Hannah Jones, accompanied by her spouse, Steve Cook, pose for a portrait at home near Philadelphia, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-03-22T13:00:06Z Hannah Jones credits paid medical leave with helping her survive an aggressive form of breast cancer.Her employer provided time off for chemotherapy treatments and to recover from surgery. Most importantly: Jones didnt have to delay care for work, something doctors warned against. I am cancer-free because I followed the treatment plan, the 35-year-old said. I am an example of how paid (medical leave) makes a huge difference in the life and survival of a cancer patient.More states are passing or considering laws that require employers to offer leave like this. Advocates say these laws can reduce financial stress and make workers more productive. But some measures also stress employers, and the patchwork nature of different state laws can create frustration. What are the different types of leave?Paid family and medical leave allows workers time off to undergo a treatment or care for a family member or a new child. Separately, more states and cities also are requiring paid sick time, which helps people deal with shorter-term illnesses like the flu. Nineteen states plus Washington, D.C., have laws requiring paid sick time, as do 17 cities and four counties, according to the non-profit National Partnership for Women and Families. Many employers also offer paid sick time without a government mandate. Laws requiring longer-term paid family and medical leave are less common. Thirteen states and D.C. require some version of it, according to the National Partnership. Details of these laws can vary by state. Some, for example, allow employers to provide only partial pay for certain types of leave. Some states or municipalities also have laws requiring specific types of paid time off. New York recently enacted a paid leave law for prenatal medical checkups. Some laws also give people time off to care for themselves or a family member dealing with domestic violence or sexual assault. There is no federal law requiring paid leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees only unpaid time off. It also doesnt apply to a large chunk of the workforce, including employees of small businesses that are exempt.This makes the U.S. a major outlier globally, according to Aleta Sprague of UCLAs World Policy Analysis Center. She said that 95% of countries provide some kind of paid leave for personal health. And in most countries that are our economic peers, its a substantial amount of leave, she said.What are the arguments for paid time off?Advocates say providing paid sick time can reduce the spread of disease. It also can improve production by cutting down on presenteeism, or people showing up for work sick and unable to focus on their jobs, said Jessica Mason, a senior policy analyst with the National Partnership.Paid leave for longer-term illnesses can help people focus on care and recovery. Jones said she was able to take every Friday off for weeks during treatment to get chemotherapy. That gave her the weekend to be a couch zombie and recover before returning to work.Paid leave also helped Jones and her husband stay afloat financially. They faced around $14,000 in medical bills even with insurance.We might have had to cash out our 401(k)s, she said. We might have had to sell our house if I hadnt had that paycheck continue. What are the drawbacks?Skye Nevada has cancelled plans to hire about 30 or 40 temporary employees for her Anchorage, Alaska, catering company and seasonal restaurant, The Bridge Co. She says she cant afford her states new paid sick leave law.Nevada said that when someone calls in sick, she would have to pay that person and their replacement, who would likely get overtime.To expect small businesses to just absorb this cost is crazy, Nevada said, adding that the business will only host private events instead of opening to the public this summer during tourist season.Small businesses often dont have a separate human resources department to track compliance with mandated leave policies, noted Beth Milito of the National Federation for Independent Business.The paperwork is time, and time is money to a small business owner, she said. Experts say the patchwork nature of the laws can be an additional hassle for multi-state employers. It affects patients too.Jones, who is helping the nonprofit Children First advocate for a Pennsylvania family leave law, had paid leave through her New York-based employer.But her husbands Pennsylvania company didnt offer it. That left the suburban Philadelphia resident cobbling together help from family members during treatment after her husband used his vacation time and had to return to work. Where do things go from here?Sprague doesnt see a federal law requiring paid leave happening anytime soon. But momentum is building in the states.Voters in Missouri, Nebraska and Alaska approved paid sick leave laws in November.At least seven states are considering paid family and medical leave laws this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.Mason says interest in paid leave has been building since the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic really brought to the forefront of everyones mind how important paid sick leave is, she said.____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. TOM MURPHY Murphy covers how people and businesses navigate the U.S. health care system. He is a member of APs Health and Science team. mailto

A man uses a cell phone in New Orleans on Aug. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)2025-03-22T13:15:28Z In the corners of social media dominated by wellness content, influencers recommend an assortment of treatments and products to support weight loss, fight exhaustion or promote other desired health outcomes. Some of the endorsed approaches may be helpful. Many play into fads with scant evidence to back up enthusiasts claims, medical experts say. Some influencers encourage their followers to avoid specific food items, such as seed oils, while others advocate going all in on certain foods, such as the meat-heavy carnivore diet. There are video pitches for berberine, a chemical compound thats been touted online as natures Ozempic, and for non-medical IV vitamin therapy, which businesses popularly known as drip bars market as cures for hangovers or fatigue. To be sure, alternative health practices and cures that lacked the medical establishments backing were a part of popular culture long before the internet age. But the plethora of advice shared online has both prompted calls for safeguards and found a measure of mainstream acceptance. The new U.S. health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had his Instagram account suspended in 2021 for posting misinformation about vaccine safety and COVID-19, but many of the ideas he champions have a widespread following. Critics of Dr. Mehmet Oz accused him of sometimes making misleading assertions on the talk show he used to host; Oz now is President Donald Trumps nominee to lead the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. A Netflix series released last month explored the story of Belle Gibson, a popular Australian wellness influencer who amassed a following talking about curing her terminal brain cancer with a healthy lifestyle and alternative medicine. In 2015, Gibson admitted to lying about having a cancer diagnosis. Australias federal court later fined her for failing to donate money she said would go to charity through sales of her cookbook and app. With personal wellness remaining a hot topic, here are some tips health experts have for evaluating the material you see online: Be cautious when an influencer promotes products Most influencers have or want business relationships with companies that allow them to earn income by promoting products. The arrangements dont necessarily mean content creators dont believe in what theyre marketing, but they do have a vested interest in publicizing products that may or may not work. Creators can get paid for pictures or videos that hype up a product and also earn commissions on sales through features such as affiliate links. Experts note its therefore better to proceed with caution when someone inspires you to hit the buy button, whether its for natural supplements, teas with purported weight loss benefits or any other wellness products that show up in your social media feed.Research published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a sizable amount of Instagram and TikTok posts that discussed five popular medical tests mostly came from account holders with some form of financial interest in promoting the screenings. After analyzing roughly 980 posts on the two platforms, researchers said most of the posts they found were misleading and failed to mention important harms, including overdiagnosis resulting from health people having full-body MRIs or tests to detect early signs of cancer, evaluate microorganisms in the gut or measure hormone levels. Promoting dietary supplements has been a particularly lucrative exercise for many influencers, said Timothy Caulfield, a health policy and law professor at the University of Alberta. He views the supplements industry as the backbone of health misinformation aimed at consumers and designed to fuel billions of dollars in revenue. Its gotten to the point where if someone is selling a supplement, its a red flag, he said. I dont think it was always like that, but it certainly is now. Check for expertiseIn general, consumers should take all bold claims with a degree of skepticism, said Cedric Bryant, chief executive officer at the nonprofit American Council on Exercise. The goal of creators is to increase engagement with their content, and some influencers may be tempted to make unproven assertions to draw in more viewers.If its too good to be true, it probably is, Bryant said. Some health and wellness influencers have medical training, but many do not. Before taking health tips from someone on social media, its a good idea to make sure they have the proper expertise or at least able to share the data that led them to recommend certain products or lifestyle choices. In the fitness area, Bryant recommends checking to see if a creator holds certification from an accreditation organization and then confirming the information through the U.S. Registry of Exercise Professionals database. The American Medical Association and The American Board of Medical Specialties maintain searchable databases for medical doctors, which may help verify the qualifications of creators who share their legal names and general locations. States also operate databases that allow users to check if someone is licensed to practice medicine or has been disciplined for misconduct. If an influencer holding the appropriate credentials pushes certain products, consumers still may want to consider if a brand partnership or other factors are shaping their recommendations. Federal Trade Commission guidelines that reflected the agencys interpretation of federal law directed influencers featuring specific products or services to prominently disclose any endorsements. Yet sponsorships and potential conflicts of interest are not always revealed. In 2023, the year the guidelines were issued, the FTC issued warnings to a dozen online influencers for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted sugar-containing products and aspartame, a sweetener found in diet soda, ice cream and other foods. Some of the influencers were registered dieticians. Compare to the prevailing medical consensus If a creator cites studies to support health and diet claims, its best to check and see if what theyre saying aligns with the latest evidence-based medical consensus. Just because somebody has an M.D. after their name doesnt make them entirely trustworthy, said Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist and Stanford University professor who studies the intersection of psychology and technology. Aboujaoude suggests double-checking health claims with traditionally reputable sources, such as major academic institutions or government health agencies. He also advised looking at studies cited by creators and assessing whether theyve been published in reputable journals and subjected to peer review. In some cases, it might be too soon to know if promising results should be trusted or not, said Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. For example, a study might show the benefits of a specific type of herb. But that doesnt necessarily mean the findings have been replicated in other research, a requirement for treatment methods to be considered proven effective, she said. HALELUYA HADERO Hadero covers online shopping and technology with a focus on Amazon, TikTok and internet culture for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Brad Schimel and Susan Crawford are seen before a debate Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)2025-03-22T12:24:00Z MILWAUKEE (AP) As the candidates for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat squared off in a recent debate before early voting, one issue came up first and dominated at the start.Lets talk about abortion rights, the moderator said.The winner of the April 1 election could hold the power to determine the fate of any future litigation over abortion because the outcome of the race for a vacancy on the states highest court will decide whether liberals or conservatives hold a majority.Abortion has become a central plank of the platform for the Democratic-backed candidate, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, in part because of its effect on voter turnout, although to a lesser extent than during a heated 2023 state Supreme Court race that flipped the court to a liberal majority. Brad Schimel, a former state attorney general, is the Republican-supported candidate. Abortion of course remains a top issue, said Charles Franklin, a Marquette University political scientist. But we havent seen either candidate be as outspoken on hot-button issues as we saw in 2023.Democrats are hoping voters will be motivated by the potential revival of an abortion ban from 1849, which criminalizes the willful killing of an unborn quick child. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to reactivate the 175-year-old ban. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin filed a separate lawsuit in February asking the court to rule on whether a constitutional right to abortion exists in the state. The 19th century law was enacted just a year after Wisconsin became a state, when lead mining and the lumber industry formed the bedrock of the states economy as white settlers rushed into areas left vacant by forced removals of Native American tribes.It also was a time when combinations of herbs stimulating uterine contractions were the most common abortion method, said Kimberly Reilly, a history and gender studies professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. During this time, there were no women in statehouses, Reilly said. When a woman got married, she lost her legal identity. Her husband became her legal representative. She couldnt own property in her name. She couldnt make a contract.This is the latest instance of long-dormant restrictions influencing current abortion policies after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which had granted a federal right to abortion.The revival of an 1864 Arizona abortion law, enacted when Arizona was a territory, sparked a national outcry last year. Century-old abortion restrictions passed by all-male legislatures during periods when women could not vote and scientific knowledge of pregnancy and abortion were limited have also influenced post-Roe abortion policies in Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.Those laws tend to be more severe. They often do not include exceptions for rape and incest, call for the imprisonment of providers and ban the procedure in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Some have since been repealed, while others are being challenged in court. During the state Supreme Court debate March 12, Crawford declined to weigh in directly on the 1849 abortion case but promoted her experience representing Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and making sure that women could make their own choices about their bodies and their health care. In an ad released Wednesday, she accused Schimel of not trusting women to make their own healthcare decisions.Schimel calls himself pro-life and has previously supported leaving Wisconsins 1849 abortion ban on the books. He dodged questions about abortion during the debate, saying he believes the issue should be left up to voters, although Wisconsin does not have a citizen-led ballot initiative process, which voters in several other states have used to protect abortion rights.Anthony Chergosky, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political scientist, said Schimel has been borrowing from the Republican playbook of avoiding the issue of abortion by leaving the question to voters in individual states. The message has still gotten across to many Democratic voters, who cited abortion as a top issue while waiting in line for early voting this past week.Jane Delzer, a 75-year-old liberal voter in Waukesha, said a womans right to choose is my biggest motivator. Im deeply worried about what Schimel may do on abortion.June Behrens, a 79-year-old retired teacher, spoke about a loved ones abortion experience: Everyone makes their own choice and has their own journey in life, and they deserve that right.Republican voters primarily cited immigration and the economy as their top issues, essentially the same ones that helped propel Republican Donald Trumps win over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris last November in the presidential election. But others said they also wanted conservative social views reflected on the court. Lewis Titus, a 72-year-old volunteer for the city of Eau Claire, said restricting abortion was his top issue in the Supreme Court race: I believe that Brad Schimel is the one to carry that on.While its one of the key issues this year, abortion played a much larger role two years ago, when a race for Wisconsins highest court demonstrated how expensive and nationalized state Supreme Court races have become.This years campaigns have focused primarily on criminal sentencing and attempting to paint one another as soft on crime, said Howard Schweber, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor emeritus.Crawford also has tried to make the race a referendum on Trump after his first months in office and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is running Trumps massive federal cost-cutting initiative and has funded two groups that have together spent more than $10 million to promote Schimel.Two years ago, abortion was a hugely mobilizing issue, and we saw that clearly in the lead-up to the election, Schweber said. Were seeing some of this but not to the same extent, which really makes no sense. The issues and stakes are exactly the same.The decision to elevate other issues might be the result of anxiety among Democrats that abortion may not resonate as deeply as they once believed after significant election losses in November, despite Harris using abortion as a pillar of her campaign, several Wisconsin politics experts said.Charles Franklin, a Marquette University political scientist, said he believes abortion will motivate Democrats, but the issue may not rank high in the priorities of independent voters, who he says will be central to the races outcome.In the early days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, it was still a very hot issue for voters, he said. But as states have codified their abortion laws, the issue doesnt seem to motivate voters to the same extent. In the fall, many Democrats believed abortion was still this magic silver bullet and would win them the presidential and Senate races. But the outcomes didnt seem to support that.___Associated Press video journalist Mark Vancleave in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.___The Associated Pressreceives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A view of Rome's Trevi Fountain, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-03-22T04:32:49Z ROME (AP) The Trevi Fountain, arguably the worlds most famous, has graced screens for decades, from Fellinis La Dolce Vita to Netflixs Emily in Paris. Each year, millions of visitors push through Romes narrow streets to gaze at the towering Titan god flanked by falls cascading into a turquoise pool.Yet, they never get to venture behind Oceanus back to see what produces the sublime play of water in the baroque masterpiece. A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, opens the door of Romes Trevi Fountains old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, opens the door of Romes Trevi Fountains old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A view of Rome's Trevi fountain is seen through a window of its old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A view of Rome's Trevi fountain is seen through a window of its old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A view of Rome's Trevi fountain is seen through a window of its old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A view of Rome's Trevi fountain is seen through a window of its old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Wooden doors on an adjacent street lead to the maneuvering chambers that control the fountains water supply, coming from the Aqua Virgo an ancient Roman aqueduct 16 kilometers (10 miles) away. Two electric pumps recycle 126 liters (33 gallons) of water per second while Romes water management company, ACEA, carefully monitors the flow around the clock.This precise amount is crucial for the movement of water through the statues; a little more or less, and it wouldnt work, said Davide DAlonzo, ACEAs manager for the area. The modern maneuvering chamber features metal tanks and lighted panels. In the original, arched chamber, water audibly rushes through a thick pipe and there is a functional, 18th-century hydrometer to gauge the fountains water level. A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, walks in Romes Trevi fountains new water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, walks in Romes Trevi fountains new water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, operates on a dashboard of Romes Trevi Fountains new water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, operates on a dashboard of Romes Trevi Fountains new water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A worker of Rome's main water and energy company, ACEA, walks in Rome's Trevi Fountain's old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A worker of Rome's main water and energy company, ACEA, walks in Rome's Trevi Fountain's old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A view of Rome's Trevi Fountain's old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A view of Rome's Trevi Fountain's old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A large, rudimentary spreadsheet on the wall displays the names of rich Roman families whose homes received water from the chamber long ago; when they fell behind on their payments, their supply was cut off. The chambers grated windows grant views out over the fountain and its many visitors all of whom are oblivious to its hidden waterworks. They toss coins over their shoulders into the water, a hopeful gesture based on a legend that it guarantees their return to the eternal city. A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, opens a window of Romes Trevi Fountains old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A worker of Romes main water and energy company, ACEA, opens a window of Romes Trevi Fountains old water flow control room, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More TRISHA THOMAS Thomas covers events throughout Southern Europe, Italy, and the Vatican for The Associated Press based in Rome. twitter instagram mailto

Wrestlers compete in the NCAA wrestling championships, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-03-22T12:45:52Z BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) President Donald Trump plans to attend the NCAA wrestling championships for the second time in three years, the latest example of how he has mostly limited travel early in his new term to trips built around sports events.Trump is expected to be at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday night as Penn State looks to close out its fourth straight mens team title. The Republican president spent Friday night as his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, about 70 miles northeast of Philadelphia, on what was his first visit there of his second term.Were going to the big fight. The reason Im going is in Philadelphia. They have the NCAA, world, wrestling for college. And Ive always supported the wrestlers, Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday evening. I want to support them. These are the great college wrestlers from the various schools. In the two-plus months since returning to the White House, Trump attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500 in Florida, where his motorcade drove a portion of the track. While president-elect he went to a UFC fight in New York. Thats more travel for sports than for policy announcements or official duties, though a long January swing took Trump to tour damage from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and wildfires in Los Angeles. He then gave a speech and visited the floor of Las Vegas Circa Resort & Casino before heading to Doral, Florida, to address a House Republican policy conference. Trump has long built his public and political persona around sporting events, and relishes turning up at live events to hear cheers from the crowd, even if some in attendance boo him. He also has signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls and womens sports an action which he points to frequently to fire up his core supporters. The president has used most Saturdays and Sundays to play golf at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, though he also sometimes remained in Washington to give weekend speeches.Trump was a candidate when he went to the 2023 NCAA wrestling championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Crime scene technicians look over the Young Park parking lot after a mass shooting overnight, Saturday, March 22, 2025 in Las Cruces, N.M. (Justin Garcia/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)2025-03-22T13:30:20Z LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) At least three people were killed and 14 others were injured in a mass shooting at a park in the desert city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, police said Saturday.Police were asking Saturday for bystanders to share videos and other tips as they continued to seek a suspect or suspects in the attack, which occurred at about 10 p.m. on Friday in the citys Young Park, a music and recreation venue.Gunshot victims were sent to all three local hospitals, as well as to University Medical Center of El Paso, the regional trauma center, according to police and hospital officials. Six patients arrived at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces by ambulance and private car, said marketing and communications director Andrew Cummins, and five of those have been transported to El Paso. In a post to Instagram on Saturday, Las Cruces City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Johana Bencomo put numbers to the tragedy. Part of me wanted to write that this is something you never really think this is going to happen in your city, but that actually feels deeply untrue, she wrote. Honestly now days a tragedy like this feels like a nightmare just waiting to come true at any possible moment, yet also always praying and hoping it never will. Las Cruces sits on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande River in southern New Mexico, about 41 miles (66 kilometers) north of the U.S.-Mexican border. The Las Cruces Police Department said police and fire personnel who arrived at the park in response to reports of gunfire are being assisted in their investigation by New Mexico State Police, the Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office, the FBI and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.The department was still on scene Saturday and the area around the park was closed to traffic, according to local media reports.

