Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08701-zAs the early Earth solidified, gravitational segregation of dense, iron-rich melts drove mantle evolution, injecting geochemical signatures of shallow silicate fractionation into the deep mantle and inevitably forming a basal magma ocean.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08698-5This study highlights a protocol that converts various perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including fluoroplastics, into valuable fluorochemicals through a solvent-free mechanochemical process, thereby enabling fluorine recovery and contributing to a sustainable circular fluorine economy.

This combination of photos shows ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., left, and chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaking during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo)2025-03-27T15:49:13Z WASHINGTON (AP) The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee requested an investigation Thursday into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes, ensuring at least some bipartisan scrutiny on an episode President Donald Trump has dismissed as frivolous.Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the committee, and Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat, signed onto a letter to the acting inspector general at the Department of Defense for an inquiry into the potential use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information, as well as the sharing of such information with those who do not have proper clearance and need to know.The senators assertion that classified information was potentially shared was notable, especially after Trumps Republican administration has contended there was no classified information on the Signal chain that had included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine. In Congress, most Republicans seemed content to allow the controversy to blow over, while Democrats have slammed it as a reckless violation of secrecy that could have put service members at risk. Asked by a reporter on Wednesday about the call by Wicker, of Mississippi, and Reed, of Rhode Island, for an inspector general probe at the Pentagon, Trump replied, It doesnt bother me. Wicker, one of the most ardent defense hawks in Congress, has also said the committee will request a classified hearing with a top administration official, as well as for the administration to verify the contents of the Signal chat, which were published by The Atlantic. The contents show that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for the attack on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month. The White House National Security Council has also said it would investigate the matter. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that she had no update on the status of that investigation. Weve been incredibly transparent about this entire situation, and we will continue to be, Leavitt said.Leavitt is one of three Trump administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First and Fifth Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A piece of wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-03-27T15:47:04Z If investigators were able to quickly find alarming data about the number of close calls in the years before the midair collision over the nations capital that killed 67 people in January, then aviation safety regulators should have seen the problem, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board told Congress on Thursday.NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said there clearly was an issue with identifying trends in the data the Federal Aviation Administration collects. Congress delved deeper into the deadly crash during a Senate committee hearing that was underway Thursday morning.Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said he found it deeply disturbing to learn the Secret Service and U.S. Navy triggered a rash of collision alarms in planes around Ronald Reagan National Airport on March 1 because they were testing anti-drone technology that used a similar frequency to the one used by planes warning systems. Cruz said that happened despite a warning from the Federal Aviation Administration against doing it. The FAAs acting administrator told the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that he knows the agency must make improvements to ensure flying remains the safest form of transportation. The professionals at the FAA take their jobs seriously and strive to ensure safety every day. But the fact of the matter is that we have to do better, Chris Rocheleau said. We have to identify trends, we have to get smarter about how we use data, and when we put corrective actions in place, we must execute them. Investigators have highlighted 85 close calls around Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C. in the three years before the crash that should have signaled a growing safety problem.The FAA already has pledged to use artificial intelligence to dig into the millions of reports it collects to see if there are similar safety risks in other cities with heavy helicopter traffic that rival the concerns the National Transportation Safety Board has identified around Washington. Rocheleau said he expects that review to be completed in the next few weeks. Helicopter traffic around Reagan National has been restricted since January any time planes are using the same runway the American Airlines plane that crashed was approaching when it collided with the helicopter. At the NTSBs urging, the FAA permanently banned that particular helicopter route under most circumstances. If a helicopter does use the route, planes are prohibited from taking off or landing on that runway.The U.S. Armys head of aviation Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman acknowledged that helicopters are still flying over the nations capital with a key system broadcasting their locations turned off during missions. The ADS-B out data is designed to let air traffic controllers track a helicopters location.Cruz said this is shocking and unacceptable.The Army says the helicopters highest-priority mission is evacuating top government officials in the event of an attack. Braman said the military has changed its policies governing when aircraft must transmit their location, but many helicopters still fly without the system on. There were exceptions in the airspace above Washington that allowed Army and other government aircraft to fly without transmitting, or fly in a mode that allowed less information to be transmitted to avoid broadcasting potentially sensitive missions to the public.Rocheleau said FAA plans to now require all aircraft flying immediately around Reagan National to broadcast their locations.Braman also said the policies governing those different transmission modes and the level of seniority needed in the Army to waive the transmissions has since been elevated.The collision over the Potomac River was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.___Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this report from Washington D.C. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto

In a video that fills me with wonder at being alive in 2025, someone in an inflatable Pikachu costume was seen loping down the street in Turkey alongside anti-Erdoan protesters fleeing from the cops.Pikachu was spotted amongst anti-Erdoan protesters fleeing from police in Antalya, Turkey last night. Adam Schwarz (@adamjschwarz.bsky.social) 2025-03-27T14:36:22.725ZThe protestsreportedly the largest mass movements in the region in decadesstarted last week, after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested for alleged corruption. Ekrem is the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, who has attacked LGBTQ+ and womens rights and democracy, and critics say is leading the country into authoritarianism and autocracy.Early Thursday morning, as students tried to issue a statement outside of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, security forces launched pepper spray, water cannons and plastic pellets at the demonstrators and arrested nearly 1,900.People are protesting in several major cities in Turkey, and Pikachu was at one in Antalya, according to local news outlets and social media. In the video, the person in the mascot suit hauls yellow nylon ass as fast as a pair of short, inflated legs can carry themwhich is surprisingly fast, actually, considering how theyre keeping up with the people running all around them. The original video was captured by Ismail Koerolu, a photojournalist at Akdeniz University in Antalya.On Instagram, Koerolu posted another photo of Pikachu posing with protestors and security.Screenshot via InstagramAnd because nothing good is safe from AInot even Protest Pikachu, arguably one of the purest pieces of iconography to come out of the resistance to the worldwide creep of authoritarianism yetan AI-generated image of Pikachu rushing through the streets alongside protestors went viral shortly after Koerolus video. Several local outlets have debunked the image, which is made to look like a high-resolution photojournalism shot from the ground, as being generated with AI.The AI image of Pikachu has gone nearly as viral as the real video of the person in a Pikachu costume running away from the cops, and shows how people looking to take advantage of any widely covered news event are creating AI imagery in near real time with the event itself. 404 Media saw various people sharing the AI image of Pikachu as though it were real, and on first glance it was difficult for us to tell that it was fake, especially because the real video of Pikachu running away is blurry. But, as several news outlets in Turkey have already pointed out, things like mixed-up lettering on the police jackets, distorted details, and inconsistencies in the street lamps give it away as fake.Pikachu amidst the ongoing protests in Turkey. This is real by the way. pic.twitter.com/gDdrWJGNlt Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) March 27, 2025Screenshot via InstagramPikachu has always been for the people, showing up at rallies and protests around the world.Today is Chile's Constitutional Convention election, voters across the country will select delegates to write a new constitution.No idea about her chances but godspeed to candidate Giovanna Grandon, AKA Ta Pikachu, famous for dancing at protests in a giant Pikachu costume pic.twitter.com/CjIjda46O7 Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) May 16, 2021Erdoan recently called the demonstrations "street terrorism, which technically makes Pikachu a terrorist in the eyes of the president of Turkey. In the midst of widespread turmoil, President Donald Trump praised Erdoan, calling him a good leader.Protest Pikachu isnt the first to show up to an anti-Erdoan protest in an inflatable suit: A young woman came to a protest earlier this week in a dinosaur costume.

