In this photo provided by Norton Healthcare, nurse Robin Waldridge administers a Vitamin K shot to a newborn baby at Norton Women's and Children's Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2026, at the hospital in Louisville, Ky. (Jamie Rhodes/Norton Healthcare via AP)2026-03-21T11:20:42Z One day at an Idaho hospital, half the newborns Dr. Tom Patterson saw didnt get the vitamin K shots that have been given to babies for decades to prevent potentially deadly bleeding. On another recent day, more than a quarter didnt get the shot. Their parents wouldnt allow it.When you look at a child whos innocent and vulnerable and a simple intervention thats been done since 1961 is refused knowing that babys going out into the world is super worrisome to me, said Patterson, whos been a pediatrician for nearly three decades.Doctors across the nation are alarmed that skepticism fueled by rising anti-science sentiment and medical mistrust is increasingly reaching beyond vaccines to other proven, routine, preventive care for babies.A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which analyzed more than 5 million births nationwide, found that refusals of vitamin K shots nearly doubled between 2017 and 2024, from 2.9% to 5.2%. Other research suggests that parents who decline vitamin K shots are much more likely to refuse getting their newborns the hepatitis B vaccine and an eye ointment to prevent potentially blinding infections. Rates for that vaccination at birth dropped in recent years, and doctors confirm that more parents are refusing the eye medication. I do think these families care deeply about their infants, said Dr. Kelly Wade, a Philadelphia neonatologist. But I hear from families that its hard to make decisions right now because theyre hearing conflicting information. Innumerable social media posts question doctors advice on safe and effective measures like vitamin K and eye ointment. And the Trump administration has repeatedly undermined established science. A federal advisory committee whose members were appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a leading anti-vaccine activist before joining the administration voted to end the longstanding recommendation to immunize all babies against hepatitis B right after birth. On Monday a federal judge temporarily blocked all decisions made by the reconfigured committee. One common thread that ties together anti-vaccine views and growing sentiments against other protective measures for newborns is the fallacy that natural is always better than artificial, said Dr. David Hill, a Seattle pediatrician and researcher.Nature will allow 1 in 5 human infants to die in the first year of life, Hill said, which is why generations of scientists and doctors have worked to bring that number way, way down. Vitamin K and other measures prevent serious problemsBabies are born with low levels of vitamin K, leaving them vulnerable because their intestines cant produce enough until they start eating solid foods at around 6 months old.Vitamin K is important for helping the blood clot and preventing dangerous bleeding in babies, like bleeding into the brain, said Dr. Kristan Scott of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, lead author of the JAMA study.Before injections became routine, up to about 1 in 60 babies suffered vitamin K deficiency bleeding, which can also affect the gastrointestinal tract. Today the condition is rare, but research shows that newborns who dont get a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop severe bleeding than those who do. Hill has seen what can happen.I cared for a toddler whose parents had chosen that risk, the Seattle doctor said. The child essentially had a stroke as a newborn and wound up with severe developmental delays and ongoing seizures.At a February meeting of the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors said they knew of eight deaths from vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the state over the preceding 13 months, said Patterson, who is president of the chapter.Infections prevented by other newborn measures can also have grave consequences. Erythromycin eye ointment protects against gonorrhea that can be contracted during birth and potentially cause blindness if untreated. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents a disease that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis. Even if a pregnant woman is tested for gonorrhea and hepatitis B, no test is perfect, and she may get infected after testing, said Dr. Susan Sirota, a pediatrician in Highland Park, Illinois. Either way, she risks passing the infection to her child. Why are parents refusing routine care?Parents give many reasons for turning down preventive measures, like fearing they might cause problems and not wanting newborns to feel pain.Some will just say they want more of a natural birth philosophy, said Dr. Steven Abelowitz, founder of Ocean Pediatrics in Orange County, California. Then theres a ton of misinformation. There are outside influences, friends, celebrities, nonprofessionals and political agendas.Abelowitz practices in an area with about an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats. Theres more mistrust from the conservative side, but theres plenty on the more liberal side as well, he said, Its across-the-board mistrust.Social media provides ample fuel, spreading myths and pushing unregulated vitamin K drops that doctors warn babies cant absorb well.Doctors in numerous states say parents refusing vitamin K shots often also decline other measures. Sirota, in Illinois, encountered a family that refused a heel stick to monitor glucose for a baby at high risk for having potentially life-threatening low blood sugar.Care refusals arent a new phenomenon. Wade, in Philadelphia, said shes seen them for 20 years. But until recently, they were rare.Twelve years ago, Dana Morrison, now a Minnesota doula, declined the vitamin K shot for her newborn son, giving him oral drops instead.It came from a space of really wanting to protect the bonding time with my baby, she said. I was trying to eliminate more pokes.Her daughters birth a couple of years later was less straightforward, leaving the infant with a bruised leg. Morrison got the vitamin K shot for her.Knowing what she does now, she said, she would have gotten it for her son, too.Doctors and parents want the best for their childrenDoctors hope to change minds, one parent at a time. And that begins with respect.If I walk into the room with judgment, we are going to have a really useless conversation, Hill said. Every parent I serve wants the best for their children.When parents question the need for the vitamin K shot, Dr. Heather Felton tries to address their specific concerns. She explains why its given and the risks of not getting it. Most families decide to get it, said Felton, who has seen no uptick in refusals.It really helps that you can take that time and really listen and be able to provide some education, said Felton, a pediatrician at Norton Childrens in Louisville, Kentucky.In Idaho, Patterson sometimes finds himself clearing up misconceptions. Some parents will agree to a vitamin K shot when they find out its not a vaccine, for example. These conversations can take time, especially since the parents doctors see in hospitals usually arent people they know through their practices.But doctors are happy to invest that time if it might save babies.I end every discussion with parents with this: Please understand at the end of the day, Im passionate about this because I have the best interest of children in my mind and heart, Patterson said. I understand this is a hot topic, and I dont want to disrespect anybody. But at the same time, Im desperately saddened that were losing babies for no reason.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. LAURA UNGAR Ungar covers medicine and science on the APs Global Health and Science team. She has been a health journalist for more than two decades. twitter mailto

