Larry Saltzman poses for a portrait on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)2025-02-26T14:24:25Z NEW YORK (AP) Hes not a movie buff, so New York musician Larry Saltzman doesnt always watch the Oscars. This year, however, hes got a rooting interest.Saltzman taught actor Timothe Chalamet how to play guitar for the role of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. In turn, Chalamet earned a best actor nomination and the film is also up for best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday.A guitarist whos performed with Simon & Garfunkel, Bette Midler and David Johansen, as well as in the pit at Broadway productions Hairspray and Aint Too Proud to Beg, Saltzman has developed a specialty in teaching actors how to play music for their roles. Besides Chalamet, recent pupils have included Adam Driver and Sadie Sink of Stranger Things.On a fellow musicians recommendation, Saltzman first got a call from a movie studio about a decade ago. He admits to being cranky as discussions dragged on. I almost did everything to talk them out of hiring me, he said. Not until the fifth phone call did the studio identify the client: Meryl Streep.She needed to learn the electric guitar for her starring role in the 2015 film Ricki and the Flash, where she portrayed an aging rocker trying to keep her career and life together in the wake of a series of disappointments. Working with Streep is a little like a political consultants first client being elected president. If she likes you and word gets around, other students will follow. Teaching actors now represents about 40% of his business, the 69-year-old said. My time spent with her was excellent, he said of Streep. Shes smart. She knows how to learn things. There was a steady progress over three or four months. She did very well. Guitarist Larry Saltzman had more than 50 sessions with the now Oscar-nominated actor, for A Complete Unknown. (Feb. 26) Faking it just wont do for serious actors and film directors. Its like lip-syncing the audience is going to tell the difference, and the characters will be less believable. That was especially true with Chalamet, who needed to sing and play at the same time for a character whose artistry is the centerpiece of the film. When the actors come to you, theyre kind of vulnerable, Saltzman said. They want to do a great job. Timothe Chalamet discusses guitar training for A Complete Unknown, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. Saltzman had more than 50 sessions with Chalamet, starting in person and retreating to Zoom during the pandemic. It wasnt easy. Chalamet had to learn some 25 songs in the script.Sometime in 2018 I had my first lesson with this great guitar teacher named Larry Saltzman who at some point became less of a teacher and more a co-sanity artist through COVID, Chalamet recalled during a recent interview with The Associated Press. I think we were keeping each other sane. We would Zoom three, four times a week and doing songs that never made it into the movie.It helped that Saltzman is a Dylan buff. Focusing on imparting the guitar playing of pre-electric Bob, he taught his charge so well that Chalamet was a musical guest as well as host on Saturday Night Live, performing obscure Dylan cuts last month. Saltzman says, in the course of their sessions, Chalamet went the extra mile and unearthed very early, obscure Dylan songs that werent even in the script. Saltzman generally likes teaching actors more than common folk, in part because theres a specific goal: They need to learn certain songs to inhabit a particular character. When its open-ended someone just wants to learn the guitar it can be more of a challenge, he said. Saltzman also believes that its an advantage to not be a regular teacher, someone who may approach clients with a more rigid style.Actor Johnny Cannizzaro said he appreciated Saltzmans calming bedside manner and felt welcome in an apartment filled with guitars. Cannizzaro has the role of E Street Band member Little Steven Van Zandt in the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere.There was never really a moment where he expressed any sort of frustration or impatience with me during a session, said Cannizzaro, who has background playing keyboards but not guitar. If anything, he would express some excitement when you grasped something he was teaching. That put me at ease. Saltzman also studied film of Van Zandt so he wasnt just teaching Cannizzaro guitar he was showing specifics of how Van Zandt plays, the actor said.Beyond teaching, Saltzmans time is divided between studio work, playing in New York clubs accompanying different artists and Broadway hes just about to begin Smash.Its an eye-opening experience for him to later see his students on screen. That was particularly the case when he saw A Complete Unknown and marveled at Chalamets ability as an actor.All the more reason to watch the Oscars, and to take some pride in his own work.In my own humble way, Im a small gear in that machinery, he said. What is rewarding is knowing that in some small way Im contributing to making a better film. ___David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

The surveillance company Flock sent the creator of a website that maps its license plate-reading cameras a cease and desist letter demanding that he immediately stop using the name DeFlock on his website.404 Media previously wrote about DeFlock, an open source mapping project created by Will Freeman that tracks the locations of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from Flock and other companies. DeFlock currently maps more than 16,000 ALPRs around the world, which includes both Flock cameras as well as many created by Motorola.Late last month, Flocks lawyers sent Freeman a letter demanding that he immediately Cease and desist all use of the name DEFLOCK or any variation thereof, remove all instances of DEFLOCK from your Website, advertisements, promotional materials, and any other content, and Refrain from adopting any trademarks, trade names, or branding continue to or likely to cause dilution by blurring, dilution by tarnishment, and false advertising with respect to the Flock Marks in the future. 404 Media has obtained a copy of the letter and uploaded it here.It has come to our attention that you are maintaining a website and promoting a project entitled DEFLOCK, which purports to track automated license plate readers across the country, and discusses the alleged dangers of [the surveillance]. While Flock believes in open debate, it takes misuses of its intellectual property seriously, the letter, written by Sarah M. Katz of the law firm Adelman Matz, says. While Flock does not object to the free dissemination of truthful information, your use of the Flock Marks as part of your brand DEFLOCK is being wrongfully used to make false statements about Flock and its products and is damaging both its reputation and the goodwill associated with the Flock Marks.It is not clear what false statements Freeman is making about Flock. The letter says that it should not be called DeFlock because not all of the cameras tracked by DeFlock are Flock cameras (some are Motorola), and says the website also implies that various license plate readers are vulnerable to security hacks, which given that all of the readers are being imputed to Flock, provides a false impression about the security of Flock Products. On the front page of DeFlock, there is a link to a 404 Media article about a security vulnerability in Motorola ALPRs. A security researcher on YouTube and Freeman previously showed that certain Motorola ALPRs are leaking data online, and 404 Media wrote about that research. The DeFlock site says BREAKING: Anyone Can Access Motorola ALPR Data and links to our article, but makes no claims about Flock ALPR security.Freeman is being represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and is not going to change his website, Cara Gagliano, a senior staff attorney at the EFF said in a response to Flock: The claims alleged in your letter are groundless, and Mr. Freeman will not be complying with your demands, the EFFs letter says. Because there is no legal basis for your demands, my client declines to comply with them.The cease-and-desist letter shows that Flock is both aware of the DeFlock website and is threatening Freeman with legal action. Flocks letter argues that DeFlock is causing the dilution of Flocks trademarks rather than infringement of them. This is a crucial distinction, Gagliano said.Companies can sue for trademark infringement when they believe that a consumer is likely to confuse the infringing product for the real one; dilution cases only apply to famous trademarks and can be pursued when a similar product would undermine or tarnish the brand of the original. Gagliano says in her letter that DeFlock is not diluting the Flock brand because it was specifically made for the noncommercial criticism of the surveillance company.Federal anti-dilution law includes express carve-outs for any noncommercial use of a mark and for any use in connection with criticizing or commenting on the mark owner or its products, Gagliano wrote, adding that a false advertising claim made in Flocks letter does not apply because DeFlock is a noncommercial website.DeFlock is a grassroots project that aims to shine a light on the widespread use of ALPR technology, raise awareness about the threats it poses to personal privacy and civil liberties, and empower the public to take action. It pursues that mission by providing information about ALPRs and maintaining an interactive, crowd-sourced map of ALPR installations, she added. The name DeFlock references the projects goal of ending ALPR usage and Flocks status as one of the most widely used ALPR providers.Gagliano told 404 Media that Flocks attempt to go after Freeman and DeFlock on a dilution claim raises serious free speech concerns. Flock's choice to claim dilution rather than infringement is telling. Infringement requires showing that consumers are likely to be confused by the use; Flock clearly realizes how implausible that is here, she said. Dilution is a much more nebulous concept that we think raises serious constitutional questions. It's fortunate that dilution laws typically have enough explicit exceptions for claims to fail in their face in cases like this, but it's still much too broad a doctrine with little to justify it.Flock did not respond to a request for comment.

Michigan State Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, has introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.Michigan now joins Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota in creating resolutions looking to overturn same-sex marriage in the United States.House Resolution 28 is co-sponsored by the following Republican representatives Joseph Fox (District 101), Gregory Alexander (District 98), Jason Woolford (District 50), James DeSana (District 29) and Steve Carra (District 36).At a press conference Tuesday, where he did not take questions and instead directed reporters to contact his office, Schriver defended the resolution. He claimed Obergefell v. Hodges has defaced the definition of marriage and increased persecution of Christians.Has Obergefell v. Hodges not widened the portal for gays, queers, transsexuals, polygamists, minor-attracted persons and other perverts to advance attacks on our children? Schriver said.Schriver also said children of same-sex couples face greater challenges in education, employment and self-sufficiency compared to those raised by a mother and father. This statement contradicts the results of numerous studies, which have found children of same-sex couples fare as well, if not better, than those raised by opposite-sex parents.In response to Schrivers resolution, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a video statement, calling marriage equality a non-negotiable. @biggretchwhitmer Right now, Republicans in the Michigan legislature are trying to get the Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. Heres my response to that: hell no. original sound BigGretchWhitmer Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is openly lesbian, also released a video statement.Upending this constitutional right hurts so many and helps absolutely no one, Nessel said. It doesnt make your eggs cheaper. It doesnt create more jobs. It doesnt make housing more affordable. It doesnt protect your child from an active shooter in school.Nessel, who has been married to her wife since 2015, closed her video saying, A decade after we won the fight for equality, Im not giving up the fight to maintain it, and Im sure as hell not giving up this ring.Equality Michigan (EQMI) released a statement condemning the resolution.This resolution is nothing more than cruel political theater and a bigoted attempt to stir up fear and division at the expense of real families, said Erin Knott, executive director of Equality Michigan.Marriage equality has been the law of the land for nearly a decade, and the vast majority of Americans support it. But make no mistake this isnt just about marriage. Its part of a broader agenda to strip LGBTQ+ people of their fundamental rights.The post Michigan representative introduces resolution to overturn same-sex marriage appeared first on News Is Out.

Diana Taurasi, the WNBAs all-time leading scorer and a six-time Olympic gold medalist, has officially announced her retirement after two decades with the Phoenix Mercury.In an exclusive interview with Time, the lesbian basketball icon revealed that she knew it was time to step away when she couldnt bring herself to begin her usual January training regimen.See on InstagramI just didnt have it in me, she said. Mentally and physically, Im just full. Thats probably the best way I can describe it. Im full and Im happy.Taurasis impact on the game is undeniable. She leaves the league as its all-time leading scorer with 10,646 pointsnearly 3,000 more than the next closest playerwhile also holding the record for the most three-pointers made. A three-time WNBA champion, she helped transform womens basketball with her undeniable skill, competitive fire, and signature swagger.See on InstagramYou cant tell the story of the WNBA without Diana, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said elsewhere in the Time piece. She helped build the league into what it is today.Known for her confidence and trash talk, Taurasis journey to basketball greatness started in Chino, California, where her parents, Argentinian and Italian immigrants, sacrificed to support her love of the game. She went on to win three consecutive NCAA championships at UConn under coach Geno Auriemma, who famously called her the Babe Ruth of womens basketball.See on InstagramI wish I had $1 for every time I heard a guy say, Shes the only reason I would ever watch a womens basketball game, Auriemma told Time. She had the ability to bring people to the game.Adding to that, longtime teammate Sue Bird said, The more you piss her off, the better she plays.See on InstagramTaurasis career stretched far beyond the WNBA, with international dominance in Russia, Turkey, and six Olympic gold medals. As she steps away from the court, she looks forward to spending more time with her wife, former WNBA star Penny Taylor, and their two children.See on InstagramIm definitely retired, she confirmed. Im going to miss the competition the inside jokes the bus rides All those things, Ill deeply miss.Taurasi leaves behind a legacy of grit, skill, and unmatched leadership that will continue to inspire generations of players to come.

