Dani Dumitriu talks to reporters at her office in New York, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)2025-03-26T04:12:46Z NEW YORK (AP) When President Donald Trump canceled $400 million in funding to Columbia University over its handling of student protests against Israels war in Gaza, much of the financial pain fell on researchers a train ride away from the schools campus, working on things like curing cancer and studying COVID-19s impact on children.The urgency of salvaging ongoing research projects at the universitys labs and world-renowned medical center was one factor in Columbias decision last week to bow to the Republican administrations unprecedented demands for changes in university policy as a condition of getting funding restored.The Ivy League university announced Friday that it would overhaul its student disciplinary process, ban protesters from wearing masks, bar demonstrations from academic buildings, adopt a new definition of antisemitism and put its Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. The universitys decision to accede to nearly all of the Trump administrations demands outraged some faculty members, who say Columbia has sacrificed academic freedom. The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, representing members of Columbias faculty, filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying the funding revocation violated free speech laws. Scientific and medical researchers are appalled that their work was drawn into the debate to begin with. Theres simply no justifiable link for the federal government to put this kind of research in the line of fire for the goal of mitigating antisemitism at a different location, Dr. Dani Dumitriu, a pediatric researcher studying babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic, said from her office in midtown Manhattan. Dr. Andrew Lassman, a brain cancer specialist and associate director of clinical trials at Columbias cancer center, said researchers will have to make difficult decisions if the cuts stand. Those choices could include prioritizing which experimental cancer treatments they will focus on and how many patients they can treat, he said. This is real, not theoretical research, said Lassman, who works at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, located about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north of the universitys main campus. Young, old, Black white, Republican, Democrat cancer doesnt care.U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university was on the right track after it announced the changes Friday, but hasnt indicated yet whether funding might be restored.Columbias interim president, Katrina Armstrong, on Tuesday characterized the schools policy changes as right for Columbia.Implementation of these measures is fundamental to sustaining our academic mission without disruption and ensuring the safety of Columbias students and campuses, she said in a statement, adding that she was committed to restoring the partnership between the university and the federal government.On Columbias main campus, Benjamin Bostick, an environmental scientist whose research on rural water quality in Arizona, Oklahoma and the Dakotas was among those that lost funding, expressed dismay at the universitys decision to agree to the Trump administrations demands. He said the school was put into a position where it couldnt do much to fight back. But I really dislike that it effectively divides the institution and diverts attention from the fact that research activities are being suspended by external powers, Bostick said. From my perspective, what the government is telling me is that they dont care about people who have these issues or how to address them, he said, referring to the water quality research.At Columbias Teachers College, the cuts hit a program that trains graduate students to become teachers for the deaf and hard of hearing. Elaine Smolen, the programs co-director, said the Department of Education grant provided students with tuition support, living expenses and professional development. Theres no arguing with the extreme shortage and need for the kind of work that we do, she said. The longer deaf or hard of hearing children wait for services, the worse their outcomes are.At Dumitrius office, the funding cuts have forced her team to stop conducting and analyzing brain scans on participants in the study, which sought to track the long-term health of children whose mothers contracted COVID-19 while they were pregnant.We were learning so much, and we were hoping to continue to follow up with these babies all the way into their adulthood, she said.Casandra Almonte, a New Jersey mom participating in the study with her son, said pulling funding makes no sense at all.She said the extra testing and periodic check-ins with Dumitrius team gave her peace of mind that her son Oliver, now age 2, was developing properly. Its completely unfair to pull funding from science because people are practicing free speech, Almonte said.For now, Dumitriu says much of her teams work can continue using other funding, as the National Institutes of Health grant suspended by the Trump administration represented roughly a quarter of its budget. She hopes to appeal the decision while her office seeks other grants.We are kind of living moment to moment, Dumitriu said. Its a really rough time to want to do good.___Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. PHILIP MARCELO Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration. twitter mailto