This April 4, 2009, file photo, shows a gas production facility at Ras Laffan, Qatar. (AP Photos/Maneesh Bakshi, File)2026-03-21T05:00:06Z LONDON (AP) Irans attack this week on Qatars natural gas export facility threatens to disrupt not just world energy markets but also global technology supply chains because the helium it produces is crucial for a range of advanced industries.Best known as the gas that makes party balloons float, helium is also a key input in chipmaking, space rockets and medical imaging. Qatar supplies a third of the worlds helium, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but the nation had to halt production shortly after the war erupted three weeks ago. The latest Iranian strikes against the regions energy producing infrastructure have added to supply worries, with Qatars state-owned gas company saying it would crimp helium exports by 14%. Heres a deeper look at heliums industrial role: Qatars role in helium supply Helium is a byproduct of natural gas production, when its separated out by cryogenic distillation. Qatar, which sits on the worlds biggest single natural gas field, produces about 30% of global helium supply, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Qatars helium is produced at its Ras Laffan facility, the worlds largest liquefied natural gas plant. But state-owned energy company QatarGas halted production of LNG and associated products on March 2 because of Irans drone attacks and two days later declared force majeure, meaning its unable to supply contracted customers due to circumstances beyond its control. After Ras Laffan was hit again by more Iranian strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, QatarGas reported extensive damage that will take years to repair and cut annual helium exports by 14%.It makes the story worse, said Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting. Your best case scenario would be youre back producing some helium in six weeks or something like that. As it looks right now, thats highly unlikely. Helium prices are on the rise Spot prices for helium have doubled since the crisis erupted and will probably rise further, Kornbluth said. But spot trading only accounts for about 2% of the total market in normal times, he said. Helium is a thinly traded commodity and is mostly sold through long-term contracts. Still, contract prices could go up a lot, Kornbluth said. Theres lots of room for price increase if this is an extended outage. Kornbluth said the shortage hasnt hit yet, because helium containers that would have been filled when the conflict erupted at the start of March would have still taken several weeks to arrive in Asia. Nobodys run out of helium yet. But its a few weeks out when the shortage really hits. Its not just party balloons Helium is essential for manufacturing semiconductors, including the cutting-edge chips used for artificial intelligence models produced in Asian fabrication plants. Its great at conducting or transferring heat, making it ideal for rapid cooling. Chipmakers use it to cool wafers the discs of silicon printed with tiny electronic circuits. Helium is used during the etching process, when material thats been deposited on a wafer is scraped away to form transistor structures, said Jacob Feldgoise, an analyst at Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology. During the etching process, you really want to maintain a constant temperature over the wafer. And in order to do that, you need to be able to draw heat away from the wafer thats being processed, said Feldgoise. Helium is an excellent thermal conductor. And so chip fabs will blow helium over the back of the wafer in order to speed heat removal and keep heat removal consistent. Under current semiconductor manufacturing processes, theres no viable replacement for helium to cool wafers, said Jong-hwan Lee, a professor of semiconductor devices at South Koreas Sangmyung University.The medical industry uses helium to cool superconducting magnets powering magnetic resonance imaging machines.And the space industry uses helium to purge rocket fuel tanks, a demand that is expected to grow because of more frequent launches by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. A complicated supply chain situation Heliums atomic properties make it tricky to store and transport.In gas form, heliums tiny molecules can easily escape containers by leaking through even the smallest of gaps.Helium is typically chilled by Qatars gas company into liquid form and stored in insulated containers for transport through the Strait of Hormuz. The specialized containers can store helium for 35 to 48 days. Any longer and they start warming up, letting the helium transform into gas that escapes through pressure release valves.About 200 of these containers are stuck in the Middle East, Kornbluth said. They cost about $1 million each, so there arent a lot of extra ones sitting around elsewhere. Its going to take a fair amount of time to get these containers out of Qatar and to get them somewhere else where they might be able to be filled with helium, he said. So this initial period when you lose Qatar supply and have to rejig the supply chain and reposition containers, thats going to be the worst part of the shortage most likely. Other major suppliers of heliumThere only are a handful of countries that produce helium. The United States is the biggest producer, accounting for 81 million cubic meters last year. Qatar, Algeria and Russia are the other major producers, but Russian supplies are banned under Under States and European Union sanctions. USGS estimates the United States has 8.5 billion cubic meters of recoverable helium in geologic reservoirs, while the rest of the world has 31.3 billion cubic meters. Asian chipmakers on edge The war highlights the sprawling global supply chains that underpin South Koreas semiconductor industry, which has seen a surge in global demand for its chips amid the AI boom.Fitch Ratings said in a report this week that the country home to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the worlds largest memory chip makers is particularly vulnerable to supply shortages because it imports about 65% of its helium from Qatar. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix likely have several months of inventory, but its crucial that they accelerate efforts to secure alternative sources, Lee said, as the war could drag on and potentially disrupt supplies of more materials beyond helium. Helium is among 14 semiconductor supply chain materials the Seoul government has flagged for monitoring due to their heavy vulnerability to the war.Even disruptions affecting just a handful of materials could destabilize the entire semiconductor manufacturing process as each stage of production depends on the previous one, Lee said.Still, a full-blown helium crisis is unlikely, experts said. In the event of a shortage, Kornbluth said the helium industry allocates supplies based on importance so critical industries such as chipmaking and medical would be at the front of the line.And because helium is a small part of the overall production cost of a semiconductor, its likely that chip fabs would be willing to pay a higher price to secure supplies, Feldgoise said. Samsung and SK Hynix declined to respond to questions about inventory or plans to diversify supplies. The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association said short-term supplies are sufficient and companies have been diversifying their supply routes.Chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company also said it does not anticipate any significant impact at this time but will continue monitoring the situation.___ AP writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia contributed. KELVIN CHAN Chan covers technology and innovation in Europe and beyond for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