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Mainz, File)2025-02-26T18:21:17Z NEW YORK (AP) Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 Harriet the Spy hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl has died. She was 39.Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. at luxury residential tower in midtown where officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive, according to an NYPD statement.Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected and the New York Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, police said.Representatives for Trachtenberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her death was first reported by the New York Post.Trachtenberg was 8 when she began played Nona Mecklenberg on Nickelodeons The Adventures of Pete & Pete Nona from 1994 to 1996 and then starred in the title role in the film adaptations of Harriet the Spy and Inspector Gadget, opposite Matthew Broderick. Michelle comes off as genuine because she really is a genuine kid. Everyone can identify with her, said Debby Beece, president of Nickelodeon Movies in 1996.In 2000 Trachtenberg joined the cast of Buffy, playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003. Trachtenberg thanked Gellar for speaking out against Joss Whedon in 2021, following abuse allegations made against the Buffy showrunner. I am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman to repost this, she wrote on social media, and alluded to his not appropriate behavior she experienced as a teenage actor. In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discoverys Truth or Scare. Trachtenberg went on to recurring roles on Six Feet Under, Weeds and Gossip Girl, where she played the gangs scheming nemesis, Georgina Sparks. He other credits included Ice Princess in 2005 playing a math prodigy and aspiring figure skater and the 2004 teen sex comedy EuroTrip. For Killing Kennedy, the 2013 film in which she played the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, around 80% of Trachtenbergs dialogue was in Russian. She had learned the language from her mother growing up.___Associated Press Writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. MARK KENNEDY Kennedy is a theater, TV, music, food and obit writer and editor for The Associated Press, as well as a critic for theater, movies and music. He is based in New York City. twitter mailto

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement on Defence spending at Downing Street in London, Tuesday, Feb, 25, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool photo via AP)2025-02-26T15:03:13Z LONDON (AP) U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was flying to Washington on Wednesday after announcing a big increase in the British defense budget, an investment that he hopes will help persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to maintain support for Ukraine as Washington pushes to end the war.Though Starmer is touting the trans-Atlantic special relationship that has endured since World War II, he faces an uncertain reception. Trump has upended decades of U.S. foreign policy during his first weeks in office.Ukraine and its European allies are scrambling to respond after the Trump administration engaged directly with Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine. Starmers visit to the White House on Thursday is part of European efforts following a trip to Washington by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week to ensure Kyiv gets a voice in negotiations, and that the U.S. still backs Europe in dealing with an aggressive Russia on its doorstep. Starmer confirmed he will host a meeting of international leaders in the U.K. on Sunday, focused on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend. European countries are striving to bolster their collective defense as Trump transforms American foreign policy. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the U.S. provides security to European countries that dont pull their weight. Starmer announced Tuesday that the U.K. government will hike military spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027, years earlier than expected, and will aim to hit 3% by 2035. He called it the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War.The U.K.'s defense secretary, John Healey, said that President Trump, over the last two weeks, has been very direct in his challenge to European allies.Hes reinforced the imperative and the importance of Britain making this commitment and helping other European countries to step up in a similar way, Healey told the BBC. Starmers trip comes after Washington and Kyiv struck an economic deal that would give the U.S. access to a share of Ukraines lucrative rare earth mineral deposits. Kyiv hopes that signing the agreement will ensure the continued flow of U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs. Trump told reporters Wednesday ahead of the first meeting of his Cabinet that Zelenskyy is also due to visit the White House on Friday to sign a very big agreement.Starmer has offered to send British troops to Ukraine as part of a force to safeguard a ceasefire under a plan being championed by the U.K. and France, but says an American backstop will be needed to ensure a lasting peace. Trump hasnt committed to providing security guarantees for Ukraine, saying Monday after meeting Macron at the White House that Europe is going to make sure nothing happens. Michael Clarke, visiting professor of war studies at Kings College London, said that Starmer would try and be a Trump whisperer, while persuading the president to see some realities of European security. Starmer, a stolid, center-left lawyer who is Trumps polar opposite in outlook and temperament, has worked hard to charm the president. He flew to New York in September for dinner at Trump Tower. He has appointed Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador in Washington. Mandelson is a former Labour Party Cabinet minister nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, because of his mastery of political intrigue.Mandelson and Starmer also are hoping to spare the U.K. the sweeping tariffs Trump has vowed to impose on the European Union and other trading partners. The U.S. is Britains largest single trading partner, with a roughly equal balance of imports and exports something that may help it avoid Trump-imposed taxes on goods. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is an Associated Press reporter covering U.K. politics and more. She is based in London. twitter mailto

In a recent episode of one of Bravos juiciest reality series,Southern Hospitality,newcomerLake Rucker had a deeply personal conversation about her experience being queer, living in the U.S. South. Rucker is one of several queer cast members appearing on the new season of Southern Hospitality, bringing meaningful and authentic LGBTQ representation to reality TV. To talk [...]The post WATCH: Southern Hospitalitys Lake Rucker Talks Exploring her Sexuality and Season 3 Drama first appeared on GLAAD.

Michelle Trachtenberg's fans and costars are reacting to news that the beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer star was found dead at age 39 by her mother. According to reporting from Out, Trachtenberg who had just recently undergone a liver transplant was found dead "around 8 a.m. Wednesday at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex in Manhattans Central Park South neighborhood." Upon news of Trachtenbergs death, fans and costars like David Boreanaz, Ed Westwick, and Rosie O'Donnell immediately began flocking to social media to offer condolences and celebrate the actress for the iconic roles she played that left an imprint on their lives.O'Donell, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in Harriet the Spy, released a statement calling her death "heartbreaking," People reports."I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped," she said.Fans pointed out that Trachtenberg started her career as a child actress, where she stole fans hearts in The Adventures of Pete & Pete and Harriot the Spy before taking on more adult roles. She is best remembered by the LGBTQ+ community for her role as the titular characters little sister, Dawn, on Buffy, but also attracted fans for her starring turn on Gossip Girl and movies like Ice Princess, EuroTrip, and Black Christmas.Scroll through to see fans and costars reacting to the news of Trachtenberg's death.David BoreanazEd Westwick (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

But first could a Big Brother legend finally win The Traitors?Julie Chen Moonves has served as the longstanding host of Big Brother since its inception and many contestants from the hit reality competition show are now returning to TV on The Traitors.Although a BB veteran hasnt taken the crown just yet on The Traitors, Danielle Reyes and Britney Haynes have reached the final six on the current season and may make it all the way to the end.Im a proud momma! Danielle Reyes is the greatest Big Brother player to never win. Can she pull it out on The Traitors? Britney is also an amazing player and super smart. Any time I see someone from Big Brother cast on another reality show, I am proud and of course rooting for them, Moonves tells PRIDE. See on Instagram In just three seasons, The Traitors has cast plenty of memorable houseguests from Big Brother including Janelle Pierzina, Dan Gheesling, Derrick Levasseur, Rachel Reilly, Cody Calafiore, and many more.With so many big personalities to choose from, Moonves is sharing which Big Brother alum she's like to see eventually make their way to The Traitors castle.I would love to see Taylor Hale. I would love to see Tiffany [Mitchell] from The Cookout. I think Xavier [Prather] would be good. Those are the three that come to mind.The Traitors airs Thursday nights on Peacock. To see the full interview with Julie Chen Moonves, check out the video at the top of the page.

Zaya Wade, the 17-year-old transgender daughter of former NBA star Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union, is opening up about the joy and confidence she has gained since starting estrogen as part of her gender-affirming care. In a recent interview with Seventeen magazine, Wade discussed how her happiness has skyrocketed, bolstered by the unwavering support of her parents and her ongoing workSource

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, not shown, at the State Department, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein).2025-02-26T19:28:59Z WASHINGTON (AP) A planned meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was abruptly canceled Wednesday due to scheduling issues, coming as political tensions have increased between Europe and the United States.Officials from both sides blamed scheduling challenges for preventing the pair, who last met at the Munich Security Conference in Germany last month, from meeting in Washington. However, European officials said they were caught off guard, and, notably, Kallas had previewed her planned talks with Rubio just two days earlier.In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has thrown the partnership between the U.S. and Europe into turmoil by pledging to charge higher taxes on imports from Europe that he says will match tariffs faced by American products. EU officials have traveled to Washington trying to head off a trade war. Top Trump administration officials also have warned Europe that it must start taking responsibility for its own security, including Ukraine, and sidelined the Europeans from their initial talks with Russia on ending the war. In a remarkable shift, the U.S. split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations this week and joined Moscow in voting against a Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution. In a bid to mend relations, French President Emmanuel Macron was in Washington on Monday for a White House meeting with Trump seeking support. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose country is no longer a member of the EU but often aligns itself with the continental bloc on foreign policy, is due to visit Thursday. Kallas herself had said Monday that she would be holding talks with Rubio on the issues that are of interest to both of us, which for the EU are chiefly Russias war on Ukraine and transatlantic relations. It is clear that the statements coming from the United States make us all worried, she told reporters after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers.Kallas said she hoped the EU-U.S. relationship can continue to function. So far, we do not have any indication that it would not. Of course it is going to change, that is very clear. But we should not throw something out the window that has worked well so far, she said.In a terse text message, her office referred all questions about why the meeting was canceled at short notice to the State Department.A senior U.S. official said the planned meeting, which had never appeared on Rubios public schedule, had been pulled down due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.Rubio attended Trumps Cabinet meeting at the White House, which began late Wednesday morning.The cancellation came less than a week after the State Departments policy planning office sent an internal memo instructing officials who deal with Europe to highlight two specific issues in interactions with European counterparts. The Feb. 21 memo, seen by The Associated Press, also mentioned tentative plans for an upcoming Rubio meeting with Kallas. The two issues of concern identified in the memo were Freedom of Speech and Free Opposition and Migration.On the former, the memo said Rubio and other U.S. diplomats should emphasize in their discussions with European officials the importance that the Trump administration attaches to free speech. It noted that Vice President JD Vance had said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference this month that the West should unite around free speech, halt censorship, reject suppressing opposition, jailing people for tweets and memes, etc.The United States cannot continue supporting a continent that drifts in an authoritarian direction, the memo said. Its bad for Europe and bad for us.On migration, the memo said U.S. officials, including Rubio, should refer to Europes de facto open borders policy as a disaster that must end. Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration and carrying out mass deportations a signature priority. The United States is changing course on migration policy under Trump, it said. Its well past time for Europe to do the same. We want you to remain civilization partners and to do that, you must get this under control.It was not clear if the blunt language in the memo contributed to the cancellation of the Rubio-Kallas meeting.Although her meeting with Rubio was pulled down, Kallas was due to meet with U.S. senators and members of Congress to discuss the war in Ukraine and EU-U.S. ties during her two-day trip to Washington and to take part in a talk about those issues at the Hudson Institute research organization.___Cook reported from Brussels. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, not shown, at the State Department, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein).2025-02-26T19:26:56Z KINSHASA, Congo (AP) Unidentified illnesses in northwestern Congo have killed more than 50 people over the past five weeks, nearly half of them within hours after they felt sick.The outbreaks in two distant villages in Congos Equateur province began on Jan. 21 and include 419 cases and 53 deaths. Health officials still do not know the cause, or whether the cases in the two villages, which are separated by more than 120 miles (190 kilometers), are related. Its also unclear how the diseases are spreading, including whether they are spreading between people. The first victims in one of the villages were children who ate a bat and died within 48 hours, the Africa office of the World Health Organization said this week. More infections were found in the other village, where at least some of the patients have malaria. Outbreaks in two remote villagesIllnesses have been clustered in two remote villages in different health zones of Equateur province, which is 400 miles (640 kilometers) from Kinshasa.The first outbreak began in the village of Boloko after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours. More than two weeks later a second and larger outbreak was recorded in the village of Bomate, where more than 400 people have been sickened. According to WHOs Africa office, no links have been established between the cases in the two villages. Dr. Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, and one of the government experts deployed to respond to the outbreak, says the situations in the two villages are somewhat different. The first one with a lot of deaths, that we continue to investigate because its an unusual situation, (and) in the second episode that were dealing with, we see a lot of the cases of malaria, said Dr. Ngalebato.The WHO Africa office said the quick progression from sickness to death in Boloko is a key concern, along with the high number of deaths in Bomate. What are the symptoms?Congos Ministry of Health said about 80% of the patients share similar symptoms including fever, chills, body aches and diarrhea.While these symptoms can be caused by many common infections, health officials initially feared the symptoms and the quick deaths of some of the victims could also be a sign of a hemorrhagic fever such as Ebola, which was also linked to an infected animal. However, Ebola and similar diseases including Marburg have been ruled out after more than a dozen samples were collected and tested in the capital of Kinshasa. The WHO said it is investigating a number of possible causes, including malaria, viral hemorrhagic fever, food or water poisoning, typhoid fever and meningitis.What is being done in response?Congos government says experts have been sent to the villages since Feb. 14, mainly to help investigate the cases and slow the spread.Ngalebato said patients have been responding to treatments that target the different symptoms.The remote location of the villages has hindered access to patients while the weak health care infrastructure has made it difficult to carry out surveillance and manage patients. Such challenges are common in disease outbreaks in Congo. In December, an unknown illness killed dozens. In the latest outbreaks, several victims died even before experts could even reach them, Ngalebato said.There needs to be an urgent action to accelerate laboratory investigations, improve case management and isolation capacities, and strengthen surveillance and risk communication, the WHO Africa office has said.The U.S. has been the largest bilateral donor to Congos health sector and has supported the training of hundreds of field epidemiologists to help detect and control diseases across the vast country. The outbreaks were detected as the Trump administration put a freeze on foreign aid during a 90-day review. Is there a link to Congos forests?There have long been concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where people regularly eat wild animals. The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, the WHO said in 2022.Experts say this might be what is happening in Congo, which is home to about 60% of the forests in the Congo Basin, home to the largest expanse of tropical forest on earth.All these viruses are viruses that have reservoirs in the forest. And so, as long as we have these forests, we will always have a few epidemics with viruses which will mutate, said Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health at Congos National Pedagogical University, who previously worked at the Congolese health ministry on Ebola and coronavirus response programs.___For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse___The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Right now, the world can feel like a joyless place for LGBTQ+ people, but queer joy is not only possible, it' s an act of resistance.President Donald Trumps systematic attack on the rights of LGBTQ+ people has made the world a scary place to live in. He has ended federal funding for gender-affirming care, denied LGBTQ+ people access to the HIV prevention medication PrEP, reinstated a ban on trans people serving in the military, and signed the anti-trans No Men in Womens Sports executive order. It would be easy to fall into despair and hopelessness, but this is not the first time our community has felt this kind of existential dread and fear for our future. The queer community has fought back and won before, and we can and will do it again. To empower ourselves in the present, it's essential to understand our past. In 1981, doctors started identifying the disease that would later become known as HIV/AIDS in gay men in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. By 1986, more than 11,000 people had died from AIDS-related complications in the United States, and yet rampant homophobia led to a lack of social services, inaction by the government former President Ronald Reagan didnt even say the word AIDS until 1985 and little scientific advancement. During the height of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s, people took to the streets en masse, marching and participating in nonviolent direct action and acts of civil disobedience to demand structural change and fight against the inexcusable neglect of the deaths of thousands within the queer community. And while the fight to create real change is long, arduous, and often exhausting, weve won before by embracing and fighting for queer joy as much as queer rights.As Dan Savage, Savage Love writer, LGBTQ+ activist, and co-creator of the It Gets Better Project, posted on Instagram in the wake of the 2024 election, During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didnt look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesnt feel like were going to win now but we could. Keep fighting, keep dancing."The movement to fight back against a system that was failing queer people across the country was led by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), a grassroots activist coalition born out of the collective anger at the social and governmental neglect of people with AIDS and the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of anti-sodomy laws. ACT UP organized marches, stunningly brave acts of civil disobedience, and worked to destigmatize queer sex, but also knew that building community, celebrating their sexuality, and finding moments of happiness were also crucial.Growing up in the 80s and 90s in the San Francisco Bay Area with an out-lesbian mother meant that the AIDS crisis was ever present in my childhood.I watched my mother protest in the streets, even as she took care of her gay friends who were dying and had been abandoned by their families. I went to countless funerals. The first memorial service I ever attended was for my godmothers brother, who died of AIDS-related complications. I was five or six years old, and I vividly remember helping to plant a rose bush in her garden, where we spread his ashes while the adults around me sobbed. As an activist, my mother was part of an affinity group a small group of people who support each other during demonstrations and protests that worked closely with other groups, including an affinity group comprised of gay men. Shockingly, all twelve of them had passed away by the time the early 90s rolled around.I watched as she mourned these men and saw her devastation at losing her best friend to the disease. I also bore witness to her planning protests, including the time she and other activists shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to raise awareness of the crisis and demand the government step in to alleviate the suffering.But I also remember that even though death and tragedy became an ever-present fact of life, my mother and her queer friends found ways to be joyful, and this joy allowed them to keep fighting back even amid all the grief.There was joy and gathering together in communal spaces that was not just important but necessary for survival, ACT UP activist Sean Strub told PRIDE. People were still making art, falling in love, breaking up, pursuing careers, raising families, etc., despite also experiencing profound loss and having to take care of each other as we were dying. Strub co-chaired ACT UPs fundraising committee, was the first openly HIV+ person to run for Congress, founded both POZ Magazine which chronicles the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and the Sero Project which focuses on ending the criminal prosecution of people with HIV and authored the book Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS, and Survival. Today, even as our government is becoming more repressive and police forces across the country are becoming more violent toward even nonviolent protesters, its important to remember that having fun, celebrating your sexuality, and finding moments of queer joy isnt just a way to keep your spirits up, but is also an act of rebellion all on its own. In every resistance movement, even under the most awful oppression, even in refugee camps and prisons, there are aspects of joy, Strub said. I'll bet someone has studied this in Vichy France and elsewhere. At POZ we once sponsored a POZ comedy night and it was a huge success. Some were appalled: What's funny about AIDS? But keeping our sense of humor, finding love, companionship, creating art and music and celebration are a necessary fuel to drive the resistance, to ultimately overcome.Trumps attack on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community has been so disheartening to witness that it would be easy to lose faith that anything can be done. But as you rally to fight back, its important to remember that real change often takes years, not months, so you have to find ways to keep your hope alive and keep fighting.If youre not in the streets today; If youre not dedicating a significant portion of your energy, time, and resources to combating whats going on; how much worse would it have to get for you to do so?" Strub asked. "We are in wartime and last November we lost, badly, the biggest battle to date. Millions of lives are at stake, the community we've created and the rights we've fought for and gained are at tremendous risk. Activism is incredibly rewarding but can also be exhausting, which is why ACT UP activist Anne-christine dAdesky, who also co-founded the direct action group the Lesbian Avengers, is about to host a cabaret at her house for her birthday because we need to dance together.Fun has to be part of the formula for me because it will continue to draw people, and it continues to bond us, said dAdesky, who helped to organize the very first Dyke March and has had a storied career as an award-winning journalist for publications like the Village Voice, The Advocate, Out, launched HIV Plus Magazine, and has dedicated much of her recent activism to combating Project 2025.She called the current political climate both a horrible time and an incredible time in the sense that repression forces people to survive, remarking that ACT UP was started because people were fighting for their survival and what she called Trump 2.0 is creating a similar situation today that is giving people a common cause to fight for. dAdesky said that turning up for national protests is important because we need the numbers out on the street to make public opposition to this regime visible, but you can make an even bigger impact at a local level through mutual aid or doing things like speaking to your representatives in person.The more that happens, the more effective our resistance, and the more they will feel that theyre part of a movement, dAdesky said. That theyre not isolated at home. That theyre not sitting there at home not knowing what to do or how to plug in.Jordan Peimer, an ACT UP Los Angeles activist and the co-creator of ACT UP LAs oral history project, said that on top of doing the important work of organizing and protesting, building community, celebrating together, and even flirting with other protestors and having sex was part of what kept members of the group going.There were far too many funerals, and there were far too many protests. Sometimes all you could do was dance, he said.Peimer who got more involved in the movement in 1988 after participating in an overnight vigil at LA County General Hospital where he saw firsthand how terribly AIDS patients were being treated said activists of the past benefited from having to meet up face-to-face to organize, protest, and party together, and cautioned that sitting behind a computer screen is demoralizing.Although you may be feeling grief, existential terror, and frustration, todays queer activists need to use queer joy as a weapon of resistance so we have the emotional energy to fight another day. Despite setbacks and even major losses, the protest movements of the past have taught us that real change is possible.I get it, it is way easier to click on a computer screen but it doesn't feed your queer soul, he explained. The Trans community just scored a partial victory in LA against the Children's Hospital by coming together to protest their lack of gender-affirming care when Children's Hospital LA reversed their recently enacted restrictions on gender-affirming care. That would not have happened if people stayed at home. It wouldn't have happened for me as seriously if I hadn't spent the night at the Los Angeles County General Hospital Vigil. Show up for your community: you'll be less tired and defeated, and who knows, you might get laid!