Volunteer Adrian Bucnick spends time with a dog at the Metro Animal Care and Control facility Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)2025-03-22T13:05:01Z NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) For over a decade, Adrian Budnick has taken adoption photos of the dogs at Nashvilles county animal shelter, but it wasnt until the COVID pandemic that an idea came to her.As one of only a few people allowed to visit in-person, she could take videos of dogs, inventing humorous nicknames and capturing their individual personalities, for an audience of potential adopters. First came her TikToks playing the persona of Anita Walker, a fast-talking, cowboy boot-wearing purveyor of certified pre-owned pets. Then she struck gold with the Whats this then? series short videos featuring goofy dog names that drew in viewers and boosted adoptions. Imaginative dog names made the videos go viralIt was kind of just on a whim, Budnick said. We had this Im assuming it was like a poodle-doodle situation, and he was really big and lanky.People often assume the shelter doesnt have fluffy dogs, so Budnick adopted what she calls her Karen voice slightly bored and complaining when she looked into the camera to say: The shelter only has pit bulls.And then I held up this giant curly dog with legs and the tongue hanging out. And I was like, Whats this then? She called it a Himalayan fur goblin.The video exploded over night, Budnick said. So much so that she went back the next day to make another one because Im like, I cant let this go.Since then she has promoted the adoption of such imaginative dog breeds as the Teacup werewolf and the Speckled freckled cuddle calf. Then theres the French baguette long lady and the Creamsicle push-up pup. The shelter does get its share of pit bull mixes. A December video featuring several of them in festive costumes with Budnick singing I Want a Pitt-o-potomous for Christmas has been viewed more than 5 million times. Adoptions got a boostWhile it is gratifying to gain visibility, Budnick said, the real payoff is in the adoptions. Data provided by the shelter shows dog adoptions increased by just over 25% between 2021 and 2024. Well get calls from all over. And its not just local here to Tennessee even, said Metro Animal Care and Control Director Ashley Harrington. Weve had an adopter from Canada. Weve had ones from states all over. She said people often call asking about a specific, made-up dog breed from one of the videos. Its been pretty great, and its been fun for our staff.The popularity of Budnicks videos have also led to donations of both money and supplies. Letters to the shelter referencing her videos are taped to a wall in the volunteer room.Still, like many other shelters in the South, its overcrowded. Budnick has one thing to say about that situation: Spay and neuter, spay and neuter, spay and neuter.Returning to photography for the love of dogsBudnick started taking photos as a kid. While on camping trips, shed take nature pictures with a 35 mm Canon AE-1. In high school she took photography classes and learned to make her own prints in a darkroom. But eventually she stopped taking pictures. That changed when she adopted a dog. When I got Ruby, my 13-year-old, she was five weeks old, and I started taking pictures of her, she said. A few months later, Budnick adopted Rubys sister, and a few months after that she began as a volunteer photographer at the shelter. So really, my dogs got me back into it. With her photos and videos, Budnick fights against the stigma that the shelter is a sad place with dogs no one would want. In many of the videos, she holds even the large dogs in her arms and gets her face licked. You see them running around in the videos when theyre in playgroup, and you see them cuddling, and you see their goofy smiles when Im holding them, and it just really showcases them, she said. Budnicks success has been noticed. She loves it when other shelters copy her ideas, or even lip sync over her videos while showing their own dogs, but shes not interested in taking on more work. She has a regular job in addition to volunteering for the shelter between 7-10 hours each week, but she doesnt mind the long hours.Im just having fun, she said. I absolutely love dogs. I think theyre the best thing on earth. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

From left, Yael and Adi Alexander, parents of Eden Alexander, who was abducted and brought to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, listen to Liz Hirsh Naftali, great aunt of Abigail More Edan, as families and victims of the Hamas attacks meet with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 29. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-03-22T16:59:29Z TEL AVIV (AP) Unlike many families who blame Israels government for not getting their loved ones released from captivity in Gaza, Adi Alexander is hesitant to point fingers. Pragmatic and measured, the father of the last living American being held hostage by Hamas just wants his son to come home.I dont want to get into who came first, the egg or the chicken, Alexander told The Associated Press on Friday from his New Jersey home. Still, with the once-promising ceasefire giving way to renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas, he wonders whether Israel can secure his sons freedom and is more hopeful about the U.S.'s chances to do it.Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier who grew up in the U.S., is one of 59 hostages still in Gaza, more than half of whom are believed to be dead. Last week, Hamas said it would release Edan and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to the stalled ceasefire agreement. Days later, though, Israel launched rockets across Gaza, breaking the two-month-old deal and killing hundreds of Palestinians. The hostilities show no signs of abating, with Israel vowing Friday to advance deeper into Gaza until Hamas releases the remaining hostages. The return to fighting has inflamed the debate in Israel over the fate of those held captive. Netanyahu has come under mounting domestic pressure, with mass protests over his handling of the hostage crisis. But he also faces demands from his hard-line allies not to accept any deal that falls short of Hamas destruction. A fathers hopeAdi Alexander said he thinks Netanyahu wants to bring everybody home, but on his own terms. He questions Netanyahus plans whereas he believes U.S. President Donald Trumps message is clear: Hes focused on bringing the hostages home. Alexander said hes counting on the U.S. to bridge the large gap between Israel and Hamas. His message to Trump about his administrations efforts to free his son and the others: Just keep this job going.Many families of the hostages say Trump has done more for them than Netanyahu, crediting the president with the ceasefire. In December, before taking office, Trump demanded the hostages immediate release, saying if they werent freed before he was sworn in for his second term there would be hell to pay. Phase one of the deal began weeks later, and saw the release of 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire was supposed to remain in place as long as talks on the second phase continued, but Netanyahu balked at entering substantive negotiations.Instead, he tried to force Hamas to accept a new ceasefire plan put forth by U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. That plan would have required Hamas to release half its remaining hostages the militant groups main bargaining chip in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the original ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. The US engages directly with HamasAs a soldier, Edan would have been released during the deals second phase. But Hamas announced this month that it would release Edan after the White House said it had engaged in ongoing talks and discussions with the group separate from the main negotiations. It is the first known direct engagement between Hamas and the U.S. since the State Department designated it a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. Adi Alexander said Adam Boehler, whos helping spearhead the Trump administrations efforts to free the hostages, led those separate talks because phase two was stalled. But he said he didnt believe Hamas claim that it would release his son because it came out of left field and wasnt being considered as part of the discussions between the group and Boehler. The anxious father said he speaks with Witkoff and Boehler almost daily and understands the negotiations are ongoing despite the resumption of fighting.A native of Tenafly, a New Jersey suburb of New York City, Edan moved to Israel in 2022 after high school and enlisted in the military. He was abducted from his base during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war, when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 others hostage. The grueling waitSince Edans abduction, theres been little news about him. Hamas released a video of him over Thanksgiving weekend in November. His family said it was difficult to watch as he cried and pleaded for help, but it was a relief to see he was alive. Freed hostages have given the family more news, according to his father. Some said Edan had lost a lot of weight. Others said hed been an advocate for fellow hostages, standing up for kidnapped Thai workers and telling their captors that the workers werent Israeli and should be freed. Although he knows the resumption of fighting means it will take more time to get his son back, Adi Alexander said he thinks both sides had became too comfortable with the ceasefire and that this was one reason phase two never began. He wants the war to end, and hopes the fighting will be limited and targeted and push everyone back to the table. Somebody, I think had to shake this tree to create chaos, and chaos creates opportunities, he said. The only objective is to get back to the bargaining table to get those people out. SAM MEDNICK Mednick is the AP correspondent for Israel and the Palestinian Territories. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses. Mednick formerly covered West & Central Africa and South Sudan. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Maj. Lisa Jaster, center, the first Army Reserve female to graduate the Army's Ranger School, stands in formation with other Rangers during an Army Ranger school graduation ceremony, Oct. 16, 2015, in Fort Benning, Ga. (AP Photo/Branden Camp, File)2025-03-22T17:10:04Z WASHINGTON (AP) Every day over the past few weeks, the Pentagon has faced questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages after it purged online content that promoted women or minorities.In response, the department has scrambled to restore a handful of those posts as their removals have come to light. While the pages of some well-known veterans, including baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson, are now back up on Pentagon websites, officials warn that many posts tagged for removal in error may be gone forever. The restoration process has been so hit or miss that even groups that the administration has said are protected, like the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military pilots who served in a segregated World War II unit, still have deleted pages that as of Saturday had not been restored. This past week chief, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video that mistaken removals will be quickly rectified. History is not DEI, he said, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion. But due to the enormous size of the military and the wide range of commands, units and bases, there has been an array of interpretations of what to remove and how as part of the Pentagon directive to delete online content that promotes DEI. Officials from across the military services said they have asked for additional guidance from the Pentagon on what should be restored, but have yet to receive any. The officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations, said, for example, they were waiting for guidance on whether military firsts count as history that can be restored. The first female Army Reserve graduate of Ranger School, Maj. Lisa Jaster, or the first female fighter pilot, Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, both had their stories deleted. Some officials said their understanding was it did not matter whether it was a historic first. If the first was based on what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth found to be a disqualifying characteristic, such as gender or race, it had to go, they said. One Army team has taken a very deliberate approach. According to the officials, the team took down several major historical heritage sites that had many postings about women and various ethnic or racial groups. They are now going through them all and plan to rework and repost as much as possible on a new website focused on Army heroes. The process, the officials said, could take months.Overall, tens of thousands of online posts that randomly mention dozens of key words, including gay, bias and female have been deleted. Officials warn that the bulk of those images are gone for good. Even as complaints roll in, officials will be careful about restoring things unless senior leaders approve.The officials described the behind-the-scenes process as challenging, frustrating and emotionally draining. Workers going through years of posts to take down mentions of historic accomplishments by women or minorities were at times reduced to tears or lashed out in anger at commanders directing the duty, the officials said. Others were forced to pull down stories they were proud of and had worked on themselves. They were often confused about the parameters for removal once a key word was found, and they erred on the side of removal, according to the officials.Not complying fully with the order was seen as dangerous because it could put senior military service leaders at risk of being fired or disciplined if an errant post celebrating diversity was left up and found. Officials said the department relied in large part on a blind approach using artificial intelligence computer commands to search for dozens of those key words in online department, military and command websites. If a story or photo depicted or included one of the terms, the computer program then added DEI into the web address of the content, which flagged it and led to its removal. Purging posts from X, Facebook and other social media sites is more complicated and time intensive. An AI command would not work as well on those sites.So military service members and civilians have evaluated social media posts by hand, working late into the night and on weekends to pore over their units social media pages, cataloging and deleting references going back years. Because some civilians were not allowed to work on weekends, military troops had to be called in to replace them, as the officials described it. The Defense Department is publicly insisting that mistakes will be corrected.As an example, the Pentagon on Wednesday restored some pages highlighting the crucial wartime contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans. That step came days after tribes condemned the removal. Department officials said the Navajo Code Talker material was erroneously erased, The previous week, pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were also restored. The restorations represent a shift from early, adamant denials that any deletion of things such as the Enola Gay or prominent service members was happening at all. At least two images of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, are still missing.This is fake news and anyone with a pulse knows it! the Defense Departments new Rapid Response social media account asserted March 7. We are NOT removing images of the Enola Gay or any other pictures that honor the legacy of our warfighters.Over time, the Pentagon has shifted its public response as more examples of deleted pages came to light.On Thursday, Parnell acknowledged in a video posted online that: Because of the realities of AI tools and other software, some important content was incorrectly pulled off line to be reviewed. We want to be very, very clear: History is not DEI. When content is either mistakenly removed, or if its maliciously removed, we continue to work quickly to restore it.But others have seen the widespread erasure of history. Most female aviator stories and photographs are disappearingincluding from the archives. From the WASPs to fighter pilots, @AFThunderbirds to @BlueAngels theyve erased us, Carey Lohrenz, one of the Navys first female F-14 Tomcat pilots, posted to X. Its an across the board devastating loss of history and information. Among the webpages removed include one about the Women Air Service Pilots, or WASPs, the female World War II pilots who were vital in ferrying warplanes for the military, and the Air Force Thunderbirds.Parnell, Hegseth and others have vigorously defended the sweeping purge despite the flaws.I think the president and the secretary have been very clear on this that anybody that says in the Department of Defense that diversity is our strength is, is frankly, incorrect, Parnell said during a Pentagon media briefing. Our shared purpose and unity are our strength. LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto

Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States deplane at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez, File)2025-03-22T18:20:42Z CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Venezuela will once again accept repatriation flights from the United States carrying its deported nationals after reaching an agreement with the U.S., a Venezuelan official said on social media Saturday.Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro suspended flights on March 8, after the U.S. Treasury Department announced the withdrawal of Chevrons license to export Venezuelan oil.We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday, said Jorge Rodrguez, president of Venezuelas Assembly and Maduros chief negotiator with the U.S.Venezuela accepted the deal to guarantee the the return of our compatriots to their nation with the safeguard of their Human Rights, Rodrguez said.In his statement, Rodrguez referred to the deportation by Donald Trumps government of some 250 Venezuelans to a high-security prison in El Salvador. Migrating is not a crime and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador, Rodrguez said. Trump alleged the deportees were members of the Tren de Aragua gang. He labeled the Tren de Aragua an invading force on March 15 when he invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a little-used authority from 1798 that allows the president to deport any non-citizen during wartime. A federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations, but flights were in the air when the ruling came down. Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. Department of State designated a foreign terrorist organization, originated in a prison in the South American country. Members accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nations economy came undone last decade.Trumps administration has not provided evidence that the deportees are members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crime in the U.S. Maduros government has mostly refused the entry of immigrants deported from the U.S. Those deportations have sharply picked up since Trump took office on Jan. 20.In recent weeks, some 350 people were deported to Venezuela, including some 180 who spent up to 16 days at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The Trump administration said that the Venezuelans sent to Guantanamo are members of Tren de Aragua, but offered little evidence to back this up.

Participants in a mass for the jubilar pilgrims from Naples wait for the start of the celebration under pouring rain in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-03-22T16:07:39Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis will be released from the hospital on Sunday, after 38 days battling a life-threatening case of pneumonia in both lungs, his doctors said.Gemelli medical director Dr. Sergio Alfieri said Saturday that Francis will require at least two months of rest and rehabilitation as he continues recovering back at the Vatican.Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. He later developed a life-threatening case of pneumonia.Pope Francis doctors provided their first in-person update on the pontiffs condition in a month, in a sign that he has made good and steady progress in his battle against double pneumonia.The Saturday evening briefing is the first since Feb. 21, a week after the 88-year-old Francis was brought to Gemelli hospital. He subsequently experienced several respiratory crises that landed him in critical condition, though he has since stabilized. In another development, the Vatican announced that Francis would appear on Sunday morning to bless faithful from his 10th floor suite at the hospital. While Francis released an audio message on March 6 and the Vatican distributed a photo of him March 16, Sundays blessing will be the first live appearance since Francis was admitted on Feb. 14 for what has become the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease, is prone to respiratory problems in winter and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted after a bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions.The most serious setbacks began on Feb. 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing fit and inhaled vomit, requiring he use a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises in the following days, which required doctors manually aspirate the mucus, at which point he began sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluids. At no point did he lose consciousness, and doctors reported he was alert and cooperative.Over the past two weeks, he has stabilized and registered slight improvements, the Vatican press office has reported. He no longer needs to wear the ventilation mask at night, and is cutting back his reliance on high flows of supplemental oxygen during the day.___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.

VibeForge vs. Facebook—That’s an interesting comparison! If you're considering why someone might choose VibeForge over Facebook, here are some possible reasons: 🔒 1. Privacy & Control Facebook has a history of data privacy concerns and intrusive tracking. VibeForge can stand out by offering: Stronger privacy controls with no invasive tracking Better data protection...

