Split (1)

train · 2k rows

publisher stringclasses 1 value	publishing_date stringdate 2025-05-01 04:01:06 2025-05-22 14:16:37	topics listlengths 1 170	text stringlengths 116 17.6k
Associated Press News	2025-05-03 21:23:06+00:00	[ "Idaho Falls", "Idaho", "California", "Automotive accidents", "National parks", "Travel and tourism", "Accidents", "Business" ]	# Driver of Ctour Holiday van involved in Idaho crash was licensed in California May 3rd, 2025, 09:23 PM --- WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (AP) — Idaho State Police said Saturday that the driver of the tour van involved in a deadly collision with a pickup truck was licensed in California and the company that organized the trip was Ctour Holiday LLC, a large tour operator that provides international travel services. The pickup truck driver and six people in the Mercedes van were killed in the crash, which occurred Thursday evening on U.S. Highway 20 near Henry's Lake State Park in eastern Idaho as the tour group was headed to Yellowstone National Park. Police identified the pickup driver as 25-year-old Isaih Moreno of Humble, Texas. They have not said whether the driver of the van was among the dead. Ctour Holiday did not immediately respond Saturday to messages seeking comment. The van passengers included 12 people of Chinese nationality and one Italian. Police said they were working closely with Ctour Holiday and in contact with the two countries' consulates. The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco said via email that five Chinese citizens were killed and eight were injured. The consulate "immediately activated its emergency mechanism to provide consular protection and assistance to the injured and the families of the victims," it added. The crash remains under investigation, and police said the bodies would be taken to the Ada County Coroner's Office for autopsies and formal confirmation of their identities. Three people were seriously injured: Two were flown to an Idaho Falls hospital and one to a hospital in Bozeman, Montana, according to police. Information on their conditions was not released, and the hospitals did not immediately respond to messages seeking updates. Others were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. "Due to privacy considerations, no information regarding the medical status of the injured will be released," police said in a statement.
Associated Press News	2025-05-14 18:03:53+00:00	[ "Astronomy", "National Aeronautics and Space Administration", "Science", "Elise Wright Knutsen", "Planets", "Aerospace technology", "Space exploration" ]	# NASA rover spies the first aurora at Mars that's visible to the human eye By Marcia Dunn May 14th, 2025, 06:03 PM --- NASA's Perseverance rover has detected the first aurora at Mars that's visible to the human eye, good news for future astronauts who can savor the view on the red planet. European and U.S. scientists reported that the green aurora in the dusty Martian sky was generated by a solar storm last year and had three days' advance notice to set aside viewing time with the rover's cameras. Previous auroras observed at Mars appeared only in the ultraviolet, but this one was in the visible wavelength. It resulted from a solar flare in March 2024 that was followed by a coronal mass ejection of plasma from the sun that was directed toward Mars. These latest observations show that forecasting of northern and southern lights is now possible at Mars, allowing scientists to study space weather, said University of Oslo's Elise Wright Knutsen , whose research appeared Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. "While the brightness of this event was dimmed by dust, events under better viewing conditions or more intense particle precipitation might be above the threshold for human vision and visible to future astronauts," the researchers wrote. This was the first time an aurora had been reported from the surface of a planet other than Earth, the researchers noted. Earlier observations were made from orbit. Launched in 2020, Perseverance has been exploring Mars' Jezero Crater since 2021, collecting dust and rock samples for eventual return to Earth. The region, now dry but once believed to be a flowing lake and river delta, could hold evidence of ancient microbial life. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-12 22:04:36+00:00	[ "Tallahassee", "Shootings", "Crime", "Homicide", "Prisons", "Gun violence", "Education" ]	# Man accused in Florida State shooting out of hospital and booked into jail on murder charges May 12th, 2025, 10:04 PM --- TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding six others during a shooting last month at Florida State University was discharged from a Tallahassee hospital on Monday and charged with murder, authorities said. Phoenix Ikner, 20, was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, the Leon County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. He was then transferred to a jail in neighboring Wakulla County, which is standard procedure when an inmate is related to a Leon County deputy. Ikner, identified as the stepson of a sheriff's deputy, arrived on campus April 17 and stayed near a parking garage before he walked in and out of buildings and green spaces while firing a handgun just before lunchtime, police said. In roughly four minutes, officers confronted Ikner, a political science student at Florida State, and shot and wounded him, Tallahassee police said. Police believe Ikner used a former service weapon that belongs to his stepmother, an 18-year veteran of the Leon County Sheriff's Office, officials said. In recent years, she has worked as a middle school resource officer and was the department's employee of the month a year ago in March. After the shooting she requested and was granted personal leave and also reassigned from her post at the school. Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting. Online jail and court records Monday didn't list an attorney for Ikner. Multiple attempts to reach his family after the shooting went unanswered.
Associated Press News	2025-05-16 18:05:54+00:00	[ "New Orleans", "Susan Hutson", "Prisons", "Crime", "Louisiana", "Law enforcement", "Homicide", "Corey Boyd", "Jay Mallett", "Bianka Brown", "Liz Murrill", "Robert Moody", "Bryan LaGarde", "X Corp.", "Jason Williams", "Anne Kirkpatrick" ]	# 10 escape from New Orleans jail through hole in cell wall By Jack Brook, Jim Mustian, and Sara Cline May 16th, 2025, 06:05 PM --- NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten men broke out of a New Orleans jail Friday in an audacious overnight escape by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall while the lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, authorities said. Seven of the escapees, including suspects charged with murder, remain on the lam following the breakout that the local sheriff says may have been aided by members within the department. Surveillance footage, shared with media during a news conference, showed the escapees sprinting out of the facility — some wearing orange clothing and others in white. They scaled a fence, using blankets to avoid being cut by barbed wire, and then some could be seen sprinting across the nearby interstate and into a neighborhood. A photograph obtained by The Associated Press from law enforcement shows the opening behind a toilet in a cell that the men escaped through. Above the hole are scrawled messages that include "To Easy LoL" with an arrow pointing at the gap. The absence of the 10 men, who also utilized facility deficiencies that officials have long complained about in their escape, went unnoticed for hours. It was not until a routine morning headcount, more than seven hours later, that law enforcement learned of the escape. Officials from the sheriff's office say no deputy was at the pod where the fugitives had been held. There was a technician, a civilian there to observe the pod, but she had stepped away to get food, they said. Soon after the escape, one of the men, Kendall Myles, 20, was apprehended after a brief foot chase through the French Quarter. He had previously escaped twice from juvenile detention centers. By Friday evening, two more fugitives had been captured. Officials found Robert Moody, 21, in New Orleans thanks to a Crimestoppers tip, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. Dkenan Dennis was found near the Chef Menteur Highway, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced on the social platform X. ## Louisiana State Police say search is active Seven escaped inmates remain at large, Louisiana State Police said in an update Saturday morning. State police used a helicopter to transport the captured inmates to a state correctional facility outside the New Orleans area, the agency said. The search remains active with numerous local, state, and federal agencies working together around the clock to locate and apprehend the remaining individuals, police said. ## Sheriff blames 'defective locks' and possibly inside help Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out of the Orleans Justice Center because of "defective locks." Hutson said she has continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the ailing infrastructure. Hutson said there are indications that people inside her department helped the fugitives escape. "It's almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help," she said of the jail, where 1,400 people are being held. The escapees yanked open a door to enter the cell with the hole around 1 a.m. At least one of the steel bars protecting plumbing fixtures "appeared to have been intentionally cut using a tool," according to a statement from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office on Friday night. The men shed their jail uniforms once out of the facility, and it is still unclear how some of them obtained regular clothing so quickly, officials said. Authorities did not notice the men were missing until 8:30 a.m. Authorities initially said 11 had escaped, but at a Friday afternoon news conference said one man thought to have escaped was in a different cell. Three employees have been placed on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation. It was not immediately clear whether any of the employees were suspected of helping with the escape. Officials also didn't say if the guard who left to get food was among the three suspended. ## Who are the fugitives? The escapees range in age from 19 to 42. Most of the men are in their 20s. One of the fugitives, Derrick Groves, was convicted on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder last year for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings of two men. He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, court records show. Law enforcement warned that he may attempt to locate witnesses in the murder trial. Another escapee, Corey Boyd, had pled not guilty to a pending second-degree murder charge. Hutson said the police department was actively working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to search for the fugitives. Police relied on facial recognition technology to identify and capture one fugitive, said Bryan LaGarde, executive director of Project NOLA, a nonprofit operating more than 5,000 cameras around New Orleans. His organization, which partners with Louisiana authorities, entered the escapees' images into the system and quickly found two in the French Quarter. "They were walking openly in the street. They were keeping their heads down and checking over their shoulder." LaGarde said, adding that the other fugitive walked out of sight of the cameras. ## State and local officials blast jail authorities "This represents a complete failure of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator," said Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams. He blasted the sheriff's office for a multi-hour delay in notifying authorities and the public of the escape. "These inexcusable failures have put lives in danger." Murrill, the state's attorney general, called the escape "beyond unacceptable" and said local authorities waited too long to inform the public. She said she reached out to surrounding states to alert them about the escape. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said her agency has put "a full court effort" to respond to the escape and is working with the FBI and U.S. marshals. Officers were focused on identifying and providing protection for people who may have testified in their cases or may be in danger. One family has been "removed" from their home, Kirkpatrick said. "If there is anyone helping or harboring these escapees, you will be charged," Kirkpatrick added. ## Turmoil at New Orleans' jail New Orleans' jail has for more than a decade been subject to federal monitoring and a consent decree intended to improve conditions. Security problems and violence persisted even after the city opened the Orleans Justice Center in 2015, replacing the decaying Orleans Parish Prison, which had seen its own string of escapes and dozens of in-custody deaths. A federal judge declared in 2013 that the lockup had festered into an unconstitutional setting for people incarcerated there. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said staff is "stretched thin" at the facility, which is around 60% staffed. Bianka Brown, chief financial officer of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, said they can't afford a maintenance and service contract to fix problems such as broken doors, lock replacements and other ailing infrastructure. The jail contained numerous "high security" people convicted of violent offenses who required a "restrictive housing environment that did not exist," said Jay Mallett, Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office chief of corrections. The sheriff's office was in the process of transferring dozens to more secure locations. ___ Associated Press writer Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-05 17:43:00+00:00	[ "Pope Francis", "Sweden", "Gaza Strip", "Vatican City", "2024-2025 Mideast Wars", "Medical devices", "Papal conclave", "Children", "Immunizations", "Anton Asfar", "Medication", "Religion", "Health", "Israel-Hamas war" ]	# Pope Francis donated a popemobile to serve as a mobile health unit for Gaza children May 5th, 2025, 05:43 PM --- VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before he died, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a mobile health unit to serve the children of Gaza, officials said Monday. The Jerusalem and Sweden branches of the Vatican's Caritas charitable federation released photos of the repurposed vehicle on Monday. There is no word, though, on when it might be put to use. The donation was announced on the same day that Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time. "When the humanitarian corridor to Gaza reopens, it (the popemobile) will be ready to give primary healthcare to children in Gaza," Caritas Jerusalem said in a statement. The vehicle will be outfitted with equipment for diagnosis, examination, and treatment. Caritas said it would have testing equipment, suture kits, syringes and needles, oxygen supply, vaccines, and a refrigerator. "This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis," the secretary general of Caritas Jerusalem, Anton Asfar, said in a statement. During Israel's war in Gaza, Francis became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli military's harsh tactics while also demanding the return of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. Last year, he urged an investigation into whether Israel's war amounted to genocide -– a charge Israel vehemently denies. He repeatedly spoke out about the plight of people in Gaza, and had a nightly ritual that he even maintained while he was in the hospital in February with pneumonia: he would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping. Francis died April 21 at age 88. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-10 04:03:37+00:00	[ "New Orleans", "Pope Leo XIV", "Catholic Church", "Louisiana", "Mildred Agnes Martinez", "Black experience", "Chicago", "Papal conclave", "Joseph Norval Martinez", "Shannen Dee Williams", "Kim R. Harris", "Race and ethnicity", "Religion", "Marc Morial", "Racism", "Pierre Toussaint", "Andrew Jolivette", "Reynold Verret", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Pope Leo XIV's Creole heritage highlights complex history of racism By Jack Brook and Deepa Bharath May 10th, 2025, 04:03 AM --- NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The new pope's French-sounding last name, Prevost, intrigued Jari Honora, a New Orleans genealogist, who began digging in the archives and discovered the pope had deep roots in the Big Easy. All four of Pope Leo XIV's maternal great-grandparents were "free people of color" in Louisiana based on 19th-century census records, Honora found. As part of the melting pot of French, Spanish, African and Native American cultures in Louisiana, the pope's maternal ancestors would be considered Creole. "It was special for me because I share that heritage and so do many of my friends who are Catholic here in New Orleans," said Honora, a historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum in the French Quarter. Honora and others in the Black and Creole Catholic communities say the election of Leo — a Chicago native who spent over two decades in Peru including eight years as a bishop — is just what the Catholic Church needs to unify the global church and elevate the profile of Black Catholics whose history and contributions have long been overlooked. ## A rich cultural identity Leo, who has not spoken openly about his roots, may also have an ancestral connection to Haiti. His grandfather, Joseph Norval Martinez, may have been born there, though historical records are conflicting, Honora said. However, Martinez's parents — the pope's great-grandparents — were living in Louisiana since at least the 1850s, he said. Andrew Jolivette, a professor of sociology and Afro-Indigenous Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, did his own digging and found the pope's ancestry reflected the unique cultural tapestry of southern Louisiana. The pope's Creole roots draw attention to the complex, nuanced identities Creoles hold, he said. "There is Cuban ancestry on his maternal side. So, there are a number of firsts here and it's a matter of pride for Creoles," said Jolivette, whose family is Creole from Louisiana. "So, I also view him as a Latino pope because the influence of Latino heritage cannot be ignored in the conversation about Creoles." Most Creoles are Catholic and historically it was their faith that kept families together as they migrated to larger cities like Chicago, Jolivette said. The former Cardinal Robert Prevost's maternal grandparents — identified as "mulatto" and "Black" in historical records — were married in New Orleans in 1887 and lived in the city's historically Creole Seventh Ward. In the coming years, the Jim Crow regime of racial segregation rolled back post-Civil War reforms and "just about every aspect of their lives was circumscribed by race, extending even to the church," Honora said. ## An American story of migration The pope's grandparents migrated to Chicago around 1910, like many other African American families leaving the racial oppression of the Deep South, and "passed for white," Honora said. The pope's mother, Mildred Agnes Martinez, who was born in Chicago, is identified as "white" on her 1912 birth certificate, Honora said. "You can understand, people may have intentionally sought to obfuscate their heritage," he said. "Always life has been precarious for people of color in the South, New Orleans included." The pope's grandparents' old home in New Orleans was later destroyed, along with hundreds of others, to build a highway overpass that "eviscerated" a stretch of the largely Black neighborhood in the 1960s, Honora said. A former New Orleans mayor, Marc Morial, called the pope's family's history, "an American story of how people escape American racism and American bigotry." As a Catholic with Creole heritage who grew up near the neighborhood where the pope's grandparents lived, Morial said he has contradictory feelings. While he's proud of the pope's connection to his city, Morial said the new pontiff's maternal family's shifting racial identity highlights "the idea that in America people had to escape their authenticity to be able to survive." ## African American influence on Catholicism The Rev. Ajani Gibson, who heads the predominantly Black congregation at St. Peter Claver Church in New Orleans, said he sees the pope's roots as a reaffirmation of African American influence on Catholicism in his city. "I think a lot of people take for granted that the things that people love most about New Orleans are both Black and Catholic," said Gibson, referring to rich cultural contributions to Mardi Gras, New Orleans' jazz tradition and brass band parades known as second-lines. He hoped the pope's Creole heritage — emerging from the city's "cultural gumbo pot" — signals an inclusive outlook for the Catholic Church. "I want the continued elevation of the universal nature of the church — that the church looks, feels, sounds like everybody," Gibson said. "We all have a place and we come and bring who we are, completely and totally, as gifts to the church." Shannen Dee Williams, a history professor at the University of Dayton, said she hopes that Leo's "genealogical roots and historic papacy will underscore that all roads in American Catholicism, in North, South and Central America, lead back to the church's foundational roots in its mostly unacknowledged and unreconciled histories of Catholic colonialism, slavery and segregation." "There have always been two trans-Atlantic stories of American Catholicism; one that begins with Europeans and another one that begins with Africans and African-descended people, free and enslaved, living in Europe and Africa in the 16th century," she said. "Just as Black history is American history, (Leo's) story also reminds us that Black history is, and always has been, Catholic history, including in the United States." ## Hope for the future Kim R. Harris, associate professor of African American Religious Thought and Practice at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, said the pope's genealogy got her thinking about the seven African American Catholics on the path to sainthood who have been recognized by the National Black Catholic Congress, but haven't yet been canonized. Harris highlighted Pierre Toussaint, a philanthropist born in Haiti as a slave who became a New York City entrepreneur and was declared "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II in 1997. "The excitement I have in this moment probably has to do with the hope that this pope's election will help move this canonization process along," Harris said. While it's not known how Leo identifies himself racially, his roots bring a sense of hope to African American Catholics, she said. "When I think about a person who brings so much of the history of this country in his bones, I really hope it brings to light who we are as Americans, and who we are as people of the diaspora," she said. "It brings a whole new perspective and widens the vision of who we all are." Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, the only historically Black Catholic university, said he was "a little surprised" about the pope's heritage. "It's a joyful connection," he said. "It is an affirmation that the Catholic Church is truly universal and that (Black) Catholics remained faithful regardless of a church that was human and imperfect. It also shows us that the church transcends national borders." ___ Bharath reported from Los Angeles. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 19:23:56+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Mark Rutte", "Friedrich Merz", "Dick Schoof", "Netherlands government", "Military and defense", "Netherlands", "Germany", "Brussels", "Europe", "The Hague", "NATO", "Politics", "North Atlantic Treaty Organization" ]	# Dutch leader says NATO's chief insists allies should spend at least 3.5% of GDP on defense budgets By Lorne Cook and Mike Corder May 9th, 2025, 07:23 PM --- BRUSSELS (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Friday that NATO's chief wants the 32 member countries to agree to start spending at least 3.5% of gross domestic product on their defense budgets at a summit in the Netherlands next month. In 2023, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered its second year, NATO leaders agreed that all allies should spend at least 2% of GDP. They are expected to set a new goal at a meeting in The Hague on June 25. President Donald Trump insists that U.S. allies should commit to spending at least 5%, but that would require investment at an unprecedented scale. Still, Trump has cast doubt over whether the United States would defend allies that spend too little. Schoof told reporters that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has written to the member nations to tell them that "he expects the NATO summit to aim for 3.5% hard military spending by 2032." Rutte also wrote that he expects a commitment to "1.5% related spending such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and things like that. Also achievable by 2032," Schoof said. While the two figures do add up to 5%, factoring in infrastructure and cybersecurity would change the basis on which NATO calculates defense spending. The seven-year time frame is also short by the alliance's usual standards. Asked at NATO's Brussels headquarters about his demand, Rutte said: "I'm not going to confirm the figures." He said that "there are many rumors floating around" as NATO envoys discuss the new spending goal. NATO foreign ministers are likely to debate the numbers again at a meeting in Antalya, Turkey next Wednesday and Thursday. Rutte reaffirmed his public position that "if we stick at the 2%, we cannot defend ourselves. So we have to really increase defense spending." Standing alongside Rutte, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that for Germany currently, each 1% of GDP represents around 45 billion euros ($51 billion). Germany was estimated to have spent 2.1% on its military budget last year, according to NATO figures. But Merz said that NATO allies "also need to discuss infrastructure as well," including civilian infrastructure – roads, bridges, air and seaports – so that armies can move more quickly around Europe, and not just pure military spending. It remains difficult to see how many allies might reach even 3.5%. NATO's most recent estimates show that 22 allies would reach the 2% goal last year, compared to a previous forecast of 23. Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain would not, although Spain does expect to reach the 2% goal in 2025, a year too late. Even the United States was estimated to have spent 3.19% of GDP in 2024, down from 3.68% a decade ago when all members vowed to increase spending after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. It's the only ally whose spending has dropped. ___ Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 08:43:21+00:00	[ "Pakistan", "India", "India government", "Kashmir", "Pakistan government", "International agreements", "South Asia", "Government programs", "Indictments", "Islam", "Slavery", "Rebellions and uprisings", "War and unrest", "Hinduism" ]	# India and Pakistan have been in conflict since 1947 Partition. A look at its troubled legacy By Sheikh Saaliq May 9th, 2025, 08:43 AM --- NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire following U.S.