Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)2025-01-15T13:08:25Z Fire danger remains high in parts of Los Angeles that have been ablaze for days, but there is hope that better weather over the weekend will give firefighters battling the flames some much-needed relief. After calmer weather on Tuesday helped firefighters snuff out fires, a rare warning of a Particularly Dangerous Situation was issued for Wednesday in an area near the two fires that killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes. A red flag warning was issued by the National Weather Service from Central Coast to the border with Mexico from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m.Forecasts suggest that conditions for firefighting will improve later in the week. Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File) Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What conditions are best for firefighting?Just like wind and drought were major factors in why the fires spread so quickly, calmer wind speeds, more humidity, lower temperatures and more wind or rain can all help extinguish fires. Humidity in the air exchanges moisture with soil, trees and other organic matter. When potential fuels are more moist, then fire danger is reduced because theyre less combustible. Forecasters look out for relative humidity or how much water vapor the air is holding. Fire warnings are issued when relative humidity is 15% or lower, combined with higher wind speeds. Calmer or no winds also contribute to better conditions. Strong winds give oxygen to flames and can dry out vegetation, making it more combustible. While fires will continue even with no wind, they dont spread as easily, making it easier for firefighters to put it out or for firefighting planes to fly overhead. Rain or snow can also help put out fires, but often not completely, as it can evaporate quickly. A home burns in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File) A home burns in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More When will LA get relief?The Wednesday forecast looks set to make things worse before they get better, with low humidity and strong Santa Ana winds fanning the flames. But there may be relief later in the week.Forecasts predict higher humidity and lower wind speeds by Friday and into the weekend, but theres little rain forecast. While rain can help, heavier rain could trigger mudslides in affected areas. When when the fire does finally subside, climate change makes wildfires more frequent and intense, with drought-like conditions in the western United States more likely, creating the conditions for more extreme wildfires in the future. Fire Crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Fire Crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___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. DANA BELTAJI Beltaji is a climate and environment news editor for The Associated Press. She is based in London. twitter

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., President-elect Trump's nominee to be secretary of State, speaks as he meets with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-01-15T05:08:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is promising to implement President-elect Donald Trumps America First vision as secretary of state, vowing in his confirmation hearing Wednesday that the incoming administration will forge a new path by placing American interests above all else.Placing our core national interests above all else is not isolationism, Rubio will tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to an opening statement obtained by The Associated Press. It is the commonsense realization that a foreign policy centered on our national interest is not some outdated relic.The postwar global order is not just obsolete; it is now a weapon being used against us, Rubio says. Its a remarkable opening salvo from Rubio, who was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants, and who, if confirmed, would become the first Latino ever to serve as the nations top diplomat. The confirmation hearing begins a new chapter in the political career of the 53-year-old Florida Republican, whose relationship with Trump has evolved over the last decade. Once rivals trading schoolyard insults as they campaigned for president in 2016, the two men became close allies as Trump campaigned for another White House term last year. Rubio first came to Washington as part of the tea party wave in 2010 and once advocated for allowing a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. But like other Republicans, Rubios views on immigration have shifted toward the hardline stance of Trump, who has pledged to aggressively pursue deportations once he takes office on Monday. Unlike many of Trumps Cabinet selections, Rubio is expected to easily win confirmation, notching support not only from Republicans but also Democrats who endorse him as a responsible pick to represent the U.S. abroad. Many expect he will be among the first of Trumps Cabinet picks approved. Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, who served alongside Rubio on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he has high hopes that the Florida Republican will reject the isolationist approach of other Trump allies.I think Marco is a hawk, but hes also an internationalist, and I think the challenge for him will be to maintain the long bipartisan tradition of America being indispensable in world affairs, the Hawaii lawmaker told AP. And there are people in the Trump world who want us to run away from being the leaders of the free world. And Im hoping that Marcos instincts towards American strength will win the day.Rubios approach to foreign affairs is grounded in his years of service on the Foreign Relations committee and the Senate Intelligence panel. In his speeches and writings, hes delivered increasingly stern warnings about growing military and economic threats to the United States, particularly from China, which he says has benefited from a global world order that he characterizes as obsolete.China, Rubio will tell the committee, has lied, cheated, hacked, and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense. If confirmed, Rubio will become the leader of U.S. foreign policy though his role will surely remain secondary to Trump, who relishes the global stage and frequently uses the bully pulpit against Americas allies. Even before taking office, Trump has stirred angst in foreign capitals by threatening to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland and suggesting he will pressure Canada to become the nations 51st state.By winning another term, Trump has won an unmistakable mandate from the voters, Rubio will say. They want a strong America. Engaged in the world. But guided by a clear objective, to promote peace abroad, and security and prosperity here at home.A Biden administration decision to rescind Cubas designation as a state sponsor of terrorism with just days left in office is likely to irk Rubio, who has long supported tough sanctions on the communist-run island.Rubios office did not respond to multiple queries Tuesday about the senators reaction to the move, which many believe will almost certainly be reversed by the Trump administration. Secretaries of state have played a key role in formulating the foreign policy of the country since its founding, starting with the first one, Thomas Jefferson, who served in the top Cabinet position under President George Washington. Since then, Jefferson, as well as his 19th century successors James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan, have all gone on to be elected president.More recent secretaries of state have been less successful in their political ambitions, including John Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to President George W. Bush before becoming the top diplomat, and Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump.The most successful secretaries of state have been known for their closeness to the presidents whom they serve, notably James Baker under George H.W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice under George W. Bush and, to some extent, Clinton under Barack Obama. Like Clinton, Rubio was once a political rival to the president-elect who nominated them. However, the Clinton-Obama relationship during the 2008 Democratic primaries was not nearly as hostile as that between Trump and Rubio in the 2016 GOP primaries, which was marked by name-calling and personal insults.Trump had an acrimonious relationship with his first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Trump fired him from the position via a social media post less than two years into his term. ___Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report. FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers Congress for The Associated Press, with a focus on foreign policy and congressional investigations. She previously covered politics for AP as a statehouse reporter based in Columbus, Ohio. twitter mailto

We've got much more on what is happening inside Meta with the company's recent speech policy changes. Jason runs us through it. After the break, Joseph explains how thousands of apps have been hijacked to steal your location data, possibly without the app developers' knowledge. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about various stories intersecting with the LA fires, such as Amazon delivery drivers and AI images. (YouTube version to come shortly.)Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Its Total Chaos Internally at Meta Right Now: Employees Protest Zuckerbergs Anti LGBTQ ChangesMeta Deletes Trans and Nonbinary Messenger ThemesCandy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your LocationOnline Behavioral Ads Fuel the Surveillance IndustryHeres HowPeople Think AI Images of Hollywood Sign Burning Are RealAn Amazon Delivery Confirmation Photo Is the Last Time a Palisades Resident Saw Her Burnt Down HouseWere Fine: Lying to Ourselves About a Climate Disaster

Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, arrives to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-01-15T14:31:15Z WASHINGTON (AP) Pam Bondi, Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, will face sharp questioning from Democratic senators at a confirmation hearing Wednesday expected to center on concerns that the Republican president-elect will look to use the Justice Departments powers to seek retribution against his adversaries.Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who was part of Trumps legal team during his first of two impeachment trials before the Senate, encounters a skeptical reception from Democrats concerned by her perceived loyalty to Trump. Republicans, by contrast, eagerly welcome her as a course correction to a Justice Department they believe has pursued an overly liberal agenda and unfairly pursued Trump through investigations and a special counsel appointment resulting in two indictments.If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice and each of its components, Bondi will say in her opening statement, according to a copy of her prepared remarks. Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America must have one tier of justice for all. She did not elaborate on what she meant by one tier of justice. The Justice Department under outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland also investigated President Joe Biden over his mishandling of classified information no charges were filed and named a special counsel to investigate Bidens son Hunter, who was charged with tax and gun crimes before being pardoned in December by his father. Democrats including Sen. Richard Durbin are expected to seize on Bondis yearslong presence in Trumps orbit and her public defense of him on cable news appearances, including one on Fox News Channel last year in which she said: The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted the bad ones. ... The investigators will be investigated. Bondi has also said members of the so-called deep state were hiding in the shadows during Trumps first term but now they have a spotlight on them, and they can all be investigated. Such comments have raised alarms that the department under Bondis watch could pursue investigations at Trumps behest. Although longstanding norms dictate that presidents have no role in individual criminal investigations, Trump was known during his first term to call for specific inquiries into adversaries and berated his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for having recused from an investigation into Russian election interference that ultimately shadowed much of his tenure.Bondi, a corporate lobbyist who spent 18 years in the Hillsborough County State Attorneys Office in Florida, was named to the attorney general role after Trumps first pick, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that ended without charges.Bondi is likely to try to keep the focus of Wednesdays hearing on her own agenda for the department. In her opening statement, she pledged to protect the First Amendment rights of free speech and religion, as well as the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and to reform the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons. If confirmed as United States Attorney General, my overriding objective would be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law, she will say. That requires getting back to basics prosecuting violent crime and gang activity, stopping child predators and drug traffickers, protecting our nation from terrorists and other foreign threats, and addressing the overwhelming crisis at the Border. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks with the media prior to a group photo at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)2025-01-15T13:45:49Z WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia on Wednesday of planning acts of sabotage worldwide that included acts of air terror against airlines.Tusk spoke at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy.I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world, Tusk said.The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe.Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England last year. Late last year, Azerbaijan accused Russia of unintentionally shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25, killing 38 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a tragic incident following the crash, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. The pro-European Union government in Warsaw says that Russia is pursuing acts of hybrid war against Poland and other Western countries in retaliation for their support for Polands neighbor Ukraine in its struggle against Russias full-scale invasion. The government has accused Russia, and its ally Belarus, of fomenting a migration crisis on the EUs eastern border with Belarus in order to create chaos and division in the EU.Last year, Polands foreign minister ordered the closure of one of three Russian consulates in the country in response to acts of sabotage, including arson attacks that he said were sponsored by Moscow. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A miner is transported on a stretcher by rescue workers after he was rescued from below ground in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)2025-01-15T13:45:51Z STILFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) Rescuers and volunteers have pulled at least 78 dead miners and more than 160 survivors from an abandoned South African gold mine, where they have languished for over two months during a standoff with authorities who demanded they surrender to police because they were mining illegally.Hundreds are still believed to be trapped Wednesday and the death toll is expected to rise in a disaster that has focused criticism on the South African governments decision to try to smoke them out by cutting off food and other supplies for a time. Civic groups claim authorities also removed the ropes and pulley systems that the miners used to enter and exit at least one shaft and send down supplies.The groups say the governments weekslong refusal to stage a rescue effectively left scores of miners to die of starvation or dehydration. A rescue is now underway after a court order but only a few miners can be pulled up at a time, and the operation could take 10 days. South African authorities have argued that the miners were always able to exit through another shaft at Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, one of the deepest in the mineral-rich country.But activists said that would involve a dangerous trek underground that could take days for some, and many became too weak or ill after months underground with little food and water. Police contend some miners refused to come out. Authorities ordered to launch a rescue operationIn response to a request by a relative of one of the miners, a court last week ordered a rescue operation, which began Monday. A specialist mining rescue company has been dropping a small cage thousands of meters (feet) into the mine to retrieve survivors and bodies. But no personnel from the company entered the shaft because they consider it too dangerous instead community volunteers headed down in the cage to help the miners out.Police first tried to force the miners out of the closed mine near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, in November by cutting off their supplies. The move, part of a larger crackdown on illegal mining, began a standoff between authorities and the miners and members of the community. A court ruled that authorities had to allow supplies in but civic groups argue that officials needed to do more at that point because even without police interference the miners werent able to get enough food and water into the mine and the situation was becoming dire.The mine is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) deep with multiple shafts, many levels and a maze of tunnels. A group representing the miners said there are numerous groups in various parts of the mine and estimated that more than 500 miners were underground when the rescue started. Its unclear exactly how long theyve been underground, but relatives say some of them have been there since July. A rising death tollPolice said Wednesday that 78 bodies have been recovered so far, and 166 survivors brought out since the official rescue operation began. A community group says another nine bodies were recovered on Friday and an unconfirmed number in the previous weeks after members of the community attempted to rescue miners themselves. Civic groups representing the miners say at least 100 have died.The official rescue is now proceeding slowly because only a few people can fit in the cage at a time and because the shaft is so deep.Authorities have argued that the miners could have exited if they wanted to and police say more than 1,000 did before the rescue operation but they didnt because they feared arrest. Police say they have arrested everyone who has surfaced both before and after the rescue operation. They will face charges of illegal mining and trespassing. Authorities seized gold, explosives, firearms and more than $2 million in cash from the miners.Video from undergroundOne of the civic groups representing the miners released two videos over the weekend showing what it said were the dire conditions underground. The videos were on a cellphone carried out of the mine by one of the miners, the group said, along with a note urging people to watch them.In them, dozens of what appear to be dead bodies can be seen lined up in a darkened cavern and wrapped in plastic. They also show shirtless, emaciated-looking miners while the man filming says they are dying and begs for authorities to send them food and get them out. Smoke them out tacticsAuthorities are particularly under fire for their tactics last year, when they cut off food and other supplies to the miners underground for a period of time. It was an attempt to smoke them out, a South African Cabinet minister said, adding that authorities would not help the miners because they were criminals.Rights groups have condemned the plan, accusing authorities of contributing to a massacre at the mine, and members of the community have also gathered at the mine holding placards criticizing the authorities. But while anger is high in the local community, the tragedy has not stoked a strong reaction across South Africa, where illegal mining is often in the news. The practice is common at mines that companies have closed because they are no longer profitable, leaving groups of informal miners to enter in a search for leftover deposits. South Africa has an estimated 6,000 abandoned mines.The South African government has taken a hard-line approach to the groups, who are known as zama zamas which means hustlers in the Zulu language and have long been a problem for authorities. They are often armed and part of criminal syndicates, the government says, and many are foreigners who entered South Africa illegally from neighboring countries. The government says they are robbing South Africa of more than $1 billion a year in gold.Authorities said that more than 1,500 people have been arrested for mining illegally in the Stilfontein area over the last year, with the vast majority of them from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. ___Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

Yifat Zailer shows photos of her cousin, Shiri Bibas, center, her husband Yarden, left, and their sons Ariel, top right, and Kfir, who are being held hostage by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, as she poses for a portrait at home in Herziliyya, Israel, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)2025-01-15T14:55:38Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) With a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas tantalizingly close, families of hostages in the Gaza Strip are afraid to get their hopes up and agonizing over the unknown.These days are horrible for us, Yafit Zailer said Wednesday, breaking down into sobs over the thought of her relatives Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir being released after 15 months of captivity.I want to know already if theyre coming back, Zailer said. I want to know already if theyre OK or not. I want to hold my cousin in my arms and celebrate the biggest celebration.The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end to the war sparked by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel and the release of dozens of hostages captured that day. Officials now say they are closer than ever to announcing an agreement. Even if a deal is reached, the torment experienced by families of the hostages and war-weary Palestinians in Gaza could be far from over.Families of the hostages do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead, and many will have to wait for a subsequent phase of the agreement that has yet to be negotiated. In war-ravaged Gaza, many displaced Palestinians do not know if their homes are still standing, thousands are still buried under rubble and dozens are missing after encounters with Israeli forces. Vast areas appear uninhabitable, and it could take decades to rebuild. If talks over the second and more difficult phase of the emerging ceasefire deal break down, the war could resume, bringing even more death, destruction and displacement to Gaza and an even longer wait for families of the hostages. Do we plan for a funeral or a celebration?Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two red-haired sons, 5-year-old Ariel and Kfir who will turn 2 on Saturday were among the roughly 250 hostages dragged into Gaza in Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. Kfir, who was then 9 months old, was the youngest to be taken captive. The infant with red hair and a toothless smile, who has been in captivity for almost two thirds of his life, has become a symbol across Israel for the helplessness and anger over the hostages plight.Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were supposed to be released with other women and children during a ceasefire in November 2023, but it fell apart after a week. All four members of the family were on a list obtained by The Associated Press that named 33 hostages who could be released in the initial six-week phase of the draft agreement. I want to tell all the parties involved in the negotiations, its time to end this, Zailer said, tears streaming down her face. Its time to bring home our people, its time to end this war.Daniel Lifshitz 84-year-old grandfather, Oded, is being held captive in Gaza along with many of his friends. His grandmother was released shortly after the initial attack.As he waits for news, Lifshitz scrolls through his phone looking for updates and reaches out to the hostage negotiators for positive signs. The less they respond, the more optimistic things look, he said of his experience with them. But even the announcement of a deal would provide only some relief. Another roller coaster is coming is he alive or not? Should I prepare (for) a funeral or should I prepare (for) a celebration? said Lifshitz. Its something his family doesnt want to discuss.Some 100 hostages remain captive inside Gaza, a mix of civilians and soldiers, as well as around a dozen foreign nationals from Thailand, Nepal and Tanzania. The military believes at least a third of the remaining hostages and up to half of them are dead.The three-phased agreement would begin with the release of 33 women, children, older adults and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel. Soldiers and other male captives would be released in the second phase.Herut Nimrodis son, Tamir, was abducted from his army base on Oct. 7. The now 20-year-old soldier wont be included in the deals first phase, and she worries that if the ceasefire doesnt hold, pressure to release the remaining hostages will decline because there will be fewer of them. Hamas says it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas military and governing abilities are destroyed. If no agreement is reached on the second phase, the war could resume this spring. We have no strength leftFor hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in squalid tent camps and fearing Israeli airstrikes, the end of the war cannot come soon enough. Previous breakdowns in the talks have been followed by renewed Israeli offensives.The best thing right now, immediately, without any delay, would be to stop everything and announce a truce, said Sulaiman Qasem, a coordinator with a medical charity in Gaza City. Last night the shelling and bombing here didnt stop for a moment ... Its absolute madness.The war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Israels offensive has reduced large areas of the strip to rubble and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million, leaving many at risk of famine. Rola Saqers daughter was born on the first day of the war, and nearly every day since has been a struggle to find safety, food and health care.The family fled their apartment and was forced to live in a cramped tent with other relatives. Saqer said her daughter, Massa Zaqout, has difficulty walking and worries the lack of proper nutrients will affect her development.The proposed ceasefire deal includes a surge of humanitarian aid, and would allow Palestinians to start returning to their homes, assuming they still exist.We have no strength left, said Rami Abu Shera, who was displaced from his home in Khan Younis. We are waiting for there to be no blood, no killings, no wounded, no destruction, no displacement. It is enough, he said. -Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel. SAM MEDNICK Mednick is the West and Central Africa reporter for the Associated Press. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses. twitter