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President Donald Trump speaks with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2026-03-21T11:50:42Z TOKYO (AP) Senior U.S. and Japanese officials tend to shy away from anything but very careful public comments about Japans 1941 sneak attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor. So there was embarrassment, confusion and unease on Saturday in Japan after President Donald Trump casually used the World War II attack to justify his secrecy before launching the war against Iran.The Japanese discomfort was compounded by the fact that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was sitting awkwardly at Trumps side as he spoke. Partly, the reaction is linked to the crucial security and economic role that the U.S. plays for Japan, its top ally in the region. Put simply, Japan needs to make sure the U.S. relationship thrives. Thats why Takaichi was in Washington.But its also a reflection of just how fresh the political debate about Japans role in World War II remains here, even 80 years after its end. Senior leaders, including Takaichi, have argued that Japan has apologized enough for what happened in the war. Takaichi herself has recently hinted at visiting Tokyos controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war criminals are honored among the 2.5 million war dead. It is, however, somewhat startling for Japan to see these history questions spill over into a White House summit. On Friday, when asked by a Japanese reporter why he didnt tell allies in Europe and Asia ahead of the U.S. attack on Iran, Trump cited Pearl Harbor to defend his decision, saying, Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didnt you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK? The liberal leaning Asahi newspaper said in an editorial Saturday that Trumps comments should not be overlooked.Making such a remark to justify a sneak attack and boast about its outcome is a piece of nonsense that ignores lessons from history, Asahi said. Claims of rudenessSocial media reaction has ranged from accusations of ignorance and rudeness by the U.S. president to claims that he didnt see Japan as an equal partner. There were calls for Japan to protest what Trump said.Tsuneo Watanabe, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, said in an online opinion piece published in the Nikkei newspaper Saturday that the comment signaled that Trump was not bound by existing American common sense.I get the impression that the comment was intended to bring the Japanese reporter (who asked the question) or Ms. Takaichi into complicity in order to justify his sneak attack on Iran during diplomatic negotiations and without telling allied countries, Watanabe said.Theres also a feeling that an unspoken understanding exists between U.S. and Japanese leaders to tread carefully on the subject. Both sides need each other, with Washington relying on Japan to host 50,000 troops and an array of powerful hi-tech weapons, and Japan relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella to deter hostile, nuclear-armed neighbors. Japans post-World War II constitution bans the use of force except for its self-defense, but Takaichi and other officials are now seeking to expand the militarys role.When it comes to U.S.-Japan reconciliation, many here look to the example of former leaders Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe, who in 2016 paid tribute together at the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and at the Hiroshima Peace Park. Mixed reaction for Japans leaderTakaichi, a hard-line conservative, was praised for not reacting to the comments by Trump, letting them pass with a roll of her eyes and a glance at her ministers seated nearby.After all, the goal of her summit was to deepen ties with her most important ally, not debate World War II. She arrived shortly after Trump suggested that Japan was among the nations that did not quickly join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.Some, however, criticized Takaichi for not speaking up. Hitoshi Tanaka, a former diplomat and a special adviser at the Japan Research Institute think tank, wrote on X that he felt embarrassed to see Takaichi flattering Trump.As national leaders, they are equals. To make an equal relationship is not to flatter, he said. Just doing what pleases Trump and calling it a success if you are not hurt is too sad. Reporter criticizedThere was initial blame on social media of the Japanese reporter who asked the question that prompted Trumps Pearl Harbor comment.The reporter, Morio Chijiiwa with TV Asahi, later said on a talk show that he asked the question to represent the feelings of Japanese who are not happy about Trumps one-sided attack on Iran, and because other countries, including Japan, are being asked to help out. So thats why I asked the question. I was meaning to say, Why didnt you tell us, why are you troubling us? he said. Then President Trump hit back with the Pearl Harbor attack. I found it extremely awkward for him to change the subject.Junji Miyako, 53, said Takaichi flattering Trump felt more condescending to him than the Presidents Pearl Harbor remark.I was so frustrated to see Takaichi didnt even say anything to Trump to stop the war, he said. I think Trumps Pearl Harbor comment was stupid, but to me the war he started is a much bigger problem. FOSTER KLUG Klug is the APs news director for the Koreas, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Hes covered Asia since 2005 and has reported from across the region, including multiple trips to North Korea. twitter MARI YAMAGUCHI Yamaguchi is based in Tokyo and covers Japanese politics, security, nuclear energy and social issues for The Associated Press. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, listens at the Capitol in Washington, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2026-03-21T12:05:31Z With control of Congress on the ballot in November, state attorney general races can get lost in the shuffle. But just outside the election spotlight, there are partisan groups, corporate interests and advocacy networks revving up campaigns for offices that are playing a growing role in American politics. The group of Republican organizations dedicated to these contests reported raising a record amount of money last year, pulling in $29 million in preparation for the 2026 midterms. Democratic counterparts said they brought in $28 million, twice as much as usual at this stage of the election cycle. Some 30 seats are on the ballot this year. Money is pouring in from technology companies, tobacco companies and others, all of which could face scrutiny from states top legal officers. The money includes millions from law firms, unions and ideological groups, and it reflects the rising stature of the job in national policy and as a springboard for higher office.Because we try to solve so many of our problems with lawsuits, the office of attorney general has become more important, said James Tierney, a former Maine attorney general who and teaches about the position at Harvard. Attorneys general are key to political benchesAt least six current attorneys general are running for governor this year.Ten current governors first won the position as they wrapped up their attorney general terms, including three elected in 2024.When Kamala Harris, a former California attorney general, ran for president in 2024, three of the finalists to be her running mate Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania were each a former attorney general serving as governor. On the Republican side, President Donald Trumps attorney general, Pam Bondi, used to have that job in Florida. Adam Piper, executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said the political potential for those who win the office is a reason donors are increasingly interested. The AGs used to be the underdogs in the races for top-of-the-ballot offices, he said. Now, theyre the favorite in them.Some of the races that are priorities for the party organizations are in swing states where Democrats won in 2022: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. Democrats think they could have a chance to gain up seats in Republican-leaning Georgia, Kansas and Ohio. Republicans are targeting pickups in Minnesota and New York.In Texas, flexing legal muscle across state linesIn Texas, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy one of a line of current and former members of Congress from both parties to run for attorney general in recent years is facing state Sen. Mayes Middleton in a May 26 runoff for the partys nomination.Ken Paxton, the current officeholder, is in a runoff for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate against incumbent John Cornyn, another former attorney general. Paxton made headlines when he was acquitted of corruption charges at an impeachment trial and for his aggressive efforts to investigate gender-affirming care of minors and abortion cases, even across state lines. Both Roy and Middleton have pledged to stop what they call the Islamification of Texas. Middleton said in a debate last month that if he were elected, he would investigate financier and liberal donor George Soros, the subject of some conservative conspiracy theories, for the crimes I believe hes committed.Roy laid out one major appeal of leaving Congress for a state office. Ill be one of one instead of one of 435 (members of the U.S. House) fighting for you, he said.The winner will face the winner of a Democratic runoff between state Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. Any statewide election victory by a Democrat would be considered an upset. Frequent lawsuits against Trumps administrationThis month, a group of 24 Democratic officials 22 attorneys general