Fashion designer ShaVi Lewis, a beloved Project Runway contestant and creative force in the industry, has passed away at the age of 39. His family confirmed the news, sharing their deep sorrow over his untimely loss."We are in a state of disbelief as we come to the reality that our star has been cast into eternity," his sister, Akira Frierson Wood, told TMZ. "As the days move forward we will continue to wrap our minds around a future without your presence."See on InstagramBorn Franklin Shavi Lewis Frierson Jr. on December 4, 1985, in New Jersey, Lewis discovered his passion for fashion at an early age. As a high school student, he began designing dresses and quickly gained recognition for his talent."My junior year I started by making two dresses. My senior year I did about 10. And from there I was doing about 30 a year," he recalled in an interview for the Newark Museum of Arts Queer Newark project.See on InstagramLewis gained national attention when he competed on Season 18 of Project Runway in 2019. His time on the show was marked by his creative vision and ability to blend structure with elegance. Though he was eliminated in episode six, his presence left a lasting impression on both viewers and his fellow contestants.His Project Runway castmate Brittany Allen expressed her grief on Instagram, writing, "I dont have the words. My heart aches. The world and this industry will be dim without your light in it. Your love, your laughter, and your continuous support no matter where we were in life was everything."See on InstagramOutside of the show, Lewis built a remarkable career. His work was featured on major red carpets, including the Emmys, and he served as a creative director for Italian menswear company Stephen F. His designs also appeared in the hit FX series Pose, bringing his unique aesthetic to a wider audience.Family and friends have taken to social media to share heartfelt tributes. His aunt, Deidra "DivaDoll" Elkerson, reflected on his impact, writing, "You left a hell of a mark on this earth!!! You will be always loved and never forgotten."The cause of his death has not been publicly disclosed. His family has asked for continued prayers and support as they navigate this immense loss.

Tan France, the British-American fashion designer and star of Queer Eye, has set clear boundaries when it comes to fan interactions. Speaking at Netflixs Queer Eye Fab Five Live! Tour on February 20, the television personality revealed the one situation where he declines photos with fans: when hes spending time with his children, Ismail, 3, and Isaac, 1. France, known for his quick wit and warmSource

A non-binary U.S. citizen living in the UK has lost their appeal to have their gender identity legally recognized under UK law, but they are determined to continue their legal battle. Ryan Castellucci, originally from California and residing in the UK since 2019 on a Tier 1 Global Talent visa, sought to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) under the UKs 2004 Gender Recognition Act.Source

A sign is shown with egg cartons for sale at a grocery store Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)2025-02-26T18:36:38Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Agriculture Department predicts the current record prices for eggs could soar more than 40% in 2025, as the Trump administration offered the first new details Wednesday about its plan to battle bird flu and ease the cost of eggs.With an emphasis on tightening up biosecurity on farms, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA will invest another $1 billion on top of the roughly $2 billion it has already spent battling bird flu since the outbreak began in 2022. Officials had hinted at the plan earlier this month.Its not clear how much more farmers can do to keep the virus out.Egg and poultry farmers have already been working to protect their birds ever since the 2015 bird flu outbreak by taking measures like requiring workers to change clothes and shower before entering barns, using separate sets of tools and sanitizing any vehicles that enter farms. The challenge is that the virus is spread easily by wild birds as they migrate past farms. And the main reason egg prices have soared to hit a record average of $4.95 per dozen this month is that more than 166 million birds have been slaughtered to limit the spread of the virus after cases are found with most of those being egg-laying chickens. Last month was the worst yet for egg farmers with nearly 19 million egg-laying chickens slaughtered. Egg prices will get much worse this yearThe USDA now predicts that egg prices will increase at least 41% this year on top of the already record prices. Just last month, the increase was predicted to be 20%.And the average prices conceal just how bad the situation is, with consumers paying more than a dollar an egg in some places. The situation is hurting consumers and has prompted restaurants like Dennys and Waffle House to add surcharges on egg dishes.The high egg prices, which have more than doubled since before the outbreak began, cost consumers at least $1.4 billion last year, according to an estimate done by agricultural economists at the University of Arkansas.Egg prices also normally increase every spring heading into Easter when demand is high. When will the Trump plan bring down prices?Rollins acknowledged that it will take some time before consumers see an effect at the checkout counter. After all, it takes infected farms months to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize their farms and raise new birds. But she expressed optimism that this will help prices.Its going to take a while to get through, I think in the next month or two, but hopefully by summer, Rollins said.Will DOGE layoffs affect the bird flu fight?Rollins said she believes USDA will have the staff it needs to respond to bird flu even after all the cuts to the federal workforce at the direction of Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency.Will we have the resources needed to address the plan I just laid out? We are convinced that we will, she said, as we realign and and evaluate where USDA has been spending money, where our employees are spending their time. Wheres the money going?The plan calls for $500 million investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures, $400 million in additional aid for farmers whose flocks have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million to research and potentially develop vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks and explore rolling back what the administration sees as restrictive animal welfare rules in some states.Its not clear what the additional aid would be for because USDA already pays farmers for any birds they must slaughter due to the virus, and roughly $1.2 billion has gone to those payments.The administration is also in talks to import about 70 million to 100 million eggs from other countries in the coming months, Rollins said. But there were 7.57 billion table eggs produced last month, so those imports dont appear likely to make a significant difference in the market.Trump administration officials have suggested that vaccines might help reduce the number of birds that have to be slaughtered when there is an outbreak. However, no vaccines have been approved and the industry has said the current prototypes arent practical because they require individual shots to each bird. Plus, vaccinated birds could jeopardize exports.The National Turkey Federation said the plan Rollins outlined should help stabilize the market, but the trade group encouraged the USDA to pay attention to all egg and poultry farmers not just egg producers. ___Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Aamer Madhani contributed from Washington. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. 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)2025-02-26T18:16:51Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to start selling a gold card visa with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship for $5 million, seeking to have that new initiative replace a 35-year-old visa program for investors.I happen to think itll sell like crazy. Its a market, Trump said. But well know very soon.During the first meeting of his second-term Cabinet, Trump suggested that the new revenue generated from the program could be used to pay off the countrys debt.If we sell a million, thats $5 trillion dollars, he said. Of the demand from the business community to participate, he said I think we will sell a lot because I think theres really a thirst. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters during the same meeting that Trumps initiative would replace the EB-5 program, which offers U.S. visas to investors who spent about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people. Lutnick said that program has been around for many years for investment in projects but it was poorly overseen, poorly executed.The new program could mark a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy but isnt unprecedented elsewhere. Countries in Europe and elsewhere offer what have become known as golden visas that allow participants to pay in order to secure immigration status in desirable places. Congress, meanwhile, determines qualifications U.S. for citizenship, but the president said gold cards would not require congressional approval. Trump said of future possible recipients of the gold visa program: 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. Henley & Partners, an advisory firm, says more than 100 countries around the world offer golden visas to wealthy individuals and investors. That list includes the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada and Italy. Companies can buy gold cards and, in exchange, get those visas to hire new employees, Trump said. Despite similar programs already occurring outside the U.S., he insisted, No other country can do this because people dont want to go to other countries. They want to come here. Everybody wants to come here, especially since Nov. 5, he said of his Election Day victory last fall.Lutnick suggested that the gold card which would actually work, at least to start, more like 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. A pathway to citizenship as part of the new program also would set it apart from the EB-5 program. Trump said vetting people who might be eligible for the gold card will go through a process that is still being worked out.Pressed on if there would be restrictions on people from China or Iran not being allowed to participate, Trump suggested it will likely not be restricted to much in terms of countries, but maybe in terms of individuals. 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.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, the president said. 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. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gossip Girl, and Harriet the Spy, has tragically passed away at the age of 39, according to a report from the New York Post. Trachtenberg was found dead by her mother around 8 a.m. Wednesday at One Columbus Place, a luxury apartment building in Manhattans Central Park South neighborhood.Source

