Giants general manager Joe Schoen says he's not going to force a pick on a quarterback at the top of this year's draft after signing veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.

Mourners gather around the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-03-31T17:51:58Z DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Palestinians held funerals Monday for 15 medics and emergency responders killed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, after their bodies and mangled ambulances were found buried in an impromptu mass grave, apparently plowed over by Israeli military bulldozers.The Palestinian Red Crescent says the slain workers and their vehicles were clearly marked as medical and humanitarian personnel and accused Israeli troops of killing them in cold blood. The Israeli military says its troops opened fire on vehicles that approached them suspiciously without identification. Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Mourners react during the funeral of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mourners react during the funeral of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, during their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Mon day, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, during their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Mon day, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The dead included eight Red Crescent workers, six members of Gazas Civil Defense emergency unit and a staffer from UNRWA, the U.N.s agency for Palestinians. The International Red Cross/Red Crescent said it was the deadliest attack on its personnel in eight years.Since the war in Gaza began 18 months ago, Israel has killed more than 100 Civil Defense workers and more than 1,000 health workers, according to the U.N.Here is what we know about what happened. Missing for daysThe emergency teams had been missing since March 23, when they went at around noon to retrieve casualties after Israeli forces launched an offensive into the Tel al-Sultan district of the southern city of Rafah.The military had called for an evacuation of the area earlier that day, saying Hamas militants were operating there. Alerts by the Civil Defense at the time said displaced Palestinians sheltering in the area had been hit and a team that went to rescue them was surrounded by Israeli troops. The available information indicates that the first team was killed by Israeli forces on 23 March, the U.N. said in a statement Sunday night. Further emergency teams that went to rescue the first team were struck one after another over several hours, it said. All the teams went out during daylight hours, according to the Civil Defense. Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The Israeli military said Sunday that on March 23, troops opened fire on vehicles that were advancing suspiciously toward them without emergency signals.It said an initial assessment determined that the troops killed a Hamas operative named Mohammed Amin Shobaki and eight other militants. Israel has struck ambulances and other emergency vehicles in the past, accusing Hamas militants of using them for transportation.However, none of the dead staffers from the Red Crescent and Civil Defense had that name, and no other bodies were reported found at the site, raising questions over the militarys suggestion that alleged militants were among the rescue workers. The military did not immediately respond to requests for the names of the other alleged militants killed or for comment on how the emergency workers came to be buried.After a ceasefire that lasted roughly two months, Israel relaunched its military campaign in Gaza on March 18. Since then, bombardment and new ground assaults that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The ministrys count does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but it says over half those killed are women and children.Aid workers say ambulance teams and humanitarian staff have come under fire in the renewed assault. A worker with the charity World Central Kitchen was killed Friday by an Israeli strike that hit next to a kitchen distributing free meals. A March 19 Israeli tank strike on a U.N. compound killed a staffer, the U.N. said, though Israel denies being behind the blast. Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mourners carry the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Mass graveFor days, Israeli forces would not allow access to the site where the emergency teams disappeared, the U.N. said.On Wednesday, a U.N. convoy tried to reach the site but encountered Israeli troops opening fire on people.The convoy saw a woman who had been shot lying in the road. The dashboard video shows staff talking about retrieving the woman. Then two people are seen walking across the road. Gunfire rings out and they flee. One stumbles, apparently wounded, before he is shot and falls onto his face to the ground. The U.N. said the team retrieved the body of the woman and left. On Sunday, the U.N. said teams were able to reach the site after the Israeli military informed it where it had buried the bodies, in a barren area on the edges of Tel al-Sultan. Footage released by the U.N shows workers from PRCS and Civil Defense, wearing masks and bright orange vests, digging through hills of dirt that appeared to have been piled up by Israeli bulldozers.The footage shows them digging out multiple bodies wearing orange emergency vests. Some of the bodies are found piled on top of each other. At one point, they pull out a body in a Civil Defense vest out of the dirt, and it is revealed to be a torso with no legs. Several ambulances and a U.N. vehicle, all heavily damaged or torn apart, are also buried in the dirt. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave, said Jonathan Whittall, with the U.N. humanitarian office OCHA, speaking at the site in the video. Were digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives.Its absolute horror what has happened here, he said. Mourners follow the convoy carrying the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mourners follow the convoy carrying the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More FuneralsA giant crowd gathered on Monday outside the morgue of Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis as the bodies of the eight slain PRCS workers were brought out for funerals. Their bodies were laid out on stretchers wrapped in white cloth with the Red Crescent logo on it and their photos, as family and others held funeral prayers over them. Funerals for the seven others followed.They were killed in cold blood by the Israeli occupation, despite the clear nature of their humanitarian mission, Raed al-Nimis, the Red Crescent spokesperson in Gaza, told the AP.Israeli troops have killed at least 30 Red Crescent medics over the course of the war. Among them were two killed in February 2024 when they tried to rescue Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old girl who was killed along with six other relatives when they were trapped in their car under Israeli fire in northern Gaza. From Geneva, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jagan Chapagain, said the staffer killed last week wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked.All humanitarians must be protected, he said.___Keath and Khaled reported from Cairo LEE KEATH Keath is the chief editor for feature stories in the Middle East for The Associated Press. He has reported from Cairo since 2005. twitter mailto

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen near sunset in Washington, Oct. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)2025-03-31T17:34:02Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court appeared Monday to be leaning toward a Catholic charitable organization pushing back against the state of Wisconsin in the latest religious rights case to come before the court.In a case that could have wide-ranging effects, the justices suggested the Catholic Charities Bureau should not have to pay unemployment taxes because the work of the social services agency is motivated by religious beliefs, and the state exempts religious groups from the tax.Isnt it a fundamental principle of our First Amendment that the state shouldnt be picking and choosing between religions? Justice Neil Gorsuch said. The dispute is one of three cases involving religion under consideration this term by the justices who have issued a string of decisions siding with churches and religious plaintiffs. The others involve religious objections to books read in public schools and public funding for religious schools. The charities dont qualify for the tax exemption because the day-to-day services it provides dont involve religious teachings, Colin Roth, an attorney for Wisconsin, argued. Catholic Charities has paid the tax for over 50 years, and if the court finds it can claim the exemption that could open the door to big employers like religiously-affiliated hospitals pulling out of the state unemployment system as well, he said. While Roth faced a grilling from both liberal and conservative justices, some like Amy Coney Barrett also raised questions about how far such exemptions would go. One of the problems here is figuring out what the line is, she said. The Trump administration weighed in to support the charity, urging the court to toss out a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling siding with the state. The state high court misinterpreted a federal law when it found that both the motivations and the work itself has to be religious for organizations to avoid paying the tax, Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon said. I do think that the Wisconsin Supreme Court deserves to know that it was incorrect, he said. The arguments coincidentally come the day before a closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court election thats drawn the involvement of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk.Catholic Charites argues the state supreme court decision violates religious freedoms protected by the First Amendment by making determinations about what work qualifies as religious. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan was among those questioning Wisconsins contention that one way organizations can get the exemption is by actively proselytizing. Some faiths, she pointed out, purposely avoid attempting to convert people. I thought it was pretty fundamental that we dont treat some religions better than other religions, she said. Wisconsin exempts church-controlled organizations from unemployment tax if they are operated primarily for religious purposes. The Catholic Charities Bureau, though, has paid the tax since 1972. Much of the groups funding is from public money, and neither employees or people receiving services have to subscribe to any faith, according to court papers from the state. If the Supreme Court sides with the charity, employees would be covered by the faiths unemployment system, an option it argues is better than the states system. The state says the costs are about the same, but the state offers more due process for employees who feel claims were wrongly denied. A decision is expected by late June. 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

Jets chairman Woody Johnson, the only owner to receive an F grade in the NFLPA annual team report card, dismissed the findings Monday, calling the survey "totally bogus."