Rockets fired from Gaza and intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system over Israeli skies are seen from Gaza City, on May 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)2025-01-15T16:35:52Z DOHA, Qatar (AP) Qatari and Hamas officials say a last-minute dispute in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas has been resolved.Israel announced late Wednesday that Hamas had tried to change agreed-upon understandings for security arrangements along Gazas border with Egypt. It strongly rejected the proposals.Qatars prime minister, who has been mediating the talks, met separately with Hamas and Israeli delegations, and shortly afterwards, the dispute was resolved, the Qatari official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes negotiations.The Hamas official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the matter was resolved.There was still no official word on whether a final agreement had been reached.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.DOHA, Qatar (AP) Negotiations between Israel and Hamas hit a last-minute snag on Wednesday, delaying the expected announcement of a ceasefire agreement to pause the devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip. Israel accused Hamas of trying to make changes to already agreed upon arrangements along Gazas border with Egypt and said it strongly rejected the move. Hamas called the claims nonsense. The finger-pointing forced Qatar, which has been mediating weeks of painstaking negotiations, to delay an expected announcement of a deal.The sides have been working on a phased agreement that would include the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas, the return of displaced Palestinians in Gaza to what remains of their homes and an influx of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.It was not immediately clear how serious the dispute was, or whether the agreement was in danger of collapse. ___Federman reported from Jerusalem. Magdy reported from Cairo. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Pez candy, which contains red dye no. 3, is on display at a store in Lafayette, Calif., March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)2025-01-15T15:11:35Z U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nations food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.Food and Drug Administration officials granted a 2022 petition filed by two dozen food safety and health advocates, who urged the agency to revoke authorization for the substance that gives some candies, snack cakes and maraschino cherries a bright red hue.The agency said it was taking the action as a matter of law because some studies have found that the dye caused cancer in lab rats. Officials cited a statute known as the Delaney Clause, which requires FDA to ban any additive found to cause cancer in people or animals. The dye is known as erythrosine, FD&C Red No. 3 or Red 3. The ban removes it from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines, such as cough syrups. More than three decades ago, the FDA declined to authorize use of Red 3 in cosmetics and externally applied drugs because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats. The FDA is taking action that will remove the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, said Jim Jones, the FDAs deputy commissioner for human foods. Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No.3. Importantly, the way that FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans. Food manufacturers will have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products, while makers of ingested drugs have until January 2028 to do the same. Other countries still allow for certain uses of the dye, but imported foods must meet the new U.S. requirement. Consumer advocates praised the decision. This is a welcome, but long overdue, action from the FDA: removing the unsustainable double standard in which Red 3 was banned from lipstick but permitted in candy, said Dr. Peter Lurie, director of the group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which led the petition effort. Its not clear whether the ban will face legal challenges from food manufacturers because evidence hasnt determined that the dye causes cancer when consumed by humans. At a hearing in December, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf suggested thats a risk. When we do ban something, it will go to court, he told members of Congress on Dec. 5. And if we dont have the scientific evidence, we will lose in court.When the FDA declined to allow Red 3 in cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990, the color additive was already permitted in foods and ingested drugs. Because research showed then that the way the dye causes cancer in rats does not apply to humans, the FDA did not take action to revoke the authorization of Red No. 3 in food, the agency has said on its website.Health advocates for years have asked the FDA to reconsider that decision, including the 2022 petition led by CSPI. In November, nearly two dozen members of Congress sent a letter demanding that FDA officials ban Red 3. Lawmakers cited the Delaney Clause and said the action was especially important to protect children, who consume more of the dye on a bodyweight basis than adults, the lawmakers said. The FDA should act quickly to protect the nations youth from this harmful dye, used simply to give food and drinks a bright red color, the letter said. No aesthetic reason could justify the use of a carcinogen in our food supply.Red 3 is banned for food use in Europe, Australia and New Zealand except in certain kinds of cherries. The dye will be banned in California starting in January 2027. The International Association of Color Manufacturers defends the dye, saying that it is safe in levels typically consumed by humans. The group points to research by scientific committees operated by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, including a 2018 review that reaffirmed the safety of Red 3 in food. Some food manufacturers have already reformulated products to remove Red 3. In its place they use beet juice; carmine, a dye made from insects; and pigments from foods such as purple sweet potato, radish and red cabbage, according to Sensient Food Colors, a St. Louis-based supplier of food colors and flavorings. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. JONEL ALECCIA JoNel is a national reporter covering food and nutrition. twitter mailto

The Biden administration and the states of Illinois and Minnesota sued tractor and agricultural manufacturer John Deere Wednesday, arguing that the companys anti consumer repair practices have driven up prices for farmers and have made it difficult for them to get repairs during critical planting and harvesting seasons. The lawsuit alleges that Deere has monopoly power over the repair market, which 404 Media has been reporting on for years.The lawsuit, filed by the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney generals of Illinois and Minnesota, is the latest and most serious legal salvo against Deeres repair monopoly. Deere is also facing a class-action lawsuit related to its repair practices from consumers in Illinois that the Department of Justice and other federal entities have signaled they are interested in and support, as we reported last year.The Federal Trade Commission today files suit against agricultural equipment manufacturer Deere & Company, stating that it has illegally restricted the ability of farmers and independent technicians to repair Deere equipment, including tractors and combines, FTC commissioner Lina Khan wrote in a formal comment explaining the decision.Deere has become notorious for cornering the repair market on its machines, which include tractors, combines, and other major agricultural equipment by introducing software locks that prevent farmers from fixing the equipment they buy without the authorization of John Deere. It has also made repair parts difficult to come by. Deere previously promised to make certain repairs easier for consumers with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with a farming organization that would have made it possible for farmers to do some repairs and obtain some specific parts; implementation of that MOU has been incredibly uneven, according to farmers. In October, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said that Deere was not honoring that agreement and demanded answers to several questions about it; Deere has not yet responded.Farmers have told 404 Media that they remain unable to do many types of repairs, and that it can sometimes take days for authorized John Deere or John Deere dealer technicians to come fix broken equipment. In farming, this delay can result in lost harvest, crucial delays in planting, and dying crops during critical periods of the farming season.These delays can mean that months of hard work and much-needed income vanish, devastating their business. In rural communities, the restrictions can sometimes mean that farmers need to drive hours just to get their equipment fixed, Khan wrote. For those who have long fixed their own equipment, these artificial restrictions can seem especially inefficient, with tractors needlessly sitting idle as farmers and independent mechanics are held back from using their skill and talent.The lawsuit, in the waning days of the Biden administration, is the most serious punitive act the federal government has ever taken to break up a repair monopoly and to support consumers right to repair. For years, the FTC has issued reports about repairability and manufacturer dominance of the repair market, but aside from a few small fines, has not formally sued any company. The steps Deere has taken to secure a repair monopoly are among the most egregious of any manufacturer in any industry, which has led farmers in some cases to resort to hacking their own tractors for the purposes of repair, sometimes using software pirated from Ukraine and other countries.We shouldnt tolerate companies blocking repair, Nathan Proctor, consumer rights group PIRG's Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director, said. When you buy something, you should be able to do whatever you want with it. The FTCs enforcement action will help farmers, and everyone else who believes people should be able to fix their stuff.

The Oscars of porn and the industrys largest trade show will begin in one week, on January 22 at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Inside, adult performers, producers, directors and crew will find out whether theyve won the prestigious AVN Award in categories including Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene and Best Big Butt Movie or Collected Release, but outside, hospitality workers are picketing for a better union contract. Its a massive week for the adult industry, but porn workers are conflicted about crossing the picket line, with many choosing to sit this one out entirely.The Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) and the Adult Video Network Awards, collectively often referred to as AVN, is expected to bring more than 45,000 attendees to Vegas for three days of signings and meet-and-greets for fans, panels and programming about the adult industry, and booths for hundreds of brands, studios, and sex toys. Its also the biggest event of the year for the industrys indie performers, who come out to shoot content and network, spending weeks and months planning agendas and setting up unofficial parties and meetups. The show has been going for decadessince 1998 when it shared space and dates with the Consumer Electronic Show, and later at the Hard Rock Hotel when vendors and performers were forced out of CES and started their own event a few weeks and a couple blocks away.Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno according to their website. Theyve been on open-ended strike since November, and are fighting for a new five-year contract for 700 workers. Union representatives said last month that the latest offer from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was a 30-cent-a-year wage increase, which they rejected.Virgin Hotels, formerly the Hard Rock before renovations and a rebrand in 2020, was AVNs first home when it split from CES dates and venue in 2011 (AVN became its own event in 1998 but shared space and time with the mainstream electronics show, where attendees would drift from one to the other). Today, AVN is actually multiple events, including the AEE and the awards but also the Adult Novelty Expo (ANE), interNEXT Expo, GayVN Awards Show, and the O Awards. In 2020, when the hotel reopened, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas CEO Richard Bosworth called AVN and other conferences very cherished clients. @VirginHotelsLV ON STRIKE! Hospitality workers are pushing to win a union contract. Virgin Las Vegas workers are strong and they will stay out on strike until they win a contract. ATTN: Customers: Support workers & DON'T cross picket line.cc: @TylerCruiseXXX @niableuofficial pic.twitter.com/pWlvYMMCfT Culinary Union (@Culinary226) January 14, 2025Performer Electra Rayne told me on Monday shes still planning to boycott the event as long as the strike is ongoing. She corresponded with the Culinary Union, and confirmed with them in an email she posted to X that striking workers are asking people to refrain from patronizing the venue in solidarity, which the union has since said publicly in statements. @electrarayne Replying to @noxious_hikers I will ONLY be attending AVN if @Virgin Hotels Las Vegas does the right thing and gives a fair contract to the striking workers of @Culinary Union otherwise I'm boycotting due to the strike, and I encourage others to do the same! #cornindustry #workersrights #culinaryunion226 #virginhotelvegas #strike #picketline #breakingnews #avn #avnawards #lasvegas #unionstrong original sound - Electra Rayne Thankfully I'm local so it's not like I spent a ton of money on travel or anything, and I'm supposed to go sign at the booth for my agent who has been super understanding about me needing to cancel should the strike be ongoing (which it seems it will be), Rayne said. I'm bummed to not see my fans, but the really sad part is that I was in a feature that's up for multiple awards this year, and I won't be able to celebrate that at the awards with the cast. We worked so hard on that movie and I'm so proud to have been a part of it, it's a really bummer to not get to participate in that moment.Other people in the industry are planning to attend despite the strike, but still find the decision difficult. It saddens me to hear that Virgin is not paying their workers a fair wage, as that is something everyone deserves. With that said, I will still be attending AVN as it is the biggest convention of the year for my industry and I do have agreements and obligations that were arranged far ahead of these strikes, performer Leya Falcon told me. I do find it quite disturbing to hear that some of those on strike are allegedly harassing and sometimes even following in an intimidating manner those that decide to enter the property as we have nothing to do with their employment situation, we are simply doing our job, which to be fair, does not always pay fairly either. [The Culinary Union did not respond to a request for comment on this alleged harassment, but we will update if we hear back.] Just as they are working to care for their families, we are doing the same and we should not be bullied for it, especially in this economy. I do hope that they can see the other side of the coin here, much as we do see theirs, and understand that none of us are against them receiving fair pay, we are simply doing what we need to do to provide for our families as not all of us have the luxury to just decide to sit this one out.Performer London River wrote on X that she would also still attend. I likely cant pull out of my commitments to AVN without experiencing losses. Considering that, I will be donating a percentage of my profits from the event to the strike fund, she wrote, linking to a donation page for their fund. Striking workers are paid $500 a week out of this fund, a representative for Local 226 told me.Performers should not cross picket lines!There is a lot to unpack here. Many performers and independent production companies have invested a significant amount of money into attending the AVN expo. And most of that money cannot be refunded which means that we stand to suffer London River (@LondonCRiver) January 8, 2025AVN declined to comment, but last week, it launched a FAQ page for attendees of the event. The hotel has assured us that the strike will not impact the AVN Expo and Awards. Contingency measures are in place to maintain a memorable guest experience and exceptional service during the event, the page says.On January 9, the Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) issued a statement about the strike: As the union for performers in the adult industry, care for the safety and well-being of our workers is paramount to our mission, they wrote. We feel this for not only our members and other workers in the adult industry but for all workers, regardless of their jobs. As union representatives, we support the sacrifices made by workers on strike, fighting for better working conditions. The officers of APAG voted unanimously to support our fellow union workers in Culinary Workers Local 226, and we will not cross their picket line in a show of solidarity.APAG said it strongly encourages members to avoid crossing the picket line, as well as cancelling reservations at the hotel and contacting AVN, Virgin Hotels, and companies they were set to sign with at the event to express their concerns.And on Saturday, marking day 58 of the strike, APAG members joined Local 226 workers and their families for a march from the Las Vegas Strip to Virgin Hotels, blaring vuvuzelas and holding signs referencing Virgin Las Vegas contract negotiation offer of an estimated 30 cents an hour in wage increases.The Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG)s decision to stand with Culinary Union strikers and honor the picket line at Virgin Las Vegas demonstrates unity, and the Culinary Union applauds the unwavering solidarity shown by the APAG and their members, Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, said in a statement. Workers across industries share the same fight for dignity, fair pay, respect, and protections on-the-job, and Culinary Union is proud to stand with APAG in solidarity as strikers continue to take on a billionaire-owned company that refuses to treat workers fairly. APAGs support sends a powerful message: When workers stand together, we are unstoppable. To APAG members and all customers choosing not to cross the picket line thank you for standing with workers on strike, with your continued support we will win.Last week, Pornhub announced that its team is canceling its upcoming trips to AVN and adult industry event XBIZ LA due to the strike in Vegas, and in Los Angeles, the wildfire crisis thats required many LA residents to evacuate to hotels. Unfortunately, this means our scheduled in-person events and workshops are no longer going on as planned. We are working closely with XBIZ to host our scheduled workshop virtually, they wrote in a post on X. We're so disappointed we won't be able to get face time with those of you who were planning to attend, and looking forward to seeing you all again soon.If workers dont receive a fair contract soon, AVN wont be the only event where attendees will have to choose between staying home or crossing a picket line. There are 11 other trade shows and events set to take place at Virgin Hotels in the coming weeks, including the Fancy Food Show, World of Concrete Expo, Academic Surgical Congress, CHAMPS Trade Show, and Kitchen and Bath Industry Show.

