This photo provided by Metro Nashville Police, emergency personnel gather outside Antioch High School after a shooting incident on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (Metro Nashville Police via AP)2025-01-22T18:21:55Z NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Authorities say one person is dead and two others have been wounded by gunfire at a Nashville high school. Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson John Howser says one person is dead after the shooting at Antioch High School on Wednesday. Howser says two others were taken to the hospital with injuries. The school has about 2,000 students and is located in a neighborhood of Nashville about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown. The shooter is believed to have shot two students before shooting themself, according to spolice spokesperson April Weatherly, who could not immediately say if the shooter was a student.School officials are asking parents not to go to the high school to pick up their children. They were asked to go to a nearby hospital instead. Students will be bused there as they are released from the school by police. The FBI in Nashville referred questions to the Metro Nashville Police Department, which is leading the investigation, spokesperson Elizabeth Clement-Webb said in an email. She said Nashville police had not asked for the FBIs help in the investigation as of early Wednesday afternoon.School shootings have been top of mind in Nashville. In March 2023, a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in the city, The Covenant School. KRISTIN M. HALL Hall is an Associated Press video journalist based in Nashville, Tennessee. She helps lead the video report in the Mid-South region.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches during warmups before an NFL football divisional playoff game against the Washington Commanders, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Mike Mulholland)2025-01-22T19:05:07Z The New York Jets and Aaron Glenn agreed to terms on making the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator their head coach on Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the hiring.Glenn, who oversaw the Lions defense the past four years, beat out 15 other candidates for the job as the Jets went through an extensive search to find their next coach.And they ended up choosing one of their former players a first-round draft pick in 1994 who now gets the chance to try to turn around the fortunes of the franchise 31 years later as its coach.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the hiring. ESPN first reported that Glenn agreed to coach the Jets.The 52-year-old, who turned Detroits defense into one of the best in the league, has been one of the most sought candidates during the NFLs past two hiring cycles. He interviewed with Washington, Atlanta, Tennessee and the Los Angeles Chargers last year, and he met with the Jets, Jacksonville, Las Vegas and Chicago this year. Glenn spoke with the Jets during a video call on Jan. 9 and then interviewed in person Tuesday. The Jets also interviewed Brian Flores, Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Mike Locksley, Josh McCown, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera, Darren Rizzi, Rex Ryan, Bobby Slowik, Arthur Smith, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Ulbrich, Mike Vrabel and Joe Whitt Jr. for the job. But only Glenn received a second interview. And New York didnt need to think twice about talking to anyone else again.The Jets also are going through a lengthy search for a general manager, and Washington assistant general manager Lance Newmark also was at the teams facility Tuesday.Newmark, one of 15 candidates to interview for the GM job, was the first to get a second meeting with the Jets like Glenn but hasnt agreed to a deal.Glenn and the new GM will be tasked with trying to revamp a franchise that has the NFLs longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons. Glenn played eight seasons with New York and was selected as one of the cornerbacks on the franchises All-Time Four Decade team in 2003.He later had stints with Houston, Dallas, Jacksonville and New Orleans and finished his career with 41 interceptions, including six returned for touchdowns, and made the Pro Bowl three times.After his 15-year playing career, Glenn had a stint as the general manager for the Houston Stallions of the Lone Star Football League in 2012 before coming back to the Jets as a personnel scout later that year. He served as Clevelands assistant defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2015 before being hired for the same position in New Orleans. After five seasons with the Saints, he was hired by the Lions as defensive coordinator in 2021.Joe Namath, the quarterback who led the Jets to their only Super Bowl victory, in 1969, was pleased with the hiring of Glenn.Im hoping all @nyjets fans are as thrilled as my family and I are that Aaron Glenn is our new Head Coach, Namath wrote on X shortly after the news broke. I wish the season would start next week!___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL DENNIS WASZAK JR. Waszak is an NFL writer for The Associated Press who has covered the New York Jets as the beat writer since 2006. He also is an editor on the APs national sports desk and has worked in AP Sports since 1996. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump signs an executive order as he attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-22T18:05:42Z President Donald Trump started his second administration with a blitz of policy actions to reorient the U.S. government.His executive orders cover issues that range from trade, immigration and U.S. foreign aid to demographic diversity, civil rights and the hiring of federal workers. Some have an immediate policy impact. Others are more symbolic. And some already are being challenged by federal lawsuits.In total, the Republican presidents sweeping actions reflect many of his campaign promises and determination to concentrate executive branch power in the West Wing, while moving the country sharply rightward.Here is a comprehensive look at Trumps directives so far in his first three days: President Donald Trump talks about the Endurance all-electric pickup truck, made in Lordstown, Ohio, at the White House, Sept. 28, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) President Donald Trump talks about the Endurance all-electric pickup truck, made in Lordstown, Ohio, at the White House, Sept. 28, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More President Donald Trump signs an executive order as he attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump signs an executive order as he attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Immigration and U.S. borders Designate an invasion across the southern border of the United States, a move that triggers certain executive branch powers so, Trump says, his Cabinet shall take appropriate action to repel, repatriate or remove any alien engaged in the invasion. Allow U.S. military service members to act as immigration and border enforcement officers as part of Trumps promised mass deportation program. Trumps order covers the Ready Reserve and National Guard, military property that could be used as detention space, ground and air transport vehicles and other logistics services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 has historically limited use of military personnel in domestic law enforcement actions. Trumps orders frame migrant flow as a national security threat, which he reasons justifies his military orders as commander in chief. Stop refugee arrivals and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admission Program effective Jan. 27, 2025, pending a 90-day review and recommendations from Homeland Security, the State Department and others. Dogs are near a border wall separating Mexico from the United States Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Dogs are near a border wall separating Mexico from the United States Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. A Trump order asserts that a child born in the U.S. is not a citizen if 1) the mother does not have legal immigration status or is in the country legally but only temporarily and 2) the father is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The order forbids U.S. agencies from issuing any document recognizing such a child as a citizen or accept any state document recognizing citizenship. This order is already being challenged in federal court. Prioritize continued construction of a wall and other barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Direct the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to create Homeland Security Task Forces in all 50 states, comprising of state and local law enforcement charged with ending the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. Give the Homeland Security secretary wide latitude to establish agreements with individual state and local law enforcement agencies, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that empower those non-federal officials to act as federal immigration officers. Require collection of DNA samples and fingerprints from immigration detainees under a 2005 federal law. Forbid so-called catch-and-release which allows some migrants to remain in the U.S. while awaiting their immigration court proceedings in favor of detention and deportation of anyone in the U.S. illegally. Direct Homeland Security to immediately devote resources and secure contractors to construct, operate, control, or use facilities to detain removable aliens. End so-called parole programs (often referred to as family reunification) that allow family members of certain citizens and permanent-resident immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come to the U.S. while their visa applications are still pending. Require a review of all cases for all immigrants now in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, with the stated intent of ensuring ... that such designations are appropriately limited in scope and last the minimum amount of time necessary to fulfill the textual requirement of federal law. Revert to vetting and screening standards used during Trumps first term for any person seeking a visa or immigration benefit of any kind and apply the standard visa vetting procedures to any refugee or stateless individual seeking admission. Repeal a Biden order requiring planning for the effects of climate change on world migration patterns. Direct the secretary of state and U.S. diplomats effectively to threaten sanctions against any nation seen as reluctant to accept and facilitate the return of its citizens the U.S. deports. Direct the State Department, Homeland Security and others to review and recommend changes to vetting for visas and produce a report to the president within 60 days. The order calls for identifying countries for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension of admission to the U.S. for their citizens. Direct the attorney general and others to deny federal money to so-called sanctuary cities the administration sees as interfering with federal immigration enforcement, with the caveat that the Trump administration pursues action to the maximum extent possible under the law. Pause distribution of federal money to non-governmental organizations supporting or providing services, either directly or indirectly, to removable or illegal aliens pending reviews and audits to identify any operations that may promote or facilitate violations of our immigration laws. Designate international cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists under existing federal law. The order triggers the Alien Enemies Act to combat cartels and their members. Require, within 30 days, the attorney general, secretary of state and others to evaluate the adequacy of programs designed to ensure the proper assimilation of lawful immigrants into the United States, and recommend any additional measures ... that promote a unified American identity.International trade, business and the economy Broadly direct all executive agencies to tailor their policies to reduce consumer prices. Trump wants a progress report from a top White House economic adviser every 30 days. Direct the treasury and commerce secretaries, U.S trade representative and others to examine causes of U.S. trade deficits, identify unfair trade practices and make recommendations, potentially including a global supplemental tariff. Begin review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Trumps first-administration rewrite of NAFTA, with an eye to a renegotiation in 2026 or sooner. Trump said he plans 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods as of Feb. 1, but he has not signed such executive actions so far. Begin establishment of an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs, duties and other foreign trade-related revenues. Paraphernalia supporting President Donald Trump is displayed at a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Paraphernalia supporting President Donald Trump is displayed at a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Begin review of U.S. trade dealings with China to consider new or increased tariffs. As a candidate, Trump threatened Chinese tariffs as high as 60%. Order review of fentanyl flows into the U.S., specifically from Canada, Mexico and China, and make recommendations, including potential tariffs and sanctions. Direct the commerce and trade secretaries and the U.S. trade representative to consolidate multiple reviews and assessments. Trump ordered consolidated reports by April 1. Suspend U.S. participation in the Global Tax Deal, an international agreement intended to set a minimum corporate tax globally to prevent multinational corporations from avoiding taxation altogether. Pause the U.S. ban on TikTok for 75 days, specifically barring the attorney general from enforcing the law Congress passed in 2024 to allow the new administration to assess national security concerns and seek a potential American buyer for the popular digital platform. Bar U.S. government officials from pushing social media companies to combat misinformation and disinformation. Trumps order states that such previous efforts infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens and advanced the Governments preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.Climate, energy and the environment Withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, which committed nations to pursue policies limiting carbon emissions that cause climate change. The order blocks transfer of U.S. funds previously obligated to the International Climate Finance Plan. Declare a national energy emergency. This is both a symbolic measure reflecting Trumps promise of energy expansion but also specifically urges federal use of eminent domain and the Defense Production Act, measures that allow the government to commandeer private land and resources to produce goods deemed to be a national necessity. Compel the Army Corps of Engineers to use to the fullest extent possible its emergency permitting provisions to speed energy projects and urge all agencies to use similar emergency procedures that expedite or bypass permitting processes under the Endangered Species Act or other federal laws that protect wildlife. Eliminate Biden policies intended to encourage electrical vehicle development and purchases part of Trumps effort to limit non-fossil fuel energy sectors. Require all agencies within 30 days to submit to the White House Office of Management and Budget their plans to eliminate regulations and rules deemed burdensome to domestic energy production and consumption, with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy. Repeal multiple Biden orders and memoranda regarding climate change, including guidelines for implementing climate-related provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; an effort to assess financial risks of not combating climate change; and establishment of a Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Streamline other fossil fuel extraction in Alaska with a command to rescind, revoke, revise, amend, defer or grant exemptions from any and all regulatory actions relevant in the state. Specifically, Trump is restoring any suspended fossil fuel leases within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Deny a pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service request to create an indigenous sacred site within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Restore first Trump administration rules on hunting and trapping in national preserves in Alaska. Order the Interior Department to align federal rules on hunting and fishing in Alaska with rules for state-government lands. Roll back other Biden era limits or regulations on fossil fuel extraction on federal lands. Make the Offshore Continental Shelf ineligible for wind energy leases another limitation on non-fossil fuel development. Reengage a legal and regulatory battle with California state government over water routes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Trump wants to override fish and wildlife protection efforts to route more of the water to the Central Valley and Southern California.Diversity, transgender rights and civil rights Give executive branch departments and agencies 60 days to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, including all chief diversity officer jobs, equity action plans and environmental justice positions. Require departments and agencies to give the White House Office of Management and Budget an accounting of previous DEI efforts, including names of relevant DEI contractors and DEI grant recipients. A separate OMB memo effectively put all federal DEI officers on immediate leave pending their elimination. Repeal several Biden-era directives on racial and ethnic equity and LGBTQ rights. They included orders intending to ensure equitable distribution of federal money based on the 2020 census; preventing government discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation and specifically encouraging inclusion in school settings; White House educational initiatives for Native Americans, Hispanics and Black Americans; and an order expressly allowing transgender persons to serve in the military. Kansas high school students, family members and advocates rally for transgender rights, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File) Kansas high school students, family members and advocates rally for transgender rights, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Require that the U.S. government recognize two genders only male and female on passports, visas, Global Entry cards and all other forms and documents, and in all programs and communications. Mandate that all federal civil rights law and labor law be interpreted and enforced with the understanding that sex is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of gender identity. Dissolve the White House Gender Policy Council and repeal Department of Education guidelines on Title IX concerning transgender rights and various documents advising schools on how to support and protect LGBTQ persons. Forbid federal money, including grants, from being used to promote gender ideology and direct the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to ensure that males are not detained in womens prisons or housed in womens detention centers.Federal workers and government structure Establish the Department of Government Efficiency under the Executive Office of the President until July 4, 2026. This is the entity led by Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, and is charged with recommending cuts in federal programs and spending. Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Require each agency head to establish their own DOGE team of at least four people to work with Musks operation. Freeze federal hiring, with exceptions notably immigration and border enforcement posts and U.S. military jobs, plus a generic exception for to maintain essential services. The directive also does not apply to top presidential political appointees. The action bars contracting with outside labor to circumvent the hiring freeze. Block new federal rules and regulations in all agencies where Trumps appointed agency chief is not yet on the job to approve new edicts. The White House Office of Budget and Management can override the ban in emergency situations. Require all federal workers to return full-time to in-person work. Direct reviews across the Executive Branch of career senior executive service officials and effectively make it easier to fire, demote or reassign those federal employees generally the highest-ranking civil service employees whose jobs historically have been protected through administration changes. Because SES officials wield significant government authority, they must serve at the pleasure of the president, Trumps memoranda states. Make it easier to fire federal workers by reinstituting an executive order from the first Trump administration, which was later repealed under Biden. The latest Trump policy adds provisions that state that federal employees and applicants are not required to personally or politically support the current president but must faithfully implement administration policies, understanding that failure to do so is grounds for dismissal. Require a Federal Hiring Plan within 120 days to set new standards for hiring federal workers. The order prioritizes recruitment of individuals ... passionate about the ideals of our American republic and preventing the hiring of individuals based on their race, sex or religion, while also blocking those who are unwilling to defend the Constitution or to faithfully serve in the Executive Branch. Formally nominate Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officers and name many acting Cabinet officers, agency chiefs and commission chairs as Trump nominees await Senate confirmation.Health care Repeal Biden directives intended to make it easier to enroll in Medicaid services, secure insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act and lower prescription drug costs. The Trump action, however, does not actually repeal the Biden-era $35 monthly cap on insulin, Medicares $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs or Medicares ability to negotiate drug pricing. Those policies remain enforced by federal statutes passed by Congress. Repeal multiple Biden orders and directives on COVID-19. A Medicare card is seen on Monday, June 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) A Medicare card is seen on Monday, June 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization, direct the White House Office of Management and Budget to stop future transfers of U.S. money to WHO and order the secretary of state to end negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. Order the secretary of state and OMB director to identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to replace the U.S. relationship with WHO. Foreign policy, national security and America First Cancel Biden-era sanctions on far-right Israeli groups and individuals accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Bidens order had frozen U.S. assets and barred Americans from dealing with Israelis covered by his order. Direct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to issue guidance to put all State Department politics, programs, personnel and operations in line with an America First foreign policy, which puts America and its interests first. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to State Department staff while next to his family including wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, at left, at the State Department, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to State Department staff while next to his family including wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, at left, at the State Department, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Define the membership and establish operating procedures for the National Security Council. Pause all U.S. foreign development aid pending reviews of efficiencies and consistency with administration aims, to be conducted within 90 days by relevant agency heads under guidelines from Rubio the White House Office of Management and Budget. Rubio can lift the freeze for any program. Immediately grant six-month security clearances to certain administration officials whose background checks are pending. The White House counsel determines which aides get the temporary clearance.Nationalism Restore the name of Mount McKinley in Alaska. The change for North Americas tallest peak recognizes William McKinley, the 25th U.S. president, whom Trump has praised for economic leadership and expanding U.S. territory through the Spanish-American War. President Barack Obama had in 2015 renamed the mountain Denali what native tribes called it historically. Trumps order did not change the name of the surrounding Denali National Park and Reserve. People stand at the Eielson Visitor Center with a view of North Americas tallest peak, Denali, in the background, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, file) People stand at the Eielson Visitor Center with a view of North Americas tallest peak, Denali, in the background, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, file) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Require Trumps personal approval of new architectural and design standards for federal buildings so the president can ensure federal structures respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States. Order that U.S. flags always be flown at full-staff on Inauguration Day. The immediate effect was to countermand Bidens traditional 30-day order lowering flags as a mourning tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, 2024. Trumps order returned flags on federal installations to half-staff on Jan. 21, through the end of the Carter mourning period.Death penalty and crime Direct the attorney general to explore whether 37 federal prisoners who had death sentences commuted to life imprisonment by Biden can be charged and tried with capital crimes in state courts. Direct the attorney general to take all necessary and lawful action to supply states with adequate drugs to carry out lethal injection. Direct the attorney general to seek reversals of U.S. Supreme Court precedents that limit application of the death penalty in state and federal jurisdictions. In a symbolic gesture, direct the attorney general to encourage state attorneys general and district attorneys to pursue the death penalty in all possible cases.The Capitol riot and 2020 campaign redux Commute the sentences and grant full pardons to hundreds of individuals convicted or still being prosecuted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol as Congress convened to certify Bidens victory over Trump in the 2020 election. President Donald Trump supporter Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes convicted on charges relating to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, talks to reporters outside the DC Central Detention Facility, after being released from a jail in Maryland, in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) President Donald Trump supporter Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes convicted on charges relating to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, talks to reporters outside the DC Central Detention Facility, after being released from a jail in Maryland, in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Order the attorney general and others to review all agencies investigative and enforcement actions during Bidens tenure to identify what Trump describes as weaponization of the federal government against his supporters. The directive identifies the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the intelligence community. It requires a report to the president on the findings, with recommended remedial actions. Direct the attorney general to investigate U.S. government dealings with social media platforms during Bidens tenure and make recommendations for appropriate remedial actions in response to what Trump frames as censorship efforts. Revoke the security clearances of 50 people Trump accuses of aiding Bidens 2020 campaign via their collective public statement about a laptop that belonged to Bidens son, Hunter Biden. The list includes former top intelligence officials James Clapper, Michael Hayden and Leon Panetta, along with Trumps onetime National Security Adviser John Bolton. Direct the director of national intelligence and CIA director to submit a report within 90 days with recommendations for additional disciplinary action and how to prevent the Intelligence Community or anyone who works for or within it from inappropriately influencing domestic elections. BILL BARROW Bill Barrow covers U.S. politics. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

National security adviser John Bolton, left, listens to President Donald Trump, far right, speak during a working lunch with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump' s private Mar-a-Lago club, April 18, 2018 in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)2025-01-22T18:10:20Z WASHINGTON (AP) Its not just criminal prosecutions that worry those who have crossed President Donald Trump. There are more prosaic kinds of retaliation: having difficulty renewing passports, getting audited by the IRS and losing federal pensions.For the many people who have made an enemy of Trump, his return to the presidency this week sparked anxiety. Some are concerned they could go bankrupt trying to clear their names.Less than 24 hours after taking office, Trump fired an opening shot, ordering the revocation of security clearances held by dozens of former intelligence officers who he believes sided with Joe Biden in the 2020 campaign or have turned against him. The loss of such clearances can be costly for former officials who work for defense contractors and require ongoing access to classified information to do their private sector jobs. Anybody who ever disagrees with Trump has to worry about retribution, said John Bolton, who served as Trumps national security adviser and has become a vocal critic of the president. Its a pretty long list. I think there are a lot of people who are very worried. Bolton was among a half dozen former officials who spoke to The Associated Press about their rising apprehensions about Trumps potential for vengeance. In the hours before Trump took the oath of office on Monday, the officials noted, outgoing President Biden took the extraordinary step of issuing preemptive pardons for frequent Trump targets such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and lawmakers and staff who served on the congressional panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.Biden also pardoned members of his family, saying baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. The risk of being on Kash Patels listMany of the former officials were listed in an index of deep state operatives in a book by Kash Patel, Trumps nominee to be FBI director. Patel has promised to launch a campaign against what he calls government gangsters.Most of those interviewed spoke about their fears on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to draw more attention to themselves. They are concerned about being on the receiving end of a presidential social media post or being targeted in an online harassment campaign.They are also worried about being criminally investigated and prosecuted for actions they took as government employees, though few expressed genuine concern about being convicted. All said they were more concerned about having to incur steep legal bills from criminal probes, congressional investigations or defamation suits.Trump has long been interested in revengeRevenge played a central role in many of Trumps remarks after he left the presidency in 2021. He said at a 2023 rally, For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.In his inaugural address Monday, Trump said his proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier, and he signed an executive order aimed ending at what he called the weaponization of the federal government under Biden. He alleged that the previous administration took actions oriented more toward inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice or legitimate governmental objectives. But hours after being sworn in, he issued executive orders aimed at settling scores, including the one stripping clearances from 50 former intelligence officers. He also rescinded Secret Service protection for Bolton, whose life has been threatened by Iran.A White House spokeswoman did not return a request for comment.In ways big and small, the federal government has tremendous power. Its the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world. It can audit, investigate, prosecute and cajole. It controls everything from TV broadcast licenses to passport renewals. It has the power to both add citizens to a no-fly list or to smooth their way through passport control and TSA security checkpoints.While most of the functions of the federal government have been depoliticized for more than a century, there are many ways a president bent on revenge could upend the lives of private citizens.If you have the control of the executive branch and you dont care very much about whether youre following the rules or following the law, theres a lot you could do thats quite hard to stop, said Barton Gellman, a senior adviser at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. Simulation examined punishing political foesGellman helped run a series of simulations last year aimed at testing the U.S. response to an authoritarian presidency. The aim was to see how institutions both public and private would react to a president giving unlawful or unethical orders.The bipartisan group assembled for the simulation included several former governors and cabinet officials, retired military personnel, ex-members of Congress and many prominent leaders in civil society. Participants played the role of institutions such as the Justice Department, the military and the majority and minority parties in Congress, as well as universities and the press. Some of the scenarios involved a president using the power of the government to punish political foes. What they found was that the institutions of government would ultimately bend to a presidents wishes. Gellman believes the only check might be that the American people might not stand for it.Public opinion might actually be one of the major constraints on Trump. I dont think a majority of Americans wants to see him abusing his legal powers to try to harm his political enemies. If a pattern like that emerges, I dont think it will be popular, Gellman said.A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 73% of Americans oppose the idea of Trump trying to prosecute his adversaries, including 49% of Americans who consider themselves strongly opposed.Attorneys gear up to helpAttorneys and civil society groups are raising money and organizing on behalf of current and former federal employees who might be in the crosshairs. Norm Eisen, a veteran lawyer and former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, said hes advising individuals who have been targeted by Trump with his colleagues at State Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit watchdog group.Mark Zaid, a Washington attorney who represents several of the people whose security clearances were revoked this week, has been organizing an effort to help those who might be targeted. That includes lining up attorneys, accountants and even mental health professionals who could offer services for free.Theres not a lot we can do in advance, Zaid said, other than just be prepared for when or if he acts.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2025-01-22T16:53:56Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps national security adviser is sidelining roughly 160 career government employees on temporary duty at the White House National Security Council, telling them to work from home for the time-being as the administration reviews staffing for the White House arm that provides national security and foreign policy advice to the president, Trump administration officials told The Associated PressThe career employees, commonly referred to as detailees, were summoned on Wednesday to an all-staff meeting in which were to be told that theyll be expected to be available to the NSCs senior directors but would not need to report to the White House, the officials said. Trumps national security adviser Mike Waltz had signaled before Inauguration Day that he would look to move holdover civil servants that served in the NSC during President Joe Bidens administration back to their home agencies. The move is meant to ensure the council is staffed by those who support Trumps agenda. By the end of the review, Waltz will look to have a more efficient, flatter NSC, one official said. Officials said that they have already begun bringing detailees from agencies with expertise that the new administration values, including some who had served during the first Trump administration.Some directors have already made decisions to inform detailiees they will be sent back to the federal agencies they were on loan from. For example, multiple holdover detailees assigned to counterterrorism directorate were told on Tuesday that their assignment was being cut short and that they will be sent back to their home agencies, according to two people familiar with the move who were not not authorized to comment publicly. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz promised and authorized a full review of NSC personnel, White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement. It is entirely appropriate for Mr. Waltz to ensure NSC personnel are committed to implementing President Trumps America First agenda to protect our national security and wisely use the tax dollars of Americas working men and women. Since 12:01 pm on Monday personnel reviews and decisions based on the evaluations are being made.The dozens of NSC staff members affected by the decision are largely subject matter experts who had been loaned to the White House by federal agencies such as the State Department, the FBI and the CIA for temporary duty that typically lasts one to two years. ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto AAMER MADHANI Aamer Madhani is a White House reporter. twitter mailto

