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

These queercoded fantasy characters snatched our imaginations and young hearts!Time was that finding out and proud characters in TV and movies was rare indeed. In their palace there were queer-coded characters, typically villains but not always, that gave young LGBTQ+ folks the opportunity to relate to who they were seeing on screen.These depictions tended to be in genre storytelling, like horror and sci-fi, and of course animation, but also the fantasy genre is rife with characters who were coded oh-so-queerly. After all, there is a reason were so excited for the new Masters of the Universe film, it's not just because Nicholas Galitizine is entering his twunk era (though it doesn't hurt) as Prince Adam, its because He-man and the Masters of the Universe like many of the other fantasy programs and movies we watched in our youth were unbelievably gay in retrospect. Whether it was serving up high camp, femme realness, or simply leather-bound muscles, these characters were near and dear to our young queer hearts. Hawkman in Flash GordonFlash Gordon may be the queerest and kinkiest family-friendly film ever made. From the Queen soundtrack to the bore worms torture scene, and every inch of the costumes in this film, this movie screams gay, in the best and most camp way possible. While we could really name any character here as having queer root potential, we have to give the honor to Hawkman, the fighting, shouting, leather daddy, bear of our fantasies.Princess Aura in Flash GordonAnd if youre a Sapphic of a certain age with a taste for high femme kink, Princess Aura is probably at least partly to blame. While she spends the film pining for Flash and eventually falling in love with Prince Barin, we know a bisexual diva when we see one. Jareth the Goblin King in LabyrinthDavid Bowie in those skin-tight pants and codpiece awoke a generation of bisexuals. Sure he was kind of a creep with the whole baby-stealing and the teen-seducing thing (cringe), but regardless of how problematic he is now, Jareth will forever remind us of the babe. What babe? Him.Princess Mombi in Return to OzSpeaking of queer-coded villains, Princess Mombi and her harem of lady heads in Return to Oz, was both terrifying and alluring. You just know she made them kiss at night.Lord Humungus in Mad Max 2: The Road WarriorWhile we won't be racing out to watch this movie again, due to the Mel Gibson being a terrible human being of it all, for baby 80s gays Lord Humungus was a leather daddy awakening moment. I mean, come on just look at him.Red Sonja in Red SonjaThe camp factor alone in Red Sonja makes it queer fave worthy, but in addition to all that leather and swordplay was the statuesque Brigitte Nielsen as the titular Red Sonja. This powerful warrior vowed never to sleep with a man (who couldn't defeat her in battle but lets just hand-wave that detail away) after being bestowed with powers by a goddess. Gay.Xena and Gabrielle in Xena: Warrior PrincessWhat made Xena such a potent queer awakening moment? Well, there was the Lucy Lawless factor, of course. But she was also incredibly powerful with Sapphic swagger for days. Add to that her forever-yearning friendship with Gabrielle and it was pitch-perfect for baby lesbians everywhere.Lady Amalthea aka The Last Unicorn in The Last UnicornUnicorns are lesbian AF. Nuff said? Ok fine, she also had zero time for the boys and just wanted to run, be free, and be fabulous. Lesbian-coded.Adora aka She-Ra in ;She-Ra: Princess of PowerWhile the 2018 series remake by Nate Stevenson brought all the subtext to the fore, She-Ra was always queer. She was strong, beautiful, could rock a boot like no one's business, and rode a rainbow pegasus.

She's all we wanna be!Tate McRae is the hottest up-and-coming singer in pop music. With a slew of hits now under her belt, the powerhouse is quickly becoming one of the biggest female artists this decade and her star is only on the rise.Her latest project So Close to What just dropped last Friday and it's already receiving critical acclaim worldwide. Although her popular songs such as "greedy," "Sports car," "exes," "It's ok I'm ok," and more have taken over the charts the past few years, McRae's success didn't just happen overnight.OG fans remember McRae's humble beginnings when she came in third place on So You Think You Can Dance back in 2016 at only 13 years old. Four years later, the star's music career started taking off with "you broke me first" becoming an international hit and her first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.Fast forward to today, the talented entertainer has released three albums and she's gearing up for her global Miss Possessive Tour that'll have her headlining at various arenas across the globe. She's certainly come a long way from performing at gay clubs in the early days of her career.McRae may be a supernova at only 21 years old, but she's staying true to her roots by surrounding herself with a queer support system and releasing music that resonates with who she truly is. Scroll below to read PRIDE's interview with Tate McRae on her new album So Close to What and why she considers her gay fans to be her best fans. See on Instagram PRIDE: Congratulations on your third album! So Close to What has a little bit of everything, but how would you describe your latest project? For me, it's giving liberation, sexy, and so hot!Tate McRae: I like that! I'd definitely say liberation, feminine, bold, and maybe a little sexy. I would say there's some sensual movement sprinkled throughout this campaign. I feel like the visuals have been the most exciting part for me. It's been a dream!It's been a dream for us to watch! I'm obsessed with all of the singles and music videos this era.We were so excited! My music taste is very diverse. One day I can write a folk song and another day I can write about a sports car. It really depends on my mood. I don't want to do just one thing. I want to be versatile and I want to be able to sit down in my show and talk directly to my fans, then I want to be able to dance and feel sexy.I'm so glad you're touching on the sexy themes in your new music! Why was it important for you to channel that sexy energy and empowerment on this album?I think I was honestly envisioning myself going on tour again. These new songs are the ones I want to feel on stage. Ever since I started touring, I think about that every time I write.It's safe to say this upcoming tour is going to be iconic.You are going to get a show! I will not go easy on the audience. I do the most at all times! The stories this year mean so much more to me than they have before. They're really f***ing personal and it makes for a better performance. We're in the process of creating the show right now. It's going to be crazy! See on Instagram Your journey as an entertainer has been such a joy to watch. How much fun are you having merging your passions in dance and music into one career?It finally feels like I can be myself again. I trained in dance my whole life and then I lost it for five years. When I was 20, I was just like, 'F*** this!' I've trained for a reason. My dancing is from my soul. I can't just cut that part of me off. It's been so rejuvenating getting to bring it back into my art. I feel like myself again.That's what it's all about! Your music is clearly coming from a place of authenticity and it's really landing with your fans.Honestly, I'm living the dream. I feel so lucky and blessed. It's everything I've ever wanted to do.I know all of your fans are really enjoying your rise to fame, but there's nobody who loves you more than your LGBTQ+ fans!Of course! They're my favorite. No one beats them. Nobody is better than them. My whole team is gay! That's the only opinion I really want when I'm releasing music. I feel lucky that I have their opinion. We want to do the most and push the boundaries, but it's also the most brutally honest advice.Yes! Not only do the gays keep it real, but they also bring the best energy to your shows. I know you felt the love when you performed at G-A-Y & Heaven Nightclub in London back in 2023!That was one of my favorite performances ever! I ditched the mic and just started dancing. There was only like 150 people in the room and it was some of the craziest, loudest energy I've ever felt. I just wanted to whip my hair, do a kick, and leave! That's all I wanted to do. See on Instagram You've evolved so much over the past couple of years. Now, you're going to be performing in front of thousands of people nearly every night on your upcoming Miss Possessive Tour. That's pretty surreal!It's so crazy! I can't believe this is my job. Four years ago, I played my first ever show at The Moroccan Lounge in front of 100 people in LA. It was the size of a shoebox, like it's so small. I could see my grandma, my mom, and everybody that I knew. Now, we're performing three nights at the Kia Forum. It's the biggest dream of my life. It's insane!It's amazing seeing your dreams come true, but I'm dying to know what you're manifesting and what you'd love to do next.I always have things that I'm setting my sights on. I'm a very goal-driven person. Sometimes, I think I'm a little clairvoyant. I'm really good at manifesting! I would die to perform at the VMA's. That's something I've watched all my idols do for so many years. For some reason, that specific performance is something I've always wanted. My ideal performance is a perfect balance of dance, outfit, singing, and musical arrangement. When they're all balanced perfectly, that's my ideal performance.What about collaborations? Would you like to hit the studio with any of your idols?My dream is to write with SZA. She's one of the coolest and best writers ever. I love her. I think it'd be a mix of pop and R&B. I'd let her take the charge! I just want to always keep pushing my comfort zone. I never want to recycle and do the same things. As an artist, I want to be uncomfortable and shock myself sometimes.Let's manifest it now! Before I let you go, I'd love to see if you had any message you'd love to send to your dedicated LGBTQ+ fans?I love you guys so much. Y'all are my number ones. You know that as much as you guys ride for me, I ride for you. I feel very grateful to have you guys in my life and surrounding me.So Close to What is available everywhere now.

Chris Pratt isnt shying away from discussing his brother-in-law Patrick Schwarzeneggers bold moments in The White Lotus. The Marvel star, who is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, shared a candid response to the buzz surrounding Patricks provocative scenes on the HBO drama, particularly his nude scenes that have sparked conversation. At the Feb. 24, 2025, premiere of The Electric StateSource

Jonathan Van Ness, the Emmy-winning star of Queer Eye, is sharing a personal milestone with their fans: a 66-pound weight loss. The 37-year-old took to Instagram on February 23, 2025, to post a side-by-side mirror selfie showing their transformation. The photo, which appeared to be a screenshot from the MyFitnessPal app, displayed the text: Lost 66 pounds! The post marks a significant moment inSource