Susan Scarbro bowls while wearing a mask in Little River, S.C. on Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)2025-01-15T14:00:39Z EDITORS NOTE: Jan. 20 is the fifth anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States.__Susan Scarbro stares down a bowling lane at the distant pins. She hears a sound that breaks her focus. Was that a cough? Will her mask protect her?COVID-19 remains a very present threat for the 55-year-old. Scarbro has multiple immune disorders, making her vulnerable to infection.Any minute anybody could cough, just incidentally, said Scarbro, who lives in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. And that cough could be the one thing that could make me sick.This month marks the fifth anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. The virus would go on to kill 1.2 million Americans and disrupt countless lives. While the pandemics emergency phase ended in May 2023, the threat of infection remains a governing force in the lives of people like Scarbro. They protect themselves from the virus with masks and isolate themselves in small family bubbles. Some grasp for unproven strategies gargling with antiseptic mouthwash, carrying a personal carbon dioxide monitor to check the ventilation of indoor spaces. In online support groups, they trade research about the danger of repeat infections and cognitive impairment. They miss the empathy they felt during the early days of the pandemic. Some have lost friendships, but they strive to maintain the social ties that are important to mental health. Scarbros bowling league helps her feel connected to her neighbors. But recently, shes detected more stares and skeptical looks from strangers when she bowls in a mask. There was more respect and understanding, but now theyre over it, she said. They expect me to be over it, but they dont understand that even before COVID-19, these were the precautions I needed to take.Most Americans have developed some level of protection against severe disease from previous COVID-19 infections, vaccinations or both. But immunocompromised people like Scarbro, who has common variable immune deficiency, must be constantly vigilant. Unlike the flu, COVID has not settled into a seasonal pattern. Theres never a time when they can relax a little bit, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. Thats a really challenging and exhausting thing to ask someone to do.Who are the people still cautious about COVID-19? They include young caregivers of vulnerable relatives, people with chronic health conditions and families rallying around a loved one. In interviews with The Associated Press, they talked about how they manage the trade-offs and the toll of isolation on their mental health. How hard is it to put a mask on?Before the pandemic, Bazia Zebrowski, 61, of Newbury, Ohio, dined out, shopped for groceries and took her dog, Shadoh, to the park. When she felt well, she occasionally could get together with friends despite having myalgic encephalomyelitis, a condition formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome that causes inflammation, immune system problems, fatigue and pain.Now she keeps close to home, venturing out only for medical appointments. Her husband does the shopping and wears a mask at his workplace.They have not had COVID-19 and hope their luck holds. Getting sick would be a disaster, she said, potentially triggering a relapse or superimposing long COVID-19 onto her illness.I dont consider myself COVID cautious. I consider myself COVID competent, Zebrowski said. Cautious would imply that I have an unreasonable fear of something. I do not have an unreasonable fear of this disease.What does Zebrowski miss about pre-pandemic times? I miss the illusion that people are willing to care for each other, she said. How hard is it to put a mask on? It rattles your faith in humankind (you learn) how little the people in your life understood how sick you were to begin with.Trauma is part of the experience of having a chronic illness, said DePaul University psychologist Leonard Jason, who has studied myalgic encephalomyelitis for more than three decades. Then youre traumatized by the societal reaction to the illness, he said. Protecting a partnerSome people arent sick themselves but are taking precautions to protect a family member. Steve Alejandro, 42, of Wentzville, Missouri, calls himself a COVID shielder.His wife, Ashley Alejandro, 44, also has myalgic encephalomyelitis. Shes got maybe four good hours a day, Alejandro said. Theres not a thing in the world I wouldnt do to protect those four hours.Alejandro changed careers during the pandemic, leaving behind my whole support system so he could sell vintage books online from home. His three children now 20, 18 and 12 never went back to in-person school after lockdowns ended and are continuing their learning at home.Weve really come together, Alejandro said. This is a choice that can be made and you can win at it. In Miami, Kira Levin is the primary caregiver for her 98-year-old grandmother. She said the thought of getting COVID-19 and risking her grandmothers health is terrifying.So, at a July wedding, the 29-year-old was the only bridesmaid and attendee in a mask an N95 layered with a pretty mask to match the brides green color scheme.I didnt take off the mask for pictures and nobody asked me to, Levin said. And I felt incredibly grateful for that.COVID Cautious datingDenver-based sisters Jacqueline and Alexa Child stay masked while going to concerts and dining outdoors with friends who dont share the same level of COVID-19 caution.We have done everything we possibly could to maintain our mental health and our social life, said Jacqueline, who has an immune disease that makes her vulnerable to infections. Theres nothing worse than being disabled and isolated. As someone who has been disabled and isolated, I dont want that isolation part.Jacqueline, 30, and her sister Alexa, 34, launched a dating app in 2022 for people who are disabled or chronically ill, though all are welcomed. Users can add a COVID Cautious tag to their profiles to signal theyre interested in meeting others who take precautions. The Child sisters say 10% of their 30,000 users add COVID Cautious to their dating profiles.Its a market that we didnt expect to target but we happily accept, Jacqueline said.Alexa said the precautions started as a way to protect Jacqueline, but theyre no longer about that. Shes trying to avoid long COVID, a long-term disability.Tossing aside the threat of long COVID is hard to imagine for Yale University immunologist Akiko Iwasaki. Though people have been studying the virus since its emergence, she said scientists still dont know how pieces of the virus can stick around in the blood of some people for more than a year after theyve recovered from the illness.Iwasaki still wears masks indoors and stays up to date with vaccines.I just cant afford to get sick and become chronically ill, she said. I feel that we really are in a position to be able to better understand the disease, to help millions of people.A new normalWhile Scarbro understands that others are ready to return to normal, its not that easy for her or her family. Its true for many others with chronic immune illnesses, said Jorey Berry, CEO of Immune Deficiency Foundation.While the rest of the world is able to kind of go back to their regular lives, our community doesnt have that luxury, she said.Scarbro, her husband and children are constantly taking into account other peoples COVID-19 safety practices. And as the world turns back to pre-COVID life, Scarbros family is doing what they can to keep her healthy but not in complete isolation. I feel very scared about the future, she said. I know that people are done, and I respect that, but its only going to make it harder for me and my family to keep me safe.___AP videojournalist Laura Bargfeld contributed to this report from Sunset Beach, North Carolina. ___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. DEVNA BOSE Bose is a public health reporter for The Associated Press, based in Jackson, Mississippi. She covers hospitals, rural health access and disparities, public health funding and other topics that broadly intersect with the health of communities. 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

A man holds a lit cigarette while smoking in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)2025-01-15T13:58:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) Federal officials on Wednesday released a far-reaching proposal to make cigarettes less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates that is unlikely to go into effect anytime soon.The proposed rule from the Food and Drug Administration comes in the final days of President Joe Bidens term, greatly reducing the likelihood that it will actually be enacted. President-elect Donald Trump and his health nominees have not commented on the measure, but a similar effort led by Trumps first FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, was sidelined during his first term.Trumps health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said little about how regulating tobacco fits into his plans to overhaul the governments approach to fighting chronic disease. Even if the effort goes ahead under Trump, tobacco companies like Reynolds American and Altria are almost certain to challenge it in court, delaying implementation. The FDA has spent years studying the issue and said Wednesday that reducing nicotine would help nearly 13 million current smokers quit cigarettes within one year. Roughly 48 million more young people would never take up the habit because cigarettes would essentially become nonaddictive, according to agency projections. Under the agencys plan, nicotine would be capped at levels that could no longer create and sustain this addiction among people who smoke. The agencys 334-page analysis was posted online in the federal register Wednesday morning. Antismoking advocates overwhelmingly back the idea and urged Kennedy to help implement it, if he is confirmed.Tobacco regulation is a huge part of reaching the goals hes outlined for reducing chronic disease and a really important part of the conversation we need to have in this country, said Chrissie Juliano of the Big Cities Health Coalition, which represents the heads of more than 30 metropolitan health departments Smoking causes more than 480,000 U.S. deaths each year due to cancer, heart disease, stroke and other smoking-related illnesses. Those conditions often take decades to develop and remain elevated today despite ongoing declines in smoking among adults and teenagers.The idea of limiting nicotine has its roots in sweeping powers given to the FDA by Congress in 2009 to regulate the tobacco industry. But the FDAs efforts on nicotine and a host of other tobacco measures such as adding graphic warning labels to cigarette packs have been hampered for years by tobacco industry lawsuits.Under the law, FDA regulators can regulate nicotine but they cannot remove it completely. The agencys ability to set a maximum nicotine threshold is unique worldwide and the attempt would represent a first in global efforts to reduce smoking-related deaths.Currently, there are no U.S. limits on nicotine, which occurs naturally in tobacco plants. There are several techniques for removing it, including chemical extraction and cross-breeding plants.The FDA formally announced it would begin work on the proposed rule in 2022 and regulators received thousands of public comments from tobacco companies, retailers, health experts and consumers. The latest FDA announcement comes as smoking in the U.S. continues to fall. Last year, the smoking rate hit another all-time low of just 1 in 9 adults saying they currently smoke.Low-nicotine cigarettes are not a new idea. Several companies, including Philip Morris, experimented with selling the products during the 1980s and 1990s, without much success. In 2019, the FDA authorized a cigarette that contains 95% less nicotine than standard cigarettes. The FDA has sponsored studies showing that when smokers switch to very low nicotine cigarettes they smoke less and are more likely to try quitting. That research is considered pivotal to establishing that smokers wont compensate by just smoking more cigarettes or inhaling more deeply. That was sometimes the case with light and low tar cigarettes marketed in decades past. Those products were subsequently banned as misleading.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Los Angeles Clippers players stand during a moment of silence for victims of the ongoing California wildfires before an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)2025-01-15T18:13:11Z NEW YORK (AP) The NBA has rescheduled two games postponed due to catastrophic wildfires in Southern California, as well as a game postponed due to a winter storm in Atlanta.The league announced Wednesday that the Los Angeles Lakers Jan. 9 home game against the Charlotte Hornets will take place Feb. 19. The Hornets visit to the Los Angeles Clippers originally set for Jan. 11 will now be March 16. And the Hawks Jan. 11 home game against Houston is now scheduled for Jan. 28.A new date for the Lakers Jan. 11 home game against San Antonio wasnt announced.The NBA also announced six other scheduling changes to accommodate those updates: The Clippers were originally scheduled to host Chicago on Jan. 21 and Washington on March 16. The Bulls game will move up one day to Jan. 20, while the Wizards game will be Jan. 23. The Clippers March 19 trip to Utah will now take place Feb. 13. The Lakers Feb. 11 home game against the Jazz will move up one day to Feb. 10. The Wizards Jan. 23 game at Utah will now be March 19. Washingtons March 18 game at Portland will move up one day to March 17.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

President-elect Ronald Reagan applauds as outgoing President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd at Reagan's inaugural ceremony, in Washington, Jan. 20, 1981. (AP Photo, File)2025-01-14T05:09:34Z In January 1981, Jimmy Carter nodded politely toward Ronald Reagan as the new Republican president thanked the Democrat for his administrations help after Reagan resoundingly defeated Carter the previous November. Twenty years earlier, after a much closer race, Republican Richard Nixon clasped John F. Kennedys hand and offered the new Democratic president a word of encouragement. The U.S. has a long tradition of defeated presidential candidates sharing the inauguration stage with the people who defeated them, projecting to the world the orderly transfer of power. Its a practice that Vice President Kamala Harris will resume on Jan. 20 after an eight-year hiatus. Only once in the television era with its magnifying effect on a losing candidates expression has a defeated candidate skipped the exercise. That candidate, former President Donald Trump, left for Florida after a failed effort to overturn his loss based on false or unfounded theories of voter fraud. Deciding to skip President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, outgoing President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart Washington en route to his Mar-a-Lago Florida Resort, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Deciding to skip President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, outgoing President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart Washington en route to his Mar-a-Lago Florida Resort, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Vice President Kamala Harris talks to reporters after overseeing the ceremonial certification of her defeat to incoming President-elect Donald Trump, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Vice President Kamala Harris talks to reporters after overseeing the ceremonial certification of her defeat to incoming President-elect Donald Trump, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More With Harris watching, Trump is scheduled to stand on the Capitols west steps and be sworn in for a second term. Below are examples of episodes that have featured a losing candidate in a rite that Reagan called nothing short of a miracle. 2001: Al Gore and George W. BushDemocrat Al Gore conceded to Republican George W. Bush after 36 days of legal battling over Floridas ballots ended with a divided Supreme Court ruling to end the recount. Vice President Al Gore, far right, who conceded to Republican George W. Bush after 36 days of legal battling over Floridas ballots, looks on as Bush is sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2001. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File) Vice President Al Gore, far right, who conceded to Republican George W. Bush after 36 days of legal battling over Floridas ballots, looks on as Bush is sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2001. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More But Gore, the sitting vice president, would join Bush on the west steps of the Capitol a month later as the Texas governor was sworn in. After Bush took the oath, he and Gore shook hands, spoke briefly and smiled before Gore returned to his seat clapping along to the presidential anthem, Hail to the Chief. A disappointed Gore accepted the outcome and his role in demonstrating continuity of governance, former Gore campaign spokeswoman Kiki McLean said. He may have wished, I wish that was me standing there, McLean said. But I dont think Gore for one minute ever doubted he should be there in his capacity as vice president. 2017: Hillary Clinton and Donald TrumpDemocrat Hillary Clinton was candid about her disappointment in losing to Trump in 2016, when like Gore against Bush she received more votes but failed to win an Electoral College majority. Obviously, I was crushed, she told Howard Stern on his radio show in 2019. Former Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2017, for the inauguration ceremony of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States. (Win McNamee/AP Photo File) Former Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2017, for the inauguration ceremony of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States. (Win McNamee/AP Photo File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Calling Inauguration Day one of the hardest days of my life, Clinton said she planned to attend Trumps swearing-in out of a sense of duty, having been first lady during her husbands presidency from 1993 to 2001. You put on the best face possible, Clinton said on Sterns show. 2021: Mike Pence (with Trump absent) and Joe BidenTrump four years ago claimed without evidence that his loss to President Joe Biden was marred by widespread fraud. Two weeks earlier, Trump supporters had stormed the Capitol in a violent siege aimed at halting the electoral vote certification. Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence looks on as incoming President Joe Biden embraces first lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after he was sworn-in as the 46th president of the United Staes, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. Incoming Vice President Kamala Harris applauds at left. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence looks on as incoming President Joe Biden embraces first lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after he was sworn-in as the 46th president of the United Staes, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. Incoming Vice President Kamala Harris applauds at left. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Instead, then-Vice President Mike Pence was the face of the outgoing administration. Sure, it was awkward, Pences former chief of staff Marc Short said. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, wave from the Capitol steps as former Vice President Mike Pence gets into a vehicle following the inauguration of President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. (Melina Mara/AP File) Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, wave from the Capitol steps as former Vice President Mike Pence gets into a vehicle following the inauguration of President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. (Melina Mara/AP File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Still, Pence and his wife met privately with Biden and his wife to congratulate them in the Capitol before the ceremony, and escorted newly sworn-in Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband out of the Capitol afterward, as tradition had prescribed, Short said. There was an appreciation expressed for him by members of both chambers in both parties, he said. 1993: George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton Outgoing President George Bush, far right, accompanied by President-elect Bill Clinton, depart the White House for Capitol Hill to attend the swearing in ceremony of Clinton as the nations 42nd president, in Washington, Jan 20, 1993. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File) Outgoing President George Bush, far right, accompanied by President-elect Bill Clinton, depart the White House for Capitol Hill to attend the swearing in ceremony of Clinton as the nations 42nd president, in Washington, Jan 20, 1993. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Bush stood on the Capitols west steps three times for his swearing-in as vice president twice and in 1989 to be inaugurated as president. He would attend again in 1993 in defeat. He joined Bill Clinton, the Democrat who beat him, on the traditional walk out onto the east steps. Bush would return triumphantly to the inaugural ceremony eight years later as the father of Clintons successor, George W. Bush. 1961: Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy Former Vice President Richard Nixon shakes hands with President John F. Kennedy at the end of Kennedys inauguration, in Washington, June 20, 1961. (AP Photo, File) Former Vice President Richard Nixon shakes hands with President John F. Kennedy at the end of Kennedys inauguration, in Washington, June 20, 1961. (AP Photo, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Nixon had just lost the 1960 election by fewer than 120,000 votes in what was the closest presidential contest in 44 years. But the departing vice president approached Kennedy with a wide grin, a handshake and an audible good luck just seconds after the winning Democrats swearing-in. Outgoing Vice President Hubert Humphrey, right, watches Chief Justice Earl Warren administers the oath to President-elect Richard Nixon on the U.S. Capitol steps in Washington, Jan. 20, 1969. (AP Photo, File) Outgoing Vice President Hubert Humphrey, right, watches Chief Justice Earl Warren administers the oath to President-elect Richard Nixon on the U.S. Capitol steps in Washington, Jan. 20, 1969. (AP Photo, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Nixon would have to wait eight years to be sworn in as president, while his losing Democratic opponent outgoing Vice President Hubert Humphrey looked on. He was inaugurated a second time after winning reelection in 1972, only to resign after the Watergate scandal. 1933: Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt Outgoing President Herbert Hoover, right, gazes downward as President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, accompanied by his eldest son James, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes, in Washington, March 4, 1933. (AP Photo, File) Outgoing President Herbert Hoover, right, gazes downward as President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, accompanied by his eldest son James, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes, in Washington, March 4, 1933. (AP Photo, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Like Bush, Hoover would attend just one inauguration as a new president before losing to a Democrat four years later. But Democrat Franklin Roosevelts 1933 swearing-in would not be Hoovers last. Hoover would live for another 31 years, see four more presidents sworn in, and sit in places of honor at the two inaugurations of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. 1897: Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller administers the oath of office to President-elect William McKinley during his inauguration in Washington, March 4, 1897, as outgoing President Grover Cleveland stands behind McKinley. (Library of Congress via AP File) Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller administers the oath of office to President-elect William McKinley during his inauguration in Washington, March 4, 1897, as outgoing President Grover Cleveland stands behind McKinley. (Library of Congress via AP File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Cleveland, the sitting Democratic president, lost reelection in 1888 while winning more popular votes than former Indiana Sen. Benjamin Harrison. But Cleveland still managed to hold Harrisons umbrella while the Republican was sworn in during a rainy 1889 inauguration. Elected to a second, non-consecutive term in 1892, Cleveland, however, would stand solemnly behind William McKinley four years later at the Republicans 1897 inauguration, leaving the presidency that day after losing the 1896 nomination of his own party. Cleveland was the only president to win two non-consecutive terms until Trumps victory in November. ___Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. THOMAS BEAUMONT Beaumont covers national politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa. twitter mailto