-led talks to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades. The ceasefire deal on Saturday follows weeks of clashes, missile and drone strikes across their borders that were triggered by a gun massacre of tourists last month that India blames on Pakistan, which denies the charge. Dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides. The fresh round of confrontation was yet another escalation of a decades-long conflict over the disputed Kashmir region that began after a bloody partition of India in 1947. Here's a look at the troubled legacy of Partition that has dictated the future course of India-Pakistan relations: ## Partition created two new nations In August 1947, Britain divided India, its former colony, into two countries — Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The fate of Kashmir — then a princely state — was left undecided. Excitement over independence was quickly overshadowed by some of the worst bloodletting that left up to 1 million people dead as gangs of Hindus and Muslims slaughtered each other. ## It divided millions of families Creating two independent nations also tore apart millions of Hindu and Muslim families in one of the world's largest peacetime migrations. Many fled their homes and lost their property, never imagining that they would not be able to return. At least 15 million people were displaced. ## Both nations lay claim over Kashmir Within months, both India and Pakistan laid claim over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region. Kashmir's Hindu ruler wanted to stay independent, but local armed uprisings flared in various parts of Kashmir, along with a raid by tribesmen from Pakistan. It forced the monarch to seek help from India, which offered military assistance on condition that the kingdom link itself to India. The Indian military entered the region soon after, with the tribal raid spiraling into the first of two wars between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. That war ended in 1948 with a U.N.-brokered ceasefire. Kashmir was divided between the two young nations by the heavily militarized Ceasefire Line that was later named Line of Control. A U.N.-sponsored vote that was promised to Kashmiris would have enabled the region's people to decide whether to be part Pakistan or India. That vote has never been held. India and Pakistan fought another war, in 1965, and a limited conflict, in 1999, over Indian-controlled Kashmir. ## Insurgency in Kashmir Kashmiri discontent with Indian rule took root as successive governments reneged on a promise to allow a referendum while largely peaceful movements against Indian control were suppressed harshly. By 1989, Indian-controlled Kashmir was in the throes of a full-blown rebellion. India decries the rebellion as Islamabad's proxy war and state-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies that. Many Muslim Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle and support the rebel goal that the territory be united, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 17:15:45+00:00	[ "Iowa", "Kim Reynolds", "Legislation", "Monte Shaw", "Business", "Jeff Taylor", "Politics", "Climate and environment", "Lee Enterprises", "Inc.", "Sabrina Zenor", "Iowa state government", "Climate" ]	# Carbon dioxide pipeline regulations pass in testy Iowa Senate but still need governor's signature By Hannah Fingerhut May 13th, 2025, 05:15 PM --- DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Senate advanced a bill that could further complicate a massive carbon-capture pipeline project routed across several Midwestern states after a long-winded and testy debate that exposed a clear rift among Republicans over property rights and the future of the state's agricultural dominance. The legislation that narrowly passed late Monday would prohibit the renewal of permits for a carbon dioxide pipeline, limit the use of such a pipeline to 25 years and significantly increase the insurance coverage requirements for the pipeline company. Those provisions would likely make it less financially feasible for a company to build the pipeline. Already passed by the House, the measure now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk. A spokesperson for the governor said Tuesday that the governor's office is reviewing the bill. The legislation could force adjustments to Summit Carbon Solutions' plans for the estimated $8.9 billion, 2,500-mile (4,023-kilometer) project, which are already strained after South Dakota's governor signed a ban on the use of eminent domain — the government seizure of private property with compensation — to acquire land for carbon dioxide pipelines. The project received permit approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, but it does face various court challenges, and its application was rejected in South Dakota. The Iowa Senate, already operating in overtime as legislative session drags on, came to a halt after a dozen Republican state senators insisted that their leaders bring a pipeline bill to the floor. In response, Summit spokesperson Sabrina Zenor this month outlined the company's investment to date, saying that the company remained committed to building the project and to Iowa. "Summit Carbon Solutions has invested four years and nearly $175 million on voluntary agreements in Iowa, signing agreements with more than 1,300 landowners and securing 75% of the Phase One route," Zenor said in a May 1 statement. Zenor declined to comment Tuesday. Dozens of Summit employees and leaders and members of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and labor unions made a big showing as debate in the state Senate seemed inevitable. They told lawmakers that the project is essential for the future of Iowa's ethanol industry, for farmers and for construction jobs. The pipeline would carry carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. By lowering carbon emissions from the plants, the pipeline would lower their carbon intensity scores and make them more competitive in the renewable fuels market. The project would also allow ethanol producers and Summit to tap into federal tax credits. A majority of the Iowa Senate "turned their back on Iowa agriculture tonight," Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a statement. "For 25 years, Iowa has benefited greatly from being the most profitable place in the world to convert corn kernels into ethanol," said Shaw, who predicts that there will be severe economic consequences if the legislation is signed into law. "Iowa is poised to be left behind." The pipeline's critics accuse Summit of stepping on their property rights and downplaying the safety risks of building the pipeline alongside family homes, near schools and across ranches. Lee Enterprises and The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of cases that reveal the great legal lengths the company went to to get the project built. In South Dakota, in particular, a slew of eminent domain legal actions to obtain land sparked a groundswell of opposition that was closely watched by lawmakers in Iowa as well. Tensions flared among the Iowa Senate's Republican supermajority, with senators openly criticizing one another and exposing the closed-door discussions that got them there. Thirteen Republican senators joined with 14 Democrats in voting in favor of the bill. Twenty-one Republicans and one Democrat voted against it. The Republicans who opposed it stressed that they, too, respect private property rights. But they said the bill has holes that will threaten any infrastructure development in Iowa, not just carbon-capture pipelines. They criticized the bill for drawing out the permitting process by muddying up the standards of public use, allowing anyone, anywhere to intervene, and creating unnecessary insurance disputes between the company and landowners that may be miles away. The bill's backers said those criticisms are overblown interpretations of the legislation and distractions from the issue at hand. Republican state Sen. Jeff Taylor, who supports the bill, said it would fundamentally ensure that companies respect the constitutional requirement for eminent domain. "Both the Iowa Constitution and the federal Constitution specify what the requirement is for eminent domain: It's public use," Taylor said. "It's not anything else. It's not a positive business climate, it's not helping the agribusiness in the state, it's not the price of corn or helping the ethanol plants. It's public use."
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 00:00:11+00:00	[ "Brian Thompson", "Luigi Mangione", "Crime", "Legal proceedings", "Homicide", "Terrorism", "Brooklyn", "Capital punishment", "Indictments", "New York City Wire", "Business", "Law enforcement", "New York", "Alvin Bragg", "Manhattan", "Pennsylvania", "Gregory Carro", "Courts", "Pam Bondi", "Karen Friedman Agnifilo", "Jacob Kaplan" ]	# Luigi Mangione wants state murder case dropped, arguing double jeopardy in UnitedHealthcare killing By Michael R. Sisak May 2nd, 2025, 12:00 AM --- NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione's lawyers urged a judge Thursday to throw out his state murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arguing that the New York case and a parallel federal death penalty prosecution amount to double jeopardy. If that doesn't happen, they want terrorism charges dismissed and prosecutors barred from using evidence collected during Mangione's arrest last December, including a 9 mm handgun, ammunition and a notebook in which authorities say he described his intent to "wack" an insurance executive. Mangione's lawyers also want to exclude statements he made to police officers who took him into custody at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City, after a five-day search. Among other things, prosecutors say the Ivy League graduate apologized to officers "for the inconvenience of the day," and expressed concern for a McDonald's employee who alerted them to his whereabouts, saying: "A lot of people will be upset I was arrested." Thompson's Dec. 4 killing outside a Manhattan hotel "has led to a legal tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors as they fight for who controls the fate of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione," his lawyers, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan wrote in a 57-page court filing. They called the dual state and federal cases, plus a third in Pennsylvania involving gun possession and other charges, "unprecedented prosecutorial one-upmanship." They said prosecutors "are trying to get two bites at the apple to convict Mr. Mangione" of murder. "Yet, despite the gravest of consequences for Mr. Mangione, law enforcement has methodically and purposefully trampled his constitutional rights," his lawyers wrote. They allege officers questioned him without telling him he had a right to remain silent and searched his property without a warrant. The Manhattan district attorney's office said it would respond in court papers. The defense's demands to end or limit Mangione's state case could preview his legal strategy for his federal murder case, where prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty. The state charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison. Mangione, who turns 27 on Tuesday, has pleaded not guilty in both cases. He has been held in a Brooklyn federal jail since authorities whisked him to New York by plane and helicopter after his arrest. Mangione is due back in court for the state case on June 26, when Judge Gregory Carro is expected to rule on the dismissal request. He next federal court date is Dec. 5, a day after the one-year anniversary of Thompson's death. No trial date has been set in either case. Prosecutors had said they expected the state case go to trial first, but Friedman Agnifilo said last week that she wants the federal case to take precedence because it involves the death penalty. Along with seeking to dismiss the state case, Mangione's lawyers alternatively asked Carro to throw out charges alleging he killed "in furtherance of terrorism" and as an act of terrorism. They argue there are "absolutely no facts to support this theory" and that charging him under a post-9/11 terrorism statute flouts the intent of lawmakers. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference. Police say "delay," "deny" and "depose" were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said that the ambush "was a killing that was intended to evoke terror." Mangione's federal charges include murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty, along with two counts of stalking and a firearms offense. Last month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she was directing Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the killing, calling it "an act of political violence" and a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America." The killing and ensuing search leading to Mangione's arrest rattled the business community while galvanizing health insurance critics who rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty bills. In their filing Thursday, Mangione's lawyers argued that the conflicting theories of the state and federal cases — intending to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population" vs. stalking a single person — has created a "legal quagmire" that makes it "legally and logistically impossible to defend against them simultaneously." "This situation is so constitutionally fraught that we are hard pressed to find precedent for such an unprecedented situation," Mangione's lawyers wrote.
