A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)2025-03-11T16:52:43Z Measles outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico are now up to more than 250 cases, and two unvaccinated people have died from measles-related causes.Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus thats airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.Heres what you need to know about measles in the U.S.How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 25 new cases of measles since the end of last week, bringing Texas total to 223. Twenty-nine people in Texas are hospitalized. New Mexico health officials announced Friday that there were 30 cases in Lea County, which neighbors the West Texas communities at the epicenter of the outbreak. A school-age child died of measles in Texas last month, and New Mexico reported its first measles-related death in an adult last week. Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?Measles cases have been reported in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as three or more related cases and there have been three clusters that qualified as outbreaks in 2025. In the U.S., cases and outbreaks are generally traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. It can then spread, especially in communities with low vaccination rates. Do you need an MMR booster?The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions. Adults with presumptive evidence of immunity generally dont need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally.A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your levels of measles antibodies, but health experts dont always recommend this route and insurance coverage can vary. Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s dont need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from killed virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. That also includes people who dont know which type they got.What are the symptoms of measles?Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. How can you treat measles?Theres no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.Why do vaccination rates matter?In communities with high vaccination rates above 95% diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called herd immunity. But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. Five years earlier, measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019.___AP Science Writer Laura Ungar contributed to this report. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. DEVI SHASTRI Shastri is a public health reporter for The Associated Press, based in Milwaukee. She covers housing access, the social safety net, medical misinformation and other topics that influence the health of communities broadly. twitter mailto

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, accompanied by investigator in charge Brice Banning, left, speaks about the recent mid-air collision of an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, at a news conference in Washington, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-11T18:34:26Z Federal investigators looking for the cause of the January collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people recommended a ban on some helicopter flights Tuesday to improve safety.A military helicopter collided with the American Airlines jet as it was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport over the Potomac River on Jan. 29. Among the victims were 28 members of the figure skating community.National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the board determined that the existing separation distance between planes and helicopters at Reagan National Airport is insufficient and poses an intolerable risk to aviation safety.It shouldnt take tragedy to require immediate action, she said.Under the current practice helicopters and planes can be as close as 75 feet apart from each other during landing, Homendy said. Investigators have identified 15,214 instances of planes getting alerts about helicopters being in close proximity between October 2021 and December 2024, she said. Following the crash, the FAA took steps to restrict helicopter flights around Reagan National Airport to ensure that planes and helicopters are no longer sharing the same airspace. Now flights are put on hold temporarily when helicopters need to pass by the airport. Investigators have said the helicopter may have had inaccurate altitude readings in the moments before the crash, and the crew may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers. The collision likely occurred at an altitude just under 300 feet (91 meters), as the plane descended toward the helicopter, which was well above its 200-foot (61-meter) limit for that location. The helicopter pilots may have also missed part of another communication, when the tower said the jet was turning toward a different runway, Homendy said last month. The helicopter was on a check flight that night where the pilot was undergoing an annual test and a test on using night vision goggles, Homendy said. Investigators believe the crew was wearing night vision goggles throughout the flight.The Army has said the Black Hawk crew was highly experienced, and accustomed to the crowded skies around the nations capital.Within just a months time earlier this year, there were four major aviation disasters in North America, including the midair collision over the Potomac and most recently in mid-February when a Delta flight flipped and landed on its roof at Torontos Pearson Airport, injuring 21 people. Those accidents and close calls left some worried about the safety of flying even though fatal crashes are rare and the track record of U.S. airlines is remarkably sound.President Donald Trump blamed the midair collision over Washington, D.C., on what he called an obsolete air traffic control system and promised to replace it. He also faulted the helicopter for flying too high. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto JOHN SEEWER Seewer covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Toledo, Ohio. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the Yorkshire coast, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in England. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)2025-03-11T08:58:46Z LONDON (AP) British police arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter as they searched for answers about why a cargo ship hit a tanker transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military off eastern England, setting both vessels ablaze. One sailor was presumed dead in the collision, which sparked fears of significant environmental damage.Humberside Police said the 59-year-old was detained on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision. The man, who was not named by police, has not been charged. The government said the cause of the collision was being investigated, but there was no indication of foul play.U.K. officials were watching for damage to birds and sea life after jet fuel poured into the North Sea when the Portugal-registered container ship Solong broadsided the U.S.-flagged tanker MV Stena Immaculate on Monday. The collision sparked explosions and fires that burned for more than 24 hours. AP AUDIO: UK police arrest a man on suspicion of manslaughter over North Sea ship collision AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports British officials are concerned about environmental damage after a cargo ship carrying a toxic chemical hit a tanker transporting jet fuel off eastern England. Footage filmed from a helicopter on Tuesday morning showed the fire appeared to largely be out on the tanker, which had a large gash on its port side.The U.K. coast guard agency said Tuesday that the Solong was still alight. It said the cargo ship, whose front end was crushed and blackened, was drifting south, away from the tanker, and a 1 kilometer (around a mile) exclusion zone had been put in place around both ships. No sign of pollution from vessels is observed at this time, Transport minister Mike Kane told lawmakers in the House of Commons. But he cautioned that it was a fast-changing situation, and said the cargo ship is likely to sink. The government said air quality readings were normal and the risk to public health onshore was very low.The collision triggered a major rescue operation by lifeboats, coast guard aircraft and commercial vessels in the foggy North Sea.All but one of the 37 crew members from the two vessels were brought safely ashore in the port of Grimsby, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of London, with no major injuries. One crew member was missing, and the coast guards called off the search late Monday. Our working assumption is that, very sadly, the sailor is deceased. Kane said.The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch has begun gathering evidence of what caused the Solong, bound from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands, to hit the stationary tanker, which was anchored about 10 miles (16 kilometers) off the English coast.The investigation will be led by the U.S. and Portugal, the countries where the vessels are flagged.The 183-meter (596-foot) Stena Immaculate was operating as part of the U.S. governments Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed. Its operator, U.S.-based maritime management firm Crowley, said that it was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel in 16 tanks, at least one of which was ruptured. The company said that it was unclear how much fuel had leaked into the sea.The owner of the Solong, shipping company Ernst Russ, said that contrary to earlier reports, the vessel wasnt carrying containers of sodium cyanide, which can produce harmful gas when combined with water. It said that four empty containers had previously contained the chemical. Our team is actively engaged with all local authorities, and we will work with cleanup teams to ensure every effort is made to mitigate further impacts on the marine environment, the company said in a statement.Greenpeace U.K. said that it was too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage from the collision, which took place near busy fishing grounds and major seabird colonies.Environmentalists said that oil and chemicals posed a risk to sea life, including whales and dolphins and to birds, including puffins, gannets and guillemots that live on coastal cliffs.Tom Webb, senior lecturer in marine ecology and conservation at the University of Sheffield, said that wildlife along that stretch of coast is of immense biological, cultural and economic importance. Alex Lukyanov, who models oil spills at the University of Reading, said that the environmental impact would depend on multiple factors, including the size of the spill, weather conditions, sea currents, water waves, wind patterns and the type of oil involved.This particular incident is troubling because it appears to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water, he said. The environmental toll could be severe. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is an Associated Press reporter covering U.K. politics and more. She is based in London. twitter mailto