Retired NFL start defensive back Richard Sherman said Monday on X that robbers with guns hit his house over the weekend while his family was at home. He posted security photos and a video, asking for help in finding the perpetrators.

Everything you need to know about the 2025 McDonald's All American girls' game on April 1 (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant is expected to miss at least one week with a left ankle sprain, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Police guard trucks loaded with avocados on their way to the city of Uruapan in Santa Ana Zirosto, Michoacan state, Mexico, Jan. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Solis, File)2025-03-31T20:43:39Z NEW YORK (AP) As the trade wars launched by U.S. President Donald Trump continue to escalate, all eyes are on Wednesday.Trump has repeatedly called April 2 Liberation Day, with promises to roll out a set of tariffs, or taxes on imports from other countries, that he says will free the U.S. from a reliance on foreign goods. To do this, Trump has said hell impose reciprocal tariffs to match the duties that other countries charge on U.S. products. But a lot remains unknown about how these levies will actually be implemented. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump would unveil his plans to place reciprocal tariffs on nearly all American trading partners on Wednesday, but maintained that the details are up to the president to announce.Since taking office just months ago, Trump has proven to be aggressive with tariff threats, all while creating a sense of whiplash through on-again, off-again trade actions. And its possible that well see more delays or confusion this week. Trump has argued that tariffs protect U.S. industries from unfair foreign competition, raise money for the federal government and provide leverage to demand concessions from other countries. But economists stress that broad tariffs at the rates suggested by Trump could backfire. Tariffs typically trickle down to the consumer through higher prices and businesses worldwide also have a lot to lose if their costs rise and their sales fall. Import taxes already in effect, coupled with uncertainty around future trade actions and possible retaliations, have already roiled financial markets and lowered consumer confidence while enveloping many with questions that could delay hiring and investment.Heres what you need to know. What will happen on April 2?Details around Trumps plans remain uncertain. Reciprocal tariffs could take the form of product-by-product duties, for example, or more broad averages imposed across all goods from each country or perhaps something else entirely. The rates could reflect what other countries charge as well as their value added taxes and subsidies to domestic companies.White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Fox News Sunday that the tariffs could raise $600 billion annually, which would imply an average rate of 20%.Trump has talked about taxing the European Union, South Korea, Brazil and India, among other countries, through these levies. On Monday, Leavitt said Trump had been presented with several proposals by his advisers. She added that the president would make a final decision, but right now was not contemplating any country-wide exemptions from the tariffs.Previously-delayed import taxes could take effect very soon. Trumps month-long delay for many goods from Canada and Mexico, for example, is set to elapse in early April. Earlier this month, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the extension granted for Mexican imports covered by the USMCA runs through April 2. But further confirmation around a specific date has not been issued since. Which of Trumps tariffs are about to start?Trump has said he will place a 25% tariff on all imports from any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela, which includes the U.S. itself, starting Wednesday in addition to imposing new tariffs on the South American country.His 25% tariffs on auto imports will start being collected Thursday, with taxes on fully-imported cars kicking off at midnight. The tariffs are set to expand to applicable auto parts in the following weeks, through May 3.The White House says it expects to raise $100 billion in revenue annually from these new duties, but economists stress this trade action will upend the auto industrys global supply chain and lead to higher prices for consumers. Which tariffs have already gone into effect?Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports beginning Feb. 4, a levy he later doubled to 20% from March 4 onward. And China has hit back with retaliatory tariffs covering a range of U.S. goods, including a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products and 10% tariff on crude oil from the U.S. that took effect Feb 10. China also imposed tariffs of up to 15% on key U.S. farm exports starting March 10.Trumps expanded steel and aluminum tariffs went into effect earlier this month, too. Both metals are now taxed at 25% across the board with Trumps order to remove steel exemptions and raise aluminums levy from his previously-imposed 2018 import taxes taking effect March 12. Canada and Mexico, Americas two largest trading partners, have also faced steep tariffs. Earlier this month, Trump implemented a partial, month-long delay of his 25% tariffs on both countries delaying taxes for auto-related imports as well as goods that comply with the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement until early April. But other imports are still levied, as well as a lower 10% duty on potash and Canadian energy products. In response to these tariffs, as well as the new steel and aluminum import taxes, Canada has rolled out a series of counter measures amounting to billions of dollars on U.S. goods. Mexico, meanwhile, has yet to formally impose new levies signaling it may still hope to de-escalate the trade war, although the country previously promised retaliation to Trumps actions. Can we expect additional tariffs down the road? Even more tariffs from Trump are likely, with the president also threatening import taxes on products like copper, lumber, pharmaceutical drugs and computer chips.And many countries have promised retaliatory measures if not already imposed them, like Canada. Trump has said he wont negotiate with other countries on Wednesdays tariffs until after theyre imposed, though he has said his 25% taxes on auto imports would be permanent.In response to Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs, the European Union announced measures on U.S. goods worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion) to target steel and aluminum products, but also American beef, poultry, bourbon, motorcycles, peanut butter and jeans. The 27-member bloc had intended to roll out this retaliatory trade action in two phases, on Tuesday and April 13, but later said it will delay it until mid-April, without giving a specific date.Well potentially see more retaliatory announcements this week, particularly if Trump confirms more details of sweeping reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday._________Associated Press Writers Josh Boak and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. 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

Our NBA insiders break down six things to keep your eye on in the last two weeks of the NBA regular season.

