring every momentLaSalle said the game has become faster, players jump higher, systems are more sophisticated and the disparity between the top and bottom teams is smaller.But if anyone thought LaSalle would embarrass himself, he proved them wrong.It was kind of a surprise to everybody that once we all got in the gym in the fall season that he started to compete for the starting spot, Edra said. The fact hes keeping up with guys that are 21 years old and 20, 18 its kind of crazy.For LaSalle, its crazy fun. He said he savors every moment because he realizes he got an almost unimaginable second chance. Recalling 2006, he said, I played my last game, and I didnt know it was my last game.And now?Every practice we finish, its one less practice that I have before its over, he said. So I dont take that for granted. I dont take any day for granted at all.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports ERIC OLSON Olson is an Associated Press sports writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. He covers Nebraska, Creighton, the Big Ten and national college sports issues. twitter mailto

Something very strange is happening inside Super Nintendo (SNES) consoles as they age: a component youve probably never heard of is running ever so slightly faster as we get further and further away from the time the consoles first hit the market in the early 90s.The discovery started a mild panic in the speedrunning community in late February since one theoretical consequence of a faster-running console is that it could impact how fast games are running and therefore how long they take to complete. This could potentially wreak havoc on decades of speedrunning leaderboards and make tracking the fastest times in the speedrunning scene much more difficult, but that outcome now seems very unlikely. However, the obscure discovery does highlight the fact that old consoles performance is not frozen at the time of their release date, and that they are made of sensitive components that can age and degrade, or even upgrade, over time.The idea that SNESs are running faster in a way that could impact speedrunning started with a Bluesky post from Alan Cecil, known online as dwangoAC and the administrator of TASbot (short for tool-assisted speedrun robot), a robot thats programmed to play games faster and better than a human ever could. If youre a fan of the Games Done Quick events you might have seen Cecil and TASbot speedrun games there before, and if you want to get caught up on how and why Cecil does this you should read this Art Technica profile from 2016.SNES consoles seem to be getting faster as they age, Cecil said on Bluesky on February 26, and shared a link to an online form and instructions where people could share how fast their own SNESs were running in order to collect more data and test if the theory is correct. Cecil told me that while he wants to collect more data before before coming to any final conclusions, for now two things appear to be true: First, both from investigating existing information on SNESs that has been posted online over the years and from data people shared via the form, SNESs do appear to be running faster as they age. Second, the changes are very small, and after Cecil spoke to other people in the speedrunning and SNES emulation communities, it doesnt appear that these changes are significant enough to impact speedrunning.So whats going on here? The SNES has an audio processing unit (APU) called the SPC700, a coprocessor made by Sony for Nintendo. Documentation given to game developers at the time the SNES was released says that the SPC700 should have a digital signal processing (DSP) rate of 32,000hz, which is set by a ceramic resonator that runs 24.576Mhz on that coprocessor. Were getting pretty technical here as you can see, but basically the composition of this ceramic component and how it resonates when connected to an electronic circuit generates the frequency for the audio processing unit, or how much data it processes in a second.Its well documented that these types of ceramic resonators are sensitive and can run at higher frequencies when subject to heat and other external conditions. For example, the chart below, taken from an application manual for Murata ceramic resonators, shows changes in the resonators oscillation under different physical conditions.As Cecil told me, as early as 2007 people making SNES emulators noticed that, despite documentation by Nintendo that the SPC700 should run at 32,000Hz, some SNESs ran faster. Emulators generally now emulate at the slightly higher frequency of 32,040Hz in order to emulate games more faithfully. Digging through forum posts in the SNES homebrew and emulation communities, Cecil started to put a pattern together: the SPC700 ran faster whenever it was measured further away from the SNESs release.Data Cecil collected since his Bluesky post, which now includes more than 140 responses, also shows that the SPC700 is running faster. There is still a lot of variation, in theory depending on how much an SNES was used, but overall the trend is clear: SNESs are running faster as they age, and the fastest SPC700 ran at 32,182Hz. More research shared by another user in the TASbot Discord has even more detailed technical analysis which appears to support those findings.A chart showing the distribution of how fast the SPC700 is running from data collected by Cecil. Provided by Cecil to 404 Media.The data also showed that SPC700s speed changes depending on temperature. To test this Cecil even put his SNES in the freezer overnight, then tested it, showing a difference.In theory, if the SPC700 is running faster, it would deliver audio data to the CPU faster, and this could impact how a game runs. Lets say youre playing Super Metroid and you hit one of those many room-to-room transitions where you shoot to open a door, go through the door, and then the entire screen fades to black and pans over to the next room. Part of what is happening there is that the SNES is loading the data for that next room, including audio data. If the SPC700 is running faster, that data would load every so slightly faster, meaning overall the game would take less time to complete because youre spending less time on those transitions.After talking to speedrunners, however, Cecil believes even SNESs running on the faster end of the scale would not gain enough frames over the length of an entire speedrun to add up to even one whole second.We don't yet know how much of an impact it will have on a long speedrun, he told me. We only know it has at least some impact on how quickly data can be transferred between the CPU and the APU.While its unlikely these very small differences will matter to human speedrunners, they could matter a lot to TASbots tool-assisted speedruns, where inputs need to be precise down to the frame, or "deterministic," as Cecil explained. More importantly, Cecil is continuing to collect more data on SNESs as theyre aging and changing, which could teach us how to continue to use and emulate them in the future.

President Donald Trump listens as Ireland's Prime Minister Michel Martin speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-03-13T12:39:19Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.The European import tax, which was unveiled in response to steel and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go into effect on April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to place on the EU.But Trump, in a morning social media post, vowed a new escalation in his trade war if the EU goes forward with the planned 50% tax on American whiskey.If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES, Trump wrote. This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that the EU trade commissioner would be having a phone call Friday with his U.S. counterpart.We dont like tariffs because we think tariffs are taxes and they are bad for business and they are bad for consumers, she said. We have always said at the same time that we will defend our interests. Weve said it, and weve shown it, but at the same time I also want to emphasize that we are open for negotiations. The U.S. president has defined his opening weeks in the White House with near daily drama regarding tariffs, saying that taxing imports might cause some economic pain but would eventually lead to more domestic manufacturing and greater respect for America. But with the EU and Trump now tussling over alcohol tariffs, the impact of a trade war could surface for consumers. Its unclear how the import taxes would be absorbed among vintners, distillers, brewers, distributors, retailers and consumers. Because of Trumps threat, a previously untariffed $15 bottle of Italian Prosecco could possibly increase in price to $45. Similarly, Europes response to Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs means that the cost of a 30-euro bottle of bourbon in Paris could increase to 45 euros. Holly Seidewand, owner of First Fill Spirits, a shop in Saratoga Springs, New York, said before Trump threatened the tariffs on European alcohol, the spirits industry was already reeling from layoff announcements in the Kentucky Bourbon sector and the tariffs planned by the EU on American spirits.This ongoing tariff war doesnt just harm importers it weakens domestic brands, disrupts distributors, and squeezes retailers who rely on global selections, she said. In the end, consumers will bear the brunt of it all.Gabriel Picard, who heads the French Federation of Exporters of Wines and Spirits, said 200% tariffs would be a hammer blow for the sector. He said the U.S. market is worth 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) annually for French exporters of wines and spirits.Not a single bottle will continue to be expedited if 200% tariffs are applied to our products. All exports to the United States will come to a total, total, halt, Picard said in an interview with The Associated Press. With 200% duties, there is no more market. As of now, Europe seems unwilling to back down.Trump is escalating the trade war he has chosen, Laurent Saint-Martin, the French delegate minister for foreign trade, said on X. France, together with the European Commission and our partners, is determined to fight back. We will not give in to threats and will always protect our industries.Trumps latest tariff threats suggested that even companies that have publicly stood by him could be collateral damage, raising questions about whether the wider business community would be willing to openly challenge a series of trade wars that have hurt the stock market and scared consumers who worry about inflation worsening.Bernard Arnault, the CEO of French luxury goods company LVMH, attended Trumps inauguration in January. His companys wine and spirits brands, which include Mot & Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot and Hennessy, could be subject to the retaliatory tariffs the U.S. president is seeking. The Italian company Campari could also be hurt, after the White House highlighted it at Tuesdays press briefing for possibly opening a U.S. factory. The Republican president on Wednesday had signaled that he intended to take the