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 14:03:06+00:00	[ "Sacramento", "Donald Trump", "Semiconductor manufacturing", "Intel Corp.", "Dinakar Munagala", "Taiwan", "Joe Biden", "Government policy", "Economic policy", "United States government", "International trade", "Subsidies", "United States", "Tariffs and global trade", "Politics", "Business", "Technology", "Nintendo Co.", "Ltd.", "Mario Morales", "Lane Bess", "Advanced Micro Devices", "Inc.", "Barry Broome", "Alvin Nguyen" ]	# Potential US semiconductor manufacturing boom complicated by Trump's economic policies By Sarah Parvini May 15th, 2025, 02:03 PM --- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Before "America First" became the Trump administration's mandate for foreign policy and trade, one sector was already working to bring business back to the United States: the semiconductor industry. Aided by government incentives, American and foreign tech companies alike have invested hundreds of billions of dollars to bolstering semiconductor operations — research and development, manufacturing and facility modernization — across the country in recent years. In few places is the growth of the U.S. semiconductor industry clearer than in the Greater Sacramento region, where tech leaders and lawmakers have, for years, sought to grow California's role in producing the chips that power everyday necessities like cars, refrigerators and smartphones. Semiconductor giants clustered in cities just outside Silicon Valley — Intel, AMD, Bosch, Samsung and Micron — are building on a tech foothold Intel first established when it opened its Sacramento-County campus in 1984. But President Donald Trump's economic policies have complicated that growth as the administration takes its next steps toward imposing more tariffs on key imports and launching investigations into imports of computer chips and chip-making equipment — all at a time when deeper semiconductor investments were just starting to have a positive impact on changing supply chains. New tariffs, paired with the administration's threats against the CHIPS and Science Act, could dramatically slow its goal of ensuring the U.S. maintains a competitive edge in artificial intelligence development. "You're starting to see some of it now. Samsung announced a delay in the fabs in Texas," said Mario Morales, an analyst with the International Data Corp. "That facility was supposed to come online in 2024 now it's being delayed to 2028. I think some of these companies are delaying it because they now know that they're not going to likely get funding, or because of the uncertainty around the acts that we're seeing around the new trade policy." When asked about the delay, Samsung said the Texas site will be ready by 2026. Although the U.S. is a major producer of certain types of semiconductor chips, the nation's share of global chip production — measured by volume and not dollar value — fell from 37% in 1990 to just 10% in 2022, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. As a result, the country relies heavily on imports from Taiwan and South Korea for advanced chips. Major manufacturers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. are investing to build up U.S. facilities, partly due to incentives put in place during former President Joe Biden's time in office. The CHIPS Act, a law passed in 2022 with bipartisan support, was designed to revive U.S. semiconductor manufacturing while sharpening the U.S. edge in military technology and minimizing future supply chain disruptions. Because of the CHIPS Act, the U.S. is projected to more than triple its semiconductor manufacturing capacity — the highest rate of growth in the world during that period, according to a May 2024 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association and the Boston Consulting Group. Barry Broome, president of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, said weaknesses in the semiconductor supply chain became evident during the pandemic, when the U.S. experienced a shortage in supply. It was "abundantly clear that having these chip products offshore in Vietnam, Taiwan, China for cost savings had serious implications." Those pandemic-era challenges, paired with looming tensions between China and Taiwan, have helped drive the industry to the Sacramento area, he said. Northern California's wealth of tech knowledge and established roots in the semiconductor industry are also attractive traits that have brought investment to the Sacramento region as federal subsidies begin to bolster domestic growth. German tech company Bosch, for example, announced a $1.9 billion investment in the Greater Sacramento area in 2023 to manufacture chips for electric vehicles, converting its facility in Roseville into a silicon carbide semiconductor production site. That investment, Bosch said, would create as many as 1,700 jobs in construction, manufacturing, engineering, and research and development. The project marks the largest semiconductor investment in California in three decades, according to Broome. Tech workers who started out at companies like Intel have spun out companies of their own, including Sacramento-area AI startup Blaize and data storage manufacturer Solidigm. Dinakar Munagala, cofounder of Blaize, said the company's AI chips are among the few built domestically. Their chips are made in a Samsung foundry in Texas, he said. The company's products, Munagala added, help to power systems that analyze traffic patterns and detect suspicious behavior in airports. "We're built here," he said. "That's one of the reasons we're actually getting quite a bit of interest from defense, border security, these classes of use cases." Lane Bess, board chair of Blaize, pointed to Munagala — who worked at Intel — as an example of the talent the Sacramento region can provide to tech companies. The area is primed to be a main corridor for the semiconductor industry because a lot of skilled workers are looking to develop their own companies, Bess said. The Trump administration has viewed chip production as a national security issue because it would reduce U.S. reliance on importing chips that are also used by the military. It also intends to study the risks of having computer chip production concentrated in other places and the impact on U.S. competitiveness from foreign government subsidies, "foreign unfair trade practices and state-sponsored overcapacity." Alvin Nguyen, senior analyst at Forrester, said the fluidity of the state of administration's tariffs will cause confusion about the impact on the supply chain "due to the complexity of tracking where materials and manufactured goods are produced and assembled." Video game companies, for example, have started to raise prices amid a backdrop of ongoing tariff uncertainty. "For semiconductors, we may see certain goods no longer making sense to produce due to the cost — see Nintendo Switch 2 — and the value seen from IT purchases diminishing," he said in an email. Preorders for Nintendo's highly anticipated Switch 2 were delayed in April as retailers assessed the potential impact of tariffs. Nintendo later confirmed that some Switch 2 accessories would see price adjustments, but maintained that its baseline price for the console — $449.99 — would remain the same. Nguyen said that in the medium term, the growth of foundries around the world will be beneficial to easing dependence on Taiwan for chip production. Down the road, "we should see a healthier global ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing and more supply chain options in where chips are produced and can be procured," he said. Broome, of the economic council, said he believes the Trump administration's tariffs are aimed at restructuring global relationships. He said he hopes that "concludes quickly" because uncertainty over trade policy doesn't favor the markets. "If the tariffs are used for leverage to get better agreements in the next two or three months, then we'll come back quickly, and will benefit from it," Broome said. "If they're considered long-term policy, I think it'll really ice the capital markets from putting real money on the table."
Associated Press News	2025-05-16 11:42:47+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Vietnam", "Vietnam government", "Real estate", "Politics", "Business" ]	# Vietnam approves Trump Organization's $1.5 billion golf, real estate project By Aniruddha Ghosal May 16th, 2025, 11:42 AM --- HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has approved a $1.5 billion proposal by the Trump Organization and its Vietnamese partner to build golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in the Southeast Asian country, state-run media reported Friday. The project spanning 990 hectares (2,446 acres) in northern Vietnam's Khoai Chau district will include a golf course the size 336 American football fields, residential areas, commercial spaces and parks. The decision approving the investment was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the VN Express newspaper reported. Vietnam is heading into negotiations with the U.S. in a bid to avoid the 46% tariffs on its exports announced by President Donald Trump's administration. Vietnam also has been facing heat from Washington for not doing enough to prevent the diversion of Chinese goods through its borders. The investment project was announced by Vietnamese real estate developer Kinhbac City, which partnered with Trump's family business in October. Work on the project will start this year and continue till 2029. The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Associated Press News	2025-05-08 21:48:30+00:00	[ "Alabama", "Crime", "Corruption", "Indictments", "Juries", "Jimmy Sawyer", "Law enforcement" ]	# Nearly 60 cases dismissed due to corruption in Alabama police department By Safiyah Riddle May 8th, 2025, 09:48 PM --- MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Nearly 60 felony cases will be dropped in a small Alabama town because they were compromised by what a grand jury called a "rampant culture of corruption" in the local police department, according to a statement on Wednesday. The grand jury determined that 58 felony criminal cases had been tainted by corruption in the Hanceville Police Department in northern Alabama, after four officers and the police chief were indicted on a variety of charges related to mishandling or removing evidence from the department's evidence room. The indictment included a recommendation that the department be "immediately abolished." The case roiled the town of approximately 3,200 people about 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of Birmingham. Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said that even one compromised case "is too many" but that "the Grand Jury had no other recourse," in a statement on Wednesday night. He added that most of the cases were drug-related and only a few were personal crimes with victims. The 58 tossed cases were selected based on an audit conducted by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations. The audit found that nearly 40% of all 650 evidence bags and almost a third of all firearms weren't documented before being stored in the evidence room. There was also a wide array of evidence that appeared to be missing, including firearms, cash and illicit drugs. Hanceville Mayor Jimmy Sawyer placed the whole department on leave in February, and then following weeks of polarized debate, announced in March that the department would be disbanded and rebuilt from scratch. A spokesperson for Hanceville's municipal government did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Thursday afternoon. ___ Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press News	2025-05-06 02:31:42+00:00	[ "Anne Hathaway", "Colman Domingo", "Anna Wintour", "Carolina Herrera", "Met Gala", "New York City Wire", "Lifestyle", "Arts and entertainment", "Andr Leon Talley", "Tessa Thompson", "Paloma Elsesser" ]	# Many 'Superfine' tributes to André Leon Talley at the Met Gala By Lindsey Bahr May 6th, 2025, 02:31 AM --- André Leon Talley's presence could be felt everywhere at the Met Gala on Monday. The late creative director and editor at large of Vogue magazine, who died in 2022 at age 73, heavily influenced the spirit of the costume exhibit, where one of his suits was featured, and the glitzy event itself. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour wrote extensively about her old colleague in her editor's letter last month, writing that she would be "thinking of him on the night of the Met Gala, an evening made for him — and one I can scarcely believe he will miss." And she was hardly the only one. Many attendees, as diverse as Anne Hathaway and Rev. Al Sharpton, had Talley top of mind as they walked the blue carpet Monday. Hathaway, in Carolina Herrera, said she dressed specifically for him. "We wanted André Leon Talley to look down from heaven and scream 'GLAMOUR,'" Hathaway said on the Vogue livestream. Sharpton, meanwhile, wanted to spotlight Talley's trailblazing contributions to the fashion world. He said that people like Talley fought to have a night like this. "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" is the first Costume Institute exhibit to focus exclusively on Black designers. "I know André Leon Talley is looking down on us, smiling," Sharpton said. "That's why I had to be here. And I had to be as dandy as I could." Event co-chair Colman Domingo seemed to pay homage to Talley's passion for dramatic capes, and possibly even the look that Talley wore in 2011, with his bright blue Valentino. Some were more obvious. Actor Tessa Thompson wore a fan accessory with the late famed Vogue editor pictured on the front, and model Paloma Elsesser wore a leather jacket decorated with his face while on her way to get ready for the event. And others got extra creative, channeling Talley's infectious exuberance. Doechii, who is on the host committee, recreated a famous photograph of Talley joyfully bounding out of a hotel, with a larger-than-life smile, a tennis racket and arms full of Louis Vuitton luggage. The point, everyone seemed to understand, was to have fun with it. Talley would have. "André knew who he was, and I know how much he would have adored "Superfine," every aspect of it," Wintour wrote.