On Tuesday, OpenAI updated ChatGPT with new AI image generation capabilities that make it especially good at recreating specific visual styles. People trying the new feature immediately flooded social media with images in the style of Studio Ghibli and Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, who famously called artificial intelligence an insult to life itself.Miyazakis quote comes from a 2016 documentary in which hes shown a demo of a 3D model whose movements are animated with AI as opposed to manually, by a human, as is usually the case in 3D animated videos or video games.Thinking of him, I cant watch this stuff and find [it] interesting, Miyazaki says after seeing the demo, saying it reminds him of a friend with a disability. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.

Nature, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00868-9Thousands of 3D protein structures locked up in big-pharma vaults will be used to create a new AI tool that wont be open to academics.

Nature, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00780-2Much of the Trump administrations agenda for research is laid out in the 900-plus-page blueprint. Nature read it so you dont have to.

The Associated Press logo is shown at the entrance to the news organization's office in New York on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Jackson, File2025-03-27T16:42:17Z WASHINGTON (AP) A lawyer for The Associated Press asked a federal judge Thursday to reinstate the agencys access to the White House press pool and other official events, saying the Trump administrations ban is a fundamental attack on freedom of speech and should be overturned.AP has now spent 44 days in the penalty box, said Charles Tobin, speaking on behalf of the news agency.The AP and the new administration are at odds over the White Houses removal of AP reporters and photographers from the small group of journalists who follow the president in the pool and other events. Last month, AP sued White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and two other administration officials, demanding reinstatement.The White House retaliated against the news outlet last month for not following President Trumps executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The notion of banning a news agency for what it says and for not using the words that a government demands is extraordinarily unusual in a country whose Constitution guarantees free speech without official interference. By punishing AP for what it publishes, the administration has raised questions about what the White House feels it could punish from news outlets whose words or images it doesnt like. A lawyer for the government, Brian Hudak, told U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden that AP hadnt shown irreparable harm. There is no showing of exclusion, he said, adding that AP can still access events in the East Room and document who arrives at the White House and leaves it. In actuality, AP has been able to access East Room events only occasionally, at the discretion of the White House.Evan Vucci, an AP photographer, testified that the agency was basically dead in the water on major news stories. Vucci took a renowned and widely distributed photo of Trump immediately after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last summer. Tobin held up a book published by Trump that depicted the same photo on its cover. Viewpoint discrimination is at the center of the caseIn last months hearing, McFadden refused the APs request for an injunction to stop the White House from barring reporters and photographers from events in the Oval Office and Air Force One. He urged the Trump administration to reconsider its ban before Thursdays hearing. It hasnt.It seems pretty clearly viewpoint discrimination, McFadden told the governments attorney at the time.The AP has sued Trumps team for punishing a news organization for using speech that it doesnt like. The news outlet said it would still refer to the Gulf of Mexico in its style guidance to clients around the world, while also noting that Trump has ordered it renamed the Gulf of America.For anyone who thinks the Associated Presss lawsuit against President Trumps White House is about the name of a body of water, think bigger, Julie Pace, the APs executive editor, wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Its really about whether the government can control what you say.The White House said it has the right to decide who gets to question the president, and has taken steps to take over a duty that has been handled by journalists for decades.The president has dismissed the AP as a group of radical left lunatics and said that were going to keep them out until such time as they agree that its the Gulf of America. AP is still covering the presidentThe AP has still covered the president, and has been permitted in Leavitts press briefings, but the ban has cost the organization time in reporting and impeded its efforts to get still images. Even if McFadden rules in favor of the news organization, its unclear how the White House will respond to the judges order.The White House Correspondents Association has asked its members to show solidarity with the AP. Its president Eugene Daniels, was in the courtroom gallery on Thursday.The case is one of several aggressive moves the second Trump administration has taken against the press since his return to office, including FCC investigations against ABC, CBS and NBC News, dismantling the government-run Voice of America and threatening funding for public broadcasters PBS and NPR. A Trump executive order to change the name of the United States largest mountain back to Mount McKinley from Denali is being recognized by the AP. Trump has the authority to do so because the mountain is completely within the country he oversees, AP has said.Writing in the Journal, Pace said the AP didnt ask for the fight and made efforts to resolve the issue before going to court, but needed to stand on principle.If we dont step up to defend Americans right to speak freely, she wrote, who will?___David Bauder covers media for The Associated Press. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives as he goes on trial over alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)2025-03-27T16:50:50Z PARIS (AP) French prosecutors on Thursday requested a seven-year prison sentence and a 300,000-euro (around $325,000) fine for former President Nicolas Sarkozy, in connection with allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally financed by former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafis government.The National Financial Prosecutors Office, known by its French acronym PNF, also called for a five-year ban on Sarkozys civic, civil and family rights a measure that would bar him from holding elected office or serving in any public judicial role.The case, which opened in January and is expected to conclude on April 10, is considered the most serious of the multiple legal scandals that have clouded Sarkozys post-presidency.The 70-year-old Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement of public funds and criminal association. He has denied any wrongdoing. The accusations trace back to 2011, when a Libyan news agency and Gadhafi himself said that the Libyan state had secretly funneled millions of euros into Sarkozys 2007 campaign. In 2012, the French investigative outlet Mediapart published what it said was a Libyan intelligence memo referencing a 50 million-euro funding agreement. Sarkozy denounced the document as a forgery and sued for defamation. French magistrates later said that the memo appeared to be authentic, though no conclusive evidence of a completed transaction has been presented. Investigators also looked into a series of trips by Sarkozys associates to Libya between 2005 and 2007. In 2016, Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine told Mediapart that he had delivered suitcases filled with cash from Tripoli to the French Interior Ministry under Sarkozy. He later retracted his statement. That reversal is now the focus of a separate investigation into possible witness tampering. Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, have both been placed under preliminary investigation in that case.Sarkozys former ministers Claude Guant, Brice Hortefeux, and ric Woerth are also on trial, along with eight other defendants. But prosecutors have made clear the central figure is the former president himself accused of knowingly benefiting from a corruption pact with a foreign dictatorship while campaigning to lead the French republic.While Sarkozy has already been convicted in two other criminal cases, the Libya affair is widely seen as the most politically explosive and the one most likely to shape his legacy.In December 2024, Frances highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, sentencing him to one year of house arrest with an electronic bracelet. That case stemmed from tapped phone calls uncovered during the Libya investigation. In a separate ruling in February 2024, a Paris appeals court found him guilty of illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 reelection bid.Sarkozy has dismissed the Libya allegations as politically motivated and rooted in forged evidence. But if convicted, he would become the first former French president found guilty of accepting illegal foreign funds to win office.A verdict is expected later this year.

