The adult film industry is sharing their condolences following the tragic passing of Tim Kruger. Legally known as Marcel Bonn, the TimTales founder and star became a staple in the porn community since his debut all the way back in 2006.Kruger reportedly died at 44 years old from a "tragic, yet simple accident at home," according to a statement on the official X (formerly Twitter) account for TimTales.Soon after the sad announcement was made, many gay entertainers from around the world posted messages of love and sadness as they recalled amazing memories spending time with the entrepreneur on and off set. Scroll below to see the heartfelt messages taking over social media. (@) "My biggest condolence to one of the biggest star in the industry @TimKrugerXXX You will remain a legend!" (@) "My life without @timtales_com and @TimKrugerXXX would have not been possible, I own a lot to Tim and this is devastating news, RIP Tim, you will never been forgotten." (@) "RIP @TimKrugerXXX Go fly high with the angels my friend we will never forget your kind spirit and legendary performances." (@) "Okay some very sad news. RIP.a truly great guy. On a personal level this hit me." (@) "RIP" (@) "Rest in peace legend @TimKrugerXXX " (@) "RIP." (@) "RIP to a legend.""My heart is absolutely broken about @TimKrugerXXX. He was a beautiful person inside and out and a force in the industry. I dont know anyone who made me feel so comfortable and safe. He will be so so missed.""I still cant believe it. Im honored to have connected with you in my life and thank you for the amazing human being that you will always be R.I.P. @TimKrugerXXX , WE LOVE YOU.""Rest in peace my dear special friend @TimKrugerXXX.""im shocked about the sad latest news and i want to send all my thoughts to @TimKrugerXXX he was so kind and a joyful, i remember when i first met him and how galant and down-to-earth, the way he welcomed me and made me feel at ease. i hope youre better where you are now! #RIPTim""Rest in peace @TimKrugerXXX""RIP @TimKrugerXXX ""Sad day. R.I.P. to the Legend @TimKrugerXXX ""An incredible man left us today! Deeply sad and heartbroken by this news! Apart from the legend he was an incredible sweet and caring human! Grateful to have met you. R.I.P my hero"

Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaks to Stephen Feinberg, President Donald Trump's choice to be deputy secretary of defense, as he appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-08T13:23:22Z WASHINGTON (AP) Republicans in Congress have long been intent on countering Americas rivals and spreading U.S. influence abroad. But when President Donald Trump spelled out a sharp turn from that approach in his recent address to Congress, lawmakers in his party couldnt help but stand and applaud.Moves toward a neutral position on the war between Russia and Ukraine. Tariffs on trading partners and allies. Cuts in foreign military and humanitarian aid. More is sure to come as Trump sweeps Washington with his America First agenda. Were going to protect our citizens like never before, he told Congress.Those ideas have produced some of the most dramatic moments in the early part of his second term, none more so than the Oval Office clash involving Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Some Republicans who were not shy about countering Trumps foreign policy ideas during his first term are overwhelmingly standing by him now. It shows not only Trumps ability to impose his will on his party, but also the extent to which he is ushering in a potentially generational shift in global alliances and power. Honestly, its a completely different way of looking at the world, said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. How do we avoid having enemies and how do we turn even unfriendly adversaries into no worse than friendly rivals. Still, in the weeks since taking office, Trump has handled foreign policy with unpredictable starts and stops. Twice he has pledged to implement tough tariffs on Mexico and Canada, only to pause them. He has suggested the U.S. should take ownership of Gaza, Greenland and the Panama Canal, only to have his administration distance itself from such notions. And he has berated Zelenskyy, paused military aid to Ukraine and engaged in friendlier relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Heres how members of Congress navigated Trumps foreign policy moves this past week: The Oval Office blowup with ZelenskyyThe open display of animosity between Trump and Zelenskyy had many Republicans on edge as they began the week. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, repeatedly declined to speak to reporters about the exchange.Another senior Republican who had previously been supportive of Zelenskyy, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, seemed to make a dramatic shift. After a deal to give the U.S. access to Ukraines mineral riches fell apart, Graham suggested that the Ukrainian president should resign.Then, as Zelenskyy and Trump raised the prospect of revived talks, Graham praised the deal as an implicit security guarantee for Ukraine because it would give Trump a business incentive for ensuring that Russia does not continue to take Ukrainian territory.President Trumps a business guy. You got to make business, Graham said, adding that the America First policy was a hybrid from the GOPs days of Reagan Republicans.I see it as a reevaluation of traditional alignments, a outside-the-box-view of talking to traditional foes, but the reason I support it is because I think this hybrid approach is actually smart, Graham said. Other Republicans who are opposed to Ukraine aid were delighted to see Trump sour on Zelenskyy.What were seeing, which is a bit of a shock to the system, is a president thats prioritizing American interests, said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.The presidents address to CongressThe only part of Trumps address to Congress on Tuesday night that drew more applause from Democrats than Republicans was when the president spoke of how the U.S. had sent billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. On the Democratic side of the House chamber, members unfurled a small Ukrainian flag and wore scarfs of blue and gold.On the Republican side, displays of support for Ukraine were hard to find. A few members wore lapel pins with the American and Ukrainian flags.Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who was one of the only GOP lawmakers to defend Zelenskyy this past week, said he was wearing the pin to send the message that I support Ukraine and that I think that Vladimir Putin is a liar. And the minute that we think theres any redeeming quality from him, weve made a mistake. Wicker, who also wore a pin Tuesday, said during a committee meeting that day that he hoped to heaven that Trump and Zelenskyy would reenter talks and that friends decide to move on after conflicts. As Trump spoke of Ukraine that night, Wicker sat on the edge of his seat.Its time to end this senseless war, Trump said, adding he wanted to speak to both sides.A new generation of advisersRepublicans are not just worried about the future of Ukraine. During a Senate hearing, Republican hawks such as Wicker and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas closely questioned Elbridge Colby, Trumps nominee for the top policy job at the Pentagon, about his ideas, which in the past have included a drawdown of military aid to Ukraine, a greater tolerance for Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and softening the U.S. position that it would help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Wicker also questioned Colby on whether he agreed with recently hired Pentagon advisers such as Michael DiMino, who has argued for reducing U.S. involvement in the Middle East, or Andrew Byers, who is in favor of a less confrontational approach to China.Colby laid out his view that the U.S. cannot currently afford to be involved in countering multiple adversaries. But he also seemed to placate the senators by suggesting Iran could become an existential threat to the U.S.Democrats repeatedly pressed Colby to say that Russia had started its war by invading Ukraine. Colby declined to do so, saying that the Trump administration was in a delicate negotiation with both countries.Democrats try to rally support for UkraineAs Trump changed Americas position on the war in Ukraine. Democrats took to the Senate floor Wednesday evening to try to pass a series of resolutions declaring U.S. support for repelling Russias invasion and decrying alleged war crimes by the Kremlin.Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, objected, blocking the resolutions. He said he agreed with the sentiment, but that it was unhelpful to the negotiations underway.Everybody wants the same outcome and that is to have peace in Ukraine, Risch said. There is one man on this planet, one man that can make that happen, and that is Donald J. Trump.Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who led the Democrats effort, responded by saying he had hoped Republicans could have agreed on rebuking Putin. Mr. Putin, you started this terrible war, Sanders said. Youre acting illegally. Youre acting barbarically. Stop that war. STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., attends a meeting of the House GOP conference, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-03-08T13:40:03Z WASHINGTON (AP) Almost two months into President Donald Trumps second term, the chairman of the House Republican campaign committee is already predicting his party will pick up seats in the midterm elections some 20 months away.Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., is in charge of increasing the GOPs slim majority in the House, or at least defending it. After Republicans met privately this past week with Elon Musk, Hudson said the cuts pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency are resonating with voters.With disruptions at GOP town halls during the recent break, Hudson and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have told Republican lawmakers to skip the events for now and meet with constituents elsewhere. Nevertheless, Hudson said Republicans are confident their budget-cutting is on the side of the angels. Heres the political outlook from the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee as he confronts Democrats trying to win back the House in 2026. This Q&A has been edited for brevity and length. What was your advice about holding town halls?HUDSON: I just said that, its very important that all of us are communicating with our constituents, are very visible in our districts, very accessible. And its a shame that Democrat organizations are paying people to disrupt in-person town halls. And so this normal dialogue that we want to have with our constituents isnt possible at in-person town halls. So we need to use technology to reach our constituents. Do you think the DOGE cuts will be a tough sell?HUDSON: I think its the greatest thing thats happened since Ive been in Congress.My biggest frustration as a member of Congress is these massive bureaucracies that hide all their spending and when I ask questions or send letters, ignore it. And now its all mapped. You can see it all. Theres transparency for the American people. Now we can go in and decide, do we like the taxpayers dollars being spent on this program? Yes. Lets keep it. This one? No, lets cut it. I mean, we actually can do our job. Its exciting. Its exhilarating. Do you feel any blowback back home from people losing their jobs, cuts to veterans?HUDSON: (Musk) did say that the the the firings at the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) were a mistake done by that agency, by the VA.He said mistakes were made by bureaucrats.What do you make of the 80,000 cuts at the VA?HUDSON: Im disturbed when I hear veterans are being fired. I think we ought to give veterans priority. But, you know, I do acknowledge that there may need to be firings in all these agencies.When it comes to the VA, for example, what Im concerned about is giving world class health care to our veterans in a timely manner. And so any waste, fraud and abuse that makes that difficult or messes that up, Im interested in cutting.Whats your message to the fired federal workers, what do you say to them?HUDSON: Hang tight.Whats that mean?HUDSON: I mean there may be some mistakes that are being corrected.Do you think that will be an OK message for other GOP lawmakers to use?HUDSON: The American people are sick of the swamp. Theyre sick of waste, fraud and abuse. For the first time. ever, we finally have the tools to affect it. So I think the voters are going to reward us. Democrats envision a repeat of Trumps first term, when they won back the House?HUDSON: I think theyre digging their own grave politically.Were on the side of the angels. Were doing what the American people asked us to do, what 77 million people voted for Donald Trump to get.Were going to pick up seats.

Welcome back to the Abstract!Let me start this column with a question: Are you a man or a mouse? Or a mammoth? Or a mammoth mouse? Okay, that was more than one question, but in my defense, scientists made a bunch of mammothy mice and Im getting my taxonomical lines crossed.Then, hornet guts: Whats in them? The answer will haunt your nightmares (but in a fun way). Next, quench your thirst with primordial supernova water. Last, a heartwarming story about how we averted death by cosmic radiation. I love that for us!Introducing: The Woolly Mam-mouseChen, Rui et al. Multiplex-edited mice recapitulate woolly mammoth hair phenotypes. bioRxiv.The last woolly mammoths vanished from Earth 4,000 years ago, but they loom large in our imaginations. The extinct proboscideans have become the main avatar of a push to de-extinct lost animals by creating genetic proxy species spliced together with gene-editing tools like CRISPR. Yes, this movement is very reminiscent of Jurassic Parkexcept the proposed attractions are dodos, thylacines, and mammoths instead of T-rexes with a specific taste for lawyers.Now, researchers working for Colossal Biosciences, a biotech startup that bills itself as the de-extinction company have unveiled a woolly mouse chimera, according to a new preprint study. These mice have exaggerated hair phenotypes including curly, textured coats, and golden-brown hair, which the researchers claim could shed light into the genetic adaptations of mammoths.The mice dont have any actual mammoth DNA in them; rather, the team toggled gene mutations that are similar to those found in mammoths, and other mammals.This study establishes a rapid platform for testing mammoth-centric genetic variants while advancing methods for complex genetic model generation, said researchers led by Rui Chen of Colossal Biosciences. These approaches inform de-extinction efforts and research into the genetic basis of mammalian hair development and cold adaptation.The study was published this week on bioRxiv, a server for biology preprints that are hot off the press and have not yet gone through the peer review process. The team also disclosed competing interests in this statement: The authors have filed a patent application based on the results of this work. All authors are current or former employees, or scientific advisors/consultants for Colossal Biosciences and/or Form Bio, and may hold stock and/or stock options in these companies.In other words, this study has not been traditionally vetted and the authors acknowledge financial interest in the outcome, which are important considerations in evaluating its results. Some scientists have already pushed back on the teams claim that the mice offer a meaningful step toward a resurrected mammoth.Jurassic Park may be a good guide here not only for its literal premise of resurrecting animals, but for its excellent portrayal of how commercialization shapes our conception of scientific breakthroughs. After all, science is very cool, people are often enthused about it, and this makes it easy to market lofty and appealing narratives about its progress. John Hammond (the British dino tycoon) wants to make money off his park, sure, but he also has a grander sense of purpose that he has even sold himself on. How can we stand in the light of discovery and not act? he asks his guests over a meal. Hungry dinosaurs bluntly counter this techno-optimism by making meals of several characters.Of course, its just a movie (albeit the best one ever made). Future mammoth proxies are unlikely to go on murderous rampages, though they would be well within their rights to do so. But it will be interesting to watch how this clear commercial interest in de-extinction will materialize in the coming years and, crucially, what popular narratives emerge from it. Are proxies possible? If so, who are they for? Can simulacra of dead things help save living things? Or is it all just a stunt? (Stunts can be very profitable, after all!)This study demonstrates an eagerness to prove that the rubber is meeting the road in the journey to de-extinction, but nobody knows where this road leads or what Frankensteinian creatures might show up along the way. For a deeper dive into the thorny dimensions of de-extinction efforts, I recommend Sabrina Imblers thoughtful feature on the topic for Defector.And while the methods and conclusions of this preprint should be adjudicated by experts, I did want to end on a light note by spotlighting the many luxurious mouse hairdos described in the study, such as wavy pelage and curly vibrissae. If nothing else, these mice chimeras can serve as inspiration for your next haircut.Theres a Party in these Hornet Guts and Everyones InvitedPedersen, Siffreya et al. Broad ecological threats of an invasive hornet revealed through a deep sequencing approach. Science of the Total Environment.In what is hands-down the gnarliest study of the week, scientists rummaged through hundreds of hornet guts to see what they were eating. Why would any sane person want to do such a thing? Because,like Mount Everest, the hornet guts are there. Oh, and also, the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is an invasive predator that is wreaking havoc across Europe, and understanding its diet is key to mitigating its ecological impact.And boy, this hornet did not disappoint: The team found a veritable buffet of 1,449 different species in the bellies of its babies (larvae).Through deep sequencing of gut samples from >1500 V. velutina larvae originating from 103 nests, the aim of this study was to provide the first large-scale dietary analysis of V. velutina across European regions, said researchers led by Siffreya Pedersen at the University of Exeter.We evidence V. velutina as a highly adaptable predator with an incredibly wide array of invertebrate prey, spanning the orders Hymenoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Araneae with considerable dietary species variation across seasons and geographical regions, the team said.Asian hornet dismembering a bee. Image: KennedyMitigating the devastating impacts of this predator will clearly be a tough job, as it can apparently subsist on any biofuel it can catch. The Asian hornet is particularly fond of devouring pollinators like the honey bee Apis mellifera, and it is truly chilling to read about their tactics.The hornets hunt A. mellifera by hawking outside of hive entrances and intercepting returning workers, or by targeting individual foragers at floral patches, the team said. Unlike the Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana, which has evolved defensive mechanisms such as killing the hornets through thermal shock (bee balling), A. mellifera has no effective defence against V. velutina.Insect studies will just casually mention insane defense moves like bee balling that sound like Bioshock plasmids. All in all, the Asian hornets gastronomical versatility distinguishes it as a potential ecosystem-level pressure in Europe and a threat that must be addressed. But even as we vow to curb its carnage, we must salute this epicurious gourmand.A Glimpse of the Cosmic WellspringWhalen, D.J. et al. Abundant water from primordial supernovae at cosmic dawn. Nature Astronomy.We now move from the gnarly to the serene. The very title of this study is a slice of zen: Abundant water from primordial supernovae at cosmic dawn. Forget abracadabra and other incantations. This is the kind of phrase I believe might make you levitate into enlightened transcendence if you repeat it enough.Water is the essential catalyst for life as we know it on Earth, and it is the fundamental parameter that we use to assess the habitability of other worlds. For this reason, the origins of water in the universe is a major research area that can shed light on the odds that life has emerged elsewhere in space and time.Researchers have now simulated the explosions of the first very stars in the universe, known as population III, which were much more massive and chemically homogenous than their stellar descendants. The models predicted that water formed in the cooling haloes that surrounded these inaugural supernovae, hinting that this vital compound has been around for about 13.6 billion years.Primordial (or population III) supernovae were the first nucleosynthetic engines in the Universe, and they forged the heavy elements required for the later formation of planets and life, said researchers led by D.J. Whalen of the University of Portsmouth. Here we present numerical simulations that show that the first water in the Universe formed in population IIIsupernovae.The primary sites of water production in these remnants are dense molecular cloud cores, which in some cases were enriched with primordial water to mass fractions that were only a factor of a few below those in the Solar System today, the team said. Besides revealing that a primary ingredient for life was already in place in the Universe 100200[million years] after the Big Bang, our simulations show that water was probably a key constituent of the first galaxies.Water, water everywhere? More like water, water, every-when. Water has been around almost as long as starlight, which makes it obvious that there are lots of aliens out there who must be just actively ignoring us.An Update on the Ozone Layer: Earths Bullet-Proof VestWang, Peidong et al. Fingerprinting the recovery of Antarctic ozone. Nature.Well close on a high noteso high, in fact, that it is located in the stratosphere. If you are an ancient crone like me, you might recall a time called the 1980s when humans realized that many commercial chemicals, especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were eating away at an atmospheric layer of ozone gas that helpfully protects life on Earth from deadly radiation. People were like, I dont want to be exposed to deadly radiation! so they banned ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) in the Montreal Protocol of 1987.The Montreal Protocol has often been held up as one of the biggest environmental successes in history, and a study out this week has further bolstered its reputation. While a lot of research has shown evidence of healing ozone, scientists have now adapted advanced climate change tools to check in on the famous ozone hole that once gaped over Antarctica.We performed a pattern-based fingerprint analysis for Antarctic ozone recovery, analogous to fingerprinting anthropogenic climate change, said researchers led by Peidong Wang at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We demonstrate that the data and simulations show compelling agreement in the fingerprint pattern of the ozone response to decreasing ODSs since 2005.Our results provide robust statistical and physical evidence that actions taken under the Montreal Protocol to reduce ODSs are indeed resulting in the beginning of Antarctic ozone recovery, the team said.Boom! Take the win, humanity, we need all the morale we can get. Indeed, the Montreal Protocol is often cited as an aspirational model of the international collaboration required to combat climate change. This is a bit of an oversimplificationthe entire global economy was not built on CFCs, and fossil fuels are a much harder habit to kick. Still, if youre a person who doesnt like being bombarded with carcinogenic space particles, rejoice. And if you do like radiation exposure, I have some waterfront property on Mars to sell you.Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Photo by Canva. Design by Sam Donndelinger.Subscribe nowOn Jan. 7, Meta introduced a new and watered-down Hateful Conduct Policy, which now makes explicit exemptions for discrimination aimed at the LGBTQ community. We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality, the policy states, using an offensive, loaded term that anti-trans activists frequently use. The LGBTQ community and allies were outraged, with many boycotting Facebook and Instagram because of it.But for Robert Netzlys company, the new guidelines were a massive win: Metas decision to end its censorship and divisive DEI policies represents a watershed moment for free expression, corporate responsibility, and faith-based investing, wrote Netzly, the CEO of Inspire Investing, in a blog post a few days after the announcement.We had been engaged with Meta for about eight months with a shareholder resolution centered on censorship, Netzly, who describes himself as a blood-bought believer by Jesus Christ, told Uncloseted Media. I applaud [Meta] for listening. I applaud them for engaging with us and I applaud them for making a good decision, he says, adding in his blog post that Inspires shareholder engagement efforts were instrumental in speaking biblical truth to corporate power and contributed to steering Meta toward a more inclusive, free and God-glorifying society. Meta did not respond to Uncloseted Medias request to view the shareholder resolution, and Inspire Investing declined to share a copy.Inspire Investing, founded by Netzly in 2015, is one of several financial firms specializing in whats known as biblically responsible investing (BRI)a rapidly growing, socially conservative form of Christian faith-based investing that steers Christians, no matter how well-intentioned they may be, away from investing in companies that support or promote various LGBTQ rights or inclusive policies for the community.The whole idea of biblically responsible investing is a relatively new concept that doesn't get a lot of attention, says Kent Saunders, a professor of economics and finance at Anderson University.While BRI may be new, this form of investing is a key factor pushing companies to sprint away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.And the industry is booming. Netzly says his company has over $3.2 billion of assets under management, up from the $35 million they had eight years ago. We're growing like a weed. And not just us, but many others. So it really is just the beginning of the faith-based investment movement.Subscribe for LGBTQ-focused, accountability journalism.How BRI WorksInspire Investing and other BRI firms, like the Biblically Responsible Investing Institute (BRII) and the Timothy Plan, screen companies for various forms of support for the LGBTQ community. Depending on the BRI firm, companies can get dinged for celebrating Pride Month, for offering benefits to same-sex couples, for having an LGBTQ employee resource group and for covering top or bottom surgery for their trans employees.When youre talking about a company that is comprised of thousands of people with various viewpoints, we cant take sides in a social issue, says Netzly. Particularly in something so deeply important and impactful as marriage, sexuality, relationships [and] gender.Despite Metas new rules, even they arent BRI-safe. Among other violations, BRII downranked them because of a 2024 video posted to LinkedIn captioned, This PRIDE month, were proud to amplify the voices and stories of our Meta employees who are shaping a more inclusive world. And Meta isnt alone: Coca-Cola was written up for donating $100,000 to The Trevor Projecta suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youthand Amazon was downranked for having an LGBTQ category on its marketplace. In fact, almost half of the S&P 500 is a no-go for Christian investors because of their so-called LGBT activism.What they're doing is demonizing an entire community, says Wendy Via, co-founder and president of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. [BRI] creates this false equivalency for discrimination against LGBTQ people and people of faith. It's just not the same. The gay community has worked for years and years to get folks the rights and the protections that they have earned and deserve. And so a company shouldn't be dinged for being inclusive.The table shows the percentage of companies that have at least one violation in each category of Inspire Investing BRI screen.. / Screenshot from Biblically Responsible investing study.One of the most common reasons a company gets ruled out of BRI is when they have a high score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundations Corporate Equality Indexa survey that measures workplaces on their LGBTQ policies and practices that is widely recognized as the gold standard metric for whether a company treats their queer employees well.But for Inspire Investing, companies who scored an above-average employer rating on the HRCs Index are dinged and receive a bad score for their so-called LGBT activism. Meta, Pfizer, Alphabet (Googles parent company), Microsoft, Amazon and Apple all received the lowest score from Inspire Investinga negative 100for earning an above-average rating from HRC.Screenshot from Inspireinsight.com.Part of corporate America's abandonment of DEI has involved no longer participating in the HRCs survey. In the last six months, companies that announced they would no longer participate include Harley-Davidson and Lowes. And today, both companies hold positive scores from Inspire Investing, which is only possible when a company has no screening violations related to so-called LGBT activism or other categories they deem anti-Christian.Theres many things in the [Index] that are just frankly required legal mandates; you have to do certain things, says Netzly, who says HRC has encouraged hate-filled messages towards people of faith. But when it comes to something like celebrating pride, Netzly asks, Has Apple sponsored a Focus on the Family parade? I dont think they would do that [and] thats an example of taking sides in an issue. Focus on the Family is an organization that has advocated for conversion therapy. The Southern Poverty Law Center has described them as one of a "dozen major groups [which] help drive the religious right's anti-gay crusade."In an email to Uncloseted Media, HRC Spokesperson Jared Todd challenged Netzlys notion that being pro-LGBTQ means you are anti-Christian. Two things are true: Diversity and inclusion efforts are not a zero-sum issue; and LGBTQ+ people of all backgrounds hold jobs that are housed in workplaces across the country. Thats why policies and practices based in DEI, alongside active participation in surveys like the Corporate Equality Index, are so vital to a companys long-term success in achieving their business goals and ensuring top talent attraction and retention, he writes.Despite the recent DEI exodus, Todd noted that this year, HRC surveyed a record-high 1,449 participantsnearly 5% growth from the previous year. Todd also pointed to data from 2024 that found 60% of people say an inclusive work culture with a well-supported diversity program is critical to attracting and retaining them as an employeeup 9 points from 2022.I think the real problem is how these companies are defining Christianity and biblically-based thinking, Via told Uncloseted Media. They are viewing Christianity and a biblical worldview in a very narrow way that the majority of Christians do not agree with, she says.Subscribe nowThe Origins of BRIBiblically responsible investing was sort of an evolution from the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement, says Saunders, who conducted a 2023 study exploring BRI. This was a faith-based application of [it], he says, adding that in recent years, BRI firms have separated themselves from ESG.BRI was born in the 1990s when Arthur Ally founded the Timothy Plan. At age 52, Mr. Ally was called by God to launch Americas first pro-life/pro-family mutual fund, reads a brochure on their website. When it launched, the firm screened for five core issues: abortion, pornography, alcohol, tobacco and casino gambling. It has since added additional screens aimed at the LGBTQ community to preserve innocence [by] filtering out companies engaged in anti-family activity and exclude companies actively profiting from and normalizing the vulnerabilities of sexual impurity, or attempting to redefine Gods Word.The Timothy Plan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.When it comes to filters, the Biblically Responsible Investing Institutes are the strictest, according to Saunders research. Their sprawling screens67 in totalare broken down into 13 categories, including abortion, alcohol, anti-family activity, contraceptives and non-married lifestyles.We do not hate any person who self-identifies as LGBT, Stephen duBarry, president of BRII, told Uncloseted Media in an email. We are taught by Christ that every human being is our neighbor, who we are to love as much as we love ourselves. At the same time, we also believe that LGBT behavior is sinful, disordered and ultimately self-destructive. We are convinced this is what the Bible teaches, and this is also how a broad consensus of Christians have understood scripture for roughly two millennia. It is precisely because we love our neighbor that we seek to divest from the promotion of all forms of behavior that we believe to be harmful.Saunders research found the most commonly violated BRII screen is related to LGBTQ equality which is filed under anti-family activity and non-married lifestyles. Each filter carries a fixed failure period, ranging from 1 year to 100 years, designating the length of time a company is excluded from BRI investing.For example, because Apple celebrated pride in 2023 and 2024, they are excluded from BRI for 54 months until at least September 2026. Since they were one of the first [companies] to offer domestic partner benefits (medical benefits to an employees same gender partner), Apple is excluded for 100 years, lasting from March 17, 2008 until March 2108. Yes, as in the 22nd century.DuBarry notes these exclusions could be dropped if Apple were to meaningfully address BRIIs concerns.The full list of Apples BRII violations is vast. The company received anti-family activity violations for promoting LGBTQ-themed podcasts, audiobooks, and TV shows on iTunes and AppleTV. They received a similar violation because of a post on X promoting an interview with Scissor Sisters gay pop icon Jake Shears and nonbinary musicians Lava La Rue and I. Jordan.[BRI] tries to point out companies that violate human rights [but] excludes or prevents companies that are trying to be activists in that area, says Saunders. It certainly could seem to be doing the opposite of what it intends to do in some areas.Subscribe nowBRII Violations for LGBTQ-related Company Activities:All LGBTQ-related BRII screens as they appear on the BRII website.The Growth of the IndustrySince the Timothy Plan launched in 1994, at least six other Christian investment firms have joined the scene. Some of these firms, including Inspire Investing, have their own network of specialized financial advisors who target Christian investors and guide them on how to follow BRI practices. The ability to grow clientele and audience is supported by a media ecosystem that includes TV ads, podcasts, videos, daily livestream shows and books that explain why you, a good Christian, should join in.Timothy Plan TV ad. / Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries livestream Feb. 11, 2025One podcast, Christian Financial Perspectives, explains in an episode entitled Voting Christian, But Investing Woke? that millions of conservative Christians are supporting woke agendas through their mutual funds or ETFs. Host Bob Barber explains that we [conservative Christians] want to have a voice not only in the nation, but we want to have a voice in our city, our state, and how our country [is] run. The goal? Enough control of the country to fight liberals who want a free reign for the LGBTQIA+.Its kind of like the whole poop in the brownie stories, says co-host Shawn Peters, resorting to a crude metaphor for why Christians cant simply take any faith-based approach and must follow BRI. If somebody offers you a brownie and they say, Oh, theres a little bit of poop in there. Well, how much poop is okay in the brownies for you to still eat them? I think most people would say, Now that I know theres poop in the brownies, I dont want to eat them, he says, explaining that no matter how small or indirect, a good Christian steward wouldnt let their money touch companies that support LGBTQ or other screening measures in any way.BRI Penetrates All-American InstitutionsCompanies with BRI violations transcend all institutions in American society. UnitedHealth Group is ruled out for offering health insurance that covers gender-affirming care for trans people; JP Morgan Chase took a hit for its foundations contribution to LGBTQ causes like the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and the Chicago Gay Mens Chorus; Starbucks was wrist slapped for sponsoring Seattles PrideFest in 2023; and even Electronic Artscreator of The Simswas dinged for including queer characters in its games.Via sees parallels between the world of BRI in investing and the broader goals of right-wing Christianity. The Christian nationalist movement in the U.S. is very much trying to break that separation of church and state in our government and they are trying to influence entertainment and media. And now we're looking at financial institutions. It is alarming that there is such a concentrated effort in all parts of society from a minority of a minority of Christianity, she says.JP Morgan Chase BRII violations. / Screenshot from BRII.Starbucks BRII violations. / Screenshot from BRII.Like most conservative Christian movements, the next biggest issue for BRI is abortion. Companies are ruled out of BRI for offering their employees benefits like insurance that covers abortion and abortion-related travel. For Target and Walmartwho have both recently ditched their DEI effortseven simply selling the morning-after pill landed them a violation.Uncloseted Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support investigative LGBTQ-focused journalism, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Real-World ImpactThe world of BRI has a real-world impact on the policies of some of Americas largest companies.Uncloseted Media has obtained four shareholder resolutions from Inspire Investing targeting efforts to curb hate speech and anti-discrimination guidelines dating as far back as 2023including one resolution that Apple shareholders rejected at their annual meeting on Feb. 25.Uncloseted also obtained over 20 letters supporting similar resolutions submitted by Inspire Investing between March and May of last year to many companies that have since curbed their DEI policies, including Walmart, Amazon, Citibank, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase. We've been in conversations with a number of [companies], you know? Tractor Supply, John Deere, kind of on down the list. Robby Starbuck is a part of our coalition, says Netzly.2025 02 13 Inspire Investing All Supporting Letters2.9MB PDF fileDownloadDownloadIn a resolution submitted to Apple, Inspire Investing criticizes the companys policies, stating it supports non-profits that are actively attacking free speech and religious freedom. This includes groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit specializing in civil rights and well-known for its hatewatch list that flags companies that monitor and expose the activities of the American radical right.Another resolution submitted to Verizon says companies that promote DEI initiatives replace rich cultural and ideological diversity with a monolithic focus on group identity and that terms like microaggressions and hate speech serve to punish certain political and religious views.Where they cant wield their own shareholder power, Inspire Investing assists outside partners, like the conservative think tanks National Center for Public Policy Research and Bowyer Research, by sending letters of support for resolutions that target DEI policies and so-called viewpoint restriction rules that limit hate speech against marginalized groups.In the week leading up to the presidential election, Inspire worked with SPLC-designated anti-LGBTQ hate groups like Alliance Defending Freedomwhich has voiced support for conversion therapy and has been influential in anti-trans legislation. The two organizations, alongside a group of influential investors with over $65 billion in assets under management, worked together to send letters to Fortune 1000 companies urging them to avoid or roll back their DEI policies in response to members of Congress who were asking those companies to defend DEI values.Alliance Defending Freedom did not respond to Uncloseted Medias request for comment.DEI has become synonymous with taking sides, and particularly a leftist side, alienating and even oppressing those who have different viewpoints, Netzly told Uncloseted Media. Some call it reverse discrimination, call it what you will, but thats what [it has become] in practice, he adds.The Trump Effect on BRILeaders in the BRI space believe the Trump administration will help their industry blossom. Netzly wrote in a blog post that President Trumps 2025 agenda has provided a rare and compelling alignment with the principles of biblically responsible investing. In just six weeks, New leadership at federal agencies and other reforms create{d} a legal environment where Christian businesses can flourish.John and David Schneider, hosts of the Queer Money Podcast, urge the LGBTQ community to leverage their own financial power. They say the whole goal of BRI is to suck investing dollars from companies that are positive for the community and wield those investments for their own political gains.One of the things that our community doesnt have that the Christian right has is one thing they coalesce around, right? They coalesce around biblical values and understand how they apply that in their lives, says David Schneider. Were exactly in the place that the Christian right wants us to be, he says. Stressed out, spread out and unorganized.When it comes to fighting back, We have more power than we think we do. We have been trained to believe that we are powerless, says John Schneider, urging queer people to think more strategically about their money. While the LGBTQ community doesnt agree on everything, we do have one thing in common: protecting our rights. And there are plenty of queer people with investments to leverage in support of thatbe it a retirement plan, stocks or simply a college fund or, at the very least, how you spend your money.As BRI continues to boom, Netzly believes companies like his will continue to have more influence to use shareholders to push corporate powers away from LGBTQ-inclusive social policies.Wendy Via of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism says that as the BRI movement grows, intolerance towards the LGBTQ community may increase as well.The idea that we're going to take our society backward and use finances as a way to do it. I mean, I think it's appalling, she says.If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