Palestinians walk amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive at Al-Shati camp, Gaza City, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-03-26T08:29:08Z CAIRO (AP) Palestinians chanted against Hamas during anti-war protests in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said Wednesday, in a rare show of public anger against the militant group that has long repressed dissent and still rules the territory 17 months into the war with Israel.Videos that appeared to be authentic showed hundreds of people taking part in a protest in the heavily destroyed northern town of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday. People held signs saying Stop the war, We refuse to die and The blood of our children is not cheap.There were calls for more protests on Wednesday. At least one was held in the hard-hit Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, where dozens of men chanted Out, out out! Hamas get out!We are sick of the bombing, killing and displacement, said Ammar Hassan, who took part in the protest on Tuesday.He said it started as an anti-war protest with a few dozen people but swelled to more than 2,000, with people chanting against Hamas. Its the only party we can affect, he said by phone. Protests wont stop the (Israeli) occupation, but it can affect Hamas.The militant group has violently cracked down on previous protests. We want to stop the killingFamily elders from Beit Lahiya expressed support for the protests against Israels renewed offensive and its tightened blockade on all supplies into Gaza. Their statement said the community fully supports armed resistance against Israel.The protest was not about politics. It was about peoples lives, said Mohammed Abu Saker, a father of three from the nearby town of Beit Hanoun, who joined the demonstration.We want to stop the killing and displacement, no matter the price. We cant stop Israel from killing us, but we can press Hamas to give concessions, he said.A similar protest occurred in the heavily destroyed area of Jabaliya on Tuesday, according to witnesses.One protester in Jabaliya, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said they joined the demonstration because everyone failed us. They said they chanted against Israel, Hamas, the Western-backed Palestinian Authority and Arab mediators. They said there were no Hamas security forces at the protest but scuffles broke out between supporters and opponents of the group.Later, they said they regretted participating because of Israeli media coverage, which emphasized the opposition to Hamas.A 19-year-old Palestinian, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution said he planned to join demonstrations on Wednesday. His mother has cancer and his 10-year-old brother is hospitalized with cerebral palsy, and he said the family has been displaced multiple times since their home was destroyed.People are angry at the whole world, including the United States, Israel and Hamas, he said. We want Hamas to resolve this situation, return the hostages and end this whole thing. Renewed fighting brings more death and displacementThe protests erupted a week after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds of people. Earlier this month, Israel halted deliveries of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gazas roughly 2 million Palestinians.Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns the 59 hostages it still holds 24 of them believed to be alive. Israel is also demanding that the group give up power, disarm and send its leaders into exile.Hamas has said it will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.The war was triggered by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251.Israels retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 people, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. Israels bombardment and ground operations have caused vast destruction and at their height displaced some 90% of Gazas population.Hamas won a landslide victory in the last Palestinian elections, held in 2006. It seized power in Gaza from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, dominated by the secular Fatah movement, the following year after months of factional unrest and a week of heavy street battles.Rights groups say both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas violently suppress dissent, quashing protests in the areas they control and jailing and torturing critics. ___El Deeb reported from Beirut.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war SAMY MAGDY Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses. twitter facebook mailto SARAH EL DEEB El Deeb is part of the APs Global Investigative team. She is based in the Middle East, a region she covered for two decades twitter mailto

This week we start with the bankruptcy of commercial DNA company 23andMe, and what it means for its users' genetic data. Probably not good things! After the break, Joseph and Jason explain what 'Dogequest' is, and how people allegedly vandalizing Tesla locations have been caught. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel tells us about some fake audio of JD Vance talking about Musk, and then we all chat about the crazy Signal group chat story.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. DNA of 15 Million People for Sale in 23andMe BankruptcyDid the FBI Seize My Vagina Cultures?Dogequest Site Claims to Dox Tesla Owners Across the U.S.How Three Alleged Tesla Vandals Got CaughtViral Audio of JD Vance Badmouthing Elon Musk Is Fake, Just the Tip of the AI Iceberg

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00955-xFor the first time, physicists have spotted a difference in the way matter and antimatter baryons decay, which could help to explain a major cosmic mystery.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, center, is flanked by FBI Director Kash Patel, left, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, as the Senate Intelligence Committee holds its worldwide threats hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-03-26T04:08:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps top intelligence officials will brief House lawmakers Wednesday on global threats facing the U.S. though theyll likely be questioned again over their use of a group text to discuss plans for military strikes in Yemen.CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel are among those who were asked to testify before the House Intelligence Committee as part of its annual review of threats facing the U.S.At a similar hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard briefed lawmakers on her offices threat assessment, noting that China, Russia, Iran and North Korea continue to pose security challenges to the U.S., as do drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations.The presentations from top Trump appointees reflect Trumps foreign policy priorities, including a focus on combating the flow of fentanyl, illegal immigration and human trafficking, and are taking place as Trump attempts to work out a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine three years after Russias invasion. Tuesdays hearing was dominated by questions about Ratcliffe and Gabbards participation in a group chat on Signal in which they discussed plans to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen. The group included a journalist, The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Gabbard and Ratcliffe have said no classified information was included in the messages, but Democrats have decried the use of the messaging app, saying that any release of information about timetables, weapons or military activities could have put U.S. servicemembers at risk. At Tuesdays hearing they asked Patel, who was not a participant in the text chain, if he would investigate. Its likely House Democrats will press Patel on the same question Wednesday.The National Security Council has said it will investigate the matter, which Trump on Tuesday downplayed as a glitch. Goldberg said he received the Signal invitation from Mike Waltz, Trumps national security adviser, who was also in the group chat.