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)2025-01-22T09:32:51Z KARTALKAYA, Turkey (AP) As flames tore through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey, friends Esra Karakisa and Halime Cetin stood helpless, paralyzed by the horror unfolding before them: people leaning out of smoke-filled rooms pleading for help and others making the harrowing decision to leap out.The fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalya, in the Koroglu mountains in Bolu province, on Tuesday left at least 76 people dead and 51 injured. It came near the start of a two-week winter break for schools when hotels in the region are filled to capacity.There was no one around. They were calling for firefighters. They were breaking the windows. Some could no longer stand the smoke and flames, and they jumped, Cetin, an employee at a hotel adjacent to the Grand Kartal, told The Associated Press. Her colleague, Karakisa said: It was awful. We were terrified. People were screaming. The cries of children especially affected us. We wanted to help but there was nothing we could do. I couldnt look it was so terrifying. Authorities have assigned six prosecutors to investigate the cause of the fire, which appeared to have started at the restaurant section on the fourth floor of of the wooden-clad hotel and spread quickly through to the upper floors. At least nine people have been detained for questioning, including the hotel owner. Flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic missions abroad were lowered to half-staff as the nation shocked by the disaster observed a day of mourning for the victims.Only 45 of the 76 bodies have been identified so far, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said late Tuesday. One of the injured was in serious condition, while 29 others were treated and released, the Health Ministry said.The hotel had 238 registered guests, according to Yerlikaya. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began to respond at 4:15 a.m., he told reporters. Officials and witnesses said the rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff.According to Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024, and no negative situation regarding fire competence was reported by the fire department.Karakisa said she eventually brought clothes and water for the survivors while others rushed to bring mattresses for people to jump onto or propped up ladders against the wall to help them escape.Among those who placed mattresses was Baris Salgur, a cleaner in a nearby hotel.They were saying, Please help, were burning! They were saying, Call the fire department, we were trying to calm them down, but there was nothing we could do, we couldnt get in either, Salgur, 19, said. " It was very high, we couldnt extend a rope or anything of course. We were trying to do the best we could.People jumped from a great height, I couldnt look. There were two women at the top floor. The flames had literally entered the room. They couldnt stand it and jumped, he said. Salgur described seeing a man on the top floors holding a baby and shouting for a mattress he could throw his baby on. We told him to be a little calmer. He waited, then the fire department came and took them (out), but unfortunately the baby had died from smoke inhalation, he said.___Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed to this report.

In this June 1, 2012 file photo, El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes stands in the National Assembly in San Salvador, El Salvador. Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes, who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences, died late Tuesday. He was 65. (AP Photo/Luis Romero, File)2025-01-22T12:22:19Z SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes, who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences, died late Tuesday. He was 65.Nicaraguas Health Ministry said in a statement that Funes had died of a serious chronic illness.Funes governed El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. He lived his final nine years under the protection of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega, whose government had given him citizenship, allowing him to avoid extradition.The former president had pending sentences in El Salvador for corruption and making deals with the countrys powerful street gangs that amounted to more than 26 years, but he never set foot in prison.The journalist-turned-politician came to power with the Farabundo Mart National Liberation Front, the leftist party born of El Salvadors civil war and a powerful national political force for three decades that was left with no seats in the Congress after last years election. On Wednesday, his party said in a statement that Mauricio Funes as an investigative journalist and incisive generator of pulic opinion, as well as in his time as president of the republic, enjoyed broad acceptance and support from the Salvadoran people and the international community. Current Labor Minister Rolando Castro said via X that Funes skills and contributions to the country as a journalist are undeniable, just as are his mistakes in public office. Funes was born in San Salvador on Oct. 18, 1959. He worked as a teacher in Catholic schools, but later made his name as a war reporter and hosted a highly popular interview show that took on controversial topics. He interviewed multiple heads of state, worked at two television stations and was a correspondent for CNN from 1991 to 2007, winning multiple awards.Then the FMLN came calling, offering to make him their candidate and he won the 2009 elections, defeating Rodrigo vila of the conservative National Republican Alliance, better known as Arena, that had governed the country since 1989. Funes was a fresh face, not someone directly involved in the civil war as the party tried to remake itself with a less bellicose image.At the time, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chvez praised Funes as tenacious and someone who wouldnt shy away from El Salvadors problems.But by the time he left office, Funes was hounded by accusations of corruption. In 2016, he fled to Nicaragua. He always denied the accusations and said his troubles were all part of political persecution.But he was tried in absentia six times and convicted in each one.For one, Funes was sentenced in May 2023 to 14 years in prison for negotiating a truce with the gangs to lower the homicide rate during his administration in exchange for giving imprisoned gang leaders perks.His last sentence came just last year in June. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for receiving an airplane as a kickback for awarding a construction contract for a bridge project. He was also being prosecuted for allegedly diverting some $351 million in government funds. A number of former officials in his administration, as well as his ex-wife Vanda Pignato, his children and various former partners have also been prosecuted for corruption. His former security minister, David Mungua Pays, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in negotiating the gang truce.Despite Funes troubled presidency, the FMLN won again with President Salvador Snchez Cern who governed from 2014 to 2019. Snchez Cren had been one of the five guerrilla commanders in the civil war.In recent years, Funes and current El Salvador President Nayib Bukele frequently sparred on social platforms, trading insults. Bukele pushed prosecutions of the former president, especially for his negotiations with the gangs.Bukele himself had been accused of negotiating with gang leaders, but vehemently denied that and later crushed the gangs in a yearslong all-out offensive.

A national guardsman patrols along a stretch of boarder wall, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Brownsville, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)2025-01-22T12:01:15Z WASHINGTON (AP) Many U.S. adults are on board with the idea of beefing up security at the southern border and undertaking some targeted deportations, according to a new poll. But as President Donald Trump begins his second term with a series of sweeping executive orders on immigration, the findings suggest his actions may quickly push the country beyond the limited consensus that exists on the issue.There is a clear desire for some kind of action on U.S.-Mexico border security, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Half of U.S. adults think increasing security at the border should be a high priority for the federal government, according to the poll, and about 3 in 10 say it should be a moderate priority. Just 2 in 10, roughly, consider it a low priority. The vast majority of U.S. adults favor deporting immigrants convicted of violent crimes, and the Trump administrations deportation efforts may begin there. But Trumps initial executive orders have gone far beyond that including efforts to keep asylum-seekers in Mexico and end automatic citizenship. And Trump, a Republican, is continuing to signal an aggressive and likely divisive approach, with promises to deport millions of people who entered the country illegally while declaring a national emergency at our southern border. About 4 in 10 American adults support deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, and a similar share are opposed. Most Americans think local police should cooperate with federal immigration authorities on deportations in at least some cases, but implementation could quickly become unpopular. On Tuesday, the Trump administration threw out policies limiting arrests of migrants in sensitive places like schools and churches, even though a shift to such arrests would be largely unpopular. Some support for more immigration enforcement Immigration was a key issue in the 2024 election, and the poll indicates that its still a high priority for many Americans as Trump takes office.Illegal border crossings soared under Trumps predecessor, President Joe Biden, with border arrests from Mexico reaching a record-high of 250,000 in December 2023. Despite Trumps claims of an immigrant invasion, crossings have plunged since then, amid increased Mexican enforcement and the Democratic Biden administrations June 2024 order that dramatically limited asylum claims at the border. But memories of those rising numbers, and the chaos that ensued when migrants were bused by Republican governors to northern cities, may have helped shape American attitudes. The survey found that about half of Americans think the government is spending too little on border security, and the vast majority favor deportations of people who have been convicted of violent crimes. I want to see more people coming here legally, said Manuel Morales, a 60-year-old Democrat who lives near Moline, Illinois. He first came to America by crossing the border illegally from Mexico nearly 40 years ago. But at the same time, Im against all these caravans coming (to the border), with thousands and thousands of people at one time, said Morales, a technician for an internet provider. Hes deeply sympathetic to migrants who come to the U.S. to escape repression or poverty and feels that too many Americans dont understand the yearslong efforts required to enter the U.S. legally. Yet, he also believes the number of migrants has simply become too great in the past few years.We cannot just receive everybody into this county, he said.Trumps most sweeping plans are less popularTrump rarely gives specifics when he calls for mass deportations, but the survey indicates many Americans are conflicted about mass roundups of people living in the U.S. illegally.Removing immigrants who are in the country illegally and have not committed a violent crime is highly divisive, with only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults in support and slightly more than 4 in 10 opposed. And relatively few Americans, about 3 in 10, somewhat or strongly favor changing the Constitution so children born in the U.S. are not automatically granted citizenship if their parents are in the country illegally. About 2 in 10 are neutral, and about half are somewhat or strongly opposed. Doug DeVore is a 57-year-old Republican living in southern Indiana who believes that immigration went haywire during the Biden administration.But the idea of large-scale operations to check peoples immigration status makes him uncomfortable.I probably wouldnt be 100% against it, he said. But theres that fine line between gathering information on people living in the U.S. illegally and automatically deporting them, added DeVore, who works in a candy factory. Local cooperation with immigration authorities is popular but not arrests in schools or churchesAs the Trump administration prepares to attack sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, the poll finds that the vast majority of U.S. adults think police in their community should cooperate with federal immigration authorities to deport people who are in the country illegally in at least some cases. Only about 1 in 10 Americans say the local police should never cooperate with federal law enforcement on these deportations.Theres a divide, though, on whether cooperation should happen across the board or if it should happen only sometimes. About two-thirds of Republicans say local police should always cooperate, a view that only about one-quarter of Democrats share. But relatively few Democrats say local police should never cooperate and most, about two-thirds, say cooperation should happen in some cases.And a wave of arrests could quickly spark a backlash, depending on how they happen. U.S. immigration agents have long abided by guidance that deters arresting parents or students at schools and other sensitive places, but some of Trumps rhetoric has raised questions about whether those policies will persist.The poll finds that a shift toward arresting people in the country illegally at places like churches and schools would be highly unpopular. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults somewhat or strongly favor arresting children who are in the country illegally while they are at school, and a similar share support arresting people who are in the country illegally while they are at church. Solid majorities, about 6 in 10, oppose these kinds of arrests.Even Republicans arent fully on board less than half favor arrests of children in schools or people at church.___Sullivan reported from Minneapolis.___The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Thomson-DeVeaux is the APs editor for polling and surveys. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)2025-01-22T10:37:27Z ISLAMABAD (AP) Afghans who fled after the Taliban seized power appealed Wednesday to U.S. President Donald Trump to exempt them from an order suspending the relocation of refugees to the United States, some saying they risked their lives to support U.S. troops.An estimated 15,000 Afghans are waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in the U.S. via an American government program. It was set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the U.S. government, media, aid agencies and rights groups, after U.S. troops pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, when the Taliban took power.But in his first days in office, Trumps administration announced the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program would be suspended from Jan. 27 for at least three months. During that period, the White House said the secretary of homeland security in consultation with the secretary of state will submit a report to the president on whether the resumption of the program is in the U.S. interest. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, where authorities have urged the world community to decide the fate of the 1.45 million Afghan refugees, saying they cannot stay indefinitely. Many of us risked our lives to support the U.S. mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders, and allies, an advocacy group called Afghan USRAP Refugees named after the U.S. refugee program said in an open letter to Trump, members of Congress and human rights defenders.The Taliban regards us as traitors, and returning to Afghanistan would expose us to arrest, torture, or death, the group said. In Pakistan, the situation is increasingly untenable. Arbitrary arrests, deportations, and insecurity compound our distress. Women fled abroad after Taliban closed schools Hadisa Bibi, a former student in Kabul who fled to neighboring Pakistan last month, said she read in newspapers that Trump suspended the refugee program.Prior to restrictions on womens education in Afghanistan, I was a university student, she said. Given the risks I face as a womens rights advocate, I was hoping for a swift resettlement to the United States. This would not only allow me to continue my higher education but also offer a safer and brighter future.She said she witnessed several Afghans arrested by Pakistani police, which left her in fear, confined to my room like a prisoner.Mahnoosh Monir said she was a medical student in Afghanistan when her education was cruelly suspended by the Taliban. Before fleeing to Pakistan, she worked as a teacher at a language center but it also was shut by the Taliban.Afghanistan is no longer a place for any girl or woman to survive, she said, adding she was disappointed by Trumps move.I didnt expect this suspension to happen. A long span of waiting makes us think of very disappointing probabilities like being sent back to Afghanistan or waiting for a long time in Pakistan as a refugee at risk, which are like nightmares to all of case holders, she said.The Taliban have deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, according to the United Nations. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans female secondary and higher education.Both Bibi and Monir applied for relocation and are still waiting. Over time, the visa process for Afghans who demonstrate they are at risk of persecution had become protracted. Some are traumatized by the suspension of the US refugee program Another Afghan woman, Farzana Umeed, and a man, Sarfraz Ahmed, said in an interview on the outskirts of Islamabad that they are traumatized over the suspension of the program.I virtually wept last night when we heard this news, Umeed said. She said it is difficult for her to live in Pakistan, and she cannot travel to America either. Returning to my home country also means taking a huge risk. What should I do, she asked, and urged Trump to reverse his decision. Those in exile in Pakistan include Afghan journalists who were forced to flee the Taliban to save their lives, and now face extreme anxiety under the recurring threat of arbitrary arrest, police harassment and deportation to Afghanistan, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday. The media watchdog urged Pakistan to ensure the protection of the journalists, who say their visa is extended only for a month for a $100 fee.According to the Afghan USRAP Refugees group, flights to the U.S. for many Afghans had been scheduled for January, February and March after they were interviewed by the International Organization for Migration and U.S. Embassy officials. We seek the reversal of the ban on the refugee program on humanitarian ground, said Ahmad Shah, a member of the group, who was hoping to leave Pakistan for the United States in March after undergoing all interviews and medical tests.In addition to Pakistan, more than 3,200 Afghans are staying in Albania. A NATO member, Albania first agreed to house fleeing Afghans for one year before they move for final settlement in the United States, then pledged to keep them longer if their visas are delayed.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-22T14:25:14Z Hours after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing former President Joe Bidens guardrails for the fast-developing technology.But what comes next from Trump and how it will diverge from how his predecessor sought to safeguard AI technology remains unclear. The new administration didnt respond to requests for comment about the repealed Biden policy and even some of Trumps most enthusiastic tech industry supporters arent so sure.I think that the previous order had a lot in it, said Alexandr Wang, the CEO of AI company Scale, describing Bidens 2023 executive order on AI as overly lengthy but declining to name what about it was harmful. Its hard to comment on each individual piece of it. Theres certainly some parts of it that we strongly agree with. Wang, who traveled to Washington to attend Trumps inaugural festivities, is also optimistic that better things are yet to come. He and other Silicon Valley leaders who previously worked with the Biden administration have embraced Trump and hope to guide his approach toward one with fewer restrictions.In its early days, Trumps team has already set the tone for a very productive administration with a lot of deep collaboration between industry and government, Wang said. Not much left to repeal?Much of Bidens order set in motion a sprint across government agencies to studys AI impact on everything from cybersecurity risks to its effects on education, workplaces and public benefits. That work is done.The reports have been written and the recommendations generated, and theyre available for everyone to build on, said Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO of the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology. The executive orders work is completed, whether or not its rescinded.Those reports are helping to inform the private sector as well as federal agencies and state governments, she said. Not only that, but much of the standard-setting established by Bidens order followed the path of earlier AI executive orders signed by Trump in his first term that carried over into the Biden administration.If you look past the kind of political positioning on this, the Biden executive order built upon themes that were established in the first Trump administration and have been reiterated by bipartisan voices in Congress, she said. Regulating powerful AIOne key provision of Bidens AI order that was still in effect until Monday was a requirement that tech companies building the most powerful AI models share details with the government about the workings of those systems before they are unleashed to the public. In many ways, 2023 was a different time in the AI discourse. ChatGPT was a novelty and Elon Musk long before he became a close adviser to Trump had called for a moratorium on advanced AI development. Bidens own worries were amplified after watching the Tom Cruise film Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One in which the world is threatened by a sentient and rogue machine, according to his then-deputy chief of staff. The executive order followed public commitments to the Biden administration from tech companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI welcoming third-party oversight.But the order went further in invoking the Defense Production Act, which dates from the Korean War, to compel companies to share safety test results and other information if their AI systems met a certain threshold. Little is known publicly about how those confidential exchanges worked in practice, but the government scrutiny was heavily criticized last year by some Trump backers such as the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who also sits on the board of Facebook parent Meta Platforms.Andreessen said over the summer that he was concerned with the idea that were going to deliberately hamstring ourselves through onerous regulations while the rest of the world lights up on this, and while China lights up on this. Ideological differences on AITrump is following through with a campaign promise to rescind Bidens AI order. His campaign platform described it as hindering AI innovation and imposing Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology, tying it to broader concerns from Musk and other Trump allies about woke AI chatbots reflecting liberal biases. But the Biden order itself didnt restrict free speech. Some provisions sought standards for the watermarking of AI-generated content, part of a strategy to reduce the dangers of impersonation and abusive sexual deepfake imagery. The order also directed multiple federal agencies to guard against potential harms of AI applications, warning against irresponsible uses that reproduced and intensified existing inequities, caused new types of harmful discrimination, and exacerbated online and physical harms. One former White House science adviser who helped craft Bidens rights-based AI approach described Trumps action as a politically motivated repeal with no thoughtful replacement.Trumps move signals that he is less supportive than the Biden administration of issues around privacy, around peoples civil liberties and civil rights and just concerns around safety more broadly with regards to advanced systems, said Alondra Nelson, the former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.Addressing those concerns is important for people to adopt the AI tools that businesses are developing, added Nelson, now a fellow at the Center for American Progress.Americans have some of the highest rates of mistrust of AI in the developed world, she said, citing surveys. Pivot to AI common groundSome of Bidens AI moves are still in place, at least for now, such as a year-old AI Safety Institute focused on national security. Trump also hasnt yet weighed in on Bidens bigger conflict with the tech industry pending rules restricting AI chip exports to more than 100 countries in an effort to counter Chinas backdoor access to them in places such as the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia. Nor has Trump repealed Bidens most recent AI executive order a week-old action that seeks to remove hurdles for AI data center expansion in the U.S. while also encouraging those data centers to be powered with renewable energy.Trump on Tuesday talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for AI data centers and electricity infrastructure to power them, through a new partnership called Stargate formed by ChatGPT maker OpenAI along with Oracle and SoftBank. At a press conference, he didnt seem familiar with Bidens latest AI order but said he wouldnt rescind it.That sounds to me like its something that I would like, Trump said. Id like to see federal lands opened up for data centers. I think theyre going to be very important.AP writer Joshua Boak in Washington contributed to this report. MATT OBRIEN OBrien covers the business of technology and artificial intelligence for The Associated Press. mailto

Zoe Kent prepares to create a social media video, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at her farm in Bucyrus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)2025-01-22T14:47:28Z Zoe Kent hopes people get a little joy out of her talking about farming on the Internet. In one of her latest videos, she compares pesticide application to dry shampoo. Farming is for the girls, she quips. On Instagram and TikTok, under the handle farmwithzoe, Kent films herself putting on boots to load corn into a massive truck bed, posts memes about the price of grain and documents just about everything else about farm life from getting rocks stuck in her equipment to eating lunch on long days out in a combine.Now, the future of TikTok and Farmtok, as some creators call the ecosystem of farm-related influencers online has become more uncertain, thanks to a ban the U.S. government briefly implemented on TikTok over the weekend. That was followed by the new Trump administration rescinding that ban, at least for now, but farmers are all too aware that things could change, and with them, the ways that they share farm life with the rest of the world. But most say theyll keep adapting to whatever the platforms throw their way. Its building your business on rented land, if you will, Kent said. Its not guaranteed to be there. Zoe Kent walks into a machine shed, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at her farm in Bucyrus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) Zoe Kent walks into a machine shed, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at her farm in Bucyrus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Even before the uncertain threat to TikToks future, farm creators had to contend with social medias evolution. As algorithms changed, they faced greater challenges communicating with a public that many see as increasingly disconnected from agriculture. But most say theyll keep adapting to whatever the platforms throw their way. Some producers make extra money by building a following on TikTok or Instagram. Others use social media to advertise to local customers like restaurants or farmers markets. Perhaps most importantly, they want to continue to build community with other farmers in the face of industry challenges like the toll of the profession on mental health, economic pressure and climate change. Multiple farmers said that disconnection has grown over the years as social media algorithms have changed. I know for a fact our social media reach is greatly diminished now, said Beth Satterwhite, who has been posting about her small organic vegetable farm in McMinnville, Oregon on Instagram for over a decade now. On the ground stories of people working in agriculture are a little less interesting to the consumer I dont know if its actually less interesting or just less visible, she said. Snow blankets fields at Zoe Kent's farm, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Bucyrus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) Snow blankets fields at Zoe Kent's farm, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Bucyrus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Zoe Kent walks back to her truck after running an errand at a local grain elevator, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) Zoe Kent walks back to her truck after running an errand at a local grain elevator, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Neil Denton, who farms corn, soybeans, wheat and rye in Barlow, Kentucky, shared a similar sentiment. He thinks that many of his over 80,000 followers on Instagram and 33,000 followers on TikTok are fellow producers, not members of the public. He calls that disappointing and worries about how little people know about the food that ends up on their plates.But he does think theres a silver lining: Farming is a lonely occupation because youre not with a lot of coworkers, Denton said. I think some farmers use social media as an outlet...to be able to express yourself and to be able to feel like youre not lonely.Within the farming community, it can also be useful to learn from other farmers, many producers said. Megan Dwyer, who grows corn and soybeans and raises beef cattle in northwest Illinois, uses social media, especially X and Facebook, to gauge what matters to other farmers. Its a great source for information, especially rapid information, she said. However, all that rapid information does have a price. Satterwhite described a language soup around agriculture, saying it could be hard for an outsider to tell what farming practices are legitimately better for the climate or environment. I see a lot of greenwashing, said Satterwhite, referring to the practice of falsely portraying a product or practice as eco-friendly to market it to an environmentally-conscious audience.Theres definitely a lot of misinformation out there, Kent said. I try to sift out who has genuine questions versus who just already has a stance and theyre not willing to hear me out.Thats something many farming influencers agree on that they still want a place to have the conversation.As Dwyer put it: You never know who youre influencing there or or what may happen. ___Walling reported from Chicago. ___Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @melinawalling.bsky.social. Follow Joshua A. Bickel on Instagram, Bluesky and X @joshuabickel.___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. MELINA WALLING Walling covers the intersections of climate change and agriculture in the Midwest and beyond for The Associated Press. She is based in Chicago. twitter instagram facebook mailto JOSHUA A. BICKEL Bickel is a video journalist on the Associated Press Climate and Environment team. He focuses on climate and agriculture, and is based in Cincinnati. twitter instagram mailto