Nature, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00938-yMore than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.

Nature, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00930-6Many firms are misusing the open source label. The scientific community, which relies on transparency and replicability, must resist this trend.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., testifies during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on her pending confirmation to be the United Nations Ambassador, on Capitol Hill, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)2025-03-27T18:23:53Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he was pulling Rep. Elise Stefaniks nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a stunning turnaround for his Cabinet pick after her confirmation had been stalled over concerns about Republicans tight margins in the House. Trump confirmed he was withdrawing the New York Republicans nomination in a Truth Social post, saying that it was essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress.We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning. I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress, the president said, without mentioning who he would nominate as a replacement for his last remaining Cabinet seat.Stefaniks office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump had tapped Stefanik to represent the U.S. at the international body shortly after winning reelection in November. She was seen as among the least controversial Cabinet picks, and her nomination advanced out of committee in late January, but House Republicans razor-thin majority kept her ultimate confirmation in a state of purgatory for the last several months. In recent weeks, it had seemed as if Stefaniks nomination would advance to the Senate floor, given two U.S. House special elections in Florida in districts that Trump easily won in 2024. Filling those vacant GOP seats would have allowed Stefanik to finally resign from the House and given Republicans, who currently hold 218 seats, a little more breathing room on passing legislation in a growingly divided Congress. Democrats hold 213 seats. But Democrats upset in a Tuesday special election for a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in Republican-leaning suburbs and farming communities surely gave the GOP pause. Stefanik is the fourth Trump administration nominee who didnt make it through the confirmation process. Previously, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for attorney general, Chad Chronister was pulled for the Drug Enforcement Administration and former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon was yanked from contention to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The former congresswoman had been in a state of limbo for months, not able to engage in her official duties as a member of the 119th Congress or to participate in the action at the U.N. The vacancy of a permanent U.S. ambassador was happening at a critical moment for the international body as the world leaders had been discussing the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas.In late February, the U.S. mission, under Trump, split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions seeking an end to the three-year war. Dorothy Shea, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N., has been the face of Americas mission in New York during the transition.___Amiri reported from the United Nations. FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers foreign policy and the United Nations as a correspondent for The Associated Press, based in New York. twitter mailto

Jen Ho Lee, a 76-year-old South Korean immigrant, poses in her apartment with a sign from a recent rally against anti-Asian hate crimes she attended Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)2025-03-27T14:00:45Z Up until 2020, Anna Wong had gone her entire adulthood in Los Angeles without ever facing blatantly racist abuse for being Asian. After COVID-19 hit, she was accosted twice in six months.The first time, she was browsing an aisle in Bed Bath & Beyond when a white, 30-something woman suddenly yelled: Six feet away from me, you Chinese witch! A shaken Wong left the store, the woman still yelling after her. The second time, Wong was walking her dog when a passenger in a car a young Hispanic man screamed at her Thanks for ruining the world, followed by an ethnic slur.The first, second year of the pandemic, I do distinctly remember thinking ... I was very nervous to go out, said Wong, who did not report the incidents to police. Am I going to draw attention to the fact that Im Asian?It seemed unfathomable she was facing such anti-Asian vitriol nearly a century after her aunt, pioneering movie star Anna May Wong, dealt with constant racial discrimination. It was five years ago this month that pandemic-fueled abuse of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders became so frequent reports spiked 35% from March 2020 to the end of 2021 that a reporting center was formed. Stop AAPI Hate legitimized fears of a concurrent pandemic of xenophobia. The groups data prompted national legislative action, including the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, and galvanized advocacy among young people within the Asian American community. New concerns five years onFive years later, Stop AAPI Hate is receiving fewer incident reports yearly but theyre still happening by the hundreds and are likely an undercount. Now, those still fighting anti-Asian hate are worried it will only intensify in a political climate of immigration crackdowns, English-only mandates and bans on DEI initiatives.During President Donald Trumps first term, many partially blamed him for framing COVID-19 with racist language. Trump said his remarks were not racist at all. Now, there is concern not just about hate but erasure of Asian American and Pacific Islander history and culture. For example, this month the Pentagon mistakenly took down web pages honoring Japanese American servicemen. Whats the opposite of diversity? Its segregation or re-segregation, Manjusha Kulkarni, Stop AAPI Hate co-founder, said, referring to Trumps policies so far. They want to put us people of color, women, LGBTQ sort of back in our place, which means not with access to jobs or housing or ability to celebrate our holidays. The genesis of Stop AAPIKulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, Cynthia Choi of Chinese for Affirmative Action, and San Francisco State University professor Russell Jeung came together in 2020 after a Los Angeles teen of Asian descent was assaulted at school. They solicited accounts of hate acts from victims, even those not legally hate crimes. They received a barrage.The first thing we need to know and understand is how big of a problem is this, Kulkarni said, adding that she will be eternally grateful that people responded. That helped us to know what was going on.Besides federal hate crimes legislation, Stop AAPI Hates data led to the passing of three California bills. These included expanding civil rights protection in public spaces and studying hate-driven harassment on public transit. Theyve also attempted social media campaigns like Spread AAPI Love, the opposite of their moniker.Even though the pandemic has abated, their data shows racism prevails. From March 2020 to the end of 2023, Stop AAPI Hate collected over 12,000 reports though they believe its likely an undercount. Over 700 occurred in 2023. Figures for 2024 will be released in May.Also in 2023, an AAPI Data and Associated Press-NORC poll found a third of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders say they have experienced an act of abuse based on their race or ethnicity in the last year.An FBI analysis from that year found out of 7,049 reported hate crime offenses motivated by race, ethnicity or ancestry, 6.6% involved anti-Asian bias. Kash Patel, the first person of color and Asian American to be agency director, talked about being subjected to racism during his confirmation hearing. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders activatedThere was a groundswell of Asian American activism after 2020, according to Stop AAPI Hate. Their 2023 report found nearly 3 in 4 Asian American and Pacific Islander adults participated in activities to reduce or resist racism.William Diep, who was 16 in 2020, was disturbed by attacks he heard about in New York City. So he started a campaign, Virus: Racism. He virtually gathered testimonies from young people about anti-Asian encounters. The project deeply affected him.I learned to stick up for people, said Diep, now a senior at Columbia University.He wonders how advocates can navigate the current political climate and if government resources such as translations or race-based census research will be eliminated. Im scared that theres no one to protect Asian Americans, Diep said. I think Asian Americans protect each other, but I question the infrastructure that exists to protect our rights and our heritage.Stop AAPI Hate does rely on some federal funding. Ideally, neither the government nor any other outside force will be able to dictate or hamper the organizations work.We hope not. I mean, were fighting as hard as we can, Kulkarni said.Now, the coalitions focus has expanded to include educating people about issues like birthright citizenship, cultural school curriculum and immigrants rights. Some Asian legal U.S. residents say they are being targeted for deportation.I hope and strongly believe that our communities are stronger, that were more equipped to handle the challenges of today, which are even more significant than they were in 2020, Kulkarni said. We were built for this and our values remain the same. TERRY TANG Tang reports on race and ethnicity issues, including Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, for The Associated Press. She is based in Phoenix and previously covered breaking news in the Southwest. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00983-7US science partnerships are on thin ice as geopolitical tensions soar.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08731-7Merging ideas from reinforcement learning theory with recent insights into the filtering properties of the dorsal raphe nucleus, a unifying perspective is found explaining why serotonin neurons are activated by both rewards and punishments.