This is a locator map of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. (AP Photo)2025-03-23T05:51:48Z DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Israeli strikes across the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight into Sunday, including a senior Hamas political leader and several women and children, as the military ordered people to evacuate from part of the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.The military said it would soon operate against militants in the already heavily destroyed Tel Sultan area of Rafah. Israel launched a major offensive in the southern city last May, when it captured a strategic corridor along the border with Egypt and the Rafah crossing.The military ordered people to evacuate on foot along a single route to the Mawasi area, a sprawling area of squalid tent camps with few public services. It was not immediately clear if the evacuation order signaled a renewed ground operation.Remaining in camps, tents, or houses in Tel al-Sultan or walking on any other route endangers your lives and the lives of your family members, military spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said in a statement. Hamas said that Salah Bardawil, a member of its political bureau and of the Palestinian parliament, was killed in a strike in Mawasi that also killed his wife. Bardawil was a well-known member of the groups political wing who gave media interviews over the years.Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are allied with Hamas, meanwhile launched another missile at Israel, setting off air raid sirens. The Israeli military said the projectile was intercepted, and there were no reports of casualties or damage. At least 2 families among those killed in southern GazaTwo hospitals in southern Gaza said they had received 17 bodies from strikes overnight, including several women and children. The toll did not include the Hamas official and his wife.The European Hospital said the dead included five children and their parents killed in a strike in Khan Younis. Another family two girls and their parents were killed in a separate strike on the southern city. The Kuwaiti Hospital said it received the bodies of a woman and child killed in another strike. The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said Israeli forces were preventing its ambulances from responding to strikes in Rafah and that several of its medics had been wounded.There was no immediate comment from the military.Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last week when it launched a surprise wave of airstrikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians across the territory. The Houthis resumed their attacks on Israel, portraying them as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians, despite recent U.S. strikes targeting the Yemeni rebels.Ceasefire in tatters after Israeli strikesThe ceasefire that took hold in January paused 15 months of heavy fighting ignited by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel.Twenty-five Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others were released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli forces pulled back to a buffer zone, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to return to what remains of their homes, and there was a surge in humanitarian aid.The sides were supposed to begin negotiations in early February on the next phase of the truce, in which Hamas was to release the remaining 59 hostages 35 of whom are believed to be dead in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Those talks never began, and Israel backed out of the ceasefire agreement after Hamas refused Israeli and U.S.-backed proposals to release more hostages ahead of any talks on a lasting truce.Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage in the Oct. 7 attack. Most of the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, while Israeli forces rescued eight alive and recovered dozens of bodies.Israels offensive has killed at least 49,747 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the dead but does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its records. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and at its height had displaced around 90% of the population. Israel sealed off the territory of 2 million Palestinians from food, fuel, medicine and other supplies earlier this month to pressure Hamas to change the ceasefire agreement. ___Magdy reported from Cairo.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war SAMY MAGDY Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses. twitter facebook mailto

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in near Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)2025-03-23T06:13:23Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) At least three people were killed, including a five-year-old child, after Russia launched a barrage of drones targeting Kyiv overnight on Sunday, according to local Ukrainian officials and emergency services. The attack on the Ukrainian capital came ahead of ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia in which Ukraine and Russia are expected to hold indirect U.S.-mediated talks on Monday to discuss a pause in long-range attacks targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure. The Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia a day ahead of the indirect talks, Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine is planning to send technical teams to discuss the details of the partial ceasefire. Russia launched 147 drones across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 97 and 25 others didnt reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures. The attacks also struck Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa and Donetsk regions. Extended sounds of explosions were heard in the early hours of the night as the air raid blared for over five hours. Russian drones and debris from shot-down drones, which were flying at lower altitudes to evade air defenses, fell on residential buildings. Ukraines Kyiv City Military Administration said three people were killed and 10 others were injured. Two residential buildings in the district of Dnipro caught fire due to falling drone debris, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. A fire broke out on the top floors of a 9-storey building, killing one woman, the State Emergency Service said. In the district of Podil, a fire broke out on the 20th floor of a 25-storey building. In Holosiivskyi, fires broke out in a warehouse and office building, killing one person, according to the State Emergency Service. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Riot police use pepper spray to clear a protester during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)2025-03-23T07:18:05Z ISTANBUL (AP) A court formally arrested the mayor of Istanbul and key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday and ordered him jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges.Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained following a raid on his residence earlier this week, sparking the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade. It also deepened concerns over democracy and rule of law in Turkey.His imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major contender from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.Government officials reject accusations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that Turkeys courts operate independently.The formal arrest came as his opposition Republican Peoples Party, or CHP, began holding a primary presidential election to endorse Imamoglu as its presidential candidate despite the arrest. The party has also set up symbolic ballot boxes nationwide called solidarity boxes to allow people who are not party members to express their support to the mayor. Honestly, we are embarrassed in the name of our legal system, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, a fellow member of Imamoglus CHP, told reporters, criticizing the lack of confidentiality in the proceedings.We learned from television pundits about the allegations that even lawyers did not have access to, showing how politically motivated this whole ordeal has been, he said. The Council of Europe, a Europe-wide body that focuses on promoting human rights and democracy slammed the decision to imprison the mayor.We deplore the decision to place Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu in detention, and demand his immediate release, said Marc Cools who heads the groupings congress of local authorities.Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and an author of a biography of Erdogan, said with Imamoglus arrest, Erdogan was taking an extreme measure against his key opponent. Erdogan is determined to do whatever it takes to end Imamoglus career, he said. (Imamoglu) beats Erdogan in every imaginable presidential poll.Cagaptay said the international environment where the European Union appears keen to maintain Turkeys favor amid security threats from Russia, and the United States is unconcerned by other countries internal affairs allows Erdogan to proceed without fear of international scrutiny.The EU is compliant and the United States is facing inwards, Cagaptay said.Before his detention, Imamoglu had already faced multiple criminal cases that could result in prison sentences and a political ban. He was also appealing a 2022 conviction for insulting members of Turkeys Supreme Electoral Council.Earlier in the week, a university nullified his diploma, citing alleged irregularities in his transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus some 30 years ago. The decision effectively bars him from running for president, since the position requires candidates to be university graduates. Imamoglu had vowed to challenge the decision. Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkeys largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and the presidents Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogans party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which the CHP made significant gains against Erdogans governing party. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

From left, head physician of Vatican's Health and Hygiene Office, Luigi Carbone, and Surgeon Sergio Alfieri, speak to journalists, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in the entrance hall of Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis is being treated for bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)2025-03-23T08:11:36Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis is making his first public appearance in five weeks before being discharged Sunday from the hospital where he survived a severe case of pneumonia that twice threatened his life and raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral.The 88-year-old pontiff plans to offer a Sunday blessing from the 10th-floor papal suite at Romes Gemelli hospital. After saying goodbye to hospital staff, he is to return to the Vatican to begin at least two months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence during which time doctors have said he should refrain from meeting in big groups or exerting himself.But Francis personal doctor, Dr. Luigi Carbone, told a hastily arranged press conference Saturday evening that the pope eventually should be able to resume all his normal activities as long as he maintains the slow and steady progress he has registered to date.His return home, after the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history, brought tangible relief to the Vatican and Catholic faithful who have been anxiously following 38 days of medical ups and downs and wondering if Francis would make it. Pope is happy to go homeNo special arrangements have been made at the Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican hotel next to St. Peters Basilica where Francis lives in a two-room suite on the second floor. Francis will have access to supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed, though Carbone said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less assistance breathing as his lungs recover.While the pneumonia infection has been successfully treated, Francis will continue to take oral medication for quite some time to treat the fungal infection in his lungs and continue his respiratory and physical physiotherapy.For three or four days hes been asking when he can go home, so hes very happy, Carbone said. Two life-threatening crisesThe Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions.The most serious setbacks began on Feb. 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing fit and inhaled vomit, requiring the use of a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises a few days later, which required doctors to manually aspirate copious amounts of mucus from his lungs, at which point he began sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluids.He was never intubated and at no point lost consciousness. Doctors reported he always remained alert and cooperative, though they say he has probably lost a bit of weight given a natural loss of appetite. Im still alive!Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who coordinated Francis medical team, stressed that not all patients who develop such a severe case of double pneumonia survive, much less are released from the hospital. He said Francis life was at risk twice, during the two acute respiratory crises, and that the pope at the time understandably lost his typical good sense of humor.When he was in really bad shape, it was difficult that he was in good spirits, Alfieri said. But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, Im still alive we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humor back.Alfieri confirmed that Francis was still having trouble speaking due to the damage to his lungs and respiratory muscles. But he said such problems were normal, especially in elderly patients, and that his voice was making good progress coming back. He predicted it would eventually return to normal. Over the past two weeks, Francis has stabilized and registered slight improvements. He no longer needs to wear the ventilation mask at night and is cutting back his reliance on high flows of supplemental oxygen during the day. No confirmed appointments for nowThe Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to confirm any upcoming events, including a scheduled audience on April 8 with King Charles III or Francis participation in Easter services at the end of the month. But Carbone said he hoped Francis might be well enough to travel to Turkey at the end of May to participate in an important ecumenical anniversary.Francis is also returning to the Vatican in the throes of a Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration scheduled to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome this year. The pope has already missed several Jubilee audiences and will presumably miss several more, but Vatican officials say his absence hasnt significantly impacted the numbers of expected pilgrims arriving. Francis released an audio message thanking people for their prayers on March 6 and the Vatican distributed a photo of him on March 16. But Sundays blessing marks the first live appearance since Francis was admitted.Only St. John Paul II recorded a longer hospitalization in 1981 when he spent 55 days at Gemelli for minor surgery and treatment of an infection.___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

FILE- In this May 22, 2011 file photo, emergency personnel walk through a severely damaged neighborhood after a tornado hit Joplin, Mo. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-03-23T04:05:08Z The horror of the Joplin tornado is the subject of a new documentary film, released nearly 14 years after the twister struck Missouri with cataclysmic force, ripping into a hospital, destroying neighborhoods and killing around 160. You see pictures of World War II, the devastation and all that with the bombing, Kerry Sachetta, then the Joplin High School principal, told The Associated Press on the evening of May 22, 2011, after the school was destroyed. Thats really what it looked like, Sachetta said.As he spoke on that dreadful night, fires from gas leaks burned across town. The EF-5 twister, then the single deadliest in six decades, packed winds of 200 mph (320 kph). At times, it was nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide. Left in its wake was a hellscape of cars crushed like soda cans and shaken residents roaming streets in search of missing family members. About 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.The Twister: Caught in the Storm was released last week by Netflix following a recent spate of deadly storms that have unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust storms and wildfires. Hospital became a disaster zoneSome of the most startling damage in Joplin was at St. Johns Regional Medical Center, where staff had only moments to hustle patients into the hallway before the 367-bed hospital was knocked off its foundation. Flying debris blew out windows and disabled the hospitals exposed generators, causing ventilators to stop working. The winds also scattered X-rays and medical records around 75 miles (121 kilometers) away. Five patients and one visitor died in the immediate aftermath. And other patients later died of injuries they suffered in the storm.On the morning after the storm, Dr. Jim Riscoe told the AP that some members of his emergency room staff showed up after the tornado with injuries of their own but worked through the night anyway.Its a testimony to the human spirit, Riscoe said, comparing the scene to a nuclear disaster. Cars had been thrown like playing cards. Power lines were sparking. I couldnt believe it.The building was so badly damaged it had to be razed the following year. Recent grads and nursing home residents among the deadThe deaths from the storm were so numerous that a makeshift morgue was set up next to a football stadium in Joplin. Hundreds of others were injured in the city of 53,000. Among the dead was 18-year-old Will Norton who was headed home from his high school graduation when he was sucked out of his familys SUV through the sunroof. His father desperately held on to his legs. Nortons body was found five days later in a nearby pond.In the following years, his family kept his room as it was: an open pack of chewing gum, his trademark mismatched socks, his computer and the green screen that helped earn him a YouTube following for his travel chronicles.Its a little comfort to go in there, go back in time and remember how it was, his father, Mark Norton, said close to the five-year anniversary.Around a dozen died in a single nursing home after the tornado tossed four vehicles, including a full-size van, into the building. Those who survived were scattered to nursing homes in four states, their records and medications blown away. Widespread phone outages then complicated efforts to locate the residents, some of whom had dementia.Officials still disgree about the final death toll. The federal storm center says 158 died while local officials count the deaths of three additional people, including a person struck by lightning after the tornado blew through the city. Schools were devastated but persistedThe tornado forced school officials to end the spring term nine days early. Six school buildings were destroyed, including the high school. Seven other buildings were badly damaged.The district scrambled to rebuild with federal funds, donations, insurance money and a $62 million bond, cobbling together a hodgepodge of temporary locations while construction was underway. Seniors and juniors took classes in a converted big-box store in a shopping mall, while freshmen and sophomores went to school in a building across town. Then-President Barack Obama was the commencement speaker during the high schools 2012 commencement and then-Vice President Joe Biden attended the 2014 dedication of the new high school, calling the community the heart and soul of America.The dedication included two live eagles, the schools mascot. During the first home football game after the tornado, a single eagle flew over the football field and became a symbol signifying that the students, like the bird who returns to the same nesting spot each year, would come home again.

101-year-old Col. James H. Harvey III, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, sits for a portrait in Aurora, Colo., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)2025-03-23T04:44:27Z AURORA, Colo. (AP) With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went on to become the first Black jet fighter pilot in Korean airspace during the Korean War, and a decorated one after 126 missions. He was one of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the first U.S. Air Force Gunnery Meet in 1949, a forerunner of todays U.S. Navy Top Gun school. They said we didnt have any ability to operate aircraft or operate heavy machinery. We were inferior to the white man. We were nothing, Harvey said. So we showed them. Shortly after Trumps January inauguration, the Air Force removed new recruit training courses that included videos of the Tuskegee Airmen. The removal drew bipartisan outrage and the White Houses ire over what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as malicious implementation of Trumps executive order. The Air Force quickly reversed course.Announcing the reversal, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said in a statement that the initial removal was because the service, like other agencies, had to move swiftly to comply with Trumps executive order with no equivocation, no slow-rolling, no foot-dragging. The videos were shown to troops as part of DEI courses taken during basic military training. Some photos of Tuskegee Airmen were also among tens of thousands of images in a Pentagon database flagged for removal.I thought there was progress in that area, but evidently there isnt, said Harvey, who blamed Trump for contributing to what he sees as worsening prejudice in the U.S. Ill tell him to his face. No problem, he said. Ill tell him, Youre a racist, and see what he has to say about that. What can they do to me? Just kill me, thats all.The Tuskegee Airmen unit was established in 1941 as the 99th Pursuit Squadron based at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 99th became the 332nd Fighter Group, which by wars end destroyed or damaged more than 400 enemy aircraft in North Africa and Europe during the war and sank a German destroyer in action.Of the 992 Tuskegee Airmen trained as pilots starting in 1942, 335 were deployed, 66 were killed in action and 32 who were shot down became war prisoners.In 1949, two months after the airmens gunnery meet victory in the propeller-driven class, the U.S. Air Force integrated Black and white troops and the Tuskegee Airmen were absorbed into other units.It took the Air Force almost half a century to recognize 332nds last achievement: Its success in aerial bombing and shooting proficiency in the gunnery meet at what is now Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. For decades, the winners were listed as unknown and their trophy was missing.We won them all, Harvey said. We werent supposed to win anything because of the color of our skin.Harvey trained during World War II but was not deployed to combat before the war ended. In Korea, he flew the F-80 Shooting Star jet fighter and earned medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross.He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1965 and received an honorary promotion to colonel in 2023. Trump in 2020 promoted another of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Charles McGee, to brigadier general. McGee died in 2022 at age 102.Harvey still regards the Air Force Gunnery Meet as his biggest accomplishment, one the Air Force finally recognized in 1993.Their missing trophy was found in a museum storeroom not long after.We were good, and they couldnt take it away from us, Harvey said. We were good. And Ill repeat it until I die.

Acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, speaks during the funeral prayers of Khalil Haqqani, the minister for refugees and repatriation, during his funeral procession in eastern Paktia province, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Saifullah Zahir, File)2025-03-23T05:46:00Z The U.S. has lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister who also heads a powerful network blamed for bloody attacks against Afghanistans former Western-backed government, officials in Kabul said Sunday.Sirajuddin Haqqani, who acknowledged planning a January 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul, which killed six people, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla, no longer appears on the State Departments Rewards for Justice website. The FBI website on Sunday still featured a wanted poster for him.Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the U.S. government had revoked the bounties placed on Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani.These three individuals are two brothers and one paternal cousin, Qani told The Associated Press.The Haqqani network grew into one of the deadliest arms of the Taliban after the U.S.-led 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The group employed roadside bombs, suicide bombings and other attacks, including on the Indian and U.S. embassies, the Afghan presidency, and other major targets. They also have been linked to extortion, kidnapping and other criminal activity. A Foreign Ministry official, Zakir Jalaly, said the Talibans release of U.S. prisoner George Glezmann on Friday and the removal of bounties showed both sides were moving beyond the effects of the wartime phase and taking constructive steps to pave the way for progress in bilateral relations.The recent developments in Afghanistan-U.S. relations are a good example of the pragmatic and realistic engagement between the two governments, said Jalaly. Taliban see the opening in breaking out of isolationAnother official, Shafi Azam, hailed the development as the beginning of normalization, also citing the Talibans announcement they were in control of Afghanistans embassy in Norway. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, China has been the most prominent country to accept one of their diplomats. Other countries have accepted de facto Taliban representatives, like Qatar, which has been a key mediator between the U.S. and the Taliban. U.S. envoys have also met the Taliban. The Taliban rule, especially bans affecting women and girls, has triggered widespread condemnation and deepened their international isolation.Haqqani has previously spoken out against the Talibans decision-making process, authoritarianism and alienation of the Afghan population. He has been under U.N. sanctions since 2007, because of his involvement with the network founded by his father, Jalaluddin. But the global body has allowed him to travel in the past 12 months, including to the United Arab Emirates to meet the countrys leadership and to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. Those were his first trips abroad since the Taliban takeover.Ibraheem Bahiss, a senior analyst with International Crisis Groups Asia program, said the removal of the bounties was a win for Taliban officials wanting to do business with the international community. The U.S. was showing it could reward those who made compromises within their own remit, even if these compromises didnt translate to national policy, he said. The international community had made demands of the Taliban, specifically lifting restrictions on women and girls, but offered nothing in return, said Bahiss. Scrapping bounties was a sign that small diplomatic overtures were possible.While recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan might not immediately be on the horizon, the Taliban viewed normalization as enough progress given their existing diplomatic inroads in the region, according to Bahiss.For the Taliban, the removal of sanctions is more important than (official) recognition. Sanctions bite. They inhibit your ability to do business, to travel. Thats why they would celebrate this as a victory. The transactional nature of this diplomacy suits both the Taliban and Trump.His partial rehabilitation on the international stage is in contrast to the status of the reclusive Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who could face arrest by the International Criminal Court for his persecution of women. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Marianne de Reynier Nevsky, the cultural mediation manager in Neuchatel, left, and town council member Julie Courcier Delafontaine chat about a new "museum prescription" program outside the Ethnographic Museum of Neuchatel in Neuchatel, Switzerland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jamey Keaton)2025-03-23T05:30:11Z NEUCHATEL, Switzerland (AP) The worlds woes got you down? Feeling burnout at work? Need a little something extra to fight illness or prep for surgery? The Swiss town of Neuchtel is offering its residents a novel medical option: Expose yourself to art and get a doctors note to do it for free. Under a new two-year pilot project, local and regional authorities are covering the costs of museum prescriptions issued by doctors who believe their patients could benefit from visits to any of the towns four museums as part of their treatment.The project is based on a 2019 World Health Organization report that found the arts can boost mental health, reduce the impact of trauma and lower the risk of cognitive decline, frailty and premature mortality, among other upsides. Art can help relax the mind as a sort of preventative medicine and visits to museums require getting up and out of the house with physical activity like walking and standing for long periods. Neuchatel council member Julie Courcier Delafontaine said the COVID crisis also played a role in the programs genesis. With the closure of cultural sites (during coronavirus lockdowns), people realized just how much we need them to feel better. She said so far some 500 prescriptions have been distributed to doctors around town and the program costs very little. Ten thousand Swiss francs (about $11,300) have been budgeted for it. If successful, local officials could expand the program to other artistic activities like theater or dance, Courcier Delafontaine said. The Swiss national health care system doesnt cover culture as a means of therapy, but she hopes it might one day, if the results are positive enough.Marianne de Reynier Nevsky, the cultural mediation manager in the town of 46,000 who helped devise the program, said it built on a similar idea rolled out at the Fine Arts Museum in Montreal, Canada, in 2019. She said many types of patients could benefit.It could be a person with depression, a person who has trouble walking, a person with a chronic illness, she said near a display of a feather headdress from Papua New Guinea at the Ethnographic Museum of Neuchatel, a converted former villa that overlooks Late Neuchatel.Part of the idea is to get recalcitrant patients out of the house and walking more.Dr. Marc-Olivier Sauvain, head of surgery at the Neuchatel Hospital Network, said he had already prescribed museum visits to two patients to help them get in better shape before a planned operation.He said a wider rollout is planned once a control group is set up. For his practice, the focus will be on patients who admit that theyve lost the habit of going out. He wants them to get moving.Its wishful thinking to think that telling them to go walk or go for a stroll to improve their fitness level before surgery will work, Sauvain said on a video call Saturday, wearing blue scrubs. I think that these patients will fully benefit from museum prescriptions. Well give them a chance to get physical and intellectual exercise. And as a doctor, its really nice to prescribe museum visits rather than medicines or tests that patients dont enjoy, he added. To tell them Its a medical order that instructs you to go visit one of our nice city museums.Some museum-goers see the upsides too.I think its a great idea, said Carla Fragniere Filliger, a poet and retired teacher, during a visit to the ethnography museum. There should be prescriptions for all the museums in the world! JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe. twitter

2025-03-23T04:26:28Z Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation in one North Carolina county as emergency crews fought separate fires in an area of the state still recovering from Hurricane Helene, while South Carolinas governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire.The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m. Saturday for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina about 80 miles (128.7 kilometers) west of Charlotte.Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can become blocked; if you do not leave now, you could be trapped, injured, or killed, a social media post by the agency warned residents of specific roads.The public safety department said a shelter had been established in Columbus, North Carolina.The North Carolina Forest Services online wildire public viewer indicated three active fires in Polk County, with the two largest spanning between 1,100 and 1,240 acres (445 and 502 hectares). Two other fires were active in nearby Burke and Madison counties, with a third wildfire burning in Stokes County on the northern border with Virginia. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday as part of an effort to stop a blaze in Pickens County called the Table Rock Fire that started the previous day in an area within the Blue Ridge Mountains. As this wildfire continues to spread, the State of Emergency allows us to mobilize resources quickly and ensure our firefighters have the support they need to protect lives and property, McMaster said in a statement that reinforced a statewide outdoor burning ban issued Friday by the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Local fire officials called for voluntary evacuations Saturday of some residents near Table Rock Mountain, the forestry commission said in a social media post.The Pickens County Sheriffs Office posted an update late Saturday saying crews had ceased operations and would resume Sunday morning with ground personnel and machinery and assistance from helicopters and air tankers. The fire was about 110 acres (44.5 hectares) and the public was asked to avoid state Highway 11. North Carolinas western region already had been hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September. Among the extensive damage, flooding washed away more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) of eastbound lanes on Interstate 40 leading to eastern Tennessee and remained partially closed to traffic until March. The hurricane damaged or impacted 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) of state-maintained roads and damaged 7,000 private roads, bridges and culverts in North Carolina.

Wearing Inuit facial tattoos, Shaman mother and daughter, Therecie Sanimuinaq Pedersen, left, and Aviaja Rakel Sanimuinaq, pose for a portrait at Aviajas studio where she performs Inuit ancestral spiritual healing in Nuuk, Greenland, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)2025-03-23T12:02:23Z NUUK, Greenland (AP) Sitting on the pelt of a polar bear hunted by her family, Aviaja Rakel Sanimuinaq says shes proud to be part of a movement of Greenlanders reclaiming their Inuit traditions and spirituality.The shaman, who has Inuit facial tattoos, works with spiritual healing practices to help people connect with their ancestors and heal generational trauma. A sign outside her studio in the Greenland capital of Nuuk conveys her role: Ancient knowledge in a modern world.In recent years, Greenlanders like her have been embracing pre-Christian Inuit traditions, including drum dancing and Inuit tattoos. For some, its a way to proudly reclaim their ancestral roots. Its also a way to reject the legacy of European Christian missionaries who colonized Greenland in the 18th century and suppressed their traditions, labeling them as pagan. The sacredness of Christianity is still sacred in my eyes. But so is Buddhism, so is Hinduism, and so is my work, Sanimuinaq said in her studio, surrounded by skulls of seals, raven feathers and medicinal herbs. They help the angakkoq, or shaman, communicate with silam aappaa or the other world the spiritual world. Thats where I stand that the arising of our culture, and us as a people, is also to get the equality within our culture, to acknowledge that our culture is legit; that it has to have a space here. The Inuit have survived and thrived for generations in one of the most remote, vast and rugged places on Earth, hunting for seals, whales and polar bears. Their traditional religion is animist. Inuit believe that every animal and bird, every stone and every piece of earth, the rain and the snow all have a spirit and a right to be respected, authors Gill and Alistair Campbell write in their travel book, Greenland.About 90% of the 57,000 Greenlanders identify as Inuit and the vast majority belong to the Lutheran Church. A Danish missionary brought that branch of Christianity to the worlds largest island more than 300 years ago. Greenland is now a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and Greenlanders increasingly favor getting full independence a crucial issue in a recent parliamentary election.Some sayGreenlands independence movement received a boostafter U.S. President Donald Trump pushed their Arctic homeland into the spotlight by threatening to take it over.We dont have to walk silenced anymore, Sanimuinaq said. Thats the change we see that the voice we get out in the world has been forbidden even within our country. Now that were opening, we have more freedom.The spiritual and social value of Tunniit the traditional Inuit tattoosThe suppression of Inuit drums and facial tattoos were part of a broader effort to Christianize and assimilate Inuit into the European way of life, said Asta Mnsted, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She researches Inuit oral history and its connections to Greenlands archaeology.Drum songs and drum duels were central to Inuit spiritual and social life, but the missionaries viewed them as pagan practices and superstitions that needed to be replaced with Christian hymns and prayers, she said. Drums were confiscated or destroyed in order to break the connection to the pre-Christian beliefs. In some parts of Greenland, though, the drum songs and knowledge of drum-making were preserved without the churchs knowledge. Tattoos were also linked to Inuit cosmology and rites, but missionaries labeled them as pagan and especially viewed the facial tattoos as a defilement of Gods creation, said Mnsted. They promoted the European ideal, where the human body should remain unmarked.Tunniit, the traditional Inuit tattoos, were etched by poking sod from soapstone lamps onto the skin with a needle or by dragging a sod-covered sinew thread underneath the skin. Women generally got tattoos as they experienced menstruation and childbirth, viewing them as protection against illness and malevolent spirits, Mnsted said.But resistance to Inuit tattoos deterred many Greenlanders across generations from getting them; some who had tattoos hid them, fearing repercussions. Growing up, Therecie Sanimuinaq Pedersen recalled how her grandmother covered her facial tattoos in soot because she didnt want to be alienated from her community.Therecie only got the tattoos that now cover her face the way she remembered her grandmothers after her daughter, Aviaja, got them in recent years.The tattoos I have goes from mother to daughter for thousands of years, Therecie said in Greenlandic, translated by her daughter. I have the same as my grandmother thats my heritage. These days, when shes out on Nuuks streets and encounters others displaying Inuit tattoos, she feels encouraged, especially when she sees them on young Greenlanders. When I see them, its like we have a connection, she said. Without knowing them, and them knowing me, we say hi. Some come, give a hug, and say thank you. Inuit drum for conflict resolution and restoring pride in ancestral traditionFor the Inuit, the qilaat played a crucial role in conflict resolution through drum duels. The drum, Mnsted said, had three main functions: for entertainment and socializing, as a tool for the shamanduring their seances, and as part of a pre-colonial juridical system. In the drum duels, opponents used songs, insults, and exaggerated body movements to argue their case before the community, which would stand in a circle ar ound them, Mnsted said. She said the crowds collective laughter often determined the winner without the need for a formal ruling. While some duels helped ease tensions, others ended in public humiliation, sometimes forcing the losing party to leave the community and become a qivittoq a person living in nature outside of society. This exile could be tantamount to a death sentence in the frigid Arctic environment.Greenland was a colony under Denmarks crown until 1953, when it became a province in the Scandinavian country. In 1979, the island was granted home rule, and 30 years ago became a self-governing entity. But Denmark retains control over foreign and defense affairs.The former colonial ruler is accused of committing abuses against Greenlands Inuit, including removing children from their families in the 1950s with the excuse of integrating them into Danish society and fitting women with intrauterine contraceptive devices in the 1960s and 1970s allegedly to limit population growth.Some Greenlanders believe the recent global attention on their mineral-rich country and a unified call for independence from Denmark has allowed them to speak more openly about abuses committed by their former colonial ruler. Some have grown closer to their rich pre-Christian Indigenous culture.Our culture is very spiritual ... I want to bring that back, said Naja Parnuuna, an award-winning singer-songwriter.I want to be in that wave with my fellow young people I feel like weve been looked down for so long, and we really havent had a voice for a long time.Growing up, she said she felt that it was cooler to be a Dane, or to speak Danish, and was ashamed to be Greenlandic and follow Inuit traditions. Maybe not embarrassing, she said, but it was taboo or weird to do the drums or be Inuk.Her father, Markus Olsen, is a former Lutheran pastor who was dismissed from his church position in 2022 after he allowed drum dancing during a National Day service at the Nuuk Cathedral. He knew that was risky but did it because he believes the quilaat, the Inuit traditional drum, needs to be reinstated into its valued position in religious services and other aspects of Greenlandic life.Olsen, who wears a collar with a small qilaat and a crucifix, takes inspiration from the Latin American Liberation Theology movement, which holds that the teachings of Jesus require followers to fight for economic and social justice. He also takes inspiration from the Rastafari legend Bob Marley, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights activist Malcolm X.Parnuuna feels inspired by her father. She began to embrace her roots through her music, which encourages Greenlanders to value their Inuit culture and history. The more I practiced my art, singing and writing songs, I began to realize how important it is to accept my roots, to have more self-respect, to have higher self-esteem and in that way have a healthier way of living and a more positive view of the world, she said.Its important to bring that back, so that we can love ourselves again.___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. LUIS ANDRES HENAO Henao is a multimedia reporter on the APs Global Religion team. He focuses on features and has reported for the AP from Alaska, Antarctica and the Amazon. twitter instagram mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Flowers and a sign are placed outside the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-03-23T11:37:24Z Three European allies provided millions of dollars that the United States was supposed to spend for low-income countries. Then the Trump administration and Elon Musks government-cutters arrived.Government officials from Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands told The Associated Press that a combined $15 million they contributed for joint development work overseas has been parked at the U.S. Agency for International Development for months.After the Republican administration and Musks Department of Government Efficiency cut USAIDs funding and the bulk of its programs, the Europeans asked whether their money would be funneled to projects as expected or refunded.They have gotten no response.Its a concern for us, especially as we want our partner organizations to be compensated for the work they have put into the programs, said Julia Lindholm, a spokeswoman for the Swedish governments international development agency. The true total may be larger. Other foreign governments also had money entrusted with USAID for distribution in a range of joint development projects at the time President Donald Trump ordered the funding freeze on Jan. 20, according to an official directly familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The worries point to the extent to which the new administrations abrupt cutoff of foreign assistance and canceling of contracts for humanitarian and development work are raising questions about Washingtons financial reliability. They also show further strain between allies as Trump revamps American foreign policy. The State Department and USAID did not immediately respond to questions asking how many foreign governments had money for joint development programs going unspent and unrefunded in the USAID funding freeze, how much money that was in total, and whether the administration was doing anything about it. Concerns from American alliesSweden, Norway and the Netherlands had been partnering with USAID on a project called Water and Energy for Food, or WE4F. It helps farmers and others in poorer countries develop innovative ways to grow more food without straining water supplies or depending on climate-damaging forms of energy.Most importantly, Lindholm said by email, the U.S. failure so far to disburse or refund allies donations is harming 6 million of the poorest and most vulnerable farmers in the world who are dependent on the technologies for their food production and food security.Other administration actions already have alarmed traditional partners. Trump has said he would not necessarily follow the mutual-defense pact underlying the NATO security agreement, he has advanced some of Russias talking points and demands in its invasion of Ukraine and has imposed tariffs on Canada, the European Union and others. America as a reliable financial partnerNow, doubts about the U.S. as a reliable business partner have emerged in lawsuits over the administrations abrupt cancellation of what Secretary of State Marco Rubio said were 83% of USAID contracts, forcing partner organizations to lay off workers and driving some out of business. In a brief supporting a lawsuit from federal workers, former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel and William Perry, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and more than a dozen other former senior U.S. officials said the administrations mass canceling of thousands of USAID contracts was flouting U.S. financial regulations and destroying the United States credibility as a reliable partner.Canceling the contracts sends a message that this administration does not feel bound by those regulations regulations on which every business that works with the United States relies, the former officials said.In another case, lawyers for nonprofits and businesses seeking payment from USAID told a judge that because of the financial chaos surrounding the agencys dismantling, banks have stopped what used to be routine financing for USAID partners based on their contracts with the U.S. agency. Since the Cold War, the national security argument for development programs has been that making poorer countries more prosperous and stable lessens refugee flows and conflicts.Trump and Musk call foreign assistance through USAID in particular a fraud and scam. Administration officials are looking at focusing U.S. development efforts much more narrowly on combating Chinas influence abroad and boosting U.S. trade and business opportunities. Seeking money back from the Trump administrationGrowing steadily more alarmed by the administrations foreign aid moves, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands initially sent USAID emails inquiring about the money they had parked in USAID accounts.Frustrated at getting no response, two of them warned in the government-to-government emails that they were looking at talking to local media about their missing money, according to the official directly familiar with the matter.Under court order, the administration has started making good on some $2 billion USAID already owed when Trump ordered the freeze in USAID and State Department foreign assistance on Inauguration Day.But forced leaves and firings have yanked most officials and workers at USAIDs headquarters off the job. That includes many who oversaw development programs and would be involved in tracking down numbers and calculating any refunds for the foreign governments.Swedens development agency told the AP that it estimates it has $12 million total, including $5.1 million for WE4F, sitting in USAID accounts money going unspent for people in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and unrefunded by the administration.Lindholm, the spokesperson for Swedens development agency, called the WE4F program extraordinarily impactful, with measurable benefits for farmers and others many times greater than the programs initial targets.The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation told the AP that it has received no information about the fate of a $1.4 million funding tranche for WE4F since Trump began dissolving USAID.The Dutch Foreign Ministry said it reached out to the U.S. aid agency on how much of the $1.6 million it had given most recently for WE4F had yet to be disbursed by USAID and should be refunded, but that it had not yet gotten any response.Donor partners are now exploring other opportunities to continue to run the WE4F programme to ensure a responsible completion, Lindholm said by email. ___Knickmeyer reported from Washington, Keaten from Geneva, Corder from The Hague, Netherlands, and Gera from Warsaw, Poland. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe. twitter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to speak during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)2025-03-23T11:47:35Z DENVER (AP) Bernie Sanders stepped onto a stage in downtown Denver, surrounded by tens of thousands of cheering supporters in what he described as the biggest rally he had ever addressed. The Vermont senator put his hand on the shoulder of the woman who had introduced him, a signal for her to stay on stage.She has become an inspiration to millions of young people, Sanders said of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recounting her biography from a girl who helped her mother clean houses and later became a bartender before emerging as political insurgent who ousted a powerful New York Democrat in a U.S. House primary. The crowd began a chant of her well-known moniker: AOC! AOC!In a leaderless Democratic Party out of power in Washington, Ocasio-Cortez has a message and a connection with a segment of liberals feeling disenchanted with both parties. Now, in her fourth term, the 35-year-old congresswoman is working to broaden her appeal beyond her progressive, anti-establishment roots. Hitting the road last week with Sanders for his Fighting Oligarchy rallies, she is addressing people who disagree with her and reframing the divide in the Democratic Party not as progressive versus moderate, but as those going after Republican President Donald Trump and those being more cautious. No matter who you voted for in the past, no matter if you know all the right words to say, no matter your race, religion, gender identity or status, Ocasio-Cortez said to thousands in a rally at Arizona State University. No matter even if you disagree with me on a few things. If you are willing to fight for someone you dont know, you are welcome here. Her instinct to brawl is well-matched to the restlessness of the Democratic base, much of which sees top party officials like New York Sen. Chuck Schumer as not confrontational enough.Were lacking leadership right now, and we really just need someone to take the reins and tell us what to do, said Kristen Hanson, a 41-year-old small business owner from Phoenix, whose search for a call to action brought her to see Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. Im not in politics, but I would be very happy to follow a leader who I believe in. But that instinct also irritates some elected Democrats. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, whose profile is also rising after her November victory in a state Trump won, was challenged recently by a constituent to more aggressively confront Trump like Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat who is becoming one of her partys key messengers.Slotkin said she had to be more than just an activist and noted that those lawmakers represent heavily Democratic areas.All of those things require me to be more than just an AOC, she said. I cant do what she does because we live in a purple state and Im a pragmatist. AOC tours with SandersSanders, one of the few political leaders with the resources to plan large rallies and the appeal to pack them, has stepped into the Democratic leadership vacuum with appearances across the country. Ocasio-Cortez joined him this past week for five events in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. In Denver, the crowd was so immense that people climbed onto statues and sat on the broad steps of buildings across the street to watch. In Tempe, Arizona, outside Phoenix, thousands of people who could not get inside the arena crowded a plaza outside or watched from a parking garage.In speeches lasting about 25 minutes, Ocasio-Cortez blended the denunciations of economic inequality that have been central to her brand with an offering that we are not powerless in this moment.About two-thirds of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Ocasio-Cortez and just 5% view her unfavorably, according to Gallup polling from January. But the broader public is more divided. Among all adults, about 4 in 10 had a negative view of Ocasio-Cortez while about 3 in 10 had a positive view.In her home state, about 4 in 10 New York voters in the November election viewed her favorably while about the same share had an unfavorable opinion, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the 2024 electorate. Ocasio-Cortez confronted head-on the perception that she is a radical by being magnanimous toward other Democratic factions. She did not walk away from her progressive views but signaled openness to disagreement, saying her movement is not about partisan labels or purity tests, but rather solidarity with the working class. At each stop, she spoke supportively of local Democrats in Congress, even those who do not align with her ideologically.We need more people like them with the courage to brawl for the working class, she said in Arizona, praising colleagues who voted against a Republican spending bill. She did poke at former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat in 2018 but infuriated progressives for working with Republicans and blocking Democratic priorities such as raising the minimum wage. Sinema became an independent but declined to run for a second term.One thing I love about Arizonans is that you all have shown that if a U.S. senator isnt fighting hard enough for you, youre not afraid to replace her with one who will, Ocasio-Cortez said. The budget fight creates enduring Democratic angerThe decision by 10 Senate Democrats, led by party leader Schumer, to allow a Republican-led spending bill to advance infuriated the Democratic base, which saw it as capitulation to Trump. (Slotkin, the Michigan senator, voted against advancing the bill.)Schumer argued the spending bill was terrible but a government shutdown had the measure not passed would have given Trump the power to make even more cuts as his administration slashes agencies and hundreds of thousands of federal jobs. House Democrats disagreed with him in a rare show of public dissent and several liberal groups are pushing Schumer to resign.Ocasio-Cortez gave voice to that anger in her speeches. Her plea for a Democratic Party that fights harder for us drew the biggest applause of her speeches in Denver and Tempe. Dane Burgos, 28, snapped a selfie with Ocasio-Cortez as she left the Denver rally. I was mainly here for Bernie, because hes the OG, but AOC its clear shes the heir apparent, Burgos said.Armando Valdez, a two-time Sanders voter and Navy veteran who gets his medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, is especially alarmed at the Trump administrations proposed cuts.He feels like he knows Sanders well, but is eager to hear what Ocasio-Cortez has to say.Sanders is, too. Just not as a solo act yet.The 83-year-old has said hes not running for president a third time. But asked after his Tempe rally whether he sees any promising leaders rising up, he did not give his support to Ocasio-Cortez or anyone else.There are dozens and dozens of really strong progressives out there who are I think going to be the future political leaders of our country, Sanders told reporters. ___Cooper reported from Tempe, Arizona. Associated Press writers Linley Sanders in Washington and Isabella Volmert in Flint, Michigan, contributed to this report. JONATHAN J. COOPER Cooper writes about national politics from Arizona and beyond for The Associated Press. Now based in Phoenix, he previously covered politics in Oregon and California. twitter mailto

