China may never be able to realize its longtime promise to shift away from an overreliance on exports.

Buoyed by LeBron James' return, Luka Doncic scored 51 points on a night in which the Lakers' starting five totaled 137 points, the most by a starting lineup in a regulation game since the 1970-71 season.

The Celtics' Jaylen Brown expressed frustration with what he called the league's trend of rewarding players for "foul baiting," saying, "I just don't think it's basketball."

The Late Night host Seth Meyers said President Trump is letting Americans choose your own adventure in the war with Iran.

This photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 fighter refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker over western Alaska on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (U.S. Department of Defense via AP)2026-03-13T07:18:47Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The U.S. military says a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq and rescue operations are underway.The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in friendly airspace, and that the other plane landed safely.Heres what is known so far about the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft to crash during the war against Iran:The KC-135 is a long-serving tanker planeThe KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts. Based on the same design as the Boeing 707 passenger plane, the tanker has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as allied aircraft, according to an Air Force description. The aging plane is set to be phased out as the air force receives a full complement of next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers. Despite upgrades over the years, the KC-135s age has fueled concern about their reliability and durability. The last of these planes were produced in the 1960s, said Yang Uk, a security expert at South Koreas Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed more slowly than expected. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.A basic KC-135 crew has three people: a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions. Refueling typically happens at the back of the plane, where the boom operator is located. A fuel boom is lowered to connect with fighters, bombers or other aircraft. On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.Some KC-135s can also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers also have room above the fuel stores to carry cargo or passengers if needed.Refueling tankers could play an increasingly important role if the Iran war drags on, as U.S. aircraft may need to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the country, said Yang.Cause of crash and condition of crew not immediately knownIt was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the crash in Iraq. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the plane was carrying at least five crew members.A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved in the incident was also a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the other plane landed safely in Israel. The U.S. Central Command did not elaborate on the circumstances of the crash, but said it was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. Yang said it would be rare for a refueling tanker to be downed by enemy fire because such operations are usually conducted in the rear of combat zones.The crash came after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly downed last week by friendly Kuwaiti fire.Past accidentsKC-135s have been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent happened on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan while taking part in the war in Afghanistan.In that crash, the crew experienced problems with the planes rudder, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation. While they struggled to stabilize the plane, the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain. The accident caused the tanker to crash, killing four onboard. The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.___Schreck reported from Bangkok. AP writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed. KIM TONG-HYUNG Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Koreas economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children. twitter mailto

Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue, Thursday, March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)2026-03-13T04:03:10Z WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) Investigators worked Friday to determine the exact reason a man with a rifle crashed into a large Michigan synagogue in what federal officials are saying was an attack carried out by a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon.Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was killed by security after ramming into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit, Michigan, and driving down a hallway in a vehicle that then caught fire, according to authorities. The FBI, which is leading the investigation, described the attack on one of the nations largest Reform synagogues as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.The synagogues staff, teachers and 140 children at its early childhood center were not injured, according to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Ghazali came to the U.S. in 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and was granted U.S. citizenship in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In the minutes after the attack, smoke billowed from the synagogue. One security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, Bouchard said. And 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Cassi Cohen, director of strategic development at Temple Israel, was in the hallway where the crash happened. She described hearing a loud bang and said she grabbed a few staff members, ran into her office and locked the door. When I heard the crash, I knew it was bad, Cohen said.She said the crash happened near a classroom and, in addition to the children, there were also more than 30 staff members in the synagogue. Rabbi Arianna Gordon, from Temple Israel, thanked the security team, law enforcement and early childhood teachers for getting the children out safely and reunited with their parents. About a dozen parents sprinted to get their children soon after authorities cleared the building. Other families were reunited at a nearby Jewish Community Center.Allison Jacobs, whose 18-month-old daughter is enrolled in Temple Israels day care, said she got a message from a teacher saying the children were OK even before she knew what happened.There are no words. I was in complete and utter shock, she said. Synagogues around the world have been on edge and ramping up security since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran with missile strikes on Feb. 28.The FBI has warned that Iranian operatives may be planning drone attacks on targets in California. Two men brought explosives to a far-right protest outside the New York mayoral mansion on Saturday. Investigators allege they were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group. And an assailant drove a car into people outside an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. He stabbed two people to death before officers shot and killed him.President Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on the attack, calling it a terrible thing. Steven Ingber, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, said Thursday: Id love to say that Im shocked, that Im surprised, but Im not.The attack was the second at a house of worship in Michigan within the past year. Last September, a former Marine fatally shot four people at a church north of Detroit and set it ablaze. The FBI later said he was motivated by anti-religious beliefs against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Oakland County is Michigans second-largest county with roughly 1.3 million people. The majority of Detroit-area Jewish residents live there. Temple Israel has 12,000 members, according to its website.___Durkin Richer reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit; Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, March 13, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)2026-03-13T02:56:05Z HONG KONG (AP) Asia shares were mostly lower Friday, tracking Wall Street losses, while oil prices hovered near $100 per barrel as anxiety remained over the Iran war and its impact on supplies of crude oil and gas. Tokyos Nikkei 225 index slipped 1.3% to 53,746.50. Technology-related stocks saw some of the bigger losses, with SoftBank Group falling 4.7%.South Koreas Kospi fell 1.8% to 5,481.09.Hong Kongs Hang Seng lost 0.8% to 25,523.60, while the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.6% at 4,105.40.Australias S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% lower to 8,617.10.Taiwans Taiex was trading 0.5% lower, and Indias Sensex dropped 0.9%.U.S. futures gained. The future for the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3%. Oil prices held steady. Brent crude, the international standard, hovered near $100 per barrel Friday. It topped $100 Thursday, days after jumping to near $120 earlier this week. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.7% to $95.02 per barrel. On Thursday, Irans new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first public statements, vowed Iran would keep fighting and continue to use the Strait of Hormuz a crucial waterway for oil and gas transport which has been effectively closed with significant marine traffic disruptions as leverage against the U.S. and Israel. Roughly 20% of the worlds oil is estimated to flow through the strait, and attacks on ships in or around the strait have already heightened concerns over the scale of supply disruption and persistent shipping bottlenecks, wrote analysts at Mizuho Bank in a commentary. The remarks from Irans new leader came after U.S. President Donald Trump said the war was very complete, which have raised worries over how much longer the tensions could last.Oil prices have been volatile since the Iran war began, with Brent crude surging to near $120 this week to their highest level since 2022. While the International Energy Agency said Wednesday its members would make 400 million barrels of oil available from their emergency reserves, a record amount, some economists believe that would do little to reassure markets. Global inflation will likely worsen as oil prices jump, and rising fuel costs are already starting to hurt consumers globally. Rising energy prices could also, for example, push up AI and chip development and production costs, some analysts say.Wall Street recorded losses Thursday following volatile swings this month. On Thursday, the S&P 500 dropped 1.5% to 6,672.62, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.6% to 46,677.85, and the Nasdaq composite was down 1.8% to 22,311.98.Shares at some of the companies heavily reliant on fuel costs saw bigger drops. Cruise-ship operator Carnival fell 7.9%, and United Airlines sank 4.6%.In other dealings early Friday, gold and silver prices fell. The price of gold was down 0.5% to $5,099.40 an ounce, and the price of silver dropped 2.3% to $83.16 per ounce.The U.S. dollar rose to 159.39 Japanese yen from 159.34 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1497, down from $1.1512. CHAN HO-HIM Chan writes about business and economy in China for The Associated Press, reporting on key sectors of the worlds second-largest economy from trade and technology to autos. He is based in Hong Kong. mailto

