Frameworka company that makes upgradeable and repairable laptopshas said it will pause sales on several versions of one of its models in America thanks to Trumps tariffs.Due to the new tariffs that came into effect on April 5th, were temporarily pausing US sales on a few base Framework Laptop 13 systems (Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U). For now, these models will be removed from our US site. We will continue to provide updates as we have them, Framework said in a post on X.Due to the new tariffs that came into effect on April 5th, were temporarily pausing US sales on a few base Framework Laptop 13 systems (Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U). For now, these models will be removed from our US site. We will continue to provide updates as we have them. Framework (@FrameworkPuter) April 7, 2025Unlike most laptops, Frameworks machines are designed to be upgraded and repaired. Customers pick a screen size and choose from a list of parts they want in the machine. They can have Framework assemble it and ship it with Windows installed, or they can build it themselves and install a custom operating system.The 13 line is Frameworks mid-sized option and the Ryzen 5 7640U was the cheapest variation of that model, starting at $749. The Ultra 5 125H was the Intel variant and is no longer listed on Frameworks website in the U.S. An archived version of the page shows this model starting at $799.A spokesperson for Framework told 404 Media in an email that the company was pausing sales on their six lowest priced units in the U.S. They clarified that those models are still available to customers that are ordering the machines outside of America. I asked if they knew when, or if, those models would ever come back to America. No comment, they said.I asked Framework why this was happening and it pointed to an answer it had posted on X. We priced our laptops when tariffs on imports from Taiwan were 0%. At a 10% tariff, we would have to sell the lowest-end SKUs at a loss, they said. Other consumer goods makers have performed the same calculations and taken the same actions, though most have not been open about it.Frameworks cheapest line of laptops is the latest consumer product to be felled by Trumps decision to issue a blanket import tax of 10% on all goods coming into the United States and a 32% tariff on Taiwan in particular. The stock market slumped on Monday and Wikipedia has already begun calling the events the 2025 Stock Market Crash.Nintendo announced the global launch of the Switch 2 just before Trump launched his tariff regime. The gaming company pulled pre-orders for the new gaming console in the U.S., citing uncertainty around the tariffs. The price was meant to be $449, but it might go up now. The board game and collectible card game industries, which rely on cheap materials from China, are signaling that prices are about to go up and its industry may collapse. A 2024 study from the Consumer Technology Associationthe group that puts on CESlooked at what effect proposed tariffs may have on gamers.What the CTA report predicted Framework, Nintendo, and the board game industry have confirmed. Trumps tariffs will hit gamers hard.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)2025-04-07T22:04:01Z SALT LAKE CITY (AP) U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention soon to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy also said hes assembling a task force to focus on the issue.Also on Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is reviewing new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.Kennedy told The Associated Press of his plans after a news conference in Salt Lake City. Utah last month became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, pushing past opposition from dentists and national health organizations who warned the move would lead to medical problems that disproportionately affect low-income communities. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral to their water systems. Water systems across the state must shut down their fluoridation systems by May 7. Kennedy praised Utah for emerging as the leader in making America healthy again. He was flanked by Utah legislative leaders and the sponsor of the states fluoride law. Im very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will, he said.EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who appeared with Kennedy at the news conference, said his agency was launching a renewed examination of scientific studies on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water to help inform any changes to the national standards. When this evaluation is completed, we will have an updated foundational scientific evaluation that will inform the agencys future steps, Zeldin said. Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment. Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a dangerous neurotoxin and said also its been associated with arthritis, bone breaks, and thyroid disease. Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn.Fluoride can come from a number of sources, but drinking water is the main one for Americans, researchers say. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. About one-third of community water systems 17,000 out of 51,000 across the U.S. serving more than 60% of the population fluoridated their water, according to a 2022 CDC analysis. The agency currently recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.But over time, studies have documented potential problems. Too much fluoride has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. Studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.A report last year by the federal governments National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter more than twice the recommended level in the U.S. was associated with lower IQs in kids. ___Stobbe reported from New York. HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Schoenbaum is a government and politics reporter based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also covers general news in the Rockies and LGBTQ+ rights policies in U.S. statehouses. twitter mailto

A student walks by the Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester, Feb. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)2025-04-07T21:49:09Z WASHINGTON (AP) Colleges around the country are reporting some of their international students visas are being revoked unexpectedly, expressing alarm over what appears to be a new level of government scrutiny.Visas can be canceled for a number of reasons, but college leaders say the government has been quietly terminating students legal residency status with little notice to students or schools. That marks a shift from past practice and leaves students vulnerable to detention and deportation.The list of colleges that have discovered students have had their legal status terminated includes Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, UCLA and Ohio State University. The Trump administration has targeted students who had been involved with pro-Palestinian activism or speech, with a few high-profile detentions of students including Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who was a leader of protests at Columbia University. But more schools are seeing visas stripped from students with no known connection to protests. In some cases, past infractions such as traffic violations have been cited. Some colleges say the reasons remain unclear to them and they are seeking answers. What youre seeing happening with international students is really a piece of the much greater scrutiny that the Trump administration is bringing to bear on immigrants of all different categories, said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute.Many college officials and students have only found out about the changes when they have checked a federal database and seen changes to an individuals immigration status. How do student visas work?Students in other countries must meet a series of requirements to obtain a student visa, usually an F-1. After gaining admission to a school in the U.S., students go through an application and interview process at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.Students on an F-1 visa must show they have enough financial support for their course of study in the U.S. They have to remain in good standing with their academic program and are generally limited in their ability to work off-campus during their academic program.Entry visas are managed by the State Department. Once theyre in the U.S., international students legal status is overseen by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program under the Department of Homeland Security.Leaders at many colleges learned the legal status of some of their international students had been terminated when they checked a database managed by Homeland Security. In the past, college officials say, visas typically were revoked after schools updated the government when students fell out of status. After losing legal residency, students are told to leave the countryHistorically, students who had their visas revoked were allowed to keep their legal residency status and complete their studies.The lack of a valid visa only limited their ability to leave the U.S. and return, something they could reapply for with the State Department. But if a student has lost residency status, they must leave immediately or risk detention by immigration authorities.Higher education leaders worry the arrests and revocations could have a chilling effect on international education in the United States. The lack of clarity of what is leading to revocations can create a sense of fear among students, said Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education.The very public actions that are being taken by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security around some of these students, where they are removing these students from their homes or from their streets, thats not usually done unless there is a security issue when a student visa is revoked, she said. The threat of this very quick removal is something thats new. Colleges are trying to reassure studentsIn messages to their campuses, colleges have said they are asking the federal government for answers on what led to the terminations. Others have re-emphasized travel precautions to students, recommending they carry their passport and other immigration documents with them.College leaders spoke of a growing sense of uncertainty and anxiety.These are unprecedented times, and our normal guiding principles for living in a democratic society are being challenged, University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Marcelo Surez-Orozco wrote in an email. With the rate and depth of changes occurring, we must be thoughtful in how we best prepare, protect, and respond.Surez-Orozco said the legal residency status had been canceled for two students and five other members of our university community including recent graduates participating in training programs.___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. ANNIE MA Ma is an Associated Press national writer who covers K-12 education. twitter mailto

Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States peer through their plane window as they arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)2025-04-07T23:03:16Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to use an 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants, but said they must get a court hearing before they are taken from the United States.In a bitterly divided decision, the court said the administration must give Venezuelans who it claims are gang members reasonable time to go to court.But the conservative majority said the legal challenges must take place in Texas, instead of a Washington courtroom.In dissent, the three liberal justices said the administration has sought to avoid judicial review in this case and the court now rewards the government for its behavior. Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined portions of the dissent.The justices acted on the administrations emergency appeal after the federal appeals court in Washington left in place an order temporarily prohibiting deportations of the migrants accused of being gang members under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act. For all the rhetoric of the dissents, the court wrote in an unsigned opinion, the high court order confirms that the detainees subject to removal orders under the AEA are entitled to notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal. The case has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension between the White House and the federal courts.Attorney General Pam Bondi called the courts ruling a landmark victory for the rule of law. An activist judge in Washington, DC does not have the jurisdiction to seize control of President Trumps authority to conduct foreign policy and keep the American people safe, Bondi wrote in a social media post.The original order blocking the deportations to El Salvador was issued by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, the chief judge at the federal courthouse in Washington.President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II to justify the deportation of hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force. Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan noncitizens who were being held in Texas, hours after the proclamation was made public and as immigration authorities were shepherding hundreds of migrants to waiting airplanes.Boasberg imposed a temporary halt on deportations and also ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen. The judge held a hearing last week over whether the government defied his order to turn the planes around. The administration has invoked a state secrets privilege and refused to give Boasberg any additional information about the deportations.Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg. In a rare statement, Chief Justice John Roberts said impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. ___Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. drives around Auburn guard Miles Kelly during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)2025-04-07T18:24:50Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness.Get the AP Top 25 mens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. SAN ANTONIO (AP) The national title game between Florida and Houston could come down to the NCAA Tournaments best clutch player against the countrys best clutch defense.Walter Clayton Jr., leads the Gators into Monday nights final against a long-armed Cougars defense that has snuffed out every team it has seen over this run to its first title game since 1984. That was the end of the Phi Slama Jama era that featured Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.Houston (35-4) has never won a title.The Gators (35-4) are one win away from their third championship and first since they went back-to-back in 2006-07. Clayton, a high school football star who chose basketball in college, scored 34 points in Floridas semifinal win against Auburn. He has averaged 24.6 points over five wins in the tournament. In two of those wins, he scored 13 points down the stretch in each to help Florida pull out close games against UConn and Texas Tech. The Cougars, who lead the nation in points and field goal percentage allowed, held the nations best player, Cooper Flagg, to 1 for 5 shooting over the final 10 1/2 minutes of their win over Duke on Saturday. Flaggs 3-pointer with 3:02 left in the game was the only basket Houston allowed over that stretch. Were going to need to have great mental and physical toughness if we want to give ourselves a chance, said Gators coach Todd Golden, who at 39 would become the first coach younger than 40 to win a national title since Jim Valvano in 1983. Sampson, 69, would surpass UConns Jim Calhoun as the oldest coach to win a mens basketball Division I national title. He earned his 798th career victory against Duke but this is his first time coaching for the championship. Among his strokes of brilliance at the end of the Duke game was a decision to let his defense do its thing instead of fouling with the Cougars down six and less than a minute to go. Houstons Jojo Tugler blocked Kon Knueppels shot, then Houston made a 3-pointer on the next possession and went on to score six straight points to win. Youve been in those situations so many times. It doesnt always work out, Sampson said. If JoJo goes for the shot fake and draws a foul, were down nine. All of a sudden Im the dumbest guy ever. ___AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

An electronic display shows financial information on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)2025-04-08T00:39:04Z BANGKOK (AP) Asian markets opened higher on Tuesday, with Japans Nikkei 225 share benchmark up 5.5% after it fell nearly 8% a day earlier. The rebound followed a wild day on Wall Street as U.S. stocks careened after President Donald Trump threatened to crank his double-digit tariffs higher. The Nikkei 225 had jumped to 32,819.08 a half-hour after the market in Tokyo opened.South Koreas Kospi gained 2% and markets in New Zealand and Australia also were higher.Asian markets plunged on Monday, with stocks in Hong Kong diving 13.2% for their worst day since 1997, during the Asian financial crisis.The S&P 500 ended down 0.2% on Monday as battered financial markets watched to see what Trump will do next in his trade war. If other countries agree to trade deals, he could lower his tariffs and avoid a possible recession. But if he sticks with tariffs for the long haul, stock prices may fall further. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 349 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by 0.1%. All three indexes started the day sharply lower, and the Dow plunged as many as 1,700 points following even worse losses elsewhere in the world. But it suddenly surged to a gain of nearly 900 points in the late morning. The S&P 500, meanwhile, went from a loss of 4.7% to a leap of 3.4%, which would have been its biggest jump in years. The sudden rise followed a false rumor that Trump was considering a 90-day pause on his tariffs, one that a White House account on X quickly labeled as fake news. That a rumor could move trillions of dollars worth of investments shows how much investors are hoping to see signs that Trump may let up on tariffs. Stocks quickly turned back down, and shortly afterward, Trump dug in further and said he may raise tariffs more against China after the worlds second-largest economy retaliated last week with its own set of tariffs on U.S. products. Trumps tariffs are an attack on the globalization thats remade the worlds economy, which helped bring down prices for products on the shelves of U.S. stores but also caused production jobs to leave for other countries.He has given several reasons for his stiff tariffs, including to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, which is a process that could take years. Trump on Sunday said he wanted to bring down the numbers for how much more the United States imports from other countries versus how much it sends to them. Indexes nevertheless did keep swinging between losses and gains Monday after Trumps latest tariff threat, in part because investors are still hoping negotiations may forestall actual implementation of the stiff duties on all imports.All that seemed certain Monday was the financial pain hammering investments around the world for a third day after Trump announced tariffs in his Liberation Day. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil dipped below $60 during the morning for the first time since 2021, hurt by worries that a global economy weakened by trade barriers will burn less fuel. Bitcoin sank below $79,000, down from its record above $100,000 set in January, after holding steadier than other markets last week.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00862-1But public-health specialists worry that misinformation and funding cuts could affect vaccination rates.