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks about a 24 year-old MS-13 gang leader who was arrested in an operation by the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force in Dale City, VA., on March 27, 2025, during a news conference at the Manassas FBI Field Office, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Manassas, VA. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey)2025-03-27T14:08:26Z MANASSAS, Va. (AP) The alleged leader of the violent MS-13 street gang on the East Coast has been arrested in Virginia, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday. Bondi lauded the the early morning arrest of the 24-year-old man from El Salvador, who was described as one of MS-13s top three leaders in the United States, as a major victory in the Trump administrations effort to crack down on a gang known for brutal violence and extortion.Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos was taken into custody in northern Virginia on an outstanding administrative immigration warrant, according to court papers, and was charged with illegal gun possession after agents found several firearms during the search of his home. Bondi said he was living in the U.S. illegally.There was no attorney listed for him in the court docket. Telephone numbers for relatives could not immediately be found in public records. The administration promoted the arrest as part of its effort to fulfill campaign promises to quash illegal immigration and eliminate gangs. MS-13 gang, or Mara Salvatrucha, was one of eight Latin American criminal organizations declared foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration last month. AP AUDIO: Alleged leader of MS-13 street gang on the East Coast is arrested in Virginia AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports on the capture of an alleged MS-13 gang leader outside Washington. We want to make our streets safer, Bondi told reporters. We want to make our schools safer. We want to make your neighborhoods safer. This guy was living in a neighborhood right around you, no longer. At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, citing the arrest, called it a good day for our country. In the past decade, the U.S. Justice Department has intensified its focus on MS-13, which originated as a neighborhood street gang in Los Angeles, but grew into a transnational gang based in El Salvador. It has members in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico and thousands of members across the U.S. with numerous branches, or cliques. The 2016 killings of two high school girls, who were hacked and beaten to death as they walked through their neighborhood on New Yorks Long Island, focused national attention on the gang. Nisa Mickens, 15, and Kayla Cuevas, 16, friends and classmates at Brentwood High School, were killed with a machete and a baseball bat by a group of young men and teenage boys who had stalked them from a car. More killings followed in the coming months. President Donald Trump has blamed the violence and gang growth on lax immigration policies. In his first term as president, Trump promised an all-out fight against MS-13, saying he would dismantle, decimate and eradicate the gang.Leavitt is one of three Trump administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First and Fifth Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.___Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

A consumer places a flat of eggs in a shopping cart in a Costco warehouse Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Sheridan, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)2025-03-27T12:37:42Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. economy expanded at a healthy annual 2.4% pace the final three months of 2024, supported by a year-end surge in consumer spending, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade of its previous estimate of fourth-quarter growth.But its unclear whether the United States can sustain that growth as President Donald Trump wages trade wars, purges the federal workforce and promises mass deportations of immigrants working in the country illegally.Growth in gross domestic product the nations output of goods and services decelerated from a 3.1% pace in July-September 2024, the Commerce Department said. For all of 2024, the economy the worlds biggest grew 2.8%, down a tick from 2.9% in 2023.Consumer spending rose at a 4% pace, up from 3.7% in third-quarter 2023. But business investment fell, led by an 8.7% drop in investment in equipment. A drop in business inventories shaved 0.84 percentage points off fourth-quarter GDP growth. A category within the GDP data that measures the economys underlying strength rose at a healthy 2.9% annual rate in the fourth quarter, slipping from the governments previous estimate of 3.2% and from 3.4% in the third quarter. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending. Wednesdays report showed continued inflationary pressure at the end of 2024. The Federal Reserves favored inflation gauge the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index rose at an annual rate of 2.4%, up from 1.5% in the third quarter and above the Federal Reserves 2% target. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PC inflation registered 2.6%, compared to 2.2% in the third quarter. Thursdays report was the governments third and final look at fourth-quarter GDP.The outlook is cloudier. Trumps decision to slap taxes on a range of imports including a 25% tax on foreign autos announced Wednesday could push up inflation and disrupt investment, hurting growth. The fourth-quarter showed the U.S. economy before the enormous surge in policy uncertainty, particularly trade, took hold and the Trump administration imposed additional tariffs, wrote Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. The combination of policy uncertainty, tariffs, and tightening financial market conditions are weighing on growth early this year.'U.S. consumer confidence is sliding sharpy over anxiety about both tariffs and inflation, and major retailers are lowering their expectations for the year, saying that customers are already pulling back on spending.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00877-8A newfound ability to produce an antibiotic helped a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to take over a hospital.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08676-xExome sequencing of 851 trios from more than 2,500 individuals finds 187 genes with de novo mutations that contribute to meningomyelocele (spina bifida) and highlights critical pathways required for neural tube closure.

