Vice President JD Vance leaves after speaking at the Congressional Cities Conference of the National League of Cities on Monday, March 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)2025-03-26T10:44:24Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration Greenland and Denmark appeared cautiously relieved early Wednesday by the news that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are changing their itinerary for their visit to Greenland Friday, reducing the likelihood that they will cross paths with residents angered by the Trump administrations attempts to annex the vast Arctic island, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.The couple will now visit the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, instead of Usha Vances previously announced solo trip to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut.President Donald Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that the United States should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally and NATO member. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources. The vice presidents decision to visit a U.S. military base in Greenland has removed the risk of violating potential diplomatic taboos by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. Yet Vance has also criticized long-standing European allies for relying on military support from the United States, openly antagonizing partners in ways that have generated concerns about the reliability of the U.S. Timing of Vances visit stirred concernsDanish Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen told Danish broadcaster DR Wednesday that the Vances updated travel plans are a good thing. The minister said the change was a deescalation, even as he said the Americans are treating it as the opposite, with Vance suggesting in an online video that global security is at stake.Anne Merrild, a professor and Arctic expert at Aalborg University in Denmark, said recent anti-U.S. demonstrations in Nuuk might have scared the Trump administration enough to revise the trip to avoid interactions with angry Greenlanders. Still, Merrild said, even a visit to the space base shows that the U.S. administration still considers annexing Greenland to be on the table.Its a signal to the whole world, its a strong signal to Denmark, its a signal to Greenland, she said. And of course its also an internal signal to the U.S., that this is something that were pursuing. Vance is allowed to visit the base, said Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Danish Defense College, because of a 1951 agreement between Denmark and the U.S. regarding the defense of Greenland.What is controversial here is all about the timing, he said. Greenland and Denmark have stated very clearly that they dont want the U.S. to visit right now, when Greenland doesnt have a government in place, following the election earlier this month. Coalition negotiations are ongoing.Ahead of the vice presidents announcement that he would join his wife, discontent from the governments of Greenland and Denmark had been growing sharper, with the Greenland government posting on Facebook Monday night that it had not extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish national broadcasts Tuesday that the visit was unacceptable pressure. Greenland was ignored for too long, Vance says Usha Vances office said Sunday that she would depart Thursday for Greenland and return Saturday. She and one of the couples three children had planned to visit historic sites and learn about Greenlands culture, but her husbands participation has reoriented the trip around national security, her office said. Vance said leaders in Denmark and North America had ignored Greenland for far too long.During his first term, Trump floated the idea of purchasing the worlds largest island, even as Denmark insisted it wasnt for sale. The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trumps plans.Dwayne Ryan Menezes, founder and managing director of the Polar Research & Policy Initiative, said that the Trump administrations intimidation of Greenland could backfire. Menezes said if Trump was smart enough to understand Greenlands strategic importance, then he should also be smart enough to know there is no greater way to weaken Americas hand and hurt its long-term interests than turning its back on its allies, the principal asymmetrical advantage it enjoys over its adversaries.Trumps return to the White House has included a desire for territorial expansion, as he seeks to add Canada as a 51st state and resume U.S. control of the Panama Canal. He has also indicated that U.S. interests could take over the land in the war-torn Gaza Strip and convert it into a luxury outpost, displacing up to 2 million Palestinians. __Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00898-3The sudden withdrawal of almost half of global funding for nutrition suddenly will have dire consequences for decades.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the press as he arrives at the Brasilia International Airport in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)2025-03-26T13:42:22Z RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) A majority of a panel of justices of Brazils Supreme Court on Wednesday accepted charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged attempt to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat.Three justices voted in favor of putting Bolsonaro on trial. The result will be official after all five judges cast their votes.The three justices said seven other close allies should also stand trial on five counts: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, damage characterized by violence and a serious threat against the states assets, and deterioration of listed heritage.The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says hes being politically persecuted.Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction alone carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet on Tuesday said those facing the charges sought to maintain Bolsonaro in power at all costs, in a multi-step scheme that accelerated after the far-right politician lost to current President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva in the election. Like in his February indictment of Bolsonaro and 33 others, Gonet said part of the plot included a plan to kill Lula and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who were put under surveillance by the alleged conspirators. The plan did not go ahead only because at the last minute the accused failed to get the armys commander on board, Gonet said.Frustration overwhelmed the members of the criminal organization who, however, did not give up on the violent seizure of power, not even after the elected president of the republic was sworn in, Gonet said.That was a reference to the Jan. 8, 2023, riot, when Bolsonaros die-hard supporters stormed and trashed the Supreme Court, presidential palace and Congress in Brasilia a week after Lula took office. The Supreme Court is analyzing whether to accept the charges against eight of the 34 people Gonet accused of participating in the coup plan.Observers say that its likely that the charges will be accepted.As well as Bolsonaro, the court will vote on the accusations faced by his running mate during the 2022 election and former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, ex-Justice Minister Anderson Torres and his aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, among others. The court will decide on the fate of the others later.

