Police officers stand outside of the Seoul Western District Court after supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol broke into the court in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. The letters read "The Seoul Western District Court." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)2025-01-19T05:39:52Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Hours after South Koreas impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was formally arrested, triggering rioting by his supporters, his lawyers said Sunday that he remains defiant in his refusal to answer questions over the probe into his declaration of martial law last month.Yoon was formally arrested early on Sunday, days after being apprehended at his presidential compound in Seoul. He faces possible imprisonment over his short-lived authoritarian push, which set off the countrys most serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s.Yoons arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period in custody, lasting months or more.The decision to arrest Yoon ignited unrest at the Seoul Western District Court, where dozens of his supporters broke in and rioted, destroying the main door and windows. They used plastic chairs, metal beams and police shields that they managed to wrestle away from officers. Some were seen throwing objects and using fire extinguishers, destroying furniture and office machines, smashing glass doors and spraying water on computer servers. They shouted demands to see the judge who had issued the warrant, but she had already left.Hundreds of police officers were deployed and nearly 90 protesters were arrested. Some injured police officers were seen being treated at ambulance vans. The court said it was trying to confirm whether any staff members were injured and assess the damage to its facilities. Court describes Yoon as threat to destroy evidenceIn granting law enforcements request for an arrest warrant for Yoon, the court said he was a threat to destroy evidence. Yoon and his lawyers on Saturday appeared before the court and argued for his release. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and the military, can now extend Yoons detention to 20 days, during which they will transfer the case to public prosecutors for indictment.Investigators are examining whether Yoons Dec. 3 martial law decree amounted to an attempted rebellion. While South Korean presidents have wide-ranging immunity from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.Yoons lawyers could also file a petition to challenge the courts arrest warrant. Yoon Kab-keun, one of the presidents lawyers, said he will not attend a questioning by the anti-corruption agency set for Sunday afternoon and will remain at the detention center.Yoon Suk Yeols appearance in court caused chaotic scenes in nearby streets, where thousands of his fervent supporters rallied for hours calling for his release. Even before the court issued the warrant for Yoons arrest, protesters repeatedly clashed with police. At least two vehicles carrying anti-corruption investigators were damaged as they left the court after arguing for Yoons arrest.Yoons defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested and indicted for their roles in the enforcement of martial law. Yoons lawyer decries his arrest The crisis began when Yoon, in an attempt to break through legislative gridlock, imposed military rule and sent troops to the National Assembly and election offices. The standoff lasted only hours after lawmakers who managed to get through a blockade voted to lift the measure. The opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14.His political fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which is deliberating whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. Seok Dong-hyeon, another lawyer representing Yoon, called the court order for his arrest the epitome of anti-constitutionalism and anti-rule of law. He pointed to the riot and said Yoons arrest would inspire more anger from his supporters. Yoons People Power Party regretted his arrest but also pleaded for his supporters to refrain from further violence. The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative effort to impeach Yoon, said his arrest would be a cornerstone for restoring the collapsed constitutional order. It also called for stern punishment of the rioters. The countrys acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, expressed strong regret about the riot, saying it directly undermines democracy and the rule of law. He asked for heightened security at the sites related to Yoons case, also including the Constitutional Court, and measures to ensure order during protests. After its investigators were attacked by protesters later on Saturday, the anti-corruption agency asked media companies to obscure the faces of its members attending the hearing. Yoon insists his martial law decree was legitimateYoon and his lawyers have claimed that the martial law declaration was intended as a temporary and peaceful warning to the liberal opposition, which he accuses of obstructing his agenda with its legislative majority. Yoon says the troops sent to the National Election Commission offices were to investigate election fraud allegations, which remain unsubstantiated in South Korea. Yoon has stressed he had no intention of stopping the functioning of the legislature. He stated that the troops were sent there to maintain order, not prevent lawmakers from entering and voting to lift martial law. He denied allegations that he ordered the arrests of key politicians and election officials. Military commanders, however, have described a deliberate attempt to seize the legislature that was thwarted by hundreds of civilians and legislative staff who helped lawmakers enter the assembly, and by the troops reluctance or refusal to follow Yoons orders.If prosecutors indict Yoon on rebellion and abuse of power charges, which are the allegations now being examined by investigators, they could keep him in custody for up to six months before trial. If the first court convicts him and issues a prison term, Yoon would serve that sentence as the case possibly moves up to the Seoul High Court and Supreme Court. Under South Korean law, orchestrating a rebellion is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty. KIM TONG-HYUNG Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Koreas economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children. twitter mailto

Stephen Miller attends the Conservative Political Action Conference or CPAC, at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md., Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-01-19T05:09:11Z The ominous letters went to hundreds of state and local officials across the U.S. two days before Christmas. It was a potential blueprint for how the Trump administration may attack sanctuary jurisdictions that resist mass deportations.They threatened criminal prosecutions and lawsuits going after officials personal finances. They invoked RICO, the federal statute often used to fight organized crime.You and your subordinates could potentially face up to 20 years in prison, America First Legal, a group led by current and former advisors to President-elect Donald Trump, said in the letter. Its president, Stephen Miller, will be deputy chief of policy in the new administration and is a longtime architect of Trumps immigration policies.The letters targets: city, county and state officials in Americas sanctuary jurisdictions, a term rooted in medieval laws that today encompasses a range of protection for immigrants, particularly those living in the U.S. illegally. Sanctuary jurisdictions limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Some targets were chosen for statements they made after Trumps election. Maura Healey, the Democratic governor of Massachusetts, is taken to task for vowing to use every tool in the toolbox to resist mass deportations in her state. But most made the list for refusing to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement by holding people who are wanted for being in the country illegally. The warnings may signal part of a legal a roadmap for Trumps crackdown on immigration and pledge of mass deportations. It accuses officials of violating several federal statutes, including one against immigrant smuggling and another against interfering with the work of federal officers. On Saturday, an official said a federal immigration operation concentrated in Chicago will begin after Trump takes office Monday, targeting more than 300 people with histories of violent crimes. Chicago has been a sanctuary city for decades, and officials there have said they retreat on those commitments. Courts have repeatedly upheld the legality of most sanctuary laws.Sanctuary laws dont shield or harbor or conceal quote-unquote illegal aliens, said Mark Fleming, a lawyer with the Chicago-based National Immigration Justice Center, a pro-immigration group. What the laws do is they say Your role (as federal officials) is to do immigration enforcement. Our role is not, and were not going to participate.Immigration lawyers scoffed at the letters legal arguments. Police and officials in sanctuary jurisdictions are, they note, enforcing legally enacted laws.But officials, lawyers and immigration advocates are taking the letters seriously. The involvement of Miller, a senior advisor in Trumps first term and a major figure in many policy decisions, particularly on immigration, means they have no choice.Plus, many say, the legal arguments may not even be relevant.Letters like these are really more about sowing fear than they are about articulating anything that would hold up from a legal standpoint, said Sirine Shebaya, an attorney and executive director of the National Immigration Project. Its a fear that can be used against officials and against immigrants themselves.We are hearing a lot of concern from our immigrant community members about whether the city will continue (as a sanctuary) or will they end it, said Peter Pedemonti, co-director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia.During the first Trump administration, the White House tried to use financial cudgels against sanctuary jurisdictions by denying them public safety grants that can be key for law enforcement budgets. Courts largely rejected those attempts, though some Trump loyalists say that could happen again in the incoming administration.The letters may signal that the cudgels will be legal. They went to well over 200 officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and county officials from Maine, Nebraska and California. They are largely identical, though occasionally personalized with details of crimes allegedly committed by immigrants in a particular officials jurisdiction.All are full of dire warnings.You each could face criminal prosecution and civil liability for your illegal acts, wrote James Rogers, senior counsel for America First Legal Foundation. Employees in your jurisdiction involved in implementing sanctuary policies that prevent federal immigration officers from carrying out their duties would potentially face six years in prison, he wrote.If most lawyers roll their eyes at such threats, they also know that weak legal arguments dont necessarily stop prosecutions.I think these threats are actually a critical cog in the strategy, said Fleming. Because the reality is that even if they lose, they can win by putting someone through this. Fear of relentless court cases, particularly in smaller jurisdictions without teams of lawyers, could push officials to ease back on sanctuary laws, or even allow local law enforcement to work with federal immigration officers.ICE, which has just 21,000 employees, many of them administrators or support personnel, would need immense local law enforcement help to follow through on Trumps promises of mass deportationsThe sanctuary designations have already caused deep divisions in some jurisdictions, with sheriffs in California, Washington and elsewhere vowing to ignore sanctuary policies. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has said hes prepared to suspend elected officials if they are neglecting their duties under Trumps promised immigration mandates. But Democratic leaders including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New Yorks Hochul vowed after Trumps election that they would stand firm on their sanctuary policies. A few days after the election, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson insisted that the citys police force would not help ICE agents with deportations. We will not bend or break, Johnson told reporters. The question is whether sanctuary officials will continue to stand firm in the face of personal legal threats and an incoming White House that has made clear immigration is a top focus. Stephen Miller is going to be the deputy chief adviser to the president, said R. Linus Chan, an attorney who works with immigrants detained by ICE, and a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. So you cant really just ignore him. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs the ball past Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike (91) during the second half of an NFL football divisional playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)2025-01-19T04:34:40Z DETROIT (AP) Jayden Daniels and the nothing-to-lose Washington Commanders sent the top-seeded Detroit Lions to a stunningly swift playoff exit.Daniels threw for two touchdowns and fellow rookie Mike Sainristil had two interceptions, dazzling performances that helped Washington beat Detroit 45-31 on Saturday night to reach the NFC championship game for the first time since winning the franchises third Super Bowl 33 years ago.Its a surreal moment, Daniels said.The sixth-seeded Commanders (14-5) were nearly double-digit underdogs against the Super Bowl-favorite Lions (15-3) and overcame doubts as they did all season with a new quarterback, coach and general manager.I always believed that we could achieve more than people give us credit for, Daniels said.Detroit, the NFCs top team for the first time with a franchise-record 15 wins, doomed its chances of living up to expectations by turning the ball over five times. This isnt the time to talk about what a great year we had and all the wins, Lions coach Dan Campbell said. Were here to get to the show and we fell short. That hurts. Sainristil, who won a national title at Michigan last season, picked off his second pass on a trick play with receiver Jameson Williams throwing into coverage off a reverse in the fourth quarter.Mike is somebody that hes hard to fool, Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. Quan Martin returned a pick 40 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to put Washington ahead 24-14.Jared Goff threw three picks and lost a fumble, turning it over three times in the ill-fated first half. He finished 23 of 40 for 313 yards with a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta that gave the Lions their last lead midway through the second quarter.Daniels finished with 299 yards passing and 51 yards rushing, and just as important didnt turn the ball over.He has a different poise, Quinn said. Hes a rare competitor. Daniels became the second rookie quarterback to knock off a top-seeded team, joining Joe Flacco, who led Baltimore past Tennessee on Jan. 10, 2009.Nothing surprises me with him, said receiver Terry McLaurin, who turned a short pass from Daniels into a 58-yard touchdown.Quinn led Washington to its first playoff win in 19 years last week. The Commanders rallied past Tampa Bay for their sixth comeback win and fifth straight on the final play from scrimmage in regulation or overtime.The Commanders, who converted 3 of 4 fourth downs, didnt let Detroit keep it that close.Give them credit, Campbell said. They earned that game and we didnt.Washington outscored Detroit 28-14 in the second quarter the highest-scoring quarter in NFL playoff history to take a 31-21 lead at halftime.Daniels had 242 yards passing in the first half, setting a rookie record one week after becoming the first rookie to lead his team in yards rushing and passing in a playoff win.The former LSU star, who was the No. 2 pick overall, was 22 of 31, including the long TD on the screen to McLaurin and a 5-yard throw for a score to Zach Ertz in the second quarter. Brian Robinson ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns.Detroits Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns while Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight receptions for 137 yards.Goff fumbled in a collapsing pocket on third-and-1 from the Commanders 17 late in the first quarter and Washington took advantage.Daniels converted a fourth-and-3 from the Detroit 9 to extend a drive capped by Robinsons 2-yard touchdown run.Three snaps after Daniels TD throw to McLaurin, Goff overthrew his intended target and Martin intercepted it and took it to the end zone, putting the Commanders ahead 24-14. Goff took a hit from linebacker Frankie Luvu on the interception return and was evaluated for a concussion.Detroits defense could not stop the Commanders all night, and Washington set a season high in points.The Lions started the second half strong, forcing Washington to punt for the first time and going 76 yards on 11 plays on the ensuing drive, capped by Gibbs 8-yard run for his second touchdown to make it 31-28. Detroit, though, wasnt stingy for long on defense.Washington had a 15-play, 70-yard touchdown drive extended by Detroit having 12 men on the field when facing fourth-and-2 from its 5 and Robinsons second short touchdown run restored the Commanders 10-point lead.InjuriesCommanders: OG Sam Cosmi was injured on Robinsons go-ahead touchdown early in the second quarter. His right leg bent awkwardly and he limped off the field.Lions: CB Amik Robertson suffered a broken arm on Washingtons second snap. ... OG Kevin Zeitler (hamstring) and reserve DL Pat OConnor (calf) were inactive.Up next Washington will play the winner of Sundays Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles game next Sunday on the road for a spot in the Super Bowl.___Follow Larry Lage at https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL LARRY LAGE Lage has been the Michigan Associated Press Sports Editor since 2000, serving as a beat writer for eight teams in pro and college. He has covered the Winter Olympics four times, most recently as the ski jumping and Nordic combined writer at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games. twitter instagram mailto

Girls attend school on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)2025-01-19T07:18:07Z A senior Taliban figure has urged the groups leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province. He told an audience at a religious school ceremony there was no reason to deny education to women and girls, just as there was no justification for it in the past and there shouldnt be one at all.The government has barred females from education after sixth grade. Last September, there were reports authorities had also stopped medical training and courses for women.In Afghanistan, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors and health professionals. Authorities have yet to confirm the medical training ban. We call on the leadership again to open the doors of education, said Stanikzai in a video shared by his official account on the social platform X. We are committing an injustice against 20 million people out of a population of 40 million, depriving them of all their rights. This is not in Islamic law, but our personal choice or nature. Stanikzai was once the head of the Taliban team in talks that led to the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. It is not the first time he has said that women and girls deserve to have an education. He made similar remarks in September 2022, a year after schools closed for girls and months and before the introduction of a university ban. But the latest comments marked his first call for a change in policy and a direct appeal to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.Ibraheem Bahiss, an analyst with Crisis Groups South Asia program, said Stanikzai had periodically made statements calling girls education a right of all Afghan women. However, this latest statement seems to go further in the sense that he is publicly calling for a change in policy and questioned the legitimacy of the current approach, Bahiss said. In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, earlier this month, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders to challenge the Taliban on women and girls education. She was speaking at a conference hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Muslim World League.The U.N. has said that recognition is almost impossible while bans on female education and employment remain in place and women cant go out in public without a male guardian.No country recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, but countries like Russia have been building ties with them.India has also been developing relations with Afghan authorities. In Dubai earlier this month, a meeting between Indias top diplomat, Vikram Mistri, and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi showed their deepening cooperation.

Demonstrators light flares as they gather during a protest calling for the release of all hostages held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)2025-01-19T06:54:42Z The Israeli military says it continues to attack inside the Gaza Strip as a dispute with Hamas delayed the start of a planned ceasefire.Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the militarys chief spokesman, said the truce would not begin until Hamas hands over the names of three hostages to be released later on Sunday, echoing an earlier statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The truce had been set to go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time.Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on technical field reasons. It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide. He had issued a similar warning the night before. The ceasefire was set to pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants in the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israels Cabinet approved the deal early on Saturday.Brokered by mediators the United States, Qatar and Egypt in months of indirect talks between the warring sides, the ceasefire is the second truce achieved in the devastating conflict. The Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead. ___Heres the latest: Israel says it recovered the body of a soldier killed in 2014 hours before Gaza ceasefireDEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli authorities said Sunday that forces had recovered and returned the body of a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, whose remains were held by the Palestinian militant group in Gaza.Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said a complicated operation involving elite commando forces returned the body of Oron Shaul overnight Saturday.Shaul, 21 at the time of his death, was killed in battle in the war a decade ago. His body was snatched by Hamas and held since.Hamas still holds the body of another soldier killed during that war, Hadar Goldin.Both of the soldiers families had staged a public campaign to have the bodies returned.The bodies were expected to be returned as part of a fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas in exchange for the hostages and bodies it holds.UNs humanitarian affairs agency ramps up preparations to provide aid to GazaUNITED NATIONS The U.N.s humanitarian affairs agency says it has ratcheted up its preparations for providing aid to Gaza after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes effect.Muhannad Hadi, the agencys humanitarian coordinator for the territory, said Saturday the United Nations and its partners are ready to leverage the opportunity for large-scale relief.Hadi referenced in a statement the agreements reached on implementing humanitarian components in the first phase of the ceasefire, including the provision of supplies including water, food, health and shelter to people across Gaza and the long-awaited release of hostages. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas it set to go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) on Sunday, mediator Qatar said. It will pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants in the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Dozens of Israelis protest ceasefire deal in JerusalemJERUSALEM Dozens of Israelis protested the ceasefire deal in Jerusalem on Saturday night, briefly blocking a main road as they shouted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign and the war to continue.Many carried faux coffins draped in the Israeli flag as well as banners calling the ceasefire a betrayal of Israeli soldiers killed in the war.Yehoshua Shin, whose son was killed fighting Hamas militants on Oct. 7, criticized the deal for releasing Palestinians from prison and called on American president- elect Donald Trump to scrap the deal until there is total victory over the Hamas militant group. Netanyahu says Israel treating ceasefire with Hamas as temporary JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel is treating the ceasefire with Hamas as temporary and retains the right to continue fighting if necessary.Speaking to the nation just 12 hours before the ceasefire is to start, he claimed that he had the support of President-elect Donald Trump, who he said he spoke with on Wednesday.Netanyahu also touted Israels military successes in Lebanon and Syria as the reason Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. We have changed the face of the Middle East, Netanyahu said.Netanyahu stressed that he was able to negotiate the best deal possible even as Israels far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Saturday he and most of his party would resign from the government in opposition. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The Eaton Fire leaves devastation in a neighborhood Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)2025-01-19T06:04:17Z The house was burning with her brother-in-law and nephew inside when Jackie McDaniels flagged down a firetruck and begged for help. Whoever is in there is no longer alive, she recalled one of the firemen telling her before urging her to flee her Altadena neighborhood. I pray to God that they were. But it was horrible to have to leave them there.Now McDaniels, like so many, is facing the gripping realities of grief and questions about what more could have been done. Experts say these survivors are victims themselves; the fires that swept through the Los Angeles area this month were fast-moving and fierce. Its really just a different beast of a fire when its this propagating entity of just total mayhem, said Benjamin Hatchett, a fire meteorologist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University. But that doesnt ease the pain or the questions for the families of the more than two dozen killed, some unable to escape, others unaware of what was coming, having survived other blazes unscathed. Among the dead is Dalyce Curry, who rubbed shoulders with some of the elites of old Hollywood in her youth. To family, she went by a different name. Momma Dee, thats the fire, her granddaughter and namesake, Dalyce Kelley, recalls saying as she drove the 95-year-old to her Altadena home on Jan. 7 after a day of medical tests. But the flames they saw seemed so far away and power was still on. Now Kelley wishes she would have asked more questions, wishes she would have returned earlier. I will live with that regret for the rest of my life, she said. That saddens Jennifer Marlon, a wildfire and climate research scientist at Yales School of the Environment. She said larger factors were at play, the summer the warmest on record in California, drying out the vegetation that fueled the flames.These are, by and large, not situations that people could have really anticipated, she said. Its incredibly tragic that people are blaming themselves and wracked with guilt. Yet it is a common response, said Tory Fiedler, a Red Cross disaster mental health manager who is helping to coordinate the response to the wildfires.Most of us get our sense of self and value from what we do in service to others, she said. When Im not able to do that, I feel bad about that, she added. I feel guilty that I didnt get to help. I didnt do enough. I survived and other people didnt, and I cant help them. And its not just I survived and other people didnt, but I dont know what to do about that.Compounding the pain is the fact that many families are still awaiting formal notification from the medical examiner, a process that could take weeks. During that painful wait, Carol Smith has been praying. Her son, Randy Miod, a 55-year-old surfer, known to friends as Craw Daddy, had lived in his Malibu home for three decades, first as a renter and then the owner. Known as the Crab Shack, it was a popular hang-out spot for surfers, with loaner boards always available. She said he never evacuated for wildfires, including during the Franklin Fire in December that knocked out power to his home for three days. Im scared, she recalled him telling her the last time they spoke. She begged of him, Please, go somewhere safe, so I dont worry.But he wasnt budging, telling her: Ive got the hose. And he said, Pray for the Palisades and pray for Malibu. And I love you.After human remains were found in the home, a detective told her that the fire was moving five football fields a minute, beyond the scope of what her son anticipated. In Altadena, cinders were flying as McDaniels packed her car in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 8. Before she left, her late sisters husband, Anthony Mitchell, a 68-year-old amputee who lived nearby, assured her that an ambulance was coming to evacuate him and his 35-year-old son Justin Mitchell, who had cerebral palsy and was bed-bound. But as she neared the freeway, he called back, telling her, Stay with me until they get here. She pulled over and could hear her nephew, who loved his collection of childrens books and watched an eclectic mix of TV shows that included Mister Rogers Neighborhood and The Golden Girls, fretting in the background. Her brother-in-law was reassuring him: Daddys here. Im coming. Daddys coming. Daddys here. But then the fire was upon them. The last word she heard her brother-in-law mutter was help before she sped to his home, black smoke greeting her when she flung open the door. Youre helpless, she recalled, saying she nearly got into a wreck herself as she fled, sobbing in the thick smoke, her own home destroyed, too. She is not quite sure what they could have done. The family thought the ambulance Anthony Mitchell called hours earlier would have arrived in time. Perhaps, had they known it wouldnt, several relatives could have carried her nephew out with sheets, she said. Her nephews younger brother, 33-year-old Jordan Mitchell, lived at home so he could help care for his brother but was hospitalized with sepsis at the time, unable to do anything.I very much told myself, I said, I am my brothers keeper, and Im proud of that, he said, noting that his SUV, which he chose because it fit his father and brothers wheelchairs, survived the flames. And I was very protective of him. I didnt think hed be gone this soon. I figured Id be taking care of him the rest of my life. MARK THIESSEN Thiessen is an Associated Press all-formats reporter based in Anchorage, Alaska. He covers Alaska Native issues and other general assignments. twitter mailto