Queer signaling has been a vital part of LGBTQ+ culture for centuries, providing a way for queer individuals to recognize and connect with one another in both safe and unsafe spaces. While the internet and social media have changed the way queer people find community, the resurgence of certain coded signals suggests that in 2025, queer people are once again leaning into these subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) identifiers. But what exactly is queer signaling, and why does it matter today?What is queer signaling and why does it exist?Queer signaling refers to the use of fashion, accessories, language, and behavior to discreetly indicate ones LGBTQ+ identity to others in the community.Licensed sexologist and relationship therapist Sofie Roos describes it to PRIDE as ways for queer people to signal to others, primarily people within the community, that they are queer. These signals can range from obvious markers like pride pins and rainbow tattoos to more nuanced cultural cues that are only recognized by those in the know.Historically, queer signaling developed out of necessity. Before the internetand in times when queerness was criminalizedLGBTQ+ people had to find creative ways to identify each other without outing themselves to the wrong crowd. Oscar Wilde popularized the use of green carnations in the late 19th century, the 1970s saw the rise of the hanky code, and lesbian communities have long used subtle fashion cues like short nails, rings on specific fingers, and undercuts.Today, while queer visibility is more widespread, Roos explains that signaling still plays an important role. Knowing about queer signaling makes it easier to connect with other queer people and fosters a sense of belonging, whether youre looking for socialization, a partner, or both.How has queer signaling changed in the modern era?With the rise of online spaces, social media bios, and dating apps, queer people no longer rely solely on in-person signals to find each other.Edward Reese, a gender and sexuality expert at Taimi and trans nonbinary activist, tells PRIDE that younger generations often use digital signaling, such as mentioning certain queer-coded artists (e.g., asking Do you listen to Girl in Red? as a subtle sapphic inquiry) or using emoji-based codes in their profiles.However, as LGBTQ+ rights face new challenges and state-level discrimination rises, Reese suggests that traditional queer signaling is making a comeback. Queer TikTok influencers have already reintroduced the hanky code, he explains. This code could prove particularly useful as it remains somewhat complex and less recognizable to straight [people] compared to more mainstream signals like earrings for men or thumb rings for women.In addition to digital spaces, queer signaling continues to evolve in everyday fashion. While classic queer fashion elements like flannels, Doc Martens, and carabiners have been co-opted by the mainstream, LGBTQ+ individuals have developed newer, more nuanced cues that help maintain in-group recognition.Recognizing modern queer signalsThough queer people can dress however they please, certain fashion choices and behaviors have remained strong indicators of queerness. According to Roos, here are some common signals still in use today:For queer women and nonbinary sapphics:Short nailsThumb rings and chunky jewelryBackward caps and mulletsPiercings, especially nose or eyebrow piercingsDoc Martens, Blundstones, or chunky bootsCarabiners clipped to belt loopsBaggy flannel shirts and oversized button-upsFor queer men and masc-presenting people:Painted nails and dangle earringsCrop tops and mesh shirtsCrossbody bags and scarvesWearing a scarfShort shortsWearing makeupWhile these signals provide a way for queer people to recognize each other, both Roos and Reese warn that some signals have been diluted by mainstream adoption. For instance, straight men now frequently wear painted nails and earrings, while sapphic styles like carabiners and flannels have been embraced by granola aesthetics. This has made it harder for queer people to tell if someone is actually signaling or just following a trend.Common misinterpretations of queer signalingWhile queer signaling helps LGBTQ+ individuals connect, it can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. Reese points out that straight people unknowingly adopting queer-coded fashion can cause frustration in the community. The comedy song Is She Queer or Just a Hipster? gained popularity in 2023, highlighting our frustration with straight women appropriating sapphic symbols for fashion, he explains.Additionally, not all queer people engage in signaling, and some may present in traditionally gender-normative ways for personal, cultural, or safety reasons. Empowering queer identity through signalingDespite the challenges of mainstream appropriation, queer signaling remains an empowering tool for LGBTQ+ individuals. Roos believes that wearing visible queer-coded items can provide confidence and a sense of solidarity. Using queer signaling is both made with sexual or romantic intent for finding a queer person that finds you interesting and attractive, but also to find friends within the LGBTQ+ community that you can bond with, she says.Reese also emphasizes that queer people should be intentional about their signaling, but also the danger of falling into segregation due to the signals.For years, queer signaling served as a way to connect with our community amid a crowd. Now, I fear we might revert to its original purpose: concealing our identities from those we prefer not to engage with. While this can feel empowering, the need for a symbolic language in 2025 saddens me, he says.As queer visibility continues to shift, so too will the ways LGBTQ+ people signal to each other. While the days of monocles and lavender flowers may be behind us, modern queer signals still serve as an important way to find connection in an ever-changing world.

Talk about March Madness!March is here and there is plenty of killer queer TV and movie watching! We get a gay(er) version of the Golden Girls in the upcoming comedy series Mid-Century Modern. Meeting the parents gets even scarier in the queer horror comedy The Parenting. Curves, swerves, and queerness reign in the second season of Survival of the Thickest, and Matt Murdock in spandex is back in the long-awaited Daredevil: Born Again. But thats not all, oh no, were just getting started. Keep scrolling to learn all the queer programming coming to the big and small screens this March.In other words, heres what we're going to be watching all month long and where you can watch them, too.All film and series descriptions are courtesy of their respective studios and networks.Daredevil: Born Again - March 4In Marvel Televisions Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.Where to watch: Disney+Lost Boys and Fairies - March 4The tender and glittering story of singer Gabriel, his partner Andy and their incredible journey to adoption.Where to watch: Britbox There's a Zombie Outside - March 4A man whose identity is intertwined with cult cinema finds that he is having problems distinguishing fact from fiction and believes that the monster he is seeing from his movie is real.Where to watch: VOD The Amazing Race (Season 37) - March 5The Amazing Race is a multiple Emmy Award-winning reality series hosted by Emmy Award-nominated host Phil Keoghan, where teams of two embark on a trek around the world. At every destination, each team must compete in a series of challenges, some mental and some physical, and only when the tasks are completed will they learn of their next location. Teams that are the farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning The Amazing Race and the $1 million prize.Where to watch: CBSFor the Win: National Women's Soccer League - March 6For The Win: NWSL is an immersive docuseries that follows players like icon Alex Morgan, rising superstar Trinity Rodman, and soccer phenom Marta through the 2024 NWSL playoffs as dynasties crumble, history refuses to wait, and a new champion will be crowned. In 2024, the NWSL isn't just breaking records - it's shattering expectations.Where to watch: Prime VideoLarissa: The Other Side of Anitta - March 6Everyone has seen Anitta, the creature, but Larissa, her creator, is still a secret that only those closest to her can access. While Anitta flies towards the top, it is Larissa who deals with the pressure of navigating the turbulent waters generated by so much success. Through the intimate gaze of a former childhood crush, the film reveals the surprising Larissa and follows her journey of self-discovery as she faces physical and emotional challenges that lead her to rethink her priorities in life and career.Where to watch: NetflixThe Parenting - March 13A hilariously terrifying comedy, The Parenting follows boyfriends Rohan (Nik Dodani) and Josh (Brandon Flynn) as they plan a perfect weekend getaway in the country to introduce their parents. But as tensions begin to flare between the more traditional Sharon (Edie Falco) and Frank (Brian Cox) and the laid-back Liddy (Lisa Kudrow) and Cliff (Dean Norris), the families soon realize that their rental managed by eccentric local Brenda (Parker Posey) is haunted by the presence of a 400-year-old poltergeist. When one parent becomes thoroughly possessed, its up to the young couple and their meddlesome BFF Sara (Vivian Bang) to unite the families and stop the evil entity once and for all.Where to watch: Max Picture This - March 6In this heartfelt rom-com, struggling photographer Pia (Simone Ashley) receives a prediction: true love and career success await her in the next five dates she goes on. With her sister's wedding looming and family playing matchmaker, her ex (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) reappears, throwing both her love and professional life into chaos.Where to watch: Prime Video Beauty in Black (Season 2) - March 6Tyler Perrys Beauty in Black follows two women leading very different lives. While Kimmie is struggling to make a living after her mother kicked her out, and Mallory is running a successful business, they find themselves entangled in each others lives.Where to watch: NetflixDeli Boys - March 6When their convenience store-magnate father suddenly dies, a pair of pampered Pakistani American brothers (Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh) lose everything and are forced to reckon with their Babas secret life of crime as they attempt to take up his mantle in the underworld.Where to watch: Hulu Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Season 4)In season four, slates have seemingly been wiped clean for Kanan, Raq, and the rest of the Thomas family. Kanans drug business has hit its stride; Raq is free of the foes who once plagued her; Lou (Malcolm Mays) has cleansed himself of his demons; the Federal Task Force case against Marvin (London Brown) has become shrouded by Howards corruption; and Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) has chosen a new path away from home.Where to watch: StarzAmerican Idol (Season 23) - March 9American Idol, the iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, returns on ABC.Where to watch: ABCThe Real Housewives of Atlanta (Season 16) - March 9The Atlanta 'Wives are back and fiercer than ever. Follow the lives of Porsha Williams, Phaedra Parks, Drew Sidora, Cynthia Bailey, and the rest of the RHOA ladies.Where to watch: Bravo The Righteous Gemstones (Season 4) - March 9The Righteous Gemstones tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. Despite constant bickering, Gemstone family ties run deep, and this season, the familys codependence is tested as they attempt to move forward without letting go of their storied past.Where to Watch: HBO O'Dessa - March 13Aint nothing more powerful than love. O'Dessa is an epic rock opera written and directed by Geremy Jasper. Starring Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Regina Hall and Murray Bartlett.Where to watch: HuluWheel of Time (Season 3) - March 13In season 3, as threats against the Light are multiplying, Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) and Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski) embark on a perilous journey to the Aiel Waste to uncover the true fate of the Dragon Reborn. With the Forsaken in hot pursuit and Rands corrupted power growing stronger, Moraine must prevent the Dragon from turning Dark no matter the cost.Where to watch: Prime Video Dope Thief - March 14Two lifelong friends (Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura) in Philadelphia pose as DEA agents to rob small-time drug dealers. Its a perfect griftuntil they choose the wrong mark and become targets of a massive narcotics enterprise.Where to watch: Apple TV+Young Hearts - March 14 (Limited)Elias (14) feels attracted to his new neighbor Alexander (14). Soon he realizes that he's truly in love for the first time. The interactions with his friends and family bring more questions than answers. Confused by his burgeoning feelings, Elias tries to sort out his inner chaos to prove that he is worth Alexander's heart.Where to watch: In theaters (limited) Top Chef (Season 22) - March 14Top Chef is back! 15 rising star chefs have come to Canada to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown. Join host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio and perennial judge Gail Simmons as Top Chef season 22 premieres March 13 on Bravo.Where to watch: BravoPet Shop Days - March 15 (Limited)Impulsive black sheep Alejandro and pet store employee Jack, enter a whirlwind romance that sends them down the rabbit hole of depravity in Manhattans underworld.Where to watch: Roxy Cinema NYC RuPauls Drag Race Live! - March 16The RuPaul's Drag Race Live! residency premiered on the Vegas strip in 2020 at legendary venue The Flamingo and is performed by a rotating cast of past competitors from the RuPaul's Drag Race global franchise. Throughout the residencys five years, over 30 queens from across the franchise have graced The Flamingo stage. Set to perform in the 1,000th show special are the residencys current cast members, Asia OHara, Ginger Minj, Jaida Essence Hall, Kylie Sonique Love, Morphine Love Dion, and Plane Jane, alongside surprise special guests. The WOW Presents Plus global broadcast of the performance will begin at 9:30pm PT on March 15, following which it will live permanently on the platform.Where to watch: Wow Presents Plus The Residence - March 20132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world's most famous mansion.Where to watch: Netflix Marie Antoinette (Season 2) - March 23Marie Antoinette knows that her enemies are waiting to destroy her as she and Louis face an unprecedented financial crisis. Provence and Chartres stir up the hatred of the nobles while disastrous consequences loom as the revolt rumbles on.Where to watch: PBSChelsea Handler: The Feeling - March 25In her third Netflix comedy special, Chelsea Handler takes the stage recounting her own birth, unexpected encounters, her adolescent business ventures and a frenzy of ill-timed events all motivated by "the feeling".Where to watch: Netflix Survival of the Thickest (Season 2) - March 27Survival of the Thickest centers on Mavis Beaumont (Michelle Buteau). Black, plus-size and newly single (not by her choice!), Mavis unexpectedly finds herself having to rebuild her life as a struggling stylist. Shes determined to not only survive but thrive with the support of her chosen family, a body positive attitude, and a cute v-neck with some lip gloss.Where to watch: NetflixMid-Century Modern - March 28Mid-Century Modern follows three best friends - gay gentlemen of a certain age - who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs where the wealthiest one lives with his mother. As a chosen family, they prove that no matter how hard things get, there's always someone around to remind you it would be better if you got your neck done.Where to watch: Hulu