Brianna Arps poses for a photo, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)2025-03-26T13:15:06Z NEW YORK (AP) The co-founders of a company that makes lip products for darker skin tones no longer hope to get their line into Target. A brother and sister who make jigsaw puzzles celebrating Black subjects wonder if they need to offer neutral images like landscapes to keep growing.Pound Cake and Puzzles of Color are among the small businesses whose owners are rethinking their plans as major U.S. companies weaken their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The initiatives mostly date from the end President Donald Trumps first term and entered a new era with the dawn of his second one. Some Black-owned brands suspect big retail chains will drop partnerships they pursued after the police killing of a Black man in 2020 reignited mass protests against racial injustice. In todays anti-DEI climate, other entrepreneurs worry about personal repercussions or feel pressure to cancel contracts with retreating retailers. It becomes a question of, are the big box stores going to be there? Do we even make any attempt to talk to these people? Ericka Chambers, one of the siblings behind Puzzles of Color, said. We are really having to evaluate our strategy in how we expand and how we want to get in front of new customers. A fighting chance for Black-owned brandsChambers and her brother, William Jones, started turning the work of artists of color into frameable puzzles the same year a video captured a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on George Floyds neck. Amid the Black Lives Matter protests over Floyds death, a fashion designer challenged large retailers to devote 15% of their shelf space and purchasing power to Black businesses. The Fifteen Percent Pledge helped bring Puzzles of Colors creations to Macys and Nordstroms websites in 2022. Last year, they made it into select Barnes & Noble stores. Chambers said shes confident in the companies commitments but recalled a backlash after news outlets covered the brand, which is based in Texas. It does make us think about how we envision ourselves as far as the safety of not wanting to be attacked, because some people are very vocal about being anti-DEI, Chambers said. Vibrant depictions of Black women account for many of her and Jones puzzles. The pair figured they needed to provide more abstract designs for certain Barnes & Noble locations to give Puzzles of Color a little bit of a fighting chance.Discontent over corporate diversity The first prominent names in U.S. retail to end or retool their diversity programs surfaced last summer amid threats of legal challenges and negative publicity from DEI critics, who argue that setting hiring, promotion and supplier diversity goals for underrepresented groups constitutes reverse discrimination. After Trump won a second term in November, Walmart joined the corporate pullback. Targets suspension of its comparable DEI targets in January stung Black and LGBTQ+ customers harder, largely because they regarded the Minneapolis-based company as more of a natural ally. The company said it would continue working with a diverse range of businesses. Philadelphia-based Pound Cakes co-founders, Camille Belle and Johnny Velazquez, said they dont think they would agree at this point if the retailer offered to stock their lipsticks and lip oils. Target would have been a great boost to our businesss growth, Velazquez said. Well just find it elsewhere. To boycott or not? Targets stance has created a dilemma for brand founders with existing distribution deals. One is Play Pits, a natural deodorant for children that Maryland resident Chantel Powell launched in 2021. The product is found in about 360 Target stores. The retailers DEI program allowed us to employ amazing people, give back to our community, and exhibit Black excellence on and off the shelves, Powell wrote on LinkedIn as civil rights leaders talked about boycotting Target. She and some other product creators highlighted the impact boycotts might have on their businesses. They urged upset customers to intentionally limit their purchases to items from Black-owned enterprises. Some activists understood; others pushed the brands to join the protest by cutting ties with Target. The conversation around Black brands, that they should pull out of the retailers that theyre in, is unrealistic, Powell said this month as a 40-day, church-organized Target boycott was underway. We signed up to be in business. I understand why people are having that conversation of boycotts. As a Black founder, I also understand the side of how it can be detrimental. Navigating the post-DEI landscapeThe owner of a Black-owned sexual wellness business with its own line of condoms has a slightly different take. Target started carrying B Condoms in 2020, and founder Jason Panda said the company told him late last year that it didnt intend to keep the prophylactics in the 304 stores that stocked them. Panda says he isnt worried. The product is available through Amazon and in more than 7,000 CVS stores, he said. Whats more, contracts with non-profit organizations and local governments that distribute condoms for free are the cornerstone of the business he established in 2011, Panda said. My money has never really come from mainstream, he said. Were going to be protected as long as I can maintain my relationship with my community.Brianna Arps, who founded the fragrance brand Moodeaux in 2021, notices fewer grants available to Black brand creators these days. She used to apply for 10 to 15 every week or two; the number is down to five to seven, Arps said.A lot of the organizations that had been really vocal about supporting (Black businesses) have either quietly or outwardly pulled back, she said. Moodeaux was the first Black-owned perfume brand to get its perfumes into Urban Outfitters and Credo Beauty, which specializes in natural vegan products. In the current environment, Arps is looking to expand her brands presence independent shops and to support other Black fragrance lovers.The resiliency of brands like ours and founders like myself will still exist, she said. Accentuating the positiveAurora James, the founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, said nearly 30 major companies that joined the initiative remain committed to it, including Bloomingdales, beauty retailer Sephora, J. Crew and Gap. Ulta Beauty, another pledge signatory, and Credo Beauty carry Pound Cake products. Velazquez and Belle want to use social media to direct their followers to support retailers like Ulta and to bolster their online sales. Its going to be fostering the community that we have and growing that, Velazquez said.While making a strategic decision to appeal to a broader audience when selecting puzzles for Barnes & Noble, Chambers said she plans to introduce Black faces and experiences to the chains bookstores over time, in boxes of 500, 750 and 1,000 pieces. In the meantime, Puzzles of Color expanded its Pride collection as a response to the DEI backlash. The subjects include Harriet Tubman, a mother and daughter tending a garden, and a little girl in a beauty supply store gazing up at hair accessories.Do we lean in all the way? Chambers asks herself. Part of why we started this was because we didnt see enough Black people in puzzles. ANNE DINNOCENZIO DInnocenzio writes about retail, trends, the consumer economy and hourly workers for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

One of the most basic tenets of cybersecurity is that you must consider your threat model when trying to keep your data and your communications safe, and then take appropriate steps to protect yourself.This means you need to consider who you are, what you are talking about, and who may want to know that information (potential adversaries) for any given account, conversation, etc. The precautions you want to take to protect yourself if you are a random person messaging your partner about what you want to eat for dinner may be different than those youd want to take, if, hypothetically, you are the Secretary of Defense of the United States or a National Security Advisor talking to top administration officials about your plans for bombing an apartment building in Yemen.Things you might consider when doing any sort of communication, if you are thinking about your threat model, would be what messaging app should I use?, Is it end-to-end-encrypted?, What device should I use to send the message, Do I have two-factor authentication on?, What type of two-factor authentication is it (app or SMS based? Hardware based?), and, crucially, How widely do I want to share this information? End-to-end encryption means that a message is encrypted on the device itself before being sent; this means that it is then decrypted at the endpoint, meaning that only the intended recipient should be able to read it.This is all, of course, a very long way of saying that there is no messaging app that can protect you if you are wildly careless, or more generally an idiot. There is no threat modeling that can account for you sending information directly to someone who you do not want to have it, which is exactly what Pete Hegseth, national security advisor Michael Waltz, vice president JD Vance, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and a host of other top administration officials did when texting about their plans to bomb a suspected terrorists girlfriends apartment building in Yemen.As Joseph has laid out here, there are design changes that Signal could make that would make it less likely for someone to accidentally message the wrong person or accidentally add them to the wrong group chat. At the moment, it can be difficult to know who someone is after youve added them to your contacts, because Signal doesnt force you to select a profile picture or set nicknames for contacts, and, you cant always see a persons username or phone number after youve begun chatting with them on Signal.THAT SAID, top officials in the executive branch should not be using Signal to communicate about military actions at all because the threat model for this sort of communication is so extraordinary and unique (and bound by retention laws) that they should be communicating on existing government channels designed for this exact purpose and which dont have disappearing message functionality. And even if Signals UI could be slightly better or less confusing, if you are sharing bombing plans then you should probably take extra steps to make sure We are currently clean on OPSEC is actually true.Since the first Atlantic story broke, people in my life have asked me if Signal is secure. Of the commercially available, widely-used messaging apps, Signal has extremely good security. But using Signal on whatever device the officials happened to be using makes those devices a target, and sophisticated nation state actors capable of hacking iPhones and other new smartphones are definitely in Pete Hegseths and Michael Waltzs threat model. The truth of the matter is that no phone, no app, no encryption can protect you from yourself if you send the information youre trying to hide directly to someone you dont want to have it.