and two governors in states where the attorneys general are Republican sued the Trump administration over the presidents attempt to impose tariffs on imports after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an earlier version of the trade penalties.More than a year after Trump returned to office, Democratic officials have a lot of practice at this. By the tally of the Progressive State Leaders Committee, an arm of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, they have filed more than 80 lawsuits against the administration and have had favorable rulings in the majority of them.Sean Rankin, the associations president, said members of his group are the only lever to hold Trump accountable because Congress is compliant and controlled by Republicans. In Arizona, the fate of a high-profile prosecutionArizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who won the seat in 2022 by just 280 votes, said in an interview that the lawsuits against the administration her office has joined 38 have saved Arizona $1.5 billion, including by keeping money flowing for programs in AmeriCorps, Head Start and universities.If you dont have an attorney general who is willing to stand up to the federal government, she said, your state is going to get hurt.She was the first attorney general to file criminal charges against Kalshi, the prediction market company, accusing it of operating an illegal gambling business.Rodney Glassman, one of the Republicans vying to face Mayes in November, has made withdrawing from Mayess challenges to the administrations policies a centerpiece of his campaign. In an interview, he called the filings clickbait and based in partisan politics.She has reorganized the office to go after Republicans, Glassman said.He has been asking smaller donors for $1 for every lawsuit that Mayes has joined against the administration. Glassman, who faces state Senate President Warren Peterson in the June 22 primary, said that if he were to win in November, he would stop the criminal prosecutions Mayes has pursued against Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others for trying to overturn the presidents 2020 election loss in the state.A Republican victory could accelerate Trumps attempts to pursue falsehoods about voter fraud in Arizona. Peterson, whose campaign did not respond to interview requests, recently handed over election records to the FBI. GEOFF MULVIHILL Mulvihill covers topics on the agendas of state governments across the country. He has focused on abortion, gender issues and opioid litigation. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Welcome back to the Abstract! Here are the studies this week that visited strange new worlds, broke the adorability scale, pigged out, and took in an alien light show.First, scientists sift through thousands of planets to find the best possible sites for life. Then: meet a Cretaceous cutie, check out some python blood, and travel to the biggest moon in the solar system.As always, for more of my work, check out my book First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens or subscribe to my personal newsletter the BeX Files.The best of all possible worldsBohl, Abigail et al. Probing the limits of habitability: a catalogue of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.Scientists have discovered more than 6,000 exoplanets, which are planets that orbit other stars, but most of these worlds are hopelessly inhospitable to life. To hone in on the best candidates for habitability, a team combed through the catalogue of exoplanets to identify the best potential alien homes.The short-list includes 45 rocky worlds that are no bigger than twice the size of Earth and orbit within the habitable zone (HZ) of their stars, which is the region where liquid water might exist on the surface. The most exciting destinations include four planets that orbit the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, about 40 light years away, or Proxima Centauri b, which is the closest known exoplanet, located just four light years from Earth.To assess the limits of surface habitability, it is critical to characterize rocky exoplanets in the HZ, said researchers led by Abigail Bohl of Cornell University. Observations of known rocky exoplanets on the edges of the HZ can now empirically explore these boundaries.The resulting list of rocky exoplanet targets in the HZ will allow observers to shape and optimize search strategies with space- and ground-based telescopes and design new observing strategies and instruments to explore these worlds, addressing the question of the limits of exoplanet surface habitability, the team added.A diagram depicting habitable zone boundaries across star type with rocky exoplanets.While previous studies have compiled similar lists, this work includes updated observations and also organizes the planets according to key properties such as age, orbital characteristics, radiation exposure, and ease of observation from Earth. In this way, the researchers pave the way toward testing individual factors that influence habitability, such as whether older planets seem to be more hospitable to life.It could also be useful to compare planets that orbit at the edges of the habitable zone to planets right smack dab in the middle. After all, in our own solar system, Venus and Mars are at the inner and outer edges of the solar system, while Earth is vibing right in the Goldilocks zone.It may be that planets in other star systems are similarly limited in their habitability as they approach the edge of the zoneor maybe not! We wont know until we look. And now, we know where to start. To the observatory!In other newsForever young at 100 million years oldJung, Jongyun et al. A new dinosaur species from Korea and its implications for early-diverging neornithischian diversity. Fossil Record.It is my great pleasure to inform you that an incredibly cute baby dinosaur has been discovered in South Korea, where dinosaur fossils are very rare. Meet Doolysaurus, named for the popular Korean cartoon character Dooly the Little Dinosaur. This little infant lived in the mid-Cretaceous period, about 100 million years ago, and represents a new species of thescelosaurid, a type of bipedal dinosaur.The skeletal anatomy of a juvenile Doolysaurus huhmini. The graphic highlights the fossil bones that were found with the dinosaur. Image: Janet Caamar, adapted from Jung et al 2026.Here, we describe a small, well-preserved skeletonrecognized as the holotype of a new genus and species, Doolysaurus huhmini which includes the first diagnostic cranial material of a dinosaur from Korea, said researchers led by Jongyun Jung of the University of Texas at Austin. It contributes novel insights into the diversity of the Korean dinosaur fauna, which has previously been known primarily from ichnofossil and egg fossil records.An artists interpretation of a juvenile Doolysaurus huhmini. Image: Jun Seong YiTo top it off, this dinosaur might have sported a fuzzy coat. Jurassic Park has primed me not to trust any tech billionaire that wants to resurrect dinosaurs for public spectacle, but Ill make an exception for Doolysaurus.The right stuff for being stuffedXiao, S., Wang, M., Martin, T.G. et al. Python metabolomics uncovers a conserved postprandial metabolite and gutbrain feeding pathway. Nature Metabolism.At dinnertime, pythons go whole hogoften literally. These huge snakes can devour their own body weight in a single meal, allowing them to fast for more than a year between feedings. In a new study, scientists probe these extreme eaters by analyzing the blood of Burmese pythons during their postprandial (after-gulp) phase.Burmese pythons display a remarkable array of postprandial responses, including more than 40-fold increase in energy expenditure, sustained tissue protein synthesis and more than 50 percent increase in the size of most organs, said researchers co-led by Shuke Xiao of Stanford University, Mengjie Wang of the University of South Florida, and Thomas G. Martin of the University of Colorado, Boulder.A Burmese python held by an author of the study. Image: Patrick Campbell/CU BoulderIn other words, the snakes undergo extensive gastrointestinal remodelling that truly put humanitys best competitive eaters to shame. Joey Chestnut would have to simultaneously swallow over 2,000 hot dogs to even rival their sublime engorgement, just in case you are interested in some mustard-smeared napkin math (his world record is a measly 83).Ganymede gets a glow-upCao, Xin et al. Auroral Emissions on Ganymede: New Constraints on Their Electron Energy Dependence. Geophysical Research Letters.Well close, as all things should, with an extraterrestrial aurora. This week, lets gaze into the glowing skies of Jupiters moon Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system and the only one endowed with its very own magnetic field.Now, scientists discovered that Ganymede's auroras are brighter than previously thought, according to a study based on new atmospheric measurements and laboratory data.Ganymede mini-magnetosphere [is] embedded within Jupiter's powerful magnetospheric environment, said researchers led by Xin Cao of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. This unique configuration allows for auroral processes similar in morphology to those observed on magnetized planets, but driven by different external and internal conditions.The research illuminates the complex magnetic interactions between Ganymede and Jupiter, which will be studied more in depth by future missions, such as the European Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) that is currently on its way to the gas giant, aiming for a 2031 arrival. I hope this news of cosmic radiance adds some sparkle to your weekend.Thanks for reading! See you next week.

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FILE -Iga Swiatek of Poland returns to Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during the women's singles final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 12, 2025.(AP Photo/Joanna Chan, File)2026-03-21T10:32:05Z LONDON (AP) Wimbledon will use video review technology for the first time at this years tournament, the All England Club announced Saturday.The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament will have the technology available on Centre Court, No. 1 Court the clubs second-biggest stadium plus four other show courts.Players will be allowed to review specific calls made by the chair umpire such as double bounces.Video review made its Grand Slam tennis debut at the 2023 U.S. Open. The Australian Open also uses the technology.Centre Court and No. 1 Court will have video review available throughout the tournament, which starts on June 29, and the technology will be used on No. 2 Court, No. 3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18 for singles matches.Players will not be limited in the number of reviews they can request.Video review is separate from the electronic line-calling used for ruling balls in or out. Last year, Wimbledon replaced line judges with electronic line-calling, though it wasnt without hiccups.The grass-court major is also adding visual indicators for electronic line-calling on scoreboards showing out and fault calls.This enhancement has been made as a result of feedback following the adoption of live electronic line-calling last year, the All England Club said in Saturdays announcement.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., descends an stairwell after a vote at the Capitol, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)2026-03-21T13:14:14Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump took the United States to war without a vote of support from Congress, but lawmakers are increasingly questioning when, how and at what cost the war with Iran will come to an end.Three weeks into the conflict, the toll is becoming apparent. At least 13 U.S. military personnel have died, and more than 230 have been wounded. A $200 billion request from the Pentagon for war funds is pending at the White House. Allies are under attacked, oil prices are spiking and thousands of U.S. troops are deploying to the Middle East with no endgame in sight.The real question is: What ultimately are we trying to accomplish? Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told The Associated Press.I generally support anything that takes out the mullahs, he said. But at the end of the day, there has to be a kind of strategic articulation of the strategy, what our objectives are.Trump said late Friday that he was considering winding down the military operations even as he outlined new objectives and goals. Congress stands stillThe Republican presidents decision to launch the U.S.-Israel-led war with Iran is testing the resolve of the Congress, which is controlled by his party. Republicans have largely stood by the commander in chief, but will soon be faced with more consequential wartime choices.Under the War Powers Act, the president can conduct military operations for 60 days without approval from Congress. So far, Republicans have easily voted down several resolutions from Democrats designed to halt the military campaign.But the administration will need to show a more comprehensive strategy ahead or risk blowback from Congress, lawmakers said, especially as they are simultaneously being asked to approve billions in new spending. Trumps quip the war will end when I feel it in my bones has drawn alarm.When he feels it in his bones? Thats crazy, said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. House speaker says mission is all but doneThe presidents party appears unlikely to directly challenge him, even as the conflict drags on. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said the military operation will be over quickly.I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now, Johnson, R-La., told the AP and others at the Capitol this week. We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met, he said. Johnson acknowledged that Irans ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz is dragging it out a little bit, especially as U.S. allies have largely rebuffed the presidents request for help. As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think its all but done, Johnson said.But the administrations stated goals of ending Irans ability to obtain a nuclear weapon and degrading its ballistic missile supplies, among others have perplexed lawmakers as shifting and elusive. Regime change? Not likely. Get rid of the enriched uranium? Not without boots on the ground, Warner said.If Im advising the president, I would have said: Before you take on a war of choice, make the case clear to the American people what our goals are, he said. Congress retains the power of the purseThe Pentagon has told the White House it is seeking an additional $200 billion for the war effort, an extraordinary amount that is unlikely to win support. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the amount preposterous.The Defense Departments approved appropriations from Congress this year are more than $800 billion, and Trumps tax breaks bill gave the Pentagon an additional $150 billion over the next several years for various upgrades and projects.Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said the country has other priorities. How about not taking away funding for Medicaid, which will impact millions of people. How about making sure SNAP is funded, she said, referring to the health care and food assistance programs that were cut as part of last years Republican tax reductions.These are things that we should be doing for the American people, she said. Many lawmakers have recalled the decision by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the Sep. 11, 2001, attacks to come to Congress to seek an authorization for the use of military force a vote to support his proposed military actions in Afghanistan and later, Iraq. Tillis said Trump has latitude under the War Powers Act to conduct the military campaign, but that will soon shift.When you get into the 45-day mark, youve got to start articulating one of two things an authorization for the use of military force to sustain it beyond that or a very clear path on exit, he said.Those are really the options the administration needs to be thinking about. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens during a news conference with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2026-03-21T14:48:28Z JERUSALEM (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon have to decide when to hold Israels next elections. But with war raging on multiple fronts and no end in sight, Israels enemies in Iran and Lebanon may help make that decision for him.The stakes could hardly be higher: A victory will add to his legacy as Israels longest-ruling leader and fend off, if not quash altogether, calls for a reckoning over the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that triggered 2 years of war across the region. A defeat risks turning him into the highest-profile political casualty of that attack the deadliest in Israels history which still casts a long shadow over the countrys psyche and already has led to a string of high-profile resignations and firings.Here is a closer look at whats at stake for Netanyahu, and how the wars with Iran and Hezbollah could help determine his fate. He faces an October deadlineNetanyahus government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October. But Netanyahu has the ability to dissolve the governing coalition before then and call early elections. Israeli governments rarely last their full terms.With this deadline looming, Netanyahu can choose a date when he thinks he and his religious and nationalist partners have the best chance to win.Since elections are scheduled three months ahead of time, he could move now to schedule a vote in late June, just before the summer vacation season, or wait until the fall. A decisive victory in war could bring early electionsA quick campaign and decisive victory over Iran could boost Netanyahus public standing and give him the confidence to call an early election. He could boast of Israels military power and the close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump that made this war possible, while claiming to have reshaped the region to Israels advantage after the Oct. 7 attack.But three weeks into the war, that scenario looks increasingly unlikely.Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel each day, disrupting the lives of millions of anxious and exhausted voters. Israels war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon is intensifying, and with Iran disrupting the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf and upending the global economy, Trump has given no indication when the war may end. Members of the America First wing of the Republican Party have begun to accuse Israel of dragging the U.S. into a needless war. Recent opinion polls in Israel indicate that while Israelis overwhelmingly support the war, Netanyahu and his political coalition dont appear to be benefiting. In this environment, there is little incentive for Netanyahu to push up the election date, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.It doesnt seem like theres any remarkable change in Israeli public opinion, he said. Hed rather buy more time and exhaust the full term that is available to him. Netanyahu appears to be leaning toward a fall electionNetanyahu still has a few weeks to make a decision. But for now, he appears to be leaning toward a fall election. At a news conference last week, Netanyahu said he hopes elections will be in September or October.That would give Netanyahu, the ultimate political survivor, a few more months to rebuild his popularity.A prolonged war could make this more difficult, raising the risk of additional Israeli casualties and demoralizing and further exhausting the public. Northern Israel has come under especially heavy fire from Hezbollah in recent days, and residents, including people in traditional Netanyahu strongholds, have voiced anger over Israels failure to halt the attacks.On the global stage, a drawn-out conflict could raise the likelihood of disagreements with Trump. It also could further tarnish Israels international standing after the heavily criticized war in Gaza, for which Netanyahu has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, allegations he denies. Plesner says that a narrow window in early September, just before the monthlong holiday season, looks like the best time for Netanyahu to hold the vote.Otherwise, the election will take place close to the Oct. 7 anniversary, when Israelis are again reminded of that tragic day. JOSEF FEDERMAN Federman manages coverage of Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan and has covered the Middle East for The AP for two decades.. twitter mailto

Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey voted as the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for college women's hockey's top player.

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, July 24, 2019. Mueller, a former FBI director, died on Friday, March 20, 2026. He was 81. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)2026-03-21T17:30:51Z WASHINGTON (AP) Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nations premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trumps presidential campaign, has died. He was 81.With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday. His family asks that their privacy be respected.At the FBI, Mueller set about almost immediately overhauling the bureaus mission to meet the law enforcement needs of the 21st century, beginning his 12-year tenure just one week before the Sept. 11 attacks and serving across presidents of both political parties. He was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush.The cataclysmic event instantaneously switched the bureaus top priority from solving domestic crime to preventing terrorism, a shift that imposed an almost impossibly difficult standard on Mueller and the rest of the federal government: preventing 99 out of 100 terrorist plots wasnt good enough. Later, he was special counsel in the Justice Departments investigation into whether the Trump campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential race. Trump posted on social media about Muellers death: Robert Mueller just died. Good, Im glad hes dead. The Republican president added, He can no longer hurt innocent people!The FBI did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. A second act as an investigator of a sitting presidentThe second-longest-serving director in FBI history, behind only J. Edgar Hoover, Mueller held the job until 2013 after agreeing to Democratic President Barack Obamas request to stay on even after his 10-year term was up. After several years in private practice, Mueller was asked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to return to public service as special counsel in the Trump-Russia inquiry.Muellers stern visage and taciturn demeanor matched the seriousness of the mission, as his team spent nearly two years quietly conducting one of the most consequential, yet divisive, investigations in Justice Department history. He held no news conferences and made no public appearances during the investigation, remaining quiet despite attacks from Trump and his supporters and creating an aura of mystery around his work. All told, Mueller brought criminal charges against six of the presidents associates, including his campaign chairman and first national security adviser.His 448-page report released in April 2019 identified substantial contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but did not allege a criminal conspiracy. He laid out damaging details about Trumps efforts to seize control of the investigation, and even shut it down, though he declined to decide whether Trump had broken the law, in part because of department policy barring the indictment of a sitting president.But, in perhaps the most memorable language of the report, Mueller pointedly noted: If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. The nebulous conclusion did not deliver the knockout punch to the administration that some Trump opponents had hoped for, nor did it trigger a sustained push by House Democrats to impeach the president -- though he was later tried and acquitted on separate allegations related to Ukraine.The outcome also left room for Attorney General William Barr to insert his own views. He and his team made their own determination that Trump did not obstruct justice, and he and Mueller privately tangled over a four-page summary letter from Barr that Mueller felt did not adequately capture his reports damaging conclusion.Mueller deflated Democrats during a highly anticipated congressional hearing on his report when he offered terse, one-word answers and appeared uncertain in his testimony. Frequently, he seemed to waver on details of his investigation. It was hardly the commanding performance many had expected from Mueller, who had a towering reputation in Washington. Over the next months, Barr made clear his own disagreements with the foundations of the Russia investigation, moving to dismiss a false-statements prosecution that Mueller had brought against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, even though that investigation ended in a guilty plea.Muellers tenure as special counsel was the capstone of a career spent in government. A transformation of the FBI into a national security agencyHis time as FBI director was defined by the Sept. 11 attacks and its aftermath, as an FBI granted broad new surveillance and national security powers scrambled to confront an ascendant al-Qaida and interrupt plots and take terrorists off the street before they could act.It was a new model of policing for an FBI that had long been accustomed to investigating crimes that had already occurred.When he became FBI director, I had expected to focus on areas familiar to me as a prosecutor: drug cases, white-collar criminal cases and violent crime, Mueller told a group of lawyers in October 2012.Instead, we had to focus on long-term, strategic change. We had to enhance our intelligence capabilities and upgrade our technology. We had to build upon strong partnerships and forge new friendships, both here at home and abroad.In response, the FBI shifted 2,000 of the total 5,000 agents in the bureaus criminal programs to national security.In hindsight, the transformation was a success. At the time, there were problems, and Mueller said as much. In a speech near the end of his tenure, Mueller recalled those days when we were under attack by the media and being clobbered by Congress; when the attorney general was not at all happy with me.Among the issues: The Justice Departments inspector general found that the FBI circumvented the law to obtain thousands of phone call records for terrorism investigations.Mueller decided that the FBI would not take part in abusive interrogation techniques of suspected terrorists, but the policy was not effectively communicated down the line for nearly two years. In an effort to move the FBI into a paperless environment, the bureau spent over $600 million on two computer systems -- one that was 2 years overdue and a predecessor that was only partially completed and had to be scrapped after consultants declared it obsolete and riddled with problems.For the nations top law enforcement agency, it was a rocky trip through rough terrain.But there were many successes as well, including thwarted terror plots and headline-making criminal cases like the one against fraudster Bernie Madoff. The Republican also cultivated an apolitical reputation on the job, nearly quitting in a clash with the Bush administration over a surveillance program that he and his successor, James Comey, considered unlawful.He famously stood alongside Comey, then deputy attorney general, during a dramatic 2004 hospital standoff over federal wiretapping rules. The two men planted themselves at the bedside of the ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft to block Bush administration officials from making an end run to get Ashcrofts permission to reauthorize a secret no-warrant wiretapping program.In an extraordinary vote of confidence, Congress, at the Obama administrations request, approved a two-year extension for Mueller to remain at his post.A Marine who served in Vietnam before becoming a prosecutorMueller was born in New York City and grew up in a well-to-do suburb of Philadelphia.He received a bachelors degree from Princeton University and a masters degree in international relations from New York University. He then joined the Marines, serving for three years as an officer during the Vietnam War. He led a rifle platoon and was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and two Navy Commendation Medals. Following his military service, Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia.Mueller became a federal prosecutor and relished the work of handling criminal cases. He rose quickly through the ranks in U.S. attorneys offices in San Francisco and Boston from 1976 to 1988. Later, as head of the Justice Departments criminal division in Washington, he oversaw a range of high-profile prosecutions that chalked up victories against targets as varied as Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and New York crime boss John Gotti.In a mid-career switch that shocked colleagues, Mueller threw over a job at a prestigious Boston law firm to join the homicide division of the U.S. attorneys office in the nations capital. There, he immersed himself as a senior litigator in a bulging caseload of unsolved drug-related murders in a city rife with violence.Mueller was driven by a career-long passion for the painstaking work of building successful criminal cases. Even as head of the FBI, he would dig into the details of investigations, some of them major cases but others less so, sometimes surprising agents who suddenly found themselves on the phone with the director.The management books will tell you that as the head of an organization, you should focus on the vision, Mueller once said. But for me there were and are today those areas where one needs to be substantially personally involved, especially in regard to the terrorist threat and the need to know and understand that threat to its roots.Two terrorist attacks occurred toward the end of Muellers watch: the Boston Marathon bombing and the Fort Hood shootings in Texas. Both weighed heavily on him, he acknowledged in an interview two weeks before his departure.You sit down with victims families, you see the pain they go through and you always wonder whether there isnt something more that could have been done, he said. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto

Passengers wait outside a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday, March, 21, 2026, (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)2026-03-21T17:11:12Z ATLANTA (AP) Regardless of politics or destination, passengers at Atlantas airport were unified by one desire Saturday its time to pay Transportation Security Administration employees.Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport one of the worlds busiest airports is a machine for moving people. But the shutdown is clogging TSA checkpoints that screen passengers and luggage for hazardous items.Many passengers leaving Atlanta are now arriving up to four hours early, spooked that delays could cause them to miss flights.Christian Childress, a private flight attendant, sees the aviation system up close. When the Redwood City, California, resident is working, he doesnt have to wait in TSA lines. But he frequently goes through a checkpoint when flying commercial to get to his job. On Saturday, he was on his way to Nashville, Tennessee, on a leisure trip. Childress said the shutdown effects have been hit or miss thus far, as he arrived at the Atlanta airport nearly three hours before his 1:30 p.m. flight.Issue No. 1 should be paying the people who need to get paid and keeping our air travel system secure, Childress said. Then they can debate whatever they want to debate about homeland security. TSA officers havent gotten a paycheck since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security partly shut down on Feb. 14. Democrats balked at funding the agency, while other departments are unaffected, demanding changes to immigration enforcement by federal agents following the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. But concerns about long airport lines are increasingly capturing attention. A funding bill failed to advance Friday in the Senate, with Democrats declining to provide needed support. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer an alternative measure Saturday to fund just TSA. That too is likely to fail as lawmakers hold a rare weekend session. Some passengers said its time for Democrats to give up on the shutdown.I dont want to go between the Democrats and the Republicans, but I think the Democrats are holding everything up because they cant get their way, said Tyrone Williams, a retiree from the Atlanta suburb of Ellenwood. He was queued up for screening before his flight to Philadelphia on Saturday.President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to give federal immigration officers a role in airport security unless congressional Democrats agree to fund the department.In a social media post, Trump said Democrats must immediately reach a deal or he will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before.He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would arrest all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country with a focus on those from Somalia.Trump didnt elaborate, and it wasnt immediately clear if theres an imminent plan to move ICE officers into airports.Atlantas checkpoint wait times, which spiked as high as 90 minutes early on Saturday, cooled to a more manageable 25 minutes by midmorning on what is typically one of the slowest days of the week for air travel. But staffing shortages have forced airports to close checkpoints at times, with wait times swinging dramatically in Atlanta and some other cities. Jackie Donahue of Oldsmar, Florida, was flying home to Tampa on Saturday, joined the line for one of the checkpoints at 11 a.m. for a 2:25 p.m. flight. She said she was grateful that TSA officers were still working without pay.We need to thank the people that are here, said Donahue, a nurse returning from a European river cruise.The vast majority of employees at TSA are considered essential and continue to work without pay during the government funding lapse. Homeland Security has said roughly 50,000 TSA employees would work during the shutdown. Nationwide on Thursday, about 10% of TSA officers missed work, the department reported. Absentee rates were two or three times higher in places. Union leaders and federal officials say TSA officers are under financial pressure. Airport screeners have spent nearly half of the past 171 days with paychecks delayed by politics 43 days last fall during the longest government shutdown in history, four days earlier this year during a brief funding lapse, and now 36 days and counting during the current shutdown.At least 376 officers have quit since this shutdown began, according to officials, exacerbating turnover at an agency that historically has had some of the U.S. governments highest attrition and lowest employee morale. ___Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed from West Palm Beach, Florida. JEFF AMY Amy covers Georgia politics and state government for The Associated Press. He began work with the AP in 2011 and covered Mississippi for eight years before transferring to the Atlanta bureau in 2019. twitter