Trucks loaded with avocados are seen reflected on a rear view mirror as they are escorted by the police on their way to the city of Uruapan, in Santa Ana Zirosto, Michoacan state, Mexico, Jan. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Solis, File)2025-03-08T14:00:07Z NEW YORK (AP) Long-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into a trade war abroad all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.Since taking office less than two months ago, Trump has rolled out hefty import taxes on goods coming from Americas three biggest trading partners Mexico, Canada and China and promises that more targets are on the horizon. Trump is no stranger to tariffs. He also launched a trade war during his first term in office, but has more sweeping plans now. Economists stress there could greater consequences on businesses and economies worldwide this time and that higher prices will likely leave consumers footing the bill.Theres also been a sense of whiplash from Trumps back-and-forth tariff threats and responding retaliation, including recently-postponed levies for some goods from Canada and Mexico that followed a 30-day pause for the auto industry. The uncertainty has roiled financial markets, lowered consumer confidence, and enveloped many businesses with questions that could delay hiring and investment.Heres a timeline of how we got here: Trumps first termTrump launches a trade war during his first term in office taking particular aim at China.The two countries exchange a series of tit-for-tat levies affecting hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. The dispute centers around U.S. allegations that China deploys underhanded tactics including stealing trade secrets and pressuring U.S. companies to hand over sensitive technology in an effort to supplant the U.S. in advanced fields such as quantum computing and automated cars. Trump puts tariffs on most Chinese goods. Meanwhile, Beijing responds with its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products ranging from fruit, soybeans and wine to aircraft, automotive and chemical imports.Separately, Trump slaps tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines. And in 2018, he imposes taxes of 25% on imported steel and 10% on aluminum imports on national security grounds, escalating tensions with other trading partners. He also uses the threat of more tariffs to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate a North American trade pact, called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, in 2020. Tariffs under BidenPresident Joe Biden largely preserves most of the tariffs Trump previously enacted against China, but his administration claims to take a more targeted approach. In October 2022, he issues sweeping new restrictions on selling semiconductors and chipmaking equipment to China. These curbs will be expanded in October 2023 and December 2024 when China responds with a ban of U.S. exports for various high-tech materials like gallium and germanium.Biden also hikes tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment in May 2024. And in July, he imposes tariffs on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico but made elsewhere in an attempt to stop China from circumventing import taxes. 2024 campaign trail promisesBidens 2024 tariff moves come in the middle of a heated presidential campaign with both Biden and Trump taking jabs at each other in attempts to show whos tougher on China.On the campaign trail, Trump says that he plans to impose tariffs of at least 60% on all Chinese imports if he wins a second term. He also floats the idea of a tariff of up to 20% on everything else the U.S. imports while threatening to impose even bigger levies for specific countries or manufacturers that take their business outside the U.S.While the Biden-Harris administration uses tariffs to target China, both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris who becomes the Democratic nominee after Biden drops out of the race maintain that Trumps promise of more broad tariffs worldwide would be a mistake. Harris labels Trumps call for tariffs as a national sales tax with her campaign later saying that a 20% tariff applied across the board would raise expenses for a typical family by almost $4,000 annually.November 2024Trump wins the U.S. presidential election. He continues to promise steep tariff hikes in the coming weeks and months leading up to his first day back in office. January 20Trump is sworn in. In his inaugural address, he again promises to tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens. And he reiterates plans to create an agency called the External Revenue Service, which has yet to be established.On his first day in office, Trump also says he expects to put 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting on Feb. 1, while declining to immediately flesh out plans for taxing Chinese imports.January 26Trump threatens 25% tariffs on all Colombia imports and other retaliatory measures after President Gustavo Petros rejects two U.S. military aircraft carrying migrants to the country, accusing Trump of not treating immigrants with dignity during deportation. In response, Petro also announces a retaliatory 25% increase in Colombian tariffs on U.S. goods. But Colombia later reversed its decision and accepted the flights carrying migrants. The two countries soon signaled a halt in the trade dispute. February 1Trump signs an executive order to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China 10% on all imports from China and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada starting Feb. 4. Trump invoked this power by declaring a national emergency ostensibly over undocumented immigration and drug trafficking. The levies on Canada and Mexico threaten to blow up Trumps own USMCA trade deal, which allowed many products to cross North American borders duty free.The action prompts swift outrage from all three countries, with promises of retaliatory measures.February 3Trump agrees to a 30-day pause on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada, with both trading partners taking steps to appease Trumps concerns about border security and drug trafficking.February 4Trumps new 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports to the U.S. still go into effect. China retaliates the same day by announcing a flurry of countermeasures, including sweeping new duties on a variety of American goods and an anti-monopoly investigation into Google.Chinas 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas products, and a 10% levy on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S., take effect Feb. 10.February 10Trump announces plans to hike steel and aluminum tariffs. He removes the exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on steel, meaning that all steel imports will be taxed at a minimum of 25%, and also raises his 2018 aluminum tariffs to 25% from 10% set to go into effect March 12.February 13Trump announces a plan for reciprocal tariffs promising to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports for purposes of fairness. Economists warn that the reciprocal tariffs, set to overturn decades of trade policy, could create chaos for global businesses.Beyond China, Canada and Mexico, he indicates that additional countries, such as India, wont be spared from higher tariffs. And in the following weeks, Trump suggests that European countries could face a 25% levy as part of these efforts.February 25Trump signed an executive order instructing the Commerce Department to consider whether a tariff on imported copper is needed to protect national security. He cites the materials use in U.S. defense, infrastructure and emerging technologies.March 1Trump signs an additional executive order instructing the Commerce Department to consider whether tariffs on lumber and timber are also needed to protect national security, arguing that the construction industry and military depend on a strong supply of wooden products in the U.S.March 4Trumps 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico go into effect, though he limits the levy to 10% on Canadian energy. He also doubles the tariff on all Chinese imports to 20%. All three countries promise retaliatory measures. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods over the course of 21 days. And Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her country would respond with its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods without specifying the targeted products immediately, signaling hopes to de-escalate.China, meanwhile, imposes tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of key U.S. farm exports. It also expands the number of U.S. companies subject to export controls and other restrictions by about two dozen.March 5Trump grants a one-month exemption on his new tariffs impacting goods from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers. The pause arrives after the president spoke with leaders of the Big 3 automakers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.March 6In a wider extension, Trump postpones 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month. But he still plans to impose reciprocal tariffs starting on April 2.Trump credited Sheinbaum with making progress on border security and drug smuggling as a reason for again pausing tariffs and the Mexican president said in a post on X that she and Trump had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results.Trumps actions also thawed relations with Canada somewhat, although outrage and uncertainty over the trade war remains. Still, after its initial retaliatory tariffs of $30 billion Canadian (US$21 billion) on U.S. goods, the government said it had suspended its second wave of retaliatory tariffs worth $125 billion Canadian (US$87 billion). WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Grantham-Philips is a business reporter who covers trending news for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

Syrian government forces are deployed amid heightened security in Damascus, Syria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)2025-03-08T14:47:48Z BEIRUT (AP) The death toll from two days of clashes between security forces and loyalists of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and revenge killings that followed has risen to more than 600, a war monitoring group said Saturday, making it one of the deadliest acts of violence since Syrias conflict began 14 years ago.The clashes, which erupted Thursday, marked a major escalation in the challenge to the new government in Damascus, three months after insurgents took authority after removing Assad from power.The government has said that they were responding to attacks from remnants of Assads forces and blamed individual actions for the rampant violence.The revenge killings that started Friday by Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government against members of Assads minority Alawite sect are a major blow to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the faction that led the overthrow of the former government. Alawites made up a large part of Assads support base for decades. Residents of Alawite villages and towns spoke to The Associated Press about killings during which gunmen shot Alawites, the majority of them men, in the streets or at the gates of their homes. Many homes of Alawites were looted and then set on fire in different areas, two residents of Syrias coastal region told the AP from their hideouts. They asked that their names not be made public out of fear of being killed by gunmen, adding that thousands of people have fled to nearby mountains for safety. Residents of Baniyas, one of the towns worst hit by the violence, said bodies were strewn on the streets or left unburied in homes and on the roofs of buildings, and nobody was able to collect them. One resident said that the gunmen prevented residents for hours from removing the bodies of five of their neighbors killed Friday at close range. Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old resident of Baniyas who fled with his family and neighbors hours after the violence broke out Friday, said that at least 20 of his neighbors and colleagues in one neighborhood of Baniyas where Alawites lived, were killed, some of them in their shops, or in their homes. Sheha called the attacks revenge killings of the Alawite minority for the crimes committed by Assads government. Other residents said the gunmen included foreign fighters, and militants from neighboring villages and towns. It was very very bad. Bodies were on the streets, as he was fleeing, Sheha said, speaking by phone from nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the city. He said the gunmen were gathering less than 100 meters from his apartment building, firing randomly at homes and residents and in at least one incident he knows of, asked residents for their IDs to check their religion and their sect before killing them. He said the gunmen also burned some homes and stole cars and robbed homes. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said that 428 Alawites have been killed in revenge attacks in addition to 120 pro-Assad fighters and 89 from security forces. The Observatorys chief Rami Abdurrahman said that revenge killings stopped early Saturday.This was one of the biggest massacres during the Syrian conflict, Abdurrahman said about the killings of Alawite civilians.No official figures have been released. SARAH EL DEEB El Deeb is part of the APs Global Investigative team. She is based in the Middle East, a region she covered for two decades twitter mailto

Police attend the scene of a shooting at a pub in Toronto, Canada, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-03-08T05:31:03Z TORONTO (AP) A dozen people were injured in a shooting at an eastern Toronto pub in what police called a reckless act of violence by three men who entered the bar and fired randomly without warning.Superintendent Paul MacIntyre of the Toronto Police Service said police received numerous emergency calls reporting a shooting at the Piper Arms around 10:40 p.m. Friday.A preliminary investigation determined three males entered the pub and began shooting at customers, MacIntyre said during a news conference at the scene. There were no immediate arrests.One male was armed with what appears to be an assault rifle, the other two males were armed with handguns, and they walked into the bar, they produced their guns and they opened fire indiscriminately on the people sitting inside, MacIntyre said, adding there were no fatalities.Police arrived at the scene and found 12 people suffering from various injuries. The victims were transported to local hospitals and six were confirmed to have gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening, MacIntyre said, calling the victims extremely lucky. The remaining six victims were hurt by flying and broken glass. The motive was not immediately clear, MacIntyre said, calling the shooting a brazen and reckless act of violence thats really shaken our community and the city itself. MacIntyre said he and other officers were horrified by what they saw on a security video. These guys just looked at the ground and opened fire, he said. Shortly after the shooting, police said a suspect wearing a black balaclava was seen fleeing in a silver car and was still at large after the shooting. People were being warned to stay away from the area.Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she had spoken to Police Chief Myron Demkiw and was told all necessary resources had been deployed.This is an early and ongoing investigation police will provide further details, Chow wrote on social media. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.

Light shines from a total lunar eclipse over Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)2025-03-08T14:00:06Z NEW YORK (AP) A total lunar eclipse will flush the moon red Thursday night into Friday morning across the Western Hemisphere. The best views will be from North America and South America. Parts of Africa and Europe may catch a glimpse.Lunar eclipses happen when the moon, Earth and sun align just so. The Earth casts a shadow that can partially or totally blot out the moon. During a partial lunar eclipse, Earths shadow appears to take a bite of the moon. The full moon is covered during a total eclipse and blushes coppery red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earths atmosphere.Lunar and solar eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA. A partial lunar eclipse graced skies in the Americas, Africa and Europe last September and the last total lunar eclipse was in 2022. How to see the lunar eclipseThe so-called blood moon will be visible for about an hour starting at 2:26 a.m. Eastern on Friday morning. Peak viewing will be close to 3 a.m. Eastern. To see it, venture outside and look up no need for eclipse glasses or any special equipment.As long as the sky is clear, you should be able to see it, said Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.The setting of the moon may make it harder to see the eclipse in Europe and Africa.This is really an eclipse for North and South America, said astronomy expert Michael Faison from Yale University.If you miss out, mark your calendar for Sept. 7. Another total lunar eclipse will sweep across parts of Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. Parts of the Americas will get their next taste in March 2026. History of eclipsesCivilizations have viewed and interpreted lunar eclipses for thousands of years. Ancient people knew more about the celestial bodies than we give them credit for, said historian Zoe Ortiz.They were looking at the night sky and they had a much brighter vision than we do today, said Ortiz with the University of North Texas.Aristotle noticed that the shadow the Earth cast on the moon during a lunar eclipse was always curved, observations proving that the Earth is round. And a civilization in ancient Mesopotamia saw the blood red moon as a bad omen for the king. The people installed a substitute king on the throne around the time of the eclipse to protect their ruler from any bad will.If theres ever a movie plot, said Ortiz, thats the one.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in New York. She covers research and new developments related to space, early human history and more. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)2025-03-08T12:59:12Z WASHINGTON (AP) A group of labor unions are asking a federal court for an emergency order to stop Elon Musk s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans.The motion for emergency relief was filed late Friday in federal court in Maryland by the legal services group Democracy Forward against the Social Security Administration and its acting commissioner, Leland Dudek. The unions want the court to block DOGEs access to the vast troves of personal data held by the agency.Included in the filing is an affidavit from Tiffany Flick, a former senior official at the agency who says career civil servants are trying to protect the data from DOGE. A disregard for our careful privacy systems and processes now threatens the security the data SSA houses about millions of Americans, Flick wrote in court documents. Karianne Jones, a lawyer for the unions and a retiree group behind the lawsuit, said it is not fully clear what kind of access that DOGE might have to personal data about taxpayers. But she said the apparent scope and the lack of information about what DOGE is looking for mean the potential impact is huge. Essentially what you have is DOGE just swooping in and bullying their way into access to millions of Americans private data. They cannot explain why they want this data. They cant really tell you what data they want. They just want everything. They want the source code, and they want to do it without any restrictions, she said. The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request Saturday for comment on the lawsuit, which was originally filed last month. DOGEs work during the early stages of the Trump administration has drawn nearly two dozen lawsuits. Judges have raised questions in several cases about DOGEs sweeping cost-cutting efforts, conducted with little public information about its staffing and operations. But judges have not always agreed that the risks are imminent enough to block DOGE from government systems. Across-the-board cuts at the Social Security Administration are prompting questions about the possible effects on benefits for tens of millions of recipients.Among the potential changes at the agency are layoffs for more than 10% of the workforce and the closure of dozens of offices throughout the country. Its all part of the Trump administrations efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce.DOGE has accessed other government databases, including at the Treasury and IRS. The Trump administration has said generally that the efforts are aimed at eliminating what it claims is waste and fraud in government. On Friday, a federal judge in Washington refused to block DOGE employees from accessing Treasury systems containing sensitive personal data for millions of people. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly did acknowledge privacy concerns about that work. DOGE is still limited by a different court order in New York.In addition, a February agreement between the Office of Personnel Management and the IRS states that a DOGE employee, Gavin Kliger, would be allowed to have access to IRS systems, but not the personal information of taxpayers. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)2025-03-08T13:04:41Z If you listen to some self-proclaimed exercise experts on social media, they swear that working out on an empty stomach burns more fat. But its a common misconception that exercising in a fasted state improves performance or burns more calories, said Abby Langer, a dietitian in Toronto.The research shows that in terms of gains, it doesnt really make much of a difference, she said.Does that mean you should load up on protein and carbs right before a workout? No, thats not true either.Heres a look at when and how you should eat, before, after or even during a workout. (And remember, experts say what you eat is more important than when you eat.)Whats the case for eating before exercising? The calories in food literally are energy, so you need them to fuel your body for a proper workout. Eating too much too soon beforehand, though, can be problematic.Exercising diverts blood from organs including the stomach to the muscles, said Langer, author of Good Food, Bad Diet. So exercising on a full stomach affects the digestive process, which could cause cramping or even make you feel sick.Thats particularly the case with meals high in fat, protein or fiber, which take longer to digest than carbohydrates. Langer recommends eating a high ratio of carbs beforehand and waiting two to three hours before intense exercise. You dont want to eat a big steak an hour before you play hockey, she said.If you exercise first thing in the morning or before dinner, its OK to have a carb-rich snack like a banana with peanut butter or yogurt with fruit beforehand. It will give you the energy to perform well, and you can fuel up afterward with a full meal. When and what should you eat after exercise?That steak may serve you better afterward because thats when a higher ratio of protein is easier to digest, said Krista Austin, a physiologist in Colorado Springs.Austin said if it will be an hour or longer before you can have a full meal, its better to have a high-protein snack in the meantime to help curb your appetite. The reason has little to do with muscle recovery or nutrient absorption: Rather, people who are too hungry make poor dietary choices.A lot of people get very hungry about an hour after exercise, and you dont want to do that, said Austin, author of Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing. You want to catch it early, or you go and overeat.But its another myth that you need to grab a protein shake within minutes of finishing to build the biggest muscles, Langer said.Many exercise enthusiasts point to whats known as an anabolic window of about an hour within exercising that the body is primed to repair muscle. For the average person, you have a much longer window, and nutrient timing is less important than making sure you consume some protein at every meal, Langer said. The body needs a continuous supply of amino acids like protein for muscle repair and maintenance, she said, which means about 25 to 30 grams at every meal, depending on various factors. Prioritizing that will help with goals, either muscle building, satiety, weight loss, all of that, Langer said. How about eating during exercise?Most people who are eating enough throughout the day dont need anything during a workout. Langer and Austin said the threshold is about an hour of intense exercise. Longer than that say youre training for a marathon and you can benefit from a carb-rich snack in the middle.Instead of focusing on when to eat, Austin said to focus on what and how much. She cautioned against overcomplicating the topic and recommended following the USDAs My Plate recommendations for a balanced diet.The biggest thing we need to teach people is that nutrition is simple, she said. Maybe you need to stop focusing on the concept of nutrient timing and just make sure that youre consistently eating throughout the day and focus on health.EDITORS NOTE: Albert Stumm writes about wellness, food and travel. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

Women chant slogans during a protest marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)2025-03-08T12:39:23Z ISTANBUL (AP) Women took to the streets of cities across Europe, Africa, South America and elsewhere to mark International Womens Day with demands for ending inequality and gender-based violence. On the Asian side of Turkeys biggest city Istanbul, a rally in Kadikoy saw members of dozens of womens groups listen to speeches, dance and sing in the spring sunshine. The colorful protest was overseen by a large police presence, including officers in riot gear and a water cannon truck.The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared 2025 the Year of the Family. Protestors pushed back against the idea of womens role being confined to marriage and motherhood, carrying banners reading Family will not bind us to life and We will not be sacrificed to the family. People march in support of women on the International Womens Day in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) People march in support of women on the International Womens Day in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Women take part in a Transfeminist strike on International Womens Day, in Rome, Saturday, March 8, 2025 (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP) Women take part in a Transfeminist strike on International Womens Day, in Rome, Saturday, March 8, 2025 (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Critics have accused the government of overseeing restrictions on womens rights and not doing enough to tackle violence against women. Erdogan in 2021 withdrew Turkey from a European treaty, dubbed the Istanbul Convention, that protects women from domestic violence. Turkeys We Will Stop Femicides Platform says 394 women were killed by men in 2024.There is bullying at work, pressure from husbands and fathers at home and pressure from patriarchal society. We demand that this pressure be reduced even further, Yaz Gulgun, 52, said. Women across Europe and Africa march against discriminationIn many other European countries, women also protested against violence, for better access to gender-specific health care, equal pay and other issues in which they dont get the same treatment as men.In Poland, activists opened a center across from the parliament building in Warsaw where women can go to have abortions with pills, either alone or with other women.Opening the center on International Womens Day across from the legislature was a symbolic challenge to authorities in the traditionally Roman Catholic nation, which has one of Europes most restrictive abortion laws. People take part in the 18th annual Million Women Rise march on International Womens Day, in central London, Saturday March 8, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP) People take part in the 18th annual Million Women Rise march on International Womens Day, in central London, Saturday March 8, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Honour guard soldiers present flowers to girls and women during International Women's Day celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Honour guard soldiers present flowers to girls and women during International Women's Day celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A man carries a bouquet of fresh flowers from a flower market on International Women's Day, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) A man carries a bouquet of fresh flowers from a flower market on International Women's Day, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More From Athens to Madrid, Paris, Munich, Zurich and Belgrade and in many more cities across the continent, women marched to demand an end to treatment as second-class citizens in society, politics, family and at work.In Madrid, protesters held up big hand-drawn pictures depicting Gisele Plicot, the woman who was drugged by her now ex-husband in France over the course of a decade so that she could be raped by dozens of men while unconscious. Plicot has become a symbol for women all over Europe in the fight against sexual violence.In the Nigerian capital of Lagos, thousands of women gathered at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, dancing and signing and celebrating their womanhood. Many were dressed in purple the traditional color of the womens liberation movement.In Russia, the womens day celebrations had a more official tone, with honor guard soldiers presenting yellow tulips to girls and women during a celebration in St. Petersburg. Germanys president warns of backlash against progress already madeIn Berlin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for stronger efforts to achieve equality and warned against tendencies to roll back progress already made.Globally, we are seeing populist parties trying to create the impression that equality is something like a fixed idea of progressive forces, he said. He gave an example of " large tech companies that have long prided themselves on their modernity and are now, at the behest of a new American administration, setting up diversity programs and raving about a new masculine energy in companies and society. Women chant slogans during a protest marking International Womens Day in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Women chant slogans during a protest marking International Womens Day in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Demonstrators rally during an International Womens Day protest in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Demonstrators rally during an International Womens Day protest in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Marchers in South America denounce femicidesIn South America, some of the marches were organized by groups protesting the killings of women known as femicides. Hundreds of women in Ecuador marched through the streets of Quito to steady drumbeats and held signs that opposed violence and the patriarchal system.Justice for our daughters! some demonstrators yelled in support of women slain in recent years.In Bolivia, thousands of women began marching late Friday, with some scrawling graffiti on the walls of courthouses demanding that their rights be respected and denouncing impunity in femicides, with less than half of those cases reaching a sentencing. ___Associated Press writer Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