You all already know the story about national security leaders, Signal, and The Atlantic by now. But to summarize in one sentence: a top U.S. official accidentally added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic to a group chat on the secure messaging app Signal, and members of the group chat then discussed plans for striking Houthi targets (and with what weapons) before they happened or were public knowledge, resulting in a catastrophic leak of information bringing up all sorts of questions about why top U.S. brass were sharing these details on a consumer app, potentially on their personal phones, and not a communications channel approved for the sharing of classified information or combat plans.According to screenshots of the chats and the group chats members published by The Atlantic on Wednesday, the outlets editor Jeffrey Goldberg used the display name JG on Signal. He also said in the original article that he displayed as JG. Presumably National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who accidentally added Goldberg, added the wrong JG. This is a big, big mistake obviously.But there is a somewhat overlooked setting inside Signal that can ensure you dont make the same mistake. Its the nickname feature. First, take a look at my Signal when I search for Jason when trying to make a new group and add members to it.What a total fucking mess. As a journalist I receive Signal messages constantly, all day, every day, from people I know and people I dont. More times than I can literally count, these people use or have names that are the same as people Ive already spoken to. It gets even worse when someone pinging me uses the display name M or A or some other single initial.A couple of those Jasons are Signal accounts belonging to 404 Media co-founder Jason Koebler, who I often have to add to group chats or talk to. But definitely not all of them. So, when creating a new group, I have to figure out, god, which Jason is the Jason I want to add this time. Previously Ive worked it out by backing out of the create group section, finding the Jason I want, verifying their phone number if its available by clicking on my chat settings with them (which it seems you cant do from within Signals create a group section), remembering what color Jason it is, then adding them. This information isnt available for every contact though.There is a much easier way, but it requires you to be proactive. You can add your own nickname to a Signal contact by clicking on the persons profile picture in a chat with them then clicking Nickname. Signal says Nicknames & notes are stored with Signal and end-to-end encrypted. They are only visible to you. So, you can add a nickname to a Jason saying co-founder, or maybe national security adviser, and no one else is going to see it. Just you. When youre trying to make a group chat, perhaps.See what my Signal looks like after I use the nickname feature to label the correct Jason with 404:Signal could improve its user interface around groups and people with duplicate display names. But maybe, also dont plan sensitive military operations in a group chat like this either.

President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order at an education event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-26T16:13:39Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is at the Supreme Court with a new emergency appeal Wednesday, this time seeking approval to go ahead with cuts of hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training.A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. A federal appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them to resume.The government asked the high court to step in, arguing that the order is one of several issued by federal judges around the country wrongly forcing it to keep paying out millions in grant money. The Supreme Court called for a response to the appeal by Friday. It comes after U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary restraining order sought by eight Democratic-led states that argued the cuts were likely driven by efforts from President Donald Trumps administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The Republican president signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, and his administration has started overhauling much of its work, including cutting dozens of contracts it dismissed as woke and wasteful. So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-court fiscal micromanagement, acting Solicitor General Sarah M. Harris wrote. The Justice Department has filed three other emergency appeals of court rulings that blocked administration actions amid a wave of lawsuits that have slowed, at least for now, aspects of Trumps agenda. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on an appeal asking to narrow court orders that have imposed a nationwide hold on Trumps desire to restrict birthright citizenship. An appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers is also pending. The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trumps firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency. A later ruling from a lower court, though, did force Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger from his job.The two education programs at issue the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued. They said data has shown the programs had led to increased teacher retention rates and ensured that educators remain in the profession beyond five years.The administration halted the programs without notice in February. The administration argues the states could at least temporarily draw on their own funds to continue funding the programs. Joun, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, found that the cancellations probably violated a federal law that requires a clear explanation for such cost-cutting moves.The appellate panel that rejected the administrations request for a stay also was made up of judges nominated by Democratic presidents.California is leading the lawsuit and is joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.The order the administration wants from the high court would allow the cuts to go forward while the legal fight over them plays out. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto

A family member of one of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore tosses a wreath into the Chesapeake Bay in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)2025-03-26T09:27:05Z BALTIMORE (AP) A year after the catastrophic collapse of Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland leaders are honoring the six construction workers who were killed when the road they were repairing buckled underneath them.Police were able to stop traffic moments before a cargo ship plowed into the bridge, but they didnt alert the road crew in time. A boat moves past a container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) A boat moves past a container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Everyone working on the scene shared that same priority those men we lost in the water, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said during an anniversary ceremony Wednesday, recalling the horror that followed the collapse.While this day is a day of mourning, it is not a day of grief alone, Scott said. It is a day to commemorate the strength, resilience and that Baltimore grit that we showed the world in that moment.After the collapse, the Port of Baltimore was closed for months as debris blocked its main shipping channel. It made an impressive rebound during the second half of 2024, but now the Trump administrations tariffs could threaten its ongoing recovery.Just last week, federal investigators criticized the Maryland Transportation Authority for failing to address the bridges vulnerability to ship strikes despite major changes in maritime shipping since it opened to traffic in 1977. They called upon other bridge owners to learn from the example. For Maryland drivers, its been a year without the Key Bridge, which connected various industrial communities north and south of Baltimore, allowing people to bypass downtown. Traffic has since increased significantly on alternate routes. Named after the man who penned the national anthem, the Key Bridge was a beloved feature of Baltimores skyline and a symbol of its proud working-class history.Heres what to know about the bridges collapse and its replacement. A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge on March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge on March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More When disaster struckIt was just after 2 a.m. on March 26, 2024, when Gov. Wes Moore got a call from his chief of staff, Fagan Harris. His words werent easy to grasp: Governor, Im sorry to tell you, but the Key Bridge is gone, Moore recounted to The Associated Press. What do you mean gone? the governor remembered asking.Moore soon learned that a ship had lost power and crashed into one of the bridges supporting columns, killing the six workers who were filling potholes that night.Once he grasped the scale of the tragedy, Moore said, the morning became a stream of phone calls.We remember the cold morning in March that changed our state forever, and we remember the tears we shed and the uncertainty that we all felt, Moore said during remarks Wednesday. Police dive boats work around a cargo ship that is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge on March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) Police dive boats work around a cargo ship that is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge on March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More But the initial shock was followed by heroism, he added, as first responders rushed to the scene.In the weeks and months that followed, people gathered by the waters edge and watched as crews worked diligently to clear the wreckage.The main shipping channel to the Port of Baltimore reopened in just 11 weeks.Honoring the victimsOn Tuesday, city and state leaders invited the victims families to visit the collapse site for a wreath-laying ceremony. Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali on May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Relatives boarded a boat that chugged steadily toward the mouth of the Patapsco River where the Key Bridge once stood. As they approached its skeletal remains, the mood turned somber, punctuated by the sound of two women weeping.One by one, family members stepped to the back of the boat and tossed wreaths of yellow and white flowers into the water, watching them drift away. Family members of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, among Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other government officials, view the remaining portions of the bridge from a boat in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Family members of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, among Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other government officials, view the remaining portions of the bridge from a boat in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A family member of one of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore tosses a wreath into the Chesapeake Bay in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) A family member of one of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore tosses a wreath into the Chesapeake Bay in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Maryland Gov. Wes Moore consoles family members of the victims who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore during a wreath-laying ceremony in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Maryland Gov. Wes Moore consoles family members of the victims who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore during a wreath-laying ceremony in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The six men were all Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. seeking better wages and brighter futures. Most had lived in the country for many years, working hard to support their families.Thats exactly what they were doing before their untimely deaths just doing their job, said Baltimore police Det. Aaron Jackson, a member of the departments dive team who helped recover the bodies during a painstaking search effort that lasted several weeks.They deserve our utmost respect, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said.A new bridge in the worksOfficials say the new bridge should be finished sometime in 2028.They unveiled designs last month for what will become Marylands first cable-stayed bridge. It could cost upwards of $1.7 billion but Congress has agreed to cover the full price tag for rebuilding.Crews have been conducting soil testing and other work to finalize the designs. They plan to demolish the remaining pieces of the Key Bridge this spring.Officials have said the designs will include the latest in pier protection technology, which has become increasingly important as cargo ships continue to get bigger and carry more cargo. The bridge will also be taller to provide more clearance. Remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Family members of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, among Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other government officials, view the remaining portions of the bridge from a boat in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Family members of the workers who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, among Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other government officials, view the remaining portions of the bridge from a boat in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Baltimores port reboundsLast month, the port said 2024 was one of its most productive years with 45.9 million tons of cargo passing through its facilities second only to the year before, which saw a record 52.3 million tons.The port also processed more farm and construction machinery than any other port in the country again in 2024. It ranked second for cars and light trucks, officials said.Daraius Irani, chief economist for the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University, described the rebound as sort of a miracle.But the implementation of tariffs by the Trump administration could reduce imports there, a quarter of which come from Mexico, Canada and China, he said. Fewer goods passing through the ports would reduce revenue.Ongoing federal investigationsThe National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating what caused the collapse, said its final report could be released in fall 2025.Meanwhile, the board issued urgent safety recommendations last week, telling bridge owners to conduct vulnerability assessments. The recommendations apply to 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states. A container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Dundalk, Md. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) A container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Dundalk, Md. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A wreath laid by family members of the victims who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore float in the Chesapeake Bay near the remnants of the bridge in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) A wreath laid by family members of the victims who died during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore float in the Chesapeake Bay near the remnants of the bridge in observance of the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The board is still investigating what caused the cargo ship to lose power as it approached the bridge. Investigators have said a loose cable could have caused electrical issues. The ship experienced two blackouts before it left the port en route to Sri Lanka.The FBI also opened a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collapse but officials havent yet provided any updates. The remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridges supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) The remaining portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a year after the cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridges supporting columns, causing it to collapse. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Maria del Carmen Castelln, whose husband was among those killed, called on federal authorities to deliver justice.Concrete and steel can be replaced, said Maria Martinez, Marylands special secretary of small, minority and women business affairs, reading a message from Castelln. The laughter of a father, the embrace of a husband, the future of six men these are lost forever.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00553-xA Nature Index data set shows which countries, institutions and topic areas are making the greatest progress towards gender equity in research.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08758-wSTING agonist-based endoplasmic reticulum-targeting molecules can be conjugated directly onto antigens to deliver them to the cross-presentation pathway, improving CD8+ T cell responses against tumours and viruses.