In this photo made with a slow shutter speed, the White House podium is seen before a briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, March 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-03-23T13:12:37Z NEW YORK (AP) During the first Trump administration, the biggest concern for many journalists was labels. Would they, or their news outlet, be called fake news or an enemy of the people by a president and his supporters?They now face a more assertive President Donald Trump. In two months, a blitz of action by the nations new administration Trump, chapter two has journalists on their heels.Lawsuits. A newly aggressive Federal Communications Commission. An effort to control the press corps that covers the president, prompting legal action by The Associated Press. A gutted Voice of America. Public data stripped from websites. And attacks, amplified anew.Its very clear whats happening. The Trump administration is on a campaign to do everything it can to diminish and obstruct journalism in the United States, said Bill Grueskin, a journalism professor at Columbia University. Its really nothing like we saw in 2017, he said. Not that there werent efforts to discredit the press, and not that there werent things that the press did to discredit themselves. Trump supporters say an overdue course correction is in orderSupporters of the president suggest that an overdue correction is in order to reflect new ways that Americans get information and to counter overreach by reporters. Polls have revealed continued public dissatisfaction with journalists something that has been bedeviling the industry for years. Tension between presidents and the Fourth Estate is nothing new an unsurprising clash between desires to control a message and to ask probing, sometimes impertinent questions. Despite the atmosphere, the Republican president talks to reporters much more often than many predecessors, including Democrat Joe Biden, who rarely gave interviews. An early signal that times had changed came when the White House invited newcomers to press briefings, including podcasters and friendly media outlets. The AP was blocked from covering pool events in a dispute over Trumps renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, setting off a flurry of First Amendment concerns among press advocates and leading the administration to assert that the White House, not the press, should determine who questions him. Two months before the administration took office, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who served under Republican President George W. Bush, had urged that changes be made.Its time to bring that (briefing) room in line with how readers and viewers consume the news in 2025, Fleischer said in an interview. They dont get their news from The Washington Post, The New York Times and the three networks anymore. They get their news from a myriad of sources.In practice, some newcomers have refreshingly tried to shed light on issues important to conservatives, instead of hostile attempts to play gotcha by the mainstream media, Fleischer said. There were also softballs, like when the Ruthless podcast asked press secretary Karoline Leavitt if reporters who questioned border policy were out of touch. The conservative Real Americas Voice network tried to knock Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy off stride by asking why he wasnt wearing a suit in the Oval Office.While the White House Correspondents Association has protested the APs treatment and efforts to upend tradition, it has been largely toothless. For more extensive discussions, the president and his team generally favor interviews with outlets that speak to his supporters, like Fox News. The Trump teams rapid response efforts to fight the fake mediaThe White House has also established a Rapid Response 47 account on X to disseminate its views and attack journalists or stories it objects to. The feeds stated goals are supporting the president and holding the Fake Media accountable.Leavitt, 27, hasnt hesitated to go toe to toe with reporters, often with a smile, and Tik-Tok collects some of those moments. We know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, and we will not accept that, she said at her first press briefing. It stood in contrast to Trumps 2017 press secretary, Sean Spicer, who got into an angry confrontation with the press about the size of the presidents inauguration crowd on his first day in the White House, and never truly recovered from it. Showing the spread of the administrations disciplined approach, the Defense Department also has a rapid response account that says it fights fake news. The Pentagon has evicted several news organizations from long-held office space, leading some reporters to worry about access to fast, reliable information during a military crisis.Strategically, he likes to use the press as a pawn it is one of the institutions that he can demonize to make himself look good, said Ron Fournier, a former Washington bureau chief for the AP.Trump has active lawsuits going against news outlets that displease him, such as CBS News for the way 60 Minutes edited an interview with 2024 election opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, or The Des Moines Register, for what turned out to be an inaccurate pre-election poll of Iowa voters.The new FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, has signaled an activist stance, with investigations open against CBS for the 60 Minutes case, ABC News for how it fact-checked the Trump-Harris debate and NBC on whether it violated federal equal time provisions by bringing Harris onto Saturday Night Live. Even with all the change, many newsrooms are confronting the challengeFleischer welcomes a newly aggressive attitude toward the press. He believes many journalists were more activists than reporters during Trumps first term. He wondered why journalists were not more aggressive in determining whether Bidens advancing age made him fit for the presidency.I think that the press is either in denial, or they acknowledge that they have lost the trust of the people but they wont change or do anything about it, he said. They just dont know how to do their jobs any differently.Press advocates worry about the intimidation factor of lawsuits and investigations, particularly on smaller newsrooms. What stories will go unreported simply because its not worth the potential hassle? It has a very corrosive effect over time, Grueskin said.Worth watching, too, is a disconnect between newsrooms and the people who own them. Both the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post backed off endorsements of Harris last fall at the behest of the their owners, and Post owner Jeff Bezos attended Trumps inauguration. When the Post announced a reorganization earlier this month, Leavitt took a shot: It appears that the mainstream media, including the Post, is finally learning that having disdain for more than half the country who supports this president does not help you sell newspapers.Many newsrooms are notably not backing down from the challenge of covering the administration. 60 Minutes has done several hard-hitting reports, the Atlantic has added staff and Wired is digging in to cover Elon Musks cost-cutting.For their own industry, much of the news is grim. The future of Voice of America is in doubt, eliminating jobs and, its supporters fear, reducing the nations influence overseas. Cost-cutters are eyeing government subscriptions for news outlets, eliminating an income source. On a broader scale, there are worries about attacks on journalists legal protections against libel lawsuits.Theyre pulling at every thread they can find, no matter how tenuous, to try and undermine credible news organizations, Grueskin said.It is well organized. It is coming from multiple directions. And it has been only two months.___Associated Press writer Ali Swenson contributed to this report. ___David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

Actor Gerard Depardieu addresses the media during the press conference for the film 'Saint Amour' at the 2016 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, File)2025-03-23T14:40:10Z PARIS (AP) Grard Depardieu wont just be facing two women who accuse him of sexual assault when he walks into a Paris courtroom on Monday. The renowned actor will also be confronting a nation long criticized for failing to address sexual violence particularly when committed by its most powerful figures.Depardieu, 76, one of Frances biggest screen stars, is accused of assaulting a set dresser and an assistant director during the 2021 filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters). While more than 20 women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, this is the first time one of those cases has gone to trial.It is also the most prominent post- #MeToo -era case in France, testing whether a country famed for its culture of seduction is prepared to hold its cultural titans accountable.Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped one of the women with his legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses. In an interview with investigative outlet Mediapart, the 54-year-old set dresser said Depardieu shouted on set that he couldnt even get it up because of the heat, then told her: Come and touch my big parasol. Ill stick it in your (nether regions). She said he then grabbed her forcefully and had to be pulled away by bodyguards. A second woman, a 34-year-old assistant director, alleged she was groped both on set and in the street. The plaintiffs identities have not been disclosed to protect alleged victims of sexual violence.Depardieu has denied all allegations. In an open letter published in Le Figaro in Oct. 2023, he wrote: Never, but never, have I abused a woman. To think that I have hurt someone or made them feel uncomfortable is intolerable to me. He added, I have only ever been guilty of being too loving, too generous, or of having a temperament that is too strong.His lawyer, Jrmie Assous, called the case baseless and said Depardieu who recently underwent a quadruple bypass and has diabetes will attend the two-day trial, reportedly with breaks scheduled to accommodate his health condition. A culture slow to confront abuseFrance has often been ambivalent even resistant toward the #MeToo movement. While Hollywood saw powerful men fall swiftly and publicly, the French film industry was slower to respond. Some dismissed #MeToo as an American export incompatible with French values, citing concerns over free expression and what they viewed as an erosion of flirtation culture.Roman Polanski, convicted in the United States of unlawful sex with a minor and accused by several other women, continues to live and work in France with near-total impunity. Despite international outcry, he remains a decorated figure in French cinema. His 2020 Csar Award for Best Director for An Officer and a Spy prompted several women, including actress Adle Haenel, to walk out of the ceremony in protest. Yet the industry offered little institutional pushback, highlighting a deep-rooted reluctance to confront abuse when it involves revered cultural figures.In February, director Christophe Ruggia was convicted of sexually abusing Haenel when she was underage. The actress, who had already quit the film industry in protest, has become one of the countrys most prominent voices on abuse. Judith Godrche, an actor and filmmaker, has also emerged as a leading figure. In February 2024, in a televised testimony, she addressed a French parliamentary commission, accusing directors Benot Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually exploiting her as a teenager allegations both men deny. This is not about desire or love, she told lawmakers. It is about power. It is about a system that enables silence.That same commission has called major actors and producers including Jean Dujardin to testify. Several reportedly requested that their appearances be held behind closed doors. Witnesses and whispersAnouk Grinberg, a respected actor who appeared in Les Volets Verts, has publicly supported the plaintiffs. She described Depardieus behavior as vulgar and disturbing, saying she felt a sense of shame on set.At the time of the alleged 2021 assaults, Depardieu was already under formal investigation for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2023, prosecutors requested it go to trial.Depardieus off-screen controversies have long made headlines, from drunk driving to urinating in the aisle of a plane. But a 2023 France Tlvisions documentary, La Chute de lOgre (The Fall of the Ogre), reignited debate about his impunity. It showed footage of the actor during a 2018 trip to North Korea, making sexually inappropriate remarks to a female interpreter and appearing to sexualize a young girl riding a horse.For decades, behavior like this was dismissed as part of his larger-than-life persona. Today, that legacy is under direct challenge. Resistance in a country famed for seductionGodrche, who told lawmakers she was 14 when Jacquot first exploited her, has called for reforms to Frances statute of limitations on child sex crimes and new protections for minors in the arts. Her testimony alongside those of other survivors has brought rare political attention to a culture of silence that many say pervades French cinema.Still, resistance remains.In 2018, actor Catherine Deneuve and more than 100 prominent French women signed an open letter in Le Monde defending what they called a freedom to bother. The letter argued that flirtation should not be conflated with harassment and warned against American-style puritanism.

Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a press conference following the First Ministers Meeting at the National War Museum on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-03-23T12:56:48Z TORONTO (AP) New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent kicked off their election campaigns Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and annexation threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.Carney announced there will be a five-week election campaign before the vote on April 28.The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and he acknowledged Friday that he has upended Canadian politics.Trumps almost daily attacks on Canadas sovereignty have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in Canadian nationalism that has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Carney has said the government in a time of crisis needs a strong and clear mandate. The next election will be one of the most consequential in our lifetimes, he posted on social media overnight. The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in the House of Commons will last 37 days. While other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form government. The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister. Carney replaced Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January, but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9 following a leadership race by the governing party. The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with Trump. Trump put 25% tariffs on Canadas steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products as well as all of Americas trading partners on April 2.Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, is Carneys main challenger. The party and Poilievre were heading for a huge victory in Canadas federal election this year until Trumps near-daily trade and annexation threats derailed them.Poilievre said he will stand up to Trump but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative ally, said in an interview Poilievre would be very much in sync with the new direction in America. I will insist the president recognizes the independence and sovereignty of Canada. I will insist he stops tariffing our nation, Poilievre said as he launched his campaign. Poilievre said he doesnt respect the treatment that he has meted out to our country.I know a lot of people are worried, angry and anxious. And with good reason as a result of the presidents unacceptable threats against our country, he said. You are worried about your job and the sovereignty of our nation. And you are angry at the feeling of betrayal that these unacceptable words and tariffs have made us all experience. I share your anger and I share the worry about our future. Carney still hasnt had a phone call with Trump and that might not happen now until after the election. Trump mocked Trudeau by calling him governor, but he has not yet mentioned Carneys name.Carney, 60, was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013, he became the first noncitizen of the United Kingdom to run the Bank of England helping to manage the impact of Brexit.Poilievre, 45, for years the partys go-to attack dog, is a career politician and firebrand populist who says he will put Canada first. He vows to defund Canadas public broadcaster and he wont allow media onboard his campaign buses and planes.

This image provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission shows Segway Max G30LP KickScooter that is being recalled along with Segways Ninebot Max G30P, due to a fall hazard that has resulted in user injuries ranging from bruises to broken bones. . (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission via AP)2025-03-23T16:20:26Z NEW YORK (AP) Segway is recalling about 220,000 of its scooters sold across the U.S. due to a fall hazard that has resulted in user injuries ranging from bruises to broken bones.According to a notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the folding mechanism in Segways Ninebot Max G30P and Max G30LP KickScooters can fail during use causing the handlebars or stem of the scooters to fold.That can result in serious injuries, the Commission warns. Thursdays recall notice notes that Segway has received 68 reports of folding mechanism failures with 20 injuries that include abrasions, bruises, lacerations and broken bones.Consumers in possession of these now-recalled scooters are urged to stop using them immediately and contact Segway to request a free maintenance kit. This kit includes tools and step-by-step instructions to inspect and adjust the scooters locking mechanism as needed, Segway says. Over time, depending on riding conditions, the folding mechanism may require periodic checks and tightening, California-based Segway writes on its website. No returns or replacements are involved. According to the CPSC, the Segway scooters involved in this recall were manufactured in China and Malaysia and sold at retailers across the U.S. like Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, Target and Sams Club, as well as online at Segway.com and Amazon.com, between January 2020 and February 2025. Sale prices ranged from $600 to $1,000.