Women take selfie photos while they participate in the flash mob "Beautiful secular outing" by wearing hats to a performance at the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella celebrating upcoming International Women's Day, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)2025-03-07T17:07:10Z MEXICO CITY (AP) Women across the world will call for equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice and decision-making jobs during demonstrations marking International Womens Day on Saturday.Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Womens Day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in places around the world. Protests are often political and at times violent rooted in womens efforts to improve their rights as workers. Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City, and this years global theme is Accelerate Action, coming at a moment where many activists worry that the current political environment may result in a backsliding on many of the rights theyve long fought for. One in four countries reported a backlash against womens rights last year, according to U.N. data.Here is what to know about the March 8 global event: What is International Womens Day?International Womens Day is a global celebration and a call to action marked by demonstrations, mostly of women, around the world, ranging from combative protests to charity runs. Some celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women, while others urge governments to guarantee equal pay, access to health care, justice for victims of gender-based violence and education for girls.It is an official holiday in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Russia and Cuba, the only one in the Americas. As in other aspects of life, social media plays an important role during International Womens Day, particularly by amplifying attention to demonstrations held in countries with repressive governments toward women and dissent in general. Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Women sing and march during the International Womens Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More When did it start and why does it fall on March 8?While the idea behind a womens day originated in the U.S. with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who pushed for a global commemoration during an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen. The following year, events across Europe marked the day, and during World War I, women used it to protest the armed conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.International Womens Day is observed on March 8 after a massive protest in Russia on Feb. 23, 1917, that led to the countrys eventual withdrawal from the war. At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar and still used the Julian calendar.On Feb. 23 in Russia, which was March 8 in Western Europe, women went out on the streets and protested for bread and peace, said Kristen Ghodsee, professor and chair of Russian and East European studies at the University of Pennsylvania. The authorities werent able to stop them, and then, once the men saw that the women were out on the streets, all of the workers started coming and joining the women.The U.N. began commemorating the holiday in 1975, which was International Womens Year, and its General Assembly officially recognized the day two years later.How is it celebrated across the world? People go down the escalator in the subway with bunches of flowers purchased from the flower market on the eve of an International Womens Day, in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) People go down the escalator in the subway with bunches of flowers purchased from the flower market on the eve of an International Womens Day, in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Women in Eastern Europe have long received flowers on March 8 and sometimes even gotten the day off from work. But chocolates and candy can come across as a belittling gestures, showing a lack of understanding of the struggles driving women to protest, particularly in regions where protests have been combative. In Turkey, women in 2023 braved an official ban on an International Womens Day march in Istanbul, and protested for about two hours before police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and detain dozens of people. In Mexico, which hosts one of the regions biggest marches, celebrations this year are marked by sharp contrasts. While the country celebrates its first female president, many also mourn victims of stark violence against women including femicide. In Mexico and Latin America, soaring rates of violence against women and persistent machismo often leave tension simmering on March 8 as protesters demand justice.Globally, a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or partner, according to U.N. figures, and women being exposed to conflict has significantly jumped over the past decade. What does the future hold for March 8? Contestants take part in traditional-suit round during Miss Yangon competition to mark International Women Day at Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw) Contestants take part in traditional-suit round during Miss Yangon competition to mark International Women Day at Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Ghodsee said commemorating International Womens Day is now more important than ever, as women have lost gains made in the last century, chief among them the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a nationwide right to abortion, which ended constitutional protections that had been in place nearly 50 years.The U.S. decision on abortion has reverberated across Europes political landscape, forcing the issue back into public debate in some countries at a time when far-right nationalist parties are gaining influence. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Cook Malithi Prabhani, second left, and her colleagues prepare lunch for guests at the Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)2025-03-08T05:29:25Z DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka (AP) After leaving school, Jeewanthi Adikari was determined to pursue her studies in accounting. But her life took a different path when she began a three-month training program in hospitality.She has since worked in different hotels throughout a career spanning over two decades. Now 42, she is in charge of Sri Lankas first resort fully operated and managed by women. Its an attempt to address gender disparities in a male-dominated tourism sector crucial for the countrys economic recovery after a major crisis. This is a place where women can realise their potential. They will not be inside the shell. Instead, they will come out and try to perform better, said Adikari, who oversees the daily operations of Amba Yaalu, a resort located in Dambulla city that serves as a gateway to most of Sri Lankas tourist attractions. Resort manager Jeewanthi Adikari, center, attends a management meeting with the staff of Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Resort manager Jeewanthi Adikari, center, attends a management meeting with the staff of Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Housekeeping staff arrange a bed at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Housekeeping staff arrange a bed at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A maintenance staff member carries a ladder at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) A maintenance staff member carries a ladder at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Most Sri Lankan women dont get a chance to work in the tourism industry, earn money and own a career. In a country where 52% of the 22 million people are women, they account for only about 10% of the 200,000-strong workforce in the hospitality sector. Amba Yaalu wants to be the driver of change Some 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Colombo, the resort is nestled in a mango plantation and all work is managed by 75 women staff who garden, work in the kitchens, clean the facility, address the guests and provide security in the form of seven ex-military members. The resorts facilities also include training programs for women to develop their skills in different areas of hospitality. The resort opened in January and has been seen as a move unlocking womens potential and driving the tourism economy in the debt-stricken nation. The idea was conceived by seasoned hotelier Chandra Wickramasinghe, who said he was inspired by the power of women, especially that of his mother who raised him and his seven siblings as a single parent. Staff members of Amba Yaalu resort walk by the pool after a meeting in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Staff members of Amba Yaalu resort walk by the pool after a meeting in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Receptionist Dilani smiles as at work at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Receptionist Dilani smiles as at work at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Technician Sandali Ratnayake fixes electric lights during daily maintenance work at the Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Technician Sandali Ratnayake fixes electric lights during daily maintenance work at the Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More I knew what these ladies can do. I got the idea and put my team to work on it. We got a strong team to run it and it worked very well, said Wickramasinghe, adding that the resort would enable women to thrive as leaders.Social stigma, language barrier, work-life balance, lack of training facilities and low salaries have long kept the majority of Sri Lankan women away from the hospitality industry, especially those in the rural areas, said Suranga Silva, professor of tourism economics in the University of Colombo.Much of this stems from a patriarchal structure and traditional gender roles deeply embedded in Sri Lankas society, even though many women have made their mark in the countrys politics and have held key positions in the government. The island nations current prime minister, Harini Amarasuriya, is a woman.Tourism industry cant be isolated from women, said Silva, adding that womens employment in Sri Lankas tourism is very low compared to the global and regional levels. Nawodya, a stewardess at Amba Yaalu resort attends to guests at a restaurant in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Nawodya, a stewardess at Amba Yaalu resort attends to guests at a restaurant in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More An employee dusts the living area at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) An employee dusts the living area at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Lack of women professionals Sri Lankas tourism and hospitality sector contributed 2.3% to the countrys economy in 2023 down from 5% in 2018 and the industry has traditionally been the countrys third largest foreign exchange earner. But the shortage of skilled women and some of them leaving jobs after getting married have been challenges faced by the industry since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and the coronavirus pandemic.Kaushalya Batagoda, the executive chef at the resort, said the industry faces a shortage of female professionals to serve in the kitchen and as a result, most staff recruited to the resorts kitchen were rookies still in training.But, the new generation has a passion for working in the kitchen, she said, adding that she gets a lot of applications from women. Executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda, center, and her team pose for a photograph at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda, center, and her team pose for a photograph at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda, left, interviews a prospective employee at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda, left, interviews a prospective employee at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The resort has been lauded by womens rights activists who have long been concerned about limited career choices for women in Sri Lanka.Activist Sepali Kottegoda said such business enterprises can open up more safe employment opportunities for women. Silva, the professor, said that a dramatic change is taking place as more young women are eager to join the industry, but suggested that the government and the sector must jointly provide training programs for women to improve their skills and employability. At Amba Yaalu resort, some of these concerns are already being tackled.This is purely to empower women, Adikari said. We invite women to come and join us, see whether they can perform better in the career, sharpen their capacities and skills and contribute to the industry. The all-female staff of Amba Yaalu resort cheers as they pose for a photograph in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) The all-female staff of Amba Yaalu resort cheers as they pose for a photograph in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More

Actress Ruslana Ostapko, wearing a painted moustache, cries as the talks about her male colleagues who joined the Ukrainian army and were killed in Russia-Ukraine war, in the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)2025-03-08T11:11:37Z CHERNIHIV, Ukraine (AP) The 43-year-old Ukrainian actor took to the stage wearing a black leather jacket and with a moustache painted on her face. Actress Ruslana Ostapko, wearing a painted moustache, cries as the talks about her male colleagues who joined the Ukrainian army and were killed in Russia-Ukraine war, in the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Actress Ruslana Ostapko, wearing a painted moustache, cries as the talks about her male colleagues who joined the Ukrainian army and were killed in Russia-Ukraine war, in the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Actress Ruslana Ostapko paints a moustache on her face getting ready to take the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Actress Ruslana Ostapko paints a moustache on her face getting ready to take the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Actresses perform male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Actresses perform male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Ruslana Ostapko was performing in multiple traditionally male roles in a recent production of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater. With so many men serving in Ukraines armed forces to repel Russias invasion, the theater has adapted to the realities of war, and women are taking the spotlight. We were rehearsing Shakespeares King Lear when suddenly our men were taken to the front, said the theaters 52-year-old director, Roman Pokrovskyi. We only had the female part of the troupe left. So we thought, Well, if men played women in Shakespeares times, why not give it a try?The efforts of the theater in Chernihiv, the capital of a region that borders Russia and Belarus, reflect a broader reality in Ukraine where women are stepping into roles once dominated by men, sustaining not just their industries but the spirit of national resistance. Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, four of the theaters male actors and five stage workers have joined the army, leaving the troupe short-handed. Only two men still perform on the stage, and most stage work is done by women. But the troupe has reinvented itself by adapting its repertoire, transforming its space into a hub for art and wartime volunteer work, and casting women in most roles. Actress perform male roles, as their male colleagues joined the Ukrainian army defending their homeland against the Russian troops, in the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Actress perform male roles, as their male colleagues joined the Ukrainian army defending their homeland against the Russian troops, in the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A new take on a storied pro-independence figure An all-female cast is taking on Hetman, a play based on the life of Ivan Mazepa, a 17th century Cossack leader who defected from the Russian Empires army to side with King Charles XII of Sweden.Mazepas role as the pro-independence leader, and the theme of Ukraine aligning with European states to resist Russian control, remain salient in Ukraine more than 300 years later.Ostapko burst into tears when asked about her friends and colleagues fighting at the front. This is pain, the pain of the entire nation, our pain, she said while preparing for a performance. But our guys are doing well. We keep our fingers crossed for them. We help. Actresses perform male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Actresses perform male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More An actress prepares to take the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) An actress prepares to take the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The theaters predominantly female actors and staff including cloakroom attendants, cashiers, cleaners, and cafeteria workers spend much of their time supporting Ukrainian soldiers, weaving camouflage nets in the theater before opening the doors to audiences at night.The team also regularly raises funds to supply their deployed colleagues with necessary kit for the front lines. But some of those colleagues will never return to the stage. Our actor, Kostiantyn Slobodeniuk, went missing. Our sound operator, Dmytro Pohuliaylo, disappeared in the Pokrovsk direction at the end of 2024, said Oleksii Bysh, 52, one of the theaters few remaining male actors.Standing by a photograph of one of his former colleagues, sound engineer Vyacheslav Shevtsov, Bysh describes how he was killed in a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Russian region of Kursk last August.Destroying our culture means destroying our future Actresses thank spectators on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Actresses thank spectators on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Spectators applaud to actresses playing male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Spectators applaud to actresses playing male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More While Chernihiv remains under Ukrainian control, it has paid a heavy price for its proximity to Russias borders. At the start of the invasion, Russian troops besieged the city, forcing residents to endure harsh winter conditions without electricity or water under constant shelling from Russian artillery, missiles and drones. As the war enters its fourth year, Russian strikes on Chernihiv remain frequent and culture has not been spared.A significant number of cultural and artistic institutions in the Chernihiv region have been destroyed or severely damaged, requiring repairs or total reconstruction, said Oksana Tunik-Fryz, 46, head of the Arts and Culture Council at the Chernihiv Regional Administration.The enemy is destroying us from within by destroying our culture, she said. Killing a Ukrainian is killing a person. But destroying our culture means destroying our future. Drone strikes unite a communityBefore every performance at the theater in Chernihiv, a recorded announcement reminds audiences that the show will be paused in the event of an air raid alert. That warning was recorded by Kostiantyn Sloodeniuk, an actor who joined the army and is now missing, theater director Ihor Tykhomyrov told the Associated Press. When the alarm sounds, which Tykhomyrov said happens at nearly every second performance, everyone inside moves into bomb shelters.Russian drone strikes are a problem, a serious problem, but theres an interesting thing, he said. It brings people together. Women walk next to photos of city residents who joined the Ukrainian army and were killed battling Russia, at a memorial to fallen soldiers in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Women walk next to photos of city residents who joined the Ukrainian army and were killed battling Russia, at a memorial to fallen soldiers in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Spectators applaud actresses playing male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Spectators applaud actresses playing male roles on the stage of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theater, which reinvented itself with an all-female cast, with most male actors at war, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Despite an uncertain future, the theaters team is determined to continue their art and their wartime volunteering. Reflecting on their resilience, Bysh quotes Soviet-era Ukrainian filmmaker, Oleksandr Dovzhenko.We are a small theater, Bysh said. But, as Dovzhenko said, you are only small from afar. Up close, you are large. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)2025-03-07T15:56:07Z BRUSSELS (AP) European Union leaders are trumpeting their endorsement of a plan to free up hundreds of billions of euros to inject into their defense budgets after the Trump administration warned that the continent must look after its own security, including Ukraine, in future.After more than 12 hours of talks on Thursday, the 27 leaders signed off on a scheme that would ease budget restrictions for defense spending, funnel some of the EUs unused funds toward security priorities and provide 150 billion euros ($162 billion) in loans for military purchases.As a priority, the funds would be spent on air and missile defense, artillery systems, ammunition, drones and air transport, as well as cyber systems, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare.The three-year war in Ukraine was also top of the agenda, but no obvious short-term solutions were found to keep the country in the fight, after the U.S. halted military support and intelligence sharing. No new weapons were pledged, no ready cash identified.Hungary also vetoed a joint statement on support to Ukraine, notably the stance of the 26 other member countries that their war-ravaged partner can only achieve peace through strength. Taking the budget brakes offAll 27 leaders agreed that the EUs executive branch, the European Commission, should loosen budget restrictions so countries that are willing can increase their military spending. The commission monitors whether members are keeping their debt under control.It estimates that around 650 billion euros ($702 billion) could be freed up that way, and could allow each country to spend at least 3% of their gross domestic product on defense. NATOs current guideline is that allies should spend at least 2%.Seven EU countries fall short of that figure, including heavyweights Italy and Spain.It remains to be seen whether countries that pledged to hit 2% more than a decade ago and still havent are now willing, or even able, to dig deeper into their pockets. A new defense loan programThe commission also tabled a proposal for an offer of loans worth 150 billion euros ($162 billion) to buy new military equipment, with material priorities to be based on lessons learned from the battlefield in Ukraine. Air and missile defenses are right up there.The European Commission said it would raise the money on financial markets, and that around 20 member countries would benefit from the more favorable rates that it could generate.But the leaders did not welcome the idea with open arms. Instead, they invited EU headquarters staff to examine this proposal as a matter of urgency.France believes the pot is too small. Heavily indebted Spain is demanding free grants rather than loans. Hungary. Together, aloneHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe, refused to endorse part of the summit statement in favor of Ukraine.Its not the first time that Orbn has tried to block proceedings, nor the first time that Hungarys EU partners have moved forward without it.Hungary is isolated among the 27, and we respect Hungarys position, European Council President Antonio Costa told reporters after the meeting. But its one out of 27, and 26 are more than one.Orbn appears to relish his isolationist role and is intent on turning the tables.The European Union has isolated itself from the United States now, isolated itself from China because of the trade war, and isolated itself from Russia because of the sanction policy. So if somebody is isolated here it is the European Union, he said.Hungarys population totals around 9.5 million, a fraction of the EUs 450 million people.Its high on European minds but Ukraine needs morePresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy dined with the leaders. He welcomed their security plans and expressed hope that some new spending could strengthen Ukraines defense industry.Ukraine can make weapons more cheaply than elsewhere in Europe, and closer to the battlefields where they are needed.We are very thankful that we are not alone, and these are not just words. We feel it. Its very important, Zelenskyy said, looking more relaxed among Europes leaders in Brussels than when he received a verbal lashing from Trump in Washington last week. But the EU offered no new weapons, a day after Zelenskyys hometown was bombed again, even though the leaders might argue that this was not the main goal of their summit.No discussion was held on whether to unblock the estimated 183 billion euros ($196 billion) in frozen Russian assets held in a Belgian clearing house, a pot of ready cash that could be seized if Europe was willing.Some countries feel it is wiser to use the interest generated from the assets to help Ukraine, rather than use the funds themselves. Others worry that confiscating the money, with its tricky legal implications, could undermine confidence in the euro.

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a ceremony meeting a group of officials, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)2025-03-08T17:13:03Z TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he rejects a U.S. push for talks between the two countries because they would be aimed at imposing restrictions on Iranian missile range and its influence in the region.Speaking to a group of officials on Saturday, Khamenei did not identify the United States by name but said a bullying government was being persistent in its push for talks. Their talks are not aimed at solving problems, it is for ... lets talk to impose what we want on the other party that is sitting on the opposite side of the table.Khameneis remarks came a day after President Donald Trump acknowledged sending a letter to Khamenei seeking a new deal with Tehran to restrain its rapidly advancing nuclear program and replace the nuclear deal he withdrew America from during his first term in office. Khamenei said U.S. demands would be both military and related to the regional influence of Iran.They will be about defense capabilities, about international capabilities of the country. (They will urge Iran) not to do (certain) things, not to meet some certain people, not to go to a certain place, not to produce some items, your missile range should not be more than a certain distance. Is it possible for anybody to accept these? Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, said such talks would not address solving problems between Iran and the West. Though Khamenei did not name any person or country, he said the push for talks creates pressure on Iran in public opinion. It is not negotiation. It is commanding and imposition, he said. Trump in comments to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday did not mention the letter directly. But he made a veiled reference to possible military action, saying: We have a situation with Iran that, somethings going to happen very soon. Very, very soon. His overture comes as both Israel and the United States have warned they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, leading to fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels something only done by atomic-armed nations.Tehran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb as tensions are high with the U.S. over its sanctions and with Israel as a shaky ceasefire holds in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.Irans accelerated production of near weapons-grade uranium puts more pressure on Trump. Hes repeatedly said hes open to negotiations with the Islamic Republic while also increasingly targeting Irans oil sales with sanctions as part of his reimposed maximum pressure policy.Late in August, Khamenei in a speech opened the door to possible talks with the U.S., saying there is no harm in engaging with the enemy. However, more recently the supreme leader tempered that, saying that negotiations with America are not intelligent, wise or honorable, after Trump floated nuclear talks with Tehran.

This photo provided by the New York Air National Guard shows smoke from the fires in the Pine Barrens off Sunrise Highway in New York's Long Island, on Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Cheran Campbell/New York Air National Guard via AP)2025-03-08T21:25:05Z NEW YORK (AP) Fast-moving brush fires burned through a large swath of land on New Yorks Long Island on Saturday fanned by high winds, spewing thick gray smoke into the sky and prompting the evacuation of a military base and the closure of a major highway. Officials said three of the four fires were fully contained while the other one, in Westhampton, was 50 percent contained. Two commercial buildings were partially burned, but officials said homes were not in the line of fire. One firefighter was flown to a hospital to be treated for burns to the face. Our biggest problem is the wind, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said. It is driving this fire.Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and said state agencies were responding to the fires around the Pine Barrens, a wooded area that is home to commuter towns east of New York City. This is still out of control at this moment, Hochul told Long Island TV station News 12. Were seeing people having to be evacuated from the Westhampton area, she said, adding that more evacuations may be needed.Hochul said homes, a chemical factory and an Amazon warehouse were at risk. Videos posted to social media showed flames shooting into the air and columns of black smoke rising above roads. Air National Guard helicopters dropped water on the flames.The Town of Southampton issued a warning in the afternoon against starting recreational fires due to the wildfire risk. That came around the time that the videos began appearing. In a statement, Hochul said the National Guard was providing support by helicopter and working with local law enforcement.Public safety is my top priority, and Im committed to doing everything possible to keep Long Islanders safe, she said.In her comments to News 12, Hochul declined to estimate the extent of the flames, saying only that they were growing rapidly. Rough satellite data indicated that fire and smoke stretched roughly 2.5 miles (3 kilometers) along Sunrise Highway, according to NASAs Fire Information for Resource Management System.Police closed a section of the highway, which is a thoroughfare to the East End of Long Island.The fires raged near the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, from which the National Guard launched at least one helicopter. One of the commercial buildings that partially burned was near the airport. Personnel at the base evacuated as a precautionary measure starting around 1:45 p.m., spokesman Cheran Cambell said in a statement. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

An Alabama state trooper swings a club at John Lewis, right foreground, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala., March 7, 1965. (AP Photo, File)2025-03-09T05:09:50Z SELMA, Ala. (AP) Charles Mauldin was near the front of a line of voting rights marchers walking in pairs across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965.The marchers were protesting white officials refusal to allow Black Alabamians to register to vote, as well as the killing days earlier of Jimmie Lee Jackson, a minister and voting rights organizer who was shot by a state trooper in nearby Marion. At the apex of the span over the Alabama River, they saw what awaited them: a line of state troopers, deputies and men on horseback. After they approached, law enforcement gave a warning to disperse and then unleashed violence.Within about a minute or a half, they took their billy clubs, holding it on both ends, began to push us back to back us in, and then they began to beat men, women and children, and tear gas men, women and children, and cattle prod men, women and children viciously, said Mauldin, who was 17 at the time. Alabama this weekend is marking the 60th anniversary of the clash that became known as Bloody Sunday. The attack shocked the nation and galvanized support for the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965. The annual commemoration pays homage to those who fought to secure voting rights for Black Americans and each year brings calls to recommit to the fight for equality. For foot soldiers of the movement, the celebration comes amid concerns about new voting restrictions and the Trump administrations effort to remake federal agencies they said helped make America a democracy for all This country was not a democracy for Black folks until that happened, Mauldin said of voting rights. And were still constantly fighting to make that a more concrete reality for ourselves. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama this week reintroduced legislation to restore a VRA requirement for jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination to pre-clear new voting laws with the Justice Department. The legislation is named for John Lewis, the late Georgia congressman who was at the lead of the Bloody Sunday march. It is clear that the values that guided John Lewis and those foot soldiers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge are under attack every day. We see new efforts to roll back our progress and to make it harder for Americans to vote, Sewell said.The bill has stalled repeatedly in Congress as opponents argue such measures are no longer needed because the country has changed since the 1960s.The Bloody Sunday marchers walked in pairs across the Selma bridge. Mauldin was in the third pair of the line led by Lewis and Hosea Williams. We had steeled our nerves to a point where we were so determined that we were willing to confront. It was past being courageous. We were determined, and we were indignant, Mauldin recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. Mauldin, who took a blow to the head, said he believes law enforcement officers were trying to incite a riot as they attacked marchers.Kirk Carrington was just 13 on Bloody Sunday. As the violence erupted, a white man on a horse wielding a stick a chased him all the way back to the public housing projects where his family lived. Carrington said he started marching after witnessing his father get belittled by his white employers when his father returned from service in World War II. Standing in Tabernacle Baptist Church where he was trained in non-violent protest tactics 60 years earlier, he was brought to tears thinking about what the people of his city achieved.When we started marching, we did not know the impact we would have in America. We knew after we got older and got grown that the impact it not only had in Selma, but the impact it had in the entire world, Carrington said.Dr. Verdell Lett Dawson, who grew up in Selma, remembers a time when she was expected to lower her gaze if she passed a white person on the street to avoid making eye contact.Dawson and Maudlin said they are concerned about the potential dismantling of the Department of Education and other changes to federal agencies. Trump has pushed to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government. Support from the federal government is how Black Americans have been able to get justice, to get some semblance of equality, because left to states rights, it is going to be the white majority thats going to rule, Dawson said.That thats a tragedy of 60 years later: what we are looking at now is a return to the 1950s, Dawson said. SAFIYAH RIDDLE Riddle covers the Alabama statehouse with a focus on law enforcement. She is based in Montgomery, Alabama. mailto