Haidar Darwish, a belly dancer and artist who came from Syria, attends an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)2026-03-13T05:06:53Z BERLIN (AP) Ali Darwich, a gay Muslim influencer in Berlin, picks up a date from his plate, takes a sip of water, and addresses the 15 friends sitting around the table and breaking the Ramadan fast with him.The 33-year-old German with Palestinian and Lebanese roots who goes by @alifragt or Ali asks on Instagram has a quickly growing following on Instagram, where he draws attention to the difficulties of living as a young, queer Muslim and calls for more tolerance and inclusiveness. Tonight we want to send a message that no matter where a person comes from, no matter who that person loves, no matter how queer that person is, they cannot be too queer ... because they are exactly as they should be, Darwich says, smiling at the diverse group of Muslims and Christians, Germans and immigrants, gay and straight people sharing this meal with him as the sun sets over Berlin. Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, center left, hosts an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, center left, hosts an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More I am a believer, I believe in God, and I find Islam beautiful, just like Christianity or Judaism and many other religions, he says. But he adds that its not always easy for homosexuals to be accepted not just for Muslims but also for queer Christians and believers of many other religions. Indeed, attacks against LGBTQ+ people and gay-friendly establishments are rising across Germany, including in Berlin, a city that has historically embraced the community. According to the latest figures from 2024, there was a 40% increase in violence targeting LGBTQ+ people in 12 of Germanys 16 federal states as compared to 2023, according to the Association of Counseling Centers for Victims of Right-Wing, Racist and Antisemitic Violence. Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, right, welcomes friends for an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, right, welcomes friends for an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Darwich calls for inclusion of homosexual MuslimsIn one of his Instagram videos, Darwich sits by himself on a table during Ramadan and talks about the loneliness some Muslim homosexuals face when they are shunned by their families. It makes life hard, he says, especially during holidays that are usually a time of togetherness.He calls on people to open their hearts and doors to queer Muslims so they dont have to be alone for Iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan.And for his gay followers he also has a message on Instagram: You deserve to break your fast surrounded by people who accept you fully and without conditions. Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, right, welcomes friends for an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, right, welcomes friends for an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Darwichs coming out a few years ago wasnt easy.When he told his mother about it, she at first didnt want to believe him, then she cried and they didnt talk for half a year. Many other members of his extended family also were taken aback. From one day to the next, I was no longer invited. Not only to Ramadan, but also to family celebrations, and that was a very difficult time for me, he told The Associated Press in an interview this week. Friends stepping up when your family shuns youWhile Darwich and his mom are getting along just fine now, he said it helped him tremendously at the time that his friends stepped up and became a kind of family for him, supporting and accepting him.For this weeks real life Iftar in Berlin, his friend Randa Weiser, 40, a German-Palestinian influencer who shares her everyday life with three kids and husband on social media under the handle @randa_and_the_gang, has opened her home for Ali and his and her friends.She cooked up a feast of freekeh soup, fragrant yellow rice with almonds, raisins and cardamon, grilled chicken drumsticks, and a variety of sweets for desserts. Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, right, and Randa prepare food for an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Gay Muslim influencer Ali Darwich, right, and Randa prepare food for an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Its an absolute colorful mix tonight, she said referring to the crowd around the Iftar table. While most people are German, many of their families originally come from faraway places like Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco, Turkey, Chechnya and Syria, Iran and Peru. Weiser said she got some hate on Instagram when she posted earlier in the day that she was about to host an inclusive Iftar, but mostly, she says her followers agree that you can be Muslim and gay or lesbian. As the crowd many of them influencers as well dug into Weisers food, they didnt miss an opportunity to shoot video of one another and post it quickly on their accounts. One of them, Darwichs good friend Haidar Darwish, a belly dancer and artist who came from Syria in 2016, had dressed up for the occasion with a red fez and a white, gold-embroidered gallabiyah. Haidar Darwish, a belly dancer and artist who came from Syria, attends an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Haidar Darwish, a belly dancer and artist who came from Syria, attends an inclusive Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, with friends who are Muslim, Christian, queer and straight, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The hate and crimes against women, Muslim people, Jewish people also, and queers and trans siblings of mine have increased, said Darwish, who goes by @thedarvishofficial on Instagram.But no matter how much the others will show us hate, we can show more love only if we are believing in ourselves, he said, adding that they will be fine as long as they have the help of our allies and friends and people that have our backs. KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Grieshaber is a Berlin-based reporter covering Germany and Austria for The Associated Press. She covers general news as well as migration, populism and religion. mailto

A pedestrian holds a cloud themed umbrella under a sunny day next to Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles Thursday, March. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)2026-03-13T04:03:16Z Nearly every part of the United States is getting walloped by wild weather or just about to be.Days of downpours have begun in Hawaii. The Southwest will soon bake with day after day of record 100-degree-plus (38 Celsius-plus) heat. Two storms will dump snow by the foot over northern Great Lakes states. And the dreaded polar vortex will again invade the Midwest and East with soul-crushing Arctic chill.This forecast of extremes comes as weather whiplash already hit much of the East. On Wednesday, Washington, D.C. residents walked around in shorts in record-breaking 86 degrees Fahrenheit (about 30 Celsius). On Thursday, it snowed.All of the country, even if youre not necessarily seeing extremes, are going to see generally changing from cold to warm, or warm to cold to warm, said meteorologist Marc Chenard of the weather services Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue said he expects extreme weather in all 50 states. Triple-digit heat persists in SouthwestA heat dome will form early next week and park over the Southwest, baking temperatures to triple digits that havent been seen this early in the year, Maue and Chenard said. Some forecasts see 98 (almost 37 Celsius) in Phoenix on Tuesday, followed by 103, 105 and two days of 107 (almost 42 C). In 137 years of record-keeping, Phoenix never hit 100 before March 26 and usually hit its first 100-degree day in early May, according to the weather service, which warned people: Since we are not acclimated to this level of heat this early in the year, it will be more impactful than usual. It has already started in Los Angeles with unusual 90-degree March weather that had people in shorts and tank tops seeking shade anywhere they could get it, even if it was as slender as a light post. Shane Dixon, 40, usually runs about 5 miles near his home in Culver City without much effort, he said, his face glistening with sweat and his T-shirt tucked into his shorts. But Thursday was hard because of the heat, and he had to cut it short. The back of my neck was melting, he said. But he preferred it to the cold and snow that will hit elsewhere.I could go literally soak myself and walk out in the sun and Ill make it home fine. If it was freezing cold I could not do this, he said. Single-digit cold invades NorthAround the same time as the heat starts blasting Phoenix, the polar vortex a system that usually keeps frigid air penned up near the North Pole is forecast to send its chill deep into the Midwest and East, even bordering some of the Southeast, Maue said Minneapolis will hover around zero for a low, and Chicago will be in the single digits Tuesday. The next day temperatures in the teens and 20s in the northeast and 20s in the Mid-Atlantic, Maue said. Even Atlanta could drop to the 20s.One-two snowstorm punchTwo storm systems in a row one Friday, then another Sunday into Monday will chug along the countrys northern tier and Great Lakes and between them could dump 3 to 4 feet of snow in places, Maue said. That bigger second storm system will see its barometric pressure drop so quickly and sharply meaning it is intensifying and winds are strengthening that it will qualify as a bomb cyclone, which is quite unusual to develop over land. Normally bomb cyclones get their energy from warm ocean waters, but this one will draw power from the polar vortex. Even Alaska and Hawaii arent quite rightMaue said Hawaii is getting an atmospheric river that will have such persistent heavy rain that flooding will be a major issue. Oahu is under a flash flood warning.And Alaska is normally frigid now, but it will be about 30 degrees colder than usual, he said.It is the time of year where we can see stuff like this, Chenard said. But this does seem even anomalous from what you would typically see. I mean, some of these areas will be setting records. Record-high temperatures for March and maybe multiple times.In the past week or so, tornadoes have killed at least eight people in Oklahoma, Michiganand Indiana. The forecast for severe storms doesnt look as big or widespread for the next week, but dangerous thunderstorms could pop up anywhere from the Mississippi Valley toward the East Coast on Sunday or Monday, Chenard said. The jet stream goes nutsUnderlying this is a jet stream gone wild, Maue and Chenard said.The jet stream is the river of air that moves weather from west to east on a roller-coaster-like path. Usually the plunges are as mild as a kiddie roller coaster. But now that jet stream is going on near-vertical, scream-inducing drops following by straight-up ascents.Which means you get a lot of extremes next to each other, Maue said. Storm fronts coming from the Pacific hit that high pressure heat dome in the Southwest and are pushed north to climb that mountainous jet stream peak, grab access to that cold air reservoir up there and bring it back down south down the other side of the hill, he said. Numerous studies have connected unusual jet stream and polar vortex activity to shrinking Arctic sea ice and human-caused climate change.But there is hope.The first day of spring is 20th (of March), and then after that we get recovery, Maue said.___Associated Press writer Dorany Pineda contributed from Los Angeles.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. SETH BORENSTEIN Borenstein is an Associated Press science writer, covering climate change, disasters, physics and other science topics. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

