Boston's designated hitter has struck out 15 times and has no hits through the first five games. Here's what history tells us about his bad start.

Detroit's Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and Ron Holland II and Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid were all suspended for their roles in Sunday's skirmish.

Nature, Published online: 01 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00972-wMulti-year episodes of the climatic pattern are much more frequent now than they were seven millennia ago.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Harry Kane said he is unsure about a Premier League return and said he is already playing at the highest level.

Arsenal defender Gabriel was forced off with an apparent right hamstring injury early in the Premier League game against Fulham on Tuesday

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., walks with reporters on the way to a closed-door Republican Conference strategy session, at the Capitol, in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-04-01T20:14:50Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump says his tariff announcements slated for Wednesday will amount to a Liberation Day for the United States. But American businesses and financial markets are unlikely to be freed from the uncertainty generated by his often stop-and-go trade policy.Some big questions will be resolved when Trump announces what are expected to be reciprocal tariffs that involve raising U.S. import duties to be equal to the levies that other countries impose on U.S. goods. Companies will have a greater sense of how many countries will be affected, and how high the duties will be.Yet questions will still swirl around trade and tariffs for months to come, economists say. More tariffs are in the pipeline and could target specific industries such as pharmaceuticals, copper and lumber. And the United States may reach deals with other countries that could alter the reciprocal tariffs. There will also be countless details that could take months to resolve to determine precisely which imports will be hit with taxes. As a result, few analysts expect Wednesdays announcement to bring the certainty that many businesses and Wall Street investors crave. April 2 is when this all kicks off, its not when all of this ends, said Kelly Ann Shaw, a former senior White House trade adviser during Trumps first term. At some point this will settle. But because were at the very beginning of what will fundamentally be a total rethink of the global trading system, there are going to be a lot more questions than answers in the near term. For now, a measure of economic policy uncertainty maintained by Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economist and two colleagues, is at its highest level outside of the pandemic since its inception in 1985.When businesses are unsure about where economic policy is headed, they are more likely to put major spending projects on hold and slow hiring, Bloom said. And when unsure, consumers typically take a more cautious approach to spending. April 2 could reduce uncertainty if this is a once and final announcement on tariffs, Bloom said. But I suspect it will be one of a series on ongoing announcements.Trump has been unequivocally clear for decades about the need to restore American greatness, said White House spokesman Kush Desai. America cannot just be an assembler of foreign-made parts we must become a manufacturing powerhouse that dominates every step of the supply chain of industries that are critical for our national security and economic interests.Randy Carr, CEO of World Emblem, said he expects the products he makes in Mexico and Canada will face a 25% tariff as soon as Wednesday. The company has already notified customers that it will raise prices 8%. World Emblem makes badges, patches and labels for companies, universities and law enforcement agencies.In February, Carr put about $9 million in investment on hold, most of which he planned to spend on artificial intelligence and online commerce. He has started to spend some of that money but is doing so more slowly than he would prefer. We dont know if well need the money for tariffs, he said. Who knows what will happen on Wednesday.Already in place are duties on cars, steel, aluminum and all imports from China. Surveys have found widespread uncertainty among manufacturing firms and even oil company executives, who say that higher costs for steel pipe will cut into their profits.Emerald Packaging, which makes packaging for produce and whose clients include Walmart and Kroger, is holding back on investment for now, given the uncertainty.CEO Kevin Kelly said the Union City, California-based company learned a big lesson during the height of the pandemic. It started 2021 with $7 million in cash but depleted its reserves by year-end because of the costs of navigating supply chain snarls.Were not spending any money right now, he said. Were trying to build cash ... because well need a cushion.One reason the cloudy outlook surrounding tariffs is likely to remain for months is that Trump wants to maintain some uncertainty about his next steps as a negotiating strategy, Shaw said. Intentional ambiguity is a key component of his approach to trade talks, Shaw said. Those negotiations will likely start after reciprocal duties are announced and could take months to resolve.At the same time, Trump is due to receive a series of reports this week on other countries trade policies, including tariffs but also the subsidies, currency manipulation and tax policies that Trump officials say can distort trade. Those reports could prompt further steps.And then there is Trumps confessed love of tariffs and his willingness to use them for a variety of policy goals, including raising revenue, forcing action on fentanyl trafficking and bringing back manufacturing. The White House has also said it will slap 25% tariffs on any country that imports oil from Venezuela, though that also includes the United States. Given that tariffs seem to be an answer for every problem, who knows what might happen next and what will lead to yet another ad hoc round of tariffs? said Marc Busch, professor of international business diplomacy at Georgetown University.A big question for the economy is how long this might last.Matthew Luzzetti, an economist at Deutsche Bank, said that even if Wednesdays announcement were the final word on tariffs, the uncertainty around the presidents actions so far could drag down growth by about 1% for several quarters.If that uncertainty were to extend further, or remain elevated for longer, that would only amplify the effects, Luzzetti said.Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that even with more certainty, adding tariffs will harm the economy.To the extent that April 2 provides clarity, then you can begin to make adjustments and plans, Bradley said. But having certainty about economically harmful policies is not a positive.___Associated Press Retail Writer Anne DInnocenzio in New York contributed to this report. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

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)2025-04-01T15:52:44Z President Donald Trump s administration has acknowledged mistakenly deporting a Maryland man with protected legal status to a notorious El Salvador prison last month, but is arguing against returning him to the United States because of his alleged gang ties and the U.S. governments lack of power over the Central American nation.Lawyers for Kilmar Armando Garcia, 29, maintain he is not affiliated with MS-13 or any other street gang and argue the U.S. government has never produced an iota of evidence that he does.Abrego Garcia was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 after working a shift as a sheet metal apprentice in Baltimore and picking up his 5-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities, from his grandmothers house, his lawyers complaint stated.Abrego Garcia was then sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, which activists say is rife with abuses and where inmates are packed into cells and never allowed outside. Abrego Garcias wife later saw him in photos and video from the prison, identifying her husband through his distinctive tattoos and two scars on his head. AP AUDIO: An administrative error sent a Maryland man to an El Salvador prison, ICE says At a news conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the Trump administration acknowledging it mistakenly deported a Maryland man with protected legal status to a notorious El Salvador prison U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials admitted in a court filing on Monday to an administrative error in deporting him. The governments acknowledgment sparked immediate uproar from immigration advocates while prompting Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials to repeat the allegation that hes a gang member. MS-13 allegation stems from a 2019 arrestAbrego Garcia came to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador around 2011, fleeing gang violence, according to his lawyers, and made his way to Maryland to join his older brother, a U.S. citizen.Beginning around 2006, gang members had stalked, hit, and threatened to kidnap and kill him in order to coerce his parents to succumb to their increasing demands for extortion, the complaint states of his life in his native country. Abrego Garcia later married a U.S. citizen and worked in construction to support her, their son and her two children from a previous relationship.The allegations about his affiliation with MS-13 stem from a 2019 arrest outside a Maryland Home Depot store, where he and other young men were looking for work, according to the complaint. County police asked if he was a gang member and demanded information about other gang members. After explaining that he wasnt a gang member and had no information, he was turned over to ICE.ICE argued against Abrego Garcias release at a subsequent immigration court hearing because local police had verified his gang membership, the complaint said. The evidence they cited included his wearing of a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie and a confidential informants claim that Abrego Garcia belonged to MS-13s Westerns clique in Long Island, New York, despite having never lived there.Abrego Garcia filed for asylum, while his lawyer submitted a voluminous evidentiary filing establishing his eligibility for protection and contesting the unfounded allegation of gang membership, the complaint stated. In response, ICE cited the information previously provided by local police. An immigration judge denied Abrego Garcias asylum request in October 2019 but granted him protection from being deported back to El Salvador. He was released after ICE did not appeal.Abrego Garcias lawyers say he has neither been convicted nor charged with any crime and has fully complied with the conditions of his protected status, checking in with ICE yearly.Abrego Garcias lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said U.S. government lawyers had multiple opportunities to try legally to deport him, including appealing the judges 2019 decision or deporting him elsewhere.There are lots of things they could have done, Sandoval-Moshenberg told The Associated Press. But each one of those is in a court and gives him the opportunity to defend himself. And they didnt do any of them. They just put him on an airplane. ICE calls deportation an oversight In its court filing on Monday, the Trump administration said ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, but still deported Abrego Garcia because of an administrative error.An ICE official called his deportation to El Salvador an oversight in a statement submitted to the court on Monday.Robert Cerna, ICEs acting field office director of enforcement and removal operations, wrote that it was carried out in good faith based on the existence of a final order of removal and Abrego-Garcias purported membership in MS-13.The administration argued against his return to the U.S., citing alleged gang ties and claiming that he is a danger to the community.They also argued that the court lacks jurisdiction in the matter because Abrego Garcia is no longer in U.S. custody.The administration wrote that Abrego Garcias attorneys do not argue that the United States can exercise its will over a foreign sovereign. The most they ask for is a court order that the United States entreat or even cajole a close ally. In response to criticism, Vance posted a screenshot of court documents related to Abrego Garcias 2019 bond proceeding on the social platform X and wrote that its gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize. ___Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Washington, Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore and Brian Witte in Prince Georges County, Maryland, contributed to this report.