Ruben Amorim has offered a positive fitness update with Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro available to play against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

French far right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen attends a party meeting in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon. File)2025-03-31T19:41:57Z PARIS (AP) For years, Marine Le Pen stood at the gates of power poised, relentless and rising. She stripped the French far right of its old symbols, sanded down its roughest edges and built in its place a sleek, disciplined machine with the single goal of winning the countrys presidency.In 2022, she came closer than anyone thought possible, winning more than 40% of the vote in the runoff against Emmanuel Macron. The lyse Palace seemed within reach. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen poses prior to an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, after a French court convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris. (Thomas Samson, Pool via AP) Far-right leader Marine Le Pen poses prior to an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, after a French court convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris. (Thomas Samson, Pool via AP) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Now her political future may lay in ruins. On Monday, a French court convicted Le Pen of embezzling European Union funds and barred her from holding office for five years. The sentence may have done more than just potentially remove her from the next presidential race. It may have ended the most sustained far-right bid for power in Western Europe since World War II surpassed only, in outcome, by Italys prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.But the political earthquake Le Pen set in motion will rumble for years to come. Honorary President of far-right party National Front Jean-Marie Le Pen, left, and his daughter French far-right leader and National Front Party candidate for the 2012 French presidential elections, Marine Le Pen, react during a campaign meeting, in Marseille, southern France, March 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File) Honorary President of far-right party National Front Jean-Marie Le Pen, left, and his daughter French far-right leader and National Front Party candidate for the 2012 French presidential elections, Marine Le Pen, react during a campaign meeting, in Marseille, southern France, March 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A family inheritance reforgedLe Pen was born in 1968 into a family already on the fringes of French politics. In 1972, her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, founded the National Front party rooted in racism, antisemitism and a yearning for Frances lost empire.She was just 8 years old when a bomb destroyed the familys apartment in Paris in what was widely seen as an assassination attempt on her father. No one was seriously hurt, but the blast marked her for life. She has said it gave her a lasting sense that her family was hated, and that they would never be treated like other people. As a young woman, she studied law, became a defense attorney and learned how to argue her way through hostile rooms. In politics, she didnt wait her turn. In 2011, she wrested control of the party from her father. In 2015, she expelled him after one of his Holocaust-denying tirades.She renamed the party the National Rally. She replaced leather-jacketed radicals with tailored blazers and talking points. She talked less about race, more about the French way of life. She warned of civilizational threats, called for bans on headscarves and promised to put French families first. Her tone changed. Her message didnt.In one of her sharpest political maneuvers, she sought out a group long despised by her father: the LGBTQ community. Le Pen filled her inner circle with openly gay aides, skipped public protests against same-sex marriage and framed herself as a protector of sexual minorities against Islamist danger.Critics called it pinkwashing a cosmetic tolerance masking deeper hostility. But it worked. A surprising number of gay voters, especially younger ones, started backing her. Many saw strength, clarity and the promise of order in a world spinning too fast. Far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen answers reporters after the second round of the legislative election, July 7, 2024, at the party election night headquarters in Paris. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File) Far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen answers reporters after the second round of the legislative election, July 7, 2024, at the party election night headquarters in Paris. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More From the fringe to the front lineShe ran for president three times: 2012, 2017 and 2022. Each time, she climbed higher. In her final campaign, she was confident, calm and media savvy. She leaned into her role as a single mother, posed with her cats and repeated her calls for national priority. She no longer shocked. She convinced.Behind her stood a constellation of far-right leaders cheering her on: Hungarys Viktor Orbn, Italys Matteo Salvini, the Netherlands Geert Wilders. They saw in her not only an ally, but a leader. Her mix of cultural nationalism, social media fluency and calculated restraint became a blueprint.Marine Le Pen posts pictures of her cat, talks about being a mother. But when it comes to policy, theres no softening, said Pierre Lefevre, a Paris-based consultant. It makes extreme positions seem more palatable, even to people who might otherwise be put off.When she lost in 2022, she didnt vanish. She regrouped, stayed present in parliament and prepared for 2027. Polls had her leading. Macron cannot run again.Then came Mondays verdict. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen leaves the National Rally headquarters after a French court convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, Monday, March 31, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla) French far-right leader Marine Le Pen leaves the National Rally headquarters after a French court convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, Monday, March 31, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The fallThe court found that Le Pen had siphoned millions of euros in public funds while serving in the European Parliament, paying party staff with money intended for EU assistants. Prosecutors described it as deliberate and organized. The court agreed.She was sentenced to two years of house arrest, fined 100,000 ($108,200) and banned from holding public office for five years. She said she would appeal. The house arrest sentence will be suspended during the appeal, but the ban on holding office takes effect immediately.Her allies erupted in outrage. Orbn declared, Je suis Marine I am Marine. Salvini called the ruling a declaration of war by Brussels. In Paris, her supporters called it political persecution. Her opponents fist-pumped in the streets. French far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen addresses supporters during an election campaign rally in Nice, southern France, Thursday April 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File) French far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen addresses supporters during an election campaign rally in Nice, southern France, Thursday April 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A changed political landscapeEven in disgrace, Le Pen remains one of the most consequential political figures of her time. She took a name that once evoked hatred and transformed it into a serious vehicle for national leadership. She made the far right electable. She blurred the line between fringe and power.Her party, the National Rally, became the largest last year in Frances lower house of parliament. Her handpicked successor, 29-year-old Jordan Bardella, now leads it. He is polished and popular, but he lacks broad political experience and name recognition.Whether Le Pen returns after her ban, fades into silence or reinvents herself again, her mark is permanent. She forced mainstream rivals to adapt to her language. She turned fear into votes and redefined what was politically possible in a republic once seen as immune to extremism.She never became president, but she changed the race and the rules.

A student protester stands in front of the statue of John Harvard, the first major benefactor of Harvard College, draped in the Palestinian flag, at an encampment of students protesting against the war in Gaza, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-03-31T20:41:29Z WASHINGTON (AP) Harvard University has become the latest target in the Trump administrations approach to fight campus antisemitism, with the announcement of a new comprehensive review that could jeopardize billions of dollars for the Ivy League college.A federal antisemitism task force is reviewing more than $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government to make sure the school is following civil rights laws, the administration announced Monday. The government also will examine $8.7 billion in grant commitments to Harvard and its affiliates.The same task force cut $400 million from Columbia University and threatened to slash billions more if it refused a list of demands from President Donald Trumps administration. Columbia agreed to many of the changes this month, drawing praise from some Jewish groups and condemnation from free speech groups, who see it as a stunning intrusion by the federal government. Dozens of other universities have been put on notice by the Trump administration that they could face similar treatment over allegations of antisemitism. The federal government is a major provider of revenue for American universities through grants for scientific research. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Harvard symbolizes the American Dream but has jeopardized its reputation by promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry. Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus, McMahon said in a statement.The announcement didnt say whether the government had made any specific demands of Harvard. The Education Department, the Health and Human Services Department and the U.S. General Services Administration are leading the review.The review will determine whether orders to halt work should be issued for certain contracts between Harvard and the federal government, the government said. The task force is also ordering Harvard to submit a list of all contracts with the federal government, both directly with the school or through any of its affiliates. The Task Force will continue its efforts to root out anti-Semitism and to refocus our institutions of higher learning on the core values that undergird a liberal education, said Sean Keveney, acting general counsel for Health and Human Services. We are pleased that Harvard is willing to engage with us on these goals.____The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. COLLIN BINKLEY Binkley covers the U.S. Education Department and federal education policy for The Associated Press, along with a wide range of issues from K-12 through higher education. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 31 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00969-5More than 200 federal grants for research related to HIV and AIDS have been abruptly terminated in the last few weeks.