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

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

Between Red, White & Royal Blue star Nicholas Galitzine dropping thirst traps of his twink-to-twunk transformation, us taking a walk down memory lane to remind you which He-Man characters are the gayest, and now a cast list that is chock full of hot stars, we can safely say the Masters of the Universe film is definitely for the gays. Not only was the original He-Man cartoon so queer-coded its nearly laughable to watch it now (dont tell us you dont see the chemistry between He-Man and Skeletor!), but weve got Galitzine starring who has made a career out of playing gay characters and queer queens Sasheer Zamata and Alison Brie in lead roles too.But lets be honest, as much as we remember how campy the original cartoon was that the new live-action film is based on, we dont remember all of the characters. So who are all of these hot stars playing?Nicholas Galitzine as He-ManSee on InstagramNicholas Galitzine will be playing the titular Master of the Universe, Prince Adam AKA He-Man. Considering how many gay roles Galitzine has played and how queer-coded the OG cartoon was, were keeping our fingers crossed for a gay He-Man. But with the way Galitzine has been bulking up for this role, no matter what, it should be full of eye candy!Alison Brie as Evil-LynSee on InstagramBisexual icon Alison Brie has nabbed the role of Evil-Lyn, who is a supervillainess. As an evil witch, she uses her powers of darkness to help Skeletor as his second-in-commandSasheer Zamata as SuzieSee on InstagramQueer comedian and podcaster Sasheer Zamata is poised to play Suzie, a character not in the original cartoon or 80s movie. According to Mens Health the new film gives Prince Adam a different origin story that has him crash landing on Earth as a 10-year-old and is separated from his magical Power Sword. It looks like Suzie may be one of his friends on Earth before he returns to Eternia to regain his birthright as He-Man.Morena Baccarin as the SorceressSee on InstagramActress Morena Baccarin has been cast as The Sorceress of Grayskull, who uses her magic powers to watch over Castle Grayskull. In the cartoon series, the Sorceress also known as Teela-Na wears a campy bird headrest and winged cape, so were hoping this character leans Sapphic!Camila Mendes as TeelaSee on InstagramRiverdale star Camila Mendes is starring as Teela, daughter of the Sorceress, and a warrior goddess and the captain of the Royal Guard who helps He-Man in battle (though shes unaware that He-Man and Prince Adam are one and the same). Jared Leto as SkeletorSee on InstagramSkeletor is the main villain of the Master of the Universe franchise and is not only He-Mans constant foe, but the two have a very gay-coded adversarial relationship. Hopefully, Jared Leto can do a better job playing the over-dramatic, campy villain than he did playing Joker. Idris Elba as Man-at-ArmsSee on InstagramDreamboat Idris Elba will be playing Men-at-Arms, a crop-top armor-wearing, 70s porn state having, warrior who likes to take trips with Prince Adam. We cant wait to see Elba and Galitzine on screen together!Sam C. Wilson as Trap JawSee on InstagramSam C. Wilson has been cast as Trap Jaw, one of Skeletors main henchmen. Trap Jaw was transformed into a cyborg with a metal jaw and one robot arm after losing a fight with Skeletor.Jhannes Haukur Jhannesson as FistoSee on InstagramIcelandic Game of Thrones star Jhannes Haukur Jhannesson is set to play Fisto, a muscular, bearded warrior with a metal fist that can do some serious damage. But with a name like Fisto, we know what hes really doing with that hand!Kojo Attah as TriclopsSee on InstagramHunky actor Kojo Attah is playing Triclops, an inter-dimensional bounty hunter and tracker who was recruited by Skeletor to spy for him using his tri-optic visor that he got after an accident left him blind. Jon Xue Zhang as Ram ManSee on InstagramThe Gentlemen star Jon Xue Zhang has been cast as Ram Man, who inherited his familys ancient mystical armor that also him to ram his enemies. You can take that as you will. He started out working for Skeletor before switching sides and becoming a core member of the Masters of the Universe. Hafthor Bjornsson as Goat ManSee on InstagramProfessional strongman and Game of Thrones star Hafthor Bjornsson will be Goat Man, a minor villain of the franchise who wears goat horns and shows off his toned abs with a little half-shirt. Charlotte Riley as Queen MarlenaSee on InstagramThe stunning Charlotte Riley will star as Queen Marlena, one of the rulers of Eternia alongside her husband, King Randor, and the mother of Prince Adam (He-Man) and Princess Adora (who grows up to be She-Ra).James Purefoy as King RandorSee on InstagramA Knights Tale actor James Purefoy is starring as King Randor, the ruler of Eternia and Prince Adams father. With a son who looks like Nicholas Galitzine, it makes sense that both of his parents are hotties!Christian Vunipola as HusseinSee on InstagramChristian Vunipola is set to play Hussein, another brand-new character that is likely to be one of Prince Adam's friends while he's on Earth.See on InstagramThis dreamy, star-studded cast has us dying for Masters of the Universe to come out!

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

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

DRAG: The Musical, the glittering, high-camp extravaganza currently playing at New World Stages in New York City, will have its final Off-Broadway performance on Sunday, April 27, 2025. This marks the end of a highly successful run, with 215 performances and 24 previews. But fear not, queens and fansthe journey is far from over! The [...]The post DRAG: The Musical Announces Final Off-Broadway Performance, Hints at Plans for London Production first appeared on GLAAD.

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

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

People usually try to steer clear of seeing family members au naturel, but when youre brother in law is Patrick Schwarzenegger we understand being curious enough to take a peek!Actor Chris Pratt just admitted that his curiosity got the best of him when Schwarzeneggers nude season in the new season of White Lotus came on screen.And, oh boy, did he see more than he bargained for!I know where my eyes went Im not blood-related to him, I was looking at that dk, bro, Pratt told E! News during the premiere of his new film The Electric Slate on Monday.Pratt is married to Patricks sister Katherine Schwarzenegger, who he hes so proud of along with everyone in his family."No, he looks amazing. Obviously, hes a physical specimen, but also hes a really solid actor, because the character hes playing is completely different than who he is, Pratt said.Pratt went on to brag about his nepo baby brother-in-law, calling him a hustler across the board who learned to be super driven from his parents, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. Ive been telling everybody for years, Ive been telling him as well, I really think were entering a decade of Patrick, he said.In season 3 of the HBO show, Patrick plays Saxon Ratliff, the oldest brother in a large Southern family with a strange family dynamic, who some viewers to claim gives off incest vibes with his younger brother Lachlan.Patrick has admitted that he hasnt talked to his parent about his White Lotus nude scenes. I have not told them anything, but there are scenes that I will not be watching with them, he told E! News earlier this month.

Euphoria star Hunter Schafer has addressed the growing fan speculation about her potentially playing Mystique in upcoming X-Men films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Schafer, who attended the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards after earning a nomination for Best Lead Performance for her role in the horror film Cuckoo, shared her thoughts on the fan-casting rumors.Source

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

Tech entrepreneur Tristan Schukraft, known for his string of successful ventures, has made a bold move into the world of hospitality by acquiring a significant portion of Fire Islands Pines district. The $17 million deal, announced in May 2024, includes the purchase of key venues such as a hotel, nightclub, restaurant, and the iconic Blue Whale bar, a central hub of the islands gay community.Source

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

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

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

Drag star Shangela, also known as DJ Pierce, issued a statement on social media this Tuesday, defending herself against recent sexual assault accusations and expressing gratitude to fans who have continued to support her. In the post, the performer addressed the allegations, which have surfaced in recent months, and explained the emotional toll of being falsely accused. Hi yall.Source