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during an NFL football game, Jan. 1, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, file)2025-03-11T15:27:01Z INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts wanted someone to challenge quarterback Anthony Richardson for the starting job.They opted for Daniel Jones. The former New York Giants starter agreed Tuesday to a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because free agents cant sign until Wednesday, said Jones deal is worth up to $17.7 million.Colts general manager Chris Ballard projected this sort of move was in the works when he told reporters at the NFLs annual scouting combine Indy would have an open competition for the job.I think its good for the team, I think its good for Anthony, Ballard said in late February. Look, we drafted Anthony high, knowing it was going to take some time, and we knew there was going to be some hiccups along the way. Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 by the Giants who went 24-44-1 in New York with one playoff victory, will get a chance to prove he can still be a starter in the league. He finished last season as a backup for the Vikings after the Giants released him. Minnesota appears set to start J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury. Sam Darnold, who led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season, agreed to a deal with Seattle on Monday.Richardson was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft but has struggled with both injuries and accuracy in his first two NFL seasons. Hes just 8-7 as a starter and last season had the lowest completion rate, 47.7%, of any starting quarterback in the NFL. In two seasons, Richardson also has 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Coach Shane Steichen also benched Richardson for two games after he took himself out of a game for one play because he was tired. Some teammates publicly criticized Richardsons decision. He was reinstated as the starter when Steichen said he saw Richardson had showed the growth Steichen was seeking. I think consistency is the biggest thing, Steichen said in February when asked where he wanted to see Richardsons biggest improvement in 2025. Weve had these conversations, myself and him, about being consistent. Hes played 15 games, he played 11 last year and did some really good things, but were just looking for the consistency, right?Even if Richardson wins the competition, though, Jones still may get an opportunity to prove himself all over again. Richardson played only four games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder, which required surgery.He missed four additional games with injuries last season.It wouldnt be the first time a Colts quarterback took advantage of such a chance.Gardner Minshew nearly led the Colts to the playoffs in 2023, made the Pro Bowl roster and then signed a free agent deal with Las Vegas.Last season, the Colts brought in 39-year-old Joe Flacco, the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year. He went 2-4 in six starts and relieved Richardson in two other games. The Colts also had four-year veteran Sam Ehlinger on the roster and undrafted rookie Jason Bean on the practice squad in 2024. Ehlinger now is a free agent.While Ballard and Steichen each have said they believe Richardson still can fulfill the potential they saw in the strong-armed 6-foot-4, 244-pound star at Florida, they also think a real competition and a healthy offseason could expedite Richardsons learning process.I know we all want to see a finished product right now, Ballard said at the combine. I do, you do, fans do. We all do. But I think as he continues to progress, adding competition, I think, will help up everybodys game.___AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Tiger Woods flips his club after his shot to the 10th green during the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)2025-03-11T20:09:33Z PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Tiger Woods announced he had a less invasive surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon on Tuesday, yet another injury that would seem likely to keep him out of the Masters and perhaps other major championships this year.Woods posted the development on his social media accounts without detailing how long he expected to be out.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, Woods said.He said he had minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon that the doctor said went smoothly. Such surgeries involve smaller incisions, and the recovery time is quicker. But most recoveries take a month before someone can even put weight on their foot.Woods said he would focus on rehab and recovery.The Masters is April 10-13. Woods set the Masters record last year by making the cut for the 24th time in a row. But he has not competed outside of his indoor league except for 18 holes of the Seminole Pro-Member last week since missing the cut in the British Open last summer.___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

Protesters demonstrate in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil at Washington Square Park, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)2025-03-11T20:54:57Z NEW YORK (AP) The White House complained Tuesday that Columbia University is refusing to help federal agents find people being sought as part of the governments effort to deport participants in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, as the administration continued to punish the school by yanking federal research dollars.Immigration enforcement agents on Saturday arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Palestinian activist who played a prominent part in protests at Columbia last year. He is now facing possible deportation.President Donald Trump has vowed additional arrests. In a briefing with reporters in Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said federal authorities have been using intelligence to identify other people involved in campus demonstrations critical of Israel that the administration considered to be antisemitic and pro-Hamas. She said Columbia had been given names and was refusing to help the Department of Homeland Security to identify those individuals on campus. As the president said very strongly in his statement yesterday, he is not going to tolerate that, Leavitt said. A Columbia spokesperson didnt immediately return a message seeking comment.Last week, the Trump administration announced it was pulling $400 million in grants and contracts from Columbia, accusing the school of failing to stop antisemitism on campus. As part of those cuts, the National Institutes of Health late Monday it was cutting more than $250 million in funding, which included more than 400 grants. X. Edward Guo, director of Columbias Bone Bioengineering Laboratory, posted a screenshot on X of an email he received notifying him that one of his NIH awards had been canceled. We understand this may be shocking news, the email reads.The university was wracked last spring by large demonstrations by students calling for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza and a recognition of Palestinians human rights and territorial claims. The university ultimately called in police to dismantle a protest encampment and end a student takeover of an administration building. Khalil, 30, had been a spokesperson for the protesters. He hasnt been charged with any crimes, but Leavitt said the administration had moved to deport him under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that gives the secretary of state the power to deport a non-citizen if the government has reasonable ground to believe the persons presence could have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.As of Tuesday, Khalil was being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.Civil rights groups and Khalils attorneys say the government is unconstitutionally using its immigration-control powers to stop him from speaking out. A federal judge set a hearing for Wednesday and ordered the government not to deport him in the meantime.Trump, a Republican, has suggested that some protesters support Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251. Israel responded with bombardment and other military offensives that have left over 48,000 Palestinians dead in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Israel says more than 17,000 were militants. Trump heralded Khalils arrest as the first of many to come, vowing on social media to deport students the president described as engaging in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.Immigration agents also tried to arrest another international student at Columbia, but they werent allowed into an apartment where she was, according to a union representing the student.Khalil, who finished his requirements for a Columbia masters degree in December, and protest leaders have said they are anti-war, not antisemitic. They note that some Jewish students and groups have joined the demonstrations. A Columbia disciplinary body recently told Khalil it was investigating whether he violated a new harassment policy by calling a school official genocidal. Leavitt didnt detail specific wrongdoing by Khalil. But she said he had organized protests that disrupted classes, harassed Jewish students and distributed pro-Hamas propaganda, fliers with the logo of Hamas.Born in Syria, Khalil is a grandson of Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland, his lawyers said in a legal filing. It didnt address his citizenship but said his relatives have been displaced anew amid Syrias civil war and are now in other countries.Khalil is married to a U.S. citizen, who is expecting their first child.For everyone reading this, I urge you to see Mahmoud through my eyes as a loving husband and the future father to our baby, his wife, who has not been publicly identified, wrote in a statement provided by his lawyers. I need your help to bring Mahmoud home, so he is here beside me, holding my hand in the delivery room as we welcome our first child into this world.

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's 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)2025-03-11T22:03:05Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Education Department plans to lay off over 1,300 of its more than 4,000 employees as part of a reorganization thats seen as a prelude to President Donald Trumps plan to dismantle the agency.Department officials announced the cuts Tuesday, raising questions about the agencys ability to continue usual operations. The layoffs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by Trump as he moves to reduce the footprint of the federal government. Thousands of jobs are expected to be cut across the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and other agencies. The department is also terminating leases on buildings in cities including New York, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland, said Rachel Oglesby, the departments chief of staff. She said the changes would not affect the agencys Office for Civil Rights or its functions mandated by Congress, such as the distribution of federal aid to schools. The Trump administration had already been whittling the agencys staff, though buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesdays layoffs, the Education Departments staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,000, Oglesby said. Education Secretary Linda McMahon told employees to brace for profound cuts in a memo issued March 3, the day she was confirmed by the Senate. She said it was the departments final mission to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and turn over the agencys authority to states. The department sent an email to employees Tuesday telling them its Washington headquarters and regional offices would be closed Wednesday, with access forbidden, before reopening Thursday. The only reason given for the closures was unspecified security reasons. Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department, saying it had been overtaken by radicals, zealots and Marxists. At McMahons confirmation hearing, she acknowledged only Congress has the power to abolish the agency but said it might be due for cuts and a reorganization. Whether the cuts will be felt by Americas students as Democrats and advocates fear is yet to be seen. Already there are concerns the administrations agenda has pushed aside some of the agencys most fundamental work, including the enforcement of civil rights for students with disabilities and the management of $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.McMahon told lawmakers at her hearing that her aim is not to defund core programs, but to make them more efficient.Even before the layoffs, the Education Department was among the smallest Cabinet-level agencies. Its workforce included 3,100 people in Washington and an additional 1,100 at regional offices across the country, according to a department website.The departments workers had faced increasing pressure to quit their jobs since Trump took office, first through a deferred resignation program and then through a $25,000 buyout offer that expired March 3. The buyout offer came with a warning that there would be significant layoffs in the near future.___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the 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

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)2025-03-12T01:37:23Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Yemens Houthi rebels warned shippers early Wednesday that any Israeli vessel traveling through nearby Mideast waters is now a target as Israel continues to block aid to the Gaza Strip. The warning from the Houthis again throws into chaos a crucial maritime waterway between Asia and Europe, threatens revenue from Egypts Suez Canal and possibly will halt aid shipments to war zones. The rebels in the past have also had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.The statement from the Houthis Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center follows a four-day deadline set by the rebels for Israel to resume aid shipments. We hope it is understood that the actions taken by the (Houthi military) ... stem from a deep sense of religious, humanitarian and moral responsibility toward the oppressed Palestinian people and aim to pressure the Israeli usurper entity to reopen the crossings to the Gaza Strip and allow the entry of aid, including food and medical supplies, the statement said. It described the warning as taking hold in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Arabian Sea. The statement added: Any Israeli vessel attempting to violate this ban will be subject to military targeting in the declared operational area.There was no immediate sign of an attack on ships. Israel had no immediate comment. The rebels secretive leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned Friday that attacks against Israel-linked vessels would resume within four days if Israel didnt let aid into Gaza. That deadline passed Tuesday. The rebels had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. 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