A sculpture of a hand holding an oil drilling rig stands outside the state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. or PDVSA, in Caracas, Venezuela, March 21 2023. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)2025-01-19T05:53:39Z CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Things seemed to be looking up for Venezuela in 2022. Following years of authoritarian rule and withering economic sanctions, President Nicols Maduro had agreed to work toward a democratic presidential election. The White House, in return, granted him a financial lifeline: a permit for U.S. energy giant Chevron to pump and export Venezuelan oil.Oil wells roared back to life and massive tanker ships returned to Venezuelas coast to be filled with heavy, hard-to-refine crude destined for the U.S.Maduros promised election was neither fair nor free, and the longtime president was sworn in this month for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that his opponent got more votes. Yet, the sanctions reprieve the U.S. offered to support the restoration of democracy is still helping fill state coffers. Venezuelas opposition says Maduros government has earned billions of dollars from exports allowed by the permit. The White House has ignored calls from the main opposition coalition, as well as Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress, to cancel a permit that now accounts for around a quarter of the South American countrys oil production. Senior administration officials have struggled to explain why the permit has been left in place under questioning by reporters, saying only that sanctions policy toward Venezuela is frequently reviewed. President Joe Biden told reporters last week he didnt have enough data to adjust oil-related sanctions before he leaves office Monday. A lifeline for Venezuelas economyVenezuela sits atop the worlds largest proven oil reserves and once used them to power Latin Americas strongest economy. But corruption, mismanagement and eventual U.S. economic sanctions saw production steadily decline from the 3.5 million barrels per day pumped in 1999, when the fiery Hugo Chvez took power and began his self-described socialist revolution, to less than 400,000 barrels per day in 2020.California-based Chevron Corp., which first invested in Venezuela in the 1920s, does business in the country through joint ventures with the state-owned company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., commonly known as PDVSA.The joint ventures produced about 200,000 barrels a day in 2019, but the following year, U.S. sanctions imposed by then-President Donald Trump forced Chevron to wind down production.In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a 30% decline in the countrys economic activity, Venezuelas Central Bank reported year-over-year inflation of over 1,800%. For many, rummaging through garbage in search of food scraps or valuable items became a common activity.Locked out of world oil markets by U.S. sanctions, Venezuela sold its remaining oil output at a discount about 40% below market prices to buyers like China and other Asian markets. It even started accepting payments in Russian rubles, bartered goods or cryptocurrency. Saint ChevronOnce Chevron got a license to export oil to the U.S., its joint ventures quickly began producing 80,000 barrels a day, and by 2024, they topped their daily output from 2019. That oil is sold at world market prices.The terms of the license bar Chevron from directly paying taxes or royalties to Venezuelas government. But the company sends money to the joint ventures, which are majority-owned by PDVSA.What Chevron is doing is buying oil from joint ventures, Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez said. This purchase of oil is what generates the revenue of the joint ventures, and that revenue pays taxes and royalties to Venezuelas government.It is not clear exactly how Venezuelas government, which stopped publishing almost all financial data several years ago, uses this revenue. Neither the government nor Chevron have made public the terms of the agreement allowing the companys return to Venezuela. Chevron did not answer questions from The Associated Press regarding the joint ventures, including payments made to Venezuelas treasury. Chevron conducts its business in Venezuela in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, Chevron spokesman Bill Turenne said in a statement. Economist Jos Guerra, a former economic research manager at Venezuelas Central Bank, said the licenses impact is partly reflected in the nations foreign cash reserves, which increased by roughly $1 billion between February 2022 and November 2024, according to the institutions data. The government uses its dollar reserves in part to maintain an artificially low exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Venezuelan bolivar. The only explanation is that Chevron exports without discounts, it exports everything the 200,000 barrels go abroad and that is what is feeding the reserves, Guerra said. I call it Saint Chevron. Critics say the permit has not encouraged democracyThe outcome of Venezuelas presidential election, and a subsequent campaign of repression, have prompted new calls to rescind the licenses.In the end, one wonders, and quite rightly so, why the Biden administration continues to maintain a license whose objective was not achieved, said Rafael de la Cruz, who is an adviser to the opposition campaign of Edmundo Gonzlez and Mara Corina Machado. He said the opposition has estimated that Maduros government has received about $4 billion through the operation of the joint ventures.Venezuelas National Electoral Council, stacked with government loyalists, declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election hours after polls closed. But unlike in previous contests, electoral authorities did not provide detailed vote counts, while the opposition collected tally sheets from 85% of electronic voting machines showing its candidate, Gonzlez, won by a more than a two-to-one margin. U.N. experts and the U.S.-based Carter Center, both invited by Maduros government to observe the election, said the tally sheets published by the opposition are legitimate.The election was stolen. Therefore, the basis for any lifting of sanctions doesnt exist, said Elliot Abrams, who was special representative for Venezuela during Trumps first term. So, why isnt the administration then reimposing the full sanctions?Maduro continues to boast of his resistance to U.S. influence. Venezuela will not be colonized or dominated, neither by carrot diplomacy nor by stick diplomacy, he said after taking the oath of office on Jan. 10. Venezuela must be respected.Renewed sanctions could fuel migrationThe disputed results have deepened Venezuelas protracted social, economic and political crisis, which has has pushed millions into poverty, stunted hungry childrens growth and driven entire families to migrate. More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have already left their homeland since Maduro became president in 2013.Rodriguez said in a December analysis that a U.S. government decision to revoke Chevrons license or further tighten sanctions would have discernible effects on migration. He estimated that more than 800,000 Venezuelans could emigrate between 2025 and 2029 if Chevrons license is canceled. After Maduros inauguration, Biden defended his decision not to toughen sanctions on Venezuelas oil sector, explaining that the idea is still being investigated in terms of what impact it would have and whether or not it would just be replaced by Iran or any other countrys oil market.It matters what would happen afterwards, he told reporters.

People attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial marking MLK Day in Washington, Jan. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)2025-01-19T06:00:20Z WASHINGTON (AP) When President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States inside the Capitols rotunda, he will do so facing a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday commemorating Kings legacy.Its a disquieting contrast for some civil rights advocates who wish to fulfill the late reverends dream of non-violent social revolution. Events honoring King and advocating for his vision of a just society will occur across the nation as many in the U.S. observe the peaceful transfer of power in the capital. The concurrent events have been met with mixed feelings by civil rights leaders, who broadly reviled Trumps rhetoric and stances on race and civil rights during his third presidential campaign.But many leaders, including Kings own family, see the juxtaposition as a poignant contrast and a chance to refocus the work of advancing civil rights in a new political era. Im glad it occurred on that day because it gives the United States of America and the world the contrast in pictures. Is this the way you want to go or is this the way you want to go? said the Rev. Bernice King, the late Kings youngest daughter and CEO of the King Center. Its not a day that he can be the star, which he loves to be, Kings daughter said of Trump. He has to contend with that legacy on that day, regardless of how he manages it and handles it in his presentation. I hope those around him are advising him well to honor the day appropriately in his speech. This is the third time in the nearly 40 years since the federal King holiday became law that it coincides with a presidential inauguration. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also were sworn in for their second terms on the holiday. Both praised King in their remarks; it is yet to be seen if and how Trump who falsely claimed his first inauguration had larger crowds than Kings March on Washington will acknowledge the day. Will he sound a message of unity and a presidency for all, or will he continue to focus on his base and some of the divisive policies hes championed, like an anti-DEI stance, rounding up immigrants and cutting important parts of the social safety net through this DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) process? asked Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League civil rights group. Morial added that Trumps inauguration landing on MLK Day represented a contradiction of values.Many civil rights leaders will spend the day commemorating Kings legacy after a week of public and private organizing, giving speeches and strategizing how to respond to the incoming administrations agenda.Its the best of times and the worst of times, said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, an organization whose members mentored, collaborated and clashed with King throughout the Civil Rights Movement.Our mission doesnt change. Our job is to make democracy work for all, to make sure that equal protection is ensured under the law, Johnson said. He added that the group doesnt want to assume the Trump administration cant be a partner on advancing civil rights or racial justice. On Wednesday, Johnson and other civil rights leaders met with Congressional Black Caucus members on Capitol Hill to discuss how to work with and to oppose the Trump administration. That same day, the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, hosted a breakfast at which Vice President Kamala Harris urged attendees to stay motivated.Ours is a journey, she said. Whatever the outcome of any particular moment, we can never be defeated. Our spirit can never be defeated, because when that happens, we wont win.Martin Luther King III, the late Kings eldest son, prayed with Harris on stage. King had campaigned for Harris in the fall and called her an advocate who speaks to our better angels and embodies Dr. Kings legacy.Many racial justice advocates are set to organize demonstrations, vigils and community service events to mark the holiday and prepare for what they consider an adversarial administration. Some groups are reflecting on parallels and differences with how King organized in the face of explicitly white supremacist state and local governments and geopolitical tumult.The hostility is similar, particularly in that there is a mobilized, active and aggressive extremist-right hell bent on unraveling rights and any sense of shared purpose, shared problems or shared solutions, said Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. What differs, Wiley said, is the understanding there has to be opportunity for everyone.King himself worried the legal protections he dedicated his life to realizing would not be followed by greater anti-discrimination efforts or social programs. He proposed it would take white Americans embracing a deeper kinship with Black Americans and engaging in economic and social solidarity to see change. A year before his 1968 assassination, King wrote in his final book that giving a Black person their due often required special treatment.I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many liberals, since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits, King wrote in the 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. But this is a day which demands new thinking and the reevaluation of old concepts. Kings advocacy for new concepts found an heir in the enactment of affirmative action policies in workplaces and schools. Many advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion policies see such programs as realizing his vision, though that argument has come under withering scrutiny from conservative activists.Trumps views on race have been criticized for decades. He was found liable for discriminating against Black tenants as a New York realtor in the 1980s. He was instrumental in promoting the birther conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the U.S. And his campaign rhetoric about immigrants and urban communities since 2015 up to Novembers election has been derided as prejudiced. As president, Trump enacted some criminal justice reform laws that civil rights advocates praised but then proposed harsh crackdowns on 2020 racial reckoning protests.In April, Trump did not dispute the notion that anti-white racism now represents a greater problem in the U.S. than systemic racism against Black Americans. I think there is a definite anti-white feeling in this country and that cant be allowed either, Trump said during an interview with Time magazine.At the end of his life, King reflected on the early backlash to civil rights, especially with integrated housing developments, interracial marriage and necessary economic and social programs. He expressed frustration with then-President Lyndon B. Johnson for prolonging the Vietnam War rather than making a greater investment in anti-poverty efforts.This is where the civil rights movement stands today. We will err and falter as we climb the unfamiliar slopes of steep mountains, but there is no alternative, well-trod, level path, King wrote. There will be agonizing setbacks along with creative advances. Our consolation is that no one can know the true taste of victory if he has never swallowed defeat.___Associated Press reporter Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report. MATT BROWN Brown is a reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues. twitter instagram mailto

Demonstrators hold portraits of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip during a protest calling for their immediate release in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)2025-01-19T05:44:46Z DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Sunday that the ceasefire in Gaza will not begin until Israel has received a list of the hostages set to be released from Hamas.He reiterated the warning in a statement barely an hour before the ceasefire was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time.Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on technical field reasons. It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.The exchange raised doubts about whether the ceasefire would begin as planned. Hamas is expected to release three hostages later on Sunday in exchange for scores of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, the first step in a long process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid. This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good. Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed. Israels Cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. The warring sides were under pressure from both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the U.S. presidential inauguration on Monday. The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will now emerge. Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died.Some 90% of Gazas population has been displaced. The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged. Rebuilding if the ceasefire reaches its final phase will take several years at least. Major questions about Gazas future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.___Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-01-19T12:32:47Z KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) Even before the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was fully in place Sunday, Palestinians in the war-battered Gaza Strip began to return to the remains of the homes they had evacuated during the 15-month war.Majida Abu Jarad made quick work of packing the contents of her familys tent in the sprawling tent city of Muwasi, just north of the strips southern border with Egypt.At the start of the war, they were forced to flee their house in Gazas northern town of Beit Hanoun, where they used to gather around the kitchen table or on the roof on summer evenings amid the scent of roses and jasmine.The house from those fond memories is gone, and for the past year, Abu Jarad, her husband and their six daughters have trekked the length of the Gaza Strip, following one evacuation order after another by the Israeli military. Seven times they fled, she said, and each time, their lives became more unrecognizable to them as they crowded with strangers to sleep in a school classroom, searching for water in a vast tent camp or sleeping on the street. Now the family is preparing to begin the trek home or to whatever remains of it and to reunite with relatives who remained in the north. As soon as they said that the truce would start on Sunday, we started packing our bags and deciding what we would take, not caring that we would still be living in tents, Abu Jarad said. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.Israels offensive has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. Over 110,000 Palestinians have been wounded, it said. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Israeli militarys bombardment has flattened large swaths of Gaza and displaced 1.9 million of its 2.3 million residents.Even before the ceasefire officially took effect and as tank shelling continued overnight and into the morning many Palestinians began trekking through the wreckage to reach their homes, some on foot and others hauling their belongings on donkey carts.Theyre returning to retrieve their loved ones under the rubble, said Mohamed Mahdi, a displaced Palestinian and father of two. He was forced to leave his three-story home in Gaza Citys southeastern Zaytoun neighborhood a few months ago,Mahdi managed to reach his home Sunday morning, walking amid the rubble from western Gaza. On the road he said he saw the Hamas-run police force being deployed to the streets in Gaza City, helping people returning to their homes.Despite the vast scale of the destruction and uncertain prospects for rebuilding, people were celebrating, he said. They are happy. They started clearing the streets and removing the rubble of their homes. Its a moment theyve waited for 15 months. Um Saber, a 48-year-old widow and mother of six children, returned to her hometown of Beit Lahiya. She asked to be identified only by her honorific, meaning mother of Saber, out of safety concerns.Speaking by phone, she said her family had found bodies in the street as they trekked home, some of whom appeared to have been lying in the open for weeks.When they reached Beit Lahiya, they found their home and much of the surrounding area reduced to rubble, she said. Some families immediately began digging through the debris in search of missing loved ones. Others began trying to clear areas where they could set up tents.Um Saber said she also found the areas Kamal Adwan hospital completely destroyed.Its no longer a hospital at all, she said. They destroyed everything.The hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli forces waging an offensive in largely isolated northern Gaza against Hamas fighters it says have regrouped. The military has claimed that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan, which hospital officials have denied.The return of the families comes amid looming uncertainty regarding whether the ceasefire deal will bring more than a temporary halt to the fighting, who will govern the enclave and how it will be rebuilt.The United Nations has said that reconstruction could take more than 350 years if Gaza remains under an Israeli blockade. Using satellite data, the United Nations estimated last month that 69% of the structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including over 245,000 homes. With over 100 trucks working full-time, it would take more than 15 years just to clear the rubble away,But for many families, the immediate relief overrode fears about the future. We will remain in a tent, but the difference is that the bleeding will stop, the fear will stop, and we will sleep reassured, Abu Jarad said.Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contribute to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wave as they walk from Marine One upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-01-19T12:18:00Z WASHINGTON (AP) Joe Biden is spending his final full day in office Sunday in South Carolina, a state that holds special meaning after his commanding win in the 2020 Democratic primary there set him up to achieve his lifes goal of being elected president of the United States. On the eve of Mondays inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, Biden planned to deliver a final farewell from the state that brought him to the dance, as he likes to say.Biden, accompanied by his wife, first lady Jill Biden, was scheduled to visit Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston to worship and speak on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the White House said. Monday is the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. Afterward, the Bidens will tour the International African American Museum. It was built on a waterfront site where tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to the U.S. from the late 1760s through 1808, according to the museums website. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., a key Biden ally, said the trip was Bidens way of saying thank you to the state. Joe Biden is showing once again who he is by coming back to the state that really launched him to the presidency, Clyburn told The Associated Press in an interview. The president delivered a televised farewell address to the nation on Wednesday.Back in 2020, Biden saw his campaign flounder after he lost the opening contests in New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada. But at the fourth stop, South Carolina where Black voters make up a majority of the Democratic electorate he was lifted to victory after Clyburns endorsement. I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us, the congressman said at the time. After winning election and taking office, Biden pushed for South Carolina to move to the head of the line and be the state that opened the Democratic Partys nominating process for 2024, instead of New Hampshire. He easily won the states primary that year. In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and set us on the path to winning the presidency, Biden said in a statement after winning the primary for the second time. Now in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the Presidency again and making Donald Trump a loser again.It didnt turn out that way. After faltering in a debate against Trump, Biden dropped out of the race under pressure from many Democrats, though Clyburn notably was not among them. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him as the Democrats nominee. She lost to Trump. Clyburn said Biden told him he wanted to visit the African American history museum, which Clyburn helped start. They were planning to spend some time together there. This is his way of saying thank you, Clyburn said.-Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Superville covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a special emphasis on first ladies and first families. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and family watch fireworks at Trump National Golf Club, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)2025-01-19T12:09:42Z WASHINGTON (AP) President-elect Donald Trump is spending the eve of his inauguration in a series of Washington events that celebrate his return to power and his Make America Great Again movement as he prepares to move back into the White House at a time of deep national political divisions. Washington has prepared in unprecedented ways to keep the unfolding events save and secure. But unlike when Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol and tried to retain power in 2021 after his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, officials are not expecting massive protests, unrest and violence this time. Instead, the city is braced for crowds celebrating Trumps second term and MAGAs total control of the Republican Party. It is a remarkable turnaround after Trump left the nations capital four years in disgrace and skipped the inauguration of his successor. Trump blasted his way through the 2024 GOP presidential primary and won Novembers election by an Electoral College margin unseen since Democrat Barack Obama was reelected in 2012. Yet even with that comfortable victory and his party in full, albeit narrow, control of Congress, the incoming president remains one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history, with nearly as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters. That means it could be difficult to fulfill postelection pledges about promoting bipartisanship while healing political differences. He told NBC News on Saturday that unity would be a theme of his inauguration speech Monday at the Capitol, along with strength and fairness. January 20th cannot come fast enough!, he posted on his social media site. Everybody, even those that initially opposed a Victory by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen.Keeping to tradition, Trump spent Saturday night at Blair House, the presidents official guest residence on Pennsylvania Avenue, across from the White House. He arrived there after a party at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, about 30 miles west of the city, that illuminated the night sky. He had arrived in Washington from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, aboard a C-32, the military variant of the Boeing 757, painted in the iconic presidential powder blue and white color scheme. The aircraft that would be known as Air Force One if the president were aboard carried the president-elect as Special Air Mission 47. Sunday will be Trumps first full day back in the capital since the election. It gives him a chance to enjoy the moment and fire up his core supporters before Inauguration Days heavy dose of official pomp, including the swearing-in at noon. Trump planned to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery before addressing a rally downtown at Capital One Arena, home of Washington pro basketball and hockey teams.With frigid temperatures expected Monday, Trump directed his oath of office now set for the Capitol Rotunda and most of Mondays outdoor events be moved indoors. The traditional parade will be held, in some form, at Capital One Arena. Trump also was to attend a candlelight dinner Sunday where he was expected to speak.Biden, in his final full day in office, scheduled a trip to South Carolina, a state that holds special meaning after his commanding win in the 2020 Democratic primary there set him up to achieve his lifes goal of being elected president.Biden, accompanied by his wife, first lady Jill Biden, was set to visit a church in North Charleston to worship and speak on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the White House said. Monday is also the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. The president used his farewell address earlier in the week to warn of a growing oligarchy of ultra-rich interests gaining power and threatening the nations very democracy. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security in Benjamin Netanyahu's new government, attends a weekly cabinet meeting on Jan. 3, 2023, in Jerusalem. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP, File)2025-01-19T12:10:17Z TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Israels far-right national security minister resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Cabinet on Sunday to express his disapproval of the Gaza ceasefire deal.The resignation of Itamar Ben-Gvir does not threaten the ceasefire, but it does weaken Netanyahus governing coalition. If other far-right lawmakers leave the government as Ben-Gvir has encouraged them to do the prime minister could lose his parliamentary majority, potentially forcing early elections.It was the latest act of defiance by the 48-year-old ultranationalist settler leader who transformed himself over the decades from an outlaw and provocateur into one of Israels most influential politicians.Here is a closer look at Ben-Gvir: Why did Ben-Gvir oppose the ceasefire deal?The ceasefire will pause the war and free dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza. Ben-Gvir opposed the deal because it requires Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and to withdraw troops from Gazas southern border with Egypt and because it leaves open the possibility of Hamas staying in power in Gaza.Ahead of the resignation, he said the ceasefire was reckless and would destroy all of Israels achievements.In his Cabinet post, Ben-Gvir oversaw the countrys police force. He used his influence to encourage Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza and recently boasted that he had blocked past efforts to reach a ceasefire. He also has paid multiple visits to Jerusalems most sensitive holy site the contested hilltop compound that houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque including last month. In one such visit in July, he said he came to pray for the return of the hostages but without a reckless deal, without surrendering. The move, while legal, was seen as a provocation, violated a longstanding ban on Jewish prayer there, and threatened to disrupt months of sensitive negotiations. The site is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. Run-ins with the lawBen-Gvir has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As a teen, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service. Ben-Gvir gained notoriety in his youth as a follower of the late racist rabbi Meir Kahane. He first became a national figure when he broke a hood ornament off then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabins car in 1995.We got to his car, and well get to him too, he said, just weeks before Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians. Two years later, Ben-Gvir took responsibility for orchestrating a campaign of protests, including death threats, that forced Irish singer Sinead OConnor to cancel a concert for peace in Jerusalem. Moving to the mainstreamThe political rise of Ben-Gvir was the culmination of years of efforts by the media-savvy lawmaker to gain legitimacy. But it also reflected a rightward shift in the Israeli electorate that brought his religious, ultranationalist ideology into the mainstream and diminished hopes for Palestinian independence.Ben-Gvir is trained as a lawyer and gained recognition as a successful defense attorney for extremist Jews accused of violence against Palestinians. With a quick wit and cheerful demeanor, the outspoken Ben-Gvir also became a popular fixture in the media, paving his way to enter politics. He was first elected to parliament in 2021.Ben-Gvir has called for deporting his political opponents, and in the past has encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood, while brandishing a pistol. As national security minister, he has encouraged police to take a tough line against anti-government protesters. Controversial ministerBen-Gvir secured his Cabinet post after 2022 elections that put Netanyahu and his far-right partners, including Ben-Gvirs Jewish Power party, into power.Over the last year Ive been on a mission to save Israel, Ben-Gvir told reporters before that election. Millions of citizens are waiting for a real right-wing government. The time has come to give them one.Ben-Gvir has been a magnet of controversy throughout his tenure encouraging the mass distribution of handguns to Jewish citizens, backing Netanyahus contentious attempt to overhaul the countrys legal system and frequently lashing out at U.S. leaders for perceived slights against Israel. In May, Ben-Gvir criticized Joe Biden when the U.S. president threatened to withhold certain military aid if Israel invaded Rafah. Ben-Gvir, using a heart emoji in a post on the social media platform X, wrote that Hamas loves Biden. Political falloutBen-Gvirs departure does not endanger the ceasefire, and Netanyahu still has a narrow parliamentary majority needed to keep power. But if other hard-liners follow suit, Netanyahus government could collapse, which would trigger early elections.Its probable that he has less survival time, said Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute and analyst for Israeli public television station Kan News. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has said he will provide a political safety net to Netanyahu to ensure the government will not fall over the deal. But such a partnership is unlikely to last beyond the ceasefire because the two men do not get along and would have a difficult time working together, said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel with the International Crisis Group. MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Movers load trucks at the White House grounds two days before Inauguration Day and a new administration, in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)2025-01-19T12:20:49Z WASHINGTON (AP) Most presidents get to move into the White House once. President-elect Donald Trump is doing it twice, and his wife, Melania, says its a lot easier the second time around. I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process, the incoming first lady said recently. She described their first move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2017 as challenging. Regardless of who is president, the whole process also challenges the White House residence staff: The maids, butlers and others who look after the presidents private living space have about five hours from start to finish on Inauguration Day to move out one first family and settle in the next one. Everything needs to be planned to the minute, Melania Trump said on Fox News Fox & Friends.The clock starts ticking when the outgoing and incoming presidents leave the White House together for a shared limousine ride to the Capitol for the swearing-in. As soon as they leave, the executive residence staff swings into action, Matthew Costello, chief education officer of the White House Historical Association, said during a recent online program about Inauguration Day history. Essentially, staff is working nonstop to inventory, process and move all of the personal items of one first family out and a new first family in. After the oath-taking, inaugural address, luncheon and traditional parade, the new president gets to go into the White House to find the familys clothes, furniture and other personal belongings in place and the kitchen stocked with favorite foods. Its possible that Mondays timeline could be altered after Trump announced that hes moving the inaugural ceremony indoors to the Capitol Rotunda because of approaching bitter cold weather. Hes also turning whats typically an hourslong parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House into an indoor version at a pro sports arena. As the ceremony gets underway, moving trucks for each family that have been on standby nearby will get the all-clear to be waved through tight security to the White House. The residence staff works in groups. Some will be assigned to pack the Biden familys remaining items while another group loads the boxes onto the designated truck. Other staffers will bring the Trumps things inside while another group unpacks and puts them where Melania Trump wants them.The White House is deep-cleaned in between families. Windows will be washed, carpets vacuumed or replaced, new mattresses brought in, and all bedrooms and bathrooms will be stocked with fresh linens and towels.The process typically starts after the November election when the White House chief usher gets in touch with the president-elects team to begin coordinating the move. In November 2016, then-first lady Michelle Obama showed Melania Trump around the living quarters when she accompanied Trump for his Oval Office meeting with then-President Barack Obama. But after Trump lost reelection in 2020, he broke with tradition and refused to invite then-President-elect Joe Biden to meet. Melania Trump also didnt invite Jill Biden to the residence. This time around, Trump accepted Bidens invitation to the Oval Office while Melania Trump rejected Jill Bidens offer for them to meet. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Superville covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a special emphasis on first ladies and first families. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President-elect Donald Trump smiles after a fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-01-19T12:29:58Z NEW YORK (AP) When Donald Trump arrived in Washington in 2017 just before his first inauguration, he was a stranger to most in town. As the only president in history without prior experience in public office or the military, it was unclear how he would govern.Not this time.After four years in the Oval Office, the once and future president returns to power with know-how and a very different team. The political landscape has been transformed, with both chambers of Congress now filled with Republicans beholden to him. He has stocked the Supreme Court and federal courts at all levels. World leaders who were once critics have left the world stage or are more willing to work with him. Here are some of the ways things have changed: Trump once bragged about not having experience. Now he has plentyTrumps first-term agenda was, particularly in its early days, often stymied by the courts and infighting. Many of his Cabinet picks quietly or openly worked to stop his ideas. But Trump spent four years learning how legislation in passed, how to deal with world leaders and how to maximize the power of the office. Were going to do an even better job because now we have a tremendous amount of experience, he told reporters at a recent news conference at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, as he reflected on how things had changed. Trump has often cited his inexperience to explain why he had hired people whom he later regretted for bringing on board. I didnt know the people. I had to rely on people to give me names, he said during a Turning Point event in 2023. But now, he said, I know the great ones. I know the smart ones. I know the dumb ones, I know the weak ones, I know the stupid ones.Trump and his allies have also had four years out of office to lay the groundwork for his return. Long before his formal transition kicked into gear, allied groups such as the Heritage Foundation and the America First Policy Institute were working to draft hundreds of policy papers, executive orders and legislation ready to push on Day 1. Republican opponents in Congress have been pushed out or retiredIn 2017, the House speaker was Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who had pulled his endorsement during the 2016 campaign and later called Trump an authoritarian narcissist. The Senate majority leader was Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who labeled Trump stupid, ill-tempered and a despicable human being.Ryan did not run for reelection in 2018. McConnell has stepped down as party leader but remains in the Senate. Vocal critics such as Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney are gone. Trumps aggressive plays in Republican primaries have created a new generation of members who listen to him. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the new Senate Majority Leader, John Thune of South Dakota, know their power depends, in large part, on Trumps backing.Hes single-handedly changed the party, said Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind. Banks was sworn in as a member of the House as Trump arrived in Washington in 2017, when Banks said, Trump often have to deal with Republican pushback. Now, everyone knows that Donald Trump is calling the shots, Banks said. Hes the quarterback ... and were going to follow his lead and back him up and pass the agenda that the American people voted for when they elected him this time.Banks cited the reaction when Trump addressed Senate Republicans in the Capitol while in town for former President Jimmy Carters funeral. All the members, including past critics, he said, were on their feet, expressing their support for Trump, his agenda and his Cabinet nominees. The den of vipers is being tamedTrump went through half a dozen campaign managers over his first two White House runs and four chiefs of staff during his first term. His White House was known for backbiting and squabbling among competing factions.Trumps 2024 operation was different. Guided by veteran Florida Republican operative Susie Wiles, the campaign was widely praised by both parties as his most disciplined, professional and competent by far. Wiles is joining Trump in Washington as his chief of staff. While there are still personality clashes, Wiles has made clear she wont tolerate those who try to hijack the operation.I dont welcome people who want to work solo or be a star, Wiles told the news outlet Axios in a recent interview. My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission. The old guard of global allies opposing Trump is goneGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down in 2021. Canadas Justin Trudeau is on his way out. And there have been turbulent leadership changes in Britain, France and South Korea. Welcoming Trump back is a group of populist leaders who share his sensibilities, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentinas Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn.Supporting families, fighting illegal migration and standing up for the sovereignty of our nations. This is the common ground for cooperation between the conservative forces of Europe and the U.S., Orbn said after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year. Trump will also again be dealing with a list of authoritarian leaders he has embraced, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinas Xi Jinping and North Koreas Kim Jong Un. JILL COLVIN Colvin is an Associated Press national political reporter covering the 2024 presidential campaign. She is based in New York. mailto