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

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

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

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

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

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, of La., with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, from left, Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C. and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-25T22:32:01Z WASHINGTON (AP) More than 100 House members at one point packed the steps of the U.S. Capitol to show their support for Ukraine following Russias invasion three years ago, Republicans joining with Democrats in a forceful display of bipartisanship.But that display was harder to find Monday on the third anniversary of the invasion. A press conference held by members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus featured one Republican out of about 18 lawmakers in attendance. Democrats also had a distinct edge when it came to the number of lawmakers who went to the House and Senate floor to commemorate the anniversary.The split-screen was just the latest indication of how much support for Ukraine has eroded in the nations capital as President Donald Trump charts a vastly different course for American policy. Trump is seeking to reestablish ties with Russia while disparaging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pressuring Ukraine to give the United States access to its mineral resources to recoup military aid it has provided during the war. While a group of congressional Republicans still voice support for Ukraine, they have given little indication they will defy Trumps new direction on European foreign policy, instead holding out hope that Trump will come around to supporting Kyiv.Rep. Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat who helped organize the press conference Monday, said of Republicans that quietly, they are supportive, but publicly, no. The Ukraine Caucus rallies supportAbout 20 Republicans are part of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus out of about 90 members total. Invitations to caucus members were issued Thursday, but the event was also held during a fly-in day, when most members dont come back into Washington until evening votes. Some Republicans also said they were unaware of the event.Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, the lone Republican who did speak at the press conference, said he was lucky to get there in time because of flight issues. He disputed that resolve regarding Ukraine has dropped with his GOP colleagues.I still see strong support everywhere I go among my colleagues, Wilson said. Im confident that its understood how important it is we stand with democracies in the world, whether it be Israel, or Ukraine, or Taiwan. To me, theyre totally interconnected.Wilson said that when he traveled to Europe last week for the Munich Security Conference, there was still bipartisan agreement among U.S. lawmakers on supporting Ukraine. As for the American president, his outlook is look at what Donald Trump does, not how he gets there.Democrats used the anniversary press conference to harshly criticize Trump. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md, said Trump continued to do Russias job for it by bringing Vladimir Putin out of isolation, by cutting Ukraine out of negotiations and by parroting Russian propaganda, including the blatant lie, the incredible lie, the unbelievable lie that Ukraine started this war three years ago. Fallout from the United Nations voteMondays anniversary also came as the U.S. refused to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three United Nations resolutions seeking an end to the war. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., chided Republicans on the House floor.Arent you embarrassed by what you have become? Balint said. It is revolting to watch my colleagues side with Russia because Trump said so.On the other side of the Capitol, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa opened the Senate with a speech in support of Ukraine and a warning. He said Russia is a country that has institutionalized corruption and a place where citizens can be imprisoned for mild criticism of the government. Conservatives imagine that Russia doesnt exist today as I just described, so they are willing to sit down with people who have no political liberties, no political opposition. And it seems to me this is something that this senator would not do, Grassley said.Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, also subtly pushed back on Trumps direction on Ukraine when speaking to reporters outside the Senate chamber, saying that Putin is a murderer and hes invaded Ukraine.At some point, youve got to make sure that you are a broker for peace and democracy, and I dont see Putin playing any role in a democratic, Western world, Tillis added. Republicans giving Trump space to negotiateSenate Majority Leader John Thune, who has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, walked a careful line Tuesday when asked about Trumps actions toward Ukraine, suggesting the negotiations underway need to play out.What Im in support of is a peaceful outcome and result in Ukraine, and I think right now the administration, the president and his team are working to achieve that. And I think right now, youve got to give them some space, honestly, Thune said.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, took to the Senate floor to criticize Trumps position. He said the U.S. for three years has been clear about where it stands on the war. It has provided robust security assistance to Ukraine and has turned Putin into a pariah in the West. But today, on this third anniversary of Putins war, Donald Trump is turning his back on the values that America stands for of democracy, of security, and of liberty, Schumer said. Instead of standing up to Putin, Donald Trump is siding with him and against our own allies.Earlier in the day, Trump in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of visiting Russia at some point and of forging economic ties. He was critical of former President Joe Biden for not communicating with Putin and spoke optimistically of ending the fighting. He also declined to explain the U.S. votes at the United Nations earlier in the day.I think we could end it within weeks if were smart. If were not smart, itll keep going and well keep losing young, beautiful people that shouldnt be dying and we dont want that, Trump said. And remember what I said, this could escalate into a third world war and we dont want that either.While Democrats dominated the floor time spent on Ukraine, it was a more bipartisan effort when it came to legislation. Eight Republican senators signed onto a measure from Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire that among other things reaffirmed U.S. support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The non-binding resolution also emphasized that Ukraine must be a participant in discussions with Russia about Ukraines future.___ STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Latvia Foreign Minister Baiba Braze addresses the UN Security Council, at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2025-02-26T05:01:42Z UNITED NATIONS (AP) Latvias foreign minister warns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will try to achieve in peace talks what he hasnt been able to accomplish in his war against Ukraine weaken the United States and restore control over his smaller neighbor.Baiba Brae spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday during a week of intense diplomacy between Europe and the United States following President Donald Trumps upending of U.S. policy with his decision to hold direct talks with Russia, while excluding Ukraine and its European allies from the initial discussions.Brae notes that Russia, with a population of 140 million, has managed to gain control of less than 20% of Ukraine, population 40 million, since it seized Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Putin has failed to weaken the U.S. and the NATO military alliance it leads, or to oust the democratic government in Kyiv. So, when it comes to seeking peace, I think the difficulty is with the Russians, because Russians are the ones who want to weaken U.S. power, and who want to weaken the U.S. in the world overall, Brae said. What the world is seeing, she said, is that when Putin interferes in other countries he wants to control both territory and the political choices of their governments. In Syria, for example, he supported the authoritarian regime of Bashar Assad and got military bases on the Mediterranean. But Putin hasnt gotten what he wanted during the three-year war in Ukraine and he will try to get it through the peace talks, Brae said. So, its important to clearly remember that perspective in whatever deal we negotiate or strike.She said although only U.S. and Russian officials took part in last weeks talks in Saudi Arabia, Europe is included in the peace discussions because of constant communications with both the Ukrainians and the Americans. She has been in Washington three times since mid-December and said she was heading there later Tuesday for talks with lawmakers and administration officials. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Trump at the White House on Monday, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due to meet with him on Thursday. Brae stressed that Europes task now is to strengthen the transatlantic alliance and build up its own militaries and defense industries.Last week, Latvia announced it will increase defense spending to 4% of GDP next year and continue to move toward 5%. NATO members have agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense.We are investing in our own capability, she said. We wish all Europeans would do that. Thats one of the issues we are discussing.As NATO members, Brae said, Latvia and the neighboring Baltic states of Estonia and Lithuania need to make sure they are prepared for any future aggression from Russia. She said their focus is on deterrence early warning, rapid response, military capability and political will.The three Baltic states were occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II and fell under Soviet control after the war. Like Ukraine, they became independent countries with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Brae stressed Monday to the U.N. Security Council that only Ukraines victory can ensure lasting security and put an end to Russias imperialist aggression.We strongly believe that a rushed ceasefire will not lead to sustainable peace; instead, it will only embolden Russia, encouraging further expansion and putting global security at grave risk, she said.Macron said he had spoken to 30 European and allied leaders, with some saying they are willing to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine in a peace deal.Brae said that while there have been preliminary discussions, there is no peace process yet.When there is, she said, We will be guided very much by the needs of Ukraine.For any security force, we need military guidance, Latvias top diplomat said. We need military advice. What type of force is there? Where? Are the troops withdrawn on the Russian side from the contact line? How far? What is the location of any security force?But Brae said the most important thing is peace must be long-lasting, not just a ceasefire where war can restart again. Nobody wants that, she said.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addresses attendees at the Microsoft Ignite conference, Nov. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)2025-02-25T20:23:36Z WASHINGTON (AP) Five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with the companys chief executive for protesting contracts to provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military.The protest on Monday came after an investigation by The Associated Press revealed last week that sophisticated AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother.Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was speaking about new products at an employee town hall meeting at the companys corporate campus in Redmond, Washington. Workers standing about 15 feet to his right then revealed T-shirts that when they stood side-by-side spelled out the question Does Our Code Kill Kids, Satya? Photos and video of the incident, which was live streamed throughout the company, shows Nadella kept speaking and did not acknowledge the protesters. Two men quickly tapped the workers on the shoulders and ushered them out of the room. We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard, Microsoft said in a statement provided to the AP. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards. Microsoft did not answer Tuesday when asked whether the employees involved in the protest would face disciplinary action. The company also previously declined to comment about the APs Feb. 18 story about its contracts with the Israeli military.In October, Microsoft fired two workers for helping organize an unauthorized lunchtime vigil for Palestinian refugees at its headquarters. Microsoft said at the time that it ended the employment of some people in accordance with internal policy but declined to give details. A group of workers has been raising concerns within the company for months about Microsoft providing services to the Israeli military through its Azure cloud computing platform. Some employees at the company have also spoken out in support of Israel and said those supporting Palestinians have made them feel unsafe.The APs investigation included exclusive details drawn from internal company data and documents, including that the usage of AI models by the Israeli military through Azure increased nearly 200 times after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants. The APs report was shared and discussed among Microsoft employees on social media and within the companys internal systems. In a community forum designated for employees to raise concerns with senior leadership, an employee shared links to the AP report. More than a dozen others questioned whether the company was violating its stated principles to defend human rights and not to let its AI models be used to harm people, according to screenshots reviewed by the AP. Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist who was one of the Microsoft workers fired over the October vigil, said the company is prioritizing profits over its own human rights commitments.The demands are clear, said Mohamed, who works with a group of Microsoft workers called No Azure for Apartheid. Satya Nadella and Microsoft executives need to answer to their workers by dropping contracts with the Israeli military.___Contact APs global investigative team at [emailprotected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ MICHAEL BIESECKER Biesecker is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington. He reports on a wide range of topics, including human conflict, climate change and political corruption. twitter instagram mailto

A woman prays for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, where the Pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-02-26T07:46:03Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis remained in critical condition and resting Wednesday, as Argentines and Romans alike gathered in the Eternal City to pray for his recovery from double pneumonia.The Vaticans short morning update said: The pope had a peaceful night and is resting.On Tuesday night, the faithful from Francis homeland gathered in the Argentine church of Rome for a special Mass presided over by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the popes vicar for Rome. The rector of the church, the Rev. Fernando Laguna, said that he hoped the pope could feel the embrace of the communitys prayer from the Gemelli hospital where he is recovering. I cant go to Gemelli, because for him to recover he must be isolated, he said. I know that I hug him and that he hugs me when I pray. And now I would like to embrace the pope.Sister Nilda Trejo said that she knew Francis health has always been delicate, with problems breathing and speaking loudly, and thats why she always prayed for him. We knew that he often found it difficult, she said. In fact, you see that at the beginning of Mass, the microphone always has to be turned up because he has a bit of trouble. But he always spoke to the people. To the heart of the people. Across town, Romans and others gathered in St. Peters Square for the nightly Rosary prayer, presided over by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Doctors said that Francis was in critical but stable condition and hadnt suffered any new respiratory crises. He underwent a follow-up CT scan on Tuesday evening to check the lung infection, but no results were provided. Doctors said that his prognosis remained guarded.Francis continued to work from the hospital, and on Tuesday announced some major governing decisions that suggest hes getting essential work done and looking ahead.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Mourners gather around the car carrying the coffins of slain hostages Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, during their funeral procession in Rishon Lezion, Israel, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. The mother and her two children were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and their remains were returned from Gaza to Israel last week as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)2025-02-26T10:14:09Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Holding flags, orange balloons and signs that said forgive us, tens of thousands of Israelis lined highways as the bodies of a mother and her two young sons, killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip, were taken for burial on Wednesday. The plight of the Bibas family has come to embody the profound sense of loss and grief still permeating Israel after the militant Hamas groups Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.Footage of a terrified Shiri Bibas clutching her two redheaded sons 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel as they were taken to Gaza by militants is seared into the countrys collective memory. Israel says forensic evidence shows the boys were killed by their captors in November 2023, while Hamas says the family was killed along with their guards in an Israeli airstrike.Their bodies were handed over earlier this month as part of a ceasefire deal that paused the Israel-Hamas war. Israelis endured another moment of agony when testing showed that one of the bodies returned by Hamas was identified as someone else. Shiris body was returned the following night and positively identified. Yarden Bibas was abducted separately and released alive in a different handover last month. His wife and their two children will be buried in a private ceremony near Kibbutz Nir Oz near Gaza, where they were living when they were abducted. The three will be buried next to Shiris parents, who were also killed in the attack. People lined up on the side of the roads as far as the eye could see sobbed and embraced each other as the casket made their way along the 100 kilometer (60 miles) route from central Israel to the cemetery. Hundreds of motorcycles, each with an Israeli flag and orange ribbons, rode solemnly behind the convoy. In the city of Tel Aviv, thousands gathered to watch a broadcast of the eulogies, many dressed in orange. Kfir was the youngest of about 30 children taken hostage. The infant, with red hair and a toothless smile, quickly became well-known across Israel. His ordeal was raised by Israeli leaders on podiums around the world.The extended Bibas family has been active at protests, branding the color orange as the symbol of their fight for the ginger babies. They marked Kfir Bibas first birthday with a release of orange balloons and lobbied world leaders for support.Family photos aired on TV and posted on social media created a national bond with the two boys and made them familiar faces. Israelis learned of Ariel Bibas love for Batman. Photos from a happier time showed the entire family dressed up as the character. On Wednesday, many people dressed up in Batman costumes and saluted as the caskets passed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the delayed release of Shiris remains a cruel and malicious violation of the ceasefire agreement.We waited for certainty, but it brings no comfort only profound grief, Ofri Bibas Levy, the boys aunt, said when the boys remains were identified.During the release of the bodies in Gaza, Hamas militants displayed coffins on a stage labeled with Shiris name and those of her two boys as upbeat music blared. Behind them hung a panel where their pictures hovered beneath a cartoon of a vampiric-looking Netanyahu.Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza and 251 were taken hostage. More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In this image made from video provided by Koryo Tours, tourist group get briefing from North Korean host at Namsan Hotel in Rason, North Korea on Feb. 20, 2025. (Koryo Tours via AP)2025-02-26T10:28:19Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) A small group of foreign tourists has visited North Korea in the past week, making them the first international travelers to enter the country in five years except for a group of Russian tourists who went to the North last year.The latest trip indicates North Korea may be gearing up for a full resumption of its international tourism to bring in much-needed foreign currency to revive its struggling economy, experts say. The Beijing-based travel company Koryo Tours said it arranged a five-day trip from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24 for 13 international tourists to the northeastern North Korean border city of Rason, where the countrys special economic zone is located. Koryo Tours General Manager Simon Cockerell said the travelers from the U.K., Canada, Greece, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Australia and Italy crossed by land from China. He said that in Rason, they visited factories, shops, schools and the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the late grandfather and father of current leader Kim Jong Un. Since January of 2020, the country has been closed to all international tourists, and we are glad to have finally found an opening in the Rason area, in the far north of North Korea, Cockerell said. Our first tour has been and gone, and now more tourists on both group and private visits are going in, arranging trips, he added. After the pandemic began, North Korea quickly banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely curtailed border traffic in one of the worlds most draconian COVID-19 restrictions. But since 2022, North Korea has been slowly easing curbs and reopening its borders.In February 2024, North Korea accepted about 100 Russian tourists, the first foreign nationals to visit the country for sightseeing. That surprised many observers, who thought the first post-pandemic tourists would come from China, North Koreas biggest trading partner and major ally. A total of about 880 Russian tourists visited North Korea throughout 2024, South Koreas Unification Ministry said, citing official Russian data. Chinese group tours to North Korea remain stalled. This signals how much North Korea and Russia have moved closer to each other as the North has supplied weapons and troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. Ties between North Korea and China cooled as China showed its reluctance to join a three-way, anti-U.S. alliance with North Korea and Russia, experts say.Before the pandemic, tourism was an easy, legitimate source for foreign currency for North Korea, one of the worlds most sanctioned countries because of its nuclear program. North Korea is expected to open a massive tourism site on the east coast in June. In January when President Donald Trump boasted about his ties with Kim Jong Un, he said that I think he has tremendous condo capabilities. Hes got a lot of shoreline. That likely refers to the eastern coast site.A return of Chinese tourists would be key to making North Koreas tourism industry lucrative because they represented more than 90% of total international tourists before the pandemic, said Lee Sangkeun, an expert at the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Koreas intelligence agency. He said that in the past, up to 300,000 Chinese tourists visited North Korea annually. North Korea has been heavily investing on tourism sites, but there have been not much domestic demand, Lee said. We can assess that North Korea now wants to resume international tourism to bring in many tourists from abroad.The restrictions that North Korea has typically imposed on foreign travelers such as requirements that they move with local guides and the banning of photography at sensitive places will likely hurt its efforts to develop tourism. Lee said that Rason, the eastern coast site and Pyongyang would be the places where North Korea feels it can easily monitor and control foreign tourists. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-02-26T00:31:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) A new federal lawsuit in Maryland is challenging a Trump administration memo giving the nations schools and universities two weeks to eliminate race-based practices of any kind or risk losing their federal money.The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by the American Federation of Teachers union and the American Sociological Association, says the Education Departments Feb. 14 memo violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Forcing schools to teach only the views supported by the federal government amounts to a violation of free speech, the organizations say, and the directive is so vague that schools dont know what practices cross the line.This letter radically upends and re-writes otherwise well-established jurisprudence, the lawsuit said. No federal law prevents teaching about race and race-related topics, and the Supreme Court has not banned efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. The memo, formally known as a Dear Colleague Letter, orders schools and universities to stop any practice that treats people differently because of their race, giving a deadline of this Friday. As a justification, it cites a Supreme Court decision banning the use of race in college admissions, saying the ruling applies more broadly to all federally funded education. President Donald Trumps administration is aiming to end what the memo described as widespread discrimination in education, often against white and Asian American students. At stake is a sweeping expansion of the Supreme Court ruling, which focused on college admissions policies that considered race as a factor when admitting students. In the Feb. 14 memo, the Education Department said it interprets the ruling to apply to admissions, hiring, financial aid, graduation ceremonies and all other aspects of student, academic and campus life.The lawsuit says the Education Department is applying the Supreme Court decision too broadly and overstepping the agencys authority. It takes issue with a line in the memo condemning teaching about systemic and structural racism. It is not clear how a school could teach a fulsome U.S. History course without teaching about slavery, the Missouri Compromise, the Emancipation Proclamation, the forced relocation of Native American tribes and other lessons that might run afoul of the letter, the lawsuit said.The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In the memo, Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, had said schools and colleges diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have been smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline. But under any banner, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is, has been, and will continue to be illegal, Trainor wrote in the memo.The lawsuit argues the Dear Colleague Letter is so broad that it appears to forbid voluntary student groups based on race or background, including Black student unions or Irish-American heritage groups. The memo also appears to ban college admissions practices that werent outlawed in the Supreme Court decision, including recruiting efforts to attract students of all races, the lawsuit said. It asks the court to stop the department from enforcing the memo and strike it down.The American Federation of Teachers is one of the nations largest teachers unions. The sociological association is a group of about 9,000 college students, scholars and teachers. Both groups say their members teach lessons and supervise student organizations that could jeopardize their schools federal money under the memo.____The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. COLLIN BINKLEY Binkley covers the U.S. Education Department and federal education policy for The Associated Press, along with a wide range of issues from K-12 through higher education. twitter mailto