An aerial view of Xiasha Container Terminal on a canal in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province Sunday, April 06, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)2025-04-08T01:18:59Z BEIJING (AP) China said Tuesday it would fight to the end and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports. The Commerce Ministry said the U.S.s imposition of so-called reciprocal tariffs on China is completely groundless and is a typical unilateral bullying practice. China has taken retaliatory tariffs and the ministry hinted in its latest statement that more many be coming. The countermeasures China has taken are aimed at safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining the normal international trade order. They are completely legitimate, the ministry said. The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the US. China will never accept this. If the US insists on its own way, China will fight to the end. Trumps threat Monday of additional tariffs on China raised fresh concerns that his drive to rebalance the global economy could intensify a financially destructive trade war. Stock markets from Tokyo to New York have become more unstable as the tariff war worsens. Trumps threat came after China said it would retaliate against U.S. tariffs he announced last week.If China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated! If Trump implements his new tariffs on Chinese products, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would reach a combined 104%. The new taxes would be on top of the 20% tariffs announced as punishment for fentanyl trafficking and his separate 34% tariffs announced last week. Not only could that increase prices for American consumers, it could also give China an incentive to flood other countries with cheaper goods and seek deeper relationships with other trading partners, particularly the European Union. Trump frequently bragged about stock market gains during his first term, and the threat of losses on Wall Street was viewed as a potential guardrail on risky economic policies in his second term. But that hasnt been the case, and Trump has described days of financial pain as necessary.I dont mind going through it because I see a beautiful picture at the end, he said.Trump officials have frequently appeared on television to make the case for his policies, but none of their explanations has calmed the markets. The only improvement came from a false report that top economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Trump was considering a pause on all tariffs except for China. Stock prices spiked before the White House denied it was true by calling the post fake news.China is one of the U.S.'s top trading partners, especially for consumer goods, and the tariffs essentially a tax on imports paid by U.S. companies will eventually be passed on to the consumer. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Friday that the tariffs could increase inflation, and he said, Theres a lot of waiting and seeing going on, including by us, before any decisions would be made.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would focus on trade with other countries besides the United States, saying there are vast opportunities elsewhere. U.S. total goods trade with China were an estimated $582 billion in 2024, making it the top trader in goods with the U.S. The 2024 deficit with China in goods and services trade was between $263 billion and $295 billion.

South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo, center, speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)2025-04-08T04:03:46Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korea will hold a snap presidential election June 3 to replace recently ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, the countrys acting leader Han Duck-soo announced Tuesday.The announcement came days after the Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. By law, South Korea must elect a new president within 60 days of Yoons ouster.Deep political polarization will likely shape the election into a two-way showdown between the two major political parties: Yoons conservative People Power Party and its chief liberal rival, the Democratic Party.It will be an uphill battle for the People Power Party to hold on to power it struggles to restore public confidence and heal severe internal divisions left by Yoons martial law stunt.The focus of attention is on whether conservatives can regroup and field a strong candidate to compete against likely Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, who observers say is the clear front-runner. Potential candidatesSouth Koreas political parties are expected to launch primaries to select their presidential candidates in the coming weeks.The Democratic Party candidate is expected to be Lee, a powerful party leader who faces no major challengers inside the party. Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, led the party through a crisis during which many of its members faced off against troops sent by Yoon to surround the National Assembly and vote to lift martial law, and the later vote to impeach the president.About 10 politicians from the People Power Party are expected to seek the nomination. Conservatives in disarrayYoons baffling decision to enact martial law, which brought armed troops into Seouls streets and evoked the countrys traumatic memories of military rule was a blow to his partys reputation, even though it wasnt directly involved. Some reformist party members openly criticized Yoons actions and cast ballots to impeach him, triggering a feud with the partys old guard who supported the president.Yoon has diehard supporters who regularly staged massive rallies in Seoul and elsewhere. Many share an unfounded perception that Yoon is a victim of a leftist, North Korea-sympathizing opposition that has rigged elections to gain a legislative majority and plotted to remove a patriotic leader. South Koreas conservative party faces significant disadvantages heading into the upcoming election. Two months is a short time to unify the base, moderates and a conspiracy-driven fringe around a single candidate, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.The partys current leadership is filled with Yoon loyalists, and that will likely let the internal divide continue and undermine its electoral prospects, said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership.Among the People Power Party presidential hopefuls, Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo is considered to be the most pro-Yoon. He and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo opposed impeaching Yoon, while former party leader Han Dong-hoon and senior party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo supported removing him from office. The last major candidate is Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who has maintained an ambiguous position. Choi said Yoon will likely exert his influences to boost pro-Yoon figures who are seeking the nomination and party leadership posts so that they can defend him in as he faces a criminal trial. Yoon was charged with rebellion in January, and he could face other charges like abuse of power now that he has lost presidential immunity, which protected him from most criminal prosecutions.The People Power Party will need to nominate someone who can win over the public, particularly the moderates, rather than someone who can win the partys primaries, said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. Korean moderates and the young generation in their 20s and 30s will likely be the swing voters. Lees bidOpposition leader Lee, who has served as a provincial governor and a city mayor, is considered by his supporters as a populist reformer. But critics regard him as a demagogue who relies on stoking divisions and demonizing his rivals. Lee faces five ongoing trials for corruption and other charges. If he becomes president, those trials will likely stop thanks to presidential immunity.Yoon has repeatedly accused Lees Democratic Party of abusing its parliamentary majority status to obstruct his agenda, impeach senior officials and slash the governments budget bill. Yoon said his martial law decree was a desperate attempt to draw public support of his fight against wickedness of Lees party.Lee Jae-myung has many detractors among the South Korean public who believe he nearly broke the government for his own benefit, weaponizing the legislature to push Yoon over the edge and cast his own legal cases as political persecution, Easley said.Lees successful maneuvering, including the purge of progressive politicians disloyal to him, means he effectively owns the Democratic Party nomination and has the clearest path to the presidency, he said. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

Venezuelan migrant Yender Romero shows the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app on his cell phone, which he said he used to apply for asylum in the U.S. and is waiting on an answer, at a migrant tent camp outside La Soledad church in Mexico City, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)2025-04-08T04:23:52Z MCALLEN, Texas (AP) Migrants who were temporarily allowed to live in the United States by using a Biden-era online appointment app have been told to leave the country immediately, officials said Monday. It was unclear how many beneficiaries would be affected.More than 900,000 people were allowed in the country using the CBP One app since January 2023. They were generally allowed to remain in the United States for two years with authorization to work under a presidential authority called parole.Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect national security, the Department of Homeland Security media affairs unit said in response to questions.Authorities confirmed termination notices were sent to CBP One beneficiaries but did not say how many. They were urged to voluntary self-deport using the same app they entered on, which has been renamed CBP Home. Its time for you to abandon the United States, the Department of Homeland Security wrote to a Honduran family that entered the U.S. at the end of last year. The Associated Press reviewed the email received Sunday. Others shared the same email on social media platforms. Al Otro Lado, a nonprofit organization that provides legal aid to migrants, said some who received the revocation letters are from Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.CBP One was a cornerstone of the Biden administrations strategy to create and expand legal pathways to enter the United States in an attempt to discourage illegal border crossings. By the end of December, 936,500 people had been allowed to enter with CBP One appointments at border crossings with Mexico. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office, stranding thousands in Mexico who had appointments into early February. Trump has ended and revoked temporary status for many who benefited under Bidens policies. Homeland Security said Monday that Bidens use of parole authority more than any president since it was created in 1952 further fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. history. Homeland Security said last month that it was revoking another form of parole for 532,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who flew to the country at their own expense with a financial sponsor. It ends April 24. The Trump administration has also announced an end to Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans and about 500,00 Haitians, though a federal judge temporarily put that on hold, including for about 350,000 Venezuelans who had been scheduled to lose TPS on Monday. TPS is granted in 18-month increments to people already in the U.S. whose countries are deemed unsafe for return due to natural disaster or civil strife.

Britain's Prince Harry speaks during a high level event sponsored by Lesotho at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, file)2025-04-08T05:10:48Z LONDON (AP) Prince Harry wants his British security detail restored and is taking his case to an appeals court.Harry, whose titles include the Duke of Sussex, lost his government-funded protection in February 2020 after he stepped down from his role as a working member of the royal family and moved to the U.S. His lawyer is scheduled to challenge a lower court ruling Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in London.A High Court judge ruled last year that a government panels decision to provide bespoke security for Harry on an as-needed basis was not unlawful, irrational or unjustified. Harry had claimed he and his family are endangered when visiting his homeland because of hostility aimed at him and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on social media and through relentless hounding by news media. Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, has bucked royal family convention by taking the government and tabloid press to court, where he has a mixed record. He lost a related court case in which he sought permission to privately pay for a police detail when in the U.K. but a judge denied that offer after a government lawyer argued officers shouldnt be used as private bodyguards for the wealthy. He also dropped a libel case against the publisher of the Daily Mail for an article that said he had tried to hide his efforts to continue receiving government-funded security. But he won a significant victory at trial in 2023 against the publisher of the Daily Mirror when a judge found that phone hacking at the tabloid was widespread and habitual. He claimed a monumental victory in January when Rupert Murdochs U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life for years, and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.He has a similar case pending against the publisher of the Mail.

Palestinians wait to get donated food at a distribution center in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-04-08T06:59:08Z Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight and into Tuesday killed at least 25 people, including eight children and five women, according to Palestinian medics.Meanwhile, Israels Supreme Court is hearing a group of eight cases challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus controversial move to dismiss the head of the countrys internal security agency.Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas in March and has cut off all food, fuel and humanitarian aid to Gaza a tactic that rights groups say is a war crime while issuing new displacement orders that have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee Israeli bombardments and ground operations.Israels war in Gaza, now in its 18th month, has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry. Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns dozens of remaining hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, and taking 251 others hostage. The group still holds 59 captives 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Here is the latest: Israels High Court hears cases against domestic security chiefs firingIsraels Supreme Court is hearing a group of eight cases challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus move to dismiss the head of the countrys internal security agency.The hearing sets the stage for what will be the latest showdown between Netanyahu and the judiciary. Any decision it makes is likely to deepen a rift in Israel over the power of the courts over elected lawmakers.Critics say the decision to fire Ronen Bar is tainted by a conflict of interest because the internal security agency is investigating ties between Netanyahus office and the Gulf Arab state of Qatar. Bars supporters say Netanyahu demanded loyalty from the head of an organization that is meant to be apolitical.Netanyahu says his decision came after a crisis of confidence in his domestic security chief surrounding Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza. Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 25 Palestinians, medics sayIsraeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight and into Tuesday killed at least 25 people, including eight children and five women, according to Palestinian medics.A strike on a home in the central town of Deir al-Balah killed 11 people, including five children as young as two, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.Another four people were killed in a separate strike that hit a house in Deir al-Balah, it said.Another strike in the northern town of Beit Lahiya flattened a home and killed a family of seven, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.A separate strike hit a group of people in an open area northwest of Gaza City, killing four people, including one who was planning to get married next week, the ministry said.Israel says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it operates in densely populated areas.