Associated Press News	2025-05-10 13:54:33+00:00	[ "Tennessee", "Earthquakes", "Atlanta", "Georgia", "Ayesha Davis", "Jason Pack", "Gabriela Reilly" ]	# 4.1 Tennessee earthquake rattles homes as far away as Atlanta By Ben Finley and Bill Cormier May 10th, 2025, 01:54 PM --- ATLANTA (AP) — A 4.1-magnitude earthquake in Tennessee woke up families and rattled homes as far away as Atlanta as it spread tremors across portions of the southern U.S. on Saturday morning. No injuries or major damage were immediately reported. The website for USGS said the earthquake originated shortly after 9 a.m. EDT about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Greenback, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Knoxville. More than 23,000 reports from the public were received by USGS in the first hour after the earthquake, USGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis told The Associated Press in an email. Meteorologists at television news stations serving Georgia and North Carolina reported feeling the tremors as well. There is a 5% chance of a magnitude 4 or larger aftershock in the next week, according to USGS. Gabriela Reilly was making waffles with her husband when they felt their entire home shake in Braselton, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta. "Our ceiling fan started shaking for about 10 seconds," she said. "I thought a giant aircraft had flown low right over the neighborhood, but my husband said, 'No, that was definitely an earthquake!'" Jason Pack was still in bed at his home outside Knoxville when he felt the walls shaking and heard a rumbling that was loud enough to wake up his family and for the dog to start barking. "In east Tennessee, you're used to tornadoes and floods, that kind of thing," Pack said. "It's unusual to have an earthquake." Pack has experienced tremors before, although this one is probably the strongest he's felt in Tennessee. "Even though this one was small, it's a good reminder — if it had been a big quake, would you know what to do? Drop, cover, and hold on if you're inside," said Pack, a retired FBI agent who now works in crisis communications. "Stay clear of buildings if you're outside." Damage does not usually occur from earthquakes until they reach a magnitude of somewhere above 4 or 5, according to USGS, although it depends on variables such as building construction, soil and distance from the epicenter. The southeastern U.S. carries a significant earthquake risk, particularly around the New Madrid Seismic Zone to the west and in the East Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is where Saturday's earthquake occurred, said Davis. Since 1950, 15 other earthquakes of magnitude 4 or larger have occurred within 155 miles (250 kilometers) of Saturday's earthquake, Davis said. The largest of those was a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Knoxville in November 1973. More recently, two tremors struck the seismic zone in December 2018. One was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that was centered in Decatur, Tennessee, which is south of Knoxville. It shook homes as far away as Atlanta. Another earthquake struck a few days later with a magnitude of 3.0. Its epicenter was about two miles (four kilometers) southeast of Mascot, near Knoxville. It also was felt in parts of Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina. Seismic waves from earthquakes spread more efficiently in the Eastern U.S. compared to the West because of the region's geology, Davis said. "Earthquakes in the East are felt over a much larger distance and by more people," she said. ___ Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 11:50:49+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "New Jersey", "Jack Ciattarelli", "Phil Murphy", "U.S. Republican Party", "United States Senate", "Jon Bramnick", "Politics", "Kim Guadagno", "U.S. Democratic Party", "Political endorsements", "Bill Spadea", "United States government", "Elections" ]	# Trump backs Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey's Republican primary for governor May 13th, 2025, 11:50 AM --- TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey's GOP primary, saying he's gone "ALL IN" on the "Make America Great Again" agenda. Trump's endorsement came Monday in a Truth Social post and gives Ciattarelli's campaign a boost as he competes against two other Trump supporters and a state senator who has been critical of the president. The president's endorsement and Ciattarelli's gratitude to Trump in a social media post of his own reflect the president's influence in the party, even in Democratic-leaning New Jersey. Trump's endorsement hinted at Ciattarelli's earlier criticism of Trump during his first run for the White House a decade ago, when he said Trump wasn't fit for the presidency. "Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!)," Trump said in the Truth Social post. Ciattarelli said in a post on X that he was "truly humbled and honored" by the endorsement. "It's time to unite our party, win big in November, and make New Jersey affordable and safe again," he said. Bill Spadea, a former radio host who's also running in the June 10 primary and has called for replicating the president's approach in New Jersey, suggested the president was backing Ciattarelli because some polling indicated he was in the lead. "(Trump) endorsed a poll not a plan," he said on X. "We have the only plan and core principles to restore common sense to New Jersey government." Trump's endorsement comes after he met earlier this year with Ciattarelli at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. Ciattarelli's campaign has said it sought the president's endorsement and pointed to his performance in the 2024 election in which the president flipped former blue counties red. New Jersey has been reliably Democratic in U.S. presidential and Senate elections. But its odd-year gubernatorial contests have seesawed between Democrats and Republicans. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, a two-term incumbent, cannot seek a third-straight term under state law. Democrats are also locked in competitive primary. In addition to Ciattarelli and Spadea, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and state Sen. Jon Bramnick are seeking their party's nomination. Ciattarelli, 63, is an accountant and small business owner who served in the state Assembly and county office. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in the previous two cycles. In 2021, he came within a few percentage points of defeating Murphy. In 2017, he lost in the GOP primary to then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.