President Joe Biden details a three-phase hostage deal aimed at winding down the Israel-Hamas war at the White House on May 31, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-01-15T19:08:34Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are both claiming credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the White House brought Trumps Middle East envoy into negotiations that have dragged on for months.Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the moving force behind the deal, whose final details were still being ironed out, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office. This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies, Trump wrote on social media. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones. Trump added that his incoming Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, would continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.Bidenstressed in a statement that a deal was reached under the precise contours of a plan that he set out in late in May. It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy, Biden said. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done. Nancy Okail, head of the U.S.-based Center for International Policy, said acceptance of the deal in the face of Trumps insistence that a ceasefire be in place when he takes office next week ironically shows how effective actual pressure can be in changing Israeli government behavior.Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said Biden deserves praise for continuing to push the talks despite repeated failures. But Trumps threats to Hamas and his efforts through Witkoff to cajole Netanyahu deserve credit as well, he said. The ironic reality is that at a time of heightened partisanship even over foreign policy, the deal represents how much more powerful and influential U.S. foreign policy can be when its bipartisan, he said. Both the outgoing and incoming administration deserve credit for for this deal and it wouldve been far less likely to happen without both pushing for it.The Biden administrations open embrace of incoming Trump team involvement in the talks was rooted in far more than the president-elects influence with Netanyahu and his threats that there would be hell to pay if a deal wasnt done by Inauguration Day, which is in five days, three current U.S. officials said.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to offer candid details, said their interest in having Witkoff participate in the talks alongside Bidens Mideast pointman, Brett McGurk, was primarily designed to ensure that an agreement which will require a lengthy American commitment would have continued U.S. support after Biden leaves office. Yet, since Witkoff entered the latest round of talks in Doha, Qatar, alongside McGurk, these U.S. officials have downplayed Trumps relevance to the process apart from the importance of ensuring his support for a deal painstakingly negotiated over the past year. They also want backing for a plan pushed by the Biden administration for the governance, reconstruction and security of Gaza that will take many months and significant U.S. backing to succeed.The officials said it was important for all parties to the deal to know that the agreement had buy-in from the new president. That was important not only because Biden will leave office in just five days, but also because the U.S. is a guarantor of the agreement that will play out in several phases.One fear about not including Trump officials in the negotiations was that the post-conflict plan for Gaza that has been worked over the past year might be abandoned by the new administration. That plan, outlined most recently on Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calls for an international presence in Gaza to work with and assist the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority with both governance and reconstruction. It also calls for a temporary foreign security presence in the territory to address Israeli security concerns.Over the course of the war, Bidens relationship with Netanyahu was strained by the enormous Palestinian death toll in the fighting now standing at more than 46,000 dead and Israels blockade of the territory that has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza by leaving access to food and basic health care severely limited.Pro-Palestinian activists have demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but U.S. policy has largely remained unchanged. The State Department in recent days informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel. Biden refusal to impose meaningful restrictions on how the Israelis may have helped Israel seriously degrade Hamas and Hezbollah, but it also came with enormous suffering for innocent Palestinians and Lebanese that have been caught in the crossfire of the 15 moths of grinding war. The outgoing one-term Democrats critics say his approach could come with long-term ramifications for U.S. standing in the Middle East and may well prove to be stain on Bidens legacy. AAMER MADHANI Aamer Madhani is a White House reporter. twitter mailto ELLEN KNICKMEYER Foreign policy, national security, foreign policy & climate twitter

Zara Dars six-minute explainer video So what are Integrals? has a little over half a million views with 450 likes and an 87 percent positive thumbs up review rate. Commenters have said the video, which is a short introduction to one of the fundamental operations of calculus, is educational, great, and just incredible.I have to say, as an aerospace engineering student, that you have explained the usefulness of integrals better than my university professor, one commenter said.Only a few commenters complained or demanded that Dar take her clothes off, which is impressive because the video and comments were posted to her Pornhub channel, where Dar has been posting educational videos like What is a neural network? and Intuitive Approach to Understanding Probability for the last year.When I asked her why she thinks her videos are gaining traction on a porn site, Dar said Im not entirely sure, but it could be because my SFW videos stand out against the typical NSFW content on the platform. That contrast might make them more intriguing or refreshing to viewers. But thats just my speculation.Dar, who dropped out of grad school to be a content creator full-time (she also has a Pornhub video about that choice), also posts the same videos to YouTube and has an OnlyFans where she posts adult content, where she says shes made over a million dollars.On Wednesday, while the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging a law in Texas that requires age verification for people to view porn sites, Justice Samuel Alito asked if Pornhub was like the old Playboy magazines, meaning does the site just offer pornography or content that is not pornographic as well. The answer is that it doesnt have much in terms of written articles, b theres a long history of posting non pornographic content to Pornhub. As I wrote almost a decade ago, some people do it as a goof, but its also not the worst place to monetize ones videos, even if theyre not porn. In fact, I learned about Dars channel via a post she made on Linkedin, in which she explained that the same educational videos she shares on YouTube make more money per million views on Pornhub because Pornhub offers better rates$1,000 per million views on Pornhub versus YouTubes $340 per million views.For reasons she doesnt understand, Dars Linkedin account was banned after that Linkedin post started going viral.My account was banned, seemingly because of this post, Dar told me. I received an email stating, We recently removed your profile photo because it does not appear to be a photo of you, which was confusing since LinkedIn has never requested ID verification from me. When I tried to log in to update my photo, I discovered my account was banned.Dar tried contacting Linkedin support but did not receive a response and shes still unable to access her account. Linkedin also did not respond to my request for comment.I have no issue providing LinkedIn with my ID for verification (as I have done so for many other platforms), but I was under the impression that its optional, Dar told me. Its frustrating that verification isnt required for other users, yet my account was banned for sharing a straightforward fact about my content creation career. I was engaging professionally, but LinkedIns strict handling of this situation feels counterproductive to its purpose.In the message sent to her by Linkedin asking her to change her profile photo, Linkedin said that profile photos can get flagged for a variety of reasons, including for being considered offensive. There was no nudity in Dars profile photo.Ironically, being removed from social media with little explanation or recourse is another good reason for people to share their content on Pornhub. We dont know exactly why Dars Linkedin account was removed because Linkedin wont explain, but its possible it was reported because it was reported by users after going viral on the LinkedinLunatics subreddit, where people share Linkedin posts they feel dont belong on the professional networking platform. As weve reported over the years, this is something that happens to sex workers and adult content creators on other social media sites all the time.Dar said she makes more money on YouTube overall because thats where she gets more views, but in addition to higher rates, an added benefit of posting to Pornhub is that Pornhub is not likely to ban her for sharing adult content elsewhere on the web.I can't believe this website is banned in Texas! one commenter said on Dars Pornhub video on pi. They're trying to hinder our education.

The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-01-15T11:12:54Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed open to a Texas law aimed at blocking kids from seeing online pornography, though the justices could still send it back to a lower court for more consideration of how the age verification measure affects adults free-speech rights.Texas is among more than a dozen states with such laws aimed at blocking young children and teenagers from viewing pornography. The states argue the laws are necessary as online porn, including hardcore obscene material, has become almost instantaneous to access on smartphones online.Chief Justice John Roberts, a member of the courts conservative majority, raised similar concerns. Technological access to pornography has exploded, right? he said.The Free Speech Coalition, an adult-entertainment industry trade group, says the Texas law wrongly affects adults by requiring them to submit personal identifying information online, making it vulnerable to hacking or tracking. The adult-content website Pornhub has stopped operating in several states, citing the technical and privacy hurdles in complying with the laws. The Free Speech Coalition agrees that children shouldnt be seeing pornography, but it argues the new law is so broadly written it could also apply to sexual education content or simulated sex scenes in movies. The law also leaves a loophole by focusing on porn sites rather than the search engines often used to find porn, the group says in court documents. Content filtering is a better alternative to online age checks, it says. Justice Amy Coney Barrett appeared skeptical, pointing to the growing number of ways kids can get online.Content filtering for all those different devices, I can say from personal experience, is difficult to keep up with, said Barrett, who has seven children.This isnt the first time the Supreme Court has confronted the issue. In 1996, the court struck down parts of a law banning explicit material viewable by kids online. In 2004, a divided Supreme Court ruled against a different federal law aimed at stopping kids from being exposed to pornography but said less restrictive measures like content filtering are constitutional. Texas argues that technology has improved significantly in the last 20 years, allowing online platforms to quickly and easily check users ages with a quick picture, making it more like ID checks at traditional stores that were upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1960s. The states won in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, where a divided panel overturned a lower court and allowed the age verification requirement to go into effect. The Supreme Court previously refused an emergency appeal asking to put the age verification on hold while the legal fight continues.Still, some of the nine justices worried that the lower court hadnt applied a strict enough legal standard in determining whether the Texas law and others like that could run afoul of the First Amendment. How far can a state go in terms of burdening adults showing how old they are? Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked. Justice Elena Kagan raised the concerns of a possible spillover dangers on other laws touching on free speech, whichever way the court rules. Some of the justices appeared interested in the Democratic Biden administrations position that they should send the case back to the 5th Circuit for more consideration. The court could even say that such laws, when carefully written, could pass a higher standard since everyone agrees keeping porn away from kids is a worthy goal, said Principal Deputy Solicitor General Brian Fletcher.Other states with similar laws include Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia.The Texas law carries fines of up to $10,000 per violation that could be raised to up to $250,000 per violation by a minor.The court is expected to decide the case by June. ___Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto

A person spins a basketball on their finger during South Carolina's practice for the NCAA Women's Final Four championship basketball game Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)2025-01-15T20:48:06Z The AP Top 25 womens college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season!Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Womens basketball teams finally will be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament each March just like the men have for years under a plan approved Wednesday at the NCAA convention.The unanimous vote by NCAA membership, which was met by a round of applause, was the final step toward a pay structure for women playing in March Madness after the Division I Board of Governors voted unanimously for the proposal in August.NCAA President Charlie Baker joined others in giving credit for the creation of a performance fund to those who came before and helped build womens basketball.Were the lucky ones, Baker said. We got to be here on the day it became a reality.Now comes more work to continue investing in womens basketball to grow the sport even more.Thats the part I hope, that someday down the road, we all will have someone say about us that they sit on the shoulders of the work that we did, Baker said. So-called performance units, which represent revenue, will be given to womens teams playing in the tournament starting this year, the events 43rd edition. A womens basketball team that reaches the Final Four could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years in financial performance rewards. In the first year, $15 million will be awarded to teams out of the fund, which is 26% of the womens basketball media revenue deal. That will grow to $25 million, or 41% of the revenue, by 2028. The 26% is on par with what mens basketball teams received the first year the performance units program was established. The proposal was broken into two votes Wednesday, with the first on the payments starting with the next NCAA Tournament. That received one no vote, though the vote to establish the womens fund itself was unanimous. The lack of a units system for the womens tournament has long been a point of sharp criticism. Its great womens basketball is getting the long-deserved financial reward for NCAA postseason success, Louisville coach Jeff Walz said.The womens March Madness plan is similar to the mens basketball unit program. Each of 32 conferences that receive an automatic bid to the tournament will receive a unit, and additional units will be rewarded for teams that receive at-large bids to the 68-team field.The longer a schools tournament run lasts, the more units the schools conference receives. Conferences decide the distribution of unit revenue to each of its members. Each unit was worth about $2 million for the 2024 mens tournament.Mens basketball teams now receive 24% of the media rights deal, which is $8.8 billion over eight years, starting this year. Womens basketball is valued at $65 million per tournament in the NCAAs new media rights deal with ESPN roughly 10 times more than in the contract that ends this year.The women have a higher percentage of the media revenue deal to bolster the value of each performance unit.The NCAA sharing March Madness revenue with its member schools has long been a feature of the mens tournament. The 2018 tournament, for example, brought in $844.3 million in television and marketing rights, the vast majority from a contract with CBS and Turner Sports to televise the games. Most of the money flows through the NCAA to conferences and then back to member schools, more than 300 of which field Division I basketball teams eligible to play in the tournament. The schools mostly reinvest in athletics, from scholarships for athletes in all sports to coaching salaries, training facilities, stadiums, ballparks and arenas.Julie Roe Lach, commissioner of the Horizon League and a member of the Division I womens basketball oversight committee, called the creation of the fund a huge step not just for womens basketball but womens sports in general toward the goal of gender equity.With womens college basketball skyrocketing in popularity, Lach said they cant just celebrate this moment.Like the mens basketball fund, the womens basketball funds are unrestricted, meaning conferences and institutions can choose how we want to invest these extra dollars, said Lach, who noted the Horizon League has policies ready to reward programs for strong schedules, performance and postseason success. The womens tournament is coming off its most successful year ever, which included a record audience of 18.7 million for the title game won by South Carolina over Iowa, the highest for a basketball broadcast of any kind in five years. It outdrew the mens championship game UConn winning its second consecutive title with a victory over Purdue by nearly 3 million viewers. The womens tournament also had record attendance.___AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg in Miami contributed to this report. ___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP womens college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball TERESA M. WALKER Walker covers sports in Tennessee for The Associated Press, including college sports and the NFLs Titans, the NBAs Grizzlies and the NHLs Predators. twitter instagram mailto

A burned fire hydrant drips water in front of charred trees in Malibu, Calif., Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)2025-01-15T21:02:30Z A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using womens handbags to fight the fires.Those are just a few of the false or misleading claims that have emerged amid general criticism about Californias water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires.Much of the misinformation is being spread because it offers an opportunity to take potshots at California Democratic leadership while simultaneously distracting attention from the real contributing factors, especially the role of climate change, said Peter Gleick, senior fellow at the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit he co-founded that focuses on global water sustainability. Attacks on a water bankSocial media users have claimed that Stewart and Lynda Resnick, co-owners of a massive agriculture company that has a majority stake in Californias Kern Water Bank, control Californias water and have refused to lend enough to firefighting efforts.The water bank stores up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water underground for agricultural, municipal and industrial use during dry years. The water gets used by the Resnicks company, The Wonderful Company, known for such brands as Fiji Water and Wonderful Pistachios. It also serves Bakersfield and other farmers in Kern County. Lynda Resnick and Stewart Resnick arrive at the Booksellers area of the White House for a state dinner, April 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) Lynda Resnick and Stewart Resnick arrive at the Booksellers area of the White House for a state dinner, April 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More But the water bank is more than 100 miles north of Los Angeles and plays no part in its water supply. The Wonderful Company said there was zero truth that it controls California water or has anything to do with water going to Los Angeles. Kern Water Bank didnt respond to a request for comment. The Wonderful Company has faced criticism over its extensive water use, especially in times of drought, and its control of what many consider a public resource. But Gleick said neither the Resnicks nor their company have anything to do with water supply issues around the wildfires.There are many problems with how California allocates water among users and especially the control of water by large agribusinesses, exemplified by the Resnicks, but those problems are completely unrelated to the LA fires and efforts to control them, he said. Claims over dry hydrants, empty reservoirSome fire hydrants in Los Angeles ran dry in early efforts to fight the fires, prompting a swirl of criticism on social media, including from President-elect Donald Trump, against the water management policies of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. State and local officials and experts said critics were connecting unrelated issues and spreading false information. State water distribution choices were not behind the hydrant problems, they said, nor was a lack of overall supply in the region.Officials said the hydrants were overstressed for hours as aerial firefighting wasnt possible because of high winds. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said they were pumping plenty of water into the system, but demand was so high that it wasnt enough to refill three million-gallon tanks in Pacific Palisades that help pressurize hydrants there. Volunteers stack donated water for people impacted by the Altadena Fire at a donation center at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Volunteers stack donated water for people impacted by the Altadena Fire at a donation center at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Janisse Quiones, head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference that 3 million gallons of water were available when the Palisades fire started but demand was four times greater than ever seen. Hydrants are designed for fighting fires at one or two houses at a time, not hundreds, Quiones said, and refilling the tanks also requires asking fire departments to pause firefighting. Bass said 20% of hydrants went dry.Critics also questioned why the 117-million gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir that contributes water for drinking and firefighting in Pacific Palisades was empty when the fires broke out. Some social media users said officials should be jailed over the empty reservoir, or alleged that officials view diversity, equity and inclusion policies as more important than getting things done.The reservoir has been empty for nearly a year awaiting repairs to a rubber cover that were required to provide safe drinking water, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which owns and operates it. The agency also said competitive bidding requires time. Marty Adams, who retired last spring, was the general manager and chief engineer at LADWP when the reservoir was drained. He said it was difficult to see the full scope of damage without draining the reservoir, and once that was done officials realized the repairs would be a bigger job than expected.Adams said the reservoir likely could not have been refilled fast enough to be of much use fighting fires. Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the hydrants and the reservoir. At least one lawsuit has already been filed over the reservoir issue. Fighting flames with purses?Video of firefighters throwing water onto flames with small bags spread widely on social media. Some posts ridiculed the use of womens handbags and alleged money that could have been used to buy proper equipment was spent elsewhere, such as on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or foreign aid. But the state said the small canvas bags seen in the videos are routinely used by the Los Angeles Fire Department to fight small trash fires, and can be more efficient than a long hose in some situations.Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes the Palisades fire, said misinformation is demoralizing for firefighters. A firefighter hoses down flames as the Palisades Fire approaches in Mandeville Canyon, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) A firefighter hoses down flames as the Palisades Fire approaches in Mandeville Canyon, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More When they hear that theres a suspicion that they didnt put their best foot forward, that they werent at their best, that they werent excellent in terms of the service that they deliver, of course thats crushing, she said.Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, called the misinformation irresponsible and said it affects the actions people take and the way they cope with trauma.The spread of false information at a time of crisis is nothing short of deadly, she said. ___The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment MELISSA GOLDIN Goldin debunks, analyzes and tracks misinformation for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto BRITTANY PETERSON Peterson is an Associated Press video journalist based in Denver. She covers water in the western U.S. for APs global climate team. twitter mailto