In this image made from a video released by the Israeli Government Press Office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Israeli Government Press Office via AP)2025-03-23T17:37:30Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Israel again is fighting a war on multiple fronts, but a battle is also brewing inside the country.Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined anti-government protests in recent days. A former Supreme Court chief justice has warned of civil war. And experts are saying a constitutional crisis could be on the horizon if the Israeli government moves ahead with plans to fire top legal and security officials.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week he was firing Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, citing a crisis of confidence sparked by the failures to prevent Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Netanyahus government has also launched a process to dismiss the attorney general, accusing her of obstructing its agenda.The moves come as the Shin Bet is investigating a possible infiltration of Netanyahus office by an Arab country and as Netanyahu is on trial for corruption.They are setting up a showdown between Netanyahu and the judiciary that is deepening divisions in Israel and could set off upheaval at a time when Israel is bogged down by war. Tensions between the government and state institutionsNetanyahus government launched a sweeping overhaul of the judiciary in early 2023, a process that touched off mass protests.Critics said the overhaul would undermine the countrys delicate system of checks and balances by granting too much power to Netanyahu. He and his governing coalition argued the judiciary had become overly interventionist and was blocking its legislative agenda.Opponents also criticized Netanyahu for promoting the changes while on trial for corruption. They say a strong and independent judiciary is a necessary safeguard against authoritarian rule.Hamas Oct. 7 attacks, which sparked the war in Gaza, paused the overhaul. But it opened up new divisions in the country over who shouldered blame for not preventing the deadliest day in Israels history. Netanyahu has sidestepped accepting responsibility, seeking instead to point a finger at the heads of the military and the Shin Bet. He has long blamed the deep state for wanting to topple his rule.In a surprise announcement last week, Netanyahu said he was dismissing Bar, sparking mass protests by critics who said the move would undermine Israels independent state institutions and was meant as punishment for the Shin Bets investigation into Netanyahus office, or to derail it entirely.The step helped usher the far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir back into Netanyahus government, bolstering the Israeli leaders rule ahead of a key budget vote. Ben-Gvir had resigned weeks earlier to protest a temporary ceasefire, and his return to office came hours after the resumption of the war in Gaza.Bar himself said he had planned to leave his post in due time, including after he wrapped up the sensitive investigations into whether the Gulf state of Qatar which has close ties with Hamas had hired Netanyahu advisers to launch an influence campaign in Israel. Netanyahu has suggested, with little evidence, that the probe was a result of collusion between Bar and the attorney general as a way to thwart the domestic security chiefs dismissal.Netanyahus government on Sunday voted to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, beginning a process that could take weeks. Disobeying the Supreme Court could bring chaosIn a country with no official constitution and just one house of parliament that is controlled by Netanyahus coalition, Israels Supreme Court has long served as an important check on government decisions.The decision to dismiss Bar already has been challenged at the court, which issued an injunction that froze the move until further hearings. In the coming weeks, the court will be expected to rule on whether the dismissal was legal and whether there was a conflict of interest in light of the Qatar investigation.With the attorney general, the government passed a largely symbolic decision Sunday calling for her dismissal. A committee, which is expected to be stacked with Netanyahus allies, will hear the governments and Baharav-Miaras positions before issuing a recommendation. Only then will Netanyahus government make its final decision on her fate. If the committee goes ahead with her dismissal, it will likely face a challenge in the Supreme Court. Once again, it is expected to decide whether Netanyahu has a conflict of interest because he is firing the official who serves as the head of the public prosecutions office that is trying him for corruption.It is unclear whether the government would accept a decision it does not like.The dangerous scenario is if they dont accept the ruling, said Amir Fuchs, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. That would prompt a crisis over which authoritys rule should be followed the courts or the governments -- and could lead to chaos, he said. Fears are mounting over internal strifeThose fears have grown since the dismissals were set in motion. In a series of media interviews this weekend, 88-year-old Aharon Barak, Israels preeminent legal mind, aired his concerns over the eruption of a potential civil war. He also joined nearly 20 former Supreme Court judges in a letter Sunday saying that firing the attorney general threatens the rule of law.Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for a tax revolt if the government disobeys the ruling. The leader of the countrys top labor union said ignoring a court ruling was a red line, suggesting he might launch general strikes in response.The warnings have been eerily similar to 2023, when the legal overhaul was announced. Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets in sustained protests.General strikes were called and reservists threatened to not report for military service if the overhaul went ahead. Military service is compulsory for most Jews at the age of 18, but the army relies heavily on older reserve units, especially during wartime. Such internal strife was seen by some analysts as a factor in the timing of Hamas attack. That upheaval could be just a precursor.Disobeying the courts is an illegal act, wrote commentator Nadav Eyal in the Yediot Ahronot daily. The result could be widespread civil disobedience, the type of which the government will not survive. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots for three in front of Connecticut forward Alex Karaban (11) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)2025-03-23T18:39:27Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness.Get the AP Top 25 mens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Walter Clayton Jr. and No. 1 seed Florida ended UConns pursuit of a third straight national championship, with Clayton burying two key 3-pointers in the final three minutes of a scintillating 77-75 victory for the Gators in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.Clayton, a first-team All-America guard, finished with 23 points as Florida (32-4), one of the favorites for this years title, survived a strong challenge from coach Dan Hurleys Huskies (24-11), who came in with modest expectations as a No. 8 seed but led for most of the second half.Florida advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and will play Colorado State or Maryland in the West Region semifinals in San Francisco.UConn was seeking to become the first team to three-peat since UCLAs run of seven straight titles from 1967-73.The Huskies won the 2023 title in Houston and last year in Glendale, Arizona, joining Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) as the only schools to win back-to-back since the Bruins run under John Wooden. ___AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Conan O'Brien takes part in a panel discussion during the South by Southwest Conference and Festival, March 11, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)2025-03-23T11:55:20Z WASHINGTON (AP) Conan OBrien is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize on Sunday night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where the backstage drama of the host institution may hang over the celebration.OBrien, 61, was named the latest recipient of the award for lifetime achievement in comedy in mid-January, about three weeks before President Donald Trump upended the Kennedy Center by ousting the longtime president and the board chairman. Trump dismissed the board of directors and replaced them with loyalists, who then elected him as chairman. In announcing the changes, Trump posted on social media that those who were dismissed do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.How that vision takes shape remains to be seen, but Trump has spoken about wanting to book more Broadway shows there and floated the idea of granting Kennedy Center Honors status to actor Sylvester Stallone and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. Into this maelstrom steps OBrien, whose comedic persona has never been particularly political. The comic has always tended more toward goofiness and self-deprecation. But he has also leaned into sensitive societal issues at times. In 2011, OBrien officiated a gay wedding live on his show, overseeing the marriage of his longtime costume designer Scott Cronick and his partner David Gorshein. OBrien vaulted into the spotlight from near-total obscurity in 1993 when he was chosen to replace David Letterman as host of Late Night despite no significant on-camera experience. The former Harvard Lampoon editor had spent the previous years as a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, appearing on camera only as an occasional background extra in SNL skits. He went on to host Late Night for 16 years, longer than any other host. OBrien was later tapped to replace Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show, but that experiment ended in public failure. After seven months of declining ratings, NBC executives brought Leno back for a new show that would bump The Tonight Show back. OBrien refused to accept the move, leading to a public spat that ended with a multimillion-dollar payout for OBrien and his staff to exit the network in early 2010. OBrien went on to host another talk show on the cable station TBS, while launching successful podcasts and travel shows. He is currently on a late-career elder statesman hot streak. His travel series, Conan OBrien Must Go, drew popular and critical acclaim, with a second season coming. His recent gig hosting the Academy Awards was so well received that the producers announced they are bringing him back next year. In the wake of Trumps takeover of the Kennedy Center, several artists, including the producers of Hamilton and actress and writer Issa Rae, announced they were canceling appearances at the venue. Others have chosen to perform while making their sentiments known from the stage. Leftist comic W. Kamau Bell directly addressed the controversy in his performance just days after the shake-up. Earlier this month, cellist Erin Murphy Snedecor ended her set with a performance of the Woody Guthrie protest anthem All You Fascists Bound to Lose. Mark Twain recipients typically receive tributes and testimonials from a star-studded collection of comics and celebrities. Given the nature of comedians, it seems likely that some of them on Sunday evening will address the issue of the institutions uncertain future. Other comedians receiving the lifetime achievement award include both Letterman and Leno, along with George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, Bill Murray and Dave Chappelle.The ceremony will be streamed on Netflix later this year. The date has not been announced. ASHRAF KHALIL Khalil writes about local issues in Washington, D.C., for The Associated Press and covers the social safety net around the country. twitter instagram mailto

South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became the country's acting leader after President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, speaks during a cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 24, 2024. (Yonhap via AP, File)2025-03-24T01:12:12Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas Constitutional Court on Monday overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating the nations No. 2 official as acting leader, while not yet ruling on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.Han became acting president after Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly over his Dec. 3 imposition of martial law that triggered a massive political crisis. But Han was impeached by the assembly as well in late December following political strife with opposition lawmakers.The unprecedented, successive impeachments that suspended the countrys top two officials intensified a domestic division and deepened worries about the countrys diplomatic and economic activities. The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, had since serving as acting president. On Monday, seven of the courts eight justices overturned or dismissed Hans impeachment. They ruled the accusations against him werent against the law or werent serious enough to remove him from office or his impeachment motion didnt even met a required quorum when it passed thorough the assembly. One justice upheld Hans impeachment. Dismissing Han would have needed the support of at least six court justices.The court has yet to rule on Yoons impeachment. If the court upholds Yoons impeachment, South Korea must hold a election for a new president. If it rules for him, Yoon will be restored to office and regain his presidential powers. Yoon was impeached about two weeks earlier than Han. Observers earlier predicted the Constitutional Court would rule on Yoons case in mid-March but it hasnt done so. Yoon has been separately arrested and charged with rebellion in connection with his martial law decree. If convicted of that charge, he would face the death penalty or a life sentence. On March 8, Yoon was released from prison, after a Seoul district court allowed him to stand his criminal trial without being detained. Massive rival rallies backing Yoon or denouncing Yoon have divided the streets of Seoul and other major cities in South Korea. Earlier surveys showed that a majority of South Koreans were critical of Yoons martial law enactment, but those supporting or sympathizing with Yoon have later gained strength.At the center of squabbling over Yoon is why he sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the assembly after declaring martial law. Yoon says he aims to maintain order, but senior military and police officers sent there have said that Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to prevent a floor vote to overturn his decree. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter an assembly hall and voted it down unanimously.Han, a career diplomat who was appointed by Yoon, had attempted to reassure diplomatic partners and stabilize markets, when he served as acting president. A major trigger for the oppositions push for his impeachment was Hans refusal to fill three vacancies on the nine-member Constitutional Court bench. Restoring the courts full membership was sensitive because a ruling upholding Yoons impeachment requires support from at least six justices. Hans successor, Choi Sang-mok, appointed two new justices but left the ninth seat vacant.Both Han and Choi cited needing bipartisan consent to add justices to the court, but their critics suspected they were siding with Yoons People Power Party, which wanted to increase Yoons chances of returning to power. On Friday, the main liberal opposition Democratic Party and other small opposition parties submitted an impeachment motion on Choi. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

Usha Vance attends a campaign rally, Nov. 1, 2024, in Selma, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce, File)2025-03-23T17:33:29Z WASHINGTON (AP) Second lady Usha Vance plans a trip to Greenland, at a time when President Donald Trump has suggested the United States should take control over the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of American ally Denmark.Vance will leave on Thursday and return Saturday, according to her office. Vance and one of her three children will be part of a U.S. delegation that will visit historic sites and learn about Greenlandic heritage.Media outlets in Greenland and Denmark reported that Vance would be accompanied by Trumps national security adviser, Mike Waltz. The White House and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment. People take part in a march ending in front of the US consulate, under the slogan, Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people, in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday March 15, 2025. (Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People take part in a march ending in front of the US consulate, under the slogan, Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people, in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday March 15, 2025. (Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Trump had mused during his first term about buying the worlds largest island, even as Denmark, a NATO ally, insisted it wasnt for sale. The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trumps plan. On her visit, Vance will attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenlands national dogsled race, featuring about 37 mushers and 444 dogs. The statement said Vance and the U.S. delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity.Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. will come to control Greenland while insisting he supports the idea for strategic national security reasons not with an eye toward American expansionism. I think we will have it, Trump said of Greenland shortly after beginning his second term on Jan. 20. The U.S. already has a military base on Greenland and the presidents eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited it in January. During a recent Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said Denmarks very far away from Greenland, and questioned whether that country still had a right to claim the worlds largest island as part of its kingdom. The northern lights appear over homes in Nuuk, Greenland, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) The northern lights appear over homes in Nuuk, Greenland, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A boat landed there 200 years ago or something. And they say they have rights to it, Trump said. I dont know if thats true. I dont think it is, actually.All five parties in Greenlands parliament issued a joint statement last week rejecting Trumps remarks. Denmark has recognized Greenlands right to independence at a time of its choosing.Beyond his focus on Greenland, Trump has refused to rule out military intervention in Panama to retake that countrys canal, said that Canada should be Americas 51st state and suggested that U.S. interests could assume control of the war-torn Gaza Strip from Israel and redevelop it as a Riviera-like seaside resort.___Associated Press writer Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Republican U.S. Rep. Mia Love, center, kisses her daughter Abby while hugging her sister Cyndi Brito, after she addresses supporters during an election night party, Nov. 6, 2018, in Lehi, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)2025-03-24T02:58:17Z SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love of Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants who became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, died Sunday.She was 49. Loves family posted news of her death on Loves X account.She had undergone recent treatment for brain cancer and received immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at Duke Universitys brain tumor center. Her daughter said earlier this month that the former lawmaker was no longer responding to treatment.Love died at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, according to a statement posted by the family.With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully, her family said. We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers and condolences.Utah Gov. Spencer Cox referred to Love as a true friend. Her legacy of service inspired all who knew her, Cox said in a statement. We pray for her family and mourn with them.Love entered politics in 2003 after winning a seat on the city council in Saratoga Springs, a growing community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. She later became the citys mayor. In 2012, Love narrowly lost a bid for the House against the Democratic incumbent, former Rep. Jim Matheson, in a district that covers a string of Salt Lake City suburbs.She ran again two years later and defeated first-time candidate Doug Owens by about 7,500 votes. Love didnt emphasize her race during her campaigns, but she acknowledged the significance of her election after her 2014 victory. She said her win defied naysayers who had suggested that a Black, Republican, Mormon woman couldnt win a congressional seat in overwhelmingly white Utah.She was briefly considered a rising star within the GOP and she kept her distance from Donald Trump, who was unpopular with many Utah voters, while he was running for president ahead of the 2016 election. In 2016, facing reelection and following the release of a 2005 recording in which Trump made lewd comments about groping women, Love skipped the Republican National Convention and released a statement saying definitively that she would not vote for Trump. She instead endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the GOP race, but he dropped out months later.While seeking a third term in 2018, Love tried to separate herself Trump on trade and immigration while still backing her partys positions on tax cuts. Despite Republican voters outnumbering Democrats by a nearly three-to-one margin in her district, though, she lost by fewer than 700 votes to former Salt Lake City Mayor Ben McAdams, a Democrat.Trump called out Love by name in a news conference the morning after she lost, where he also bashed other Republicans who didnt fully embrace him.Mia Love gave me no love, and she lost, Trump said. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia.After her loss, Love served as a political commentator on CNN and as a fellow at the University of Sydney.Following Trumps election in November, Love said she was OK with the outcome.Yes, Trump says a lot of inconsiderate things that are unfortunate and impossible to defend. However, his policies have a high probability of benefiting all Americans, Love wrote in a social media post. HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Schoenbaum is a government and politics reporter based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also covers general news in the Rockies and LGBTQ+ rights policies in U.S. statehouses. twitter mailto

A state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction machine analyzes a glazed roof tile from the Forbidden City in a lab on the sprawling compound of the imperial palace also known as the Palace Museum in Beijing, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)2025-03-24T02:33:53Z BEIJING (AP) Its highly technical work in what looks more like a lab than a museum: A fragment of a glazed roof tile from Beijings Forbidden City is analyzed in a state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction machine that produces images, which are then projected onto computer screens.The fragment being examined has a dark area on its surface that restorers want to understand. Their objective is to better preserve the artifacts at the sprawling imperial palace, the former home of Chinas emperors and its seat of power for hundreds of years.We want to learn what the black material is, said Kang Baoqiang, one of the restorers at the complex, today a museum that attracts tourists from all over the world. Whether its atmospheric sediment or the result of substantial change from within.About 150 workers on the team fuse scientific analysis and traditional techniques to clean, patch up and otherwise revive the more than 1.8 million relics in the museums collection. They include scroll paintings, calligraphy, bronzes, ceramics and, somewhat unexpectedly, ornate antique clocks that were gifted to emperors by early European visitors. Down the hall from the X-ray room, two other restorers patch up holes on a panel of patterned green silk with the Chinese character for longevity sewn into it, carefully adding color in a process called inpainting. The piece is believed to have been a birthday gift to Empress Dowager Cixi, the power behind the throne in the late 19th and early 20th century. Much of the work is laborious and monotonous and takes months to complete.I dont have the big dreams of protecting traditional cultural heritage that people talk about, said Wang Nan, one of the restorers. I simply enjoy the sense of achievement when an antique piece is fixed.Now a major tourist site in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City is the name that was given to the sprawling compound by foreigners in imperial times because entry was forbidden to most outsiders. Its formally known as the Palace Museum. Many of its treasures were hurriedly taken away during World War II to keep them from falling into the hands of the invading Japanese army. During a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in 1949, the defeated Nationalists took many of the most prized pieces to Taiwan, where they are now housed in the National Palace Museum. Beijings Palace Museum has since rebuilt its collection. Restoration techniques have also evolved, said Qu Feng, head of the museums Conservation Department, though the old ways remain the foundation of the work. When we preserve an antique piece, we protect the cultural values it carries, Qu said. And that is our ultimate goal.___Associated Press video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report. KEN MORITSUGU Moritsugu covers political, economic and social issues from Beijing for The Associated Press. He has also reported from New Delhi, Bangkok and Tokyo and is the APs former news director for Greater China and for Japan and the Koreas. twitter