Rohingya refugees collect food stuff distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) at their refugee camp at Kutupalong in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Shafiqur Rahman)2025-03-09T04:38:48Z COXS BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) Rohingya refugees in crammed Bangladeshi camps say they are worried about a U.S. decision to cut food rations by half beginning next month, while a refugee official says the reduction will impact the nutrition of more than 1 million refugees and create social and mental pressure.President Donald Trump abruptly stopped most foreign aid and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has significantly hampered the global humanitarian sector. Trumps Jan. 20 executive order froze the funding for a 90-day review.The World Food Program, the main U.N. food agency, recently announced that cuts to food rations will take effect from April 1 in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, where dozens of camps are inhabited by Rohingya refugees.More than 700,000 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar starting in late August 2017 when Myanmars military launched a clearance operation. The ethnic group faces discrimination and are denied citizenship and other rights in the Buddhist-majority nation. Following a miliary takeover in 2021, the country has been engulfed in an armed conflict widely seen as civil war. It was not immediately clear if the WFPs decision was directly related to the Trump administrations action. We received a letter that (says) previously it was $12.50, and now it is $6. They used to get $12.50 per month, and from now $6, this will greatly affect them, Shamsud Douza, additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner of Bangladesh, told The Associated Press. As the food is cut, they will get less nutritious food, which may lead to a lack of nutrition. There will be social and mental pressure created amongst the Rohingya people in their community. They will have to look for an alternative for the food, he said.Douza said there are more sectors where budgets have been cut beyond the food rations, but he would not say whether WFP cuts were related to the U.S. funding rollback. Generally, there will be less (support) for the (Rohingya) response after the funding cuts. The response already has been slowed, and some people, including Rohingya, have lost their jobs, and some services are reduced. It does not bring a good result when the available services get reduced, he said.The interim Bangladesh government said the end of USAID payments would stop other projects in Bangladesh, but funding for Rohingya refugees will continue to flow.The U.S. has been the top donor to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees, providing the U.N. with emergency food and nutrition assistance. The U.S. usually provides almost half of the aid money spent on the humanitarian response to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which provided about $300 million in 2024.As the news of the impending food reductions spread through the camps in Coxs Bazar, fear and frustration gripped the refugees.I am afraid now about how I am going to run my family, as we dont have any income-generating opportunities here. I got scared when I heard it, 40-year-old Manzur Ahmed said. How will I buy rice, chilies, salt, sugar and dal, let alone fish, meat and vegetables, with 700 taka ($6)? We wont even be able to buy (cooking) oil. How are we going to get them? Medical treatment also is decreasing, refugees said.When we go to the hospital, they dont provide medicines unless its an emergency. They only provide medicines to the very emergency patients. Earlier, they would treat anyone who felt unwell, but now they only provide treatment to those who are in an emergency, 32-year-old Dildar Begum said.Hundreds of thousands have lived in Bangladesh for decades and about 70,000 crossed the border from Myanmar in 2024. During fighting with the military junta, the opposition force known as the Arakan Army effectively took over the Rakhine state where Rohingya were displaced and took shelter in Bangladesh. Bangladesh says Rohingya refugees must return to Myanmar, which has been accused in an international court of genocide against Rohingya. ___Alam reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)2025-03-09T05:03:00Z WASHINGTON (AP) The leaders of both Canada and Mexico got on the phone with President Donald Trump this past week to seek solutions after he slapped tariffs on their countries, but Chinas president appears unlikely to make a similar call soon.Beijing, which unlike Americas close partners and neighbors has been locked in a trade and tech war with the U.S. for years, is taking a different approach to Trump in his second term, making it clear that any negotiations should be conducted on equal footing. Chinas leaders say they are open to talks, but they also made preparations for the higher U.S. tariffs, which have risen 20% since Trump took office seven weeks ago. Intent on not being caught off guard as they were during Trumps first term, the Chinese were ready with retaliatory measures imposing their own taxes this past week on key U.S. farm imports and more. As Washington escalates the tariff, Beijing doesnt see other options but to retaliate, said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. It doesnt mean Beijing doesnt want to negotiate, but it cannot be seen as begging for talks or mercy. As the worlds second-largest economy, China aspires to be a great power on both the regional and global stage, commanding respect from all countries, especially the United States, as proof that the Communist Party has made China prosperous and strong. After the U.S. this past week imposed another 10% tariff, on top of the 10% imposed on Feb. 4, the Chinese foreign ministry uttered its sharpest retort yet: If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, were ready to fight till the end.The harsh rhetoric echoed similar comments in 2018, when Trump launched his first trade war with China and it scrambled to line up tit-for-tat actions. Beijings leaders have since developed a toolkit of tariffs, import curbs, export controls, sanctions, regulatory reviews and measures to limit companies from doing business in China. All are designed to inflict pain on the U.S. economy and businesses in response to the American measures.That allowed the Chinese government to react swiftly to Trumps recent across-the-board doubling of new tariffs on Chinese goods by rolling out a basket of retaliatory measures, including taxing many American farm goods at up to 15%, suspending U.S. lumber imports and blacklisting 15 U.S. companies. Beijing showed restraint in its response to leave room for negotiation, analysts say.Xi Jinpings leadership of the ruling Communist Party spans both of Trumps terms, giving Beijing more continuity in its planning. He is the one who decided its not yet time to speak with Trump, said Daniel Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.Thats not a scheduling issue, its leverage for China, said Russel, who previously served as the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Xi wont walk into a call if theres a chance hell be harassed or humiliated and for both political and strategic reasons, Xi wont play the role of a supplicant. Instead, China is hitting back promptly but judiciously to each set of tariffs, Russel said.At his annual press conference Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that no country should fantasize that it can suppress, contain China while developing good relations with China.Such two-faced acts not only are bad for the stability of bilateral relations but also will not build mutual trust, Wang said. He added that China welcomes cooperation with the U.S., but noted that if you keep pressuring, China will firmly retaliate.Scott Kennedy, a trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Chinese this time are not psychologically shocked by Trumps shock-and-awe tactics.Theyve seen this before, Kennedy said. These are the kind of things that theyve anticipated. Chinas economy has slowed but is still growing at nearly a 5% annual pace, and under Xi, the party is investing heavily in advanced technology, education and other areas. It has stronger trade ties with many other countries than during Trumps first term and has diversified where it gets key products, for example, buying most of its soybeans from Brazil and Argentina instead of the U.S.In turn, the percentage of Chinese goods sold to the U.S. has fallen.They are better prepared to absorb the effect of the shocks, compared to several years ago, Kennedy said.Meanwhile, more than 80% of Mexicos exports go to the U.S., and Canada sends 75% of its exports here.China has learned from its previous dealings with Trump, Russel said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are facing a reversal of Trumps previous trade policies, with tariffs imposed and then postponed twice on at least some goods. Beijing has seen enough to know that appeasing Trump doesnt work, Russel said. In the first go-around, Trudeau and Sheinbaum bought a little time, but the pressure only came roaring back stronger.Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump in December after the president-elect threatened tariffs. But in announcing retaliatory tariffs Tuesday, Trudeau sternly warned: This is a time to hit back hard and to demonstrate that a fight with Canada will have no winners.Sheinbaum also has said that no one wins with this decision. DIDI TANG Tang joined the AP Washington bureau in 2023 after spending 11 years in Beijing as a China correspondent. She covers anything related to the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on U.S.-China competitions mailto

France's President Emmanuel Macron, from second left, speaks with President Donald Trump as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio react during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP)2025-03-09T07:18:08Z PARIS (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron is back at the center of global diplomacy, seeking to ease relations with President Donald Trump, championing a Ukraine peace plan alongside his British counterpart, and seeing his longstanding desire to boost European defense turning into reality.Six months ago, Macron seemed weaker than ever after his call for early legislative elections produced a hung parliament, sparking an unprecedented crisis. Known for his nonstop political activism, Macron shifted his focus to foreign policy, leaving domestic struggles largely to the prime minister. Now, he appears as the one leader who speaks to Trump several times per week and takes the lead in European support for Ukraine, while positioning himself as the commander-in-chief of the European Unions only nuclear power.Key world player Macron, 47, is one of the few leaders who knew Trump during his first term in office, maintaining despite disagreements a cordial relationship, which both describe as friendship. He was the first European leader to visit Trump since his reelection, seeking to persuade him not to abandon Ukraine in pursuit of a peace deal with Russia.Macron is also a heavyweight of European politics, and shifting U.S. policies gave momentum to his longstanding views. Since he was first elected in 2017, Macron has pushed for a stronger, more sovereign Europe. That same year, in a sweeping speech at Sorbonne University, he called for a common European defense policy, with increased military cooperation and joint defense initiatives. He later lamented the brain death of the NATO military alliance, insisting the EU should step up and start acting as a strategic world power.On Thursday, EU leaders committed to strengthening defenses and freeing up hundreds of billions of euros for security in the wake of Trumps warnings that they might face the Russian threat alone. Nuclear powerIn a resounding declaration last week, Macron announced he would discuss extending Frances nuclear deterrent to European partners to help protect the continent. Frances nuclear power is inherited from the strategy set by wartime hero Gen. Charles de Gaulle, president from 1958 to 1969, who sought to maintain Frances independence from the U.S. and assert the countrys role as a global power. That went through the development of an independent French nuclear arsenal. Poland and Baltic nations welcomed the proposal. Frances Minister for European affairs Benjamin Haddad praised Macrons efforts, saying they were aimed at ensuring that in the face of this world upheaval, Europeans are not spectators but players.New British and German partnersSome other key players appear to back Macrons approach. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in office for eight months, has sought closer defense cooperation with Europe as part of a reset with the EU after years of bitterness over Brexit.Macron and Starmer are now spearheading a desperate diplomatic drive to bolster Ukraines defenses, drawing up a peace plan with Kyiv at its core. That plan includes the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential peace agreement. Meanwhile, Germanys conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said his top priority would be to strengthen Europe as soon as possible and gradually move toward real independence from the U.S.Only three days after his victory last month, Merz, who has called for a discussion on nuclear sharing with France, traveled to Paris for a working dinner with Macron.No statement was released after the meeting, but French officials with knowledge of the matter said both mens visions for Europe align. They spoke anonymously because the talks were not to be made public. Russias criticismRussias foreign ministry accused Macron of demonstrative militarism dictated by the domestic agenda. The ministry said that Macron seeks to distract the French public from worsening socio-economic problems in France and the European Union.Moscow dismissed Macrons nuclear deterrent offer as extremely confrontational, saying the remarks reflected Paris ambitions to become the nuclear patron of all of Europe, despite the fact that Frances nuclear forces are far smaller than those of the U.S.Russian President Vladimir Putin drew a comparison with Napoleon, saying that some people want to return to the times of Napoleon, forgetting how it ended a reference to the emperors failed invasion of Russia in 1812. Macron responded by calling Putin an imperialist. Reinvigorated at homeReelected in 2022, Macron last year struggled not to become a lame duck after his call for early legislative elections led to a chaotic situation in parliament, delaying the approval of the state budget and forcing the quick replacement of the prime minister.However, the French Constitution grants the president some substantial powers over foreign policy, European affairs and defense. Macron has a presidential mandate until 2027 and he has said he wont step down before the end of his term.Macrons activism on the global stage drew criticism from opposition leaders. Far-right National Rally party vice president Sbastien Chenu described Macrons moody character as one of the biggest issues for French diplomacy. He offended many people, he often changed his mind, Chenu said. The head of the hard-left France Unbowed group at the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, also voiced concerns. The situation is too serious and the President of the Republic is too weakened for him to decide on his own, she said. We dont just want to be consulted. ... Its up to the parliament to decide on such serious issues.___Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to the story. SYLVIE CORBET Corbet is an Associated Press reporter based in Paris. She covers French politics, diplomacy and defense as well as gender issues and breaking news. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