The U.S. Department of the Treasury building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it is expanding sanctions against the Russian energy sector for its nearly three-year old war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-01-15T17:24:32Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. government clawed back more than $31 million in Social Security payments that improperly went to dead people, a recovery that one official said Wednesday was just the tip of the iceberg.The money was reclaimed as part of a five-month pilot program after Congress gave the Department of Treasury temporary access to the Social Security Administration s Full Death Master File for three years as part of the omnibus appropriations bill in 2021. The SSA maintains the most complete federal database of individuals who have died, and the file contains more than 142 million records, which go back to 1899, according to the Treasury. The Treasury projects that it will recover more than $215 million during its three-year access period, which runs from December 2023 through 2026.These results are just the tip of the iceberg, the Treasurys Fiscal Assistant Secretary David Lebryk said in a news release. He urged Congress to give the Treasury full access to the master file, saying it would significantly reduce fraud, improve program integrity, and better safeguard taxpayer dollars. The effort has shown areas where the government is preventing fraud, waste and abuse which is also one of Donald Trumps campaign promises. The president-elect has tapped two business titans Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a new nongovernmental task force assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations, all part of what Trump calls his Save America agenda for his second term in the White House.A representative from the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the incoming administration would continue the efforts or seek to make the Treasurys temporary access to the file permanent. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto

Palestinian children play next to a building destroyed by Israeli army strikes in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)2025-01-15T22:14:44Z Mediators said Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause the fighting in Gaza starting Sunday after 15 months of war and to begin exchanging dozens of hostages held there for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had yet to confirm on Tuesday that the deal had been finalized. But the ceasefire could eventually bring an end to the bloodiest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, one that transformed the wider region and leaves the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the heart of the turmoil unresolved. Israel struck major blows, but total victory still appears elusiveIsrael can point to countless tactical victories in the war, from the assassination of top Hamas leaders to the blows it rained on Lebanons Hezbollah and Iran itself, which backs both groups.But Israel fell short on two central aims: Hamas to date has survived, even if greatly weakened, and several hostages taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack died in captivity. Some were accidentally killed by Israeli forces, others by their Hamas captors as troops closed in. Israelis see the return of captives as a sacred obligation, worth the agonizing price of releasing large numbers of imprisoned militants in lopsided deals. The inability to reach a deal through months of negotiations tore the country apart. Netanyahu, who promised total victory and the return of all the captives, faced mass protests as critics, including some hostage families, accused him of putting his political interests ahead of quickly getting them back, allegations he vehemently denied. The military campaign meanwhile sparked a global outcry, with the International Court of Justice considering allegations of genocide and the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a top Hamas commander, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity.Israel adamantly denies such allegations, saying it takes every measure to spare civilians and blaming Hamas for their deaths because militants fight in dense residential areas. Hamas survives, for now, in a ruined GazaHamas said the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war was aimed at returning the Palestinian cause to the forefront of the international agenda, punishing Israel for its actions in the occupied territories and freeing Palestinian prisoners.It succeeded in drawing the worlds attention, but at a catastrophic cost to Palestinians themselves, with entire families wiped out, cities in ruins and dreams of statehood more distant than ever.Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many of the dead were combatants. The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.Much of Gaza now appears uninhabitable, with bombed-out buildings and mounds of rubble stretching as far as the eye can see. Around 90% of Gazas population of 2.3 million people has been displaced, and hundreds of thousands are struggling with hunger and disease in squalid tent camps on the coast, according to United Nations officials. Most of Hamas top leaders in Gaza and scores of mid-level commanders have been killed. Its arsenal of rockets appears to have been vastly depleted, and several of its tunnel networks have been demolished.But it remains the dominant force on the ground and is still carrying out deadly attacks on Israeli troops. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week Hamas has recruited nearly as many fighters as it has lost.Netanyahu faces new challenges and a possible reckoningIsraels ultimate political survivor managed to stay in office and stave off public inquiries after presiding over the worst security and intelligence failure in the countrys history.Thats because Netanyahus narrow coalition stuck by him, insisting that politics take a back seat to crushing Hamas.But his far-right allies have threatened to bring down the government over the release of Palestinian prisoners convicted in deadly attacks on Israelis. Even if they dont bolt immediately, his position will be less secure than it was when bombs were falling on Gaza. Netanyahu also would be unable to cite the ongoing war as a reason to postpone a public inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack that could fault his leadership.But no one is yet writing off Israels longest-serving leader.Thats because Donald Trump is returning to the White House surrounded by aides who support Netanyahus aim of expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank and potentially annexing it. That could help Netanyahu rally Israels dominant nationalist right to his side, keeping him in power at least until elections scheduled for 2026. No plan for postwar GazaIt appears that Hamas isnt going anywhere either.It may even see its popularity grow after surviving the war and securing the release of prisoners. The militant group founded in the late 1980s is deeply enmeshed in Palestinian society, with a strong presence in the occupied West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon.And in Gaza, there is no alternative.The Biden administration rallied its regional allies behind ambitious postwar plans for a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern and rebuild Gaza with the help of Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, which the White House hopes will take the historic step of normalizing ties with Israel.But those countries have conditioned their assistance on a pathway to a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war. Thats a nonstarter for Netanyahus government, which is opposed to Palestinian statehood.Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control and partner with politically independent Palestinians to govern Gaza but none is likely to volunteer, as Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with such a plan.With Hamas still in control of much of the territory, Israel and Egypt are unlikely to lift the blockade they imposed when it took power in 2007. A United Nations body has calculated that if the blockade remains in place, it could take 350 years to rebuild Gaza.A headache for Biden, a triumph for TrumpThe war sparked worldwide protests and soaring tensions on U.S. college campuses, dividing the Democratic Party and contributing to Trumps election in November.Israels supporters praised President Joe Biden for standing by an ally in its time of need, while critics accused him of kowtowing to Netanyahu and facilitating war crimes by flooding Israel with arms.Trump, on the other hand, can argue he delivered on his promise to end the wars in the Middle East even before his inauguration. His Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, joined the negotiations on their home stretch, saying Trumps election had galvanized the process, while the Biden administration says the agreement is the fruit of its intensive efforts over several months.Any broader peace in the Middle East remains elusive, and the incoming administration will be charged with shepherding the ceasefire through subsequent and more difficult phases.Trump will also have to decide how far he wants to go in backing Netanyahus drive to annex the West Bank and how to confront a weakened but defiant Iran and its regional allies.And a ceasefire does nothing to address the underlying conflict that spawned the war.The occupied West Bank has seen a surge of violence and a major expansion of Israeli settlements in recent years. In east Jerusalem, a tense arrangement governing a holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims for which Hamas named the Oct. 7 attack has steadily eroded.The latest war in Gaza was by far the worst, and it may not be the last.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea lays a wreath during a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AP File)2025-01-15T23:10:44Z A ceasefire agreement in Gaza has been reached between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of war. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have mediated the long-running efforts to halt the fighting in the ravaged Palestinian territory, often coming close to a deal before a frustrating breakdown in negotiations.The latest round of talks proved successful this week, with all sides bringing their top negotiators to the Qatari capital, Doha. Here is a look at the key players who negotiated the deal:David BarneaThe head of Israels spy agency headed up Israels negotiation team throughout the negotiation process.Working alongside the head of Israels Shin Bet security agency and top political and military advisers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and meeting with the Biden administration, Barnea was the highest-profile member of the Israeli negotiating team but kept his own proclivities private during the talks. Ronen BarThe head of Israels Shin Bet security agency also has been involved in negotiations for months. Bars agency handles matters relating to Palestinian security prisoners, some of whom, under the agreed-upon deal, are set to be released by Israel in exchange for hostages.Bar has led the agency since 2021. Just days after the devastating Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel that launched the war, he took responsibility for failing to thwart the militants. He said investigations into what happened would need to come after the war. Brett McGurk President Joe Bidens top Middle East adviser has been putting together a draft of the deal from the discussions with the two sides as the lead negotiator in the Israel-Hamas negotiations.McGurk has been a fixture in U.S. Mideast policy for more than two decades in the National Security Council and White House under both Democratic and Republican administrations.Hes shuttled frequently to the Middle East for talks with senior officials about the conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah. Steve WitkoffPresident-elect Donald Trumps special envoy to the Middle East has met separately in recent weeks with Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, another key mediator.Witkoff, a Florida real estate investor and co-chair of Trumps inaugural committee, has kept in contact with Bidens foreign policy team as the incoming Trump and outgoing Biden administrations coordinated on the deal.Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al ThaniQatars prime minister and foreign minister led his countrys pivotal mediation efforts in the stop-start negotiations. He has been a key communicator with Hamas throughout the process, as Israel and Hamas have not communicated directly.The most consequential phase of negotiations those that have occurred over the last few weeks took place in Doha, his countrys capital.Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect Sunday.Hassan RashadThe director of Egypts General Intelligence Agency was also a liaison with Hamas throughout the talks.Rashad took office in October 2024, replacing former chief intelligence official Abbas Kamel, who led the negotiations during the first ceasefire in November 2023.Several rounds of negotiations have occurred in Cairo, and the mediators will move to the Egyptian capital Thursday for further talks on implementing the deal. Khalil al-HayyaThe acting head of Hamas political bureau and the militant groups chief negotiator is based in Qatar but does not meet directly with Israeli or American officials, communicating instead through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.His role increased in importance after Israeli soldiers killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, was believed to be dictating the Hamas stance in negotiations up until his death.But even before Sinwars death, al-Hayya was managing affairs for the militant group. Al-Hayya, seen as less of a hardliner than Sinwar, had served as Sinwars deputy and had managed ceasefire negotiations in 2014 as well. He is a longtime official with the group and survived an Israeli airstrike that hit his home in Gaza in 2007, killing several of his family members.

This image shows a pile of candy corn in Westchester County, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin, File)2025-01-16T00:03:25Z The Food and Drug Administration is ordering food and drug makers to remove a dye called Red 3 from the products U.S. consumers eat and drink. The colorant was banned from cosmetics and non-oral medications decades ago because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats. But it kept appearing on the ingredient lists of popular snack foods and other grocery products because it remained approved for use until now. Consumer advocates monitor manufacturers that still include the additive, and companies often switch to less notorious alternatives. Shoppers should always check food labels to see if an item they want to buy includes Red 3, which is also known as erythrosine and FD&C Red No. 3.These are some of the product categories where the dye is most likely to show up. CANDIESBrachs Conversation Hearts and Brachs Candy Corn both contain Red 3. But some other red candies, like Swedish Fish and Wild Cherry Lifesavers, use Red 40. BAKED GOODS AND SNACKSSome baked goods and snacks mostly with red icing contain Red 3. Betty Crocker Red Decorating Icing contains Red 3. But Pillsburys Funfetti Valentines Day Vanilla Frosting which is swirled with tiny red hearts uses Red 40. DAIRY AND FROZEN FOODSCheck for Red 3 in strawberry-flavored milk, ice cream, frozen yogurt and popsicles. TruMoo Strawberry Whole Milk contains Red 3. But Edys Strawberry Ice Cream and Popsicle-brand fruit pops both use use beet juice for coloring. FRUIT PRODUCTSMany maraschino cherry brands including store brands from Walmart and Kroger have switched to Red 40. But Kroger Extra Cherry canned fruit cocktail contains Red 3.BEVERAGESEnsure Original Strawberry Nutrition Shake contains Red 3. But many beverage brands use Red 40, including Hawaiian Punch and Kool-Aid, Fanta and Jarritos strawberry sodas and Faygo black cherry soda.MEDICATIONSConsumer advocates say some gummy vitamins and medications contain Red 3. But others use natural coloring or alternate dyes. Vicks Formula 44, Ludens and Halls cough drops all use Red 40. Mucinex Childrens Cough Syrup, Robitussen Adult Cough and Chest Congestion and Vicks NyQuil Cold and Flu also use Red 40.

Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson arrives for a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-01-15T22:56:54Z WASHINGTON (AP) Canadas energy minister came to Washington this week to warn U.S. lawmakers about President-elect Donald Trumps tariffs threat on Canada: Theyd inflict economic pain on Americans, with higher prices and job losses. Jonathan Wilkinson, Canadas minister of energy and natural resources, said he feels obligated to sound the alarm about the inflationary risks being created by a president who was elected in large part on the promise of bringing down prices.It will mean higher gas prices, it will mean higher food prices, it will mean higher natural gas prices for heating peoples homes, he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. It will mean higher electricity prices. Thats not something Donald Trump campaigned on. He campaigned on actually reducing the price of energy.Trump has threatened to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on Canada as well as on Mexico. Hes also threatened tariffs on China and Europe, creating a sense of uncertainty about whether this is simply a negotiating ploy or a massive restructuring of U.S. foreign relations. Trump and his team in recent days have doubled down on his promise to impose tariffs on other nations and downplayed the risk of higher inflation. In his first term, President Trump instituted tariffs that created jobs, spurred investment, and resulted in no inflation, said Karoline Leavitt, a transition spokesperson who is also the incoming White House press secretary. President Trump will work quickly to fix and restore an economy that puts American workers first by re-shoring American jobs, lowering inflation, raising real wages, lowering taxes, cutting regulations, and unshackling American energy. Canada is looking at putting retaliatory tariffs on American orange juice, toilets and some steel products if Trump follows through with his threat. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, Canada announced billions of dollars in new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. The dispute never triggered broader inflation across the economy, even if it exacted higher costs for some. But by targeting Americas second largest trading partner after Mexico, Trump risks upending the markets for autos, lumber and oil all of which could carry over quickly to consumers.I do think that people just need to understand that were going down a path right now that will elevate the cost of living for people in the United States for no benefit, Wilkinson said. Zero benefit.Wilkinson is considering a run to lead the Liberal Party in Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation this month. He expects to make a decision at the end of the week. While Trump has said he would announce tariffs immediately after taking the oath of office Monday, its still not publicly clear what that would actually entail. Its possible he could simply announce intentions to put in tariffs, phase them in on a schedule or simply declare an economic emergency to justify higher taxes on imports. Trudeau said Wednesday that nothing is off the table when it comes to responding to proposed tariffs, but no single region of the country should bear the full brunt from that response. He held a five-hour meeting in Ottawa with the countrys premiers to discuss Trumps threats.Even though Trump has signaled a willingness to act on his own, Democrats are looking to place legislative guardrails on his ambitions a sign that they take the kinds of scenarios being outlined by Canada, Mexico and others seriously.Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Don Beyer, D-Va., introduced legislation Wednesday that would roll back the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives the president authority to impose sanctions on hostile foreign nations that pose an emergency threat to the U.S.DelBene said on a call with reporters to preview the legislation that Trumps tariffs constitute a nationwide sales tax on foreign goods that saddles families with higher prices. This is the textbook definition of a trade war, she said. Despite Trumps claim that the U.S doesnt need Canada, a quarter of the oil America consumes per day is from there.Wilkinson said that, in addition to consumer prices increasing, the U.S. could face job cuts in areas that process Canadian energy products, including the Midwest and Gulf states. If you dont have access to Canadian gas, you cant do that. The same is true with potash.The threat from Canada comes as concerns over the impact of Trumps tariff proposals on the U.S. economy and inflation mount in business boardrooms, on Wall Street trading floors and among Federal Reserve officials. The Fed has already indicated it is worried tariffs could slightly lift U.S. inflation.Neel Kashkari, president of the Feds Minneapolis branch, said Wednesday that a one-time tariff imposed by the U.S. likely wouldnt worsen inflation much in the long run. But once other countries retaliate, Kashkari said, the impact could worsen.If theres tit-for-tat, that becomes much more complicated to try to forecast, what is the imprint of that on actual inflation going forward, he said.Wilkinson said, My focus is actually to try and get us away from the conversation on tariffs, which I would say is lose-lose. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, gives a thumbs-up at the completion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-01-15T22:47:27Z WASHINGTON (AP) One by one, all the president-elect s men, and women, are falling into place in his Cabinet.While Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseths nomination was teetering toward collapse just weeks ago, he now appears on track for confirmation after a fiery Senate hearing that focused on his drinking, views of women in combat and lack of high-profile management experience for the top U.S. military job.President-elect Donald Trumps other nominees pushed Wednesday through a gauntlet of confirmation hearings with the help of allied Senate Republicans carrying them toward the finish line, despite Democratic objections. One of them, potential FBI director Kash Patel, popped into a private Senate GOP lunch Wednesday to say hello.These nominees are bold choices, said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the GOP whip, in earlier remarks. He predicted the Senate will begin start voting on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, to confirm Trumps picks. To be sure, Trumps more controversial choices of Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have yet to come before senators for public questioning. Once they do, they face a long haul ahead in winning over skeptics from both sides of the political aisle, Republicans and Democrats alike. In a letter to Republican senators Wednesday, an organization headed by Trumps former vice president, Mike Pence, said it was deeply concerned over Kennedy over his views on abortion, and urged senators to reject him for secretary of Health and Human Services. But Hegseths ability to mount a political comeback, take the fight to his critics and turn his nomination into a litmus test of Trumps Make America Great Again movement stands as a powerful example of the incoming White Houses ability to get what it wants. The Trump teams allies, including billionaire Elon Musk and others, amplified support for Hegseth, pushing him forward. If anyone in the Senate GOP votes against confirming Pete Hegseth after his stellar performance today, there will be a primary challenge waiting for you, wrote Trump ally Charlie Kirk on X. You can take that to the bank.The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to vote on Hegseths nomination on Monday, sending it to the full Senate for consideration, with confirmation possible later that week.With a nod of support from GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor who initially had questions for Hegseth, the former Army National Guard veteran powered past his biggest potential roadblock. Ernst faced an onslaught of personal and political attacks as she wavered on supporting Hegseth, an early signal to others. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said the criticism of Hegseth was not as powerful as the image of a warrior with dust on his boots whos actually done the things.On Wednesday, a half dozen more Trump nominees appeared before Senate committees as his team floods the zone, senators dashing between hearing rooms to participate in as many sessions as possible. Pam Bondi, the nominee for Attorney General, was grilled by Democrats probing whether she believed Trump lost the 2020 election, she said Biden won, or would stand up to presidential pardons for those convicted of crimes in relation to Jan. 6, 2021.You say the right things, that youre going to be the peoples lawyer, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. But I believe being the peoples lawyer means you have to be able to say no to the president of the United States, he said. You have to be able to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, you dodged that question... You have to be able to say Jan. 6 insurrectionists who committed violence shouldnt be pardoned.Bondi responded: I dont have to say anything. I will answer the questions to the best of my ability, and honestly.Another Trump nominee, Russ Vought, a Project 2025 architect tapped to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, was asked if he would commit to releasing congressional approved funding for Ukraine. He vowed to always commit to upholding the law. And California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla asked Trumps Energy nominee Chris Wright if he still believes wildfires are just hype, in the aftermath of the devastating Southern California fires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.Wright said he stood by his past comments. He then said climate change is real before Padilla cut him off.On Monday, Trump is expected come inside the Capitol after he is inaugurated to sign the paperwork to formally nominate his picks for top Cabinet and administrative positions, launching the confirmation process. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said the Senate will vote on nominees as soon as they are ready.First up could be Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a former Trump rival for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, who is now the president-elects choice for secretary of state. Rubio promised an America First foreign policy agenda during his own confirmation hearing Wednesday. As a well-known senator, he is expected to have broad support from Republicans, as well as Democrats. His confirmation vote could be as soon as Monday evening.Other nominees, including Hegseth, are expected to face a tougher path to confirmation.Republicans narrowly hold a majority in the Senate, 53-47, but they are down to 52 after Vice President-elect JD Vance resigned his seat last week ahead of taking office. That means Trumps nominees need support from almost every GOP senator for majority confirmation over objections from Democrats.Moreover, Democrats are expected to mount procedural hurdles that would require Hegseth and other nominees to go through multiple steps before final confirmation. Consideration of Hegseth and others could drag toward the end of next week.Senate Democratic Leader Chuch Schumer all but acknowledged Democrats, as the minority, are essentially powerless to prevent Trump from getting his desired team.Its important to have a record of these nominees, Schumer said Wednesday as the hearings pushed ahead. Even if they get confirmed in the end.__ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matt Brown, Farnoush Amiri, Josh Boak in Washington and Jennifer McDermott in Providence, R.I. contributed to this report

President Joe Biden walks away from the podium after speaking in the Cross Hall of the White House on the announcement of a ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages after more than 15 months of war, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-15T21:01:37Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation Wednesday night, seizing what may be his final opportunity to reshape Americans grim views on his term before he departs the White House. He plans to deliver the speech at 8 p.m. ET in the Oval Office, the latest in a series of remarks on domestic policy and foreign relations that are intended to cement his legacy. Earlier in the day, he heralded a long awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which could end more than a year of bloodshed in the Middle East. But Biden isnt leaving the White House in the way that he hoped. He originally tried to run for reelection, brushing aside voters concerns that he would be 86 years old at the end of a second term. After stumbling in a debate with Republican Donald Trump, Biden dropped out of the race under pressure from his own party. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November. Now Biden is preparing to cede power to someone hes described as an existential threat to the countrys democratic institutions. He implicitly acknowledged that his promises remained unfulfilled in an open letter released Wednesday morning. I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake, Biden wrote. The very nature of who we are was at stake. And, thats still the case.The rest of the letter emphasized his accomplishments, including guiding the country out of the coronavirus pandemic, supporting domestic manufacturing and limiting the cost of prescription drugs. The speech Wednesday night will cap not only Bidens presidency but his five decades in politics. He was once the countrys youngest senator at 30 years old after being elected to represent his home state of Delaware in 1972. Biden pursued the presidency in 1988 and 2008 before becoming Barack Obamas vice president. After serving two terms, Biden was considered to be retired from politics. But he returned to center stage as the unlikely Democratic nominee in 2020, successfully ousting Trump from the White House. Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States, Biden wrote in his letter. I have given my heart and my soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

FILE - The TikTok logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays a TikTok home page, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)2025-01-16T01:48:28Z Trumps pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, said in an interview on Wednesday that the president-elect is exploring options to preserve TikTok.Waltz made the comment when Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked him about a report from The Washington Post that said Trump was considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of a federal law that could ban the popular platform nationwide by Sunday. Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok, its China-based parent company ByteDance, and users of the app. The Justices seemed likely to uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to divest TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets. If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and has been great for his campaign and getting his message out. But number two, hes going to protect their data, Waltz said. Hes a deal maker. I dont want to get ahead of our executive orders, but were going to create this space to put that deal in place, he added. Separately on Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trumps pick for attorney general, dodged a question during a Senate hearing on whether shed uphold a TikTok ban.Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He pledged to save TikTok during the campaign and has credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.

The sun rises as a rehearsal begins for President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)2025-01-15T15:37:36Z WASHINGTON (AP) Presidential inaugurations are deeply rooted in American history. The customs and festivities, like the parade and galas, bring spectacle to the nations capital. But the date and oath of office are prescribed in the Constitution.In this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, hear from AP Washington radio correspondent Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville as they share their past inauguration experiences and peel back the curtain on what we can expect during Donald Trumps presidential inauguration on Monday. AP AUDIO: The pomp, pageantry and circumstance of presidential inaugurations in the words of AP reporters In this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, hear from AP Washington radio correspondent, Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville. Theyll help us peel back the curtain and share what we can expect during a presidential inauguration. Haya Panjwani, Host: Every four years on January 20th, Washington, D.C., braces for the start of a new presidency.Sagar Meghani, AP Washington radio correspondent: The part thats fascinating to me is that the Constitution only prescribes two things for an inauguration: Its the date and its the oath that the incoming president has to recite. PANJWANI: President-elect Donald Trump is expected to take the oath of office in 2025 for his second presidential term. Im Haya Panjwani. Today Ill be speaking with AP Washington radio correspondent Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville. Theyll help us peel back the curtain and share what we can expect during a presidential inauguration. Darlene Superville, AP White House correspondent: For people watching from home and even for people who are on the (National) Mall or at the Capitol for the ceremony itself, its probably one of the oldest traditions in the United States. Its symbolic of the peaceful transfer of power, which weve been hearing so much about these last couple of years, four or five years or so. Theres a lot of pomp and pageantry associated with inaugurations, seeing one president depart and end his term and a new president coming in and taking over the reins of government. MEGHANI: The presidents perhaps riding together to the Capitol, to seeing former presidents there watching one of their successors take the oath of office, the luncheon that they have, and then the parade after that. And, presidents getting out and walking down from the Capitol toward the White House. Its so steeped in tradition from when George Washington first took that oath in 1789. We complain about it being cold and a very long day with a lot of security in Washington. Ive gotten to be at four of them. It remains fascinating to watch how it all plays out. PANJWANI: Darlene and Sager have covered their fair share of inaugurations, and one thing is consistent: the cold.SUPERVILLE: The one inauguration that sticks most vividly in my mind was 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated president. He became the countrys first ever Black president. It was super cold outside that January day, and my assignment was to be up on the lawn of the Capitol, the west front of the Capitol, which is where all the guests traditionally sit to watch the ceremony, which takes place on the west front. And so, youre out there kind of roaming around looking for color, looking for celebrities, looking for faces that you recognize that you can, and any interesting things that are happening that you can contribute to the reporting. I just remember it being so cold. I usually dont wear a hat. So when you do see me wearing a hat, you know its cold. MEGHANI: Yeah, I was right there with Darlene on the west front as well. It was the first time that the AP did a live video show, a streaming show with the inauguration. So I was one of the two co-hosts. I was standing on metal bleachers with a local government professor for several hours just kind of watching. And in the awaiting the pageantry, as Darlene said, its fun to look down on to that set-up on the west front and watch the dignitaries come in, whether its the former presidents, whether its Supreme Court justices or notable lawmakers. And as Darlene said, very, very, very cold and windy that day, especially when youre standing on metal bleachers for several hours at a time.PANJWANI: This isnt Donald Trumps first time being inaugurated. Donald Trump: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will .MEGHANI: The first Donald Trump inauguration back in 2017, it started out like so many of the others have. He went to the White House, where he was greeted by the outgoing first family. Barack and Michelle Obama were there. They rode to the Capitol, and from there, it all took a bit of a turn.It was just, it was a darker mood, if you will. And Donald Trumps speech, what became known as the American Carnage speech, talking about moms and kids in inner-city poverty and rusted-out factories around the American landscape looking like tombstones. Thats what it became remembered for. The Trump team wanted it to be remembered for his main message, which was that that was the day that power was taken from the ruling class in Washington and was given back to the American people. PANJWANI: The inauguration Americans watched four years ago was different to inaugurations in the past, since the world was still in the midst of a pandemic.SUPERVILLE: There were no people on the National Mall or sitting on the lawn of the Capitol to watch the ceremony itself. In place of real people, President Bidens inaugural team had stuck many American flags into the lawn, and that was supposed to signify the peoples presence. The parade was truncated. There were no inaugural balls, and all of this was playing to the COVID situation and the fears of people being too close to one another and getting people sick.MEGHANI: The other thing we did not see four years ago was that tradition of the outgoing president greeting the incoming president. Donald Trump had already left the White House and was heading back to Florida. So he was not at the White House with Melania Trump to greet Joe and Jill Biden, and he became the first sitting president since Andrew Johnson back in 1869, who skipped town before U.S. Grant was inaugurated.PANJWANI: This time, we can expect some return to normalcy.SUPERVILLE: The mall, packed with people coming out to watch this transfer of power. The president and first lady, the new president and the new first lady dancing the night away at a minimum of a dozen or so balls. We might even see President Trump walking a little bit of the parade route between the Capitol on the way to the White House. So there is lots of pageantry and showmanship and coming together, if you will, that I would expect to see this time around that we didnt, we didnt get to see four years ago because of the COVID situation. President Joe Biden has already said that he intends to attend the inauguration, which is a courtesy that Donald Trump did not extend to him in 2021. And I would fully expect that incoming President Trump to participate in the traditions this time around because he was the victor in November.SUPERVILLE: And some people may wonder, how do they move in one president and move out the other president. And so a lot of that happens behind the White House on the South Lawn. There are moving trucks for both families. The resident staff is quickly moving out the belongings of the outgoing president and quickly moving in all the belongings of the incoming president so that when they finally do leave the reviewing stand and they come in to freshen up before they have to go out for the evening, most, if not all, of their belongings are in place in drawers, in rooms where they have directed that those things go.MEGHANI: Another fun part is trying to anticipate when exactly the limo will stop and the Secret Service will once again surround it. And the new president and the new first lady will actually step out onto Pennsylvania Avenue and walk along and wave to the crowd. The first inaugural that I covered in 2005, I was one of the reporters who was on a flatbed truck directly behind the presidential limousine, just so you could have that view and kind of narrate what the crowds were like. In this case, it was smack in the middle of the Iraq war. There were a lot of protesters, a lot of yelling at the limousine as President (George W.) Bush drove by for his second inauguration. And that, again, that moment when they actually step out and wave to the public and walk, that moment did not happen with Jimmy Carter because he decided to walk the entire route from the Capitol all the way to the White House, had not happened before. That has not happened since.PANJWANI: Darlene and Sager, whether they working out of the AP office or on Capitol Hill, plan to be prepared.SUPERVILLE: One of the ways that we cover this a lot is were in the bureau, all the TVs are tuned to the ceremony and were watching and taking notes and writing down color and writing our stories based off what were seeing on TV, as well as the incoming feeds that our people on the ground are sending in to us. So Ill be doing one of those things, but I just dont know yet. But the other thing I would say is that as a reporter going out there, I probably would not have a purse or a bag with me. I would probably just stuff my pockets with all the things that I need. My hand warmers, my pens, my external battery, my cords, my phone, earmuffs. You have it because having a bag can delay in some ways. It can delay you with security and all the security precautions that are going to be in town.MEGHANI: You end up looking a bit like when you see a little kid wearing a puffy winter coat and they look like theyre just kind of rolling along like the Michelin man. Youre trying to cram as much as you can. Like Darlene said, things to keep you warm, a bottle of water, some snacks, pens, notebooks, chargers, batteries. Exactly. So whatever you think youre going to need for seven, eight, nine, 10 hours because of all that security and how early we would have to be in place for something. You want to make sure youre self-sufficient.This has been The Story Behind The AP Story. For more on the APs inauguration coverage, visit APNews.com.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes his opening remarks as Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, and Minister of Finance, Public Safety and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc, right, look on at a first ministers meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-01-15T23:20:59Z VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Canadas outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that nothing is off the table when it comes to responding to proposed tariffs by President-elect Donald Trump, but that no single region of the country should bear the full brunt of that response.Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports.We have to respond to the challenge were facing, Trudeau said following a five-hour meeting in Ottawa with Canadas provincial premiers to discuss Trumps threats. We also have to make sure the burden is shared across the country.We cant punish just one region, because tariffs have more impact on that region, Trudeau said.Ontarios Premier Doug Ford said the provinces need to be united in their response to Trumps threats.The retaliatory tariffs need to be hard, said Ford, who spoke to the media prior to the meeting. He donned a hat that said that Canada Is Not For Sale. We have to send a message, he said.Also on Wednesday, Canadas Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson warned U.S. lawmakers in Washington that Trumps tariff threats would inflict economic pain on Americans, with higher prices and job losses. Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday, has said he will use economic coercion to pressure Canada to become the nations 51st state. He also continues to erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada a natural resource-rich nation that provides the U.S. with commodities like oil as a subsidy. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.It has been suggested Canada could stop energy shipments to the United States, a move opposed by Daniele Smith, the premier of Canadas oil-rich province of Alberta.In a statement posted on X, Smith said she agrees with several strategies that were discussed during Wednesdays meeting. Alberta will simply not agree to export tariffs on our energy or other products, nor do we support a ban on exports of these same products, said Smith, who attended the meeting virtually and did not sign the final news release.Until these threats cease, Alberta will not be able to fully support the federal governments plan in dealing with the threatened tariffs, Smith said.Almost a quarter of the oil the U.S. consumes every day is from Canada, with Alberta exporting 4.3 million barrels a day to the U.S. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels a day, while domestically producing about 13.2 million barrels a day.During the news conference, Quebec Premier Franois Legault was asked if he would support halting hydroelectric or aluminum shipments to the U.S.We first have to see what Mr. Trump does, said Legault. But what Im seeing is nothing is off the table.Also on Wednesday, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said Ottawa will add 60 new drones at the Canada-U.S. border and will deploy two new helicopters this week as it moves to ratchet up security.The Liberal government pledged close to $1 billion to border upgrades after Trump expressed concerns about the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.