Quarterback Drew Pyne is leaving Missouri after one season and again entering the transfer portal as he looks to move to his fourth school, sources told ESPN.

Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie said Nick Sirianni "has done an outstanding job" and that Sirianni will remain the team's coach "going forward." Sirianni is entering the final year of his five-year deal.

Bukayo Saka made his return for Arsenal after three months, making an instant impact and giving Mikel Arteta's Gunners hope for what lies ahead.

Man United have seen more players leave and find success than those still at the club now. That must change.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, answers a question about his House Bill 3-C: Independent Special Districts in the House of Representatives April 20, 2022, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)2025-04-01T04:01:47Z ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (AP) Republican state Sen. Randy Fine won a special election Tuesday to represent Floridas 6th Congressional District, defeating Democratic challenger Josh Weil and squashing efforts by national Democrats who spent millions of dollars on the race.Fine had faced growing pressure during the races final days as some Republicans publicly criticized his campaign and fundraising efforts. His victory ends Democratic hopes to score a huge upset in a district that was heavily supportive of President Donald Trump in November. The race to fill the seat vacated by Mike Waltz when he was tapped to become Trumps national security adviser received national attention. Democrats poured money into Weils campaign to outraise Fine by nearly tenfold, attempting to flip a seat where the president won by more than 30 points. Fine, a self-described conservative firebrand, ran with Trumps endorsement. Fines struggles came in the last few weeks as national Republican operatives worried that he needed more money to combat Weils eye-popping $9 million compared to Fines $1 million, which drew national attention from political operatives questioning whether this race would embarrass Republicans less than 100 days into Trumps administration. Yet that wasnt the case for Democrats. For weeks, national leaders have attributed Weils fundraising success to what they characterized as widespread outrage about the Trump administrations overhaul of the federal government. That outrage failed to materialize in large enough numbers to overturn the outcome in the reliably Republican district, foiling Democrats hope to pull off a huge upset that would have buoyed their party.Fine was first elected to the Florida House in 2016 and ran each year as a representative until 2024 when he successfully won his election to the Florida Senate. He is known for his support of Israel and his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights. STEPHANY MATAT Matat is an Associated Press general assignment reporter with a focus on politics and South Florida issues. twitter instagram mailto KATE PAYNE Payne writes about state government and education and is based in Tallahassee, FL. She is a Report for America corps member. twitter mailto

An entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Md., is seen Jan. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)2025-04-01T23:11:21Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths office to review and get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, U.S officials said Tuesday.Academy officials were told to review the library late last week, and an initial search had identified about 900 books for a closer look. They decided on nearly 400 to remove and began doing so Monday, finishing before Hegseth arrived for a visit Tuesday that had already been planned and was not connected to the library purge, officials said. A list of the books has not yet been made available.Pulling the books off the shelves is another step in the Trump administrations far-reaching effort to eliminate so-called DEI content from federal agencies, including policies, programs, online and social media postings and curriculum at schools. The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, had not been included in President Donald Trumps executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade schools that receive federal funding. That is because the academies are colleges. Pentagon leaders, however, suddenly turned their attention to the Naval Academy last week when a media report noted that the school had not removed books that promoted DEI. A U.S. official said the academy was told late last week to conduct the review and removal. It isnt clear if the order was directed by Hegseth or someone else on his staff. A West Point official confirmed that the school had completed a review of its curriculum and was prepared to review library content if directed by the Army. The Air Force and Naval academies had also done curriculum reviews as had been required. An Air Force Academy official said the school continually reviews its curriculum, coursework and other materials to ensure it all complies with executive orders and Defense Department policies. Last week, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the Air Force Academy superintendent, told Congress that the school was in the middle of its course review, but there was no mention of books.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss academy policies.Hegseth has aggressively pushed the department to erase DEI programs and online content, but the campaign has been met with questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages. In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light. The confusion about how to interpret the DEI policy was underscored Monday as Naval Academy personnel mistakenly removed some photos of distinguished female Jewish graduates from a display case as they prepared for Hegseths visit. The photos were put back.In a statement, the Navy said it is aware that photos were mistakenly removed from the Naval Academy Jewish Center. It said U.S. Naval Academy leadership was immediately taking steps to review and correct the unauthorized removal.Hegseth spoke with students and had lunch at the academy Tuesday, but media were not invited or allowed to cover the visit. LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto

Annual NFL owners meetings wrapped up Tuesday, and more than 20 of our reporters on the ground had all the buzz from Palm Beach.

Is Ipswich's Liam Delap the one to solve Manchester United's goal-scoring woes? Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

Nature, Published online: 02 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00973-9A single dose of the drug nitisinone could render a persons blood lethal to mosquitoes for five days, modelling suggests.

Cooper Flagg and Johni Broome headlined the Wooden Award finalists. They were joined on the list by Walter Clayton Jr., Mark Sears and Braden Smith.

UConn's Paige Bueckers, UCLA's Lauren Betts, Texas' Madison Booker, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and USC's JuJu Watkins are the finalists for the Wooden Award.

Maximillian Marquez, left, walks to a voting booth at the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language to cast a ballot in the state's Supreme Court election, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)2025-04-01T05:00:25Z MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin voters decided Tuesday to enshrine a voter ID law in the state constitution. The state was also electing its top education official, who will guide policies affecting K-12 schools during President Donald Trumps second term, will be elected Tuesday in a race between the teachers union-backed incumbent and a Republican-supported critic.Both contests had sharp partisan divisions, though they have drawn far less spending and national attention than the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Polls closed at 8 p.m. CDT.Heres a look at the two contests: Longtime voter ID law enshrined in the state constitution Wisconsins photo ID requirement for voting will be elevated from state law to constitutional amendment under a proposal approved by voters.The Republican-controlled Legislature placed the measure on the ballot and pitched it as a way to bolster election security and protect the law from being overturned in court.Democratic opponents argued that photo ID requirements are often enforced unfairly, making voting more difficult for people of color, disabled people and poor people.Wisconsin voters will not notice any change when they go to the polls. They will still have to present a valid photo ID just as they have under the state law, which was passed in 2011 and went into effect permanently in 2016 after a series of unsuccessful lawsuits. Placing the photo ID requirement in the constitution makes it more difficult for a future Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the law. Any constitutional amendment must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions and by a statewide popular vote. Wisconsin is one of nine states where people must present photo ID to vote, and its requirement is the nations strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-six states have laws requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, according to the NCSL. Union-backed incumbent faces GOP-backed voucher advocateThe race to lead the state Department of Public Instruction pits incumbent Jill Underly, who is backed by Democrats and the teachers union, against consultant Brittany Kinser, a supporter of the private school voucher program who is endorsed by Republicans but calls herself a moderate.Wisconsin is the only state where voters elect the top education official but there is no state board of education. That gives the superintendent broad authority to oversee education policy, from dispersing school funding to managing teacher licensing.The winner will take office at a time when test scores are still recovering from the pandemic, the achievement gap between white and Black students remains the worst in the country and more schools are asking voters to raise property taxes to pay for operations.Underlys education career began in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Indiana. She moved to Wisconsin in 2005 and worked for five years at the state education department. She also was principal of Pecatonica Elementary School for a year before becoming district administrator.Underly, 47, was elected state superintendent in 2021 and was endorsed by the union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as the Wisconsin Democratic Party and numerous Democratic officeholders. Kinser, whose backers include the Wisconsin Republican Party and former Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, is vying to become the first GOP-affiliated person to hold the superintendent position in more than 30 years. She worked for almost 10 years as a special education teacher and instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools. After that she spent 15 years at public charter schools in Chicago, California and Milwaukee.In the Milwaukee area, Kinser worked for Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter institutions, and became its executive director for the region.In 2022 she left Rocketship for City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee nonprofit that advocates for charter and voucher schools. She also founded a consulting firm where she currently works. Kinser, 47, tried to brand Underly as being a poor manager of the Department of Public Instruction and keyed in on her overhaul of state achievement standards last year. Underly said that was done to better reflect what students are learning now, but the change was met with bipartisan opposition including from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who was previously state superintendent himself. Evers has not made an endorsement in the race.Kinser said the new standards lowered the bar for students and made it more difficult to evaluate how schools and districts are performing over time. Underly portrayed Kinser as nothing more than a lobbyist who doesnt care about public education. Kinser supports the states private school voucher and charter school program, which Democrats and Underly oppose on the grounds that such programs siphon needed money away from public schools. SCOTT BAUER Bauer is the APs Statehouse reporter covering politics and state government in Madison, Wisconsin. He also writes music reviews. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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UConn's Paige Bueckers, UCLA's Lauren Betts, Texas' Madison Booker, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and USC's JuJu Watkins are the finalists for the Wooden Award.

Mike Clay provides detailed breakdowns of the top running backs for the 2025 fantasy football season.

Another wave of Madden Ultimate Team content has been revealed, with Franchise Heroes coming to the roster.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford waves during her election night party after winning the election Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)2025-04-01T05:01:11Z MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, touting her victory as a win against the richest man in the world and cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years.Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge who led legal fights to protect union power and abortion rights and to oppose voter ID, stood on stage surrounded by the courts four current liberal justices and celebrated her win as a victory for democracy.Musk and groups he backed had spent more than $21 million in an effort to defeat Crawford. Musk even traveled to Wisconsin two days before the election to personally hand over $1 million checks to two voters.Today Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court, Crawford said in her victory speech. And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.Crawford defeated Republican-backed Brad Schimel in a race that broke records for spending, was the highest-turnout Wisconsin Supreme Court election ever and became a proxy fight for the nations political battles. Growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I would be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin, Crawford said, referring to Musk. And we won.Musk was silent on his X platform in the wake of Crawfords victory, reposting a message about Vietnam and tariffs but nothing on the Supreme Court contest.Trump, Musk and other Republicans lined up behind Schimel, a former state attorney general. Democrats including former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros backed Crawford.The first major election in the country since November was seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about Trumps first months back in office and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers. Musk traveled to Wisconsin on Sunday to make a pitch for Schimel and personally hand out to $1 million checks to voters.Turnout surpassed the previous record for a court race, set in 2023, and spending was on its way to pass $100 million, which would double the 2023 record.Schimel told his supporters he had conceded to Crawford, leading to yells of anger. One woman began to chant, Cheater, cheater!No, Schimel said. Youve got to accept the results.A state race with nationwide significanceThe court can decide election-related laws and settle disputes over future election outcomes.Wisconsins a big state politically, and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with elections in Wisconsin, Trump said Monday. Winning Wisconsins a big deal, so therefore the Supreme Court choice its a big race.Crawford embraced the backing of Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights advocates, running ads that highlighted Schimels opposition to the procedure. She also attacked Schimel for his ties to Musk and Republicans, referring to Musk as Elon Schimel during a debate.Schimels campaign tried to portray Crawford as weak on crime and puppet of Democrats who, if elected, would push to redraw congressional district boundary lines to hurt Republicans and repeal a GOP-backed state law that took collective bargaining rights away from most public workers.Voters in Eau Claire seemed to respond to both messages. Jim Seeger, a 68-year-old retiree, said he voted for Schimel because he was concerned about redistricting.Jim Hazelton, a 68-year-old disabled veteran, said he had planned to abstain but voted for Crawford after Musk whom he called a pushy billionaire and Trump got involved.Hes cutting everything, Hazelton said of Musk. People need these things hes cutting.Whats on the courts agenda?Crawfords win keeps the court under a 4-3 liberal majority, as it has been since 2023. A liberal justice is not up for election again until April 2028, ensuring liberals will either maintain or increase their hold on the court until then.Crawford thanked each of the current liberal justices and hugged each of them after her win. One of the four is retiring, creating the open seat she won.The court likely will be deciding cases on abortion, public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries. Who controls the court also could factor into how it might rule on any future voting challenge in the perennial presidential battleground state, which raised the stakes of the race for national Republicans and Democrats.Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son, campaigned for Schimel in the closing weeks and said electing him was essential to protecting the Republican agenda. Trump endorsed Schimel just 11 days before the election.Last year the court declined to take up a Democratic-backed challenge to congressional lines, but Schimel and Musk have said that if Crawford won, the court would redraw congressional districts to make them more favorable to Democrats.Musk pushed that message on election day, both on TV and on X, urging people to cast ballots in the final hours.Schimel, who leaned into his Trump endorsement in the closing days of the race, said he would not be beholden to the president or Musk.Crawford benefitted from campaign stops by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee last year, and money from billionaire megadonors including Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.Record-breaking donationsThe contest was the most expensive court race on record in the U.S., with spending nearing $99 million, according to a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice. That broke the previous record of $51 million record, for the states Supreme Court race in 2023.Musk contributed $3 million to the campaign, while groups he funded poured in another $18 million. Musk also gave $1 million each to three voters who signed a petition he circulated against activist judges. Schimel leaned into his support from Trump while saying he would not be beholden to the president or Musk. Democrats have centered their messaging on the spending by Musk-funded groups.Ultimately I think its going to help Susan Crawford, because people do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said Monday. If it works here, hes going to do it all over the country.Voters weigh in on Musk and reasons for whom they backedAt a polling place in Waunakee near Madison, 39-year-old Iraq War veteran Taylor Sullivan said he voted for Schimel for no reasons connected to Trump or Musk, but rather because I support the police as much as Schimel does.In Milwaukee, 22-year-old college student Kenneth Gifford said he feels that Trump has done damage to American institutions and that Musk is trying to buy votes.I want an actual, respectable democracy, he said.___Associated Press writers Christine Fernando in Pewaukee, Wisconsin; Ali Swenson in New York; Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta; Thomas Beaumont in Madison, Wisconsin; and Mark Vancleave in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, contributed to this report. SCOTT BAUER Bauer is the APs Statehouse reporter covering politics and state government in Madison, Wisconsin. He also writes music reviews. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Some losses are understandable; others will haunt us forever. Let's rank the 2025 men's NCAA tournament defeats, from least to most devastating.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday said the idea of NFL players competing in flag football in the 2028 Olympic Games has been a popular topic among the league's players and suggested it was likely to happen.

Ruben Amorim insisted he will not be given much time to turn things around as Manchester United manager, as his team slumped to another defeat at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

St. Pauli supporters have raised over 27 million euros (29.1 million) for a majority stake in the club's stadium after taking part in German soccer's first fan cooperative.

Immigrants line up in the dining hall at a U.S. government holding center for migrant children, July 9, 2019, in Carrizo Springs, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)2025-04-02T04:02:29Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A federal judge in California on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore legal aid to tens of thousands of migrant children who are in the United States without a parent or guardian. The Republican administration on March 21 terminated a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, which provides legal services for unaccompanied migrant children under 18 through a network of legal aid groups that subcontract with the center. Eleven subcontractor groups sued, saying that 26,000 children were at risk of losing their attorneys; Acacia is not a plaintiff. Those groups argued that the government has an obligation under a 2008 anti-trafficking law to provide vulnerable children with legal counsel.U.S. District Judge Araceli Martnez-Olgun of San Francisco granted a temporary restraining order late Tuesday. She wrote that advocates raised legitimate questions about whether the administration violated the 2008 law, warranting a return to the status quo while the case continues. The order will take effect Wednesday and runs through April 16. The Court additionally finds that the continued funding of legal representation for unaccompanied children promotes efficiency and fairness within the immigration system, she wrote. It is the third legal setback in less than a week for the Trump administrations immigration crackdown, though all may prove temporary as the lawsuits advance. On Friday, a federal judge in Boston said people with final deportation orders must have a meaningful opportunity to argue against being sent to a country other than their own. On Monday, another federal judge in San Francisco put on hold plans to end protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, including 350,000 whose legal status was scheduled to expire April 7. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which created special protections for migrant children who cannot navigate a complex immigration system on their own. Plaintiffs said some of their clients are too young to speak and others are too traumatized and do not know English. The law requires the government to ensure to the greatest extent practicable that all children entering the country alone have legal counsel to represent them in proceedings and to protect them from mistreatment, exploitation, and trafficking.Defendants, which include the Department of Health and Human Services and its Office of Refugee Resettlement, said that taxpayers have no obligation to pay the cost of direct legal aid to migrant children at a time when the government is trying to save money. They also said district courts have no jurisdiction over a contract termination that would have expired at the end of March.Acacia is under a new contract with the government to provide legal orientations, including know your rights clinics.But plaintiffs said they are not asking for the contract to be restored; rather, they want a return to the status quo, which is spending $5 billion that Congress appropriated so children have representation, said Karen Tumlin with the Justice Action Center at a court hearing Tuesday. She said the administration cannot simply zero out funding without providing direction on who will help these children.They need to make sure to the greatest extent practicable that there is a plan, she said.Jonathan Ross with the U.S. Department of Justice said the government is still funding legally required activities, such as the know your rights clinics, and that legal clinics can offer their services without charge.Theyre still free to provide those services on a pro bono basis, he said.Judge Martnez-Olgun is a Biden appointee.

Elon Musk speaks at a town hall Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)2025-04-02T03:39:21Z MADISON, Wis. (AP) Judge Susan Crawford preserved liberals narrow majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday by defeating conservative Brad Schimel, but in a way the real loser of the election was billionaire Elon Musk.Musk and his affiliated groups sunk at least $21 million into the normally low-profile race and paid three individual voters $1 million each for signing a petition in an effort to goose turnout in the pivotal battleground state contest. That made the race the first major test of the political impact of Musk, whose prominence in President Donald Trumps administration has skyrocketed with his chaotic cost-cutting initiative that has slashed federal agencies.Crawford and the Democrats who backed her made Musk the focus of their arguments for holding the seat, contending he was buying the election, which set records for the costliest judicial race in history. Today Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court, Crawford said in her victory speech. And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale. Trump endorsed Schimel as the race turned into a proxy fight over national political issues. The states high court can rule on cases involving voting rights and redistricting in a state likely to be at the center of both next years midterm elections and the 2028 presidential contest. But Musks involvement dialed those dynamics up to 11: A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization, the billionaire said Tuesday in a last-ditch call to voters on his social media site X. I think it matters for the future of the world.Notably, America PAC, the super PAC backed by Musk, spent at least $6 million on vendors who sent door-to-door canvassers across the state, according to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. It was a reprise of what the group did across the seven most competitive presidential battleground states, including Wisconsin, which were carried by Trump in November. But the end results this time were not good for Musk. Despite the millions he spent on Schimel, as of late Tuesday night the Supreme Court candidate was losing by four percentage points more than the other Republican-backed statewide candidate, Brittany Kinser, who also fell short in her bid for superintendent of public instruction. Musks court race defeat wasnt only because of crushing Democratic margins in deep blue cities like Madison and Milwaukee. Crawfords margins were higher in places where the Musk-backed group America PAC had been active, including Sauk County, just north of Madison, which Crawford was carrying by 10 points after Trump won it by less than 2 points in November.In Brown County, the home of Green Bay where Musk headlined a campaign rally with 2,000 people on Sunday, Crawford beat Schimel. Trump won the county by 7 percentage points last year.Musk was silent on his X platform in the wake of Crawfords victory, reposting a message about Vietnam and tariffs but nothing on the Supreme Court contest. The platform was rife with criticism from Trump opponents for his involvement in the race. Please send @elonmusk to all the close races! Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, wrote.Elon Musk is not good at this, J.B. Pritzker, Illinois Democratic governor and a billionaire himself who donated to support Crawford, posted on X.Voters definitely had Musk on their minds.Theres an insane situation going on with the Trump administration, and it feels like Elon Musk is trying to buy votes, said Kenneth Gifford, a 22-year-old Milwaukee college student, as he cast his ballot on Tuesday. I want an actual, respectable democracy. Others may not have had their vote decided by the billionaire but were all-too aware of the money pouring into their state.Jim Seeger, a 68-year-old retiree who previously worked in communications and marketing, said he voted for Schimel because he wants Republicans to maintain their outsized majority in Wisconsins congressional delegation, which could be at risk if Crawford wins and the court orders the maps redrawn. But, he added, he was disappointed the election had become a financial race. I think its a shame that we have to spend this much money, especially on a judicial race, Seeger said as he voted in Eau Claire.Wisconsins Democratic Attorney General, Josh Kaul, sued to bar Musk from making his payments to voters if they signed a petition against activist judges. The state Supreme Court unanimously declined to rule on the case over a technicality.Musk swooped into the race shortly after Trumps inauguration. Republicans were pessimistic about being able to win the seat. They lost a longtime conservative majority on the state high court in 2023, and Democrats have excelled in turning out their educated, politically tuned-in coalition during obscure elections such as the one in Wisconsin. Musk duplicated and expanded on some of the methods he used in the final weeks of last years presidential race, when he spent more than $200 million on Trumps behalf in the seven swing states, including Wisconsin.This time, in addition to the $1 million checks, Musk offered to pay $20 to anyone who signed up on his groups site to knock on doors for Schimel and posted a photo of themselves as proof. His organization promised $100 to every voter who signed the petition against liberal judges and another $100 for every signer they referred.Democrats were happy to make Musk a lightning rod in the race.People do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said Monday. If it works here, hes going to do it all over the country.___Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Washington contributed to this report. THOMAS BEAUMONT Beaumont covers national politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa. twitter mailto

The Timberwolves overcame a career- and NBA-best 61-point triple-double performance from Nikola Jokic to outlast the Nuggets 140-139 in double overtime on Tuesday night.

Stephen Curry had 52 points and 12 3-pointers as the Warriors held on for a wild 134-125 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday night.

Displaced Palestinians arrive in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)2025-04-02T05:02:48Z KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) As Israel orders wide new evacuations across the Gaza Strip, Palestinians say they are crushed by exhaustion and hopelessness at the prospect of fleeing once again. Many are packing a few belongings and trudging off in search of new shelters. Some say they just cant bear to move.When ordered out of Jabaliya in northern Gaza, Ihab Suliman and his family could only grab some food and blankets before making their way south March 19. It was their eighth time fleeing over the past 18 months of war.There is no longer any taste to life, said Suliman, a former university professor. Life and death have become one and the same for us. Suliman is among the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled temporary shelters since Israel shattered a 2-month-old ceasefire on March 18 with renewed bombardment and ground assaults. Daunted by the notion of starting over, some Palestinians are ignoring the latest evacuation orders even if it means risking their lives.After one year and a half of war that has exhausted everyone, children and their parents, too, are just worn out physically and mentally, said Rosalia Bollen, UNICEFs communication specialist. For the past month, Israel has blocked all food, fuel and supplies from entering Gaza, and aid groups say there are no more tents or other shelter supplies to help the newly displaced. On Tuesday, the World Food Program shut down all its bakeries in Gaza, on which hundreds of thousands rely for bread, because it had run out of flour. Many are fleeing with almost no belongingsIsraels evacuation orders now cover large swaths of the Gaza Strip, including many areas of Gaza City and towns in the north, parts of the southern city of Khan Younis, and almost the entire southern city of Rafah and its surroundings.As of March 23, more than 140,000 people had been displaced again since the end of the ceasefire, according to the latest U.N. estimate and tens of thousands more are estimated to have fled under evacuation orders over the past week.Every time families have moved during the war, they have had to leave behind belongings and start nearly from scratch, finding food, water and shelter. Now, with no fuel entering, transportation is even more difficult, so many are fleeing with almost nothing.With each displacement, were tortured a thousand times, Suliman said. He and his family found an apartment to rent in the central town of Deir al-Balah. He said theyre struggling, with no electricity and little aid. They must walk long distances to find water.Fleeing from Rafah on Monday, Hanadi Dahoud said she is struggling to find essentials.Where do we go? she said. We just want to live. We are tired. There are long queues waiting for bread and charity kitchens.During the two-month ceasefire that began in mid-January, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flowed back to their neighborhoods. Even if their homes were destroyed, they wanted to be near them sometimes setting up tents on or next to the rubble.They had hoped it would be the end of their displacement in a war that has driven nearly the entire population of some 2.3 million from their homes.The war in Gaza began with Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Since then, Israels retaliatory offensive has left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in squalid, crowded tent camps or schools-turned-shelters. Most have had to move multiple times to escape fighting and bombardment. Shelter is limitedSome shelters are so crowded they have had to turn families away, said Shaina Low, communications adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council.Many families are streaming back to Muwasi, a barren coastal stretch of southern Gaza where, before the ceasefire, hundreds of thousands had been packed into tent cities. During the ceasefire, the camps thinned out as people returned to their neighborhoods. Those returning are finding that tents are scarce; aid groups say they have none to give out because of Israels blockade.More than a million people urgently need tents, while thousands of others require plastic sheets and ropes to strengthen fragile makeshift shelters, Gavin Kelleher, NRCs humanitarian access manager in Gaza, said at a recent media briefing. For now, people are cramming into tents or moving into destroyed buildings that are in danger of collapse trying to put absolutely anything between themselves and the sky at night, Kelleher said.Relocating and reinstalling health and nutrition facilities amid declining aid supplies has been absolutely draining for families and humanitarian workers, UNICEFs Bollen said.Our job would be much easier if we had access to our supplies and if we didnt have to fear for our own lives at every moment, she said.Khaled Abu Tair led a donkey cart with some bread and blankets as he and his family fled Khan Younis. He said they were heading God knows where, and would have to set up on the street a makeshift shelter out of sheets.We do not have a place, there are no tents, no places to live or shelter, or anything, he said. Some cant bear to moveWhen orders came to evacuate Gaza Citys Tel Hawa district, Sara Hegy and her mother decided to stay. Their original home in the nearby district of Zaytoun is too destroyed to be livable, and Hegy said she was in despair at the thought of starting over again.I had a breakdown the day the war resumed. I didnt leave the house, said Hegy, who had started an online tutoring job a few days before Israel relaunched its assault.Others dread the evacuation orders that might come.Noor Abu Mariam said she and her brother and parents have already been displaced 11 times over the course of the war, moving through tent camps and houses around the south, each time starting over in the search for shelter, food and supplies.Now back in Gaza City, she cant do it again, she said.I refuse to leave the house no matter the circumstances because I am not psychologically prepared to relive those difficult days I lived in the south, she said.___Khaled reported from Cairo.

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/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-04-02T04:01:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) After weeks of White House hype and public anxiety, President Donald Trump is set Wednesday to announce a barrage of self-described reciprocal tariffs on friend and foe alike.The new tariffs coming on what Trump has called Liberation Day is a bid to boost U.S. manufacturing and punish other countries for what he has said are years of unfair trade practices. But by most economists assessments, the risky move threatens to plunge the economy into a downturn and mangle decades-old alliances.The White House is exuding confidence despite the political and financial gamble being undertaken.April 2, 2025, will go down as one of the most important days in modern American history, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Tuesdays briefing while adding that the new tariffs will take effect immediately. The reciprocal tariffs Trump plans to announce follow similar recent announcements of 25% taxes on auto imports; levies against China, Canada and Mexico; and expanded tariffs on steel and aluminum. Trump has also put tariffs against countries that import oil from Venezuela and plans separate import taxes on pharmaceutical drugs, lumber, copper and computer chips. None of the warning signs about a falling stock market or consumer sentiment turning morose have caused the administration to publicly second-guess its strategy. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has suggested that the new tariffs would raise $600 billion annually, which would be the largest tax increase since World War II. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told lawmakers that the tariffs would be capped and could be negotiated downward by other countries, according to the office of Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla. But the White House has yet to confirm policy details, despite Trump saying on Monday that he had made his decision.Importers would likely pass along some of the cost of the taxes on to consumers. The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates that a 20% universal tariff would cost the average household an additional $3,400 to $4,200. The administrations premise is that manufacturers will quickly increase domestic production and create new factory jobs and the White House is expressing confidence that Trumps approach is absolutely correct.Theyre not going to be wrong, Leavitt said. It is going to work. And the president has a brilliant team of advisers who have been studying these issues for decades. And we are focused on restoring the golden age of America and making America a manufacturing superpower.The bold optimism has done little to reassure the public or allies who see the import taxes as a threat.Based on the possibility of broad 20% tariffs that have been floated by some White House aides, most analyses see an economy tarnished by higher prices and stagnation. U.S. economic growth as measured by gross domestic product would be roughly a percentage point lower, and clothing, oil, automobiles, housing, groceries and even insurance would cost more, the Budget Lab analysis found. Trump would single-handedly be applying these tariffs, since he has ways of legally doing so without congressional approval. That makes it easy for Democratic lawmakers and policymakers to criticize the Republican administration, if the uncertainty expressed by businesses and declining consumer sentiment are, in fact, signs of trouble to come. Heather Boushey, who served as a member of the Biden White Houses Council of Economic Advisers, noted that the less aggressive tariffs Trump imposed during his first term failed to stir the manufacturing renaissance he promised voters.We are not seeing indications of the boom that the president promised, Boushey said. Its a failed strategy.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the tariffs were fundamentally a way for Trump to raise revenues in order to pay for his planned extensions of income tax cuts that disproportionately favor millionaires and billionaires.Almost everything they do, including tariffs, it seems to me, is aimed at getting those tax cuts for the wealthy, Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. Even Republicans who trust Trumps instincts have acknowledged that the tariffs could be disruptive to an economy with an otherwise healthy 4.1 % unemployment rate.Well see how it all develops, said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. It may be rocky in the beginning. But I think that this will make sense for Americans and help all Americans.Longtime trading partners are preparing their own countermeasures. Canada has already imposed some in response to the 25% tariffs that Trump tied to the trafficking of fentanyl. The European Union, in response to the steel and aluminum tariffs, put taxes on 26 billion euros worth ($28 billion) of U.S. goods, including on bourbon, which prompted Trump to threaten a 200% tariff on European alcohol. Many allies feel they have been reluctantly drawn into a confrontation by Trump, who routinely says that friends and foes have essentially ripped off the United States with a mix of tariffs and other trade barriers.The flip side, of course, is that Americans also have the incomes to choose to buy designer gowns by French fashion houses and autos from German manufacturers, whereas World Bank data show the EU has lower incomes per capita than the United States.Europe has not started this confrontation, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. We do not necessarily want to retaliate but, if it is necessary, we have a strong plan to retaliate and we will use it.Because Trump has hyped his tariffs without providing specifics, he has provided a deeper sense of uncertainty for the world, a sign that the economic slowdown could possibly extend beyond U.S. borders to other nations that would see one person to blame.Ray Sparnaay, general manager of JE Fixture & Tool, a Canadian tool and die business that sits across the Detroit River, said the uncertainty has crushed his companys ability to make plans.Theres going to be tariffs implemented. We just dont know at this point, he said Monday. Thats one of the biggest problems weve had probably the last well, since November is the uncertainty. Its basically slowed all of our quoting processes, business that we hope to secure has been stalled.___Associated Press reporters Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Mike Householder in Oldcastle, Ontario, 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

With Dustin May on the mound for the first time in more than 22 months, the Dodgers came from behind to beat the Braves 3-1 on Tuesday night and improve to 7-0, tying the 1933 Yankees for the best start to a season by a reigning World Series champion.

In the heat of the Eastern Conference playoff race, and with his team struggling, New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy said Anthony Duclair was "god-awful" in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and that the veteran is failing to meet expectations.

A rescuer works through rubble of a collapsed building following Friday's earthquake in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)2025-04-02T07:25:39Z BANGKOK (AP) Rescue crews in Myanmar pulled a 26-year-old man out alive from the rubble of the capital city hotel where he worked early Wednesday, but most teams were finding only bodies five days after a massive earthquake hit the country. After using an endiscopic camera to pinpoint Naing Lin Tuns location in the rubble and confirm that he was alive, the man was gingerly pulled through a hole jackhammered through a floor and loaded on to a gurney nearly 108 hours after he was trapped in the hotel where he worked.Shirtless and covered in dust, Naing Lin Tun appeared weak but conscious in a video released by the local fire department, as he was fitted with an IV drip and taken away. State-run MRTV reported that the rescue in the city of Naypyitaw was carried out by a Turkish and local team and took more than nine hours. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit midday Friday, toppling thousands of buildings, collapsing bridges and buckling roads. So far, 2,719 people have been reported dead and another 4,521 injured but local reports suggest much higher figures. The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok. One body was removed from the rubble early Wednesday, raising the death total in Bangkok to 22 with 34 injured, primarily at the construction site. Myanmar has been wracked by civil war and the earthquake is making a dire humanitarian crisis even worse, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations. Countries have pledged millions in assistance to help Myanmar and humanitarian aid organizations with the monumental task ahead.Australia on Wednesday said it was providing another $4.5 million, in addition to $1.25 million it had already committed, and had a rapid response team on the ground. India has flown in aid and sent two Navy ships with supplies as well as providing some 200 rescue workers. Multiple other countries have sent teams, including 270 people from China, 212 from Russia and 122 from the United Arab Emirates. A three-person team from the U.S. Agency for International Development arrived Tuesday to determine how best to respond given limited U.S. resources due to the slashing of the foreign aid budget and dismantling of the agency as an independent operation. Washington said on the weekend it would provide $2 million in emergency assistance.Most of the details so far have come from Mandalay, Myanmars second-largest city, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake, and the capital Naypyitaw, about 270 kilometers (165 miles) north of Mandalay.Many areas are without power, telephone or cell connections, and difficult to reach by road, but more reports are beginning to trickle in.In Singu township, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, 27 gold miners were killed were killed in a cave-in, the independent Democratic Voice of Burma reported. In the area of Inle Lake, northeast of the capital, many people died when homes built on wooden stilts in the water collapsed in the earthquake, the governments official Global New Light of Myanmar reported without providing specific figures.___Matthew Lee in Washington and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report. 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

Displaced Palestinians carry water in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)2025-04-02T06:19:18Z JERUSALEM (AP) Israels military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize large areas, the defense minister said Wednesday.Israels offensive in the Palestinian territory was expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a written statement.Israels security perimeter, which runs along the border with Israel in northern and eastern Gaza, has been a crucial part of the countrys defense for decades, used as a way to protect its citizens living near the territory. Katz didnt specify which areas of Gaza would be seized in the expanded operation, which includes the extensive evacuation of the population from fighting areas.The minister called on Gaza residents to expel Hamas and return all hostages. The militant group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. This is the only way to end the war, Katz said.The Hostage Families Forum, which represents most captives families, said that it was horrified to wake up this morning to the Defense Ministers announcement about expanding military operations in Gaza. The group said the Israeli government has an obligation to free all 59 hostages from Hamas captivity to pursue every possible channel to advance a deal for their release, and stressed that every passing day puts their loved ones lives at greater risk. Their lives hang in the balance as more and more disturbing details continue to emerge about the horrific conditions theyre being held in chained, abused, and in desperate need of medical attention, said the forum, which called on the Trump administration and other mediators to continue pressuring Hamas to release the hostages. Our highest priority must be an immediate deal to bring ALL hostages back home the living for rehabilitation and those killed for proper burial and end this war, the group said.Israel continued to target the Gaza Strip, with airstrikes overnight killing 17 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, hospital officials said. Officials at the Nasser Hospital said the bodies of 12 people killed in an overnight airstrike that were brought to the hospital included five women, one of them pregnant, and two children. Officials at the Gaza European Hospital said they received five bodies of people killed in two separate airstrikes.The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.Israels offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since a ceasefire ended about two weeks ago, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt say whether those killed are civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton declined Tuesday to say whether he believes using the torpedo bats last season caused the elbow ailments that have sidelined him this season.

Six-time Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell has finalized a one-year deal to return to the Arizona Cardinals for his 18th NFL season, the team announced.

Val Kilmer arrives at the 54th annual GRAMMY Awards, Feb. 12, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)2025-04-02T04:56:01Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in Top Gun, donned a voluminous cape as Batman in Batman Forever and portrayed Jim Morrison in The Doors, has died. He was 65. Kilmer died Tuesday night in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends, his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said in an email to The Associated Press. Val Kilmer died from pneumonia. He had recovered after a 2014 throat cancer diagnosis that required two tracheotomies. I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed, he says toward the end of Val, the 2021 documentary on his career. And I am blessed.Kilmer, the youngest actor ever accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School at the time he attended, experienced the ups and downs of fame more dramatically than most. His break came in 1984s spy spoof Top Secret! followed by the comedy Real Genius in 1985. Kilmer would later show his comedy chops again in films including MacGruber and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. His movie career hit its zenith in the early 1990s as he made a name for himself as a dashing leading man, starring alongside Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton in 1993s Tombstone, as Elvis ghost in True Romance and as a bank-robbing demolition expert in Michael Manns 1995 film Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The actor who took part in the Method branch of Suzuki arts training threw himself into parts. When he played Doc Holliday in Tombstone, he filled his bed with ice for the final scene to mimic the feeling of dying from tuberculosis. To play Morrison, he wore leather pants all the time, asked castmates and crew to only refer to him as Jim Morrison and blasted The Doors for a year. That intensity also gave Kilmer a reputation that he was difficult to work with, something he grudgingly agreed with later in life, but always defending himself by emphasizing art over commerce. In an unflinching attempt to empower directors, actors and other collaborators to honor the truth and essence of each project, an attempt to breathe Suzukian life into a myriad of Hollywood moments, I had been deemed difficult and alienated the head of every major studio, he wrote in his memoir, Im Your Huckleberry.One of his more iconic roles hotshot pilot Tom Iceman Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise almost didnt happen. Kilmer was courted by director Tony Scott for Top Gun but initially balked. I didnt want the part. I didnt care about the film. The story didnt interest me, he wrote in his memoir. He agreed after being promised that his role would improve from the initial script. He would reprise the role in the films 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.One career nadir was playing Batman in Joel Schumachers goofy, garish Batman Forever with Nicole Kidman and opposite Chris ODonnells Robin before George Clooney took up the mantle for 1997s Batman & Robin and after Michael Keaton played the Dark Knight in 1989s Batman and 1992s Batman Returns. Janet Maslin in The New York Times said Kilmer was hamstrung by the straight-man aspects of the role, while Roger Ebert deadpanned that he was a completely acceptable substitute for Keaton. Kilmer, who was one and done as Batman, blamed much of his performance on the suit. The Times was the first to report his death on Tuesday. When youre in it, you can barely move and people have to help you stand up and sit down, Kilmer said in Val. You also cant hear anything and after a while people stop talking to you, its very isolating. It was a struggle for me to get a performance past the suit, and it was frustrating until I realised that my role in the film was just to show up and stand where I was told to.His next projects were the film version of the 1960s TV series The Saint fussily putting on wigs, accents and glasses and The Island of Dr. Moreau with Marlon Brando, which became one of the decades most infamously cursed productions. David Gregorys 2014 documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanleys Island of Dr. Moreau, described a cursed set that included a hurricane, Kilmer bullying director Richard Stanley, the firing of Stanley via fax (who sneaked back on set as an extra with a mask on) and extensive rewrites by Kilmer and Brando. The older actor told the younger at one point: Its a job now, Val. A lark. Well get through it. I was as sad as Ive ever been on a set, Kilmer wrote in his memoir. In 1996, Entertainment Weekly ran a cover story about Kilmer titled The Man Hollywood Loves to Hate. The directors Schumacher and John Frankenheimer, who finished The Island of Dr. Moreau, said he was difficult. Frankenheimer said there were two things he would never do: Climb Mount Everest and work with Val Kilmer again. Other artists came to his defense, like D. J. Caruso, who directed Kilmer in The Salton Sea and said the actor simply liked to talk out scenes and enjoyed having a directors attention.Val needs to immerse himself in a character. I think what happened with directors like Frankenheimer and Schumacher is that Val would ask a lot of questions, and a guy like Schumacher would say, Youre Batman! Just go do it, Caruso told The New York Times in 2002.After The Island of Dr. Moreau, the movies were smaller, like David Mamet human-trafficking thriller Spartan"; Joe the King in 1999, in which he played a paunchy, abusive alcoholic; and playing the doomed 70s porn star John Holmes in 2003s Wonderland. He also threw himself into his one-man stage show Citizen Twain, in which he played Mark Twain.I enjoy the depth and soul the piece has that Twain had for his fellow man and America, he told Variety in 2018. And the comedy thats always so close to the surface, and how valuable his genius is for us today. Still, we battle racism and greed. The same country, its greatness and its tragedy.Kilmer spent his formative years in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles. He attended Chatsworth High School alongside future Oscar winner Kevin Spacey and future Emmy winner Mare Winningham. At 17, he was the youngest drama student ever admitted at the Juilliard School in 1981.Shortly after he left for Juilliard, his younger brother, 15-year-old Wesley, suffered an epileptic seizure in the familys Jacuzzi and died on the way to the hospital. Wesley was an aspiring filmmaker when he died. I miss him and miss his things. I have his art up. I like to think about what he would have created. Im still inspired by him, Kilmer told the Times.While still at Juilliard, Kilmer co-wrote and appeared in the play How It All Began and later turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppolas The Outsiders for the Broadway play, Slab Boys, alongside Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn.Kilmer published two books of poetry (including My Edens After Burns) and was nominated for a Grammy in 2012 for spoken word album for The Mark of Zorro. He was also a visual artist and a lifelong Christian Scientist.He dated Cher, married and divorced actor Joanne Whalley. He is survived by their two children, Mercedes and Jack. ____Kennedy reported from New York. MARK KENNEDY Kennedy is a theater, TV, music, food and obit writer and editor for The Associated Press, as well as a critic for theater, movies and music. He is based in New York City. twitter mailto 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks during the International Women of Courage award ceremony, Tuesday April 1, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-04-02T04:11:13Z WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels this week to a gathering of top diplomats from NATO countries and is sure to find allies that are alarmed, angered and confused by the Trump administrations desire to reestablish ties with Russia and its escalating rhetorical attacks on longtime transatlantic partners.Allies are deeply concerned by President Donald Trumps readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, amid a U.S. effort to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark as well as the military alliance itself have only increased the angst, especially as new U.S. tariffs are taking effect against friends and foes alike.Rubio arrives in Brussels on Thursday for two days of meetings with his NATO counterparts and European officials, and he can expect to be confronted with questions about the future U.S. role in the alliance. For 75 years, NATO has been anchored on American leadership, and based on what they have seen and heard since Trump took office in January, European officials have expressed deep concerns that Trump may upend all of that when he and other NATO leaders meet for a June summit in the Netherlands. Can Rubio reassure allies?As Rubio did last month at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies, Americas top diplomat, who is regarded by many overseas as a more pragmatic and less dogmatic member of Trumps administration, may be able to salvage a watered-down group consensus on the war in Ukraine. Thats even as Trump said this week that Ukraine was never going to be a member of NATO despite leaders declaring at last years summit that the country was on an irreversible path to join.But Rubio will be hard-pressed to explain Washingtons unprovoked verbal attacks on NATO allies Canada, which Trump says he wants to claim as a 51st state, and Denmark, whose territory of Greenland he says the U.S. should annex. Both have been accused of being bad allies by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Its pretty clear neither territory has any interest in joining a Trumpian America, said Ian Kelly, U.S. ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and first Trump administration and now an international studies professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.Theres going to be a lot of very anxious Euros about what Trump is going to call for and what announcements hes going to make, he said. If he isnt already, Rubio is going to be in a mode of trying to reassure European allies that we are not, in fact, not dependable.Yet, in just under two months, NATO has been shaken to its core, challenged increasingly by Russia and the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 from the outside, and by the Trump administration from within, breaking with decades of relatively predictable U.S. leadership.Trump has consistently complained about NATO members defense spending and even raised doubts about the U.S. commitment to mutual defense in the alliances founding treaty, which says an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all. Europeans taking on more security guaranteesSince Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere in Asia and on its own borders the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen.In Europe and Canada, governments are working on burden shifting plans to take over more of the load, while trying to ensure that no security vacuum is created if U.S. troops and equipment are withdrawn from the continent.These allies are keen to hear from Rubio what the Trump administrations intentions are and hope to secure some kind of roadmap that lays out what will happen next and when, so they can synchronize planning and use European forces to plug any gaps.At the same time, NATOs deterrent effect against an adversary like Russia is only credible when backed by U.S. firepower. For the Europeans and Canada, this means that U.S. nuclear weapons and the 6th Fleet must remain stationed in Europe. America is indispensable for credible deterrence, a senior NATO diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity to speak ahead of the meeting.Around 100,000 U.S. troops are deployed across the continent. European allies believe at least 20,000 personnel sent by the Biden administration after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago could be withdrawn.Another priority for U.S. allies is to understand whether Trump believes that Russia still poses the greatest security threat. In their summit statement last year, NATO leaders insisted that Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies security.But Trumps receptiveness to Putin and recent favorable remarks by some U.S. officials have raised doubts. The question, diplomats say, is why allies should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on their defense budgets if Russia is no longer a threat. At the same time, the Europeans and Canada know they must spend more not least to protect themselves and keep arming Ukraine. At their next summit in June, NATO leaders are expected to raise the alliances military budget goal from at least 2% to more than 3%.Rubio is in a very difficult position, said Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Trump has tried to convince allies that a U.S. realignment with Russia is in the best interests of the U.S. and presumably Europe, and at the same time tell them that they need to double their defense spending to deal with threats posed by Russia, he said. The logical question they will ask is why?___Cook reported from Brussels.