This 1966 image taken by Ron McQueeney shows the Gemini 8 spacecraft being lifted for transport at Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. (Ron McQueeney/Ohio History Connection via AP)2026-03-21T17:00:40Z NEW YORK (AP) Sixty years after Neil Armstrong barely survived an emergency in orbit around Earth on Gemini 8, never-before-seen photos of his heroic return have been donated to the Ohio museum that bears his name.Quick thinking saved Armstrong and fellow astronaut David Scott, who ended the mission early with a splashdown off Okinawa, Japan. Previously unreleased photos taken by Ron McQueeney, an Army veteran and professional photographer who escorted Armstrong and Scott, show new angles of the pair. Since the splashdown was unplanned, few members of the media were on site, though NASA and military photographers were there. People who were unexpectedly called to help with recovery operations, like McQueeney, played a key role in capturing the aftermath.Sometimes, an incredible event can actually be documented by some of the most ordinary means, said Dante Centuori, executive director of the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Armstrongs western Ohio hometown. McQueeneys widow donated the photos, which show Armstrong and Scott on the deck of a U.S. Navy vessel and waving to service members on land. One shows the Gemini 8 capsule being lifted into the air for transport. One of the missions goals was to complete the first docking in space. Minutes after accomplishing this, both spacecraft started tumbling uncontrollably. The astronauts separated from the other spacecraft but the spinning got worse. Armstrong made a calculated decision, deploying the crafts thrusters to stop the spinning. In doing so, he ate into some of the vital fuel needed to get home. For safetys sake, they had to end the mission early.The duo splashed down about 10 hours after the March 16, 1966 launch. They were picked up by a recovery ship and brought to the Naha Air Base in Japan.Centuori said one element of the photos that sticks out is the smiles on the astronauts faces, which he suggested shows their professionalism and ability to remain at ease even after a life-threatening mission. Science historian Robert Poole said the grins point to something else.The obvious thing that sticks out to me is that they are very happy to be alive, said Poole, of the University of Lancashire.Armstrongs ability to stay cool in a crisis was key to his getting picked as commander of Apollo 11, Poole said. More than a half-century after the last Apollo mission, NASA is preparing to return to the moon with a lunar fly-around by Artemis astronauts in April.Past missions are a reminder of the effort and preparation it takes to get to space and adapt when plans change.Seeing people launch to space frequently can suggest that its easy, but its very hard. And it requires a lot of resources and attention, said Emily Margolis, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum.The new images will help the Armstrong Museum fill in gaps when telling the story of the mission to visitors. The Gemini 8 capsule is already on display at the museum. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in New York. She covers research and new developments related to space, early human history and more. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2026-03-21T16:56:53Z President Donald Trump frequently contradicts himself, sometimes in the same speech, social media post or even sentence. In the past 24 hours, he sent a torrent of mixed signals about the Iran war that raise more questions about the direction of the conflict and his administrations strategy.Within the space of a few hours Friday, Trump said he was considering winding down the war, his administration confirmed it was sending more troops to the Middle East and, in an effort to lessen the economic impact on global energy markets, the United States lifted sanctions on some Iranian oil for the first time in decades relieving some of the pressure that Washington traditionally has used as leverage. The confusing combination of actions deepens a sense among Trumps critics that there is no clear, long-term strategy for the war the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran. Now in its fourth week, the war remains on an unpredictable path and a credible endgame is unclear even as the global economy is being roiled. Winding down the warAfter another rough day in the financial markets, Trump said Friday afternoon on his social media network: We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.Trump contended the U.S. has adequately degraded Iranian naval, missile and industrial capacity and prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The Republican president then suggested the U.S. could pull out of the conflict without stabilizing the Strait of Hormuz, the channel through which about one-fifth of the worlds oil supply travels. The strait has been ravaged by Iranian missile, drone and mine attacks during the war. The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it The United States does not! Trump wrote. But, in another contradiction, he said the U.S. would help if asked, but it shouldnt be necessary once Irans threat is eradicated. While oil that traverses the strait is usually bound for Asia and other places rather than North America, the chaos still affects the United States. Oil is bought and sold globally, so a shortage in oil for Asian countries leads to bidding up prices on oil sold to companies in America, too.That fact, coupled with an Israeli strike on Irans gas fields and an Iranian retaliation that crippled a major terminal to ship liquefied natural gas from Qatar, helped tank U.S. equity markets Friday, with the S&P dropping 1.5%. There also was a sharp increase in U.S. fuel prices. More US military might to the Middle EastEven as Trump said the U.S. was close to winding down the war, the administration announced it was sending three more warships to the Middle East with about 2,500 additional Marines. It was the second time in the week that the administration said it was deploying more forces to the conflict. The military says some 50,000 are supporting the war effort.Trump has ruled out sending in ground troops, though his administration has hinted at a possible deployment of special forces or similar units. The Marines being sent to the region are an expeditionary unit designed for quick amphibious landings, but their deployment does not mean a ground invasion is certain. Analysts have suggested it may require the presence of U.S. forces on the ground to ultimately secure the strait.The surge in troops came just a day after news emerged that the Pentagon was seeking an additional $200 billion from Congress to fund the war. That extraordinarily high number does not suggest that the war was being wound down. Sanctions on Iranian oil salesThe administration said it would lift sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil, provided it was already at sea as of Friday. The move was an attempt to help lower skyrocketing energy prices by allowing freer sale of oil that Iran has let pass through the strait. It also extends a financial lifeline to the Iranian government that Trump is targeting.His administration has tried other methods to lower oil prices. It has tapped the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve and lifted sanctions on some Russian oil. Yet Brent crude remained at $112 per barrel Friday, and analysts say oil prices are likely to remain high for months regardless of the next steps in the war. The Iranian oil eventually would have reached another country, but now the United States and its allies can bid on it as well, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on X.At present, sanctioned Iranian oil is being hoarded by China on the cheap, Bessent wrote. By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets, expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply caused by Iran.While 140 million barrels may seem like a lot, that is only a couple of days worth of oil on the global market. Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a U.S. fuel-tracking service, said he does not expect the temporary suspension to have a major impact on gas prices. The de facto closure of the strait has a much greater effect, he said. Prices will likely still continue to rise so long as the Strait remains silent, De Haan said.And the contradictions in the position were obvious in Bessents post announcing the move, which labeled Iran the head of the snake for global terrorism. He said the administration would take steps to prevent Tehran from cashing in on the sales, but it was unclear how that would be done.Even among some Republicans, the contradictions triggered rare public skepticism.Bombing Iran with one hand and buying Iran oil with the other, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina posted on X Saturday.___AP Business Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Ann Arbor, Mich., contributed to this report.

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Until President Trump took office for the second time, it was rare for civilian government officials to live on military bases or installations.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S.D., center, privately speaks to Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., ahead of a news conference on Capitol Hill on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)2026-03-21T18:23:21Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate on Saturday blocked an amendment that would ban transgender athletes from playing in womens sports, rejecting one of President Donald Trumps priorities as he pressures Congress to act on a broad voting bill. Senators were holding a rare weekend session to debate the voting legislation, which would put in place strict new requirements for voter registration and require photo IDs at the polls in an effort to prevent people in the country illegally from casting ballots. The House passed the bill earlier this year, but the Republican president has since said he wants additional priorities added to the legislation, including the sports ban for transgender athletes and a ban on all mail-in voting. Democrats are expected to eventually block the broader legislation. Republicans senators have said repeatedly that they do not have enough support to jettison the legislative filibuster, which triggers a 60-vote threshold in the 100-member Senate, or find another workaround to pass the bill. Republicans hold 53 seats. Still, Republicans put the legislation on the Senate floor this week for a lengthy debate as Trump has said he will not sign other bills until they pass the voting measure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D, said Saturday morning that Republicans havent made any final decisions about how to conclude this. What we are trying to do is ensure that we are having a fulsome debate, Thune said, and put everyone on the record one way or the other. The amendment that was blocked by a 49-41 vote would penalize educational institutions that receive federal funding if they permitted individuals assigned male at birth to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls. Trump also wants Congress to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors as part of the debate on the voting bill. It is unclear whether the Senate will hold a vote on that. In addition, Trump has said he wants the House-passed bill to include a ban on most mail-in balloting. Trump has criticized mail in ballots for years and used it as a centerpiece of his efforts to overturn his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. A ban on mail ballots would face strong pushback from lawmakers.

Peyton Watson is expected to return for Denver on Sunday against the Trail Blazers after missing more than six weeks due to a hamstring strain.

Arne Slot has said Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion "hurts a lot" and admitted his team's form this season has not been good enough.

Yaxel Lendeborg's 25-point outing helped Michigan, the Midwest Region's top seed, power past Saint Louis on Saturday and advance to the Sweet 16.

We're tracking how every winner punches its ticket to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA tournament.

After a dominant midweek showing, Liverpool came crashing back to earth in the Premier League yet again.

The president issued a threat to deploy ICE agents in an apparent attempt to force Democrats to approve a new budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

Federal prosecutors dismissed charges against one of 39 defendants they charged for disrupting a worship service in January to protest the immigration crackdown.

Nothing artificial about this Hollywood A.I. smackdown.