President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House as he gives his farewell address Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP)2025-01-16T02:44:46Z WASHINGTON (AP) With only days left in the White House, President Joe Biden was saving a few surprises for his farewell address Wednesday evening. Instead of simply summing up his term in office, he used the opportunity to issue dire warnings about the future and call for deep changes to the countrys foundational document. Bidens term ends Monday, when hell be replaced by Donald Trump, a man he has called an existential threat to the nation. Heres a look at what was likely the last major speech of a political career spanning more than five decades:Biden sent an ominous message about future dangersThe outgoing president used the opportunity to deliver a series of warnings to the American people, much like Dwight Eisenhower did in 1961 when he expressed concerns about the military industrial complex in his farewell address.Biden said an oligarchy is taking shape in America as power and money become more concentrated in the hands of the few. He criticized the tech industrial complex and social media, where the truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. He urged the country to continue confronting climate change, saying, We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future.It was a stark assessment for a politician who prides himself on optimism. Still, as if to prove his point about misinformation, Trumps incoming communications director and press secretary started falsely claiming on social media that Bidens speech was prerecorded. The president called for a constitutional amendmentBiden used the speech to announce one of his most ambitious proposals. He wants an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to make clear that no president no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office.The proposal is related to a landmark Supreme Court ruling from last summer, when justices said former presidents have broad immunity for official acts while theyre in the White House. The ruling had major legal consequences, significantly narrowing the case against Trump for attempting to overturn his 2020 loss. The charges were dismissed following Trumps win in November because sitting presidents cant be prosecuted. In addition to the rulings impact on Trumps case, Biden has been deeply troubled by the possibility that it would turn presidents into unaccountable kings. Biden had other ideas, too. He said there should be higher taxes on billionaires, stricter rules on campaign contributions, 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices and a ban on stock trading for members of Congress. Its been a long goodbye for BidenThe speech Wednesday evening was one of several events Biden was holding as he winds down his time in the White House. He gave a speech on foreign policy at the State Department on Monday, and hes granted a handful of interviews. He also named new national monuments, issued new rules on Americas use of artificial intelligence and announced that a ceasefire had been brokered between Israel and Hamas. His final public appearance before Mondays inauguration will be on Sunday in South Carolina, where hes expected to visit the International African American Museum in Charleston. The state was a crucial part of his quest for the White House four years ago, helping him secure the Democratic nomination. The presidential farewell speech isnt always at the White HouseBiden chose to speak from the Oval Office, the most presidential of presidential venues. He sat at the Resolute desk, photos of his family behind him. First lady Jill Biden, son Hunter and other family members, including his 4-year-old grandson, Beau, sat in the office as he delivered his speech. Not every president gives a speech in the same spot. President Barack Obama went to his home in Chicago for his farewell speech. George W. Bush spoke from the East Room. Donald Trump never conceded his election loss four years ago, but he delivered a pretaped address that was made public Jan. 19, 2021. Biden gave a nod to his vice presidentAlso in the Oval Office were Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff. Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket when he abandoned his reelection bid after a disastrous debate performance. Biden endorsed Harris and hoped she would be replacing him as the countrys first female president. Instead, Harris was watching as Biden talked about a smooth transition to the next administration. Biden said Harris has been a great partner, adding that she and Emhoff had become like family. When he said that, Jill Biden reached over and squeezed Harris hands. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto COLLEEN LONG Long covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a focus on domestic policy including immigration, law enforcement and legal affairs. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Palestinians struggle for food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)2025-01-16T01:33:02Z UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United Nations said Wednesday that its ready to ramp up the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza following a ceasefire agreement and urged the removal of major security and political obstacles so supplies can reach all Palestinians in need.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the announcement of a deal to pause the fighting a critical first step and told reporters that the U.N.s top priority must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by the conflict triggered by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel.The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels, he said. From our side, we will do whatever is humanly possible, aware of the serious challenges and serious constraints that we will be facing.U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said aid agencies have been mobilizing supplies in preparation for a ceasefire to scale up deliveries of food, medical supplies and other key items. Less than half of Gazas 36 hospitals are functional, water production is at a quarter of capacity, 95% of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed and nearly all of Gazas 2.1 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity, said Catherine Russell, executive director of the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF. The top U.N. humanitarian official for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, met with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials in recent days to discuss how to increase aid after a ceasefire agreement, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday. Kaags meetings focused on trying to overcome challenges to deliveries that could remain even after the deal, including gunmen stripping convoys of aid, Israeli restrictions on access to Gaza, road damage, unexplored ordnance, fuel shortages and a lack of telecommunications equipment, he said.The U.N. humanitarian office reported Tuesday that Israeli authorities continue to deny U.N.-led efforts to reach people with vital assistance, Dujarric said. In northern Gaza, where Israel launched its latest offensive, the U.N. has been denied access to deliver food supplies since Dec. 20, he said. In addition to the lawlessness, the United Nations faces a major political obstacle. Its humanitarian operation in Gaza depends on the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, which Israels parliament voted to ban from operating in the Palestinian territories. That legislation takes effect on Jan. 28.Guterres has said there is no U.N. agency that can replace UNRWA, and if it is banned from operating, Israel as the occupying power in the Palestinian territories must take responsibility for providing aid.U.N. officials said its imperative that the ceasefire deal is fully implemented and aid is allowed to flow freely.With the collapse of essential services across Gaza, we must act urgently to save lives and help children recover, Russell of UNICEF said in a statement.Guterres said the United Nations expects its efforts to be matched by other humanitarian organizations, the private sector and government initiatives. David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee, said aid groups must be given full access and adequate funding to rush aid to Gazas people after 15 months with limited food, clean water and medical care. He said his organization would quickly ramp up efforts: The needs are immense and need urgent attention.Jan Egeland, a former U.N. humanitarian chief who heads the Norwegian Refugee Council, said, Israel must immediately lift all restrictions on aid and humanitarian agencies to avert famine-like conditions and ensure access to shelter, food, and medical care for all in need.He called on the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other nations to make sure Israel does keep all crossings open, enabling a sustained flow of aid that can alleviate further suffering.U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, said, The surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin. And the innocent people can have a greater access to these vital supplies.___AP reporters Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, sits in a car as he heads to a detention center in Uiwang, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Kim Sung-min/Yonhap via AP)2025-01-16T02:04:11Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Lawyers representing South Koreas impeached president said Thursday he will refuse further questioning after being detained by anti-corruption officials over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month, maintaining that the investigation is illegal.President Yoon Suk Yeol exercised his right to remain silent as he underwent more than 10 hours of questioning on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, following a massive law enforcement operation to detain him at his official residence in Seoul.Investigators are expected to move to place him under arrest in the coming days.The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military over whether Yoons martial law declaration amounted to attempted rebellion, has 48 hours either to request a court order for his formal arrest or to release him. Yoons lawyers have argued that the detention warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court is invalid and have asked the Seoul Central District Court to consider his release. The clock for the arrest warrant is on hold while the court reviews his petition, which can take up to 48 hours. There is a possibility that Yoon could attend a hearing at the Central District Court as part of the review. Court records showed that the hearing was set for 5 p.m. Thursday, indicating that the decision could come sometime during the evening. Yoon set off the countrys most serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s when he attempted to break through gridlock in legislation by declaring martial law and deploying troops around the National Assembly on Dec. 3. The standoff lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and voted to lift the measure. His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion. His fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberating on whether to formally remove Yoon from office or reject the charges and reinstate him. Yoon and his allies have defied efforts to investigate his role in the chaos of Dec. 3. He ignored requests to appear for questioning for weeks, remaining in his official residence to avoid detention as his lawyers turned away police, citing a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge Yoon himself. They also said that the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations.Yoon also resisted one attempt to detain him as the presidential security service barricaded the residence. He was finally brought into custody after hundreds of anti-corruption investigators and police raided the presidential compound for some five hours in a second attempt. In a video message recorded shortly before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented that the rule of law has completely collapsed in this country. He echoed the arguments of his lawyers that the anti-corruption agency does not have the authority to investigate his actions, but said he accepted detention to prevent violence. The Constitutional Court rejected a request by Yoons lawyers to postpone a hearing on his case scheduled for Thursday. It remains possible for Yoon to exercise his right to attend, even while under detention.If a court grants a warrant for Yoons formal arrest, the anti-corruption investigators can extend his detention to 20 days, during which it will transfer the case to public prosecutors for an indictment.If prosecutors indict Yoon on the possible charges of rebellion and abuse of power, he could remain under arrest until the first court ruling, which is typically made within six months, said Park Sung-bae, an attorney specializing in criminal law. Under South Korean law, the leader of a rebellion can face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. KIM TONG-HYUNG Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Koreas economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children. twitter mailto

Ella Venne, left, searches through the remnants of her family's home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)2025-01-16T05:02:31Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Staggered after one of the most destructive natural disasters in Southern California history, thousands of heartbroken families, burned-out business owners and beleaguered leaders across Los Angeles County are beginning to ponder another monumental task: rebuilding what was lost and charting a path forward.Alex Rosewood and nearly her entire family in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles, lost their homes her father, whom she and her husband were living with, and her aunt, uncle and cousin next door.Lost were the keepsakes of a lifetime of family relationships: Rosewoods grandmothers playing cards and unfinished quilt. Her wedding photos. Heirlooms from her grandfather, who served in the Navy. All things she wished she could have saved in their frantic flight as smoke turned the sky gray and her cousins house began to catch fire. But Altadena remains home.We all plan to rebuild, for sure, she said.The traumatized region made it through Wednesday without another major fire breaking out, after forecasters had warned of another round of particularly dangerous winds. Yet even with flames still leaping in two the largest fires, which have killed 25 and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, government officials talked Wednesday of the epic job that will unspool over years: clearing Altadena, Pacific Palisades and other ravaged communities of toxic ash and debris, then rebuilding homes, restaurants, schools, boutiques, banks and houses of worship all while finding financing for it all. Because of the ongoing firefighting battle and the likelihood of dangerous refuse in burned areas, many anxious residents have yet to return to see what, if anything, is left of their homes. The losses range from multimillion-dollar ocean-view mansions to modest homes that once welcomed returning World War II GIs.While talking of rebuilding can be a comfort for those eager for a return to normalcy, much remains unknown. What will the new neighborhoods look like? Will fire-resistant materials and designs be used? Are more and wider roads needed to allow swifter evacuations and easier access for fire engines during future infernos? In the coveted seaside hills, there always is the impulse to rebuild after fires its happened many times. But there are inevitable questions about whether its sensible to keep rebuilding in known high-risk areas, especially in an age of climate change.Its going to be a while before we can get in there and build anything, said Michael Hricak, an adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Southern California., referring to the dangerous chemicals and rubble left behind. As for new construction, its not being tougher than Mother Nature. Its being somewhat respectful of Mother Nature and knowing what the challenges are.Are we just inviting another problem down the road? Hricak said.The fires struck at a challenging time, with the city in the midst of a post-pandemic transition that has reordered work life and left many downtown buildings with high vacancy rates. Meanwhile, planning is underway to host the 2028 Olympics and the region contends with perhaps the nations worst homeless crisis the latter had been Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass priority before the fires broke out last week.The government has not yet released damage estimates, but private firms have expect they will climb into the tens of billions and it could become the costliest fire disaster in U.S. history. The Northern California community of Paradise, where the states deadliest wildfire killed 85 people in 2018, offers a glimpse into how painstaking and difficult recovery and rebuilding can be. That fire destroyed about 11,000 homes some 90% of the communitys structures. Four years later, as of last November, just about 3,000 homes and apartments have been rebuilt. The town, which previously a population of 26,000, has struggled under high construction costs, expensive insurance premiums and the uncertainty over funds to be paid to people who lost homes by Pacific Gas & Electric, which was found liable for sparking the devastating blaze. In Los Angeles a city notorious for dense layers of bureaucracy and government red tape Bass issued an executive order this week intended to clear the way for residents to rebuild quickly.As we prepare to make it through the rest of this emergency, we also have to start putting in place what we need to do to rebuild, the mayor said Wednesday. The federal government already has approved spending $100 million to remove paints, cleaners, asbestos, batteries and other household waste from the rubble before crews can begin clearing debris. Robert Fenton Jr., a regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, called the plan a first step to getting people back in homes. Elsewhere, the agency is handing out assistance to help people with short-term lodging. Peter Dolan, who lived in Santa Monica, said he and his best friend both lost their apartments on the same day. They visited the disaster recovery center together to figure out their next steps.This is what I got, the 55-year-old said, pointing to his outfit: a leather jacket, shorts and sneakers, the clothes he had on the day the flames hit. Dolan didnt have renters insurance, but he was able to apply for FEMA assistance and thinks hell get $750 and possibly his stay at a hotel covered for a few months. Michele Baron and her daughter were among those who came to a recovery center in West Los Angeles to figure out how to get new birth certificates and social security cards. Baron lost nearly everything when her Pacific Palisades apartment of 21 years burned to the ground. Her daughter made her way back to the property and salvaged a ring and pottery she made as a child. Despite the trauma, the plan is to stay put. Now that I can go anywhere, I kind of dont want to, Baron said. ___Associated Press writer Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed.

Ryan Pearson, a Los Angeles-based entertainment video editor for The Associated Press, sits in front of his home that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Pearson)2025-01-16T05:10:43Z ALTADENA, Calif. (AP) The warnings began on Saturday, Jan. 4. Our neighbor, a volunteer at the local sheriffs station, texted that we should batten down the hatches for a big windstorm. From there, things moved fast. On Sunday, I put on a bowtie and tux to cover the red carpet at the Golden Globes. Tuesday morning, I drove from my home in Altadena toward the massive Pacific Palisades wildfire to shoot video for our coverage. I asked my wife, Meg, to ready the two cat carriers and shoot video of our home for insurance purposes. Just in case.___EDITORS NOTE Ryan Pearson, a Los Angeles-based entertainment video editor for The Associated Press, lost his home to the California wildfires last week. ___On my way home, I saw orange glowing smoke. A colleague texted that there was another fire in Altadena. To get a closer look, I parked at a gas station across the street from a place called the Bunny Museum. Our favorite new pizza place, Side Pie, was on the other side of the intersection. A cafe called Foxs, open since 1955, was just down the street. Less than an hour after the fire had started, flames were ripping strong along the mountain above Eaton Canyon. I wore a KN95 mask and ski goggles. The fire was probably still three miles from our home. But the Santa Anas were blowing at a level Id never felt before.I went home and gave Meg the news: We needed to pack and get out. Our daughter, Reese, was away on a school trip. We took maybe an hour, which felt like both five minutes and an entire day. I picked out an Ozomatli sweatshirt Id just gotten for Christmas from my closet, some jeans, vitamins, a portable speaker. Meg packed up her stuff and Reeses essential items school backpack, a few stuffed animals. I started packing wine bottles, thought, What am I doing? and put them back. We got passports and birth certificates. A litter box and some wet food for the cats. We loaded both cars. Did anybody else on the street need our help? I asked our neighbor. Her next-door neighbor did, so we went over and I helped Donna get her husband, Phil, from his wheelchair into their Subaru.I snapped one last picture from our driveway our house with a reddish-orange haze behind it. With that, we headed off into the night into a future of flames and smoke and loss that would change us forever. It was a backdrop to our familys growing historyThis was our home: We first encountered Altadena when Reese attended the Summerkids camp there. I felt the citys hustle-bustle melt away each morning that I drove her past the towering pines, deodar cedars and maple trees that lined the calm streets. When Reese was 5, we found a three-bedroom, two-bath home that had a backyard view of the San Gabriel Mountains and a tree out front with thick branches perfect for hanging a swing. Built in 1958, it had been owned for years by our new next-door neighbor. Megan and I both loved the clerestory windows, hardwood floors and wood beams that crossed the ceiling; theyd been painted brown, but we stripped the paint to expose the natural wood. We loved the mixture of people around us, nods and greetings from neighbors when we walked down our sidewalk-less street. Along with a deep-rooted Black community, the hush and space and trees and birds and relatively affordable homes have long drawn musicians, artists and artisans from the LA areas more-blue-collar-than-you-think creative community.When the weather was right, I walked down the driveway and hiked uphill to the trail leading up to Echo Mountain and eventually to Inspiration Point. It was so accessible, I called it my mountain. On Echo Mountain you could find the remains of a resort and hotel that burned in fires in the early 1900s. Once, when I hiked up with Reese, she and a friend dug in the dirt and uncovered pieces of a pot that we carried down, cleaned up and tried to piece back together. Two years ago, a family moved in next door to us with two daughters. They all became like sisters, and the girls would climb atop our garage to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July, play ping-pong in the back yard or sit in Reeses room and play Roblox. We adopted Luke and Archie, our two orange tabby cats. The cats, with us before the pandemic, helped get us through that hard time (including a few weeks of lockdown with nearby fires on the mountain keeping us indoors for days on end). Meg envisioned eventually building a catio for them outside. After Megs father died, we used her inheritance to remodel. Meg modernized and styled every corner while retaining the houses midcentury character. She curated the artwork, paintings, photographs, wood sculptures and trinkets from places wed visited in the before times.One Christmas, Meg surprised me by converting the garage into a man cave/study with a TV, elliptical and spin bike and her dads old roll-top desk. We put sheds in the back for storage: photo albums from the time before digital photos, holiday ornaments, scrapbooks with my earliest newspaper clippings and Megs elementary school class photos and report cards. All now gone. I ended up working from home a lot and walked a three-mile loop through the neighborhood that gave me a regular view of the communitys variety: yards filled with cars in various states of disrepair. People in cowboy hats riding horses down the pavement. Ultra-modern new homes with glass walls. Coyotes and dog walkers who carried thick sticks to fend them off. Rainbow flags and In this house ... signs and Black Lives Matter signs and Harris signs and a couple Trump signs. A cul-de-sac on a hillside with a house where a motion-activated robot voice told me I was being recorded every time I walked past.Works of humans and works of nature. The predictable and the unexpected. The entire tapestry. All of these things, and more, made it our home. Surveying what was left (not much)The night we left last week, we went to stay the night with friends in northeast LAs San Rafael Hills. I woke up at about 6 a.m. and headed back to Altadena. From the freeway, it resembled the scene in Fury Road where theres a swirling wall of orange as the vehicles enter the sandstorm. But I drove into an all-black cloud of smoke instead. Homes were on fire just down from the always busy McDonalds. I stopped to send in live video from my iPhone because I knew I couldnt get a cell signal up by my house. My house. Our house. What had become of it?I tried to drive up to check. I turned back when the smoke got too thick to see the street and I was encircled by flames. After a while, I headed over to the evacuation site at Pasadena Convention Center. It was fascinating to watch the center evolve: at first just people wandering in and sitting against the wall, then Red Cross volunteers arriving, paramedics pushing folks from nursing homes on hospital beds, people giving out free food from World Central Kitchen and Chick-fil-A. We interviewed evacuees for a bit. When enough time had passed, I drove back up Marengo to check on our house. I swerved to avoid burning trees in the road. Debris and destruction surrounded me. Our street was blocked by a burning downed electrical pole. I didnt even get out of my car. I just looked long enough to absorb it: Like nearly the entire community, our whole block had burned. Reeses tree swing and the backyard ping-pong table were still there, plus our chimney and fireplace, with brick painted white. Everything else everything in this place where we had chosen to live our lives and raise our child was simply gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. But I knew better. I had lived it. Driving back down the hill, I cried.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket stands ready for another launch attempt from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)2025-01-16T07:04:50Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending up a prototype satellite to orbit thousands of miles above Earth.Named after the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida, soaring from the same pad used to launch NASAs Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft a half-century ago. Years in the making with heavy funding by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the 320-foot (98-meter) rocket carried an an experimental platform designed to host satellites or release them into their proper orbits. For this test, the satellite was expected to remain inside the second stage while circling Earth. The mission was expected to last six hours, with the second stage then placed in a safe condition to stay in a high, out-of-the-way orbit in accordance with NASAs practices for minimizing space junk. The first-stage booster aimed to land on a barge in the Atlantic minutes after liftoff so it could be recycled. New Glenn was supposed to fly before dawn Monday, but ice buildup in critical plumbing caused a delay. The rocket is built to haul spacecraft and eventually astronauts to orbit and also the moon. Founded 25 years ago by Bezos, Blue Origin has been launching paying passengers to the edge of space since 2021, including himself. The short hops from Texas use smaller rockets named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard. New Glenn, which honors John Glenn, is five times taller. Blue Origin poured more than $1 billion into New Glenns launch site, rebuilding historic Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The pad is 9 miles (14 kilometers) from the companys control centers and rocket factory, outside the gates of NASAs Kennedy Space Center.Bezos taking part in the launch from Mission Control declined to disclose his personal investment in the program. He said he does not see Blue Origin in a competition with Elon Musks SpaceX, long the rocket-launching dominator. Blue Origin envisions six to eight New Glenn flights this year, if everything goes well, with the next one coming up this spring.Theres room for lots of winners Bezos said from the rocket factory over the weekend, adding that this was the very, very beginning of this new phase of the space age, where were all going to work together as an industry ... to lower the cost of access to space.New Glenn is the latest in a series of big, new rockets to launch in recent years, including United Launch Alliances Vulcan, Europes upgraded Ariane 6 and NASAs Space Launch System or SLS, the space agencys successor to the Saturn V for sending astronauts to the moon. The biggest rocket of all, at approximately 400 feet (123 meters), is SpaceXs Starship. Elon Musk said the seventh test flight of the full rocket could occur later Thursday from Texas. He hopes to repeat what he pulled off in October, catching the returning booster at the launch pad with giant mechanical arms.Starship is what NASA plans to use to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. The first two moon landings under the space agencys Artemis program, which follows the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, will see crews descending from lunar orbit to the surface in Starships. Blue Origins lander, dubbed Blue Moon, will make its debut on the third lunar touchdown by astronauts.NASA Administrator Bill Nelson pushed for competing moon landers similar to the strategy to hire two companies to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Nelson will step down when President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday. Trump has tapped tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to run NASA. Isaacman, who has twice rocketed into orbit on his own privately financed SpaceX flights, must be approved by the Senate.New Glenns debut was supposed to send twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA. But the space agency pulled them from last Octobers planned flight when it became clear the rocket wouldnt be ready in time. They will still fly on a New Glenn rocket, but not until spring at the earliest. The two small spacecraft, named Escapade, are meant to study the Martian atmosphere and magnetic environment while orbiting the red planet.___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.