tariffs action.Of course I will respond, Trump told reporters during an Oval Office exchange with reporters.Trump, in announcing the new steel and aluminum tariffs on Wednesday, openly challenged U.S. allies and vowed to take back wealth stolen by other countries, and he drew quick retaliation.He has separate tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, with plans to also tax imports from the European Union, Brazil and South Korea by charging reciprocal rates starting on April 2. The EU announced its own countermeasures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that as the United States was applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros, or about $28 billion. Those measures cover not just steel and aluminum products but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods.European Commission spokesman Olof Gill said Thursday shortly before Trumps announcement that the EU was prepared for whatever might come, and we have been preparing for over a year.We call on the U.S. to immediately revoke the tariffs imposed yesterday, and we want to negotiate to avoid tariffs in the future, Gill added. They bring nothing but lose-lose outcomes, and we want to focus on win-win outcomes.U.S. whiskey makers, meanwhile, encouraged Trump to broker a deal.We urge President Trump to secure a spirits agreement with the EU to get us back to zero-for-zero tariffs, which will create U.S. jobs and increase manufacturing and exports for the American hospitality sector, Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council, said in a statement.When Europe responded to Trumps 2018 tariffs with a 25% tax on U.S. whiskey, exports to the EU fell by 20% through 2021, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. Trumps separate 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico could put 31,000 jobs at risk in the sector.___AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels, Samuel Petrequin and John Leicester in Paris, Mae Anderson, Dee-Ann Durbin and Mike Warren contributed reporting. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)2025-03-13T16:11:37Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Internal Revenue Services acting chief counsel, William Paul, has been removed from his role at the agency and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsels office who is deemed supportive of Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to speak publicly.The people said Paul was demoted from his position because he clashed with the DOGEs alleged push to share tax information with multiple agencies. The news also comes as the IRS plans to institute massive cuts to its workforce. The IRS is drafting plans to cut its workforce by as much as half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts as part of the President Donald Trumps efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. The administration is closing agencies, laying off nearly all probationary employees who have not yet gained civil service protection and offering buyouts to almost all federal employees through a deferred resignation program to quickly reduce the government workforce. Already, roughly 7,000 probationary IRS employees with roughly one year or less of service were laid off from the organization in February. Paul was named acting chief counsel to the IRS in January, replacing Marjorie A. Rollinson, and has served in various roles at the IRS since the late 1980s. Paul is not the first government official to be demoted after voicing concern about access to sensitive systems and taxpayer data.Government officials across the Treasury Department, the Social Security Administration and other agencies have seen a wave of retirements, resignations and demotions for voicing concern about DOGE access to sensitive systems and taxpayer data. After 30 years of service, Michelle King, the SSAs acting commissioner, stepped down from her role in February after refusing to provide DOGE access Social Security recipient information, according to two people familiar with the officials departure who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The series of IRS officials who have put the law above their personal job security join a line of public servants, stretching back to Treasury and IRS leaders during the Nixon era, who have resisted unlawful attempts by elected officials to weaponize taxpayer data and systems, Chye-Ching Huang, executive director of the Tax Law Center at New York University School of Law, said in a statement. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives before Ireland's Prime Minister Michel Martin and President Donald Trump speak during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-03-13T17:30:23Z WASHINGTON (AP) There sat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nations top health official, at a Steak n Shake with Fox News host Sean Hannity, raving about the fries.Steak n Shake has been great, were very grateful for them, Kennedy said, in between nibbles of fries that the Midwestern franchise recently announced would be cooked in beef tallow instead of common cooking oils that Kennedy says are bad for Americans diet.Its the kind of endorsement that doctors have implored him to make about the childhood vaccines used to prevent deadly diseases, like measles as outbreaks worsened in Texas and New Mexico during his first month in office.The secretary of Health and Human Services has, instead, raised doubts about vaccines, most recently saying in his interview with Hannity that the shots cause deaths every year, although he later added that vaccinations should be encouraged.In his first month in office, Kennedy, who vowed to Make America Healthy Again, has delivered an inconsistent message that has the nations top infectious diseases specialists worried that his tepid recommendations of vaccines will undermine access to long-proven remedies. Public health agencies cancel vaccine meetings, research under Kennedys watchDuring his first address to thousands of workers at the federal public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Food and Drug Administration, Kennedy promised to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule. Days later, the CDC cancelled a public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Panel, a group of doctors and scientists who make recommendations on vaccines. That meeting has not been rescheduled. In another case, a cancelled public meeting of vaccine advisers who make recommendations on the flu vaccine every year for the FDA also has not been given a new date. This week, the National Institutes for Health, also under Kennedys purview, began cancelling funding for some research on vaccines. The CDC also is preparing to research autism and vaccines, planning to leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement. Agency officials did not comment further for this article.Numerous studies have concluded that there is no link between the two, a fact the agency states on its website. What he is trying to do is scare about the safety of vaccines, Dr. Paul Offit, an FDA vaccine adviser and infectious disease doctor at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said of Kennedys first month in office. It shouldnt surprise anybody. His agenda has always been to get vaccines off the market, or to make them less available. Offit worries that the cancellation of the FDAs flu vaccine meeting, held every March for at least 30 years, is just the beginning. The committees June meeting to recommend the COVID-19 vaccines formulation has also not been scheduled, he said.Democrats and Republicans pushed back when Dr. Marty Makary, the FDA nominee, wouldnt commit to rescheduling the committees flu meeting .What is lost is the transparency, said Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate health committee who is also a physician. Kennedy rejects anti-vaccine label but still echoes the movementDuring his senate confirmation hearings earlier this year, Kennedy repeatedly rejected any notion that he would undermine vaccines. I support vaccines. I support the childhood schedule, he said. He promised Cassidy, who was unsettled about Kennedys anti-vaccine advocacy work, that he would not change existing vaccine recommendations. But Kennedys skeptical views of vaccines have emerged during interviews and public statements since his confirmation. Hes sent mixed messages on vaccine safety, even though the U.S. has the most elaborate vaccine adverse event surveillance system in the world, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. Serious problems, including death, are very rare and the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, he said.A simple way to describe this to the average person is the serious adverse events generally occur at a rate of 1 to a few cases per million doses of vaccine, he said. Thats a needle in a haystack. In an opinion piece on FoxNews.com earlier this month, Kennedy said the measles outbreak in West Texas that left a six-year old child dead was a call to action but stopped short of recommending that people receive the vaccine that prevents 97% of cases. Despite the U.S. registering its first measles death in a decade, Kennedy has repeatedly downplayed this years outbreaks, noting that when he was a child everybody got measles. This years cases reported at 250 are on track to far outpace last years reports of 286 measles infections. Pediatricians are fielding more questions from confused parents in their exam rooms, said Dr. Susan Kressly. Worried about reports of cancelled vaccine meetings, theyre wondering about their access to next years flu vaccines. Others are asking if they should get doses of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine earlier. Kressly said theres a clear message the government can send to help stop the rising case count. The only way to stop an outbreak is increased coordinated positive messaging around vaccinating, Kressly said. The CDC has assisted with vaccination efforts in West Texas. But Kennedy himself has publicly advocated for an alternative treatment for measles: Vitamin A. Under his watch, the CDCs guidance was updated to say that Vitamin A should be given to children with severe measles and prescribed in doses under a doctors supervision.Vitamin A supplementation has been recommended for decades to reduce pneumonia and death in malnourished children in developing countries, but the benefits in well-nourished children in countries like the U.S. are less clear.We need to use Vitamin A for those kids who are unlucky enough to get measles, said Dr. Andy Pavia, a pediatric infectious disease expert at the University of Utah. But it cant prevent measles and it can only provide some help in reducing the severity.When administered correctly, using Vitamin A in kids with severe measles will do no harm, Pavia said. But if improperly done, high doses of Vitamin A can be toxic and deadly.Kennedys supporters celebrate success on the food front during first monthAbrupt staffing changes have also dominated Kennedys first weeks in office, with CDC pick Dave Weldon withdrawing from the nomination mere minutes before his hearing, Kennedys