This contributed photo shows Rumeysa Ozturk on an apple-picking trip in 2021. (AP Photo)2025-03-27T13:23:09Z BOSTON (AP) A Turkish student ambushed by federal police as she walked on the streets of a Boston suburb is the latest supporter of Palestinian causes to be swept up in the Trump administrations crackdown on immigrants who have expressed their political views.Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, a doctoral student at Tufts University, had been moved out of Massachusetts by the time her lawyer went to court and a judge ordered her to be kept in the state, U.S. government lawyers said in a court document Thursday. The lawyers said that Ozturk, who was detained Tuesday shortly after she left her home in Somerville, was moved to a U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement detention center in Basile, Louisiana. They said they made her lawyers aware that she was being moved there and they helped facilitate contact with her Wednesday night. A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said federal authorities detained Ozturk and revoked her visa after an investigation found she had engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege, not a right, the spokesperson added. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is common sense security. The DHS did not provide evidence of Ozturks support of Hamas, which is designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. Friends and colleagues of Ozturk said she was not closely involved in pro-Palestinian protests that broke out on campuses last spring. Her only known activism, they said, was co-authoring an op-ed in a student newspaper that called on Tufts University to engage with student demands to cut ties with Israel.To my knowledge, the only thing I know of that Rumeysa organized was a Thanksgiving potluck, said Jennifer Hoyden, a close friend of Ozturks who studied with her at Columbia Universitys Teachers College. Theres a very important distinction between writing a letter supporting the student Senate and taking the kind of action theyre accusing her of, which Ive seen no evidence of. The arrest appears to be part of President Donald Trumps pledge to deport students who, he said, engage in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, a label the administration has applied broadly to those who criticize Israel and protest its military campaign in Gaza.Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in an attack that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 people, according to Gazas Health Ministry, and destroyed much of the enclave.Video obtained by The Associated Press appears to show six people, their faces covered, taking away a shouting Ozturks phone as she is handcuffed. Were the police, members of the group are heard saying in the video.A bystander is heard asking, Why are you hiding your faces?Ozturks lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, filed a petition seeking her release Tuesday and then an emergency motion Wednesday. She said no charges have been filed against Ozturk. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani initially issued an order giving the government until Friday to answer why Ozturk was being detained. Talwani also ordered that Ozturk not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without 48 hours advance notice.The government said in its response Thursday that it will set forth the timeline of Ozturks arrest and transfer from Massachusetts. Ozturk, who is Muslim, was meeting friends for iftar, a meal that breaks a fast at sunset during Ramadan, according to Khanbabai.We are in touch with local, state, and federal elected officials and hope that Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights, Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said in a statement Wednesday night. The university is actively working to support the Tufts community as it mobilizes its collective resources and contacts to ensure our students safety and wellbeing. Ozturk was one of four students last March who wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily criticizing the universitys response to student demands that Tufts acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.After the op-ed was published, Ozturks name, photograph and work history were published on the website Canary Mission, a website that describes itself as documenting people who promote hatred of the U.S.A., Israel and Jews on North American college campuses.A large crowd gathered Wednesday night in Somerville to protest Ozturks detainment. Its important that we all remember what she wrote about and why she was targeted, which is Palestine, Lea Kayali, from the Palestinian Youth Movement, told the crowd.Its important for us to remember that this is not new for immigrant communities, and this is not new for Palestinians, she added. The U.S. government is deliberately trying to target our movement and scare us into silence. But we will not be silenced. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella stands behind his bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)2025-03-27T13:50:08Z The Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Tortorella on Thursday with nine games left in another losing season for a franchise that hasnt been in the playoffs since 2020.The Flyers are last in the Metropolitan Division at 28-36-9 for 65 points under the notoriously brusque Tortorella. The Flyers suffered their sixth straight loss Tuesday, 7-2 to Toronto.Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, said after the game he was not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where were at right now.But I have to do a better job, he said. So this falls on me, getting the team prepared to play the proper way until we get to the end.The Flyers will get to the end without him.The Flyers named Brad Shaw the interim coach, starting with Thursdays game against Montreal.John played a vital role in our rebuild. He set a standard of play and re-established what it means to be a Philadelphia Flyer, general manager Danny Briere said. Johns passion on the bench was only equaled by his charitable work in our community. As we move into the next chapter of this rebuild, I felt this was the best for our team to move forward. Id like to thank John for his tireless work and commitment to the Flyers. The Flyers have lost 11 of their last 12 games and won only six times over the last 25 games a massive blow for a rebuilding team that had mild playoff hopes entering the season. Tortorella, who brandished his reputation as a fiery, no-nonsense coach on a team still mostly full of young 20-somethings finding their way in the NHL, went 97-107-33 for the Flyers and was fired with one year left on his contract. The Flyers havent won the Stanley Cup since the last of their two straight championships in 1975. They last played in the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.Briere championed the job Tortorella did last season as he guided the Flyers to the last game of the season with meaningful hockey to play. The Flyers were widely predicted by experts, fans and oddsmakers to finish near the bottom of the NHL. Briere preached patience over playoffs again this season, even with the ascension of rookie star Matvei Michkov, who has lived up to the hype with 51 points in 71 games. The 66-year-old Tortorella did come under scrutiny this season when he healthy scratched Michkov or benched him for long periods, explaining it was part of a tough-love approach toward the Russians development.His resume was about as good as it gets in the NHL when he was hired in October 2022: a Stanley Cup winner with Tampa Bay in 2004; a conference final in 2012 with the Rangers; the master motivator who lifted the Columbus Blue Jackets from perennial losers before he was hired into four straight seasons in the playoffs.The Flyers have been dragged down by years of poor drafting, inadequate talent evaluation and churned through six coaches in 10 years before Tortorella was hired. Briere, a former Flyers standout, was named general manager in spring 2023 and promised he would revamp the organization from top-to-bottom and boldly proclaimed the team was set for a rebuild a term management had long loathed publicly using.The long road toward the playoffs goes on only without the coach known as Torts on the bench.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl DAN GELSTON Gelston is an an Associated Press sports writer covering major college and pro sports in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and Villanova. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00961-zAntimicrobial molecule discovered in soil from lab technicians garden plus, a huge study assessing the nuances of humans impacts on biodiversity.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08799-1A gene-edited pig liver transplanted into a human recipient remains functional after 10days and indicates that porcine organs could help meet the growing demand for liver transplants.

Nature, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00559-5Learning how to influence the way people see me when I enter a room has been key to boosting my confidence in job interviews.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00900-yVaccines containing peptides called antigens are bad at stimulating key immune cells called killer T cells. A molecule now enables antigens to encounter these T cells.