Cooper Koch, who gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Erik Menndez in Ryan Murphys Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, is setting his sights on his next big project. Following his Golden Globe nomination for the role, Koch revealed that hes eager to star in adaptations of several notable queer novels. In a recent cover story for VMan magazine, Koch shared his fantasySource

A boat on the Potomac River, cruises past emergency response vehicles seen staging at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, in the early morning hour, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, as seen from across the river near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)2025-02-09T15:10:11Z All the recent aviation disasters and close calls have people worried about the safety of flying.The midair collision that killed 67 near Washington D.C. last month was the worst disaster. But there was also the plane that crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto, the fiery plane crash in Philadelphia and a plane crash in Alaska that killed 10, as well as two small planes that collided in Arizona. Those all came before the scary moment this week in Chicago when a Southwest Airlines plane had to abort its landing to avoid crashing into another plane crossing the runway. A plane landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport also had to perform a go-around maneuver Tuesday to avoid getting too close to another aircraft departing from the same runway. Thats not to mention the time earlier this month when a Japan Airlines plane clipped a parked Delta plane while it was taxiing at the Seattle airport, or the security concerns that arose after stowaways were found dead inside the wheel wells of two planes and aboard two other flights. In addition, a United Airlines plane caught fire during takeoff at the Houston airport and a passenger opened an emergency exit door on a plane while it was taxiing for takeoff in Boston.So of course people are wondering whether their flight is safe? What happened in the worst cases?The Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed everyone aboard both aircraft. It was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground. After that, there hadnt been a deadly crash of any kind involving a U.S. airliner since February 2009.Earlier this month, 21 people were injured Feb. 17 when a Delta flight flipped and landed on its roof at Torontos Pearson Airport. Everyone survived that crash.Crashes are more common involving smaller planes, like the single-engine Cessna that crashed in Alaska on Feb. 6, or the two small planes that collided in Arizona on Feb. 19. Ten people including the pilot were killed in the Alaska crash, and two died in the Arizona one.A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people onboard and another person on the ground. That Learjet generated a massive fireball when it smashed into the ground in a neighborhood not long after taking off from a small airport nearby.How worried should I be?Fatal crashes attract extraordinary attention partly because they are rare. The track record of U.S. airlines is remarkably safe, as demonstrated by the long stretch between fatal crashes.But deadly crashes have happened more recently elsewhere around the world, including one in South Korea that killed all 179 people aboard in December. There were also two fatal crashes involving Boeings troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019. And last January, a door plug blew off a 737 Max while it was in flight, raising more questions about the plane. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements. President Donald Trump added to those concerns when he blamed the midair collision over Washington D.C. on the obsolete air traffic control system that airports rely on and promised to replace it.Even with all that, officials have tried to reassure travelers that flying is the safest mode of transportation. And statistics back that up. The National Safety Council estimates that Americans have a 1-in-93 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash, while deaths on airplanes are too rare to calculate the odds. Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation tell a similar story. What is being done?The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating these recent crashes and close calls to determine what caused them and look for ways to prevent recurrences.There have already been troubling revelations about the midair collision, but it will take more than a year to get the full report on what happened.The NTSB always recommends steps that could be taken to prevent crashes from happening again, but the agency has a long list of hundreds of previous recommendations that have been ignored by other government agencies and the industries it investigates.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said the public is right to say that crashes like the recent ones are unacceptable. That is why he plans to make sure safety is paramount as he leads the agency that regulates all modes of transportation.I feel really good about where were at and where were going and the plans we have in place to make sure we even make the system safer and more efficient than it is today, Duffy said in a Fox News interview. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto

Bisexual queen Halsey is getting kinky, and Sapphics everywhere are salivating!The singer-songwriter just posted a teaser image on Instagram for their upcoming single, titled Safeword, which is so steamy its going to be living in your head rent-free for years to come.The photo, which is captioned just say the safeword when youve had enough with a key emoji, features Halsey in a black leather bustier and chastity belt with her legs spread to the camera while holding a cherry above her outstretched tongue. Honestly, that description doesnt do it justice. Trust us, its hawt! On Monday, Halsey revealed that theyre releasing a brand new single, titled Safeword, on February 27 by dropping an 11-second teaser that imagines Halsey as a powerful dominatrix.In the teaser for the new single, which has major 90s riot grrl vibes, the Lucky singer is dressed from head to tow in skin-tight black latex while holding a leash attached to someone on their hands and knew in a puppy play gimp suit. In the short clip, Halsey sings, Oh, can you take it, baby? and Oh, can you handle it?Halsey also posted a short clip on Instagram earlier this week, where shes wearing studded black leather panties, a jacket, and sky-high boots and holding a leather whip while a man is lying on the floor in a gimp mask. Halsey, in their dominatrix gear, puts their foot on his throat before saying, Youre not the boss of me!Who knew Halsey had this much dom energy in her? This is really a red letter day for queer women!Safeword comes just a few months after Halsey released their fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator.Safeword drops on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

The third annual Unleashed LGBTQ+ Conference & Festival, the first-ever live queer business conference and festival, will return to Dallas, Texas, from September 19-21, 2025. Taking place in the heart of Oaklawn, one of the citys most iconic LGBTQ+ districts, the event promises to be a gathering of some of the biggest names across the LGBTQ+ spectrum in film, television, music, businessSource

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has updated its intelligence policy, removing restrictions that previously prohibited staff from gathering intelligence on individuals or groups based solely on their LGBTQ+ status. The change was made public last week, with the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) posting the new policy manual. The DHS, created in 2003 following the 9/11Source

Richard Rogers and his wife Laurie stand outside the James F. Battin Federal Courthouse, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Billings, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)2025-02-26T05:03:56Z BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) A Montana man was sentenced to four years of probation on Wednesday for threatening to assault former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after becoming upset with the government for not shooting down a Chinese spy balloon that floated over the defendants home city.Richard Rogers, 45, of Billings, was convicted by a federal jury last year on charges of threatening a member of Congress and making harassing phone calls to the FBI and congressional staff. He routinely made vulgar and obscene comments and berated officials during the calls. The former telephone customer service representative delivered the assault threat to a McCarthy staffer during a series of more than 100 calls to the Republican speakers office in just 75 minutes on Feb. 3, 2023, prosecutors said. That was one day after the Pentagon acknowledged it was tracking the spy balloon, which was later shot down off the Atlantic Coast. The threat against McCarthy carried a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine.Rogers testified at trial that his outraged calls to the FBI and McCarthys office were a form of civil disobedience. One of his lawyers said during the trial that Rogers just wanted to be heard. Prosecutors had asked the court to send a strong deterrent message that threats against public officials are not protected by the First Amendment. They had requested a sentence of two years in prison. Rogers conduct in this case contributes to a rising and concerning myth that the First Amendment somehow gives a person complete immunity from all consequences as long as their speech or conduct is framed as political protest, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.Defense attorney Daniel Ball had asked for Rogers to be spared prison and sentenced to supervised release. Ball referenced the violent actions of supporters of President Donald Trump in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and noted that many of them received prison sentences shorter than two years. Trump pardoned the perpetrators after he started his second term. The actions of some of these individuals may have been violent and egregious. Yet, they were pardoned, Ball wrote in a court filing last week. Richards conduct, as determined by the jury, occurred in Montana. There was no imminent risk to any person. There was no imminent threat.Rogers has said that he supports Trump and he was in Washington during the 2021 attack on the Capitol but did not take part.Threats against public officials in the U.S. have risen sharply in recent years, including against members of Congress, their spouses, election workers and local officials. Rogers case was among more than 8,000 threats to lawmakers investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police in 2023.A 30-year-old Billings man was sentenced last year to 2 1/2 years in federal prison after leaving voicemail messages threatening to kill former Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and his family. Another Montana man was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in 2023 for threats against Tester.

Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's choice for Director of the Office of Management and Budget, appears before the Senate Budget Committee during a hearing to examine his nomination, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)2025-02-26T21:42:16Z ATLANTA (AP) The Trump administrations demand that federal agencies plan to radically downsize is driven by a key figure in the conservative movement who has long planned this move. In President Donald Trumps first term, Russell Vought was a largely behind-the-scenes player who eventually became director of the influential but underappreciated Office of Management and Budget. He is back in that job in Trumps second term after being the principal author of Project 2025, the conservative governing blueprint that Trump insisted during the 2024 campaign was not part of his agenda. The memo Vought co-signed Wednesday is the clearest assertion of his power and the latest seminal writing for a man who argues the federal bureaucracy is an existential threat to the country itself and that it should dramatically downsize. An OMB spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Here is the context of the Wednesday memo and Voughts previous work: To Vought, the federal bureaucracy is itself a constitutional crisisIn Wednesdays memo, Vought framed the federal government as costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt and declared that it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs.He used similar language in passages of Project 2025 and in a 104-page budget plan proposed by his think tank, the Center for Renewing America, in 2022.The overall situation is constitutionally dire, unsustainably expensive, and in urgent need of repair. Nothing less than the survival of self-governance in America is at stake, he wrote in Project 2025.That tracks with what Vought said before Trump again nominated him to the role in November.In a post-election appearance with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Vought was even more explicit: The left has innovated over 100 years to create this administrative state that is totally unaccountable to the president. Vought made clear he would leverage a second chance at OMBIn Project 2025, Vought wrote that OMB is a Presidents air-traffic control system and that the Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the Presidents mind.OMB, he wrote, should be involved in all aspects of the White House policy process, becoming powerful enough to override implementing agencies bureaucracies.He told Carlson that OMB is the nerve center of the federal budget and that it has the ability to turn off the spending that is going on at the agencies and control all of government execution.Presidents, he said, use OMB to tame the bureaucracy, the administrative state.Speaking with Carlson, Vought described the approach as radical constitutionalism.In his Project 2025 writing, Vought says the OMB director should present a fiscal goal to the President early in the budget development process without specifying a date. Vought has praised DOGE and pushed back at Trump criticsAsked after the election about the presidents proposal to empower billionaire Trump aide Elon Musk and, at the time, former presidential GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, with sweeping power over the federal government, Vought was on board. I think theyre bringing an exhilarating rush ... of creativity, outside the box thinking, comfortability with risk and leverage, he told Carlson. Ramaswamy left DOGE by Inauguration Day.As for concerns over constitutional separation of powers, meaning those who believe Trumps White House seeks to takeover spending decisions that rest with Congress, Vought said, separation of powers is meant to have strong, opinionated conviction and leadership that go as fast as they can and hard as they can in their direction.The memo goes into more detail than previous Vought writingVoughts latest memo requires agencies to submit an initial overhaul plan by mid-March. This so-called Phase I deadline was introduced by Trump.So-called Phase II plans are due by April 14. Among other details, they must include a future-state organizational chart and documentation of all reductions, including (full-time) positions, term and temporary positions, reemployed annuitants, real estate footprint, and contracts. Vought invokes religious imagery and texts with his agendaThe latest OMB memo does not venture into religious texts or assertions. But Vought is an outspoken conservative Christian and invokes his faith as part of his governing philosophy.The Center for Renewing Americas 2022 budget outline begins by quoting the Old Testament, specifically the eighth chapter of the first book of Samuel, to set up a critique of the federal governments size and scope:He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to the officers and to his servants He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day, you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves. BILL BARROW Bill Barrow covers U.S. politics. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

Ilmenite, a key element used to produce titanium, is collected in the country's leading titanium mining company in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)2025-02-26T20:56:42Z DETROIT (AP) The United States will have access to Ukraines critical mineral wealth, including key ingredients for the clean energy transition, under a deal the two countries are expected to sign later this week. President Donald Trump, who has pushed for the agreement, has long been critical of a transition to green energies, which include wind and solar power, along with electrification of transportation and appliances, all things that require the various minerals the U.S. will have access to in this deal. So if Trump is against this trend, why go after these minerals? Wind turbines at the Buckeye Wind Energy are diffused by heat vapors as the are silhouetted against the rising sun, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) Wind turbines at the Buckeye Wind Energy are diffused by heat vapors as the are silhouetted against the rising sun, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The quick answer could be theyre used in a lot of other things, too. Heres a closer look: Ukraines mineral wealthCountries vary in which minerals they deem strategically critical. The U.S. Department of the Interior has designated 50, and Ukraine has more than 20 of those. Deposits of titanium, which is in high demand, are spread across the country. Titanium is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, for marine uses, chemical processing and medical devices. Ukraine has lithium, key to several current battery technologies, and it has uranium, used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. The country also has graphite and manganese, both used in batteries for electric vehicles. A worker controls extraction of ilmenite, a key element used to produce titanium, in an open pit mine in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) A worker controls extraction of ilmenite, a key element used to produce titanium, in an open pit mine in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Still, the data on Ukraines geology is incomplete, according to Tom Moerenhout, adjunct associate professor at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs. The maps date back to when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991. So its not clear how easy or profitable it will be to get the desired materials out of the ground. Its one thing to have a deal that talks about how might we manage their extraction and their revenue, Moerenhout said of the agreement. Its another thing entirely to actually have extractive projects, to actually have mining operations going on, and that is something that the deal does not guarantee.Some of the mineral riches lie in parts of the country currently occupied by Russia. Ukraines rare earth metalsRare earths are a subset of critical minerals; there are 17 of them, and not one is a common word. For example, ytterbium and promethium are rare earths. Rare earths are important for many kinds of technology and electronics, including medical care, military, aerospace as well as clean energy uses.Ytterbium is used in infrared lasers, chemical reactions, rechargeable batteries and fiber optics. Lanthanum is used in batteries, specialty glass for eyeglasses and and camera lenses and in petroleum refining. A single piece of military equipment can require hundreds of pounds of a rare earth.Contrary to their name, rare earths are not necessarily rare. However, they do often occur in low concentrations, making processing complicated. Its mainly China that excels at this processing currently. FILE- Miners extract ilmenite, a key element used to produce titanium, at an open pit mine in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) FILE- Miners extract ilmenite, a key element used to produce titanium, at an open pit mine in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Geopolitical reasons for interest in Ukraines supplyThe Trump administration has steered clear of clean energy policy in favor of its energy dominance agenda, focused on oil and gas. As promised during his campaign, the presidents early executive orders slashed support for climate- and clean-energy related technologies, funding and programs.Electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels and other clean energy technology require the rare earths for components such as magnets and batteries; broadly, renewable energy and decarbonization are placing high demand on minerals across the globe.But clearly, the uses of the minerals Ukraine has go far beyond the energy transition. And Ukraine has tried hard to interest the new administration in its mineral wealth.Also, China controls much of the worlds supply of these materials. Opening access to Ukraines supply could reduce U.S. dependence elsewhere.To the credit of the first Trump administration, they have always put critical minerals as a very important policy priority because they knew they were so heavily reliant on China, Moerenhout said. That priority for the Trump administration doesnt change at all because they are less, lets say, less aggressive about clean energy deployment targets in the future. ___Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at [emailprotected].___Read more of APs climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. ALEXA ST. JOHN St. John is a climate solutions reporter for The Associated Press, based in Detroit. She covers the ways people and communities create viable and scalable solutions to the planets warming. twitter mailto

Revry is making waves with its latest series, Unconventional, a show that perfectly lives up to its name. On February 10, the Renberg Theatre in Hollywood hosted the premiere party, where the first three episodes of the season were screened, followed by a lively Q&A moderated by Revry founder and CEO Damian Pelliccione. The event, [...]The post Revry Latest Release Takes an Unconventional Approach To Dysfunction with Humor first appeared on GLAAD.