The crash was not because of hostile fire or friendly fire, U.S. Central Command said.

Emergency officials gather outside Old Dominion University's campus after reports of an active shooter on Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Norfolk, Va. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)2026-03-13T04:01:24Z Court documents show less than two years after Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was released from prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, he opened fire in a classroom at Virginias Old Dominion University on Thursday before ROTC students subdued and killed him.The shooting that left one person dead and another two injured has raised questions about why Jalloh, who the FBI identified as the gunman, was imprisoned and the conditions of his release with some elected officials questioning how someone with known ties to the Islamic State was able to carry out such an attack. The horrific tragedy that occurred today on ODUs campus never should have happened, U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, who represents the congressional district neighboring the university, wrote on Facebook.After Jalloh pleaded guilty in October 2016 to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization the Islamic State group a federal judge sentenced him in 2017 to an 11-year prison term with credit for time served retroactive to his July 2016 arrest. Jalloh was released from federal custody Dec. 23, 2024. It wasnt immediately clear why his release from prison was moved up. Inmates can get time off of their sentences for a variety of reasons, but it isnt known if that happened in this case.He was on supervised release, which is comparable to probation, when he carried out the attack on Thursday. Based on his release date, that wouldve run into 2029. Confessions to undercover agentsJallohs October 2016 plea came after a three-month sting operation in which he, then 26, confessed to an undercover FBI agent that he was thinking about carrying out an attack similar to the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, which left 13 people dead. Authorities launched the 2016 operation after Jalloh made contact with Islamic State members in Africa earlier that year.Jalloh later told the informant that the Islamic State group had asked if he wanted to participate in an attack. He tried to donate $500 to the group, but the money actually went to an account controlled by the FBI, according to court documents.Jalloh then tried to buy an AR-15 assault rifle from a Virginia gun store but was turned away because he lacked the proper paperwork. The affidavit says he returned the next day and bought a different assault rifle. Prosecutors said the rifle was rendered inoperable before Jalloh left the store, unbeknownst to Jalloh. He was arrested the following day. Debate over sentencing The Justice Department in 2017 requested a 20-year prison sentence for Jalloh, noting that he had made multiple attempts to join the Islamic State and had attempted to acquire a gun to carry out a murder plot.The defendant was fully aware of what he was doing, and the consequences of those actions. His only misgivings seemed to be a fear that he would waver at the critical moment, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.They added: By putting the idea of this murder plot into religious terms, and by suggesting that murdering members of the US military would be a path to heaven, the defendant showed how strongly committed he was to the deadly ideology of the Islamic State. Jallohs lawyers asked for a sentence of 6 years in prison and requested that he be placed in a facility that provides residential drug treatment for inmates with addiction and substance abuse issues. U.S. District Judge Liam OGrady, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, sentenced him instead to 11 years in prison.The judge also ordered Jalloh to participate in a program for substance abuse testing and treatment and mental health treatment, and requested that he be evaluated for the federal prison systems residential drug program.Completing the Residential Drug Abuse Program can reduce an inmates prison sentence by up to a year, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. It wasnt immediately clear if Jalloh qualified for the program. Normally, inmates serving sentences for terrorism-related offenses arent eligible.In addition, some inmates who stay out of trouble in prison can reduce their sentence by earning up to 54 days of good conduct time credit for each year of their sentence. However, under the 2018 prison reform law known as the First Step Act, inmates convicted of terrorism-related offenses are not eligible for such credit. Troubled shooter lured by radical clericLittle is publicly known about Jalloh, who was a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone. But court documents depict him as a troubled man who was radicalized by Anwar al-Awlaki, a well-known American imam who became an al-Qaida propagandist.The Virginia Army National Guard confirmed he served as a specialist from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged. Jalloh told a government informant he quit the National Guard after hearing lectures from al-Awlaki, according to a 2016 FBI affidavit filed in his criminal case.In a letter to the federal judge that presided over his sentencing, Jalloh wrote: I feel deep regret in having been driven by my emotions rather than my intellect and becoming involved with such an evil organization. I reject and deplore terrorism and any groups associated with it, especially ISIL. He wrote that he started using drugs after his girlfriend ended their six-year relationship.The pain I felt internally was unbearable, and drugs and alcohol were the only things that took that pain away, Jalloh wrote. I started doing marijuana, coke and mushrooms using one of them at least on a daily basis in order to kill the pain I was in and to fill in the void I felt internally.The letter itself remains under seal, but his lawyer included excerpts of it in his sentencing memorandum.