Police are investigating after several vehicles were set on fire at a Tesla service center, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)/2025-03-27T20:20:40Z LAS VEGAS (AP) A man who set fire to Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas and who painted the word resist for authorities to find at the scene has been arrested, police announced Thursday.Paul Hyon Kim, 36, faces charges in connection with the March 18 attack in both state and federal court. He was taken into the custody of the federal government Thursday.In state court, Kim is facing charges of arson, possession of an explosive device and firing a weapon into a vehicle, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference.Kim is also charged with federal unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm and arson, according to a criminal complaint. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas later Thursday.An attorney for Kim who could comment on his behalf was not listed Thursday in court records.Security video played at the news conference showed the suspect, dressed all in black and covering his face, paint the word resist across the glass doors of a Tesla service center early on March 18. McMahill said the suspect threw Molotov cocktails crude bombs filled with gasoline or another flammable liquid and fired several rounds from a weapon into multiple vehicles. McMahill said Thursday they were actively investigating a motive and whether it is connected to other recent cases of vandalism targeting Tesla property across the country. There has been a clear uptick of violent attacks on property carrying the Tesla logo across the U.S. and overseas since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that has slashed government spending. The attacks are keeping law enforcement busy.Prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman last month in connection with attacks on Tesla dealerships, including Molotov cocktails thrown at vehicles and the words Nazi cars spray-painted on a building. And federal agents in South Carolina have arrested a man they say set fire to Tesla charging stations near Charleston Some of the most prominent incidents have been reported in left-leaning cities in the Pacific Northwest, like Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, where anti-Trump and anti-Musk sentiment runs high.An Oregon man faces charges after allegedly throwing several Molotov cocktails at a Tesla store in Salem, then returning another day and shooting out windows. In the Portland suburb of Tigard, more than a dozen bullets were fired at a Tesla showroom last week, damaging vehicles and windows, the second time in a week that the store was targeted.Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI division, declined Thursday to comment on the similarities of the cases. But he told reporters last week that the Las Vegas case has some of the hallmarks of terrorism.Was this terrorism? Was it something else? It certainly has some of the hallmarks that we might think the writing on the wall, potential political agenda, an act of violence, Evans said. None of those factors are lost on us. RIO YAMAT Yamat covers Nevada and the U.S. Southwest for The Associated Press. She is based in Las Vegas. twitter mailto

Britain's King Charles III greets a guest during a reception at Buckingham Palace, London, for guests from a wide range of media organisations across the country, Wednesday March 26, 2025. (Aaron Chown, Pool via AP)2025-03-27T21:10:20Z LONDON (AP) King Charles III was briefly hospitalized for observation on Thursday after experiencing temporary side effects related to a scheduled cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. His engagements for Thursday afternoon and Friday were canceled.His majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrows diary program will also be rescheduled, the palace said. His majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.The kings health has been closely watched ever since early last year when he announced that he had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Charles, 76, stepped away from public duties for about three months but continued fulfilling state duties, such as reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister. Charles cancer diagnosis has heaped pressure on the British monarchy, which is still evolving after the 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.When he succeeded his mother in September 2022, Charles task was to demonstrate that the 1,000-year-old institution remains relevant in a modern nation whose citizens come from all corners of the globe. But this task takes much time and energy. Although the duties of a constitutional monarch are largely ceremonial, the royal whirl can be exhausting. Besides the occasional procession in full royal regalia, there are meetings with political leaders, dedication ceremonies and events honoring the accomplishments of British citizens. That added up to 161 days of royal engagements during Charless first year on the throne.Charles illness came as his daughter-in-law, Kate, the Princess of Wales, was also diagnosed with cancer. Kate, the wife of Prince William, took more than six months off before returning to public duties in late September.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00899-2Ultraviolet light from a galaxy observed when the Universe was just 330 million years old has intriguing implications for understanding how the first generations of stars and black holes were formed.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00888-5Global sea surface temperatures in 202324 exceeded the previous record by an unprecedented margin. Observation-based statistical models and climate models suggest that such jumps in ocean temperatures are unlikely to occur even with global warming but are almost impossible without it. In climate models, temperatures revert to the long-term warming trend in the years after such jumps.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08921-3Long-term impact and biological recovery in a deep-sea mining track

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08748-yIn mice, prolonged consumption of a high-fat diet decreases interest in calorie-rich foods as a result of reduced neurotensin expression and signalling, which uncouples hedonic feeding behaviour linked to neurons projecting from lateral nucleus accumbens to ventral tegmental area.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08651-6JNJ-9676a small-molecule inhibitor targeting coronavirus M protein that shows excellent efficacy in Syrian golden hamster modelsbinds to and stabilizes the M protein dimer in an altered conformational state between its long and short forms, preventing the release of infectious virus.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08675-yThis Perspective describes how recent advances in artificial intelligence could be used to automate medical image interpretation to complement human expertise and empower physicians and patients.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08716-6Deconstruction of rubber is achieved using CH amination and aza-Cope rearrangement to provide precursors for epoxy resins.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08787-5EGF-induced recruitment of UPF1 adjacent to HNRNPC induces splicing surveillance of cell proliferation mRNAs.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)2025-03-28T01:17:09Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Suspected U.S. airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasnt immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the U.S. moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities. Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemens capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebels stronghold of Saada and in Yemens al-Jawf and Amran governorates. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital also are home to military and intelligence service sites as well as crowded with civilians. Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone. The U.S. militarys Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign. The campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 57 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting Israeli ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.The attacks greatly raised the Houthis profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemens decadelong stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab worlds poorest nation. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sierra Moran, a transgender service member, listens during a press conference in Tacoma, Wash., on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)2025-03-28T00:57:43Z TACOMA, Wash. (AP) A U.S. judge in Washington state has blocked enforcement of President Donald Trumps order banning transgender people from serving in the military the second nationwide injunction against the policy in as many weeks.The order Thursday day from U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma came in a case brought by several long-serving transgender military members who say the ban is insulting and discriminatory, and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., similarly issued an order blocking the policy last week but then put her own ruling temporarily on hold. Following further legal briefing, she declined to dissolve that injunction, which is now set to take effect Friday.In a more limited ruling on Monday, a judge in New Jersey barred the Air Force from removing two transgender men, saying they showed their separation would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations that no monetary settlement could repair. Trump signed an executive order Jan. 27 that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members conflicts with a soldiers commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in ones personal life and is harmful to military readiness. In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service. Those challenging the policy and Trumps executive order in Tacoma include Gender Justice League, which counts transgender troops among its members, and several transgender members of the military. Among them is U.S. Navy Cmdr. Emily Hawking Shilling, a 42-year-old woman who has served for more than 19 years, including 60 missions as a combat aviator in Iraq and Afghanistan.They can do the right number of pullups. They can do the right amount of pushups. They can shoot straight, Sasha Buchert, an attorney with the civil rights law firm Lambda Legal, said after arguments Monday in Tacoma. Yet, theyre being told they have to leave the military simply because of who they are. Justice Department lawyer Jason Lynch argued that the president was entitled to deference in military affairs and suggested the service ban was not as broad as the plaintiffs had suggested. The judge, an appointee of former President George W. Bush and a former captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, peppered Lynch with questions, noting that the government had offered no evidence that allowing transgender troops to serve openly has caused any problems for military readiness.Thousands of transgender people serve in the military, but they represent less than 1% of the total number of active-duty service members.In 2016, a Defense Department policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military. During Trumps first term in the White House, the Republican issued a directive to ban transgender service members, with an exception for some of those who had already started transitioning under more lenient rules that were in effect during the Obama administration. The Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, scrapped it when he took office.The rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth include no such exceptions.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08723-7A new lasso peptide antibiotic exhibits broad-spectrum activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by interfering with bacterial protein synthesis, is unaffected by common resistance mechanisms and shows no toxicity towards human cells.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08742-4A standard commercial CMOS FET can exhibit synaptic-like long-term potentiation and depression or neuron-like leaky-integrate-and-fire and adaptive frequency-bursting behaviour when biased in a specific but unconventional way.