top HHS spokesman quitting two weeks into the job and the Food and Drug Administrations newly minted chief counsel departing 48 hours into the position. Trump and Kennedys supporters, however, have dismissed concerns about the rocky start. His newfound platform as health secretary and talk of healthier foods is already affecting change in the American diet, advisers close to Kennedy and Trump have claimed on social media. They credit Kennedy with prompting Republican legislators to introduce bills in Utah and Texas that would ban soda in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for example. And then theres Steak n Shakes new fries. RFK Jr. just ate Steak n Shake on live TV, the fast food joint thats bravely frying everything in beef tallow, conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk said this week in a tweet. This is the way. On Wednesday, after a meeting with a handful of executives from the nations largest food manufactures, Kennedy released a slickly-produced video that promised more change would be on the way, saying companies were taking his MAHA movement seriously. They understand they have a new sheriff in town, Kennedy said. He did not share any details about what was discussed at the meeting. Associated Press writers Matthew Perrone and Mike Stobbe contributed. AMANDA SEITZ Seitz is an Associated Press reporter covering federal health care policy. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto JONEL ALECCIA Aleccia covers food and nutrition at The Associated Press. She is based in Southern California. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Ireland's Prime Minister Michel Martin in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-03-13T16:47:26Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies.U.S. District Judge William Alsup on Thursday found the firings didnt follow federal law and required immediate offers of reinstatement be sent.The agencies include the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury.The order from the San Francisco-based judge came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and organizations as the Republican administration moves to dramatically downsize the federal workforce. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Albert Whitehead spends time with Star, his pet reindeer, in Whitehead's backyard in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, on March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)2025-03-13T16:43:26Z ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) An iconic reindeer so beloved that he has been in parades, featured on reality TV shows and visited by schoolchildren on field trips in Alaskas largest city is fighting for his life after mysteriously falling ill after someone tampered with his pen.Ever since, 8-year-old Star has had pneumonia, digestion issues and rapid weight loss. Stars owner, Albert Whitehead, has taken him to a veterinarian every other day to receive care and in hopes of finding a cause for the issues.I think weve done everything possible for him, Whitehead said. Veterinarian Sabrieta Holland said she the reindeers prognosis is guarded.Star lives in a fenced-in pen attached to Whiteheads house at the edge of downtown Anchorage. Its been over 20 years since someone last tried to tamper with the enclosure where reindeer named Star have been kept for the last seven decades. Star is the seventh in a line of reindeer to carry that name. In early January, someone cut a huge hole in the fencing to gain entrance, spending about five minutes inside with Star before taking off. What the person did in the pen is unknown, but Star began having stomach issues and dropping weight shortly after. Then, on Feb. 20, Anchorage police found the friendly and trusting reindeer wandering around downtown and returned him home.When Whitehead reviewed his security cameras, he found someone had used bolt cutters to remove padlocks off Stars pen and an alley gate. Star followed the man out into the neighborhood, and the reindeer wound up alone downtown, familiar streets because thats where Whitehead walks him. The next night, the situation turned more serious.Whitehead was watching the video feed when a man wearing a scarf over his face sprayed something from two different cans into Stars pen and twice hit the reindeer in the face with an unknown substance. Whitehead rushed outside to confront the man.I yelled at him to stop, What the hell are you doing? What are you spraying on the animal? Dont do that, quit that! Whitehead said. The man replied: Im trying to help Star.I have no idea what he meant by that, said Whitehead, who suspects based on the smells that the sprays could have been a disinfectant and deodorizer.Whitehead and police believe it was the same man from the prior night. Its not known if the January tampering involved the same person. I dont think the individual wanted to harm Star, but by his actions, he did, Whitehead said. Anchorage police posted the surveillance video on social media in hopes it would lead to the suspects identity. So far, no viable tips have come in, spokesperson Christopher Barraza said in an email.Stars pneumonia worsened, and a cough leads Whitehead to believe Star ate something harmful, perhaps while loose.The pneumonia is likely due to him accidentally inhaling the chronic reflux or regurgitation of the contents in the largest of the reindeers four stomachs, Holland said. The sprays possibly also contributed.Its possible theres a blockage, but the largest stomach of a reindeer is quite big and not easily obstructed, Holland