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) drinks water before an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sept. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)2025-03-12T02:22:08Z ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Bills turned to Joey Bosa to fill their pass-rush needs, agreeing with him on a one-year, $12.6 million contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agreement wont be official until the NFLs new business year begins on Wednesday. ESPN.com first reported the deal.Bosa joins the Bills after the team cut Von Miller on Sunday to free up salary-cap space.Bosa was the NFLs defensive rookie of the year after being selected by the Chargers with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State. He played nine seasons with the franchise before being cut last week, also for salary-cap reasons.At 29, Bosa is six years younger than Miller, though his production has dwindled because of injuries. Bosas 72 sacks are tied for 10th most since 2016, but hes combined for only 14 over the past three seasons. He played in 14 games with nine starts last season after agreeing to restructure his contract. But Bosa battled hip and back injuries, and his five sacks were his fewest in the six seasons during which he has played at least 12 games. Bosa played 14 games total in 2022 and 23 due to groin and foot injuries.Bosa should fill a starting spot opposite Greg Rousseau, who had a team-leading eight sacks last season. Rousseau is entering his fifth season and last week signed a four-year, $80 million extension that locks him in through 2028. The five-time defending AFC East champions also return edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.Buffalo moved on from Miller after three season because his salary didnt match his dip in production. The NFLs active leader in sacks was limited to six sacks last year, and had none in 2023 in being slowed after having surgery to repair a right knee injury sustained in November 2022.Buffalo finished 18th in the NFL with 39 sacks last season, down from 54 in 2023. The Bills defense doesnt often blitz, instead relying on its four-man front to apply pressure.Bosa is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and has topped 10 sacks four times, most recently with 10 1/2 in 2021. He had a career-best 12 1/2 sacks in 2017.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

This image provided by NASA shows BAE Systems employees working on NASAs SPHEREx observatory in the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Jan. 16, 2025. (NASA via AP)2025-03-12T03:12:32Z NASAs newest space telescope rocketed toward orbit Tuesday to map the entire sky like never before a sweeping look at hundreds of millions of galaxies and their shared cosmic glow since the beginning of time.SpaceX launched the Spherex observatory from California, putting it on course to fly over Earths poles. Tagging along were four suitcase-size satellites to study the sun.The $488 million Spherex mission aims to explain how galaxies formed and evolved over billions of years, and how the universe expanded so fast in its first moments.Closer to home in our own Milky Way galaxy, Spherex will hunt for water and other ingredients of life in the icy clouds between stars where new solar systems emerge.The cone-shaped Spherex at 1,110 pounds (500 kilograms) or the heft of a grand piano will take six months to map the entire sky with its infrared eyes and wide field of view. Four full-sky surveys are planned over two years, as the telescope circles the globe from pole to pole 400 miles (650 kilometers) up. Spherex wont see galaxies in exquisite detail like NASAs larger and more elaborate Hubble and Webb space telescopes, with their narrow fields of view. Instead of counting galaxies or focusing on them, Spherex will observe the total glow produced by the whole lot, including the earliest ones formed in the wake of the universe-creating Big Bang.This cosmological glow captures all light emitted over cosmic history, said the missions chief scientist Jamie Bock of the California Institute of Technology. Its a very different way of looking at the universe, enabling scientists to see what sources of light may have been missed in the past. By observing the collective glow, scientists hope to tease out the light from the earliest galaxies and learn how they came to be, Bock said. We wont see the Big Bang. But well see the aftermath from it and learn about the beginning of the universe that way, he said. The telescopes infrared detectors will be able to distinguish 102 colors invisible to the human eye, yielding the most colorful, inclusive map ever made of the cosmos. Its like looking at the universe through a set of rainbow-colored glasses, said deputy project manager Beth Fabinsky of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. To keep the infrared detectors super cold minus 350 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 210 degrees Celsius) Spherex has a unique look. It sports three aluminum-honeycomb cones, one inside the other, to protect from the sun and Earths heat, resembling a 10-foot (3-meter) shield collar for an ailing dog. Besides the telescope, SpaceXs Falcon rocket provided a lift from Vandenberg Space Force Base for a quartet of NASA satellites called Punch. From their own separate polar orbit, the satellites will observe the suns corona, or outer atmosphere, and the resulting solar wind.The evening launch was delayed two weeks because of rocket and other issues.___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.

FIL:E - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York's Financial District Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)2025-03-12T04:09:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump in recent days has dismissed fears of a recession and brushed aside the stock market sell-off, going so far as to say, You cant really watch the stock market. Thats a new message from a leader who has frequently pointed to the markets ups and downs as a reflection of himself and his activities, even when he was not in power. Over the last year, while President Joe Biden was in office, Trump took credit for stock market rallies as a vote of confidence in his electoral prospects. When the market dipped, he blamed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. And he predicted that if Democrats won the 2024 presidential election, the stock market would have crashed.A look at some of Trumps observations on the stock market over the last year:Jan. 29, 2024, on Truth SocialTHIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET BECAUSE MY POLLS AGAINST BIDEN ARE SO GOOD THAT INVESTORS ARE PROJECTING THAT I WILL WIN, AND THAT WILL DRIVE THE MARKET UP EVERYTHING ELSE IS TERRIBLE (WATCH THE MIDDLE EAST!), AND RECORD SETTING INFLATION HAS ALREADY TAKEN ITS TOLL. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN March 12, 2024, on Truth Social High Interest Rates and Inflation are choking our great middle class, and ALL, our Economy is bad, and our Stock Market is rising only because Polls are strongly indicating that we will WIN the Presidential Election of 2024.April 25, 2024, on his way into court for his criminal trial in New York The stock market is, in a sense, crashing. The numbers are very bad. This is Bidenomics. Its catching up with him. Its lucky that its catching up before he leaves office as opposed to after he leaves office.May 15, 2024, on Truth SocialThank you to Scott Bessent, one of the Great Prognosticators on Wall Street! There are many people that are saying that the only reason the Stock Market is high is because I am leading in all of the Polls, and if I dont win, we will have a CRASH of similar proportions to 1929. I agree, but lets hope we dont have to worry about that! May 18, 2024, at an NRA event in Dallas, Texas:We are a nation whose stock markets continued success is contingent on MAGA winning the next election.July 16, 2024, on Truth SocialDow Jones UP 742 based on the fact that the Market expects a TRUMP WIN in November! Nice compliment Thank you!Aug. 4, 2024, on Truth SocialSTOCK MARKETS CRASHING. I TOLD YOU SO!!! KAMALA DOESNT HAVE A CLUE. BIDEN IS SOUND ASLEEP. ALL CAUSED BY INEPT U.S. LEADERSHIP!Aug. 14, 2024, at a rally in Asheville, North CarolinaIf Harris wins this election, the result will be a Kamala economic crash, a 1929-style depression. 1929. When I win the election, we will immediately begin a brand new Trump economic boom. Itll be a boom. Were going to turn this country around so fast. Many people say that they only reason the stock market is up is because people think I am going to win.Oct. 29, 2024, during a rally in Allentown, PennsylvaniaYou want to see a market crash? If we lost this election, I think the market would go down the tubes.Nov. 4, 2024, at a rally in Grand Rapids, MichiganTrump started praising Bessent and said: You know what his theory is? The stock market is the only sign of life, and its only going up because everyone thinks Trump is going to win the election. And others, too. Others, too. Im seeing it a lot. I think theyre following your lead. But I appreciate that confidence. Nov. 14, 2024, at a Mar-a-Lago gala in Florida:We had three or four of the highest -- I guess, almost every single day, we set new records in the stock market. We set new records economically.Trump, in comments directed at House Speaker Mike Johnson, then said: Mr. Speaker, I think its important, maybe you should pass a bill, you have to start my term from Nov. 5, OK, or Nov. 6, if you want. Nov. 5 because the market has gone through the roof. Enthusiasm has doubled.Dec. 12, 2024, in an interview with CNBC at the New York Stock Exchange:Trump was asked by host Jim Cramer whether its still the case that stock market indexes were a good barometer of his performance.Well, I think Ive always said, you know, to me, stock market is very all of it, you know, all of it together, its very important. Its an honor to be here in New York Stock Exchange. I sort of joked that I actually bought the building across the street because the stock exchange was here. Its a big deal. Dec. 16, 2024, during a news conference at Mar-a-LagoTrump was asked whether he is concerned that his tariffs might hurt the stock market.Make our country rich. Tariffs will make our country rich, Trump responded. Jan. 7, 2025, during a news conference at Mar-a-LagoSince my election, the stock market has set records. The S&P 500 index has broken above 6,000 points for the first time ever, never even close.Jan. 19, 2025. at a rally in Washington, D.C.Everyone is calling it the I dont want to say this. Its too braggadocious, but well say it anyway, the Trump effect. Its you. Youre the effect. Since the election, the stock market has surged, and small business optimism has soared, a record 41 points to a 39-year high. Feb. 19, 2025, at an investment conference in Miami BeachI think the stock market is going to be great. In other words, we will rapidly grow our economy by dramatically shrinking the federal government.Feb. 21, 2025, speaking to the nations governors at the White HouseWhen we turned over the reins, the stock market was higher than just previous to COVID coming in, which was an amazing achievement.March 4, 2025, in a joint address to CongressHaving sparked a North American trade war and with the S&P 500 losing all of its post-election gains, Trump said in his speech to Congress: Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again, and its happening and it will happen rather quickly. Therell be a little disturbance, but were OK with that. It wont be much.March 9, 2025, in a taped interview on Fox News Channels Sunday Morning FuturesAfter a week of wild swings on Wall Street over uncertainty about his tariffs, Trump was asked whether he was expecting a recession in 2025. He said: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what were doing is very big. Were bringing wealth back to America. Thats a big thing. He added, It takes a little time. It takes a little time. But I think it should be great for us.Elsewhere in the interview, when Trump was asked about the market going down: You cant really watch the stock market. ... You cant go by that. You have to do whats right.March 9, 2025, to reporters on Air Force OneWhen asked about his hesitation during the Sunday Morning Futures interview before answering the recession question, Trump said: I tell you what, of course you hesitate. Who knows? All I know is this: Were going to take in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs, and were going to become so rich youre not going to know where to spend all that money. Im telling you, you just watch.March 11, 2025, to reporters at the White HouseTrump was asked about the market after a selloff Monday and more trembling on the markets Tuesday. Markets are going to go up and theyre going to go down. We have to rebuild our country, he said.In response to a question about whether his tariffs caused the turmoil in the markets, Trump said: Biden gave us a horrible economy. He gave us horrible inflation. And I think the market was going to go very, very bad. If anything, I have a lot of very smart people, friends of mine, and great businessmen. Theyre not investing because of what Ive done.On whether he thinks there will be a recession: I dont see it at all. I think this countrys going to boom. But as I said, I can do it the easy way or the hard way. The hard way to do it is exactly what Im doing, but the results are going to be 20 times greater. Remember, Trump is always right. MICHELLE L. PRICE Price covers the White House. She previously covered the 2024 presidential campaign and politics, government and other news in New York, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. She is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, arrives for a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-03-12T04:17:44Z As the Trump administration moves to dismantle the Education Department, officials have suggested other agencies could take over its major responsibilities: civil rights enforcement to the Justice Department, perhaps; student loans to Treasury or Commerce; oversight of student disability rights to Health and Human Services.Less clear is what could happen with a more lofty part of its mission promoting equal access for students in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.The department has cut its workforce in half, including a layoff of 1,300 people announced Tuesday. President Donald Trump pledged during his campaign to eliminate the department entirely, calling it wasteful and infiltrated by leftists. Without the department, advocates worry the federal government would not look out in the same way for poor students, those still learning English, disabled students and racial and ethnic minorities. Gutting the agency that is charged to ensure equal access to education for every child is only going to create an underclass of students, said Wead James, senior director of K-12 education policy for the Center for American Progress, a think tank that advocates for racial equity policies and increased investment in public schools. The equity goal of the Education Department, which was founded in 1980, emerged partly from the anti-poverty and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The act creating the department described its mission, in part, as: To strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual. If new Education Secretary Linda McMahon really does work herself out of a job, as Trump has said he wants, the government will lose a bully pulpit to draw attention to the nations challenges and evangelize solutions, said Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank that advocates for more rigorous academic standards and accountability for public schools. But Petrilli doubts that significantly paring back the department if not completely eliminating it will be noticeable in the real world.Test scores continue to show many school children are struggling academically. The latest national tests showed one-third of eighth grade students missing fundamental skills in reading, and a widening gap between the highest-performing and lower-performing students. Thats the justification McMahon and other Trump allies have used for dismantling the department and sending its funding directly to states to spend.Far from perfect, the department has offered a valuable north star for schools, said Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of EdTrust, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that advocates for educational equity. It is the role of the department to institute guardrails, investments and protections that support equal outcomes for students, he said. Trump has said he wants to return all control of schools to states. The biggest question for many is what happens to the billions of dollars sent to run public schools every year, such as Title I funding, which supports schools in communities with high concentrations of poverty. Educating low-income children, students learning English and those with disabilities often costs more because it requires specialized teaching or smaller class sizes. Districts without a strong tax base to fund schools often struggle to meet these students needs, which Congress recognized by authorizing the money. McMahon has said she wants to send the money directly to states, with fewer restrictions. Some have worried that without guardrails or federal oversight, states will use the money to advance their own priorities in ways that potentially entrench inequality. If the funding is distributed to states as block grants, its potentially a way to defund public education, said Del Pilar. Block grants allow politicians to direct funds as they see fit, and that could be away from schools, he said. Students in Mississippi, South Dakota, Arkansas, Montana and Alaska could be affected the most if rules or oversight changes for how states spend this money. During the 2021-2022 school year, these states relied on federal aid for at least 20% of school funding, according to government data. The agency traditionally has worked on behalf of disadvantaged students through its Office for Civil Rights, with an emphasis defending the rights of students with disabilities and students facing harassment tied to their skin color. Under the Trump administration, the agency has prioritized allegations of antisemitism. While some advocates worry about the pivot in priorities, some attorneys say they had given up on recommending parents pursue complaints with the Office for Civil Rights, which they perceived as understaffed and too slow to provide relief. Well before Trump was sworn in for a second term, the system moved slowly, but it has now gotten even worse, said A. Kelly Neal, a special education attorney in Macon, Georgia. Usually they were a little bit more responsive, Neal said. It may not have been the response you wanted. But at least they tried to pretend they were doing something. She said she would have no problem if the Department of Justice took on enforcement of these cases.As part of a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Trump administration last month ended the contract for the Equity Assistance Center-South, a technical assistance program for Southern school districts still operating under federal desegregation orders. On Tuesday, the Southern Education Foundation appealed the decision to cancel its contract to run the center.The attempt to close these such centers abdicates the governments responsibility to help school districts address educational inequities and provide greater education opportunities for our students, said Raymond Pierce, Southern Education Foundations president and chief executive officer. ___Associated Press writer Heather Hollingsworth contributed to this report. ___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. BIANCA VZQUEZ TONESS Vzquez Toness is an Associated Press reporter who writes about the continuing impact of the pandemic on young people and their education. twitter mailto

Electoral workers prepare to count votes during parliamentary elections in Nuuk, Greenland, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)2025-03-12T05:36:07Z NUUK, Greenland (AP) The center-right Demokraatit Party won the most votes in Greenlands parliamentary elections, a surprise result as the territory went to the polls in the shadow of President Donald Trumps stated goal of taking control of the island one way or another.Both Demokraatit the Democrats and the second place party, Naleraq Point of Orientation favor independence from Denmark, but they have differences on the pace of change.Demokraatits upset victory over parties that have governed the territory for years indicates that many in Greenland care just as much about healthcare, education, cultural heritage and other social policies.The unanticipated results came after huge crowds streamed into the polling station in the capital, Nuuk, throughout the day, warmed by sunny skies. Exhausted voting officials closed the polls well after the planned 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday to make sure everyone in line got a chance to cast their ballot. Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede in February called elections a bit early, saying the country needed to be united during a serious time that is unlike anything Greenland has ever experienced. Trump has been outspoken about his desire to control Greenland, telling a joint session of Congress last week that he thought the U.S. was going to get it one way or the other.Greenland, a self-governing region of Denmark, straddles strategic air and sea routes in the North Atlantic and has rich deposits of the rare earth minerals needed to make everything from mobile phones to renewable energy technology. Egedes Inuit Ataqatigiit (United Inuit) had been widely expected to win the contest, followed by Siumut two parties which had dominated Greenlands politics in recent years.A break from Denmark wasnt on the ballot, but it was on everyones mind. The island of 56,000 people has been on a path toward independence since at least 2009, and the 31 lawmakers elected will shape the islands future as it debates whether the time has come to declare independence. Four of the five main parties in the race sought independence, but disagreed on when and how.Naleraq is the most aggressively pro-independence, while Demokraatit favors a more moderate pace of change.What approach to independence will win the day will ultimately depend on if Demokraatit decides to form a coalition government, and if so, with which party, said Dwayne Menezes, managing director of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative.

Members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group, including Sueda Polat, second from left, and Mahmoud Khalil, center, are surrounded by members of the media outside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)2025-03-12T04:12:21Z NEW YORK (AP) When protests over the Israel-Hamas war took root on Columbia Universitys campus last spring, Mahmoud Khalil became a familiar, outspoken figure in a student movement that soon spread to other U.S. colleges.The international-affairs graduate student was a fixture in and around the protest encampment on Columbias Manhattan campus, serving as a spokesperson and negotiator for demonstrators who deplored Israels military campaign in Gaza and pressed the Ivy League school to cut financial ties with Israel and companies that supported the war.We want to be visible, Khalil said last April.Now that visibility has helped make him the face of President Donald Trumps drive to punish what he calls antisemitic and anti-American campus protests. In the first publicly known arrest of the crackdown, federal immigration agents took Khalil, a legal U.S. resident married to an American citizen, from his apartment Saturday and held him for potential deportation. To Trump and his administration, Khalils arrest is an opening move in a campaign to rid the country of foreign students accused of helping to make American campuses intimidating territory for Jewish students. To civil rights advocates and Khalils lawyers, his detention is an assault on free speech and an attempt to suppress pro-Palestinian views. And to some who have worked alongside the 30-year-old graduate student at the protests and elsewhere, his arrest is a startling takedown of someone with diplomatic experience that he brought to bear in the charged days of the demonstrations. You couldnt meet a kinder or nicer person to work with. Hes thoughtful. Hes intelligent. Hes conscientious, said former British diplomat Andrew Waller, a colleague of Khalils from the U.K.s Beirut-based embassy for Syria. Khalil worked there from about 2018 to 2022, running a scholarship fund and supporting the U.K.s diplomatic engagement with Syria, Waller said, noting that the role required an extensive background check.He said the two spoke a few weeks ago, and Khalil was focused on becoming a father his wife is pregnant and on strife in Syria, where he was born and raised in a Palestinian family. Khalil also expressed concern that he might be targeted by the new Trump administration, Waller said. Flight from civil war to the halls of academiaAfter finishing high school in Syria, Khalil was on track to study aviation engineering there, but his plans were upended by the countrys civil war, he wrote in a 2017 essay for an international education charity. He recounted that he left for Beirut, got a job with an education nonprofit that helps Syrian children, and went to a Lebanese university.Where would I be if, like countless other Syrian refugees before me, I could not get a scholarship, could not work, or worst of all, could not leave Syria in the depths of the ongoing war? he wondered in the essay.Khalil earned a bachelors degree in computer science and decided to continue his studies at Columbia, according to an online bio for a 2020 international development conference where he was listed as a speaker. Then, last spring, protests over the war in Gaza erupted at Columbia, where demonstrators set up tents in the middle of campus and took over an administration building. A wave of similar demonstrations spread to some other colleges around the country.Khalil served as a prominent student mediator on behalf of pro-Palestinian activists and Muslim students concerned for their safety.But images of his maskless face at protests, along with his willingness to share his name with reporters, quickly made him a target among those who saw antisemitism in the demonstrations.Im an easy scapegoat for them to say, Look at this Palestinian who never wore a mask and was active in the school protests, Khalil told an Associated Press reporter in an interview last week.The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, meanwhile, has called Khalil a ringleader of the chaos on campus. A new Columbia disciplinary committee has investigated various allegations against Khalil, most recently whether he violated a university anti-harassment policy by calling a dean genocidal. Targeted by the Trump administrationKhalil is now being held in a federal detention complex in Louisiana.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Khalil should be deported because he organized protests that not only disrupted college campus classes and harassed Jewish American students and made them feel unsafe on their own college campus, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda. The U.S. government has designated Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, as a terrorist organization.Those who protested alongside Khalil dispute that account.If someone distributed something at a protest that has nothing to do with the group, they attribute it to him for having his face at the action, said Maryan Alwan, a Columbia University senior. She described Khalil as mild-mannered and gifted at navigating internal disputes among student protesters. Outside of activism, she said he enjoyed cooking and playing drums in Columbias Arab Music Ensemble.Columbia protest leaders have insisted theyre anti-war, not antisemitic, and the demonstrations include some Jewish students and groups.Still, a Columbia task force on antisemitism found serious and pervasive problems with the climate on campus. The group said in a report that during the demonstrations, Jews and Israelis had been verbally abused, humiliated in classes and ostracized from student groups.Khalil finished his masters degree studies in December and has been scheduled to receive his degree in May, his lawyers said in a court filing.Meanwhile, he and his wife are expecting their first child. She is eight months pregnant, according to his attorneys. While not giving her name, they released a statement in which she implored the public to see Mahmoud through my eyes as a loving husband and father-to-be. I need your help to bring Mahmoud home, so he is here beside me, holding my hand in the delivery room, she wrote. JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen addresses European Parliament members on new plans to ramp up defense spending agreed at last week's summit, Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)2025-03-12T06:13:54Z BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union on Wednesday announced retaliatory trade action after the Trump administration officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, with duties on industrial and agricultural products that will go into effect April 1.As the U.S. are applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros ($28 billion), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. The commission manages trade and commercial conflicts on behalf of the 27 member countries.We will always remain open to negotiation. We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs, von der Leyen said.The commission also said that steel and aluminum products would be hit in return, but also textiles, leather goods, home appliances, house tools plastics and wood. Agricultural products will also be impacted including poultry, beef, some seafood, nuts, eggs, sugar and vegetables. President Donald Trump said his taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs, but von der Leyen said: Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up. In Europe and in the United States. We deeply regret this measure. Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers. These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy, she said. European steel companies have been bracing for losses.It will further worsen the situation of the European steel industry, exacerbating an already dire market environment, Henrik Adam, president of the Eurofer European steel association, said last month.He said the EU could lose up to 3.7 million tons of steel exports. The United States is the second biggest export market for EU steel producers, representing 16% of the total EU steel exports.Losing a significant part of these exports cannot be compensated by EU exports to other markets, Adam said. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Passengers rescued by security forces from a passenger train attacked by insurgents arrive at a railway station in Quetta, Pakistan, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)2025-03-12T05:54:31Z QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) Pakistani security forces exchanged gunfire on Wednesday with hundreds of separatist militants as they sought to free about 300 hostages aboard a train in the countrys rugged southwest, officials said.Security forces were being cautious as officials said the hostages were surrounded by militants wearing vests loaded with explosives.At least 27 militants have been killed and security forces rescued more than 150 of the 450 people who were on the train when it was hijacked on Tuesday as it entered a tunnel in Bolan, a district in restive Balochistan province.The Baloch Liberation Army group has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was open to negotiations to swap prisoners. So far, there has been no response or any indication from the government to the offer from the insurgents.Authorities said the rescued included women and children, while an undisclosed number of security personnel have been killed, according to three security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump walks from the Oval Office to depart on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-03-12T04:02:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when his seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown.Trump removed all exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on the metals, in addition to increasing the tariffs on aluminum from 10%. His moves, based off a February directive, are part of a broader effort to disrupt and transform global commerce. The U.S. president 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.Trump told CEOs in the Business Roundtable on Tuesday that the tariffs were causing companies to invest in U.S. factories. The 8% drop in the S&P 500 stock index over the past month on fears of deteriorating growth appears unlikely to dissuade him, as Trump argued that higher tariff rates would be more effective at bringing back factories. The higher it goes, the more likely it is theyre going to build, Trump told the group. The biggest win is if they move into our country and produce jobs. Thats a bigger win than the tariffs themselves, but the tariffs are going to be throwing off a lot of money to this country. Trump on Tuesday threatened to put tariffs of 50% on steel and aluminum from Canada, but he chose to stay with the 25% rate after the province of Ontario suspended plans to put a surcharge on electricity sold to Michigan, Minnesota and New York. In many ways, the president is addressing what he perceives as unfinished business from his first term. Trump meaningfully increased tariffs, but the revenues collected by the federal government were too small to significantly increase overall inflationary pressures. Trumps 2018 tariffs on steel and aluminum were eroded by exemptions.After Canada and Mexico agreed to his demand for a revamped North American trade deal in 2020, they avoided the import taxes on the metals. Other U.S. trading partners had import quotas supplant the tariffs. And the first Trump administration also allowed U.S. companies to request exemptions from the tariffs if, for instance, they couldnt find the steel they needed from domestic producers.While Trumps tariffs could help steel and aluminum plants in the United States, they could raise prices for the manufacturers that use the metals as raw materials.Moreover, economists have found, the gains to the steel and aluminum industries were more than offset by the cost they imposed on downstream manufacturers that use their products. At these downstream companies, production fell by nearly $3.5 billion because of the tariffs in 2021, a loss that exceeded the $2.3 billion uptick in production that year by aluminum producers and steelmakers, the U.S. International Trade Commission found in 2023.Trump sees the tariffs as leading to more domestic factories, and the White House has noted that Volvo, Volkswagen and Honda are all exploring an increase to their U.S. footprint. But the prospect of higher prices, fewer sales and lower profits might cause some companies to refrain from investing in new facilities.If youre an executive in the boardroom, are you really going to tell your board its the time to expand that assembly line? said John Murphy, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Soldiers of Ukraine's 5th brigade hold a poster thanking for the US for support during a flashmob at the front line near Toretsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Roman Chop)2025-03-12T10:22:26Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian ballistic missiles killed at least five civilians in Ukraine, officials said Wednesday, a day after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyivs fight against Russias invasion and Ukrainian officials signaled they were open to a 30-day ceasefire.The Kremlin didnt comment on the agreement announced Tuesday between the U.S. and Ukraine on the provision of further military support, including intelligence sharing, and the possibility of a ceasefire that Washington backs.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that its important not to get ahead of the question of responding to the 30-day ceasefire proposal. He told reporters that Moscow is awaiting detailed information about it from the U.S. and suggested Russia must get that before it can take a position.The Russian missiles killed four Syrian men between the ages of 18 and 24 on a ship docked at the southern port of Odesa late Tuesday, where it was loading Ukrainian wheat for Algeria, Infrastructure Minister Oleksii Kuleba said. Another missile killed a woman in Kryvih Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyys hometown in central Ukraine, authorities said. The American help is vital for Ukraines shorthanded and weary army, which is having a tough time keeping Russias bigger military force at bay. But for Moscow, more American aid spells potentially more difficulty in achieving its war aims and likely will be a tough sell in Moscow for Washingtons peace efforts. Arms deliveries to Ukraine have already resumed through a Polish logistics center, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland announced Wednesday.The deliveries go through a NATO and U.S. hub in the eastern Polish city of Rzeszow thats has been used to ferry Western weapons into neighboring Ukraine about 70 kilometers (45 miles) away.U.S. President Donald Trump wants to end the three-year war and pressured Zelenskyy to enter talks. The suspension of U.S. assistance came days after Zelenskyy and Trump argued about the conflict in a tense White House meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation to Tuesdays talks in Saudi Arabia, said that Washington would present the ceasefire offer to the Kremlin, which has so far opposed anything short of a permanent end to the conflict and hasnt accepted any concessions.Were going to tell (the Russians) this is whats on the table. Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now itll be up to them to say yes or no, Rubio told reporters after the talks. If they say no, then well unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.Trumps special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel this week to Moscow, where he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly. The person cautioned that scheduling could change.French President Emmanuel Macron welcome the U.S.-Ukraine agreement and said on X that the ball is now clearly in Russias court. Russian officials are wary about the U.S.-Ukraine talksRussian lawmakers signaled wariness about the prospect of a ceasefire.Russia is advancing (on the battlefield), so it will be different with Russia, senior Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev noted in a post on the messaging app Telegram.Any agreements (with the understanding of the need for compromise) should be on our terms, not American, Kosachev wrote.Lawmaker Mikhail Sheremet told the state news agency Tass that Russia is not interested in continuing the war but at the same time Moscow will not tolerate being strung along.The outcome of the Saudi Arabia talks puts the ball back in Russias court and places the onus on Washington to persuade Moscow to accept and implement the ceasefire, John Hardie, a defense analyst and deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based research institute.Moscow will present itself as cooperative, but may push for agreement on basic principles for a final peace deal before agreeing to a ceasefire, he said. Russia may also insist on barring Western military aid to Ukraine during the ceasefire and on Ukraine holding elections ahead of a long-term peace agreement.Russias foreign intelligence service, known as the SVR, reported Wednesday morning that the services chief, Sergei Naryshkin, spoke on the phone with CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Tuesday.The two discussed cooperation in areas of common interest and the resolution of crisis situations, according to a statement by the SVR.___Stefanie Dazio in Berlin, and Sylvie Corbet in Paris, contributed to this report.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine SAMYA KULLAB Kullab is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine since June 2023. Before that, she covered Iraq and the wider Middle East from her base in Baghdad since joining the AP in 2019. twitter instagram mailto

A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)2025-03-12T10:16:35Z THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was being flown to the Netherlands on Wednesday to face an International Criminal Court charge of crimes against humanity linked to the deadly crackdown on drugs he oversaw while in office.The 79-year-old Dutertes arrest Tuesday on a warrant issued by the global court was hailed by human rights groups and families of victims as a major breakthrough and step toward ending impunity. A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Flight tracking data showed that after leaving Manila, the jet carrying Duterte waited for hours in Dubai before taking off again, apparently headed for Rotterdam The Hague Airport. The court didnt immediately comment on the flight, but Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday that police arrested Duterte when he returned from a trip to Hong Kong and sent him to the ICC. A plane carrying former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague takes off in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A plane carrying former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague takes off in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte rush to the fence of the Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday March 11, 2025, upon learning that the plane taking the ex-president to The Hague has left the airport. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon) Supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte rush to the fence of the Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday March 11, 2025, upon learning that the plane taking the ex-president to The Hague has left the airport. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More When he arrives in the Netherlands, he will be taken to the courts detention unit inside a Dutch prison complex near the North Sea coast. A general view of one of the entrances to the International Criminal Court detention center near The Hague in Scheveningen, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) A general view of one of the entrances to the International Criminal Court detention center near The Hague in Scheveningen, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A general view of one of the entrances to the International Criminal Court detention center near The Hague in Scheveningen, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) A general view of one of the entrances to the International Criminal Court detention center near The Hague in Scheveningen, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Rights groups and families of victims welcomed the arrest.This is a monumental and long-overdue step for justice for thousands of victims and their families, said Jerrie Abella of Amnesty International. It is therefore a hopeful sign for them, as well, in the Philippines and beyond, as it shows that suspected perpetrators of the worst crimes, including government leaders, will face justice wherever they are in the world, Abella added. Emily Soriano, the mother of a victim of the crackdowns, said she wanted more officials to face justice.Duterte is lucky he has due process, but our children who were killed did not have due process, she said. Llore Pasco wipes tears behind pictures of her sons who were victims of alleged extra-judicial killings as she attends a press conference a day after the arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Llore Pasco wipes tears behind pictures of her sons who were victims of alleged extra-judicial killings as she attends a press conference a day after the arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Relatives hold pictures of victims of alleged extra-judicial killings during a press conference a day after the arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Relatives hold pictures of victims of alleged extra-judicial killings during a press conference a day after the arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Relatives hold pictures of victims of alleged extra-judicial killings in front of a picture arrested former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte with a sign that says "Jail Duterte" during a press conference in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Relatives hold pictures of victims of alleged extra-judicial killings in front of a picture arrested former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte with a sign that says "Jail Duterte" during a press conference in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Dutertes supporters, however, criticized his arrest as illegal and sought to have him returned home. Small groups of Duterte supporters and people who backed his arrest demonstrated on Wednesday outside the court before his arrival.The ICC investigationThe ICC opened an inquiry in 2021 into mass killings linked to the so-called war on drugs overseen by Duterte when he served as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president.Estimates of the death toll during Dutertes presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported and up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.ICC judges who looked at prosecution evidence supporting their request for his arrest found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is individually responsible for the crime against humanity of murder as an indirect co-perpetrator for having allegedly overseen the killings when he was mayor of Davao and later president of the Philippines, according to his warrant. What happens next?Within days of being taken into custody at the courts detention center, Duterte will be taken to court for a hearing. Judges will confirm his identity, check that he understands the charges against him and set a date for a hearing known as a confirmation of charges at which a panel of pretrial judges will assess if prosecutors have sufficient evidence to merit sending him to a full trial.Duterte could challenge the courts jurisdiction and the admissibility of the case. While the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, the alleged crimes happened before Manila withdrew from the court.That process will likely take months and if the case progresses to trial it could take years. Duterte will be able to apply for provisional release from the courts detention center while he waits, though its up to judges to decide whether to grant such a request.Dutertes legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, told reporters in Manila that the Philippine Supreme Court can compel the government to bring back the person arrested and detained without probable cause and compel the government bring him before the court and to explain to them why they (government) did what they did. Salvador Panelo, former presidential spokesman and chief presidential legal counsel of Philippine former President Rodrigo Duterte, shows a copy of the Habeas Corpus petition before filing it at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 11, 2025 in Manila, Philippines (AP Photo/Noel Celis) Salvador Panelo, former presidential spokesman and chief presidential legal counsel of Philippine former President Rodrigo Duterte, shows a copy of the Habeas Corpus petition before filing it at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 11, 2025 in Manila, Philippines (AP Photo/Noel Celis) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Marcos said Tuesday that Dutertes arrest was proper and correct and not an act of political persecution. Dutertes daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, criticized the Marcos administration for surrendering her father to a foreign court which currently has no jurisdiction to the Philippines.The Philippines is no longer a member state of the ICCDuterte withdrew the Philippines in 2019 from the ICC, in a move human rights activists say was aimed at escaping accountability.The Duterte administration moved to suspend the global courts investigation in late 2021 by arguing that Philippine authorities were already looking into the same allegations, arguing that the ICC a court of last resort therefore didnt have jurisdiction.Appeals judges at the ICC rejected those arguments and ruled in 2023 that the investigation could resume.The ICC judges who issued the warrant also said that the alleged crimes fall within the courts jurisdiction. They said Dutertes arrest was necessary because of what they called the risk of interference with the investigations and the security of witnesses and victims. ___Aleksandar Furtula in The Hague, Joeal Calupitan and Basilio Sepe in Manila, Philippines, and Jerry Harmer in Bangkok, contributed to this report.

A shopper checks eggs before he purchases at a grocery store in Glenview, Ill., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)2025-03-12T07:01:36Z WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. inflation may have cooled a bit last month but it could be a short reprieve as President Donald Trumps tariffs are widely expected to keep prices elevated in the coming months. On Wednesday, the Labor Department is expected to report that in February the consumer price index rose 2.9% from a year ago, according to economists surveyed by FactSet. That would be down slightly from 3% in January and the first drop in five months. It fell to a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September. Core prices, which exclude the volatile food and energy categories, are also expected to slip to 3.2%, down from 3.3% in January. Economists watch core prices closely because they often provide a better read on where inflation is headed. Yet both measures have largely become stuck at the levels reached last summer, when a retreat in inflation largely stalled after dropping steeply its peak of 9.1% in June 2022. Stubborn inflation would create political problems for Trump, who promised as a candidate to knock the hell out of inflation. And with Trump imposing or threatening to impose a wide range of tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, China, Europe and India, most economists forecast price growth will likely remain elevated this year. Theres no real progress toward that 2% goal, Dan North, senior economist at Allianz Trade Americas, a financial services firm, said. I suspect that youre going to start seeing inflation numbers go the other way. Wednesdays update is unlikely to move the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve much closer toward cutting their key interest rate, which they reduced three times last year amid signs that inflation was fading. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in January that rate cuts were on hold and another reduction is highly unlikely at the Feds meeting next week.On a monthly basis, both headline and core prices are projected to have risen 0.3% in February from the previous month. That would be an improvement from January, when overall inflation spiked 0.5%, but increases at that pace are still too large to get inflation on a yearly basis back to the Feds 2% target. The biggest wild card for the Fed and the economy as a whole are the tariffs and Trumps threats to impose more. Since his inauguration in January, Trump has imposed 20% taxes on all imports from China, and 25% duties on imports from Canada and Mexico, though most of those tariffs have been suspended for a month. On Wednesday, the administration increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when Trumps seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown. The European Union responded in kind almost immediately announcing retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products.Trump has promised reciprocal duties on countries that tariff exports from the United States, including Europe, India, and South Korea on April 2. The duties have roiled financial markets and could sharply slow the economy, with some analysts raising the odds of a recession. Economists at the Yale Budget Lab calculate that the reciprocal tariffs, by themselves, could boost the average U.S. tariff rate to its highest level since 1937, and cost the average household as much as $3,400. Aside from the tariffs, prices some things, such as eggs, are expected to have gotten even more expensive last month, pushing inflation higher. Avian flu has forced farmers to slaughter more than 160 million birds, including 30 million in January. Average egg prices hit $4.95 a dozen nationwide in February, a record high. The price had consistently been below $2 a dozen for decades before the disease struck. Economists will also closely watch the prices of new and used cars, auto insurance, airline tickets, and rents, among other items, to get a broader sense of where inflation may be headed. Gas prices are expected to have fallen last month. Tariffs, according to economics textbooks, are generally expected to result in just a one-time increase in prices, but not necessarily ongoing inflation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made that case in remarks at the Economic Club of New York last week, while acknowledging that prices might be higher. We could get a one-time price adjustment, he said. Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American Dream.But Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted on Friday that in some cases tariffs could worsen inflation for example, if they were enacted as a series of price hikes that caused consumers to expect inflation to move higher. What really does matter is what is happening with long-term inflation expectations, Powell added. Powell noted that shorter-term expectations for rising prices have risen, partly out of concern about tariffs, though longer-term expectations have been stable.Even the perception that prices will rise can ignite inflation if if households and businesses alter their behavior ahead of time to offset those price increases. Some companies may begin to charge customers if they expect their own costs to increase, for example. ____AP Writers Josh Boak and Paul Wiseman in Washington, and Lorne Cook and David McHugh in Europe, contributed to this report. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

Northwestern freshman Kat Righeimer, one of six women from Kobe Bryants Mamba Academy going through their first experience with college basketball, warms up with teammates during NCAA college basketball practice in Evanston, Ill., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)2025-03-12T10:00:08Z The AP Top 25 womens college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season!Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) On the fifth anniversary of that day when the helicopter crashed, and she lost Coach Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and so much more Kat Righeimer became a scholarship player at Northwestern.The former walk-on, who played for Kobe Bryant with the Mamba Academy, soaked in the moment with her jubilant teammates. The timing, she said, felt like a sign.I look at it as like a gift from heaven, kind of from them, Righeimer said. Just like them telling me keep going, keep pushing.Keep working. Just like Kobe would have wanted.Righeimer, 18, is one of six women from the Mamba Academy going through their first experience with college basketball. A proud group that learned so much from Bryant always Coach Bryant to them forever connected by a club team and a tragedy that shook their world.They are spread throughout the country and right beside each other through text messages of love and support. Emily Eadie is at Princeton, and Annika Jiwani plays for Dartmouth. Annabelle Spotts just finished her first season at the University of Chicago. Mackenly Randolph is at Louisville, and Zoie Lamkin plays for Orange Coast College back home in Southern California. What lessons they learned from KobeAs they moved through their first season of college ball, their conversations with Kobe were a frequent companion.For Lamkin, it was all about repetition. Finish your breakfast, thats what Eadie remembers. For Jiwani, it was the value of mistakes. Righeimer and Spotts focused on the mirror, and improving every day.At the end of the day, look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, did I get better today? said Spotts, who is interested in working in sports after graduation, possibly on the business side. And if not, fix that tomorrow. ... Thats one thing that always sticks with me.Bryant wanted Eadie to clean up her opportunities inside. When the 6-foot forward misses a layup or an easy shot with the Tigers, she often returns to what he used to say. In terms of finishing layups, because that was just something easy, she said, he was just like always just you cant leave them on the table. You cant leave your eggs and bacon on the table. ... Always got to finish your breakfast.When Lamkin first joined the Mamba team, she wasnt very good with her left hand. So Bryant suggested brushing her teeth and turning on the TV with her left hand.He was like, If youre struggling with something ... just continue to practice on it, said Lamkin, a 5-foot-7 guard who is averaging 13.3 points this season.Jiwani had the reverse experience. The 6-foot forward was a lefty growing up, so Bryant would tape her left hand behind her back and have her do everything with her right hand. Jiwani remembers Bryant staying after practice to work with her.She also remembers the value he placed on mistakes as growth opportunities.Thats just ... that doesnt even apply to basketball. I think that applies to life for me, said Jiwani, who hopes to become a doctor someday. As college players they have even more appreciation for KobeAll the players fondly remember the two sides of Gigi a fierce competitor on the court, and a lighthearted friend off it.She was very bubbly, I can hear her laugh in my head, Righeimer said. She was always smiling, always cracking jokes. But on the court, its like a light switch. She becomes like a beast.Eadie called Gigi just the hardest worker.A lot like her father.The players described Kobe Bryant as extremely detailed, focusing on the small things. He rarely raised his voice. He just wanted to see us figure it out on our own, Lamkin said.Righeimer said she doesnt think they touched a basketball at her first practice with Bryant. They just played defense and ran the whole time. He taught me to play my game, remember what I do best, Mackenly Randolph said.The icon part of Bryants life all the basketball accolades and worldwide notoriety that rarely surfaced with the players. For them, he was just coach.It never felt like he was this huge celebrity. But when we would go to these tournaments and all these people would come up and crowd our court, thats when it felt real, Eadie said. I was like, Wow, this is a big thing. Its only now, when they look back as college players, that they have a better understanding of what they experienced.Throughout the whole time that I knew him he was such a global figure, such an influence on the whole game of basketball and everyone who played it, Spotts said. I feel like I couldnt fully appreciate and understand it at such a young age. Where now I could have. It was just kind of a surreal thing the whole time. What they remember about being told of the crash On Jan. 26, 2020, a helicopter carrying Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna along with six other passengers and a pilot crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles. They were traveling to a tournament at Bryants Mamba Sports Academy. Alyssa Altobelli, 14, and Payton Chester, 13 two more Mamba teammates were among the victims. Assistant coach Christina Mauser, Altobellis parents, Keri and John, and Paytons mother, Sarah, also were on the flight.At the academy that day, as the players waited for the rest of the team to arrive, there was a growing unease.Spotts father, Jon, got everyone together in a meeting room. The helicopter had crashed, he said. There may have been some fatalities, he continued a word that stayed with the players long after that moment, an almost incomprehensible possibility when connected to their friends.Fatalities.I was only, I think 13 at the time, said Lamkin, who is interested in becoming a nurse after college. I didnt realize that meant like people might have, you know, passed away. And so I asked my mom, what does that mean? And she told me, and I just remember everybody just like breaking down, crying.Fatalities.I grew up going to Catholic school, Righeimer said. I went to church twice a week, and I prayed a lot, but I dont remember ever praying as hard as I did that moment. And I remember telling my dad, What does this mean? What are we going to do?The Mamba Academy team was a group of All-Stars in a local league before it turned into the club team. There were players added along the way, often involving a somewhat dazing encounter with Bryant.The Mamba parents became friends, too. After the helicopter went down, they had to face their own profound grief alongside their children.I think it was bigger than it being Kobe Bryant for our team and for my family, Annika Jiwani said.___Feinberg reported from New Jersey.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP womens college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball JAY COHEN Cohen is a national baseball writer and an editor on the APs sports desk. Based in Chicago, he also covers hockey, football and basketball, along with international water polo. twitter facebook

A contractor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and many other U.S. government agencies has developed a tool that lets analysts more easily pull a target individuals publicly available data from a wide array of sites, social networks, apps, and services across the web at once, including Bluesky, OnlyFans, and various Meta platforms, according to a leaked list of the sites obtained by 404 Media. In all the list names more than 200 sites that the contractor, called ShadowDragon, pulls data from and makes available to its government clients, allowing them to map out a persons activity, movements, and relationships.The news comes after ICE detained Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Columbia University protester and green card holding legal permanent resident of the U.S., on Saturday with the intention of deporting him. It also comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly launching an AI-fueled Catch and Revoke effort to scan the social media accounts for tens of thousands of student visa holders social media accounts, looking for what Axios reported as foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups.There is no indication ShadowDragon specifically, or its data tool SocialNet, is part of that program. But ShadowDragon says in marketing material its tools can be used to monitor protests, and claims it found protests around Union Station in Washington DC during a 2023 visit by Benjamin Netanyahu. Daniel Clemens, ShadowDragons CEO, previously said on a podcast that protesters should not be surprised when people are going to investigate you because you made their life difficult.Multiple tech companies and websites whose public data ShadowDragon pulls tell 404 Media the contractor may be violating their terms of use around scraping.The long list of sites and services that ShadowDragons SocialNet tool accesses is a reminder of just how much data is accessible and collected from and about us to provide surveillance services to the government and others, Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director the Electronic Privacy Information Centers (EPIC) Project on Surveillance Oversight, told 404 Media in an email. SocialNet is just one example of the unchecked surveillance ecosystem that lacks any meaningful transparency, oversight, or accountability that allows the government to circumvent Constitutional and statutory protections to access sensitive personal data, he added.Do you work for ICE or one of its contractors? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.Marketing material available online says SocialNet can plot identities and find connections between them; create a map of suspicious activity and follow a suspects trail, and follow the breadcrumbs of your targets digital life and find hidden correlations in your research. In one promotional video, ShadowDragon says users can enter an email, an alias, a name, a phone number, a variety of different things, and immediately have information on your target. We can see interests, we can see who friends are, pictures, videos.The leaked list of targeted sites and services include ones from major tech companies such as Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok. It also includes communication tools like Discord and WhatsApp; activity- or hobby-focused sites like AllTrails, BookCrossing, Chess.com, and cigar review site Cigar Dojo; payment services like Cash App, BuyMeACoffee, and PayPal; sex worker sites OnlyFans and JustForFans; and social networks Bluesky and Telegram. Even relatively obscure social networks are included in the list, such as BeReal.ShadowDragon also pulls data from some sites geared towards specific demographics and highly personal interests, such as the social network for Black people called Black Planet or the fetish site FetLife, which 404 Media previously reported.The list also includes Roblox. In a recent video on ShadowDragons YouTube channel, staff members discussed how children are groomed on Roblox and other platforms or apps geared towards children.What sort of data is returned when a ShadowDragon customer queries one of these sites depends on each individual service, with some likely returning much more than others.404 Media has uploaded the list here.According to U.S. government procurement databases, ShadowDragons clients include the State Department, the Army, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the DEA, and, especially, ICE. ICE continued its contract with ShadowDragon as recently as February 24, with the procurement record saying the deal included access to SocialNet.An ICE statement of work that EPIC obtained through the Freedom of Information Act describes why ICE, and specifically Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), sought out SocialNet in one instance.ICE analysts conduct research on readily available public domain open source information that spans beyond US domain websites and require ICE to effectively track and investigate known criminal elements and locations to mitigate the flow of illegal goods and personnel into the United States borders and territories, the document reads. SocialNet data is a data subscriptions service that maps social media connections to uncover aliases, associates and gather inferences of lifestyle and physical location of threats. SocialNet performs federated searches and visualizes social media connections to uncover identities, correlations, networks of associates quickly.HSI INTEL must remain diligent in seeking new and improved means of combatting the challenges that face our Law Enforcers and Intelligence Analysts for identifying, tracking, investigating and apprehending criminal entities. SocialNet data adds to HSI INTEL's ability to successfully meet those mission goals and their public responsibility by leveraging capabilities with proven results for both cyber or physical criminal investigations and social media forensics, it continues. In this case, the document indicates HSI sought to use SocialNet through Maltego, a commonly-used piece of open source intelligence software.404 Media previously reported that some of ICE moved to SocialNet because it was retiring the use of another tool called Babel X.A screenshot of a ShadowDragon video on Vimeo.404 Media contacted numerous companies named in the leaked list of services that ShadowDragon pulls data from. Pinterest pointed to its terms of service, which say users will not scrape, collect, search, copy or otherwise access data or content from Pinterest in unauthorized ways. Cash App also pointed to its own terms of service which bans the monitoring of any material on any Cash App system, both manually and with automated means.Responding to Facebook, Instagram, and Threads being included in the list, Meta said in a statement Unauthorized scraping is against our terms, and we routinely investigate and take action to enforce our terms against unauthorized scrapers when we find they have violated our policies.Snap said any scraping violates its terms of service.LinkedIn said in a statement We are constantly testing new ways to ensure that control of member data remains in our members' hands. Unauthorized scraping is not permitted, and our teams at LinkedIn invest in technology and take legal action when necessary to detect and prevent our members' information from being scraped and used without their consent.Chess.com said in a statement We were not previously aware that ShadowDragon was scraping data from Chess.com. To clarify our position, we do not permit the use of personal information from our users without a valid legal basis and compliance with applicable laws, even if such information is publicly available.If ShadowDragons activities are conducted lawfully, with a legitimate legal basissuch as in response to a government order or as part of a legally authorized investigation we would not object. However, if the data being collected includes personal information and is being used without proper legal authorization, this would not align with our policies, the statement added.When asked if ShadowDragons activity constitutes scraping and provided with the list of sites, Sandy MacKay, VP of business operations at ShadowDragon, told 404 Media in an email that ShadowDragon doesnt log customer inquiries or the resulting data, so we cant provide information that violates the privacy settings of individual account owners using these platforms, including data theyve deleted. In other words, the searches are performed live on sites when the ShadowDragon user requests it. That might arguably still violate some of the companies terms of use, however.In the ShadowDragon podcast where Clemens made his comments about protesters, he added that protesters are probably not moving the needle at all. He added My word of advice for anybody thats feeling invited into the rage mob of the day, is, hey man, get off social media. Go buy a lake house, get a beach house. Do something. Get in debt and get off social media. Dont get invited into all this rage.When 404 Media previously reported those comments, Clemens said in an email my comments from the podcast refer to ALL groups, regardless of affiliation or cause. It was a reminder to everyone that everything we do in public, including social media posts, often lacks a legal expectation of privacy, in the same vein as the EFF's recommendations for protestors.ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

We start this week with Emanuel's great investigation into Chinese AI video models, and how they have far fewer safeguards than their American counterparts. A content warning for that section due to what the users are making. After the break, Joseph explains how police are using AI to summarize evidence seized from mobile phones. In the subscribers-only section, we chat about an AI-developed game that is making a ton of money. But your AI-generated game probably won't.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Chinese AI Video Generators Unleash a Flood of New Nonconsensual PornAlibaba Releases Advanced Open Video Model, Immediately Becomes AI Porn MachineCellebrite Is Using AI to Summarize Chat Logs and Audio from Seized Mobile PhonesThis Game Created by AI 'Vibe Coding' Makes $50,000 a Month. Yours Probably Wont

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.