FILE- A woman waits to have the malaria vaccine R21/Matrix-M administered to her child at the comprehensive Health Centre in Agudama-Epie, in Yenagoa, Nigeria, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)2025-03-09T05:39:57Z KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) Malaria season begins this month in a large part of Africa. No disease is deadlier on the continent, especially for children. But the Trump administrations decision to terminate 90% of USAIDs foreign aid contracts has local health officials warning of catastrophe in some of the worlds poorest communities.Dr. Jimmy Opigo, who runs Ugandas malaria control program, told The Associated Press that USAID stop-work orders issued in late January left him and others focusing on disaster preparedness. The U.S. is the top bilateral funder of anti-malaria efforts in Africa.Anti-malarial medicines and insecticide-treated bed nets to help control the mosquito-borne disease are like our groceries, Opigo said. Theres got to be continuous supply.As those dwindle with the U.S.-terminated contracts, he expects a rise in cases later this year of severe malaria, which includes problems like organ failure. There is no cure. Vaccines being rolled out in parts of Africa are imperfect but are expected to largely continue with the support of a global vaccine alliance. The Washington-based Malaria No More says new modeling shows that just a year of disruption in the malaria-control supply chain would lead to nearly 15 million additional cases and 107,000 additional deaths globally. It has urged the Trump administration to restart these life-saving programs before outbreaks get out of hand. Africas 1.5 billion people accounted for 95% of an estimated 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023, according to the World Health Organization. Health workers in the three African nations most burdened by malaria Nigeria, Congo and Uganda described a cascade of effects with the end of most U.S. government support.The U.S. has provided hundreds of millions of dollars every year to the three countries alone through the USAID-led Presidents Malaria Initiative. The U.S. funding has often been channeled through a web of non-governmental organizations, medical charities and faith-based organizations in projects that made malaria prevention and treatment more accessible, even free, especially for rural communities.Uganda in 2023 had 12.6 million malaria cases and nearly 16,000 deaths, many of them children under 5 and pregnant women, according to WHO.Opigo said the U.S. has been giving between $30 million and $35 million annually for malaria control. He didnt say which contracts have been terminated but noted that field research was also affected.Some of the USAID funding in Uganda paid for mosquito-spraying operations in remote areas. Those operations were supposed to begin in February ahead of the rainy season, when stagnant water becomes breeding ground for the wide-ranging anopheles mosquito. They have been suspended.We have to spray the houses before the rains, when the mosquitoes come to multiply, Opigo said.Already, long lines of malaria patients can be seen outside clinics in many areas every year. Malaria accounts for 30% to 50% of outpatient visits to health facilities across the country, according to Uganda National Institute of Public Health. Nigeria and CongoNigeria records a quarter of the worlds malaria cases. But authorities have reduced malaria-related deaths there by 55% since 2000 with the support of the U.S. and others.That support is part of the $600 million in health assistance the west African country received from the U.S. in 2023, according to U.S. Embassy figures. It was not immediately clear whether all of that funding has stopped.The Presidents Malaria Initiative has supported Nigerias malaria response with nearly 164 million fast-acting medicines, 83 million insecticide-treated bed nets, over 100 million rapid diagnostic tests, 22 million preventive treatments in pregnancy and insecticide for 121,000 homes since 2011, the embassy says.In Congo, U.S government funding has contributed about $650 million towards malaria control since 2010. Now, some of the successes in fighting malaria in Congo are being threatened, which will complicate already difficult efforts to identify and track disease outbreaks across the vast country as supplies and expertise for malaria testing are affected. Worsening conflict in Congos east, where some health workers have fled, has raised the risk of infection, with little backup coming.With the loss of substantial U.S. support, a lot of people are going to be affected. Some people are really poor and cannot afford (malaria treatment), said Dr. Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo, a Nigerian who runs the Market Doctors nonprofit providing affordable local healthcare services.Up to 40% of her organizations clients are diagnosed with malaria, Ayo-Oyalowo said.There is hope among health workers in Africa that, even after the dismantling of USAID, some U.S. funding will continue flowing via other groups including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. But that group also received U.S. support and has not issued a public statement on the dramatic cuts in U.S. aid. Opigo in Uganda said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health might be sources of help.But he added: We need to manage the relationship with the U.S. very carefully.___Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. AP journalist Dan Ikpoyi in Lagos, Nigeria contributed.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian rocket attack in Dobropillya, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)2025-03-09T10:10:10Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian special forces walked kilometers (miles) inside of a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraines military and Russian war bloggers reported, as Moscow moves to recapture parts of its border province that Kyiv seized in a shock offensive. Ukraine launched a daring cross-border incursion into Kursk i n August, in what marked the largest attack on Russian territory since World War II. Within days, Ukrainian units had captured 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory, including the strategic border town of Sudzha, and taken hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. According to Kyiv, the operation aimed to gain a bargaining chip in future peace talks, and force Russia to divert troops away from its grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine. But months after Ukraines thunder run, its soldiers in Kursk are weary and bloodied by relentless assaults of more than 50,000 troops, including some from Russias ally North Korea. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers run the risk of being encircled, open source maps of the battlefield show. According to Telegram posts by a Ukrainian-born, pro-Kremlin blogger, Russian operatives walked about 15 kilometers (9 miles) inside the pipeline, which Moscow had until recently used to send gas to Europe. Some Russian troops had spent several days in the pipe before striking Ukrainian units from the rear near the town of Sudzha, blogger Yuri Podolyaka claimed.The town had some 5,000 residents before the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and houses major gas transfer and measuring stations along the pipeline, once a major outlet for Russian natural gas exports through Ukrainian territory. Another war blogger, who uses the alias Two Majors, said fierce fighting was underway for Sudzha, and that Russian forces managed to enter the town through a gas pipeline. Russian Telegram channels showed photos of what they said were special forces operatives, wearing gas masks and moving along what looked like the inside of a large pipe. Ukraines General Staff confirmed on Saturday evening that Russian sabotage and assault groups used the pipeline in a bid to gain a foothold outside Sudzha. In a Telegram post, it said the Russian troops were detected in a timely manner and that Ukraine responded with rockets and artillery.At present, Russian special forces are being detected, blocked and destroyed. The enemys losses in Sudzha are very high, the General Staff reported. ___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Catholic worshippers gather for a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)2025-03-09T07:46:40Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis continued his recovery from double pneumonia Sunday after doctors reported some positive news: After more than three weeks in the hospital, the 88-year-old pope is responding well to treatment and has shown a gradual, slight improvement in recent days.In the early Sunday update, the Vatican said Francis was resting after a quiet night. For the fourth Sunday in a row, the pope will not appear for his weekly noon blessing, though the Vatican planned to distribute the text he would have delivered if he were well enough.The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, has remained stable, with no fever and good oxygen levels in his blood for several days, doctors reported in a Vatican statement Saturday.The doctors said that such stability as a consequence testifies to a good response to therapy. It was the first time the doctors had reported that Francis was responding positively to the treatment for the complex lung infection that was diagnosed after he was hospitalized on Feb. 14. But they kept his prognosis as guarded, meaning hes not out of danger.In his absence, the Vaticans day-to-day operations continued alongside celebrations of its Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century Jubilee that brings millions of pilgrims to Rome. On Sunday, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, who is close to Francis, celebrates the Holy Year Mass for volunteers that Francis was supposed to have celebrated. A nun takes photos in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Saturday, March 8, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A nun takes photos in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Saturday, March 8, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A Catholic nun holding a photograph of Pope Francis prays prior a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) A Catholic nun holding a photograph of Pope Francis prays prior a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Catholic worshippers gather for a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Catholic worshippers gather for a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A Catholic nun takes photographs prior to a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peters Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) A Catholic nun takes photographs prior to a prayer of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peters Square at The Vatican, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Francis has been using high flows of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.Francis was hospitalized Feb. 14 for what was then just a bad case of bronchitis. The infection progressed into a complex respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia that has sidelined Francis for the longest period of his 12-year papacy and raised questions about the future.___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.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels to New Orleans, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-03-09T11:34:10Z WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump, the real estate developer turned commander in chief, is laying bare his style of diplomacy in the early weeks of his new term: Its a whole lot like a high-stakes business deal, and his No. 1 goal is to come out of the transaction on top.The tactics are clear in his brewing trade war with Canada and Mexico, in his approach to Russias war on Ukraine and in his selection of the first country he will visit in his second term.President Trump approaches diplomacy and engages in a very transactional manner, with economics as the foundation and driving force behind international affairs, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the presidents special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, explained at an event in Washington this past week.For Trump, its about leverage, not friendship; dollars as much as values; and hard power versus soft. Its not just a matter of negotiating style. At stake is the post-World War II international order as Trumps actions raise doubts about American leadership around the globe. Hes shaping a foreign policy thats more inward looking and conscious of the bottom line, dismissing American soft-power levers such as the U.S. Agency for International Development as dubious and riddled by waste and suggesting that the United States might not defend fellow NATO members that arent meeting defense spending benchmarks set by the alliance. Politics and presidents to a certain degree are all transactional. But Trump, who helped make himself a household name by burnishing an image as an intrepid real estate dealmaker, is taking it to another level as he navigates an increasingly complicated world.The Republican president, in his previous life as a real estate titan, saw every deal as one in which there were clear winners and losers. In his return to the White House, he is more demonstrably injecting a whats-in-it-for-me approach to his dealings with both friend and foe. Money talksEdward Frantz, a University of Indianapolis historian who has studied the American presidency, said Trumps ledger approach might not be the most practical way to conduct diplomacy.Frantz observed that Trump, 78, a baby boomer and football fan, seems inspired in his foreign policymaking by the ethos of legendary pro football coach Vince Lombardi, who famously said, Winning isnt everything. Its the only thing.But diplomacy, especially in a more complicated world, might be more like soccer, Frantz said. Sometimes you just need a tie. Sometimes you need to just survive and move on. Trump on Thursday told reporters that he has decided to make Saudi Arabia the first overseas visit of his new term because the oil-rich kingdom has agreed to make a huge investment in the United States over the next four years.Theyve gotten richer, weve all gotten older. So I said, Ill go if you pay a trillion dollars, $1 trillion to American companies, Trump said. He also made the kingdom his first overseas stop during his first White House term after the Saudis promised $450 billion in U.S. investment.Trump acknowledged that the United Kingdom, one of Americas oldest allies, has traditionally been the first stop for U.S. presidents. But money talks. Who has the cards matters to TrumpIn his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has highly focused on who has the leverage. Putin has the cards and Zelenskyy does not, Trump has said repeatedly.Zelenskyy appeared to be making some strides in assuaging Trump after their recent rocky meeting in the Oval Office ended with Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticizing the Ukrainian leader for what they said was insufficient gratitude for the tens of billions of dollars in U.S. assistance provided in the three years since Russia invaded.Zelenskyy said later that how that meeting went down was regrettable. He also made clear he was ready to sign off on a minerals deal with the U.S. even without the explicit American security guarantees sought by the Ukrainians that Trump wants. In his Tuesday address before a joint session of Congress, Trump acknowledged Zelenskyys fence-mending efforts. Trump also announced plans to send top advisers to Saudi Arabia this week for talks with Ukrainian officials. But soon Trump was back to criticizing Zelenskyy, saying he does not have the leverage to keep fighting the war with Russia.Im finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine, and they dont have the cards, Trump said. In terms of getting a final settlement, it may be easier dealing with Russia, which is surprising, because they have all the cards.Trump departs from years of US skepticism toward RussiaTrumps push on Zelenskyy and pivot toward Moscow marks a significant departure from traditional U.S. foreign policy toward Russia since the Cold War.Others before Trump, including Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have tried resets with Russia, but perhaps never at a time as fraught. Deep skepticism toward Moscow, even in the best moments in the relationship, has been the standard operating posture in both Republican and Democratic administrations. But Trump, who ran on a promise to quickly end the war, has veered from Democratic President Joe Bidens approach of making no major decision that could impact Ukraine without Kyivs involvement.At the same time, the new Republican administration has taken steps toward a more cooperative line with Putin, for whom Trump has long shown admiration.Trump has ordered a pause on U.S. military aid for and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, halted offensive cyberoperations against Russia by U.S. Cyber Command and disbanded a program aimed at seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs as a means to punish the Kremlin for its invasion.Keeping an eye on the ledgerKellogg, who also served in Trumps first White House, recalled seeing Trumps transactional diplomacy approach early in the first term. Kellogg said that the presidents first question in meetings with foreign leaders was often the same.As I found the very first time we were in the Cabinet room when a foreign official came in, the comment was, What is the trade imbalance between our two nations?'' Kellogg recalled, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations event.The trade ledger has been top of mind for Trump as he argues that for too long America has been played by friends and adversaries, including neighbors Canada and Mexico.Trump last week announced 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war. He then postponed most of them.The White House insists the pending tariffs are about stopping the smuggling of fentanyl. Trump has also at times suggested that the tariffs could be resolved by fixing the trade deficit. The president on Friday was back to excoriating Canada, this time complaining about policies he said are hurting American dairy farmers and the lumber industry. He said he will act soon to even the ledger with Canada through reciprocal tariffs.Canada has been ripping us off for years on lumber and on dairy products, Trump said.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Trump has taken to belittling as the governor of Americas 51st state, said his country will not be backing down from Trumps trade war. The episode has underscored Trumps willingness to embrace hard power to resolve differences, even if it means testing one of the worlds most durable and amicable alliances.The center-left Trudeau was so flummoxed by Trumps move that he found himself quoting the sharply conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page to make the point that this fight was unnecessary.Its not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, Trudeau said. But Donald, they point out that even though youre a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do.___AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centers, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanaphon Wuttison)2025-03-09T11:04:27Z MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes. Their nightmare was supposed to be over.Last month, a dramatic and highly publicized operation by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities led to the release of more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Myanmar where they were forced to trick Americans and others out of their life savings. But survivors have found themselves trapped once again, this time in overcrowded facilities with no medical care, limited food and no idea when theyll be sent home.One young man from India said about 800 people were being held in the same facility as him, sharing 10 dirty toilets. He said many of the people there were feverish and coughing. Like all former enslaved scammers who talked to The Associated Press, he spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety. If we die here with health issues, who is responsible for that? he asked.The armed groups who are holding the survivors, as well as Thai officials across the border, say they are awaiting action from the detainees home governments. Its one of the largest potential rescues of forced laborers in modern history, but advocates say the first major effort to crack down on the cyber scam industry has turned into a growing humanitarian crisis. The people released are just a small fraction of what could be 300,000 people working in similar scam operations across the region, according to an estimate from the United States Institute of Peace. Human rights groups and analysts add that the networks that run these illegal scams will continue to operate unless much broader action is taken against them. A high-profile crackdownThe trapped people, some of whom are highly educated and fluent in English, were initially lured to Thailand with promises of lucrative office jobs, only to find themselves locked in buildings where they describe being forced to sit at computers up to 16 hours a day running scams. Refusing to work could bring beatings, starvation and electric shocks.Your passport is confiscated, you cannot go outside and everything is like hell, a living hell, a trapped Pakistani man told The Associated Press. Cyber scams run from compounds have flourished during the pandemic, targeting people around the world. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes estimates that between $18 billion and $37 billion was lost in Asia alone in 2023, with minimal government action against the criminal industrys spread.Beijing began pushing the regions governments to crack down this year after a young Chinese actor was trafficked to Myanmar by people who promised him an acting job in Thailand. His girlfriend spearheaded a viral social media campaign that led to his release. Following that rescue, a senior Chinese government official visited Thailand and Myanmar demanding an end to the scams. In response, Thailand cut electricity, internet and gas supplies to five border towns in Myanmar.Shortly after, the ethnic militia groups that rule this part of Myanmar the Kayin Border Guard Force and the Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army asked some of the trapped scammers if they wanted to leave, and then escorted them out of their compounds. From forced labor to detentionAs the number of people released grew into the thousands, formerly enslaved scammers found themselves caught in indefinite detention just across a narrow, slow-moving rivers width from freedom.Most are being held either in army camps controlled by the Kayin Border Guard Force, or repurposed scam compounds, where many have been since early February. For weeks, men and women have shared unsanitary conditions, sleeping on the floor and eating what their captors provide. At one point, the Border Guard Force said that over 7,000 people were crammed into these facilities, as China began busing citizens across the border for flights.Exclusive photos obtained by AP underscore the detainees desperation: Surgical masks, often two per face, cover their eyes, noses and mouths as they huddle under the watchful eyes of armed guards. It felt like a blessing that we came out of that trap, but the actual thing is that every person just wants to go back home, said another Indian man, 24, speaking softly on a contraband phone from inside a makeshift detention center. He asked to not publish his name out of concern for his safety and because the militias guarding them had confiscated their phones.Last week, fights broke out between Chinese citizens waiting to go home and the security forces guarding them, two detainees told the AP.An unconfirmed list provided by authorities in Myanmar says theyre holding citizens from 29 countries including Philippines, Kenya and the Czech Republic. Waiting for a $600 plane ticketAuthorities in Thailand say they cannot allow foreigners to cross the border from Myanmar unless they can be sent home immediately, leaving many to wait for help from embassies that has been long in coming. China sent a chartered flight Thursday to the tiny Mae Sot airport to pick up a group of its citizens, but few other governments have matched that. There are roughly 130 Ethiopians waiting in a Thai military base, stuck for want of a $600 plane ticket. Dozens of Indonesians were bused out one morning last week, pushing suitcases and carrying plastic bags with their meager possessions as they headed to Bangkok for a flight home.Thai officials held a meeting this week with representatives from foreign embassies, promising to move as quickly as possible to allow them to rescue their trapped citizens. But they warned that Thailand can only manage to receive 300 people per day, down from 500 previously, Monday through Fridays. It also announced it would let embassy staff cross over into Myanmar.The ministry attaches very high importance to this and is aware that there are sick people, and that they need to be repatriated, Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman for Thailands Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.The Indian Embassy in Bangkok did not respond to requests for comment. The Czech Foreign Ministry says it cannot confirm a Czech citizen is among those repatriated. It says it is in touch with the embassies in Bangkok and Yangon over the issue and that the embassies have not been asked for assistance.Amy Miller, the Southeast Asia director of Acts of Mercy International who is based at the Thai-Myanmar border, says its hard for the world to understand why all of the released workers arent free.You can literally, with your naked eye, stand at the border and see people inside, on their balconies, in these compounds, and yet we cannot reach them, she said. Pausing a moment, she gestured out a nearby window toward the Friendship Bridge to Myanmar just blocks away. I think what people dont understand is that to enter into another country is an act of war. You cannot just go in and receive these people out.Assistance is scarceAiding the work on the front lines, especially for those countries with fewer resources, are a handful of small nonprofit groups with very limited funds.In a nondescript Mae Sot home, Millers organization receives escapees and a trickle of survivors who have made it across the river with comfortable couches, clean water, food and working phones to reach their families. She said todays unprecedented numbers are overwhelming the aid available across the river.When were looking at numbers in the thousands, the ability to get them over to Thailand and process them and house them and feed them would be impossible for most governments, said Miller. It really does require a kind of a global response.The recent abrupt halt to U.S. foreign aid funding has made it even harder to get help to released scam center workers.The United Nations International Organization for Migration, for example, previously funded care for victims of trafficking in scam compounds in one shelter in Cambodia, but was forced to halt that work by the Trump Administrations funding freeze announced in January, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The halt to funding has also impacted a network of civil society groups that worked to stop human trafficking and rescue survivors in Thailand.Its really heartbreaking to see that theres such an immense amount of people that are in need of assistance, said Saskia Kok, Head of Protection Unit in Thailand for the IOM.In a statement, U.S. officials acknowledged the high pressure impasse.The United States remains deeply concerned about online scam operations throughout Southeast Asia, which affect thousands of Americans and individuals from many other countries, said a State Department spokesperson in a statement sent to the AP. A bigger problemWhile advocates estimate some 50 million people are living in modern slavery, mass rescues of enslaved workers are rare. In 2015, more than 2,000 fishermen were rescued from brutal conditions at sea, liberated after an Associated Press investigation exposed their plight. That same year hundreds of Indians were rescued from brick factories in India. And last year Brazilian prosecutors rescued 163 Chinese nationals working in slavery-like conditions at an electric vehicle factory construction site in northeastern Brazil.What we are seeing at the Thai-Myanmar border now is the result of years of inaction on a trafficking crisis that has had a devastating impact on thousands of people, many of whom were simply seeking better economic prospect, but were lured to these compounds on false pretenses, said Amnesty International Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman.Being forced to commit a crime under threat of violence should not be criminalized, said Freeman. However, in general we are aware of countries in the region repatriating their nationals from scam compounds only to then charge them with crimes.Business as usualIts not clear how much of an effect these releases will have on the criminal groups that run the scam centers.February marked the third time the Thais have cut internet or electricity to towns across the river. Each time, the compounds have managed to work around the cuts. Large compounds have access to diesel-powered generators, as well as access to internet provider Starlink, experts working with law enforcement say.The resources is the one thing that they are not lacking and theyve been able to bring them to bear in the past, said Benedikt Hoffman, acting representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the region.The armed groups that staged the crackdown have also been accused of helping to run scam compounds in Myawaddy. The head of the Kayin Border Guard Force, General Saw Chit Thu, has been sanctioned by the European Union and the United Kingdom for profiting from scam compounds and human trafficking, respectively. Compounds in the DKBAs control are less well-documented in the public record, but activists say they also control a fair number.There is clearly a lot of pressure on the Border Guard Force to take action and helping people to leave is one of the most visible ways to do so, Hoffman said. That said, it likely also reflects an adjustment to the business model, reducing the number of people involved and with less attention, continuing lower key operations.It will take simultaneous pressure exerted in multiple areas to truly shut down the compounds, said Hoffman.In this crackdown, there have been no major prosecutions or compounds shut down.This doesnt affect anything, said a 23-year-old Pakistani man who had hoped to be freed only to be trapped in an army camp. The bosses, he said, are rich as hell and can buy anything they need to keep the lucrative operations going. Meanwhile, he said, conditions are worsening.My friends are in really bad condition, we cant survive here, he said, requesting anonymity out of fear for retribution from his guards. He asks a question thats been haunting him day in and day out for weeks: Is anyone coming for us?___The Associated Press is investigating cyber scams. If you or someone you know is being or has been held and forced to scam others, here are the ways to get in touch with us. APs global investigative team: [emailprotected].___Mendoza reported for FRONTLINE (PBS). AP reporters Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic, and Niniek Karmini and AP video journalist Andi Jatmiko in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report. 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 MARTHA MENDOZA Mendoza reports on justice, accountability and transparency for The Associated Press. She is a member of APs Investigative team. twitter mailto

India's captain Rohit Sharma, center, flips the coin at the toss prior to the start of the ICC Champions Trophy final cricket match between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)2025-03-09T08:58:07Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the coin toss and chose to bat first against India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final on Sunday.It is the 15th consecutive toss India has lost since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final in November 2023 the longest such run for any team in one-day internationals.India is the only unbeaten side in the tournament after wins against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group phase, and then Australia in the semifinal. All matches were played in Dubai after the Indian government refused permission for its team go to hosts Pakistan on security grounds.New Zealand beat Pakistan in Karachi, and then Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, before making the trip to Dubai to play India. The Black Caps then returned to Pakistan where it beat South Africa in the second semifinal at Lahore. Both sides have previously won this tournament. Indias last success came in 2013 and were runners-up to Pakistan in 2017. It also shared the trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002 after a rain-affected two-day final.New Zealand won the Champions Trophy (then the ICC Knockout Trophy) in 2000 it beat India in the final at Nairobi, Kenya. It remains the only limited-overs ICC trophy in the Black Caps cabinet. Pacer Matt Henry, who leads the tournament with 10 wickets in four matches has been ruled out with a shoulder injury sustained during the semifinal. Medium pace allrounder Nathan Smith is his replacement in the only change for New Zealand. India has fielded an unchanged eleven from the semifinal and has again opted for four spin options.The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is dry and should aid spin as the game progresses. The surface was previously used for the India-Pakistan game here on Feb. 23.There is little chance of evening dew as the ambient temperature has shot up in the UAE this past week but if there is any, it will aid the chasing side. Line-ups:New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke, Nathan SmithIndia: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy___AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Elon Musk, center left, operating with a directive from President Donald Trump to slash government spending, walks with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., right, as he arrives to meet with Republican senators, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-03-09T11:56:57Z DENVER (AP) For decades, conservatives in Congress have talked about the need to cut government deeply, but they have always pulled back from mandating specific reductions, fearful of voter backlash.Now, President Donald Trumps administration is trying to make major cuts in government through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, run by billionaire Elon Musk an initiative led by an unelected businessman whos unlikely to ever run for office and was appointed by a termed-out president who no longer needs to face voters again.The dynamic of cutting government while also cutting out those who answer to voters has alarmed even some fiscal conservatives who have long pushed for Congress to reduce spending through the means laid out in the Constitution: a system of checks and balances that includes lawmakers elected across the country working with the president. Some members of the Trump administration got frustrated that Congress wont cut spending and decided to go around them, said Jessica Reidl of the conservative think tank The Manhattan Institute. Now, she said, no one who has to face voters again is determining spending levels. That may be changing.On Thursday, facing mounting court challenges to the legality of Musk ordering layoffs, Trump told his Cabinet that Musk could only make recommendations about government reductions. And there were more signs that Congress, after sitting on the sidelines for nearly the first two months of Trumps administration, is slowly getting back into the game. On Wednesday, Republican senators told Musk that he needed to ask Congress to approve specific cuts, which they can do on an up-or-down, filibuster-free vote through a process known as recission.Senators said Musk had never heard of the process before. That was a striking admission given that its the only way for the executive branch to legally refuse to spend money that Congress has given it. To make it real, to make it go beyond the moment of the day, it needs to come back in the form of a rescission package, said Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime advocate of spending reductions who said he introduced the idea of recission to Musk during the lunch meeting of the GOP caucus.Of course, letting Congress have the final word may be constitutional, but it would open up the process to individual representatives or senators balking at cuts because of home-state interests or other concerns, as some have already. But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office and an economist in George W. Bushs administration, said that messy process is a superior one.Theres always this instinct in people to insulate decisions from politics, Holtz-Eakin said. Its a mistake in a democracy. Its really messy. Youre not going to get the cleanliness of a corporate reorganization.Riedl noted she has advocated for deep cuts for decades, but theres a reason Congress has balked.If Congress wont pass certain spending cuts, its because the American people dont want it enough, she said. If I want spending levels to be cut, its my job to persuade the people of America to agree with me. Trump and his supporters argue they did just that in the last presidential election when he promised to shake up Washington: The people elected me to do the job and Im doing it, Trump said during his address to Congress last week.A corporate-style approach to government has long been the goal of conservatives, especially one segment that has recently called for a more CEO-style leader who is less tied down by democratic commitments to voters. Musk has embodied that, bringing the same disruptive, cost-cutting zeal he brought to his private companies. Some of his DOGE moves mirrored steps he took to slash the social media site Twitter, including the email offering buyouts, both times called Fork in the Road.Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, said the effort seems more destructive than just an attempt to shrink government in ways conservatives have long advocated. It is usurping the role of Congress on spending and program design, using cuts as a backdoor way to impound and close agencies created by Congress, Moynihan said. It is implementing an unprecedented scale of disruption.Grover Norquist, an anti-tax activist whose pledge to make government small enough to drown it in a bathtub has made him an icon for small-government conservatives, cheered the DOGE project. He said Congress has to authorize any real reductions, but hoped that DOGEs cuts show the legislative branch that voters will not panic when government is shrunk.If we do something for three years, theyll make it the law, Norquist said of Congress. Theyll see its safe, theyll see its successful. Theyll come in and put their name on it. Norquist acknowledged that Congress has repeatedly balked at the level of cuts that he would like to see, even under unified Republican control. He asserted that 95% of Republicans support such reductions but that wasnt enough to get it across the finish line in an era where the majority party usually only has a razor-thin margin of control in either chamber.The past nearly half-century of politics has been defined by conservatives pledging to cut government spending, only to see it continue to grow. Republican Ronald Reagan swept into the presidency in 1980 pledging to cut government, but when he left eight years later its size had increased. The trend continued through Trumps first term and during Democrat Joe Bidens presidency.Now, however, Trump will not face voters again, despite occasional quips about seeking a constitutionally prohibited third term. He has been open about his grudge against the federal bureaucracy, which he blames for many of his troubles during his initial four years in office.I dont think previous presidents have had the same animus towards the federal government this one has, Holtz-Eakin said.He noted that Trump has launched a second cost-cutting initiative through traditional channels his own Office of Management and Budget, which asked agencies to prepare for mass layoffs. That, Holtz-Eakin said, makes those coming reductions likelier to stick than DOGE cuts.Holtz-Eakin said there are initial signs of voter discontent over the pace, depth and chaos of the cuts. The usual way you visit that on a president is you wipe out his party in the midterms, Holtz-Eakin said. You never evade the voters.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with Jason Hing, chief deputy of emergency services at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, chief of Station 69, as they tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-03-08T21:12:15Z CHICAGO (AP) The countrys preeminent federal fire training academy canceled classes, effective immediately, on Saturday amid the ongoing flurry of funding freezes and staffing cuts by President Donald Trumps administration.The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that National Fire Academy courses were canceled amid a process of evaluating agency programs and spending to ensure alignment with Administration priorities, according to a notice sent to instructors, students and fire departments. Instructors were told to cancel all future travel until further notice.Firefighters, EMS providers and other first responders from across the country travel to the NFAs Maryland campus for the federally funded institutions free training programs.The NFA is a powerhouse for the fire service, said Marc Bashoor, a former Maryland fire chief and West Virginia emergency services director with 44 years of fire safety experience. Its not a nice to have. It is the one avenue we have to bring people from all over the country to learn from and with each other. If we want to continue to have one of the premier fire services in the world, we need to have the National Fire Academy. The academy, which also houses the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, opened in 1973 to combat a growing number of fatal fires nationwide. At the time, the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control envisioned it to be the West Point of the Fire Service, according to a report form the organization. Bashoor said the NFA was set to welcome a new set of fire safety officers for training next week. People had made their plane and travel reservations. And all of a sudden, they get an email that Sorry, its been canceled, he said. Its really upsetting.For firefighters, including those on the frontlines of deadly fires that ravaged California this year, having an essential training institution shut down under the presumption that theres waste, fraud and abuse has been demoralizing, Bashoor said. He said losing NFA training could make the coordinated response that prevented additional deaths and destruction in California more difficult. FEMA and the National Fire Academy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.While surveying disaster zones in California in January, Trump said he was considering getting rid of FEMA altogether, previewing sweeping changes to the nations central organization of responding to disasters.Firings at the U.S. Forest Service on the heels of the deadly California blazes also sparked outcry among discharged workers and officials who said it would mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires.

2025-03-09T12:13:29Z WASHINGTON (AP) An armed man believed to be traveling from Indiana was shot by U.S. Secret Service agents near the White House after a confrontation early Sunday, according to authorities. No one else was injured in the shooting that happened around midnight about a block from the White House, according to a Secret Service statement. President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of the shooting. The Secret Service received information from local police about an alleged suicidal individual who was traveling from Indiana and found the mans car and a person matching his description nearby. As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel, the Secret Service said in a statement. The man was hospitalized. The Secret Service said his condition was unknown. The Metropolitan Police Department will investigate because the shooting involved law enforcement officers. A message left Sunday for the police department wasnt immediately returned.