said. However, ingested plastic bags causing chronic weight loss and indigestion problems are the most common foreign objects shes seen in reindeer. The next option would be surgery to look at the reindeers abdomen and possibly remove any blockage, but its generally a poor outcome, even in healthy deer, she said.The bond between Whitehead and Star is quite significant and precious, Holland said. Alberts daily life and reason for getting out for walks and such all are because of Star. And Star is really fond of Albert, too, Holland said in a text. It will be quite devastating for him if he loses Star.Anchorage pioneers Oro and Ivan Stewart started the reindeer tradition, bringing the deer they received from an Alaska Native herder to Anchorage in the 1950s. Whitehead took over as caretaker from his friends in 2002.The average lifespan of a reindeer is about 15 years, but some Stars had long lives, like the first who lived to 23. Others didnt live as long, including the second Star, who was stolen, beaten to death and then butchered by a known Fairbanks meat thief. The third Star died after eating a plastic bag. MARK THIESSEN Thiessen is an Associated Press all-formats reporter based in Anchorage, Alaska. He covers Alaska Native issues and other general assignments. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The roof of the Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)2025-03-13T16:35:48Z ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday withdrew from a $1.3 billion ballpark project, citing hurricanes and delays that likely will drive up the proposals cost.The team issued a statement by principal owner Stuart Sternberg saying that a series of events in October, which included severe damage to the existing Tropicana Field and financing delays, led to what he called this difficult decision.After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment, Sternberg said.Displaced from the Trop in St. Petersburg, the Rays are set to play this seasons home games across Tampa Bay at the New York Yankees spring training home, 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field. Meanwhile, repairs are envisioned to the Trop, including replacing its roof shredded by Hurricane Milton, that would have it ready for the 2026 season. Under their current contract with the city of St. Petersburg, the Rays would play three more seasons at their existing ballpark after it is repaired. Beyond that, the teams future in the Tampa Bay area is uncertain. MLB and the Rays could evaluate attendance and fan interest during the teams season in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field as they consider alternate sites. The City of St. Petersburg is currently advancing plans to restore Tropicana Field for the 2026 season, Sternberg said. We are thankful for their efforts and are excited to return to our home field next spring. The proposed 30,000-seat stadium is a signature piece of a broader $6.5 billion revitalization project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out by construction of the Trop and an interstate highway spur.Supporters say the development would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the citys downtown, with plans for a Black history museum, affordable housing, entertainment venues, plus office and retail space and the promise of thousands of jobs.That broader project, counting on the Rays ballpark to be an anchor, is also in limbo with this decision.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Mahmoud Khalil, the green card holding legal permanent resident arrested by ICE on Saturday, and a group of other students are suing Columbia University, the universitys trustees, and a number of other officials, according to newly filed court records.The move is the latest episode in one of the most high profile immigration cases in the country, which could set a precedent for under what grounds the U.S. can deport legal residents who have not been charged with a crime. Authorities have previously said that Khalil was arrested because he led activities aligned to Hamas, without providing evidence for how Khalil was aligned with the terrorist organization, and he has not been charged with a crime.Specifically, the group is suing to stop Columbia University and Barnard College from producing all student or student-worker disciplinary records to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. The committee had demanded records relating to eleven incidents. This information likely involves the records of hundreds of students, and to enjoin the University from producing the requested documents or any other student records prior to a finding by this Court, the court records read.The Committees Letter is clearly intended to chill the protected speech of Universitys students through two primary means: (1) by exposing the students to negative publicity and investigation, pervasive and persistent harassment, doxing, and threats to their safety and lives, and (2) by compelling the University to discipline and punish students, including the four Plaintiffs, as well as to turn over those students (as well as faculty and staffs) private disciplinary records, it adds.The committees February letter includes sections such as Columbia Let Students Arrested in Hamilton Hall Off the Hook After Promising to Expel Them, and Numerous Antisemitic Incidents Have Taken Place at Columbia Since the Fall 2024 Semester Began. It then demands all the disciplinary records for the incidents, including the April 2024 takeover of Hamilton Hall and the obstruction of Columbias entrance and harassment of Jewish students in September 2024.The court record argues that Ultimately, the Committees Letter demands that the University violate its own contractual obligations to its students, as well as its obligations to protect student privacy under FERPA, and, in effect coerces the University to ignore the law by making oblique threats to the billions in federal funding the Universities receive.Columbia University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