Transgender persons attend cooking class at the Culinary & Hotel Institute of Pakistan, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M Chaudary)2025-02-26T08:51:47Z LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) For transgender students involved in a very special project at a culinary school in Pakistan, there is more to a class than just learning the art of cooking. Neha Malik used to dance at parties and weddings for a living and was, occasionally, a sex worker. Since January, she has been enrolled in a new course for the trans community at the Culinary & Hotel Institute of Pakistan. The free six-month program in the city of Lahore, Pakistans cultural capital, welcomed its first group of 25 trans students in January; the second group of 25 began training on Feb. 1. Now, Malik, 31, dreams of working as a chef in Dubai, the futuristic, skyscraper-studded city in the United Arab Emirates.She never misses a class. I am so absorbed in learning that I dont have time to dance anymore, she added.Many Pakistanis have entrenched beliefs on gender and sexuality, and trans people are often considered outcasts in the conservative Muslim-majority country. Some are forced into begging, dancing and even prostitution to earn money. They also live in fear of attacks. The U.N. development agency said last year that the majority of trans people in Pakistan reported experiencing violence or abuse and that most reported being denied employment opportunities because of their gender identity. Just 7% were employed in formal sectors, the UNDP added. Trans women in public office and the media have raised awareness about a marginalized and misunderstood community, and overall, the community has seen some progress in the protection of their rights. Supreme Court rulings allow them to self-identify as a third gender, neither male nor female, and have underscored they have the same rights as all Pakistani citizens.Last year, Lahore got its first ride-sharing service for trans people and women in an effort to protect them from discrimination and harassment, and in 2022 Pakistan launched a hotline for trans people. Society usually looks down on us, said Malik. We have to change this mindset. Now, people come up to me and ask what I do when they see me in a chefs coat and hat.Since classes started, students file into the Lahore culinary school with backpacks and beaming smiles, swapping their colorful clothes for white uniforms. However, its a struggle. They each get a monthly stipend of 8,000 rupees, around $26 nowhere near enough to live on as a student. How can we survive on that when my rent is 15,000 rupees? said 26-year-old Zoya Khan. Her utility bills swallow up most of it, she said. So she performs at a few events a month. I used to earn a decent amount (from dancing), I wont lie, she added. But there was no respect in it.Why do we come here? Its because we see hope, said Khan, who wants to start her own business after graduating a roadside cafe.Nadia Shehzad, the institutes chief executive, said the project will help the trans community, a rejected and ignored sector of society get equal recognition. The school is trying to get government officials to help the aspiring chefs with visas to go abroad for work, Shehzad said. There are also talks with local hotels and restaurants about jobs once the students graduate with wages of up to 30,000 rupees, or about $107. Still, its not easy for for trans people to leave behind dancing, begging and sex work for the culinary program, said Shabnam Chaudry, a trans community leader. Many wonder if society would give them work or if people at restaurants would eat food cooked by trans chefs.In the past, Chaudry said she had seen many trans people taking makeup and sewing courses, only to fail to find jobs afterward and be forced to return to begging and dancing to survive. She is also concerned about their prospects of finding a job: Pakistan has hundreds of thousands of young people with skills and degrees who cannot find work. In the face of this tough competition, who will give jobs to trans people, Chaudry asked. People are not ready to shake hands with us.

Israelis gather on the side of a road where the funeral convoy carrying the coffins of slain hostages Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, will pass by near Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, Israel, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. The mother and her two children were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and their remains were returned from Gaza to Israel last week as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)2025-02-26T07:47:50Z CAIRO (AP) Hamas will return the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages on Thursday in exchange for Israels release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the group said, just days before the first phase of the ceasefire between the warring parties was to expire.Israel has delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it says is the cruel treatment of hostages during their release by Hamas. The militant group has said the delay is a serious violation of their ceasefire and that talks on a second phase are not possible until the Palestinians are freed.Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Hamas would hand over the bodies of four Israelis the next day.In exchange, Israel would release the Palestinian prisoners, as well as an unspecified number of women and minors detained since the militant groups Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the conflict. An Israeli official confirmed that the bodies of four hostages were expected to be turned over but provided no further details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Israel and Hamas had already said on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached to return the bodies of the hostages, but no date had been announced. Hamas has released hostages, and the bodies of four dead hostages, in large public ceremonies during which the Israelis were paraded and forced to wave to large crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have said the ceremonies were humiliating to the hostages, and Israel last weekend delayed the scheduled prisoner release in protest.The deadlock over the exchange had threatened to collapse the ceasefire when the current six-week first phase of the deal expires this weekend.The latest agreement would complete both sides obligations of the first phase of the ceasefire during which Hamas is returning 33 hostages, including eight bodies in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. It also could clear the way for an expected visit this week by the White Houses Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the region. Witkoff has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas are to be released and an end to the war is to be negotiated. The Phase 2 talks were supposed to begin weeks ago, but never did. The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of heavy fighting that erupted after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 people hostage.Israels military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gazas population and decimated the territorys infrastructure and health system. The Hamas-run Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but it says that over half of the dead have been women and children.___Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report. SAMY MAGDY Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses. twitter facebook mailto MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Yael Alexander holds a poster of her son, Edan, who was taken hostage by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, during a weekly rally for families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and their supporters, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)2025-02-26T06:00:40Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Yael Alexander has been watching the release of hostages from Gaza over the past six weeks with a mix of joy, envy and fear. Her son Edan, an American-Israeli hostage held for over 500 days, is not yet on the list of those to be freed.As uncertainty swirls over the future of the fragile ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the families of hostages still in Gaza are struggling to maintain hope that they will see their loved ones soon.This is a critical time, said Alexander, whose son was a 19-year-old soldier when he was abducted by Hamas-led militants. I know my son is probably in tunnels, so I understand that hes not seeing sunlight, and the air is very thin underground, said Alexander. Its very, very difficult for me to even think about it.The ceasefire deal that paused the 15-monthlong war in Gaza has held despite repeated crises. But with its first stage coming to an end this week, its fate remains unclear. The two sides were supposed to negotiate a second phase in which Hamas would release all of the remaining living hostages taken during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.But the sides havent even started those talks, leaving the families of the remaining hostages terrified for the fate of their loved ones and desperate for progress. Pinning hopes on the Trump administrationSince he is a soldier, Edan Alexander was not expected to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Hamas is releasing 33 hostages mostly women and older or sick men for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Still, every week, Yael Alexander hoped in vain she might see her sons name on a list of hostages to be freed. Each time she didnt was a punch to the stomach, she said. She is thrilled for every family that is reunited, but she dreams of her own jubilant embrace with her son and wonders if it will ever happen. Alexander is pinning her hopes on the Trump administration. On Sunday, President Donald Trumps special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told CBS that Alexander was front and center for the administration. Its one of President Trumps most (important) objectives, is to get all Americans home and were going to be successful in getting Edan home, Witkoff said.That sparked hope for Alexanders mother. Every time they say Edans name, its like they didnt forget. They didnt forget hes American, and theyre working on it, she said.After months of talks with no progress, the Trump administration was speaking the language of the Middle East, she said, giving credit to the president for applying pressure and clinching a ceasefire the day before his inauguration. Hostage families grow desperateThe tenuous ceasefire has faced repeated stumbling blocks and, most recently, Israel delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners over what it calls the humiliating hostage handovers in staged ceremonies in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faces pressure from his political allies to resume the war and crush Hamas.There are 27 hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza and eligible for release as part of the second phase of the ceasefire. The remains of 35 others who were killed in the Oct. 7 attack or in captivity are also being held. There are also the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014 whose body was taken to Gaza.The families have been ratcheting up pressure on the Israeli government to move ahead with talks to release more hostages. And Hamas latest tactics are only fueling more desperation. On Saturday, it posted a video of two hostages, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, whom it forced to witness the release of other hostages. Hamas militants filmed them pleading for their freedom in a vehicle as they watched the three Israeli hostages on stage before their transfer to the Red Cross. Their distraught families called the video cruel and said it was proof of the urgent need to get everyone out.I dont know how, after this event they experienced yesterday, they will be able to gather their strength again, Galia David, the mother of Evyatar David, told Israels Reshet Bet radio station on Sunday. Its clearly staged, but their desperation is real. A plea for progress before time runs outHamas released a video of Edan Alexander last November during the Thanksgiving weekend, his favorite holiday, his mother said. The video was difficult to watch as he cries and pleads for help, But it was a relief to see it, the most recent a sign that he was alive, she said.A native of Tenafly, New Jersey, where his parents and two younger siblings still live, Edan Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after high school and enlisted in the military.Since his abduction, Alexanders relatives have divided their time between Israel, Washington, D.C., where they meet frequently with politicians, and their New Jersey home. Edan Alexanders family has placed a Torah scroll in the room in his grandparents Tel Aviv apartment where he often stayed. When she is in Israel, Yael Alexander enters the room twice a day to pray and send strength to her son. She said she often dreams about him. Alexander said she is sick of hearing about talks. What she wants is action.We have had a lot of talking, she said, gesturing to a sticker on her jacket with the number 506, the number of days her son had been in captivity on Sunday. There are more than two dozen young men who are waiting, and my son is among them. They are alive. They are waiting to be released.I cant wait for that day when they tell me, Yael, you have to come to Israel to get Edan back, she said, her eyes filling with tears. MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)2025-02-26T13:08:16Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A framework economic deal with the United States is ready, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, but security guarantees that Kyiv views as vital remain to be decided and a full agreement could hinge on talks in Washington as early as Friday.The framework deal is a first step toward a comprehensive agreement that will be subject to ratification by Ukraines parliament, Zelenskyy said during a news conference in Kyiv.Ukraine needs to know where the United States stands on its continued military support, Zelenskyy said.He said expects to have a wide-ranging substantive conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington.I want to coordinate with the U.S., Zelenskyy said.Zelenskyy said that the main topics that he wants to discuss with Trump are whether the U.S. plans to halt military aid and, if so, whether Ukraine would be able to purchase weapons directly from the U.S. He also wants to know whether Ukraine can use frozen Russian assets for weapons investments and whether Washington plans to lift sanctions on Russia.Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that Ukraine and the United States have reached preliminary agreement on a broad economic deal that includes U.S. access to Ukraines rare earth minerals amid its war with Russia. After days of negotiations, Ukraine and the U.S. will sign the preliminary agreement, but with further details of a full agreement including U.S. security guarantees that Kyiv officials view as vital still to be worked out, Shmyhal said on Ukrainian public television. Since returning to office last month, Trump let Ukraine know that he wanted something in return for tens of billions of dollars in U.S. help to fend off the full-scale invasion that Russia launched just over three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022.Trump has abruptly ditched some previous Washington policies. He scrapped efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and cast doubt on U.S. support for its European allies. That has brought momentous geopolitical shifts that could reset the wars path this year.The preliminary agreement sets out the terms and conditions of an investment fund for the rebuilding of Ukraine, Shmyhal said.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is seen at sunset, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Arlington, Va.. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)2025-02-26T12:58:32Z ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) An American Airlines plane arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport discontinued its landing, performing a go-around at an air traffic controllers instruction to avoid getting too close to another aircraft departing from the same runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said.The maneuver involving American Flight 2246 from Boston occurred around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, less than two hours before another plane attempting to land at Chicagos Midway Airport was forced to climb back into the sky to avoid another aircraft crossing the runway. Southwest said Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, safely landed after the crew performed a precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with another aircraft that entered the runway, an airline spokesperson said in an email. The crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident. American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the go-around at Washington National.The past few weeks have seen four major aviation disasters in North America. They include the Feb. 6 crash of a commuter plane in Alaska that killed all 10 people on board and the Jan. 26 midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight at National Airport that killed all 67 aboard the two aircraft. A medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed Jan. 31 into a Philadelphia neighborhood. That crash killed seven people, including all those aboard, and injured 19 others.Twenty-one people were injured Feb. 17 when a Delta flight flipped and landed on its roof at Torontos Pearson Airport.

We start this week's episode with Joseph finding out someone basically ripped off his book with a potentially AI-generated summary. Emanuel also updates us on some of the impact his reporting on AI in libraries has had. After the break, Sam tells us all about a Y Combinator supported startup that is straight-up dehumanizing factory workers. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about an apparent act of protest from inside the U.S. government involving an AI video of Musk and Trump.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. SXSW event informationA Slop Publisher Sold a Ripoff of My Book on AmazonY Combinator Supports AI Startup Dehumanizing Factory WorkersAI Video of Trump Sucking Musk's Toes Blasted on Government Office TVs

Venezuelan migrant Gabriela Villanueva holds her daughter as she waits to board a boat to Colombia on Panama's Caribbean coastal island of Gardi Sugdub, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, after turning back from southern Mexico where they gave up hopes of reaching the U.S. amid President Trump's crackdown on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)2025-02-26T05:00:13Z MEXICO CITY (AP) Venezuelan migrants handed over to Mexico like its a U.S. immigration detention facility. Families from Central Asia flown to Panama and Costa Rica to await voluntary repatriation to their countries. Venezuelans from Guantanamo Bay handed off on a Honduran tarmac and returned to Caracas.It all sends the unmistakable message that trying to get to the U.S. border is no longer worth it. U.S. President Donald Trumps administration has laid the groundwork to reverse the regions migration flow. And while the numbers remain modest, an outline of how the U.S. hopes to overcome limited detention space as it gears up its deportation machine is emerging. Migrants wearing face masks and shackles on their hands and feet sit on a military aircraft at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Tx., Jan. 30, 2025, awaiting their deportation to Guatemala. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez, File) Migrants wearing face masks and shackles on their hands and feet sit on a military aircraft at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Tx., Jan. 30, 2025, awaiting their deportation to Guatemala. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Making deals across Latin AmericaIn its first month, the Trump administration has reached deals with Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama to act as stopovers or destinations for migrants expelled from the U.S. It has brokered deals with Venezuela to pick up its people in Texas, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Honduras.But none of the agreements have been detailed for the public, raising concerns about evading international protections for refugees and asylum-seekers. Adam Isacson, a researcher with the Washington-based human rights advocacy organization WOLA, suspects many were little more than improvised handshake deals. They were requests made while Trump threatened tariffs and to take back the Panama Canal. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio moved through the region while U.S. foreign aid was suspended, bestowing exemptions when merited. A migrant peers through the window of a plane carrying Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States after it landed at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) A migrant peers through the window of a plane carrying Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States after it landed at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Trump made deals during his first presidency with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to take in asylum-seekers, though only Mexico and Guatemala actually received them.But the agreements in his second term are more varied, ranging from Honduras letting Venezuelans get off a U.S. plane and board a Venezuelan one in its territory last week, to El Salvador offering to imprison deportees and even U.S. citizen prisoners. Theyre being much more ambitious now, Isacson said. The idea of sending people to be warehoused like goods, to deport them to third countries wasnt an issue in Trumps first term.The numbers remain relatively small, but images of deportees deplaning in shackles and deportees holding up signs asking for help in the Panama hotel where theyre held are powerful. A migrant deported from the United States stands in a hotel room in Panama City, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) A migrant deported from the United States stands in a hotel room in Panama City, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Shock and awe to get things startedThis is still a preliminary phase because Congress has not approved a new budget, Isacson said. While theyre at that lowest level of resources they are doing all of the shock and awe possible, he said. The idea is to scare them.Now the migration flow that is visible is of deportations and migrants boarding boats in Panama to take them south to Colombia rather than migrants riding trains north through Mexico or massing at the U.S. border.In just a month, Mexico has received more than 3,300 foreign deportees, who advocates say were from at least seven nationalities. Venezuelan migrants arrive at Panamas Caribbean coastal island of in Gardi Sugdub, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, to board boats to Colombia after giving up hopes of reaching the U.S. while in southern Mexico as President Trump cracks down on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Venezuelan migrants arrive at Panamas Caribbean coastal island of in Gardi Sugdub, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, to board boats to Colombia after giving up hopes of reaching the U.S. while in southern Mexico as President Trump cracks down on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A number of them carried unusual U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents that read: Reason for transfer: removal. Name of new facility (immigration): MEXICO. They appear to have nothing to do with the Remain in Mexico program from Trumps first term that made asylum-seekers wait out the U.S. process from Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum has said little about Mexicos participation other than highlighting her administrations willingness to cooperate. The U.S. Department of State has praised Mexico for receiving deportation flights and for returning migrants from elsewhere to their countries.Farther south the numbers are smaller, but the imagery has been stronger. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum greets guests as she arrives for a Housing for Wellbeing even, in Mexico City, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum greets guests as she arrives for a Housing for Wellbeing even, in Mexico City, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Panama, a bridge in the other directionPanama, where more than 500,000 migrants passed en route to the U.S. border in 2023, suddenly became a bridge this month for U.S. efforts to deport asylum seekers. Nearly 300 U.S. deportees from 10 mostly Asian countries were held in a Panama City hotel. Some put signs to their windows that read Help and We are not save (sic) in our country.About one-third of those in the hotel who refused to voluntarily return to their countries were then sent to a remote camp back in the very jungle they had probably crossed in the other direction. One deportee in the camp told The Associated Press they were not informed of their rights and werent told how long they would be in the camp, which concerned her because of its poor conditions. Luis Sanchez, center, sits with other Venezuelan migrants on a boat leaving Gardi Sugdub on Panamas Caribbean coast, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after giving up hopes of reaching the U.S. while in southern Mexico amid President Trumps crackdown on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Luis Sanchez, center, sits with other Venezuelan migrants on a boat leaving Gardi Sugdub on Panamas Caribbean coast, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after giving up hopes of reaching the U.S. while in southern Mexico amid President Trumps crackdown on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Similar flights landed in Costa Rica last week and they were sent to a remote facility that had also previously received migrants headed north.In addition to those flights, 50 to 75 migrants are moving south through Costa Rica on their own daily, according to Omer Badilla, Costa Ricas vice minister of the interior.He raised the possibility of Panama and Colombia getting involved to organize boat trips south for migrants. On Tuesday, Panama Security Minister Frank Abrego said that boats were carrying migrants south with the full knowledge of regional authorities, but he added that they were irregular arrangements made with boat captains. Panama and Costa Rica say U.N. agencies are assisting with the repatriations and that the U.S. government is paying. The International Organization for Migration said that it was helping authorities provide basic services and facilitating voluntary repatriations when it is safe to do so.With the old flow (south to north) the situation is pretty under control, Panamanian President Jos Ral Mulino said Thursday. That shows that now the problem is coming in the opposite direction and we hope that can be managed in an orderly fashion. Venezuelan migrants play dominoes in Puerto Carti, on Panamas Caribbean coast, Feb. 22, 2025, where they plan to board boats to Colombia after turning back from southern Mexico where they gave up hopes of reaching the U.S. amid President Trumps crackdown on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Venezuelan migrants play dominoes in Puerto Carti, on Panamas Caribbean coast, Feb. 22, 2025, where they plan to board boats to Colombia after turning back from southern Mexico where they gave up hopes of reaching the U.S. amid President Trumps crackdown on migration. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Concerns about vulnerable migrantsEven with the involvement of U.N. agencies, concerns abound about vulnerable migrants being passed from country to country and even sent back to countries they fled.Advocates worry the U.S. may be using third countries to deport migrants from countries where the U.S. may not have diplomatic relations or strained ones, to get around constraints in international law that are supposed to prevent people from being sent back to places they would not be safe.Gretchen Kuhner, director of IMUMI, a nongovernmental legal services organization in Mexico, said recently a flight carrying Venezuelans from the United States to Venezuela made a stop in Cancun. But IMUMI wasnt able to speak with the migrants aboard directly to know if they wanted to try to request asylum in Mexico while in the countrys territory.Isacson said among the Venezuelans sent back to that country have been people who deserted the armed forces, who would now be in the hands of the military. The risks could be even more dire for some migrants from Iran and Afghanistan.The regions governments are understandably sensitive about appearing to be aiding in Trumps deportation efforts, but Isacson said transparency will better shield them from those criticisms. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, meets with President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque, El Salvador, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, meets with President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque, El Salvador, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___Associated Press journalist Juan Zamorano in Panama City contributed to this report.___Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Signs are seen as Tshishiku Henry, a former refugee and Washington State Delegate for the Refugee Congress, speaks during a rally outside the U.S District Court after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's effort to halt the nation's refugee admissions system, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)2025-02-26T05:03:32Z SEATTLE (AP) President Donald Trumps effort to suspend the system for resettling refugees in the U.S. is on hold after a federal judge in Seattle blocked it. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, found that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he cannot nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the program.The Justice Department indicated it would consider a quick appeal, saying Trumps actions have been well within his authority.Heres what to know about the case. What is this lawsuit about? Trump halted the nations refugee resettlement program as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration, saying cities had been taxed by record levels of migration and couldnt absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees. He barred refugees from coming to the U.S., and the administration began cutting off funding for agencies that support refugees.The refugee program, created by Congress in 1980, is a form of legal migration to the U.S. for people displaced by war, natural disaster or persecution a process that often takes years and involves significant vetting. It is different from asylum, by which people newly arrived in the U.S. can seek permission to remain because they fear persecution in their home country. Despite long-standing support from both parties for accepting refugees, the program has become politicized in recent years. Trump also temporarily halted it during his first term, and then dramatically decreased the number of refugees who could enter the U.S. each year.There are 600,000 people being processed to come to the U.S. as refugees around the world, according to the administration. Major refugee aid groups are challenging TrumpThe lawsuit filed in Seattle was brought by individual refugees whose efforts to resettle in the U.S. have been halted as well as major refugee aid groups. Those organizations include International Refugee Assistance Project on behalf of Church World Service, the Jewish refugee resettlement agency HIAS and Lutheran Community Services Northwest. They say they have had to lay off staff because the administration froze funding for processing refugee applications overseas as well as support, such as short-term rental assistance for those already in the U.S.We resettled people days before the inauguration that were just cut off from benefits, said Lutheran Community Services Northwest CEO David Duea said after Tuesdays hearing. That means rent, helping kids get into school, and case management. It was an inhumane act.Justice Department lawyer August Flentje disputed the notion that the plaintiffs had suffered the sort of irreparable harms that would warrant granting a broad order blocking the administrations actions. Most people whose travel to the U.S. was canceled at the last minute had already been moved to a third country where they were out of danger, he said, and the cancellation of funding for refugee aid groups amounted to a contract dispute.The judge disagreed. Ive read the declarations, Whitehead said. I have refugees stranded in dangerous places. I have families who have sold everything theyve owned in advance of travel, which was canceled. I have spouses and children separated indefinitely from their family members in the U.S., resettlement agencies that have already laid off hundreds of staff.Last week, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., refused to immediately block the Trump administrations actions in a similar lawsuit brought by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. That case faces another hearing Friday. The judge said the presidents authority is broad, not limitlessDuring Tuesdays arguments, Flentje cited a law that allows the president to deny entry to foreigners whose admission to the U.S. would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.But Whitehead determined the presidents actions amounted to an effective nullification of congressional will in setting up the nations refugee admissions program. He promised to offer a fuller rationale in a written opinion in the next few days.The president has substantial discretion ... to suspend refugee admissions, Whitehead told the parties. But that authority is not limitless. An appeal is expectedFlentje indicated the government might file an emergency appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a motion that would be considered on an expedited basis. He also asked the Whitehead to pause his ruling pending an appeal, but Whitehead called that request premature since he had not yet issued his written decision.Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they expected Whiteheads ruling to clear the way for money to begin flowing again to the organizations and for plaintiffs stranded overseas to be able to book new trips to the U.S., though it remained unclear whether any appeal might complicate that.Outside the courthouse Tuesday, the organizations and their supporters celebrated the ruling, describing refugees as a blessing to the country. Tshishiku Henry, an activist who works on behalf of refugees in Washington state, called his presence the miracle of the second chance. He and his wife resettled in the U.S. in 2018 after fleeing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said.It was a lifeline, Henry said. You didnt offer us just safety, but you gave us back our future. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Brothers of the Desert is currently planning their sixth annual Wellness Summit focusing on Black gay men and allies in the Coachella Valley on Saturday, March 22nd, 2025, at the new Riviera Resort Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs from 8:30am to 4:30pm. This is a unique opportunity to learn from a diverse group of []The post Embrace the Power of Authenticity at the Brothers of the Desert Sixth Annual Wellness Summit appeared first on GEDmagazine.

A sign is seen outside a clinic with the South Plains Public Health District Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Brownfield, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)2025-02-26T14:56:42Z LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) A person who was hospitalized with measles has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month.Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield confirmed the death Wednesday. It wasnt clear the age of the patient, who died overnight.Covenant Childrens Hospital in Lubbock didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said Tuesday. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico.Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in an area where small towns are separated by vast stretches of oil rig-dotted open land but connected due to people traveling between towns for work, church, grocery shopping and other day-to-day errands.___This story has been corrected to show that Melissa Whitfield with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center provided the confirmation of the death, not the spokesperson for the city of Lubbock.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. DEVI SHASTRI Shastri is a public health reporter for The Associated Press, based in Milwaukee. She covers housing access, the social safety net, medical misinformation and other topics that influence the health of communities broadly. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-26T00:36:53Z President Donald Trump said that he plans to offer a gold card visa with a path to citizenship for $5 million, replacing a 35-year-old visa for investors.Theyll be wealthy and theyll be successful, and theyll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think its going to be extremely successful, Trump said Tuesday in the Oval Office.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the Trump Gold Card would replace EB-5 visas in two weeks. EB-5s were created by Congress in 1990 to generate foreign investment and are available to people who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people. Lutnick said the gold card actually a green card, or permanent legal residency would raise the price of admission for investors and do away with fraud and nonsense that he said characterize the EB-5 program. Like other green cards, it would include a path to citizenship. About 8,000 people obtained investor visas in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2022, according to the Homeland Security Departments most recent Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. The Congressional Research Service reported in 2021 that EB-5 visas pose risks of fraud, including verification that funds were obtained legally. Investors visas are common around the world. Henley & Partners, an advisory firm, says more than 100 countries around the world offer golden visas to wealthy individuals, including the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada and Italy. Trump made no mention of the requirements for job creation. And, while the number of EB-5 visas is capped, the Republican president mused that the federal government could sell 10 million gold cards to reduce the deficit. He said it could be great, maybe it will be fantastic.Its somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication, its a road to citizenship for people, and essentially people of wealth or people of great talent, where people of wealth pay for those people of talent to get in, meaning companies will pay for people to get in and to have long, long term status in the country, he said.Congress determines qualifications for citizenship, but Trump said gold cards would not require congressional approval.

People rally at Health and Human Services headquarters to protest the polices of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)2025-02-26T16:31:00Z WASHINGTON (AP) Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by President Donald Trump s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government. The memo expands the Republican presidents effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described as bloated and impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether. The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt, said the memo from Russell Vought, director of the White Houses Office of Management and Budget, and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Trump foreshadowed this goal in an executive order that he signed with Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who is advising Trump on overhauling the government. The order said agency leaders shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force, or RIF. Some departments have already begin this process. The General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, told employees on Monday that a reduction in force was underway and they would everything in our power to make your departure fair and dignified.The memo came as Trump prepared for the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. He planned to include Musk, who oversees the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that all of the Cabinet secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE.Theyll be providing updates on their efforts, and theyll also be providing updates on what theyre doing at their agencies in terms of policies and implementing the promises that the president made on the campaign trail, Leavitt said.Musk has caused turmoil within the federal workforce, most recently by demanding that employees justify their jobs or risk getting fired. OPM later said that the edict was voluntary. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

Choir members sing hymns at Christ Church in Philadelphia during Sunday service, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao, File)2025-02-26T12:55:04Z WASHINGTON (AP) The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing, according to a new survey Wednesday from the Pew Research Center.The Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians. While a significant dip from 2007, when 78% of Americans identified as Christian, Pew found the Christian share of the population has remained relatively stable since 2019.The rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated the so-called nones has also reached at least a temporary plateau, according to Pew. Approximately 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, including those who are atheist (5%), agnostic (6%) or nothing in particular (19%).Its striking to have observed this recent period of stability in American religion after that long period of decline, said Pews Gregory Smith, one of the studys co-authors. One thing we cant know for sure is whether these short-term signs of stabilization will prove to be a lasting change in the countrys religious trajectory.By some measures, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly spiritual. Many Americans have a supernatural outlook, with 83% believing in God or a universal spirit and 86% believing that people have a soul or spirit. About seven in 10 Americans believe in heaven, hell or both. Young adults are less religious than their elders Despite this widespread spirituality, there are harbingers of future religious decline. Most notably, Pew found a huge age gap, with 46% of the youngest American adults identifying as Christian, compared to 80% of the oldest adults. The youngest adults are also three times more likely than the oldest group to be religiously unaffiliated.These kinds of generational differences are a big part of whats driven the long-term declines in American religion, Smith said. As older cohorts of highly religious, older people have passed away, they have been replaced by new cohorts of young adults who are less religious than their parents and grandparents. Michele Margolis, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist not affiliated with the Pew survey, has studied how religious involvement changes over a lifetime.Young adults frequently move away from religion. Then when you get married and have kids, this is a time where scholars have noted that religion is more likely to become important, Margolis said.Margolis said one question going forward is whether the youngest American adults firmly reject organized religion, or if some of them will return to the religious fold as they age.Between 2007 and 2024, Pew religious landscape studies havent indicated that Americans are growing more religious as they get older.Smith at Pew said something would need to change to stop the long-term decline of American religion, whether thats adults becoming more religious with age or new generations becoming more religious than their parents. How partisan politics intertwines with religious identityThe long-term decline of U.S. Christianity and rise of the nones has occurred across traditions, gender, race, ethnicity, education and region. But it is much more evident among political liberals, according to Pew. The survey shows 51% of liberals claim no religion, up 24 points from 2007. Only 37% of U.S. liberals identify as Christian, down from 62% in 2007.Penny Edgell, a University of Minnesota sociologist and expert adviser for the Pew study, said this religious and political sorting aligns with whether people support traditional, patriarchal gender and family arrangements. Edgell also notes that Black Americans defy the assumption that all Democrats are less religious than Republicans.More Black Americans percentagewise are Democrats, but their rates of religious involvement are still really high, Edgell said. That has something to do with the way that religious institutions and politics have been intertwined in historically unique ways for different groups.Roughly seven in 10 Black Protestants told Pew that religion is very important to them about the same rate as evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Black Protestants are likely to identify as Democrats (72%), whereas evangelicals and Latter-day Saints are likely to identify as Republican (70% and 73%, respectively). The Pew survey tracks many religious traditionsIts been nearly 10 years since the last Religious Landscape Study, which tracks religious data that the U.S. census does not.The new survey found that a majority of immigrants to the U.S. are Christian (58%), but they also follow the upward trend of the religiously unaffiliated, with a quarter of foreign-born U.S. adults claiming no religion.The number of Americans who belong to religions besides Christianity has been increasing, though its still a small portion of the population (7%). That includes the 2% who are Jewish, and the 1% each who are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. Of U.S. Christian adults, 40% are Protestant and 19% are Catholic. The remaining 3% in Pews survey include Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, Jehovahs Witnesses and smaller Christian groups.The two largest Protestant denominations in the Pew survey remain the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church though both have lost many members since the first Religious Landscape Study in 2007. The Pew Religious Landscape Study was conducted in English and Spanish between July 2023 and March 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The surveys margin of error for results based on the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. TIFFANY STANLEY Stanley is a reporter and editor on The Associated Press Global Religion team. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

Bluesky deleted a viral, AI-generated protest video in which Donald Trump is sucking on Elon Musks toes because its moderators said it was non-consensual explicit material. The video was broadcast on televisions inside the office Housing and Urban Development earlier this week, and quickly went viral on Bluesky and Twitter.Independent journalist Marisa Kabas obtained a video from a government employee and posted it on Bluesky, where it went viral. Tuesday night, Bluesky moderators deleted the video because they said it was non-consensual explicit material.A Bluesky account you control (@marisakabas.bsky.social) posted content or shared a link that contains non-consensual explicit material, which is in violation of our Community Guidelines. As a result of this violation, we have taken down your post, an email Kabas received from Bluesky moderation reads. We trust that you will understand the necessity of these measures and the gravity of the situation. Bluesky explicitly prohibits the sharing of non-consensual sexual media. You cannot use Bluesky to break the law or cause harm to others. All users must be treated with respect.Kabas is challenging the deletion.Hellothe post you have taken down was a video broadcast inside a government building to protest a fascist regime, Kabas wrote in an email back to Bluesky seen by 404 Media. It is in the public interest and it is legitimate news. Taking it down is an attempt to bury the story and an alarming form of censorship. I love this platform but Im shocked by this decision. I ask you to reconsider it.Other Bluesky users said that versions of the video they uploaded were also deleted, though it is still possible to find the video on the platform.Technically speaking, the AI video of Trump sucking Musks toes, which had the words LONG LIVE THE REAL KING shown on top of it, is a nonconsensual AI-generated video, because Trump and Musk did not agree to it. But social media platform content moderation policies have always had carve outs that allow for the criticism of powerful people, especially the worlds richest man and the literal president of the United States.For example, we once obtained Facebooks internal rules about sexual content for content moderators, which included broad carveouts to allow for sexual content that criticized public figures and politicians. The First Amendment, which does not apply to social media companies but is relevant considering that Bluesky told Kabas she could not use the platform to break the law, has essentially unlimited protection for criticizing public figures in the way this video is doing.More importantly, the video Kabas posted was not a video Kabas made herself or that was totally devoid of context. As Kabas notes in her email back to Bluesky, the video was being played on television screens within a federal government office building, an obvious act of protest that she was reporting on, and an obviously newsworthy video when considering the context that the federal government is currently being gutted by these two men.(For what it's worth, Kabas has been doing some of the best reporting on Musk's dismantling of the federal government on her website The Handbasket.)Content moderation has been one of Blueskys growing pains over the last few months. The platform has millions of users but only a few dozen employees, meaning that perfect content moderation is impossible, and a lot of it necessarily needs to be automated. This is going to lead to mistakes. But the video Kabas posted was one of the most popular posts on the platform earlier this week and resulted in a national conversation about the protest. Deleting itwhether accidentally or because its moderation rules are so strict as to not allow for this type of reporting on a protest against the President of the United Statesis a problem.Bluesky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Mel Leonor Barclay, Jasmine MithaniThis story was originally published by the 19th, a nonprofit news network. Emily Scherer for The 19th; Getty ImagesSubscribe nowOrganizations that provide services to LGBTQ victims of domestic and intimate partner violence expect much of the federal funding they rely on to dry up as the Trump administrations executive orders target the work they have been carrying out for years.Some received direct notices from the federal government to stop work that promotes what the administration is calling gender ideology extremism and to include disclaimers on their websites that the federal government doesnt support their mission.Federal grants make up significant shares of operating budgets for many domestic violence nonprofits, and losing that funding puts their continued existence at risk.Groups that focus specifically on LGBTQ victims are part of a broader network of federally funded nonprofits that provide life-saving counseling, housing and legal aid to people experiencing violence from spouses, partners or family members. Some nonprofits also train social workers, therapists and lawyers in how to work sensitively with LGBTQ victims of violence.The White House has promised to slash funding for programs that dont align with the administrations ideology on gender, race and immigration.Domestic violence groups and the broader network of gender-based violence nonprofits have been on high alert since a temporary federal freeze in late January, as The 19th reported this month. The vague language of President Donald Trumps executive orders illegal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility activities; gender ideology extremism has left organizations scrambling to figure out if they stand to lose federal funding.Subscribe nowSome are trying to protect their funding by removing language or resources that they fear may be at odds with the executive orders. The people leading groups founded specifically to support LGBTQ people say that for them, there is no hiding: The executive orders specifically target the people they are focused on serving.Some groups are making an effort to kind of change the way they talk about their services and the populations they serve. Our organization literally has the words gay and lesbian in our IRS name were not fooling anybody. And obscuring what we do and who we serve doesnt help those services stay accessible, said Audacia Ray, the interim executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, officially the New York City Gay And Lesbian Anti-Violence Project Inc., which supports LGBTQ and HIV-affected victims of violence.LGBTQ Americans, with the exception of gay men, are more likely to have experienced domestic violence, partner abuse or dating violence than cisgender and heterosexual people. Queer women are significantly more likely to have experienced intimate-partner violence in their lifetime than straight women, according to an analysis of federal survey data by the Human Rights Campaign.Transgender people are four times more likely to be victims of violent crime than cisgender people, according to research from the Williams Institute at UCLA. Fifty-four percent of respondents to the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey the most recent data available said they have experienced intimate partner violence, and 47 percent reported being sexually assaulted. Transgender people are also more likely to experience severe physical intimate partner violence than the average American.Nonprofits serving victims of violence have long relied on federal funding, especially since the Violence Against Women Act created specialized grant programs 30 years ago. They receive little support from private philanthropy: Most recent data from the Equitable Giving Lab shows about 0.1 percent of charitable giving in the United States goes toward LGBTQ causes, and less than 2 percent goes toward women and girls.The danger of this moment is that it becomes very nebulous to people how federal funding contributes to the basic social safety net. There arent donors. There isnt all this money, said the executive director of a regional nonprofit serving LGBTQ victims of violence that receives about 40 percent of its funding from the federal government. The organization helps offer shelter and direct cash assistance, among other services, to LGBTQ people fleeing violence.The executive director spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear that their organization would be targeted further by the Trump administration.When people are facing imminent threat of being murdered, and there are no resources to give people funding to flee that situation it is going to result in more death. Truly, I believe that.Subscribe nowThe need for targeted LGBTQ servicesNonprofits focused specifically on LGBTQ communities sprung up to meet the specific needs of this population, which experiences higher incidences of violence and also discrimination based on gender-identity and sexual orientation.Specialized resources for LGBTQ survivors are dearly needed: A 2017 survey of LGBTQ survivors who received services from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs showed that 43 percent of LGBTQ intimate partner violence survivors were denied entry to a shelter; of those denied, a third were refused entry due to their gender identity.LGBTQ people are vulnerable to abuse related to their identity, including threats of outing that could cost them housing, jobs or other relationships. Queer survivors are often isolated from typical support systems like family who could help them in an abusive situation. Transgender people are more likely to be killed by intimate partner violence, and the risk is increased for people of color, especially Black trans women.Groups focused on LGBTQ survivors serve as a critical safety net for LGBTQ victims, often accepting referrals from national and local groups without tailored resources. The Hotline, a national nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence, describes the fear of not receiving services as an obstacle to reaching safety that LGBTQ people might confront. It offers referrals to service providers focused on LGBTQ people the same providers that are now staring down the loss of federal funding.Given the executive orders, theres no universe in which some of the work doesnt take a hit. I feel very clear about that, said Ray of the New York City Anti-Violence Project. And at the same time, we have to be able to answer the phone and support our community, whos directly impacted by all this violence.NYCAVP runs a 24/7 hotline for victims of violence, as well as free long-term counseling, legal services and connections to support groups. About two-thirds of the organizations budget comes from a mix of federal, state and local government grants. Most of its funding comes from programs targeting underserved communities.Ray said that the New York City Anti-Violence Project, in addition to offering direct services to victims, including through its hotline, also spends resources advocating and advising lawmakers on legislation affecting LGBTQ people. For example, NYCAVP helped shape the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the first federal funding statute that banned discrimination based on actual or perceived gender identity and sexual orientation.My immediate thought was we will do what we do as long as we can, and were not preemptively laying people off or shutting anything down, Ray said.We have a couple different contingency plans around, What are the services that we need to prioritize and center, and how do we continue to do that as long as possible?The executive director who spoke on condition of anonymity said their organization connected with more than 600 LGBTQ people facing abuse and violence in the past year. Some came as referrals from domestic and intimate partner violence organizations that werent equipped to serve them, or who were working with a victim needing relocation to a state less hostile to LGBTQ people. Its kind of like an informal witness protection program, they said.Without federal funding, they said, their ability to help these victims will significantly shrink.How nonprofits are fighting backIn a lawsuit filed Thursday by Lambda Legal on behalf of nine nonprofits that receive federal funding, the plaintiffs argue that the Trump administrations executive orders, including the order calling for the end of federal funding for activities that promote gender ideology extremism, amount to an existential threat to transgender people. They argue the orders are unconstitutional because they violate the groups free speech, due process and equal protection rights.The executive orders force plaintiffs to silence their speech and viewpoints that are not only of great societal importance but also central to plaintiffs missions or forgo federal funding, the complaint reads. That choice is an impossible one.Among the plaintiffs suing Trump is FORGE, one of the only organizations in the country focused on supporting transgender people experiencing intimate partner violence. FORGE trains providers who assist transgender and nonbinary survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence and hate crimes. The 30-year-old organization also connects victims with wellness services.According to the case filing, 90 percent of FORGEs funding is derived from federal grants, the highest out of any listed plaintiff. It has received grants from a wide range of agencies including the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health.Several other plaintiffs that received funds from HHS programs, according to the complaint, were sent notices in late January to immediately terminate, to the maximum extent, all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion or, separately, gender ideology.Trans and nonbinary people are scared and hurting not only from the high levels of violence so many of us experience every day, but also because of the dehumanizing, erasing, and damaging impact of the Executive Orders. For the past 30 years, FORGE has been committed to serving trans survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and hate-fueled harm. We are not going anywhere, michael munson, executive director of FORGE, said in a statement. Conditioning federal funding on rejecting transgender identity and DEI not only harms trans people, but it also creates a world that is less safe and less free for us all.Subscribe nowDeleting language and resourcesThe National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence urged fellow providers to hold the line together and stand in solidarity with LGBTQ, immigrant and BIPOC survivors in an email obtained by The 19th. The missive explicitly called upon organizations to continue serving LGBTQ survivors, to not take down materials tailored to the queer community and to keep pronouns on public-facing materials. It also cited previous reporting from The 19th detailing how some groups removed mentions of LGBTQ people from their websites.For organizations that have removed LGBTQ materials, we encourage that these materials be restored, the statement read. We urge organizations to not cede our collective power as a movement and back down in our work to protect LGBTQ survivors.The group reminded organizations in its network that federal law the same law that the New York City Anti-Violence Center helped pass makes it illegal to discriminate based on actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation. These federal non-discrimination policies remain in place and give us power to protect transgender survivors in the work that we do, the organization said.The Los Angeles LGBT Center, where the institute is housed, declined to speak on the record, citing the current lawsuit.Several days later, Respect Together, the umbrella organization of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, publicly apologized for removing resources for LGBTQ people from their websites.Federal and state funding accounts for the vast majority of our operational budget, and as a result, we acted too swiftly to the news from the current administration, the apology reads. We heard you, and recognize that this was the wrong choice, CEO Yolanda Edrington said in the statement. We are committed to rebuilding trust, learning from this experience, and ensuring that our actions align with our mission to support survivors of all communities, their allies, and advocates.The Hotline, which had deactivated a page on LGBTQ resources earlier this month, has now restored it. The organization did not respond to a request for comment on the restoration, but told The 19th earlier this month that it was reviewing its website to protect its federal funding.Even if groups commit to still serve all people in need, regardless of identity, removing resources adds friction. Visibility and ease of navigating resources when you are in need of services is important, said Tandra LaGrone, the CEO of In Our Own Voices, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ people of color in upstate New York, which has received a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women.The erasure of information can lead victims to feel like they are at fault, LaGrone said.Ray said that its a big risk to not change their organizations public-facing content in anticipation of a potential loss of funding, but they think holding steady is the right thing to do. Backing down wont reduce violence, they said.I really believe that complying in advance of direct demands and being forced to change those programs is contributing to the overall violence against LGBT people, Ray said. That sort of advance compliance is extremely worrisome to me, because it shows that those orgs are concerned about the org as an institution more than theyre concerned about the community as a directly impacted population.If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

People are freaking out over their White Lotus crush Carrie Coon saying shes in an open marriage, although she says it was a misunderstanding. But was it?On a recent episode of the WTF With Marc Maron Podcast, the 44-year-old actress, who plays the career-obsessed Laurie Duffy on season 3 of White Lotus, opened up about her marriage to Tracy Letts and how she loves that the couple is able to talk about being attracted to other people without jealousy getting in the way, Entertainment Weekly reports. "That's the nice thing about a marriage where everything's on the table: you talk about everything," Coon told Maron. "We're not jealous people. Like, we don't have any of those hang-ups. So we never wanna be like, the police. You know? So it's nice to be in a relationship where we can always talk about, like, 'Who are you attracted to on set?In response to Marons surprise at her comments, she said, Its so fun. I love it. Tracy's the kind of person who notices every single woman on the street And he always tells me who he has a crush on. It's fun. It's interesting to know what your partner's into. I think it's titillating.Then, the podcast host asked, "But it doesn't ever go over the line?"We don't really like lines," Coon answered. "Lines are really boring. I mean, look, life is short. Finite. (@) If that wasnt enough for fans to start wondering if Coon and Letts have an open marriage, her feelings about monogamy certainly did.Monogamy is something we've imposed on ourselves. We were supposed to have babies and die when we were like 30. And that's not the way life is anymore," she explained. "So I think you have to stayyou have to kinda be open-minded about what engages you in the world and what sparks your imagination and where your passion is. And I think if you're willing to stay open to that, then you're living a more full life. And I don't think either one of us would wanna keep the other from living." The podcast episode went viral hours after it was released, when gay fan Tom Zohar posted a clip on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, Finding out Carrie Coon and Tracy Letts have an open marriage has been a really great way to start my week.Word must have gotten around to Coon, who took to social media to set the record straight. "Settle down, internet," she wrote on X. "I said 'open-minded' not open.'" (@) Zohar responded comically by writing, "LMAOOO Carrie is really sending us all to horny jail."The Gilded Age star may have never used the words open marriage, but she was openly critical of monogamy, talked about the lack of jealousy in her marriage, and called lines you dont cross in a marriage really boring, so its understandable that some fans got their hopes up that even though Coon is married, they might still have a chance!

The Supreme Court is seen in the distance, framed through columns of the U.S. Senate at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-02-26T17:26:23Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court seemed likely Wednesday to side with an Ohio woman who claims she suffered sex discrimination from her employer because she is straight.The outcome of the case could remove an additional requirement that some courts apply when members of a majority group, including those who are white and heterosexual, sue for discrimination under federal law.Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated a way of resolving the case, that seemed to enjoy broad support among his colleagues.Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, whether you are gay or straight, is prohibited. The rules are the same whichever way it goes, Kavanaugh said.The justices heard arguments in an appeal from Marlean Ames, who has worked for the Ohio Department of Youth Services for more than 20 years.Ames contends she was passed over for a promotion and then demoted because she is heterosexual. Both the job she sought and the one she had held were given to LGBTQ people. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars sex discrimination in the workplace. A trial court and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Ames. The question for the justices is that the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit and several other appeals courts covering 20 states and the District of Columbia apply a higher standard when members of a majority group make discrimination claims. People alleging workplace bias have to show background circumstances, including that LGBTQ people made the decisions affecting Ames or statistical evidence showing a pattern of discrimination against members of the majority group. The appeals court noted that Ames didnt provide any such circumstances.Ohio Solicitor General T. Elliot Gaiser told the justices that the officials who made the job decisions did not even know Ames sexual orientation. But even Geiser didnt object too much to the narrow outcome that seemed most likely. Everyone here agrees that everyone should be treated equally, Gaiser said. His concession prompted Justice Neil Gorsuch to note, Were in radical agreement on that today. America First Legal and other conservative groups filed briefs arguing that members of majority groups are as likely to face job discrimination, if not more so, because of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. President Donald Trump has ordered an end to DEI policies in the federal government and has sought to end government support for DEI programs elsewhere. Some of the new administrations anti-DEI initiatives have been temporarily blocked in federal court.Lawyers for America First, founded by Trump aide Stephen Miller, wrote that the idea that discrimination against members of majority groups is rare is highly suspect in this age of hiring based on diversity, equity, and inclusion.But there was no mention of DEI by the justices on Wednesday. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site