Migrants, mostly from Asian countries, arrived in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after spending weeks in a temporary Panamanian immigration camp following their deportation from the U.S. and being released on the condition that they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)2025-03-09T04:53:39Z PANAMA CITY (AP) After weeks of lawsuits and human rights criticism, Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who were held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States, telling them they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation.It thrust many like Hayatullah Omagh, a 29-year-old who fled Afghanistan in 2022 after the Taliban took control, into a legal limbo, scrambling to find a path forward.We are refugees. We do not have money. We cannot pay for a hotel in Panama City, we do not have relatives, Omagh told the Associated Press in an interview. I cant go back to Afghanistan under any circumstances ... It is under the control of the Taliban, and they want to kill me. How can I go back?Authorities have said deportees will have the option of extending their stay by 60 days if they need it, but after that many like Omagh dont know what they will do. Migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration shelter after being deported from the U.S. embraced upon arriving in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration shelter after being deported from the U.S. embraced upon arriving in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Omagh climbed off a bus in Panama City alongside 65 migrants from China, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal and other nations after spending weeks detained in poor conditions by the Panamanian government, which has said it wants to work with the Trump administration to send a signal of deterrence to people hoping to migrate. Iranian migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration camp after being deported from the U.S. arrive in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Iranian migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration camp after being deported from the U.S. arrive in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Human rights groups and lawyers advocating for the migrants were waiting at the bus terminal, and scrambled to find the released migrants shelter and other resources. Dozens of other people remained in the camp. Among those getting off buses were migrants fleeing violence and repression in Pakistan and Iran, and 27-year-old Nikita Gaponov, who fled Russia due to repression for being part of the LGBTQ+ community and who said he was detained at the U.S. border, but not allowed to make an asylum claim. A Vietnamese boy traveling with his mother and other migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration camp after their deportations from the U.S. arrives in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) A Vietnamese boy traveling with his mother and other migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration camp after their deportations from the U.S. arrives in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Nikita Gaponov, second from right, of Russia, and other migrants who were held in a temporary Panamanian immigration shelter after being deported from the U.S. arrive by bus in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Nikita Gaponov, second from right, of Russia, and other migrants who were held in a temporary Panamanian immigration shelter after being deported from the U.S. arrive by bus in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Once I get off the bus, Ill be sleeping on the ground tonight, Gaponov said.Others turned their eyes north once again, saying that even though they had already been deported, they had no other option than to continue after crossing the world to reach the U.S. The deportees, largely from Asian countries, were part of a deal stuck between the Trump administration and Panama and Costa Rica as the U.S. government attempts to speed up deportations. The administration sent hundreds of people, many families with children, to the two Central American countries as a stopover while authorities organize a way to send them back to their countries of origin. Critics described it as a way for the U.S. to export its deportation process.The agreement fueled human rights concerns when hundreds of deportees detained in a hotel in Panama City held up notes to their windows pleading for help and saying they were scared to return to their own countries. Under international refugee law, people have the right to apply for asylum when they are fleeing conflict or persecution.Those that refused to return home were later sent to a remote camp near Panamas border with Colombia, where they spent weeks in poor conditions, were stripped of their phones, unable to access legal council and were not told where they were going next. Lawyers and human rights defenders warned that Panama and Costa Rica were turning into black holes for deportees, and said their release was a way for Panamanian authorities to wash their hands of the deportees amid mounting human rights criticism. Upon being released Saturday night, human rights lawyers identified at least three people who required medical attention. One has been vomiting for over a week, another deportee had diabetes and hadnt had access to insulin in the camp and another person had HIV and also didnt have access to medicine in detention.Those who were released, like Omagh, said they could not return home.As an atheist and member of an ethnic minority group in Afghanistan known as the Hazara, he said returning home under the rule of the Taliban which swept back into power after the Biden administration pulled out of the country would mean he would be killed. He only went to the U.S. after trying for years to live in Pakistan, Iran and other countries but being denied visas. Omagh was deported after presenting himself to American authorities and asking to seek asylum in the U.S., which he was denied. Hayatullah Omagh, of Afghanistan, and other migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration temporary shelter after being deported from the U.S. arrive in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Hayatullah Omagh, of Afghanistan, and other migrants who were held in a Panamanian immigration temporary shelter after being deported from the U.S. arrive in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, after authorities gave them 30 days to leave the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More My hope was freedom. Just freedom, he said. They didnt give me the chance. I asked many times to speak to an asylum officer and they told me No, no, no, no, no.Still, he said that leaving the camp was a relief. Omagh and other migrants who spoke to the AP detailed scarce food, sweltering heat with little relief and aggressive Panamanian authorities. In one case, Omagh and others said, a Chinese man went on a week-long hunger strike. In another, a small riot broke out because guards refused to give a migrant their phone. The riot, they said, was suppressed by armed guards.Panamanian authorities denied accusations about camp conditions, but blocked journalists from accessing the camp and cancelled a planned press visit last week. While international aid organizations said they would organize travel to a third country for people who didnt want to return home, Panamanian authorities said the people released had already refused help.Omagh said he was told in the camp he could be sent to a third country if it gives people from Afghanistan visas. He said that would be incredibly difficult because few nations open their doors to people with a Afghan passport.He said he asked authorities in the camp multiple times if he could seek asylum in Panama, and said he was told that we do not accept asylum.None of them wants to stay in Panama. They want to go to the U.S., said Carlos Ruiz-Hernandez, Panamas deputy foreign minister, in an interview with the AP last month. Migrants, mostly from Asian countries, arrived in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after spending weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp following their deportation from the U.S. and being released on the condition that they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Migrants, mostly from Asian countries, arrived in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after spending weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp following their deportation from the U.S. and being released on the condition that they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Samin Ihaider, of Pakistan, third from right, confers with other migrants at a bus station food court after arriving in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, following weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp after their deportation from the U.S. and release on the condition they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Samin Ihaider, of Pakistan, third from right, confers with other migrants at a bus station food court after arriving in Panama City on Saturday, March 8, 2025, following weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp after their deportation from the U.S. and release on the condition they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More That was the case for some, like one Chinese woman who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions from Panamanian authorities. Upon getting off the bus, the first thing she wanted to do was find a Coca-Cola. Then, shed find a way back to the U.S.I still want to continue to go to the United States and fulfill my American dream, she said. Iranian migrants make a phone call from a bus station food court after arriving in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, following weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp where they were held after their deportation from the U.S. and released on the condition that they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Iranian migrants make a phone call from a bus station food court after arriving in Panama City, Saturday, March 8, 2025, following weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp where they were held after their deportation from the U.S. and released on the condition that they leave the country within 30 days. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___Janetsky reported from Mexico City. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. walks to the House Chamber before President Donald Trump addresses to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-03-09T13:45:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment as part of President Donald Trumps government cuts.The workers have until 5 p.m. on Friday to submit a response for the so-called voluntary separation offer. The email was sent to staff across the department, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and the National Institutes of Health as well as the Food and Drug Administration, both in Maryland. The mass email went out to a broad population of HHS employees, landing in their inboxes days before agency heads are due to offer plans for shrinking their workforces. HHS is one of the governments costliest federal agencies, with an annual budget of about $1.7 trillion that is mostly spent on health care coverage for millions of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. There was no immediate comment Sunday from HHS.Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trumps health secretary, has hinted at plans at deep cuts to the staff. Last year, he promised to immediately clear out all 600 employees at the NIH, the nations biomedical research arm. He has not gone that far, but in an interview last month shortly after being sworn in last month, Kennedy said he wanted to remove some workers from the public health agencies. I have a list in my head, Kennedy said of potential firings at the agency. He said some workers made really bad decisions on nutrition guidelines. The Trump administration, with the help of billionaire Elon Musk, has been trying to push out federal workers in an effort to cut costs. In January, most federal employees received a deferred resignation offer that came with eight months of pay. Thousands of probationary employees, too, have been fired across federal agencies, including at HHS. The latest move to reduce the number of federal health workers comes as the the CDC is assisting with a deadly measles outbreak in West Texas and New Mexico and as lawmakers are debating deep cuts to Medicaid in the federal budget. HHS workers are directed in the email to reach out to their local human resources office to submit for the voluntary separation. AMANDA SEITZ Seitz is an Associated Press reporter covering federal health care policy. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

An area in front of the security checkpoints is empty at Hamburg Airport, Germany Sunday, March 9, 2025. (Georg Wendt/dpa via AP)2025-03-09T13:34:15Z BERLIN (AP) Flight cancellations at Hamburg Airport after a surprise strike by workers affected more than 40,000 passengers on Sunday, a day before a planned wider protest across Germany amid new contract negotiations.Only 10 of more than 280 scheduled flights went as planned early Sunday, the airport said. Many service desks sat empty as would-be passengers lined up to seek information about the cancellations.The surprise walkout, which reportedly took place with only about a half-hour advance notice, came before a broader series of preannounced strikes across 13 airports in Germany on Monday, organized by the ver.di union.The union, whose members work in areas including passenger services and cargo and goods screening, called for Sundays strike by security control staff to put pressure on company representatives amid collective bargaining talks. The behavior of the trade union ver.di is dishonorable: The strike without notice hits Hamburg Airport at the start of the vacation season, airport spokeswoman Katja Bromm said in a statement. She said that on Monday, arrivals would be possible, and that considerable disruptions and cancellations were expected. Bromm said that Sundays walkouts were excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travelers who have nothing to do with the disputes.For months, ver.di has been negotiating a new agreement that aims to improve occupational health and safety, provide more vacation days, an increase in the annual bonus to 50% and the freedom to choose a doctor for employees regular, mandatory medical exams, among other things.

Palestinians leave after attending the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Imam Shafi'i Mosque, damaged by Israeli army strikes, in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, Friday March 7, 2025.(AP Photo/(AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-03-09T15:21:30Z JERUSALEM (AP) Israel says it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza. The full effects of that are not immediately clear, but the territorys desalination plants receive power for producing drinking water.Sundays announcement comes a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to the territory to over 2 million people. It has sought to press Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire. That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.Hamas has pressed to start negotiations on the ceasefires more difficult second phase instead, which would see the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace. Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others. The militant group on Sunday said it wrapped up the latest round of ceasefire talks with Egyptian mediators without changes to its position, calling for an immediate start of the ceasefires second phase.The new letter from Israels energy minister to the Israel Electric Corporation tells it to stop selling power to Gaza. Israel had warned when it stopped all supplies that water and electricity could be next. Gaza has been largely devastated by the war, and generators and solar panels are used for some of the power supply. The ceasefire has paused the deadliest and most destructive fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The first phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.Israeli forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside Gaza, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza for the first time since early in the war and hundreds of trucks of aid entered per day until Israel suspended supplies. US envoy envisages a longer truceThe White House on Wednesday made the surprise confirmation of direct U.S. talks with Hamas.On Sunday, envoy Adam Boehler told CNN that I think you could see something like a long-term truce, where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree theyre not part of the political party going forward. I think thats a reality. Its real close.When asked by CNN if he would speak with the militant group again, Boehler replied, You never know.He added: I think something could come together within weeks, and expressed hope for a deal that would see all hostages released, not only the American ones.Hamas on Sunday reiterated its support for a proposal for the establishment of an independent committee of technocrats to run Gaza until Palestinians hold presidential and legislative elections.That committee would work under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority, based in the occupied West Bank. Israel has rejected the PA having any role in Gaza, but hasnt put forward an alternative for postwar rule. Hamas attack in October 2023 killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, inside Israel and took 251 people hostage. Most have been released in ceasefire agreements or other arrangements.Israels military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt say how many of the dead were militants.Now, with the cutoff of all supplies to Gaza, Palestinians are reporting sharp price increases for dwindling items as fears grow again.Since the ceasefire began, the situation has improved a little. But before that, the situation was very bad, said Fares al-Qeisi in the southern city of Khan Younis. I swear to God, one could not satisfy their hunger.___Follow developments at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

President Donald Trump waves before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, March 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-03-09T15:54:04Z WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) President Donald Trump is dismissing business concerns over the uncertainty caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of higher prices, and isnt ruling out the possibility of a recession this year.After imposing and then quickly pausing 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that sent markets tumbling over concerns of a trade war, Trump said his plans for broader reciprocal tariffs will go into effect April 2, raising them to match what other countries assess. April 2nd, it becomes all reciprocal, he said in a taped interview with Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures. What they charge us, we charge them.Asked about the Atlanta Feds warning of an economic contraction in the first quarter of the year, Trump seemingly acknowledged that his plans could affect U.S. growth. Still, he claimed, it would ultimately be great for us. When questioned whether he was expecting a recession in 2025, Trump responded: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what were doing is very big. Were bringing wealth back to America. Thats a big thing. He then added, It takes a little time. It takes a little time. On Wall Street, it was a tough week with wild swings dominated by worries about the economy and uncertainty about what Trumps tariffs. Trump brushed aside concerns from businesses seeking stability as they make investment decisions. He said that for years the globalists, the big globalists have been ripping off the United States and that now, all were doing is getting some of it back, and were going to treat our country fairly.You know, the tariffs could go up as time goes by, and they may go up and, you know, I dont know if its predictability, the Republican president said.Trump last week lifted the Mexico and Canada tariffs on American car manufacturers, and then virtually all imports to the U.S., but kept them on goods from China. More tariffs are coming this week, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick telling NBCs Meet the Press that 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will take effect Wednesday. Lutnick said Trumps threatened tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber though would wait until April.Will there be distortions? Of course, Lutnick said. Foreign goods may get a little more expensive. But American goods are going to get cheaper, and youre going to be helping Americans by buying American. ZEKE MILLER Miller leads coverage of the president and the presidency for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-03-09T16:28:42Z Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday announced new leadership at the agency tasked with immigration enforcement as she also pledged to step up lie detector tests on employees to identify those who may be leaking information about operations to the media.The authorities that I have under the Department of Homeland Security are broad and extensive and I plan to use every single one of them to make sure that were following the law, that we are following the procedures in place to keep people safe and that were making sure were following through on what President Trump has promised, Noem told CBS Face the Nation.While these polygraph exams are typically not admissible in court proceedings, they are frequently used by federal law enforcement agencies and for national security clearances.White House officials have previously expressed frustration with the pace of deportations, blaming it in part on recent leaks revealing cities where authorities planned to conduct operations. Noem announcement of two new leadership appointments within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes less than two months into the Trump administration and demonstrates the importance that the administration places on carrying out the presidents deportation agenda. Todd Lyons, the former assistant director of field operations for the agencys enforcement arm, will serve as acting ICE director. Madison Sheahan, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Noems former aide when she was governor of South Dakota, has been tapped to be the agencys deputy director. The leadership changes come after ICEs acting director was reassigned on Feb. 21. Two other top immigration enforcement officials were reassigned Feb. 11. Those staffing changes came amid frustrations in the Trump administration about the pace of immigration arrests. Noem also announced on Friday that the agency has identified and planned to prosecute two leakers of information.On Sunday, she said these two people were leaking our enforcement operations that we had planned and were going to conduct in several cities and exposed vulnerabilities. She said they could face up to 10 years in federal prison.A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Relatives and neighbours mourn during the funeral procession for four Syrian security force members killed in clashes with loyalists of ousted President Bashar Assad in coastal Syria, in the village of Al-Janoudiya, west of Idlib, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)2025-03-09T16:01:42Z An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad escalated into clashes that a war monitor estimates have killed more than 1,000 people over four days.The attack Thursday near the port city of Latakia reopened the wounds of the countrys 13-year civil war and sparked the worst violence Syria has seen since December, when insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad.The counteroffensive against the Assad loyalists in the largely Alawite coastal region brought havoc to several cities and towns. Rights groups reported dozens of revenge killings resulting from Sunni militants targeting the minority Islamic sect, regardless of whether they were involved in the insurgency.Heres a look at the latest violence in the war-wracked country: What started the violence?Tensions have been on the rise since Assads downfall following sectarian attacks against Alawites, who ruled Syria for over 50 years under the Assad dynasty. The assaults continued despite promises from Syrias interim president that the countrys new leaders will carve out a political future for Syria that includes and represents all its communities.In their ambush, the pro-Assad Alawite gunmen overwhelmed government security forces and later took control of Qardaha, Assads hometown, as Damascus scrambled to bring in reinforcements.Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Hassan Abdel-Ghani said Sunday that security forces have restored control of the region and will continue pursuing leaders of the galvanized insurgency.But despite authorities calling for an end to the sectarian incitement, the clashes turned deadly, and many civilians were killed. Who are the dead?Most of the dead are apparently members of the Alawite community, who live largely in the countrys coastal province, including in the cities of Latakia and Tartous. Rights groups estimate that hundreds of civilians were killed.The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam, and it once formed the core constituency of Assads government in the Sunni-majority country.Opponents of Assad saw Syria under the familys rule as granting privileges to the Alawite community. As the civil war intensified, militant groups emerged across the country and treated Alawites as affiliates of Assad and his key military allies, Russia and Iran.Syrias new interim government is under Sunni Islamist rule. Interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, a former HTS leader, has promised that the country will transition to a system that includes Syrias mosaic of religious and ethnic groups under fair elections, but skeptics question whether that will actually happen.Little is currently known about the Alawite insurgency, which is composed of remnants of Assads web of military and intelligence branches, and who their foreign backers might be. Why were the Alawites targeted?The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 745 civilians killed, mostly in shootings. In addition, 125 members of government security forces and 148 militants with armed groups affiliated with Assad were killed. Electricity and drinking water were cut off in large areas around Latakia, the group added.Meanwhile, the Syria Campaign and the Syrian Network for Human Rights, which both advocated against Assad after the civil war began in 2011, said Saturday that both security forces and pro-Assad gunmen were carrying out mass executions and systematic killings.The SNHR estimated that 100 members of the governments security forces were killed Thursday, while 125 of an estimated 140 civilians were slain over the weekend in suspected revenge killings.The Associated Press could not verify those numbers, and conflicting death figures during attacks in Syria over the years have not been uncommon. Two residents in the coastal region said that many homes from Alawite families were looted and set on fire. They spoke from their hideouts on condition of anonymity, fearing for their lives.Damascus blamed individual actions for the widespread violence against civilians and said government security forces were responding to the gunmen loyal to the former government. Can Damascus restore calm after the clashes?Damascus has struggled to reconcile with skeptics of its Islamist government, as well as with Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast and the Druze minority in the south. Al-Sharaa has lobbied to convince the United States and Europe to lift sanctions to pave the way for economic recovery to pull millions of Syrians out of poverty and make the country viable again.Washington and Europe are concerned that lifting sanctions before Syria transitions into an inclusive political system could pave the way for another chapter of autocratic rule.Al-Sharaa appealed to Syrians and the international community in an address over the weekend, calling for accountability for anyone who harms civilians and mistreats prisoners. Such human rights violations were rampant under Assad. Al-Sharra also formed a committee composed mostly of judges to investigate the violence. In a statement issued Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Syrian authorities to hold the perpetrators of these massacres accountable. Rubio said the U.S. stands with Syrias religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities. KAREEM CHEHAYEB Chehayeb is an Associated Press reporter in Beirut. twitter instagram mailto

Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)2025-03-09T16:22:58Z NEW YORK (AP) Federal immigration authorities arrested a Palestinian graduate student who played a prominent role in last springs anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, according to his attorney.Mahmoud Khalil was inside his university-owned residence Saturday night near Columbias Manhattan campus when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the building and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press.Greer said she spoke by phone with one of the ICE agents during the arrest, who said they were acting on State Department orders to revoke Khalils student visa. Informed by the attorney that Khalil was in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to the lawyer.The arrest appeared to be among the first known actions under President Donald Trumps pledge to deport international students who joined the protests against Israels war in Gaza that swept college campuses last spring. His administration has claimed participants forfeited their rights to remain in the country by supporting Hamas, a terror organization. AP AUDIO: ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests, his lawyer says AP correspondent Julie Walker reports ICE arrests a Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests. Khalil served as a negotiator for students as they bargained with university officials over an end to the tent encampment erected on campus, a role that made him one of the few student activists willing to share his name and identity. The authorities declined to tell Khalils wife, who is eight months pregnant, whether he was accused of committing a crime, Greer said. Khalil has since been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained, Greer told the AP. This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.A Columbia spokesperson said law enforcement agents must produce a warrant before entering university property, but declined to say if the school had received one ahead of Khalils arrest. The spokesperson also declined to comment on Khalils detention. Messages seeking comment were left with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.The Department of Homeland Security can initiate deportation proceedings against green card holders for a broad range alleged criminal activity, including supporting a terror group. It would ultimately be up to an immigration judge to revoke someones permanent resident status, according to Camille Mackler, founder of Immigrant ARC, a coalition of legal service providers in New York. This has the appearance of a retaliatory action against someone who expressed an opinion the Trump administration didnt like, Mackler said.Khalil was among those investigated by a new Columbia University office that has brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students who have expressed criticism of Israel, according to records shared with the AP. Those investigations come as the Trump administration has ramped up scrutiny on Columbia because of what the government describes as the Ivy League schools failure to squelch antisemitism on campus. On Friday, federal agencies announced they would be cutting $400 million in grants and contracts from the university. The allegation against Khalil focused on his involvement in the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group, claiming he had helped organize an unauthorized marching event that glorified Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack and played a substantial role in the circulation of social media posts criticizing Zionism. I have around 13 allegations against me, most of them are social media posts that I had nothing to do with, Khalil told the AP last week.They just want to show Congress and rightwing politicians that theyre doing something, regardless of the stakes for students, he added. Its mainly an office to chill pro-Palestine speech. JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Calin Georgescu, the winner of the first round of presidential elections, later annulled by the Constitutional Court, speaks to media after registering his new bid for the country's presidency outside Romania's Electoral Authority, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)2025-03-09T18:36:34Z BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) Romanias electoral body on Sunday rejected Calin Georgescus candidacy in the presidential election rerun, after the far-right populist won the first round of last years race before a top court annulled the election.The 62-year-old Georgescu filed his candidacy on Friday in the capital, Bucharest. The Central Election Bureau, also known by its Romanian acronym BEC, had 48 hours to register or reject it. It wasnt immediately clear on what grounds his candidacy was rejected, but the BEC said that a full text of its decision would later be published on its website. The decision can be appealed at the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.The BECs rejection came after Romanias Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results two days before the Dec. 8 runoff, after allegations emerged that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote the outsider. At the time, Georgescu, who ran as an independent, denounced the courts decision as an officialized coup and an attack on democracy. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, who had backed Georgescus bid, reacted to BECs decision on Sunday by calling it a new abuse and a continuation of the coup dtat. Down with Ciolacu, down with the dictators! he said in a post on Facebook, referring to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Last month, prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of incitement to actions against the constitutional order, supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Allegations quickly emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Moscow denied that it had meddled in the election.The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18. The deadline for presidential candidacy applications is March 15 at midnight.