Eurocopters Tiger of the German Army take part in the Lithuanian-German division-level international military exercise 'Grand Quadriga 2024' at a training range in Pabrade, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)2025-03-26T14:29:13Z WARSAW, Poland (AP) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he did not yet know the details. A U.S. official would say only that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on the status of the soldiers. Rutte said during a trip to Warsaw that he had received word of the deaths of the four soldiers and that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States. This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones, Rutte told reporters in Warsaw. A statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany said the soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that four U.S. soldiers and vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras ukauskas training ground in Pabrad, a town located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Belarus. The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Relations soured further over Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putins forces. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak is called for goaltender interference as he collides with Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark during first period NHL action, March 13, 2025, in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)2025-03-26T16:46:45Z Earlier during what is likely to be his third Vezina Trophy-winning season, Connor Hellebuyck pretty much gave up trying to figure out exactly what constitutes goaltender interference.Winnipegs star goaltender has served on competition committees. He has given spiels and offered clips as exhibits to explain what should or should not be called. Still, he has remained baffled by what is and what isnt interference and he is not alone.Ive really tried my best to help over the last four or five years, Hellebuyck said after a goaltender interference challenge went against him and the Jets in a fall win. Ive tried to help. Ive tried to make it more black and white.Just because your favorite NHL goaltender gets bumped, nudged, pushed, crashed into, goes down with injury or even loses their helmet when a goal is scored doesnt mean it necessarily will be goaltender interference. Or sometimes it will be and not count after video review, like the New York Islanders having a potential game-winning goal against Columbus disallowed Monday night, much to coach and Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roys dismay. Goalie interference was a prime topic at the general managers spring meeting last week, with agreement on situation room decisions in 52 of the 54 video clips shown and plenty of what senior executive VP of hockey operations Colin Campbell called colorful discussions. Commissioner Gary Bettman said finding a consensus constituted a vote of confidence on behalf of GMs.All the debates about consistency and not understanding, the managers understand fully well, Bettman said. There was only one that was unanimous, which tells you that it is a judgment call and theres going to be lots of opinions. What is goalie interference?I know what I think it is, Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood said of interference. But I dont know thats what it actually is.Director of officiating Stephen Walkom and other executives have told teams to be sure they have video evidence to overturn a call on the ice before making a coachs challenge. Losing a challenge is a minor penalty.These arent black and white, VP of hockey operations Kris King said. Theres a lot of judgment, not only from the guy calling it in real time but also from us, as well, when were looking at these plays.It is spelled out under section 69.1 in the NHL rulebook: Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeepers ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.Then there is this clause: Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.That has opened the door to all sorts of interpretation. NHL senior director of hockey ops Kay Whitmore, a retired goalie like Roy, called it a convoluted rule. Through the first 1,048 games this season, there were 105 coachs challenges for goalie interference, with the call being upheld 45 times and overturned 60. Last season, there were 88, with 40 upheld and 48 overturned, up from 85 in 2022-23 with 43 upheld and 42 overturned.Any time you have a coachs challenge, someones mad, Campbell said. Well get a manager saying or a coach, Well, I saw that play three weeks ago in a Winnipeg-Edmonton game, its the same thing tonight. We say: No, theyre all snowflakes. Theyre similar but not exactly the same. Sorting through the confusionTheres enough gray area in the interpretation of the rule that Florida coach Paul Maurice has a checklist he goes through prior to a challenge. First, he quickly consults with goaltender coach Rob Tallas, who looks at the play from a goalies point of view. Then, the video team gets involved is there indisputable evidence? All those factors combine with this a gut feeling. Do I think thats goal interference? Maurice said.All of this is supposed to take place within about 30 seconds before the game moves on. And the process goes out the window if Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is sour Maurices word about a play.Im probably calling it regardless of whether I think hes right or wrong, Maurice said.Unless, of course, its the postseason.When you get into the playoffs, thats not true. Ill look at it and think, Am I getting this call, or am I not? Maurice explained. Then Ill make that decision.Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was incensed earlier this season over a collision in a game against Buffalo. Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood was hurt and down on the ice after Sabres forward Zach Benson crashed into Avalanche center Parker Kelly and fell into Wedgewoods right leg. Benson got up, gained possession of the puck and scored with Wedgewood still down and inside the goal. Bednar didnt like the lag time with his goalie down and challenged for goaltender interference. It was purely out of spite.It gives them another chance to do the right thing, Bednar said. The goal shouldnt have counted, and so, yeah, I was mad. So we just did it.Bednar talked to the league the next day. They understood the others point of view, even if they did still disagree.Theres lots of things that we look for, Bednar said. Does he go in on his own, does he get pushed in? Does the goalie have time to get reset? Youve always got to look at the blue paint, too. Theres a bunch of things.The leagues criteria involves whether contact was intentional or incidental, occurred in or out of the crease, if the defending player caused it and whether the goaltender had a chance to reset. Its pretty complex, Walkom said, confident the standard has been communicated to teams. Were not far off. Maybe originally when we started, there was some differences of opinion, but there really isnt now.Technically, nachos on the ice arent included in the rules provisions for goaltender interference. A tray of nachos was tossed onto the ice from the stands in the middle of the play in Edmonton. Corey Perry weaved past the container and scored as Capitals goalie Logan Thompson pointed out the food to officials.Thats a first, Washington coach Spencer Carbery told reporters. I dont think Ive ever seen nachos on the ice in a National Hockey League game.___Graham reported from Denver and Whyno from Manalapan, Florida. AP freelance writer Scott Charles in New York contributed to this report.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL STEPHEN WHYNO Whyno has covered the NHL, Washington Capitals, the NFLs Washington Commanders and horse racing for The Associated Press since 2016. twitter facebook