A student uses a cell phone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy, Aug. 16, 2024, in San Mateo, Calif. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)2025-01-16T06:06:41Z LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Californias Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom have little in common ideologically, but the two have both been vocal supporters of an idea thats been rapidly gaining bipartisan ground in the states: Students cellphones need to be banned during the school day. At least eight states have enacted such bans over the past two years, and proposals are being considered in several more states this year. Here is a look at the push by states for such bans.Why are states banning cellphones at schools? The push for cellphone bans has been driven by concerns about the impact screen time has on childrens mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom.Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms about their effects on young peoples lives, has said schools need to provide phone-free times.Nationally, 77% of U.S. schools say they prohibit cellphones at school for non-academic use, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But that number is misleading. It does not mean students are following those bans or all those schools are enforcing them. Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, said the issue is catching on because parents and teachers in both red and blue states are struggling with the consequences of kids on mobile devices.It doesnt matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day, she said. What states are enacting bans?At least eight states California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia have enacted measures banning or restricting students use of cellphones in schools. The policies range widely. Florida was the first state to crack down on phones in school, passing a 2023 law that requires all public schools to ban cellphone use during class time and block access to social media on district Wi-Fi. A 2024 California law requires the states nearly 1,000 school districts to create their own cellphone policies by July 2026. Several other states havent banned phones, but have encouraged school districts to enact such restrictions or have provided funding to store phones during the day.Sanders announced a pilot program last year providing grants to schools that adopt phone-free policies, and more than 100 schools signed on. In her state of the state address this week, Sanders proposed an outright ban.We will ban cellphones in our schools, bell to bell, so that our kids are not distracted, in class or out of it, Sanders said. Other governors recently calling for bans include Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who was sworn in this month, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has suggested shell seek a statewide policy, but has not offered specifics. What is the opposition to the bans?The cellphone bans have faced opposition from some parents who say they need to be able to contact their children directly in case of emergency. Some parents have pointed to recent school shootings where having access to cellphones was the only way some students were able to communicate with loved ones for what they thought might be the last time. But supporters of the bans have noted that students phones could pose additional dangers during an emergency by distracting students or by revealing their location during an active shooter situation.Parents opposed to the ban have also said they want their children to have access to their phones for other needs, such as coordinating transportation.Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, said she agrees about the dangers of social media on children but that the bans sought by states are taking too broad of an approach. Banning the devices during the school day is not going to solve underlying issues like bullying or the dangers of social media, she said.We have not done our job as grown-ups to try to teach our kids the skills they need to actually navigate this technology, she said. Weve just kicked the can down the road and thrown them into the deep end of the pool when theyre by themselves after school. ___Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut, Margery Beck, Holly Ramer and Anthony Izaguire contributed to this report. ANDREW DEMILLO DeMillo is a government and politics reporter for The Associated Press, based in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked for the AP since 2005. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Israeli soldiers stand in an observation point overlooking the Gaza Strip from southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)2025-01-16T08:43:40Z Follow APs live coverage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a last minute crisis with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited agreement to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes meanwhile killed dozens of people across the war-ravaged territory.Netanyahus office said his Cabinet wont meet to approve the agreement until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions, without elaborating.Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced the deal on Wednesday, which is aimed at releasing scores of hostages held in Gaza and winding down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests. Netanyahus office had earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages. Netanyahu has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the scores of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions. He has enough opposition support to approve an agreement, but doing so would weaken his coalition and make early elections more likely. A night of heavy Israeli strikesPalestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.We were expecting that the occupation would intensify the bombing, like they did every time there were reports on progress in the truce (negotiations), said Mohammed Mahdi, who fled his home a few months ago and is sheltering in Gaza City.Ahmed Mattar, who lives near the citys Al-Ahly hospital, said he heard massive airstrikes overnight. Gazas Health Ministry said at least 48 people were killed in Israeli strikes between midday Wednesday and Thursday morning. Around half of the dead were women and children, Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministrys registration department, told The Associated Press. He said the toll could rise as hospitals update their records.An Associated Press reporter on the Israeli side of the border near Gaza heard more airstrikes and artillery fire on Thursday.A phased withdrawal and hostage release with potential pitfallsThe war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, and the Israeli military believes around a third and up to half of them are dead.Under the deal reached Wednesday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to whats left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance. The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second and much more difficult phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.Israels offensive has killed over 46,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry. it does not say how many of the dead were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced some 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, according to the United Nations. Ceasefire leaves questions about Gazas future unansweredMediators from Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement. They have spent the past year holding indirect talks with Israel and Hamas that finally resulted in a deal after repeated setbacks.President-elect Donald Trumps Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trumps team are taking credit for the breakthrough.Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction after a brutal conflict that has destabilized the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll in Gaza. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes. The International Court of Justice is investigating allegations brought by South Africa that Israel has committed genocide. The International Criminal Court, a separate body also based in The Hague, has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas commander for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war.Israel and the United States have condemned the actions taken by both courts.Hamas, a militant group that does not accept Israels existence, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gazas largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.___Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press reporter Sam McNeil in southern Israel contributed.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto

A miner is transported on a stretcher by rescue workers after he was rescued from below ground in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)2025-01-16T08:31:27Z STILFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) The death toll in a monthslong standoff between police and miners trapped while working illegally in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87, police said Thursday. Authorities faced growing anger and a possible investigation over their initial refusal to help the miners and instead smoke them out by cutting off their food supplies.National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said that 78 bodies were retrieved in a court-ordered rescue operation, with 246 survivors also pulled out from deep underground since the operation began on Monday. Mathe said nine other bodies had been recovered before the rescue operation, without giving details.Community groups launched their own rescue attempts when authorities said last year they would not help the hundreds of miners because they were criminals. The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration, although no causes of death have been released.South African authorities have been fiercely criticized for cutting off food and supplies to the miners in the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine last year. That tactic to smoke them out, as described by a prominent Cabinet minister, was condemned by one of South Africas biggest trade unions. Police and the mine owners were also accused of taking away ropes and dismantling a pulley system the miners used to enter the mine and send supplies down from the surface. A court ordered authorities last year to allow food and water to be sent down to the miners, while another court ruling last week forced them to launch a rescue operation.Many say the unfolding disaster underground was clear weeks ago, when community members sporadically pulled decomposing bodies out of the mine, some with notes attached pleading for food to be sent down.If the police had acted earlier, we would not be in this situation, with bodies piling up, said Johannes Qankase, a local community leader. It is a disgrace for a constitutional democracy like ours. Somebody needs to account for what has happened here. South Africas second biggest political party, which is part of a government coalition, called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish an independent inquiry to find out why the situation was allowed to get so badly out of hand.The scale of the disaster underground at Buffelsfontein is rapidly proving to be as bad as feared, the Democratic Alliance party said.Authorities now believe that nearly 2,000 miners were working illegally in the mine near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, since August last year. Many of them resurfaced on their own over the last few months, police said, and all the survivors have been arrested, even as some emerged this week badly emaciated and barely able to walk to waiting ambulances.A convoy of mortuary vans arrived at the mine to carry away the bodies.Mathe said at least 13 children had also come out of the mine before the official rescue operation.Police announced Wednesday that they were ending that operation after three days and said they believed no one else was underground. A camera was sent down on Thursday in a cage that was used to pull out survivors and bodies to ensure no one was left behind, Mathe said. The mine is one of the deepest in South Africa and is a maze of tunnels and levels and has several shafts leading into it. The miners were working up to 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) underground in different groups.Police have maintained that the miners were able to come out through several shafts but refused out of fear of being arrested. Thats been disputed by groups representing the miners, who say hundreds were trapped and left starving in dark and damp conditions with decomposing bodies around them.The initial police operation last year to force the miners to come out and give themselves up for arrest was part of a larger nationwide clampdown on illegal mining called Vala Umgodi, or Close the Hole. Illegal mining is often in the news in South Africa and a major problem for authorities as large groups go into mines that have been shut down to extract any leftover deposits. Gold-rich South Africa has an estimated 6,000 abandoned or closed mines.The illicit miners, known as zama zamas hustlers or chancers in the Zulu language are usually armed and part of criminal syndicates, the government says, and they rob South Africa of more than $1 billion a year in gold deposits. They are often undocumented foreign nationals and authorities said that the vast majority who came out of the Buffelsfontein mine were from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho who were in South Africa illegally.Police said they seized gold, explosives, firearms and more than $2 million in cash from the miners and have defended their hardline approach.By providing food, water and necessities to these illegal miners, it would be the police entertaining and allowing criminality to thrive, Mathe said Wednesday. But the South African Federation of Trade Unions questioned the governments humanity and how it could allow anyone be they citizens or undocumented immigrants to starve to death in the depths of the earth.While the police operation has been condemned by civic groups, the disaster hasnt provoked a strong outpouring of anger across South Africa, where the mostly foreign zama zamas have long been considered unwelcome in a country that already struggles with high rates of violent crime.___Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.___AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Pope Francis reacts during a solemn mass where he made 21 new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)2025-01-16T12:16:25Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis fell Thursday and hurt his right arm, the Vatican said, just weeks after another apparent fall resulted in a bad bruise on his chin.Francis didnt break his arm, but a sling was put on as a precaution, the Vatican spokesman said in a statementOn Dec. 7, the pope whacked his chin on his nightstand in an apparent fall that resulted in a bad bruise.The 88-year-old pope, who has battled health problems including long bouts of bronchitis, often has to use a wheelchair because of bad knees. He uses a walker or cane when moving around his apartment in the Santa Marta hotel.The Vatican said that Thursdays fall also occurred at Santa Marta, and the pope was later seen in audiences with his right arm in a sling.This morning, due to a fall at Santa Marta House, Pope Francis suffered a contusion to his right forearm, without fracture. The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure, the statement said. Speculation about Francis health is a constant in Vatican circles, especially after Pope Benedict XVI broke 600 years of tradition and resigned from the papacy in 2013. Benedicts aides have attributed the decision to a nighttime fall that he suffered during a 2012 trip to Mexico, after which he determined he couldnt keep up with the globe-trotting demands of the papacy.Francis has said, however, that he has no plans to resign anytime soon, even if Benedict opened the door to the possibility. In his autobiography Hope released this week, Francis said that he hadnt considered resigning even when he had major intestinal surgery. ___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this image, made from NASA TV, US astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. ( AP Photo/NASA TV)2025-01-16T13:17:09Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) One of NASAs two stuck astronauts got a much welcomed change of scenery Thursday, stepping out on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago. Suni Williams, the stations commander, had to tackle some overdue outdoor repair work alongside NASAs Nick Hague. They emerged as the orbiting lab sailed 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Turkmenistan. Im coming out, Williams radioed.Plans called for Williams to float back out next week with Butch Wilmore. Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeings new Starliner capsule last June on what should have been a weeklong test flight. But Starliner trouble dragged out their return, and NASA ordered the capsule to come back empty. Then SpaceX delayed the launch of their replacements, meaning the two wont be home until late March or early April ten months after launching. It was the first spacewalk by NASA astronauts since an aborted one last summer. U.S. spacewalks were put on hold after water leaked into the airlock from the cooling loop for an astronauts suit. NASA said the problem has been fixed.This was the eighth spacewalk for Williams, who has lived on the space station before. ___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.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-01-16T12:01:19Z WASHINGTON (AP) Worries about everyday expenses helped return President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. But with his second term quickly approaching, many U.S. adults are skeptical about his ability to bring down costs. Only about 2 in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident that Trump will be able to make progress on lowering the cost of groceries, housing or health care this year, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, while about 2 in 10 are moderately confident. Faith in Trumps ability to create jobs is a little higher about 3 in 10 are extremely or very confident the Republican will make progress on this in 2025 but the poll indicates that despite his sweeping promises about lowering prices, a substantial chunk of his own supporters dont have high confidence in his ability to quickly alleviate the economic pressures that continue to frustrate many households. Those tempered expectations havent dampened Republicans hopes for Trumps second presidential term, though. And Democrats pessimism about his return to office is more muted than it was when he exited the White House in 2020. About 8 in 10 Republicans say Trump will be a great or good president in his second term, according to the poll. And while Democrats assessments are much more negative about 8 in 10 say he will be a poor or terrible president they are less likely to say hell be a terrible president in his second term than they were at the end of his first. Only about 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trumps handling of the economy Much of the 2024 presidential campaign revolved around prices whether President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was to blame for inflation and whether Trump could fix it. AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of voters and nonvoters that aims to tell the story behind election results, showed that about 4 in 10 voters in the November election identified the economy and jobs as the most important issue facing the country and that about 6 in 10 of those voters cast their ballot for Trump. As Trump takes office, though, the poll shows that many Americans dont anticipate that he will be able to immediately bring costs down. That includes some of his own supporters. Less than half of Republicans are at least very confident that Trump will make progress on lowering food costs, housing costs or health care costs, although about 6 in 10 are at least very confident in his ability to create jobs. Confidence in Trumps ability to handle the broader economic situation is also fairly low. Only about one-third of Americans are extremely or very confident in his ability to handle the economy and jobs. Nearly 2 in 10 are moderately confident, and about half are slightly confident or not at all confident. Here, Republicans have more faith in Trumps abilities about 7 in 10 are at least very confident in his ability to handle the economy in general.But there are other policy areas where expectations for Trump arent high across the board. Similar to the economy and jobs, about one-third of Americans are at least very confident in Trumps ability to handle immigration and national security, while about 2 in 10 are moderately confident and about half are slightly or not at all confident. Health care is a particularly weak spot for TrumpAmericans are especially skeptical of Trumps ability to bring down health care costs or handle the issue of health care at all, the poll found. Only about 2 in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident in his ability to tackle health care issues, and 16% are confident in his ability to make progress on lowering health care costs. During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would look at alternatives to the Affordable Care Act. He has not offered a concrete plan of what his changes to the health care law would be, but he spent a lot of energy during his first term on efforts to dismantle it that were ultimately unsuccessful.Only about half of Republicans are extremely or very confident in Trumps ability to handle health care, and about one-third are at least very confident hell make progress on lowering the cost of heath care. About half of Republicans expect a great second term from TrumpTrumps favorability rating has remained steady through four indictments, a criminal conviction and two attempted assassinations, and the new survey shows that Americans expectations for his second term match their assessment of his first four years in office. Slightly fewer than half of U.S. adults expect Trump will be a terrible or poor president in his second term, essentially unchanged from when he left the White House in 2021. But Republicans are expecting even bigger things from Trump this time, while Democrats fears appear to be a little more muted. About half of Republicans say they think Trump will be a great president in his second term, while about 4 in 10 Republicans described him as a great president at the end of his first term. Democrats still overwhelmingly expect that Trump will be a terrible president, but that concern has lessened. About 6 in 10 Democrats think Trump will be a terrible president in his second term, down from three-quarters who said he was a terrible president at the end of his first term. ___The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. LINLEY SANDERS Sanders is a polls and surveys reporter for The Associated Press. She develops and writes about polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and works on AP VoteCast. twitter AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Thomson-DeVeaux is the APs editor for polling and surveys. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site