French actor Gerard Depardieu leaves for a break during his trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)2025-03-26T12:00:43Z PARIS (AP) A woman accusing French actor Grard Depardieu of sexual assault told a landmark trial in Paris on Wednesday that he groped her buttocks and her breasts several times in three separate incidents on a film set.Depardieu, 76, is accused of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters). He denies any sexual assault.Day 3 of the Paris trial focused on the testimony of the younger plaintiff, who said Depardieu first groped her bottom when she was alone with him for a brief moment between the backstage area and the film set.Out of the blue, he put his hand on my butt, she said, adding she was under shock, petrified, and said nothing.In a second incident, she said Depardieu suddenly put both his hands on her breasts: I said no, I was scared. She also described telling Depardieu no during a third similar incident. The plaintiff said she reported the issue to her direct manager, who then alerted others in charge of the film production, prompting anger from the actor.Depardieu repeatedly denied the allegations Wednesday in court, saying : Im not like that. I think that maybe, I dont know, she was wary because of my reputation of being vulgar, crude, rude, Depardieu said. But Im not only that. I still respect people.The actor also told the court that he is almost always accompanied by aides on the film set, including his body guard, and suggested that he would rarely find himself alone with a film worker. On Tuesday, Depardieu acknowledged that he had used vulgar and sexualized language with the set dresser who accused him of sexual assault. He said he grabbed her hips during an argument, but denied that his behavior was sexual.The Associated Press doesnt identify by name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to. Neither women has done so in this case.The four-day trial was to continue Thursday, with the verdict expected at a later date.The actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($81,000) if convicted. SYLVIE CORBET Corbet is an Associated Press reporter based in Paris. She covers French politics, diplomacy and defense as well as gender issues and breaking news. twitter

Nature, Published online: 26 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00922-6The personal touch.