St. John's has landed top-10 transfer Bryce Hopkins, sources told ESPN's Jeff Borzello. Hopkins, a forward, played the past three seasons at Providence.

Hawks star Trae Young has been named assistant GM for Oklahoma men's basketball and will assist with the evaluation of high school and transfer portal prospects.

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore talk to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)2025-03-31T19:45:02Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASAs celebrity astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said Monday that they hold themselves partly responsible for what went wrong on their space sprint-turned-marathon and would fly on Boeings Starliner again.SpaceX recently ferried the duo home after more than nine months at the International Space Station, filling in for Boeing that returned to Earth without them last year. In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Stations Harmony module and Boeings Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. (NASA via AP, File) In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Stations Harmony module and Boeings Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. (NASA via AP, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More In their first news conference since coming home, the pair said they were taken aback by all the interest and insisted they were only doing their job and putting the mission ahead of themselves and even their families.Wilmore didnt shy from accepting some of the blame for Boeings bungled test flight. Ill start and point the finger and Ill blame me. I could have asked some questions and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide, he told reporters. All the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this. Astronaut Butch Wilmore talks to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Astronaut Butch Wilmore talks to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Both astronauts said they would strap into Starliner again. Because were going to rectify all the issues that we encountered. Were going to fix them. Were going to make it work, Wilmore said, adding hed go back up in a heartbeat.Williams noted that Starliner has a lot of capability and she wants to see it succeed. The two will meet with Boeing leadership on Wednesday to provide a rundown on the flight and its problems.The longtime astronauts and retired Navy captains ended up spending 286 days in space 278 days more than planned when they blasted off on Boeings first astronaut flight on June 5. The test pilots had to intervene in order for the Starliner capsule to reach the space station, as thrusters failed and helium leaked. Astronaut Suni Williams talks to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Astronaut Suni Williams talks to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Their space station stay kept getting extended as engineers debated how to proceed. NASA finally judged Starliner too dangerous to bring Wilmore and Williams back and transferred them to SpaceX. But the launch of their replacements got stalled, stretching their mission beyond nine months. President Donald Trump urged SpaceXs Elon Musk to hurry things up, adding politics to the stuck astronauts ordeal. The dragged-out drama finally ended March 18 with a flawless splashdown by SpaceX off the Florida Panhandle.NASA said engineers still do not understand why Starliners thrusters malfunctioned; more tests are planned through the summer. If engineers can figure out the thruster and leak issues, Starliner is ready to go, Wilmore said. The space agency may require another test flight with cargo before allowing astronauts to climb aboard. That redo could come by years end. Despite Starliners rocky road, NASA officials said they stand behind the decision made years ago to have two competing U.S. companies providing taxi service to and from the space station. But time is running out: The space station is set to be abandoned in five years and replaced in orbit by privately operated labs. Astronaut Butch Wilmore talks to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Astronaut Butch Wilmore talks to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

All of the important fantasy spin and actionable takeaways resulting from the latest baseball news.

Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam said the team "took a big swing-and-miss" in acquiring QB Deshaun Watson and signing him to a $230 million deal that was fully guaranteed.

Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States peer through windows of an Eastern Airlines plane upon arriving at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)2025-03-31T22:14:46Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A federal judge on Monday paused plans by the Trump administration to end temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, a week before they were scheduled to expire.The order by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco is a relief for 350,000 Venezuelans whose Temporary Protected Status was scheduled to expire April 7. The lawsuit was filed by lawyers for the National TPS Alliance and TPS holders across the country. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also announced the end of TPS for an estimated 250,000 additional Venezuelans in September.Chen said in his ruling that the action by Noem threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States. He said the government had failed to identify any real countervailing harm in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries and said plaintiffs will likely succeed in showing that Noems actions are unauthorized by law, arbitrary and capricious, and motivated by unconstitutional animus. Chen, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, said his order applies nationally. He gave the government one week to file notice of an appeal and the plaintiffs one week to file to pause for 500,000 Haitians whose TPS protections are set to expire in August. Alejandro Mayorkas, the previous secretary, had extended protections for all three cohorts into 2026. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Congress created TPS, as the law is known, in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to live and work in the U.S. in increments of up to 18 months if the Homeland Security secretary deems conditions in their home countries are unsafe for return. The reversals are a major about-face from immigration policies under former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and come as Republican President Donald Trump and his top aides have ratcheted up attacks on judges who rule against them, with immigration being at the forefront of many disagreements. At a hearing last Monday, lawyers for TPS holders said that Noem has no authority to cancel the protections and that her actions were motivated in part by racism. They asked the judge to pause Noems orders, citing the irreparable harm to TPS holders struggling with fear of deportation and potential separation from family members. Government lawyers for Noem said that Congress gave the secretary clear and broad authority to make determinations related to the TPS program and that the decisions were not subject to judicial review. Plaintiffs have no right to thwart the secretarys orders from being carried out, they said. But Chen found the governments arguments unpersuasive and found that numerous derogatory and false comments by Noem and by Trump against Venezuelans as criminals show that racial animus was a motivator in ending protections. Acting on the basis of a negative group stereotype and generalizing such stereotype to the entire group is the classic example of racism, he wrote.Biden sharply expanded use of TPS and other temporary forms of protection in a strategy to create and expand legal pathways to live in the United States while suspending asylum for those who enter illegally.Trump has questioned the the impartiality of a federal judge who blocked his plans to deport Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, levelling his criticism only hours before his administration asked an appeals court to lift the judges order.The administration has also said it was revoking temporary protections for more than 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have come to the U.S. since October 2022 through another legal avenue called humanitarian parole, which Biden used more than any other president. Their two-year work permits will expire April 24.

Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

NFL owners on Monday approved flexing Sunday games to Thursday night with 21 days' notice. Previously, 28 days' notice was needed.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup Monday night against the Atlanta Braves after slipping in the shower and hurting his surgically repaired right ankle, an incident that manager Dave Roberts labeled "a little mishap."

After signing P.J. Tucker to two 10-day contracts, the New York Knicks plan to sign the forward to a two-year deal, sources told ESPN

A protester wearing a mask of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a march during a rally calling for Yoon to step down in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 29, 2025. The banner reads "Dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)2025-04-01T01:49:11Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas Constitutional Court will rule Friday on whether to dismiss impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.The opposition-controlled National Assembly in December voted to impeach Yoon over his short-lived martial law decree that plunged South Korea into political turmoil.The Constitutional Court has since been deliberating whether to uphold Yoons impeachment and formally remove him from office or reinstate his presidential powers.The Constitutional Court announced Tuesday it would issue the ruling Friday.