Demonstrators rally in support of federal workers outside of the Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-03-24T04:10:38Z WASHINGTON (AP) As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk work to overhaul the federal government, theyre forcing out thousands of workers with insider knowledge and connections who now need a job.For Russia, China and other adversaries, the upheaval in Washington as Musks Department of Government Efficiency guts government agencies presents an unprecedented opportunity to recruit informants, national security and intelligence experts say. Every former federal worker with knowledge of or access to sensitive information or systems could be a target. When thousands of them leave their jobs at the same time, that creates a lot of targets, as well as a counterespionage challenge for the United States.This information is highly valuable, and it shouldnt be surprising that Russia and China and other organizations criminal syndicates for instance would be aggressively recruiting government employees, said Theresa Payton, a former White House chief information officer under President George W. Bush, who now runs her own cybersecurity firm. Many agencies oversee crucial dataEach year an average of more than 100,000 federal workers leave their jobs. Some retire; others move to the private sector. This year, in three months, the number is already many times higher.Its not just intelligence officers who present potential security risks. Many departments and agencies oversee vast amounts of data that include personal information on Americans as well as sensitive information about national security and government operations. Exiting employees could also give away helpful security secrets that would allow someone to penetrate government databases or physical offices. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, for instance, maintains information on trade negotiations that could help an adversary undercut the United States. Federal records house data on clandestine intelligence operations and agents. Pentagon databases contain reams of sensitive information on U.S. military capabilities. The Department of Energy oversees many of the nations most closely guarded nuclear secrets. This happens even in good times someone in the intelligence community who for personal financial or other reasons walks into an embassy to sell America out but DOGE is taking it to a whole new level, said John Schindler, a former counterintelligence official.Someone is going to go rogue, he said. Its just a question of how bad it will be.Only a tiny fraction of the many millions of Americans who have worked for the federal government have ever been accused of espionage. The overwhelming number are conscientious patriots who would never sell out their country, Payton said.Background checks, employee training and exit interviews are all designed to prevent informants or moles and to remind departing federal employees of their duty to preserve national secrets even after leaving federal service. Even one person can do serious damageIt takes only one or two misguided or disgruntled workers to cause a national security crisis. Former FBI agent Robert Hanssen and former CIA officer Aldrich Ames, who both spied for Russia, show just how damaging a single informant can be. Hanssen divulged sweeping information about American intelligence-gathering, including details that authorities said were partly responsible for the outing of U.S. informants in Russia who were later executed for working on Americas behalf.The odds that one angry former employee reaches out to a foreign power go up as many federal employees find themselves without a job, experts said. Whats not in doubt is that foreign adversaries are looking for any former employees they can flip. Theyre hunting for that one informant who could deliver a big advantage for their nation.Its a numbers game, said Schindler. Frank Montoya Jr., a retired senior FBI official and former top U.S. government counterintelligence executive, said he was less concerned about well-trained intelligence community employees betraying their oaths and selling out to American adversaries. But he noted the many workers in other realms of government who could be targeted by Russia or China, When it comes to the theft of intellectual property, when it comes to the theft of sensitive technology, when it comes to access to power grids or to financial systems, an IRS guy or a Social Service guy whos really upset about what DOGE is doing, they actually are the bigger risk, Montoya said.Once military and intelligence officials were the primary targets of foreign spies looking to turn an informant. But now, thanks to the massive amount of information held at many agencies, and the competitive edge it could give China or Russia, thats no longer the case.We have seen over the last generation, the last 2025 years, the Chinese and the Russians increasingly have been targeting non-national defense and non-classified information, because it helps them modernize their military, it helps them modernize their infrastructure, Montoya said. Online activity makes it easier than it once wasThe internet has made it far easier for foreign nations to identify and recruit potential informants. Once, Soviet intelligence officers had to wait for an embittered agent to make contact, or go through the time-consuming process of identifying which recently separated federal employees could be pliable. Now, all you need is a LinkedIn subscription and you can quickly find former federal officials in search of work. You go on LinkedIn, you see someone who was formerly at Department of Defense now looking for work and its like, Bingo, Schindler said.A foreign spy service or scammer looking to exploit a recently laid-off federal worker could bring in potential recruits by posting a fake job ad online.One particularly novel concern involves the fear that a foreign agent could set up a fake job interview and hire former federal officials as consultants to a fake company. The former federal workers would be paid for their expertise without even knowing they were supplying information to an enemy. Russia has paid unwitting Americans to do its business before.Paytons advice for former federal employees looking for work? Its the same as her guidance for federal counterespionage officials, she said: Be on high alert.The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to questions about the risks that a former federal worker or contractor could sell out the country. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently announced plans to investigate leaks within the intelligence community, though her announcement was focused not on counterespionage concerns but on employees who pass information to the press or the public.In a statement, the office said it would investigate any claims that a member of the intelligence community was improperly releasing information.There are many patriots in the IC that have reached out to DNI Gabbard and her team directly, explaining that they have raised concerns on these issues in the past but they have been ignored, the office said. That will no longer be the case.___ ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto

Actor Gerard Depardieu addresses the media during the press conference for the film 'Saint Amour' at the 2016 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, File)2025-03-24T06:03:31Z PARIS (AP) French actor Grard Depardieu is standing trial on Monday in Paris accused of sexually assaulting two women during the filming of a movie in 2021.Depardieu, 76, is facing charges that he groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during production of the film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters). Prosecutors allege the incidents included obscene remarks and inappropriate touching, including an incident in which Depardieu allegedly used his legs to trap one of the women before groping her in front of other crew members. Both women have filed formal complaints. Their identities have not been disclosed to protect alleged victims of sexual assault. The actor denies the charges.In an open letter published in Le Figaro in Oct. 2023, Depardieu wrote: Never, but never, have I abused a woman. The trial was initially scheduled for October 2024 but was postponed due to Depardieus health. His lawyer, Jrmie Assous, said the actor had undergone a quadruple heart bypass and suffers from diabetes. A court-appointed medical expert determined he is fit to stand trial. He is expected to attend the two-day hearing, reportedly with scheduled breaks. This is the first time Depardieu, one of Frances most prominent film actors, has gone to trial over sexual assault allegations. He has previously been accused of misconduct by about 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped due to lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.The court is expected to hear witness testimony during the trial. A verdict is not expected immediately.

A person walks by a sign for a meeting in progress at the Oregon state Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)2025-03-24T04:03:08Z Virginia lawmaker Jackie Glass said she got a safety brief when she joined the Legislature. I was told who not to go drink with, who not to be alone with and who to just watch out for, she said on the Statehouse floor in 2024. Addressing the male House speaker, she said, I dont think you got that brief. The Democrat was discussing a pervasive culture of sexual misconduct in the Statehouse, something that remains despite the #MeToo movement hitting critical mass in 2017.The movement toppled politicians, celebrities and others across the country. Allegations of harassment and misconduct, some from many years prior, came to light highlighting a toxic culture where such behavior was perhaps as rampant and accepted as the silence that buried it. Many state legislatures responded by adopting or enhancing policies against sexual misconduct. As the number of female state lawmakers reaches new heights, some say statehouses are less of a boys club. But allegations continue to surface at the state level and beyond.In an interview with The Associated Press, Glass questioned why she would encourage women to join the legislative ranks when it feels little has changed.I just dont know how we keep women and well, quite frankly, people safe when it feels like it goes hand in hand with the work, she said. 12 dozen lawmakers accused in 8 yearsSince 2017, The Associated Press has cataloged at least 147 state lawmakers across 44 states who have been accused of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.Over a third resigned or were expelled from office and roughly another third faced repercussions, such as losing party or committee leadership positions. A dozen top state executive officials, including governors and attorneys general, also faced sexual misconduct allegations during that time, and most resigned.The total includes allegations of incidents in state government and outside of it. That includes Minnesota Republican state Sen. Justin Eichorn, who resigned on Thursday after being charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution. A federal defender said Thursday that Eichorn was still in the process of hiring a private lawyer. Most allegations were reported in the first two years of #MeToo, but more have emerged every year since.In 2024 alone, the AP tallied at least 14 state lawmakers from a dozen states who were accused about twice as many as the previous year.According to the National Womens Defense League, which advocates for sexual harassment policies in statehouses and keeps its own count, Republicans and Democrats are nearly equally accused and 94% of those overall are men.New policies and training, but not always transparencyAn AP survey of the legislative chambers in each state, conducted from last November through January, found about half had updated their sexual harassment policies over the past five years. The Nevada Legislature, for example, expanded its definition of sexual harassment to include visual conduct such as derogatory photos or gestures.And the Kentucky General Assembly added sexual harassment to its list of ethical misconduct, taking action several years after revelations that four lawmakers had signed a secret sexual harassment settlement with a female employee. Near the beginning of #MeToo, an AP survey found about a third of legislative chambers didnt require lawmakers to take sexual harassment training.Almost all state legislatures now offer it, though its not always mandatory and content, format and frequency vary.Academic experts and womens advocacy groups say frequent training is best conducted in person and with real-life scenarios. While most chambers offer in-person training, only about one-third nationwide conduct training annually, according to APs survey.Not every legislative chamber is transparent about its policies or efforts to mitigate sexual harassment and misconduct, though.The Oklahoma Senate and both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature declined to provide their sexual harassment policies to the AP, asserting they are internal documents exempt from disclosure. The Mississippi Senate did not respond to requests for its written policy. The Arkansas Senate is the only legislative chamber without a specific sexual harassment policy, but Senate legal counsel said it has an ethics code and the authority to discipline members.Lawmakers in California created a body independent of the Legislature to investigate reports of sexual harassment with a call line. However, investigation findings are only released publicly if the complaint is found to be substantiated against a lawmaker or high-level staffer.If thats what it takes to keep people acting right, thats fineLawmakers and others are divided about whether anything has changed and if so, why.Rep. Abby Major, a Pennsylvania Republican, says male colleagues have treated women better after recent sexual harassment scandals. I think maybe the men are afraid to do anything lest I am doing a press conference about them next, Major said, referring to her disclosure that a fellow representative in 2022 propositioned her and followed her to her car. If thats what it takes to keep people acting right, then thats fine. Ill be the boogeyman. Michigan Democratic state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who filed a sexual harassment complaint against Republican state Sen. Peter Lucido in 2020, said improvements have less to do with policy changes and more to do with the fact more women are in charge.By our very nature, we changed how the Legislature operates, she said. Lucido did not respond to requests for comment.According to data kept by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, the number of female state lawmakers saw the greatest rise in 2018 since the 1990s, largely driven by the success of Democratic women in that years midterms. Women now occupy 33% of all legislative seats nationwide, although representation by state varies.Others still see sexism, especially in male-dominated, Republican-majority chambers.Sometimes it feels like we should just smile more and not be disruptive and not challenge anyone. That hasnt gone away, said Georgia state Rep. Shea Roberts, who resigned as Democratic Caucus treasurer to protest after the caucus leader was accused last year of sexually harassing a staffer.Coming forward sometimes has other consequencesEven with updated sexual harassment policies and cultural shifts, the decision to report is fraught.Misconduct reports may be handled by a third party or more commonly, by ethics committees or caucus leadership. Accusers often consider which leaders and parties are in power, according to the National Womens Defense League.This is a political workplace and therefore harassment issues inside of the statehouse are inherently political, said Emma Davidson Tribbs, the NWDLs founding director.Experts say a third party is crucial to ensuring a fair investigation and to encourage reporting.Only about one-quarter of legislative chambers require external investigations when such complaints are made, according to APs survey. Dozens of others allow external investigations at the case-by-case discretion of legislative leaders. Oregons Legislative Equity Office, which investigates complaints, found in its annual report released earlier this month that legislative staff reached out to the office more than any other group.Oregon Democratic state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin was one of two female lawmakers who filed complaints about unwanted touching by a fellow senator in 2017.I still remember the first time I turned on the radio and heard my name and people talking about my breasts or my thighs, she told the AP. It felt very, very invasive. And it made it a lot more clear to me why people dont make their complaints or why they dont come forward.Despite legal protections against retaliation, accusers reputations and careers often take a hit after coming forward.Gabrielle Brock, then a communications staffer for Indiana Senate Democrats, was 23 when she and three other women accused then-Attorney General Curtis Hill, a Republican, of groping them at a 2018 party. Their accusations led to a misconduct hearing before the state Supreme Court and Hills law license was suspended for 30 days.Hill, who denied the allegations, lost his 2020 reelection bid thereafter and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2024.Brock and the other women left their jobs in the Statehouse as a result.I felt like that story overshadowed any work that I was doing for the state, for my caucus at the time, Brock said.Brock had found a passion for working in government but says the Statehouse environment made it too uncomfortable a place to work.Every woman had a story of some kind of inappropriate interaction, primarily with an elected official, she said.The women dropped a lawsuit against Hill last December, saying through their attorney they felt the trial would bring no relief monetary or otherwise. When reached for comment, Hill called the original allegations vague and thin. Were blaming the wrong peopleMen still make up two-thirds of all state lawmakers in the U.S. and though #MeToo has primarily spotlighted womens voices, some say the reckoning gave them the space to join women in discussing misconduct and to acknowledge more work is needed.Republican state Rep. Mark Schreiber of Kansas, who joined the Legislature in 2017, said he saw a boys will be boys ethos when he started coming to the Statehouse decades ago as a utility company executive. That later gave way to acknowledging harassment while still blaming women.In more recent years, he said, men realized, Were blaming the wrong people, and We need to correct the behavior of these men.Advocates and lawmakers alike hope that improvements continue, saying hostile work environments remain pervasive enough to keep women from running for office.When men run for office, its about whether they can do the job, said Erin Maye Quade, a Minnesota Democratic senator. When women run for office, its about a lot more than that.Many question the overall progress of #MeToo, pointing to sexual misconduct allegations against several of President Donald Trumps cabinet nominees and the president himself many of whom have denied them.It sends a message of normalization about this kind of behavior, said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics.I do think things are better than they were. I do think the MeToo movement had an impact, she added. But that momentum has to stay because it doesnt just get fixed in a couple of years.___Associated Press writers Claire Rush, Sophie Austin, Mark Scolforo, Jeff Amy, John Hanna, Steve Karnowski and AP writers covering statehouses around the U.S. contributed to this report. ___The Associated Press women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. ISABELLA VOLMERT Volmert covers Michigan government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Lansing. twitter mailto DAVID A. LIEB Lieb covers issues and trends in state governments across the U.S. Hes reported about government and politics for The Associated Press for 30 years. twitter mailto OLIVIA DIAZ Diaz covers Virginia politics with the Associated Press. twitter mailto

Mourners react next to the body of their relative Ahmed Al Shaer who was killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip as he brought for burial at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-03-24T07:26:54Z Officials say Egypt has introduced a new proposal to try and get the Israel-Hamas ceasefire back on track.Hamas would release five living hostages, including an American-Israeli, in return for Israel allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and a weekslong pause in the fighting, an Egyptian official said. Israel would also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.A Hamas official said the group had responded positively to the proposal, without elaborating.Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media on the closed-door talks.Israel ended the existing ceasefire last week by launching a surprise wave of airstrikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians. That came after Hamas rejected Israeli-backed proposals to change the agreement in order to free more hostages before talks on a lasting ceasefire, which were supposed to begin in early February. Hamas has said it will only free the remaining 59 hostages 24 of whom are believed to be alive in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Samy Magdy ___Heres the latest: US surgeon in Gaza says most patients hurt in Israeli attack on hospital had been wounded in earlier strikesAn American trauma surgeon working in Gaza says most of the patients injured in an Israeli attack on the largest hospital in southern Gaza had been previously wounded when Israel resumed airstrikes last week.Californian surgeon Feroze Sidhwa, who is working with the medical charity MedGlobal, said Monday he had been in the intensive care unit at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis when an airstrike hit surgical wards on Sunday.Most of the injured had been recovering from wounds suffered in airstrikes last week when Israel resumed the war, he said.They were already trauma patients and now theyve been traumatized for a second time, Sidhwa, who was raised in Flint, Mich., told Australian Broadcasting Corp.Sidhwa said he had operated on a man and boy days before who died in the attack.