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08737-1Certifiably random bits can be generated using the 56-qubit Quantinuum H2-1 trapped-ion quantum computer accessed over the Internet.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00901-xA natural antibacterial molecule shows clinical promise. Its unusual binding site is on an excellent target: protein-synthesis machinery known as the ribosome.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, second from right, walks outside the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-03-26T13:22:44Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration WASHINGTON (AP) The Atlantic on Wednesday released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemens Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne. The disclosure follows two intense days during which leaders of President Donald Trumps intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said no classified information was posted to the Signal chat. Top military official was not included in the chatThe chat was also notable for who it excluded: the only military attendee of the principals committee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Adm. Christopher Grady is currently serving in that position in an acting capacity because Trump fired former chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. in February.National security adviser Mike Waltz was authorized to decide whether to include the Joint Chiefs chairman in the principals committee discussion, based on the policy relevance of attendees to the issues being considered, the need for secrecy on sensitive matters, staffing needs, and other considerations, the White House said in a Jan. 20 memo. The Pentagon said it would not comment on the issue, and it was not immediately clear why Grady, currently serving as the presidents top military adviser, would not be included in a discussion on military strikes.Hegseth has refused to say whether he posted classified information onto Signal. He is traveling in the Indo-Pacific and to date has only scoffed at questions, saying he did not reveal war plans. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that it was up to Hegseth to determine whether the information he was posting was classified or not. Very specific texts were revealedWhat was revealed was jaw-dropping in its specificity and includes the type of information that is kept to a very close hold to protect the operational security of a military strike.In the group chat, Hegseth posted multiple details about the impending strike, using military language and laying out when a strike window starts, where a target terrorist was located, the time elements around the attack and when various weapons and aircraft would be used in the strike. He mentioned that the U.S. was currently clean on operational security.Godspeed to our Warriors, he wrote. 1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)1345: Trigger Based F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier Trigger Based targets) 1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)We are currently clean on OPSEC that is, operational security.Godspeed to our Warriors.Goldberg has said he asked the White House if it opposed publication and that the White House responded that it would prefer he did not publish. Signal is encrypted but can be vulnerableSignal is a publicly available app that provides encrypted communications, but it can be hacked. It is not approved for carrying classified information. On March 14, one day before the strikes, the Defense Department cautioned personnel about the vulnerability of Signal, specifically that Russia was attempting to hack the app, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.One known vulnerability is that a malicious actor, with access to a persons phone, can link his or her device to the users Signal and essentially monitor messages remotely in real time.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. TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto

A ghost gun that police seized from an organized shoplifting crime ring is on display during a news conference at the Queens District Attorney's office in New York City, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)2025-03-26T14:13:59Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration regulation on the nearly impossible-to-trace weapons called ghost guns, clearing the way for continued serial numbers, background checks and age verification requirements to buy them in kits online. Seven justices joined the opinion, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, upholding the rule. Two justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, dissented.Ghost gun sales have grown exponentially since kits that let people build them easily at home came into the market, Gorsuch wrote. Some home hobbyists enjoy assembling them. But criminals also find them attractive, he said. The number of ghost guns found at crime scenes around the country has also soared, according to federal data. They rose from fewer than 1,700 recovered by law enforcement in 2017 to more than 27,000 in 2023, according to Justice Department data. Since the federal rule was finalized, though, ghost gun numbers have flattened out or declined in several major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Baltimore, according to court documents. Manufacturing of miscellaneous gun parts also dropped 36% overall, the Justice Department has said. Ghost guns are any privately made firearms without the serial numbers that allow police to trace weapons used in crime. The 2022 regulation was focused on kits sold online with everything needed to build a functioning firearm sometimes in less than 30 minutes, according to court documents. Ghost guns have been used in high-profile crimes, including a mass shooting carried out with an AR-15-style ghost gun in Philadelphia that left five people dead. Police believe a ghost gun used in the slaying of UnitedHealthcares CEO in Manhattan was made on a 3D printer rather than assembled from a kit.Finalized at the direction of then-President Joe Biden, the rule requires companies to treat the kits like other firearms by adding serial numbers, running background checks and verifying that buyers are age 21 or older. Gun groups challenged the rule in court in the case known as Garland v. VanDerStok. They argued that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped its authority and that most crimes are committed with traditional firearms. The Supreme Court disagreed, pointing out that the law gives the ATF the power to regulate items that can be quickly made into working firearms.The Buy Build Shoot kit can be readily converted into a firearm too, for it requires no more time, effort, expertise, or specialized tools to complete, Gorsuch wrote. The justices had previously allowed the rule to stay in place while the lawsuit played out. The court previously struck down a firearm regulation from President Donald Trumps first administration, a ban on gun accessories known as bump stocks that enable rapid fire. ___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