In this image provided by SpaceX shows from left: Eric Philips, a polar guide from Australia; Rabea Rogge, a robotics researcher from Germany; Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen and Chun Wang, a Chinese-born bitcoin investor who is paying for the whole spaceflight and now lives in Malta. (SpaceX via AP)2025-04-01T01:48:24Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) A bitcoin investor who bought a SpaceX flight for himself and three polar explorers blasted off Monday night on the first rocket ride to carry people over the north and south poles.Chun Wang, a Chinese-born entrepreneur, hurtled into orbit from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. SpaceXs Falcon rocket steered southward over the Atlantic, putting the space tourists on a path never flown before in 64 years of human spaceflight.Wang wont say how much he paid Elon Musks SpaceX for the 3 -day ultimate polar adventure. The first leg of their flight from Florida to the South Pole was expected to take barely a half-hour. From the targeted altitude of some 270 miles (430 kilometers), their fully automated capsule will circle the globe in roughly 1 hours including 46 minutes to fly from pole to pole.Wang has already visited the polar regions in person and wants to view them from space. The trip is also about pushing boundaries, sharing knowledge, he said ahead of the flight. Now a citizen of Malta, he took along three guests: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge and Australian polar guide Eric Philips. Mikkelsen, the first Norwegian bound for space, has flown over the poles before, but at a much lower altitude. She was part of the 2019 record-breaking mission that circumnavigated the world via the poles in a Gulfstream jet to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrins moon landing. The crew plans two dozen experiments including taking the first human X-rays in space and brought along more cameras than usual to document their journey called Fram2 after the Norwegian polar research ship from more than a century ago. Until now, no space traveler had ventured beyond 65 degrees north and south latitude, just shy of the Arctic and Antarctic circles. The first woman in space, the Soviet Unions Valentina Tereshkova, set that mark in 1963. Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, and other pioneering cosmonauts came almost as close, as did NASA shuttle astronauts in 1990. A polar orbit is ideal for climate and Earth-mapping satellites as well as spy satellites. Thats because a spacecraft can observe the entire world each day, circling Earth from pole to pole as it rotates below.Geir Klover, director of the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway, where the original polar ship is on display, hopes the trip will draw more attention to climate change and the melting polar caps. He lent the crew a tiny piece of the ships wooden deck that bears the signature of Oscar Wisting, who with Roald Amundsen in the early 1900s became the first to reach both poles.Wang pitched the idea of a polar flight to SpaceX in 2023, two years after U.S. tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made the first of two chartered flights with Musks company. Isaacman is now in the running for NASAs top job.SpaceXs Kiko Dontchev said late last week that the company is continually refining its training so normal people without traditional aerospace backgrounds can hop in a capsule ... and be calm about it. Wang and his crew view the polar flight like camping in the wild and embrace the challenge. Spaceflight is becoming increasingly routine and, honestly, Im happy to see that, Wang said via X last week.Wang said hes been counting up his flights since his first one in 2002, flying on planes, helicopters and hot air balloons in his quest to visit every country. So far, hes visited more than half. He arranged it so that liftoff would mark his 1,000th flight. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This photograph released by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense taken from a Taiwan Air Force P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, shows a Chinese Cloud Shadow WZ-10 drone near Taiwan, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)2025-04-01T02:42:44Z TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) The Chinese military launched large-scale drills in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday, as it warned the self-ruled island against seeking independence.The joint exercises involve navy, air ground and rocket forces, according to Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Peoples Liberation Armys Eastern Theater Command. The drills are meant to be a severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence, Shi said in a statement.China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.Taiwans Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. The drills come just two weeks after a large-scale exercise in mid-March, when Beijing sent a large number of drones and ships toward the island. Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a daily basis, seeking to wear down Taiwanese defenses and morale, although the vast majority of the islands 23 million people reject its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan. Faced with the rising threat from China, Taiwan has ordered new missiles, aircraft and other armaments from the U.S., while revitalizing its own defense industry.Taiwan and China split amid civil war 76 years ago, but tensions have risen in recent years as communication between the two governments has stopped.

Texas forward Madison Booker (35) shoots against TCU guard Donovyn Hunter (4) during the first half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 31, 2025. in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)2025-04-01T01:17:56Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness. Get the AP Top 25 womens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Madison Booker scored 18 points and No. 1 seed Texas used its stifling defense to reach the Final Four of the womens NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003, beating well-traveled point guard Hailey Van Lith and second-seeded TCU 58-47 on Monday night.The Longhorns (35-3) will face defending champion South Carolina on Friday night in Tampa, Florida, for a spot in the national title game.Texas and won a regional final for the first time in four tries under coach Vic Schaefer, who previously made two Final Four trips with Mississippi State. The Longhorns 35 wins are one more than its only national title-winning squad had in 1986 under Jody Conradt, who was in the stands Monday night and led Texas to its three previous Final Fours.Van Lith scored 17 points in her collegiate finale for TCU (34-4), but Texas neutralized the Horned Frogs star center, Sedona Prince, who had four points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 6:32 left in the game. TCU had never made it past the second round of March Madness, but Van Lith helped the Horned Frogs make program history while taking her third school to the Elite Eight. Booker, Texas offensive dynamo, scored 14 points in the second half. Rori Harmon added 13 points, 11 in the first half.Nothing came easy for the Horned Frogs high-scoring trio of Van Lith, Prince and Madison Conner. Van Lith shot 3 of 15 from the field but made 10 of 11 free throws. The 6-foot-7 Prince attempted only four shots, and Conner scored nine points.___AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-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. ALANIS THAMES Thames is an Associated Press sports writer based in Miami. She previously covered sports for the New York Times.

The death of Miller Gardner, the son of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, is being investigated as related to possible carbon monoxide poisoning.

The New Orleans Pelicans are shutting down Zion Williamson (back) and CJ McCollum (foot) for the rest of the season.

No. 1 seed Texas wore down No. 2 TCU 58-47 in the Elite Eight on Monday night and now heads to the women's Final Four for the first time since 2003.

Using a torpedo bat, Elly De La Cruz had a single, double and two home runs with seven RBIs, as the Cincinnati Reds routed the Texas Rangers 14-3 on Monday night, and after the win, manager Terry Francona said "I think it's more the player than the bat."