Emergency officials gather outside Old Dominion University's campus after reports of an active shooter on Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Norfolk, Va. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)2026-03-13T02:25:34Z ANKARA, Turkey (AP) A moderately strong earthquake struck central Turkey on Friday, Turkeys emergency response said. The tremor sent some residents rushing into the streets but no damage has been reported.The magnitude 5.5 quake was centered in the town of Niksar in Tokat province, at a depth of 6.4 kilometers (4 miles), according to the Disaster and Emergency Management agency, AFAD. It occurred at 3:35 a.m. and was felt in several provinces, AFAD said, adding that no adverse developments were reported.Still, many residents were seen waiting in cars or in the streets despite the cold, afraid to return to homes, Haberturk news channel reported.Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks during a press briefing on the Iran war powers resolution at the Capitol, March 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)2026-03-13T04:01:48Z WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Democrats have filed legislation that would prevent the U.S. from attacking Cuba without congressional approval as they seek to force a vote on President Donald Trumps stated goal of a takeover of the Caribbean country.Democrats have repeatedly used war powers resolutions to force debate on Trumps foreign policy moves, though Republicans have so far mostly backed the president. The resolution filed Thursday by Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine, Ruben Gallego and Adam Schiff would require the president to remove the military from any hostilities with Cuba and could potentially receive a vote by the end of the month.Only Congress has the power to declare war under the Constitution, but he operates with the belief that the U.S. military is a palace guard, ordering military action in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Iran without Congress authorization or any explanation for his actions to the American people, Kaine said in a statement. Trump said earlier this week that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was negotiating with Cubas leadership as the country faces a crippling energy crisis that has been exacerbated by a U.S. blockade of the island. It may be a friendly takeover, it may not be a friendly takeover, Trump told reporters this week at a news conference in Florida. He added that he and Rubio would focus on that goal after the war with Iran. The U.S. for decades has had a tense relationship with Cuba, but Trumps turn to using military action to take out foreign opponents has raised anticipations that the island could be next. Rubio, whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, has long pushed for the U.S. to aggressively oppose the Caribbean nations leadership.Rubio told senators earlier this year that the Trump administration would love to see a Cuban regime change, but cautioned that does not mean we are going to provoke it directly. Republicans in Congress have mostly stood behind the Trump administrations aggressive foreign policy However, Democrats have turned repeatedly to war powers resolutions in order to force debates over how Trump can use military force in foreign nations. They have not succeeded in passing any of the resolutions so far, but the tactic at times has compelled the Trump administration to explain its goals to Congress.Democrats are also planning next week to potentially force votes on a series of war powers resolutions that apply to Iran unless Republicans agree to hold public hearings on the conflict.He ran on America First, but now its clear hes become a puppet of the war hawks in his party, Gallego said in a statement. STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)2026-03-13T00:47:59Z HAVANA (AP) Cubas government said Thursday night that it would release 51 people from the islands prisons in an unexpected move.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the release in the upcoming days stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican.The government did not identify who it would release, except to say that all have served a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good conduct in prison.The announcement was made just hours Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel is scheduled to speak early Friday in another rare meeting with the press to address national and international issues.The government said it has granted pardons to 9,905 inmates since 2010. It added that in the past three years, another 10,000 people sentenced to imprisonment were released.In January 2025, Cuba released prominent dissident Jos Daniel Ferrer as part of a government decision to gradually free more than 500 prisoners following talks with the Vatican. Ferrer left Cuba last October and is now in the United States.He was one of several prisoners released in early 2025 as part of talks with the Vatican. The releases began a day after President Joe Bidens administration announced his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.It wasnt immediately known if any of the people the government plans to release are political prisoners.The nonprofit Prisoners Defenders has said there were 1,214 political prisoners in Cuba as of February 2026. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, President Donald Trump speaks during a women's history month event in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2026-03-12T23:35:46Z The Trump administration denounced CNN on Thursday for airing a portion of the new Iranian supreme leaders public statement, the second time in three days that hes targeted the network for reporting on how the regime is responding to the American attacks.The attack illustrated the care news outlets must take in reporting during wartime, and the responsibilities of American journalists to report the perspective of countries its government views as enemies. It also exposed inconsistencies. The message of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during his first public statement since he succeeded his father, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, was widely available elsewhere.The White House said on social media that fake news CNN just aired four straight minutes of uninterrupted Iranian state TV, run by the same psychotic and murderous regime that prided itself on brutally slaughtering Americans for 47 years. Earlier CNN interview criticized by Trumps communications leaderTwo days earlier, White House communications director Steven Cheung took issue with CNN anchor Erin Burnetts interview with Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator. Burnett asked Mousavian what he had been hearing about the Iranian governments interest in having talks with the United States. There wasnt much, he said.Ever notice how CNN just regurgitates quotes and unverified information from Iranian terrorists? Cheung wrote on X. Total disgrace. They have become the murderous Iranian Regimes version of Pravda, he said, referring to the official newspaper of the former Soviet Union.CNN did not address Cheungs statement but did respond to the White House attack on Thursday. It noted that CNN, Sky News and Al Jazeera also showed portions of the ayatollahs statement live. The world is watching with anticipation which direction this war will take, CNN said. Purported remarks from Irans new supreme leader are a critical component in helping audiences understand where this conflict is heading and were aired for their obvious news value. Other news outlets, including The Associated Press, sent out alerts on what Khamenei said. His vow to keep up attacks on other Arab countries in the region and plans to choke off the worlds oil supply were headlines. The New York Times led its website with a story on the speech in its immediate aftermath, later writing that the speech was an early indication of how the new supreme leader would approach the war, as well as how he would lead the country. CNN has long been a favored target of President Donald Trump, dating back to his first term. Its a particularly vulnerable time for the network with Paramount Globals agreement to purchase CNNs parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, raising questions about its future editorial independence.CNN showed a news anchor reading a portion of Khameinis remarks in Farsi, with an English translation. It did not air them in full. After the speech, correspondent Nick Paton Walsh gave a debrief to anchor Kate Bolduan, noting how the non-appearance of the leader reportedly injured in an air attack was as important as what he said.We were waiting to see the face of the man to have proof of his health and survival, Walsh said, and theyve not met that moment. Instead, a handwritten message, it seems, that mostly reiterates things we kind of already knew. A social media message board for Irans point of viewThe Tech Transparency Project has reported that several Iranian leaders and institutions maintain verified accounts on X, formerly Twitter, owned by Trump ally Elon Musk. CNBC said Thursday that Khamenei has one of them, and an X account with his portrait posted the text of his remarks, available in Farsi and in an English translation. Even though Khameneis father is dead, an account with his portrait was active on Thursday, mainly reposting messages from his son. The revenge we have in mind is not just because of the martyrdom of the illustrious Leader of the Revolution, read one message posted Thursday. Every member of the nation martyred by the enemy is a separate case that demands we seek revenge. X is officially blocked in Iran, though many use a virtual private network to bypass restrictions. A message sent to the platform on Thursday was not immediately returned.Theres a long history of journalists seeking interviews with world leaders, even when they are regarded as enemies of the United States. Most notable was 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallaces interview with Irans Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, when that country was holding Americans hostage.Thursdays remarks by Irans new supreme leader were absolutely newsworthy and legitimate for CNN to air them, said Jane Ferguson, a veteran international correspondent and founder of the journalism platform Noosphere. Its not the job of government leaders to pick apart what CNN is reporting, she said. Weve always faced this, she said, about when reporters interview leaders or other figures hostile to American interests. This has been a bit of low-hanging fruit for awhile.Historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University said that its unfair for CNN to be singled out in this instance. He, too, believes it is newsworthy to learn what leaders of an adversary are thinking, but its important to make sure that journalists are careful.You have to be leery of being used as a propaganda tool by the Iranian regime, he said. On the other hand, knowing what the enemy is saying and looking for a sign of a peace offering or a nuance is important Its a difficult balance.___AP correspondent Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. 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

Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembl could be lined up for a future move from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester City. Transfer Talk has the latest.