Associated Press News	2025-05-14 22:59:40+00:00	[ "Erik Menendez", "Lyle Menendez", "O.J. Simpson", "Legal proceedings", "Homicide", "Jose Menendez", "Ryan Murphy", "Javier Bardem", "Crime", "Los Angeles", "Trials", "Arts and entertainment", "Nathan Hochman", "Vinnie Politan", "George Gascn", "Linda Deutsch", "Habib Balian", "Kitty Menendez", "Entertainment" ]	# The Menendez brothers case reflects a shifting culture across decades By Andrew Dalton May 14th, 2025, 10:59 PM --- LOS ANGELES (AP) — The trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez came at a time of cultural obsession with courts, crime and murder, when live televised trials captivated a national audience. Their resentencing — and the now very real possibility of their freedom — came at another, when true crime documentaries and docudramas have proliferated and brought renewed attention to the family. A judge made the Menendez brothers eligible for parole Tuesday when he reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life for the 1989 murder of their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. The state parole board will now determine whether they can be released. Their two trials bookended the O.J. Simpson trial, creating a mid-1990s phenomenon where courts subsumed soap operas as riveting daytime television. "People were not used to having cameras in the courtroom. For the first time we were seeing the drama of justice in real time," said Vinnie Politan, a Court TV anchor who hosts the nightly "Closing Arguments" on the network. "Everyone was watching cable and everyone had that common experience. Today there's a true crime bonanza happening, but it's splintered off into so many different places." The brothers became an immediate sensation with their 1990 arrest. They represented a pre-tech-boom image of young wealthy men as portrayed in many a 1980s movie: the tennis-playing, Princeton-bound prep. For many viewers, this image was confirmed by the spending spree they went on after the killings. Their case continued a fascination with the dark, private lives of the young and wealthy that goes back at least to the Leopold and Loeb murder case of the 1930s, but had been in the air in cases like the Billionaire Boys Club, a 1980s Ponzi scheme that spurred a murder. ## The first Menendez trial becomes compelling live TV Their first trials in 1993 and 1994 became a landmark for then-new Court TV, which aired it nearly in its entirety. Defense lawyers conceded that they had shot their parents. The jury, and the public, then had to consider whether the brothers' testimony about sexual and other abuse from their father was plausible, and should mean conviction on a lesser charge. The lasting image from the trial was Lyle Menendez crying on the stand as he described the abuse. At the time there had been some public reckoning with the effects of sex abuse, but not nearly to the extent of today. The two juries — one for each brother — deadlocked, largely along gender lines. It reflected the broader cultural reaction — with women supporting a manslaughter conviction and men a guilty verdict for first-degree murder. ## A tough-on-crime era, and a Menendez trial sequel The trials came at a time when crime in the U.S. was at an all-time high, a tough-on-crime stance was a prerequisite for holding major political office, and a wave of legislation mandating harsher sentences was passed. That attitude appeared to prevail when, at their second trial, the brothers were both convicted of first-degree murder. As Associated Press trial reporter Linda Deutsch, who covered both trials along with Simpson's and countless others, wrote in 1996: "This time, the jury rejected the defense claim that the brothers murdered their parents after years of sexual abuse. Instead, it embraced the prosecution theory that the killings were planned and that the brothers were greedy, spoiled brats who murdered to get their parents' $14 million fortune." The second trial was not televised and got less attention. "There were no cameras, it was in the shadow of O.J. so it didn't have the same spark and pop as the first one," Politan said. ## The Menendez brothers become a distant memory They had become too well-known to be forgotten, but for decades, the Menendez brothers faded into the background. Occasional stories emerged about the brothers losing their appeals, as did mugshots of them aging in prison. "The public's memory of them was, 'Yeah, I remember that trial, the guys with the sweaters in court,'" Politan said. That would change in the era of true-crime TV, podcasts and streamers. ## True crime goes big The 2017 NBC drama series "Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders," wasn't widely watched, but still brought the case new attention. The next decade would prove more important. The 2023 Peacock docuseries "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed" included a former member saying he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was 14. At about the same time, the brothers submitted a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin about his father's abuse before the killings. The new true-crime wave would continue to promote them, even if the portrayal wasn't always flattering. " Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," a drama created by Ryan Murphy on Netflix, made them beautiful and vain buffoons, and the actors were shown shirtless on provocative billboards. Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez brought Oscar-winning star power to the project that dropped in September of last year. That was followed a month later by a documentary on Netflix, "The Menendez Brothers." Together, the shows had the public paying more attention to the case than it had since the trials. Almost simultaneously came a real-life turning point, when then- Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said he was reviewing new evidence in the case. The office of Gascón's successor, Nathan Hochman, opposed the resentencing. Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian constantly sought at hearings to make sure the "carnage" caused by the brothers wasn't forgotten, and repeatedly emphasized that they "shotgunned, brutally, their parents to death." But the shifts in public perception and legal actions were already in motion. The judge's decision to reduce their charges came not with the drama of the televised trial, but in a short hearing in a courtroom that wouldn't allow cameras. The broader public never saw. Despite his opposition, Hochman was reflective in a statement after the resentencing. "The case of the Menendez brothers has long been a window for the public to better understand the judicial system," Hochman said. "This case, like all cases — especially those that captivate the public — must be viewed with a critical eye. Our opposition and analysis ensured that the Court received a complete and accurate record of the facts. Justice should never be swayed by spectacle." ___ This story was first published on May. 14, 2025. It was updated on May. 15, 2025 to correct the title of the docuseries "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed," which prompted renewed interest in the Menendez brothers case.
Associated Press News	2025-05-08 13:30:35+00:00	[ "Celebrity", "BET Awards", "Hip hop and rap", "Lil Wayne", "SZA", "Anthony Mackie", "Kerry Washington", "Will Smith", "Kevin Hart", "Angela Bassett", "Colman Domingo", "Leon Thomas", "Jalen Hurts", "Denzel Washington", "Drake", "Cynthia Erivo", "Jamie Foxx", "Los Angeles", "Joey Bada", "Keke Palmer", "Mya", "Coco Jones", "Aaron Pierre", "Scott Mills", "A.J. Calloway", "Sterling K. Brown", "Kendrick Lamar", "Simone Biles", "Playboi Carti", "Future", "Zendaya", "Stephen Curry", "Entertainment", "Viola Davis", "Teyana Taylor", "T.I.", "Quinta Brunson", "Aldis Hodge" ]	# Lil Wayne, GloRilla and Playboi Carti will perform at the BET Awards By Jonathan Landrum Jr. May 8th, 2025, 01:30 PM --- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar extends his dominant musical reign, entering next month's BET Awards as the leading nominee. The rap megastar earned 10 nominations earlier this month, including an album of the year for his highly-acclaimed project "GNX." His ubiquitous diss track "Not Like Us," emanating from the Drake feud, received nominations for video of the year and viewer's choice award. Lamar made waves with his Grammy triumph, winning song and record of the year for "Not Like Us." He followed up with a groundbreaking halftime show, becoming the first solo hip-hop performer to headline the coveted slot. He is currently on the Grand National Tour with SZA. Doechii, Drake, Future and GloRilla tied for the second-most nominations with six. Metro Boomin pulled in five nods, while SZA and The Weeknd each scored four. Here's more to know about the show. ## Who are the show's performers? Rap icon Lil Wayne, rapper GloRilla and singer Teyana Taylor will hit the BET Awards stage. On Thursday, the network revealed the first lineup of performers, which also includes rapper Playboi Carti and singer Leon Thomas. ## Who will host the show? Kevin Hart is expected to bring the funny as host of the awards show, celebrating its 25th anniversary. The comedian-actor, who hosted the BET Awards in 2011, called this year's ceremony a "black-tie affair." "It's a chance to reflect, cherish and honor life's unforgettable moments," Hart said in a statement. He has a history with the network, hosting "Comic View: One Night Stand" in 2008. He was an executive producer and one of the stars of "Real Husbands of Hollywood" and launched adult animated comedy "Lil Kev" on BET+. ## Will there be any tributes? The BET Awards will offer tributes to former popular hosts and performances, including the network's once-flagship program "106 & Park. " "'106 & Park' was more than just a music countdown show; it was the heartbeat of Black youth culture and one of the highest-rated BET programs for over a decade," said Scott Mills, BET's president and CEO. The weekday show launched in 2000 and lasted for more than a decade. The show thrived with a video countdown, interviews and performances. "From Freestyle Friday to unforgettable live performances, it launched careers, influenced fashion, and became a platform where voices, style, and sound converged," Mills said. "'106 & Park' both celebrated and fueled many of the most important musical and culture evolutions that occurred during its two-and-a-half-decade tenure." The show will reunite past hosts A.J. Calloway, Free, Julissa Bermudez, Keshia Chanté, Rocsi Diaz and Terrence J. The tribute will feature performers such as Bow Wow, Amerie, B2K, Jim Jones, Mya, T.I. and Mr. 106 & Park. ## When will the awards take place? The awards will air live on June 9 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. EDT. ## Are there any other standout nominees? There's a competitive list of top-notch actors looking to take home the top award in their category. For best actor, the category includes: Aaron Pierre, Aldis Hodge, Anthony Mackie, Colman Domingo, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Joey Bada$$, Kevin Hart, Sterling K. Brown and Will Smith. For best actress, the nominees include: Andra Day, Angela Bassett, Coco Jones, Cynthia Erivo, Keke Palmer, Kerry Washington, Quinta Brunson, Viola Davis and Zendaya. Stephen Curry, Lebron James, Simone Biles, Angel Reese and Jalen Hurts are among the sports stars competing for awards. ___ This story first moved on May 8, 2025, and was updated on May 15, 2025, to add who's expected to perform.
Associated Press News	2025-05-17 14:29:30+00:00	[ "Vatican City", "Marco Rubio", "Pope Leo XIV", "Ukraine", "Russia", "Matteo Zuppi", "Rome", "War and unrest", "Russia-Ukraine war", "Pope Francis", "Prisoner exchange", "International agreements", "Pietro Parolin", "Diplomacy", "Religion", "Government and politics", "Cuba government", "Nikita Khrushchev", "Tammy Bruce", "United States government", "Politics" ]	# Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine talks, Rubio says By Nicole Winfield and Matthew Lee May 17th, 2025, 02:29 PM --- ROME (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, taking up the Holy See's longstanding offer after Pope Leo XIV vowed to personally make "every effort" to help end the war. Speaking to reporters in Rome before meeting with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican point man on Ukraine, Rubio said that he would be discussing potential ways the Vatican could help, "the status of the talks, the updates after yesterday (Friday) and the path forward." Asked if the Vatican could be a peace broker, Rubio replied: "I wouldn't call it broker, but it's certainly — I think it's a place that both sides would be comfortable going." "So we'll talk about all of that and obviously always grateful to the Vatican for their willingness to play this constructive and positive role," said Rubio, who also met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state and foreign minister. The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality and had long offered its services, and venues, to try to help facilitate talks, but found itself sidelined during the all-out war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. Pope Francis, who occasionally angered both Kyiv and Moscow with his off-the-cuff comments, had entrusted Zuppi with a mandate to try to find paths of peace. But the mandate seemed to narrow to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia, and the Holy See also was able to mediate some prisoner exchanges. During their meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Rubio thanked Zuppi for the Vatican's humanitarian role, citing in particular prisoner swaps and the return of Ukrainian children. Rubio "emphasized the importance of continued collaboration under the new leadership of Pope Leo XIV," U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. Leo, who was elected history's first American pope on May 8, took up Francis' call for peace in Ukraine in his first Sunday noon blessing as pope. He appealed for all sides to do whatever possible to reach "an authentic, just and lasting peace." Leo, who as a bishop in Peru had called Russia's war an "imperialist invasion," vowed this week personally to "make every effort so that this peace may prevail." In a speech to eastern rite Catholics, including the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, Leo begged warring sides to meet and negotiate. "The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace," he said. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, repeated the Vatican's offer to serve as a venue for direct talks, saying the failure of negotiations in Istanbul to reach a ceasefire this week was "tragic." "We had hoped it could start a process, slow but positive, toward a peaceful solution to the conflict," Parolin said on the sidelines of a conference. "But instead we're back to the beginning." Asked concretely what such an offer would entail, Parolin said that the Vatican could serve as a venue for a direct meeting between the two sides. "One would aim to arrive at this, that at least they talk. We'll see what happens. It's an offer of a place," he said. "We have always said, repeated to the two sides that we are available to you, with all the discretion needed," Parolin said. The Vatican scored what was perhaps its greatest diplomatic achievement of the Francis pontificate when it facilitated the talks between the United States and Cuba in 2014 that resulted in the resumption of diplomatic relations. The Holy See has also often hosted far less secret diplomatic initiatives, such as when it brought together the rival leaders of South Sudan in 2019. The encounter was made famous by the image of Francis bending down to kiss their feet to beg them to make peace. Perhaps the Holy See's most critical diplomatic initiative came during the peak of the Cuban missile crisis when, in the fall of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered a secret deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba that were soon detected by U.S. spy planes. As the Kennedy administration considered its response, with the threat of nuclear war looming, Pope John XXIII pleaded for peace in a public radio address, in a speech to Vatican ambassadors and also wrote privately to Kennedy and Khruschev, appealing to their love of their people to stand down. Many historians have credited John XXIII's appeals with helping both sides step back from the brink of nuclear war. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-05 05:00:07+00:00	[ "Germany", "Berlin", "War and unrest", "Adolf Hitler", "Germany government", "Jrg Morr", "Eva Maria Kolb", "Politics", "Helmuth Weidling", "Karl Dnitz" ]	# Berlin still bears scars 80 years after pivotal battle that sealed the defeat of Nazi Germany By Kerstin Sopke and Pietro De Cristofaro May 5th, 2025, 05:00 AM --- BERLIN (AP) — Central Berlin was in ruins after the Red Army completed the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in an intense fight for the capital in May 1945. After decades of division and its revival as the capital of a reunited, democratic Germany, the city is now transformed, blending painstakingly restored buildings with modern architecture. But the scars of the past remain visible in many places: facades riddled with holes from bullets and shrapnel, or gaps in rows of houses sometimes plugged by new buildings. An Associated Press story from May 9, 1945, painted a stark picture. It read: "This town is a city of the dead. As a metropolis it has simply ceased to exist. Every house within miles of the center seems to have had its own bomb." Berlin, the epicenter of Adolf Hitler's power, was the ultimate prize as the Allies closed in from east and west on the disintegrating German defenses in the final stage of World War II. "We all had a little case next to the bed, even the children," recalled Eva-Maria Kolb, now 89, of the constant aerial bombing in the last six months of the war. "When there was an air raid warning you had to pull something on quickly and then go down to the basement." The final Battle of Berlin in late April and early May 1945 reduced much of what was left of the city to rubble. The Soviet military attacked from several directions with an enormous concentration of troops, who faced a struggle to cross rivers and canals and an intensifying street fight as they moved deeper and deeper into the city. On April 25, Berlin was encircled. Hitler killed himself in his bunker on April 30; and on May 2, the commander of German military forces in Berlin, Gen. Helmuth Weidling, capitulated to Soviet forces. "Berlin was a heap of rubble — because of these last 10 days, almost everything in the center was ruined," said Jörg Morré, the director of the Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, located in the building where Germany's final surrender was signed. But "the infrastructure could be repaired relatively quickly — the sewerage system wasn't so badly damaged. They managed to get the water supply and pipes going again. A lot of old Berliners are still familiar with hand pumps ... electricity came, so that the trams starting running again, and the commuter trains." Kolb said: "It was, of course, a great relief in '45 that the war was over and Hitler was no longer alive ... everyone who wasn't a Nazi was very, very grateful that the war was over." She recalled that parts of the city were rubble, but she went to a school in the Tempelhof district, south of the center, "that was only half-ruined. It no longer had a roof and the second or third floor was missing — but we had lessons. Only when it rained were lessons canceled." ## 'This marked the end' Post-war Berlin was divided into sectors controlled by the wartime allies. That hardened into a Cold War division that saw two separate German states founded in 1949 and ultimately led to the building in 1961 of the Berlin Wall, which fell 28 years later as communist rule collapsed in East Germany. Germany was reunited in 1990 and the national government moved to Berlin in 1999. Parliament now meets in the restored Reichstag, where the raising of the Soviet Union's red flag in 1945 was emblematic of the victory over Nazi Germany. Graffiti left by Soviet troops at the Reichstag has been preserved at several places in the building. The military surrender of Berlin on May 2, 1945, wasn't quite the end of the war. Hitler's successor, Grand Adm. Karl Dönitz, tried to fight on but was quickly forced to negotiate Germany's surrender. Germany's unconditional capitulation was signed at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, on May 7 and came into effect the following day. But the Soviet Union had only a liaison officer at the ceremony and fighting against the Red Army continued in the east, so a second ceremony was agreed at Soviet headquarters in Berlin on May 8, Morré said. As a result, the West and Russia mark the end of the war in Europe on May 8 and May 9, respectively. "In this room, World War II ended in Europe," he said, in the preserved hall where the capitulation was signed in Berlin. "This marked the end." ___ Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 13:12:22+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "International trade", "Joe Biden", "Government policy", "Economic policy", "New York", "District of Columbia", "Legal proceedings", "Lawsuits", "Tariffs and global trade", "New York City Wire", "Richard Nixon", "Victor Schwartz", "Politics", "Kathleen Claussen", "George W. Bush", "United States government", "Business", "Jeffrey Schwab", "Taxes", "Chuck Grassley", "United States", "Courts", "Warren Maruyama" ]	# Trump trade war faces legal challenge as businesses, states argue his tariffs exceeded his power By Paul Wiseman and Lindsay Whitehurst May 13th, 2025, 01:12 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is waging a trade war without getting approval from Congress: He declared a national emergency to slap import taxes — tariffs — on almost every country on earth. The president is now facing at least seven lawsuits that argue he's gone too far and asserted power he does not have. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade, which deals specifically with civil lawsuits involving international trade law, held the first hearing on the challenges Tuesday morning in New York. Five small businesses are asking the court to block the sweeping import taxes that Trump announced April 2 – "Liberation Day,'' he called it. Declaring that the United States' huge and long-running trade deficits add up to a national emergency, Trump invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA) and rolled out 10% tariffs on many countries. He imposed higher– up to 50% -- "reciprocal'' tariffs on countries that sold more goods to the United States than the U.S. sold them. (Trump later suspended those higher tariffs for 90 days.) Trump's tariffs rattled global markets and raised fears that they would disrupt commerce and slow U.S. and global economic growth. Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel and director of litigation at the nonprofit Liberty Justice Center, said the president is exceeding the act's authority. "That statute doesn't actually say anything about giving the president the power to tariff,'' said Schwab, who is representing the small businesses. "It doesn't say the word tariff.'' In their complaint, the businesses also call Trump's emergency "a figment of his own imagination: trade deficits, which have persisted for decades without causing economic harm, are not an emergency.'' The U.S. has, in fact, run a trade deficit – the gap between exports and imports – with the rest of the world for 49 straight years, through good times and bad. But the Trump administration argues that courts approved President Richard Nixon's emergency use of tariffs in a 1971 economic crisis. The Nixon administration successfully cited its authority under the 1917 Trading With Enemy Act, which preceded and supplied some of the legal language used in IEPPA. The legal battle against Trump's tariffs has created unusual bedfellows, uniting states led by Democratic governors with libertarian groups – including the Liberty Justice Center – that often seek to overturn government regulation of businesses. A dozen states have filed suit against Trump's tariffs in the New York trade court. A hearing in that case is scheduled for May 21. Kathleen Claussen, a professor and trade-law expert at Georgetown Law, said Tuesday's hearing and another scheduled for the states' lawsuit in the coming weeks will likely set the tone for legal battles over tariffs to come. If the court agrees to block the tariffs under the emergency economic-powers act, the Trump administration will certainly appeal. "It strikes me probably this probably is something that has to be decided by the Supreme Court," she said. And if the cases do go to the Supreme Court, legal experts say, it's possible the justices will use conservative legal doctrines they cited to rein in government powers claimed by Democratic President Joe Biden administration to strike down or limit tariffs imposed by Trump, a Republican. The U.S. Constitution gives the power to impose taxes — including tariffs — to Congress. But over the years lawmakers ceded power over trade policy to the White House, clearing the way for Trump's expansive use of tariffs. Some lawmakers now want to reclaim some of the authority they've given up. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, for instance, have introduced legislation that would require presidents to justify new tariffs to Congress. Lawmakers would then have 60 days to approve the tariffs. Otherwise, they would expire. But their proposal appears to stand little chance of becoming law, given most Republican lawmakers' deference to Trump and the president's veto power. "That train has left the station,'' said trade lawyer Warren Maruyama, who was general counsel for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the administration of President George W. Bush. For now, many American businesses are struggling to cope with Trump's tariffs, which have lifted America's average tariff to the highest level since 1934 — even after a trade truce with China was announced Monday, according to Yale University's Budget Lab. Victor Schwartz of New York City has spent the last 39 years building a business importing wine and spirits from small producers across the world. The tariffs are hitting his business hard. His customers want regional wines from around the world, so he can't just shift to American vintages. And the state requires him to post prices a month in advance so it's tough to keep up with Trump's ever-changing tariffs. His business — V.O.S. Selections — is one of the five plaintiffs in Tuesday's hearing. "It's a race against time," he said. "Will we get through it? I'm not sure exactly."