This combo of pictures show President Donald Trump, left, addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025, and a handout of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attending a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis - Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)2025-03-13T10:02:17Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran and the United States will hold talks in the sultanate of Oman on Saturday in an attempt to jump-start negotiations over Tehrans rapidly advancing nuclear program.Even before the talks, however, there was a dispute over just how the negotiations would go. President Donald Trump insists theyll be direct negotiations. However, Irans foreign minister said theyll be indirect talks through a mediator. The difference may seem small, but it matters. Indirect talks have made no progress since Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.Trump has imposed new sanctions on Iran as part of his maximum pressure campaign targeting the country. He has again suggested military action against Iran remained a possibility, while emphasizing he still believed a new deal could be reached by writing a letter to Irans 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has warned Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own.Heres what to know about the letter, Irans nuclear program and the tensions that have stalked relations between Tehran and Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Why did Trump write the letter?Trump dispatched the letter to Khamenei on March 5, then gave a television interview the next day in which he acknowledged sending it. He said: Ive written them a letter saying, I hope youre going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, its going to be a terrible thing.Since returning to the White House, the president has been pushing for talks while ratcheting up sanctions and suggesting a military strike by Israel or the U.S. could target Iranian nuclear sites.A previous letter from Trump during his first term drew an angry retort from the supreme leader.But Trumps letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term led to face-to-face meetings, though no deals to limit Pyongyangs atomic bombs and a missile program capable of reaching the continental U.S. How has Iran reacted?Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected direct negotiations with the United States over Tehrans nuclear program.We dont avoid talks; its the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far, Pezeshkian said in televised remarks during a Cabinet meeting. They must prove that they can build trust.Khamenei seemingly reacted to comments by Trump renewing his threat of military action.They threaten to commit acts of mischief, but we are not entirely certain that such actions will take place, the supreme leader said. We do not consider it highly likely that trouble will come from the outside. However, if it does, they will undoubtedly face a strong retaliatory strike.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei went further.An open threat of bombing by a Head of State against Iran is a shocking affront to the very essence of International Peace and Security, he wrote on the social platform X. Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace. The US can choose the course...; and concede to CONSEQUENCES. The state-owned Tehran Times newspaper, without citing a source, claimed that Iran had readied missiles with the capability to strike U.S.-related positions. Thats as the U.S. has stationed stealth B-2 bombers in Diego Garcia within striking distance of both Iran and Yemens Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, which America has been bombing intensely since March 15. Why does Irans nuclear program worry the West?Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so.Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Irans program put its stockpile at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds) as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity. U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.Ali Larijani, an adviser to Irans supreme leader, has warned in a televised interview that his country has the capability to build nuclear weapons, but it is not pursuing it and has no problem with the International Atomic Energy Agencys inspections. However, he said if the U.S. or Israel were to attack Iran over the issue, the country would have no choice but to move toward nuclear weapon development.If you make a mistake regarding Irans nuclear issue, you will force Iran to take that path, because it must defend itself, he said. Why are relations so bad between Iran and the U.S.? Iran was once one of the U.S.'s top allies in the Mideast under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed CIA technicians to run secret listening posts monitoring the neighboring Soviet Union. The CIA had fomented a 1953 coup that cemented the shahs rule.But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule. The Islamic Revolution followed, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and created Irans theocratic government.Later that year, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shahs extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that saw diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. severed. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s saw the U.S. back Saddam Hussein. The Tanker War during that conflict saw the U.S. launch a one-day assault that crippled Iran at sea, while the U.S. later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner.Iran and the U.S. have see-sawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy in the years since, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. But Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord, sparking tensions in the Mideast that persist today.___Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

The rising Ohio River floods along Lower River Road, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Rabbit Hash, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)2025-04-08T05:42:01Z FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) After days of unrelenting downpours swelled rivers to near record levels across Kentucky, residents closely monitored waterways for signs they had crested, but freezing temperatures forecast for Tuesday could complicate any cleanup efforts.Freeze warnings were in effect until early Tuesday for western Kentucky, along with parts of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, with temperatures potentially dropping as low as 28 degrees (minus 2.2 Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.This is going to be a dangerous night where temperatures fall, where it gets potentially below freezing, so if youre somewhere thats very wet, if youre trying to ride this out in a home thats had water, tonight could raise concerns of hypothermia, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during a news conference Monday, urging residents to find a safe place to stay. Inundated rivers are the latest threat from persistent storms that have killed at least 23 people since last week as they doused the region with heavy rain and spawned destructive tornadoes. At least 157 tornadoes struck within seven days beginning March 30, according to a preliminary report from the weather service. Though the storms have finally moved on, the flood danger remains high in several other states, including parts of Tennessee, Arkansas and Indiana.Cities ordered evacuations, and rescue crews in inflatable boats checked on residents in Kentucky and Tennessee, while utilities shut off power and gas in a region stretching from Texas to Ohio. Floodwaters forced the closure of the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery, close to the banks of the swollen Kentucky River near downtown Frankfort. Officials diverted traffic, turned off utilities to businesses and instituted a curfew in Frankfort as the river crested just short of a record Monday. More than 500 state roads across Kentucky were still closed Monday evening, Beshear said. Several miles north of Frankfort, RVs were parked at a makeshift campground Monday after fast-rising floodwaters chased a community of 90 RVs out of a park along the Kentucky River on Saturday. Everyone made it out safe, although a few RVs had to be left behind and were quickly submerged.It was quite an ordeal to just kind of wake up, hit the ground and start running, make sure everybody was off the property, not only people but the equipment and the RVs, said Traci Yoder, manager of the RV park and a resident herself.Storms leaving devastating impact The 23 deaths reported since the storms began Wednesday, include 10 in Tennessee. Among the four confirmed killed in Kentucky, a 9-year-old boy was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. The deaths also included a 5-year-old boy in Arkansas who police said died after a tree fell on his familys home, and a 16-year-old volunteer Missouri firefighter who died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm.The Kentucky River crested at Frankfort Lock at 48.27 feet (14.71 meters) Monday, just shy of the record of 48.5 feet (14.8 meters) set there on Dec. 10, 1978, said CJ Padgett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Louisville, Kentucky, office. Beshear said more than 1,000 people had no access to water and nearly 3,000 were under boil water advisories. The worst Ive seenRussell Harrod, 78, stood Monday morning looking at the floodwaters surrounding the brick home in Frankfort where hes lived for 40 years. He said the water rose quickly Sunday afternoon.Thats the worst Ive seen, and Ive been around a long time, he said.In northeastern Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the scene absolutely heartbreaking around the town of Hardy, which took damage to its city hall and other buildings. West Memphis, Arkansas, Fire Chief Barry Ealy told WREG-TV that crews in the flood-prone city have rescued more than 100 people.Why so much nasty weather?Though significant rains have ended in the Southern Plains and the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys, flooding on most rivers will persist this week, with some smaller waterways receding in the next few days, according to the weather service.Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf. ___Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in New York; Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise, in Nashville, Tennessee; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Rebecca Reynolds in Louisville, Kentucky; Jeff Amy in Atlanta; Adrian Sainz in Memphis; Tennessee; Obed Lamy in Rives, Tennessee; and Hallie Golden in Seattle. KRISTIN M. HALL Hall is an Associated Press video journalist based in Nashville, Tennessee. She helps lead the video report in the Mid-South region.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01068-1Evidence shows that science and scientists remain highly trusted. But genuine scientific voices are not shouting loud enough over the noise to hold sway.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01043-wCountries must consider their global footprint when using natural resources

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00994-4Researchers jubilant over swift ministerial response to rule they say would hamper international recruitment.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01040-zEurope needs to step up on epidemic preparedness

Container ship is docked at Kwai Chung Container terminal in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Apr. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)2025-04-08T09:13:19Z BANGKOK (AP) U.S. President Donald Trump and China sparred over tariff hikes and other retaliatory moves on Tuesday, as governments elsewhere were brainstorming strategies to cope with the trade war between the global economic giants. China said it will fight to the end and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports in retaliation for Beijings backlash against the 34% tariffs he ordered on his April 2 Liberation Day. The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the US. China will never accept this, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement read on state-run broadcaster CCTV. When asked about the possibility of talks between Washington and Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said I think what the US has done doesnt reflect a willingness for sincere dialogue. If the US really wants to engage in dialogue, it should adopt an attitude of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Meanwhile, Chinese state-run companies were told to help support the countrys financial markets after they were hit by massive saves of selling on Monday. While world markets calmed somewhat after frenzied selling over two trading sessions that wiped out trillions of dollars worth of wealth, leaders in Asia shifted into damage control mode. Help for Japans automakers and steel millsJapanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke with Trump late Monday and then convened a task force Tuesday to mitigate damage from the 24% U.S. tariffs imposed on Washingtons biggest ally in Asia. Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa was appointed lead trade negotiator and senior officials were dispatched to Washington to follow up on the Ishibas talk with Trump. Ishiba told his ministers to do their utmost to get Trump to reconsider and also to mitigate the impact from the U.S. reciprocal tariffs, which he said would be a blow to all industries, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters. India wants a dealIndias Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio late Monday, pitching for an early conclusion of negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement. India, which faces a 26% tariff on its exports to the U.S., is hoping for concessions as part of the trade deal. A first tranche of the agreement is expected by this fall. Washington wants India to allow more open market access for U.S. dairy and other farm products, but New Delhi has balked at that since farming employs the bulk of Indias workforce. Indias Trade Minister Piyush Goyal planned to meet with exporters Wednesday to gauge the potential impact and cushion the economy from the tariffs.A State Department statement said Rubio and Jaishankar discussed ways to deepen collaboration, the tariffs and how to make progress toward a fair and balanced trade relationship. Malaysia promises soft diplomacy responseMalaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his government and other Southeast Asian countries would send officials to Washington to discuss the tariffs and it was working to build a consensus on a unified response among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as they convened an investment conference in Kuala Lumpur. We do not believe in megaphone diplomacy, Anwar said, As part of our soft diplomacy of quiet engagement, we will be dispatching together with our colleagues in ASEAN our officials in Washington to begin the process of dialogue.Still, he chided the U.S., saying Malaysias trade with the U.S. had long been a model of mutual gain, with its exports supporting Malaysias growth as well as high-quality jobs for Americans. The 24% tariff recently imposed on Malaysian imports was harming all and might have negative impact on both economies, he said.Anwar said Malaysia would stick to a policy of diversifying its trade at a time of uncertainty over globalization and changing supply chains. Hong Kong vows more, not less, open tradeIn Hong Kong, which has a free-trade policy and operates as a free port with few trade barriers, Chief Executive John Lee echoed Beijing in blasting Trumps tariffs as bullying and ruthless behavior he said had damaged trade and raised global uncertainty. Lee said the former British colony, which came under Beijings control in 1997 but has limited autonomy, would draw closer to the Chinese mainland, sign more free trade agreements and strive to attract more foreign investment to help blunt the impact of the higher U.S. duties. ___Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Rajesh Roy in New Delhi, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed. ELAINE KURTENBACH Based in Bangkok, Kurtenbach is the APs business editor for Asia, helping to improve and expand our coverage of regional economies, climate change and the transition toward carbon-free energy. She has been covering economic, social, environmental and political trends in China, Japan and Southeast Asia throughout her career. twitter mailto

This combo of pictures show President Donald Trump, left, addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025, and a handout of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attending a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis - Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)2025-04-08T10:31:01Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran s foreign minister said Tuesday hell meet with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman for the first negotiations under the Trump administration seeking to halt Tehrans rapidly advancing nuclear program as tensions remain high in the Middle East. Speaking to Iranian state television from Algeria, Abbas Araghchi maintained the talks would be indirect, likely with Omani mediators shuttling between the two parties. U.S. President Donald Trump, in announcing the negotiations on Monday, described them as being direct talks. Years of indirect talks under the Biden administration failed to reach any success, as Tehran now enriches uranium up to 60% purity a technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Both the U.S. and Israel have threatened Iran with military attack over the program, while officials in Tehran increasingly warn they could potentially pursue a nuclear bomb. Our main goal in the talks, is naturally restoring rights of people as well as lifting sanctions and if the other side has a real will, this is achievable, and it has no relation to the method, either direct or indirect, Araghchi said. For the time being, indirect is our preference. And we have no plan to alter it to direct. Araghchis comments left space for Iran to potentially hold direct talks eventually with the Americans. Such talks arent known to have been held since the Obama administration. There was no immediate acknowledgement from the U.S. that Witkoff would lead the American delegation. News of talks boosts Irans ailing economyAfter Trumps comments on the talks went public, Irans ailing economy suddenly showed new signs of life. Its rial currency, which hit a record low of over 1 million rials to the dollar, rebounded Tuesday to 990,000 rials. The Tehran Stock Exchange separately rose some 2% on the news. Irans economy has been severely affected by international sanctions, particularly after Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. At the time of the 2015 deal, which saw Iran drastically limit its enrichment and stockpiling of uranium in exchange for lifting of international sanctions, the rial traded at 32,000 to the dollar.Economic upheavals have evaporated the publics savings, pushing average Iranians into holding onto hard currencies, gold, cars and other tangible wealth. Others pursue cryptocurrencies or fall into get-rich-quick schemes. Trump letter sparked talksThe negotiations Saturday come after Trump wrote to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, trying to jumpstart direct talks between Tehran and Washington. Khamenei came down hard on Trump in February and warned talks are not intelligent, wise or honorable with his administration.Meanwhile, Trump is continuing an intense airstrike campaign targeting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the last force in Tehrans self-described Axis of Resistance able to attack Israel after other militant groups were mauled by Israel during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.Asked about Trumps mention of planned direct talks between the U.S. and Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow welcomes them, adding that we support settling the issue of the Iranian nuclear dossier by political and diplomatic means. We are aware that certain contacts, both direct and indirect, are planned in Oman and we can only welcome them as they could lead to the de-escalation of tensions around Iran, Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. His remarks come as Trump is trying to negotiate a separate peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, talks that also have happened in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia. ___Vahdat reported from Tehran, Iran. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01062-7Lessons from environmental and other social movements can help researchers to protect scientific integrity from attack.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01064-5Researchers are studying why the energy factories are moving between cells and whether the process can be harnessed to treat cancer and other diseases.