The logo for the Justice Department is seen before a news conference at the Department of Justice, Aug. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-01-22T13:16:17Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department is directing its federal prosecutors to investigate any state or local officials who stand in the way of beefed-up enforcement of immigration laws under the Trump administration, according to a memo to the entire workforce obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.Written by Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, the memo also says the department will return to the principle of charging defendants with the most serious crime it can prove, a staple position of Republican-led departments meant to remove a prosecutors discretion to charge a lower-level offense.Much of the memo is centered on immigration enforcement. Bove wrote that prosecutors shall take all steps necessary to protect the public and secure the American border by removing illegal aliens from the country and prosecuting illegal aliens for crimes committed in U.S. jurisdiction.The memo also suggests state and local officials who stand in the way of federal immigration enforcement could themselves come under scrutiny. It directs prosecutors to investigate any episodes in which state and local officials obstruct or impede federal functions. 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 ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

CORRECTS TO JOAN MALAND INSTEAD OF MUSSA - This undated image courtesy of Joan Maland shows U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland and his K9 partner, Cora. David Maland was killed Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following a traffic stop in Vermont. (David Maland/Joan Maland via AP)2025-01-22T13:03:43Z A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was killed in Vermont during a traffic stop near the Canadian border was a military veteran who worked security duty at the Pentagon during the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, his family said.He was a devoted agent who served with honor and bravery, a family statement provided to The Associated Press late Tuesday said. He had a tremendous respect and pride for the work he did; he truly embodied service over self. CORRECTS TO JOAN MALAND INSTEAD OF MUSSA - This undated image courtesy of Joan Maland shows U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland, who was killed Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following a traffic stop in Vermont. (David Maland/Joan Maland via AP) CORRECTS TO JOAN MALAND INSTEAD OF MUSSA - This undated image courtesy of Joan Maland shows U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland, who was killed Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following a traffic stop in Vermont. (David Maland/Joan Maland via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Agent David Maland, 44, was killed Monday afternoon following a traffic stop, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement. A German national in the country on what the FBI called a current visa was killed and an injured suspect was taken into custody and is being treated at a local hospital.The violence temporarily closed part of Interstate 91 about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Canada in Coventry, part of the small, 27,000-resident community of Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom section of Vermont that straddles the international border. Maland, whom the FBI confirmed was a U.S. Air Force veteran, was killed close to the U.S. Customs and Border Protections Newport Station, part of the Swanton Sector that he was assigned to. The sector encompasses Vermont, parts of New York and New Hampshire, and includes 295 miles (475 kilometers) of international boundary with Canada. A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, oTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP) A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, oTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP) A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Derby LineRock Island Border Crossing is located about 12 miles (19 kilometers) by highway north of Coventry. Its a major link to the Canadian province of Quebec, giving northern Vermont more French speakers than most of New England. U.S. Customs and Border Protections thoughts and prayers are with Agent Malands family during this difficult time, the agency said in a statement. The death is a tragedy, said Gov. Phil Scott and state Sen. Russ Ingalls, a Republican who represents the area. Malands family said his career spanned nine years in the military and 15 in the federal government. HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP) HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More While working in Washington, D.C., he was active security in the Pentagon during 9/11, their statement said. Maland also was a K-9 handler. Before heading to the northern border, he served in Texas, near the border with Mexico.The Minnesota native who family members called by his middle name, Chris, was about to propose marriage to his partner, said an aunt, Joan Maland. Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones) Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More We are all devastated, she told AP in a text. She called him an exceptional person. Incredible man.David Maland was the first Border Patrol agent to be killed in the line of duty since Javier Vega Jr. was shot and killed near Santa Monica, Texas, in 2014, according to records provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Vega was initially considered to be off duty at the time of his death, but in 2016 it was re-determined to have been in the line of duty, the agency said.In 2010, Brian Terry s killing exposed the botched federal gun operation known as Fast and Furious. Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie, of the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station, was mortally wounded in the line of duty in a remote area near Bisbee, Arizona, in 2012. Border Patrol Agent Isaac Morales was fatally stabbed while off duty in 2017 in Texas. PATRICK WHITTLE Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

FILE -Britain's Prince Harry leaves after attending an Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth), File)2025-01-22T10:40:46Z LONDON (AP) Prince Harry claimed a monumental victory Wednesday as Rupert Murdochs U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life over decades and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.News Group Newspapers offered a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators, Harrys attorney, David Sherborne, read from a statement in court.The statement even went beyond the scope of the lawsuit to acknowledge intruding on the life of Harrys mother, the late Princess Diana.We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages, the settlement statement said. It was the first time News Group has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper that once sold millions of copies with its formula of sports, celebrities and sex including topless women on Page 3. Harry had vowed to take his case to trial to publicly expose the newspapers wrongdoing and win a court ruling upholding his claims.He claimed in a statement read by his lawyer that he achieved the accountability he sought for himself and hundreds of others, including ordinary people, who were snooped on. News Group acknowledged phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators aimed at Harry. NGN had strongly denied those allegations before trial. This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them, Harry said in the statement read by Sherborne outside the High Court in London. The bombshell announcement in court came as the trial was about to start. Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, and one other man were the only two remaining claimants out of more than 1,300 others who had settled lawsuits against News Group Newspapers over allegations their phones were hacked and investigators unlawfully intruded in their lives. News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in San Francisco, Oct. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in San Francisco, Oct. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Sherborne said the company had engaged in perjury and cover-ups to obscure the truth for years, deleting 30 million emails and other records.There was an extensive conspiracy, he said, in which senior executives deliberately obstructed justice.While News Group had apologized for its wrongdoing at the shuttered News of the World, it had never done so at The Sun and had vehemently denied any wrongdoing there.Harrys statement took aim at Rebekah Brooks, now the CEO overseeing News Group, who had been the editor at The Sun when she was acquitted at a criminal trial in a phone hacking case.At her trial in 2014, Rebekah Brooks said, When I was editor of The Sun, we ran a clean ship, he said. Now, 10 years later when she is CEO of the company, they now admit, when she was editor of The Sun, they ran a criminal enterprise. In all the cases that have been brought against the publisher since a widespread phone hacking scandal forced Murdoch to close News of the World in 2011, Harrys case got the closest to trial.Murdoch closed the paper after the Guardian reported that the tabloids reporters had hacked the phone of Milly Dowler, a murdered 13-year-old schoolgirl, while police were searching for her in 2002. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at United Nations headquarters, July 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at United Nations headquarters, July 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Harrys case against NGN was one of three he brought accusing British tabloids of violating his privacy by eavesdropping on phone messages or using private investigators to unlawfully help them score scoops. His case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror ended in victory when the judge ruled that phone hacking was widespread and habitual at the newspaper and its sister publications. During that trial in 2023, Harry became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court since the late 19th century, putting him at odds with the monarchys desire to keep its problems out of view. His feud with the press dates back to his youth, when the tabloids took glee in reporting on everything from his injuries to his girlfriends to dabbling with drugs. But his fury with the tabloids goes much deeper.He blames the media for the death of his mother, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi in Paris. He also blames them for the persistent attacks on his wife, actor Meghan Markle, that led them to leave royal life and flee to the U.S. in 2020.The litigation has been a source of friction in his family, Harry said in the documentary Tabloids On Trial.He revealed in court papers that his father opposed his lawsuit. He also said his older brother William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, had settled a private complaint against News Group that his lawyer has said was worth over 1 million pounds ($1.23 million). Im doing this for my reasons, Harry told the documentary makers, though he said he wished his family had joined him. Harry was originally one among dozens of claimants, including actor Hugh Grant, who alleged that News Group journalists and investigators they hired violated their privacy between 1994 and 2016 by intercepting voicemails, tapping phones, bugging cars and using deception to access confidential information.Of the original group of claimants against NGN, Harry and Tom Watson, a former Labour Party member of Parliament, were the holdouts headed to trial.NGN had issued an unreserved apology to victims of voicemail interception by The News of the World and said it settled more than 1,300 claims. But The Sun had never accepted responsibility in a case -- until Wednesday.The outcome in the News Group case raises questions about how Harrys third case against the publisher of the Daily Mail will proceed. That trial is scheduled next year. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is an Associated Press reporter covering U.K. politics and more. She is based in London. twitter mailto

Israeli army vehicles are seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed).2025-01-22T12:29:40Z In the days since a fragile ceasefire took hold in the Gaza Strip, Israel has launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank and suspected Jewish settlers have rampaged through two Palestinian towns.The violence comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure from his far-right allies after agreeing to the truce and hostage-prisoner exchange with the Hamas militant group. U.S. President Donald Trump has, meanwhile, rescinded the Biden administrations sanctions against Israelis accused of violence in the territory.Its a volatile mix that could undermine the ceasefire, which is set to last for at least six weeks and bring about the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, most of whom will be released into the West Bank.Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. Escalations in one area frequently spill over, raising further concerns that the second and far more difficult phase of the Gaza ceasefire which has yet to be negotiated may never come. A rampage and a military raid Dozens of masked men rampaged through two Palestinian villages in the northern West Bank late Monday, hurling stones and setting cars and property ablaze, according to local Palestinian officials. The Red Crescent emergency service said 12 people were beaten and wounded.Israeli forces, meanwhile, carried out a raid elsewhere in the West Bank that the military said was in response to the hurling of firebombs at Israeli vehicles. It said several suspects were detained for questioning, and a video circulating online appeared to show dozens being marched through the streets. On Tuesday, the Israeli military launched another major operation, this time in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, where its forces have regularly clashed with Palestinian militants in recent years, even before Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip triggered the war there. At least nine Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, including a 16-year-old, and 40 were wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The military said its forces carried out airstrikes and dismantled roadside bombs and hit 10 militants though it was not clear what that meant.Palestinian residents have reported a major increase in Israeli checkpoints and delays across the territory.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz cast the Jenin operation as part of Israels larger struggle against Iran and its militant allies across the region, saying we will strike the octopus arms until they snap.The Palestinians view such operations and the expansion of settlements as ways of cementing Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering cities and towns. Prominent human rights groups call it a form of apartheid since the over 500,000 Jewish settlers in the territory have all the rights conferred by Israeli citizenship. Israel rejects those allegations. Netanyahus far-right partners are up in armsNetanyahu has been struggling to quell a rebellion by his ultranationalist coalition partners since agreeing to the ceasefire. The agreement requires Israeli forces to withdraw from most of Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners including militants convicted of murder in exchange for hostages abducted in the Oct. 7 attack.One coalition partner, Itamar Ben-Gvir, resigned in protest the day the ceasefire went into effect. Another, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to bolt if Israel does not resume the war after the first phase of the ceasefire is slated to end in early March.They want Israel to annex the West Bank and to rebuild settlements in Gaza while encouraging what they refer to as the voluntary migration of large numbers of Palestinians. Netanyahu still has a parliamentary majority after Ben-Gvirs departure, but the loss of Smotrich who is also the de facto governor of the West Bank would severely weaken his coalition and likely lead to early elections.That could spell the end of Netanyahus nearly unbroken 16 years in power, leaving him even more exposed to longstanding corruption charges and an expected public inquiry into Israels failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack. Trumps return could give settlers a freer handTrumps return to the White House offers Netanyahu a potential lifeline.The newly sworn-in president, who lent unprecedented support to Israel during his previous term, has surrounded himself with aides who support Israeli settlement. Some support the settlers claim to a biblical right to the West Bank because of the Jewish kingdoms that existed there in antiquity.The international community overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal.Among the flurry of executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in office was one rescinding the Biden administrations sanctions on settlers and Jewish extremists accused of violence against Palestinians. The sanctions which had little effect were one of the few concrete steps the Biden administration took in opposition to the close U.S. ally, even as it provided billions of dollars in military support for Israels campaign in Gaza, among the deadliest and most destructive in decades.Trump claimed credit for helping to get the Gaza ceasefire agreement across the finish line in the final days of the Biden presidency.But this week, Trump said he was not confident it would hold and signaled he would give Israel a free hand in Gaza, saying: Its not our war, its their war. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

The snow-covered coastal plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is seen, with the Brooks Range at right, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, near Kaktovik, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)2025-01-22T06:01:19Z JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) President Donald Trumps expansive executive order aimed at boosting oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in Alaska is being cheered by state political leaders who see new fossil fuel development as critical to Alaskas economic future and criticized by environmental groups that see the proposals as worrying in the face of a warming climate.The order, signed on Trumps first day in office Monday, is consistent with a wish list submitted by Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy shortly after Trumps election. It seeks, among other things, to open to oil and gas drilling an area of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge considered sacred to the Indigenous Gwichin, undo limits imposed by the Biden administration on drilling activity in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska on the North Slope and reverse restrictions on logging and road-building in a temperate rainforest that provides habitat for wolves, bears and salmon. In many ways, the order seeks to revert to policies that were in place during Trumps first term. But Trump just cant wave a magic wand and make these things happen, said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Environmental laws and rules must be followed in attempts to unravel existing policies, and legal challenges to Trumps plans are virtually certain, he said.Were ready and looking forward to the fight of our lives to keep Alaska great, wild and abundant, Freeman said. Whats planned for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?The order seeks to reverse a Biden administration decision canceling seven leases issued as part of the first-ever oil and gas lease sale in the refuges coastal plain. Major oil companies didnt participate in the sale, held in early 2021 in the waning days of Trumps first term. The leases went to a state corporation. Two small companies that also won leases in that sale had earlier given them up.Trumps order calls for the Interior secretary to initiate additional leasing and issue all permits and easements necessary for oil and gas exploration and development to occur. Gwichin leaders oppose drilling on the coastal plain, citing its importance to a caribou herd they rely upon. Leaders of the Iupiaq community of Kaktovik, which is within the refuge, support drilling and have expressed hope their voices will be heard in the Trump administration after being frustrated by former President Joe Biden.This comes weeks after a second lease sale, mandated by a 2017 federal law, yielded no bids. The law required that two lease sales be offered by the end of 2024. The state earlier this month sued the Interior Department and federal officials, alleging among other things that the terms of the recent sale were too restrictive. What do Alaska political leaders say?Alaska leaders cheered Trumps order, which was titled, Unleashing Alaskas Extraordinary Resource Potential.It is morning again in Alaska, Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan declared.President Trump delivered on his first day in office! Dunleavy said on social media. This is why elections matter.Alaska has a history of fighting perceived overreach by the federal government that affects the states ability to develop its natural resources. State leaders complained during the Biden administration that efforts to further develop oil, gas and minerals were being unfairly hampered, though they also scored a major win with the approval in 2023 of a large oil project known as Willow in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Environmentalists are fighting that approval in court.Dunleavy has repeatedly argued that development of Alaskas vast resources are critical for its future, and hes billed the underground storage of carbon and carbon offset programs as a way to diversify revenues while continuing to develop oil, gas and coal and pursue timber programs.The state faces economic challenges: oil production, long its lifeblood, is a fraction of what it once was, in part due to aging fields, and for more than a decade, more people have left Alaska than have moved here. What happens now?Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the conservation group Center for Western Priorities, called Trumps order an everything, everywhere, all-at-once order that seeks to undo measures that in some cases it took the Biden administration years to enact.The length of time it would take the Interior Department to accomplish everything in that executive order is at least one terms worth, maybe two. And even then, you would need the science on your side when it all comes back. And we know in the case of Alaska specifically, the science is not on the side of unlimited drilling, he said, pointing to climate concerns and the warming Arctic.Communities have experienced the impacts of climate change, including thinning sea ice, coastal erosion and thawing permafrost that undermines infrastructure. Erik Grafe, an attorney with the group Earthjustice, called the Arctic the worst place to be expanding oil and gas development. No place is good because we need to be contracting and moving to a green economy and addressing the climate crisis. BECKY BOHRER Bohrer is a statehouse and political reporter based in Juneau, Alaska. twitter

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, as Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, Oracle chief technology officer Larry Ellison and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, listen. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2025-01-21T19:48:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump on Tuesday talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank.The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum.Its big money and high quality people, said Trump, adding that its a resounding declaration of confidence in Americas potential under his new administration.Joining Trump fresh off his inauguration at the White House were Masayoshi Son of SoftBank, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Larry Ellison of Oracle. All three credited Trump for helping to make the project possible, even though building has already started and the project goes back to 2024. This will be the most important project of this era, said Altman, CEO of OpenAI.Ellison noted that the data centers are already under construction with 10 being built so far. The chairman of Oracle suggested that the project was also tied to digital health records and would make it easier to treat diseases such as cancer by possibly developing a customized vaccine. This is the beginning of golden age, said Son, referencing Trumps statement that the U.S. would be in a golden age with him back in the White House. Son, a billionaire based in Japan, already committed in December to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. He previously committed to $50 billion in new investments ahead of Trumps first term, which included a large stake in the troubled office-sharing company WeWork.While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout in data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI, which holds the promise of increasing productivity by automating work but also the risk of displacing jobs if poorly implemented. The initial plans for Stargate go back to the Biden administration. Tech news outlet The Information first reported on the project in March 2024. OpenAI has long relied on Microsoft data centers to build its AI systems, but it has increasingly signaled an interest in building its own data centers. OpenAI wrote in a letter to the Biden administrations Commerce Department last fall that planning and permitting for such projects can be lengthy and complex, particularly for energy infrastructure.Other partners in the project include Microsoft, investor MGX and the chipmakers Arm and NVIDIA, according to separate statements by Oracle and OpenAI.The push to build data centers predates Trumps presidency. Last October, the financial company Blackstone estimated that the U.S. would see $1 trillion invested in data centers over five years, with another $1 trillion being committed internationally. Those estimates for investments suggest that much of the new capital will go through Stargate as OpenAI has established itself as a sector leader with the 2022 launch of its ChatGPT, a chatbot that captivated the public imagination with its ability to answer complex questions and perform basic business tasks.The White House has put an emphasis on making it easier to build out new electricity generation in anticipation of AIs expansion, knowing that the United States is in a competitive race against China to develop a technology increasingly being adopted by businesses.Still, the regulatory outlook for AI remains somewhat uncertain as Trump on Monday overturned the 2023 order signed by then-President Joe Biden to create safety standards and watermarking of AI-generated content, among other goals, in hopes of putting guardrails on the technologys possible risks to national security and economic well-being.CBS News first reported that Trump would be announcing the AI investment. Trump supporter Elon Musk, worth more than $400 billion, was an early investor in OpenAI but has since challenged its move to for-profit status and has started his own AI company, xAI. Musk is also in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency created formally on Monday by Trump with the goal of reducing government spending.Trump previously in January announced a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties in the United Arab Emirates to build data centers tied to AI.___AP reporter Matt OBrien contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