A protesters holds a flower as stand behind police barrier during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)2025-03-26T12:16:53Z ISTANBUL (AP) Turkeys president on Wednesday accused the political opposition of sinking the economy during the countrys largest protests in more than a decade over the arrest of Istanbuls mayor, the biggest challenger to Recep Tayyip Erdogans 22-year rule.The opposition has called for a boycott of companies that it says support Erdogans government. The Turkish president accused the opposition of being so desperate that they would throw the country and the nation into the fire.In his address to lawmakers with his Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Erdogan added that sabotage targeting the Turkish economy will be held accountable before the courts.Imamoglu, who was arrested a week ago, faces charges related to corruption and supporting terrorism within the Istanbul municipality alongside some 90 other suspects. A court ordered him to be imprisoned Sunday. A trial date has not been announced. Many consider the case against Imamoglu to be politically motivated. The government says the judiciary is free of political influence.The evidence against Imamoglu has not been officially disclosed. Many Turkish media outlets have reported that it is largely based on secret witnesses. The use of such testimony has been seen in previous criminal cases against opposition politicians. The head of the opposition Iyi Party, Musavat Dervisoglu, questioned the evidence of corruption in Istanbul municipality. Dozens of inspectors have gone, 1,300 inspections have been made, nothing has come out of these inspections, he told party lawmakers. Also Wednesday, Istanbuls municipal assembly voted for a proxy mayor to stand in for Imamoglu. His Republican Peoples Party, or CHP, which has a majority in the assembly, selected Nuri Aslan, previously the deputy mayor.While the CHP has said it will no longer organize mass rallies at City Hall, students across Turkey continue protesting. Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as smaller cities and towns, have been largely peaceful. Protesters demand Imamoglus release and an end to democratic backsliding. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has said that 1,418 people have been detained in the past week over the protests.Egitim-Sen, a trade union representing teachers and university lecturers, said its Istanbul University representative was detained. Student leftist groups said some of their members were also detained at their homes.Turkey is not due for another election until 2028, but its possible that Erdogan will call for an early vote to seek another term.Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. His election as mayor of Turkeys largest city in 2019 was a major blow to Erdogan and his party. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comedian James Tom just came out as trans!In a new revealing personal essay for Them, Tom detailed the journey of self discovery he went through to get to a place where he felt comfortable announcing his name change and new pronouns to the world. The stand-up comic and actor best known as a writer for gay pirate series Our Flag Means Death and for roles on Life and Beth and the Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott series Ayo and Rachel are Single has identified as some version of queer since he was a teenager, and spent years experiencing people being confused by his gender expression and what pronouns to use. But for every frustration I faced, my nonbinary identity also freed me from the burden of other peoples perceptions. It was okay that people called me 'sir' from behind and pivoted to 'miss' when I turned around, Tom wrote.It wasnt until 2022, after being on testosterone for three years and experiencing a breakup, that Tom realized he was attracted to men and started exploring that.Testosterone allowed me to access a latent desire for men that had likely always existed, but felt impossible to realize as a woman. As a boy, though, dick became ubiquitous, Tom revealed. There are cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see. I took to f****try like a fish in water, and with my new gay surroundings came new ways for people to perceive me, and more importantly, new ways for me to perceive myself.See on InstagramAt different points in his transition journey, Tom has identified as a butch dyke and then nonbinary, but it turns out identifying as a twink felt more authentic than any other identity he had landed on throughout his gender expression journey. To my surprise, I could see myself much more clearly as a beautiful twink than the butch-spectrum dyke I had tried to be for most of my life, he explained. No wonder I had always preferred Kylie Minogue to Tegan and Sara. But whereas my masculinity was taken at face value in dyke spaces, I knew I would have to really assert it around cis gay men.The comedian, who was part of of the all-genderqueer Netflix comedy special Hannah Gadsbys Gender Agenda, started using James as his name on Grindr and then took a life-altering trip to Fire Island the year the Fire Island movie came out where he partied and was truly accepted as a man for the first time.Magically, Fire Island, a film about feeling out of place on Fire Island, had given me an opportunity to feel included on Fire Island. James was invited to the party, he wrote.That life-changing trip happened three years ago, but now Tom is ready to come out with his name change and new pronouns to the whole world.Ive been out as various shades of gay since I was 13, but Im still learning how to come out, he explained. Perhaps due to my own avoidant tendencies, I have never liked the thought of rupturing peoples existing idea of me. And because Ive been openly queer for most of my life and all of my career, I have managed to circumvent a big coming out moment until now.See on InstagramTom has now had top surgery and has been on hormones, but publicly changing his name still felt incredibly audacious.For me, changing my body is about taking control of my vessel and being able to see myself. Changing my name is a demand that other people see what I see, he wrote.Toms journey to self discovery and self acceptance hasnt always been easy or seamless, but hes learned to accept that he may continue to change. One of the biggest lessons Ive learned through transition is that I cant always predict the ways I will change, I can only be open to changing.Hes also aware that after coming out in such a public way there may still be moments of awkwardness or times when people are confused, but Tom is ready to step through the portal and meet myself on the other side.I like the person I am, or the person Im becoming, and I think if Id done it differently, I would be someone else, he wrote. It was Jes Tom who nailed the audition so that, someday, in the near future, James Tom will see his name in the credits. I wouldnt have it any other way.

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

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

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

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

Overnight, GLAAD hosted its 2025 Latine Honors event, a celebration of LGBTQ Latine leaders in entertainment, advocacy, and journalism, gathering top Spanish-Language and Latine media, along with Latine nominees, at Grandmaster Recorders in Los Angeles ahead of the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards which will stream exclusively on Hulu April 12, 2025. The evening was [...]The post Star-Studded 2025 Latine Honors Celebration Honors Queer Latine Representation Across Entertainment Ahead of 36th GLAAD Media Awards first appeared on GLAAD.