Wearing a button in support of TikTok, Tiffany Cianci, who says she is a "long-form educational content creator," livestreams to TikTok outside the Supreme Court, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-01-19T13:27:11Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, thats probably because it has, at least if youre measuring via internet time. Whats now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical.ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.On April 24, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit against the U.S., claiming the security concerns were overblown and the law should be struck down because it violates the First Amendment. The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok, and the popular short form video service went dark in the U.S. just hours before the ban was set to begin.Heres how TikTok came to this juncture:March 2012ByteDance is founded in China by entrepreneur Zhang Yimin. Its first hit product is Toutiao, a personalized news aggregator for Chinese users. July 2014Startup Musical.ly, later known for an eponymous app used to post short lipsyncing music videos, is founded in China by entrepreneur Alex Zhu.July 2015Musical.ly hits #1 in the Apple App Store, following a design change that made the companys logo visible when users shared their videos. 2016ByteDance launches Douyin, a video sharing app for Chinese users. Its popularity inspires the company to spin off a version for foreign audiences called TikTok.November 2017ByteDance acquires Musical.ly for $1 billion. Nine months later, ByteDance merges it with TikTok. Powered by an algorithm that encourages binge-watching, users begin to share a wide variety of video on the app, including dance moves, kitchen food preparation and various challenges to perform, record and post acts that range from serious to satirical. February 2019Rapper Lil Nas X releases the country-trap song Old Town Road on TikTok, where it goes viral and pushes the song to a record 17 weeks in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The phenomenon kicks off a wave of TikTok videos from musical artists who suddenly see TikTok as a critical way to reach fans.TikTok settles federal charges of violating U.S. child-privacy laws and agrees to pay a $5.7 million fine.September 2019The Washington Post reports that while images of Hong Kong democracy protests and police crackdowns are common on most social media sites, they are strangely absent on TikTok. The same story notes that TikTok posts with the #trump2020 tag received more than 70 million views. The company insists that TikTok content moderation, conducted in the U.S., is not responsible and says the app is a place for entertainment, not politics. The Guardian reports on internal documents that reportedly detail how TikTok instructs its moderators to delete or limit the reach of videos touching on topics sensitive to China such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent massacre, Tibetan independence or the sanctioned religious group Falun Gong. October 2019U.S. politicians begin to raise alarms about TikToks influence, calling for a federal investigations of its Musical.ly acquisition and a national security probe into TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps. That investigation begins in November, according to news reports.December 2019The Pentagon recommends that all U.S. military personnel delete TikTok from all phones, personal and government-issued. Some services ban the app on military owned phones. In January, the Pentagon bans the app from all military phones.TikTok becomes the second-most downloaded app in the world, according to data from analytics firm SensorTower.May 2020Privacy groups file a complaint alleging TikTok is still violating U.S. child-protection laws and flouting a 2019 settlement agreement. The company takes the issue of safely seriously and continues to improve safeguards, it says.TikTok hires former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its chief executive officer in an apparent attempt to improve its U.S. relations. Mayer resigns three months later. July 2020India bans TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps in response to a border clash with China.President Donald Trump says he is considering banning TikTok as retaliation for Chinas alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.August 2020Trump issues a sweeping but vague executive order banning American companies from any transaction with ByteDance and its subsidiaries, including TikTok. Several days later, he issues a second order demanding that ByteDance divest itself of TikToks U.S. operations within 90 days. Microsoft confirms it is exploring acquisition of TikTok. The deal never materializes; neither does a similar overture from Oracle and Walmart. TikTok, meanwhile, sues the Trump administration for alleged violation of due process in its executive orders. November 2020Joe Biden is elected president. He doesnt offer new policy on TikTok and wont take office until January, but Trumps plans to force a sale of TikTok start to unravel anyway. The Trump administration extends the deadlines it had imposed on ByteDance and TikTok and eventually lets them slide altogether. February 2021Newly sworn-in President Joe Biden postpones the legal cases involving Trumps plan to ban TikTok, effectively bringing them to a halt.September 2021TikTok announces it has more than a billion monthly active users.December 2021A Wall Street Journal report finds TikTok algorithms can flood teens with a torrent of harmful material such as videos recommending extreme dieting, a form of eating disorder.February 2022TikTok announces new rules to deter the spread of harmful material such as viral hoaxes and promotion of eating disorders.April 2022The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, a project created by two fans of the Netflix show as a TikTok project, wins the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.TikTok becomes the most downloaded app in the world, beating out Instagram, according to SensorTower data.June 2022BuzzFeed reports that China-based ByteDance employees have repeatedly accessed the nonpublic information of TikTok users, based on leaked recordings from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings. TikTok responds with a vague comment touting its commitment to security that doesnt directly address the BuzzFeed report.TikTok also announces it has migrated its user data to U.S. servers managed by the U.S. tech firm Oracle. But that doesnt prevent fresh alarm among U.S. officials about the risk of Chinese authorities accessing U.S. user data.December 2022FBI Director Christopher Wray raises national security concerns about TikTok, warning that Chinese officials could manipulate the apps recommendation algorithm for influence operations. ByteDance also said it fired four employees who accessed data on journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to track down leaks of confidential materials about the company.February 2023The White House gives federal agencies 30 days to ensure TikTok is deleted from all government-issued mobile devices. Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission warn that ByteDance could share TikTok user data with Chinas authoritarian government.March 2023Legislators grill TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at a six-hour congressional hearing where Chew, a native of Singapore, attempts to push back on assertions that TikTok and ByteDance are tools of the Chinese government.January 2024TikTok said it was restricting a tool some researchers use to analyze popular videos on the platform. March 2024A bill to ban TikTok or force its sale to a U.S. company gathers steam in Congress. TikTok brings dozens of its creators to Washington to tell lawmakers to back off, while emphasizing changes the company has made to protect user data. TikTok also annoys legislators by sending notifications to users urging them to speak up now or risk seeing TikTok banned; users then flood congressional offices with calls.The House of Representatives passes the TikTok ban-or-sell bill.April 2024The Senate follows suit, sending the bill to President Biden, who signs it.May 2024TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance sue the U.S. federal government to challenge a law that would force the sale of ByteDances stake or face a ban, saying that the law is unconstitutional.June 2024Former President Donald Trump joins TikTok and begins posting campaign-related content.July 2024Vice President Kamala Harris joins TikTok and also begins posting campaign-related material.Dec. 6, 2024A federal appeals court panel unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The panel of judges rebuffed the companys challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. Dec. 27, 2024President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a political resolution to the issue.Jan. 17, 2025The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok beginning unless its sold by its China-based parent company, holding that the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app. A ban is set to into effect on Jan. 19, 2025.Jan. 18, 2025TikTok users in the United States were prevented from watching videos on the popular social media platform just hours before a federal ban was set to take effect.A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S., a message in the app said. Unfortunately that means you cant use TikTok for now.The companys app was also removed from prominent app stores, including the ones operated by Apple and Google, while its website told users that the short-form video platform was no longer available. DAVID HAMILTON Hamilton is an Associated Press business and technology reporter based in San Francisco. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Members of the U.S. military Joint Honor Guard parade as they rehearse ahead of the upcoming presidential inauguration, at the North Lawn in front of the White House in Washington, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2025-01-17T18:41:14Z WASHINGTON (AP) The pageantry and parties surrounding President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration kick off this weekend with fireworks and a rally before Mondays inaugural ceremony, parade and balls.A look at the lineup of official inaugural events for the four days surrounding Trumps second inauguration as president. Its unclear how the decision to move Trumps swearing-in indoors to the Capitol Rotunda might affect the scheduled lineup for the ceremony:SaturdayCabinet dinner: Vice President-elect JD Vance will attend an evening reception for incoming Cabinet members and host a dinner in Washington. Fireworks show: Trump will host an evening reception and fireworks show at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. SundayArlington ceremony: The president-elect will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. MAGA rally: In the evening, Trump will hold a campaign-style MAGA Victory rally at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C.The rally is set to include performances by Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Village People, Lee Greenwood and a Liberty University choir that will pay tribute to the attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where one rallygoer was killed and three people were injured, including Trump, whose ear was grazed by a bullet. Rally speakers will include Trump, Vance, Elon Musk, former wrestling star Hulk Hogan, actor Jon Voight, UFC President Dana White, Puerto Rican reggaeton star Anuel AA, Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk and conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, Dinner: Trump will attend a candlelight dinner, at which hes expected to speak. MondayChurch service:Trump will start the day by attending a service at St. Johns Episcopal Church, located across Lafayette Park from the White House, a tradition for presidents-elect.White House tea:Trump and incoming first lady Melania Trump will meet outgoing President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House for a tea thats traditionally held to welcome a new president. Swearing-in ceremony inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda:Musical Prelude by The University of NebraskaLincoln Combined ChoirsPrelude: The Presidents Own, by the United States Marine BandCall to order by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MinnesotaInvocation by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, and the Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritans Purse and The Billy Graham Evangelistic AssociationOh, America! by opera singer Christopher D. MacchioThe vice presidential oath of office administered by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett KavanaughAmerica the Beautiful, by Carrie Underwood, the Armed Forced Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee ClubThe presidential oath of office administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John RobertsThe Battle Hymn of the Republic, performed by the U.S. Naval Academy Glee ClubTrumps inaugural addressBenediction from Yeshiva Universitys President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Imam Husham Al-Husainy of the Karbalaa Islamic Center, Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church Detroit and the Rev. Fr. Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn The Star-Spangled Banner, by Christopher MacchioFarewell to the former president:A formal farewell will be held for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they depart the CapitolThe presidents Signing Room ceremony:Trump will head to the Presidents Room just off the Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol for a signing ceremony, where members of Congress watch as the newly sworn in president signs nominations, memorandums or executive orders. Inaugural luncheon:The new president and vice president attend a luncheon at Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural CeremoniesPass in review:After the luncheon, the president and vice president head to the East Front steps of the Capitol, where they are to review the military troops.Presidential parade:Because of cold weather, Trump is moving the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to Washingtons Capitol One Arena. The event is expected to feature remarks from Trump and marching bands Oval Office ceremony:Trump heads to the White House for an Oval Office ceremonyInaugural balls:Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball: Country music band Rascal Flatts and country singer Parker McCollum will perform at the ball geared toward military service members. Trump is scheduled to speak. Liberty Inaugural Ball: Rapper Nelly, country singer Jason Aldean and disco band The Village People are scheduled to perform at the ball geared toward Trumps supporters. Trump is set to give remarks. Starlight Ball: Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will perform and Trump will speak at the third inaugural ball, at which guests are expected to be big donors of the incoming president. TuesdayNational prayer service:Trump will attend the traditional prayer service the morning after the inauguration at the Washington National Cathedral.

This undated photo, provided by Hostage's Family Forum, shows Israeli hostage Romi Gonen, who is being held in Gaza by Hamas militants. (Hostage's Family Forum via AP)2025-01-19T13:44:59Z JERUSALEM (AP) Three hostages held by Hamas are expected to be released Sunday after 471 days in captivity as part of a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. A gradual release of dozens of captives over the next several weeks has been agreed on.The truce and release of hostages sparked hope and trepidation among Israelis. Many fear that the three-phase deal could collapse before all the hostages return, or that they will arrive in poor health. Others worry that the number of captives who have died is more than predicted.Some 250 people were kidnapped during Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered 15 months of war. Around 100 hostages still remain in Gaza, after the rest were released or their bodies recovered. Hours before the ceasefire Sunday, which many hope is the first step to end the war, Israel announced that it had retrieved the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war and whose remains have been held by the militants since then.Heres a look at the three hostages to be released Sunday: Romi Gonen, 24Romi Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That morning, Gonens mother, Merav, and her eldest daughter spent nearly five hours speaking to Gonen as militants marauded through the festival grounds. Gonen told her family that roads clogged with abandoned cars made escape impossible and that she would seek shelter in some bushes.Then she said words that continue to echo in her mothers head every day. Mommy I was shot, the car was shot, everybody was shot. ... I am wounded and bleeding. Mommy, I think Im going to die, she recounted Romi as saying, in a press conference a few weeks after the abduction.At a loss for what to do, Leshem Gonen tried to convince her daughter that she wasnt going to die, to start breathing and treat her wounded friends. According to Merav, Gonens last word during the call was a shriek of Mommy! as approaching gunfire and the mens shouts drowned out everything. Then the phone shut off. Israeli authorities identified her phones location in Gaza.Over the past 15 months, Merav has been one of the most outspoken voices advocating for the return of the hostages, appearing nearly daily on Israeli news programs and traveling abroad on missions.We are doing everything we can so the world will not forget, Merav told The Associated Press on the six-month anniversary of Hamas attack. Every day we wake up and take a big breath, deep breath, and continue walking, continue doing the things that will bring her back.Emily Damari, 28Emily Damari is a British-Israeli citizen kidnapped from her apartment on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a communal farming village hit hard by Hamas assault. She lived in a small apartment in a neighborhood for young adults, the closest part of the kibbutz to Gaza. Militants broke through the border fence of the kibbutz and ransacked the neighborhood.Damaris mother, Mandy, said she loves music, traveling, soccer, good food, karaoke and hats. Kibbutz Kfar Aza said that Damari was often the glue that held her close-knit friend group together and she was always organizing gatherings of friends around the best barbecue corner in the entire kibbutz.I hold on to that sliver of hope that I still keep in my heart that she is surviving, in spite of her suffering, Mandy Damari said in front of Damaris burned apartment last January. I am desperate, angry, and terrified for her life. Doron Steinbrecher, 31Doron Steinbrecher is a veterinary nurse who loves animals, and a neighbor to Damari in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.At 10:20 on Oct. 7, 2023, Steinbrecher called her mother. Mom, Im scared. Im hiding under the bed and I hear them trying to enter my apartment, her brother, Dor, recalled. She was able to send a voice message to her friends. Theyve got me! Theyve got me! Theyve got me! in the moments of her abduction.That message was key in helping her family understand that Doron had been kidnapped.Steinbrecher was featured in a video released by Hamas on Jan. 26, 2024, along with two other female Israeli soldiers. Her brother said the video gave them hope that she was alive but sparked concern because she looked tired, weak, and gaunt.In total, militants killed 64 people and 22 soldiers, and kidnapped 19 people from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct 7. With the return of Steinbrecher and Damari, there are still three members of the kibbutz held in Gaza: American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, and twins Gali and Ziv Berman, 27. Remains of Oron Shaul, 20Oron Shaul was a soldier killed on July 20, 2014, during fighting between Israel and Hamas. His body and that of another soldier, Hadar Goldin, had been held by militants since then despite a public campaign to return them by their families.The Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of the captives, called the Shaul family an inseparable part of the group. Militants still hold the bodies of Goldin as well as two Israelis who crossed into Gaza in 2014 and 2015 on their own.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Technicians set up the presidential lectern as organizers work to move the Inauguration Day swearing-in ceremony into the Capitol Rotunda due to expected frigid weather in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)2025-01-19T12:50:05Z Donald Trumps inauguration as the countrys 47th president was expected to be an extravagant break from tradition before it got moved indoors due to cold weather. There will still be well-known performers, influential billionaires as guests and foreign heads of state. Unlike his first inauguration eight years ago, Trump will be welcomed back to office by business titans and global leaders, groups that often shunned him in his first term. Here are some things to look out for during Trumps inauguration. Trumps inside the Capitol Rotunda, but who else?Expect to see Melania Trump, the president-elects five children and grandkids. Don Jr., his eldest son, and Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, have gained more influence over the past year. The fathers of Trumps two sons-in-law were given key adviser posts as well. While Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have taken a step back, they are expected to attend just like they did for election night.But the Capitol Rotunda can only hold around 600 people, according to organizers. There will be precious few spots for Supreme Court justices, military leaders, former presidents and their spouses, Cabinet nominees and visiting dignitaries along with the 535 members of Congress who traditionally get prime spots, though some Democratic lawmakers are skipping the ceremony.Tesla and X owner Elon Musk was invited to the dais along with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Who will make it into the Rotunda? Country superstar and the Y.M.C.A.Country music star Carrie Underwood, who has won eight Grammy Awards, will sing America the Beautiful before Trump is sworn in around noon EST by Chief Justice John Roberts. Underwood, who went from 2005 American Idol contestant to the most decorated artist in CMT Music Awards history, was a surprise get for the president-elects inauguration program.Another unexpected announcement came from the Village People, the late-70s American disco group behind the hit Y.M.C.A. The group was booked for a Trump rally in Washington on Sunday and at one of the inaugural balls. The hit song was played at the end of Trump rallies and became a viral trend on social media after the election with people mimicking the president-elects signature dance moves. Other performers will include two of Trumps musical favorites: opera singer Christopher Macchio, who will sing the The Star-Spangled Banner, and country singer Lee Greenwood, known for his patriotic anthem, God Bless the USA, also played at Trump rallies. Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, best known for his hit song I Dont Want To Be, will perform at one of the three balls Trump is attending. Country singers Jason Aldean, Parker McCollum and country music band Rascal Flatts will be performing at the other two balls. The inaugural addressTrump is known for delivering hour-plus speeches where he makes grand promises, attacks political opponents and mocks some foreign leaders. During his 16-minute inaugural address in 2017, Trump stuck to his campaign script and painted a bleak picture of the country blaming other countries for shuttering factories and shrinking the middle class. He said he would end American carnage and would govern with an America First approach.This time around, his main campaign promise has been to launch the largest deportation operation in history and seal off the U.S.-Mexico border. He has spoken about ushering in a golden age and pledged to impose tariffs on imports, rolling out more details in recent days on how he plans to pursue those goals. He told NBC News on Saturday that the theme of his inaugural address will be unity and strength, and also the word fairness.Because you have to be treating people fairly, Trump said. You cant just say, Oh, everythings going to be wonderful. You know, we went through hell for four years with these people. And so, you know, something has to be done about it. ... You cant have that happen, and we shouldnt have that happen. Foreign leaders in town Trump may be breaking a tradition on Inauguration Day after extending invitations to world leaders. No heads of state have previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration.Chinese President Xi Jinping was the first foreign leader whose invitation to the inauguration became public last December. Xi will not attend but is sending Vice President Han Zheng as his special representative. Argentinas president, Javier Milei, and Italys premier Giorgia Meloni, accepted Trumps offer. The offices of Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and Paraguayan President Santiago Pea have also said they were invited and were planning to attend. ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Gomez Licon writes about national politics for The Associated Press. She is based in Florida. twitter mailto