Bryan Szeliga owner of Fishtown Seafood poses for a photograph at his location in Haddonfield, N.J., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-03-09T14:00:55Z NEW YORK (AP) At Fishtown Seafood, owner Bryan Szeliga is worried about the oysters.Szeliga, who operates three retail and wholesale locations in Philadelphia and Haddonfield, N.J., sells a range of seafood. But briny, slurpable oysters are the biggest part of his overall business. And 60% to 70% come from Canada.The Trumps administrations on-again, off-again 25% tariffs on imports from Canada which went into effect on Tuesday only to be suspended on some items for a month on Thursday are giving Szeliga whiplash. The flip-flopping is making it tough to plan ahead. And if the tariffs do eventually go into effect, hell likely need to raise prices and offer his customers fewer choices of oysters.Part of the problem of the chaos and shock and awe approach to the negotiation is you cant actually really business plan based on knowing what is and isnt actually going to happen, he said. Thats a big problem. AP AUDIO: How one small business is navigating Trumps on-again, off-again tariffs on Canadian goods AP correspondent Julie Walker reports on how one small business is navigating President Trumps on-again, off-again tariffs on Canadian goods. Szeliga started Fishtown Seafood four years ago after other jobs in the food industry including chef and working for a nonprofit. His customers include neighborhood locals and others who shop at his retail shops as well as restaurant wholesale clients. He sources some of his U.S. products directly from fish farms but for Canadian oysters he goes through dealers.Theyre larger companies that aggregate from all the (seafood) producers and then and then distribute throughout the country, he said. Theres also a quality consideration.Canadian oysters simply have the size, flavor profile, and brand recognition that our customers prefer and have grown to love, he said. Trying to planOn Tuesday, most of his suppliers told Szeliga theyd be raising prices. He only made one purchase while the tariff was in effect, buying some sweet petite oysters from Prince Edward Island, to make sure a wholesale client had enough product. He paid the whole 25% markup himself and didnt pass it along to his client, eating the extra cost. The suppliers price increases are likely to come down now that the tariffs are postponed, but only for a month.Now that he has a month reprieve, Szeliga said he plans to adjust his own inventory and work with his wholesale clients to plan out a menu that will be less affected by the tariffs. That might mean replacing higher-priced, higher-quality oysters with domestic or lower-priced Canadian offerings.Now that we have a picture of what this is probably going to look like, lets just start designing out your menus so that were prepared and its not complete bedlam again, he said. Even if prices come down, we know prices are going to come up to X, Y, Z (when the tariffs return). He said hell be asking his clients, What products are going to work for you in a month? A blow to the burgeoning oyster marketSzeliga isnt alone with his concerns the entire oyster market could be affected.The total value of U.S. imported seafood in 2023 was $25.5 billion. Canada, as the largest supplier, delivered more than $3.6 billion in seafood products to the United States in 2023. Imports of seafood from Canada into the U.S. rose 10% in 2024 to $3.96 billion, according to the USDA.While oysters are just a fraction of that the most popular seafood remains shrimp, salmon and tuna oyster demand has been growing. In 2022, oysters joined the National Fisheries Institute Top 10 List for the first time ever. Szeliga has watched as the popularity meant more and more restaurants, beyond just oyster bars, began offering the bivalve on their menus. He worries that growth will now fade and fizzle.I think its really going to take the momentum out of what is a growth industry, he said. Limiting choice, raising pricesSzeliga said hell likely limit the number of oysters he carries in his shop from 12 to about 10 to make sure he can still offer a range of higher and lower price oysters that his customers want, even if he no longer carries the most expensive options. Switching to oysters harvested only in the U.S. isnt an option, because although there are numerous types of oysters available on U.S. coasts, the majority of U.S. seafood is imported. Canada is the largest supplier of seafood to the U.S. Thats hard to match.For domestic oysters the production is pretty maxed out right now, he said. Oysters can take several years to grow and make it to market so a farmer would have needed to make a business selection several years ago to grow their business to be in a good position right now to take full advantage of this situation.Szeliga worries that Canadian producers might start limiting what they sell to the U.S. market after the tariff confusion.So ultimately, his customers should expect less choice of oysters, and for a higher price since not all prices will come back down after theyve been marked up.Some products that were really value purchases in the past. I think those suppliers, it forced them to realize they were value, he said. And I think there are going to be products that arent going to come back down (price-wise), he said. MAE ANDERSON Anderson reports for The Associated Press on a wide range of issues that small businesses face. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

In this March 9, 2009 file photo, The Harry S. Truman Building, headquarters for the State Department, is seen in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-03-09T18:48:37Z Aubrey Lay a Fulbright scholar was supposed to get paid for three months of work by the U.S. government through his teaching assistantship at a school for Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. Instead, he only got about one weeks pay, and no word on when he might see the rest of his grant.Lay is among scholars around the world who depend on State Department funding to participate in long-established programs like Fulbright and who say their payments have been abruptly cut off after getting a notice that officials were reviewing their activities. The move appears to be in line with the White Houses initiative to sharply slash government spending - a shakeup that has affected scores of federal agencies.The government is facing even more dramatic changes in the coming weeks and months. President Donald Trump has directed agencies to prepare plans for widespread layoffs, known as reductions in force, that will likely require more limited operations at agencies that provide critical services. The funding freeze has sparked panic among thousands of scholars who area stranded outside their home countries without clarity on the future of their programs or the money needed to support themselves. In February, the U.S. State Department temporarily paused spending in an effort to review its programs and activities, according to NAFSA, an association of international educators. That included programs such as Fulbright, Gilman and Critical Language international scholarships. In the weeks since officials enacted the pause, some scholars and advocacy groups have said the flow of funds dried up for peoples grants, yet there is no communication from U.S. officials on whether that will change. The State Department did not comment on the funding freeze following an inquiry by the Associated Press over the weekend.Lay found the lack of communication from U.S. officials troublesome. He was also left wondering about the future of the program that his grandmother also participated in decades ago. After it was established in 1946, the program has become a flagship for the U.S. governments mission toward cross-cultural engagement. I dont want to be one more thing that is changing and uncertain in their lives, Lay said. I cant bear that thought.Lay said he will be OK for another month, but he worries about participants with no extra money saved.The clarity that Ive gotten is that nobody knows whats going on? he said. The clarity that Ive gotten is that every time Ive asked anybody, they dont know whats happening, and they are just as confused as I am, as we all are.Thousands of scholars are in similar positions to Lay, according to the Fulbright Association, which is a nonprofit group comprising alumni. In a newsletter email, the association said the halt in funding impact over 12,500 American students, youth, and professionals currently abroad or scheduled to participate in State Department programs in the next six months. Aside from U.S. citizens, the Fulbright Association also said the pause has cut funding for U.S. programs hosting more than 7,400 people. Halyna Morozova, a Fulbright scholar from Kyiv teaching Ukrainian to students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, said she was at the airport Feb. 28 after what felt like a never-ending day. President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier that day in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting. The future of her country along with her family back home weighed heavily on her mind. Then she got an email from the Institute of International Education, commonly referred to as IIE, which administers the Fulbright scholarship. IIE is currently authorized to send you a partial stipend equivalent to one week of your anticipated upcoming stipend payment, the email said. We will update you on future payments as soon as possible.Morozova panicked. She usually gets $750 each month. Now, she has to stretch $187.50 to make ends meet.It was very scary, I would say, not just because I am lost in another country, she said. We dont know if we will ever get another stipend here, and if they have enough money to buy our tickets home. So there are a lot of things that are not clear and not certain. Olga Bezhanova, a professor who manages Morozova and two other scholars, said the exchange program has been in place for nearly two decades at her university, becoming a bedrock of their language education. Now, she is trying to see if her university will supplement the funds being withheld by the federal government. If that doesnt work out, she said she was unsure of what else could be done.I have to look into the faces of these wonderful people, and theyre asking me: Is this America? What is this? she said. This is a mess.___Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. OLIVIA DIAZ Diaz covers Virginia politics with the Associated Press. twitter mailto

Liberal Party of Canada Leader Mark Carney speaks following the announcement of his win at the party's announcement event in Ottawa, Ontario, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-03-09T14:19:35Z TORONTO (AP) Former central banker Mark Carney will become Canadas next prime minister after the governing Liberal Party elected him its leader Sunday as the country deals with U.S. President Donald Trumps trade war and annexation threat, and a federal election looms.Carney, 59, replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remains prime minister until his successor is sworn in in the coming days. Carney won in a landslide, winning 85.9% of the vote. There is someone who is trying to weaken our economy, Carney said. Donald Trump, as we know, has put unjustified tariffs on what we build, on what we sell and how we make a living. Hes attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses and we cannot let him succeed and we wont.Carney said Canada will keep retaliatory tariffs in place until the Americans show us respect. Carney navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada and when in 2013 he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. His appointment won bipartisan praise in the U.K. after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries. The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged.Trumps trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are canceling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can. The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Partys chances in a parliamentary election expected within days or weeks, and Liberal showings have been improving steadily in opinion polls.We have made this the greatest country in the world and now our neighbors want to take us. No way, Carney said earlier. After decades of bilateral stability, the vote on Canadas next leader now is expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the United States.Carney has picked up one endorsement after another from Cabinet ministers and members of Parliament since declaring his candidacy in January. He is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience who has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister, but he lacks political experience.The other top Liberal leadership candidate was former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Trudeau told Freeland in December that he no longer wanted her as finance minister, but that she could remain deputy prime minister and the point person for U.S.-Canada relations. Freeland resigned shortly after, releasing a scathing letter about the government that proved to be the last straw for Trudeau.Carney is expected to trigger an election shortly afterward. Either Carney will call one, or the opposition parties in Parliament could force one with a no-confidence vote later this month.

First responders work the scene after a plane crashed in the parking lot of a retirement community in Manheim Township, Pa., Sunday, March 9, 2025. (Logan Gehman/LNP/LancasterOnline via AP)2025-03-09T20:48:24Z A single-engine airplane carrying five people crashed and burst into flames Saturday in the parking lot of a retirement community near a small airport in suburban Pennsylvania, and everyone on board survived, officials and witnesses said.The fiery crash happened around 3 p.m. just south of Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township, police Chief Duane Fisher told reporters at an evening briefing. All five victims were taken to hospitals in unknown condition. Nobody on the ground was hurt, the chief said. Brian Pipkin was driving nearby when he noticed the small plane climbing before it suddenly veered to the left. And then it went down nose first, he told The Associated Press. There was an immediate fireball.Pipkin called 911 and then drove to the crash site, where he recorded video of black smoke billowing from the planes mangled wreckage and multiple cars engulfed in flames in a parking lot at Brethren Village. He said the plane narrowly missed hitting a three-story building at the sprawling retirement community about 75 miles (120 km) west of Philadelphia. A fire truck from the airport arrived within minutes, and more first responders followed quickly. It was so smoky and it was so hot, Pipkin said. They were really struggling to get the fire out. A dozen parked cars were damaged, Fisher said. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there were five people aboard the Beechcraft Bonanza. Air traffic control audio captured the pilot reporting that the aircraft has an open door, we need to return for a landing. An air traffic controller is heard clearing the plane to land, before saying, Pull up! Moments later, someone can be heard saying the aircraft was down just behind the terminal in the parking lot street area.The FAA said it will investigate. The crash comes about a month after seven people were killed when an air ambulance burst into flames after crashing onto a busy Philadelphia street.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks to pass during the second half of the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)2025-03-10T00:10:14Z ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) NFL MVP Josh Allen was rewarded Sunday with a contract extension that is reportedly worth $330 million, which would make him among the leagues highest-paid players.The Buffalo Bills announced the agreement, which adds two years to Allens contract and locks the 28-year-old in through the 2030 season. ESPN.com reported the deals value and includes an NFL-record $250 million guaranteed.The Bills did not release the value of the contract.The extension comes following Allens seventh NFL season in which he became the Bills third player to earn NFL MVP, and first since running back Thurman Thomas did so in 1991. The new deal eclipses Allens previous contract, a six-year $258 deal he signed with Buffalo in August 2021.Allen has established himself as one of the leagues elite quarterbacks and re-written nearly every franchise single-season passing and scoring record at his position. In doing so, hes overcome the many questions and criticisms he faced for being considered a raw and inaccurate player when Buffalo selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft out of Wyoming. Just as important, Allen has solidified what had been an unsettled position in Buffalo since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired following the 1996 season. The Bills under Allen have won five consecutive AFC East titles and are on a six-year playoff run. Allens MVP honor came during a season in which he essentially did more with what was considered less receiving talent around him. Adopting an Everybody Eats motto, Buffalo ran away with the AFC East by clinching the division with five games still left in a 13-win season and after the team traded top receiving option Stefon Diggs to Houston and lost No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis in free agency. Though Allen failed to top 4,000 yards for the first time since 2019, the quarterback enjoyed his most efficient seasons with a career-low six interceptions, a year after throwing a career-worst 18. Allen finished with 28 touchdowns passing, scored another 12 rushing and was credited with a touchdown receiving after completing a pass to Amari Cooper, who then lateralled the ball back to the quarterback.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Shizuyo Takeuchi, 94-year-old Tokyo raid survivor, shares her experience in front of a map of the areas damaged during the 1945 Tokyo Firebombing at the Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage on Feb. 24, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)2025-03-10T02:11:51Z TOKYO (AP) More than 100,000 people were killed in a single night 80 years ago Monday in the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo, the Japanese capital. The attack, made with conventional bombs, destroyed downtown Tokyo and filled the streets with heaps of charred bodies.The damage was comparable to the atomic bombings a few months later in August 1945, but unlike those attacks, the Japanese government has not provided aid to victims and the events of that day have largely been ignored or forgotten. Elderly survivors are making a last-ditch effort to tell their stories and push for financial assistance and recognition. Some are speaking out for the first time, trying to tell a younger generation about their lessons.Shizuyo Takeuchi, 94, says her mission is to keep telling the history she witnessed at 14, speaking out on behalf of those who died. Red skies, charred bodiesOn the night of March 10, 1945, hundreds of B-29s raided Tokyo, dumping cluster bombs with napalm specially designed with sticky oil to destroy traditional Japanese-style wood and paper homes in the crowded shitamachi downtown neighborhoods.Takeuchi and her parents had lost their own home in an earlier firebombing in February and were taking shelter at a relatives riverside home. Her father insisted on crossing the river in the opposite direction from where the crowds were headed, a decision that saved the family. Takeuchi remembers walking through the night beneath a red sky. Orange sunsets and sirens still make her uncomfortable. By the next morning, everything had burned. Two blackened figures caught her eyes. Taking a closer look, she realized one was a woman and what looked like a lump of coal at her side was her baby. I was terribly shocked. ... I felt sorry for them, she said. But after seeing so many others I was emotionless in the end. Many of those who didnt burn to death quickly jumped into the Sumida River and were crushed or drowned. More than 105,000 people were estimated to have died that night. A million others became homeless. The death toll exceeds those killed in the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing of Nagasaki.But the Tokyo firebombing has been largely eclipsed by the two atomic bombings. And firebombings on dozens of other Japanese cities have received even less attention. The bombing came after the collapse of Japanese air and naval defenses following the U.S. capture of a string of former Japanese strongholds in the Pacific that allowed B-29 Superfortress bombers to easily hit Japans main islands. There was growing frustration in the United States at the length of the war and past Japanese military atrocities, such as the Bataan Death March. Recording survivors voicesAi Saotome has a house full of notes, photos and other material her father left behind when he died at age 90 in 2022. Her father, Katsumoto Saotome, was an award-winning writer and a Tokyo firebombing survivor. He gathered accounts of his peers to raise awareness of the civilian deaths and the importance of peace. Saotome says the sense of urgency that her father and other survivors felt is not shared among younger generations. Though her father published books on the Tokyo firebombing and its victims, going through his raw material gave her new perspectives and an awareness of Japans aggression during the war. She is digitalizing the material at the Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, a museum her father opened in 2002 after collecting records and artifacts about the attack.Our generation doesnt know much about (the survivors) experience, but at least we can hear their stories and record their voices, she said. Thats the responsibility of our generation. In about 10 years, when we have a world where nobody remembers anything (about this), I hope these documents and records can help, Saotome says. Demands for financial helpPostwar governments have provided 60 trillion yen ($405 billion) in welfare support for military veterans and bereaved families, and medical support for survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Civilian victims of the U.S. firebombings received nothing. A group of survivors who want government recognition of their suffering and financial help met earlier this month, renewing their demands.No government agency handles civilian survivors or keeps their records. Japanese courts rejected their compensation demands of 11 million yen ($74,300) each, saying citizens were supposed to endure suffering in emergencies like war. A group of lawmakers in 2020 compiled a draft proposal of a half million-yen ($3,380 ) one-time payment, but the plan has stalled due to opposition from some ruling party members.This year will be our last chance, Yumi Yoshida, who lost her parents and sister in the bombing, said at a meeting, referring to the 80th anniversary of Japans WWII defeat. Burnt skin and screamsOn March 10, 1945, Reiko Muto, a former nurse, was on her bed still wearing her uniform and shoes. Muto leapt up when she heard air raid sirens and rushed to the pediatric department where she was a student nurse. With elevators stopped because of the raid, she went up and down a dimly lit stairwell carrying infants to a basement gym for shelter. Soon, truckloads of people started to arrive. They were taken to the basement and lined up like tuna fish at a market. Many had serious burns and were crying and begging for water. The screaming and the smell of burned skin stayed with her for a long time.Comforting them was the best she could do because of a shortage of medical supplies. When the war ended five months later, on Aug. 15, she immediately thought: No more firebombing meant that she could leave the lights on. She finished her studies and worked as a nurse to help children and teenagers.What we went through should never be repeated, she says.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, speaks to an overflow crowd outside Lincoln High School as he talks about "Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here", Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Warren, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)2025-03-10T04:03:34Z WARREN, Mich. (AP) Bernie Sanders is standing alone on the back of a pickup truck shouting into a bullhorn.Hes facing several hundred ecstatic voters huddled outside a suburban Detroit high school the group that did not fit inside the high schools gym or two overflow rooms. The crowd screams in delight when he tells them that a combined total of 9,000 people had shown up for the rally.What all of this tells me, is not just in Michigan or in Vermont, the people of this country will not allow us to move toward oligarchy. They will not allow Trump to take us into authoritarianism, Sanders yelled. Were prepared to fight. And were going to win.At 83 years old, Sanders is not running for president again. But the stooped and silver-haired democratic socialist has emerged as a leader of the resistance to Donald Trumps second presidency. In tearing into Trumps seizure of power and warning about the consequences of firing tens of thousands of government workers, Sanders is bucking the wishes of those who want Democrats to focus on the price of eggs or roll over and play dead. For now, at least, Sanders stands alone as the only elected progressive willing to mount a national campaign to harness the fear and anger of the sprawling anti-Trump movement. He drew a crowd of 4,000 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Friday night. He faced another 2,600 or so the next morning a few hours away in Altoona, Wisconsin, a town of less than 10,000 residents. And his crowd of 9,000 in suburban Detroit exceeded his own teams expectations. By design, each stop was in a swing U.S. House district represented by a Republican. Sanders, who was just elected to his fourth Senate term from Vermont, conceded that this is not the role he expected to play at this stage of his career.In fact, his team intentionally waited in the early weeks of the Trump presidency to launch what they are now calling his stop oligarchy tour to see if a high-profile Democrat would fill the leadership void. Instead, Sanders who is not a Democrat himself despite allying with Senate Democrats and running twice for the partys presidential nomination has people wondering if hes considering another White House bid.This is like presidential campaign rallies, isnt it? But Im not running for president, and this is not a campaign, Sanders told The Associated Press. You gotta do what you gotta do. The countrys in trouble and I want to play my role. The divided Democratic resistanceSince losing the White House, Democrats across Washington have struggled to coalesce behind a consistent message or messenger to stop Trumps aggressive moves to slash the government workforce, weaken federal oversight and empower tech titan Elon Musk to execute his vision. There has been no centralized movement to organize the anti-Trump resistance.You look around who else is doing it? No one, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said of Sanders efforts. My hope is that the dam will break in terms of Democrats going on the offense ... We need to take the argument directly to the people. Ocasio-Cortez, a longtime Sanders ally, said she would join him on the road in the coming weeks. Shes also planning solo appearances in Republican-held congressional districts in Pennsylvania and New York and perhaps others in places where Republicans have declined to hold in-person town halls where they might face protests. Its not about whether Bernie should or shouldnt be doing this. Its about that we all should, she said. But he is unique in this country, and so long as we are blessed to have that capacity on our side, I think we should be thankful for it.Beyond Sanders tour, angry voters have so far relied on grassroots groups like Indivisible to organize a series of local protests. They have been effective in pressuring Trumps allies in some cases. A number of House Republicans facing angry questions have criticized Musk or questioned the cuts being carried out at his allies behest.Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who has been critical of many Democratic leaders, praised Sanders for stepping up. I wish more Democrats were traveling the country, including to red states, to rally the the majority against Musk and Project 2025, Levin said. Sure as hell beats (House Democratic leader Hakeem) Jeffries traveling the country for his childrens book tour during a constitutional crisis.During last months congressional recess, Jeffries made two appearances to promote a childrens book about democracy. He has also traveled to support House Democrats. This past weekend, he was in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.The truth is that few, if any, Democratic leaders have the capacity to draw such crowds on short notice or organize the related logistics on a national scale. The partys nascent class of 2028 presidential prospects, a group that includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, have limited national profiles and they have been reluctant to step too far into the national spotlight so far. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, among the more outspoken Trump critics in Congress, said that Democrats must be better organized. People are desperate to be plugged into action right now. People see the threat. They are anxious and angry and motivated and they want to be sent in a direction to help, he said. Murphy acknowledged that Sanders still has plenty of detractors within the Democratic Party who view him and his progressive policy ideas replacing private and job-based health insurance with a government-funded Medicare for All plan, free public college, and the Green New Deal on climate policy as too radical.Indeed, it was just five years ago when Democrats coalesced around Joe Biden to effectively block Sanders from winning the partys 2020 presidential nomination. There still are a lot of folks who view Bernie as a danger to the party, Murphy said, whereas I see his message as the core of what we need to build on.Sanders was a staunch supporter of Biden over the last four years but criticized the Democratic Party in the aftermath of Kamala Harris loss last fall, declaring that Trumps victory was possible only because Democrats had abandoned the working class.United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who introduced Sanders in Michigan, said more Democrats need to follow his lead to focus on working-class people and working-class issues.Theyve got to take a hard look in the mirror, in my opinion, and decide who the hell they want to represent, Fain said of Democrats. Weve been clear as a union, if they arent looking out for working-class people, were not going to be there for them.The voters speakThe voters who packed venues across Wisconsin and Michigan over the weekend composed a diverse group, including some who did not support Sanders past presidential campaigns. Most said that Democratic leaders have not done enough to stop Trump. Im here because Im afraid for our country. The last six weeks have been horrible, said Diana Schack, a 72-year-old retired lawyer who attended her first Sanders rally on Saturday. I am becoming a more avid Bernie fan, especially in light of the work hes doing traveling around the country. These are not normal times.In Kenosha the night before, Amber Schulz, a 50-year-old medical worker, demanded that her party step up and do something. Bernie is the only politician I trust, she said.Tony Gonzales, 56, an independent from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, said hes worried that Trump will dismantle historic American standards and try to stay in office beyond this term. The Constitution bars presidents from serving more than two terms, even as Trump has suggested he deserves a third.Its a dangerous time right now, Gonzales said. What Bernie has to say and the turnout is important. His voice is still being heard.Sanders delivered the same fiery populist message over the weekend that he has for decades, seizing on the nations economic inequality to call for free health care, free public higher education and stronger social safety net programs. Sanders was especially focused on the team of billionaires Trump has appointed to serve as leaders in his administration, including Musk and a half dozen others. They want to dismantle the federal government and cut programs that working people desperately need, Sanders warned. Yes, the oligarchs are enormously powerful. They have endless amounts of money. They control our economy. They own much of the media, and they have enormous influence over our political system, he continued. But from the bottom of my heart, I believe that if we stand together, we can beat them.Its unclear how long that Sanders, an octogenarian who was hospitalized for a heart condition during his 2020 campaign, will continue in this role. A spokesperson said Sanders hasnt had any health issues since the 2019 episode. He is not expected to slow down anytime soon. Sanders is leaning on his 2020 presidential campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, to organize his stops, backed by a handful of former presidential campaign staffers working on a contract basis. Shakir, who lost his bid to become the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, acknowledged strategic differences within the party about how best to combat Trump.Last month, veteran political strategist James Carville penned an opinion piece calling for Democrats to roll over and play dead, betting that Trump and his party would ultimately suffer a political backlash from voters for going too far. One theory is you can play dead; you can strategically retreat, Shakir said. Or, you play alive, and you go out to people and you talk to them with conviction and integrity.