Don't get bitter, just get better.Hot off her victory on the inaugural season of RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars, World of Wonder is already calling up Alyssa Edwards to star on season two of the popular spin-off Slaycation.It's a miracle Edwards has the time to film another TV show as she's currently rehearsing for her upcoming Crowned Tour that'll encapsulate everything in her impressive career that led up to her triumphant Global All Stars win."I feel like this Crowned Tour is a celebratory moment for all of us. All of you people that have celebrated the art of drag you're a part of this. It's the power of drag. This is the moment that I've worked for. This show is going to be a good giggle for the world because we need it," Edwards tells PRIDE. See on Instagram Season two of Slaycation is sure to bring plenty of iconic moments as Edwards is joined by other Drag Race icons including Tessa Testicle, Miss Fiercalicious, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Nicky Doll, and Xana."Pray for me! Please put me on the prayer list. Dear Lord, Alyssa Edwards needs the courage, the strength, the wisdom, the knowledge, and the guidance to make it through the Slaycation. She might get her nerves slayed."Historically, Fiercalicious has thrown effortless shade at her reality TV co-stars on Drag Race and The Traitors, but Edwards isn't breaking a sweat over any potential drama that may go down in the winter cabin."You can't come for me because I didn't send for you! I didn't sign up for FedEx. If she comes [for me], I'm going to let her come. Girl, I've been doing this sh** since the '90s! I do think that Fiercalicious is fierce. I like all of these queens. We're going to have a good time!"Fans can get tickets to see Alyssa Edwards on tour by visiting her official website here. To see the full interview, check out the video at the top of the page.

In a historic collaboration, two of the worlds most iconic music festival producers, U.S.-based Insomniac and Belgiums Tomorrowland, are joining forces for a brand-new experience. Titled UNITY, the unprecedented audiovisual spectacle will debut at Sphere in Las Vegas during Labor Day weekend, from August 29 to 31, 2025. This immersive production will push the boundaries of live entertainmentSource

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

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

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

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

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

Pop singer Chappell Roan, the 2025 Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist, recently opened up about her love life and sexual preferences in a candid interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast with host Alex Cooper. Chappell Roan on the Call Her Daddy podcast. During an earnest conversation about the importance of being single, Cooper asked Roan if she was currently single.Source

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

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

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots for three in front of Connecticut forward Alex Karaban (11) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)2025-03-26T15:01:01Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness.Get the AP Top 25 mens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. The smaller the number, the larger the impact at this years NCAA Tournament.Arkansas, the No. 10 seed in the West Region, is the only double-digit seed still alive heading into the regional semifinals. All four No. 1 seeds and three of the four No. 2 seeds are still standing.But the seeds arent the only numbers that bear watching as the tournament enters its second week. Heres a look at a notable statistic for each of the remaining 16 teams, starting with the two regions playing Thursday.East Alabama: The Crimson Tide score a Division I-leading 90.8 points per game. The 90-81 first-round victory over Robert Morris marked the DI-leading 19th time this season theyve scored at least 90 points.BYU: The Cougars outrebounded each of their first two tournament opponents by nine boards, and they have a plus-6.2 rebound margin this season that ranks 19th in Division I. They now face Alabama, which ranks 20th nationally with a plus-6.1 rebound margin. The Tide beat Robert Morris despite getting outrebounded. Arizona: Caleb Love scored 28 points when North Carolina beat Duke 81-77 in the 2022 Final Four. He hasnt been as successful the four times hes faced Duke since that game, twice with North Carolina and twice with Arizona. Love has averaged 10.5 points in those four games while shooting a combined 14 of 50 overall and 4 of 27 from 3-point range. Loves teams went 1-3 against Duke in those games. Love faces Duke again in a regional semifinal. Duke: The Blue Devils have a net rating of plus-39 according to kenpom.com. That represents the highest net rating for any team since Duke in 1998-99 had a rating of plus-43.01. Net rating is calculated by subtracting a teams defensive efficiency from its offensive efficiency. The resulting number 39 in Dukes case measures its expected margin of victory over an average team. West Florida: Walter Clayton Jr. has gone 22 of 43 from 3-point range over his last five games (13 of 26 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and 9 of 17 in the NCAA Tournament). The former Iona guard has gone 16 of 33 from 3-point range in four career NCAA games.Maryland: Derik Queen, who made a buzzer beater against Colorado State in the second round, puts up 16.2 points per game for the highest scoring average of any Maryland freshman since 1947-48. Queen is actually behind only Joe Smith, who had 19.4 points per game in 1994-95 before getting taken first overall in the 1995 draft.Arkansas: John Calipari is the third coach to take four different schools to the Sweet 16. He got here eight times with Kentucky, four times with Memphis and three times with UMass. The other coaches to accomplish this feat were Eddie Sutton (six times with Oklahoma State, four with Arkansas, two with Kentucky and once with Creighton) and Lon Kruger (twice with Oklahoma and once each with Kansas State, Florida and UNLV).Texas Tech: The Red Raiders play in the Big 12 and Arkansas is in the SEC, but they used to be rivals in the old Southwest Conference. Theyve faced each other 80 times before, and the series is tied at 40-all. Midwest Houston: The Cougars have the nations longest active streak with six straight Sweet 16 appearances. Gonzaga had the longest streak with nine straight regional semifinal berths before losing 81-76 to Houston in the round of 32.Purdue: Trey Kaufman-Renn has made 287 baskets this season to lead all Division I players. Zach Edey, Kaufman-Renns former Purdue teammate, led Division I last season with 336 baskets.Kentucky: Not a single player on Kentuckys roster scored a point for the Wildcats last season. The only other power conference team that didnt return any of its scoring production from last season was Louisville, which lost to Creighton in the first round.Tennessee: Chaz Lanier has gone 7 of 12 from 3-point range in the first two rounds and has a school-record 120 3-pointers this season, the sixth-highest total in Southeastern Conference history. The SEC record is held by Auburns Bryce Brown with 141 in 2018-19. Lanier went a combined 3 of 17 from 3-point range in Tennessees two regular-season losses to Kentucky, its Sweet 16 opponent. South Auburn: Johni Broome is the only player in Division I mens basketball history to have 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds plus 400 blocks in his career. Broome, a fifth-year senior who spent two seasons at Morehead State and three at Auburn, is averaging 18.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks this season.Michigan: Tre Donaldson came to Michigan after spending two seasons at Auburn, the Wolverines Sweet 16 opponent. After averaging 6.7 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds at Auburn last season, the 6-3 guard averages 11.5 points, 4.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds for Michigan.Mississippi: Sean Pedulla has scored at least 19 points in each of his three career NCAA games. He scored 19 points in just 19 minutes while playing for Virginia Tech in a first-round loss to Texas in 2022, and he has collected 20 points in each of the first two rounds this season. Michigan State: The Spartans have outscored their first two NCAA opponents 96-66 in the second half. That includes a 71-63 victory over New Mexico in which they trailed by two points at halftime. Now they face an Ole Miss team that has outscored its first two tournament opponents 84-55 in the first half.___AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Before there was McDreamy or McSteamy, there was George OMalley, Greys Anatomys sweet, awkward intern who soaked up every emotion like a sponge. T.R. Knight made him lovable, especially to queer viewers who saw strength in his softness. Then came the drama: the on-set homophobia scandal, the media frenzy, and Georges iconic, bus-saving, tearjerking goodbye. Knight came out in 2006, telling People, I hope the fact that Im gay isnt the most interesting part of me. And its not. Outside of the Greys universe, Knight has stacked up complex, powerful roles on stage and screen. So, on his birthday (March 26, jot it down), here are five must-watch performances that prove George was just the beginning.1. The Flight Attendant (HBO Max) Davey BowdenIn this sleek, chaotic thriller-comedy, Knight plays Davey, the slightly estranged but deeply empathetic brother of Kaley Cuocos hot-mess flight attendant. While Cuoco gets most of the big moments, Knight shines in his own right, grounding the series with emotional sincerity. Hes the kind of gay older brother we all deserveprotective, exhausted, and constantly cleaning up someone elses mess.2. Genius: Einstein/Picasso (National Geographic) J. Edgar Hoover/Max JacobYes, that J. Edgar Hoover. Knight took a villainous turn in this dramatized anthology series, undergoing a massive transformation to play the infamous FBI director during the Einstein-focused season of Genius. He returned for the series in Picasso, where he played one of Picassos first friends, Max Jacob. The diversity in each of these roles is a far cry from George OMalley, but it also proves the versatility he brings to any role he touches.3. The Good Wife (CBS) Jordan KarahaliosAppearing in Season 4 of The Good Wife, Knight plays a political operative whose smooth-talking charisma masks some deeply calculating energy. The role may be brief, but he makes it memorable, especially with the shows signature fast-paced dialogue. Honestly, watching him hold his own alongside Julianna Margulies and Alan Cumming? Incredible.4. 11.22.63 (Hulu) Johnny ClaytonIn this time-traveling thriller adapted from Stephen Kings novel, Knight plays Johnny Clayton, a domestic abuser with a dark and violent edge. Its one of his most intense roles to date, and he absolutely nails the menace. Its a bit jarring to watch someone so beloved play someone so awful, but as with Genius, it just proves hes got some major acting chops.5. 42 (Warner Bros.) Harold ParrottIn this powerful biopic about baseball legend Jackie Robinson, Knight plays Harold Parrott, a Brooklyn Dodgers PR executive trying to manage the media chaos as Robinson breaks the color barrier. While it's a supporting role, Knight adds a layer of sharp, mid-century cynicism to the otherwise heartfelt story. T.R. Knight might be best known as the lovable intern who broke our hearts (and our tear ducts), but hes far more than a tragic TV exit or a footnote in Emmy-era controversy. Whether hes taking on dark roles, supporting queerer-than-ever storylines, or hitting the stage, Knight remains a lowkey-powerhouse who deserves a whole lot more fanfare.So happy birthday, T.R.!

Netflixs new series, The Residence, presents a fictional White House where the president, Perry Morgan, portrayed by Paul Fitzgerald, is openly gay and married to First Gentleman Elliot Morgan, played by Barrett Foa. The mystery-thriller follows Detective Cordelia Cupp, portrayed by Uzo Aduba, as she investigates a murder within the presidential residence, where every staff member and stateSource

During an interview yesterday on CBS Mornings, Will & Grace star Debra Messing was asked about the potential for the show to return. Will & Grace, which originally aired on NBC from 1998 to 2006 and was later revived from 2017 to 2020, was groundbreaking for its portrayal of a gay character (Will, played by Eric McCormack) and his best friend, Grace (Messing). The series, which also starred SeanSource

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

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

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

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

Queer pop icon Chappell Roan just revealed that not only has she been in a relationship that her fans didnt know about for the last six months, but she opened up about her fave sex toys, why shes into kinky girls, and her opinion on pegging.Today, Roan was interviewed by Alex Cooper on her popular Call Her Daddy podcast, and their in-depth convo is full of juicy deets about the Grammy award winners love life. Not only do the two women discuss the hawt and very sapphic meaning behind Roans new country single The Giver, but also drill down on why men are so lame in bed and how different sex is with femmes.On why men are bad in bedRoan explained that The Giver is about how generous women are in bed compared to men. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter admitted that she has dated a lot of not awesome people in the past who could not get it through their head like what they're doing, like wasn't right.While Roan admits that she probably should have broken up with these men sooner, she is confused by why they arent trying to be better lovers. But the fact that I had dated so many guys who do it wrong and don't really, they haven't figured out that they need to do better, that they need to give more, the giver, she explained. "What I'm saying in the song is, these country boys are not gonna give you what you need if you wanna have an orgasm. Which a lot of ladies don't. Apparently.Why Chappell Roan loves 'kinky girls'Not only is her new song about Roans love of being the one giving pleasure during sex, but she revealed to Cooper that she also loves kinky girls.Of course we love the doms, we love the subs, like love. But there's still a giver. There's still a giving, whatever. So I wrote The Giver about that, just about like, I think specifically in fem relationships. Its such an understanding that is so givingWhy eating a girl out is easyMen had fooled her into thinking going down on a woman was tricky, but when she started sleeping with women she realized just how wrong they were."When I started hooking up with women, I realized how easy it is, actually. I realized how easy it is to eat a girl out, and how this whole time I thought it was, 'Oh, your neck hurts so bad.' I thought, 'Oh it's, like, hard. My jaw hurts.' You know what's hard? Sucking dick," Roan said. "Eating a girl out? You can lay down!"What she has to say about peggingRoan admitted that she was never into anal because men would never reciprocate and let her peg them, but once she started leaning into her sapphic attractions, she realized its enjoyable."I was fooled. I was foolish to think that. Of course it wasn't as hard, what I was doing for them. Of course it wasnt, Roan explained. Thats why I would never do anal. Because I was like, 'Then let me peg you.' They would be like, 'Haha, no way.' [I would reply] 'Why not, we can just try. Let me peg you, and then we can Maybe we'll try.""But when I started hooking up with women, I was like, 'Fuck you guys.' This is enjoyable, first of all. Second of all: [It's] way, way easier. It's actually fucking crazy. So what, you can't find the clit? Work harder. It may take 10 minutes longer. That's fine."Which sex toys she likes bestDuring a lightning round of the interview, Roan got candid about what toys she likes to play with in the bedroom. Since her song Red Wine Supernova has the line I heard you like magic/Ive got a wand and a rabbit, Cooper asked which of the two sex toys she likes best."I do not fuck with rabbits. I don't fuck with like a lot of them, honestly, before admitting shes a rose vibe girlie, I guess wand or, like, the little rose thing? But it's not the rose.Cooper followed up by asking about one of her favorite sex toys, Have you tried the one that like pulsates and it's like the 'womanizer' thing?Roan responded excitedly, Yes! before Cooper continued with a description of what the toy does, "It kind of, like, pulsates on your clit. It's the best fucking thing ever.Yes, Roan said, agreeing.Watching Roan rise to fame has been exciting for fans everywhere, but seeing her being comfortable talking about queer sex on such a large and far-reaching platform is truly meaningful and fun! Watch the full episode of Call Her Daddy below.