AOL.com is using AI to write captions for photos, which gave cutesy captions to photos of a man who allegedly tried to throw his wife off of a cliff in Hawaii and who has been charged with attempted murder.The article, Top Doctor Allegedly Tried Pushing Wife Off Hawaii Beauty Spot in Wild Homicide Attempt, was syndicated from the website BoredPanda. On the BoredPanda version of the article, there are no image captions. On the AOL.com version of the article, images of Gerhardt Konig, who was charged with attempting to murder his wife, have captions like A man smiling in a park setting with a dog, related to a top doctor news story, a couple smiling on a beach at sunset, associated with Hawaii doctor incident, A couple smiling under a floral arch, outdoors during a wedding ceremony; husband in gray suit, wife in white gown, and Im sorry, I cant help with that, which seems to be an instance of the AI not being able to describe an image. A caption on an image of Konigs wife reads smiling woman outdoors, linked to top doctor and Hawaii beauty spot incident. A screenshot of a social media comment is captioned Comment on potential doctor pushing wife from Hawaii spot, questioning medical or mental conditions.The captions were first spotted by John Oxley on Bluesky.A caption from the AOL storyAll of this suggests a general carelessness that is now happening all over the internet as a result of news outlets and websites cutting staff and replacing important human tasks with AI. It is also reminiscent of the AI-powered technology used by Buzzfeed that suggested readers buy the clothing worn by people who were criminals or who had been violently attacked, died in tragic accidents, etc.Its important to understand how and why this seemingly happened. When I looked at the source code for the AOL.com page, the AI-generated captions actually werent captions at all. They were alt text, which is a written description of images or graphics, and which are very important for accessibility, because alt text can be read by screen readers for people who are visually impaired. Alt text is also indexed by search engines and will display if someones internet connection is bad or the image file gets broken in some way. The AOL page was set up to display alt text as captions if there was no actual caption written.All of the photos and captions from the AOL article. All images are described with captions in the body text of this articleWhat happened on AOL.com is careless because the AI-generated alt text is not particularly good and because many of the captions included in the article are, again, very cutesy about an attempted murder suspect. They should have been caught and corrected by a human. But generating alt text for images is one of the few things where generative AI actually shows some promise, and where even automated alt text is often an improvement on the status quo, which is no alt text at all. Human beings often fail to add alt text, dont write useful alt text, or write too much alt text. A 2019 study showed that, at the time, just .1 percent of tweets with images in them contained alt text.Many accessibility groups warn that alt text should not just be fully automated like appears to be happening in the AOL article. Like everything else AI, AI for alt text often misses the broader context, gets things wrong, has a wildly inappropriate tone, or generates errors. Since somewhat accurate alt text is arguably better than no alt text, theres a defensible use case for generative A.I., particularly when websites have thousands of untagged images, the Bureau of Internet Accessibility, a company that helps websites comply with accessibility requirements, wrote in a blog post. For now, though, we strongly recommend writing alt text yourself.Ohio State University, which has a pretty extensive alt text guide, notes AI alt text is generally considered to be subpar by accessibility professionals and should not be relied upon. This is because it lacks the context of an image and its use. AI can look at your profile picture and provide you with a description A middle-aged man wearing a suit with a full beard smiling into the camera, which is baseline and generic, and does not place it in the context of the wider page.Perkins School for the Blind, meanwhile, wrote that AI-generated alt text is often so vague that it could describe an infinite number of scenarios.Yahoo, which owns AOL, did not respond to a request for comment.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08779-5Spectroscopy from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey of a galaxy at redshift 13 shows a singular, bright emission line identified as Lyman-, suggesting the onset of reionization only 330Myr after the Big Bang.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08680-1The standard approach of climate science is showing signs of a crisis owing to the emergence of discrepancies and disruptions in recent years; this Perspective discusses the policy implications and the paths forward.

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots for three in front of Connecticut forward Alex Karaban (11) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)2025-03-26T15:01:01Z 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. The smaller the number, the larger the impact at this years NCAA Tournament.Arkansas, the No. 10 seed in the West Region, is the only double-digit seed still alive heading into the regional semifinals. All four No. 1 seeds and three of the four No. 2 seeds are still standing.But the seeds arent the only numbers that bear watching as the tournament enters its second week. Heres a look at a notable statistic for each of the remaining 16 teams, starting with the two regions playing Thursday.East Alabama: The Crimson Tide score a Division I-leading 90.8 points per game. The 90-81 first-round victory over Robert Morris marked the DI-leading 19th time this season theyve scored at least 90 points.BYU: The Cougars outrebounded each of their first two tournament opponents by nine boards, and they have a plus-6.2 rebound margin this season that ranks 19th in Division I. They now face Alabama, which ranks 20th nationally with a plus-6.1 rebound margin. The Tide beat Robert Morris despite getting outrebounded. Arizona: Caleb Love scored 28 points when North Carolina beat Duke 81-77 in the 2022 Final Four. He hasnt been as successful the four times hes faced Duke since that game, twice with North Carolina and twice with Arizona. Love has averaged 10.5 points in those four games while shooting a combined 14 of 50 overall and 4 of 27 from 3-point range. Loves teams went 1-3 against Duke in those games. Love faces Duke again in a regional semifinal. Duke: The Blue Devils have a net rating of plus-39 according to kenpom.com. That represents the highest net rating for any team since Duke in 1998-99 had a rating of plus-43.01. Net rating is calculated by subtracting a teams defensive efficiency from its offensive efficiency. The resulting number 39 in Dukes case measures its expected margin of victory over an average team. West Florida: Walter Clayton Jr. has gone 22 of 43 from 3-point range over his last five games (13 of 26 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and 9 of 17 in the NCAA Tournament). The former Iona guard has gone 16 of 33 from 3-point range in four career NCAA games.Maryland: Derik Queen, who made a buzzer beater against Colorado State in the second round, puts up 16.2 points per game for the highest scoring average of any Maryland freshman since 1947-48. Queen is actually behind only Joe Smith, who had 19.4 points per game in 1994-95 before getting taken first overall in the 1995 draft.Arkansas: John Calipari is the third coach to take four different schools to the Sweet 16. He got here eight times with Kentucky, four times with Memphis and three times with UMass. The other coaches to accomplish this feat were Eddie Sutton (six times with Oklahoma State, four with Arkansas, two with Kentucky and once with Creighton) and Lon Kruger (twice with Oklahoma and once each with Kansas State, Florida and UNLV).Texas Tech: The Red Raiders play in the Big 12 and Arkansas is in the SEC, but they used to be rivals in the old Southwest Conference. Theyve faced each other 80 times before, and the series is tied at 40-all. Midwest Houston: The Cougars have the nations longest active streak with six straight Sweet 16 appearances. Gonzaga had the longest streak with nine straight regional semifinal berths before losing 81-76 to Houston in the round of 32.Purdue: Trey Kaufman-Renn has made 287 baskets this season to lead all Division I players. Zach Edey, Kaufman-Renns former Purdue teammate, led Division I last season with 336 baskets.Kentucky: Not a single player on Kentuckys roster scored a point for the Wildcats last season. The only other power conference team that didnt return any of its scoring production from last season was Louisville, which lost to Creighton in the first round.Tennessee: Chaz Lanier has gone 7 of 12 from 3-point range in the first two rounds and has a school-record 120 3-pointers this season, the sixth-highest total in Southeastern Conference history. The SEC record is held by Auburns Bryce Brown with 141 in 2018-19. Lanier went a combined 3 of 17 from 3-point range in Tennessees two regular-season losses to Kentucky, its Sweet 16 opponent. South Auburn: Johni Broome is the only player in Division I mens basketball history to have 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds plus 400 blocks in his career. Broome, a fifth-year senior who spent two seasons at Morehead State and three at Auburn, is averaging 18.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks this season.Michigan: Tre Donaldson came to Michigan after spending two seasons at Auburn, the Wolverines Sweet 16 opponent. After averaging 6.7 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds at Auburn last season, the 6-3 guard averages 11.5 points, 4.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds for Michigan.Mississippi: Sean Pedulla has scored at least 19 points in each of his three career NCAA games. He scored 19 points in just 19 minutes while playing for Virginia Tech in a first-round loss to Texas in 2022, and he has collected 20 points in each of the first two rounds this season. Michigan State: The Spartans have outscored their first two NCAA opponents 96-66 in the second half. That includes a 71-63 victory over New Mexico in which they trailed by two points at halftime. Now they face an Ole Miss team that has outscored its first two tournament opponents 84-55 in the first half.___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.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08746-0A connectome of the right optic lobe from a male fruitfly is presented together with an extensive collection of genetic drivers matched to a comprehensive neuron-type catalogue.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00945-zThe molecule targets bacteria in a way that other drugs dont.