A resident cleans up the damaged apartment in a multi-storey house after Russia's night drone attack, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)2025-03-24T08:04:29Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) U.S. and Russian negotiators on Monday sat down for talks in Saudi Arabia on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine, hours after a round of negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, Russian news reports said.The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies said the negotiations began in Riyadh. The meeting is expected to be followed by another contact between U.S. and Ukrainian teams.The separate meetings are set to discuss details of a pause in long-range attacks against energy facilities and civilian infrastructure and a halt on attacks in the Black Sea to ensure safe commercial shipping.Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries leaders, but the parties have offered different views of what targets would be off-limits to attack. While the White House said energy and infrastructure would be covered, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would also like railways and ports to be protected. Russia launched a barrage of drones across Ukraine overnight into Sunday that killed at least seven people, including a father and his 5-year-old daughter in Kyiv.There must be more pressure on Russia to stop this terror, Zelenskyy said in a statement, adding that it depends on all our partners the U.S., Europe, and others around the world. Zelenskyy has emphasized that Ukraine is open to a full, 30-day ceasefire that Trump has proposed, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a complete ceasefire conditional on a halt of arms supplies to Kyiv and a suspension of Ukraines military mobilization demands rejected by Ukraine and its Western allies.Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff said he expected some real progress at the talks in Saudi Arabia, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries, and from that youll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Usha Vance attends a campaign rally, Nov. 1, 2024, in Selma, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce, File)2025-03-24T09:09:31Z Danish police sent extra personnel and sniffer dogs to Greenland as the icy island steps up security measures ahead of a planned visit this week by Second Lady Usha Vance, the chief spokesman for Denmarks national police said.Ren Gyldensten said Monday the extra officers, deployed the day before, were part of regular steps taken during visits by dignitaries to Greenland, a self-governing, mineral-rich territory of American ally Denmark.Citing office procedure, Gyldensten declined to specify the number of extra police flown on the chartered flight. News reports put the number at dozens of officers.Vances visit comes at a time when President Donald Trump has suggested the United States should take control of Greenland. Greenlandic news outlet Sermitsiaq posted images of two U.S. Hercules workhorse military aircraft on the tarmac Sunday in Nuuk, the capital, adding that the planes later departed. Vance will leave on Thursday and return Saturday, a statement from her office said. She and one of her three children will be part of a U.S. delegation that will visit historic sites and learn about Greenlandic heritage. On her visit, Vance will attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenlands national dogsled race, featuring about 37 mushers and 444 dogs. The statement said Vance and the U.S. delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity. Media outlets in Greenland and Denmark reported that Vance would be accompanied by Trumps national security adviser, Mike Waltz. The White House and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Trump had mused during his first term about buying the worlds largest island, even as Denmark, a NATO ally, insisted it wasnt for sale. The people of Greenland have also firmly rejected Trumps plans. Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. will come to control Greenland while insisting he supports the idea for strategic national security reasons not with an eye toward American expansionism. JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe. twitter

Posters and other paraphernalia are seen scattered outside the studio where Indian comedian Kunal Kamra allegedly made "defamatory" remarks against Shiv Sena politician Eknath Shinde, in Mumbai, India, Monday, March 24, 2025, after the venue was ransacked by Shiv Sena party workers. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)2025-03-24T07:43:55Z NEW DELHI (AP) A comedian popular for his biting political humor is being investigated for possible defamation over jokes made about an Indian state leader who is an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in yet another case raising questions over freedom of speech in the country.Police in the western city of Mumbai opened the investigation Monday against Kunal Kamra over a comedy skit referring to Eknath Shinde, the second highest elected leader of Maharashtra state, following a complaint filed by a politician from Shindes Shiv Sena party. Kamra had made the remarks in a comedy skit, but it was unclear when the performance took place.A video clip of the skit Kamra posted on his Instagram profile on Sunday showed him taunting Shinde in a parody song. Kamras use of the term traitor particularly triggered Shiv Sena party workers and on Sunday they ransacked the studio where he had performed the skit. Police are also investigating the vandalism. One lawmaker from the party Sunday threatened Kamra, saying he would be chased by the party workers throughout the country. You will be forced to flee India, lawmaker Naresh Mhaske warned Kamra in a video message. Shinde has not commented about the matter, but Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Kamra should apologize for his remarks.We respect freedom of expression, but recklessness will not be tolerated, Fadnavis told reporters. Kamra has made no comment on the investigation, but late Sunday he shared on his Instagram a picture of himself holding the Indian Constitution with caption: The only way forward.The Habitat Comedy Club, where Kamra had performed, said it was shutting down following the vandalism.We are shocked, worried and extremely broken by the recent acts of vandalism targeting us, it said in a statement Monday, adding that the club will remain shut till we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy. Kamra has faced the ire of Hindu nationalist groups and political parties in the past, particularly for jokes about Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party politicians.Other Indian comedians have been arrested or had shows canceled for making fun of politicians or making references to the Hindu religion or national icons.

The Mozilla Foundation is calling upon 30 technology companies, social networks, and websites to block web scraping by an ICE surveillance contractor called ShadowDragon after 404 Media published a list of sites that the contractor pulls data from.The thorniest concern here is the meticulous targeting such data enablesputting the lives of protesters, researchers, immigrants, and human rights defenders participating in any form of civil resistance that challenges political powers at risk of arrest and intimidation. SocialNets widespread reach across major social networking sites and forums also puts data from millions of people at risk of unconsented exposure or exploitation, the Mozilla Foundation said in a statement.ShadowDragon sells a tool called SocialNet that streamlines the process of pulling public data from various sites, apps, and services. Marketing material available online says SocialNet can follow the breadcrumbs of your targets digital life and find hidden correlations in your research. In one promotional video, ShadowDragon says users can enter an email, an alias, a name, a phone number, a variety of different things, and immediately have information on your target. We can see interests, we can see who friends are, pictures, videos.The leaked list of targeted sites include ones from major tech companies, communication tools, sites focused around certain hobbies and interests, payment services, social networks, and more. The 30 companies the Mozilla Foundation is asking to block ShadowDragon scrapers are Amazon, Apple, BabyCentre, BlueSky, Discord, Duolingo, Etsy, Metas Facebook and Instagram, FlightAware, Github, Glassdoor, GoFundMe, Google, LinkedIn, Nextdoor, OnlyFans, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Strava, Substack, TikTok, Tinder, TripAdvisor, Twitch, Twitter, WhatsApp, Xbox, Yelp, and YouTube.When 404 Media contacted a large number of companies mentioned in the leaked list, several said that scraping would violate their terms of service. Many did not reply.When previously asked if ShadowDragons activity constitutes scraping, Sandy MacKay, VP of business operations at ShadowDragon, told 404 Media in an email that ShadowDragon doesnt log customer inquiries or the resulting data, so we cant provide information that violates the privacy settings of individual account owners using these platforms, including data theyve deleted. In other words, the searches are performed live on sites when the ShadowDragon user requests it. That might arguably still violate some of the companies terms of use, however.Do you know anything else about this? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.Governments are using visible and invisible tactics to silence individuals speaking out against human rights abuse, Nabiha Syed, the Mozilla Foundations executive director said in a statement. Our job is to throw sunlight on these invisible tactics so that companies arent betraying consumer trust in data protection.News of the sites ShadowDragon targets came as the Trump administration plans to use AI to scan the social media profiles of foreign students that it believes support Hamas.

Nature, Published online: 24 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00903-9Some low-profile meetings are helpful for parts of the scientific community. Others look like more of a cash grab.

Nature, Published online: 24 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00695-yYohannes Haile-Selassie wants to shift the trajectory of palaeoanthropology in fossil-rich Ethiopia away from its long colonial heritage.

This photo provided by Thailand's daily web newspaper Prachatai shows a truck with black tape covering the windows leave a detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 27, 2025. (Nuttaphol Meksobhon/Prachatai via AP, File)2025-03-24T09:28:36Z BANGKOK (AP) In late February, representatives of a Thai Muslim organization brought a reassuring message to 40 Uyghur men terrified they were going to be sent back to China: The government had no immediate plans to deport them.Less than 72 hours later, the men were on a plane bound for Chinas far west Xinjiang region, where U.N. experts say they could face torture or other punishment. Thailand decided to deport the men more than a month earlier, while denying plans to do so to the public, lawmakers and Muslim religious leaders until almost the very end, according to testimony from parliamentary inquiries, interviews, meeting notes and voice messages. That gave the detainees and their advocates no chance to make a last-ditch appeal before they were bundled off and sent back to China. FILE- This photo shows an immigration detention center where Uyghur detainees were held in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Haruka Nuga, File) FILE- This photo shows an immigration detention center where Uyghur detainees were held in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Haruka Nuga, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Now, the Thai government is dealing with the fallout of a move that outraged human right activists and allies. The decision is at the heart of Thai parliamentary inquiries and a diplomatic rift between Thailand and its biggest military ally. The United States has imposed sanctions on multiple Thai officials while the European Union and other allies issued condemnations.Thai officials visited Xinjiang last week to meet some of the deported Uyghurs and said they are being treated well. They have also said the men returned voluntarily, despite evidence to the contrary. Thailands dilemma Members of the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement protest Chinas treatment of Uyghurs, near the State Department, on Dec. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Members of the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement protest Chinas treatment of Uyghurs, near the State Department, on Dec. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The Uyghurs are a Turkic, majority Muslim ethnicity native to Xinjiang. After decades of conflict over suppression of their cultural identity, Beijing launched a brutal crackdown on the Uyghurs that some Western governments deem a genocide. The men deported last month were part of a larger group of Uyghurs detained in Thailand in 2014 after fleeing China. That left Thailand facing competing demands from Beijing and Washington.Beijing said the Uyghurs were terrorists and wanted them sent back, but hasnt presented evidence. Uyghur activists and Western officials said the men are innocent and have urged their resettlement elsewhere. Facing potential backlash from all sides, Thailand kept the men in detention for over a decade.That changed when Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra took office last year. Her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has close links to top Chinese officials. HOLD- FILE- In this photo released by the Thailands Government Spokesman Office, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Thailands Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Beijing, China, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Thailands Government Spokesman Office via AP, File) HOLD- FILE- In this photo released by the Thailands Government Spokesman Office, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Thailands Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Beijing, China, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Thailands Government Spokesman Office via AP, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Thai officials began secretly discussing plans to deport the Uyghurs as early as December, a month after Paetongtarn met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the AP earlier reported.China sent a formal request to repatriate the Uyghurs on Jan. 8, according to records of a parliamentary inquiry held after the men had been sent back and lawmaker Rangsiman Rome. The same day, the men were asked to sign deportation papers, alarming them. They made a public appeal and went on a hunger strike, giving pause to Thai officials. Nonetheless, on Jan. 17, the National Security Council decided behind closed doors to deport the Uyghur detainees at a meeting attended by the ministers of defense and justice, the councils Secretary-General Chatchai Bangchuad revealed to the parliamentary investigation. Chatchai said the decision was based in part on commitments from China that the men would be treated well and that Thailand would be allowed to check on them.Repeated denials This photo provided by Thailands daily web newspaper Prachatai shows trucks with black tape covering the windows leave a detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 27, 2025. (Nuttaphol Meksobhon/Prachatai via AP, File) This photo provided by Thailands daily web newspaper Prachatai shows trucks with black tape covering the windows leave a detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 27, 2025. (Nuttaphol Meksobhon/Prachatai via AP, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Thats when the denials began.Shortly after the Jan. 17 meeting, Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters the government had no immediate plans for deportation.In a Jan. 29 parliamentary inquiry, the Thai government again denied plans to deport the men, according to the records of the meeting and an interview with Thai lawmaker Kannavee Suebsang.Thai Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit said the justice minister told her personally there were no plans to send the men to China just a week before they were deported.The Ministry of Justice referred the AP to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment. The foreign ministry declined to comment.In a Feb. 24 meeting, representatives of Sheikhul Islam, an official Islamic organization close to the Thai authorities, told the Uyghurs the government said they wouldnt be sent to China, according to notes and recordings obtained by AP. A detainee described what Sheikhul Islam told them in two recordings, one sent to an advocate and the other to a relative in Europe.They said theyre in touch with the government and they cannot guarantee the government wont send us back later, but till now, theyre saying we wont be sent back, the detainee said. Both recordings were provided to the AP by the advocate and are two to three minutes long. The advocate asked for anonymity for themself and for the detainee to protect them from retribution.The description of the meeting in the recordings was corroborated by notes taken by a participant and shared by an activist, as well as an interview with another person with direct knowledge of the situation. That person, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, added that at least some of the Sheikhul Islam representatives believed that the men were not about to be deported based on assurances from the government. Sheikhul Islam declined to comment. The notes also make it clear the men did not want to go to China, contrary to the governments claims.The detainees asked for a prayer for them to not be deported, the notes said.Three days later, in the early morning hours of Feb. 27, the men were put on trucks and driven away in the dead of night, black sheets drawn over the windows. The next day, Prime Minister Paetongtarn confirmed to reporters that she had discussed deportation with Chinese officials during a visit to Beijing in February.The Prime Ministers office referred a request for comment to the relevant parties without saying who those parties were. The Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The backlashIn the wake of the deportation, Kannavee, Angkhana, Rangsiman and other lawmakers expressed outrage and demanded answers. The Thai parliaments national security committee held an inquiry and called for footage of the deportation to be released. At first, top Thai officials said there were no other countries willing to offer asylum to the Uyghurs, but the U.S. and other countries have said they made repeated offers to take the men. In a further attempt to address the criticism, over half a dozen senior Thai officials visited Xinjiang last week at Beijings invitation. Select Thai media were invited, but an AP request to participate was denied.There is no need to worry about the Uyghurs, government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsab said Thursday in a statement. They are living happily with their families. Tourists take photos near a tower at the International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi in western Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as seen during a government organized trip for foreign journalists on April 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Tourists take photos near a tower at the International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi in western Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as seen during a government organized trip for foreign journalists on April 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Press releases and instructions given to media show the trip was carefully managed: The delegation met only six of the 40 men, according to a spokesperson, while media on the trip were ordered to avoid shooting images of the Uyghurs and Chinese officials, according to notes circulating among Thai reporters seen by AP. Images released from the visit blurred out almost all faces except those of Thai officials.Their deportation also caused a diplomatic rift between Thailand and Western countries. On March 14, the U.S. State Department announced visa sanctions on an unknown number of Thai officials for their role in the deportations, while the EU parliament passed a resolution condemning the deportation. The officials sanctioned by the U.S. were not named. Xinjiang authorities did not respond to a faxed request for comment. During a press conference last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the U.S. sanctions illegal.China ... opposes the U.S. using human rights as a pretext to manipulate Xinjiang-related issues, interfere in Chinas internal affairs, and disrupt normal law enforcement cooperation, Mao said.___Kang reported from Beijing. Associated Press journalists David Rising in Bangkok and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this story. DAKE KANG Kang covers Chinese politics, technology and society from Beijing for The Associated Press. Hes reported across Central, South, and East Asia, and was a Pulitzer finalist for investigative reporting in China. twitter mailto HUIZHONG WU Wu covers Chinese culture, society, and politics for The Associated Press, as well as the countrys growing overseas influence from Bangkok. She was previously based in Taiwan and China. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Patrons attend the grand opening of the Title 9 Sports Grill, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)2025-03-24T10:00:07Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness. Get the AP Top 25 womens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. PHOENIX (AP) When you walk into Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenixs Melrose District, its mission to be a haven for watching womens sports permeates every nook and cranny. From the over dozen TVs mounted on pink and orange walls to the Play Like a Girl! neon sign against a giant image of retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi.Its an impressive turnaround for co-owners Audrey Corley and Kat Moore. Just before Christmas, the space was still Moore and her husband Brads hot dog restaurant. But last summer they sold the business and the new owners didnt want to stay in the property. Thats when Corley, who owns a popular lesbian bar on the next block, proposed partnering on the citys first womens sports-centric bar. She had been mulling the idea since reading about the Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, which opened in 2022, and then seeing a half-dozen similar bars emerge in the last year. Then I see, you know, another one popped up here and another one. And then I was like, its just time. It has to be, Corley said before Title 9s grand opening earlier this month. Several new bars dedicated to womens sports have made the mad dash to open in time to capitalize on March Madness, now in full swing. From San Francisco to Cleveland, there will be more than a dozen across the country before the year is over. The femme-focused bar scene has made huge strides from three years ago when The Sports Bra was the only one. It comes during an exciting first year during which teams in the womens bracket will finally be paid for playing in the NCAA tourney. Many credit stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for increasing the marketability of female players. Last season, Reese and Clarks teams never saw a dollar. Now, the womens teams will finally earn individual revenue, known as units. A unit is money paid to conferences when one of its teams appears in the NCAA Tournament. Teams earn another with every game played. The most seamless part of transforming her old restaurant into Title 9 has been the built-in community anticipation of having a place to view womens sports, Moore said. The only question Ive gotten from quite a few men, especially when we first started telling people, was, Are men allowed? Yeah! Moore said, with a chuckle. Named for the landmark 1972 law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education, including athletics, Title 9 is filled with tributes to female athletes, from framed photos with QR codes to a cocktail roster with drinks such as the Pat Summitt Sour and Taurasi Goat-Tail. However, the owners emphasize a family-friendly atmosphere where young girls can come celebrate after a school game. Even some of the little girls, they could come here and dream of being on the TV someday and actually getting paid for it, Corley said. Debra Hallum and Marlene du Plessis were also inspired by the Sports Bra. They made their targeted opening in Austin last week of 1972 ATX Womens Sports Pub across from the University of Texas campus. The day included a rainbow ribbon cutting and officials from the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. While they are in a conservative state, the women have been emphasizing the bars LGBTQ-friendliness.We want to be very clear that we will be a very welcoming and inclusive space for all women sports fans, Hallum said. We want to invite everyone to grow the interest and the viewership, because thats the only way were going to fix that gap for women, including the pay gap.Neither woman has hospitality experience. Hallum has a corporate background and du Plessis is in education. But, they researched running a business like this and hired a talented chef and staff. Its clear both are passionate.It is so hard to find a bar or a pub that will show womens sports, du Plessis said. You always have to call around, ask around to find where they going to show it. And then most of the time you know they will not have the sound on. And we will.Theyve been touched by the reactions from residents, even parents of boys. We had a mom and dad, two daughters and their son show up and (the mom) was all about, This is exactly what we need, Hallum said. We want our son to be raised knowing that this is just as great and just as wonderful as mens sports.In Denver, Annie Weaver and Miranda Spencer met playing on opposing flag football teams. A month later, they began drafting a business plan for a similar concept, also inspired by The Sports Bra. Open since December, the 99ers Sports Bar is now hosting its first March Madness crowds.They were first mulling a name that would play off of Mia Hamm, the 1990s soccer icon who inspired Weavers Halloween costume for years. They settled on a name that honors the 1999 U.S. Womens World Cup soccer team, filled with names and faces that didnt get as much attention as Hamm. On a recent Sunday, the bar was standing room only as the TVs aired an NWSL game, Unrivaled semifinal games, and the Selection Sunday broadcast announcing the brackets for the NCAA Tournament. The city doesnt even have any womens teams in the major national leagues, but it was recently awarded the 16th NWSL expansion team, to begin play in 2026.A tri-fold bracket covered one table, and an impromptu friendship bracelet-making station occupied another.I wish I would have had this space growing up, Spencer said. These new bar operators agree this is not a trend but an indicator of a market that hasnt been served. But hopefully, anyone looking to open a womens sports bar isnt doing it just to be trendy, said Moore, of Title 9. Corleys most important advice for any would-be barkeep: The same way you play sports for the love, open this up for the love.___ Peterson reported from Denver. TERRY TANG Tang reports on race and ethnicity issues, including Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, for The Associated Press. She is based in Phoenix and previously covered breaking news in the Southwest. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nature, Published online: 24 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00809-6The ultrahot exoplanet WASP121 b has strong winds that transport material in different directions depending on the altitude in the planets atmosphere. High-resolution observations have mapped these winds for the first time, challenging the current understanding of atmospheric dynamics.

Nature, Published online: 24 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00897-4As glaciers begin to disappear, technological fixes to slow or halt ice melt are emerging. But regulations are urgently required before these fixes are used widely.