In this undated image released by Intuitive Machines, Intuitive Machines newest lunar lander is displayed. (Intuitive Machines via AP)2025-02-27T00:18:03Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) A private company launched another lunar lander Wednesday, aiming to get closer to the moons south pole this time with a drone that will hop into a jet-black crater that never sees the sun.Intuitive Machines lander, named Athena, caught a lift with SpaceX from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Its taking a fast track to the moon with a landing on March 6 while hoping to avoid the fate of its predecessor, which tipped over at touchdown. Never before have so many spacecraft angled for the moons surface all at once. Last month, U.S. and Japanese companies shared a rocket and separately launched landers toward Earths sidekick. Texas-based Firefly Aerospace should get there first this weekend after a big head start. The two U.S. landers are carrying tens of millions of dollars worth of experiments for NASA as it prepares to return astronauts to the moon. Its an amazing time. Theres so much energy, NASAs science mission chief Nicky Fox told The Associated Press a few hours ahead of the launch.This isnt Intuitive Machines first lunar rodeo. Last year, the Texas company made the first U.S. touchdown on the moon in more than 50 years. But an instrument that gauges distance did not work and the lander came down too hard and broke a leg, tipping onto its side. Intuitive Machines said it has fixed the issue and dozens of others. A sideways landing like last time would prevent the drone and a pair of rovers from moving out. NASAs drill also needs an upright landing to pierce beneath the lunar surface to gather soil samples for analysis. Certainly, we will be better this time than we were last time. But you never know what could happen, said Trent Martin, senior vice president of space systems. Its an extraordinarily elite club. Only five countries have pulled off a lunar landing over the decades: Russia, the U.S., China, India and Japan. The moon is littered with wreckage from many past failures. The 15-foot (4.7-meter) Athena will target a landing 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the lunar south pole. Just a quarter-mile (400 meters) away is a permanently shadowed crater the ultimate destination for the drone named Grace. Named after the late computer programming pioneer Grace Hopper, the 3-foot (1-meter) drone will make three increasingly higher and longer test hops across the lunar surface using hydrazine fueled-thrusters for flight and cameras and lasers for navigation.If those excursions go well, it will hop into the nearby pitch-black crater, an estimated 65 feet (20 meters) deep. Science instruments from Hungary and Germany will take measurements at the bottom while hunting for frozen water.It will be the first up-close peek inside one of the many shadowed craters dotting both the north and south poles. Scientists suspect these craters are packed with tons of ice. If so, this ice could be transformed by future explorers into water to drink, air to breathe and even rocket fuel. NASA is paying $62 million to Intuitive Machines to get its drill and other experiments to the moon. The company, in turn, sold space on the lander to others. It also opened up the Falcon rocket to ride-sharing. Tagalongs included NASAs Lunar Trailblazer satellite, which will fly separately to the moon over the next several months before entering lunar orbit to map the distribution of water below. Also catching a ride was a private spacecraft that will chase after an asteroid for a flyby, a precursor to asteroid mining.___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. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)2025-02-26T16:50:01Z INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Miami Dolphins are the top-ranked team, followed by the Minnesota Vikings, for the second consecutive season in the NFL Players Association report card.The Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers rounded out the top five in the third annual NLPA report card released Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine.The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals were the bottom five.JC Tretter, the NFLPAs chief strategy officer, said 1,695 players responded to the survey, an average of 52 players per team and 77% of the unions membership. The report cards were compiled between Aug. 26 and Nov. 20.NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell pointed out the purpose of the report cards is not to be a shame campaign but how do we improve working conditions for our guys. Tretter said most teams improved in a positive direction.The Washington Commanders made a huge jump, going from 32nd twice to No. 11.That really shows the point of the project, Tretter said, highlighting owner Josh Harris efforts to improve staffing and culture. Commanders coach Dan Quinn was ranked No. 1 by players.The Falcons leaped from 25th to third and the Chargers went from 30th to fifth.The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles fell to 22nd from fourth last year.Owners were graded on two new categories this time around. Previously, players were asked to rate how willing owners were to invest in the teams facilities. Stephen Ross (Dolphins), Zygi Wilf (Vikings), Arthur Blank (Falcons), Greg Prenner (Broncos) and Dean Spanos (Chargers) finished 1-5 in that category.Robert Kraft (Patriots), David Tepper (Panthers), Art Rooney II (Steelers), Michael Bidwell (Cardinals) and Woody Johnson (Jets) were the bottom five.Players were asked to also rate how the owners contributed to positive team culture and to rate their commitment to building a competitive team. Ross, Blank, Wilf, Harris and Prenner were the top five in both categories. Bidwell, Jimmy Haslam (Browns), Kraft, Tepper and Johnson were the bottom five for team culture. Mike Brown (Bengals), Haslam, Kraft, Johnson and Tepper were the bottom five for competitive building.Only Johnson got an overall F rating for ownership.Falcons coach Raheem Morris finished second behind Quinn in coach rankings and AP Coach of the Year Kevin OConnell of the Vikings was third. Kansas Citys Andy Reid and Detroits Dan Campbell were fourth and fifth. Miamis Mike McDaniels also received an A-plus.The lowest-graded coaches received a C. They were Kevin Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year with the Browns, Doug Pederson (Jaguars) and Matt Eberflus (Bears). Pederson and Eberflus were fired.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl ROB MAADDI Maaddi is senior NFL writer for The Associated Press. Hes covered the league for 24 years, including the first two decades as the Eagles beat writer. mailto

On Sunday, February 16, over 35 queer and/or trans Black women gathered at Sohos Holloway House for a brunch hosted by celebrity stylist Zerina Akers and filmmaker Sidra Smith, celebrating love, friendship, and community. The event fostered meaningful conversations, openness, and support, creating an atmosphere of sisterhood and empowerment. DJ T-Kay provided a soulful soundtrack [...]The post Sunday Service: Sidra Smith and Zerina Akers Team Up To Celebrate Sisterhood With Black Queer Women first appeared on GLAAD.

Rising pop star Tate McRae is opening up about her strong bond with her LGBTQ+ fans, admitting they are her favorite and sharing that her entire team is LGBTQ+. In an interview with Pride on Tuesday, February 25, McRae, 21, expressed how much she values the support from her queer audience, calling them her number ones. Theyre my favorite. No one beats them. Nobody is better than them,Source

The seal is seen at the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)2025-02-26T23:44:10Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday. The pause affects hundreds of VA contracts that Secretary Doug Collins a day earlier described as simply consulting deals, whose cancellation would save $2 billion as the Trump administration works to slash costs across the federal government. No more paying consultants to do things like make Power Point slides and write meeting minutes! Collins posted to X Tuesday, in a post that was then lauded by Elon Musk, President Donald Trumps cost-cutting chief at the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The Associated Press has obtained the full list of 875 affected contracts, which shows the cuts would affect everything from cancer care to the ability to assess toxic exposure. The list underscores how the Trump administrations approach to broad spending reductions has immediate and potentially unintended consequences, generating significant concern not just among Democrats but also Republican lawmakers. The VA said in a statement to the AP that its review of the contracts is ongoing and not final. We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. We are always going to take care of Veterans at VA. Period, VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement. One contract that was on the chopping block supports assessing veterans disability ratings. Those evaluations are one of the most important steps needed for a veteran to qualify to have their medical care covered and receive financial compensation if they were wounded due to their military service. An inaccurate rating can have a long-term impact on their access to care and financial support. Another contract is intended to identify and integrate data between the Pentagon, VA and other agencies to support the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, a bill passed in 2022 to increase veterans access to care. Some of the other contracts marked for cancellation also directly affect veterans care.At a joint House and Senate hearing Wednesday with veterans services organizations, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal submitted a partial list of the affected contracts his office had received and submitted it for the congressional record.If carried out, these cuts will harm veterans and taxpayers for years to come, Blumenthal said in a statement. In an internal VA email sent Tuesday and seen by the AP, a VA contracting official said DOGE targeted contracts broadly categorized as consulting but they included ones that if terminated would halt chemotherapy and imaging services. Contracts to calibrate radiation detection equipment, to support cancer care and veterans cemetery management, among others were also targeted. Another would directly affect the ability to assess toxic exposure because it supports more than 24,000 research requests to look through the National Archives and Records Administration and other government sources to validate service and toxic exposure events. Former VA Secretary David Shulkin, who served in the Trump administration in his first term, said that while the agency has gotten larger and there are likely savings to be found, the VA grew, in part, to meet the large expansion of veterans enrolling to get care under the PACT Act. More than 740,000 veterans signed up for coverage after the law passed, according to a September 2024 VA press release.I do think slowing down and pausing to see what the consequences are, even if they are unintended consequences, is important to do, Shulkin told The Associated Press.Veterans service organizations called for immediate transparency on what contracts were affected.With funding suddenly stripped from contractors processing claims, conducting medical screenings and expanding outreach, there are growing concerns veterans will face delays, denials and disruptions in accessing critical services, said Rosie Torres, executive director of Burn Pits 360. The group advocates for veterans who face life-altering respiratory illnesses and cancers due to toxic exposure to dangerous air particle matter generated from massive trash-burning fires at overseas bases.The Washington Post was first to report on the cancellations.___Johnson reported from Washington state. TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto CARLA K. JOHNSON Johnson covers research in cancer, addiction and more for The Associated Press. She is a member of APs Health and Science team. twitter mailto

Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's choice for Director of the Office of Management and Budget, appears before the Senate Budget Committee during a hearing to examine his nomination, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)2025-02-26T22:10:28Z The Mennonite population being affected by a measles outbreak in West Texas is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches worldwide with varied beliefs and leadership structures and with sometimes strained or distant relations with health officials and other public authorities. Who are the Mennonites?Mennonites are part of the wider Anabaptist family of churches, which emerged in 1525 as the radical wing of the Protestant Reformation in Central Europe. Other Anabaptist branches today include the Amish, Brethren and Hutterites. Anabaptists believed that a true biblical church had to follow such principles as non-violence, unconditional forgiveness, adult baptism, church discipline, and a refusal to bear arms or swear oaths. Early Anabaptists suffered persecution and martyrdom under Catholic and Protestant rulers in Europe, a history that still influences some groups today in their suspicion of governmental authorities, including public health officials.Mennonites, named for an early leader, Menno Simons, vary widely in practice today.Some Mennonites have largely assimilated into mainstream culture and dress, with a focus on working for peace and social justice in the larger society. Other Mennonites maintain traditions similar to the Amish, with tight-knit, separatist communities marked by such things as limited technology, nonviolence, male leadership and traditional dress, including womens head coverings. Still others are somewhere on a continuum between such practices. There are more than 2 million baptized believers in 86 countries in Anabaptist-related churches, according to the Mennonite World Conference What are Old Colony Mennonites in Texas? The outbreak has particularly affected Gaines county and some adjacent areas.While its not immediately clear which Mennonite community has been affected, the Gaines County area includes a community with a distinctive history.Many other North American Amish and Mennonites trace their roots to immigration directly from Western Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, said Steven Nolt, professor of history and Anabaptist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. In contrast, the Seminole area includes a community of Old Colony Mennonites, which has a much more circuitous history of migration, Nolt said.Old Colony Mennonites migrated first to the Russian Empire, then to Canada, then to Mexico, fleeing government pressures to assimilate, according to Nolt. As economic conditions deteriorated in Mexico, some moved to such areas as Gaines County and other communities in Texas and nearby states in the 1980s and 1990s. All along, they have preserved their Low German dialect and other cultural distinctions.Gaines County is also home to one of the highest rates of school-aged children in Texas who have opted out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% skipping a required dose last school year. What are Mennonite views on vaccines?Historically and theologically, there has not been any religious teaching against immunization in Mennonite circles, Nolt said via email. Theres no religious prohibition, no body of religious writing on it at all. That said, more culturally conservative Mennonite (and Amish) groups have tended to be under-immunized or partially-immunized.Partly, he said, thats because they dont engage as regularly with health care systems as more assimilated groups do. Many traditional Anabaptist groups did accept vaccinations that were promoted in the mid-20th century, such as for tetanus and smallpox, but they have been more skeptical in recent years of newly introduced vaccines, Nolt said.But Old Colony groups who arrived in the late 20th century also missed the whole mid-century immunization push, as they werent in the U.S. at that time.___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.