Sunlight shines through the flags of Canada and the United States, held together by a protester outside on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Feb. 1, 2025.(Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP, File)2025-04-01T04:04:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) With President Donald Trumps so-called Liberation Day of tariff implementation fast approaching, Senate Democrats are putting Republican support for some of those plans to the test by forcing a vote to nullify the emergency declaration that underpins the tariffs on Canada.Republicans have watched with some unease as the presidents attempts to remake global trade have sent the stock market downward, but they have so far stood by Trumps on-again-off-again threats to levy taxes on imported goods. Even as the resolution from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia offered them a potential off-ramp to the tariffs levied on Canadian imports, Republican leaders were trying to keep senators in line by focusing on fentanyl that comes into the U.S. over its northern border. It was yet another example of how Trump is not only reorienting global economics, but upending his partys longtime support for ideas like free trade. I really relish giving my Republican colleagues the chance to not just say theyre concerned, but actually take an action to stop these tariffs, Kaine told The Associated Press in an interview last week. Kaines resolution would end the emergency declaration that Trump signed in February to implement tariffs on Canada as punishment for not doing enough to halt the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. If the Senate passes the resolution, it would still need to be taken up by the Republican-controlled House. A small fraction of the fentanyl that comes into the U.S. enters from Canada. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the northern border during the 2024 fiscal year, and since January, authorities have seized less than 1.5 pounds, according to federal data. Meanwhile, at the southern border, authorities seized over 21,000 pounds last year.Kaine warned that tariffs on Canadian goods would ripple through the economy, making it more expensive to build homes and military ships. Were going to pay more for our food products. Were going to pay more for building supplies, he said. So people are already complaining about grocery prices and housing costing too much. So you raise the cost of building supplies and products. Its a big deal.Still, Trump has claimed that the amount of fentanyl coming from Canada is massive and pledged to follow through by executing tariffs Wednesday.There will never have been a transformation of a Country like the transformation that is happening, for all to see, in the United States of America, the president said on social media Monday.Republican leaders in the Senate have signaled they arent exactly fans of tariffs, but argued that Trump is using them as a negotiating tool.I am supportive of using tariffs in a way to accomplish a specific objective, in this case ending drug traffic, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters last month. He said this week that his advice remains the same.While Trumps close allies in the Senate were standing steadfastly by the idea of remaking the U.S. economy through tariffs, others have begun openly voicing their dissatisfaction with trade wars that could disrupt industries and raise prices on autos, groceries, housing and other goods. Im keeping a close eye on all these tariffs because oftentimes the first folks that are hurt in a trade war are your farmers and ranchers, said Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican.Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said he would prefer to see the U.S. and its trading partners move to remove all tariffs on each other, but he conceded that Trumps tariff threats had injected uncertainty into global markets.Were in uncharted waters, Kennedy told reporters. Nobody knows what the impact of these tariffs is going to be. STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A damaged apartment is seen after being hit by an Israeli targeted strike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The IDF reported that it conducted a strike on a southern Beirut suburb, aiming at a Hezbollah operative, marking the second such attack since the November ceasefire.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)2025-04-01T01:38:55Z BEIRUT (AP) The Israeli military struck a building in Beiruts southern suburbs early Tuesday, killing at least three people, in an attack it said said it targeted a member of the Hezbollah militant group.The airstrike came without warning days after Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday for the first time since a ceasefire ended fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group in November. The Israeli military had warned residents in the crowded suburbs before the attack after two projectiles were launched from southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah denied firing.At least seven other people were wounded in the airstrike, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.The Israeli military said in a statement the latest strike targeted a Hezbollah member who had been helping the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip in attacks against Israel. It said the airstrike was under the direction of the Shin Bet, Israels domestic intelligence agency. Hezbollah did not comment on the strike. There was no immediate word on casualties.Photos and videos widely shared on local and social media showed the top three floors of an apartment building damaged following the strike. Piles of debris covered cars below the building. Jets were heard in parts of the Lebanese capital before the strike near the Hay Madi neighborhood. During Israels last war with Hezbollah, Israeli drones and jets regularly pounded the southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has wide influence and support. Israel sees the area as a militant stronghold and accuses the group of storing weapons there. We were at home. It was Eid al-Fitr, said Hussein Nour El-Din, a resident in the neighborhood, referring to the Islamic holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. We didnt know where it happened, but once the smoke cleared we saw it was the building facing us. The leader of Lebanons Hezbollah group, Sheikh Naim Kassem, warned Saturday that if Israels attacks on Lebanon continued and if Lebanons government does not act to stop them, the group would eventually resort to other alternatives.Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January, while Hezbollah had to end its armed presence south of the Litani River along the border with Israel.Israel has launched daily strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect, saying it targets Hezbollah officials and infrastructure. The Lebanese military has gradually deployed in the countrys southern region, and Beirut has urged the international community to pressure Israel to stop attacks and withdraw its forces still present on five hilltops in Lebanese territory. KAREEM CHEHAYEB Chehayeb is an Associated Press reporter in Beirut. twitter instagram mailto

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball on Monday after a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug chorionic gonadotropin.

Left-hander Garrett Crochet and the Red Sox are in agreement on a six-year, $170 million contract extension, sources told ESPN, keeping the 25-year-old ace with the organization that traded for him this winter to lead its rotation.

Khalid Ahmad holds a poster of his 17-year-old son, Waleed, who died in an Israeli prison, that reads in Arabic, "The hero prisoner Martyr, mercy and eternity for our righteous Martyrs," in the West Bank town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)2025-04-01T04:10:37Z JERUSALEM (AP) A 17-year-old from the West Bank who was held in an Israeli prison for six months without being charged died after collapsing in unclear circumstances, becoming the first Palestinian teen to die in Israeli detention, officials said.Walid Ahmad was a healthy high schooler before his arrest in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said. Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.Prison authorities deny any systematic abuse and say they investigate accusations of wrongdoing by prison staff. But the Israeli ministry overseeing prisons acknowledges conditions inside detention facilities have been reduced to the minimum level allowed under Israeli law. Israels prison service did not respond to questions about the cause of death. It said only that a 17-year-old from the West Bank had died in Megiddo Prison, a facility that has previously been accused of abusing Palestinian inmates, with his medical condition being kept confidential. It said it investigates all deaths in detention. Khalid Ahmad, Walids father, said his son was a lively teen who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken from his home in the occupied West Bank during a pre-dawn arrest raid.Six months later, after several brief court appearances during which no trial date was set, Walid collapsed on March 23 in a prison yard and struck his head, dying soon after, Palestinians officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from other prisoners. The family believes Walid contracted amoebic dysentery from the poor conditions in the prison, an infection that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness and can be fatal if left untreated.Walid is the 63rd Palestinian prisoner from the West Bank or Gaza to die in Israeli custody since the start of the war, according to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank. Palestinian prisoner rights groups say that is about one-fifth of the roughly 300 Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the beginning of the war. Conditions in Israeli prisons have worsened since the start of the war, former detainees told The Associated Press. They described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks and poor sanitary conditions.Israels National Security Ministry, which oversees the prison service and is run by ultranationalist Cabinet Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of reducing the conditions of Palestinian detainees to the minimum required by law. It says the policy is aimed at deterring attacks. Dont worry about meIsrael has rounded up thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying it suspects them of militancy. Many have been held for months without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention, which Israel justifies as a necessary security measure. Others are arrested on suspicion of aggression toward soldiers but have their trials continuously delayed, as the military and Israels security services gather evidence. Walid sat through at least four court appearances over videoconference, his father said, but each time the judge delayed, eventually setting an April 21 trial date. Each session was about three minutes, Walids father said. In a February session, four months after Walid was detained, his father noticed that his son appeared to be in poor health.His body was weakened due to malnutrition in the prisons in general, the elder Ahmad said. He said Walid told him he had gotten scabies a contagious skin rash caused by mites that causes intense itching but had been cured. Dont worry about me, his father remembers him saying.Khalid Ahmad later visited his sons friend, a former soccer teammate who had been held with Walid in the same prison. The friend told him Walid had lost weight but that he was OK.Four days later, the family heard that a 17-year-old had died in the prison. An hour and half later, they got the news that it was Walid.We felt the same way as all the parents of the prisoners and all the families and mothers of the prisoners, said Khalid Ahmad. We can only say Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to him we shall return. Cause of death is unknownWalids lawyer, Firas al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to visit his client in prison. But he says three prisoners held alongside Walid told him that he was suffering from dysentery, saying it was widespread among young Palestinians held at the facility.They said Walid suffered from severe diarrhea, vomiting, headaches and dizziness, the lawyer said. He said they suspected the disease was spreading because of dirty water, as well as cheese and yogurt that prison guards brought in the morning and that sat out all day while detainees were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Megiddo, in northern Israel, is the harshest prison for minors, al-Jabrini said. He said he was told that rooms designed for six prisoners often held 16, with some sleeping on the floor. Many complained of scabies and eczema.Thaer Shriteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authoritys detainee commission, said Walid collapsed and hit his head on a metal rod, losing consciousness. The prison administration did not respond to the prisoners requests for urgent care to save his life, he said, citing witnesses who spoke to the commission.The lawyer and the Palestinian official both said an autopsy is needed to determine the cause of death. Israel has agreed to perform one but a date has not been set.The danger in this matter is that the Israeli occupation authorities have not yet taken any action to stop this (disease) and have not provided any treatment in general to save the prisoners in Megiddo prison, Shriteh said.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war JULIA FRANKEL Frankel is an Associated Press reporter in Jerusalem. twitter mailto

In a convincing 18-3 victory over the Athletics Monday night, Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly hit for the cycle, becoming the first player to do so in the month of March, and just the 17th catcher with a cycle in MLB history, according to ESPN Research.

After her team's exit in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles has decided to forgo the WNBA draft, despite being projected as the No. 2 overall selection, and enter the transfer portal, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday.

Herders and farmers from left, Adama Sow, Oumar Ba and Daka Sow walk outside Niti Yone, northern Senegal, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jack Thompson)2025-04-01T05:13:21Z DAKAR, Senegal (AP) Rusting pipes in a barren field and unpaid workers are what remain after a U.S. company promised to turn a huge piece of land in Senegal about twice the size of Paris into an agricultural project and create thousands of jobs.In interviews with company officials and residents, The Associated Press explored one of the growing number of foreign investment projects targeting Africa, home to about 60% of the worlds remaining uncultivated arable land. Many, like this one, fail, often far from public notice.Internal company documents seen by the AP show how the Senegalese-government-endorsed plans for exporting animal feed to wealthy Gulf nations fell apart.At first glance, the landscape of stark acacia trees on the edge of the Sahara Desert doesnt hold much agricultural promise. But in an age of climate change, foreign investors are looking at this and other African landscapes. The continent has seen a third of the worlds large-scale land acquisitions between 2000 and 2020, mostly for agriculture, according to researchers from the International Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. But 23% of those deals have failed after sometimes ambitious plans to feed the world.In 2021, the Senegalese village of Niti Yone welcomed investors Frank Timis and Gora Seck from a U.S.-registered company, African Agriculture. Over cups of sweet green tea, the visitors promised to employ hundreds of locals and, one day, thousands. Timis, originally from Romania, was the majority stakeholder. His companies have mined for gold, minerals and fossil fuels across West Africa.Seck, a Senegalese mining investor, chaired an Italian company whose biofuel plans for the land parcel had failed. It sold the 50-year lease for 20,000 hectares to Timis for $7.9 million. Seck came on as president of African Agricultures Senegalese subsidiary and holds 4.8% of its shares. Now the company wanted the communitys approval.The land was next to Senegals largest freshwater lake, for which the company obtained water rights. African Agriculture planned to grow alfalfa and export it to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Both traditionally buy alfalfa from the U.S., but land in alfalfa production there has dropped by 38% in the last 20 years, largely due to drought caused by climate change, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The proposal divided the community of subsistence farmers. Herders that raised livestock on the land for generations opposed it. Others, like Doudou Ndiaye Mboup, thought it could help ease Senegals unemployment crisis.I bought their dream. I saw thousands of young Africans with jobs and prosperity, said Mboup, who was later employed as an electrician and now leads a union of employees. Despite the formation of an opposition group called the Ndiael Collective, African Agriculture moved ahead, hiring about 70 of the communitys 10,000 residents.After planting a 300-hectare pilot plot of alfalfa, the company announced in November 2022 it would go public to raise funds. African Agriculture valued the company at $450 million. The Oakland Institute, an environmental think tank in the U.S., questioned that amount and called the deal bad for food security as well as greenhouse gas emissions.The company went public in December 2023, with shares trading at $8 on the NASDAQ exchange. It raised $22.6 million during the offering but had to pay $19 million to the listed but inactive company it had merged with.That payment signaled trouble to investors. It showed that the other company, 0X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. II, didnt want to hold its 98% of stock. And it highlighted the way African Agriculture had used the merger to bypass the vetting process needed for listing.One year later, shares in African Agriculture were worth almost nothing.Now, security guards patrol the lands barbed-wire perimeter, blocking herders and farmers from using it. The company has been delisted.Mboup said he and others havent been paid for six months. The workers took the company to employment court in Senegal to claim about $180,000 in unpaid wages. In February, they burned tires outside the companys office. Mboup later said an agreement was reached for back wages to be paid in June. I took out loans to build a house and now I cant pay it back, said Mboup, who had been making $200 a month, just above average for Senegal. Ive sold my motorbike and sheep to feed my children and send them to school, but many are not so lucky.Timis didnt respond to questions. Seck told the AP he was no longer affiliated with African Agriculture. Current CEO Mike Rhodes said he had been advised to not comment.Herders and farmers are furious and have urged Senegals government to let them use the land. But that rarely happens. In a study of 63 such foreign deals, the International Institute of Social Studies found only 11% of land was returned to the community. In most cases, the land is offered to other investors. We want to work with the government to rectify this situation. If not, we will fight, warned Bayal Sow, the areas deputy mayor.The Senegalese minister of agriculture, food sovereignty and herding, Mabouba Diagne, did not respond to questions. The African Agriculture deal occurred under the previous administration.The failed project has undermined community trust, said herder Adama Sow, 74: Before we lived in peace, but now theres conflict for those of us who supported them.Meanwhile, African Agricultures former CEO has moved on to a bigger land deal elsewhere on the continent with experts raising questions again.In August, South African Alan Kessler announced his new company, African Food Security, partnering with a Cameroonian, Baba Danpullo. It has announced a project roughly 30 times the size of the Senegal one, with 635,000 hectares in Congo and Cameroon.The new company seeks $875 million in investment. The companys investor prospectus, obtained by the AP, says it planned to register in Abu Dhabi.In an interview with the AP in January, Kessler blamed the failure of the Senegal project on the way African Agricultures public offering was structured. He said there were no plans for a public offering this time.He claimed his new companys project would double corn production in these countries, and described African Food Security as the most incredibly important development company on the planet. He said they have started to grow corn on 200 hectares in Cameroon.Experts who looked over the prospectus raised concerns about its claims, including an unusually high projection for corn yields. Kessler rejected those concerns.When he was CEO of African Agriculture, Kessler also made lofty claims about food production, job creation, exports and investment returns that did not pan out, said Rene Vellv, co-founder of GRAIN, a Spain-based nonprofit for land rights.Hype without proof was a key strategy for African Agriculture, said its former chief operating officer, Javier Orellana, who said he is owed 165,000 euros in unpaid salary after leaving the company in 2023.He told the AP he had been suspicious of the companys $450 million valuation.I know the agriculture industry well and ($450 million) didnt add up, Orellana said, adding he stayed on because the company gave him what he called a very attractive offer.In the end, a share in African Agriculture is now worth less than a penny.We are looking forward to going back to Senegal, Kessler said. We were appreciated there. Weve been welcomed back there. ___For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse___The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Real Betis midfielder Isco has joked that crowdfunding will be needed to keep Manchester United's loanee Antony at the club for at least next season.

Erling Haaland is set for a spell on the sideline with an ankle injury picked up against Bournemouth on Sunday, but Manchester City remain hopeful the striker will be able to play again this season and take part in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.

Wrexham reported record financial results for their first year back in the EFL in the latest chapter of the club's success story.

Defender Tierna Davidson will miss the United States women's national team's upcoming pair of games against Brazil due to a knee injury, U.S. Soccer announced on Monday.

Chelsea recorded a pre-tax profit before taxation of 128.4 million pounds ($165.83 million) for the year ending in June despite a fall in revenue thanks to the repositioning of their women's team, the Premier League club said on Monday.

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will face off in Hong Kong in July for what will be the first north London derby to take place outside of the UK.

Nature, Published online: 01 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01007-0China has already taken steps to reduce retractions of papers from its hospitals

Nature, Published online: 01 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01005-2Action needed to mitigate effects of slashing USAID

Sporting Kansas City have have parted ways with manager Peter Vermes the Major League Soccer club announced on Monday.

Behind 31 points and six assists, Paige Bueckers lifted No. 2 seed UConn to a 78-64 win over No. 1 seed USC in the Spokane 4 regional final, clinching the team's 16th Final Four appearance in 17 years and 24th overall.

Myanmar's rescuers work through rubble of a collapsed building following Friday's earthquake in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)2025-04-01T06:46:24Z BANGKOK (AP) The death toll from the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar has surpassed 2,700, with thousands more injured, Myanmar media reported Tuesday.The head of Myanmars military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum in the capital, Naypyitaw, that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, the Western News online portal reported.With many areas hit by Fridays earthquake still not reached by rescue crews, those numbers are still expected to rise.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.BANGKOK (AP) Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Myanmars capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war. The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred at midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours. Death toll numbers forecast to increaseThe earthquakes epicenter was near the countrys second-largest city, Mandalay, and the military-run government has reported 2,065 people killed so far, more than 3,900 injured and 270 missing. Those figures are widely expected to rise, but the earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, leaving the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay and Naypyitaw.The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour, said Julia Rees, UNICEFs deputy representative for Myanmar. The window for lifesaving response is closing. Across the affected areas, families are facing acute shortages of clean water, food, and medical supplies.Myanmars fire department said that 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and 259 bodies have been found so far. In one incident alone, 50 Buddhist monks who were taking a religious exam in a monastery were killed when the building collapsed and 150 more are thought to be buried in the rubble. Structural damage is extensiveThe World Health Organization said that more than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged in central and northwest Myanmar.The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers. Two bodies were pulled from the rubble on Monday but dozens were still missing. Overall, there were 20 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site. In Myanmar, search and rescue efforts across the affected area paused briefly at midday on Tuesday as people stood for a minute in silent tribute to the dead. Relief efforts moving at a sluggish paceForeign aid workers have been arriving slowly to help in the rescue efforts, but progress was still slow with a lack of heavy machinery in many places.In one site in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, workers formed a human chain, passing chunks of brick and concrete out hand-by-hand from the ruins of a collapsed building. The Myanmar military governments official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers saved four people the day before from the ruins of the Sky Villa, a large apartment complex that collapsed during the quake. They included a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours. The same publication also reported two teenagers were able to crawl out of the rubble of the same building to where rescue crews were working, using their cellphone flashlights to help guide them. The rescue workers were then able to use details from what they told them to locate their grandmother and sibling.International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries. The U.S. Embassy said an American team had been sent but hadnt yet arrived. Aid pledges pouring in as officials warn of disease outbreak riskMeantime, multiple countries have pledged millions in aid to assist Myanmar and humanitarian aid organizations with the monumental task ahead.Even before the earthquake, more than 3 million people had been displaced from their homes by Myanmars brutal civil war, and nearly 20 million were in need, according to the U.N. Many were already lacking in basic medical care and standard vaccinations, and the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure by the earthquake raises the risk of disease outbreaks, warned the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.The displacement of thousands into overcrowded shelters, coupled with the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, has significantly heightened the risk of communicable disease outbreaks, OCHA said in its latest report. Vulnerability to respiratory infections, skin diseases, vector-borne illnesses such as dengue fever, and vaccine-preventable diseases like measles is escalating, it added. The onset of monsoon season also a worryShelter is also a major problem, especially with the monsoon season looming. Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.Civil war complicates disaster reliefMyanmars military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance and a brutal civil war.Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake.Military attacks and those from some anti-military groups have not stopped in the aftermath of the earthquake, though the shadow opposition National Unity Government has called a unilateral ceasefire for its forces.The NUG, established by elected lawmakers who were ousted in 2021, called for the international community to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered directly to the earthquake victims, urging vigilance against any attempts by the military junta to divert or obstruct humanitarian assistance.We are in a race against time to save lives, the NUG said in a statement. Any obstruction to these efforts will have devastating consequences, not only due to the impact of the earthquake but also because of the juntas continued brutality, which actively hinders the delivery of lifesaving assistance.It wasnt immediately clear whether the military has been impeding humanitarian aid. In the past, it initially refused to allow in foreign rescue teams or many emergency supplies after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which resulted in well more than 100,000 deaths. Even once it did allow foreign assistance, it was with severe restrictions.In this case, however, the head of Myanmars military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, pointedly said on the day of the earthquake that the country would accept outside help. Tom Andrews, a monitor on rights in Myanmar commissioned by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, said on X that to facilitate aid, military attacks must stop.The focus in Myanmar must be on saving lives, not taking them, he said.___Grant Peck in Bangkok and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this story. DAVID RISING Rising covers regional Asia-Pacific stories for The Associated Press. He has worked around the world, including covering the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and was based for nearly 20 years in Berlin before moving to Bangkok. twitter mailto