Nevada regulators have fined three people who played a role in offering peptide injections last year at a Las Vegas anti-aging conference where two women became critically ill following treatment.Last month, the Nevada Pharmacy Board levied $10,000 fines against a doctor and a pharmacist who are licensed in California but who dont have permission to practice in Nevada. It imposed a $5,000 fine against a third man who describes himself as an integrative health coach but who doesnt appear to be a licensed health care practitioner.The pharmacy board also imposed a $10,000 fine against a Texas-based private membership association, which authorities accused of mailing the peptides to Nevada. The group, Forgotten Formula, claims a constitutional right to conduct private transactions with its members and contends those transactions occur outside the scope of state commercial regulations.The citations stem from an incident in July at the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival, which is put on by an Arizona-based organization that promises pathways to an unlimited lifespan. Dr. Kent Holtorf, whose anti-aging medical practice is based in El Segundo, California, operated a booth at the festival offering alternative health therapies, including peptide injections. Peptides are short amino acid chains that have exploded in popularity thanks to claims they can fight aging and chronic disease.The board alleged that Forgotten Formula mailed the peptides to the casino resort hosting RAADFest, marking the package to the attention of Dr. Kent Holtorf. That shipment constituted unlicensed wholesaling of drugs, according to the boards citation.A trustee of Forgotten Formula told ProPublica his association was not present at the festival and did not provide peptides to be offered for public use.After being injected with peptides at Holtorfs booth, two women left the conference in ambulances, so ill they had to be intubated to assist them in breathing. They have since recovered.The pharmacy board was unable to determine why the women became ill including whether the injections were contaminated or the women reacted to the peptides themselves. Investigators were unable to test the serums.We were not able to obtain the product, although attempts were made, said David Wuest, the boards executive secretary.Although the Food and Drug Administration has approved many peptide-based medications to treat serious diseases such as diabetes and cancer, peptide therapies used for anti-aging and regenerative health are largely unregulated. (Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a strong proponent of peptides.) The FDA allows compounding pharmacies to dispense some peptides, but has listed 19 of some of the most popular peptides as posing significant safety risks. Compounding pharmacies are prohibited from dispensing those on the list. As a result, many unsafe peptides are sold on a booming gray market, including directly to consumers by entities in the U.S. and abroad that are skirting FDA rules.The injections administered to both women at the Las Vegas convention included at least one peptide that the FDA warns poses a safety risk, according to the pharmacy boards citations. Kennedy said recently that the FDA plans to reclassify 14 of the peptides currently listed as unsafe, which could allow compounding pharmacies to begin dispensing them.Holtorf, who did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him, was fined for practicing in Nevada without a state license. Han Bao Nguyen, the pharmacist accused of mixing the peptides for both women and administering the serums to one of them, also was cited for the same violation. Nguyen works at Holtorfs practice, according to its website. He did not respond to requests for comment.Michael McNeal, the integrative health coach and director of education at Integrative Peptides, a company founded by Holtorf, was accused of prescribing or recommending a peptide cocktail to one of the women. Wuest said McNeal does not appear to hold any health care licenses. McNeal did not respond to requests for comment.In July, Holtorf told ProPublica he didnt believe the peptides caused the womens illnesses, saying hed asked an artificial intelligence app to analyze the incident. He wouldnt share what the app had concluded was the cause. He also apologized for the situation and said he was reassessing everything we are doing to keep patients safe.Wuest said the board notified the California boards that license Holtorf and Nguyen of the fines so they may consider additional discipline. The FDA also has been notified, he said.Michael Blake Fiveash is co-founder and first trustee of Forgotten Formula, which the board accused of unlicensed wholesaling of pharmaceuticals. He said pharmacy board regulations, while necessary for regulating public commerce, dont apply to his association because it offers services only to members who have signed a contract. He said such member-to-member activity is protected by the First and 14th amendments. In a letter to ProPublica, he said Holtorf, whose peptide company is listed as a partner on Forgotten Formulas website, was operating at RAADFest under his public medical practice, not as an association member. Nor were the women who became ill members of the association, Fiveash said.Dr. Holtorfs booth at RAADFest was a public commercial activity, Fiveash said in a letter. The Forgotten Formula Private Member Association did not supply materials for public commercial use or public distribution. If Dr. Holtorf utilized any materials in his public professional practice, that would represent his individual choice to apply private member resources to his separate public professional activities, which is beyond FFPMAs control or responsibility.Fiveash did not directly answer questions about whether the association mailed the peptides to Holtorf. He also shared a video of testimonials from Forgotten Formula members, including children and adults, suffering serious illnesses such as cancer, Lyme disease, diabetes and cirrhosis who said they were helped by the associations products.Read MoreA Las Vegas Festival Promised Ways to Cheat Death. Two Attendees Left Fighting for Their Lives.He challenged the premise that the women became ill from the peptides. Without comprehensive toxicology, full medical histories, and analysis of all substances and treatments administered that day, attributing causation to peptides is speculation masquerading as reporting, he said. Any adverse event is concerning, and we hope both patients have fully recovered.Laura Tucker, the pharmacy boards lawyer, said this is the boards first encounter with a private membership association making such legal claims, but emphasized that mailing drugs to the state without a Nevada license is against state law. She added that any of the parties can appeal their citations to the board.Of course anyone is free to make any sort of legal argument they would like to try to make in front of the board, she said.The post Nevada Regulators Fine Peptide Providers at Anti-Aging Festival Where Two Women Became Critically Ill appeared first on ProPublica.

Trumps plans for Washington bring to mind what Mussolini did and tried to do to Rome.

The surge in capital punishment is a cruel and unjust development.