In this photo provided by El Salvador's presidential press office, prison guards transfer deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)2025-03-26T20:12:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal appeals court refused Wednesday to lift an order barring the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law.A split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a March 15 order temporarily prohibiting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.Invoking the law for the first time since World War II, President Donald Trumps administration deported hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force.The Justice Department appealed after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked more deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen.Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan noncitizens who were being held in Texas. The case has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension between the White House and the federal courts.Boasberg, the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, has vowed to determine whether the government defied his order to turn planes around. The administration has invoked a state secrets privilege and refused to give Boasberg any additional information about the deportations. Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg. In a rare statement, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The Alien Enemies Act allows noncitizens to be deported without the opportunity for a hearing before an immigration or federal court judge.Boasberg ruled that immigrants facing deportation must get an opportunity to challenge their designations as alleged gang members. His ruling said there is a strong public interest in preventing the mistaken deportation of people based on categories they have no right to challenge.The appeal was heard by Judge Patricia Millett, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama; Judge Justin Walker, was nominated by Trump in 2020; and Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, who was nominated by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1990.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives before his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron to prepare Thursday's gathering of the so-called "coalition of the willing" nations that are allies of Ukraine, Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)2025-03-26T17:10:47Z PARIS (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that a proposed European armed force for possible deployment in Ukraine in tandem with an eventual peace deal could respond to a Russian attack if Moscow launched one.Macron spoke in the evening after talks with Ukraines president and ahead of a summit in Paris of some 30 nations on Thursday that will discuss the proposed force for Ukraine.If there was again a generalized aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then its our usual framework of engagement, Macron said. Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.Macron, together with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has been driving an effort to build a coalition of nations willing in one way or another to support the deployment of an armed force in Ukraine, with the aim of securing a lasting peace by dissuading Russia from attacking the country again. Macron didnt specify what sort of response he envisaged in the eventuality of a Russian attack. He said the proposed European forces wouldnt be stationed in the frontlines in Ukraine, nor be engaged on the first day opposite Russian forces. They would be forces that dissuade the Russians from attacking again. And by holding important towns, strategic bases, mark the clear support from several European governments and allies, he said. So we are not on the frontlines, we dont go to fight, but we are there to guarantee a lasting peace. Its a pacifist approach, he said. The only ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, would be the Russians if they decided again to launch an aggression. Macron is expecting 31 delegations around the table Thursday morning at the presidential Elysee Palace. Thats more than Macron gathered for a first meeting in Paris in February evidence that the coalition to help Ukraine, possibly with boots on the ground, is gathering steam, according to the presidential office. The big elephant in the room will be the country thats missing: the United States. U.S. President Donald Trumps administration has shown no public enthusiasm for the coalitions discussions about potentially sending troops into Ukraine after an eventual ceasefire to help make peace stick. Trumps special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has dismissed the idea of a European deployment or even the need for it. Its a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic, he said in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.Thats not the view in Europe. The shared premise upon which the coalition is being built is that Russian President Vladimir Putins actions in Ukraine starting with the illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and culminating in the 2022 full-scale invasion that unleashed all-out war shows that he cannot be trusted. They believe that any peace deal will need to be backed up by security guarantees for Ukraine, to deter Putin from launching another attempt to seize it.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00891-wNature Index data reveal how countries and fields differ in gender equity in research.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08756-ySystematic base-editing and computational screens identify specific cysteine residues on VPS35 in the retromer complex as key sensors that decrease mitochondrial translation in response to reactive oxygen species signals.

President Donald Trump speaks at a reception celebrating Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-03-26T17:30:15Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains.This will continue to spur growth, Trump told reporters. Well effectively be charging a 25% tariff.The tariffs, which the White House expects to raise $100 billion in revenue annually, could be complicated as even U.S. automakers source their components from around the world. The tax hike starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales, though Trump argues that the tariffs will lead to more factories opening in the United States and the end of what he judges to be a ridiculous supply chain in which auto parts and finished vehicles are manufactured across the United States, Canada and Mexico. To underscore his seriousness, Trump said, This is permanent.Shares in General Motors fell roughly 3% in Wednesday trading. Fords stock was up slightly. Shares in Stellantis, the owner of Jeep and Chrysler, dropped nearly 3.6%. Trump has long said that tariffs against auto imports would be a defining policy of his presidency, betting that the costs created by the taxes would cause more production to relocate to the United States while helping to narrow the budget deficit. But U.S. and foreign automakers have plants around the world to accommodate global sales while also maintaining competitive prices and it could take years for companies to design, build and open the new factories that Trump is promising. Were looking at much higher vehicle prices, said economist Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Were going to see reduced choice. ... These kinds of taxes fall more heavily on the middle and working class. She said more households will be priced out of the new car market where prices already average about $49,000 and will have to hang on to aging vehicles.The auto tariffs are part of a broader reshaping of global relations by Trump, who plans to impose what he calls reciprocal taxes on April 2 that would match the tariffs, sales taxes charged by other nations.Trump has already placed a 20% import tax on all imports from China for its role in the production of fentanyl. He similarly placed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, with a lower 10% tax on Canadian energy products. Parts of the Mexico and Canada tariffs have been suspended, including the taxes on autos, after automakers objected and Trump responded by giving them a 30-day reprieve that is set to expire in April.The president has also imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, removing the exemptions from his earlier 2018 taxes on the metals. He also plans tariffs on computer chips, pharmaceutical drugs, lumber and copper. His taxes risk igniting a broader global trade war with escalating retaliations that could crush global trade, potentially hurting economic growth while raising prices for families and businesses as some of the costs of the taxes get passed along by importers. When the European Union retaliated with plans for a 50% tariff on U.S. spirits, Trump responded by planning a 200% tax on alcoholic beverages from the EU. Trump also intends to place a 25% tariff on countries that import oil from Venezuela, even though the United States also imports oil from that nation.Trumps aides maintain that the tariffs on Canada and Mexico are about stopping illegal immigration and drug smuggling. But the administration also wants to use the tariff revenues to lower the budget deficit and assert Americas preeminence as the worlds largest economy.The president on Monday cited plans by South Korean automaker Hyundai to build a $5.8 billion steel plant in Louisiana as evidence that tariffs would bring back manufacturing jobs.Slightly more than one million people are employed domestically in the manufacturing of motor vehicles and parts, about 320,000 fewer than in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another 2.1 million people work at auto and parts dealerships.The United States last year imported nearly 8 million cars and light trucks worth $244 billion. Mexico, Japan and South Korea were the top sources of foreign vehicles. Imports of auto parts came to more than $197 billion, led by Mexico, Canada and China, according to the Commerce Department. ___AP reporter Paul Wiseman contributed to this report. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