Orville Peck, the gay country singer known for his unique blend of haunting melodies and masked persona, is set to make his Broadway debut as the iconic Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club this March. The announcement has stirred excitement among fans, with a first-look image recently shared that reveals his character silhouette notably without his signature mask. Peck, who has spent much ofSource

The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, is pictured Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)2025-02-26T23:27:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration said Wednesday it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Developments foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad. The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles with the administration. The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday. The Supreme Court intervened in that case late Wednesday and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by midnight. Wednesdays disclosures also give an idea of the scale of the administrations retreat from U.S. aid and development assistance overseas, and from decades of U.S. policy that foreign aid helps U.S. interests by stabilizing other countries and economies and building alliances. The memo said officials were clearing significant waste stemming from decades of institutional drift. More changes are planned in how USAID and the State Department deliver foreign assistance, it said. President Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk have hit foreign aid harder and faster than almost any other target in their push to cut the size of the federal government. Both men say USAID projects advance a liberal agenda and are a waste of money. Trump on Jan. 20 ordered what he said would be a 90-day program-by-program review of which foreign assistance programs deserved to continue, and cut off all foreign assistance funds almost overnight.The funding freeze has stopped thousands of U.S.-funded programs abroad, and the administration and Musks Department of Government Efficiency teams have pulled the majority of USAID staff off the job through forced leave and firings. In the federal court filings Wednesday, nonprofits owed money on contracts with USAID describe both Trump political appointees and members of Musks teams terminating USAIDs contracts around the world at breakneck speed, without time for any meaningful review, they say.There are MANY more terminations coming, so please gear up!'' a USAID official wrote staff Monday, in an email quoted by lawyers for the nonprofits in the filings.The nonprofits, among thousands of contractors, owed billions of dollars in payment since the freeze began, called the en masse contract terminations a maneuver to get around complying with the order to lift the funding freeze temporarily.So did a Democratic lawmaker.The administration is brazenly attempting to blow through Congress and the courts by announcing the completion of their sham review of foreign aid and the immediate termination of thousands of aid programs all over the world, said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had reviewed the terminations.In all, the Trump administration said it will eliminate 5,800 of 6,200 multiyear USAID contract awards, for a cut of $54 billion. Another 4,100 of 9,100 State Department grants were being eliminated, for a cut of $4.4 billion.The State Department memo, which was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, described the administration as spurred by a federal court order that gave officials until the end of the day Wednesday to lift the Trump administrations monthlong block on foreign aid funding.In response, State and USAID moved rapidly, targeting USAID and State Department foreign aid programs in vast numbers for contract terminations, the memo said.Trump administration officials after repeated warnings from the federal judge in the case also said Wednesday they were finally beginning to send out their first or any payments after more than a month with no known spending. Officials were processing a few million dollars of back payments, officials said, owed to U.S. and international organizations and companies. But U.S. District Judge Amir H. Alis order to unfreeze billions of dollars by midnight Wednesday will remain on hold until the Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in more fully, according to the brief order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts. Ali had ordered the federal government to comply with his decision temporarily blocking a freeze on foreign aid, ruling in a lawsuit filed by nonprofit groups and businesses. An appellate panel refused the administrations request to intervene before the high court weighed in.The plaintiffs have until noon Friday to respond, Roberts said.The administration has filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in one other case so far, arguing that a lower court was wrong to reinstate the head of a federal watchdog agency after Trump fired him.-Gary Fields and Mark Sherman contributed from Washington and Rebecca Boone from Boise, Idaho.___ ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2025, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (Pool via AP)2025-02-27T01:02:02Z WASHINGTON (AP) Building lethality in the military may be the buzzword for the new Trump administration, but busywork and paperwork have become the reality at the Pentagon, as service members and civilian workers are facing a broad mandate to purge all of the departments social media sites and untangle confusing personnel reduction moves.On Wednesday, the departments top public affairs official signed and sent out a new memo requiring all the military services to spend countless hours poring over years of website postings, photos, news articles and videos to remove any mentions that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.If they cant do that by March 5, they have been ordered to temporarily remove from public display all content published during the Biden administrations four years in office, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Associated Press. The new directive comes as the military services also are scrambling to identify probationary workers the administration has targeted for firing under its campaign to slash the government workforce. They are also trying to figure out how many civilian workers have agreed to leave under the government-wide buyouts and whether they have been approved. Among the firings were a dozen senior military leaders late last week, including Gen. CQ Brown Jr., who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations; Gen. Jim Slife, vice chief of the Air Force; and the judge advocates general for the services. Top leaders had been targeted as part of the campaign to rid the military of so-called woke leaders, but the firing of the JAGs didnt seem to fall into that category. The latest social media directive hits just days after the department issued a separate memo to the services reminding forces to remain apolitical and focused on the non-partisan execution of their duties. Given the intense focus on recent changes within the department, maintaining the public trust is more important than ever, said the memo, signed Feb. 19, by Darin Selnick, who is temporarily working as the undersecretary for personnel.The move to purge content on diversity is part of Trumps broader executive order ending the federal governments diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But confusion has swirled among federal agencies, since Trump himself marked Black History Month at the White House with a reception that featured golf legend Tiger Woods.U.S. officials said this week that military leaders were initially told they would have just days to scour their websites going back decades for stories on gains in the military by women and minorities or stories celebrating cultural heritage. When the leaders said they didnt have the manpower to meet the deadline, they got the option to simply wipe away all posts from the last four years.Employees would then go through all that content to determine what must be publicly removed and archived and what can be reposted. But officials said that given the expanse of the task, many may just remove all content from the last four years and start over with new sites essentially erasing the Biden tenure from the departments online history. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to relay internal discussions. Signed by Sean Parnell, the departments new chief spokesman, the memo provides a bit more detail on the DEI purge that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered. But it also has left the services and department sections scrambling to find workers to devote substantial time to the detail-intensive task.Officials said they are concerned that the directive has added yet another distraction as they try to focus on meeting Trumps broader mandate to increase lethality. They worry there is little time to strip years of old military web pages of all DEI content and to do so means pulling staff from other more critical warfighting and security tasks.It also isnt entirely clear what makes a story, post, photo or video DEI-related. According to the memo, it includes content that promotes programs or materials about critical race theory, gender ideology and special treatment for individuals based up gender, race or ethnicity. It also refers to any content that is counter to merit-based or color-blind policies which could include news items that focus on a service member or employees race or gender.And despite Trumps celebration of Black History Month, it also calls for the elimination of all content that promotes so-called cultural awareness months that Hegseth decried in an earlier memo titled Identity Months dead at DOD.In that Jan. 31 memo, he said that efforts to divide the force to put one group ahead of another erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution. He has also argued that efforts to broader diversity took emphasis away from warfighting. As a result, he said the department and the services cant use official resources to host celebrations or event related to Black History Month, Womens History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National American Indian Heritage Month. Instead, he said units and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos.The new edict raises questions about how workers will determine what to pull down. And it triggers fears that there could be another overreaction as workers remove all photos or videos of women and minorities to ensure they dont miss something.Such overreach caused problems early on following Trumps initial order to purge DEI from social media the Air Force quickly took down new recruit training courses that included videos of the Tuskegee Airmen.That mistake drew the White Houses ire and left the service open to criticism that it was engaging in malicious compliance. The Air Force quickly reversed the removal of the videos. LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto

A U.S. soldier who recently pleaded guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon communicated with an email address that he believed belonged to a foreign countrys military intelligence service and attempted to sell the service stolen data, according to newly filed court records reviewed by 404 Media. The court document also says that the soldier searched for U.S. military personnel defecting to Russia.The court filing in the case of Cameron John Wagenius, who used the handles kiberphant0m and cyb3rph4nt0m, discusses Wagenius unlawful posting and transferring of confidential phone records, including records belonging to high-ranking public officials. 404 Media previously revealed how hackers linked to the AT&T breach mined it for records associated with members of the Trump family, such as Melania and Ivanka Trump, Kamala Harris, and Marco Rubios wife. The court document does not say what specific data Wagenius tried to sell to the foreign intelligence service, or who that data belonged to.The news further stresses the catastrophic nature of the AT&T breach and its national security implications, which saw hackers make off with nearly all of AT&Ts customers calls and text metadata records across a several month period. The news also signifies how some participants in the Com, a nebulous community of mostly English speaking hackers, fraudsters, and violent criminals that coalesce on Telegram and Discord, and which Wagenius was associated with, are crossing paths with powerful international entities. 404 Media previously reported SIM swappers in the Com have worked with an Eastern European ransomware gang.Do you know anything else about this breach? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.As discussed in the governments sealed filing, the government has uncovered evidence suggesting that the charged conduct was only a small part of Wagenius malicious activity, the court record, filed on Wednesday, reads. For more than two weeks in November 2024, Wagenius communicated with an email address he believed belonged to Country-1s military intelligence service in an attempt to sell stolen information. Days after he apparently finished communicating with Country-1s military intelligence service, Wagenius Googled, can hacking be treason, the document continues.That section does not name the specific country. But a further section says that Wagenius searched for U.S. military personnel defecting to Russia. It then says He also searched for information about defecting to Country-1, the country to which he attempted to sell stolen information in November, suggesting that Country-1 is Russia.A footnote in the document says that the U.S. government has not verified whether the email address actually belongs to Country-1s military intelligence service. What is significant, however, is that Wagenius believed that it did, the document says.AT&T did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CHS oil refinery is silhouetted against the setting sun Sept. 28, 2024, in McPherson, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)2025-02-26T17:36:47Z President Donald Trump began dismantling his predecessors climate change and renewable energy policies on his first day in office, declaring a national energy emergency to speed up fossil fuel development a policy he has summed up as drill, baby, drill.The declaration calls on the federal government to make it easier for companies to build oil and gas projects, in part by weakening environmental reviews, with the goal of lowering prices and selling to international markets. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pa., as moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pa., as moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Democrats say thats a sham. They point out that the U.S. is producing more oil and natural gas than any other country and the Biden administrations Inflation Reduction Act boosted renewable energy at a critical time, creating jobs and addressing the climate change threat 2024 was Earths hottest year on record amid the hottest 10-year stretch on record. It would also set a horrible precedent, that a president of either party can invent a sham emergency and then grab away from Congress powers that Congress has in the Constitution, said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.Kaine spoke Wednesday in support of a Senate resolution from Democrats to terminate Trumps declaration that later failed on a party-line 52-47 vote. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has already made the U.S. an even friendlier environment for fossil fuels. Congress is helping, too, with the House voting to repeal a Biden administration-era methane fee on oil and gas producers. In addition, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has urged the White House to reconsider a finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public, a fundamental Obama-era document that underpins the agencys power to regulate planet-warming emissions, according to four people who were briefed on the matter but spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the recommendation is not public.Here are some ways the Trump administration has moved to advance fossil fuels: Lifting a pause on LNG exports A flare burns at Venture Global LNG in Cameron, La., April 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Martha Irvine, File) A flare burns at Venture Global LNG in Cameron, La., April 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Martha Irvine, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Biden administration last year paused evaluations of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals. That pleased environmentalists concerned that a big surge in exports would contribute to planet-warming emissions. The pause didnt stop projects already under construction, but it delayed consideration of new projects.Trump reversed that pause.On Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell said global LNG demand is forecast to rise by around 60% by 2040.The United States is expected to play a major role in meeting that demand, with its export capacity expected to double before 2030, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.I think investors have become much more comfortable that they can move towards final investment decisions without the concerns that they had over the last four years about potential roadblocks, said Christopher Treanor, an energy and environmental attorney at the law firm Akin.Drilling expansion An oil pumping unit works in the foreground while wind turbines at the Buckeye Wind Energy wind farm rise in the distance Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) An oil pumping unit works in the foreground while wind turbines at the Buckeye Wind Energy wind farm rise in the distance Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Trump has opened more land for oil and gas lease sales, shifting away from Bidens efforts to protect environmentally sensitive areas like Alaskas National Wildlife Refuge and to prevent large swaths of ocean from being available for offshore drilling, including major areas off coasts in the Pacific, Atlantic and parts of Alaska. Environmental groups are suing to stop Trumps moves.Expanding the area available for companies to lease and drill doesnt necessarily mean that more oil and gas will be produced. When leases were made available in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, for example, only smaller companies bid and there were no buyers for a second lease sale.Army Corps appears ready to help projects sidestep the Clean Water ActThe Army Corps of Engineers marked hundreds of Clean Water Act permits for fast-tracking, citing Trumps order on energy, then removed that notation in its database. The agency said it needed to review active permit applications before publishing which ones will be fast-tracked.They dont seem to be backing off, said Tom Pelton, spokesman with the Environmental Integrity Project. They are just going to refine the list. Many of the permit applications that had been listed for expediting are for fossil fuel projects, but some others have nothing to do with energy, including a housing subdivision proposed by Chevron in southern California, according to the Environmental Integrity Project. David Bookbinder, the organizations director of law and policy, said the Trump administration is using the pretext of a national energy emergency to ask a federal agency to circumvent environmental protections to justify building more fossil fuel power plants. Bookbinder said theres no shortage of energy. Slashing the federal workforce The Jeffrey Energy Center coal-fired power plant operates near Emmett, Kan., Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) The Jeffrey Energy Center coal-fired power plant operates near Emmett, Kan., Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Pat Parenteau, professor emeritus at Vermont Law & Graduate School, said Trumps policy changes arent nearly as important as the deep cuts to the federal government that eliminate vital expertise. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, for example, Trump said the head of the EPA should axe roughly two-thirds of its employees. I think they are going to accomplish what no other administration has been able to do in terms of crippling the institutional capacity of the federal government to protect public health, to conserve national resources to save endangered species, he said. That is where we are going to see long-term, permanent damage.Trumps energy emergency calls, for example, for undermining Endangered Species Act protections to ensure fast energy development, even assembling a rarely used committee the so-called God Squad that could have authority to dismiss significant threats to species. That move was coupled with recent deep cuts to the Fish & Wildlife Service, which administers the law.Parenteau said some species are likely to go extinct.Executive orders take aim at renewablesTrump also targeted wind energy with an order to temporarily halt offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and pause federal approvals, permits and loans for projects both onshore and offshore. In another order, he listed domestic energy resources that could help ensure a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy. Solar, wind and battery storage were omitted, though solar is the fastest-growing source of electricity generation in the United States. Trump has vowed to end tax credits for renewables as well, which would push up prices. Substantially slowing renewables could leave the U.S. wedded to coal and gas for far longer as coal plants are extended and new gas plants are built, said David Shepheard, partner and energy expert at the global consultant Baringa. Shepheard said the U.S. is facing unprecedented growth in electricity demand largely to meet needs from data centers and artificial intelligence, and increasingly the deck is stacked against renewables to meet it. A Baringa analysis found Trumps policies will drive up emissions and put the agreed-upon international climate threshold further out of reach.___This story has been updated to correct the status of action on efforts to repeal methane fee; only House has so far voted to repeal.___Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Patrick Whittle contributed reporting.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. MICHAEL PHILLIS Phillis is an Associated Press reporter covering the environment with a focus on water. He is based in St. Louis. mailto JENNIFER McDERMOTT McDermott is a reporter on the Associated Press Climate and Environment team. She focuses on the transition to clean energy. twitter mailto