2025-04-08T11:55:36Z SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) At least 13 people died and more than 70 were injured after a roof fell at a discotheque in the capital of the Dominican Republic early Tuesday, authorities said.Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Mndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations.We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble, he said.Among the injured is merengue singer Rubby Prez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, officials said.President Luis Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are working tirelessly to help those affected.We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred, he wrote.At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.It wasnt immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)2025-04-08T09:29:28Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the rivals tense border on Tuesday, South Korean officials said.South Koreas military said in a statement that about 10 North Korean soldiers returned to the North after South Korea made warning broadcasts and fired warning shots. It said the North Korean soldiers violated the military demarcation line at the eastern section of the border at 5 p.m.South Koreas military said it is closely monitoring North Korean activities.Bloodshed and violent confrontations have occasionally occurred at the Koreas heavily fortified border, called the Demilitarized Zone. But when North Korean troops briefly violated the border in June last year and prompted South Korea to fire warning shots, it didnt escalate into a major source of tensions. South Korean officials assessed that the soldiers didnt deliberately commit the border intrusion and the site was a wooded area and military demarcation line signs there werent clearly visible. South Korea said the North Koreans were carrying construction tools. The motive for Tuesdays border crossing by North Korean soldiers wasnt immediately clear. The 248-kilometer (155-mile) -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide DMZ is the worlds most heavily armed border. An estimated 2 million mines are peppered inside and near the border, which is also guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides. Its a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Animosities between the Koreas are running high now as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his military nuclear capabilities and align with Russia over President Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine. Kim is also ignoring calls by Seoul and Washington to resume denuclearization negotiations. Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, U.S. President Donald Trump has said he would reach out to Kim again to revive diplomacy. North Korea has not responded to Trumps remarks and says U.S. hostilities against it have deepened since Trumps inauguration.South Korea, meanwhile, is experiencing a leadership vacuum after the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week over his ill-fated imposition of martial law. __Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

The shed-sized post office opposite a Baptist Church 40 miles outside of Louisville, Kentucky, was an unlikely starting point for one of the most significant undercover FBI operations in recent years. Inside that post office on September 17, 2021, sat a package that had arrived a few days earlier. On the face of it that package and others like it shipped over the coming months were not suspicious. They often contained childrens books. Nestled in those, though, was an envelope. Then another envelope inside that. And inside that, thousands of dollars of cash.This money came from ElonmuskWHM, one of the biggest online money launderers and who advertised on the dark web site White House Market (WHM). For nearly a year by that point, ElonmuskWHM had been a crucial cog in the underground economy. Criminals came to ElonmuskWHM when they needed to cash out their ill-gotten cryptocurrency, bypassing the legitimate banking system that ordinarily kept tabs on their customers and gave information to law enforcement. So the FBI wanted to shut ElonmuskWHM down.The FBI eventually identified ElonmuskWHM as Anurag Pramod Murarka, a 30 year-old Indian national who authorities arrested after luring him to the country by approving his travel visa application. More extraordinarily, the FBI then took over ElonmuskWHMs money laundering operation and ran it themselves for nearly a year, Gabrielle Dudgeon, public affairs specialist at the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, which prosecuted the case,told 404 Media. With criminals believing they were interacting with the real ElonmuskWHM, the FBI then investigated the launderers customers, including drug traffickers and hackers.Do you know anything else about this case? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.As part of the investigation into ElonmuskWHM, both before and after the account takeover, investigators linked the money launderer to drug traffickers in Miami; a robbery at knife point in San Francisco, and numerous multi-million dollar hacking cases. During this window of time, the FBI investigated an alleged member of the notorious Scattered Spider hacking collective, which was responsible for the MGM Resorts hack and has caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. In this operation, rather than following the money, the FBI would become the money, potentially giving criminals tens of thousands of dollars in an effort to learn their real identities.A 404 Media review of hundreds of pages of court documents, ElonmuskWHMs online posts, and other research reveals the contours of that FBI operation for the first time. It solidifies the idea that the FBI is willing to provide criminals with the infrastructure needed for their schemes, sometimes for extended periods of time, if it provides an avenue to investigate them. The FBI previously secretly ran an encrypted phone company for drug traffickers and inserted a backdoor into it; started its own cryptocurrency to catch financial scammers; and ran a dark web child abuse site for around two weeks to deliver malware to its visitors. Running one of the largest money launderering services available on the open criminal market was just one of the latest examples.ElonmuskWHMs trail gave investigators a window into a part of the criminal world that is ordinarily completely invisible, with cryptocurrency now married to a centuries old underground banking system, making it easier than ever for criminals to move and access their funds globally. The FBI also went to extreme, and likely unconstitutional, steps to unmask ElonmuskWHM, including demanding Google turn over identifying information about everyone who watched a certain YouTube video over an eight day period.NOOB BITCHElonmuskWHMs business started in around October 2020, according to a 404 Media review of his posts on the dark web forum Dread, where customers of drug marketplaces would gather and coordinate.Cash BY Mail with 100% escrow and anonymity, ElonmuskWHM wrote. The service was simple enough: send your cryptocurrency to ElonmuskWHM via a dark web marketplace (with his fee), and ElonmuskWHM would then send you cash in the mail. For dirty fundscryptocurrency sourced from criminal activityElonmuskWHM charged a 20 percent fee.Initially, Dread users accused him of being a fed or a scammer. He got into constant fights with other members, and called one a noob BITCH.Despite the scepticism, some people clearly needed that service enough to send cryptocurrency to ElonmuskWHM. The following month, they wrote they had $30,000 worth of orders. By January, he was up to 200 sales, then 450, and eventually was calling himself the biggest cash by mail provider on White House Market, one of the sites he advertised on.A photo posted to Instagram and ElonmuskWHM's profile picture on Telegram.This services utility in the criminal underworld cannot be overstated. Companies who allow the trading of cryptocurrency for fiat in the United States have to be registered with the government as a money transmitting business. Those companies, in turn, are legally required to collect identifying information about their users, much in the same way as an ordinary bank. This is an issue for criminals because if they sign up to more legitimate exchanges such as Binance or Coinbase, they will need to provide their ID. And those exchanges will hand over that information to the authorities if presented with a court order.ElonmuskWHM offered an anonymous alternative, no ID needed. Perfect for hackers who have built a stockpile of cryptocurrency but have no way to actually cash it out. Hardly any business accepts Bitcoin or its more anonymous cousin Monero. These people need cash.Soon ElonmuskWHM crossed 500 sales. Later, he said he had moved millions; doing multiple continents. He offered to move cash to any country in Europe, and said he could move $100,000 overnight in the U.S. if needed.One of his messages on Dread said: Fuck LE, fuck the LAW.In April 2021, an FBI employee discovered ElonmuskWHMs adverts on various sites, according to court records. In August, the FBI roped in the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the two agencies met about investigating ElonmuskWHM. Joshua Smith, a U.S. Postal Inspector, then arranged for the P.O. Box in Waddy, Kentucky, to receive cash mailed by ElonmuskWHM. If the authorities ordered cash from ElonmuskWHM, the packages and undercover conversations with the launderer might provide clues on his identity. These purchases were relatively small, $1,800 here, $2,000 there, with the cash sometimes arriving inside the torn pages of a book with those pages then taped together at the edges, and those placed inside multiple sealed envelopes, according to court records.While posing as a drug trafficker, the FBI performed so many undercover buys over so many months that the digital underground started to shift around the agency and money launderer. First White House Market went down in November 2021, after the owners decided to close up shop. Then Dark0de Reborn, a cybercrime forum ElonmuskWHM was on, closed the following February. The FBI moved to communicating with ElonmuskWHM more directly; he had accounts on Telegram and the encrypted messaging app Wickr. On Telegram, the launderers profile picture was of a Batman phone case.One of the undercover buy drop-off locations via Google Street View.In those chats, ElonmuskWHM said drugs were how most of his clients made their money, and let slip that his richest clients are hackers. Some of those hackers, the FBI learned, were involved in cryptocurrency thefts and computer intrusions. By analyzing the blockchain, investigators found that nearly $90 million worth of cryptocurrency moved through ElonmuskWHMs network, according to court records. He eventually boasted he had made approximately $30 million over just a few years, and said he could move up to $1 million a week. He owned a Mercedes.ElonmuskWHM started to let more personal details out too. The undercover FBI employee and ElonmuskWHM started discussing geographic information systems (GIS), basically a wide-ranging discipline of how computers can analyze or visualize geographic data. Think drones, construction, building interiors. The launderer revealed he had a history of working in the field, including with aerial drones, and that he once had been the CEO of a GIS company before selling that business to someone else around three years earlier.ElonmuskWHM sent the undercover FBI employee a YouTube video called Indoor AR navigation for malls, airports and retail stores. Keeping the conversation going, the FBI responded with a couple more videos. Ep. 01: ArcGIS Indoors was a five minute demo of a GIS tool. Drone mapping simplified with Site Scan for ArcGIS, another. Around that time, each video the FBI sent to ElonmuskWHM had been viewed around 2,000 and 1,400 times respectively.Screenshots of the YouTube videos the FBI sent to ElonMuskWHM.Knowing that ElonmuskWHM probably clicked on those links, U.S. authorities secretly made an audacious demand to Google: tell us what IP addresses were used to access these videos over a week-long period. Then if any of those IP addresses were linked to a Google account, in turn hand over that users name, address, payment information, message logs, and information about any other related accounts too. That legal demand was later reported by Forbes, and multiple experts said the order was unconstitutional because it had the potential to turn ordinary YouTube viewers into suspects because they watched a particular video.It is not clear if Google returned the requested data. Google acknowledged a request for comment but then stopped replying to emails asking if the tech giant provided the authorities with the information.THE MULESWith all of the undercover buys the FBI started to get an idea of where this money was coming from, and by extension, who in ElonmuskWHMs organization might be shipping it. One came from Tarrytown, New York. The third was sent from Elmsford, New York, again. Then another from Tarrytown. Others from White Plains and Irvington, also in New York. A pattern emerged. Whoever was shipping this money in some cases used the same locations again and again.They traced the likely shipment to a man in his early-twenties in Westchester County, New York, the county where many of the earlier packages had been shipped from. 404 Media has learned the real name of this person but is not naming them for their safety because they became a confidential human source and cooperated with law enforcement, and will instead refer to them as Eric.The FBI watched as Eric stepped out of his home and then delivered two parcels to a U.S. Post Office. Investigators determined those packages were supposed to ship to the USPIS post box in Kentucky the authorities had been using for the undercover buys. This time, the controlled buy was for $70,000, according to court records.A month later, authorities arrested Eric at his home where he lived with at least one parent. While clearing out the apartment, law enforcement asked the mans father where the suspect was. Once the officials called out his name, Eric emerged from his bedroom. Investigators found around $600,000 inside. While the FBI had been ordering mostly a couple thousand dollars at a time, it was clear that ElonmuskWHMs team was moving much higher amounts.Eric explained he met people around three times a week and received between $100,000 to $300,000 to move each time. Much of the money in New York came from people who owned lawful businesses, like convenience stores, and who wanted to send money back to India.Screenshots of images included in the court records.This underground banking system is known generally by the Arabic name hawala. Its Chinese equivalent is called Fei-Chien. Indian versions are known as Hundi or Angadia. People have moved money like this for hundreds and hundreds of years, before banks existed and still use it today. In the United States if members of such a system dont follow the countrys strict regulations on money transmitting services, they are most likely breaking the law. Many hawala customers are not hackers or drug traffickers. But ElonmuskWHMs business intersected with that system and brought criminals cash in. ElonmuskWHM essentially stuck cryptocurrency onto that existing, centuries old process. Rather than moving cash from one place to another, it became about exchanging cryptocurrency for cash instead.Rather than prosecute Eric immediately, the U.S. authorities decided to use him as a way in. He flipped, hoping for a lower sentence, and agreed to continue engaging in cash pickups and drops so the FBI could get a better understanding of how exactly this launderering worked and identify other people in the ring.Wearing a hidden camera, Eric performed around another 80 cash pickups, moving a total of more than $15 million from February to September, according to court records. Across Queens and the Bronx, convenience stores, bodegas, gas stations, and grocery parking lots, the FBI saw men of Indian descent with shopping bags full of cash moving around the city. Sometimes these men were asked by others if they needed to move money back to India, then fell into moving cash for the network, according to court records. The FBI then used cellphone data to see that some of these men were going out of state to New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. ElonmuskWHMs mules were all over the country.The New York money launderering ring court documents do not mention ElonmuskWHM. But it is clear these people are ElonmuskWHMs money mules: the records say the investigation started in April 2021 when the FBI identified a cash-in-the-mail vendor on the dark web (the same time as the FBI found ElonmuskWHM); the records say the vendor told an undercover officer in an online chat that their businesss customers included drug dealers and hackers (as ElonmuskWHM had done); and a partial WhatsApp number in the New York documents is the same as one in documents in ElonmuskWHMs case, 404 Media found. The Southern District of New York declined to comment.That number was one part of the puzzle that pinpointed who ElonmuskWHM really was. Through a flurry of pen traps and court orders; search warrants with Apple, Binance, and Uber; and a review of U.S. visa applications, investigators learned that ElonmuskWHMs real identity was Anurag Pramod Murarka, a man at the time in his late twenties with a one-third ownership stake in a land surveying company in India.Up until then, Murarkas previous visa applications to come to the United States had been denied. Now, the State Department approved it because the agency knew Murarka would be arrested after arriving in the country., court records say. Murarkas lawyer later said his client came to the United States in part to seek medical treatment for a rare medical condition after getting treatment in Egypt and Europe, according to court records.BECOME THE MONEYAfter arresting Murarka on September 30, 2023, the FBI made the decision to run ElonmuskWHMs operation themselves. A post from ElonmuskWHMs account on Dread, written nearly a month after the arrest, defends himself as not being a fed:Day one I start on whm , I hear same shit as todayNow I m infact tired of defending itGo to my first post 3 years back and same shitI m fed blah-blah-blah[]3 years + multiple markets + 1000s of trades + 100% positive feedbackand I m still here working my ass off and still have clients who love me and happy with my serviceDudgeon from the U.S. Attorneys Office told 404 Media that the FBI controlled the ElonmuskWHM persona for approximately eleven months. She said that the FBI investigated any criminal actor that used the criminal money laundering services of the ElonmuskWHM persona, including narcotics traffickers, hackers, and actors engaged in other criminal activity.Court documents say authorities linked ElonmuskWHMs services to drug trafficking prosecutions including one in Miami, Florida, a robbery at knife point investigation in San Francisco, California, and numerous computer hacking investigations, including some that derived multiple millions of dollars in criminal proceeds. Dudgeon told 404 Media that connections to customers were made both prior to and after the account takeover.One case in which a hacker used the services of an online money launderering service secretly run by the FBI was Remington remi Ogletrees. Authorities identified Ogletree after investigating Scattered Spider, a loose-knit collection of hackers notorious for their prolific social engineering skills and aggressive tactics. Scattered Spider emerged from the nebulous online community known as the Com, where around a thousand people coalesce on Telegram and Discord and often engage in physical violence against one another or members of the public. The FBI has designated Scattered Spider as a top three cyber threat, behind only China and Russia. Ogletree allegedly took part in compromises targeting telecom and financial businesses, according to court records.Two days after the FBI searched Ogletrees residence as part of that investigation on February 23, 2024, Ogletree contacted a money launderering service on Telegram, the court records say. At the time, Ogletree was apparently unaware that the Cash Service was part of an undercover FBI operation, the records add. Ogletree first told the launderer he needed $50,000 in cash, then upped the request to $75,000, according to the records. Ogletree sent cryptocurrency to the launderer, along with a physical address to deliver the money to.The Cash Service provided a USPS tracking number and mailed $75,000 (the value of any cryptocurrency Ogletree sent minus a fee) to Ogletrees Fort Worth Residence, the documents read. In other words, this undercover FBI operation provided tens of thousands of dollars to a suspect linked to a known-violent community of hackers, with him only being arrested nearly a year later in November 2024. Later, authorities said in court records that ElonmuskWHM, by providing money laundering services, enhanced the motivation [of criminals] to commit crimes, eased the path to success for these crimes, and facilitated the victimization of more people and businesses. For a year, the FBI arguably did much the same.The FBI also found that Ogletree had previously used the money launderering service multiple times in 2023, with Ogletree allegedly saying he had moved around $80,000 through the service, according to the court records. At one point, Ogletree flashed a large bundle of cash on Snapchat, according to a photo included in the records.Screenshot of a Ogletree court record.Ogletrees court records do not mention ElonmuskWHM specifically. 404 Media obtained screenshots in which people in the Com discussed ElonmuskWHM. Another message said one person used a laundering service and suggested they were caught shortly after.Dudgeon declined to comment on the Ogletree case, saying we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation. She also declined to point to any other prosecutions that have come about from the undercover running of ElonmuskWHM, saying the United States cannot comment on ongoing investigations.Murarka was sentenced in January to 121 months in prison, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky. In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutor Kathryn Dieruf said Murarka was the founder and leader of a vast conspiracy that spanned the United States and emanated from India, which was designed to operate as a bank for the criminal underworld operating on the dark net. In so doing, the Defendant ran one of the largest and most successful darknet crypto-for-cash operations, laundering more than $24 million in cryptocurrency [in] just under two years.The USPIS, FBI, and lawyers representing Murarka and Ogletree did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Ogletree did not respond either.Using the internet, the defendant provided his assistance to countless other criminals as they tried to conceal their stolen money and illegal drug proceeds, Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said in that announcement. This case highlights the global scope of cybercrime, as well as the demand for diligence and collaboration in fighting money launderinga devastating second layer of criminal conduct. The dedicated work of our law enforcement partners has now held him accountable; and we remain committed in our collaborative efforts to combat this destructive criminal activity.Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, said in the announcement: the FBI will leverage every advantage against criminal networks that cause damage to our communities, to apprehend these malicious actors, seize the proceeds of their crimes, and expose their network of co-conspirators.Even if that means launderering money for hackers.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Monday that the General Services Administration converted 14,000 magnetic to digital records, and claimed the process saved a million dollars a year.The problem is, magnetic tapes are regarded by storage and archivist professionals as being a stable, reliable, and safe medium for long-term data storage. Just because its a 70 year old medium doesnt mean those records needed a massive overhaul to digital, that it will save any money in the long term, or that the new storage method is better.Casual storage enjoyers might hear tape and think fragile spools of plastic that can rot or wear out. But digital storage is not necessarily a better option if youre trying to keep information for years; digital storage rot, or bit rot, can affect a hard drive over years of storage, making the data corrupt or inaccessible. This happens when the electrical charge inside a solid-state storage devicelike the kind of digital drive we can assume DOGE is talking aboutleaks and causes the drive to lose performance.Magnetic tapes are also a more cost and space efficient option at the scale the government would require to back up data. Tape requires someone who knows how to operate it, and the machines to read it, but as a storage medium its more compact and cheaper than comparably-sized digital drives would be. Modern tape cartridges can hold as much as 15 terabytes of data.But perhaps most importantly, tape is a lot more secure than digital storage. Hackers cant access whats on a magnetic tape unless they have it physically in hand; digital storage, however, can be broken into remotely or accessed if it touches cloud storage at all.Research also shows that tape media generates three percent of the carbon dioxide that hard disks do. Moving from tape to digital isnt just more expensive, less efficient, and less secure, but also bad for the environment. When were talking about long-term storage, ideally youre storing for a future that actually exists.Considering DOGEs track record of insecure and sloppy programming, habit of wasting public servants time with absurd busywork, and almost impressive ability to make most things it touches more expensive and inefficient, its not surprising that the department led by Elon Musk is proud to announce this unnecessary and wasteful flip to digital. But the irony of it making an otherwise perfectly stable archive suddenly unstable, while pulling what seems like a random million-dollar figure out of nowhere for the sake of a tweetall while gutting important archives and forcing volunteers to save what they canis almost too on the nose.GSA did not respond to a request for comment.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01042-xEurope must grasp chance to become a scientific powerhouse

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00990-8Researchers solve the mystery of a disease outbreak through long-term surveillance of wildlife in Africa.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01009-yThe 50th anniversary of a landmark biosafety conference is an opportunity to ensure its spirit lives on in todays scientists.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00916-4Research on cannabis was hotting up 50 years ago, and accessible lectures on the physics of matter from Nobel laureate William Bragg, in this weeks dip into Natures archive.

President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves the West Wing of the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-04-08T15:23:27Z WASHINGTON (AP) Less than one hour before the stock market closed on Monday, journalists gathered in the Oval Office for their only chance of the day to ask President Donald Trump about the turmoil caused by his tariff plans. Are the new tariffs, scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, a bargaining chip to reach better trade deals? Or are they etched in stone in a mission to revamp the global economy?Investors around the world were hanging on Trumps every word, but he did little to clear up the situation.It can both be true, he said. There can be permanent tariffs, and there can also be negotiations.The markets skidded to a close. At a time when foreign leaders and business executives are desperate for clarity, the White House is sending mixed messages as it pursues conflicting goals.Advisers have tried with some success to tamp down a days-long stock selloff by talking up tariffs as a starting point for negotiations, which could mollify Wall Street and jittery Republicans in Congress. The S&P 500 stock index opened up 3.4% on Tuesday. But the president continues to insist that he can raise hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue with his new taxes on foreign imports, and hes shown no willingness to back down from an agenda that hes advocated for decades, even before entering politics. The ongoing paradox could erode confidence in Trumps leadership at home and abroad after he promised a booming economy and tax cuts, not depleted retirement accounts and fears of a recession. For now, as the tariffs are set to kick in, theres no clear resolution for what could be the most significant overhaul of international trade in a generation. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, urged the White House to settle the situation. He said the perception as to whether or not theres an end game is very important. Tillis said he is giving the administration the benefit of the doubt for now. But he added: Youve got to get it done as quickly as you can get it done. The administration has yet to articulate its goals for any talks with trading partners, other than to suggest that negotiations could take several months and that nations might also need to dramatically overhaul their tax systems and regulations to satisfy Trumps demands. Canadian and European officials are uncertain about how to proceed even as Trump administrations officials insist that as many as 70 nations are looking to start negotiations.Trump insists that he wants to erase trade deficits that have developed as the U.S. buys more products from other countries than it sells. On Tuesday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social that he spoke with South Koreas acting president, Han Duck-soo, about their tremendous and unsustainable surplus. We have the confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries, he wrote. Their top TEAM is on a plane heading to the U.S., and things are looking good.But on Monday, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would eliminate the trade deficit with the United States, Trump appeared unmoved. Asked if he would hold off on new tariffs on Israel, the president said maybe not. Dont forget, we help Israel a lot, he said, citing billions of dollars in military assistance to the country. Trump has long advocated for tariffs as the solution to economic challenges, and his insistence that other countries are ripping off the United States is one of his most consistently expressed beliefs over the years.Last Thursday, while flying to Florida aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that the tariffs give us great power to negotiate.On the flight back to Washington on Sunday, Trump described the tariffs as a necessity and said he was undeterred by the cratering stock market, adding that sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.Peter Navarro, a leading trade adviser, has also taken a hard line.This is not a negotiation, Navarro wrote in the Financial Times. For the U.S., it is a national emergency triggered by trade deficits caused by a rigged system. But other officials like Kevin Hassett, the top White House economic adviser, and Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, said scores of countries are lining up to negotiate with Trump over tariffs.Its going to be a busy April, May, maybe into June, Bessent told Fox News. He said Trump gave himself maximum negotiating leverage, and just when he achieved the maximum leverage, hes willing to start talking.Speaking Monday at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, Stephen Miran, chairman of Trumps Council of Economic Advisers, said the mixed messages over the purpose of the tariffs reflected a healthy internal debate.There are conflicting narratives because everybody has got an opinion, he said. And thats fine. Disagreement is how you can enhance your arguments and avoid groupthink, and I think thats very healthy. As for whether any deals could be reached before the tariffs take effect, Miran said, that choice will ultimately remain with the president.Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said some of Trumps aides just like to talk.Theres some uncertainty about what the presidents objective is and I think thats a product of some of his aides, who gave conflicting reports on TV this weekend, he said.Kennedy said he supports Trumps trade goals. But hes also getting calls from businesses in his state, and hes had no answers for them on what to expect.Trump is constitutionally barred from running for president again, despite his talk about serving a third term. However, Republicans face elections next year that could reshape control of Congress, and theyve been more nervous about the presidents plans. Bessent visited with lawmakers on Friday, the day after the tariff announcement. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said Bessent told them that the tariffs were a high level mark with the ultimate goal of getting them reduced unless other countries retaliated.The president is a dealmaker if nothing else, and hes going to continue to deal country by country with each of them, Barrasso said afterward.But China already retaliated with plans for its own 34% tariffs, prompting Trump on Monday to threaten additional 50% tariffs against the country.The U.S. president had a positive enough conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that the Nikkei stock index jumped 6% on Tuesday, yet it was still unclear how a deal would work. Trump placed a 24% tariff on Japan and a separate 25% tariff on auto imports, much higher than the 1.9% average tariff rate charged by Japan, according to World Trade Organization data. Trump has called the auto tariffs permanent and also installed a permanent 10% baseline tariff on most countries, suggesting a limit as to how much rates could fall through negotiations.But Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota made it clear he hopes the tariffs are part of a flexible strategy that leads to the reciprocal dropping of tariffs.I think most people here, like most Americans, are watching and waiting to see what the ultimate policy implementation will be, he said Monday.On the other side of the Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana emphasized his trust in the president.Johnson argued the country had a $1.2 trillion trade deficit last year and Americans understand Trump is trying to address that.We are going to give him the space necessary to do it, he said Monday. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a press conference about Utah's new fluoride ban, food additives and SNAP funds legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)2025-04-08T15:48:08Z NEW YORK (AP) U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants communities to stop fluoridating water, and he is setting the gears of government in motion to help make that happen.Kennedy this week said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. And he said hes assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.At the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems. Heres a look at how reversing fluoride policy has become an action item under President Donald Trumps administration. The benefits of fluorideFluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.Fluoride can come from a number of sources, but drinking water is the main one for Americans, researchers say. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. The American Dental Association credits it with reducing tooth decay by more than 25% in children and adults.About one-third of community water systems 17,000 out of 51,000 across the U.S. serving more than 60% of the population fluoridated their water, according to a 2022 CDC analysis. The potential problems of too much fluorideThe CDC currently recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. Over time, studies have documented potential problems when people get much more than that. Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development. A report last year by the federal governments National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter more than twice the CDCs recommended level was associated with lower IQs in kids.Meanwhile, last year, a federal judge ordered the EPA to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that its not certain fluoride is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that research pointed to an unreasonable risk that it could be.Kennedy has railed against fluorideKennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a dangerous neurotoxin and an industrial waste tied to a range of health dangers. He has said its been associated with arthritis, bone breaks, and thyroid disease. Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn. How fluoride recommendations can be changedThe CDCs recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory.State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and, if so, how much as long as it doesnt exceed the EPAs limit of 4 milligrams per liter.So Kennedy cant order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it.It would be customary to convene a panel of experts to comb through the research and assess the evidence that speak to the pros and cons of water fluoridation. But Kennedy has the power to stop or change a CDC recommendation without that.The power lies with the secretary, but public trust would erode if recommendations are changed without a clear scientific basis, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.If youre really serious about this, you dont just come in and change it, he said. You ask somebody like the National Academy of Sciences to do a study and then you follow their recommendations. On Monday, Kennedy said he was forming a task force to focus on fluoride, while at the same time saying he would order the CDC to stop recommending it. HHS officials did not answer immediately questions seeking more information about what the task force would be doing.Some places are already pulling back on fluoridationUtah recently became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water, and legislators elsewhere are looking at the issue.An Associated Press analysis of CDC data for 36 states shows that many communities have halted fluoridation in recent years. Over the last six years, at least 734 water systems that consistently reported their data in those states have stopped fluoridating water, according to the APs analysis. Mississippi alone accounted for more than 1 in 5 of those water systems that stopped. Most water systems that discontinued fluoridation mainly did so to save money, said Melissa Parker, the Mississippi state health departments assistant senior deputy. During the pandemic, Mississippis health department allowed local water systems to temporarily cease fluoridating because they could not purchase sodium fluoride in the midst of global supply chain issues. Many never restarted, Parker said. CDC funding for fluoride is typically a small factorSince 2003, CDC has funded a limited number of state oral health programs through cooperative agreements. The agreements run in cycles, and at the beginning of this year 15 states were each receiving $380,000 over three years. The money can be used on a number of things, including collecting data on people with dental problems, dental care and technical assistance for community water fluoridation activities.The current oral health funding is going to Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin. The states are told not to use the money for chemicals, because the funding is intended to help set up fluoridation, not for everyday expenses, federal officials have said. South Carolina, for example, sets aside up to $50,000 to help communities in that state fluoridate. Iowa spends about $65,000 to promote community water fluoridation.Earlier this year, CDC officials declined to answer questions about how much of the total oral health money has been going toward fluoridation. Now, there is no one to ask: Last week, the CDCs entire 20-person Division of Oral Health was eliminated as part of widespread government staffing cuts.Congress appropriated money to CDC specifically to support oral health programs, and some congressional staffers say the agency must distribute those funds no matter who is running the HHS or CDC. But Trump-driven budget cuts have struck at a number of programs that Congress had called for, and its not clear what will happen to the CDC oral health funding.Fluoridation is relatively cheap compared with other water department expenses, and most communities simply incorporate the cost into the water rates charged to customers, according to the American Water Works Association. In Erie, Pennsylvania, for example, fluoridating water for 220,000 people costs about $35,000 to $45,000 a year and is entirely funded by water rates, said Craig Palmer, the chief executive of the Erie Water Authority.So cutting off the CDC money would not have much impact on most communities, some experts said, although it could be more impactful for some smaller, rural communities. ___Pananjady reported from Philadelphia.___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 weekend, U.S. secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick went on CBSs Face the Nation and pitched a fantasy world where iPhones are manufactured in the United States: The army of millions and millions of people screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America, its going to be automated, and the tradecraft of America is going to fix them, is going to work on them, theres going to be mechanics, HVAC specialists, electricians, Lutnick said. The tradecraft of America, the high school educated Americans, the core to our workforce is going to have the greatest resurgence of jobs in the history of America to work on these high tech factories which are all coming to America."The army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America." - LutnickWell. Enjoy your sweatshop jobs everybody. pic.twitter.com/h9k83SHZXd Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) April 6, 2025The idea of a Made-in-the-USA iPhone has been an obsession for politicians for years, a kind of shorthand goalpost that would signal American manufacturing is back that is nonetheless nowhere close to being a reality and would require a nearly impossible-to-fathom restructuring of the global supply chains that make the iPhone possible in the first place. Over the years, economists and manufacturing experts have attempted to calculate how much an American-made iPhone would cost. In recent days a Quora answer from 2018 that suggests an American iPhone would cost $30,000 has gone repeatedly viral. A Reuters story that claims a tariffed iPhone would cost $2,300 has also gone viral.These articles are good exercises but they are also total fantasy. There is no universe in which Apple snaps its fingers and begins making the iPhone in the United States overnight. It could theoretically begin assembling them here, but even that is a years-long process made infinitely harder by the fact that, in Trumps ideal world, every company would be reshoring American manufacturing at the same time, leading to supply chain issues, factory building issues, and exacerbating the already lacking American talent pool for high-tech manufacturing. In the long term, we could and probably will see more tech manufacturing get reshored to the United States for strategic and national security reasons, but in the interim with massive tariffs, there will likely be unfathomable pain that is likely to last years, not weeks or months.The truth is that, assembled in the U.S. or not, the iPhone is a truly international device that is full of components manufactured all over the world and materials mined from dozens of different countries. Apple has what is among the most complex supply chains that has ever been designed in human history, and it is not going to be able to completely change that supply chain anytime soon.We can see how the iPhone is made today by looking at numerous reports that Apple puts out every year, which outlines its current supply chain and workforce requirements. So lets start there. The home page of Apples supply chain website states Designed by Apple in California. Made by people everywhere.A Global Supply ChainEven production of the much-touted American assembled Mac Pro was partially moved back to China and, in some cases, Thailand. Mac Pros that are assembled in the United States are done so with materials that are mined all over the world and are turned into components that are manufactured all over the world. 0:00 /0:45 1 Apples conflict minerals report filed with the SEC details where it sources tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold, which are four metals it uses in manufacturing and which companies are required to report the country of origin to the government because they are often sourced from war-torn nations. In 2023, the last year that data is available, it sourced those four metals from 79 different countries, from roughly 200 different refineries and smelters. Just 20 of those smelters are in the United States. Apples longer supplier list shows where different components are manufactured, and is full of companies who do their manufacturing in Singapore, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, India, and elsewhere. There are some U.S. manufacturers on this list, but the overwhelming majority of them are in Asia.Countries where Apple suppliers source just four different mineralsIf Trumps tariffs stick, it is possible, maybe even likely, that Apple begins to source more materials and components from U.S. manufacturers. But Apples supply chain is one of the most complex in the world, with components and minerals coming from every continent. This supply chain has been honed over the course of decades and is not something that can be remade in a year or two.Millions of WorkersApples supply chain documents say that its manufacturing partners currently employ at least 1.4 million people, and that it has more than 320 suppliers overall. Lutnick suggested that Apple will automate this army of people in the United States, and that Americans with high school diplomas will take the ancillary jobs. More automation is coming to Apple manufacturing lines. But that work is slow going, many of Apples products are still assembled largely by hand, and it is not clear who will build the theoretical machines and factories that would automate iPhone manufacturing. This is a point that Ryan Petersen, the CEO of logistics company Flexport, brought up on Bloombergs Odd Lots podcast Monday.I talked to two different people who had to pause their factory buildouts [in the U.S.] because of the tariffs, because the machines they were going to buy are too expensive now, Petersen said. Factories require machinery and components from other countries, so if machinery gets really expensive youre going to have less manufacturing, not more. So I think this is very unlikely to yield the results that they want.Apple set a goal to reduce the number of people working on iPhone assembly by up to 50 percent by 2030, The Information reported last year. But automating production of the iPhone has been a goal for a very long time, and there are still millions of people working on it. Apple has also made strides in creating robots that can disassemble an iPhone, but even these robots only deal with a fraction of the total number of iPhones that are disassembled and recycled around the world. Human beings remove the batteries from the vast majority of iPhones that are recycled to prevent fires; the rest of the device is usually run through a shredder and individual metals are sorted out, melted down, and downcycled.Chinese memes on American re-industrialization rolling in. lol the music. pic.twitter.com/GZE2jHDgWZ Gabor Gurbacs (@gaborgurbacs) April 7, 2025This is to say nothing of training a workforce to assemble iPhones in the United States, and whether people would even want these jobs. Trumps tariffs and Lutnicks comments instantly spawned viral AI slop videos of stressed out, upset, and overworked Americans working in dank factories. These videos are rude but are not totally wrong. The Reshoring Institute put out a paper that said American machine operators made an average of $43,000 annually in 2022; Vietnamese machine operators made less than $5,000 annually.A large technology manufacturing workforce exists in China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Taiwan, and other countries where Apple does lots of its manufacturing. Roughly half of all workers at the Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMCs much-hyped U.S. factory in Arizona are Taiwanese, and the company claimed in 2023 that in the United States, There [was] an insufficient amount of skilled workers to actually build the factory, and that immigrants from Taiwan on special visas had to do much of the factory construction. Now consider that, for Trumps imagined economic transformation to occur without immense economic pain, product shortages, and product delays, the U.S. would need to build a huge number of high tech factories all at once. It is also worth considering that Foxconn, which manufactures iPhones and other devices, got billions of dollars of funding to build a factory in Wisconsin, failed to do so, and totally abandoned the site. Foxconn failed in Wisconsin for many reasons (chief among them, it did not ever actually build a factory, which was covered best by The Verge), but an executive there explained that it was not feasible for the company to find workers only from the local communities: It is not feasible to tap into just Mount Pleasant or Milwaukee alone to really build up the talent pool, Alan Yeung, who helped lead the Foxconn project, told The Verge.Boston Engineering, a firm that helps tech companies reshore manufacturing to the United States, published a paper last year that said hurdles to reshoring jobs include higher American wages, a need to build automation technology that may not exist yet, and a lack of skilled American workers: Reshoring is more than just moving production locationsit often requires a redesign of products and manufacturing processes. Many products originally designed for low-cost, manual labor overseas must be re-engineered for automation to suit the higher-wage U.S. workforce. Additionally, companies must rebuild domestic supply chains With an aging population and fewer skilled workers available [in the US], manufacturers need to invest in upskilling their workforce or adopt technologies that reduce reliance on manual labor.If you walk the streets of Shenzhen, you will find random repair people doing board-level iPhone repairs, which require the use of a microscope and a microsoldering iron. Some of Americas best iPhone repair professionals know how to microsolder, and its not that hard to learn, but its still a specialized skill set that few people in the United States know how to do and which only a few repair professionals are even teaching. Foxconn iPhone factory workers, meanwhile, have a long history of working long hours under grueling conditions, mental health disorders, and mistreatment. Apple has made some strides on this in recent years, but, notoriously, there have been numerous suicides at iPhone factories over the last decade, and, as recently as 2022, there were mass worker protests for over working conditions and pay.Reshoring manufacturing jobs is not just a goal of the Trump administration. A huge goal of Bidens CHIPS Act was to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. The idea of reshoring jobs is a good one, and targeted tariffs in Trumps first term and during Bidens administration, as well as the CHIPS Act, have been effective in pushing companies that way. But across the board, punitive tariffs that blow up the global supply chain and the global trade order overnight is going to put people around the world through economic pain with no guarantee that its going to be OK on the other side.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08961-9A Nd@C82-polymer interface for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01041-yThe US is against the world on sustainable development

Sotheby's Deputy Chairman, Middle East & Head of Sotheby's UAE, Katia Noun Boueiz wears the Mediterranean Blue diamond during its worldwide debut in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)2025-04-08T15:17:44Z ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A rare blue diamond was on display Tuesday at an exhibition of $100 million worth of the worlds rarest diamonds in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi.The eight diamonds on display at the Sothebys exhibition have a total weight of over 700 carats.Visitors focused on the 10-karat blue diamond from South Africa, considered one of the most important blue diamonds ever discovered. Sothebys expects it to be auctioned off at $20 million in May. Quig Bruning, the companys head of jewels in North America, Europe and the Middle East, said they chose Abu Dhabi for the current exhibition because of the Gulf nations high interest in diamonds.We have great optimism about the region, he said. We feel very strongly that this is the kind of place where you have both traders and collectors of diamonds of this importance and of this rarity.

A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)2025-04-08T14:51:17Z A day care facility in a Texas county thats part of the measles outbreak has multiple cases, including children too young to be fully vaccinated, public health officials say.West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 481 cases Friday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico. Three people who were unvaccinated have died from measles-related illnesses this year, including two elementary school-aged children in Texas. The second child died Thursday at a Lubbock hospital, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the funeral in Seminole, the epicenter of the outbreak.As of Friday, there were seven cases at a day care where one young child who was infectious gave it to two other children before it spread to other classrooms, Lubbock Public Health director Katherine Wells said. Measles is so contagious I wont be surprised if it enters other facilities, Wells said.There are more than 200 children at the day care, Wells said, and most have had least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is first recommended between 12 and 15 months old and a second shot between 4 and 6 years old. We do have some children that have only received one dose that are now infected, she said. The public health department is recommending that any child with only one vaccine get their second dose early, and changed its recommendation for kids in Lubbock County to get the first vaccine dose at 6 months old instead of 1. A child who is unvaccinated and attends the day care must stay home for 21 days since their last exposure, Wells said. Case count and hospitalization numbers in Texas have climbed steadily since the outbreak began, and spiked by 81 cases from March 28 to April 4, with 16 more people hospitalized in that time. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met with Texas officials Monday to determine how many people it would send to West Texas to assist with the outbreak response, spokesman Jason McDonald said Monday. He expected a small team to arrive later this week, followed by a bigger group on the ground next week. The CDC said its first team was in the region from early March to April 1, withdrawing on-the-ground support days before a second child died in the outbreak.___AP reporter Amanda Seitz in Washington contributed to this report.

Nature, Published online: 07 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01093-0Meet Aaron Leanhardt, a physicist-turned-hitting coordinator for the New York Yankees. Plus, the top US vaccine regulator was pressured to provide conspiracy-confirming data and the winners of this years Breakthrough Prizes.

President Donald Trump, left, greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-04-08T17:23:57Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington this week for a hastily organized White House visit bringing a long list of concerns: Irans nuclear program. President Donald Trumps tariffs. The surging influence of rival Turkey in Syria. And the 18-month war in Gaza.Netanyahu appeared to leave Mondays meeting largely empty-handed a stark contrast with his triumphant visit two months ago. During an hourlong Oval Office appearance, Trump appeared to slap down, contradict or complicate each of Netanyahus policy prerogatives.On Tuesday, Netanyahu declared the meeting a success, calling it a very good visit and claiming successes on all fronts. But privately, the Israeli delegation felt it was a tough meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Netanyahu didnt hear exactly what he wanted to hear, so he returns back home with very little, said Nadav Eyal, a commentator with the Yediot Ahronot daily, who added that the visit was still friendly, despite the disagreements. Netanyahus second pilgrimage to Washington under Trumps second term was organized at short notice and billed as an attempt to address the new U.S. tariff regime. But it came at a pivotal time in Middle East geopolitics. Israel restarted the war in Gaza last month, ending a Trump-endorsed ceasefire, and tensions with Iran are rising over its nuclear program. Netanyahu and his allies were thrilled with Trumps return to office given his strong support for Israel during his first term. This time around, Trump has not only nominated pro-Israel figures for key administration positions, he has abandoned the Biden administrations criticism of Israels conduct in Gaza and the West Bank, and of Netanyahus steps to weaken Israeli courts.Mondays meeting showed that while Trump remains sympathetic to Israel, Netanyahus relationship with the president during his second term is more complicated and unpredictable than he may have expected.Here is a look at where Trump and Netanyahu appear to have diverged. Netanyahu has long pushed for military pressure against IranWith Netanyahus strong encouragement, Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. That deal, negotiated by the Obama administration, put curbs on Irans nuclear program. It was denigrated by Netanyahu because he said it did not go far enough to contain Iran or address Irans support for regional militant groups.Netanyahu has long maintained that military pressure was the best way to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Israel struck Iran last year in the countries first direct conflict ever. But it did not target Irans nuclear facilities, something Israel would likely need U.S. military assistance to do in order to strike targets buried deep underground.Trump has suggested, including on Monday, that the U.S. could take military action if Iran doesnt agree to negotiate. But his announcement Monday that talks would take place between the U.S. and Iran this weekend flew in the face of Netanyahus hawkish views. Netanyahu gave a tepid endorsement, noting that both leaders agree that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. He said he would would favor a diplomatic agreement similar to Libyas deal in 2003 to destroy its nuclear facilities and allow inspectors unfettered access. However, it is not clear if Trump will set such strict conditions.Eyal said the announcement with Netanyahu by Trumps side was meant to show the transparency between the countries leadership. Netanyahu hoped for tariff relief and appeared to be rebuffedA day before Trumps so-called Liberation Day unleashed global tariffs on the world last week, Israel preemptively announced that it would eliminate all levies on U.S. goods. But that didnt spare Israeli products from being slapped with a 17% tariff by its largest trading partner.Netanyahu was summoned to Washington ostensibly to make Israels case against the levy. He was the first international leader to do so, in an encounter that may have set the stage for how other world leaders approach the tariffs. While Trump repeatedly praised the Israeli leader, he did not appear to budge on Israels share of the burden. Asked if he might change his mind, he said maybe not. He cited the billions of dollars the U.S. gives Israel in military assistance each year money that is seen as the bedrock of the U.S.-Israel relationship and an insurance policy for U.S. interests in the region. We give Israel $4 billion a year. Thats a lot, he said, as though to suggest Israel was already getting enough from the U.S., and congratulated Netanyahu on that achievement. Netanyahu was told to be reasonable on TurkeySince the fall of the Assad dynasty in Syria late last year, Israel and Turkey have been competing in the country over their separate interests there. Israel fears that Syrias new leadership, which has an Islamist past, will pose a new threat along its border. It has since taken over a buffer zone in Syrian territory and said it will remain there indefinitely until new security arrangements are made.Turkey has emerged as a key player in Syria, prompting concerns in Israel over the possibility of Turkey expanding its military presence inside the country. Netanyahu said Tuesday that Turkish bases in Syria would be a danger to Israel.Once strong regional partners, ties between Israel and Turkey have long been frosty and deteriorated further over the war in Gaza. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been an outspoken critic of the war, prompting angry reactions from Israeli officials.Netanyahu sought to hear support from his stalwart ally Trump on a country Israel perceives as increasingly hostile. Instead, Trump lavished praise on Erdogan for taking over Syria, positioned himself as a possible mediator between the countries and urged Netanyahu to be reasonable in his dealings with the country.Israel is not provided with a blank check here, said Udi Sommer, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Tel Aviv University. Theres no unconditional love here. It is contingent. It is contingent on Israel behaving a certain way.Trump wants the war in Gaza to endWhile both addressed the ongoing war in Gaza and the Israeli hostages who remain held there, the topic appeared to take a backseat to other issues.Netanyahu spoke of the hostages plight and an emerging deal to free them, as well as the need to end the evil tyranny of Hamas. Trump sympathized with the hostages and made another pitch for his plan to own Gaza and remove its Palestinian population, a once fringe idea in Israeli discourse that has now found acceptance among mainstream politicians, including Netanyahu.However, there were signs of differences on the horizon.Netanyahu broke the ceasefire last month and has been under major pressure from his governing allies to keep up the fighting until Hamas is crushed. He has appeared to be in no rush to end the war or bring home the remaining hostages.Trump, however, made it clear that hed like to see the hostages freed and for the war to end. And I think the war will stop at some point that wont be in the too distant future, he said. TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto

The Supreme Court at sunset in Washington, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)2025-04-08T16:13:03Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employees who were let go in mass firings aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government.The justices acted in the administrations emergency appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California ordering that 16,000 probationary employees be reinstated while a lawsuit plays out because their firings didnt follow federal law.The effect of the high courts order will keep employees in six federal agencies on paid administrative leave for now. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have kept the judges order in place.Its the third time in less than a week that the justices have sided with the administration in its fight against federal judges whose orders have slowed President Donald Trumps agenda. The court also paused an order restoring grants for teacher training and lifted an order that froze deportations under an 18th century wartime law. But as with the earlier orders, the reach of Tuesdays order may be limited. A second lawsuit, filed in Maryland, also resulted in an order blocking the firings at those same six agencies, plus roughly a dozen more. But that order only applies in the 19 states and the District of Columbia that sued the administration. The Justice Department is separately appealing the Maryland order. At least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated since Trump took office, the lawsuits claim, though the government has not confirmed that number. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the terminations were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director. He ordered rehiring at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury. His order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and nonprofit organizations that argued theyd be affected by the reduced manpower.Alsup, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, expressed frustration with what he called the governments attempt to sidestep laws and regulations by firing probationary workers with fewer legal protections.He said he was appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier.The administration has insisted that the agencies themselves directed the firings and they have since decided to stand by those terminations, Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01027-wTiger numbers in India are starting to rebound after decades of being perilously low. This recovery offers lessons for conserving other rare animals.

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01055-6Funding for the National Science Foundation, which finances research at US bases on the icy continent, has already been reduced, and the agency faces steeper cuts soon.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vsquez)2025-04-08T17:48:54Z Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season.Also out: general manager Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be renewed. The Nuggets said David Adelman will become the coach for the remainder of the season.Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said it is with no pleasure that the Nuggets made the change at coach.This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere, Kroenke said.The Nuggets are 47-32 this season with three games left but have dropped four consecutive games and are in a logjam of teams fighting for home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs. Denver won the title in 2023 and lost a Game 7 at home in the Western Conference semifinals a year ago to Minnesota. The four-game slide comes despite Nuggets star Nikola Jokic a winner of three of the last four NBA MVP awards having a historic season, averaging 30 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. But even that wasnt good enough for Denver to enter the final week of the season certain of even having home court in Round 1. After the most recent loss, a 125-120 defeat to Indiana on Sunday, Jokic was asked his biggest concern with the team right now. I dont know. Maybe we just, maybe we just ... I dont know, actually, Jokic said.The Nuggets are hoping a shakeup might provide the answer.Malone had the fourth-longest tenure of any active NBA coach, behind San Antonios Gregg Popovich, Miamis Erik Spoelstra and Golden States Steve Kerr.Malone won 471 regular-season games in Denver, 39 more than Doug Moe for the franchises all-time coaching lead. While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver, Kroenke said.Malone had consistent success in Denver. The Nuggets finished with losing records in his first two seasons and posted winning records in his next eight years with the club.This seasons postseason appearance will be the teams seventh in a row; it has not clinched a playoff berth yet this season but is assured of finishing no worse than in the play-in tournament.Starting with the first playoff appearance under Malone in 2019, the Nuggets got out of the first round six times in seven chances. They made the Western Conference finals in the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020 and then rolled to the championship by winning 16 of 20 playoff games in 2023. It is the second time a postseason-bound team has fired a coach in the last two weeks. Memphis parted ways with Taylor Jenkins late last month, replacing him with Tuomas Iisalo on an interim basis.Booth came to the Nuggets in 2017 as an assistant general manager and was promoted to GM in July 2020. He signed his most recent contract with the club in 2022.Kroenke credited Booth for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA championship.Calvins knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights which we will continue moving forward, Kroenke said.The Nuggets play Wednesday at Sacramento.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba TIM REYNOLDS Reynolds is an Associated Press sports writer, based in South Florida. twitter mailto

Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)2025-04-08T18:10:34Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration is touting a Supreme Court ruling allowing it to resume deportations under the Alien Enemies Act as a major victory, but the immigration fight is far from over.The divided court found that President Donald Trump can use the 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador, a finding Trump called a GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA! in a social media post. But the justices also decided people accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang have to get a chance to challenge their removals a finding their lawyers called an important victory. The legal landscape could be more challenging, though, since it appears the people being held will have to file individually and in the district where they are detained. For many, thats in Texas. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is also weighing another case against a Maryland man deported by mistake that could shed light on the fate of more than 100 men accused of being gang members who have already been sent to prison in El Salvador. Heres a look at whats next: The ruling doesnt let the deportations under the law resume right away The Supreme Courts ruling lifted a restraining order from a judge in the nations capital that had blocked the Trump administration from deporting people under the law. But it doesnt allow those deportations to start right away. The court said that the accused have to be given notice and reasonable time to try and convince a judge that they shouldnt be deported. The families of multiple people who have already been deported under the Alien Enemies Act say they are not gang members, and should not have been deported under the law. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox News that she expected future hearings to be held in Texas, and for judges to deal with each case individually rather than issue orders about the group as a whole. It will be a much smoother, simpler hearing, she said. Texas may not be the only venue, though. The American Civil Liberties Union sued Tuesday on behalf of two immigrants who are currently held in New York and say they have been wrongly labeled as Tren de Aragua gang members, putting them at risk of deportation to the prison. Many questions about Trumps use of the act remain unresolvedThe Supreme Courts ruling did not address the constitutionality of the act or the migrants claim that they dont fall within the category of people who can be deported under the law.Its also not clear how this ruling affects the more than 100 people who have already been sent to the El Salvador prison under the Alien Enemies Act without being given an opportunity to challenge their removals before the flights, which the court now says is necessary. The ruling didnt address what kind of recourse, if any, those migrants may be entitled to. In another case involving a man mistakenly deported to the El Salvador prison, the administration has said it has no way to get him back. That man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was not deported under the Alien Enemies Act, but the administration has conceded that he shouldnt have been sent to El Salvador because an immigration judge found he likely would face persecution by local gangs.Chief Justice John Roberts agreed Monday to pause a deadline for the Trump administration to bring Garcia back to the U.S. The case has become a flashpoint in Trumps fight with the courtsEven before the Supreme Courts ruling, the case had become one of the most contentious legal battles waged by the administration over Trumps sweeping executive actions. Trump has called for the judges impeachment, prompting a rare statement from Roberts to say that such action is not the appropriate response to disagreements over court rulings.Boasberg has been contemplating whether to hold any administration officials in contempt of court for ignoring his orders last month to turn around planes that were carrying the deportees to El Salvador. Boasberg had been expected to rule as early as this week on whether there are grounds to find anyone in contempt. During a hearing last week, he said the Trump administration may have acted in bad faith by trying to rush the migrants out of the country before a court could step in to block the deportations. Its not clear whether Boasberg would move forward with contempt proceedings after the Supreme Courts ruling vacating his order. A Justice Department lawyer told the judge Monday evening that the Supreme Courts decision eliminates the basis for any further action. The Justice Department has said the administration didnt violate the judges order, arguing it didnt apply to planes that had already left U.S. airspace by the time his command came down.___ Associated Press writer Cedar Attanasio in New York City contributed to this story. 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

The Associated Press logo is shown at the entrance to the news organization's office in New York on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Jackson, File2025-04-08T21:16:18Z A federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore The Associated Press full access to cover presidential events, ruling on a case that touched at the heart of the First Amendment and affirming that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech.U.S.. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled that the government had cant retaliate against the APs decision not to follow the presidents executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The decision handed the AP a major victory at a time the White House has been challenging the press on several levels.Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalistsbe it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhereit cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints, McFadden wrote. The Constitution requires no less. The AP has been blocked since Feb. 11 from being among the small group of journalists to cover Trump in the Oval Office or aboard Air Force One, with sporadic ability to cover him at events in East Room. The organization had asked McFadden to rule that Trump had violated APs constitutional right to free speech by taking the action because he disagreed with the words that its journalists use. He had earlier declined APs request to reverse the changes through an injunction.It was unclear how quickly the White House would move to put McFaddens ruling into effect. The government has a week to respond. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01098-9US National Science Foundation announces lowest number of Graduate Research Fellowship Programme recipients in 15 years.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with coal miner Jeff Crowe during an event on energy production in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-04-08T14:25:11Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source thats long been in decline.Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands.In a related action, Trump also signed a proclamation offering coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.Trumps administration had offered power plants and other industrial polluters a chance for exemptions from rules imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA, under Trump appointee Lee Zeldin, set up an electronic mailbox to allow regulated companies to request a presidential exemption under the Clean Air Act to a host of Biden-era rules. Trump, a Republican, has long promised to boost what he calls beautiful coal to fire power plants and for other uses, but the industry has been in decline for decades. I call it beautiful, clean coal. I told my people, never use the word coal unless you put beautiful, clean before it, Trump said at a White House signing ceremony where he was flanked by coal miners in hard hats. Several wore patches on their work jackets that said coal. Pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy, Trump said. Its cheap, incredibly efficient, high density, and its almost indestructible.Trumps orders also direct Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to acknowledge the end of an Obama-era moratorium that paused coal leasing on federal lands and require federal agencies to rescind policies transitioning the nation away from coal production. And they seek to promote coal and coal technology exports, and accelerate development of coal technologies. Trump also targeted what he called overreach by Democratic-controlled states to limit energy production to slow climate change. He ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to take all appropriate action to stop the enforcement of such laws. Trump has long championed coalTrump, who has pushed for U.S. energy dominance in the global market, has long suggested that coal can help meet surging electricity demand from manufacturing and the massive data centers needed for artificial intelligence.Were ending Joe Bidens war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all,' he said Tuesday. All those plants that have been closed are going to be opened, if theyre modern enough, (or) theyll be ripped down and brand new ones will be built. And were going to put the miners back to work.In 2018, during his first term, Trump directed then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take immediate steps to bolster struggling coal-fired and nuclear power plants, calling it a matter of national and economic security. At that time, Trump also considered but didnt approve a plan to order grid operators to buy electricity from coal and nuclear plants to keep them open. Energy industry groups including oil, natural gas, solar and wind power condemned the proposal, saying it would raise energy prices and distort markets.The national decline of coal Energy experts say any bump for coal under Trump is likely to be temporary because natural gas is cheaper, and theres a durable market for renewable energy such as wind and solar power no matter who holds the White House.Trumps administration has targeted regulations under the Biden administration that could hasten closures of heavily polluting coal power plants and the mines that supply them.Coal once provided more than half of U.S. electricity production, but its share dropped to about 16% in 2023, down from about 45% as recently as 2010. Natural gas provides about 43% of U.S. electricity, with the remainder from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower. The front line in what Republicans call the war on coal is in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, a sparsely populated section of the Great Plains with the nations largest coal mines. Its also home to a massive power plant in Colstrip, Montana, that emits more toxic air pollutants such as lead and arsenic than any other U.S. facility of its kind, according to the EPA. EPA rules finalized last year could force the Colstrip Generating Station to shut down or spend an estimated $400 million to clean up its emissions within the next several years. Another Biden-era proposal, from the Interior Department, would end new leasing of taxpayer-owned coal reserves in the Powder River Basin. Changes and promises under Trump Trump vowed to reverse those actions and has named Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to lead a new National Energy Dominance Council. The panel is tasked with driving up already record-setting domestic oil and gas production, as well as coal and other traditional energy sources.The council has been granted sweeping authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation. It has a mandate to cut bureaucratic red tape, enhance private sector investments and focus on innovation instead of unnecessary regulation, Trump said.Zeldin meanwhile, has announced a series of actions to roll back environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants. In all, Zeldin said hes moving to roll back 31 environmental rules, including a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.Coal industry applauds, but environmental groups warn of problemsIndustry groups praised Trumps focus on coal.Despite countless warnings from the nations grid operators and energy regulators that we are facing an electricity supply crisis, the last administrations energy policies were built on hostility to fossil fuels, directly targeting coal,' said Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association.Trumps executive actions clearly prioritize how to responsibly keep the lights on, recognize the enormous strategic value of American-mined coal and embrace the economic opportunity that comes from American energy abundance, Nolan said.But environmental groups said Trumps actions were more of the same tactics he tried during his first term in an unsuccessful bid to revive coal.Whats next, a mandate that Americans must commute by horse and buggy? asked Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council.Coal plants are old and dirty, uncompetitive and unreliable, Kennedy said, accusing Trump and his administration of remaining stuck in the past, trying to make utility customers pay more for yesterdays energy.Instead, she said, the U.S. should do all it can to build the power grid of the future, including tax credits and other support for renewable energy such as wind and solar power.____Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. MATTHEW DALY Daly covers climate, environment and energy policy for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Octavio Dotel throws during the eighth inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)2025-04-08T21:16:58Z SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) Octavio Dotel, who pitched for 13 major league teams in a 15-year career and won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, was among the dead after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in his native Dominican Republic where he was attending a merengue concert. He was 51.Officials initially said Dotel was rescued from the debris and transported to a hospital, but spokesman Satosky Terrero from the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic confirmed to The Associated Press that Dotel died later Tuesday. At least 79 people died and 160 were injured after the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub, officials said. Tony Blanco, who played one MLB season and eight years professionally in Japan, also died following the collapse, Terrero said. Also killed was Nelsy Cruz, governor of the Monte Cristi province and the sister of Nelson Cruz, a former MLB player and current MLB special adviser to baseball operations. Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last nights tragedy in Santo Domingo, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today. St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Octavio Dotel throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, July 28, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Octavio Dotel throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Thursday, July 28, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More St. Louis Cardinals Octavio Dotel celebrates after Game 6 of baseballs National League championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) St. Louis Cardinals Octavio Dotel celebrates after Game 6 of baseballs National League championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark said the union stands united with the Dominican community amid the incomprehensible sadness. We grieve for all the victims and send a special message of support to the families of Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, who leave an unspeakable void with their passing, and to Nelson Cruz, whose family lost a shining light with the death of his sister, Nelsy, he said in a statement. Dotel signed with the New York Mets in 1993 as an amateur free agent and made his major league debut in 1999. A starter early in his career, he turned into a reliable and at times dominant reliever while appearing in 758 games from 1999-2013. When he took the mound for the Detroit Tigers on April 7, 2012, he set the record playing for the most major league teams at 13. Edwin Jackson broke the record in 2019 when he pitched for his 14th team.The Mets held a moment of silence for Dotel before their game Tuesday against Miami, and a Dominican flag was shown on the video scoreboard.Dotels best years were with the Houston Astros in the early 2000s. He was a setup man for star closer Billy Wagner, making 302 appearances and posting a 3.25 ERA in four-plus seasons. He was the fifth of six pitchers to combine on a no-hitter against the New York Yankees in 2003. The next year, he was part of the three-way trade that brought Carlos Beltran to the Astros. Dotel pitched for nine teams before he landed with the Cardinals, who acquired him from Toronto at the 2011 trade deadline. He appeared in 12 postseason games, including five in the World Series against Texas. In 2013, he pitched on the Dominican Republic team that won the World Baseball Classic with an 8-0 record.Dotel finished his major league career with 1,143 strikeouts in 951 innings, a magnificent rate of 10.8 per nine innings. He had a career 59-50 record, 109 saves and 3.78 ERA. St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Octavio Dotel participates in a victory parade after defeating the Texas Rangers to win their 11th World Series in franchise history Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Octavio Dotel participates in a victory parade after defeating the Texas Rangers to win their 11th World Series in franchise history Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More In 2019, Dotel and ex-major leaguer Luis Castillo were among 18 people taken into custody during a large U.S. and Dominican law enforcement operation against drug trafficking and money laundering. Dotel and Castillo were released when a Dominican magistrate judge found insufficient evidence to connect them to the operation.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

This March 22, 2013, file photo shows the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)2025-04-08T17:47:53Z WASHINGTON (AP) The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service is resigning over a deal to share immigrants tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the decision.Melanie Krause, who had served as acting head since February, will step down over the new data-sharing document signed Monday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.Two people familiar with the situation confirmed Krause was resigning and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The IRS has been in upheaval over Trump administration decisions to share taxpayer data. Acting Commissioner Douglas ODonnell announced his retirement from the agency after roughly 40 years of service in February as furor spread over Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency gaining access to IRS taxpayer data. Krause replaced him. Acting chief counsel William Paul was removed from his role at the agency last month and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsels office who is deemed supportive of DOGE, according to two other people familiar with the plans who were also not authorized to speak publicly. The Treasury Department says the agreement will help carry out President Donald Trumps agenda to secure U.S. borders and is part of his larger nationwide immigration crackdown, which has resulted in deportations, workplace raids and the use of an 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants. Advocates, however, say the IRS-DHS information-sharing agreement violates privacy laws and diminishes the privacy of all Americans. The basis for the agreement is founded in longstanding authorities granted by Congress, which serve to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals, said a Treasury official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to explain the agencys thinking on the agreement. Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, said disclosing immigrant tax records to DHS for immigration enforcement will discourage tax compliance among immigrant communities, weaken contributions to essential public programs, and increase burdens for U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant taxpayers. It also sets a dangerous precedent for data privacy abuse in other federal programs.Todd Lyons, acting ICE director, told reporters at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix on Tuesday that the agreement will help ICE find people who are collecting benefits they arent entitled to and are kind of hiding in plain sight using someone elses identity.Working with Treasury and other departments is strictly for the major criminal cases, Lyons said. The IRS had already been called upon to help with immigration enforcement earlier this year. Noem in February sent a request to Bessent to borrow IRS Criminal Investigation workers to help with the immigration crackdown, according to a letter obtained by the AP. It cites the IRS boost in funding, though the $80 billion infusion of funds the federal tax collection agency received under the Democrats Inflation Reduction Act has already been clawed back.A collection of tax law experts for the NYU Tax Law Center wrote Monday that the IRS-DHS agreement threatens to violate the rights that many more Americans have under longstanding laws that protect their tax information from wrongful disclosure or dissemination.In fact, it is difficult to see how the IRS could release information to DHS while complying with taxpayer privacy statutes, they said. IRS officials who sign off on data sharing under these circumstances risk breaking the law, which could result in criminal and civil sanctions. The memo states that the IRS and ICE will perform their duties in a manner that recognizes and enhances individuals right of privacy and will ensure their activities are consistent with laws, regulations, and good administrative practices.___Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report from Phoenix. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto