People stand outside the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein).2025-03-19T14:22:34Z The U.S. Institute of Peace and many of its board members have sued the Trump administration, seeking to prevent their removal and stop Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency from taking over and accessing the independent nonprofits building and systems. The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington describes the lengths that institute staff resorted to, including calling the police, in an effort to prevent DOGE representatives and others working with the Republican administration from accessing the headquarters near the State Department.An executive order last month from President Donald Trump targeted the institute and three other agencies for large-scale reductions. The think tank, which seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, was created and funded by Congress in 1984. Board members are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate. Among the board members who filed suit is former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan, who was nominated to the ambassadorial role in Trumps first term and continued to serve as ambassador under President Joe Biden and then was picked by Biden for the board. The lawsuit accuses the White House of illegal firings by email and said the remaining board members Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defense University President Peter Garvin also ousted the institutes president, George Moose. In his place, the three appointed Kenneth Jackson, an administrator with the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the lawsuit.DOGE staff tried multiple times to access the building Monday before successfully getting in, partly with police assistance.The institutes staff had first called the police around 3 p.m. Monday to report trespassing, according to the lawsuit. But the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that the institutes acting president seemingly a reference to Jackson told them around 4 p.m. that he was being refused access to the building and there were unauthorized individuals inside. Eventually, all the unauthorized individuals inside of the building complied with the acting USIP Presidents request and left the building without further incident, police said.The lawsuit says the institutes lawyer told DOGE representatives multiple times that the executive branch has no authority over the nonprofit. A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, said, Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage. The Trump administration will enforce the Presidents executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people.The legal action is the latest challenging the Trump administrations efforts to dismantle U.S. foreign assistance agencies, reduce the size of the federal government and exert control over entities created by Congress. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that cuts to USAID likely violated the Constitution, and he blocked DOGE staff from making further ones. To the top Democrats on the foreign affairs committees in Congress, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the hostile takeover of the institute was one more sign that Trump and Musk want to recklessly dismantle historic U.S. institutions piece by piece.The leaders of two of the other agencies listed in Trumps February executive order the Inter-American Foundation, which invests in businesses in Latin American and the Caribbean, and the U.S. African Development Foundation also have sued the administration to undo or pause the removal of most of their staff and cancellation of most of their contracts. A federal judge ruled last week that it would be legal to remove most contracts and staff from the U.S.-Africa agency, which invested millions of dollars in African small businesses. But the judge also ordered the government to prepare DOGE staff to explain what steps they were taking to maintain the agency at the minimum presence and function required by law. ___Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of the APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. THALIA BEATY Beaty reports on philanthropy for The Associated Press and is based in New York. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The Atlanta Truth womens football team has lesbians melting down over a new TikTok video!One of the players on the Atlanta Truth, part of the semi-pro full-contact Womens National Football Conference, made every Sapphic football fans dream come true when she posted a video asking her teammates what their stud name would be.The players, all still in their purple and pink uniforms, some sporting face paint, one by one tell the camera what their stud name is vs. their real name.@1paidchildFt My Teammates #AtlantaTruth #womensfootball #womenstacklefootball #football #familyIn case youre unfamiliar with all of the aspects of the ever-expanding lesbian lexicon, a stud lesbian refers to a Black masculine-presenting lesbian who resonates with the term. The term stud has been around for decades but has gained steam recently on social media sites like TikTok.In the video, a player named Aaliyah said her stud name would be Lili, while Alysia said hers would be Joe. Kiana said shed shorten her name to KJ if she were a stud, and Trayounda picked Papi for her stud nickname.The TikTok video quickly got reposted on the r/ActualLesbian subreddit, where users havent stopped gushing about the hot football players. from actuallesbiansIs it possible to have a crush on a whole team? pottedplantfairy wrote in the comments.Welp I think I follow American football now. swoon, Pikekip commented.Other lesbians on the Reddit forum couldnt get over the way the Atlanta Truth players liked their lips and looked directly into the camera as they announced their stud name.I AM SO WEAK! WHY ARE THEY ALL LICKING THEIR LIPS?! Kinirii wrote.Reddit user onyourfuckingyeezys was also taken by the flirtatious video, pointing out that some of the players were giving big Hey Mamas lesbian vibes, The lip licking oh my goodnessssss. Theyre all giving hey mamas but Im lowkey ready to risk it all.Did we just become diehard football fans?! Yup.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08741-5A population of neutrophils in the skin produces extracellular matrix, providing a defence strategy by reinforcing the barrier properties of the skin and helping to block the entry of pathogens.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00746-4Investment in renewables is hitting new heights, but uneven funding and geopolitical uncertainty are clouding the boom.

Undated photo of a school of fish, with a perch in the left corner, at a river lock in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, Netherlands, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (Visdeurbel via AP)2025-03-19T06:09:12Z UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) The central Dutch city of Utrecht has installed a fish doorbell on a river lock that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds.The idea is simple: An underwater camera at Utrechts Weerdsluis lock sends live footage to a website. When somebody watching the site sees a fish, they can click a button that sends a screenshot to organizers. When they see enough fish, they alert a water worker who opens the lock to let the fish swim through.Now in its fifth year, the site has attracted millions of viewers from around the world with its quirky mix of slow TV and ecological activism.Much of the time, the screen is just a murky green with occasional bubbles, but sometimes a fish swims past. As the water warms up, more fish show up. Without the help, native freshwater fish like bream, pike and bass can become backed up behind the lock and form easy prey for predators in the spring, when the lock is rarely opened for passing boats.The bell is the brainchild of ecologist and concept developer Mark van Heukelum. Hes been happily surprised at the response, with millions of people from around the world tuning in over the years. I guess the combination of a good cause, a beautiful story and just a simple idea generates all this attention, he said. Anna Nijs, an ecologist with Utrecht municipality, was also amazed at the popularity of the concept around the world.We get a lot of fan mail from people who think its slow TV and they find it relaxing, said Nijs. Besides, they appreciate that they can actually do something to help.___Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague contributed. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Two basketballs sit on the floor before a second round game between UCLA and Oklahoma in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 20, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)2025-03-19T17:30:10Z 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. DENVER (AP) Perhaps the surest sign that artificial intelligence really is taking over the world will come the day it wins your favorite March Madness bracket pool.The day could be coming soon.In an experiment that a) was bound to happen, b) might actually make us all look smarter and c) should probably also scare the daylights out of everyone, a successful CEO-turned-disruptor is running a $1 million March Madness bracket challenge that pits his AI programmers picks against those belonging to one of the worlds best-known sports gamblers.Were not a crystal ball, says Alan Levy, whose platform, 4C Predictions, is running this challenge. But its going to start to get very, very creepy. In 2025, were making a million-dollar bet with a professional sports bettor, and the reason we feel confident to do that is because data, we feel, will beat humans. Levy isnt the only one leveraging AI to help people succeed in Americas favorite pick em pool one thats become even more lucrative over the past seven years, after a Supreme Court ruling led to the spread of legalized sports betting to 38 states. ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI, is hawking its services to help bracket fillers more easily find stats and identify trends. Not surprisingly, it makes no promises.With upsets, momentum shifts, and basketballs inherent unpredictability, consistently creating a perfect bracket may still come down to luck, said Leah Anise, a spokesperson for OpenAI. Also making no promises, but trying his hardest, is Sheldon Jacobson, the computer science professor at Illinois who has been trying to build a better bracket through science for years; he might have been AI before AI.Nobody predicts the weather, he explained in an interview back in 2018. They forecast it using chances and odds. $1 million on the line in AI vs. Sean Perry showdownLevys angle is hes willing to wager $1 million that the AI bracket his company produces can beat that of professional gambler Sean Perry.Among Perrys claims to fame was his refusal to accept a four-way split in a pot worth $9.3 million in an NFL survivor pool two years ago. The next week, his pick, the Broncos, lost to New England and he ended up with nothing.But Perry has wagered and won millions over his career, using heaps of analytics, data and insider information to try to find an edge that, for decades, has been proprietary to casinos and legal sports books, giving them an advantage that allows them to build all those massive hotels.Levy says his ultimate goal is bring that advantage to the average Joe either the weekly football bettor who doesnt have access to reams of data, or the March Madness bracket filler who goes by feel or what teams mascot he likes best.The massive thesis is that the average person are playing games that they can never win, theyre trading stocks where they can never win, theyre trading crypto where they can never win, Levy said. 4C gives people the chance to empower themselves. Its a great equalizer. Its going to level the playing field for everyone. But can AI predict the completely unexpected?Its one thing to find an edge, quite another to take out every element of chance every halfcourt game-winner, every 4-point-a-game scorer who goes off for 25, every questionable call by a ref, every St. Peters, Yale, FAU or UMBC that rises up and wins for reasons nobody quite understands.For those who fear AI is leading the world to bad places, Levy reassures us that when it comes to sports, at least, the human element is always the final decider and humans can do funny and unexpected things.Thats one of many reasons that, according to the NCAA, theres a 1 in 120.2 billion chance of a fan with good knowledge of college basketball going 63 for 63 in picking the games. Its one of many reasons that almost everyone has a story about their 8-year-old niece walking away with the pot because she was the only one who picked George Mason, or North Carolina State, or VCU, to make the Final Four.You cant take the element of fun and luck out of it, Levy said. Having said that, as AI develops, its going to get creepier and creepier and the predictions are going to get more and more accurate, and its all around data sets. Levy suggests AI is no three-headed monster, but rather, an advanced version of Moneyball the classic book-turned-movie that followed Oakland As GM Billy Beanes groundbreaking quest to leverage data to build a winning team.Now, its all about putting all that data on steroids, trying to minimize the impact of luck and glass slippers, and building a winning bracket.Weve got to understand that this technology is meant to augment us, Levy said. Its meant to make our lives better. So, lets encourage people to use it, and even if its creepy, at least its creepy on our side.The AIs side in this one: Houston to win it all. Perry, the gambler, is going with Duke. ___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.

We're saying 'I do!' to this sexy outfit!Curtis Goodman is one of the longest-standing adult performers in Las Vegas, as the star has served up sultry choreography on The Strip for just shy of two decades.Most locals and visitors have seen the provocative dancer show off his signature moves at Piranha Nightclub and Gipsy Nightclub in Sin City's Fruit Loop, so it only seemed fitting that Goodman would marry his now husband David Boncler Husband in a spicy singlet on Gipsy's dance floor. Curtis Goodman tied the knot in a sexy singlet in Las Vegas.TriniJayMedia The couple's wedding eventually went viral on Instagram, with multiple videos racking up over 50 million views total. The internet truly couldn't get enough of this very gay ceremony!Goodman shared an exclusive quote with PRIDE breaking down his very sultry apparel."Having worked on the Las Vegas Strip and at Piranha Nightclub for nearly 20 years, my flamboyant style and signature costume have become a big part of my identity and performance. So when it came to my wedding, there was no question I had to stay true to myself. I chose to wear an all-white version of my trademark costume, a white lace singlet paired with baby blue high-heeled platform shoes. It was a conscious choice... any other outfit just wouldnt have felt right. More than just a personal expression, the wedding was a true community celebration. We encouraged everyone to wear white, symbolizing that this special day wasnt just about me and David it was a celebration for the entire Las Vegas LGBTQ+ community. Seeing everyone dressed in white, coming together in love and unity, made the day even more magical.Fans can keep up with Curtis Goodman on Instagram here.

Today marks the first day of March Madness, and womens college basketball teams across the country are chomping at the bit to be crowned the winner of the 2025 NCAA womens tournament.And helping the talents women who are ready to play their hearts out are coaches with a palpable love for the game. The majority of the womens college basketball coaches are women, but only a handful are LGBTQ+ and living out and proud. But who are these queer trailblazers hoping to take home big wins for their universities? And if you don't know anything about March Madness, we've got you covered too!Jan Jensen Head coach, University of IowaSee on InstagramJan Jensen started her basketball career leading Drake Universitys womens basketball team in scoring from 1990 to 1991 before going on to play professional basketball in Europe. Her coaching journey began when she became Iowas associate head coach in 2004, later playing a key role in recruiting star player Caitlin Clark. Then, 20 years later, she took over for Lisa Bluder as the Iowa womens basketball head coach. Jensen is married to wife Julie Fitzpatrick with whom she shares two children.Raina Harmon Assistant coach, University of IowaSee on InstagramRaina Harmon played basketball for Central Michigan before spending five seasons as the assistant coach for the same team. Then she was hired as the assistant coach at the University of Iowa, who have since been to the NCAA Tournament five times. Now the wife and mother is working under fellow LGBTQ+ coach Jan Jensen. Carla Berube Head coach, PrincetonSee on InstagramPrinceton head coach Carla Berube was a winner right from the start. She won two state titles when she played basketball in high school, she went on to set records while playing at the University of Connecticut and was a member of the New England Blizzards before the womens basketball league it was a part of disbanded. She went on to become the assistant coach for Providence College before landing a head coaching job with Tufts University. Now, she's in her sixth year as the head coach for Princeton where she was named Ivy League Coach of the Year after her very first year with the university.Karen Aston Head coach, University of Texas San AntonioSee on InstagramOut lesbian coach Karen Aston started out playing for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock before stepping off the court and behind a clipboard. She worked as associate coach for Baylor before landing her first head coaching position with UNC Charlotte. She then went on to the head coach at the University of North Texas, and has now been with the University of Texas San Antonio since 2021 where she has been able to lead the Roadrunners to an impressive 25-3 record.Kaitlynn Fratz Assistant coach, University of MarylandSee on InstagramAs a college basketball star Kaitlynn Fratz led the California University of Pennsylvania to the 2015 Division II NCAA championship and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. Fratz has continued her winning streak at the University of Maryland, where she is entering her seventh season as as full-time assistant coach for the University of Maryland. Shes helped the team take home the Big Ten regular season titles in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and the Big Ten Tournament titles in 2020 and 2021.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08734-4Sleep-inducing neurons in Drosophila rely on Hyperkinetic, the -subunit of the KV1 channel Shaker, to monitor sleep need by translating lipid peroxidation events into changes in the oxidation state of a stably bound NADPH cofactor.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08739-zA quantum microsatellite, with a payload weighing only 23kilograms, in combination with portable ground stations that weigh merely 100kilograms, is capable of performing space-to-ground real-time quantum key distribution.

People pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, where the Pontiff is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-03-19T18:04:13Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis condition continued to improve Wednesday and he hasnt needed to use the mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe, the Vatican said in signalling further progress in his recovery from double pneumonia.The 88-year-old pontiff is also reducing his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen during the day, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin. His pneumonia infection, while not completely eliminated, is under control, the Holy See press office said.Francis concelebrated Mass on Wednesday, which is an important feast day for the Catholic Church and is the anniversary of his installation as pope 12 years ago.Francis has been at Romes Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14 for a complex lung infection that turned into pneumonia in both lungs. He has been receiving respiratory and physical therapy to help strengthen his lungs. For two nights in a row, he hasnt needed to use the noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask, which pumps oxygen into his lungs, and doctors said its use had been suspended. Francis was put on the ventilation mask after he suffered a spate of respiratory crises in late February and early March during which he was unable to expel the mucus and fluid that had accumulated in his lungs. Suspending use of the mask means Francis lungs are working harder and better on their own.The Vatican is also again reducing its medical updates as Francis slowly continues his recovery, with the next one not expected before Monday.Italian President Sergio Mattarella commemorated the 12th anniversary of Francis installation as pope by sending him a letter praising his initiatives as pope. Mattarella offered best wishes for the continuation of his pontificate and all the more heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery. ___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This undated file photo provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry shows Aaron Brian Gunches, who was convicted of murder in the 2002 killing of Ted Price in Maricopa County, Ariz. (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP, File)2025-03-19T04:06:09Z FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) An Arizona man who kidnapped and murdered his girlfriends ex-husband was executed Wednesday, the second of four prisoners scheduled to be put to death this week in the U.S.Aaron Brian Gunches, 53, was lethally injected with pentobarbital at the Arizona State Prison Complex in the town of Florence, John Barcello, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, told news outlets. He was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m. Gunches fatally shot Ted Price in the desert outside the Phoenix suburb of Mesa in 2002. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2007. The prisoner did not have any final words, Barcello said. He took a few heavy breaths and let out a snoring-type sound.By all accounts, the process went according to plan without any incident at all, Barcello said. Gunches execution had originally been scheduled for April 2023, but was called off after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered a review of the states death penalty procedures. Late last year, Hobbs fired the retired judge she had appointed to conduct the review, and the states corrections department announced changes in the team that lethally injects death row prisoners. Gunches execution was carried out by inserting IVs into his arms, according to news media representatives who witnessed the execution. In the states two previous executions, the IV had been inserted into the prisoners femoral artery. This is probably the smoothest execution Ive seen, and I think some of that came from the resoluteness of the person being executed, said journalist Michael Kiefer of the Arizona Mirror, who has witnessed two executions and covered another nine. He said Gunches was pronounced dead 17 minutes after the injection was administered. Troy Hayden of 12News KPNX said he saw no signs of pain on Gunches face. There wasnt wincing or anything like that, Hayden said. Gunches is the second person executed this week in the U.S. Louisiana executed a man on Tuesday, and two more executions were scheduled in Florida and Oklahoma on Thursday. Arizona is the first state with a Democratic governor to execute someone since 2017, when Virginia did so under then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe.The family of Ted Price has been waiting for justice for more than two decades, Arizona Attorney General Kris Maye said at a news conference following Wednesdays execution. They deserve closure.The killingAuthorities say Prices ex-wife struck Price in the face with a phone during an argument in late 2002 at her apartment, leaving him conscious but dazed. Prices sister, Karen Price, said her brother had threatened to report his ex to child welfare authorities for doing drugs in front of their children. Gunches arrived at the apartment later. He asked two other women who were there with his girlfriend to put Price in a car and drive him to a bus station. But when they realized they didnt have enough money for a bus ticket, they instead drove into the desert, where Gunches shot Price, authorities said. Gunches was arrested in January 2003 after being pulled over by an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper near the California state line. Gunches shot the trooper, who was saved by a bulletproof vest. Bullet casings from that shooting matched ammunition that had been found near Prices body, and Gunches was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in October 2003.Karen Price described her brother as a kind and loving person who enjoyed watching the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks and riding his motorcycle. She said her family was devastated by Teds death. The end of a long, painful processTeds murder was not random, Colleen Clase, a lawyer representing Karen Price, said in a statement distributed to the news media. It was a senseless act committed because he dared to do the right thing. Nearly 23 years later, today marks the end of a long and painful legal process. While no execution can truly bring closure, it is a relief to no longer relive this nightmare in courtrooms and legal battles.Ted Prices daughter, Brittney Price said in a statement that the pain of reliving the circumstances surrounding my fathers death for over two decades has taken a significant toll on my family and me.Today marks the end of that painful chapter and I couldnt be more grateful, she said.Gunches tried to move up the executionGunches, who represented himself even though he isnt a lawyer, asked the Arizona Supreme Court in 2022 to issue an execution warrant against him to give closure to Prices family. He later withdrew the request. The execution was scheduled anyway but later postponed amid the review ordered by Hobbs.In late December, Gunches asked the states highest court to skip legal formalities and schedule his execution as soon as possible, saying his death sentence was long overdue. The court refused the request and later set his execution date for Wednesday. No reprieve grantedThere were no last-minute reprieves for Gunches, despite objections by lawyers who didnt represent him yet still asked the Arizona Supreme Court not to issue his execution warrant. The lawyers said injecting someone with pentobarbital in large amounts has been shown to cause fluid to seep into the lungs and drown people in their own fluids. The court rejected their request, saying it was not appropriate to use Gunches case to argue the merits of lethal injection. It also ruled that the necessary requirements to carry out Gunches execution had been met.___Billeaud reported from Phoenix. JACQUES BILLEAUD Billeaud is an Associated Press reporter who covers courts and law enforcement in Arizona. He previously covered immigration and the Arizona Legislature. SEJAL GOVINDARAO Govindarao covers Arizona government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Phoenix. twitter mailto

Jonathan Van Ness is known for being a hair and beauty guru on Queer Eye but has been serving stand-up comedy as of late. Van Ness will take a big step in their stand-up career when they take the stage to perform at Lil Rhody Laugh Riot which takes place March 27-30 in Rhode Island [...]The post Jonathan Van Ness Talks New Stand-Up Set and Dishes on their Comedy Journey: It Mostly Is About Healing first appeared on GLAAD.

Luke Macfarlane has always been easy on the eyes and the actor is embracing his sexy physique as Out Magazine's latest cover star.The star is stripping down in the Malibu woods and opening up on his new project, Home Is Where the Heart Is, premiering March 20 on Hallmark Plus."I've come a long way from Ontario. Anybody that knows me knows that I'm a person that loves the earth and loves to get my hands dirty. I'm not afraid of mess [and] to get wet [or] to get dirty," Macfarlane tells Out. See on Instagram Macfarlane also dished on coming out back in 2008 in his early 20s when starred as Scotty Wandell on ABCs Brothers & Sisters."I came out a long time ago. That 22-year-old kid came out when he was on the set of a network television show with Sally Field. He's still around! I hope you're just as interested in my life as you are when I was 22 years old."Fans can check out BTS from the Out Magazine photoshoot in the video above and enjoy the gorgeous spread here.

What began as a series of short, satirical videos online has propelled comedians Jake Jonez and Aaron Goldenberg, known for their Mean Gays persona, into a burgeoning comedy empire, complete with sold-out live tours and burgeoning television careers. Speaking to Gayety at the Queerties, The duo, whose online skits capture the essence of passive-aggressive interactionsSource

The fifth episode of HBOs The White Lotus season three, which aired March 16, has ignited a firestorm of online reactions, largely due to a startling monologue delivered by guest star Sam Rockwell. The episode, already packed with bizarre twists and turns, including naked Russian men, a sibling kiss, and a giant lizard, reached a fever pitch with Rockwells unexpected revelation.Source

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00747-3A datacentric approach will allow consumers and producers to make informed decisions that aid the transition to clean power.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08678-9Mandimycin, a polyene macrolide, exhibits strong antifungal activity and possesses a mode of action that is distinct from other compounds of this class.

Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)2025-03-19T14:03:50Z NEW YORK (AP) A Columbia University student activist detained by the U.S. government over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations can challenge the legality of his detention, but the case should be heard in New Jersey, rather than in New York or Louisiana, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.Mahmoud Khalil, 30, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8. He was held overnight at an immigration detention center in New Jersey before being moved to an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana.Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan called the legal challenge an exceptional case in need of careful legal review to determine whether the government violated the law or exercised its otherwise lawful authority in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner.Furman said New Jersey was the appropriate venue because Khalil was detained there when his lawyers sued the government. AP AUDIO: Federal judge says Columbia student activists case should be heard in New Jersey AP correspondent Julie Walker reports a federal judge says a Columbia University activists case should be heard in New Jersey. Federal authorities argued to move the case to Louisiana, saying Khalil was there because of a lack of available detention center beds in the metropolitan New York region and because of a bedbug infestation at a lockup in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Khalils lawyers said the transfer was a retaliatory action separating Khalil from his lawyers and an effort to find a jurisdiction where judges may be more favorable to the Republican administrations unusual legal claims. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Government lawyers had said that if the case wasnt sent to Louisiana, New Jersey was also a proper venue.In a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union, Khalils wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, called Furmans order a first step.His unlawful and unjust detention cannot stand. We will not stop fighting until he is home with me, said Abdalla, a dentist and U.S. citizen who is pregnant with their first child. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited as grounds for Khalils deportation a rarely-used statute giving him sweeping power to deport those who pose potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.The White House has accused Khalil of siding with terrorists, but has yet to provide support for the claim. President Donald Trump has described Khalils case as the first of many to come.Khalil, an international affairs graduate student, had represented student activists in negotiations with Columbia University over protests of the war in Gaza. The Trump administration is acting quickly to make an example of Columbia as it demands stronger action against allegations of anti-Jewish bias on college campuses.___Haigh reported from Connecticut. SUSAN HAIGH Haigh covers the Connecticut General Assembly, state government, politics, public policy matters and more for The Associated Press. She has worked for The AP since 2002. twitter mailto

NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo enroute to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on a Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)2025-03-19T19:11:17Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arent the first to run late in space, and their 9 -month mission falls short of any endurance record.But never before has a quick trip morphed into such a long haul.The pair launched last June on a test flight of Boeings new Starliner crew capsule, figuring to be gone eight days. By the time they splashed down with SpaceX on Tuesday, they had spent 286 days off the planet 36 times longer than anticipated.If you look at it mathematically, by percentage of the original planned mission, this is the largest percentage extension, NASAs space operations chief Ken Bowersox. A former astronaut, Bowersox saw his own space station mission abruptly prolonged. He was up there with Don Pettit, whos currently aboard the orbiting lab, when shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry in 2003, killing all seven on board and grounding the shuttle fleet for more than two years. The reasons were terrible that we stayed longer on our mission, said Bowersox, whose planned four-month stay clocked in at more than five months.Heres a look at some others who found themselves stuck in space by choice or not along with some cool spaceflight statistics. Longest U.S. spaceflightNASA astronaut Frank Rubio saw his mission doubled in length from 6 months to 12 months after his assigned Russian Soyuz capsule took a micrometeorite hit while docked to the space station and leaked all its coolant. A replacement capsule was launched to bring Rubio and his two Russian crewmates home in 2023. His 371-day spaceflight is the longest by an American. NASAs first year-in-space astronaut was Scott Kelly; he logged 340 days at the space station in 2015 and 2016. His identical twin brother, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, also served as a NASA astronaut on short shuttle flights. Worlds longest spaceflightRussian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov spent 14 months aboard the Mir space station in the mid-1990s. He volunteered for it. As a physician, he wanted to observe the changes in the human body and mind after a prolonged period of weightlessness. His 437-day spaceflight remains a world record. Polyakov died in 2022 at age 80. Longest spaceflight by a womanNASAs Christina Koch holds the title with her 328-day space station mission in 2019 and 2020. During that same flight, she performed the first all-female spacewalk alongside Jessica Meir. Koch is currently assigned to NASAs first Artemis crew, which will fly around the moon and back as early as next year.Most experience in spaceRussian Oleg Kononenko last year became the first person to crack 1,000 days in space over the course of a career. By the time he returned from the space station last fall, hed logged an incredible 1,111 days aloft over five spaceflights a combined total of more than three years. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is Americas most experienced space flier with 675 days over three long station stints and one short private trip for Axiom Space. Shes due to lead another Axiom crew to the space station later this spring. Because of her delayed homecoming, Williams moved into the No. 2 spot with 608 days in space over three missions. Female spacewalking records Williams became the most experienced female spacewalker in the world, thanks to her prolonged mission. She ventured out twice earlier this year for station repairs and maintenance, bringing her spacewalking career total to 62 hours. Over three space station missions, she performed nine spacewalks, one less than Whitson. But Whitsons spacewalks were shorter, totaling 60 hours.Overall spacewalking recordsRetired Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev holds the overall record with 16 spacewalks totaling around 80 hours. NASAs spacewalking champ is retired astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria with 10 spacewalks for a total of 67 hours.Number of space travelersA NASA tally shows 721 people have flown in space, including tourists on short hops and military X-15 pilots. Of that total, 102 are women. The first person in space was the Soviet Unions Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. The first American, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, followed on May 5, 1961. The first woman in space was the Soviet Unions Valentina Tereshkova in 1963. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. Of those four, only Tereshkova is still alive. Number of current NASA astronautsNASA counts 47 on its active astronaut list. Twenty are women. That doesnt include several astronauts who have moved over to management roles at the space agency.___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 week, members of Hungarys Parliamentvoted to ban any LGBTQ+ Pride events as part of its child protection legislation. Act LXXIXwas initially passed in 2021 and received pushback from the European Union as well as the United States. In 2022, the European Commission, the EUs executive body, referred Hungary to the Court of Justice over the law, calling it discriminatory to people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.The latest amendment banning Pride was proposed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbns Fideszparty and passed by a 136-27margin. This comes a month after Orbns State of the Union address where he said, I advise that the Pride organizers do not bother to prepare for this years parade. It wasted money and time.The amendment also includes fines for attending a Pride event of $547 (200,000 Hungarian forints). The amendment also allows for facial recognition software to be used to identify participants. Pride in Hungary has been happening since 1997 and Hungary is now the first country in the EU to ban Pride events. The move is not popular among Hungarians however, with a recent poll showing that only 13% of participants favor a ban on Pride. Members of the opposition Momentum party released smoke bombs in the chamber, threw paper and called for Hungarians to protest the updated law. Thousands of protesters did take to the streets the evening of the vote. Budapest Pride spokesperson Joj Majercsik was interviewed by the Associated Press about the ban on Pride and said, Many, many people have been mobilized. Its a new thing, compared to the attacks of the last years, that weve received many messages and comments from people saying, Until now I havent gone to Pride, I didnt care about it, but this year Ill be there and Ill bring my family.In a press release from Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog, Director of Amnesty International Hungary Dvid Vig said, This law is a full-frontal attack on the LGBTI community and a blatant violation of Hungarys obligations to prohibit discrimination and guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The post Hungary bans LGBTQ+ Pride, participants could be fined appeared first on News Is Out.

The Runways turns 15 today!Its strange to think there was a time when Kristen Stewart wasnt the out and proud sapphic IT girl that she is today but looking back The Runaways truly was the beginning of that rainbow arc.Set in the 1970s, the film is equal parts coming-of-age film and rock biopic of the titular band and its members Joan Jett (Stewart), Cherry Currie (Dakota Fanning), Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton), Sandy West (Stella Maeve), and a fictional character named Robin Robbins (Alia Shawkat) based on Jackie Fox who declined to be included in the film. The film took inspiration from Currie's memoir, Neon Angel, was directed by Floria Sigismondi and follows the story of the band from its inception in 1975 to its implosion in 1979, along with Curries substance abuse struggles and romantic entanglement with Jett.The film garnered largely positive reviews from critics, but it quickly became a sapphic fave, for its depiction of the romance between Jett and Currie and for the chemistry between its two lead actresses, who share a steamy onscreen kiss. It would be another 7 years before Stewart would publically come out as queer, but she already had a long-established sapphic fanbase.The movie made its world debut in Park City Utah at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010 which was followed by its first official premiere in Los Angeles at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on March 11. The celebration continued with a New York premiere at Landmark Sunshine Cinema on March 17. Finally, the stars hit the red carpet one last time in Austin at the SXSW Film Festival the following day, before the film finally arrived in theaters on March 19, 2010. Both the cast and band members Joan Jett and Cherrie Curry made appearances at the events, along with costars Taylor-Compton, Riley Keough, Michael Shannon, and Tatum ONeal as well as some notable and surprising celebs!Keep scrolling to take a walk down memory lane with photos from The Runaways, Los Angeles and NYC premieres along with its debut at Sundance and SXSW. And if youre craving a rewatch The Runaways is available to rent/own on Amazon Prime Video.PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 24Joan Jett and Kristen Stewart atThe Runaways premiere during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 24Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning atThe Runaways premiere during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 24Stewart serves up sapphic energy at Sundance! PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 24The cast and director gather on the red carpet at Sundance. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Joan Jett is all leather and smiles at the Los Angeles premiere. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Stewart and Fanning pose with their real life inspo at the Los Angeles premiers. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Scout-Taylor Compton channels her inner Lita Ford at the Los Angeles premiere. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 11Jett poses for cameras in Los Angeles. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Director Floria Sigismondi poses with actor Michael Shannon and music producer Kim Fowley on the Los Angeles red carpet. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 11Stewart and Jett team up to sign autographs in Los Angeles. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Adam Scott poses on the red carpet in Los Angeles. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11We love rock'n'roll and Joan Jett! HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Sigismondi shares a moment with producer art Linson in Los Angeles. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Stewart and Jett smile for fans in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 11Look at that digital camera! What a time capsule. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 11Fanning and Stewart are joined by the latter's Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner at the premiere. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Riley Keough poses with her mother Lisa Marie Presley and director Sigismondi in Los Angeles. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Ok, but they totally look like a band here. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 11Stewart and Jett share a moment at the afterparty. HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 11Obsessed with everything about this photo. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Is it even a party until Chloe Sevigny is there?NEW YORK - MARCH 17Richie Rich hit the red carpet for the New York premiere. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Care Bears on Fire attended the NYC premiere.NEW YORK - MARCH 17Julianne Moore and Bart Freundilch hit the red carpet in NYC. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Stewart was utterly breathtaking at the NYC premiere. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Jett and Stewart pose in NYC. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Just a close of Chloe, because we deserve nice things. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Fanning enjoys the afterparty in NYC.NEW YORK - MARCH 17Speaking of rock legends, Debbie Harry hit the red carpet in NYC. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Michael Shannon was ready to rock at the NYC premiere. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Sophie, Jena, and Izzy of Care Bears On Fire posed with director Sigismondi. NEW YORK - MARCH 17Martha Plimpton joined the premiere festivities in NYC.AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 18Fanning and Dakota shared a moment at SXSW. AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 18Ok, two moments. Seriously we need another excuse to get these two back on screen together, stat.

Lady Gaga was honored with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night in a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles. The pop icon, known for her groundbreaking music and boundary-pushing performances, was introduced by rapper Doechii, who shared a heartfelt tribute to Gagas impact on her life and career. Doechii, a Grammy Award-winning artist, spoke about how GagasSource

Jonathan Van Ness, known for their role on Queer Eye and their long-running podcast, Getting Curious, has announced a significant evolution of the show. The podcast, which has explored a wide range of topics since its inception in 2015, is now rebranded as Getting Better with JVN, with a renewed focus on personal development. Van Ness shared the news via Instagram, stating, After 9+ yearsSource

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08687-8B cell germinal centres achieve a balance between clonal expansion and sequence diversification by suppressing somatic hypermutation during proliferative clonal bursts.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00847-0Experiments suggest that an unusual magnetic material can help harness energy from the planets rotation. But not everyone is convinced.

The streets are covered with snow after a storm on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery Beck)2025-03-19T16:55:25Z OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S., leaving parts of the Midwest and Great Plains under blizzard conditions and a broad swath of neighboring states at risk of high winds and wildfires.Roughly 72 million people were under a wind advisory or warning Wednesday, with winds gusting over 45 mph (72 kph), according to Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center.At this time of year, cold air lingering in the north collides with warm air coming in from the south to produce strong, low pressure systems, Jackson said. But Wednesdays weather is the third storm system to rapidly develop in recent weeks and bring high winds to a large swath of the U.S., a very active pattern since February, Jackson said. At least 42 people died over the weekend when dynamic storms unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust and wildfires leaving behind uprooted trees and flattening hundreds of homes and businesses across eight U.S. states in the South and Midwest. Snow for someA band from southwestern Kansas up to central Wisconsin was expected to see as little as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow or as much as 1 foot (30 cm) Wednesday. Combined with high winds, forecasters warned of whiteout conditions.The Kansas Department of Transportation closed more than 250 miles (402 kilometers) of Interstate 70 from the Colorado border east to Salina, Kansas because of winter weather. The first stretch to close 39 miles (62 km) between Goodland and Colby in western Kansas was also impacted by last weeks high winds. Eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks.Blizzard conditions early Wednesday led to near-zero visibility in south central Nebraska, the state patrol said in a Facebook post urging people to stay off the roads. More than 160 miles (257 km) of Interstate 80 cutting east from Lincoln west to Lexington was closed. Further east, a jackknifed semi-trailer blocked two eastbound lanes on I-80, the Nebraska Department of Transportation reported Wednesday. Power outages affected households and businesses as heavy snow and high winds knocked down tree branches and led schools to cancel classes. Roughly 50,000 customers in Nebraska were without power Wednesday morning, as were several thousand in western Iowa.Crashes also caused road closures in northwestern Iowa as the fast-moving, large storm continued on. By midday Wednesday, nearly 70 miles (113 km) of Interstate 29 running along the border between eastern Nebraska and western Iowa had closed.The sudden storm left many in the region with weather whiplash, following a springlike Tuesday with temperatures in some parts reaching beyond 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). High winds and risk of firesWhere its not snowing, there are still very strong winds. Gusts combined with dry conditions from Texas and Oklahoma up through Arkansas and central Missouri bring the potential for wildfires.Before plants are growing, Jackson said, theres a lot of dry fuel out there.The fire threat ramped up Tuesday and persisted Wednesday in the region, with renewed risk in parts of Oklahoma still reeling from an outbreak of wildfires that started Friday. More than 400 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, and at least four people died due to the fires or high winds, including a person killed in a vehicle accident as a result of poor visibility due to dust or smoke, officials said.Tornadoes possibleThe potential for severe thunderstorms plagued central Illinois Wednesday afternoon with risks of hail, strong wind and tornadoes. Much of Illinois and Indiana were forecasted to be under slight risk, with lower risk further south through the Tennessee Valley.Looking ahead and eastwardJackson said the storm affecting much of the U.S. Wednesday will send a cold front across the eastern seaboard later Thursday, bringing a renewed low pressure system with the potential to dump heavier snowfall in higher elevation parts of New England.___Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas.

Welcome to the latest edition of Heroes of the Resistance GLAADs ongoing series highlighting positive changemakers for the LGBTQ community at a time of challenge and uncertainty. In a significant recent victory, Senate Democrats came together unanimously to halt legislation at the federal level that would have banned federally-funded schools from allowing transgender girls [...]The post Heroes of the Resistance: Lawmakers, Activists and Others Accelerating Acceptance for LGBTQ Rights first appeared on GLAAD.

The W is about to be a slam dunk for sapphic audiences. Today Deadline shared that the new series which will be set in the world of the WNBA is in the works at Peacock and it boasts an all-star team behind it literally. Chiney Ogwumike, two-time WNBA All-Star has joined forces with Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive, who previously created the beloved (and gone too soon) series GLOW for Netflix, to develop The W. This new series sees them returning to the world of sports with a half-hour comedy set amongst the glamour and grind of the WNBA. According to Deadline the series is based loosely on both Ogwumike and her business partner and agent, Allison Galer.Mensch and Flahive will take on the role of showrunners for the new series and will be joined by Tori Collins (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!) to write the pilot. The timing for this series could not be better, as there is an all-time level of excitement over the WNBA. No doubt Ogwumike has plenty of experiences to pull from during her time playing for the Connecticut Sun or Los Angeles Sparks not to mention post-retirement in her work at ESPN, as a radio host, and as an analyst for NBA Today. The question is, will it be queer? Well, it better be very gay. The WNBA specifically, and women's professional sports more generally, are a space that features many, many queer folks. They are some of the biggest stars who live thier lives and love out loudly and proudly. So thier inclusion would not only be nice but is essential. Fans deserve not to see the writers and creators fumble this ball, or we will be calling a foul.

Kristen Stewart has had a long and wildly successful career in both mainstream hits like Twilight and indie darlings like Clouds of Sils Maria. While there's plenty to be said about queer undertones and interpretations in a number of these films, only a small number have offered her the chance to play explicitly queer characters. We've taken a look and ranked the ones we've got. Arguments could be made to include others, or even to exclude a couple of these, but hopefully, one day, this list will grow so long that we can't even keep track of what queer roles she's taking on next!6. 'JT LeRoy' (2018)JT LeRoy is based on the true story of a writer who invented an entire persona to match her allegedly "autobiographical fiction," and then convinced someone else to embody that persona at in-person events. Its a wild tale, but the film and Stewarts role just ended up underwhelming and somewhat confusing.Where to watch: Prime Video (rental)5. 'Lizzie' (2018)In this retelling of the infamous Lizzie Borden murders, Stewart plays Bridget Sullivan, a housemaid who becomes romantically involved with Lizzie (Chlo Sevigny). With a cast like that, we all had sky high hopes for Lizzie, but there was just something missing when it all came together. Still, were glad its here.Where to watch: Peacock or Tubi4. 'Charlie's Angels' (2019)If this were a ranking of the movies themselves rather than Stewart's roles, Charlie's Angels would be much higher on the list. Sorry, haters when you're wrong, you're wrong. Elizabeth Banks' take on the popular franchise was a delightfully fun adventure with a great cast. It's an eternal bummer we'll never get to see more of Jane (Ella Balinska), Elena (Naomi Scott), and especially Stewart's flirty and chaotic Sabina.Where to watch: Prime Video (rental)3. 'Happiest Season' (2020)People have complicated feelings about Happiest Season, which didn't shape up to be the fluffy, low-stakes Christmas romcom queer Hallmark fans were hoping for. But there's no debate over how incredible it was to see Stewart tackle a gay role in a film that revolves around romance (and no axe murders). No matter who you think Abby should have ended up with (and personally I'll argue to the death that the movie made the right call), she's the kind of fully realized queer character we just love to root for.Where to watch: Hulu2. 'The Runaways' (2010)KStew as Joan Jett? Absolutely iconic. She nails Jetts cool, detached vibe without turning her into a caricature. Even when the film meanders, Stewarts performance stays on point. A lot of fuss was made about the kiss between Jett and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) ahead of the film's release, but as Stewart herself said at the time, "It's just a kiss. It's not really a big deal." But it was 2010, and we're still counting it.Where to watch: Prime Video (rental)1. 'Love Lies Bleeding' (2024)Love Lies Bleeding tops the list regardless of whether we're talking about the films or the roles. As Lou, Stewart plays a tough-as-nails gym manager who falls for a bodybuilder (O'Brian), in the type of role it feels like she was born to play. There's not much else to say other than to advise you to run to the nearest screen and start this sucker up if you haven't seen it yet (or even if you have).Where to watch: Max

Pedro Pascal is giving fans yet another reason to swoon in his latest commercial for Apples AirPods 4. The actor, known for his roles in The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, is seen dancing up a storm in the new short film, titled Someday, directed by Her filmmaker Spike Jonze. The quirky commercial follows the story of a man grappling with a breakup who transforms his bleakSource

Lady Gaga was honored with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night in a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles. The pop icon, known for her groundbreaking music and boundary-pushing performances, was introduced by rapper Doechii, who shared a heartfelt tribute to Gagas impact on her life and career. Doechii, a Grammy Award-winning artist, spoke about how GagasSource

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00796-8Cells called neutrophils form gooey rings around sites where skin is punctured, study in mice shows.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00801-0A bacterium makes a molecule that kills drug-resistant fungi in an unusual way by targeting various phospholipid molecules in membranes.

Dakota Access pipeline protesters defy law enforcement officers who are trying to force them from a camp on private land in the path of pipeline construction, Oct. 27, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D. (AP Photo/James MacPherson, File)2025-03-19T18:57:11Z MANDAN, N.D. (AP) A North Dakota jury on Wednesday found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.The nine-person jury awarded Dallas-based Energy Transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access more than $650 million in damages.The lawsuit had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other acts.When asked if Greenpeace plans to appeal, Senior Legal Adviser Deepa Padmanabha said, We know that this fight is not over.Following the verdict, Greenpeaces senior legal adviser said the organizations work is never going stop, when asked if the amount of damages would end Greenpeace in the United States.Thats the really important message today, and were just walking out and were going to get together and figure out what our next steps are, Padmanabha said. The organization said it plans to appeal the decision.Energy Transfer called the verdict a win for residents of Mandan, North Dakota, and across the state. While we are pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their actions against us, this win is really for the people of Mandan and throughout North Dakota who had to live through the daily harassment and disruptions caused by the protesters who were funded and trained by Greenpeace, the company said in a statement to The Associated Press. The company, who previously said the lawsuit was about Greenpeace not following the law and not free speech, also called the verdict a win for Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law.The case reaches back to protests in 2016 and 2017 against the Dakota Access oil pipeline and its Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes reservation. For years the tribe has opposed the line as a risk to its water supply. The multistate pipeline has been transporting oil since mid-2017. Plaintiffs attorney Trey Cox has said Greenpeace carried out a scheme to stop the pipelines construction. During opening statements, he alleged Greenpeace paid outsiders to come into the area and protest, sent blockade supplies, organized or led protester trainings, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it.Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities said there is no evidence to the claims, that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in the protests and the organizations had nothing to do with Energy Transfers delays in construction or refinancing.Greenpeace representatives have said the lawsuit is a critical test of First Amendment free speech and protest rights and could threaten the organizations future. JACK DURA Dura covers the North Dakota state government for The Associated Press. He is based in Bismarck, North Dakota. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file)2025-03-19T20:59:40Z DALLAS (AP) Newly released documents related to President John F. Kennedys assassination in 1963 gave curious readers more details Wednesday into Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations but didnt initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK. Assessments of the roughly 2,200 files posted by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on its website came with a huge caveat: No one had enough time as of Wednesday to review more than a small fraction of them. The vast majority of the National Archives more than 6 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts related to the assassination have previously been released.An initial Associated Press review of more than 63,000 pages of records released this week shows that some were not directly related to the assassination but rather dealt with covert CIA operations, particularly in Cuba. And nothing in the first documents examined undercut the conclusion that Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Nothing points to a second gunman, said Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination. I havent seen any big blockbusters that rewrite the essential history of the assassination, but it is very early. Kennedy was killed on a visit to Dallas, when his motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown and shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested the 24-year-old Oswald, a former Marine who had positioned himself from a snipers perch on the sixth floor. Two days later Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast live on television. Historians hope for new details about the man who killed JFKA year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, established by Johnson to investigate, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But critics of the commission still spun a web of alternative theories.Historians are hoping for details fleshing out Oswalds activities before the assassination and what the CIA and FBI knew about him beforehand. Shenon pointed Wednesday to previously released documents about a trip Oswald made to Mexico City at the end of September 1963. Records show Oswald intended to contact the Soviet Unions embassy there after living as a U.S. defector in the U.S.S.R. from October 1959 until June 1962. Shenon said the U.S. government may have kept information about what it knew about Oswald before the assassination secret to hide what he described as officials possible incompetence and laziness. The CIA had Oswald under pretty aggressive surveillance while he was there and this was just several weeks before the assassination, Shenon said. Theres reason to believe he talked openly about killing Kennedy in Mexico City and that people overheard him say that.Speculation about such details surrounding Kennedys assassination has been intense over the decades, generating countless conspiracy theories about multiple shooters and involvement by the Soviet Union, the mafia and the CIA. The new release fueled rampant online speculation and sent people scurrying to read the documents and share online what they might mean. Many documents already were public but information had been redactedThe latest release of documents followed an order by President Donald Trump, though most of the records were made public previously with redactions. Before Tuesday, researchers had estimated that 3,000 to 3,500 files were still unreleased, either wholly or partially. Last month, the FBI said it had discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination. Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination, said in a statement posted on the social platform X that much of the rampant overclassification of trivial information has been eliminated from the documents. A boon to historians of the Cold WarThe latest release also is a boon to historians of the Cold War. Timothy Natafali, an adjunct professor at Columbia University who is writing a book about JFKs presidency, said scholars now appear to have more details about U.S. intelligence activities under Kennedy than under any other president. For example, in October 1975, U.S. senators were investigating what the CIA knew about Oswald, and an October 1975 memo said they considered the agency not forthcoming. A version of that memo released in 2023 redacted the name of the CIAs security contact on Oswald in Mexico, as well as the identity of someone behind the penetration of the Cuban embassy there. The latest version shows that the security contact was the president of Mexico in 1975, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, who died in 2022, and that the Mexican government itself penetrated the Cuban embassy.Also, Nafatali said, before the latest release, the government had made public copies of President Lyndon B. Johnsons daily checklist of highly sensitive foreign intelligence in the days after Kennedys assassination, but with much of the material redacted. Now, he said, people can read what Johnson read.Its quite remarkable to be able to walk through that secret world, he said. Some records provide small details about covert operationsDocuments show that in December 1963, the CIA directors office was receiving messages from and replying to operatives in Cuba seeking to undermine the government under Fidel Castro. One, on Dec. 9, 1963, relayed a message to the director from Cuba: TODAY RECD THE MAGNUM PISTOLS BUT NO BULLETS. Youre getting both a birds-eye view of U.S. foreign policy, and youre also getting a snails eye view of covert action, right there on the ground, Nafatali said.In a previously released April 1975 memo, the CIA downplayed what it knew about Oswalds visit to Mexico City before the assassination. The memo said the CIA recorded three phone calls between Oswald and a guard at the Soviet embassy, but only in the last one did Oswald identify himself.Were now discovering how much more the CIA and the FBI knew before the assassination about Oswald, Shenon said. And the question is, why didnt they act on the information in their own files?____Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. JOHN HANNA Hanna covers politics and state government in Kansas for The Associated Press. Hes worked for the AP in Topeka since 1986. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Luke Macfarlane, the Canadian actor best known for his role on Brothers & Sisters and his Hallmark rom-coms, is embracing a new chapter in his career. The 45-year-old star is revealing more about himselfboth personally and professionallyas he steps into a new role as host of Home Is Where the Heart Is, a home renovation show that premieres March 20 on Hallmark Plus. In a recent photo shoot forSource

Global multi-platform media company World of Wonder, in collaboration with The Op Games, is bringing a fabulous new twist to the classic board game CLUE. The newly released CLUE: RuPauls Drag Race Edition, based on the Emmy Award-winning reality competition franchise, is now available for fans to enjoy. The game, which is licensed by Hasbro, combines the iconic mystery-solving mechanics ofSource

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08732-6VDAC2 deficiency elicits uncontrolled IFN-induced BAK activation and mitochondrial damage for improved cancer therapy.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08777-7Genomic evolutionary rates are decomposed to identify the dominant lineages and genes driving rate variation across the phylogeny of birds.

This image provided by NSFs NOIRLab shows the trails of stars above Kitt Peak National Observatory, where a telescope is mapping the universe to study a mysterious force called dark energy. (NSFs NoirLab via AP)2025-03-19T22:01:46Z NEW YORK (AP) Scientists are homing in on the nature of a mysterious force called dark energy, and nothing short of the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. The force is enormous it makes up nearly 70% of the universe. And it is powerful it is pushing all the stars and galaxies away from each other at an ever faster rate. And now scientists are getting a little closer to understanding how it behaves. The big question is whether this dark energy is a constant force, which scientists have long thought, or whether the force is weakening, a surprising wrinkle tentatively proposed last year. Results presented at a meeting of the American Physical Society Wednesday bolster the case that the force is weakening, though scientists are not yet certain and they still havent worked out what this means for the rest of their understanding of the universe. The updated findings come from an international research collaboration that is creating a three-dimensional map to see how galaxies have spread and clustered over 11 billion years of the universes history. Carefully tracking how galaxies move helps scientists learn about the forces that are moving them around. Called the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, the collaboration released its first analysis of 6 million galaxies and quasars last year and has now added more data, bringing the count to nearly 15 million. Their updated results, taken with other measurements exploding stars, leftover light from the young universe and distortions in galaxy shape support the idea presented last year that dark energy may be waning. Its moving from a really surprising finding to almost a moment where we have to throw out how weve thought about cosmology and start over, said Bhuvnesh Jain, a cosmologist with the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved with the research.Its not time to completely rule out the idea that dark energy is constant because the new results are still shy of the gold standard level of statistical proof physics requires. The collaboration aims to map around 50 million galaxies and quasars by the end of its survey in 2026. And other efforts around the globe have an eye on dark energy and aim to release their own data in the coming years, including the European Space Agencys Euclid mission and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. We want to see several different collaborations having similar measurements at that gold standard to be sure that dark energy is weakening, said cosmologist Kris Pardo with the University of Southern California who was not involved with the new research.If dark energy is constant, scientists say our universe may continue to expand forever, growing ever colder, lonelier and still.If dark energy ebbs with time, which now seems plausible, the universe could one day stop expanding and then eventually collapse on itself in whats called the Big Crunch. It might not seem like the cheeriest fate, but it offers some closure, said cosmologist and study collaborator Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki of the University of Texas at Dallas. Now, there is the possibility that everything comes to an end, he said. Would we consider that a good or bad thing? I dont know.-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. ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in New York. She covers research and new developments related to space, early human history and more. twitter mailto

A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of President Trumps executive order targeting transgender military service members. The 79-page opinion details the lengthy records of service and commendation of the trans plaintiffs, and notes the orders distinct lack of evidence to support a ban. The preliminary injunction was issued in the legal [...]The post Transgender Military Service Members Remain On Duty: Judge Rules Trump Order Is Soaked In Animus and Lacks Evidence to Support Ban first appeared on GLAAD.

MAGA politicians and conservative Christian pastors who spend their energy and political capital trying to criminalize drag, roll back LGBTQ+ rights, and villainize the queer community, are usually the very same people who are accused or convicted of committing the very crimes they work so hard to lay at the feet of LGBTQ+ people. Republicans are obsessed with labeling drag queens, trans women, and gay people as groomers and sexual deviants who shouldnt be allowed near children. And yet there are pastors and politicians who have allegedly been in possession of child sexual abuse images, have sexually harassed and assaulted women, or in one disturbing case, a politician was accused of sexually assaulting his own daughter. These are just allegations that came to light in the last few years, if you go back decades, there are countless examples of Republicans accused of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment of women and minors. But somehow, according to them, the queer community is the greatest danger society faces.The pattern is so common as to almost be a cliche at this point. So here are 10 examples of MAGA hypocrisy. Justin Eichorn former Republican Minnesota state senatorAfter authoring an anti-trans sports bill that would require a genital check from a physician if there was a dispute about a student athletes female sex, Republican state lawmaker Justin Eichorn was arrested on March 18, 2024, for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to journalist Erin Reed.The Minnesota state senator, who is married with four kids, is facing felony charges because Eichorn thought he was talking to a 17-year-old teenage girl, but it was actually police detectives, and now hes being asked to resign by the Minnesota State GOP, The Guardian reports.Eichorn was also responsible for the Trump Derangement Syndrome bill that sought to create a mental illness category for liberals suffering from paranoia in reaction to President Donald Trump.Robert Morris Donald Trump's former spiritual advisor (@) Robert Morris, a former megachurch pastor who served as Trumps spiritual advisor, was indicted on five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child, stemming from allegations made by a woman he allegedly sexually abused when she was 12 years old, USA Today reports. The felony charges stem from Cindy Clemishires allegations that after meeting Morris and his wife when he was 20 and she was just 11, Morris began sexually assaulting her in 1982 and it continued until 1987.While Morris hasnt owned up to all of the allegations, in a statement released last year, he said, "It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years ... Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area." He has since resigned from his role at the church he founded and preached at in light of the allegations against him.Zachary Radcliff former megachurch youth group director (@) In October 2024, megachurch leader Zachary Radcliff was arraigned on multiple felonies, including sexual abuse of children, and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. The former youth group director, who has aligned himself with MAGA conservatism by posting photos of himself in MAGA merch and posing for a photo with Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle at CPAC, appeared in court in March 2025 where the judge added nine counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 21 counts of child sexually abusive activity after hearing several young men testify against Radcliff, CBS News reports.Now, Radcliff faces 60 charges in all stemming from an investigation conducted by the Michigan State Police, which found evidence that he solicited child sexually abusive material from a minor, with victims ranging from 12 to 17 years old.If that wasnt bad enough, earlier this year it was revealed that Radcliff will be forced to remain in jail after he was caught repeatedly contacting and threatening one of his alleged victims who came forward, Michigan Live reports.Pete Hegseth Republican secretary of defenseAfter his nomination was announced, Trumps Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced questions about an alleged sexual assault he was accused of. While Hegseth claims the encounter was consensual, a 22-page report contains accounts from not only the victim, but a hotel staff member, a nurse, and a witness, the BBC reports. Despite this, Hegseth was confirmed as defense secretary, and since taking on the position, he has enacted what The Advocate calls one of the most sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ military policies in recent history. Hegseth ordered a pause on gender-affirming medical care procedures for all transgender service members, and banned new enlistments of individuals with a history of gender dysphoria.Matt Gaetz former Republican congressmanFormer Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House and withdrew from consideration to lead the Justice Department he was Trumps first pick for the position in anticipation of a House Ethics Committee report being released from its investigation into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking and statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl. Despite Gaetz claiming that the committee no longer had jurisdiction to release the report after he resigned, the report was released and found that there was evidence of Gaetz broke House rules as well as state and federal laws by soliciting prostitution, committing statutory rape, using illicit drugs, accepting impermissible gifts, and obstructing Congress, among other charges, NPR reports.Charles Herbster former Nebraska gubernatorial candidateBack in 2022, Trump put his name and reputation on the line when he endorsed Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster. In the midst of the race for the governors office, allegations surfaced that Herbster, who made his millions selling bull semen, had sexually assaulted eight women. When Trump was told about the allegations by his aides, the President refused to withdraw his support for Herbster, Politico reported at the time. And yet, despite Trumps endorsement, Herbster lost the GOP primary.John Jessup Republican commissioner of Hancock, Indiana (@) Just days after winning the election for commissioner of Hancock, Indiana, John Jessup pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually assault his daughter at a celebration of her 21st birthday in Las Vegas.Multiple witnesses came forward and told authorities that Jessup got his daughter so intoxicated that she needed a wheelchair to get back to her hotel room. According to The Guardian, authorities wrote in an affidavit that his daughter remembered taking a shower while still clothed and then waking up naked as her father was sexually assaulting her.After posting a $100,000 bond, Jessup decided to keep his name on the ballot and sat home under house arrest while waiting for the results of the election. Unlike Trump, who was able to hold onto his place in the Oval Office despite being convicted on 34 felony charges before being elected President, Jessup was forced to resign after he won the election.Ray Holmberg Retired North Dakota Republican state senator (@) Later this month, retired Republican state senator Ray Holmberg will be sentenced after pleading guilty in August 2024 to traveling to Europe to pay with the intent to have sex with a minor under the age of 18 and with receiving child sex abuse images. The North Dakota Republican faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, the North Dakota Monitor reports.Holmberg, who resigned from the North Dakota senate after federal investigators searched his home in 2021, was part of the states Republican Party that back in 2020 claimed LGBTQ+ people recruit children and prey on women, and argued that LGBTQ+ equality would adversely affect straight and cisgender people, according PinkNews.Madison Cawthorn former Republican congressmanAt age 26 outspoken MAGA evangelist Madison Cawthorn became the youngest member of Congress, but quickly faced allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by several women stemming from his time in college, NPR reports. The representative who attended the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot, ended up losing his reelection primary after the Republican Party turned against him, except for Trump, who stubbornly continued to endorse Cawthorn despite his many scandals.Tom Reed former Republican congressmanGOP Congressman Tom Reed, who endorsed Trump for president in 2016, resigned in 2022 after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a female lobbyist who claimed the New York representative rubbed her back, unhooked her bra, and put his hand on her thigh all without consent.Nicolette Davis told the Washington Post that she was only 25 and on a networking trip when the incident occurred and she was forced to ask someone sitting next to her for help when Reed started inching his hand up her thigh.

It's time to subscribe.Sam Star is currently slaying the competition on season 17 of RuPaul's Drag Race and she's receiving a lot of love online, including from All Stars 9 winner Angeria Paris Vanmichaels.At a recent Roscoe's viewing party in Chicago, Vanmichaels admitted that she'd love to hook up with Star "anywhere" and "anytime." Well, it looks like Star feels the same way... and she even joked that she'd be down to film it."It feels correct! I am an attention whore. I've been this since birth. Angeria, text me! We'll have to do a collab. A mister sister OnlyFans collab. I have to win or no one's going to buy it. RuPaul, help me out girl," Star tells PRIDE. See on Instagram While Star is certainly a fan of Vanmichaels, she's just recently become friendly with her season 17 sister Lydia B. Kollins after the two got off on the wrong foot at the beginning of the season."You saw on the show, I got close to her right before [her elimination]. I should have given her a shot from the beginning, but you live and you learn. I love Lydia."Star is sitting pretty with a solid track record as part of the top six of Drag Race, so the queen is hoping she can take the crown back to her home state of Alabama."[It's been] a dream for so long and to have been proud of what I was able to do, I'm over the moon. I would be so grateful. Win, lose, or draw... I'm just excited to have been a part of it. Wish me luck y'all!"In fact, Star winning the competition would be a very special milestone as the queen nearly quit drag in the early days of her career."Never give up, because there's many times when I said, 'Is it going to happen for me?' I almost did stop pursuing this. Thank God I didn't, because I wouldn't be here. All of those inner saboteur demons... don't let them take over. Believe in yourself."RuPaul's Drag Race airs Friday nights on MTV. To see the full interview with Sam Star, check out the video at the top of the page.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00816-7A network of quantum satellites that communicate with ground stations could offer a solution to enable a global quantum network. A quantum microsatellite that has been developed and launched can perform space-to-ground quantum communication using portable ground stations.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00802-zIn forest experiments, tree species capable of high rates of photosynthesis grow more slowly than species with lower maximum rates of photosynthesis with implications for tree-planting projects.

Jake Heinrichs hugs his wife, Rachel Chavkin, after speaking about early-stage Alzheimer's disease while inside their home in New York, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)2025-03-19T23:31:44Z An experimental treatment appears to delay Alzheimers symptoms in some people genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s, according to new findings from ongoing research now caught up in Trump administration funding delays.The early results a scientific first were published Wednesday even as study participants worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline.Its still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having, said Jake Heinrichs of New York City.Now 50, Heinrichs has been treated in that study for more than a decade and remains symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimers-causing gene that killed his father and brother around the same age.If blocked funding stops Heinrichs doses, how much time do we have? asked his wife, Rachel Chavkin. This trial is life. Two drugs sold in the U.S. can modestly slow worsening of early-stage Alzheimers by clearing the brain of one of its hallmarks, a sticky gunk called amyloid. But until now, there havent been hints that removing amyloid far earlier many years before the first symptoms appear just might postpone the disease. The research led by Washington University in St. Louis involves families that pass down rare gene mutations almost guaranteeing theyll develop symptoms at the same age their affected relatives did information that helps scientists tell if treatments are having any effect. The new findings center on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Lancet Neurology.Despite the studys small size, its incredibly important, said Northwestern University neuroscientist David Gate, who wasnt involved with the research. Now participants have been switched from an earlier experimental drug to Leqembi, an IV treatment approved in the U.S., to try to answer the obvious next question.What we want to determine over the next five years is how strong is the protection, said Washington Universitys Dr. Randall Bateman, who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimers Network of studies involving families with these rare genes. Will they ever get the symptoms of Alzheimers disease if we keep treating them?Heres the worry: Bateman raised money to start that confirmatory study while seeking National Institutes of Health funding for the full project but his grant has been delayed as required reviews were canceled. Its one example of how millions of dollars in research have been stalled as NIH grapples with funding restrictions and mass firings.At the same time researchers wonder if NIH will shift focus away from amyloid research after comments by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, nominated as the agencys new director.One of the reasons I think that we have not made progress in Alzheimers, as much as we ought to have, is because the NIH has not supported a sufficiently wide range of hypotheses, Bhattacharya told senators, responding to one who brought up an example of earlier science misconduct unrelated to current research. Scientists dont know exactly what causes Alzheimers, a mind-destroying disease that affects nearly 7 million Americans, mostly late in life. Whats clear is that silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptoms -- and that sticky amyloid is a major contributor. At some point amyloid buildup appears to trigger a protein named tau to begin killing neurons, which drives cognitive decline.Tau-fighting drugs now are being tested. Researchers also are studying other factors including inflammation, the brains immune cells and certain viruses.NIHs focus expanded as researchers found more potential culprits. In 2013, NIHs National Institute on Aging funded 14 trials of possible Alzheimers drugs, over a third targeting amyloid. By last fall, there were 68 drug trials and about 18% targeted amyloid. Northwesterns Gate counts himself among scientists who think amyloid isnt everything, but said nothing has invalidated the amyloid hypothesis. He recently used brain tissue preserved from an old amyloid study to learn how immune cells called microglia can clear those plaques and then switch to helping the brain heal, possible clues for improving todays modest therapies.For now, amyloid clearly is implicated somehow and families with Alzheimers-causing genes are helping answer a critical question for anyone at risk: Can blocking amyloid buildup really stave off symptoms? Without NIH funding, Bateman said, that opportunity will be lost.Its absolutely insane, said longtime study participant June Ward, who lives near Asheville, North Carolina, and plans to ask friends to complain to lawmakers. Ward turns 64 in June and is healthy, two years older than when her mothers symptoms appeared. It is exciting to think about the possibility that Alzheimers disease might not be what gets me, she said.In New York, Heinrichs said he has hope that his 3-year-old son wont experience the stress and sorrow that I lived through as a young man to watch my father fade away.We need the NIH to be not politicized, added Chavkin, his wife. Its just about keeping people alive or helping them live better. And in this case, its helping my husband survive.-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. SHELBY LUM Lum is an Associated Press video journalist based in New York. She is on the APs Health and Science team. instagram mailto

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-19T22:50:05Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department, according to a White House official, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency thats been a longtime target of conservatives. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity before an announcement. Trump has derided the Department of Education as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, finalizing its dismantling is likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979.A White House fact sheet said the order would direct Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely. The Trump administration has already been gutting the agency through layoffs and program cuts. Its workforce is being slashed in half and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nations academic progress. The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.Currently, much of the agencys work revolves around managing money both its extensive student loan portfolio and a range of aid programs for colleges and school districts, from school meals to support for homeless students. The agency also plays a significant role in overseeing civil rights enforcement. Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets roughly 14%. The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable students, such as the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools. Colleges and universities are more reliant on money from Washington, through research grants along with federal financial aid that helps students pay their tuition.Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes taxpayer money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents groups demand more authority over their childrens schooling.In his platform, Trump promised to close the department and send it back to the states, where it belongs. Trump has cast the department as a hotbed of radicals, zealots and Marxists who overextend their reach through guidance and regulation.Yet even some of Trumps allies have questioned his power to close the agency without action from Congress, and there are doubts about its political popularity. The House considered an amendment to close the agency in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.During Trumps first term, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sought to dramatically reduce the agencys budget and asked Congress to bundle all K-12 funding into block grants that give states more flexibility in how they spend federal money. It was rejected, with pushback from some Republicans.___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. COLLIN BINKLEY Binkley covers the U.S. Education Department and federal education policy for The Associated Press, along with a wide range of issues from K-12 through higher education. twitter mailto 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Hold onto your wigs, shes got opinions! Plane Jane, a standout from season 16 of RuPauls Drag Race, continues to deliver unfiltered commentary, this time targeting fellow queen Coco Montrese and her social media presence. Speaking at the RuPauls Drag Race Live 1000th Show in Las Vegas, Jane playfully accused Montrese of excessive photo editing. Is Coco Montrese here? Shes become AISource