The Bucks snapped a four-game skid by shooting 68.9% from the field Tuesday night against the Suns, the highest single-game percentage by any team this century.

Washington captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 891st career goal, moving him four away from passing Wayne Gretzky's NHL record, and Dylan Strome broke a third-period tie Tuesday night to lead the first-place Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins.

K9 named Lek, center, works as an emotional support with relatives of workers of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after Friday's earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)2025-04-02T04:45:03Z BANGKOK (AP) For most of the day, somberness clouded over a makeshift shelter set up for grief-stricken relatives of dozens of workers who remain missing at the building collapse in Bangkok. They huddled together, a short distance from the rubble, awaiting news for their loved ones to be found.But for a few minutes, their faces broke out in smiles, as a group of fluffy, playful golden retrievers approached the waiting relatives on a break from the dogs rescue mission.Bangkok is more than 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) from the epicenter of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday. Fifteen of the 22 deaths reported in Bangkok were people found at the site of the collapsed high-rise, according to the Bangkok city authorities. Around 70 workers remain missing.Pornchai Chaodongbang has been waiting for her missing brother at the site since Sunday. She said she was crying every day since the news broke, and when she saw the site of the ruins, she collapsed. On Tuesday evening, she and dozens of others were visited by Sahara, Safari and Lek, rescue dogs from K9 USAR Thailand, a non-profit that works closely with the Thai government in disaster and humanitarian relief efforts. Pornchais face lit up as she played with them. She said her spirit was lifted a little. I saw in the news that they were helping the crew up there. I felt a little happier, she said. Its the dogs main job to climb the rubble, sniffing for any sign of humans trapped underneath. But Alongkot Chukaew, deputy director of the group, said they are also offering emotional support on the side, as his experience working with the dogs in many of their missions showed that they can give moments of comfort to disaster victims.He saw that happened with Sahara during the rescue mission after the 2023 earthquake in Turkey.At times when people were feeling down, she walked over to relatives of the victims who were sitting among the rubble. I saw the children come to her, play with her. Amid those great losses, its a small moment of happiness that can lift their spirits. From that day on, its what we have been trying to do during our breaks, he said. They chose the dogs that are gentle to visit the relatives, he said. I believe their gentleness is what gives a spirit to the relatives. Its also like making a promise that they will be here with them until all the victims are found.Samran Khotchomphun said she has been waiting for her missing grandson and granddaughter since the first day of the collapse. She said she cried through the first three days because she couldnt cope with the situation.Samran said the dogs offered her a brief comfort and hope on day five of the search and rescue operations.I told the dogs, please help find them. My hope is hanging on you, she said.

In this image provided by Senate Television, Sen, Cory Booker, D-N.J. speaks on the Senate floor, Tuesday morning, April 1, 2025. (Senate Television via AP)2025-04-02T03:26:09Z WASHINGTON (AP) Democratic Sen. Cory Booker ended his record-setting speech the same way he began it, more than 25 hours earlier: by invoking the words of his mentor, the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis.He endured beatings savagely on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, at lunch counters, on freedom rides. He said he had to do something. He would not normalize a moment like this, Booker said of Lewis work as a young activist during the Civil Rights movement. He would not just go along with business as usual.He said for us to go out and cause some good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation, Booker said. A break from business as usual was what Booker had in mind as he performed a feat of political endurance, holding the Senate floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes while delivering a wide-ranging critique of President Donald Trump and his policies. In doing so, Booker of New Jersey broke the record for longest Senate floor speech, a mark that had belonged for decades to Strom Thurmond, the avowed segregationist from South Carolina who filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Booker said hed been aware of Thurmonds record since first coming to the Senate in 2013 a room near the Senate chamber is still named for him and it bothered him. It seemed wrong to me, Booker said. It always seemed wrong.Booker, a Black progressive, spoke about his roots as a descendant of both slaves and slave-owners as he invoked the Civil Rights movement, implicitly linking Lewis steadfast resistance to Jim Crow to the modern-day opponents of Trumps reshaping of government and society. Throughout his speech he read letters from Americans about the impact that Trumps agenda is having on their lives, drawing historical parallels and warning that the country faces a looming constitutional crisis.This is a moral moment, Booker said. Its not left or right; its right or wrong. As Booker held the floor, dozens of members of the Congressional Black Caucus flanked the back of the Senate chamber in support, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Maxine Waters. Other CBC members kept close to the floor, including Sens. Angela Alsobrooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Raphael Warnock. Before Booker surpassed Thurmonds 68-year-old record, Jeffries said Bookers speech was an incredibly powerful moment ... because he is fighting to preserve the American way of life and our democracy. And the record was held by Strom Thurmond who was actually defending Jim Crow segregation.Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., a close friend of Lewis who represented the neighboring district in metropolitan Atlanta, said Bookers speech was an act of resistance.The American people want to see us as their representatives do everything we can to resist the encroachment on our liberties and the taking away of benefits, Johnson said. Bookers speech captured attention at a time when Democrats have grown frustrated and despondent at their inability to stop Trumps plans. Locked out of power in Congress and the executive branch, Democrats have struggled with how to take on Trump and the slashing of government being carried out by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. Grassroots liberal organizers have been urging major Democratic figures to take a more combative approach. Some hoped that Bookers speech would offer the party lessons going forward.Booker is reminding all of America and his own party, not simply to stand for what were against, but to stand up for what we believe in, said Brittany Packnett Cunningham, an activist who helped lead the 2014 protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Mo.I think he recognized that people are looking for our leaders to have the moral clarity to declare that whats happening is wrong, and to determine, to do something about it, she said.As Bookers marathon speech drew to a close, he recalled the last conversation he ever had with Lewis, who was known for his acts of civil disobedience in Congress throughout his career until his passing in 2020.Booker recalled telling Lewis, well do everything possible to make you proud. And he said he had no doubt what Lewis message would be if he were alive today.John Lewis would say, do something, Booker said. He wouldnt treat this moral moment like it was normal. MATT BROWN Brown is a reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues. twitter instagram mailto

Nature, Published online: 02 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00933-3Researchers are debating the strength of evidence connecting technology to surging rates of adolescent mental illness. But they have some clear advice for parents.

Nature, Published online: 02 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00991-7The fierce debate about smartphones and adolescent mental health rests on conflicting science. Researchers and technology companies must work to improve it.

Carlo Ancelotti admitted Real Madrid made "a lot of mistakes" but also did "a lot of good things" in a 4-4 draw with Real Sociedad on Tuesday, which saw them reach the Copa del Rey final 5-4 on aggregate.

Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano recognized the importance of reaching the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals as a young club, but warned against taking the quarterfinal series against LAFC for granted.