2025-03-13T19:35:22Z More than 100 million people in the U.S. will be in the path of an intense March storm starting Friday as the sprawling multi-day system threatens fires, blizzards, tornadoes, and flooding as it tracks eastward across the Great Plains. Scientists said the storms strength and potential for far-reaching impacts is notable, but its timing isnt particularly unusual. Extreme weather can pop up in spring because storms feed on big temperature differences between the warmth thats starting to show up and the lingering chill of winter. If theres a time of the year where a storm like this can deliver these coast-to-coast impacts, we are in it, said Benjamin Reppert, meteorologist at Penn State University. The National Weather Service forecast strong winds stretching Friday from the Canadian border to the Rio Grande, with gusts up to 80 mph (130 kph), which creates a significant fire risk in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, a winter blast was expected farther north in parts of the Rockies and Northern Plains, with possible blizzard conditions in the Dakotas and Minnesota. The central region from the Gulf Coast to Wisconsin is at risk of severe thunderstorms that could spawn tornadoes and hail. On Saturday, severe storms are forecast to move toward Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and then into Florida. Potential flooding was a concern from the Central Gulf Coast through the upper Ohio Valley. The turbulent weather is expected to arrive on the East Coast Sunday with strong winds and a flash flooding risk in localized areas. Heavy rain was forecast along the Interstate 95 corridor south to Jacksonville, Florida. Reppert noted that temperatures in the upper atmosphere in much of the central and eastern U.S. are close to record levels for this time of year, while a cool air mass behind the storm in the western states is one of the coolest on record for that region and this time of year. He said that combination could be behind part of this storms expected strength. Russ Schumacher, a climatologist at Colorado State University, said the storm could become a bomb cyclone Friday afternoon or evening a designation given when a storm intensifies so rapidly that atmospheric pressure drops a certain amount in a 24-hour period. That would mean higher winds and more intense rainfall.In addition to fuel from big temperature swings, the storm will be shaped by the jet stream. In a fairly typical position for this time of year, its diving south across the U.S. and will help lift air and moisture into the atmosphere to fall back as rain.The storm also will tap into heat and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, also referred to as the Gulf of America as declared by President Donald Trump, which is 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 to 2.2 degrees Celsius) warmer than historic averages.You kind of have this Goldilocks situation, said Ryan Torn, professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany, referring to the mix of ingredients in the atmosphere that will add to the storms strength.___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.

Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appears in U.S. District Court in Boston, Friday, April 14, 2023. (Margaret Small via AP)2025-03-13T16:03:02Z BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) Jack Teixeira, the former Massachusetts Air National Guard member who caused an international uproar when he leaked highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, pleaded guilty to military charges of obstructing justice at his court-martial Thursday. The plea agreement calls for dishonorable discharge and no confinement. The judge approved the plea agreement, but its not clear whether she will accept the plea agreement. His sentencing was expected to occur later Thursday afternoon.Teixeira was already sentenced last year to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, following his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years.Military prosecutors said before the court-martial at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts that charges of disobeying orders and obstructing justice were appropriate given that obeying orders is the absolute core of the military. Teixeiras lawyer, Lt. Col. Bradley Poronsky, argued Monday that the obstructing justice charge should either be dismissed or go unpunished, saying it amounts to double jeopardy because it already factored into Teixeiras November sentencing. A plea agreement was accepted by both sides that drops the disobeying orders charge. Teixeira pleaded guilty to the obstruction charge. The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russias war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. The leaked documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted posting information about a U.S. adversarys plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas.Teixeira worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community, and never meant to harm the United States. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto