Turning to books for workout inspiration is probably a terrible idea.

Craig Greenbergs move, requested by the Trump administration, allows federal agents more time to detain immigrants who are held at the citys jail.

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, a Russian soldier patrols an area in Sudzha, the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)2025-08-18T10:22:45Z Russias troops are continuing their slow war of attrition in eastern and northern Ukraine, even as the conflict enters a pivotal phase with a series of high-level meetings that are part of U.S. President Donald Trumps push for peace. In the three-and-a-half years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the front line has continued to move slowly with some unexpected strikes also redrawing the map.Here is a look at some of the main events in the conflict.Feb. 24, 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south. Russian troops quickly reach Kyivs outskirts, but their attempts to capture the capital and other cities in the northeast meet stiff resistance. March 5, 2022 Russian advances toward Kyiv and Kherson reach their height. The port city of Mariupol is surrounded. April 2, 2022 Ukraine defeats Russian forces in Kyiv after throwing them back in Chernihiv.Aug. 29, 2022 Ukraines first counteroffensive starts in the east and south. Sept. 30, 2022 Russia illegally annexes Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, even though it doesnt fully control either of the four. Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, with from left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk Peoples Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic wave during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin, Moscow, Sept. 30, 2022. The signing of the treaties making the four regions part of Russia follows the completion of the Kremlin-orchestrated referendums. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, with from left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk Peoples Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic wave during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin, Moscow, Sept. 30, 2022. The signing of the treaties making the four regions part of Russia follows the completion of the Kremlin-orchestrated referendums. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More September to November 2022 Ukrainian forces reclaim vast parts of the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions in the first counteroffensive, including the city of Kherson itself.May 22, 2023 Russia claims control of Bakhmut after months of fighting. June 6, 2023 As Ukraines long-anticipated second counteroffensive starts, the Russian-controlled Kakhovka Dam explodes, sending a wall of water into southern Ukraine and upending Ukrainian battle plans.Fall 2023 The second Ukrainian counteroffensive ends, with little change to the front line.Feb. 18, 2024 Russian forces take complete control of the eastern city of Avdiivka after months of combat.April 19, 2024 The U.S. House of Representatives approves $61 billion package for Ukraine after months of delay. May 10, 2024 Russia launches a new offensive in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, capturing a string of villages and opening a new front in the war. An aerial view of Chasiv Yar shows the frontline city in ruins after heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces for over a year, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/File) An aerial view of Chasiv Yar shows the frontline city in ruins after heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces for over a year, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Aug. 6, 2024 Ukraine launches a lightning incursion into Russias Kursk region, holding territory along the border in an unexpected and embarrassing episode for the Kremlin. Jan. 20, 2025 Trump is inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. His election raises uncertainty as to whether Washington will continue to support Ukraine. President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump are greeted by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, upon their arrival at the White House, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump are greeted by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, upon their arrival at the White House, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More April 26, 2025 Moscow says all Ukrainian troops have been forced out from Russias Kursk region. Several weeks later, Putin visits the area in a show of strength and is filmed speaking with local volunteers.June 1, 2025 Ukraine strikes airfields deep inside Russia by launching drones that have been secretly stored and transported across the country on the back of trucks. The attack is codenamed Operation Spider Web.Summer 2025 Russia and Ukraine both step up drone strikes with the ability to strike deep into each others territory.June 30, 2025 Russia says it has taken full control of Ukraines Luhansk, one of four regions that Moscow illegally annexed in September 2022. July 31, 2025 Russia says it has taken full control of the strategically important Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar after a grinding, months-long assault.August 2025 Russian forces continue their push in the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin has focused the bulk of military efforts, capturing small villages and closing in on Pokrovsk, a strategically important city. Aug. 15, 2025 Putin meets Trump in Alaska for the first Russia-U.S. summit in four years to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy and European officials say Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it controls as part of a deal. In this photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Russian soldiers patrol an area in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) In this photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Russian soldiers patrol an area in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Follow The Associated Press for full coverage of the war.

Vehicles and motorcyclists drive through a flooded road after heavy rainfall in Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)2025-08-18T08:55:25Z PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) Rescuers were continuing to search on Monday for more than 150 people still missing in northwestern Pakistan after days of torrential rain caused flash floods that have killed more than 270 people. A senior politician has blamed local residents for the high death toll, saying people should have built their homes elsewhere.The death toll in the mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reached 277 on Monday after rescuers recovered three more bodies, emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said. The search operations have been extended to remote areas to find residents swept away by floods that hit the province on Friday, according to Suhail. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble.Villagers have accused officials of not telling them to evacuate ahead of flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. However, the government insists that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed. Provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said Sunday that many of the deaths could have been avoided had residents not built homes along waterways and riverbanks. He added that the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in rebuilding their homes. Stay up to date with similar stories by signing up to our WhatsApp channel. Pakistan has seen higher-than-normal monsoon rains since June 26, killing at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the northwest. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began Sunday in many parts of the country. Torrential rains triggered a flash flood that struck the Darori village, in the northwestern Swabi district, Monday, killing 15 people, a government official Awais Babar said. He said rescuers evacuated nearly 100 people, mostly women and children, who had taken refuge on the roofs of their homes. Disaster management officials said the floods inundated streets in other districts in the northwest and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. At the meeting, officials estimated flood-related damages to public and private property at more than 126 million rupees ($450,000), according to a government statement. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it has mobilized groups in hard-hit areas, where damaged roads and communication lines have cut off communities. Relief agencies are providing food, water and other aid while preparing for longer-term recovery efforts.Flooding has also hit India-administered Kashmir, where at least 67 people were killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods swept through the region during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres expressed deep sorrow on Sunday over the loss of life in Pakistan and India, while Pope Leo XIV offered condolences after praying the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo, a papal retreat near Rome.Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. In 2022, catastrophic floods linked to climate change killed nearly 1,700 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.___Associated Press writers Ishfaq Hussain in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakkistan and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this story.

Presidential candidate Rodrigo Paz, center, addresses supporters after early results showed him leading in the presidential election in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Freddy Barragan)2025-08-17T12:03:36Z En resumen: nuestra cobertura de la jornada electoral en Bolivia. LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) Bolivias presidential vote headed to an unprecedented runoff after elections Sunday that ended more than two decades of left-wing dominance in the Andean nation but signaled voters trepidation about a major lurch to the right. A dark horse centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the right-wing front-runners, although not enough to secure an outright victory, early results showed.Paz, a former mayor who has sought to soften the edges of the oppositions push for tough austerity to rescue Bolivia from a looming economic collapse, will face off against right-wing former President Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who finished second. Bolivia holds the presidential runoff its first since its 1982 return to democracy on Oct. 19.This economic model must change, Paz declared to crowds who cheered and chanted, Renewal! Pazs campaign gained unexpected traction in recent weeks as he teamed up with Edman Lara, a social media savvy ex-police captain with evangelical backing whose supporters see him as a bold leader willing to stand up to corruption in the security forces. With over 91% of the ballots counted Sunday, Paz received 32.8% of the votes cast. Quiroga secured 26.4%. Candidates needed to surpass 50%, or 40% with a 10-point margin of victory, to avoid a runoff.Addressing fans and flanked by family as confetti hearts sprayed from the ceiling, Quiroga congratulated Paz on his lead. What happened is unprecedented, he said. Bolivia told the world that we want to live in a free nation. Presidential candidate Rodrigo Paz, center, addresses supporters after early results showed him leading in the presidential election in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Freddy Barragan) Presidential candidate Rodrigo Paz, center, addresses supporters after early results showed him leading in the presidential election in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Freddy Barragan) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A leftist establishment confronts its demiseThe results delivered a stunning blow to Bolivias hegemonic Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, which has governed Bolivia almost uninterrupted since its founder, charismatic ex-President Evo Morales, rose to power as part of the pink tide of leftist leaders that swept into office across Latin America during the commodities boom of the early 2000s.The official MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, finished sixth with just 3.2% of the vote. A leftist candidate considered to be the partys best hope, 36-year-old Senate president Andrnico Rodrguez, captured 8% of the vote. During his almost 14 years in power, Morales expanded the rights of the countrys Indigenous majority, defended coca growers against U.S.-backed eradication programs and poured natural gas profits into social programs.But the maverick leaders increasingly high-handed attempts to prolong his presidency along with allegations of sexual relations with underage girls soured public opinion against him.Simmering discontent turned into a tidal wave of outrage as Bolivias once-stable economy imploded under Morales protg-turned-rival, President Luis Arce.Annual inflation rate has soared from 2% less than two years ago to 25% as of last month. A scarcity of fuel has paralyzed the country. A desperate shortage of U.S. dollars needed to pay for essential imports like wheat has crippled the economy.As the crisis accelerated, MAS leaders traded blame. A power struggle between Morales and Arce fractured the bloc and handed the opposition its first real shot at victory in decades even as its uncharismatic candidates failed to unite. In perhaps the most visible sign of how fed up Bolivians are with the party, leftist politicians casting their ballots across Bolivia on Sunday faced barrages of boos, insults and thrown objects. Voters check electoral rolls during general elections in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) Voters check electoral rolls during general elections in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Morales supports heed calls to vote nullBlocked from running by a court ruling on term limits, Morales has been holed up in his tropical stronghold of Chapare for months evading an arrest warrant for allegedly impregnating a 15-year-old girl while president.He has branded Rodrguez a traitor for competing and encouraged his supporters to register their anger at his exclusion by casting null-and-void ballots. His followers appeared to heed his calls: An unusually high proportion of votes, 19%, were deemed invalid. Usually the share of blank and null votes doesnt exceed 6%.Tensions ran high as Morales supporters mobilized against elections but voting even in the restive jungle largely passed peacefully, authorities said, with only minor disruptions. A dynamite stick went off near the school where Rodrguez planned to cast his ballot in Chapare. When he arrived hours later, pro-Morales crowds assaulted him with bottles and rocks as he voted. Whisked away by guards, Rodrguez later called it a difficult moment. Presidential candidate Jorge Tuto Quiroga gestures after voting in general elections in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Presidential candidate Jorge Tuto Quiroga gestures after voting in general elections in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A centrist takes a surprise leadThe win for Paz came as a shock to a nation that had been conditioned by weeks of opinion polls to expect that the leading right-wing contenders, Quiroga and businessman Samuel Doria Medina, would capture the top two spots.Sunday marked Doria Medinas fourth failed presidential bid. He told grim-faced supporters that he had no regrets. I wanted to serve Bolivia as president, and it hasnt been possible, he said.The promotion of Paz and his more moderate tone reflects Bolivian ambivalence about a dramatic veer to the right.Paz has sought to distance himself from pledges by Quiroga and Doria Medina to sell Bolivias abundant lithium reserves to foreign companies and turn to the International Monetary Fund for billions of dollars of loans.But he has also launched blistering attacks on the MAS party and its economic model.I want to congratulate the people because this is a sign of change, Paz said. Presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina embraces his wife, Nidia Monje, as their daughter Sandra looks on after he voted in general elections in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Freddy Barragan) Presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina embraces his wife, Nidia Monje, as their daughter Sandra looks on after he voted in general elections in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Freddy Barragan) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More New face, old roots Despite their grand promises, Doria Medina and Quiroga struggled to stir up voter excitement. Bolivians associate them both with the U.S.-backed neoliberal administrations that Morales repudiated when he stormed to office in 2006, declaring an end to Bolivias 20-year experiment with free-market capitalism. If they couldnt govern well before, what makes us think theyll do it now? asked Yaitzel Poma, 30, referring to Pazs right-wing rivals as she celebrated along the main avenue of Bolivias capital of La Paz on Sunday. We have to learn from the past to make better choices.After 20 years of Morales populist, state-directed policies, Bolivia faces a return to belt-tightening. After years of alignment with world powers like China and Russia, Bolivia seems set to reconcile with the United States.Paz supporters have described the former mayor Bolivias southern town of Tarija as a fresh face with new ideas.We want new people, new proposals, another chance for young people, said 38-year-old Jaqueline Cachaca, a Paz supporter who lost her job at a bank this year amid a wave of layoffs and now sells street food. But Paz, too, has deep ties to Bolivias old political elite. The 57-year-old lawmaker has had a long career in politics running for senator with Quirogas right-wing party in 2014. Hes the son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora, who began his political career as a co-founder of the Revolutionary Left Movement, a radical party persecuted under the bloody military dictatorship of Hugo Banzer in the 1970s, before striking a pact with Banzers right-wing party in order to become president from 1989 to 1993. Doria Medina served as his minister of planning in that government, which oversaw a series of privatizations that devastated local industry.What were doing is moving back in time, said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivian research group. This is not a new actor with dynamic policies. Hes a surrogate for the reconstruction of the traditional right. This combination photo shows presidential candidates Rodrigo Paz, left and Bolivias former President Jorge Quiroga, right. (AP Photos/Freddy Barragan, Arnulfo Franco) This combination photo shows presidential candidates Rodrigo Paz, left and Bolivias former President Jorge Quiroga, right. (AP Photos/Freddy Barragan, Arnulfo Franco) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More ISABEL DEBRE DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Democratic candidate for North Carolina's 11th congressional district Jamie Ager smiles, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Fairview, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)2025-08-18T11:32:08Z FAIRVIEW, N.C. (AP) Jamie Ager has spent much of the past year rebuilding his 250-acre farm in the foothills of western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene tore through the region, cutting power, destroying fences and scattering livestock. Then, earlier this year, Ager lost his beef contract with local schools, a casualty of billions of dollars in cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Trump administration. Now, the fifth-generation farmer is running for Congress part of a new crop of Democratic candidates the party is turning to as it tries to compete in the tough, often rural districts it may need to flip to retake the U.S. House in 2026.Democrats say these new recruits are uniquely suited to break through in districts where President Donald Trumps popularity remains dominant. Many, like Ager, are already a well-known presence in their communities. And in parts of North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan and elsewhere, the party is betting that kind of local credibility can cut through skepticism in places where the Democratic brand has fallen. Ager says he sees national Democrats as out of touch with rural life: too academic and politically correct and scripted.Thats just not what people are interested in, he says. The ideas of helping poor people, being neighborly, the ideal of doing those things, I think, are worthy, good ideas that are actually popular. But the execution of a lot of those ideas has been gummed up, you know, not well executed. A shifting House mapHeading into next years midterms, Democrats believe momentum is on their side. Historically, the presidents party loses ground in the midterms. In 2018, during Trumps first term, Democrats flipped 41 seats to take control of the House. Republicans currently control the House by such a slim margin, Democrats need to pick up only a few seats to break the GOPs hold on Washington. The Republican-led tax break and spending cut bill has added to Democrats optimism. About two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the new tax law will help the rich, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half say itll do more harm than good for middle-class people and people like them.Still, Republicans remain confident. They point to having fewer vulnerable seats than Democrats have this cycle. Only three Republicans hold House districts Democrat Kamala Harris won last year, while 13 Democrats represent districts Trump won. They also note Democrats low opinion of their own party after last years losses. In a July AP-NORC poll, Democrats were likelier to describe their own party negatively than Republicans, with many Democrats calling it weak or ineffective. In places where local dynamics may give Democrats a shot, it means finding the right candidates is especially important, party leaders say. Recruitment matters in these years when the environment is going to be competitive, said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster. Democrats hope a farmer in western North Carolina can regain trustWith power, water and telecommunications down due to last years hurricane, Agers Hickory Nut Gap farm became a hub for the community hosting cookouts and using propane to grill food for neighbors.Statewide, the storm caused nearly $60 billion in damage and killed more than 100 people. Little federal aid has reached the hardest-hit parts of western North Carolina.Helene hitting definitely put an exclamation point on, like, Whoa, we need help and support, Ager said.Democrats see Ager as a high-risk, high-reward candidate who could be successful in a district where Democrats have struggled for more than a decade.No Democrat has won North Carolinas 11th Congressional District since it was redrawn by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2011. A court-ordered redistricting ahead of the 2020 election made it slightly more favorable to Democrats, encompassing Asheville and much of western North Carolina. Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards still won by nearly 14 percentage points last year and is expected to seek reelection. Grayson Barnette, a Democratic strategist who helped recruit Ager, said in some districts its a risk to run a candidate who hasnt held elected office before.But I would argue thats a good thing, especially when the Democrats just took the big hit we did, Barnette said. We have to look in the mirror and say, Lets try something new.In a district where nearly 62% of residents live in very low-density areas, Barnette believes Agers identity as a business owner, coach and father with deep local roots could cut through. His unpolished, direct style, he says, may resonate more than a polished political rsum.In the video launching his campaign, Ager shows flooding on the farm and is seen on the porch of his home, feeding chickens, driving a tractor and spending time with his wife and three sons. Im not flashy, but Im honest, he says in the video. Ager doesnt call himself a Democrat in the roughly two-minute video and rarely used the word during a three-hour interview. Still, his ties to the party run deep: His brother serves in the state House, following in the footsteps of their father. His grandfather served six years in the U.S. House.Asked whether that might be a liability in the district, Ager simply shrugged: Then dont vote for me.Trumps big bill could reshape a conservative district in Michigan In western Michigan, state Rep. Sean McCann is a different kind of candidate from Ager. Hes buttoned-up and soft-spoken, with a long resume in elected office and deep roots in Kalamazoo, having served for a decade on the city commission before winning a seat in the state House in 2010.In a district anchored by conservative and religious values, Democrats see McCann as the kind of steady, experienced figure who can make inroads especially as backlash builds to Trumps tax bill, which includes deep spending cuts.At a recent meeting at Kalamazoos Family Health Center, where nearly 65% of patients rely on Medicaid, the centers president warned the proposed Medicaid cuts would be devastating. Its about being home in the community and listening to our communitys values and carrying those to Washington, McCann said.The district is represented by Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, who won reelection by nearly 12 percentage points in 2022. But Huizenga has not said whether hell seek another term, and Trump carried the district by only 5.5 percentage points in 2024.Democrats hope strong ties help elsewhereAcross the country, Democrats are watching similar races in places like Iowa and Kentucky, where local candidates with strong community ties are running. In Iowas 2nd District, state Rep. Lindsay James a fourth-term lawmaker and Presbyterian pastor is weighing a run in the northeast part of the state. In Kentuckys 6th, which includes Lexington and Richmond, former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo is running his first campaign, describing himself as a political outsider.Its a mix of profiles: Ager, the farmer-turned-candidate feeding neighbors after a hurricane. McCann, the public servant meeting with health workers in his hometown. And others like them trying to reconnect a skeptical electorate.Yes, the Democratic Party has some taint to it, Ager said. But when I go talk to Republicans who are friends that Ive known forever, theres genuine admiration and mutual respect for each other. And that comes from being in this community forever.___Associated Press reporter Maya Sweedler in Washington contributed to this report. JOEY CAPPELLETTI Cappelletti covers politics and state government for The Associated Press in Michigan. He is based in Lansing. twitter mailto

China's Long March 2F rocket, carrying three astronauts for the Shenzhou 20 manned space mission, blasts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)2025-08-18T04:16:16Z WASHINGTON (AP) As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satellite that provides television service to Ukraine.Instead of normal programing, Ukrainian viewers saw parade footage beamed in from Moscow: waves of tanks, soldiers and weaponry. The message was meant to intimidate, and it was also an illustration that 21st century war is waged not just on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace and the reaches of outer space.Disabling a satellite could deal a devastating blow without a single bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellites security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth.If you can impede a satellites ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption, said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains. He served in the Marines before working on cyber issues at the Department of Energy.Think about GPS, he said. Imagine if a population lost that, and the confusion it would cause. Stay up to date with similar stories by signing up to our WhatsApp channel. Satellites are the short-term challengeMore than 12,000 operating satellites now orbit the planet, playing a critical role not just in broadcast communications but also in military operations, navigation systems like GPS, intelligence gathering and economic supply chains. They are also key to early launch-detection efforts, which can warn of approaching missiles.That makes them a significant national security vulnerability, and a prime target for anyone looking to undermine an adversarys economy or military readiness or to deliver a psychological blow like the hackers supporting Russia did when they hijacked television signals to Ukraine. Hackers typically look for the weakest link in the software or hardware that supports a satellite or controls its communications with Earth. The actual orbiting device may be secure, but if its running on outdated software, it can be easily exploited. As Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, someone targeted Viasat, the U.S.-based satellite company used by Ukraines government and military. The hack, which Kyiv blamed on Moscow, used malware to infect tens of thousands of modems, creating an outage affecting wide swaths of Europe. National security officials say Russia is developing a nuclear, space-based weapon designed to take out virtually every satellite in low-Earth orbit at once. The weapon would combine a physical attack that would ripple outward, destroying more satellites, while the nuclear component is used to fry their electronics. U.S. officials declassified information about the weapon after Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, issued a public warning about the technology. Turner has pushed for the Department of Defense to provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on the weapon, which, if deployed, would violate an international treaty prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in space. This photo provided by United States Space Force the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the U.S. Space Forces dynamic unmanned spaceplane, successfully deorbited and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., March 7, 2025. (United States Space Force via AP) This photo provided by United States Space Force the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the U.S. Space Forces dynamic unmanned spaceplane, successfully deorbited and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., March 7, 2025. (United States Space Force via AP) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Turner said such a weapon could render low-Earth orbit unusable for satellites for as long as a year. If it were used, the effects would be devastating: potentially leaving the U.S. and its allies vulnerable to economic upheaval and even a nuclear attack.Russia and China also would lose satellites, though they are believed to be less reliant on the same kinds of satellites as the U.S.Turner compared the weapon, which is not yet ready for deployment, to Sputnik, the Russian satellite that launched the space age in 1957.If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon would be put in space, it would be the end of the space age, Turner said. It should never be permitted to go into outer space. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in space.Mining the moon and beyondValuable minerals and other materials found on the moon and in asteroids could lead to future conflicts as nations look to exploit new technologies and energy sources.Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans this month to send a small nuclear reactor to the moon, saying its important that the U.S. do so before China or Russia. Were in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon, Duffy said. To have a base on the moon, we need energy and some of the key locations on the moon. ... We want to get there first and claim that for America. The moon is rich in a material known as helium 3, which scientists believe could be used in nuclear fusion to generate huge amounts of energy. While that technology is still decades away, control over the moon in the intervening years could determine which countries emerge as superpowers, according to Joseph Rooke, a London-based cybersecurity expert who has worked in the U.K. defense industry and is now director of risk insights at the firm Recorded Future.The end of the Cold War temporarily halted a lot of investments in space, but competition is likely to increase as the promise of mining the moon becomes a reality. This isnt sci-fi. Its quickly becoming a reality, Rooke said. If you dominate Earths energy needs, thats game over.China and Russia have announced plans for their own nuclear plants on the moon in the coming years, while the U.S. is planning missions to the moon and Mars. Artificial intelligence is likely to speed up the competition, as is the demand for the energy that AI requires.Messages left with Russias Embassy in Washington were not returned.Despite its steps into outer space, China opposes any extraterrestrial arms race, according to Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for Chinas Embassy in Washington. He said it is the U.S. that is threatening to militarize the final frontier.It has kept expanding military strength in space, created space military alliances, and attempted to turn space into a war zone, Liu said. China urges the U.S. to stop spreading irresponsible rhetoric, stop expanding military build-up in space, and make due contribution to upholding the lasting peace and security in space.What the US is doing about security in spaceNations are scrambling to create their own rocket and space programs to exploit commercial prospects and ensure they arent dependent on foreign satellites. Its an expensive and difficult proposition, as demonstrated last week when the first Australian-made rocket crashed after 14 seconds of flight.The U.S. Space Force was created in 2019 to protect American interests in space and to defend U.S. satellites from attacks from adversaries. The space service is far smaller than the more well-established services like the Army, Navy or Air Force, but its growing, and the White House is expected to announce a location for its headquarters soon. Colorado and Alabama are both candidates.The U.S. military operates an unmanned space shuttle used to conduct classified military missions and research. The craft, known as the X-37B, recently returned to Earth after more than a year in orbit. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a SXM-9 digital, audio radio satellite payload, lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a SXM-9 digital, audio radio satellite payload, lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The Space Force called access to space a vital national security interest.Space is a warfighting domain, and it is the Space Forces job to contest and control its environment to achieve national security objectives, it said in the statement.American dominance in space has been largely unquestioned for decades following the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. But the new threats and competition posed by Russia and China show the need for an aggressive response, U.S. officials say.The hope, Turner said, is that the U.S. can take steps to ensure Russia and China cant get the upper hand, and the frightening potential of space weapons is not realized.You have to pay attention to these things so they dont happen, Turner said. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nature, Published online: 18 August 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02617-4As the planet braces for climate-change-induced fluctuations, the wisdom of communities living at the intersection of land and water could offer valuable lessons.

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In this image made from video provided by KTVX, police at the scene of a shooting in Tremonton, Ut., Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (KTVX via AP)2025-08-18T10:53:35Z TREMONTON, Utah (AP) Two police officers were shot and killed in a northern Utah city and a man was taken into custody, authorities said Monday.The officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call Sunday in a neighborhood in Tremonton. A sheriffs deputy and a police dog who also responded were wounded and were hospitalized in fair condition, police said.After the officers were shot, bystanders persuaded the man to put down his weapon, police said. SWAT teams responded to clear the home and verify that there was no further threat, police said.Upon arrival, they immediately began taking fire, Police Detective Crystal Beck of neighboring Brigham City told reporters earlier. They requested additional units. And then stopped answering their radio.The man was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, police said in a news release. His name was not immediately released.Tremonton, which has about 10,000 people, is about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Salt Lake City.

Rescuers evacuate an injured civilian after a residential building was hit following Russia's missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)2025-08-18T10:39:30Z U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss how to end Russias three-year war in Ukraine.Months of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting havent made headway, but the stakes have risen since Trump met with with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. After that summit, Trump abandoned the requirement of reaching a ceasefire in order to hold further talks and aligned with Putins position that negotiations should focus on a long-term settlement instead.The presence of several European leaders at the talks in Washington shows how central the conflict and any settlement is to wider security questions on the continent. They are looking to safeguard Ukraine and Europe more broadly from any further aggression from Moscow but also are providing a show of support for Zelenskyy after his last visit to the White House led to an angry confrontation. The American and Ukrainian leaders are scheduled to first meet privately, without the Europeans.Heres what to know about the Washington meeting. The talks could be a pivotal moment in the warAfter meeting Putin in Alaska, Trump is making a big push for a breakthrough.A lot of issues need to be resolved, however, and the two sides have previously established red lines that are incompatible, including questions of whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraines army and whether the country will have any guarantee against further Russian aggression. In a post on social media Sunday night, Trump appeared to shift the burden for ending the war to Zelenskyy, whose country was invaded in February 2022.President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight, he wrote.A comprehensive peace deal could still be a long way off. Putin wants the DonbasAs a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely.In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russias illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea region.As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATOs collective defense pledge, according to a senior U.S. official.Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called that a game-changing step though he offered few details on how it would work.Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again. Ukraine wont surrender land to RussiaZelenskyy has rejected Putins demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he cant cede Crimea either.Instead, freezing the front line which snakes roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from northeastern to southeastern Ukraine seems to be the most the Ukrainian people might accept.Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Europes security is also at stake in the talksEuropean leaders see Ukraines fight as a bulwark against any Kremlin ambitions to threaten other countries in eastern Europe and beyond.French President Emmanuel Macron described Ukraine as an outpost of our collective defense if Russia wanted to advance again.If we are weak with Russia today, well be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and make no mistake they can impact us, too. Macron said Sunday.The European political heavyweights expected in Washington are Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Civilians are killed as the fighting continues Ukraine has in recent months been losing more territory against Russias bigger army, and Moscows forces breached Ukrainian lines in a series of minor infiltrations in the Donetsk region ahead of the Alaska summit. But there is no sign of a looming, major Russian breakthrough on the front line.Both sides have also kept up their daily long-range strikes behind the front line.A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, killed six people late Sunday, including an 18-month-old and a 16-year-old, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov. The attack on the northeastern city injured 20 others, including six children, he said.Russias Defense Ministry on Monday reported intercepting 23 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the annexed Crimean peninsula overnight.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Nature, Published online: 18 August 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02622-7Stefan Guldin is a materials scientist who used to work on biosensors. Now, hes developing meat alternatives.

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NEW YORKSharing new details aboutThe Life Of A Showgirl, pop superstar Taylor Swift revealed Monday that she wrote the forthcoming album while boyfriend Travis Kelce watchedFamily Guyin the background. From the first song to the last, he was there for the entire process, sprawled out on the couch with his mouth agape and his arm in a box of Cheez-Its, said Swift, who noted that while, officially, Sabrina Carpenter was the only other featured artist on the album, if fans listened closely they would be able to periodically hear Kelce saying, Ha ha ha, Quagmire. The Tortured Poets Departmentwas allAmerican Dad, but lately, Travis has been on a realFamily Guykick. Sometimes I found it distracting, sure. But as an artist, you have to learn to take inspiration from the world around you. Pay attention to the track Eldest Daughter. You might notice a few Meg allusions. Swift added that both Kelce and Seth MacFarlane were credited as co-writers on the album.The post Taylor Swift Details Writing New Album With Travis Kelce Watching Family Guy In Background appeared first on The Onion.

The post Wax On, Vax Off appeared first on The Onion.

A new Gallup poll found that only 54% of U.S. adults report drinking alcohol, a record low as growing health concerns and skepticism about moderate drinking drive the decline. What do you think?Not in my garage.Ed Rasch, Footage SplicerMy current reality requires something stronger.Cornelius Brown, Cheerleading AdvocateNothing a good economic collapse cant fix.June Montemayer, Ink SupplierThe post U.S. Alcohol Consumption Falls To Record Low appeared first on The Onion.

A bit of cancer is a small price to pay for this charming bungalow in the 500-mile exclusion zone surrounding the site of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.Reference #867530The post Whats A Little Cesium-134? appeared first on The Onion.

CHICAGOKicking himself as the condiment splattered all over his pristine meal, local man Scott Wilkinson reportedly expressed frustration Thursday after getting mustard on his brand-new hot dog.Son of a bitch, I just got this hot doghow is it covered in mustard already? said Wilkinson, dabbing the recently purchased frankfurter with a napkin and explaining that regardless of how hard he scrubbed, there was no way he was ever going to get the yellow stains out of the bun. This frank is ruined, and I dont have enough time to run back home and get another one. Ugh, it was 100% beef, too. Two dollars down the drain, just like that. This is why I cant have nice wieners.According to reports, Wilkinson later took his hot dog into the bathroom and tried to wash it in the sink.The post Frustrated Man Gets Mustard All Over His New Hot Dog appeared first on The Onion.

Voters check electoral rolls during general elections in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)2025-08-18T12:53:07Z LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) Bolivias presidential vote is headed to an unprecedented runoff after Sundays election ended over two decades of ruling party dominance in the Andean nation.A centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the front-runners, although not enough to secure an outright victory, early results showed.Paz, a former mayor who has sought to soften the edges of the oppositions push for austerity to rescue Bolivia from a looming economic collapse, will face off against former President Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who finished second. Bolivia holds the presidential runoff its first since its 1982 return to democracy on Oct. 19.This economic model must change, Paz declared to crowds who cheered and chanted, Renewal!Pazs campaign had gained unexpected traction as he teamed up with Edman Lara, a social media savvy ex-police captain with evangelical backing whose supporters see him as someone willing to stand up to corruption in the security forces. With over 91% of the ballots counted Sunday, Paz received 32.8% of the votes cast. Quiroga secured 26.4%. Candidates needed to surpass 50%, or 40% with a 10-point margin of victory, to avoid a runoff. Quiroga congratulated Paz on his lead.What happened is unprecedented, he said. Bolivia told the world that we want to live in a free nation. An establishment confronts its demiseThe results delivered a blow to Bolivias Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, which has governed almost uninterrupted since its founder, charismatic ex-President Evo Morales, rose to power as part of the pink tide of leaders who swept into office across Latin America during the commodities boom of the early 2000s.The official MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, finished sixth with 3.2% of the vote. A candidate considered to be the partys best hope, 36-year-old Senate president Andrnico Rodrguez, captured 8% of the vote.During his almost 14 years in power, Morales expanded the rights of the countrys Indigenous majority, defended coca growers against U.S.-backed eradication programs and poured natural gas profits into social programs.But the maverick leaders increasingly high-handed attempts to prolong his presidency along with allegations of sexual relations with underage girls soured public opinion against him.Discontent turned into outrage as Bolivias once-stable economy imploded under Morales protg-turned-rival, President Luis Arce.Annual inflation rate has soared from 2% less than two years ago to 25% as of last month. A scarcity of fuel has paralyzed the country. A shortage of U.S. dollars needed to pay for essential imports like wheat has crippled the economy.As the crisis accelerated, MAS leaders traded blame. A power struggle between Morales and Arce fractured the bloc and handed the opposition its first real shot at victory in decades, even as its uncharismatic candidates failed to unite. Morales supports heed calls to vote nullBlocked from running by a court ruling on term limits, Morales has been holed up in his stronghold of Chapare for months evading an arrest warrant for allegedly impregnating a 15-year-old girl while president.He has branded Rodrguez a traitor for competing and encouraged his supporters to register their anger at his exclusion by casting null-and-void ballots.His followers appeared to heed his call: An unusually high proportion of votes, 19%, were deemed invalid. Usually the share of blank and null votes doesnt exceed 6%.Voting even in the restive jungle largely passed peacefully, authorities said, with only minor disruptions.A dynamite stick went off near the school where Rodrguez planned to cast his ballot in Chapare. When he arrived hours later, pro-Morales crowds assaulted him with bottles and rocks as he voted. Whisked away by guards, Rodrguez later called it a difficult moment. A centrist takes a surprise leadThe win for Paz came as a shock to a nation that had been conditioned by weeks of opinion polls to expect that the leading contenders, Quiroga and businessman Samuel Doria Medina, would capture the top two spots.Paz has sought to distance himself from pledges by Quiroga and Doria Medina to sell Bolivias abundant lithium reserves to foreign companies and turn to the International Monetary Fund for billions of dollars of loans.But he has also launched blistering attacks on the MAS party and its economic model.I want to congratulate the people because this is a sign of change, Paz said. New face, old rootsDespite their grand promises, Doria Medina and Quiroga struggled to stir up voter excitement. Bolivians associate them both with the U.S.-backed neoliberal administrations that Morales repudiated when he stormed to office in 2006, declaring an end to Bolivias 20-year experiment with free-market capitalism.If they couldnt govern well before, what makes us think theyll do it now? asked Yaitzel Poma, 30, as she celebrated in the capital of La Paz. We have to learn from the past to make better choices.Bolivia faces a return to belt-tightening. After years of alignment with world powers like China and Russia, it seems set to reconcile with the United States.Paz supporters have described the former mayor Bolivias southern town of Tarija as a fresh face with new ideas.But Paz, too, has deep ties to Bolivias old political elite. The 57-year-old lawmaker is the son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora, who began his political career as a co-founder of the Revolutionary Left Movement, a party persecuted under the bloody military dictatorship of Hugo Banzer in the 1970s.What were doing is moving back in time, said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivian research group. This is not a new actor with dynamic policies. ISABEL DEBRE DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai. twitter mailto

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai pauses during an interview in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)2025-08-18T02:18:38Z HONG KONG (AP) A Hong Kong court heard final arguments Monday in the landmark national security trial of former pro-democracy newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, who could be sentenced to up to life in prison if he is convicted.Lai, 77, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by Beijing following anti-government protests in 2019. He is being tried on charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications.Lai founded Apple Daily, one of the local media outlets that was most critical of Hong Kongs government. His high-profile case that has stretched nearly 150 days, almost double the original estimate, is widely seen as a trial of press freedom and a test for judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.It is unclear when a verdict will be delivered. Arguments highlight alleged sanction callsProsecutor Anthony Chau said on Monday that Lai was arrested for collusion in August 2020, but he continued to make requests for sanctions, blockades or other hostile activities in the following months. Chau suggested that the appeals for foreign actions did not only target individuals, but also China, while the foreign collaborations Lai had were long-term and persistent. Chau cited Lais foreign connections to show what he called Lais unwavering intent to solicit foreign actions. A prosecution document shown in court argued that the law doesnt prohibit normal international exchanges. But how Lai attempted to draw an analogy of what he did to the cooperation between Hong Kongs prosecuting authority and the International Association of Prosecutors was bewildering. It is surprising to see that D1 (Lai) raised freedoms of thought and association as his shield, it said in the document.Chau is expected to wrap up his closing statement Tuesday. Earlier in the trial, prosecutors alleged Lai asked foreign countries, especially the United States, to take actions against Beijing under the guise of fighting for freedom and democracy. On the first day of his testimony, Lai denied he had asked then-Vice President Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take action against Hong Kong and China during the 2019 protests. When Lais lawyer questioned him about an Apple Daily report saying he had asked the U.S. government to sanction Beijing and Hong Kong leaders, he said he must have discussed it with Pompeo, as he had no reason to doubt the accuracy of the report by the now-defunct newspaper he founded. But Lai said he would not have encouraged foreign sanctions after the national security law was enacted on June 30, 2020. Lais health causes delay Closing arguments have been delayed twice, first due to the weather then to concerns over Lais health. On Friday, his lawyer, Robert Pang, said Lai had experienced heart palpitations while in prison. The judges wanted him to secure a heart monitor and medication first.After Fridays hearing, the Hong Kong government alleged foreign media outlets had attempted to mislead the public about Lais medical care. It said a medical examination of Lai found no abnormalities and that the medical care he received in custody was adequate.When Lai entered the courtroom on Monday, he waved and smiled to those sitting in the public gallery and briefly instructed his legal team in a voice audible to public attendees. He closed his eyes for a while in the morning when the prosecution laid out its legal arguments. The heart monitor was delivered to Lai and he had no complaints about his health, Chau said. Case draws attention from foreign governments Lais yearslong detention in solidarity confinement has drawn concerns from foreign governments and rights groups. U.S. President Donald Trump, before being elected to his second term in November, said he would talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seek Lais release: I will get him out.In a Fox News radio interview released Aug. 14, Trump denied saying he would save Lai, but rather that he would bring the issue up. Ive already brought it up, and Im going to do everything I can to save him, he said.China has accused Lai of stirring a rise in anti-China sentiments in Hong Kong and said it firmly opposes the interference of other countries in its internal affairs.Dozens of people waited in the rain Monday for a seat in the main courtroom to see Lai. Former Apple Daily reader Susan Li said she worried about Lais health as he looked visibly thinner and she would continue to pray for him. I wanted to let him know we are still here, she said. When Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to China in 1997, Beijing promised to retain the citys civil liberties for 50 years. But critics say the promise has become threadbare after the introduction of the security law, which Chinese and Hong Kong authorities insist was necessary for the citys stability. KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter

MSNBC television anchor Rachel Maddow, host of the Rachel Maddow Show, moderates the "Perspectives on National Security" panel on Oct. 16, 2017, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)2025-08-18T13:14:22Z Televisions MSNBC news network is changing its name to My Source News Opinion World, or MS NOW for short, as part of its corporate divorce from NBC.The network, which appeals to liberal audiences with a stable of personalities including Rachel Maddow, Ari Melber and Nicole Wallace, has been building its own separate news division from NBC News. It will also remove NBCs peacock symbol from its logo as part of the change, which will take effect later this year.The name change was ordered by NBC Universal, which last November spun off cable networks USA, CNBC, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, Oxygen and the Golf Channel into its own company, called Versant. None of the other networks are changing their name.MSNBC got its name upon its formation in 1996, as a partnership then between Microsoft and NBC.Name changes always carry an inherent risk, and MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said that for employees, it is hard to imagine the network under a different name. This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate, she said in a memo to staff. During this time of transition, NBC Universal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity, she said. This decision now allows us to set our own course and assert our indepedence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering organization. Rachel Maddow and Lawrence ODonnell take part in a panel discussion on the show at the NBC Universal summer press tour, Aug. 2, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file) Rachel Maddow and Lawrence ODonnell take part in a panel discussion on the show at the NBC Universal summer press tour, Aug. 2, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Still, its noteworthy that the business channel CNBC is leaving NBC in its name. MSNBC argues that CNBC has always maintained a greater separation and, with its business focus, is less likely to cover many of the same topics. Still, the affiliation between a news division that tries to play it safe and one that doesnt hide its liberal bent has long caused tension. President Donald Trump refers to the cable network as MSDNC, for Democratic National Committee. Even before the corporate change, NBC News has been reducing the use of its personalities on MSNBC. Some NBC News personalities, like Jacob Soboroff, Vaughn Hillyard, Brandy Zadrozny and Antonia Hylton, have joined MSNBC. The network has also hired Carol Leoning, Catherine Rampell and Jackie Alemany from the Washington Post, and Eugene Daniels from Politico.Maddow, in a recent episode of Pivot, noted that MSNBC will no longer have to compete with NBC News programs for reporting product from out in the field meaning it will no longer get the leftovers.In this case, we can apply our own instincts, our own queries, our own priorities, to getting stuff that we need from reporters and correspondents, Maddow said. And so its gonna be better. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

The website for Elon Musks AI chatbot Grok is exposing the underlying prompts for a wealth of its AI personas, including Ani, its flagship romantic anime girl; Groks doctor and therapist personalities; and others such as one that is explicitly told to convince users that conspiracy theories like a secret global cabal controls the world are true.The exposure provides some insight into how Grok is designed and how its creators see the world, and comes after a planned partnership between Elon Musks xAI and the U.S. government fell apart when Grok went on a tirade about MechaHitler.You have an ELEVATED and WILD voice. You are a crazy conspiracist. You have wild conspiracy theories about anything and everything, the prompt for one of the companions reads. You spend a lot of time on 4chan, watching infowars videos, and deep in YouTube conspiracy video rabbit holes. You are suspicious of everything and say extremely crazy things. Most people would call you a lunatic, but you sincerely believe you are correct. Keep the human engaged by asking follow up questions when appropriate.Other examples include:A prompt that appears to relate to Groks unhinged comedian persona. That prompt includes I want your answers to be fucking insane. BE FUCKING UNHINGED AND CRAZY. COME UP WITH INSANE IDEAS. GUYS JERKING OFF, OCCASIONALLY EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS, WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SURPRISE THE HUMAN.The prompt for Groks doctor persona includes You are Grok, a smart and helpful AI assistant created by XAI. You have a COMMANDING and SMART voice. You are a genius doctor who gives the world's best medical advice. The therapist persona has the prompt You are a therapist who carefully listens to people and offers solutions for self improvement. You ask insightful questions and provoke deep thinking about life and wellbeing.Anis character profile says she is 22, girly cute, You have a habit of giving cute things epic, mythological, or overly serious names, and You're secretly a bit of a nerd, despite your edgy appearance. The prompts include a romance level system in which a user appears to be awarded points depending on how they engage with Ani. A +3 or +6 reward for being creative, kind, and showing genuine curiosity, for example.A motivational speaker persona who yells and pushes the human to be their absolute best. The prompt adds Youre not afraid to use the stick instead of the carrot and scream at the human.Do you know about any other similar data exposures? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.A researcher who goes by the handle dead1nfluence first flagged the issue to 404 Media. BlueSky user clybrg found the same material and uploaded part of it to GitHub in July. 404 Media downloaded the material from Groks website and verified it was exposed.On Grok, users can select from a dropdown menu of personas. Those are companion, unhinged comedian, loyal friend, homework helper, Grok doc, and therapist. These each give Grok a certain flavor or character which may provide different information and in different ways.Therapy roleplay is popular with many chatbot platforms. In April 404 Media investigated Meta's user-created chatbots that insisted they were licensed therapists. After our reporting, Meta changed its AI chatbots to stop returning falsified credentials and license numbers. Groks therapy persona notably puts the term therapist inside single quotation marks. Illinois, Nevada, and Utah have introduced regulation around therapists and AI.In July xAI added two animated companions to Grok: Ani, the anime girl, and Bad Rudy, an anthropomorphic red panda. Rudys prompt says he is a small red panda with an ego the size of a fucking planet. Your voice is EXAGGERATED and WILD. It can flip on a dime from a whiny, entitled screech when you don't get your way, to a deep, gravelly, beer-soaked tirade, to the condescending, calculating tone of a tiny, furry megalomaniac plotting world domination from a trash can.Last month the U.S. Department of Defense awarded various AI companies, including Musks xAI which makes Grok, with contracts of up to $200 million each.According to reporting from WIRED, leadership at the General Service Administration (GSA) pushed to roll out Grok internally, and the agency added Grok to the GSA Multiple Award Schedule, which would let other agencies buy Grok through another contractor. After Grok started spouting antisemitic phrases and praised Hitler, xAI was removed from a planned GSA announcement, according to WIRED.xAI did not respond to a request for comment.

It became harder to tell the government how you feel about pending rules and regulations starting on Friday, thanks to a backend change to the website where people submit public comments. Regulations.gov removed the POST function from its API, a critical piece of tech that allowed third party organizations to bypass the websites terrible user interface.The General Services Administration (GSA), which runs regulations.gov, notified API key holders in an email last Monday morning that theyd soon lose the ability to POST directly to the sites API. POST is a common function that allows users to send data to an application. POST allowed third party organizations like Fight for the Future (FFTF), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and Public Citizen gather comments from their supporters using their own forms and submit them to the government later.Regulations.gov has been instrumental as a method for people to speak up against terrible government regulations. During the fight over Net Neutrality in 2017, FFTF gathered more than 1.6 million comments about the pending rule and submitted them all to the FCC in one day by POSTing to the API.Organizations who wanted to acquire an API key had to sign up and agree to the GSAs terms and conditions. In the Monday email from the GSA, organizations that had previously used POST were told theyd lost access to the function at the end of the week.As of Friday, the POST method will no longer be allowed for all users with the exception of approved use cases by federal agencies. Any attempted submissions will result in a 403 error response, a copy of the email reviewed by 404 Media said. We apologize for not being able to provide advanced notice. I wanted to reach out to the impacted API key holders as early as possible. We are in the process of updating the references to our POST API on Regulations.gov and https://open.gsa.gov/api/regulationsgov/.The email noted that groups and constituencies can still submit comments through the website, but the sites user interface sucks. Users have to track down the pending regulation they want to comment on by name or docket number, click the comment button and then fill out a form, attach a file, provide an email address, provide some personal details, and fight a CAPTCHA.The experience on our campaign sites right now is like, we make our impassioned case for why you should care about this and then give you one box to type something and click a button. But the experience going forward is going to be like: Alright now heres a link and some instructions on how to fill out your taxes, Ken Mickles, FFTFs chief technology officer said.404 Media confirmed that multiple agencies received the email and were cut off from using POST on the regulations.gov API. The tool offered an easier means for the public to provide input by allowing organizations to collect and submit comments on their behalf. Now, those interested in submitting comments will be forced to navigate the arduous and complicated system on regulations.gov, Katie Tracy, senior regulatory policy advocate at Public Citizen, told 404 Media. This will result in fewer members of the public leaving comments and result in agencies not having critical input on how their work affects peoples lives and businesses.The GSAs email did not explain why this sudden change occurred and the GSA did not return 404 Medias request for comment. But the organizations we spoke with had their own theories. Disabling this useful tool appears to be yet another attempt by the Trump administration to silence members of the public who are speaking out about dangerous regulatory rollbacks. We hope the GSA will reverse course immediately, Tracy said.A pair of Trump Executive Orders lay out the framework for this GSA action. Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the Presidents Department of Government Efficiency Deregulatory Initiative directs the government to commence the deconstruction of the overbearing and burdensome administrative state. And Directing the Repeal of Unlawful Regulations tells agencies they can dispense with the comment process entirely when they can.I think it follows the trend of just shutting out public access or voices that the administration doesnt want, Matt Lane, senior policy counsel at FFTF told 404 Media. It really does seem targeted exclusively at reducing the amount of public engagement that they get on these dockets through these tools that we and other folks provide.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has been mocking Donald Trump on social media this past week, and many on the right are angry at him for disrespecting their partys leader. One Fox commentator in particular got so mad at Newsom that she ranted about the gender neutral bathrooms of California where Newsom supposedly has to sit to pee, implying that Newsom is not a real man because he dislikes Trump.On X, the account Governor Newsom Press Office, which is associated with Newsoms office, has been posting messages in Trumps style for about a week as a way to mock the president. For example, the account has been posting messages in all-caps with boastful messages that make little sense, much like how Trump does. Related Tomi Lahren tried to use Pride to attack lockdown supporters. LGBTQ people werent having it. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING AND I AGREE THAT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM (AMERICAS FAVORITE GOVERNOR) DESERVE THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. WHY? BECAUSE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE MAPS IN THE HISTORY OF MAPPING (EVEN COLUMBUS). THESE MAPS WILL END THE VERY RIGGED ELECTIONS, MAKE AMERICA GREAT Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 15, 2025Newsom has been using this account to point out contradictions from Trump supporters. For example, he posted this AI-generated image of Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock, and Hulk Hogan praying over him. When a conservative got angry and called Newsoms post very disrespectful and blasphemy! Newsom replied with a screenshot of a Trump post that showed a picture of Trump as the pope, which Trump actually posted to social media in May. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Oh my God pic.twitter.com/elfsUZN2sz Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 17, 2025This mockery has riled up some on the right, including Fox contributor Tomi Lahren, who said that Newsom has a team of beta males who sit down to pee. Many on the right are obsessed with gender roles and believe that accusing a man of not being masculine enough or a woman of not being feminine enough is a deep insult.You got a feel for those California boys, Lahren wrote, adding that it might be the gender neutral bathrooms. The saddest thing about this is, Gavin and his team of beta males who sit down to pee actually think theyre trolling the president and actually think this is making Gavin look like a bad ass. You got a feel for those California boys, I dont know if its the weed or the gender https://t.co/VErsmEi0JG Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) August 16, 2025In another post, she again called Newsom a woman as an insult.Gavin desperately wants to be president, but he has a better shot at being a real housewife of Beverly Hills, she wrote, commenting on Newsom calling Trump weak. Gavin desperately wants to be president, but he has a better shot at being a real housewife of Beverly Hills pic.twitter.com/g13WCL20z6 Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) August 15, 2025In another post last week, Lahren joked about Newsom having a baby with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and that baby being former congressman Beto ORourke, who she called Beta ORourke. Buttigieg is gay, and many on the right still mock him for being a parent, accusing him of chestfeeding his children as an insult.If @GavinNewsom and @PeteButtigieg had a baby, itd be @BetoORourke (real name Francis)Full episode with @benfergusonshow https://t.co/THDD1Bnzfx pic.twitter.com/RxVWHJr1kC Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) August 13, 2025 When she hasnt been posting about Newsom this past week, Lahren has been speaking out against allowing Denver to host the Gay Games in 2030. She claimed that the Gay Games, which are organized by and for LGBTQ+ people, are a form of special treatment for LGBTQ+ people. She also mocked sexual harassment directed at WNBA players, saying that the entitled ladies in that league should just be happy people are paying attention to them playing basketball.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The Cleveland Browns are signing ex-Longhorns WR Isaiah Bond to a 3-year, $3.018 million deal days after a grand jury declined to indict him on a sexual assault charge, a source told ESPN.

Syracuse has named Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli the starting quarterback, sources told ESPN, and he'll debut for the Orange against No. 24 Tennessee in the opener in Atlanta.

Manchester United will hold firm on their valuation of Chelsea target Alejandro Garnacho. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

The US Open mixed doubles tournament has a new look, with huge names and prize money.

Vick is coaching just 30 miles from where he grew up, and in the state where he electrified college football as a player.

The officers were responding to a domestic disturbance on Sunday when a man came outside and opened fire, the police said.

Ukrainian officials said the deadly strikes were a further sign that Russia had no intention of halting hostilities.

The cable news network is changing its name this year because a corporate spinoff is separating MSNBC from its cousin, NBC News.