Alabama guard Chris Youngblood (8) and guard Mark Sears (1) react during the second half of a Sweet 16 round NCAA college basketball tournament game against Brigham Young, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)2025-03-28T01:50:06Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness.Get the AP Top 25 mens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Alabama broke the 35-year-old March Madness record for 3-pointers with 25 and Mark Sears scored 30 of his 34 points on 3s, a relentless long-range spree that ushered the second-seeded Crimson Tide past BYU 113-88 on Thursday night in an NCAA Tournament East Region semifinal.Alabama reached the Elite Eight in consecutive years for the first time in program history.The Crimson Tide made 25 of 51 3-point attempts to break the record of 21 set by Loyola Marymount in 1990. Sears, a first-team All-America guard, hit the record-breaking 22nd 3 late in the game to make it 97-66. He received a standing ovation from the Alabama fans when he checked out with 10 3s and more than four minutes left to play.Sears and the Crimson Tide (28-8) showed they are no March fluke under coach Nate Oats. Riding a wave of 3s, Alabama set itself up for a date against either Duke or Arizona for a shot at the Final Four. Richie Saunders scored 25 points to lead BYU (26-10), which hasnt played in a regional final since 1981.Sears 10 3s were one short of the record set by Loyola Marymounts Jeff Fryer in a memorable 149-115 second-round win over Michigan. The Crimson Tide made their first Final Four appearance in school history last season, when they lost to eventual national champion UConn.Alabama loved the 3 this season, averaging 28 attempts a game. Against sixth-seeded BYU (24-9), Sears and the Crimson Tide feasted on the long ball. Sears hit five in the first half, camping out behind the arc without much of a hand in his face. Sears and Chris Youngblood hit back-to-back 3s for a 38-30 lead and repeated the feat minutes later for a 44-34 advantage. BYUs Egor Demin followed with an airball and Alabama could smell crimson in the water.Alabama attempted 15 2-pointers and made 10 of them.Sears raised his teammates out of their seats and into a frenzy when another 3 early in the second half for a 63-47 lead that sent the shaken Cougars into a timeout. The deep, up-tempo Crimson Tide let Sears bury 3 after 3 after 3 with the Elite Eight in sight. TakeawaysAlabama continued the Southeastern Conferences run in the tournament and coasted in its third straight Sweet 16 appearance.The shots and now, free tater tots dried up for BYU. Saunders, a descendant of the man who invented tater tots, had fueled BYUs run to the Sweet 16.BYU was a bust trying match Alabama beyond the arc. The Cougars missed 12 of 13 3s in the first half.The Cougars gamely pulled within striking distance only to get socked down by, yes, another Alabama 3. Demin hit a 3 that pulled BYU within 63-55, only for Aden Holloway to connect again beyond the arc for the Tide.Holloway made six 3s and Youngblood had five.Up nextAlabama will try to reach only the second Final Four in program history.___AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. DAN GELSTON Gelston is an an Associated Press sports writer covering major college and pro sports in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and Villanova. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00848-zHundreds of cubes of human brain tissue help scientists to chart the energy-making capabilities of various brain regions.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08690-zA longstanding challenge in organic synthesisthe catalytic allylation of unprotected saccharides in an aqueous medium, a key step for the synthesis of Millad NX 8000is achieved through a simple and efficient indium-catalysed nucleophilic allylation using a three-carbon-unit allylboronic acid or its pinacol ester.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00959-7Data from 300,000 births reveal how essential biological measurements are altered by carrying and delivering a baby.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08794-6A study describes the split integrated stress response, a cellular stress response mechanism characterized by reduced eIF2B activity without eIF2 phosphorylation, which activates the eIF4EATF4PCK2 axis, enabling metabolic reprogramming.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08773-xHigh-throughput screening and hit optimization have led to the development of a small molecule, CIM-834, that targets the SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein and blocks assembly of the virus.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00865-yMost communication between neurons is mediated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. The finding that temperature influences how glutamate binds to neuronal receptor proteins to initiate signal transduction reveals the mechanics of one of the brains most important processes.

Toronto residents Douglas Bloomfield, from right, his son Phoenix and wife Ame, who are on vacation in Washington, hold a Canadian flag and an ice hockey stick to show their support for Canada regarding trade tariffs in front of the White House in Washington, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-03-28T04:07:13Z WASHINGTON (AP) Americans are less likely to see Canada and the U.S. as close allies than they were two years ago, the latest indication that President Donald Trumps tariff threats and talk of taking over a neighboring ally are souring a critical economic and military relationship. The U.S. shift in viewpoint comes primarily from Democrats, though Republicans are less likely to see Canada as Americas ally now too, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While about 7 in 10 Democrats saw Canada and the U.S. as close allies before Trump returned to office, now that number is down to about half. For Republicans, the number dropped from 55% to 44%. Although most still see the countries relationship as at least friendly, just under half of U.S. adults now consider the U.S. to be close allies with its neighbor to the north. Thats down from about 6 in 10 in a Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll conducted in September 2023. Hes turning everybody against us, bemoaned Lynn Huster, 73, a lifelong Democrat who lives in York, Pennsylvania. Huster says she has been dismayed by Trumps actions and how they have affected relationships with other allies, including the United Kingdom. Canada, she said, had been our friends, you know, they backed us. And some of the other countries, the U.K., they dont want any part of us anymore. And its sad that our countrys going to stand alone if anything happens. The poll comes as Trump has dramatically realigned U.S. foreign policy and Americas relations since his return to office.He has slapped sweeping tariffs on goods made in Canada, Mexico and China, and this week added a 25% tax on imported autos. Next week, he says he will put in place reciprocal taxes mirroring the tariffs charged by other nations a move he is calling Liberation Day. Beyond the economic threats, Trump has repeatedly antagonized and belittled historic partners, notably the one with which the U.S. shares a 5,500-mile (8,900-kilometer) border. He has threatened Canadas sovereignty, saying it should become the countrys 51st state, and repeatedly labeled its prime minister governor. His moves have sparked deep feelings of betrayal across Canada, where the U.S.-Canada relationship had long been seen akin to family. The U.S. national anthem has been booed at Canadian arenas and American liquor has been stripped from Canadian shelves.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose partys fortunes have been revived by taking a hard line against Trump, said Thursday that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner and that Canadians must now look out for ourselves.Shaya Scher, 35, a Republican who lives in New Jersey, argues that Trumps rhetoric toward Canada is largely bluster.I think hes just doing it to make them freak out so they can get a deal, Scher said.He believes a deal will eventually happen and tensions will ease.I think at the end of the day, theyre still allies, he said. Under the hood were still allies, and if anything comes up, well still be allies. Others, however, were more despondent.Hes sabotaging decades of goodwill by having tariffs on foreign steel and foreign cars and foreign flowers, said Scott Cunningham, 69, a Democrat who lives in South Bend, Indiana. Tariffs are really going to hurt relationships trading relationships, personal relationships after being allies for decades. You do something like that, Im going to remember that.About 3 in 10 Americans see Canada as friendly but not a close ally, while about 2 in 10 say the two countries are not friendly but not enemies. Very few see them as outright enemies.Cunningham characterized the current U.S. relationship with Canada as not friendly but not enemies.Were not friends because of tariffs and him wanting to take over the country. Thats not going well, he said. Its very strained right now.When it comes to the rest of the world, the AP-NORC poll found about half of U.S. adults see the United Kingdom as a close U.S. ally, but only about 3 in 10 say the same about France and Germany. About 4 in 10 say the European Union is a close ally. Almost no Americans see either Russia or China as a close ally. About one-third say China is an enemy of the United States, and a similar share think this about Russia. Republicans are less likely to see Russia as a threat. Only about one-third of Republicans see Russia as an enemy of the U.S., compared to about 4 in 10 Democrats.Trent Ramsaran, 37, a freelancer who lives in Brooklyn, New York, said many European leaders of traditional U.S. allies clearly have conflicting views with Trump, particularly on immigration.Im starting to see the pattern there where it seems like all these quote-unquote allies are in favor of having immigrants take over the country, he said. His vision is really not the same as these allies. So hes saying these allies are not on the same page. But Ramsaran said hes not at all worried about the U.S. someday needing allies it has alienated, given how much the country spends on defense and high-tech weapons.If America ended up being attacked, Im totally confident that we do not need the help of our allies to defend this country, he said. Weve got Tom Cruise. He can teach people how to dogfight in Top Gun.___Colvin reported from New York.___The AP-NORC poll of 1,229 adults was conducted Mar. 20-24, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. JILL COLVIN Colvin is an Associated Press national political reporter covering the 2024 presidential campaign. She is based in New York. mailto LINLEY SANDERS Sanders is a polls and surveys reporter for The Associated Press. She develops and writes about polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and works on AP VoteCast. twitter

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner shake hands upon Hegseth's arrival at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Philippines, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)2025-03-28T05:38:34Z MANILA, Philippines (AP) U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration would boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against threats from the communist Chinese and ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea.Hegseth spoke during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines, his first stop in his first trip to Asia to reaffirm Washingtons ironclad commitment to the region under Trump. Ahead of the visit, China called the United States a predator and an unreliable ally.Trumps America First foreign policy thrust has triggered concerns in Asia about the scale and depth of U.S. commitment to the region.Hegseths decision to make the Philippines his first stop in Asia, followed by Japan both U.S. treaty allies facing territorial disputes with China was the strongest assurance yet by the U.S. under Trump to maintain a security presence in the region. Deterrence is necessary around the world but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese, Hegseth told Marcos. Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there is free navigation whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea. Peace through strength is a very real thing, Hegseth said. He praised the Philippines for standing very firm to defend its interests in the contested waters. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a major security and global trade route. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and busy waters, but confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in the last two years.Chinese forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous maneuvers in the high seas to block what Beijing said were encroachments by Philippine ships into Chinas waters. Chinese military aircraft have also approached Philippine patrol planes at alarmingly close distance to drive them away from the Scarborough Shoal, a hotly disputed fishing atoll in the disputed waterway. Under the previous Biden administration, the U.S. has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to help defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea.Hegseth echoed that pledge by expressing the ironclad commitment of Trump and him to the Mutual Defense Treaty and to the partnership.Marcos told the U.S. defense chief that by visiting the Philippines first in Asia he sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific region, within the South China Sea.We have always understood the principle that the greatest force for peace in this part of the world would be the United States, Marcos said.Ahead of Hegseths visit, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said China opposes interference from outside countries in the South China Sea. U.S.-Philippines military cooperation must not harm the security interests of other countries or undermine regional peace and stability, he said Thursday in a monthly news conference.He added without elaborating that the United States has an astonishing record of breaking its promises and abandoning its allies throughout its history.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun separately warned the Philippines in a news conference on Tuesday that nothing good could come out of opening the door to a predator. Those who willingly serve as chess pieces will be deserted in the end.Hegseths visit to the Philippines comes a month before the longtime treaty allies hold the Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder to shoulder, their largest annual combat exercises that include live-fire drills. Tn recent years, the exercises have been held near the South China Sea and the sea border between the Philippines and Taiwan. The defense secretary projected composure and camaraderie, as hes receiving harsh criticism for texting attack plans to a Signal group that included top-level U.S. security officials and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.Clad in a sweatshirt and shorts, he joined American and Filipino forces in physical training, including push-ups, in a gym. He shook hands and posed smiling with military personnel while they flashed the thumbs-up in pictures posted by the U.S. Embassy on X.___Associated Press journalist Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report. JIM GOMEZ Gomez is The AP Chief Correspondent in the Philippines. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site