People walk as snow falls in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)2025-01-22T05:09:54Z NEW ORLEANS (AP) A major winter storm that slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow moved east overnight, spreading heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and eastern Carolinas.The weather warning areas included big cities like Jacksonville, Florida, which is expected to see snow, sleet and accumulating ice into Wednesday. The Jacksonville International Airport closed because of the weather Tuesday evening and said it planned to reopen at noon Wednesday. Schools canceled classes, and government offices were closed Wednesday. We are expecting some winter weather were not used to in Northeast Florida, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office posted on Facebook. The safest place you can be Tuesday night and Wednesday is at home!In eastern North Carolina, drifting snow was expected with near-blizzard conditions in the states Outer Banks, where up to 8 inches (20.3 centimeters) were predicted to fall. Dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills were also expected to last over much of the week in the region. Authorities say three people have died in the cold weather. The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze. Record-setting snow daysIt had been more than a decade since snow last fell on New Orleans. Tuesdays rare snowfall set a record in the city, where 10 inches (25 centimeters) fell in some places, far surpassing its record of 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) set Dec. 31, 1963, the National Weather Service said.Wow, what a snow day!, the weather agency said in a social media post. Its safe to say this was a historic snowfall for much of the area.Snow closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days.Snow fell in Houston and prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. Snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida. Believe it or not, in the state of Florida were mobilizing snowplows, said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.People made the most of it from a snowball fight on a Gulf Shores beach to sledding in a laundry basket in Montgomery, Alabama, to pool-tubing down a Houston hill.In New Orleans, urban skiing was attempted along Bourbon Street, a priest and nuns engaged in a snowball fight outside a suburban church, snowboarders shredded behind a golf cart, and people went sledding down the snow-covered Mississippi River levees on kayaks, cardboard boxes and inflatable alligators.High school teacher David Delio and his two daughters glided down the levee on a yoga mat and a boogie board.This is a white-out in New Orleans, this is a snow-a-cane, Delio said. Weve had tons of hurricane days but never a snow day. The nuns at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School near New Orleans encouraged their students last week to pray for the snow day they received Tuesday, the Rev. Tim Hedrick said. The priest said he invited the nuns to make snow angels, and they challenged him to a snowball fight that has since received tens of thousands of views on social media.Its a fun way to show that priests and sisters are humans, too, and they can have fun, Hedrick said.Mobile, Alabama, hit 5.4 inches (13.7 centimeters) Tuesday, topping the citys one-day snowfall record of 5 inches (12.7 centimeters), set Jan. 24, 1881, and nearing its all-time snowfall record of 6 inches (15.5 centimeters) in 1895, the weather service said. Flight cancellations, states of emergency and fatalitiesMore than 2,300 flights to, from or within the U.S. were canceled Tuesday, according to online tracker FlightAware.com. Both Houston airports suspended flight operations, and nearly every flight was canceled at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. Most airlines planned to resume operations Wednesday. The NWS said up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow fell in the Houston area. Texas transportation officials said more than 20 snowplows were in use across nearly 12,000 lane miles in the Houston area, which lacks its own city or county plows.Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and even Florida the Sunshine State declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday. School closures were planned in some coastal communities in North and South Carolina.In the Texas capital, two people died in the cold weather, according to a statement from the city of Austin. No details were provided, but the city said emergency crews had responded to more than a dozen cold exposure calls.Officials said one person has died from hypothermia in Georgia. A state of emergency was also declared in at least a dozen New York counties with up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) of lake-effect snow and extreme cold expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday. Santa Ana winds expected to return to Southern California In Southern California, where blazes have killed at least 27 people and burned thousands of homes, dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds remained a concern. ___Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Jack Brook in New Orleans; Sara Cline in Key Largo, Florida; Julie Walker in New York; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey; Corey Williams in Detroit; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta; Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump attends the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-22T05:01:19Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is swiftly breaching the traditional boundaries of presidential power as he returns to the White House, bringing to bear a lifetime of bending the limits in courthouses, boardrooms and politics to forge an expansive view of his authority. Hes already unleashed an unprecedented wave of executive orders, daring anyone to stop him, with actions intended to clamp down on border crossings, limit the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship and keep the popular Chinese-owned TikTok operational despite a law shutting down the social media platform.Democrats and civil rights organizations are rallying to fight Trump in court, but legal battles could drag on before slowing the president down. Meanwhile, Trump is drafting a new blueprint for the presidency, one that demonstrates the primacy of blunt force in a democratic system predicated on checks and balances between the branches of government. Hes going to push it to the max, said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama. Trump tried to take a similar approach in his first term, with mixed results. This time, there are fewer guardrails. His administration has few of the establishment figures that once tried to curb his penchant for upheaval. The U.S. Supreme Court is stocked with conservative justices, and recently decreed that presidents are broadly immune from prosecution for any official actions taken during their term. Republicans are in complete control on Capitol Hill, where the leaders owe their majority positions to Trumps support or acquiescence. In a striking display of Trumps dominance, almost no one from his party challenged the decision to pardon almost everyone charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.Were not looking backwards, were looking forward, said Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. Its the kind of scenario that Democrats warned about during last years campaign, when they claimed that Trump would govern as a dictator if elected to another term. Sitting in the Oval Office just hours after being inaugurated on Monday, Trump rejected the characterization.No, no, he said, shaking his head and pursing his lips. I cant imagine even being called that.Then he continued scrawling his signature on executive orders that were laid out across the Resolute Desk. Trumps blitz didnt surprise Barbara Res, who worked for the future president years ago at his namesake company.Politics is about compromise. Business is all about leverage, Res said. Hes not a compromiser.Although Trump got his start in the brick-and-mortar field of real estate, he appears to be taking a page from the move fast and break things tactic of technology company executives who spent millions bolstering his presidential bid and attended his inauguration.John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley who helped expand presidential authority while working for George W. Bush, said Trumps executive orders were unprecedented in terms of the sweeping scope of the orders and in the sheer number. Although such orders can be easily reversed by a future president, they could have a profound impact for now. Yoo described as legally shaky Trumps effort to allow TikTok to keep operating even though U.S. officials have described it as a national security threat because of fears that China could access user data or manipulate the content algorithm. A law signed by President Joe Biden required the platform to shut down in the United States unless its Chinese parent company found a new owner by Sunday, the day before Trump took office. But Trump directed his Justice Department not to enforce the ban, which Yoo compared to a student asking for more time on an exam after it was due. Yoo also said Trump is trying to really push the envelope by declaring that migrants who are entering the country constitute an invasion. The president directed the military to help take operational control of the U.S. border, but troops are not allowed to handle law enforcement, whether its seizing drugs or arresting migrants. This is without historical parallel, Yoo said. This is really an extraordinary claim of presidential power.Nearly two dozen states have already sued Trump over his executive order intended to limit birthright citizenship, part of his sweeping effort to curb immigration. The presidents opponents said the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that people born in the U.S. are citizens, including people whose parents were not legally citizens at the time of their birth. Presidents have broad power but they are not kings, said New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, a Democrat. Depending on how the legal battles play out, Yoo said Trump could set a new standard for his successors. If hes successful with even half the executive orders, every future president is going to want to do the same thing, he said.Its not unusual for presidents to test the limits of presidential authority, said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian. For example, Biden tried to expand the cancellation of federal student loans, only to see his proposal blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.But as with most things, Zelizer said, Trump goes further than the rest to see just how far he can go.Res recalled a similar approach at the Trump Organization, where Trump prided himself on his ability to chisel down contractor costs or lean on local officials for favorable treatment for his properties. No matter what you gave him or offered him, he wanted more, she said.Res said Trump would keep in his desk a black-and-white picture of Roy Cohn, an attorney renowned for his ruthlessness.He would pull that out when he was arguing with a contractor, she said. Heres my lawyer, sue me.Trumps ongoing challenge will be keeping Republicans in line on Capitol Hill, and some have suggested theyre still willing to cross him.Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican known for an independent streak, said she supports some of Trumps executive orders but others I have real questions about.Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California who has been a political nemesis of Trump, said Trumps actions run the gamut from the plainly unconstitutional as in the attempt to end birthright citizenship to the draconian, with mass deportations. Others, he said, like the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, are just absurd.Asked if Congress would stand up to the new White House, Schiff said he wasnt sure. Were about to find out, he said. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this undated photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, rescuers carry the body of a victim of flash flood which triggered a landslide, in Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia. (BNPB via AP)2025-01-22T04:05:22Z JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Indonesian rescuers resumed a search Wednesday for people missing after floods and landslides on Indonesias main island of Java that killed at least 17 people.Waters from flooded rivers tore through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province and landslides tumbled onto mountainside hamlets after the torrential rains Monday. Videos and photos released by National Search and Rescue Agency showed workers digging desperately in villages where roads and green-terraced rice fields were transformed into murky brown mud and villages were covered by thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees.National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flooding triggered a landslide that buried two houses and a cafe in Petungkriyono resort area. The disasters all together destroyed 25 houses, a dam and three main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan. Muhari said at least 17 people were dead, nine were missing and 13 injured by Wednesday. Nearly 300 people were forced to flee to temporary government shelters.The search and rescue operation that was hampered by bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain was halted Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog that made devastated areas along the rivers dangerous to rescuers. On Wednesday, they searched in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and, whenever possible, survivors in worst-hit Kasimpar village, said Budiono, who heads a local rescue office. Scores of rescue personnel were searching through a Petungkriyono area where tons of mud and rocks buried two houses and a caf to search for at least nine people reported missing.Landslides and floods were also reported in many other provinces, Muhari said. On Monday, a landslide hit five houses in Denpasar on the tourist island of Bali, killing four people and leaving one missing. Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains.The British Geological Survey defines a landslide as a mass movement of material, such as rock, earth, or debris moving down a slope. Landslides can happen suddenly or slowly and can be caused by rain, erosion, or changes to the slopes material.Rain adds weight to the slope, making it more unstable. The slopes steepness or erosion at the base can make landslides more likely. They can be caused by the movement of nearby bodies of water or vibrations from earthquakes, mining or traffic. The types and sizes of the rocks and soils can determine how much water land can absorb before weakening and collapsing.Studies have found that landslides could become more frequent as climate change increases rainfall. ___Associated Press writer Isabella OMalley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob smiles as he looks out from the service window of his food truck, The Lime Truck, as he serves burritos to Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)2025-01-22T05:03:23Z PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (AP) The Pacific Palisades home where chef Daniel Shemtob and his wife dreamed of raising a family is now nothing more than a cratered pit of twisted metal and rubble. Gone are the gourmet kitchen, the nursery with the baby giraffe and elephant wallpaper, the half-century-old olive trees in the yard. But even as the Los Angeles-area wildfires continue to burn, Shemtob has been soothing his soul by dishing out free, foil-wrapped breakfast burritos and tacos from his award-winning food truck to first-responders and weary evacuees. It would be easy for the two-time Food Network competition winner to dwell on the loss of the home, which he and his wife, Elyse, moved into about eight months ago, leasing with an option to buy. Yet he smiles, thinking about the people he has met through the food giveaways.One man was so happy with his sweet and spicy steak taco that he declared it the first time he smiled since his home burned. Another person loved the simple cheese quesadilla the chef made for him so much, he came back for more and brought six family members. World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob pauses as he walks through what remains of his home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob pauses as he walks through what remains of his home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob's home destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) What remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob's home destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob walks through the rubble of what remains of his home and his neighbor's homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob walks through the rubble of what remains of his home and his neighbor's homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Then there was the National Guardsman who lent a sympathetic ear one cold morning. He sat and wanted to hear my story while he ate his breakfast burrito, said Shemtob, 36. That was very cathartic.The Palisades and Eaton fires broke out Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, killing at least 28 people and destroying nearly 16,000 structures. Wiping out entire neighborhoods, the two blazes rank among the most destructive in the states history. Shemtob never dreamed the Palisades Fire would reach his neighborhood. When he evacuated around noon on Jan. 7, he took only a laptop, to be able to work, and homemade meatballs and pasta, because he was hungry.But that night a remote home sensor alerted the couple to smoke in the master bedroom. Then there was fire. Then window after window started shattering. World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob looks out over what remains of his home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob looks out over what remains of his home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Two days later he sneaked back to the neighborhood by bicycle to see the ruins for himself.That was our garage. Thats our basement, he said in a video, addressing his wife as he panned the camera across the scene, still hot with embers and rising smoke. Everything is gone.He sank into a deep depression. Then he remembered he had something to give. The Saturday after evacuating, Shemtob took The Lime Truck to a donation center in Pasadena. World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob, right, and his team prepare burritos in his food truck, The Lime Truck, for Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob, right, and his team prepare burritos in his food truck, The Lime Truck, for Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob hands a burrito to an Eaton Fire first responder as he works his food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob hands a burrito to an Eaton Fire first responder as he works his food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob talks with an Eaton Fire first responder as he serves burritos from his food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob talks with an Eaton Fire first responder as he serves burritos from his food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More He has always loved the intimacy of cooking from a food truck, so he volunteered with World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit founded by chef Jose Andres that rushes to disaster sites with hot meals.He was surprised to find celebrity chef Tyler Florence ready to make tacos by his side. At the center, people were sad and stressed. But there were also signs of community: One woman brought a pot of homemade stew and bowls for anyone who wanted some. World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob, upper left, and Benton Atkisson, right, serve a member of the California National Guard from his food truck, The Lime Truck, as he hands out burritos to Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob, upper left, and Benton Atkisson, right, serve a member of the California National Guard from his food truck, The Lime Truck, as he hands out burritos to Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More People were coming there with whatever they had to give, Shemtob said.Since then, thousands of people have gotten meals from his trucks. At another donation site in Pasadena last week, Shemtob whooped as he handed out the final two foil-wrapped meals of the night. Great job, team, he said, pumping both fists in the air. Shemtob estimated that they handed out 750 meals that night alone, along with 200 pairs of shoes from the nonslip shoe company he owns, Snibbs. He shares the story of his own loss with others, when he thinks it can help. The voracious Palisades Fire consumed clothes that Shemtob designed himself, kitchen tools he collected and culinary awards he won. Half his late mothers photographs and other belongings, stored in his basement, were also destroyed; the other half went up in flames at his brothers home nearby, which also burned. World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob cooks meat for burritos in his food truck, The Lime Truck, for Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob cooks meat for burritos in his food truck, The Lime Truck, for Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob cooks meat for burritos in his food truck, The Lime Truck, for Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob cooks meat for burritos in his food truck, The Lime Truck, for Eaton Fire first responders at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob and Benton Atkisson serve Eaton Fire first responders from Shemtob's food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob and Benton Atkisson serve Eaton Fire first responders from Shemtob's food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob, left, serves Eaton Fire first responders from his food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob, left, serves Eaton Fire first responders from his food truck, The Lime Truck, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The couple loved the house in part because it was close not only to his brothers place but also to her brother and to a home that her parents were building to be near their grandchildren. On Sunday, Shemtob returned to the neighborhood with an AP photographer, driving past lot after lot of flattened devastation before stopping at what used to be his home. The remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob and his wife Elyses home that was destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob and his wife Elyses home that was destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Among the spiky metal and charred rubble, he spotted a blackened muffin tin, a shard of an Herms platter that was a wedding gift, the outline of an refrigerator and a piece of a car. For now he and Elyse, who is expecting their first child in April, are staying at her aunts place. They did not have insurance. But Shemtob has bounced back before: Just before the coronavirus pandemic, he purchased two businesses that wound up failing.And then I decided to take my food truck out and feed front-line workers, he said, and the moment I did that, I started feeling better again. Charred muffin tins poke out of the rubble of what remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob's home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Charred muffin tins poke out of the rubble of what remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob's home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Morning doves perch on a chared beam among what remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob's home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Morning doves perch on a chared beam among what remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob's home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob looks at the rubble that was once the garage of his home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) World Central Kitchen Chef Corp member Daniel Shemtob looks at the rubble that was once the garage of his home destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Chinese President Xi Jinping takes part in the Economic Leaders Meeting during the APEC summit in Lima, Peru on Nov. 16, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press via AP, File)2025-01-22T06:19:14Z BEIJING (AP) Chinas relations are starting to improvewith Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House.The change of leadership in Washington on Monday could be an opportunity for China, which has long railed against Bidens strategy of building partnerships with like-minded countries aimed at countering its growing influence.Biden reinvigorated a grouping known as the Quad the United States, India, Japan and Australia. Chinas relations with all three of those U.S. partners are improving, as are its ties with Britain. The durability of Bidens legacy is now in question. During his first term, Trump didnt hesitate to challenge traditional U.S. partners.It is possible that Trump may drift away from U.S. allies, making them pay more attention to Chinas role and in fact it has provided a chance for Chinas diplomacy, said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. I think we should grasp the chance. But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said that Trump has a record of rallying the world toward a more competitive stance with China. Trump agreed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy that Japan introduced during his first term and backed excluding Chinese companies from telecom networks in the U.S. and many of its partners.And on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hours after he was sworn in met with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan in Washington, a move that suggested engaging the Quad countries and countering Chinas influence will remain a priority for Trump. Chinas fence-mending has limitsBeijings rapprochement with the U.K. and Japan is in its early stages, and major differences remain that limit and could derail it. India turned the page with China on a bitter border dispute last October, but protested when Beijing created two new counties in an area claimed by both nations.Still, new leaders in Australia, the U.K. and Japan have shown a desire to warm relations with China, the worlds largest manufacturer and a source of strategic minerals. The government in Beijing has reciprocated in part because it wants foreign investment to help revive its economy, which could be set back if Trump follows through on a threat to impose higher tariffs.Chinese President Xi Jinping told European Council President Antonio Costa in a phone conversation last week that both sides could bring more stability and certainty to the turbulent global situation. China and Britain restarted economic and financial talks after a six-year hiatus when the U.K. Treasury chief visited Beijing this month.From Chinas point of view, improving relations with American allies and increasing economic cooperation will offset the shock to China-U.S. economic relations, Wu said. Trumps statements agitate U.S. alliesIn Washington, theres a strong bipartisan consensus that the U.S. must prevail in its economic and tech rivalry with China to maintain its global leadership.During his confirmation hearing, Rubio called China the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted. Biden kept the tariffs Trump levied on China and imposed more on Chinese electric cars and solar cells.But unlike Biden, Trump has irked U.S. allies and partners with his recent remarks on possibly annexing Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and making Canada the 51st American state. Hal Brands, senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute, said he believes some top strategists in Beijing are salivating at the damage they think Trump is going to do to U.S. alliances and the opportunities this creates for Beijing to resurrect some of its relationships with other advanced democracies Japan and Europe that had moved in a very sharply anti-China direction since COVID.Trumps rhetoric, and attempts by his adviser Elon Musk to interfere in British and German politics, are certain to have a ripple effect, said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington.Countries want to at the minimum keep their options open, she said. China is unlikely to be a better choice than the U.S., even under Trump, but it is important to find some counterbalance. The Philippines isnt mending fences Chinas relations arent improving with every U.S. partner. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has aggressively resisted Chinas increasingly assertive stance in their territorial disputes in the South China Sea.The Philippines complained recently about what it called a monster Chinese coast guard ship in nearby waters, and the foreign ministers of Japan and the Philippines said last week they would convey to Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain engaged in the region.Uncertainty about Trumps policies is prompting both China and Japan to seek a stable relationship, said Taizo Miyagi, an expert on Japanese diplomacy at Chuo University in Tokyo.A Japanese foreign minister visited Beijing last month for the first time in seven years, and Chinese military officials visited Tokyo last week to resume defense exchanges after a five-year hiatus.In a way it is a Trump effect, Miyagi said. Many other countries are likely thinking the same and this could invigorate their diplomatic activities.Britain steers a new course with ChinaBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to rebuild ties with Beijing since his Labour Partys election victory last summer. Its a marked shift from predecessor Rishi Sunak, who in 2022 declared an end to his countrys golden era of friendship with China.In Britains case, Trumps return may not be driving the rapprochement.Many European leaders may not welcome Trumps America-first agenda, but the idea that as a result they will all kowtow to Beijing for more trade is fanciful thinking on the part of some of our Chinese friends, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.Most would prefer to remain partners with Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron, outlining his vision for global diplomacy in a New Years speech, declared that his country was a solid ally of Trump.He and others hope that Trump will respond positively to their outreach. Much will depend on what path the returning U.S. president takes, and how the rest of the world reacts.___Tang reported from Washington. Associated Press researcher Yu Bing in Beijing and writers Ashok Sharma in New Delhi, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Sylvia Hui in London and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report. KEN MORITSUGU Moritsugu covers political, economic and social issues from Beijing for The Associated Press. He has also reported from New Delhi, Bangkok and Tokyo and is the APs former news director for Greater China and for Japan and the Koreas. twitter DIDI TANG Tang joined the AP Washington bureau in 2023 after spending 11 years in Beijing as a China correspondent. She covers anything related to the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on U.S.-China competitions mailto

Students arrive for school Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)2025-01-22T06:01:17Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) As President Donald Trump cracks down on immigrants in the U.S. illegally, some families are wondering if it is safe to send their children to school. In many districts, educators have sought to reassure immigrant parents that schools are safe places for their kids, despite the presidents campaign pledge to carry out mass deportations. But fears intensified for some when the Trump administration announced Tuesday it would allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals, ending a decades-old policy. Oh, dear God! I cant imagine why they would do that, said Carmen, an immigrant from Mexico, after hearing that the Trump administration had rescinded the policy against arrests in sensitive locations.She plans to take her two grandchildren, ages 6 and 4, to their school Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area unless she hears from school officials it is not safe. What has helped calm my nerves is knowing that the school stands with us and promised to inform us if its not safe at school, said Carmen, who spoke on condition that only her first name be used, out of fear she could be targeted by immigration officials. Immigrants across the country have been anxious about Trumps pledge to deport millions of people. While fears of raids did not come to pass on the administrations first day, rapid changes on immigration policy have left many confused and uncertain about their future. At a time when many migrant families even those in the country legally are assessing whether and how to go about in public, many school systems are watching for effects on student attendance. Several schools said they were fielding calls from worried parents about rumors that immigration agents would try to enter schools, but it was too early to tell whether large numbers of families are keeping their children home. Tuesdays move to clear the way for arrests at schools reverses guidance that restricted two federal agencies Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from carrying out enforcement in sensitive locations. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said: Criminals will no longer be able to hide in Americas schools and churches to avoid arrest.Daniela Anello, who heads D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School in the nations capital, said she was shocked by the announcement.Its horrific, Anello said. Theres no such thing as hiding anyone. It doesnt happen, hasnt happened. ... Its ridiculous.An estimated 733,000 school-aged children are in the U.S. illegally, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Many more have U.S. citizenship but have parents who are in the country illegally. Schools work to reassure parentsEducation officials in some states and districts have vowed to stand up for immigrant students, including their right to a public education. In California, for one, officials have offered guidance to schools on state law limiting local participation in immigration enforcement.A resolution passed by Chicago Public Schools Board of Education in November said schools would not assist ICE in enforcing immigration law. Agents would not be allowed into schools without a criminal warrant, it said. And New York City principals last month were reminded by the district of policies including one against collecting information on a students immigration status.Thats not the case everywhere. Many districts have not offered any reassurances for immigrant families.Educators at Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School have learned even students and families in the country legally are intimidated by Trumps wide-ranging proposals to deport millions of immigrants and roll back non-citizens rights.Theyre not even at risk of deportation and theyre still scared, Chief Operating Officer Luma Mufleh said. Officials at the small Atlanta charter school focused on serving refugees and immigrants expected so many students to miss school the day after Trump took office that educators accelerated the schools exam schedule so students wouldnt miss important tests. Asked on Tuesday for attendance data, school officials did not feel comfortable sharing it. We dont want our school to be targeted, Mufleh said.The new policy on immigration enforcement at schools likely will prompt some immigrant parents who fear deportation to keep their children home, even if they face little risk, said Michael Lukens, executive director for the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. He said he believes its part of the administrations goal to make life so untenable that immigrants eventually leave the United States on their own.Some parents see school as one of the last safe places For Iris Gonzalez in Boston, schools seem like just about the only safe place for her to go as someone in the country illegally. Shes had children in Boston schools for nearly a decade and she doesnt expect anyone there to bother her or her daughters for proof theyre here legally. So her children will keep going to school. Education is important, she said in Spanish. Gonzalez, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala illegally 14 years ago, does worry about entering a courthouse or driving, even though she has a license. What if they stop me? she wonders. I dont sleep, she said. Theres a lot of uncertainty about how to look for work, whether to keep driving and whats going to change.Carmen, the Mexican grandmother who now lives in California, said returning home is not an option for her family, which faced threats after her son-in-law was kidnapped two years from their home in Michoacan state, an area overrun with drug trafficking gangs.Her family arrived two years ago under former President Joe Bidens program allowing asylum-seekers to enter the U.S. and then apply for permission to stay. Following his inauguration Monday, Trump promptly shut down the CBP One app that processed these and other arrivals and has promised to end asylum during his presidency.Carmen has had several hearings on her asylum request, which has not yet been granted.My biggest fear is that we dont have anywhere to go back to, she said. Its about saving our lives. And protecting our children. ___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. MORIAH BALINGIT Balingit is an Associated Press national reporter focused on child care, preschool and the early grades. twitter mailto BIANCA VZQUEZ TONESS Vzquez Toness is an Associated Press reporter who writes about the continuing impact of the pandemic on young people and their education. twitter mailto JOCELYN GECKER Gecker is an Associated Press reporter covering education with a focus on social media and youth mental health. twitter mailto

San Diego firefighters knock down a small brush along a hillside over the Mission Valley Shopping Mall in San Diego on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)2025-01-22T05:16:47Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some badly needed rain this weekend, dampening the prospects of another round of killer wildfires though even a small amount of precipitation could could create new challenges like toxic ash runoff.Los Angeles officials were preparing for that prospect even as a small number of residents were allowed to return to the devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas and firefighters quickly controlled small blazes that broke out. Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides, install barriers and reinforce roads ahead of the possible weekend rain, which could create mud and debris flows. This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches and ocean from toxic runoff, Bass said during a news conference.Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite and remove sediment in fire-impacted areas. A 60% to 80% chance of a small amount of rain was forecast for Southern California starting Saturday, with most areas likely getting not more than a third of an inch (0.8 cm), according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Services office for Los Angeles. However up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) could fall in localized thunderstorms, which would be a worst-case scenario if enough to trigger debris flows on scorched hillsides. But even if the rain doesnt materialize this time, it could be a good practice run for those communities because this will be a threat that theyll have to deal with for months or years, Kittell said. In 2018, Montecito, a town 80 miles (130 kilometers) up the coast from Los Angeles, was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes burned bare by a huge wildfire. Twenty-three people died, and hundreds of homes were damaged. Winds eased somewhat Tuesday afternoon after peaking at 60 mph (96 kph) in many areas, but gusty conditions were expected to return the next two days. Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through 8 p.m. Thursday in LA and Ventura counties. Our concern is the next fire, the next spark that causes the next wildfire, said David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Another worry was that the two major blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to keep watch for hot spots.Fire engines and water-dropping aircraft allowed crews to swiftly douse several small blazes that popped up in LA and San Diego counties, officials said. Evacuation orders were lifted for the Friars Fire, which broke out near a San Diego mall, and partially for the Lilac Fire, which burned through dry brush after threatening some structures, Cal Fire said. Nearby crews fully contained the Pala Fire, another small blaze. Southern California Edison preemptively shut off power to more than 60,000 customers in five counties to prevent new fires from being sparked by winds toppling electrical equipment; electricity was later restored to some. The utility was considering precautionary shutoffs for an additional 160,000 customers. Authorities urged residents to review evacuation plans, prepare emergency kits and be on the lookout for fires and report them quickly. Bass also warned that winds could carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the citys website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the latest Santa Ana wind event.The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 63%, and the Eaton Fire was at 89%. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the causes of the fires but has not released any findings. Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, alleging Southern California Edison equipment sparked the blaze. On Tuesday a judge overseeing one of the lawsuits ordered the utility to produce data from circuits in the area where the fire started.President Donald Trump, who criticized the response to the wildfires during his inaugural address Monday, has said he will travel to Los Angeles on Friday.___Associated Press radio reporter Julie Walker in New York contributed.

A family drives past tanks that belonged to the Assad regime, in Nawa, near Daraa, Syria, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)2025-01-22T05:31:29Z NAWA, Syria (AP) As insurgents raced across Syria in a surprise offensive launched in the countrys northwest late last year, officials from several countries backing either the rebels or Syrias government met in Qatar on what to do.According to people briefed on the Dec. 7 meeting, officials from Turkey, Russia, Iran and a handful of Arab countries agreed that the insurgents would stop their advance in Homs, the last major city north of Damascus, and that internationally mediated talks would take place with Syrian leader Bashar Assad on a political transition.But insurgent factions from Syrias south had other plans. They pushed toward the capital, arriving in Damascus largest square before dawn. Insurgents from the north, led by the Islamist group Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham, arrived hours later. Assad, meanwhile, had fled.HTS, the most organized of the groups, has since established itself as Syrias de facto rulers after coordinating with the southern fighters during the lighting-fast offensive. Wariness among the southern factions since then, however, has highlighted questions over how the interim administration can bring together a patchwork of former rebel groups, each with their own leaders and ideology. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa has called for a unified national army and security forces. The interim defense minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, has begun meeting with armed groups. But some prominent leaders like southern rebel commander Ahmad al-Awda have refused to attend.Officials with the interim government did not respond to questions. Cradle of the revolutionThe southern province of Daraa is widely seen as the cradle of the Syrian uprising in 2011. When anti-government protests were met with repression by Assads security forces, we were forced to carry weapons, said Mahmoud al-Bardan, a rebel leader there.The rebel groups that formed in the south had different dynamics from those in the north, less Islamist and more localized, said Aron Lund, a fellow with the Century International think tank. They also had different backers.In the north, Turkey and Qatar favored Islamist factions very heavily, he said. In the south, Jordanian and American involvement nudged the insurgency in a different direction.In 2018, factions in Daraa reached a Russian-mediated reconciliation agreement with Assads government. Some former fighters left for Idlib, the destination for many from areas recaptured by government forces, while others remained.The deal left many southern factions alive and armed, Lund said.We only turned over the heavy weapons the light weapons remained with us, al-Bardan said.When the HTS-led rebel groups based in the north launched their surprise offensive last year in Aleppo, those weapons were put to use again. Factions in the southern provinces of Daraa, Sweida and Quneitra reactivated, forming a joint operations room to coordinate with northern ones. Defying international wishesOn Dec. 7, we had heard from a number of parties that there might be an agreement that no one would enter Damascus so there could be an agreement on the exit of Bashar Assad or a transitional phase, said Nassim Abu Ara, an official with one of the largest rebel factions in the south, the 8th Brigade of al-Awda.However, we entered Damascus and turned the tables on these agreements, he said.Al-Bardan confirmed that account, asserting that the agreement was binding on the northern factions but not the southern ones.Even if they had ordered us to stop, we would not have, he said, reflecting the eagerness among many fighters to remove Assad as soon as possible.Ammar Kahf, executive director of the Istanbul-based Omran Center for Strategic Studies, who was in Doha on Dec. 7 and was briefed on the meetings, said there was an agreement among countries officials that the rebels would stop their offensive in Homs and go to Geneva for negotiations on transitional arrangements.But Kahf said it was not clear that any Syrian faction, including HTS, agreed to the plan. Representatives of countries at the meeting did not respond to questions. A statement released by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Qatari, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq after the Dec. 7 meeting said they stressed the need to stop military operations in preparation for launching a comprehensive political process but did not give specifics.The initial hours after armed groups arrival in Damascus were chaotic. Observers said the HTS-led forces tried to re-impose order when they arrived. An Associated Press journalist saw an argument break out when HTS fighters tried to stop members of another faction from taking abandoned army munitions.Abu Ara acknowledged that there was some chaos but added, we have to understand that these people were pent-up and suddenly they achieved the joy of victory in this manner. Waiting for a stateDuring a visit by AP journalists to the western countryside of Daraa province this month, there was no visible presence of HTS forces.At one former Syrian army site, a fighter with the Free Syrian Army, the main faction in the area, stood guard in jeans and a camouflage shirt. Other local fighters showed off a site where they were storing tanks abandoned by the former army.Currently these are the property of the new state and army, whenever it is formed, said one fighter, Issa Sabaq.The process of forming those has been bumpy.On New Years Eve, factions in the Druze-majority city of Sweida in southern Syria blocked the entry of a convoy of HTS security forces who had arrived without giving prior notice.Ahmed Aba Zeid, a Syrian researcher who has studied the southern insurgent groups, said some of the factions have taken a wait-and-see approach before they agree to dissolve and hand over their weapons to the state.Local armed factions are still the de facto security forces in many areas.Earlier this month, the new police chief in Daraa city appointed by the HTS-led government, Badr Abdel Hamid, joined local officials in the town of Nawa to discuss plans for a police force there.Hamid said there had been constructive and positive cooperation with factions in the region, adding the process of extending the states influence takes time.Abu Ara said factions are waiting to understand their role. Will it be a strong army, or a border guard army, or is it for counterterrorism? he asked.Still, he was optimistic that an understanding will be reached.A lot of people are afraid that there will be a confrontation, that there wont be integration or wont be an agreement, he said. But we want to avoid this at all costs, because our country is very tired of war. ABBY SEWELL Sewell is the Associated Press news director for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. She joined the AP in 2022 but has been based in the region since 2016, reporting and guiding coverage on some of its most significant news stories. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Then Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference on July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)2025-01-21T22:48:11Z President Donald Trumps goodwill in the cryptocurrency industry has taken a hit after he and his wife launched meme coins a move critics say looks like an unseemly cash grab that undermines an effort to legitimize digital assets.The industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration and spent heavily to help Trump win, is eager for the new presidents help to make crypto a bigger part of mainstream financial systems. Trump has promised a lighter regulatory touch and picked pro-crypto officials for key government positions.The price of bitcoin and other digital assets has soared since Trump won. A lavish Crypto Ball Friday ahead of Trumps inauguration sold tickets for thousands of dollars and featured a performance by the rapper Snoop Dogg.But as that party was ongoing, Trump announced on social media he was offering his very own cryptocurrency in the form of a meme coin. The move dampened the mood for many in the crypto community. I really was kind of bummed out when I saw it, said Tom Schmidt, a partner at a crypto venture capital firm Dragonfly. It just felt very grifty and cheap. Some crypto fans even joked on social media they missed Gary Gensler, the recently departed chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission who was viewed as the Biden administrations chief crypto antagonist thanks to the SECs aggressive enforcement actions against crypto companies. Meme coins are among the wilder and more unregulated corners of the crypto universe. They often start as a joke with no real value but can surge in price if enough people are willing to buy them. Popular meme coins include Dogecoin, whose mascot is a dog, and Fartcoin. Scammers have tried to pump up the price of certain meme coins before dumping them on unsavvy investors.Some crypto enthusiasts hailed the Trump meme coins release and eager buyers drove up the price of the coin to above $70 each. The price fell dramatically on Sunday after First Lady Melania Trump announced the launch of her own meme coin, which also saw an initial price spike followed by a large fall. As of Tuesday afternoon, Trumps meme coin was trading at about $45 while the Melania meme coin was at about $4. Trump named SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda as the agencys acting chief Tuesday and Uyeda quickly announced he was launching a new crypto task force to set the SEC on a sensible regulatory path. Trump has promised to create a U.S. bitcoin stockpile and enact industry-friendly rules that make it easier for crypto companies to access the broader financial market.But by associating himself so closely with meme coins, some crypto fans worry that Trump hurts his ability to enact reforms. Now, on the cusp of getting some liberalization of crypto regulations in this country, the main thing people are thinking about crypto is, Oh, its just a casino for these meme coins, said Nic Carter, a Trump supporter and partner at the crypto investment firm Castle Island Ventures. It does the opposite of validating us, it makes it look completely unserious. The sale of Trump meme coins was organized by CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Organization. In promoting the meme coin, Trump told supporters to Have Fun! The website selling the tokens says they are meant as expressions of support and not an investment opportunity. The coins website said 200 million Trump meme coins are currently available, with plans to issue 1 billion over the next three years. The Trump family business recently released an ethics agreement that prohibits Trump from day-to-day decision making at the Trump Organization when hes president and limits financial information about the business shared with him.The president and first lady were not the only ones promoting new cryptocurrencies around the inauguration. Lorenzo Sewell, the Michigan pastor who gave a spirited inaugural invocation Monday, announced the launch of a new coin named after him, which he said would be used to benefit his church.I need you to do me a favor right now, I need to you to go buy the official Lorenzo Sewell coin, Sewell said in a video post on social media. ALAN SUDERMAN Suderman is an Associated Press investigative reporter interested in national security, cybersecurity and other related topics. twitter mailto

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., holds a copy of Project 2025 as he speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-01-21T22:34:02Z NEW YORK (AP) Democrats knew this was coming. President Donald Trump promised a shock-and-awe campaign to deliver major policy victories immediately after he took office. Much of it was outlined in the Project 2025 document that Democrats predicted he would adopt.But in the hours since Trumps inauguration, Democrats are struggling to confront the sheer volume of executive orders, pardons, personnel changes and controversial relationships taking shape in the new administration.In less than two days, the Republican president has moved to end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government, withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate accords, blocked a federal law banning TikTok, and sought to end the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. He has also pardoned the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and granted unprecedented access to some of the worlds richest men, raising questions about his commitment to the working-class voters who enabled his election. Each of those actions enrages part of the Democratic base. Together, they make it difficult to formulate a response by an already fractured party. It is a fire hose right now. Thats what he does. He creates a ton of chaos so its hard to keep up with it, said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who instructed her staff to track Trumps executive orders, so her constituents could keep up. Everything is overload. Democrats warn of Trumps plans to screw over America The Democratic National Committee, under the direction of retiring chair Jaime Harrison, has been running an active rapid response this week, issuing press releases and social media posts to push back against Trumps actions. That stands in contrast to the partys operation following Trumps 2017 inauguration, which was largely dark as a far more active protest movement became the focal point of the Democratic resistance. For now, the Democratic establishment is largely focused on the prominent role of billionaires in Trumps nascent presidency, which follows Bidens farewell warning about the rise of oligarchs.The DNC shared talking points with its allies on Tuesday, encouraging them to focus on Trumps plans to screw over America. Specifically, the talking points focus on the new presidents move to rescind a Biden order designed to limit the cost of prescription drugs.The DNC guidance also seizes on ultra-wealthy tech executives like Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Space X, and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and Blue Origin, who were seated in front of some of Trumps Cabinet picks during his inauguration. On Musk, the talking points accuse him of giving multiple Nazi salutes during Trumps inauguration parade. Right-wing extremists are celebrating Musks straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasnt totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it.The seating for some of the worlds richest men at the inauguration with big-state governors and major allies relegated to an overflow area initially offered Democrats an issue to rally around. Beyond the tech leaders featured at the inauguration, the Republican president has tapped more than a dozen billionaires for prominent roles. Democratic strategist Andrew Bates, who left his job as a White House spokesman on Friday, attacked Trumps GOP for partying with rightwing billionaires on their first day in control of Washington and plotting tax welfare for the super rich on Day 2.Republicans have revealed their establishment-bought true colors and are selling out every American except their well-connected donors, Bates said. The party remains fracturedCrockett, who has become one of her partys most visible messengers on Capitol Hill, is concerned that the focus on billionaires might not resonate with average voters, who likely didnt recognize Bezos or other tech executives at the inauguration.Im not sure average people know thats not normal, Crockett said of the seating arrangement. The brilliance of Trump, if I had to give him accolades, is that he understands how much people dont understand.Even under normal circumstances, a transition to a new presidential administration would bring a flurry of executive orders and personnel changes that would be difficult to track. But little is normal about the second incarnation of President Trump, a 78-year-old term-limited outsider at the height of his political power with little regard for political norms or legal consequences.Everyones reeling and trying to process the information coming at them, said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. People are not confident that the Democratic Party knows what to do in this moment. Some prominent allies of the Democratic Party arent especially engaged either. Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who was among Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris most visible surrogates last fall, downplayed the impact of Trumps early moves when asked to weigh in. He hasnt really done anything yet, Cuban told The Associated Press. Ill pay attention to what he does. But my focus is figuring out healthcare rather than getting mad about what he does.Just getting angry, Cuban continued, is not the way to go.Faiz Shakir, a candidate for DNC chair and a longtime ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, said he was shocked by the prominent placement of the billionaires in the nationally televised event, which he said threatened to undermine Trumps popularity with working-class voters.He has given people a window into how hes going to govern, Shakir said.Still, he acknowledged that Democrats must confront fatigue and exhaustion within their own ranks that lingers two months after Trumps victory: Theres a creeping hopelessness that needs to be fought against.Crockett encouraged her party to adopt a much more organized campaign to educate the public about Trumps three most egregious moves. What are they? Shes not sure yet.But in my opinion, we cant fight it all, she said.____

President Donald Trump signs an executive order as he attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-21T23:03:53Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump s administration is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave, and that agencies develop plans to lay them off, according to a memo Tuesday from the Office of Personnel Management.The memo follows an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal governments diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners. Yet another executive order Tuesday rolls back affirmative action in federal contracting, revoking an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. Its using one of the key tools utilized by the Biden administration to promote DEI programs across the private sector pushing their use by federal contractors to now eradicate them. The Office of Personnel Management memo directs agencies to place DEI office staffers on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday and take down all public DEI-focused webpages by the same deadline. Several federal departments had removed the webpages even before the memorandum. Agencies must also cancel any DEI-related training and end any related contracts, and federal workers are being asked to report to Trumps Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face adverse consequences. By Thursday, federal agencies are directed to compile a list of federal DEI offices and workers as of Election Day. By next Friday, they are expected to develop a plan to execute a reduction-in-force action against those federal workers. The memo was first reported by CBS News.The move comes after Mondays executive order accused former President Joe Biden of forcing discrimination programs into virtually all aspects of the federal government through diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI. That step is the first salvo in an aggressive campaign to upend DEI efforts nationwide, including leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies to investigate private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against non-minority groups such as white men. The executive order picks up where Trumps first administration left off: One of Trumps final acts during his first term was an executive order banning federal agency contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting anti-bias training that addressed concepts like systemic racism. Biden promptly rescinded that order on his first day in office and issued a pair of executive orders now rescinded outlining a plan to promote DEI throughout the federal government.While many changes may take months or even years to implement, Trumps new anti-DEI agenda is more aggressive than his first and comes amid far more amenable terrain in the corporate world. Prominent companies from Walmart to Facebook have already scaled back or ended some of their diversity practices in response to Trumps election and conservative-backed lawsuits against them. Heres a look at some of the policies and programs that Trump will aim to dismantle: Diversity offices, training and accountability Trumps order will immediately gut Bidens wide-ranging effort to embed diversity and inclusion practices in the federal workforce, the nations largest at about 2.4 million people. Biden had mandated all agencies to develop a diversity plan, issue yearly progress reports, and contribute data for a government-wide dashboard to track demographic trends in hiring and promotions. The administration also set up a Chief Diversity Officers Council to oversee the implementation of the DEI plan. The government released its first DEI progress report in 2022 that included demographic data for the federal workforce, which is about 60% white and 55% male overall, and more than 75% white and more than 60% male at the senior executive level.Trumps executive order will toss out equity plans developed by federal agencies and terminate any roles or offices dedicated to promoting diversity. It will include eliminating initiatives such as DEI-related training or diversity goals in performance reviews. Federal grant and benefits programsTrumps order paves the way for an aggressive but bureaucratically complicated overhaul of billions of dollars in federal spending that conservative activists claim unfairly carve out preference for racial minorities and women. The order does not specify which programs it will target but mandates a government-wide review to ensure that contracts and grants are compliant with the Trump administrations anti-DEI stance. It also proposes that the federal government settle ongoing lawsuits against federal programs that benefit historically underserved communities, including some that date back decades. Trumps executive order is a seismic shift and a complete change in the focus and direction of the federal government, said Dan Lennington, deputy council for the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which has pursued several lawsuits against federal programs. The institute recently released an influential report listing dozens of programs the Trump administration should consider dismantling, such as credits for minority farmers or emergency relief assistance for majority-Black neighborhoods.He acknowledged that unwinding some entrenched programs may be difficult. For example, the Treasury Department implements housing and other assistance programs through block grants to states that have their own methods for implementing diversity criteria. Pay equity and hiring practicesIts not clear whether the Trump administration will target every initiative that stemmed from Bidens DEI executive order. For example, the Biden administration banned federal agencies from asking about an applicants salary history when setting compensation, a practice many civil rights activists say perpetuates pay disparities for women and people of color. It took three years for the Biden administration to issue the final regulations, and Trump would have to embark on a similar rule-making process, including a notice and comment period, to rescind it, said Chiraag Bains, former deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Biden and now a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Metro. Noreen Farrell, executive director of gender rights group Equal Rights Advocates, said that she was hopeful that the Trump administration will not go out of its way to undo the rule, which she said has proved popular in some state and cities that have enacted similar policies.And Bidens DEI plan encompassed some initiatives with bipartisan support, said Bains. For example, he tasked the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council with expanding federal employment opportunities for those with criminal records. That initiative stems from the Fair Chance Act, which Trump signed into law in 2019 and bans federal agencies and contractors from asking about an applicants criminal history before a conditional job offer is made.Bains said thats what Bidens DEI policies were about: ensuring that the federal government was structured to include historically marginalized communities, not institute reverse discrimination against white men. Despite the sweeping language of Trumps order, Farrell said, the reality of implementing such massive structural changes is far more complex. Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that cant simply be switched off overnight, she added. ALEXANDRA OLSON Olson is a business reporter for The Associated Press, focusing on women in the workplace. She has spent many years as a correspondent in Latin America. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

Bruce Swartz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Counselor for International Affairs, listens to a speaker during the International Justice Minister's Conference in London, March 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)2025-01-21T23:16:14Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department has reassigned key senior officials across multiple divisions as part of a leadership shakeup ahead of the expected confirmation of President Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, multiple people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.Among those moved to other positions inside the department is Bruce Swartz, the longtime head of the Justice Departments office of international affairs, which handles extradition matters, according to two people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel moves. As many as 20 or so officials in all have been reassigned.Another affected official is George Toscas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general in the departments national security division who, in addition to helping oversee major terrorism and espionage investigations, has also been a key supervisor in politically charged probes over the last decade including into Hillary Clintons handling of classified information and Trumps hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The reasons for the moves were not immediately known. Though it is common for a new administration to appoint its own political hires at the top of the Justice Department, it is not standard for career lawyers to be reassigned. They serve the department across administrations and typically retain their positions even when control of the department changes hands. The moves could foreshadow additional changes given Trumps keen interest in the Justice Department, which investigated him in his first term through a special counsel and then indicted him twice last year in separate cases that never reached trial and were withdrawn after Trumps November election win. A key veteran prosecutor in the classified documents case, Jay Bratt, retired earlier this month. Trumps fury over the investigations has raised alarms that he could seek to use the law enforcement powers of the department to pursue retaliation against his adversaries. On his first day in office Monday, he pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police officers. The reassignments were first reported by the Washington Post. 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

Deforestation is visible near the areas of several wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri)2025-01-22T02:00:08Z JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) The South Korean government will reduce subsidies for biomass energy after rising domestic and international criticism of its link to deforestation. Environmental activists generally applauded the reforms but criticized loopholes and slow timelines for phasing out the subsidies.While not without caveats, (the) decision by the South Korean government demonstrates that large-scale biomass power has no place in a renewable energy future, Hansae Song, program lead at South Korea-based nongovernmental organization Solutions for Our Climate, said in an email to The Associated Press.Biomass power, predominantly generated by burning wood, is growing globally as countries accelerate their transition to use cleaner energy even though many scientists and environmentalists see it as problematic. In South Korea, its the second-largest source of renewable energy. Logs sit on the back of a truck parked on the side of a road leading to the area of several wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri) Logs sit on the back of a truck parked on the side of a road leading to the area of several wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More South Korea has subsidized biomass energy with millions of dollars for more than a decade via their renewable energy certificates program. In a single recent the government gave approximately $688 million to support power plants using biomass, according to a press release from South Koreas Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Faced with limited domestic forest resources, South Koreas biomass power industry has structured its business model around importing large volumes of wood pellets at lower prices from forest-rich nations. In 2023, imports accounted for 82% of the countrys wood pellet demand, making South Korea the worlds third-largest importer of biomass fuels, after the United Kingdom and Japan. An AP report found that biomass imported from Indonesia was linked to deforestation of natural, intact forest. As the (biomass) market expanded, various issues emerged, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in their press release. Criticisms regarding forest degradation and carbon emissions associated with biomass power generation persist. Under the revised policy, South Korea will not support any new biomass power plants. Subsidies for six existing state-owned plants co-firing coal and biomass will end this year, while the value of renewable energy certificates for three state-owned dedicated biomass plants will be phased down by 2027. At privately owned plants, subsidies for co-fired biomass from six plants will be phased out over the next decade, while subsidy weightings will be reduced for 12 dedicated biomass plants over the next 15 years.But environmental activists are critical of loopholes in the new policy. A machine operates near a road leading to the area of wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri) A machine operates near a road leading to the area of wood pellet production companies in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Domestically produced wood pellets and chips will still have the same level of support as before, including those co-fired with coal which experts say could pose a threat to South Koreas forests. Power plants under construction or in planning with approved business permits are exempt from the new policy and subject to the phased reduction timelines for existing facilities. State-owned co-firing facilities which will lose their renewable energy certificates currently account for only 10% of South Koreas biomass power fleet, while the phase-out of most private co-firing will take over a decade to complete under the new policy, said Solutions for Our Climate. This extends the life of thermal power plants many with emissions per unit of energy higher than coal beyond the Paris Agreement-aligned coal phase-out deadlines, Song wrote in an email to AP.The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Forest Service and Ministry of Environment did not respond to requests for comment from AP. Experts said South Koreas policy change could signal a shift in how countries consider and incorporate biomass as part of their own energy transitions. There has been a positive shift in terms of discourse around biomass subsidies, said Claire Squire, a research associate at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy Center for Global Sustainability. Cutting subsidies wont necessarily fix everything, but potentially if theyre constructed differently than they have in the past, that might be an improvement. Workers load sacks of wood pellets onto barges at a port in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri) Workers load sacks of wood pellets onto barges at a port in Pohuwato, Gorontalo province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More As countries accelerate their energy transitions, demand for biomass is growing: The use of bioenergy has increased an average of about 3% per year between 2010 and 2022, the International Energy Agency said.Experts including the IEA say its important for that demand to happen in a sustainable way, such as using waste and crop residue rather than converting forest land to grow bioenergy crops. Deforestation contributes to erosion, damages biodiverse areas, threatens wildlife and humans who rely on the forest and intensifies disasters from extreme weather.Many scientists and environmentalists have rejected the use of biomass altogether. They say burning wood-based biomass can emit more carbon than coal and tree-cutting greatly reduces forests ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Critics also say that using biomass to co-fire, instead of transitioning directly to clean energy, simply prolongs the use of coal. ___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. VICTORIA MILKO Milko is an Associated Press multimedia reporter covering the nexus of the energy transition, climate change and human rights across Asia-Pacific. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-21T20:53:41Z President Donald Trump has directed his Justice Department to pause enforcement of the TikTok ban until early April, but a host of questions remain - including whether Trump has the authority to issue such an order and if TikToks China-based parent would be amenable to selling the popular social media platform. In an executive order signed on Monday, Trump instructed the U.S. attorney general to not enforce the ban for 75 days while his administration determines the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of TikTok.Under a federal law that was upheld by the Supreme Court last week, TikToks parent company ByteDance was required to sell the platform to an approved buyer by Sunday or face a nationwide ban. On Saturday evening, a few hours before the ban took effect, TikTok became unusable for U.S. users. But it came back online on Sunday, with TikTok crediting Trump for helping the platform after he vowed on social media to stall the ban. The federal law, passed with bipartisan support in Congress last year, provides a 90-day extension if progress has been made toward a sale. But Trumps executive order now complicates matters for companies who could be liable for delivering TikToks service to U.S. users. Some at least as of now appear to be taking a cautious approach. On Tuesday, Apple and Google, which operate the two most prominent app stores, did not offer TikTok or any other ByteDance-affiliated apps, such as Lemon8 or the video editing app CapCut, on their digital marketplaces. Heres what we know: Can Trump put a pause on the TikTok ban?The Justice Department is generally tasked with enforcing the laws of the federal government. But Trump does not have the power to overturn a law that Congress passed and subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court. The law does give the sitting president latitude on certain details, such as what would count as a qualified divesture of TikTok. But since an extension on a ban can only occur if significant progress has been made towards a sale of TikToks U.S. platform, its possible that Trumps order could face legal challenges. On Tuesday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights organization that filed amicus briefs in support of TikToks legal challenge against the statute, said it believed it would be unconstitutional to ignore the law. There are no winners here, unless Congress repeals this law, David Greene, the organizations Civil Liberties Director, said in a statement. On Sunday, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas posted a message on X listing a number of state and federal agencies, and private entities, that might be willing to go to court to get the ban enforced. However, its unclear if anyone is planning to challenge Trumps order. The order also warns possible challengers that because of the national security interests at stake, attempts by parties to enforce the law represents an encroachment on the powers of the executive branch. Is TikTok going to be sold?Even if an extension faces and fails to withstand legal scrutiny, it will buy time for ByteDance and TikTok to figure out their next move.Trump on Monday said he is looking to have the U.S. government broker a deal for 50% control of TikTok, adding that every rich person has called him about acquiring the social media platform. A day prior, he proposed terms in which the U.S. would have a 50% stake in a joint venture that would be set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose. But the details remain murky, and it was unclear whether Trump was proposing control of the app by the government or another U.S. entity.According to TikTok, roughly 60% of the privately-held ByteDance is owned by global investors, such as General Atlantic and Susquehanna International Group. ByteDance employees and the companys founder, Zhang Yiming, also each have a 20% stake. The technology company has not disclosed financial details for its subsidiaries, including TikToks global or U.S. operation. Even if an American company can acquire a 50% stake in TikTok, its unclear how a Trump-orchestrated transaction would address some of the national security concerns that led lawmakers and the Biden administration to push for a divestment. For example, Trump has not addressed whether he will allow ByteDance to keep controlling the TikTok algorithm that fuels what users see on the platform. The algorithm, which is updated and maintained by ByteDance engineers in China, has been one of the main concerns among supporters of the law. Trumps executive order notes the administration must have a review period to assess government intelligence and the steps TikTok has taken to address Washingtons concerns. What happens next?Most likely, lots of negotiations about the future of TikTok. Last year, Beijing called the push in Washington to require a divestment of TikTok a robbers act. But on Monday, China signaled a possible softening of its stance.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that business operations and acquisitions should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles. If it involves Chinese companies, Chinas laws and regulations should be observed, Mao said on Monday. Trump has threatened to slap tariffs as high as 100% on Chinese goods if Beijing refuses to allow a sale of TikTok. If China doesnt approve the deal, Trump said on Monday he would consider it somewhat of a hostile act. After the law was passed last year, ByteDance said it did not have any plans to sell TikTok and then fought a legal battle against the statute for months. Representatives for the company and TikTok did not immediately respond Tuesday on whether they are willing to cut ties with each other within the new 75-day extension period.In a note, Gabriel Wildau, a managing director of the Teneo consultancy, wrote that if amicable negotiations happen, Beijing might ultimately approve the export of TikToks algorithm. However, a sale that excludes that technology might be more feasible legally and technically, Wildau wrote. Previously, Teneo had made a case that Beijing would not allow ByteDance to sell TikTok because of its concern for national dignity.This is all a game of high-stakes poker, said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. TikTok is a chip on the table in broader U.S.-China negotiations. On Tuesday, Trump was asked whether hes installed the app on his phone. The U.S. government has banned it from federal devices due to concerns it could lead to spying by Chinese intelligence agencies.No but I think I might put it there, said Trump, who credits the platform with helping him win more youth votes during last years presidential election. During his first term, he tried to ban TikTok, calling it a national security threat. _________________________Associated Press writer Didi Tang contributed to this story. HALELUYA HADERO Haleluya covers Amazon, retail and technology. twitter mailto

A sign that prohibits the entrance of ICE or Homeland Security is posted on a door at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)2025-01-21T22:50:43Z WASHINGTON (AP) Officers enforcing immigration laws will now be able to arrest migrants at sensitive locations like schools and churches after the Trump administration threw out policies limiting where those arrests could happen as the new president seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations. The move announced Tuesday reverses guidance that for over a decade has restricted two key federal immigration agencies Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from carrying out immigration enforcement in sensitive locations.This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens including murderers and rapists who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in Americas schools and churches to avoid arrest, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday. The department said Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued the directive Monday. The ICE guidance dates back to 2011. Customs and Border Protection issued similar guidance in 2013. Trump has made cracking down on immigration a top priority, just as he did during his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021. On Monday he signed a slew of executive actions that included cutting off access to an app that facilitated the entry of hundreds of thousands of migrants; suspending the refugee system; and promoting greater cooperation between ICE and local and state governments. He has often portrayed his efforts as unleashing the ability of ICE agents and others in immigration enforcement from Biden-era guidelines that he said restricted their efforts to find and remove people who no longer have the authority to remain in the country.The announcement Tuesday had been expected as Trump works to deliver on his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations of anyone in the country illegally. But it was still jarring for advocates who have argued that raising the prospect of deportation at churches, schools or hospitals can prevent migrants from getting medical attention or allowing their children to attend school. This action could have devastating consequences for immigrant families and their children, including U.S. citizen children, deterring them from receiving medical attention, seeking out disaster relief, attending school, and carrying out everyday activities, Olivia Golden, interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy, said in a statement. Should ICE presence near such locations become more common, the likelihood also increases that children could witness a parents detention, arrest, or other encounters with ICE agents, Golden said.Under the sensitive locations guidance, officers were generally required to get approval for any enforcement operations at those locations, although exceptions were allowed for things like national security. Trump kept the guidance on sensitive locations in place during his first administration although he did remove similar guidance that restricted immigration enforcement at courthouses. That courthouse guidance was put in place once again during the Biden administration, which also issued its own update to the sensitive locations guidance limiting where ICE and CBP officers could carry out immigration enforcement. Many schools around the country have been preparing for just this eventuality by reaching out to immigrant families and local law enforcement.In California, officials have offered guidance to schools on state law limiting local participation in immigration enforcement.Our policy is clear and strong that immigration enforcement is not allowed on our campuses unless forced through a valid court order, said Diana Diaz, spokeswoman for the Fresno Unified School District, one of the largest in California. Weve been in communication with local law enforcement who has assured us that they will not be supporting immigration enforcement across any of our schools. A resolution passed by Chicago Public Schools Board of Education in November said schools would not assist ICE in enforcing immigration law. Agents would not be allowed into schools without a criminal warrant, it said.Over the years dozens of migrants have sought sanctuary in churches for immigration-related reasons, sometimes staying for weeks at a time to evade ICE capture.A 2018 story by The Associated Press detailed how since 2014, at least 70 publicly known cases have emerged of people seeking sanctuary in churches for immigration-related reasons, according to Church World Service, a New York organization that supports the sanctuary efforts. Of those, 51 came up since Trump took office in January 2017 and pledged a harder line on immigration.Rev. K Karper, senior pastor of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City, said he felt it was important several days ago to put up a sign informing ICE and Homeland Security they were not permitted inside the church. Its something that weve been involved with for a long time, he said. Its part of our religious mission to reach out and provide a place of safety to new arrivals and other people, regardless of their status.Given the administrations policy change, Karper said his church will make it clear to officers that without a warrant, they dont have any business on church property. Were a peaceful people. You know, what are we going to do? he asked. But were going to make it clear to anybody whos in the building, who feels threatened by this that they have rights, that theyre not required to answer questions, that theyre not required without a warrant to produce ID. You know, theres still a rule of law in this country and were not Germany in the 30s. Were just not.__Associated Press Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut, contributed to this report. REBECCA SANTANA Santana covers the Department of Homeland Security for The Associated Press. She has extensive experience reporting in such places as Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. twitter mailto

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-01-21T22:38:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) Senators vetting the nomination of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary received an affidavit Tuesday from a former sister-in-law alleging that the onetime Fox News host was abusive to his second wife, to the point where she feared for her safety. Hegseth denies the allegations. The sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, was formerly married to the nominees brother, and in an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press she said she believes that Pete Hegseth is unfit to run the Defense Department based on what she witnessed and heard. She said she first relayed her allegations to the FBI in December but was concerned that the information was not shared with Congress as senators consider Hegseths nomination to lead the Pentagon.The affidavit describes Hegseths treatment of his second wife, Samantha, and alleges repeat drunkenness and a domestic situation where Samantha Hegseth had a safe word to indicate if she was in danger at home. Danielle Hegseth said Samantha texted that safe word to her sometime in 2015 or 2016, which prompted her to call a third party for help. I have chosen to come forward publicly, at significant personal sacrifice, because I am deeply concerned by what Hegseths confirmation would mean for our military and our country, she said. An attorney for Pete Hegseth vehemently denied the allegations. Tim Parlatore said the affidavit was filled with belated claims by an ex-relative with an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family. Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview, Parlatore said in a statement. Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseths brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that. The affidavit was filed in response to a request from Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said he was seeking her statement to gain personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseths fitness to occupy this important position.In the affidavit, Danielle Hegseth says she believes Hegseths marriage to Samantha was abusive. She said Samantha in 2014 told her she once hid in her closet because she feared for her safety. She acknowledged she did not personally witness physical or sexual abuse by Pete Hegseth toward his wife. I believe what Samantha told me because what she told me is consistent with what I personally observed of Hegseths erratic and aggressive behavior over many years, she said.Neither Samantha Hegseth nor an attorney who represented her in divorce proceedings immediately responded to requests for comment. In a statement to NBC News, which first reported on the affidavit, Samantha Hegseth said there was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision. Samantha Hegseth and Pete Hegseth both signed a Minnesota court document in 2021 during their divorce saying neither claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.The sworn statement arrived just one day after Hegseths nomination was advanced out of the Senate Armed Services Committee despite initial skepticism from many Republicans. A final vote confirming him as defense secretary could come this week.Questions were raised before Hegseths hearing last week about the scope of the FBI background check, which some said failed to include interviews with those who had raised allegations against him. Democrats pushed for a deeper FBI review that could be more broadly shared with senators.During the hearing, Hegseth did not directly answer yes or no on questions about his drinking, instead saying the issue was part of an orchestrated smear campaign against him. At the time, it was left to the Trump transition team to decide how much more information to pursue and share on Hegseth. The information in the affidavit was not relayed to the leaders of the Armed Services Committee when FBI officials briefed them earlier this month on the results of Hegseths background check, according to a person familiar with the contents of the briefing who was granted anonymity to discuss it. As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseths history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation, Reed said in a statement Tuesday. I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this affidavit confirms my fears.Hegseth was grilled by senators during his hearing about his behavior, including excessive drinking, extramarital affairs and allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied. Hegseth has promised not to drink on the job and has denied a 2017 sex assault allegation but acknowledged paying the woman a settlement. He was going through a divorce at the time after having a child with a Fox News producer who became his current wife, according to court records and his social media posts.In the affidavit, Danielle Hegseth also alleges that Pete Hegseth, while under the influence of alcohol and both were leaving a bar, repeatedly shouted no means yes! I took this to mean that, in his opinion, nonconsensual sex is ok, Danielle Hegseth said in the affidavit. In a letter to Hegseth last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another Democrat on the panel, asked that he answer several questions about his previous conduct. The Massachusetts Democrat said she was deeply concerned by the many ways in which your past behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense.___AP reporters Eric Tucker and Lolita C. Baldor contributed from Washington. FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers Congress for The Associated Press, with a focus on foreign policy and congressional investigations. She previously covered politics for AP as a statehouse reporter based in Columbus, Ohio. twitter mailto TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto

Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki tips his batting helmet to fans after hitting a single against the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth inning during a baseball game, April 16, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, file)2025-01-21T14:30:44Z NEW YORK (AP) Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for baseballs Hall of Fame, falling one vote shy of unanimous when he was elected Tuesday along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Sabathia was on 342 ballots and Wagner on 325, which was 29 more than the 296 needed for the required 75%.The trio will be inducted into the Hall at Cooperstown on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, voted in last month by the classic era committee.Mariano Rivera remained the only player to get 100% of the vote from the BBWAA, appearing on all 425 ballots in 2019. Derek Jeter was picked on 395 of 396 in 2020.Carlos Beltrn fell 19 votes short of election with 277 and was followed by Andruw Jones with 261.Suzuki came to Major League Baseball from Japan as a 27-year-old in 2001 and joined Fred Lynn in 1975 as the only players to win AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in the same season. He was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle (2001-12, 2018-19), the New York Yankees (2012-14) and Miami (2015-17).Hes perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Roses MLB record of 4,256. Sabathia was a six-time All-Star, won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and the New York Yankees (2009-19).Wagner received 284 votes and 73.8% in the 2024 balloting, five votes shy, when third baseman Adrian Beltr, catcher/first baseman Joe Mauer and first baseman Todd Helton were elected. On the ballot for the 10th and final time, Wagner received 10.5% support in his first appearance in 2016. Wagner became the ninth pitcher in the Hall who was primarily a reliever after Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Rivera. A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston (1995-2003), Philadelphia (2004-05), the New York Mets (2006-09), Boston (2009) and Atlanta (2010). His 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings are the most among pitchers with at least 900 innings.Beltrn received 46.5% in 2023 in his first ballot appearance and 57.1% last year. A nine-time All-Star, he had a .279 batting average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs and 312 stolen bases for Kansas City (1998-2004), Houston (2004, 17), the Mets (2005-11), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (2012-13), the Yankees (2014-16) and Texas (2016).He was hired as Mets manager on Nov. 1, 2019, then was fired the following Jan. 16 without having managed a game, three days after he was the only Astros player mentioned by name in a report by MLB regarding the teams illicit use of electronics to steal signs during Houstons run to the 2017 World Series title. Jones increased from 61.6% last year and 7.3% when he first appeared in 2018.Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramrez have lagged in voting, hurt by suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez received 34.8% last year in his third appearance and Ramrez 32.5% in his ninth. Players joining the ballot in 2026 include Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

U.S. flags around the Washington Monument are at full staff ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. Flags are supposed to fly at half-staff through the end of January out of respect for former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)2025-01-21T20:09:47Z NEW YORK (AP) He talked of a new Manifest Destiny and a Golden Age. He invoked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. An honor guard appeared with tricorn hats, fifes and drums all traditional Revolutionary War iconography. Those in attendance heard tunes deployed from the classic American songbook from Scott Joplins The Entertainer to Woody Guthries This Land is Your Land.At the inauguration Monday, American history in its varied stripes was firmly planted. We will not forget our country, President Donald Trump said.In summoning people to his vision for the future throughout a day of pageantry, Trump assembled a dizzying collage of American myths, tropes and ideals. His new Golden Age was brimming with the stories that shaped the nations past. But how will he use them?A presidential inaugural address is typically a projection of the balance between American yesterdays and American tomorrows. Trump came to power the first time, and regained it the second, with an exhortation to reclaim the past and Make America Great Again. In his address on Monday, he conflated a vast and sometimes confusing array of national imagery from across the centuries to make his larger point. Manifest Destiny returns to center stageMost epic, perhaps, was the notion of American expansionism once called Manifest Destiny a romantic story about the God-given right to push westward and outward that has defined the nations growth even while oppressing and killing many others as it has played out over 350 years.This, coupled with his recent comments about absorbing Greenland, making Canada the 51st state and taking over the Panama Canal, suggests Trump and his administration consider expansionism to be not a sliver of history but a matter for here and now. Consider Trumps sweeping statement:The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls. Our American ancestors turned a small group of colonies on the edge of a vast continent into a mighty republic of the most extraordinary citizens on Earth. No one comes close. Americans pushed thousands of miles through a rugged land of untamed wilderness. They crossed deserts, scaled mountains, braved untold dangers, won the Wild West, ended slavery, rescued millions from tyranny, lifted millions from poverty, harnessed electricity, split the atom, launched mankind into the heavens and put the universe of human knowledge into the palm of the human hand. Manifest Destiny was itself fueled by the equally foundational notion of American exceptionalism colonial Gov. John Winthrops 17th-century statement of being as a shining city upon a hill as an example to others. That was one of the few dominant threads of American history Trump didnt invoke on Monday, possibly because Ronald Reagan resurrected it so famously in his 1989 farewell address. Its echoes, though, were everywhere in Trumps words.The notion of American exceptionalism is itself a freighted topic. For some, it is triumphal and natural the United States is the greatest nation on Earth and must act that way. For others, it is a statement of eternal potential and example-setting that does not necessarily place Americans above others. Trump leaned hard into the former definition. America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world, he said.We will pursue our Manifest Destiny into the stars, Trump said. One news outlet declared in response: MAGAfest Destiny.A pitched battle between past and future That kind of language has never rolled easily off Trumps tongue. He tends to favor more blunt, even brutish rhetoric to make a point. The overall effect was an exercise in looking over the national shoulder even as he talked about moving toward new horizons. Simply by saying that the nations Golden Age had just begun a seemingly forward-looking statement Trump was employing terminology that hints at the past.Some of the American cultural mashups that popped up were a bit puzzling like the 1980s Guns N Roses hit Sweet Child of Mine echoing across a packed Capital One Arena as the jumbotron showed billionaire Jeff Bezos, in sunglasses, striding in. Or Elon Musk entering with his already highly questioned gestures to the tune of AC/DCs Thunderstruck. Even the strains of Scott Joplins ragtime a key marker in American racial and musical history seemed designed to make a larger point, though maybe a song is just a song.Or maybe its more. The use of This Land Is Your Land, by Woody Guthrie a song composed as a rejoinder to the saccharine patriotism of Irving Berlins God Bless America was a curious choice. After all, it came from the mind of a man who railed against injustice and famously wrote upon his guitar: This machine kills fascists. Theres enough American history there for both sides to claim. For all the focus on what came before, Trumps immediate acts after the inaugural were not reactionary but in their 21st-century context, at least quite radical. His flurry of executive orders, executed as promised, included pardons for about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, the renaming of Denali to McKinley and perhaps most saliently sweeping restrictions on immigration that evoked 19th-century and early 20th-century exclusion rules.When Trump summoned so much of the American past including parts of it that are still hotly contested, not least by those whose ancestors suffered through them he assembled it into a tapestry of what he called liberation (itself an often radical term) that led to this conclusion that seemed decided at odds with public sentiment: National unity is now returning to America and confidence and pride is soaring like never before.Thats what I want to be a peacemaker and a unifier, Trump said. One question, though, hangs in the air, as it often does at a hinge point like this one. Its a question that he must address, but even more so its something to consider as his second administration begins with the statement that he has the winds of history at his back: Of the American past, what is worthy of carrying into the American future? Thats the risk of history, and its reward, too: It can be disassembled, recombined, reinterpreted at will. The most fascinating aspect of Trumps inaugural was, perhaps, how so many of the currents of American history from the Monroe Doctrine to the Pax Americana are still alive, still potent, still being used by countless constituencies and stakeholders to tell the stories that they wish to tell. The past is never dead, William Faulkner famously wrote. Its not even past.___Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, has been writing about American culture since 1990. Follow him at http://x.com/anthonyted or https://bsky.app/profile/anthonyted.bsky.social TED ANTHONY Anthony writes about American culture and international affairs for The Associated Press. He has been with AP since 1992 and has reported from more than 30 countries. twitter mailto

Josh Lederer wears a mask to protect him from fumes as he retrieves his children's clothes from his fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)2025-01-21T20:37:25Z Toni Boucher threw up the first time she saw the charred remains of her home and neighborhood after this months deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires. Now she wonders if its worth it to go back to sift through the ashes and try to find her grandmothers wedding ring.Its not just that shes worried about the trauma she experienced from seeing the destruction in Altadena, where Boucher, 70, has lived for decades. She is also concerned about possible health risks.They talk about asbestos and theyre talking about lead and theyre talking about all of the things that have burned in the loss of the homes and the danger of that, Boucher said. Experts warn that the blazes unleashed complex chemical reactions on paint, furniture, building materials, cars, electronics and other belongings, turning ordinary objects into potentially toxic ash that requires protective gear to handle safely. The ash could include harmful lead, asbestos or arsenic, as well as newer synthetic materials. Ash is not just ash. Go back to the garage or whats in your home. What is your furniture made out of? What are your appliances made out of? What is your house made out of? asked Scott McLean, a former deputy chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protections communications bureau. A lot of its petroleum product and different composites that are extreme hazards due to fire when they combust. That is especially a problem when people start to sift through fire damage. Studies show that people involved in recovery in ash-affected areas could face health risks from breathing in whatever is there. Even safe chemicals commonly found in household materials such as titanium dioxide in paint or copper in pipes can form compounds that are more reactive after a fire, said Mohammed Baalousha, a professor of environmental health sciences at University of South Carolina, who studies ash samples to better understand what materials are present and how they change in the wake of wildfires. Scientists are still trying to understand exactly what those chemical changes do to human health, not just in California but in places such as Maui and other areas scarred by wildfire.Maui residents were kept out of contaminated areas for nearly two months, but they still worry about long-term health impacts. In California, officials arent letting residents return to many locations, likely for at least a week, while they restore utilities, conduct safety operations and search for people, according to Los Angeles Countys recovery website.Some chemicals are linked to cardiovascular disease and reduced lung function. Other adverse health effects might arise from inhaling more mobile and toxic forms of arsenic, chromium and benzene. Exposure to magnetite, which can form when fire burns iron, has been linked to Alzheimers disease, for example.It really could take a long time to tease out all of the potential health effects of these particles because of how many complex chemical reactions are going on and how many substances still remain to be studied, Baalousha said. Researchers point to the variety of health problems potentially linked to dust from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.I always kind of reminded myself of all the people that ran into the World Trade Center on 9/11, and were really there for not that long of a period of time in terms of their total exposure, said Jackson Webster, who studies fire aftermath as a professor of civil engineering at California State University, Chico. But there is increased cases of all kinds of different illness, sickness.Baalousha added that scientists also worry about where all the waste will go. Some potentially hazardous materials could end up in drinking water or even flow into the ocean, adversely affecting marine life. Thats something experts in Hawaii are studying after the deadly fire in Maui last year.While researchers continue their work, people returning to their homes in California should put their safety first, he said. We know its a lot of emotions and feelings going on that you can put down your guard, but you shouldnt do that, Baalousha said. Just be safe. Be careful. Put all the gear you can at least an N95 mask, gloves and stay safe. Because you lost your property. But you dont want to damage also your health in the longer run.___Associated Press reporter Alexa St. John contributed from Detroit.___Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @melinawalling.bsky.social. Follow Alexa St. John on X @alexa_stjohn and reach her at [emailprotected].___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. MELINA WALLING Walling covers the intersections of climate change and agriculture in the Midwest and beyond for The Associated Press. 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People walk past the 1900 Storm memorial sculpture on Seawall Blvd. during an icy winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)2025-01-21T21:21:47Z A winter storm sweeping through the U.S. South on Tuesday was dumping snow at levels millions of residents havent seen before.Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was combining with a low-pressure system and chilly air to drop significant amounts of snow in some spots. That included 10.5 inches near Lafayette, Louisiana by midday Tuesday within striking distance of the state record of 13 inches set in 1960.Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had 6 inches. More than 5 inches had fallen in New Orleans, breaking the record of 2.7 set in 1963. In Texas, the Houston-Galveston area had 2.4 inches before midday. A person walks on a snow covered street Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) A person walks on a snow covered street Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The National Weather Services Lake Charles, Louisiana, office issued its first-ever blizzard warning Tuesday. The NWS Mobile office reposted video on X of two people having a snowball fight in Orange Beach, Alabama, just steps from the Gulf of Mexico. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of these folks down there. For kids that have never had snowball fights theyre going to have one, said Tom Kines, a meteorologist at AccuWeather. The U.S. Gulf Coast is the most hurricane-prone region in the country and snow is a fairly rare phenomenon, said Bradley Brokamp, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Houston. You dont usually get them in the same areas that often, Brokamp said. The combination is more typical in the Northeast that sees snowy winters and the occasional tropical storm. A person uses cross-country skis as he walks through a snow covered hill at Herman Park Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) A person uses cross-country skis as he walks through a snow covered hill at Herman Park Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In Houston, where 2 to 4 inches of snow was forecast, the Yale Street Grill was virtually the only business open in one inner-city neighborhood. A couple of the restaurants workers had time to venture outside and build a 3-foot tall snowman complete with carrot nose and scarf. Ive seen all the storms. Ive been through all the hurricanes. So, this has been really fun. I have a 4-year-old daughter at home who Im ready to get back to so she can play in the snow, said Emma Kratky, a waitress and assistant manger. Elsewhere, Floridas Panhandle had a forecast of 2 to 4 inches. The states snowfall record is 4 inches, set March 6, 1954. Mobile was forecast to get 3 to 6 inches; its record is 5 inches, set Jan. 24, 1881.Even the double-digit snowfall near Lafayette was well short of the Valentines Day snowstorm that struck parts of the Gulf Coast in 1895. That storm dumped 19 inches on Houston and 15.4 on Galveston. Paige Encarnacion builds a snowman on the beach during a winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP) Paige Encarnacion builds a snowman on the beach during a winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Winter cold blasts and climate changeMeanwhile, cold is blanketing the majority of the continental U.S. thanks to a polar vortex disruption. The Arctic polar vortex is a band of strong winds above the North Pole that usually locks in extremely cold air, but right now is stretching south, allowing bone-chilling air to flow down. For example, parts of south central and southeast Texas are expected to see wind chills as low as 10 to 15 degrees into Wednesday, according to an extreme cold warning from the NWS. Scientists say these stretching events are becoming more frequent and have been linked to the planet-warming emissions that humans are releasing. Studies report human-caused climate change is raising Arctic temperatures at an alarming rate and decreasing the pressure and temperature differences between cold Arctic air and warmer air underneath it, heightening the chance for polar vortex disruptions. People walk in the French Quarter as snow falls in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) People walk in the French Quarter as snow falls in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___Associated Press reporter Kristie Rieken contributed from Houston. ___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. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump, left, and first lady Melania Trump attend the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-21T19:56:17Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trumps return to Washington WASHINGTON (AP) At the inaugural prayer service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented migrant workers.Referencing Trumps belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde said, You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back transgender rights and toughening immigration policies.When he returned to the White House, Trump was asked about the sermon.Not too exciting, was it? the president said as he walked with staff toward the Oval Office. I didnt think it was a good service. They could do much better. The Washington National Cathedral service was largely focused on national unity. Trump and Vice President JD Vance were in attendance with their families, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. In her sermon, Budde said they gathered to pray for unity as a people and a nation not for agreement, political or otherwise but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division.She added, Unity is not partisan. Evangelicals were at the service but not on the programMore than a dozen religious leaders spoke during the interfaith service, including those from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu traditions.Notably absent from the invited clergy with speaking roles were conservative evangelicals, who are among President Trumps strongest supporters.Nonetheless, some of those evangelical supporters were in the pews.In attendance were Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump supporter and pastor of Dallas First Baptist Church; Paula White-Cain, a televangelist and key spiritual adviser during Trumps first term; and Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor of Detroits 180 Church who gave a spirited benediction at Mondays inauguration. A new kind of inaugural prayer serviceThe Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for presidents of both parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.The latest service had a different emphasis than previous ones. Its focus was on the nation instead of the new administration a plan made before Election Day.We are in a unique moment in our countrys history, and it is time to approach this differently, said the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the Episcopal cathedral, in an October statement.This will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy.The texts and songs revolved around themes of compassion and togetherness, including a reading from Deuteronomy 10:17-21, which speaks of taking care of orphans and widows and all who are in need.Sermons at inaugural services have often been given by ministers aligned with the incoming administration. In 2021, the Rev. William Barber, a progressive civil rights leader, preached before President Joe Biden at the cathedral.Budde, who gave this years sermon, has joined other cathedral leaders in criticizing Trump previously, rebuking his racialized rhetoric and blaming him for inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021. Budde was outraged in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. Johns Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.Buddes sermon directed at Trump on Tuesday provoked a lively reaction on social media. Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, wrote on X that the bishop named the truth when she spoke to Trump and Vance. Their expressions of fury and discomfort suggest she nailed it. Jeffress, in contrast, posted on X that Budde insulted rather than encouraged our great president and that there was palpable disgust in the audience with her words. Music made for TrumpThe one part of Tuesdays service that seemed tailor-made for Trump was the inclusion of opera singer Christopher Macchio, who also sang the national anthem at the inauguration.The tenor sang Ave Maria, a favorite song of Trump and one that Macchio sang at a Trump rally and the Republican National Convention.Before the service began, Macchio performed hymns like How Great Thou Art and another Trump favorite, Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen.As the prayer service neared its end, Trump joined others in singing America the Beautiful. Trump also thanked many of the clergy who participated as they processed past him except for Budde, whom he did not acknowledge. ___Associated Press reporter Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.___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. TIFFANY STANLEY Stanley is a reporter and editor on The Associated Press Global Religion team. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-01-21T18:51:54Z NEW YORK (AP) Right-wing extremists are celebrating Elon Musks straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasnt totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it. I just want to say thank you for making it happen, Musk said during a speech at Capitol One Arena on Monday afternoon, referring to Donald Trumps victory in the presidential election. Then he slapped his hand on his chest, extended his arm straight outward and upward with his palm facing downwards. He turned around and made a similar gesture facing the other way.My heart goes out to you, he said.Many social media users noticed that the gesture looked like a Nazi salute. Musk has only fanned the flames of suspicion by not explicitly denying those claims in a dozen posts since, though he did make light of the criticism and lashed out at people making that interpretation. The everyone is Hitler attack is sooo tired, Musk posted on X several hours after he left the stage.Critics and fans alike of the Tesla CEO and worlds richest man were quick to react to the gesture. The White Flame will rise again, a chapter of the white nationalist group White Lives Matter posted on Telegram.Maybe woke really is dead, white nationalist Keith Woods posted on X.The Anti-Defamation League, an antisemitism and human rights watchdog, called it an awkward gesture and urged caution in jumping to conclusions. Other extremism watchdogs and experts pointed out it was unclear what Musk was trying to convey to the crowd of Trumps supporters during his speech by thrusting his arm out. Im skeptical it was on purpose, said Jared Holt, a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate. It would be an act of self-sabotage that wouldnt really make much sense at all.Holt noted Musk specifically said his heart went out to the crowd. That could indicate a sort of gesture of thanks to them. Since Musk bought Twitter, now called X, the self-described free speech absolutist has faced criticism from hate-speech watchdogs for allowing extremist, dangerous and antisemitic comments to flourish on the social media platform. His response has been to attack his critics, suing one group unsuccessfully after advertisers fled X and threatening to sue another, the Anti-Defamation League, which urged calm at this delicate moment in its statement Monday.It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge, the ADL said in a statement. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.Kurt Braddock, a professor of communication at American University who studies extremism, radicalization and terrorism, said the gesture was a fascist salute and people shouldnt doubt what they saw.Hes still blowing it off as though it wasnt something serious, Braddock said of Musk. I know what I saw, I know what the response to it was among elements of the extreme right including neo-Nazis, and I see what the reaction is now. And none of it is a laughing matter. In Europe where the fascist salute is associated with hate, death and destruction of World War II, Musks arm gesture elicited outrage.An Italian communist youth organization on Tuesday hung an effigy of Musk upside down in Milans Piazzale Loreto, where Mussolinis body was hung upside down after he was executed during the final days of World War II. The organization, Cambiare Rotta (Change Course), noted in a Facebook post that a photo of the effigy had been removed by the social media company. We are correctly a little afraid, because that image is scary, author Filippo Ceccarelli told Italian La7 private television. Known as the Roman salute in Italy, the straight-arm greeting officially adopted in 1925 by the dictator Benito Mussolinis fascist regime is banned in Italy though it is rarely prosecuted. Musks representative in Italy, Andrea Stroppa, published the photo on X with the words: Roman Empire is back, starting with the Roman salute, according to the news agency ANSA. He later deleted the post, writing that Musk is autistic, and was expressing his emotions but denying he was emulating fascism. He does not like extremists, Stroppa wrote.In France on Monday, more than 80 associations, including human rights, environmental and press freedom groups left X, though it is unclear if Musk was the trigger or Trumps inauguration. Several universities and schools left X, too, as well as nationwide and local newspaper on various sides of the political spectrum.Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said even if it was accidental, the gesture Musk did has the power to hurt people. When youre a public figure at the highest echelons of power on Inauguration Day, doing a salute like that is extraordinarily disturbing and it calls for an explanation from Musk, he said. Points are made about free speech. Well, along with free speech comes responsibility.Levin said some extremists will take the gesture regardless of its intent as some kind of not-so-subtle marching order.-Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Colleen Barry in Milan and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report. BERNARD CONDON Condon is an Associated Press investigative reporter covering breaking news. He has written about the Maui fire, the Afghanistan withdrawal, gun laws, Chinese loans in Africa and Trumps business. twitter facebook mailto

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is sworn by Vice President JD Vance in the Vice Presidential Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-21T19:56:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) For Marco Rubio, the easy part is over. He was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of state with unanimous support, Democrats joining Republicans in praising his acumen and judgment.Now comes the task that will make or break his tenure: retaining the full backing of his new boss, Donald Trump.The 53-year-old Rubio is coming into the job with more experience than President Trumps previous secretaries of state, having spent the last 14 years in the Senate becoming intimately acquainted with U.S. foreign policy from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East and Latin America. But that traditional experience, coupled with Rubios longstanding hawkish views on Russia and support for Americas role in NATO, is what some worry will eventually make him the target of Trumps wrath.Rubio is going to face some challenges as he and the president try to come to terms about what is the purpose of American power? said Thomas Shannon, a former U.S. diplomat, who often worked with Rubio during both the Obama and the first Trump administrations. Still, it was a collegial scene Tuesday as Rubio was sworn into office. Vice President JD Vance, who served alongside him in the Senate, called him a friend and a bipartisan solutions seeker as he delivered the oath. Rubio echoed Trump in his own brief remarks, emphasizing that anything the government and State Department do must make the country stronger, safer or more prosperous. If it doesnt do one of those three things, we will not do it, Rubio said.He repeated that sentiment as he made his first appearance at the State Department, telling staffers that his job, and theirs, would be to defend and execute Trumps America First policies.Rubios support in Washington has an establishment tinge, with many hopeful he will prove a steady hand at a time of global upheaval. In interviews with more than a dozen people, including Republican and Democratic lawmakers, as well as former diplomats and colleagues, he was repeatedly described as the responsible choice to represent the U.S. abroad, a known quantity both at home and on the global stage. I think hell be able to deliver that message, country by country, continent by continent, and thats uncompromising, but also thats comforting, said Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota. Not that Im looking for every other country to be comfortable with us, but in a way that I think is not alarming.Rubios worldview has been largely shaped by his own history: the son of Cuban immigrants who arrived in Miami in May 1956 with nothing but the dream of a better life, he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. His father was a bartender and his mother a hotel maid.Because of them, I had the privilege to be born a citizen of the greatest nation in the history of the world, he said. And to be raised in a safe and stable home, by parents who made their childrens future the very purpose of their lives.The only in America story is one that helped him get elected to public office in Florida, making his way from city commissioner to the Florida House of Representatives, eventually becoming the first Cuban American speaker in the Legislatures history. When Rubio became speaker, it was a very big deal. I think the ceremony was projected towards Cuba, whether they wanted to hear it or not, said Dan Gelber, who served as Democratic leader at the same time. He said that he and Rubio remained friends over the years despite severe disagreements about policy.He was never a jerk. He was always respectful of the process and our voice, Gelber said. It was sort of the way I always thought a partisan government should operate.Rubios rise continued in 2010 as he was elected to the Senate as part of the tea party wave of outsiders taking on Washington. His first Senate speech focused on the American miracle that brings immigrants from all around the world to the U.S. to leave their children better off then themselves. A few years later, he was part of a bipartisan group that advocated for allowing a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. He played a key role in crafting a sweeping, bipartisan immigration bill that passed the Senate but went nowhere in the House, defeated by a fierce conservative backlash.In the decade since, Rubios views on immigration have shifted toward the hard-line stance of Trump, who on Monday made good on his campaign pledge to aggressively pursue deportations and restrict entry into the United States in his second term.In his confirmation hearing, Rubio echoed Trumps dark vision of Americas immigration system, saying that despots and narco-terrorists have taken advantage of open borders to drive mass migration, traffic women and children, and flood our communities with fentanyl and violent criminals. It was a remarkable tone for Rubio, who is working overtime to ensure there is no daylight between his public statements and Trumps. While his colleagues across the aisle believe that he is conforming to Trumps rhetoric, theyre hopeful he will maintain some of his mainstream views.I think Marco is a hawk, but hes also an internationalist, and I think the challenge for him will be to maintain the long bipartisan tradition of America being indispensable in world affairs, said Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat who served with Rubio on the Foreign Relations Committee. And there are people in the Trump world who want us to run away from being the leaders of the free world. And Im hoping that Marcos instincts towards American strength will win the day.Both sides agree that it will be Trump who decides if Rubio is MAGA enough to remain a member of his administration and represent his views around the world. He unceremoniously fired his first secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, via tweet, and has long made clear he views foreign policy as his domain.Rubio is also no stranger to Trumps fury. The two men exchanged schoolyard jabs during the 2016 Republican primary with the president labeling him little Marco. Rubio responded by insulting the size of Trumps hands and calling him a con artist and vulgar.Asked if he believes Rubio can last in the job, Rep. Michael McCaul, who until recently served as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, gave a nod to past turmoil.Well, it is the Trump administration, McCaul said. But I think hes a survivor.___Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Michelle L. Price and Darlene Superville contributed to this report. FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers Congress for The Associated Press, with a focus on foreign policy and congressional investigations. She previously covered politics for AP as a statehouse reporter based in Columbus, Ohio. twitter mailto MATT BROWN Brown is a reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues. twitter instagram mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump, left, and first lady Melania Trump attend the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-21T16:47:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is spending his first full day back in the White House meeting with congressional leaders, making an infrastructure announcement and demonstrating one of his favored expressions of power: firing people.The new president posted on his Truth social media network early Tuesday that he would fire more than 1,000 presidential appointees who are not aligned with our vision, including some high-profile names.Trump fired chef and humanitarian Jose Andres from the Presidents Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, retired Gen. Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, former State Department official Brian Hook from the board of the Wilson Center and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from the Presidents Export Council.YOURE FIRED! Trump said in his post his catchphrase from his reality TV show, The Apprentice. Former President Joe Biden also removed many Trump appointees in his first days in office, including former press secretary Sean Spicer from the board overseeing the U.S. Naval Academy.Trump planned to continue to build on his barrage of Inauguration Day announcements, with the White House promising a massive announcement on infrastructure. Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to detail the announcement in advance, but she said in an interview on Fox News that it would send a message to the world. You wont want to miss it, she said. Infrastructure week became a punchline during Trumps first administration as White House officials promised repeatedly over years to train a focus on major public works projects, only to have Trump himself quickly shift emphasis elsewhere while major legislation on infrastructure never materialized.It was enough of a pattern that Biden joked about how his predecessor couldnt pull off even a week of focus on infrastructure while his administration oversaw passage of billions of dollars for bridges, tunnels, roads and other projects for the coming 10 years. He didnt build a damn thing, Biden said frequently of Trump, adding that his own administration delivered infrastructure decade.Trump wants to ban Chinese companies from owning vital U.S. infrastructure in sectors such as energy, technology and agriculture, and he says he will force Chinese owners to sell any holdings that jeopardize Americas national security.Trump also attended a national prayer service Tuesday morning at Washington National Cathedral, a customary visit for new presidents and one that will wrap up his four days of inauguration-related events.Later in the day, the president was expected to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other GOP legislators. Its the first formal sit-down for the GOP leadership teams including Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso and the new president as they chart priorities for using Republican power in Washington.Despite an ambitious 100-day agenda, the Republican-led Congress is not on the same page on some ideas and strategies as they rush to deliver tax cuts for the wealthy, mass deportations and other goals for Trump. Trump used the first hours of his presidency on Monday to sign a series of executive orders and memorandums, moving quickly to show that his new hold on the U.S. government would be a stark change from his predecessor. He pardoned hundreds of people for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords and the World Health Organization, began his immigration crackdown by declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and sought to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America, which is expected to run into constitutional challenges.He also signed an order that intends to pause a ban on TikTok for 75 days to give its China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer.___Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Darlene Superville and Zeke Miller contributed to this report. MICHELLE L. PRICE Price is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-01-21T17:22:51Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trumps return to Washington President Donald Trump moved to end a decades-old immigration policy known as birthright citizenship when he ordered the cancellation of the constitutional guarantee that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents status.Trumps roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of something hes talked about during the presidential campaign. But whether it succeeds is far from certain as immigration advocates file lawsuits to block the president. Heres a closer look at birthright citizenship, Trumps executive order and reaction to it: Sonia Rosa Sifore and other anti-Trump protesters gather in Federal Plaza to rally for a number of issues, including immigrant rights, the Israel-Hamas war, womens reproductive rights, racial equality and others, on the day of President Trumps Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Sonia Rosa Sifore and other anti-Trump protesters gather in Federal Plaza to rally for a number of issues, including immigrant rights, the Israel-Hamas war, womens reproductive rights, racial equality and others, on the day of President Trumps Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What is birthright citizenship?Birthright citizenship means anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen, regardless of their parents immigration status. People, for instance, in the United States on a tourist or other visa or in the country illegally can become the parents of a citizen if their child is born here. Its been in place for decades and enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, supporters say. But Trump and allies dispute the reading of the amendment and say there need to be tougher standards on becoming a citizen. A young man reacts to information on how to prepare for the upcoming changes to undocumented families living in the U.S., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) A young man reacts to information on how to prepare for the upcoming changes to undocumented families living in the U.S., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What does Trumps order say?The order questions that the 14th Amendment extends citizenship automatically to anyone born in the United States. The 14th Amendment was born in the aftermath of the Civil War and ratified in 1868. It says: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. Trumps order excludes the following people from automatic citizenship: those whose mothers were not legally in the United States and whose fathers were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents; people whose mothers were in the country legally but on a temporary basis and whose fathers were not citizens or legal permanent residents. It goes on to bar federal agencies from recognizing the citizenship of people in those categories. It takes effect 30 days from Tuesday, on Feb. 19. U.S. flags around the Washington Monument are at full staff during the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. Flags are supposed to fly at half-staff through the end of January out of respect for former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) U.S. flags around the Washington Monument are at full staff during the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. Flags are supposed to fly at half-staff through the end of January out of respect for former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What is the history of the issue?The 14th Amendment did not always guarantee birthright citizenship to all U.S.-born people. Congress did not authorize citizenship for all Native Americans born in the United States, for instance, until 1924. In 1898 an important birthright citizenship case unfolded in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court held that Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, was a U.S. citizen because he was born in the country. After a trip abroad, he had faced denied reentry by the federal government on the grounds that he wasnt a citizen under the Chinese Exclusion Act. But some advocates of immigration restrictions have argued that while the case clearly applied to children born to parents who are both legal immigrants, its less clear whether it applies to children born to parents without legal status. President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What has the reaction to Trumps order been?Not long after Trump signed the order, immigrant rights groups filed suit to stop it. Chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts along with other immigrant rights advocates filed a suit in New Hampshire federal court. The suit asks the court to find the order to be unconstitutional. It highlights the case of a woman identified as Carmen, who is pregnant but is not a citizen. The lawsuit says she has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and has a pending visa application that could lead to permanent status. She has no other immigration status, and the father of her expected child has no immigration status either, the suit says. Stripping children of the priceless treasure of citizenship is a grave injury, the suit said. It denies them the full membership in U.S. society to which they are entitled. MIKE CATALINI Catalini covers government, elections and news primarily in New Jersey for The Associated Press. He focuses on accountability and how policy affects people. twitter

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington, June 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)2025-01-21T16:05:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes have been released from prison after their lengthy sentences for seditious conspiracy convictions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol were wiped away by a sweeping order from President Donald Trump benefitting more than 1,500 defendants.Rhodes and Tarrio were two of the highest-profile Jan. 6 defendants and received some of the harshest punishments in what became the largest investigation in Justice Department history. Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, was serving an 18-year prison sentence and Tarrio, of Miami, was serving a 22-year sentence after they were convicted of orchestrating plots to stop the peaceful transfer of power after Trump, a Republican, lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.Their attorneys confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday they had been released hours after Trump pardoned, commuted the sentences of or ordered the dismissal of cases against all the 1,500-plus people who were charged with federal crimes in the riot. Trumps action paved the way for the release from prison of extremist group leaders convicted in major conspiracy cases, as well people convicted of violent attacks on law enforcement. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto

Ohio State celebrates after their win against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)2025-01-21T15:08:38Z Ohio State was No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the season Tuesday after beating Notre Dame for its first national championship since 2014.The Buckeyes (14-2) received every first-place vote following their mostly dominant run through the College Football Playoff. The Irish (14-2) finished No. 2 for their highest end-of-season ranking since 1993.Oregon (13-1), which had been No. 1 in eight straight polls entering the playoff, lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal and finished No. 3. The Ducks previous high final ranking was No. 2 in 2014.Texas (13-3) and Penn State (13-3), which both reached the semifinals, rounded out the top five. The Longhorns finished in the top five for a second straight year for the first time since 2008-09. The Nittany Lions ended in the top five for the first time since 2005. Its the first time the Big Ten has had three teams in the final top five.No. 6 Georgia (13-3) was the highest-ranked team that didnt make the 12-team playoff. The Bulldogs were followed by Arizona State (11-3), Boise State (12-2), Tennessee (10-3) and Indiana (11-2). No. 11 Mississippi (10-3), which closed with an impressive Gator Bowl win over Duke, and No. 13 BYU (11-2), which routed Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, were ranked ahead of two playoff teams from the ACC, SMU and Clemson.SMU (11-3) moved up one spot to No. 12, ahead of No. 14 Clemson (10-4), even though it lost to the Tigers in the ACC championship game and by four touchdowns to Penn State in the first round of the playoff. The Mustangs final ranking was their highest since they were eighth in 1984. Clemson, which lost to Texas in the first round, has been ranked in the final poll every year since 2011. Alabama took the biggest fall, six spots to No. 17. The Crimson Tide dropped two of their last three under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, including a 19-13 bowl loss to Michigan. The Tide come out of the season with their lowest ranking since Gene Stallings 1995 team was No. 21. Ohio State had its lowest ranking of the season, at No. 7, following its 13-10 loss to 21-point-underdog Michigan on Nov. 30. The Buckeyes went into the playoff No. 6 and played their best ball of the season, beating Tennessee 42-17, Oregon 41-21, Texas 28-14 and Notre Dame 34-23 in the championship game in Atlanta on Tuesday night.The Buckeyes won their sixth AP national championship. They also won in 1942, 1954, 1968, 2002 and 2014.Poll pointsOhio States five-spot promotion to No. 1 matched the biggest in the final poll. Mississippi and No. 16 Illinois (10-3) also jumped five spots.The Southeastern Conferences seven teams in the final Top 25 are the most since 2013.Big 12 champion Arizona State (11-3) has its highest final ranking since the 1996 Rose Bowl team was No. 4.Mountain West champion Boise State finished in the top 10 for the first time since 2011. No. 23 UNLV (11-3), which matched its school record for wins, is ranked at the end of the season for the first time.No teams that were ranked in the previous poll Dec. 8 were voted out of the Top 25. Conference callSEC 7 (Nos. 4, 6, 9, 11, 17, 19, 22)Big Ten 5 (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 10, 16).ACC 4 (Nos. 12, 14, 18, 20).Big 12 4 (Nos. 7, 13, 15, 25).AAC 2 (Nos. 21, 24).Mountain West 2 (Nos. 8, 23).Independent 1 (No. 2).___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football ERIC OLSON Olson is an Associated Press sports writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. He covers Nebraska, Creighton, the Big Ten and national college sports issues. twitter mailto

This family photo shows Ryan Corbett holding rabbits with his daughter Miriam and son Caleb in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2020. (Anna Corbett via AP)2025-01-21T05:33:27Z ANKARA, Turkey (AP) A fire broke out at a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, killing at least at least 10 people and hospitalizing another 32 with injuries, officials said.The fire broke out overnight at the restaurant of a hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.Two of the victims died after jumping out of the building in a panic, Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency.There were 234 guests staying at the hotel, Aydin said.Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.Aydins office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site.

Novak Djokovic, right, of Serbia is congratulated by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain following their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)2025-01-21T14:00:05Z MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Not a problem with his left leg. Not an early deficit. And not the kid across the net, Carlos Alcaraz, who was making things difficult and eyeing his own bit of history.Djokovic overcame it all, just as he has so often along the way to so many triumphs, moving into the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the 12th time with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz in a scintillating showdown Tuesday night between a pair of stars born 16 years apart and at opposite ends of their careers.I just wish that this match today was the final, Djokovic said. One of the most epic matches Ive played on this court. On any court.The action was non-stop, the shot-making brilliant, even as the encounter stretched on for more than 3 1/2 hours and nearly to 1 a.m. never more so, perhaps, than when Alcaraz saved a break point in the fourth set. The 33-stroke exchange was the longest of the evening, and when it ended with Djokovic sailing a forehand long, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena went wild. Djokovic reached for his bothersome leg and yelled toward his entourage; Alcaraz, his chest heaving, leaned on a towel box and grinned. Turned out that only delayed the final result. With his wife, son and daughter cheering in the stands Dad joked about the late hour afterward the No. 7-seeded Djokovic prevailed thanks to the sort of remarkable returning and no-mistakes-made groundstrokes against Alcaraz that Big Three rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dealt with for years. Djokovic enjoyed some of his own best efforts in the latter stages, pointing to his ear or blowing kisses or spreading his arms while puffing out his chest. There was the forehand winner on a 22-stroke point that earned the break for a 5-3 lead in the third set. There was that sets last point, which included a back-to-the-net sprint to chase down a lob. Alcaraz wasnt shy, either, shouting Vamos! and pumping his fists after one particularly booming forehand in the fourth set. When the match ended, Djokovic yelled toward his teams box, before giving his coach, Andy Murray, a hug. Then Djokovic applauded for No. 3 seed Alcaraz as he left the court.Im sure we are going to see a lot of him, Djokovic said. Maybe not as much as I would like. On Friday, Djokovics 50th major semifinal will come against No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, a two-time runner-up at majors who beat No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. The other mens quarterfinals are Wednesday: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 8 Alex de Minaur, and No. 21 Ben Shelton against unseeded Lorenzo Sonego.This was the eighth Djokovic vs. Alcaraz meeting, but the first at the Australian Open and the first that wasnt in the semifinal or final. Zverev called it a clash of generations between two of the best players that probably ever touched a tennis racket.Hard to find the hyperbole. At 37, Djokovic is undoubtedly past his prime, yes, but no man has won more Australian Open championships than his 10 or more Grand Slam singles titles than his 24. At 21, Alcaraz is unlikely yet to have reached his peak, yes, but no man ever had reached No. 1 in the rankings as a teen until he did or collected major trophies on three different surfaces by his age.Alcaraz hasnt been shy about hoping to complete a career Grand Slam by adding a victory in Australia to the two he owns from Wimbledon beating Djokovic in the finals in 2023 and 2024 and the one apiece from the U.S. Open and French Open. Djokovic made getting an Olympic gold medal for Serbia his priority in 2024 and succeeded at the Paris Games last August beating Alcaraz in the final and otherwise cares mainly about the majors.Djokovic had something else on his mind lately: He was angry about insulting on-air remarks made by an Australian TV commentator, and refused to speak to the host countrys official tournament broadcaster on Sunday. Djokovic got the apologies he sought from the channel and its employee on Monday, and made it known he was ready to focus on facing Alcaraz. But at 4-all, Djokovic grabbed at his thigh and crouched down after stretching for a shot. He finished that game but lost it, before taking a medical timeout. When play resumed, his left thigh was taped, and Alcaraz served out that set. Anyone who thought Djokovic might go gently into the night is not familiar with his game. He began attacking Alcarazs serves relentlessly and, soon, the second set was his. If I lost that second set, I dont know if I would continue playing, Djokovic said, crediting medicine from the tournament doctor with helping him feel better. There was nary an empty blue seat in the stadium, and fans repeatedly cried out between points, drawing a stern, Enough. Thank you, from chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore. While the ball was in play, though, it got quite quiet, the hush pierced only by the squawks of seagulls flying overhead or the squeaks of sneakers or the Aaahs and Ooohs of impressed ticket-holders during electric exchanges.Djokovic and Alcaraz showed off their skills as the temperature dipped below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius) and wind gusted at 30 mph (nearly 50 kph), rippling Djokovics blue shirt (although not Alcarazs tighter-fitting sleeveless number). Both tracked down shots they had no business getting to. Both went from defense to offense and conjured up winners out of nowhere. Both did much more, too, whether Alcarazs well-disguised drop shots or Djokovics marvelous returns, including two winners that closed the second set.But it was Djokovic who was better on this memorable night.___Howard Fendrich has been the APs tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis HOWARD FENDRICH Fendrich is an Associated Press national writer based in Washington, D.C. He reports on tennis and other sports. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A Palestinian stands beside a torched car in the aftermath of an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Jinsafut, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)2025-01-21T12:44:40Z RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israels top general has resigned, citing the security failures that allowed Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the most prominent Israeli official to resign over the attack. He announced his resignation Tuesday, just days into a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.Israel launched a large military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday that the Palestinian Health Ministry said had killed at least six people and wounded 35.Israel announced a significant and broad military operation against Palestinian militants in the city. Jenin has seen repeated Israeli incursions and gunbattles with militants in recent years, even before Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attack ignited the war in Gaza.The latest operation came just days into a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza that is supposed to last for six weeks and see 33 militant-held hostages released in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Three hostages and 90 prisoners were released on Sunday, when it took effect. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek an independent state encompassing all three territories. The ceasefire does not apply to the West Bank, which has seen a surge of violence since the start of the war. Israeli troops have carried out near-daily raids that often ignite gunbattles. There has also been a rise in attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists including a rampage in two Palestinian villages overnight Monday as well as Palestinian attacks on Israelis.Hamas condemned the Israeli operation in Jenin, calling on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to step up their own attacks.The smaller and more radical Islamic Jihad militant group also condemned the operation, saying it reflected Israels failure to achieve its goals in Gaza. It said it was also a desperate attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to save his governing coalition. Netanyahu has faced criticism from his far-right allies over the ceasefire, which required Israeli troops to pull back from populated areas in Gaza and envisions the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including militants convicted of involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis.The ceasefire has already seen Hamas return to the streets, showing that it remains in firm control of the territory despite 15 months of war that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread devastation.One of his erstwhile partners, Itamar Ben-Gvir, quit the government the day the ceasefire went into effect, weakening the coalition but still leaving Netanyahu with a parliamentary majority. Another, far-right leader, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to bolt if Israel does not resume the war after the first phase of the ceasefire ends in six weeks.The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. More than 90 captives are still being held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.Israels military campaign has killed over 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities but do not say how many of the dead were fighters. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden follow President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as they walk to Marine One for departure from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-01-21T05:22:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump says his administration will move to suspend the security clearances of the more than four dozen former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter saying that the Hunter Biden laptop saga bore the hallmarks of a Russian information operation.The action is an early indication of Trumps determination to exact retribution on perceived adversaries and is the latest point of tension between Trump and an intelligence community of which he has been openly disdainful. The sweeping move, announced via executive order Monday, also sets up a potential court challenge from ex-officials seeking to maintain access to sensitive government information.The president has a lot of authority when it comes to security clearances. The problem the White House will run into is, if they depart from their existing procedures, they could set up a judicial appeal for these 51 people and it will probably be a class-action suit since theyre all in alike or similar circumstances, said Dan Meyer, a Washington lawyer who specializes in the security clearance and background check process. The executive order targets the clearances of 50 people in all, including the 49 surviving signatories. The list includes prominent officials like James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence under President Barack Obama and John Brennan, Obamas former CIA director. Also targeted is John Bolton, who was fired as Trumps national security adviser during his first term and later wrote a book whose publication the White House sought to block on grounds that it disclosed national security information. It was not clear how many of the former officials still maintain security clearances. Mark Zaid, a lawyer who represents eight people who signed the letter, said Trumps action served as a public policy message to his right-wing base even if the practical impact may not be significant for those who no longer have or need a clearance. He said he would sue the administration on behalf of any client who wanted to challenge the order. Theres nothing in this that shows me, regardless of presidential authority, that this action is not subject to existing law and policy that mandates procedural and substantive due process, Zaid said.At issue is an October 2020 letter signed by former intelligence officials who raised alarms about the provenance of emails reported by The New York Post to have come from a laptop that President Joe Bidens son, Hunter, had dropped off at a Wilmington, Delaware, computer repair shop. The newspaper said it had obtained a hard drive of the laptop from longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, and the communications that it published related to Hunter Bidens business dealings in Ukraine.The signatories of the letter wrote that they didnt know whether the emails were authentic or not but that their emergence has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.But Trumps director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe also his current pick to lead the CIA contradicted that assessment by saying there was no intelligence to support the idea that Russia had anything to do with Hunter Bidens laptop. The FBI, which was conducting its own criminal investigations into the younger Biden, seemed to back up Ratcliffes statement by telling Congress in a letter it had nothing to add to what he had said. Hunter Biden was subsequently convicted of both tax and gun charges, but was pardoned last month by his father.Though courts are historically reluctant to weigh in on disputes involving security clearances, the unilateral suspension by Trump is a departure from standard protocol in which individual executive branch agencies would be tasked with creating an investigation into a persons fitness for a clearance or whether it should be revoked.Throughout his first presidency, Trump fumed about an intelligence community that he believed had been politicized against him, repeatedly citing the investigation into ties between Russia and his 2016 campaign. In August 2018, he announced that he had revoked the clearance of Brennan, who led the CIA at the time the Russia inquiry began and became a prominent critic of Trump. 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

2025-01-21T10:32:30Z RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Palestinians in Gaza are confronting an apocalyptic landscape of devastation after a ceasefire paused more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.Across the tiny coastal enclave, where built-up refugee camps are interspersed between cities, drone footage captured by The Associated Press shows mounds of rubble stretching as far as the eye can see remnants of the longest and deadliest war between Israel and Hamas in their blood-ridden history.As you can see, it became a ghost town, said Hussein Barakat, 38, whose home in the southern city of Rafah was flattened. There is nothing, he said, as he sat drinking coffee on a brown armchair perched on the rubble of his three-story home, in a surreal scene.Critics say Israel has waged a campaign of scorched earth to destroy the fabric of life in Gaza, accusations that are being considered in two global courts, including the crime of genocide. Israel denies those charges and says its military has been fighting a complex battle in dense urban areas and that it tries to avoid causing undue harm to civilians and their infrastructure. Military experts say the reality is complicated. For a campaign of this duration, which is a years worth of fighting in a heavily urban environment where you have an adversary that is hiding in amongst that environment, then you would expect an extremely high level of damage, said Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, a British think-tank. Savill said that it was difficult to draw a broad conclusion about the nature of Israels campaign. To do so, he said, would require each strike and operation to be assessed to determine whether they adhered to the laws of armed conflict and whether all were proportional, but he did not think the scorched earth description was accurate. International rights groups. including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, view the vast destruction as part of a broader pattern of extermination and genocide directed at Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The groups dispute Israels stance that the destruction was a result of military activity.Human Rights Watch, in a November report accusing Israel of crimes against humanity, said the destruction is so substantial that it indicates the intention to permanently displace many people.From a fierce air campaign during the first weeks of the war, to a ground invasion that sent thousands of troops in on tanks, the Israeli response to a Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, has ground down much of the civilian infrastructure of the Gaza Strip, displacing 90% of its population. The brilliant color of pre-war life has faded into a monotone cement gray that dominates the territory. It could take decades, if not more, to rebuild.Airstrikes throughout the war toppled buildings and other structures said to be housing militants. But the destruction intensified with the ground forces, who fought Hamas fighters in close combat in dense areas. If militants were seen firing from an apartment building near a troop maneuver, forces might take the entire building down to thwart the threat. Tank tracks chewed up paved roads, leaving dusty stretches of earth in their wake. The militarys engineering corps was tasked with using bulldozers to clear routes, downing buildings seen as threats, and blowing up Hamas underground tunnel network.Experts say the operations to neutralize tunnels were extremely destructive to surface infrastructure. For example, if a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) long tunnel was blown up by Israeli forces, it would not spare homes or buildings above, said Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli army intelligence officer.If (the tunnel) passes under an urban area, it all gets destroyed, he said. Theres no other way to destroy a tunnel. Cemeteries, schools, hospitals and more were targeted and destroyed, he said, because Hamas was using these for military purposes. Secondary blasts from Hamas explosives inside these buildings could worsen the damage. The way Israel has repeatedly returned to areas it said were under its control, only to have militants overrun it again, has exacerbated the destruction, Savill said. Thats evident especially in northern Gaza, where Israel launched a new campaign in early October that almost obliterated Jabaliya, a built up, urban refugee camp. Jabaliya is home to the descendants of Palestinians who fled, or were forced to flee, during the war that led to Israels creation in 1948. Milshtein said Israels dismantling of the tunnel network is also to blame for the destruction there.But the destruction was not only caused from strikes on targets. Israel also carved out a buffer zone about a kilometer inside Gaza from its border with Israel, as well as within the Netzarim corridor that bisects north Gaza from the south, and along the Philadelphi Corridor, a stretch of land along Gazas border with Egypt. Vast swaths in these areas were leveled. Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general, said the buffer zones were an operational necessity meant to carve out secure plots of land for Israeli forces. He denied Israel had cleared civilian areas indiscriminately.The destruction, like the civilian death toll in Gaza, has raised accusations that Israel committed war crimes, which it denies. The decisions the military made in choosing what to topple, and why, are an important factor in that debate.The second militants move into a building and start using it to fire on you, you start making a calculation about whether or not you can strike, Savill said. Downing the building, he said, still needs to be necessary.___Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew sits before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)2025-01-21T00:20:07Z President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to keep TikTok operating for 75 days, a relief to the social media platforms users even as national security questions persist.TikToks China-based parent ByteDance was supposed to find a U.S. buyer or be banned on Jan. 19. Trumps order could give ByteDance more time to find a buyer.I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok, Trump said. Shou Zi Chew, TikToks CEO, attended Trumps inauguration earlier in the day, seated with American tech heavyweights.Trump has amassed nearly 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year, and he has credited the trendsetting platform with helping him gain traction among young voters. Yet its 170 million U.S. users could not access TikTok for more than 12 hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning.The platform went offline before the ban approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court took effect Sunday. After Trump promised he would pause the ban Monday, TikTok restored access for existing users. Google and Apple, however, still have not reinstated TikTok to their app stores.Business leaders, lawmakers, legal scholars, and influencers who make money on TikTok are watching to see how Trump tries to resolve a thicket of regulatory, legal, financial and geopolitical issues with his signature. How did the TikTok ban come about?TikToks app allows users to create and watch short-form videos, and broke new ground by operating with an algorithm that fed viewers recommendations based on their viewing habits. But concerns about its potential to serve as a tool for Beijing to manipulate and spy on Americans pre-date Trumps first presidency. In 2020, Trump issued executive orders banning dealings with ByteDance and the owners of the Chinese messaging app WeChat. Courts ended up blocking the orders, but less than a year ago Congress overwhelmingly passed a law citing national security concerns to ban TikTok unless ByteDance sold it to an approved buyer. The law, which went into force Sunday, allows for fines of up to $5,000 per U.S. TikTok user against major mobile app stores like the ones operated by Apple and Google and internet hosting services like Oracle if they continued to distribute TikTok to U.S. users beyond the deadline for ByteDances divestment. Trump on Sunday said he had asked TikToks U.S. service providers to continue supporting the platform and app while he prepared to sign an executive order to stop the ban for now. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order, Trump posted on Truth Social, his social networking site. The law that Congress passed and now-former President Joe Biden signed in April allowed for a 90-day extension if there had been progress toward a sale before the statutes effective date. Less certain is whether that provision can be applied retroactively, according to Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell Universitys Tech Policy Institute.Executive orders cannot override existing laws, Kreps said. Its not clear that the new president has that authority to issue the 90-day extension of a law thats already gone into effect. What difference might the sale of TikTok make?Kreps also doubts the conditions for a delay exist at this point without so much as even a potential buyer being named to prove that a sale was moving along.But Alan Rozenshtein, a University of Minnesota law professor, has written that the law also empowers the president to decide what constitutes a qualified divestiture suggesting Trump could have discretion to say whether or when ByteDance meets the terms of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.Although ByteDance spent months repeating it wasnt interested in selling, Beijing on Monday also signaled a possible easing on Chinas stance on TikTok to allow it to be divested from its Chinese parent company. Chinas vice president held meetings with Vice President JD Vance and Tesla tech titan Elon Musk on Sunday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, said Monday that business operations and acquisitions should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles. If it involves Chinese companies, Chinas laws and regulations should be observed, Mao said. Until now, it was widely believed that Beijing would not allow the sale of TikTok, which had come to embody Chinas defiance in the face of U.S. robbery. However, TikTok was among several issues brought up in a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump on Friday, though details were not available. Trump on Monday said he is looking to have the U.S. government broker a deal for 50% control of TikTok, adding that every rich person has called him about acquiring the social media platform.I think the U.S. should be entitled to get half of TikTok and, congratulations, TikTok has a good partner and that would be worth, you know, could be $500 billion, Trump said. The numbers are crazy, but its worthless without a U.S. buyer. Who or what can enforce the ban?The Justice Department is generally tasked with enforcing the laws of the federal government. Trumps executive order instructs the U.S. attorney general not to take any action to enforce the TikTok ban for 75 days to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.Such a move might itself be subject to legal scrutiny but would buy time for TikTok.Trumps efforts to save TikTok may put him at odds with some of the House members and senators who voted for the law, which received broad bipartisan support. House Speaker Mike Johnson called ByteDances ownership a very dangerous thing, and said he expected a full sale to happen. I think we will enforce the law, Johnson told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday.Legislators now stand to look a little bit silly if the ban doesnt last, Kreps said. (The case) becomes about the separations of powers, and checks and balances, that we dont have a king who decides what happens with the law, Kreps said. Enforcement isnt only up to the executive branch.What are other potential legal obstacles? Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, in a message posted on X, listed a number of state and federal agencies, and private entities, that might be willing to go to court to get the ban enforced. 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, Cotton noted. Despite the intense scrutiny and potential costs involved, the machinations over TikTok are in some ways just business as usual for the tech companies involved, according to Gus Hurwitz, a legal scholar with the International Center for Law and Economics. The fines that were talking about are civil penalties and companies risk civil penalties all the time, Hurwitz said. Still, the hard business calculus of complying with a law in limbo or risk defying a president who holds lucrative federal contracts over those companies could come into focus if shareholders sue.Oracle, for example, has a part of the Pentagons $9 billion contract to build its cloud computing network.This actually could be the right business decision to make, Hurwitz said. Thats not necessarily a breach of duty to shareholders.Which companies are deciding whether to trust Trumps assurances? Theres been lots of questions about how companies such as Oracle and Akamai Technologies are powering TikToks servers to stay online, while others such as Apple and Google have made the app unavailable for new users to download.None of the companies have responded to requests for comment. Oracle in 2020 announced it had a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global after securing its business as the apps cloud technology provider.Meanwhile, as of Monday night, a search for TikTok on Apples app store directs to an online statement that reads in part: Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates, while Googles app store notes downloads for TikTok are paused due to current US legal requirements. ___Ho reported from Seattle. Maya Sweedler, Didi Tang and Josh Boak in Washington contributed reporting. SALLY HO Ho is an investigative and business news reporter for The Associated Press. Shes filed public records requests in all 50 U.S. states and covered a range of major world events. twitter mailto