Three children play where the border wall separating Mexico and the United States meets the Pacific Ocean, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)2025-02-26T18:41:08Z Immigration officials say anyone living in the U.S. illegally will soon have to register with the federal government, and those who dont could face fines, imprisonment or both.The registry will be mandatory for everyone 14 and older who doesnt have legal status, according to a Tuesday statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. Each person must register and provide their fingerprints and address, the statement says, and parents and guardians of anyone under age 14 must ensure they are registered. Here are some details about the registry the latest in a string of Trump administration moves tied to campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and deport millions living in the country illegally: What is behind the registry?Federal immigration law has long required that people living illegally in the U.S. register with the government. Those laws can be traced back to the Alien Registration Act of 1940, which came amid heightened growing fears of immigrants and political subversives in the early days of World War II. The current requirements stem from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.A system set up after 9/11, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, required all noncitizen males age 16 or older from 25 countries - all but one of them majority Arab or Muslim - to register with the U.S. government. The program led to no terrorism convictions but pulled more than 13,000 people into deportation proceedings. It was suspended in 2011 and dissolved in 2016. Across the decades, though, scholars say the registration requirement has rarely been enforced. Officials say that now will change. The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce, Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans. What is the goal of the announcement? In part, Tuesdays Homeland Security statement was purely bureaucratic, a way to announce that the law is again being enforced and how people should register. Officials said theyd soon announce a form and process for aliens to complete the registration requirement. On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service directs people to create an online account and says additional information on registering will be available in the coming days.No alien will have an excuse for failure to comply with this law, the statement said.The USCIS website indicated that people who register would be given some form of identity card, which anyone over age 18 must carry and keep in their possession at all times.The announcement of the registry allows the Trump administration to flex its political muscle on the key issue of immigration. Its also a signal to people living in the U.S. illegally. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream, McLaughlins statement said. What will be the effect of the registry? Like much about the registry, thats unclear for now. But legal scholars say the practical consequences may not matter, as people already living below the legal radar are unlikely to register, which would make them far easier to deport. But even if it doesnt actually accomplish much in terms of deporting more people, it sends a signal to the American people that Were cracking down on immigrants, and it will also heighten the fear immigrants already have about whats going on, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a longtime immigration law scholar and retired Cornell Law School professor.Advocates blasted the announcement. Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement that it harkens back to shameful episodes in U.S. history of government-sanctions discrimination against immigrants and people of color.___Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed reporting.

In this image taken off a video released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, a member of Taiwan Navy reacts on the intercom to Chinese war ships conducting drills about 40 nautical miles (74km) off the coast of western Taiwan's Kaohsiung and Pingtung cities on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)2025-02-27T04:10:09Z TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) Taiwan on Thursday condemned Chinas military exercises after Beijing designated an area to conduct shooting drills off the self-governed islands southwest coast.China considers the island a renegade province to be taken by force if necessary and in recent years has increased military activity around Taiwans waters and airspace.China is the biggest troublemaker for regional peace and stability, and the sole and greatest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwans Foreign Ministry said in its statement.Taiwans Defense Ministry said in a 24-hour period it detected 45 aircraft, 14 navy vessels and one ship from the Chinese military operating around Taiwan, of which 34 had crossed into its waters and airspace.Taiwan said that it responded accordingly without elaborating. This comes after Taiwan said four Chinese coast guard boats entered into its waters near Kinmen island earlier this week, and that Taiwan dispatched its own boats to drive them away.Xinhua, Chinas state-run news agency, reported that senior Chinese official Wang Huning during an annual meeting about Taiwan had called for China to take the initiative in cross-strait relations and push toward the reunification of the motherland.Taiwan this week also said it caught a Chinese-owned vessel severing an undersea cable and detained the ship. Beijing has accused Taiwan of exaggerating the situation before facts have been clarified in an attempt at political manipulation.

Elon Musk speaks during a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Pool via AP)2025-02-26T21:05:22Z WASHINGTON (AP) Elon Musk took a star turn at the first Cabinet meeting of President Donald Trumps new term, holding forth in a black Make America Great Again campaign hat on Wednesday about his role as humble tech support for the federal government and laying out dire stakes if his cost-cutting efforts fail.If we dont do this, America will go bankrupt, Musk told department heads assembled around a large wooden table in the Cabinet Room.Trump, not one to easily share the spotlight, seemed happy to turn the top of the hour-plus meeting over to Musk for a little summary of what the Department of Government Efficiency has been up to, saying that Musks team had found evidence of horrible things afoot in the government.Hes sacrificing a lot, Trump said of Musk, referencing the time the worlds richest man is taking away from his many business ventures. Hes also getting hit. Musk, for his part, said his lightning-fast efforts to right-size the government had drawn death threats and he jokingly knocked his fist on his wooden head as he said he hoped to find $1 trillion to trim from the federal budget, an effort that has caused extensive disruption among federal workers and those who rely on their services. Musk defended his weekend attempt to require government workers to justify their prior weeks work under penalty of termination a move that drew pushback from many in the room on national security and privacy grounds as merely a pulse check to ensure that those working for the government have a pulse and two neurons, adding that this is not a high bar for workers to meet. Speculating that some workers are either dead or fictional, Musk added that the goal was to see that workers are real, alive and can write an email.Asked if members of the Cabinet were happy with Musk, the DOGE guru started to answer the question. But Trump interjected and said he might want to let Cabinet members answer. Then Trump joked that if anyone disagreed, he might throw them out. That drew applause from Cabinet members.Trump then turned things back to Musk, who said the president had put together, I think, the best Cabinet ever.And I dont give false praise, he added.Musk did volunteer that his efforts to slash government spending would make mistakes.He cited as an example that, while hustling to dramatically shrink the U.S. Agency for International Development, One of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention. Musk insisted that there was no interruption in services before the funding was restored. But a USAID official said Wednesday that no funds for the agencys Ebola response had been released under President Donald Trumps Jan. 20 funding freeze for foreign aid, including for efforts to combat the spread of the deadly virus.After about 15 minutes of focus on Musk and DOGE, Trump shifted the spotlight of the Cabinet meeting back to his own accomplishments in his first weeks in office.The Cabinet sat mostly silently for more than an hour, as Trump opened the floor to questions from an invited group of reporters.Asked if he expected his Cabinet to follow his directives without exception, Trump initially scoffed at the question before answering, of course, no exceptions.___AP Writer Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report. ZEKE MILLER Miller leads coverage of the president and the presidency for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)2025-02-27T01:47:33Z HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A nurse who survived an armed mans attack on an intensive care unit in a Pennsylvania hospital said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that she was held against him as a shield at gunpoint, arms zip-tied behind her back, as they walked through a doorway and encountered a phalanx of responding police officers. Nurse Tosha Trostle wrote that she had begged the attacker to let her go and that he pushed the gun against her neck and spine. When they encountered police, she prayed as she heard gunshots and smelled smoke, then heard bullet casings hitting the floor, she wrote.I eventually fell into the floor under the weight of the shooters body. The officers told me to run. I struggled to get out from under him, Trostle wrote. I remember his limp cold hand against my face as I pushed away with my feet.She fell twice trying to get to her feet before an officer guided her into another room. Phone and Facebook messages were left for Trostle on Wednesday. A nurse from the hospital who didnt want to be identified by name because they werent authorized to discuss the events confirmed the posting was from Trostles Facebook account. Authorities say Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, brought a gun and zip ties to UPMC Memorial Hospital in York on Saturday morning and was holding hostages when responding officers fatally shot him. West York Patrolman Andrew Duarte, 30, was shot and killed. Two other officers and three hospital employees were wounded, authorities said. Trostle recounted that she had been drawing blood when she heard a commotion and went into a hallway.After all I thought I was responding to a staff assist, patient fall, one in a dozen possible occurrences; not an active shooter. When I rounded the corner of the back hall I was met in the distance by the shooter holding my coworker, Jess, at gunpoint, she wrote. Her colleague, Jessica Breighner, was forced to zip-tie her. I saw the fear in her eyes, fear does not sound like enough really though, Trostle wrote. The attackers shoes became etched into Trostles mind as she lay at his feet, thinking the gun might have jammed and then hearing him reload, she added.So many things happened I cannot recount step by step, she wrote, but how I remember those red sneakers. Jason Huff, Breighners partner of more than 20 years, also described the incident in a separate Facebook post on Wednesday that said the attacker had pulled the trigger three times with the gun against Breighners head, but it was apparently out of ammunition.Thats when she knew it was time to take her shot, Huff wrote. She broke her zip ties while he reloaded and ran -- thank God.Huff told The Associated Press she hopes to talk publicly about it later, with the others who survived the attack.Huff wrote on Facebook that before fleeing, Breighner had to listen to this criminal call and warn someone to clean out the apartment and get the jewelry because hes not coming home and was ready to die.York County District Attorney Tim Barker said Saturday that Archangel-Ortiz appeared to have had recent contact with the intensive care unit for a medical purpose involving another person but declined to elaborate. Asked about the nurses accounts, a UPMC spokesperson said the health system prioritizes safety and privacy but referred questions to law enforcement.Trostle said the attacker hauled me off the floor pushing me into the adjacent wall, where Breighners photo was among pictures of the groups leadership on the wall.Pushing the gun into my neck and spine. I begged to go home to my children. He petted my head and promised I would that I was doing everything right, Trostle wrote.She said he directed her to take him to the floor where the most people were. As they went through a doorway, they encountered what she called a wall of armed officers aimed at us.After the shooting, she was led down a stairway. In the days since, the memory has haunted Trostle and her family, she said.My physical injuries do not even compare fractionally to what injuries are unseen, Trostle wrote. I live with immense sadness and guilt of all who responded, their mental and physical injuries. Especially, brave Officer Andrew Duarte that gave his life to bring us home.Duartes funeral service is scheduled for Friday in York. MARK SCOLFORO Scolforo is an Associated Press reporter in the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. twitter mailto

A street sign with names of U.S. government agencies housed at the Ronald Reagan Building, including the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID headquarters in Washington, is pictured with one building occupant taped, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-27T05:07:31Z WASHINGTON (AP) Thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development workers who have been fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administrations dismantling of the agency are being given a brief window Thursday and Friday to clear out their workspaces.USAID placed 4,080 staffers who work across the globe on leave Monday. That was joined by a reduction in force that will affect another 1,600 employees, a State Department spokesman said in an emailed response to questions.USAID has been one of the biggest targets so far of a broad campaign by President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, a project of Elon Musk, to slash the size of the federal government. The actions at USAID leave only a fraction of its employees on the job.Trump and Musk have moved swiftly to shutter the foreign aid agency, calling its programs out of line with the presidents agenda and asserting without evidence that its work is wasteful. In addition to its scope, their effort is extraordinary because it has not involved Congress, which authorized the agency and has provided its funding. A report from the Congressional Research Service earlier this month said congressional authorization is required to abolish, move, or consolidate USAID, but the Republican majorities in the House and Senate have made no pushback against the administrations actions. Theres virtually nothing left to fund, anyway: The administration now says it is eliminating more than 90% of USAIDs foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in U.S. assistance around the world. Its unclear how many of the more than 5,600 USAID employees who have been fired or placed on leave work at the agencys headquarters building in Washington. A notice on the agencys website said staff at other locations will have the chance to collect their personal belongings at a later date. The notice laid out instructions for when specific groups of employees should arrive to be screened by security and escorted to their former workspaces. Those being let go must turn in all USAID-issued assets. Workers on administrative leave were told to retain their USAID-issued materials, including diplomatic passports, until such time that they are separated from the agency. Many USAID workers saw the administrations terms for retrieving their belongings as insulting. In the notice, the employees were instructed not to bring weapons, including firearms, spear guns and hand grenades. Each worker is being given just 15 minutes at their former workstation.The administrations efforts to slash the federal government are embroiled in various lawsuits, but court challenges to temporarily halt the shutdown of USAID have been unsuccessful.However, a federal judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration a deadline of this week to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, saying it had given no sign of complying with his nearly two-week-old court order to ease the funding freeze. Late Wednesday, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked that order, with Chief Justice John Roberts saying it will remain on hold until the high court has a chance to weigh in more fully. That court action resulted from a lawsuit filed by nonprofit organizations over the cutoff of foreign assistance through USAID and the State Department. Trump froze the money through an executive order on his first day in office that targeted what he portrayed as wasteful programs that do not correspond to his foreign policy goals.Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly said in a statement that the attack on USAID employees was unwarranted and unprecedented. Connolly, whose district includes a sizable federal workforce, called the aid agency workers part of the worlds premier development and foreign assistance agency who save millions of lives every year. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