Anti-abortion supporters gather outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on June 4, 2019, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)2025-01-19T05:11:55Z JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Voters in Missouri last election approved a constitutional amendment that promised to undo the states near-total abortion ban. The same day, they reelected a Republican supermajority to the state Legislature, including several of the same lawmakers who passed the abortion ban in 2019. Now, GOP lawmakers are working to roll back some, if not all, of the abortion rights protected under the new amendment. Time and time again, the supermajority will spend taxpayer money on trying to undo the will of the voters, said Missouri Democratic Rep. Emily Weber, who has been filing abortion-rights legislation for the past four years.Some Republicans have said enacting restrictions under the measure still adheres to voters wishes.I havent heard anyone seriously discuss taking away the rape and incest exception, Republican House Speaker Jonathan Patterson said. To regulate it as the amendment asks us to do, I think its an appropriate thing to do. Any changes to directly undo the amendment passed by voters would need to go back on the ballot, he said.Republicans likely wont face any pushback at the polls for once again going after abortion and could benefit politically in conservative states like Missouri, experts said. Lawmakers from rural GOP strongholds have backing from their constituents to pursue such legislation and also face pressure to take a strong stand against abortion in order to survive primaries, said Mary Ziegler, a historian at the University of California, Davis, School of Law who studies abortion. If you are a legislator from a conservative district in Missouri, you feel absolutely no threat from Democrats and you feel a considerable threat potentially from your right if you arent conservative enough on abortion, Ziegler said.The seemingly contradictory dynamic between the abortion policies voters support and the candidates they elect is not unique to Missouri. Ohio voters added a right to abortion to their states constitution in November 2023, overriding a ban on abortions after cardiac activity is detected, about six weeks into pregnancy and before many women know theyre pregnant.Abortion rights advocates sued to have the ban invalidated, and the states Republican attorney general pushed back, seeking to keep elements of the 2019 law, including a parental notification provision and a requirement that people seeking an abortion make two in-person visits to their provider, wait 24 hours for the procedure and have their abortion recorded and reported.It took until October 2024 for a court to strike down the ban, though enforcement had previously been on hold.In Arizona, where voters also approved a right to abortion in 2024, health care providers have asked a court to strike down a previous ban on abortion after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. There, Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has filed court papers saying she wont enforce the old ban until after the lawsuit to invalidate it is resolved. Proposed laws in Missouri would outlaw abortion completely, only allow it in cases of medical emergencies, ban most abortions once cardiac activity is detected or ban it after fetal viability.Republicans say there is room to act without violating the abortion-rights amendment, which allows lawmakers to enact restrictions after viability except when necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person. Patterson and others see a need for legislation that would define terms in the amendment, such as viability. Viability is a term used by health care providers to describe whether a pregnancy is expected to continue developing normally or whether a fetus might survive outside the uterus. Though theres no defined time frame, doctors say it is sometime after the 21st week of pregnancy.Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz said the political reality is that most Missouri voters likely would not vote for an amendment in line with his belief that life begins at conception. But Seitz also said he thinks many voters approved last years ballot measure because it was the only way to allow abortion access for cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies. And he said there is support among voters for some restrictions beyond that. We can chip away at Amendment 3, Seitz said. I dont think repeal is whats going to happen in the short term.A total repeal would need voter approval.University of Central Missouri political scientist Robynn Kuhlmann said a lack of competition between Democrats and Republicans insulates lawmakers from backlash at the polls.In Missouri, Kuhlmann estimated that roughly 95% of House seats were won by at least a 5% margin in 2024.And for more and more voters, she said party seems to be taking precedence regardless of what actions have been occurring in the legislative arena. What may only matter at that point in time for the voter is whether or not theres an R or a D behind the candidates names, Kuhlmann said.Missouris abortion-rights amendment passed by a narrow margin with close to 51% of the vote. Most support came from Kansas City, St. Louis, the college town of Columbia and surrounding areas. But counties throughout the rest of the state, particularly in rural areas, voted against the measure.Seitz, who is from the southwestern Missouri tourist destination of Branson, said people from his district, as well as his conscience, declares that I should be doing something as an elected representative to promote life.___Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

A home stands among residences destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)2025-01-19T14:30:07Z Emails and videos of burned buildings in Los Angeles next to those left standing have been flying back and forth among architects, builders and fire safety specialists around the world.For many homeowners, like Enrique Balcazar, the sometimes scattershot nature of the carnage can seem like random chance. Balcazar, a real estate agent, posted video that showed little more than chimneys remaining of most homes on his block after fire leapt through his Altadena neighborhood. Balcazar stood on his neighbors destroyed classic Mustang to douse his smoldering roof, but his home was otherwise fine.Its an older house and it still has the old wood sidings, Balcazar said. To me theres nothing explainable in logical or scientific reason of why my house would not have burned. Many experts say luck does play a part. After all, wind can shift 180 degrees in a split second, pushing fire away from your house and towards a neighbors. But they also say there are many ways that homes can be made less vulnerable to fire. Because there are, say, 50 ways a fire can burn your house, said Greg Faulkner of Faulkner Architects in California, who has focused on less combustible home exteriors for more than a decade. If you eliminate half of those, or three-quarters of them, thats not luck, thats increasing your odds. People in fire country generally know that trees, landscaping and wood fences near homes can be a fire risk. Architects and contractors are going beyond that, using newer materials and techniques in roofing, walls and windows to keep buildings standing. The measures do add cost to the homes around 3% to 6%, Faulkner said, or as much as 10% for the most robust protection. David Slater, right, clears the driveway from his home, spared from the Eaton Fire, Jan. 12, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File) David Slater, right, clears the driveway from his home, spared from the Eaton Fire, Jan. 12, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Many of these experts no longer use wood siding. Where it is used, or still allowed, it needs to have a fire-resistant barrier underneath, often made of gypsum, the same material used to make drywall. That way if the wood catches fire, it takes longer for the heat to reach inside the home But even with that, youre still putting a combustible material on the building, said Richard Schuh, with Nielsen : Schuh Architects. So that would be something we would avoid. Use of fire-resistant materials is critical.Stucco, a cement material, is a common exterior for Southern California houses and its fire-resistant. Reviewing AP photographs showing buildings still standing, Arnold Tarling, who has four decades experience in fire protection and building inspection in Britain, said houses with stucco walls appeared to survive the Los Angeles fires better. Yet if more of them had had a layer of gypsum beneath the stucco, it would have given more protection from the heat, he said.Windows are a huge factor in whether a home burns down, because so much heat is transmitted through them. Double-pane windows significantly slow heat coming from the burning building next door.The outside layer protects the inside layer until it fails, said Schuh. Codes in many places require one of the two panes to be tempered, which is much more resistant to heat than conventional glass, he said. Damage to beachfront homes by the Palisades Fire is visible along the coastline, Jan. 15, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) Damage to beachfront homes by the Palisades Fire is visible along the coastline, Jan. 15, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Tarling noted one intact Malibu beachfront home, surrounded by gutted buildings. He speculated that the fact that no windows faced a neighbor helped protect it because radiated heat couldnt penetrate as easily.In his buildings, Faulkner builds in fire shutters that can slide closed and cover the windows.Then theres the roof a convenient landing pad for fire embers.Simpler roof lines can allow red-hot embers to slide off. Spanish Mission, for example, is an iconic Los Angeles style part of what says Hollywood in movies about the city, for example, as well as a reminder of its Mexican and Spanish history. That style doesnt always have simple roof lines the knee walls that are common on Mission-style roofs create corners.The embers could, just like snow, gather in that corner, Faulkner said. The remains of homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire are visible, Jan. 16, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) The remains of homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire are visible, Jan. 16, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Many roofs in the U.S. are covered in asphalt. Areas that are designated as wildfire-prone in California an ever-growing area are required to use roofing that delays the transfer of heat to the inside of the building, called one-hour or Class A. Still, asphalt is a petroleum product. Some building professionals prefer metal, which doesnt burn. Metal has its own downside, though: It conducts heat. Putting a layer of gypsum under a metal roof is becoming a common practice in some areas.Maybe as important as which material is used on a roof is whether the roof offers fire a way to get in. Here, as in so many tradeoffs, one effort to do good conflicts with another: Contractors have been more careful over the years to make sure moisture doesnt build up in attics by making sure air circulates, using those vents that are visible on many roofs or under eaves.But in a powerful fire, Schuh says, if youre on the side where the wind is putting pressure against the house, its also blowing the flames into the house like a blow torch, and fire gets in through the vents. On the other side of the house, it can create a vacuum, several experts said, sucking fire in.But you cant easily just eliminate roof ventilation because it will cause moisture problems, said Cesar Martin Gomez, an architect at the University of Navarra, Spain, whos worked for 25 years in building services.Faulkner said in some buildings hes eliminating the need for ventilation in the roof structure by sealing the spaces. Schuh is using a cover on roof vents that can actually respond to fire with a mesh that closes. Devastation from the Palisades Fire is visible on Jan. 16, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Devastation from the Palisades Fire is visible on Jan. 16, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Martin Gomez noted that in some parts of Australia, new homes are required to have water tanks. If each home has the ability to protect itself, fire wont be able to spread as much, he said.And some homes in the U.S. are now built with sprinkler systems for the outside of the house, not just the inside. It sprays water with a soapy solution to make it flow over the surface of the building, Schuh said.Youre adding one more layer of protection to your building, and thats more of a priority now than ever because your insurance company may or not be around for you, he said.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A pedestrian crosses First Avenue as a winter storm sweeps over the intermountain West, plunging temperatures into the single digits and bringing along a light snow in its wake Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)2025-01-19T16:45:09Z BOSTON (AP) Tens of millions of residents along the East Coast are bracing for several inches of snow Sunday followed by dangerously cold temperatures that will take hold in much of the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine. Winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service have already gone into effect for parts of the Mid-Atlantic through Monday morning, with the forecast projecting up to a half-foot (15 centimeters) of snow. Warnings will begin in New England on Sunday afternoon, with parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut seeing as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow. Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park Maryland, projected that as many as 70 million residents will be under some kind of winter storm hazards warning in the coming days including in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Large cities like Philadelphia, New York and Boston could see several inches of snow this evening with the highest totals being outside of major cities. There will certainly be some more hazardous road conditions anywhere from D.C. up the whole I-95 corridor and then inland from there later today and tonight, Chenard said. Then it gets quite cold behind that. By Monday morning, any roads that havent been treated or cleared will still likely be some hazardous travel conditions. Return of the Arctic blastBut the snow is just the start of a chaotic week of weather. Much of the Eastern half of the United States will be enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter, if not for several years. An area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal temperatures starting Sunday into the coming week, with temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees F (minus 34 degrees C) to minus 55 F (minus 48 C) on Sunday and Monday. Wind chills of minus 40 F (minus 40 C) were already being clocked in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley. The cold weather forecasted for Monday for Washington, D.C., prompted President-elect Donald Trumps inaugural ceremony to be moved inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.Its going to be a cold day in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Thats for sure, Chenard said, noting temperatures will be in the 20s with wind gust upwards of 30 mph (48 kph).As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.The cold air will moderate as it moves southward and eastward, but the Central and Eastern U.S. will still be cold with highs in the teens and 20s on Monday into Tuesday, Chenard said. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast also will have highs in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits and below zero degrees F (minus 18 C) and wind chills below zero. Unusual wintry mixThe colder temperatures will reach down into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The unusual conditions are expected to stretch from Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas. Impacts are expected to start in Texas on Monday night and spread across the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday into Wednesday.A combination of frigid air with a low pressure system over the Gulf are behind the storm, which could bring heavy snow just south of the Interstate 20 corridor across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi and a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain near the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to Mobile, Alabama. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Saturday issued a state of emergency in advance of the wintry weather. He encouraged Louisianans to be prepared and to monitor the weather forecast.___Julie Walker contributed to this report from New York. She can be reached at https://x.com/jwalkreporter. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Church members hold hands together during a service at St. Rita of Cascia Parish in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)2025-01-19T20:38:23Z CHICAGO (AP) The Rev. Homero Sanchez said he didnt realize the depth of fear in the Chicago immigrant community he serves until someone asked him to handle the sale of their familys home and other finances if they are picked up this week when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.Immigrants in large cities have been preparing for mass arrests since Trump won election in November, but reports that his initial push would be in the Chicago area has brought a new sense of urgency and fear.They feel they have been targeted for who they are. They feel like theyre reviving this fear they had eight years ago, said Sanchez of St. Rita of Cascia Parish on Chicagos South Side. Theyre feeling like something is going to happen. This is not their city because of the threat.Sanchez, whose congregation has consisted mostly of people of Mexican descent since the 1980s, devoted Sunday Mass to solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters. Some immigrants in the country without legal status have been designating power of attorney to trusted friends, making plans for childcare in case of separations and installing security cameras on their doors in case immigration agents come. Others have left voluntarily, as Trump aides have encouraged them to do. Plans for deportation arrests are in flux, but federal immigration officers will target more than 300 people with histories of egregious, violent crimes after Trump takes office Monday, one official said Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been made public. The operation will be concentrated in the Chicago area and continue all week, subject to potential weather delays, the official said. Temperatures in Chicago dipped to 6 degrees Fahrenheit (-14.4 degrees Celsius) with cold temperatures forecast throughout the week.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests a fraction of its targets in such operations, though Trump is expected to cast a wider net than President Joe Biden, whose focus on picking up people away from the border was largely limited to those with serious criminal histories or who pose a risk to national security. Bidens administration also ended the practice of mass worksite arrests, which were common under Trump, including a 2019 operation targeting Mississippi chicken plants. Trump aides have said they will arrest others, such as spouses or roommates, who are not targets but happen to be in the country illegally. Trump told NBC News on Saturday that mass deportations remain a top priority. He didnt give an exact date or city where theyll start, but he said they would begin soon.Itll begin very early, very quickly, he said, adding: I cant say which cities because things are evolving. And I dont think we want to say what city. Youll see it firsthand.Sanctuary cities, which limit how local police can cooperate with federal immigration agents, have been one of Trumps favorite targets especially Chicago. The nations third-largest city became a so-called sanctuary city in the 1980s and has beefed up its policies multiple times since, including after Trump first took office in 2017. Last week, the City Council heartily rejected a longshot plan calling for exceptions allowing local police to work with ICE agents on deportation cases for people accused or convicted of crimes. Trumps incoming so-called border czar Tom Homan blasted top Democratic leaders in the state during a visit to the Chicago area last month where he indicated enforcement would start there. But in recent days he told media outlets that plans were evolving. Homan told Fox News Sunday that Chicago was still on the table but that the new administration was reconsidering when and how we do it.An ICE spokesperson referred questions Sunday to the Trump transition team, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The plan was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, which said the operation is expected to begin Tuesday.Community and religious leaders in Chicago said they were disappointed with the potential operation, but ready. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Sunday on X that his commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering.Cardinal Blase Cupich, who leads the Archdiocese of Chicago, spoke out as well. The reports being circulated of planned mass deportations targeting the Chicago area are not only profoundly disturbing but also wound us deeply, Cupich said Sunday during a visit to Mexico City, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. We are proud of our legacy of immigration that continues in our day to renew the city we love. Immigrant rights advocates in Chicago rallied Saturday, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Jesus Chuy Garcia and Delia Ramirez. They urged immigrants in Chicago to remain calm and exercise their rights, particularly to remain silent and refuse to allow officers into their homes without warrants. Some advocacy groups have planned legal workshops anticipating mass arrests next week. Ramirez planned to skip Mondays inauguration to post flyers in immigrant-heavy Chicago neighborhoods with information on what to do in case of an encounter with immigration agents.We wont let our guard down in Chicago, Garcia wrote on X. Carlos, an immigrant from Mexico, has lived in the Chicago area for decades. The 56-year-old doesnt have legal status to stay in the country but has work authorization in construction and welding. He declined to give his last name and discuss details of his immigration status for fear of being targeted for deportation.He has three children who have legal status to stay in the country through the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which remains in legal limbo.Carlos said the familys contingency planning for deportation includes finding someone to manage their bank accounts, home and car. Theyve also installed a camera on their suburban Chicago home and plan to screen all visitors. If people come to the house, dont open the door, he explained. Ask who it is. Dont open it unless they have an order.___Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report from San Diego.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) sits in the snow as he celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)2025-01-19T23:19:16Z PHILADELPHIA (AP) Saquon Barkley dashed through the snow for touchdown runs of 78 and 62 yards and finished with 205 yards rushing, Jalen Hurts had a 44-yard scoring run and the Philadelphia Eagles held on against the turnover-happy Los Angeles Rams 28-22 on Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game for the second time in three seasons.Barkley ran for a 62-yard score in the first half and stretched the lead in the fourth when he blew through a hole and ran untouched 78 yards for the touchdown. He smacked his helmet with his hand on his final snowy steps and flapped his arms once he hit the end zone. Barkley slid into the snow Slide, Eagles, Slide! in the late-game celebration.These Philly Snow Birds had cause for celebration -- they will host the NFC championship game Sunday against Washington, after the Commanders upset No. 1 seed Detroit on Saturday. The elements was great, but the atmosphere was even better, Barkley said. Our fans were amazing. That was a close one, but thats playoff football. And at the end of the day, we got the job done.The Rams kept the upset threat alive caused in large part by two missed extra points by Philadelphias Jake Elliott. Matthew Stafford, who threw for 324 yards, kept the Rams in it with a 4-yard TD pass to Colby Parkinson that made it 28-22. The Rams got the ball back with two minutes left and Stafford completed consecutive passes of 11 and 37 yards to move the ball into Eagles territory. But Stafford was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down to end the threat.The Eagles are set to host the NFC championship game for the fifth time since Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003.Eagles defenders frolicked in the winter mess and made snow angels in the end zone to celebrate the turnovers. Some brave frigid fans went shirtless and yes, even Santa Claus was in the house, without a report of any snowball throwing. Stadium workers used snow blowers to clear yard lines and hash marks, while Eagles scooped and kicked away snow to clear a circle for Elliotts field goal attempts.Hurts threw for just 128 yards, his mobility hampered in the second half after he was fitted for a knee brace. He didnt miss any snaps, but was easily mauled on the safety. He was sacked seven times.Hurts suffered a concussion that cost him in two games in a loss at Washington in December. It was the Eagles only loss after they returned from the bye with a 2-2 record.It comes through Philly. That means everything for this city, this team, and weve got everything we want in front of us, Hurts said.Barkley had 118 total yards at the break, but the Rams defense -- coming off a nine-sack effort against Minnesota -- sacked Hurts three times in the half. Hurts was sacked on consecutive plays to end the first half, a total loss of 16 yards that knocked the Eagles out of field goal range.The Eagles borrowed from the playbook used in their November win in Los Angeles when big plays Barkley had touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards helped them cruise to a comfortable win. Hurts rushed for the longest TD of his career, a 44-yarder on the fifth play of the game that sent a cold crowd still buzzing from the pregame theatrics into a frenzy. Elliott missed an extra point for the second straight playoff game.After converting a fourth down on the drive, Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for a 4-yard TD that made it 7-6. Only six days earlier, Higbee spit up blood in the playoff win over Minnesota and was taken to the hospital with a chest injury.Barkley scored on a 62-yard run for a 13-7 lead, but not before the 2,105-yard rusher slowed near the end zone and looked back to clown the trailing Jalen Verse. Barkley had has fifth touchdown run of 50-plus yards of the season and was the first player with three TD runs of 60-plus against one team since Baltimores Jamal Lewis did it against the Browns in 2003.Verse got trolled by Barkley after the Rams rookie linebacker and Pennsylvania native said he hates Eagles fans. The first-round draft pick attended high school in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, which is about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Verse egged on fans during pregame warmups and relished the boos that rained him on in the light snow. Once the game started, the Eagles showed on the big screen Verse on the bench and fans booed again.Verse winked at the camera, stamping his name on the list of Philly sports villains.Joshua Karty kicked two field goals in the first half for the Rams.Elliott atoned for a missed extra point with a 44-yard field goal that floated through the uprights for a 16-13 lead in the third.InjuriesRams: DE Braden Fiske had a knee injury.Eagles: CB Quinyon Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury.Up nextThe Eagles host the Commanders for the right to play in the Super Bowl.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL DAN GELSTON Gelston is an an Associated Press sports writer covering major college and pro sports in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and Villanova. twitter mailto

A message reading "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now" is displayed from the TikTok app on a cell phone screen Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)2025-01-19T23:27:25Z TikTok content creators who make a living promoting their businesses and personal brands on the app were afraid Sunday that they would have to find new ways to engage consumers and make money as the apps future in the United States remained uncertain.TikTok told U.S. users that it was beginning to restore service just hours after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban, which President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause by executive order on his first day in office. Some users reported Sunday that the app was working again, but it remained unavailable for download in Apple and Googles app stores. Others remained locked out of accessing their profiles and the communities they had built online.Heres how content creators are reacting: Esthetician mourns her online communityOn a typical morning, esthetician and social media personality Lee Zavorskas scrolls on TikTok while she sips coffee. Sunday morning was different she scribbled a to-do list instead, which included playing with her cats and dog and plotting how to bolster her presence on other platforms like YouTube since TikTok went dark for her Saturday night.Im a 58-year-old content creator that found a seat at the table thats not available on Instagram, Zavorskas said.While Zavorskas has more followers on Instagram, she found a large crowd of people over the age of 40 on TikTok, making it easier to build her audience. She held out some hope that she would be able to return to the community she found on the app.Its like going to your favorite restaurant and ordering your favorite food, and theyre like, You know what? We took it away, she said. Small business owner fears for the futureTiffany Cianci, a Maryland-based content creator who owns small businesses, stopped posting on Twitter and Instagram and cut her advertising with Meta and Google out of frustration.Its TikTok or nothing for me, she said.She thinks lawmakers unfairly punished TikTok for succeeding alongside its profitable competitors. And they played political football with an app that millions of small businesses rely on to survive, she said.I spoke to small businesses in the last three days that have sobbed on my livestreams, afraid theyll have to lay their employees off tomorrow morning, Cianci said. They are so afraid because they have other peoples lives in their hands.Beauty creator shifts to YouTubeTiffany Watson, a 20-year-old beauty content creator, had been making videos since the days of Musical.ly, and was just starting to figure out the kind of content she was passionate about when TikTok went dark.The community on TikTok is like nothing else, so its weird to not have that anymore, she said. With spare time on her hands, Watson plans to focus on bolstering her presence on Instagram and YouTube. She also wants to devote more time to school as the psychology major and criminal justice minor prepares to graduate from Wingate University in North Carolina and enter the real world. But being a content creator remains her main dream, she said.If Trump lifts the ban, Watson plans to return to TikTok, but said she will probably be more tuned into my YouTube since this ban has kinda spooked me.

Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns multiple structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)2025-01-19T23:18:10Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Southern Californians are bracing for gusty winds and a heightened risk of wildfires less than two weeks after deadly blazes that have killed at least 27 people and ravaged thousands of homes broke outThe National Weather Service has issued a warning of a particularly dangerous situation for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning due to low humidity and damaging Santa Ana winds. Gusts could peak at 70 mph (113 kph) along the coast and 100 mph (161 kph) in the mountains and foothills.Critical fire weather with wind gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph) was also forecast for other Southern California communities stretching to San Diego, with residents urged to take steps to get ready to evacuate such as creating an emergency kit and keeping cars filled with at least a half tank of gas. The warnings come as firefighters continue to battle two major blazes in the Los Angeles area, the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out during fierce winds on Jan. 7. The Palisades fire was 52% contained on Sunday and the Eaton fire 81% contained, according to fire officials. Firefighters said they have have made progress on the perimeter of the Palisades fire, which has charred more than 37 square miles (96 square kilometers) near the Pacific coast, but there are areas in the interior that continue to burn, said Dan Collins, a spokesperson for the Palisades fire incident. There is always a possibility in a red flag warning something hot, or some type of burning material from the interior, could be perhaps whipped up and blown across the containment lines, Collins said.While firefighters are fairly confident the Eaton fire further inland will remain contained, there are concerns a new fire could break out with vegetation especially dry for this time of year, said Carlos Herrera, an Eaton fire spokesperson. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned 45 fire engines across the region in addition to water-dropping aircraft and hand crews to enable a quick response should a new fire break out, according to the governors office of emergency services. This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of Californias wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate, the office said.Damage estimates have continued to climb for the Palisades and Eaton fires nearly two weeks since they began. Inspectors have fanned out to check buildings and assess damages, but Collins said it is impossible to know whether the remaining structures affected in the Palisades fire are intact. Our damage inspection teams have to inspect every structure within the fire perimeter, Collins said. Theyre about two-thirds of the way done.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-01-20T01:47:37Z NEW YORK (AP) During his first term as president, Donald Trump led the effort to ban TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing site he said posed a threat to U.S. national security. But on the eve of his return to the White House, the president-elect is being hailed as the apps savior.After going dark for users this weekend, Trump said on his social media site that he would issue an executive order after hes sworn in for a second term on Monday delaying a TikTok ban so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. He said the order would make clear that companies will not be held liable for violating a law that aimed to force TikToks sale by its China-based parent company. Hours later, the app returned, to the relief of its legions of dedicated users. Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trumps efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! read the announcement. Trumps legal authority to unilaterally decide not to enforce the law, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in April and was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, is unclear. But the rapid developments over the weekend served as a reminder of how dramatically debates over technology, social media and national security have changed since Trump was last in the White House. It also signaled how closely Trump is following those shifts after waging a successful campaign in which he made inroads with voters in part by harnessing the appeal of some social media platforms. Trump can now take credit for reviving an app with 170 million users that is especially popular with younger Americans, many of whom spend hours a day on the platform to get news, make money and find entertainment. This is one of those things where the domestic politics has become so upside down and crazy that it turns out theres only upside for Trump now, said Bill Bishop, a China expert who has been closely following the back-and-forth. If the bans ends up being enforced, he said, Trump will say it was on outgoing President Joe Bidens watch. And if it does come back then Trump is a savior. And he will be rewarded both by users as well as the company, which he said is now beholden to Trump and will have an incentive to make sure content on the platform is favorable to him. TikToks move comes as tech companies and CEOs have been been working furiously to improve their standing with Trump. X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has enjoyed unprecedented access to the president-elect after spending more than $200 million and personally campaigning to help him get elected. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and reshaped his social media platforms policies to align more closely with Trumps worldview earlier this month, ending third-party fact-checking, loosening rules against hate speech, ending his companys diversity and equity policies and naming Dana White, the president and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and a familiar figure in Trumps orbit, to its board. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon, Meta and Google have all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trumps inaugural fund.The companies have a lot on the line, including regulatory challenges. Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trumps first term as president and flourished under Biden most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers.TikTok also worked to curry Trumps favor, with CEO Shou Chew meeting with him at Mar-a-Lago in December. In a video responding to the Supreme Court decision, Chew was careful to praise Trump and cast the apps fate as dependent on him.On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States, he said. We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform. When the app went dark, it had initially posted a simple message informing users of the change, but later updated the language to include Trump.Sorry, TikTok isnt available right now, it read. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you cant use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!The federal law had required TikTok parent company ByteDance to cut ties with the platforms U.S. operations by Sunday. The Biden administration had stressed in recent days that it did not intend to enforce the ban before Trump took office. But TikTok said it would nonetheless go dark because the Biden administration had not provided necessary clarity and assurance to service providers a stance outgoing Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer cast as disingenuous. Frankly, it doesnt feel completely on the level, he said on ABCs This Week. I think we were extremely clear that there was no need to take this action, he said.Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Saturday that he was considering granting ByteDance a 90-day extension to sell. ByteDance has repeatedly refused to sell, but the company is being eyed by investors including Trumps former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire businessman Frank McCourt. Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell Universitys Tech Policy Institute, said there was no evidence ByteDance had made any meaningful progress toward divestiture, so I dont see how, by any measure, it would legally meet those conditions.Further, an Executive Order cannot legally override or cancel a law that Congress passed, she said. Laws enacted through the legislative process have a higher legal standing and an EO that conflicts with the existing law, the law takes precedence and the EO would likely be struck down by the courts.Sen. Tom Cotton, the Republican chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, warned Sunday that there is no legal basis for the kind of extension Trump is pursuing. Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law, not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs, he wrote on X. Think about it.Trump, in his Sunday post, proposed new terms of a deal in which he said the United States would have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture that would be set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose. But the details remained murky and it was unclear whether Trump was proposing control by the U.S. government or another company. Trump did not elaborate during a rally Sunday night, where he hailed the move.As of today, TikTok is back, he said. We have no choice. We have to save it.Though Trump sought to ban TikTok during his first term, he reversed that stance during his 2024 campaign, when he came to believe a ban would help the apps rival, Facebook, which he held responsible, in part, to his 2020 election loss to Biden.Trump ended up joining the app last year and has grown his following to nearly 15 million users. He has since credited the app for helping him win over young voters.I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, he said during a December news conference. TikTok had an impact.___Ortutay reported from Oakland, California. Associated Press writers Charlotte Kramon and Nadia Lathan contributed to this report. JILL COLVIN Colvin is an Associated Press national political reporter covering the 2024 presidential campaign. She is based in New York. mailto BARBARA ORTUTAY Ortutay writes about social media and the internet for The Associated Press. mailto

Participants hold a rainbow flag during the Pride Parade in Bangkok, Thailand, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)2025-01-20T03:56:10Z BANGKOK (AP) Thailands landmark marriage equality bill was officially written into law on Sept. 24, after it was endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. LGBTQ+ couples will be able to register marriages this week when it takes effect on Thursday, making Thailand the third place to do so in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, but has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law. Thai society has broadly conservative values, and members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life.The government led by the Pheu Thai party has made marriage equality one of its main goals. It had a major presence at the annual Bangkok Pride parade in June, in which thousands of people celebrated in one of Bangkoks busiest commercial districts.A grand celebration is planned in central Bangkok to facilitate hundreds of same-sex couples who plan to register their marriages on the very first day.The Associated Press spoke with seven same-sex couples, days before the law comes into effect: Jakrapob Penkair, 57, former Prime Ministers Office minister, and Supraipon Chuaychoo, 44, tourism business owner Jakrapob Penkair, right, 57, former Prime Ministers Office minister, and Supraipon Chuaychoo, 44, tourism business owner, sit for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Jakrapob Penkair, right, 57, former Prime Ministers Office minister, and Supraipon Chuaychoo, 44, tourism business owner, sit for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More This law doesnt only equate life. It is life! At long last, Thailands society accepts the legality of all marriages in our land, regardless of sexual orientations. With that one sentence, lost or wasted lives have been rescued. Spirits restored. The whole country is better off. Jakrapob Penkair Prorawin Battemdee, 40, public relations officer, and Pitee Chuchomchuen, 39, designer Pitee Chuchomchuen, 39, designer, left, and Prorawin Battemdee, 40, public relations officer, pose for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Pitee Chuchomchuen, 39, designer, left, and Prorawin Battemdee, 40, public relations officer, pose for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The marriage equality law will bring about a multitude of positive outcomes, especially by providing greater security and legal assurances for our relationships, including better access to health care and other protections. Im truly happy this day has finally become a reality, Prorawin Battemdee Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, and Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef, left, and Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef, left, and Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The enforcement of the marriage equality law is proof that regardless of our gender, we all share the same basic human rights in every aspect under Thai law. It also paves the way for other countries in Asia, highlighting the importance of recognizing each others human values and enabling everyone to live. Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh Chantamas Hemapanpairo, 52, business owner, and Sirada Thongchua, 38, teacher Chantamas Hemapanpairo, 52, business owner, and Sirada Thongchua, 38, teacher, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Chantamas Hemapanpairo, 52, business owner, and Sirada Thongchua, 38, teacher, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More This law will grant both of us the right to take care of each other, legally sign consent for the others medical treatment, and provide each other with lifelong security. When one of us dies, the law will ensure that our bond is recognized and protected. Chantamas HemapanpairoPatherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher Patherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, left, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher, stand for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Patherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, left, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher, stand for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Were quite fortunate. We have a supportive social circle, friends, and family who accept us for who we are and accept the person we love. Marriage, it seems, isnt everything that fulfils us emotionally. However, ultimately, we believe that as two human beings, we should be granted the same basic legal rights as heterosexual couples. We are a complete family in spirit, but legal recognition would alleviate our future anxieties. In the end, we arent asking for anything special we just want a simple, happy family life. Patherine KhunnaresJutarat Chuenpae, 37, business owner, and Nutanong Sopon, 43, business owner Nutanong sopon, 43, left, and Jutarat chuenpae, 37, both business owners, hold hands and jump for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Nutanong sopon, 43, left, and Jutarat chuenpae, 37, both business owners, hold hands and jump for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Before the marriage equality law takes effect, I personally felt that I could only use the word partner. But from now on, its a family. Jutarat Chuenpae Panuwat Srisawat, 35, Hairstylist, and Kritsanai Promsiriruk, 62, actor Panuwat Srisawat, 35, hair creative, left, and Kritsanai Promsiriruk, 62, actor, stand for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Panuwat Srisawat, 35, hair creative, left, and Kritsanai Promsiriruk, 62, actor, stand for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The marriage equality law allows everyones lives to complete each other without any further discrimination. Panuwat Srisawat___Follow AP visual journalism:AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnewsX: http://twitter.com/AP_Images

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) carries the ball into the end zone to score a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)2025-01-20T02:55:52Z ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns, Buffalos defense forced three turnovers and the Bills advanced to the AFC championship game with a 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round on Sunday night.The Bills hung on when a wide-open Mark Andrews dropped a 2-point conversion pass from Lamar Jackson, allowing the ball to bounce off his chest with 1:33 left. Jackson connected with a sliding Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a chance to tie it.How about that Buffalo Bills defense? said Allen, the Bills potential MVP quarterback. All year, this team has heard weve got no talent, were too small, we cant stop the run, were not good enough to compete. Weve just put our head down and worked hard. Im so proud of our defense. Im so proud of our offense and special teams. What a complete win. The Bills will play for the AFC title next Sunday against the conferences top seed, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo snapped a three-year run of being eliminated in the divisional round.Its a familiar matchup for Buffalo, which has been beaten by Kansas City in three of the past four postseasons. Allen scored on runs of 1 and 4 yards while Ray Davis also scored on a 1-yard run. Tyler Bass hit both field goal attempts, including a 21-yarder with 3:29 left after the Bills stalled at Baltimores 2. That drive was set up by the Ravens final turnover, when linebacker Terrel Bernard stripped the ball from Andrews at the Buffalo 44. The Bills closed their season a perfect 10-0 at home. That included a 30-21 win over the previously unbeaten Chiefs in Week 11.We know what they are. Theyre the perennial of what you want to be in the NFL, Allen said. Youve got to beat them to get past them. So, you know, were going to enjoy this one tonight. The Ravens had one of the NFLs most productive offenses in the regular season but fell a win short of reaching the conference title game, which they lost to the Chiefs a year ago. Scrutiny of Jacksons playoff performances will only increase as he fell to 3-5 in the postseason. He had two first-half turnovers in this loss, throwing an interception and losing a fumble.Baltimore fell to 5-8 in the divisional round, including 1-4 in its last five.It was uncharacteristic to have turnovers like that. There were opportunities for us to not have those, but we had them, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. You try to bounce back from them in the course of the game. You cant take them back.Andrews did not make himself available following the game, but got plenty of support from his teammates.One play doesnt define anybody. Hes the all-time leading touchdown receiver in Ravens history, safety Kyle Hamilton said. Hes been a consistent beacon of success the whole time hes been here.The Bills continued playing complementary football to overcome a patchwork defense and an offense that didnt have a receiver reach 900 yards this season. Buffalo finished the regular season with a league-best plus-24 turnover differential. That continued on Sunday with a turnover-free game from Allen and the Bills that was just good enough on a field that was slick with a dusting of snow.Buffalos defense held up, limiting Derrick Henry to 84 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries. In Week 4, Henry had a season-best 199 yards rushing in the Ravens 35-10 win the Bills most lopsided defeat of the season.In a matchup of MVP candidates, Jackson went 18 of 25 for 254 yards and two touchdowns.Allen went 16 of 22 for 127 yards and his 1-yard run with 8:49 left in the second quarter gave the Bills the lead for good at 14-7.That score was set up by Jacksons fumble. Facing second-and-10 at the Buffalo 28, Jackson first had to secure a high snap. After gaining control, he attempted to scramble forward, only to lose the ball when safety Damar Hamlin grabbed the quarterback by the ankle.Von Miller scooped up the fumble and was finally chased down at Baltimores 24. Allen scored four plays later to chants of MVP! MVP! The Ravens failed on both 2-point conversion attempts, with linebacker Matt Milano batting down Jacksons pass attempt after Henry scored to make it 21-19.Baltimore took the opening kickoff and drove for a touchdown, with Jackson hitting Rashod Bateman from 16 yards out.InjuriesRavens: Leading receiver Zay Flowers missed both playoff games with a knee injury.Bills: Safety Taylor Rapp did not return after hurting his hip in the second quarter.Up nextThe Bills get a rematch of the AFC championship game after the 2020 season, which Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won 38-24. That Kansas City team lost the Super Bowl to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-01-20T07:41:46Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis said Donald Trumps plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants would be a disgrace, as he weighed in on the incoming U.S. presidents pledges nearly a decade after calling him not Christian for wanting to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.Historys first Latin American pope was asked about the Trump administration pledges of deportations during an appearance Sunday night on a popular Italian talk show, Che Tempo Che Fa.If true, this will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill for the problem, Francis said. This wont do! This is not the way to solve things. Thats not how things are resolved.Trump, who is being sworn in on Monday, made mass deportations a signature issue of his campaign and has promised a raft of first-day orders to remake immigration policy. During his first campaign for the presidency, in 2016, Francis was asked about Trumps plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaking after he celebrated Mass along the border, Francis famously said anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants is not Christian. Many U.S. bishops have firmly opposed Trumps deportation plan, with the incoming archbishop of Washington D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, saying such policies were incompatible with Catholic doctrine. It was a reference to the Biblical call to welcome the stranger. Another cardinal close to Francis, Chicago Cardinal Blas Cupich, said the reports of mass deportations targeting the Chicago area are not only profoundly disturbing but also wound us deeply. In a statement delivered from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Sunday, Cupich said governments have the responsibility to protect borders and communities. But we also are committed to defending the rights of all people, and protecting their human dignity, according to the text of his statement.Francis, who grew up in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants, has long prioritized the plight of migrants and called for governments to welcome, protect and integrate them, within their means. He has said the dignity and rights of migrants trump any national security concerns. ___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Nora Sandigo speaks to immigrant families with small children Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. Sandigo is the legal guardian to more than 2,000 U.S. born children of immigrant parents. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)2025-01-20T05:23:58Z MIAMI (AP) Parents around Nora Sanidgos large, rectangular dining table had lunch before signing documents to make the Nicaraguan immigrant a legal guardian of their children, entrusting them to her if they are deported. She gave a list of what to carry with them: birth certificates, medical and school records, immigration documents, her phone number.Talk to your children and tell them what can happen, let them have my phone number on hand, let them learn it, let them record it, Sandigo said Sunday.For the group at Sandigos southwest Miami home and for millions in the United States illegally or with temporary legal status, the start of Donald Trumps second term as president on Monday comes with a feeling that their time in the U.S. may end soon. Trump made mass deportations a signature issue of his campaign and has promised a raft of first-day orders to remake immigration policy. You dont have to be afraid, you have to be prepared, Sandigo told the group of about 20 people, including small children, who watched a demonstration of how to respond if immigration officers knock on their door. Take precautions wherever you are. Sandigo, who came to the U.S. in 1988, has volunteered to be guardian for more than 2,000 children in 15 years, including at least 30 since December. A notary was on hand Sunday.Erlinda, a single mother from El Salvador who arrived in 2013, signed legal rights to her U.S.-born children, ages 10 and 8. She said she applied for asylum but doesnt know the status of her case. I am afraid for my children, that they will live the terror of not seeing their mother for a day, for a month, for a year, said Erlinda, 45, who asked to be identified by first name only due to fears of being detained.Plans for deportation arrests appeared to be in flux after news leaked of an operation in Chicago this week. Trumps border czar Tom Homan said on Fox News Sunday that Chicago was not off the table, but were reconsidering when and how we do it. He said the leak raised concerns about officer safety. So-called sanctuary cities, which limit how local police cooperate with federal immigration authorities, have been a favorite Trump target, especially Chicago. Reports that his initial push would be in the nations third-largest city brought a new sense of urgency and fear.Chicago became a sanctuary city in the 1980s and has beefed up policies since, including after Trump first took office in 2017. Last week, the City Council heartily rejected a longshot plan calling for exceptions allowing local police to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on deportation cases for people accused or convicted of crimes. The Rev. Homero Sanchez said he didnt realize the depth of fear in the Chicago immigrant community he serves until someone asked him to handle the sale of their familys home and other finances if they are picked up after Trump takes office.They feel they have been targeted for who they are. They feel like theyre reviving this fear they had eight years ago, said Sanchez, who serves the St. Rita of Cascia Parish on Chicagos South Side. Theyre feeling like something is going to happen. This is not their city because of the threat. Sanchez, whose congregation has consisted mostly of people of Mexican descent since the 1980s, devoted Sunday Mass to solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters. Cardinal Blase Cupich, who leads the Archdiocese of Chicago, said reports of the city being targeted by immigration officers were not only profoundly disturbing but also wound us deeply. We are proud of our legacy of immigration that continues in our day to renew the city we love, Cupich said Sunday during a visit to Mexico City, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. ICE arrests a fraction of targets in its street operations, though Trump is expected to cast a wider net than President Joe Biden, whose focus on picking up people away from the border was largely limited to those with serious criminal histories or who pose a risk to national security. Bidens administration also ended the practice of mass worksite arrests, which were common under Trump, including a 2019 operation targeting Mississippi chicken plants.Trump aides have said immigration officers will arrest others, such as spouses or roommates, who are not targets but happen to be in the country illegally. ___Tareen reported from Chicago. GISELA SALOMON Salomon is a Miami-based reporter who covers Latin America and immigration affairs for The Associated Press.Salomon es una periodista que desde Miami cubre asuntos latinoamericanos y de inmigracion. twitter mailto

The mountains above the village of Davos, with the The Congress Center, center, where the annual meeting of World Economic Forum will take place, are covered with snow, in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)2025-01-20T02:10:50Z DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) Billionaires wealth grew three times faster in 2024 than the year before, a top anti-poverty group reported on Monday as some of the worlds political and financial elite prepared for an annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland.Oxfam International, in its latest assessment of global inequality timed to the opening of the World Economic Forum meeting, also predicts at least five trillionaires will crop up over the next decade. A year ago, the group forecast that only one trillionaire would appear during that time. OxFams research adds weight to a warning by outgoing President Joe Biden last week of a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of very few ultra-wealthy people. The groups sharp-edged report, titled Takers Not Makers, also says the number of people in poverty has barely budged since 1990. The World Economic Forum expects to host some 3,000 attendees, including business executives, academics, government officials, and civic group leaders at its annual meeting in the Alpine village of Davos. Whats the worry about? ... The new aristocracyPresident-elect Donald Trump, who visited Davos twice during his first term and was set to take the oath of office on Monday, is expected to take part in the forums event by video on Thursday. He has long championed wealth accumulation including his own and counts multibillionaire Elon Musk as a top adviser.What youre seeing at the moment is a billionaire president taking oaths today, backed by the richest man. So this is pretty much the jewel in the crown of the global oligarchies, Amitabh Behar, executive director of Oxfam International, said in an interview, referring to Trump and Musk.Its not about one specific individual. Its the economic system that we have created where the billionaires are now pretty much being able to shape economic policies, social policies, which eventually gives them more and more profit, he added. Like Bidens call for making billionaires begin to pay their fair share through the U.S. tax code, Oxfam a global advocacy group called on governments to tax the richest to reduce inequality and extreme wealth, and to dismantle the new aristocracy.The group called for steps like the break-up of monopolies, capping CEO pay, and regulation of corporations to ensure they pay living wages to workers.How are the poorest faring? Many investors racked up strong gains in 2024, with strong performances for top tech companies and stock-market indexes like the S&P 500, as well as the price of gold and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.Oxfam said billionaire wealth grew by $2 trillion last year, or roughly $5.7 billion a day, three-times faster than in 2023. The number of billionaires rose by 204 to 2,769, and the 10 richest men saw their wealth rise nearly $100 million a day on average, it said.Citing World Bank data, the group pointed to lingering poverty, saying the number of people living on less than $6.85 per day has barely changed since 1990. Oxfam used Forbes Real-Time Billionaire List as of end-November for data on the ultra-rich. By contrast, at least four new billionaires were minted every week in 2024, and three-fifths of billionaire wealth comes from inheritance, monopoly power or crony connections, it said.On average, Oxfam said, low- and middle-income countries are spending nearly half their national budgets on debt repayments. It also noted that life expectancy in Africa is just under 64 years of age, compared to over 79 years in Europe. Will it be business as usual at Davos again this year?Despite the growing gap between the ber rich and the poor, the annual Davos confab, which formally begins on Tuesday, will likely focus this year again on making money and doing deals, with strongman leaders on the rise in some Western countries and progressive causes like diversity and climate change waning in the business world. The continued rise of artificial intelligence as a tool for business to reap greater efficiencies will also again be a central theme in Davos, despite worries in many sectors that AI could upend many white-collar jobs and displace workers in an array of industries. Trumps return for a second term will likely be on many lips in Davos, as will lingering conflicts, including wars in Ukraine and Sudan, along with hopes for a continuation of a cease-fire that began on Sunday between Hamas and Israel, pausing their devastating 15-month war in Gaza.Forum organizers last week issued a survey conducted among 900 experts for Global Risks Report, which found that conflicts between countries was the top concern, followed by extreme weather, economic confrontation, misinformation and disinformation, and societal polarization a nod to the gap between rich and poor.As in past years, protesters calling for more economic equality, taxing the rich and pressing other demands took to the streets. Some blocked roads to Davos, snarling traffic in places and delaying trips for some attendees to the event, which runs through Friday. JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-01-20T05:06:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump, who overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, will be sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the countrys institutions.Trump is expected to act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to jumpstart deportations, increase fossil fuel development and reduce civil service protections for government workers, promising that his term will bring about a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride.Frigid weather is rewriting the pageantry of the day. Trumps swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda the first time that has happened in 40 years and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a downtown arena. Throngs of Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the inaugural ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol from the National Mall will be left to find somewhere else to view the festivities. God has a plan, said Terry Barber, 46, who drove nonstop from near Augusta, Georgia, to reach Washington. Im good with it. When Trump takes the oath of office at noon, he will realize a political comeback without precedent in American history. Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the countrys tradition of the peaceful transfer of power. But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican Party, and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration. Now Trump will be the first person convicted of a felony for falsifying business records related to hush money payments to serve as president. He will pledge to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. Hes said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who participated in the riot.Eight years after he first entered the White House as a political newcomer, Trump is far more familiar with the operations of federal government and emboldened to bend it to his vision. He has promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration.He has pledged to go further and move faster in enacting his agenda than during his first term, and already the countrys political, business and technology leaders have realigned themselves to accommodate Trump. Democrats who once formed a resistance are now divided over whether to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Trump as they acknowledge his unrivaled power in Washington and ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests. Trump has pledged to bring quick change to the country by curtailing immigration, enacting tariffs on imports and rolling back Democrats climate and social initiatives.Long skeptical of American alliances, his America First foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russias invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year and a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding in Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.Trump, who spent Saturday and Sunday night at Blair House across from the White House, will begin Monday with a prayer service at St. Johns Episcopal Church. Then he and his wife Melania will be greeted at the executive mansion by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea. Its a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Bidens victory or attend his inauguration. The two men and their spouses will head to the Capitol in a joint motorcade ahead of the swearing-in.Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn-in first, taking the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a bible given to him by his great-grandmother. Trump will follow, using both a family bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration as Chief Justice John Roberts administers his oath.The inaugural festivities began Saturday, when Trump arrived in Washington on a government jet and viewed fireworks at his private golf club in suburban Virginia. On Sunday, he laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery and rallied his supporters at Washingtons downtown Capital One Arena.A cadre of billionaires and tech titans who have sought to curry favor with Trump and have donated handsomely to his inaugural festivities, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, will be in attendance. Also present will be the head of TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media app deemed a national security risk by the U.S. Trump has promised to lift an effective ban on TikTok through one of many executive orders expected to be issued on Monday as the new president attempts to show quick progress. At his Sunday rally, Trump teased dozens of coming executive actions, promising that by the time the sun sets on Monday he will have signed executive orders involving border security and immigration policy, including a revival of Trumps first-term effort to shut down access to many new entries under whats called Title 42 emergency provisions.Others orders are expected to allow more oil and gas drilling by rolling back Biden-era policies on domestic energy production and rescind Bidens recent directive on artificial intelligence. More changes are planned for the federal workforce. Trump wants to unwind diversity, equity and inclusion programs known as DEI, require employees to come back to the office and lay the groundwork to reduce staff. Expect shock and awe, said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.What Ive been urging the president, and my colleagues, to do is stay laser-focused on delivering on our promises, Cruz said. And thats what I expect that were going to do.With control of Congress, Republicans are also working alongside the incoming Trump administration on legislation that will further roll back Biden administration policies and institute their own priorities.The president is going to come in with a flurry of executive orders, said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. And we are going to be working alongside the administration and in tandem.___AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

A pedestrian crosses First Avenue as a winter storm sweeps over the intermountain West, plunging temperatures into the single digits and bringing along a light snow in its wake Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)2025-01-20T05:17:07Z BOSTON (AP) Residents across the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine are bracing for dangerously low temperatures as tens of millions of residents along the East Coast contend with a thick blanket of snow and more snowfall in the forecast.Winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service were in effect for parts of the Mid-Atlantic through Monday morning, and warnings began in New England on Sunday afternoon. Heavy lake-effect snow was expected in western New York state Monday through Wednesday morning, with 2 to 3 feet (about 60 to 90 centimeters) possible in some areas including Oswego along Lake Ontario.Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, projected that as many as 70 million residents will be under some kind of winter storm warning in the coming days. Return of the Arctic blastSunday snowfall was just the start of a chaotic week of weather. Much of the Eastern Seaboard will be enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter. An area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal weather over several days, with temperatures forecast to drop to between minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 48 degrees Celsius) on Monday. Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley. Minnesota residents were urged to wear appropriate clothing and carry a survival kit for travel. Kristi Rollwagen, director of homeland security and emergency management at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, also urged motorists to drive with a full tank of gas and a fully charged cellphone to keep in touch with loved ones. Its not something we havent experienced before, its just a good reminder that it does get cold in Minnesota, Rollwagen said.Meanwhile, temperatures in Washington, D.C., are expected to dip into the 20s (about minus 7 C to minus 1 C) with wind gusts upwards of 30 mph (48 kph), Chenard said. The forecast prompted President-elect Donald Trumps inaugural ceremony to be moved inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Like earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.The cold air will moderate as it moves southward and eastward, but the Central and Eastern U.S. will still experience temperatures in the teens and 20s Monday into Tuesday, Chenard said. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast also will have highs in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits and below zero degrees F (minus 18 C), and wind chills below zero. Unusual mix of snow, sleet and freezing rainThe colder temperatures will dip into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The unusual conditions are expected to stretch from Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas. Impacts are expected starting Monday night in Texas and then spreading across the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday into Wednesday.Frigid air combined with a low-pressure system over the Gulf is behind the storm, which could bring heavy snow just south of the Interstate 20 corridor across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi and a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain near the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to Mobile, Alabama. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Saturday issued a state of emergency ahead of the severe weather, urging residents to prepare and keep watch on the forecast.___Julie Walker contributed to this report from New York. She can be reached at https://x.com/jwalkreporter. Dave Collins contributed from Hartford, Connecticut. Bruce Shipkowski contributed from Toms River, New Jersey. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto

A Polish border guard looks east into Belarus at the crossing point Poowce-Pieszczatka in Polowce, Poland, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Lorne Cooke)2025-01-20T05:08:21Z POLOWCE, Poland (AP) Polands six-month presidency of the European Union is firmly focused on security. As Europes biggest land war in decades rages, fewer places highlight the challenges and contradictions of defending the bloc and its values more starkly than the border with Belarus.Some 13,000 border guards and soldiers protect around 400 kilometers (250 miles) of border. Its become a buffer zone since Belarus ally, Russia, invaded neighboring Ukraine three years ago. Similar fortifications farther north line Polands frontier with the Russian region of Kaliningrad.Poland is Ukraines top logistical backer. Most of the Western-supplied arms, ammunition and equipment helping to keep Ukraines armed forces afloat transit through. Russia, meanwhile, uses Belarus as a staging ground for its invasion.At the border near the town of Poowce, a 5.5-meter (18-foot) steel barrier strung with razor wire and topped by security cameras separates once-friendly communities that war has turned into wary rivals. Drones, helicopters and armored vehicles keep watch. The border crossing is closed. Around 40 border guards and troops could be seen on Jan. 16, when the Polish EU presidency invited 60 reporters from international media to witness the security effort. The road was strewn with layers of concrete obstacles and concertina wire likely to dissuade an advancing army. Border guards peered into Belarus. Its needed, the government in Warsaw says, because Russia and Belarus are waging a particular kind of hybrid warfare: helping groups of migrants mostly from Africa or the Middle East to break through the border to provoke and destabilize Poland and the rest of Europe.We have tightened our visa policy, and above all we have decided to suspend the right to asylum wherever we are dealing with mass border crossings organized by Belarus and Russia, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on Friday. When migrants are equated with danger Almost 30,000 attempted border crossings were spotted last year. Most are young men, often from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. Polish authorities say they arrive in Belarus on tourist or student visas and are helped across for a fee ranging from $8,000 to $12,000.Poland says theyre assisted by the Belarus security services and other organizers. Theyre mostly Ukrainians, perhaps fallen on hard times since fleeing the war. They can earn $500 for each person they help, border officials say.Border guards claim to be routinely attacked. One guard was killed last year and several injured.They say that migrants shoot slingshots, throw small explosives or rocks, or use pepper spray on guards. More than 400 incidents were recorded last year in this section of the border, with 307 people hospitalized. The deputy commander of the Podlaski border guard division, Col. Andrzej Stasiulewicz, said the migrants are hard to discourage. Warning shots dont work, so force is needed, he said. Reporters were shown video and photos purported to show migrants assailing the border. Stasiulewicz said their actions are very unpredictable, and very precise and coordinated.Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders paints a different picture. The charity says its treated more than 400 people since November 2022, many of them stranded for weeks in uninhabitable forests and exposed to violent practices at the border.People suffered from exhaustion, hypothermia, dehydration and mental health issues. Last year, it noted a sharp increase in people carrying the scars of physical assaults, including bruises and dog bites.Its almost impossible to independently verify such reports. The area is off limits. NGOs and media must apply for a permit to enter. EU and international agencies that work with migrants are not invited either, although migrants are provided with their contact details should they want to complain. Turnbacks not pushbacks, Poland insists Stasiulewicz said those who force their way in are sent back to Belarus, which is in line with our legal framework.The Norwegian Refugee Council, a migrant aid charity, has another take. It said that nearly 9,000 violent pushbacks have been reported by NGOs in what it describes as Europes death zone since 2021.Pushbacks depriving someone who may be in fear for their safety of their right to apply for asylum are illegal under international law.Polish Undersecretary of State Maciej Duszczyk rejects the pushback allegations. He prefers turnbacks. The rationale is that migrants are obliged to apply for asylum in good faith at open border points, not force their way in.The nearest place they can do that is in Terespol, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Poowce. Halting asylum in the name of securityAs far as the Polish authorities are concerned, their methods are working. The number of people arriving in Poowce has dropped significantly. Around 670 people applied for asylum there last year, and none to mid-January. The Office for Foreigners was empty when reporters visited.To keep numbers down, the government intends to suspend asylum applications in times of crisis.A draft law winding its way through parliament would see the border shut for 60 days if Warsaw suspects that migrants are being weaponized should they approach the border in large groups, try to intimidate Polish officers or damage border infrastructure.If anyone uses violence against the border guards, we close the border, Duszczyk said.Doctors Without Borders says this could have dramatic consequences. Its urged Poland to drastically change course of action and do all it can to protect migrants and refugees.But EU leaders signed off on Polands actions at a summit last month. Countries on Europes eastern flank received a greenlight to suspend the right to protection when they believe that Belarus and Russia are weaponizing migrants.When security and migration get political Ultimately, security and migration policies are highly politicized. Tusk has been in power for more than a year but his partys candidate in a presidential election in May faces a strong challenge from a nationalist opponent.The EU shifted further right in June after elections to the European Parliament, with nationalists and populists shaking Europes foundations, particularly in major powers France and Germany. Tusk believes that tough migration policy can win back voters.If we do not want to hand over these matters to radicals, extremists, populists, we must find the right answers so that no one in the world doubts that democratic states are able to effectively defend themselves against illegal migration, he said on Friday.He described the tough protection of borders as a sacred duty. Polands borders also make up the 27-nation EUs external frontier. For Tusk, his countrys security is Europes security. Its a similar argument made by Hungarys staunchly nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbn.___Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed to this report. ___Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

President-elect Donald Trump dances with The Village People at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-20T05:11:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) Carrie Underwood might not be Beyonc or Garth Brooks in the celebrity superstar ecosystem. But the singers participation in President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration is nevertheless a sign of the changing tides, where mainstream entertainers, from Nelly to The Village People are more publicly and more enthusiastically associating with the new administration.Eight years ago, Trump reportedly struggled to enlist stars to be part of the swearing-in and the various glitzy balls that follow. The concurrent protest marches around the nation had more famous entertainers than the swearing-in, which stood in stark contrast to someone like Barack Obama, whose second inaugural ceremony had performances from Beyonc, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson and a series of starry onlookers.There were always some celebrity Trump supporters, like Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Jon Voight, Rosanne Barr, Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone and Dennis Rodman, to name a few. But Trumps victory this time around was decisive and while Hollywood may always skew largely liberal, the slate of names participating in his inauguration weekend events has improved. Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Village People and Lee Greenwood all performed at a MAGA style rally Sunday. Those performing at inaugural balls include the rapper Nelly, country music band Rascal Flatts, country singer Jason Aldean and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw. The people who are coming out and participating directly are still a small subset of the entire universe of what we call celebrity, said Robert Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University. But were seeing a lot more celebrities who are coming out and supporting Trump. There may not be that distinct division that we saw before. Even some who have publicly criticized Trump in the past seem to have changed course. One of the highest-profile examples is the rapper Snoop Dogg, who in a 2017 music video pretended to shoot a Trump lookalike, and then this weekend performed at a pre-Inaugural event called The Crypto Ball. When a social media user posted a video of his performance, his name quickly became a trending topic on social media with a fair amount of disbelief and outrage. There may still be a tinge of stigma, however. Thompson pointed to the statement from The Village People, in which they offered a justification for their involvement, which he likened to an apologia.Also, Thompson said, the idea of being featured in a big national civic ritual perhaps can transcend political identity.The participation of people like Underwood is not going to change anyones mind about Trump, Thompson said. It could, however, change minds about the artist. On social media, some declared they were going to delete Underwoods songs from their playlists.Where Trump once emphasized the otherness of a Hollywood that largely shunned him, hes now turned his attention back to the entertainment capital as a project to be saved. He named Stallone, Voight and Mel Gibson as his chosen ambassadors for the mission. Thompson said it sounds like an Onion headline or something on Saturday Night Live. That, or a logline for the latest installment in the Expendables franchise. Following the election, celebrity detractors have also been quieter than in 2017, when nationwide marches brought out the likes of Cher, Madonna, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys and Janelle Monae. The Peoples March in D.C. on Saturday did not boast about any celebrity participants. At the Golden Globe Awards in early January, Trumps name was not mentioned on stage - a stark contrast to 2017, when Meryl Streep used her lifetime achievement award speech to decry the president-elect before his first term began.Theyve gone through these processes, and it turned out that none of it ever made any bit of difference, Thompson said. All of this celebrity talking against Trump and all of the celebrities going for (Joe) Biden and speaking about the future of democracy not only didnt make any difference toward the outcome of the election, but one could argue that it actually meant that things moved in the other direction. On Friday night in D.C., the nonpartisan nonprofit The Creative Coalition brought together some actors to raise money for and celebrate organizations that support military service members and their families.Im a big fan of things that are nonpartisan, nonpolitical, said comedian Jeff Ross. I talk smack for a living and Im a big believer in free speech. The military protects my right.The entertainers stayed largely focused on the event at hand, not the incoming administration, although they did express concern about funding for the National Endowment of the Arts.The NEA has always been in peril, regardless of what administration comes in. But it feels like the incoming administration will probably be more aggressive in cutting down funding for the arts, said actor Steven Weber. They dont realize that its an essential component not only in our education, but in the life blood of this culture. One Monday event will have a bit of celebrity counterprogramming the Concert for America, not as protest but as fundraiser for wildfire relief which will be held simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles and livestreamed to the world. Participants include Jon Cryer, Lisa Joyner, Conan OBrien, Julie Bowen, Adam Scott, Wayne Brady and Rosie Perez. In addition to performances and comedy, it will also highlight organizations dedicated to protecting human rights.Producers Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson started the event in 2017, also held on Inauguration Day, to raise money for organizations and non-profits they thought would need help over the next four years.Its not only to give people a call to action, but also to give them hope, inspiration and to feel connected, Jackson said.They didnt have trouble recruiting entertainers to participate, Jackson said. The only ones who declined did so because they were working.I dont see it as a counter effort, Rudetsky said. I see it as a way to get rid of the annoying rhetoric and the hate thats based on nothing. Its about unity. LINDSEY BAHR Bahr has been a film writer and critic for The Associated Press since 2014. twitter instagram mailto

Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)2025-01-20T08:21:25Z WASHINGTON (AP) The price of bitcoin surged to over $109,000 early Monday, just hours ahead of President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration, as a pumped up cryptocurrency industry bets hell take action son after returning to the White House. Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin seems like a scam, Trump has embraced digital currencies with a converts zeal. Hes launched a new cryptocurrency venture and vowed on the campaign trail to take steps early in his presidency to make the U.S. into the crypto capital of the world. His promises including creating a U.S. crypto stockpile, enacting industry-friendly regulation and event appointing a crypto czar for his administration.Youre going to be very happy with me, Trump told crypto-enthusiasts at a bitcoin conference last summer.Bitcoin is the worlds most popular cryptocurrency and was created in 2009 as a kind of electronic cash uncontrolled by banks or governments. It and newer forms of cryptocurrencies have moved from the financial fringes to the mainstream in wild fits and starts. The highly volatile nature of cryptocurrencies as well as their use by criminals, scammers and rogue nations, has attracted plenty of critics, who say the digital currencies have limited utility and often are just Ponzi schemes. But crypto has so far defied naysayers and survived multiple prolonged price drops in its short lifespan. Wealthy players in the crypto industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, spent heavily to help Trump win last Novembers election. Bitcoin has surged in price since Trumps victory, topping $100,000 for the first time last month before briefly sliding down to about $90,000. On Friday, it rose about 5%. It jumped more than $9,000 early Monday, according to CoinDesk. Two years ago, bitcoin was trading at about $20,000. Trumps picks for key cabinet and regulatory positions are stocked with crypto supporters, including his choice to lead the Treasury and Commerce departments and the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Key industry players held a first ever Crypto Ball on Friday to celebrate the first crypto president. The event was sold out, with tickets costing several thousand dollars. Heres a look at some detailed action Trump might take in the early days of his administration:CRYPTO COUNCILAs a candidate Trump promised that he would create a special advisory council to provide guidance on creating clear and straightforward regulations on crypto within the first 100 days of his presidency.Details about the council and its membership are still unclear, but after winning Novembers election, Trump named tech executive and venture capitalist David Sacks to be the administrations crypto czar. Trump also announced in late December that former North Carolina congressional candidate Bo Hines will be the executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets. At last years bitcoin conference, Trump told crypto supporters that new regulations will be written by people who love your industry, not hate your industry. Trumps pick to lead the SEC, Paul Atkins, has been a strong advocate for cryptocurrencies. Crypto investors and companies chafed as what they said was a hostile Biden administration that went overboard in unfair enforcement actions and accounting policies that have stifled innovation in the industry particularly at the hands of outgoing SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.As far as general expectations from the Trump Administration, I think one of the best things to bet on is a tone change at the SEC, said Peter Van Valkenburgh, the executive director of the advocacy group Coin Center. Gensler, who is set to leave as Trump takes office, said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that hes proud of his offices actions to police the crypto industry, which he said is rife with bad actors. STRATEGIC BITCOIN RESERVETrump also promised that as president hell ensure the U.S. government stockpiles bitcoin, much like it already does with gold. At the bitcoin conference earlier this summer, Trump said it the U.S. government would keep, rather than auction off, the billions of dollars in bitcoin it has seized through law enforcement actions.Crypto advocates have posted a draft executive order online that would establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve as a permanent national asset to be administered by the Treasury Department through its Exchange Stabilization Fund. The draft order calls for the Treasury Department to eventually hold at least $21 billion in bitcoin.Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming has proposed legislation mandating the U.S. government stockpile bitcoin, which advocates said would help diversify government holdings and hedge against financial risks. Critics say bitcoins volatility make it a poor choice as a reserve asset. Creating such a stockpile would also be a giant step in the direction of bitcoin becoming normalized, becoming legitimatized in the eyes of people who dont yet see it as legitimate, said Zack Shapiro, an attorney who is head of policy at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. ROSS ULBRICHTAt the bitcoin conference earlier this year, Trump received loud cheers when he reiterated a promise to commute the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the convicted founder of the drug-selling website Silk Road that used crypto for payments.Ulbrichts case has energized some crypto advocates and Libertarian activists, who believe government investigators overreached in building their case against Silk Road. ALAN SUDERMAN Suderman is an Associated Press investigative reporter interested in national security, cybersecurity and other related topics. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall in San Luis, Ariz., June 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-01-19T14:58:13Z Follow live updates on President-elect Donald Trumps return to Washington WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump has promised sweeping actions in his second administration.The president-elect has outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in Americas international role. Trumps agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers.A look at what Trump has proposed: ImmigrationBuild the wall! from his 2016 campaign has become creating the largest mass deportation program in history. Trump has called for using the National Guard and empowering domestic police forces in the effort.Still, Trump has offered few details of what the program would look like and how he would ensure that it targeted only people in the United States illegally.He has pitched ideological screening for would-be entrants and ending birthright citizenship, which almost certainly would require a constitutional change. He has said he would reinstitute first-term practices such as the remain in Mexico policy, as well as limiting migrants on public health grounds and severely limiting or banning entrants from certain majority-Muslim nations.Altogether, the approach would not just crack down on illegal migration, but curtail immigration overall. AbortionTrump played down abortion as a second-term priority, even as he took credit for the Supreme Court ending a womans federal right to terminate a pregnancy and returning abortion regulation to state governments.At Trumps insistence, the GOP platform, for the first time in decades, did not call for a national ban on abortion. Trump maintains that overturning Roe v. Wade is enough on the federal level. Trump said in October that he would veto a federal abortion ban if legislation reached his desk a statement he made only after avoiding a firm position in his September debate against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Anti-abortion activists march outside of the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Anti-abortion activists march outside of the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More It is unclear if his administration will aggressively defend against legal challenges seeking to restrict access to abortion pills, including mifepristone, as the Biden administration has.Anti-abortion advocates continue to wage legal battles over the Food and Drug Administrations approval of the drug as well as the agencys relaxed prescribing restrictions.Trump is also unlikely to enforce Bidens guidance that hospitals must provide abortions for women who are in medical emergencies, even in states with bans.TaxesTrumps tax policies broadly tilt toward corporations and wealthier Americans. Thats mostly due to his promise to extend his 2017 tax overhaul, with a few notable changes that include lowering the corporate income tax rate to 15% from the current 21%.That also involves rolling back Democratic President Joe Bidens income tax increases on the wealthiest Americans and scrapping Inflation Reduction Act levies that finance energy measures intended to combat climate change. The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Those policies notwithstanding, Trump has put more emphasis on new proposals aimed at working- and middle-class Americans: exempting earned tips, Social Security wages and overtime wages from income taxes. Its noteworthy, however, that his proposal on tips, depending on how Congress might write it, could give a backdoor tax break to top wage earners by allowing them to reclassify some of their pay as tip income. That prospect, at its most extreme, could see hedge-fund managers or top-flight attorneys taking advantage of a policy that Trump frames as being designed for restaurant servers, bartenders and other service workers.Tariffs and tradeTrumps posture on international trade is to distrust world markets as harmful to American interests. He proposes tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages. A jockey truck passes a stack of 40-foot China Shipping containers, July 5, 2018, at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) A jockey truck passes a stack of 40-foot China Shipping containers, July 5, 2018, at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More He promises to reinstitute an August 2020 executive order requiring that the federal government buy essential medications only from U.S. companies. He pledges to block purchases of any vital infrastructure in the U.S. by Chinese buyers. DEI, LGBTQ and civil rightsTrump has called for rolling back societal emphasis on diversity and legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. He has also called for ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government institutions, using federal funding as leverage. Transgenders rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Transgenders rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More On transgender rights, Trump promises generally to end boys in girls sports, a practice he insists, without evidence, is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches.Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administrations policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth. Regulation, federal bureaucracy and presidential powerTrump seeks to reduce the role of federal bureaucrats and to cut regulations across economic sectors. He frames all regulatory cuts as an economic magic wand. He pledges precipitous drops in household utility bills by removing obstacles to fossil fuel production, including opening all federal lands for exploration even though U.S. energy production is already at record highs.Trump promises to unleash housing construction by cutting regulations though most construction rules come from state and local government. He also says he would end frivolous litigation from the environmental extremists.The approach would in many ways strengthen executive branch influence. That power would come more directly from the White House. He would make it easier to fire federal workers by classifying thousands of them as being outside civil service protections. That could weaken the governments power to enforce statutes and rules by reducing the number of employees engaging in the work and, potentially, impose a chilling effect on those who remain.Trump also claims that presidents have exclusive power to control federal spending even after Congress has appropriated money. He argues that lawmakers budget actions set a ceiling on spending but not a floor meaning the presidents constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws includes discretion on whether to spend the money. This interpretation could set up a court battle with Congress.As a candidate, he also suggested that the Federal Reserve, an independent entity that sets interest rates, should be subject to more presidential power. Any such move would represent a momentous change to how the U.S. economic and monetary systems work. EducationThe Department of Education would be targeted for elimination in a second Trump administration. That does not mean that Trump wants Washington out of classrooms. He still proposes, among other maneuvers, using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers and scrap diversity programs at all levels of education.He calls for pulling federal funding for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children. The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In higher education, Trump proposes taking over accreditation processes for colleges, a move he describes as his secret weapon against the Marxist Maniacs and lunatics he says control higher education. Trump takes aim at higher education endowments, saying he will collect billions and billions of dollars from schools via taxing, fining and suing excessively large private university endowments at schools that do not comply with his edicts. That almost certainly would end up in protracted legal fights.As in other policy areas, Trump isnt actually proposing limiting federal power in higher education but strengthening it. He calls for redirecting the confiscated endowment money into an online American Academy offering college credentials to all Americans without a tuition charge. It will be strictly non-political, and there will be no wokeness or jihadism allowed none of thats going to be allowed, Trump said on Nov. 1, 2023.Social Security, Medicare and MedicaidTrump insists he would protect Social Security and Medicare, popular programs geared toward older Americans and among the biggest pieces of the federal spending pie each year. There are questions about how his proposal not to tax tips and overtime wages might affect Social Security and Medicare. If such plans eventually involved only income taxes, the entitlement programs would not be affected. Exempting those wages from payroll taxes would reduce the funding stream for Social Security and Medicare outlays. Trump has talked little about Medicaid during this campaign, but his first administration reshaped the program by allowing states to introduce work requirements for recipients. Affordable Care Act and health careAs he has since 2015, Trump calls for repealing the Affordable Care Act and its subsidized health insurance marketplaces. In September, he insisted he had the concepts of a plan. In the latter stages of the campaign, Trump played up his alliance with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines and of pesticides used in U.S. agriculture. Trump repeatedly told rally crowds that he would put Kennedy in charge of making America healthy again. Trump has picked Kennedy to be his health secretary. Climate and energyTrump, who claims falsely that climate change is a hoax, blasts Biden-era spending on cleaner energy designed to reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels.He proposes an energy policy and transportation infrastructure spending anchored to fossil fuels: roads, bridges and combustion-engine vehicles. Drill, baby, drill! was a regular chant at Trump rallies. Attendees listen as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Attendees listen as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Trump says he does not oppose electric vehicles but promises to end all Biden incentives to encourage EV market development. Trump also pledges to roll back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards.Workers rightsTrump and Vice President-elect JD Vance framed their ticket as favoring Americas workers. But Trump could make it harder for workers to unionize. In discussing auto workers, Trump focused almost exclusively on Bidens push toward electric vehicles. When he mentioned unions, it was often to lump the union bosses and CEOs together as complicit in this disastrous electric car scheme.In an Oct. 23, 2023, statement, Trump said of the United Auto Workers, Im telling you, you shouldnt pay those dues.National defense and Americas role in the worldTrumps rhetoric and policy approach in world affairs is more isolationist diplomatically, non-interventionist militarily and protectionist economically than the U.S. has been since World War II. The details are more complicated. President Donald Trump speaks during the NATO summit, Dec. 4, 2019, in Watford, England. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File) President Donald Trump speaks during the NATO summit, Dec. 4, 2019, in Watford, England. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More He pledges expansion of the military, promises to protect Pentagon spending from austerity efforts and proposes a new missile defense shield an old idea from the Reagan era during the Cold War. Trump insists he can end Russias war in Ukraine without explaining how. He summarizes his approach through another Reagan phrase: peace through strength. But he remains critical of NATO and top U.S. military brass. I dont consider them leaders, Trump said of Pentagon officials that Americans see on television. He repeatedly praised authoritarians such as Hungarys Viktor Orban and Russias Vladimir Putin.___ Associated Press writer Amanda Seitz contributed to this report. BILL BARROW Bill Barrow covers U.S. politics. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, left, meets with U.S. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)2025-01-20T06:03:11Z TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) Chinas vice president held meetings with the U.S. vice president-elect and U.S. business leaders, including Elon Musk, in Washington on the eve of Donald Trumps inauguration, as the two major powers tackle ongoing tensions over trade and technology.Han Zheng, who serves as an envoy for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the inauguration, discussed a range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade and regional stability with J.D. Vance, according to the Trump transition team.Han stressed the extensive common interests and enormous space of cooperation the United States and China share in economic and trade relations despite some disagreements and frictions, according to a readout of his meeting with Vance issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday.Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China in his second term, while also hinting at ways in which the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl. In an unorthodox move, Trump last month invited Xi to his inauguration. No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration, according to State Department historical records. While Xi will not personally attend the event, he and Trump held a phone call on Friday during which they discussed trade, fentanyl and TikTok. The Chinese social media app restored service to users in the U.S. on Sunday, just hours after it went dark in response to a federal ban, which Trump said he would pause by executive order on Monday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday praised TikToks role in promoting employment in the U.S.We hope the U.S. will listen to rational voices and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all countries operating in the U.S., said ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. Han also met with Musk and other top U.S. business executives, including representatives of the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.The Chinese vice president reiterated promises for an improved business environment for foreign firms in China and expressed hopes that U.S. companies will continue expanding investment in the country.Musk, whose company Tesla operates a factory in Shanghai, posted on his platform X after the meeting that he has long opposed the TikTok ban because it goes against freedom of speech.That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced, he wrote. Something needs to change.X is banned in China alongside other major U.S. social media and news apps and websites, including YouTube, Google, Facebook and many major U.S. media.___Associated Press video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report. SIMINA MISTREANU Mistreanu is a Greater China reporter for The Associated Press, based in Taipei, Taiwan. She has reported on China since 2015. twitter mailto

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama wears a t-shirt in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. as he warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)2025-01-20T11:00:08Z NANTERRE, France (AP) Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday.The Pacers know better. They will not be feeling right at home.Its going to be a big crowd against us, honestly, Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard said.Hes not wrong, for one 7-foot-4 reason. The upcoming NBA Paris Games Indiana vs. San Antonio on Thursday and Saturday, the Pacers being the designated home team for the first matchup and the Spurs getting that distinction for the second game are essentially going to be a weeklong celebration of Frances own Victor Wembanyama, San Antonios reigning NBA rookie of the year who likely will be an All-Star this season for the first time.In other words, welcome to Wemby Week in Paris.The teams arrived in Paris on Monday, with practices and other events scheduled throughout the week and then the games toward the end. The Spurs were coming straight from the airport to a light workout in Nanterre the place where Wembanyama started his pro career in the French league as a 15-year-old. There have been single games in Paris in each of the last two seasons Chicago-Detroit in 2023, Brooklyn-Cleveland last year but this season, its a two-game trip and Wembanyama is surely one of the reasons for that. Ticket demand was off the charts. The games sold out in a day. Some tickets remain as part of packages; for example, a game ticket for Thursday, including a chance to grab a picture with the Larry OBrien Trophy, will set you back $730. Flight not included, of course. Then again, not everyone in attendance will have bought their tickets. Wembanyama arranged a treasure hunt for 10 tickets; there were QR codes hidden in five cities Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille and Bordeaux and he encouraged fans to start hunting.I couldnt come back to the capital without giving you the opportunity to come see me play, he wrote on social media. The Spurs are a global brand with deep ties to France that pre-date Wembanyamas arrival in San Antonio. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw helped the Spurs establish that relationship with France during their years in Spurs colors, and now the interest can be marked in plenty of ways off the court as well. Last week, the Spurs announced a series of events for this week in collaboration with Paris-Saint Germain, one of the worlds most-followed soccer teams.We have a long history with France for obvious reasons in many ways. So, its just another milestone or opportunity, I think, to probably strengthen that bond or connection, Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. Very cool for Vic. Obviously, he just got done in the Olympics as well.France played host to the Paris Games last summer and Wembanyama helped his home nation get to the gold-medal game against the U.S. He was spectacular in the final, scoring 26 points. It wasnt enough, not with Stephen Curry leading the way with 24 for the Americans capped by a barrage of four 3-pointers in the final couple of minutes to clinch the gold. Wembanyama settled for silver that night. The games this week are in the same arena as the Olympic final was. He was asked earlier this season how often he thinks about this trip and getting to play in Paris again.All the time, he said.Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was on that U.S. Olympic team. He knows what that arena felt like and can envision what itll be like for Wembanyamas return this week.The game has never seen anybody like him, Haliburton said.The Spurs played in Miami on Sunday and lost, then stuck around for a few hours to have some dinner and get their body clocks right for the 8-hour flight from South Florida to France. The Pacers were heading to do some sightseeing after landing Monday, including the Eiffel Tower.All that good stuff, Pacers center Myles Turner said in a video released by the team.Paris has been waiting. And Wemby will be welcomed back like a conquering hero.I think any time anybody gets to play (or) perform back home, especially when thats not something you do consistently or regularly, its a pretty cool opportunity, Johnson said. Im sure therell be people at the game that havent seen him play in a long time or typically maybe never have. You know, hometown kids get to see you maybe theyve never been to an NBA game. So, I know theres a lot of things, not to speak for him, that Im sure hes looking forward to and that are unique in a very, very cool way for him to connect.___AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba TIM REYNOLDS Reynolds is an Associated Press sports writer, based in South Florida. twitter mailto

A powerful AI tool can predict with high accuracy the location of photos based on features inside the image itselfsuch as vegetation, architecture, and the distance between buildingsin seconds, with the company now marketing the tool to law enforcement officers and government agencies.Called GeoSpy, made by a firm called Graylark Technologies out of Boston, the tool has also been used for months by members of the public, with many making videos marveling at the technology, and some asking for help with stalking specific women. The companys founder has aggressively pushed back against such requests, and GeoSpy closed off public access to the tool after 404 Media contacted him for comment.Based on 404 Medias own tests and conversations with other people who have used it and investors, GeoSpy could radically change what information can be learned from photos posted online, and by whom. Law enforcement officers with very little necessary training, private threat intelligence companies, and stalkers could, and in some cases already are, using this technology. Dedicated open source intelligence (OSINT) professionals can of course do this too, but the training and skillset necessary can take years to build up. GeoSpy allows essentially anyone to do it.We are working on something for LE [law enforcement] but its , Daniel Heinen, the founder of Graylark and GeoSpy, wrote in a message to the GeoSpy community Discord in July.Do you know anything else about GeoSpy? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.GeoSpy has been trained on millions of images from around the world, according to marketing material available online. From that, the tool is able to recognize distinct geographical markers such as architectural styles, soil characteristics, and their spatial relationships. That marketing material says GeoSpy has strong coverage in the United States, but that it also maintains global capabilities for location identification.404 Media created a free account on GeoSpy earlier this month. One of 404 Medias tests was an image of a man harassing a woman in a Waymo. GeoSpy correctly geolocated the photo. The Soma Park Inn sign is visible in the video, which is located in San Francisco. The architecture of the buildings and the street signs also point to San Francisco, the result read.In another test, GeoSpy identified the location as likely being in New York City. The target image was the grainy CCTV footage of the moment the United Healthcare assassin murdered company CEO Brian Thompson.A screenshot of GeoSpy.The image appears to be from a security camera or traffic camera in New York City. The vehicle and street layout are consistent with the citys urban environment, the result read.In another of 404 Medias tests, GeoSpy analyzed a recent photo from the Los Angeles fires. The system returned a result south of Los Angeles, so was inaccurate, but still provided some context: The image shows a large plume of smoke rising from a fire in the distance, with the ocean and a beach in the foreground, it starts. The buildings visible in the background appear to be hotels and other coastal developments, suggesting a coastal location in Southern California. The specific style of the buildings, combined with the shape of the coastline, points to Huntington Beach as the likely location.GeoSpy runs an associated Discord server where Heinen gives updates on the product and chats with its users. In there, he has uploaded other examples of GeoSpy in action.The photo shows a narrow street with cobblestones and brick buildings, which is typical of the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Boston, one screenshot Heinen posted to Discord says. In another example included in a YouTube video posted last year, Heinen uses a photo of some trees near a road. GeoSpy narrows that area down to Boston too, based on the sort of vegetation in the photo. The system wasnt fully accurate, but it goes from the entire world down to a few kilometer search area, Heinen says in the video.In that same YouTube video, Heinen explained that his team was building a tool that can automatically extract information from scraped photos, and particularly profile pictures. But all of these photos had their metadata removed; when you upload an image to many social media sites they strip the files original metadata, which ordinarily could include GPS coordinates or other useful information.Heinen says the team came across a research study which instead talked about finding the location of photos based on features inside the image itself. The team then built GeoSpy as a demo to show based on this research, look what we can do, Heinen says. He adds the team didnt think that many people would use it, but interest grew from all over the world. In a May Discord message, Heinen says he quit his day job as an AI research engineer to work on GeoSpy fulltime.Heinen says people have used GeoSpy as part of fraud detection for apartment listings that werent in the claimed city, to police investigating child abuse material. One example in the video geolocates a protest to within a few blocks in Mexico City. 0:00 /0:24 1 A promotional video from the GeoSpy website. Another use case Heinen mentions is a security team scouring the internet for threats against an office. Heinen says the team could set up a geofence around a particular location and pull up any results included in that area. He also brings up winning wars by being able to predict the movement of tanks by geolocating photos of them.Christopher Ahlberg, the CEO of threat intelligence company RecordedFuture, previously tweeted that RecordedFuture has invested into GeoSpy. I love what they do, Ahlberg told 404 Media in an email. It's still super super early. We're a customerwe love it. Extremely cool tech. We ingest lots of imagery from all kinds of places, so for our customers the ability to geolocate that (think warzone imagery in Ukraine) is super helpful. Best image analysis people on planet.Graylark has also received investment from AI Grant, a startup incubator whose heads include former Github CEO Nat Friedman. Friedman did not respond to a request for comment.On Thursday, investigative software Maltego integrated with GeoSpy, meaning users can search images directly in Maltego.A section of the GeoSpy website advertising to government agencies.Geolocating photos based on open source clues such as buildings in the background, shadows, and other minute details has long been a known technique in the open source intelligence community. But Geospy providing this service to law enforcement at scale could present a serious threat to the public, Cooper Quintin, security researcher and senior public interest technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told 404 Media.It's one thing if police are using this against a photo that is a piece of evidence in an investigation of a serious crime. It's totally different to use it en masse to build a geolocation database or to gather intelligence on people not engaged in suspected criminal activity. And if the results from Geospy are inaccurate I'm concerned this could lead to wasted time for law enforcement, fear and confusion for civilians, and wrongful arrests based on faulty information, he added. It is no longer enough to remove EXIF metadata from your photos to hide their location, and this should serve as a reminder for people who are at heightened risk that they need to start including geolocation and services such as GeoSpy in their threat model.GeoSpy has not received much media attention, but it has become something of a sensation on YouTube. Multiple content creators have tested out the tool, and some try to feed it harder and harder challenges. In one, a GeoGuesser player, a game in which people rapidly try to find the location of Google Street View images manually, tries out GeoSpy on difficult to locate photos, such as ones looking at from a road towards a generic looking field. This means the player, or the AI, cant rely on road signs which can often reveal what country a photo was taken in. In that test, GeoSpy correctly located the photo to South Africa. Heinen then often posts these videos to the GeoSpy Discord.A screenshot of a message posted by Daniel Heinen in the GeoSpy Discord.Some members of the Discord have made dubious requests to each other, asking for help finding where their friend works or the location of specific YouTubers homes. Often these requests are shut down by other members, and called out as stalking.Why do you want to find some girls house, one Discord member said to another who asked for help locating one.That push back includes Heinen. When one user wrote I have interview for private investigator job. I might get paid to stalk people soon, Heinen replied Bro. Wtf.Not in my server, he wrote.When one user asked if GeoSpy could add imagery for the inside of vehicles or hotel rooms, or the ability to upload their own data, Heinen said GeoSpy had the ability, but that it came with potential problems. When asked what those might be, Heinen replied Stalking. Mostly that.A day after 404 Media contacted Heinen for comment, GeoSpy shut off access to the free, publicly accessible version of the tool. Now users have to request access, which is available exclusively to qualified law enforcement agencies, enterprise users and government entities, its website now reads. Heinen did not respond to the requests for comment.That law enforcement-version of GeoSpy is more powerful than what was publicly available, according to Heinens Discord posts. Geospy.ai is a demo, he wrote in September. The real work is the law enforcement models.

Passengers depart the Caltrain Norcal MLK Celebration Train in San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (Benjamin Fanjoy/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)2025-01-15T06:12:59Z The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic I Have a Dream speech in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He chose that location in part to honor President Abraham Lincoln as a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today. Now, millions of people honor King in the same way. On the third Monday of January close to Kings Jan. 15 birthday federal, state and local governments, institutions and various industries recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For some, the holiday is just that time off from work or school. But, Kings family and others carrying on his legacy of equality, justice and non-violent protest want Americans to remember that this holiday is really about helping others. While it is now a time-honored tradition, the establishment of the holiday had a prolonged, difficult path to acceptance. How the idea for MLK day began The idea to establish a national holiday for the civil rights icon arose as the nation was plunged into grief. U.S. Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, one of the longest-serving members of Congress known for his liberal stance on civil rights, proposed legislation to recognize King four days after his assassination outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.Supporters knew it would not be easy. King, who was 39 years old at the time, was a polarizing figure to half the country even before his death, said Lerone Martin, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Polls conducted by the Washington Post and the New York Times indicated most Americans did not trust King or thought he was too radical because of his speeches on poverty, housing and against the Vietnam War. People say that King is moving too fast after 1965 and basically Hey, you got the Voting Rights bill done. Thats enough, Martin said.The Congressional Black Caucus, founded by Conyers, tried to bring the legislation up for a vote for the next 15 years. Among the Republican rebuttals public holidays dont apply to private citizens, King was a communist or King was a womanizer. In the meantime, his widow, Coretta Scott King, kept lobbying for it. Musician Stevie Wonder even released a song, Happy Birthday, to rally support. So, what changed?By the 1980s, the social and cultural climate in the U.S. had shifted and the public was reflecting on racial progress, Martin said. Most Americans now were also regretting the Vietnam War. Supporters, meanwhile, were still calling for federal holiday status.In 1983, about 20 years after Kings I Have a Dream speech, legislation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January cleared Congress and President Ronald Reagan signed it. States held back as activists stepped upReagans signing did not lead other Republicans to follow. It would be 17 more years until all 50 states observed it. Most of the foot-dragging came from the South except for Arizona. Then in 1987, Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded his predecessors executive order enacting a state holiday in Arizona.He said Black people dont need a holiday. Yall need jobs, recalled Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr., senior pastor at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix. That started the war.Stewart launched a group to lead people of all colors and all persuasions, faiths and parties in protest marches. Entertainers including Wonder canceled Arizona events. Companies moved conventions. The tipping point was the loss of hosting the Super Bowl. In 1992, Arizona became the first state where voter initiative reinstated the King holiday.Supporters took a victory lap the next MLK Day with a packed arena concert attended by Wonder and other artists. Even Rosa Parks was there. Stewart remembers speaking to the crowd.What I said there and it still applies today weve won the holiday but the holiday is a symbol of liberty and justice for all and we must move from symbol to substance, he said. South Carolina was the final holdout until 2000. But, it was without the backing of the civil rights groups because it also allowed for a Confederate Memorial Day. A day on, not a day off Martin Luther King Jr. Days reach has only grown in its 42 years.Its the only federal holiday where you take a day on, not a day off. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law Congressman John Lewis and Sen. Harris Woffords legislation making it a National Day of Service. Just about every major city and suburb has some revelry the weekend before, including parades, street festivals and concerts. The various service projects run the gamut community clean-up, packing food boxes, donating blood. AmeriCorps, the federal agency that deploys volunteers to serve communities around the nation, has distributed $1.5 million in grants to 200 nonprofits, faith-based groups and other organizations for projects. CEO Michael Smith estimates there have been hundreds of projects involving hundreds of thousands of people for MLK day in recent years. Engagement seems to be expanding. You know, any given day I see another project that has nothing to do with us, said Smith, who has served in President Joe Bidens administration. Whats so important about the King holiday is not only the service thats going to happen, but how it creates a spark for people to think about how maybe theyre going to serve all year long.Thats something Kings daughter, the Rev. Bernice King and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, desires as well. She wishes people would do more than quote King, which we love to do. They need to do good work and commit daily to embrace the spirit of nonviolence.Martin also thinks its important to learn about the man himself. He finds excitement in seeing people read or hear about the Nobel Peace Prize winner. But, nothing compares to taking in Kings own writings such as his 1963 Letter from the Birmingham Jail, he added.We can arm ourselves with his ideals, Martin said. We can continue to have a conversation with him not just on one day but actually throughout the year. TERRY TANG Tang reports on race and ethnicity issues, including Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, for The Associated Press. She is based in Phoenix and previously covered breaking news in the Southwest. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this photo released by the Israeli Army, Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy use a smart phone near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP)2025-01-20T08:28:55Z One of the Israeli hostages freed on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire said Monday in her first comments since being released that she has returned to life.Emily Damari, 28, was one of three hostages freed Sunday after spending 471 days in captivity. Officials at a hospital that received them said their condition was stable.In an Instagram story, which was shared by Israeli media, Damari thanked her family and the large protest movement that coalesced to advocate for the release of the hostages. Thank you thank you thank you Im the happiest in the world, she said.Damari, a dual Israeli-British citizen, returned from captivity with a bandage on one hand and authorities said she had lost two fingers during Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. As she arrived to a hospital on Sunday she waved at a crowd that had gathered and footage later showed her joyfully reuniting with her family. Her mother, Mandy Damari, said in a statement later Monday that Damari was doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated.The three Israeli hostages left Hamas captivity on Sunday and returned to Israel, and dozens of Palestinian prisoners walked free from Israeli jail, leaving both Israelis and Palestinians torn between celebration and trepidation as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold. ___Heres the latest: Lebanese man confesses to passing information to Israel BEIRUT Judicial and security officials in Beirut say a Lebanese man has confessed on giving information to Israel about the Hezbollah group in return for money and has been referred to the countrys prosecutors.The three judicial and three security officials said Monday that the man, who is from the border village of Beit Lif, crossed into Israel recently where he gave information about Hezbollah posts and some members in the area before returning to Lebanon. He entered and left Israel with the help of an Israeli drone that led him into the way from where he crossed the border. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about security matters to the media, said the man received $2,500 as well as a laptop and a cellphone to communicate with them.The officials said that Lebanese military intelligence agents had been monitoring his moves before detaining and questioning him, when he confessed. The officials said prosecutors will question him further and will decide on whether to file charges against him or not.Israel and Hezbollah fought a 14-month war until a U.S.-brokered 60-day ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 27.Israeli soldier killed in the West BankJERUSALEM The Israeli military says a soldier was killed and another was seriously wounded in the West Bank. The military declined to provide further details. Israeli media reported Monday that the soldiers vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in the northern West Bank overnight.Israel has been battling Palestinian militants in the northern part of the occupied West Bank for years. The violence escalated after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there.The deadly blast came hours after a long-awaited ceasefire took hold in Gaza. Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want an independent state encompassing all three territories. Turkey reopens consulate in AleppoANKARA, Turkey Turkey reopened its consulate in Syrias largest city, Aleppo, raising its flag at the building for the first time in 12 years, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported.The opening on Monday comes weeks after the Turkish Embassy resumed its operations in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Dec. 14.Turkey had closed down its diplomatic missions in Syria in 2012 due to security concerns amid the civil war, during which Turkey supported forces opposed to the government of former President Bashar Assad. Prior to the Syria conflict, Aleppo, located some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Turkish border, was an important center for trade between Turkey and Syria. Yemens Houthis say theyll limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridorDUBAI, United Arab Emirates Yemens Houthi rebels have signaled they will limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships as a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold.The Houthis made the announcement in an email sent to shippers and others on Sunday. The Houthis separately planned a military statement on Monday, likely about the decision.The Houthis, through their Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, made the announcement by saying it was stopping sanctions on the other vessels it has previously targeted since it started attacks in November 2023.The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, after Hamas surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. Freed Palestinian medical student says her joy is limitedBEITUNIA, West Bank Baraa Al-Fuqha, 22, hugged her family as she stepped off the white Red Cross bus and into the sea of cheering Palestinians welcoming the 90 Palestinians freed by Israel early Monday.A medical student at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem before her arrest, she had spent around six months in Damon Prison. She said she was held under administrative detention a policy of indefinite imprisonment without formal charge or trial that Israel almost exclusively uses against Palestinians. Israel says that the cases of Palestinians released as part of the exchange with Hamas for Israeli hostages all relate to state security charges.Al-Fuqha said her conditions in Israeli prison were terrible, her access to food and water limited.It was like, when we tried to hold our heads high, the guards would do their best to hold us down, she said.But now, reunited with her family, al-Fuqha displayed a sense of relief and defiance.Thank God, I am here with my family, Im satisfied, she said. But my joy is limited, because so many among us Palestinians are being tortured and abused. Our people in Gaza are suffering. God willing, we will work to free them, too.That reflected a wider feeling in the crowd, with many saying this release offered a small, if fleeting, moment of joy, tempered by the 15 months of death and destruction in Gaza.UN says more than 630 trucks with humanitarian aid have entered the Gaza StripJERUSALEM United Nations humanitarian officials say that more than 630 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered the besieged Gaza Strip, in implementation of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.In a post on social media platform X, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs said that over 630 trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, with at least 300 of them bringing humanitarian assistance into the north.There is no time to lose, Fletcher wrote. After 15 months of relentless war, the humanitarian needs are staggering.The Gaza ceasefire deal, which began Sunday with an initial phase lasting six weeks, calls for the entry into Gaza of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief daily. Over the course of the deals first stage, 33 Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza will also be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.Aid workers have been scrambling to address Gazas dire humanitarian needs after 15 months of devastating war and tough Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries and the movement of convoys within Gaza. Lawlessness and looting by armed gangs has also been a major obstacle to aid distribution.Before this latest Israel-Hamas war began, Gaza was under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that allowed the entry of some 500 trucks a day carrying commercial supplies and humanitarian aid.Hamas says delay in release of Palestinian prisoners the result of a conflict over list of namesJERUSALEM Hamas office of prisoner affairs has issued a statement saying the delay in Israels release of Palestinian prisoners was the result of a last-minute conflict over the names on the list.Seven hours after three Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian crowds gathered outside Israels Ofer prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah were still waiting for the release of 90 Palestinians.The Hamas statement said: During the process of checking the names of the prisoners being released from Ofer prison, there was found to be one female prisoner missing.Hamas said that its officials were in communication with mediators and the Red Cross in hopes of pressuring Israel to adhere to the agreed-upon list of prisoners. It said that the issue was being resolved and it expected the buses of the released prisoners to soon depart.The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the delay. Israeli military fires projectiles and moves journalists awaiting release of Palestinian prisonersThe Israeli military has been firing projectiles and moving journalists waiting to cover the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire that began Sunday. Thats according to AP video, which showed smoke trailing from objects landing nearby.The release of the 90 prisoners will take place in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Nearly seven hours have passed since the first three hostages were released from Gaza shortly after the ceasefire began.It is now approaching 1 a.m. local time. Israels military has warned Palestinians against public celebration.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens during opening statements during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Nov. 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-01-20T12:13:18Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden has pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, using the extraordinary powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential revenge by the incoming Trump administration. The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has selected Cabinet nominees who backed his election lies and who have pledged to punish those involved in efforts to investigate him.The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense, Biden said in a statement. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country. Its customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to everyday Americans who have been convicted of crimes. But Biden has used the power in the broadest and most untested way possible: to pardon those who have not even been investigated yet. And with the acceptance comes a tacit admission of guilt or wrongdoing, even though those who have been pardoned have not been formally accused of any crimes. These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing, Biden said, adding that Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and in fact have done the right thing and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances. Fauci was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 40 years and was Bidens chief medical adviser until his retirement in 2022. He helped coordinate the nations response to the COVID-19 pandemic and raised the ire of Trump when he refused to back Trumps unfounded claims. He has become a target of intense hatred and vitriol from people on the right, who blame him for mask mandates and other policies they believe infringed on their rights, even as tens of thousands of Americans were dying. Mark Milley is the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and called Trump a fascist and detailed Trumps conduct around the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.Biden is also extending pardons to members and staff of the Jan. 6 committee, including former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, as well as the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the committee.Biden, an institutionalist, has promised a smooth transition to the next administration, inviting Trump to the White House and saying that the nation will be OK, even as he warned during his farewell address of a growing oligarchy. He has spent years warning that Trumps ascension to the presidency again would be a threat to democracy. His decision to break with political norms with the preemptive pardons was brought on by those concerns. Biden has set the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued; he announced on Friday he would commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. He previously announced he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. In his first term, Trump presided over an unprecedented spate of executions, 13, in a protracted timeline during the coronavirus pandemic. COLLEEN LONG Long covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a focus on domestic policy including immigration, law enforcement and legal affairs. ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

Garland High School senior Saron Lias carries a poster of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while marching in the 36th annual MLK Day Parade in Garland, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)2025-01-20T16:24:37Z ATLANTA (AP) A massive 70-member choir belted out Hallelujah to open a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service Monday at his former congregation in Atlanta, followed by a stern message from his youngest daughter warning against anti-woke rhetoric.The service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta was among the most prominent commemorations of King planned across the country Monday. It also included seven people at the front of the stage holding large signs proclaiming JUSTICE FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY.We are living in a time when anti-woke rhetoric has become a weapon to divide us and distract us from the real issues of injustice, Kings daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, said. To be woke is to be aware of oppression and commitment to justice.Participants at the annual service rose to their feet as she warned those who would strip away their civil rights: We will not go back! she said. Ebenezer is where King was baptized as a child and ordained at 19 years old. He became the congregations co-pastor in 1960 alongside his father, Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. He remained in that role until his death, and his funeral was held at the church. The church is now part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park & Preservation District. The MLK holiday was half of the nations double-duty Monday: the inauguration of Donald Trump, who heads back to the White House, creating mixed feelings on Kings day for civil rights leaders who have opposed Trumps rhetoric and stances on race and civil rights. It marks the third time in the nearly 40 years since the federal King holiday became law that it coincides with a presidential inauguration. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also were sworn in for their second terms on the holiday.There was a heavy security presence outside the church, where more than two dozen police officers from across metro Atlanta stood guard with all-terrain vehicles, police motorcycles and suburban utility vehicles. Streets in the immediate vicinity of the historic church were blocked to vehicle traffic. King was shot in Memphis, Tennessee, while standing on the balcony of the old Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. The civil rights leader had been in the city to support a sanitation workers strike. The motel has been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum, which is providing free admission and offering extended hours to visitors on Monday.Also on the schedule at the museum are musical performances, food and blood donation drives, and a livestreamed presentation that will explore Kings leadership and his relevance to present day social justice movements.Meanwhile in New Orleans, unusually cold temperatures and an expected winter storm spurred officials to cancel an event they had planned Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. New Orleans residents woke up to below freezing temperatures as a blast from the Arctic moved into the region, and a winter storm warning was issued for Tuesday, when forecasters say 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet is possible along with some icing. JEFF MARTIN Martin covers breaking news in the southeastern U.S. for The Associated Press. He is based in Atlanta. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a farewell ceremony for Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-01-20T16:39:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) Paul Abbate, who as the FBIs longtime deputy director had been expected to replace Director Christopher Wray on an acting basis, is retiring from the bureau, according to an email he sent to senior executives and obtained by The Associated Press on Monday.Its unclear who will run the FBI as confirmation proceedings are underway for President-elect Donald Trumps pick for the director, Kash Patel. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto

Attendees cheer as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)2025-01-20T17:53:43Z NEW YORK (AP) President Donald Trumps second inaugural address featured similar themes to his first: a sweeping indictment of the country he inherits and grand promises to fix its problems.Eight years ago, Trump described American carnage and promised to end it immediately. On Monday, he declared that the countrys decline will end immediately, ushering in the golden age of America.Trump added a long list of policies that sounded more like a State of the Union speech than an Inauguration Day speech. But the broad themes were fundamentally Trumpian, setting himself up as a national savior.Breaking tradition, the Republican president delivered his remarks from inside the Capitol Rotunda due to the bitter cold outside. He spoke to several hundred elected officials and pro-Trump VIPs, tech titan Elon Musk among them. Here are some takeaways from the speech: A promise of an American golden ageFrom the start, Trumps speech tracked his campaign rally approach: big promises of national success due to his leadership, with plenty of sweeping indictments of the status quo.The golden age of America begins right now, Trump said after ticking through the requisite nods to former presidents and other dignitaries. He added several more hyperbolic but nebulous promises: The start of a thrilling new era. A nation greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before. Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced, he continued. Our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free. The underlying presumption, of course, is that Trump is inheriting what he called throughout the 2024 campaign a failed nation.He vowed to fulfill campaign promises to send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, boost domestic oil production and impose tariffs to enrich our citizens. Trump calls Americas past leadership corruptTrump described Americas leadership over the last four years as incompetent and corrupt, echoing some of the darker rhetoric he promoted on a daily basis as a presidential candidate on the campaign trail.He did not call out his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, or any other Democrats by name, but there was no question about whom he was talking.We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad, Trump charged.He said the current government protects dangerous immigrants instead of law-abiding citizens, protects foreign borders at the expense of American borders and can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency.And, as he often does, Trump cast him self as uniquely positioned to fix it all.All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly, he said.As of Monday, Republicans control all three branches of the federal government. A perceived triumph over dark forcesEven before Trump began to speak, a religious and political ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, touched on one of the new presidents most common themes how hes been persecuted by unnamed evil forces.Graham talked of Trumps enemies and the darkness of the last four years for Trump personally.When Trump spoke, he tied attempts to prosecute him for trying to overturn his election loss to Biden into his allegations of weaponization of the Justice Department. He then linked them to the attempt to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July.The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and, indeed, to take my life, Trump said.The shooter was an apparently disturbed local 20-year-old man who had no documented ties to the Biden administration, the federal government or any other opponents Trump has criticized.Trump then used striking language to explain how he survived. I was saved by God to make America great again, Trump said to applause.Lying about wildfiresTrumps lament about the state of the nation included disbelief that the fires around Los Angeles were still burning without a token defense.Thats false. Firefighters have been battling the blazes since they erupted and have made significant progress. The Eaton fire is 87% contained, and the Palisades fire 59% contained, according to CalFire. A peacemaker and a conquerorTrump has vowed to stop foreign wars and celebrated his role in helping implement a ceasefire in Gaza. A peacemaker and a unifier, thats what I want to be, Trump said.Moments later he was vowing to regain the Panama Canal from Panama. Were taking it back! Trump declared, having previously declined to rule out using military force.He pledged to pursue policy that expands our territory and to put U.S. astronauts on Mars a promise undoubtedly popular with Musk, a major Trump supporter who has long pursued the same goal.That cuts to the heart of one of the many contradictions in Trumps movement. The new president revels in a confrontational, macho approach that revved up his support among young men. His political career has been built on seeking conflict and tearing down rivals. Yet Trump has also positioned himself as someone wholl end conflicts and usher in peace. A range of reactions behind TrumpThe Rotunda crowd was heavily tilted in Trumps favor, most of those in attendance clapping and even roaring during his speech. But one prominent seating section former presidents, first ladies and vice presidents was largely muted.After Trump repeated his vow to take over the Panama Canal, complete with the false claim that China runs the intercontinental channel, Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, among others, sat stone-faced, as did former President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who lost to Trump in 2016, turned to her left, musing something in former President George W. Bushs direction. Bush, who famously joked about the weirdness of Trumps first inaugural address, was smirking.Less than two weeks ago, Trump was largely ignored at former President Jimmy Carters funeral. Trump chatted with former President Barack Obama, but the rest of the former presidents and their wives bypassed him without a greeting.A different scene indoorsInaugural speeches are traditionally delivered on the National Mall in front of tens of thousands of cheering supporters, many of them average voters from across America, who traveled great distance to witness history in person.Not this one.Trump delivered his speech in front of a crowd estimated at only around 600 in the Capitol Rotunda, which was limited to members of Congress, Cabinet nominees, Trumps family, business leaders and political VIPs. In fact, a collection of tech titans, led by Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, were positioned in front of Cabinet members in some cases. And while the business leaders were allowed to bring their spouses, members of Congress were not. Thousands of his supporters watched a broadcast of the swearing-in at Capitol One Arena instead. Its noteworthy that four years ago, violent Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol Rotunda as members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence feared for their lives. Pence attended Monday, though his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, did not. ___Riccardi reported from Denver, and Barrow reported from Atlanta. BILL BARROW Bill Barrow covers U.S. politics. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Fighters from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, control the crowd as Red Cross vehicles manoeuvre to collect Israeli hostages to be released under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar)2025-01-20T16:46:40Z As a ceasefire brought calm to Gazas ruined cities, Hamas was quick to emerge from hiding.The militant group has not only survived 15 months of war with Israel among the deadliest and most destructive in recent memory but it remains firmly in control of the coastal territory that now resembles an apocalyptic wasteland. With a surge of humanitarian aid promised as part of the ceasefire deal, the Hamas-run government said Monday that it will coordinate distribution to the desperate people of Gaza.For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims. That could make a return to fighting more likely, but the results might be the same.There was an element of theater in Sundays handover of three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, when dozens of masked Hamas fighters wearing green headbands and military fatigues paraded in front of cameras and held back a crowd of hundreds who surrounded the vehicles. The scenes elsewhere in Gaza were even more remarkable: Thousands of Hamas-run police in uniform re-emerged, making their presence known even in the most heavily destroyed areas. The police have been here the whole time, but they were not wearing their uniforms to avoid being targeted by Israel, said Mohammed Abed, a father of three who returned to his home in Gaza City more than seven months after fleeing the area. They were among the displaced people in the tents. Thats why there were no thefts, he said.Other residents said the police had maintained offices in hospitals and other locations throughout the war, where people could report crimes. Israel has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the heavy civilian death toll and damage to infrastructure because the groups fighters and security forces embed themselves in residential neighborhoods, schools and hospitals. A deeply rooted movementOpinion polls consistently show that only a minority of Palestinians support Hamas. But the Islamic militant group which does not accept Israels existence is deeply rooted in Palestinian society, with an armed wing, a political party, media and charities that date back to its founding in the late 1980s.For decades, Hamas functioned as a well-organized insurgency, able to launch hit-and-run attacks on Israeli forces and suicide bombings in Israel itself. Many of its top leaders have been killed and quickly replaced. It won a landslide victory in 2006 parliamentary elections, and the following year it seized Gaza from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in a week of street battles.Hamas then established a fully-fledged government, with ministries, police and a civilian bureaucracy. Its security forces quickly brought Gazas powerful families into line and crushed rival armed groups. They also silenced dissent and violently dispersed occasional protests.Hamas remained in power through four previous wars with Israel. With help from Iran it steadily enhanced its capabilities, extended the range of its rockets and built deeper and longer tunnels to hide from Israeli airstrikes. By Oct. 7, 2023, it had an army of tens of thousands in organized battalions.In the surprise incursion that triggered the war, its fighters attacked southern Israel by air, land and sea, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hamas-led militants abducted 250 others. A war like no otherIn response, Israel launched an air and ground war that has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and has reduced entire neighborhoods to fields of rubble. Some 90% of Gazas population has been displaced, often multiple times.Nearly every day of the war, the Israeli military announced that it had killed dozens of fighters, or taken out a midlevel commander, or dismantled a tunnel complex or obliterated a weapons factory. Israeli forces killed Hamas top leader, Yahya Sinwar, and most of his lieutenants. But the exiled leadership is mostly intact and Mohammed Sinwar, his brother, has reportedly assumed a bigger role in Gaza. The military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters roughly half of Hamas estimated prewar ranks though it has not provided evidence. What Israel said were carefully targeted strikes frequently killed women and children and in some cases wiped out entire extended families. The military blamed civilian casualties on Hamas. But survivors of the bombardment, crammed into tents after their homes were flattened, were a pool of potential recruits.Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a prepared speech that Hamas had recruited nearly as many fighters as it lost during the war.Michael Milshtein, an Israeli expert on Palestinian affairs and former military intelligence officer, said Hamas no longer has the ability to launch an Oct. 7-style attack but has returned to its insurgent roots, using creative tactics like harvesting unexploded Israeli ordnance for homemade bombs. Hamas is a chameleon. It changed its colors according to the circumstances, he said.The war is ending with a strong perception of success for Hamas, he added. The enlistment capabilities will be crazy. They wont be able to handle it.Israel ensures there is no alternativePalestinian critics of Hamas have long said there is no military solution to the Mideast conflict, which predates the birth of the militant group by several decades. They argue that Palestinians would be more likely to break with Hamas if they had an alternative path to ending Israels decades-long occupation, which has further entrenched itself during the war.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is opposed to Palestinian statehood, has ensured they do not.He has rebuffed proposals from the United States and friendly Arab countries for a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern both Gaza and parts of the occupied West Bank ahead of eventual statehood. Instead, he has vowed to maintain open-ended security control over both territories.Avi Issacharoff, a veteran Israeli journalist and co-creator of the Netflix hit Fauda said Netanyahus refusal to plan for the day after was the biggest debacle of this war. Israel is waking up from a nightmare into the very same nightmare, he wrote in Israels Yediot Ahronot newspaper. Hamas is going to remain in power and will continue to build more tunnels and recruit more men, without the emergence of any local alternative.Netanyahu has threatened to resume the war after the first six-week phase of the ceasefire if Israels goals are not met, while Hamas has said it will not release dozens of remaining captives without a lasting truce and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.Theres no reason to think another military campaign would bring about a different result.In early October, Israeli forces sealed off the northern towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya, barring nearly all humanitarian aid, forcing thousands to flee and destroying nearly every structure in their path, including schools and shelters, according to witnesses who fled.The army had carried out major operations in all three places previously, only to see militants regroup. At least 15 Israeli soldiers have died in northern Gaza this month alone.When residents returned to Jabaliya on Sunday, they found a sprawling scene of devastation with only a few tilted shells of buildings in a sea of gray rubble.Dozens of Hamas police kept watch over their return.___Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war