Nearly half a year after the team's disastrous first rollout, the National Women's Soccer League team in Boston has a new name and a new legacy.Boston Legacy FC is the new official name of Boston's upcoming NWSL team, and this time, it was announced without any transphobia. (@) "It's a great day to start a new legacy. To write a new chapter and build something bigger than ourselves," an X post about the new team name reads."As one of the newest teams in the National Womens Soccer League set to take the pitch in 2026, were here to honor Bostons sports legacy and make history of our own," the club's official website reads. "This club is a commitment to the city of Boston and the game we love. Together with our community we will forge a legacy of championships and impact; on and off the pitch. Join us as we bring womens soccer back to Boston. This is Bostons next great sports legacy." (@) In October 2024, the team announced that its name would be Bos Nation, an anagram of "Bostonian" in a widely-criticized and now deleted ad campaign that focused on how sports have "too many balls.""Old balls, new balls. Steel balls. Cold balls. Even GOAT balls. Yeah, Boston loves its balls," the ad said. "But maybe, there are too many balls in this town."The ad was criticized for both its perceived erasure of other professional Boston women's sports teams, and its transphobia.Quinn, who was the first out nonbinary player in the NWSL and now plays for Vancouver Rise FC in the Northern Super League pointed out the gender essentialism in the ad, saying "this doesn't represent the league and it is such poor messaging." (@) In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) at the time, Bos Nation Football Club wrote, "We had hoped to create a bold and buzzworthy brand launch campaign, we missed the mark. We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe and welcoming environment we strive to create for all, and we apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular for the hurt we caused."After the backlash, the team posted "An Update To Our Community" online, where it detailed steps ownership was taking to listen to fans, including a Fan Feedback Survey, virtual fan feedback sessions, a local professional women's sports teams listening session, and a supporter listening session."We're grateful to our community and fans for their openness and willingness to share their perspectives thank you for that," Jennifer Epstein, Controlling Owner of Boston Unity Soccer Partners said in a statement on the site. "This process has been invaluable and to the ownership group, we hear you. Your voices have made it clear that revisiting our team name is essential, and we're fully committed to building a club identity that reflects the ambition of a women's professional soccer team in Boston."Now, after a list of 500 suggestions, which was then whittled down to a shortlist of 14 names, the team has decided to go with Boston Legacy FC.Boston Legacy FC will be joining the NWSL in 2026 along with a still-to-be-named Denver team, bringing the league to 16 teams.

Alyssa Edwards is stepping into a new chapter of her career after her win on the inaugural season of RuPauls Drag Race Global All Stars. Fresh off her victory, Edwards is already gearing up to star in season two of the popular Slaycation spin-off series, and shes also preparing for her highly anticipated Crowned Tour, which will showcase her legendary journey in the world of drag.Source

For the first time since 2019, the massive glory hole at Lake Berryessa in Napa County is once again visible, as heavy winter rains have pushed the lakes water level above 440 feet. This rare phenomenon, known as spillover, is the result of the Morning Glory spillwayan enormous, 72-foot-wide circular drainthat allows excess water to flow 200 feet downward into Putah CreekSource

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

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

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

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

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

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