People from China, Vietnam, Ethiopia believed to have been trafficked and trapped into working in online scam centers after they were rescued in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanaphon Wuttison)2025-02-26T13:54:39Z MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) A new crackdown on online scam centers has led to over 7,000 people from around the world being held in a Myanmar border town awaiting repatriation, and those helping them say the unprecedented number is straining the resources of Thailand just across the border and leading to delays.The crackdown coordinated among Thailand, Myanmar and China follows Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatras visit to Beijing this month, where she told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Thailand would act against the scam networks that have drawn in hundreds of thousands of people.They are often lured under false pretenses to work in scam centers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, where they financially exploit people around the world through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.Many find themselves trapped in virtual slavery. Officials from Thailand, Myanmar and China are expected to meet next week to address the logistics of the crackdown as fears grow about a possible humanitarian crisis. They aim to establish guidelines for repatriations to avoid confusion, Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Thanathip Sawangsang told The Associated Press. As part of Thailands crackdown, it also has cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to several areas in Myanmar hosting scam centers along the border, citing national security. Amy Miller, who is Southeast Asia director of aid group Acts of Mercy International and is based in Thailands Mae Sot on the Myanmar border, told the AP she has never seen such a large-scale release of potential victims of human trafficking.She believes Thai authorities are doing their best, but the task is overwhelming.The ability to get them over to Thailand and process them and house them and feed them would be impossible for most governments, she said. It does require the embassies and the home governments of these citizens to take responsibility for their citizens. It really does require a kind of a global response. Thailands deputy prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, on Tuesday acknowledged concerns and said relevant agencies were working on the situation as fast as they could to coordinate repatriations.Im also worried that if we dont hurry up the process, it would become a problem if they cant handle it and let them loose, Phumtham told reporters in Bangkok, referring to Myanmar authorities.Logistical issues include verifying identities, which has complicated and slowed down countries repatriation efforts, according to a diplomatic source with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the issue.Over half of the 7,000 waiting are Chinese, with the rest from a mix of countries.More than 600 Chinese were repatriated over four days last week. Due to the large number, Thailand is allowing Beijing to handle most processing on their return to China. China chartered 16 flights.Earlier this month, about 260 people from 20 countries, ranging from Ethiopia to Brazil to the Philippines, crossed from Myanmar into Thai custody as part of the crackdown. Over 100 remain in Thailand awaiting repatriation, Thai officials said. Many were trafficked to Myanmar through Mae Sot, now a center of mass repatriation efforts.On the road to Mae Sot, checkpoints displayed signs in Thai, English and Chinese warning Thais and foreigners of the risk of being trafficked to work along the Myanmar border. Soldiers on Wednesday checked vehicles and asked for identification.___Corrects name of organization to Acts of Mercy International, not Act of Mercy International. HUIZHONG WU Wu covers Chinese culture, society, and politics for The Associated Press, as well as the countrys growing overseas influence from Bangkok. She was previously based in Taiwan and China. twitter

Freed Palestinian prisoners react as they arrive in the Gaza Strip after being released from an Israeli prison following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-02-27T07:02:11Z KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap in which it handed over the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.It was the final such exchange the two sides agreed to as part of a truce thats set to end this weekend. Negotiations over a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire, have not yet begun.An Israeli group representing families of hostages held by Hamas said the remains of all four hostages returned early Thursday have been identified. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum identified them as Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur and Tsachi Idan.Mantzur, 85, was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and his body was taken into Gaza. The other three were abducted alive and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not known. Hamas said in a statement that the only way for Israel to secure the release of the remaining hostages was through negotiations and adhering to the agreement. It warned that any attempt to pull back from the truce will only lead to more suffering for the captives and their families.Hamas confirmed that over 600 prisoners had been released overnight. Most were detainees returned to Gaza, where they had been rounded up after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war and held without charge on security suspicions. A joyful return for released prisoners Some of the released prisoners fell to their knees in gratitude after disembarking from buses in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. In the West Bank town of Beitunia, dozens of prisoners were welcomed by crowds of relatives and well-wishers.The released prisoners, some of whom had been serving life sentences over deadly attacks against Israelis, wore shirts issued by the Israeli prison service bearing a message in Arabic about pursuing ones enemies. Some of the prisoners threw the shirts on the ground or set them on fire.Israel delayed the release of the prisoners on Saturday over Hamas practice of parading hostages before crowds and cameras during their release. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have called the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages.Hamas released the four bodies to the Red Cross in Gaza overnight without a public ceremony.The prisoners released Thursday included 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials that did not specify their ages. Only around 50 Palestinians were released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round, while dozens sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis were exiled. Last handover in ceasefires first phaseThe latest handover was the final one planned under the ceasefires first phase, during which Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.The family of Idan said Wednesday they had been told he is dead and his body was among those to be returned to Israel.Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as militants shot through the door of the familys safe room. Hamas militants broadcast themselves on Facebook holding the family hostage in their home as two younger children pleaded to be let go. The truce is in peril The ceasefires six-week first phase expires this weekend. U.S. President Donald Trumps Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase. Those talks were supposed to begin the first week of February.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to return all the hostages and destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, which remains in control of Gaza. The Trump administration has endorsed both goals. But its unclear how Israel would destroy Hamas without resuming the war, and Hamas is unlikely to release the remaining hostages its main bargaining chips without a lasting ceasefire. The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of war that erupted after Hamas 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage. If the identities of the four bodies are confirmed, then 59 captives will remain in Gaza, 32 of whom are believed to be dead. Nearly 150 have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, while dozens of bodies have been recovered by Israeli forces and eight captives have been rescued alive.Israels military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who dont differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths but say over half the dead have been women and children.The fighting displaced an estimated 90% of Gazas population and decimated the territorys infrastructure and health system.___Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A TV screen at Seoul Railway Station in South Korea, on Oct. 21, 2024, shows an image of soldiers believed to be from North Korea standing in line to receive supplies from Russia. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)2025-02-27T05:34:38Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas spy agency said Wednesday that North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia, after its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties.The National Intelligence Service said in a brief statement it was trying to determine exactly how many more troops North Korea has deployed to Russia.The NIS also assessed that North Korean troops were redeployed at fronts in Russias Kursk region in the first week of February, following a reported temporary withdrawal from the area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an address on Feb. 7, confirmed a new Ukrainian offensive in Kursk and said North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russian forces there.North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia, and last fall it sent about 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia as well, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials. North Korean soldiers are highly disciplined and well trained, but observers say theyve become easy targets for drone and artillery attacks on Russian-Ukraine battlefields due to their lack of combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain. In January, the NIS said about 300 North Korean soldiers had died and another 2,700 had been injured. Zelenskyy earlier put the number of killed or wounded North Koreans at 4,000, though U.S. estimates were lower at around 1,200. Earlier Wednesday, South Koreas JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported that an additional 1,000-3,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Kursk between January and February. South Korea, the U.S. and their partners worry that Russia could reward North Korea by transferring high-tech weapons technologies that can sharply enhance its nuclear weapons program. North Korea is expected to receive economic and other assistance from Russia as well. During talks in Saudi Arabia last week, Russia and the U.S. agreed to start working toward ending the war and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. Ukrainian officials werent present at the talks. That marked an extraordinary shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump and a clear departure from U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine.Observers say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could send more troops to Russia to win further Russian assistance before the war ends. 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

Amsatou Vepouyoum, president of Nouadhibou's Organization for the Support of Migrants and refugees, sits in her office, Mauritania, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Moulay)2025-02-27T05:42:58Z NOUADHIBOU, Mauritania (AP) Eager students from throughout west Africa raise their hands as teachers guide them through math and classical Arabic. Then they race outdoors to meet their parents, who clean houses, drive informal taxis or gut sardines in Chinese factories.Outside, government billboards urge these families and others to fight migrant smuggling, showing overcrowded boats navigating the Atlantics thrashing waves. Inside, posters warn the ocean can be deadly.Such messaging is hard to escape in Nouadhibou, Mauritanias second largest city and a launch point on an increasingly popular migrant route toward Europe. As authorities strengthen security measures on long-established routes, migrants are resorting to longer, more perilous ones. From Mauritania, they risk hundreds of miles of sea and howling winds to reach Spains Canary Islands. The route puts new strain on this port city of 177,000 people at the edge of the Sahara. Outdated infrastructure and unpaved roads have not kept pace as European and Chinese investment pours into the fishing industry, and as migrants and their children arrive from as far away as Syria and Pakistan. The school for children of migrants and refugees, set up in 2018 as an early response to the growing need, is the kind of program envisioned as part of the 210 million euro ($219 million) accord the European Union and Mauritania brokered last year. The deal one of several that Europe has signed with neighboring states to deter migration funds border patrol, development aid and programs supporting refugees, asylum-seekers and host communities.Its a response to rising alarm and anti-migration politics in Europe. Nearly 47,000 migrants arrived on boats in the Canaries last year, a record fueled by departures from Mauritania, even as flows from other departure points declined, according to the EU border agency Frontex. Almost 6,000 were unaccompanied children under 18. Tracking deaths at sea is difficult, but the Spanish nonprofit Walking Borders says at least 6,800 people died or went missing while attempting the crossing last year. Conditions are so harsh that boats drifting off course can end up in Brazil or the Caribbean.Though many praise initiatives that fulfill migrants and refugees overlooked needs, few believe they will be effective in discouraging departures for Europe even the head of the group that runs the Nouadhibou school.We cant stop migration, said Amsatou Vepouyoum, president of the Organization for the Support of Migrants and Refugees, the citys leading migrant aid group. But through raising awareness, we want to improve the conditions under which people leave.Preparing for an uncertain future The organization years ago surveyed the migrant population and found that education was one of the biggest barriers to integration in Mauritania.Bill Van Esveld, a childrens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said thats true around the world. Many countries that migrants and refugees pass through erect bureaucratic hurdles to school access, he said.Without literacy or numeracy, how can you advocate for yourself as someone who has human rights in todays world? Van Esveld said.Mauritanias Education Ministry in a January directive affirmed that refugee children have the right to attend public school. But that hasnt applied for many migrants who dont qualify as refugees and face difficulty enrolling because they lack birth certificates, residency papers or school records.The school for Nouadhibous migrant and refugee children ages 5 to 12 runs parallel to Mauritanias school system and teaches a similar curriculum as well as Arabic, aiming to integrate children into public classrooms by sixth grade.Families often dont plan to stay in Mauritania, but parents still describe the school as a lifeline for kids futures, wherever they will be.Sometimes lifes circumstances leave you somewhere, so you adapt, and what ends up happening leads you to stay, Vepouyoum said. Weak oversight and worried parentsFrom Europes perspective, funneling aid toward such initiatives is part of a larger effort to persuade people not to migrate. Some experts say it also demonstrates a disconnect between political goals and on-the-ground realities.The European Union always announces these big sums, but its very difficult to figure out how the money is actually spent, said Ulf Laessing, the Sahel program director at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German think tank.Both the school and the Organization for the Support of Migrants and Refugees have had their work highlighted by the EU and member states, along with United Nations agencies. None have said how much money they have spent on the school or on other programs aimed at migrants in Mauritania.The school said it also charges students based on what families can afford so it can pay rent on its two-story cinderblock building and utilities, Vepouyoum said. But four parents, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they worried about their children getting kicked out, said the baseline monthly fee of 600 Mauritanian Ouguiya ($15) per child was too much.If you cant pay, theyll kick you out, a father of two students from Mali said.He said many parents want to give children opportunities they lacked in their home countries. He has heard from other parents that enrolling in school is easier in the Canary Islands, but limited access to education is also a problem there.The school in Nouadhibou says it has educated over 500 students. It has not tracked the number who continue on toward Europe.Pressures to move onTimes are changing in Nouadhibou. Community leaders and business owners worry that increasing competition for jobs has fueled suspicion toward foreign-born communities.That includes workers from neighboring Senegal and Mali who settled in the city years ago. Aid groups say outreach is easier among long-term migrants because newcomers worry about drawing attention to themselves sometimes because theyre looking for smugglers to help them move on, said Kader Konate, a community leader from Mali.Many migrants say they just need help.We are doing this because we feel have no other choice, Boureima Maiga said.The 29-year-old graduate with a teaching degree fled Mali as extremist violence escalated. On many days, he waits at the Nouadhibou port alongside hundreds of other migrants, hoping for work in fish factory cold rooms.But without residency or work visas, they are often turned away, or have pay withheld an abuse they fear would bring retaliation if reported.Maiga feels trapped in a country where deep racial divisions between Arab and Black Africans make integration nearly impossible, with discrimination by employers widespread. He is unsure where to go next.Just let me work. I can do a lot of jobs, he said. Everyone knows how to do something.Meanwhile, every day, he picks up his nieces at a Catholic school, hoping it will give them a life beyond such worries.___For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse___The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. SAM METZ Metz covers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and points beyond for The Associated Press. mailto