This combination of photos shows Chris Hemsworth at the London premiere of "Transformers One" on Sept. 19, 2024, from left, Vanessa Kirby at the London premiere of "Napoleon," on Nov. 15, 2023, Anthony Mackie at a screening of "Captain America: Brave New World" in New York on Feb. 13, 2025, and Sebastian Stan at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo)2025-03-26T19:32:50Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Chris Hemsworths Thor, Anthony Mackies Captain America, Sebastian Stans Bucky Barnes, Paul Rudds Ant-Man and Tom Hiddlestons Loki are all back in the Avengers ensemble, where theyll be joined by several of cinemas original X-Men. The five veterans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are in the cast of 2026s Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel announced in a series of social media videos that the company rolled out slowly on Wednesday. Patrick Stewart, 84, who played Professor X in the Foxs early 2000s X-Men films, and 85-year-old Ian McKellen, who played his arch-nemesis Magneto, are also in the Doomsday cast as Disney and Marvel seek to take advantage of the acquisition of Foxs movie library. Kelsey Grammer, who played Hank Beast McCoy, was also announced, as was Rebecca Mystique Romijn, James Cyclops Marsden and Alan Nightcrawler Cumming. Their characters were taken on by younger actors in the 2010s X-Men series reboot, and their inclusion is sure to cause serious fan speculation about the direction and timelines of Avengers: Doomsday. The more senior superheroes will be joined by more recent additions, including some who have yet to make their MCU debuts. Vanessa Kirby, set to play the Invisible Woman Sue Storm in this Julys Fantastic Four: First Steps, is also set for Avengers: Doomsday. Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards will join the Avengers too. And theyll be joined in both movies by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who is playing Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Joseph Quinn, who plays Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch. Simu Liu, who played the title character in 2021s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is also in the newly announced cast, as is Tenoch Huerta Meja, who played the aquatic antagonist Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri in the Black Panther films, will also be back among the Avengers, as will her Black Panther castmate Winston Duke. Florence Pugh, who will reprise her MCU role as Yelena Belova in the forthcoming Thunderbolts will reprise her again in Doomsday. David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman will also be in both films.Danny Ramirez, who has assumed the Marvel mantle of Falcon, is also in the cast. Some of the biggest and most anticipated names were not among the 27 names announced, though Marvel and Disney could be sitting on them for now. There was no mention of Hugh Jackmans Wolverine or Ryan Reynolds Deadpool, though the announcement did include Channing Tatum, who played the X-Mens Gambit in last years Deadpool & Wolverine. Nor did the name Tom Holland appear. His Spider-Man became an Avenger in previous films on loan from owner Sony, whose complicated relationship with Marvel has made the character a sticking point. Robert Downey Jr. revealed last summer that hell be returning to the MCU to play the villain Doctor Doom in the next set of Avengers films. Avengers: Doomsday, set for release in May 2026, will be the fifth Avengers movie, and the first since 2019s Avengers Endgame became one of the highest grossing film of all time. Marvel has been struggling to recover its cultural buzz and box office mojo ever since, with hopes that the forthcoming ensemble films will bring back the magic that dominated cinema for more than a decade. ANDREW DALTON Dalton covers entertainment for The Associated Press, with an emphasis on crime, courts and obituaries. He has worked for the AP for 20 years and is based in Los Angeles. mailto

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08749-xThe tumour-suppressor protein BRCA2 is discovered to have a previously undescribed role in maintaining genomic integrity and the sensitivity of PARP1 inhibitors.

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08770-0Physiological temperatures augment activation of glutamate receptors, which enables the structural basis of neuronal excitation to be elucidated.

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)2025-03-26T21:49:45Z NEW YORK (AP) Long-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into a global trade war all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.Trump is no stranger to tariffs. He launched a trade war during his first term, taking particular aim at China by putting taxes on most of its goods. Beijing responded with its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products ranging from fruit to automotive imports. Trump also used 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.When President Joe Biden took office, he preserved most of the tariffs Trump previously enacted against China, in addition to imposing some new restrictions but his administration claimed to take a more targeted approach. Fast-forward to today and economists stress there could be greater consequences on businesses and economies worldwide under Trumps more sweeping tariffs this time around 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 some recently-postponed taxes on goods from Americas largest trading partners. Heres a timeline of how we got here: January 20Trump is sworn into office. 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. His actions also thaw 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).March 10China retaliates against Trumps tariffs by imposing additional 15% taxes on key American farm products, including chicken, pork, soybeans and beef. The escalating trade tensions push stocks lower on Monday as investors worry about the pain Trumps trade wars risk inflicting on the American economy. The Chinese tariffs were a response to Trumps decision to double the levy on Chinese imports to 20% on March 4. Chinas Commerce Ministry had earlier said that goods already in transit would be exempt from the retaliatory tariffs until April 12.March 12Trump increases tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, removing exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on the metals in addition to increasing the tariffs on aluminum from 10%. The European Union takes retaliatory trade action promising new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products. The measures will cover goods from the United States worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion), and not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods. Motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans will be hit, as they were during Trumps first term. The 27-member bloc later says it will delay this retaliatory action until mid-April.March 13Trump threatens a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned 50% tariff on American whiskey.The European import tax, which was unveiled in response to steel and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go into effect April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to place on the EU.March 24Trump says he will place a 25% tariff on all imports from any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela, in addition to imposing new tariffs on the South American country itself, starting April 2. The tariffs would most likely add to the taxes facing China, which in 2023 bought 68% of the oil exported by Venezuela, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But a number of countries also receive oil from Venezuela including the United States itself.March 26Trump says he is placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move that the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing. But it could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains. 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

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.