Back in 2019, it looked like Oregon lawmakers might finally commit to ending the states outlier status on campaign finance.I had just authored an investigative series for The Oregonian/OregonLive, my previous newsroom, revealing how Oregons lack of limits on campaign donations had allowed corporate America to give more to sitting lawmakers, per capita, than anywhere else in the country and led to some of the weakest environmental protections on the West Coast. The state Supreme Court had allowed it to happen by saying campaign donations were protected free speech under the Oregon Constitution.Lawmakers in Oregon, one of five states without any limits at all, seemed willing to do something about what wed revealed. They asked Oregonians to change the constitution and explicitly allow contribution limits, something legislators had repeatedly tried and failed to do before. At the ballot in 2020, 78% of voters said yes, one of the widest margins for any ballot measure in decades. All lawmakers needed to do was to write legislation limiting donations.But for the next four years, no limits were adopted. When lawmakers eventually set caps in 2024, individual donations were restricted to $3,300 per election, well short of caps in the $1,000 to $2,000 range that good-government groups had sought previously. Lawmakers left other avenues for donors to give their time and money. They allowed corporate donations, which many states ban, to continue. They made it so the limits wouldnt take effect until 2027, after the current race for governor is over.And now, lawmakers have voted to ratchet the spigot open further and perhaps, campaign reform advocates say, all the way.On March 5, Oregons Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a bill that supporters described as containing little more than technical fixes to what theyd written two years ago.Groups that seek to limit the influence of money in politics said the changes are far more serious than housekeeping. They said the new bill inserted loopholes that, among other things, will allow companies to bypass the limits by giving through corporate affiliates.Dan Meek, an attorney who for years has been at the center of efforts to curtail money in Oregon politics, labeled it the bill to destroy campaign finance reform in Oregon.Oregon elections havent had contribution limits since briefly in the 1990s. Phil Keisling, a former secretary of state who advocated for those caps only to see them overturned in court, described the Legislatures track record on campaign finance as one of the most profound public policy failures in Oregons recent history.Limits should have been in place decades ago, he said. The base problem is that there are powerful forces within both political parties who prefer the system as it is.Legislative leaders defended their work.In a floor speech, House Majority Leader Ben Bowman described the contribution limits the Legislature adopted as delivering on elections where the voices of everyday people are not drowned out by wealthy and powerful interests making unlimited political contributions. He described this years changes as necessary for the new system to work.The investigation I worked on seven years ago found that campaign donations in Oregon did more than just help politicians get elected.They sometimes spent campaign money in ways that benefited themselves, including on luxury hotel rooms, dry cleaning, car washes even picking up the tabs during dozens of visits to sports bars. One lawmaker used campaign money to buy a new computer three weeks before she left office; another spent it on an Amazon Prime membership, 11 days before resigning.The money shaped public policy. As a reporter covering Oregons environment, I watched the Legislature weaken or stall efforts on climate change, logging practices, industrial air pollution, herbicide spraying, oil spill preparedness and other issues over a decade. One retired regulator told me all it took was a single phone call from a well-connected lobbyist to kill one clean air initiative.Whats happened since my investigation was published reveals how hard it can be to eliminate this kind of influence when the people expected to rein in donations are the ones whose campaigns have long benefited from them.After Oregonians overwhelmingly voted to hand lawmakers the power to regulate election money in 2020, lawmakers failed to put restrictions in place in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.Tired of waiting, advocates for tight constraints on campaign money gathered tens of thousands of signatures to put a measure limiting donations on the ballot in 2024. Labor unions, a major source of giving to Democrats, responded by threatening to put up their own competing initiative. A backer of the union measure said recently that it would have encouraged grassroots participation through small donor committees and included public financing for candidates.Meek, the campaign reform advocate, described the union measure as an effort to create far looser limits, with less disclosure and major loopholes.Lawmakers stepped in, brokering a deal that was hailed as a historic breakthrough. Unions, the campaign reform advocates and big business produced a bill that Meek described as at least a starting point for controlling Oregons political money albeit with fewer constraints and bigger dollar limits than he and others wanted.Kate Titus, Oregon director of Common Cause, an advocacy group that was involved in the negotiations alongside Meek, said everyone agreed that some technical fixes to the bills language would be needed before the system took effect in 2027. But she said the group, which included House Speaker Julie Fahey, agreed that no substantive changes would be made without everyones agreement.Then came this years short, monthlong legislative session and a surprise.Titus described seeing Fahey in a state Capitol hallway in early February and asking whether any bills were coming on campaign finance. Faheys expression changed to what Titus described as pure panic.I cant talk, Titus said the speaker told her, before hurrying away.(Faheys spokesperson, Jill Bakken, said the speaker was on her way from a floor session to a meeting and didnt have time for an impromptu hallway conversation, telling Titus she could schedule time through her staff.)Hours later, Titus said, an 85-page bill was introduced with Faheys name on it and a public hearing scheduled early the next morning.It would push back the deadline that the 2024 legislation set for launching a new website for tracking campaign money, from 2028 to 2032.The bill would make the $5,000 limit on donations to one type of political committee apply per year, not per two-year election cycle effectively doubling the amount allowed. A spokesperson for Fahey called the 2024 provision a typo that needed correcting because it was inconsistent with limits on other donation types.The 2024 law prohibited multiple businesses controlled by the same person from each giving as much as the law allows. The 2026 bill would allow it as long as the businesses werent created solely to evade limits, a change Faheys spokesperson said was needed to avoid a chilling effect on community-based organizations participation in elections. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group, called it a loophole that renders Oregons contribution limits illusory.On top of all that, the bill would remove a long-standing provision in state law that says that money someone spends in coordination with a candidate is a campaign contribution. A spokesperson for Secretary of State Tobias Read said the provision was redundant because the law also says any other thing of value, beyond money, is a campaign contribution. But the Campaign Legal Center said the change could leave Oregon functionally with no contribution limits.A representative of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, which was involved in the 2024 negotiations, called the bill a complete betrayal.Bakken, Faheys spokesperson, told ProPublica that groups including the league have been part of this conversation for many years and that they will have opportunities for input as lawmakers consider future changes.As for why the Legislature hasnt done more to stem the flow of money into the system, Bakken said that constraining donors too greatly could push them to divert cash from campaign donations into commercials and mailers in support of candidates, something candidates legally cant control. These independent expenditures have no dollar limit under federal law.Unhappy as Meek and others were with the proposal, they couldnt do much. They threatened to go back to the ballot, but without the signatures theyd gathered to do so in 2024, theyd lost their leverage. The bill sailed through the Oregon House by a 39-19 vote and the Senate 20-9.Sen. Jeff Golden, a Southern Oregon Democrat who opposed the bill, called its passage the biggest surprise of his eight-year tenure. Given the potentially huge loopholes, he said in an interview: I thought my colleagues wouldnt pass it. And I was wrong.The measure sits on the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek, a Portland Democrat. She has until April 17 to decide on it.The post Oregon Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes to Limiting Money in Politics. Then Politicians Had Their Say. appeared first on ProPublica.

Plus, the Friday news quiz.

Ukraine wants to leverage its defense expertise into security partnerships and to reap potentially vast profits for its arms industry.

The attacker who drove into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, is dead. No one else was killed.

We are synagogues we are houses of worship, one rabbi said. We are not Fort Knox.

Venezuela gave Trump a taste of success. This isnt the first time an American president has gotten hooked on overthrowing foreign governments.

It's Friday, and another full weekend of action awaits across the soccer calendar as Julien Laurens picks out the best games to watch in Europe.

Opening Day is approaching fast -- and Jeff Passan has everything you need to know covered.

We're down to eight. Here's what we've learned -- and who has impressed us most -- as we enter the quarterfinals.

In this World Baseball Classic, one team might be having more fun than any other.

After surging about 10 percent on Thursday, oil prices had little reaction to the decision by President Trump to waive sanctions on the sale of some Russian crude.

The Texas Democrat has used his perch in Congress to highlight sympathetic cases in his push to free detainees and call attention to the cruel consequences of President Trumps immigration agenda.

The defense secretary has disparaged restrictive rules for opening fire that are aimed at reducing the risk of mistakes and civilian casualties.

Many cybercrime victims are retargeted by online scammers posing as lawyers or other professionals who promise they can recover stolen money.

In these videos, directors walked us through pivotal sequences from their 2026 Academy Award-nominated films.

Where should Jauan Jennings, Joey Bosa and Rasheed Walker sign? Which roster needs Kirk Cousins? Let's find new homes for nine players still looking for one.

Andreas Hale answers some key questions to bring clarity to the most intriguing storylines in boxing today.

You've read their names all preseason long, it'd be a shame to forget them on draft day. The ESPN Cheat Sheet is one way to make sure that doesn't happen.

Here's what league insiders are saying about Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and more top NBA draft prospects.

Here's how it's shaping up for Edmonton. Plus, full Stanley Cup playoff projections, draft lottery standings and more.

Iran is turning the Strait of Hormuz into a battlefield, proving that a short and surgical war with Iran could be a fantasy.

A study tracks how the North American Free Trade Agreement and trade competition with Mexico led to earlier deaths for American factory workers.

Its the first time since 2015 that the combination of the day and date associated with bad luck has recurred three times in a calendar year.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been reluctant to force people indoors, even in dire weather. But conditions, whether on the streets or in shelters, can be dangerous.

A rare visit to a Khmer temple on Thailand and Cambodias border showed how deadly clashes between the two countries have scarred a heritage site.

Shoppers shop at a grocery store in Schaumburg, Ill., Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)2026-03-13T12:41:49Z WASHINGTON (AP) An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve moved higher in January in the latest sign that prices were persistently elevated even before the Iran war caused spikes in oil and gas costs.Prices rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday, slightly below Decembers increase in a report that was delayed by last falls six-week government shutdown. The shutdown created a backlog of data that is nearly cleared.Yet excluding the volatile food and energy categories which the Fed pays closer attention to core prices rose 3.1%, up from 3% in the prior month and the highest in nearly two years. On a monthly basis, prices jumped 0.3% in January, while core prices jumped 0.4% for the second straight month, a pace that if sustained would lift inflation far above the 2% annual target set by the Fed. The data has since been overtaken by the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28 and has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off one-fifth of the worlds oil supply. Oil prices have soared more than 40% since the war began and gas prices have jumped to $3.60 a gallon from just under $3 a month earlier, according to AAA. Those figures will likely cause inflation to spike in March and potentially April, economists forecast. The inflation-fighters at the Fed have kept their key interest rate elevated to slow borrowing, spending, and growth in an effort to cool inflation further. Fed policymakers meet next week and are widely expected to keep their rate unchanged given that the conflict in the Middle East will raise inflation, at least in the short run. 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

Lowriders cruise at the 6th Annual Lady Lowrider Cruise Night in celebration of International Women's Day in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)2026-03-13T04:06:43Z ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) From Mexican American and Chicano barrios in the American Southwest to the halls of the Smithsonian on the National Mall and even the streets of Japan, lowrider culture has become part of mainstream car culture around the globe. The U.S. Postal Service is joining the club with a new series of stamps dedicated to the low and slow rolling works of art. The stamps complete with pinstriping are being unveiled Friday during a celebration in San Diego.For the lowrider community, its validation of the vibrant artistic expression that blossomed in the 1940s in the working-class communities of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as everyday cars were transformed into one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Lowriders cruise at the 6th Annual Lady Lowrider Cruise Night in celebration of International Womens Day in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Lowriders cruise at the 6th Annual Lady Lowrider Cruise Night in celebration of International Womens Day in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Lowriders are known for their dazzling paint schemes, glistening chrome, luxurious interiors and gravity-defying hydraulic systems. Theyre symbols of creativity, craftsmanship, pride and identity. Making historyAntonio Alcal grew up in San Diego admiring the cars from afar, so it was an honor for him to design the stamps. The challenge was finding the right mix of cars and colors to represent the lowrider world.He pored over tons of photographs before whittling it down to five: a 1946 Chevy Fleetline, three classic Chevy Impalas and a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Each brings its own flare, from curvaceous body lines and low stances to a hint of the mechanics that make the cars hop. Its a real thrill, said Alcal, the postal services art director. The postage stamps are supposed to represent the best of America. Theyre kind of a way that the United States signals to the rest of the world these are things that we find important about our people, our accomplishments, our culture, etc. So to have it commemorated on a stamp is a big deal. Freehand pinstriping artist Danny Alvarado, left, with his assistant Clarence Spears, looks at sketches used for the new United States Postal Service lowriders stamps at his workshop in Monrovia, Calif., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Freehand pinstriping artist Danny Alvarado, left, with his assistant Clarence Spears, looks at sketches used for the new United States Postal Service lowriders stamps at his workshop in Monrovia, Calif., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Alcal watched a video of Danny Alvarado pinstriping a car, and his heart stopped as the brush effortlessly glided over the metal flake paint leaving behind intricate swirls. He knew that would be the final touch for the corner of each stamp.Alvarado, an illustrator and sculptor, has spent about 50 years perfecting his craft and is now teaching others how to spin the brush just right. For him, the stamp project has special meaning his father worked as a mail carrier for more than 20 years and it marks another corner turned as lowrider culture gains new fans and more respect. Cruising aheadIn the 1980s, some cities imposed anti-cruising laws and height restrictions, often seen as targeting Chicano youth and associating lowriders with gangs despite the communitys emphasis on artistry and family. But with the Hispanic U.S. population increasing and lowriding becoming more popular, restrictions have been rolled back in recent years. California repealed cruising bans in 2024, and just last year New Mexico lawmakers celebrated Lowrider Day at the state capitol, even though a proposal to enshrine the lowrider as New Mexicos state vehicle didnt gain enough traction. Founder and president of the San Francisco Lowrider Council, Roberto Hernndez began cruising in the late 70s when cruising was banned in California. With the stamp unveiling, Hernndez feels like we got the final stamp of approval as lowriders. This image provided by the U.S. Postal Service shows a series of stamps featuring lowriders that is being released in March 2026. (U.S. Postal Service via AP) This image provided by the U.S. Postal Service shows a series of stamps featuring lowriders that is being released in March 2026. (U.S. Postal Service via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Alvarado agrees, adding that widespread recognition of the positive aspects of lowriding has been a long time coming. Its a big hit. I mean the lowriding community is so excited about these stamps, Alvarado said from his home in Monrovia, California. Everybody Ive talked to already knows about them, so they just cant wait till they come out.Melting potAlvarado mentioned car clubs in Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Chicago, Dallas, New York and the ones that are popping up overseas from London to Hungary, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.Humberto Beto Mendoza, whose photographs were used as the basis of three of the stamps, ticked off his own list, describing lowrider culture as both a family affair and a big melting pot. He has traveled far and wide photographing many of the iconic masterpieces that have graced magazine covers. That includes El Rey, a red 1963 Chevrolet Impala that is featured on one of the stamps and is on display at the National Museum of American History. Freehand and pinstriping artist Danny Alvarado, left, and customer Sandy Avila, pose with her 1966 Chevy Impala, at his in Monrovia, Calif., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Freehand and pinstriping artist Danny Alvarado, left, and customer Sandy Avila, pose with her 1966 Chevy Impala, at his in Monrovia, Calif., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Mendoza was a fan of lowriders long before he built a career photographing them for a living. When he was a boy, his father, a Mexican immigrant, taught him how to frame images with a point-and-shoot and then eventually bought him his first real camera. From there, Mendoza hustled, carrying with him a photo album of his work as he persuaded more lowriders to document their fancy rides. The stamp project was unexpected, Mendoza said, noting that it couldnt have come at a better time. He had just suffered a stroke in 2022 and was in a dark place. The project was a ray of light for him and for the wider lowrider community. Were usually outcasted, you know, so them acknowledging us in this community is historic, he said. We feel accepted now.___Associated Press reporter Fernanda Figueroa in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

A woman sits on rubble across from a residential building damaged last Sunday during the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)2026-03-13T12:04:58Z CAIRO (AP) An engineer crouches under a park bench as fighter jets roar overhead. An athlete wracked by anxiety cant sleep as explosions go off. With the internet shut down, families and friends rely on each other for news about the war and the latest damage caused by airstrikes.Fierce U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Irans capital, Tehran, now at the end of its second week, has left residents in a state of shock. From central historic quarters to upscale northern areas, bombs are shaking the city day and night, with no sirens or warning systems to alert the public.The psychological pressure is real, said the athlete, who lives in a northern area of the capital. He was among a half dozen Tehran residents reached by The Associated Press, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for their safety.Widely respected national symbols have been threatened. The monumental archway of Azadi Square, often seen as the capitals modern emblem, was enveloped by smoke after strikes nearby, while the 19th-century Golestan Palace, a landmark of historic pride, had its windows blasted out. At the same time, security forces have increased their presence in the streets to prevent any shows of dissent. Israeli strikes on oil depots in Tehran last weekend had a particularly profound impact on residents psyches. After the blasts, giant fires raged, and toxic, black smoke filled the air partially eased by rains in the following days. I could barely breathe and had to go buy an inhaler, a 54-year-old Tehran resident who is a human-rights activist said. People are worried it will affect their drinking water. As she spoke to AP, a blast went off in the background. In a later voice note on Tuesday, the activist said, Last night the situation was really bad. Fighters as well as drones had taken over the whole sky. East, west, they hit everywhere they could. Today you see a lot of residential places that were damaged. Its really painful. The war is fraying nerves across the region, as Iran fires waves of missiles and drones at Israel, U.S. military bases and its Persian Gulf neighbors. Severe bombardmentThe U.S.-Israeli air campaign has struck thousands of sites across Iran, most belonging to the military and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Iranian Red Crescent says thousands of civilian sites have been damaged, including hospitals, schools, universities and homes. Iran has not publicly updated its death toll from the over 1,200 previously reported.A 33-year-old engineer described the aftermath of the oil depot strikes as an end-of-times scene.Iranians are finding it difficult to follow news of the war, he said, with internet access largely shut down since the first strikes on Feb. 28. Only a sliver of the public has limited access with virtual private networks, the engineer estimated.He said he phones friends for news of where bombs are landing. Other residents said family and friends trade reports of strikes at anxious gatherings in homes and cafes.Almost total Israeli and U.S. air superiority has opened up the capital to attack at any moment. The engineer said he was on his street when he heard fighter jets, then a strike nearby. He ducked under a park bench. A university student said fear of attacks is rising even among those who do not live near clearly marked government and military targets. Every moment, without any warning sirens or announcement, some part of the city is under attack, he said, describing some streets as full of broken glass from surrounding buildings.Hit without warningNormally a vibrant city of over 9 million people, Tehrans streets in between airstrikes are now eerily quiet. Many shops and supermarkets are open. But the traditional bazaar is closed, and many streets are empty as people hunker down at home. Families tape windows to prevent flying glass and they shelter in interior rooms when they hear the roar of strikes. A teacher who lives in the northern Tehran district of Vanak said the home of a friend in eastern Tehran was damaged by a nearby strike that blew windows out of the frames, broke the sink and wrenched the door of the buildings garage out of place. When the friend called to tell her the news, I was in a very bad shock, the teacher said. The teacher said she spends most of her time at home, hosting family members who fled another part of Tehran because they live near positions of the Basij, the feared all-volunteer wing of the Guard. She paces and spends a lot of time trying to get on the internet.I try to keep myself calm and tell myself, This is the price we have to pay for getting rid of the Islamic Republic, she said. U.S.-Israeli strikes have heavily targeted positions of the Guard, Basij and police forces, the main enforcers of the Islamic Republic that suppressed protests earlier this year, killing thousands and arresting tens of thousands. This week, strikes turned to roadblocks and checkpoints set up by the Basij, with at least 18 hit on Wednesday, mostly in Tehran, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S.-based monitoring group. On Friday, a large explosion hit a main Tehran square as government supporters held a large demonstration there. So far, authorities appear to have been able to maintain their grip. Residents described a heightened presence of security forces and Basij on the streets One resident sent the AP video she took of a procession of Basij on motorcycles and cars waving flags on her street in a northern Tehran neighborhood. Mosques blared pro-government slogans, she said. On state TV Monday night, Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Republics security forces, warned that anyone taking to the streets in protests will be seen as enemies, and we will deal with them as we would with the enemy. All our guys are ready to fire.The government has also encouraged its supporters to gather in street demonstrations, especially following the announcement of the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. He succeeds his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by Israels opening strikes in the war.The younger Khameneis selection is widely seen as a further sign that hard-liners are keeping a close grip on power. He issued his first statement Thursday, but has not appeared in public. A scorched countryAs the war rages, many Iranians are still reeling from the crackdown after the massive anti-government protests in January.A 27-year-old nurse said the surgery unit where she works in a Tehran hospital was still treating protesters with serious wounds.She described the U.S. and Israeli targeting of Irans leadership and security forces as revenge for the killings of protesters and said she was happy to see the security forces hit. But the damage from the air campaign is worrying some of those who want to see the Islamic Republic fall.Its no longer about weakening the government. Its gone toward weakening the people of Iran, said the activist, who has been imprisoned in the past. Do you really want to turn us into a scorched country, something the Islamic Republic couldnt do itself? __El Deeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Shirin Hakim in New York City contributed to this report. SARAH EL DEEB El Deeb is part of the APs Global Investigative team. She is based in the Middle East, a region she covered for two decades twitter mailto

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)2026-03-13T11:47:35Z HAVANA (AP) Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel said Friday that his government has held recent talks with the U.S., marking the first time the Caribbean country confirms such speculation.He said the talks were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated these exchanges.He did not elaborate on those factors.Daz-Canel said no petroleum shipments have arrived on the island in the past three months, which he blamed on a U.S. energy blockade.Cuba s western region was hit by a massive blackout last week, leaving millions without power.He said that Cuba, which produces 40% of its petroleum, has been generating its own power but that it hasnt been sufficient to meet demand.He said the lack of power has affected communications, education and transportation, and that the government has had to postpone surgeries for tens of thousands of people as a result. The impact is tremendous, he said.Daz-Canel said that the purpose of the talks was to identify bilateral problems that require solutions based on their severity and impact and find solutions to them. The president added that the aim was to determine the willingness of both parties to take concrete actions for the benefit of the people of both countries. And in addition, to identify areas of cooperation to confront threats and guarantee the security and peace of both nations, as well as in the region. Daz-Canel called it a highly sensitive process because it affects bilateral relations of both countries and demands enormous and significant efforts to find solutions and create spaces for understanding that will allow us to move away from confrontation.He noted that Cuba is willing to carry out the process on the basis of equality and respect for the countries political systems and for Cubas sovereignty and self-determination.Critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country and arrested its leader.___Coto reported form San Jos, Costa Rica.

A new study from the Pew Research Center asked Americans about their feelings toward datecenters and its not positive. Pew published the study the day after Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on the construction of datacenters in the United States amid mounting public concern around the buildings impacts on local communities.Pew surveyed 8,512 adults in January and asked them a broad range of questions about how they felt about datacenters. Most of the respondents said theyd heard of datecenters and the more theyd read, the less they liked them.Is an unwanted datacenter being built in your community? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 347 762-9212 or send me an email at matthew@404media.co.Most of the Americans surveyed believe that datacenters are bad for the environment, home energy costs, and the quality of life of people living nearby and the numbers arent close. Only four percent of people thought datacenters were good for the environment, six percent good for jobs, and six percent good for peoples quality of life.Despite those negative feelings, many of the people surveyed thought that datacenters would be good for jobs in the communities where theyre built and would boost local tax revenue. Still, Americans are less likely to express positive views of data centers impact in these areas than to express negative views of their effects on the environment, energy costs and peoples quality of life nearby, the research said.Research shows that the reality of job creation by datacenters doesnt actually live up to the promises from those lobbying to build them. Data centers do not bring high-paying tech jobs to local communities because they operate as infrastructure projects rather than traditional jobcreating businesses, University of Michigan researchers wrote in a 2025 brief. Although the construction of data centers can create many jobs, those are short lived.The survey charts a growing anti-datacenter sentiment in America. The US is in the middle of a massive infrastructure project similar to the Manhattan Project. In a mad dash to build out AI systems, companies are constructing massive buildings and energy infrastructure across the country, often with little input from local communities and at a massive cost.The city of Ypsilanti, Michigan is fighting to stop the construction of a $1.2 billion datacenter that would be used to test nuclear weapons. In the middle of a massive winter storm that paralyzed the state in January, lawmakers in a rural South Carolina county pushed through the approval of a controversial $2.4 billion datacenter. In Oklahoma, police arrested a man who was speaking in opposition to a datacenter after he went slightly over his time during a city council meeting.Datacenters are terrible neighbors. The buildings drive up the cost of energy for people who live nearby, consume massive amounts of water, and can produce noises and fumes that hurt locals. In Mississippi, locals are concerned about the pollution and noise caused by an xAI datacenter powered by gas turbines. A proposed datacenter project near Amarillo, Texas would be powered by four massive nuclear generators and pull water from an aquifer with dwindling reserves. In an effort to quell fears about power consumption, Trump made Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI sign a pledge to keep energy costs down. But a pledge isnt a law. Its not even an executive order.Pews research came out the day after Sanders announced he was proposing legislation to put a moratorium on the construction of new datacenters in the US. We are at the beginning of the most profound technological revolution in world history. Thats the truth, Sanders said in a video posted on social media. This is a revolution which will bring unimaginable changes to our world. This is a revolution which will impact our economy with massive job replacement. It will threaten our democratic institutions. It will impact our emotional well-being and what it even means to even mean to be a human being.We need a moratorium on AI data centers NOW. Heres why. pic.twitter.com/dRfAdQ67zD Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 11, 2026Congress hasnt a clue how to respondand protect the American people. Its not only not having a clue, theyre busy out raising money all day long from AI and their super PACs, Sanders said. We need a moratorium on datacenters. We need to take a deep breath. We need to make sure that AI and robotics work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.

Nature, Published online: 13 March 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00813-4The 1990s game has been run on bacteria and a satellite and played by neurons in a dish.