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 02:00:54+00:00	[ "Mark Rutte", "Marco Rubio", "Donald Trump", "Vladimir Putin", "Volodymyr Zelenskyy", "Russia", "Istanbul", "Europe", "Military and defense", "NATO", "David Lammy", "Government and politics", "Terrorism", "Hakan Fidan", "North Atlantic Treaty Organization", "Russia Ukraine war" ]	# NATO weighs US demand for big increase in defense spending By Matthew Lee, Lorne Cook, and Suzan Fraser May 15th, 2025, 02:00 AM --- ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — NATO foreign ministers on Thursday debated an American demand to massively ramp up defense investment as the United States focuses on security challenges outside of Europe. At talks in Antalya, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said more investment and military equipment are needed to deal with threats posed by Russia and terrorism but also by China, which has become the focus of U.S. concern. "When it comes to the core defense spending, we need to do much, much more," Rutte told reporters. He underlined that once Russia's war in Ukraine is over, Moscow could reconstitute its armed forces within three years to five years. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "the alliance is only as strong as its weakest link." He insisted that the U.S. demand for allies to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense over the next seven years is about "spending money on the capabilities that are needed for the threats of the 21st century." The debate on defense spending is heating up before the summit of President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts in the Netherlands on June 24-25. That gathering will set the course for future European security, including that of Ukraine. Further to that, Russian and Ukrainian delegations plan to hold their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to meet face to face. Rubio said he would confer Friday in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Ukrainian delegation. He said the Russian delegation would be meeting with other members of the U.S. team and he hoped all the sides could come together. In other diplomacy, Rubio met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, underscoring support for lifting U.S. sanctions and welcoming Syria's "calls for peace with Israel," the State Department said. ## NATO members consider defense spending plan The NATO sessions focused on a new spending plan in the works. As Russia's war on Ukraine entered its second year, NATO leaders agreed in 2023 to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on national defense budgets. So far, 22 of the 32 member countries have done so. The new plan is for all allies to aim for 3.5% of GDP on their defense budgets by 2032, plus an extra 1.5% on potentially defense-related things like infrastructure — roads, bridges, airports and seaports. While the two figures add up to 5%, factoring in infrastructure and cybersecurity would change the basis on which NATO traditionally calculates defense spending. The seven-year time frame is also short by the alliance's usual standards. Rutte refused to confirm the numbers but acknowledged the importance of including infrastructure. It's difficult to see how many members would reach a new 3.5% goal. Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain are not even spending 2% yet, though Spain expects to reach that goal this year, a year past the deadline. The U.S. demand would require investment at an unprecedented scale. But Trump has cast doubt over whether the U.S. would defend allies that spend too little — an incentive to do more, even as European allies realize that they must match the threat posed by Russia. ## A push for Europe to ensure its security Europe-wide, industry leaders and experts have pointed out challenges the continent must overcome to be a truly self-sufficient military power, chiefly its decades-long reliance on the U.S. as well as its fragmented defense industry. "There is a lot at stake for us," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said. He urged NATO partners to meet the investment goals faster than the 2032 target "because we see the tempo and the speed, how Russia generates its forces now as we speak." British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said his country should reach 2.5% by 2027, and then 3% by the next U.K. elections planned for 2029. "It's hugely important that we recommit to Europe's defense and that we step up alongside our U.S. partners in this challenging geopolitical moment where there are so many precious across the world, and particularly in the Indo-Pacific," he said. As an organization, NATO plays no direct security role in Asia, and it's unclear what demands the Trump administration might make of the allies as it turns its attention to China. The last NATO security operation outside the Euro-Atlantic area, its 18-year stay in Afghanistan, ended in chaos. Asked whether the next summit communique will underline that Russia still poses the greatest threat to NATO allies, Rutte said, "We will see what is the best way to play that." Questions also hang over the way the leaders will frame NATO's commitment to Ukraine. The war has dominated recent summits, with envoys struggling to find language that would further anchor the country to the alliance without actually allowing it to join. But this year, Washington has taken Ukraine's membership off the table. Trump has shown impatience with Zelenskyy and remains unclear whether the Ukrainian leader will be invited to the June meeting in The Hague. ___ Cook reported from Brussels, and Fraser from Ankara, Turkey.
Associated Press News	2025-05-10 19:47:12+00:00	[ "Johnny Rodriguez", "Texas", "Country music", "Celebrity", "Notable Deaths", "Aubry Rodriguez", "Entertainment" ]	# Mexican American singer Johnny Rodriguez dies at 73 By The Associated Press May 10th, 2025, 07:47 PM --- SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Country music star Johnny Rodriguez, a popular Mexican American singer best known for chart-topping hits in the 1970s such as "I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind," "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico" and "That's the Way Love Goes," has died. He was 73. Rodriguez died Friday in San Antonio from health complications, according to his daughter, Aubry Rodriguez. She also shared a statement on social media saying he went peacefully and was surrounded by family. "Dad was not only a legendary musician whose artistry touched millions around the world, but also a deeply loved husband, father, uncle, and brother whose warmth, humor, and compassion shaped the lives of all who knew him," she wrote. Rodriguez was named the most promising male vocalist at the 1972 Academy of Country Music Awards, and his debut, "Introducing Johnny Rodriguez," was nominated for album of the year in 1973. More than a dozen of his albums and singles landed in the Top 10. Rodriguez later said his career suffered after he began to use drugs and alcohol excessively. Rodriguez was born in Sabinal, Texas, a small town about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of San Antonio and about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of the U.S.-Mexico border. A Texas jury acquitted Rodriguez of murder in 1999, about a year after he walked into his mother's house in Sabinal and shot once at an acquaintance whom he thought was a burglar. Israel Borrego, 26, died a day after he was shot. Rodriguez continued to play concerts in South Texas, and he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Associated Press News	2025-05-07 19:57:54+00:00	[ "Taxes", "Missouri", "Government programs", "Donald Trump", "United States government", "Government budgets", "United States", "DC Wire", "Sam Waxman", "Chad Perkins", "Business", "Owen Zidar", "Jonathan Williams", "Politics", "Mike Kehoe", "Curtis Trent" ]	# Missouri poised to become first to repeal capital gains tax By David A. Lieb May 7th, 2025, 07:57 PM --- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Investors who profit from selling stocks, real estate and other assets soon could reap an even larger benefit in Missouri, which is poised to become the first U.S. state to exempt capital gains from its income tax. Legislation that won final approval Wednesday would halt the capital gains tax this year for individuals and could eventually eliminate it for corporations, if state revenues keep growing. The tax repeal now heads to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who has said he's "very supportive" of it. Though proponents hope it can spur the economy, detractors assert that the capital gains tax repeal will primarily benefit the rich and result in less tax revenue for public schools and services. The Republican-led Legislature overcame objections by Democrats only after expanding the bill with greater tax breaks for seniors and disabled residents and new sales tax exemptions for diapers and feminine hygiene products. Missouri's unique income tax carve-out comes as Republican-led legislatures in at least eight other states have passed more traditional income tax rate reductions this year. It also comes as Congress weighs whether to renew and expand income tax breaks enacted during President Donald Trump's first term in office. ## What is a capital gains tax? Capital gains are profits from the sale of assets such as stocks, cryptocurrency or property. The federal government taxes long-term capital gains, on assets held for more than a year, at a lower rate than ordinary income. All states that tax income also tax capital gains. Missouri currently is among 32 states and the District of Columbia that tax capital gains at the same rate as wages and other income, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation. Eight states tax capital gains at a lower rate than other income. Some Democratic-led states have been moving in the opposite direction. Maryland lawmakers last month passed a bill that would impose a 2% capital gains tax on those with incomes over $350,000. And Washington lawmakers recently passed legislation to impose an extra 2.9% tax on capital gains over $1 million. Minnesota already imposes a surcharge on capital gains and other investment income over $1 million. ## What's the case for eliminating the capital gains tax? Proponents of axing the capital gains tax say the tax discourages investment and incentivizes people to hold onto assets instead of selling them and spending money elsewhere in the economy. "When you tax something you get less of it," said Jonathan Williams, president and chief economist at the American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of conservative lawmakers and businesses. "The idea is, of course, you want more investment in your state." Though ALEC has long backed the repeal of state capital gains taxes, Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins said the idea came to him last year from friends at an employee-owned construction company that was getting hit with the tax. He said his legislation also could benefit family farmers who want to sell their land. The capital gains tax results in "lost economic opportunity, financial sclerosis, lower wages -- all of which serve to make Missouri less competitive both domestically and internationally," said Republican state Sen. Curtis Trent, who handled the bill in the Senate. ## Who would benefit from the tax repeal? Opponents say the wealthy will get the greatest reward. Repealing Missouri's tax on capital gains would set "a worrisome precedent" nationally and "worsen economic and racial inequities," said Sam Waxman, deputy director of state policy research at the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. One government study found that white families are more likely to report capital gains than some minorities. Among middle-income taxpayers, about 8% of white families benefited from the federal government's tax rates on capital gains and dividends compared to just 3% of Black families and 1% of Hispanic families, according to a 2023 U.S. Treasury Department report. In Missouri, about 542,000 individual income taxpayers reported capital gains in 2022, amounting to just one-fifth of all filers, according to the Missouri Budget Project, a nonprofit research group that opposes the capital gains tax repeal. The group estimates that 80% of the tax relief would go to the wealthiest 5% of taxpayers. ## What's the cost of repealing the capital gains tax? Legislative researchers estimate Missouri's capital gains tax repeal could cost the state about $262 million annually when fully implemented. But that's disputed by both supporters and opponents. The Missouri Budget Project estimates the cost could be nearly $600 million annually. Trent predicts the tax repeal will trigger "increased economic growth (that) will translate into increased tax revenue" over time. Owen Zidar, an economics and public affairs professor at Princeton University, studied the impacts of 584 capital gains tax rate changes in states over four decades. Capital gains tax cuts tend to result in more people selling assets for gains, but not so much as to offset the lost tax revenue, he said. Zidar said he is skeptical of claims that Missouri's capital gains tax repeal will attract a lot of investment and economic activity. "I think it's going to be a substantial revenue decrease," he said.
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 13:02:55+00:00	[ "Animals", "Manatees", "Endangered species", "Amazon River", "Climate change", "Environmental conservation", "Brazil", "Plants", "Latin America", "JWD-evergreen", "Climate and environment", "Miriam Marmontel", "Renata Emin", "Climate" ]	# Researchers rescue, rehabilitate and hope to release orphaned manatees into the Amazon By Fabiano Maisonnave May 2nd, 2025, 01:02 PM --- CAXIUANA NATIONAL FOREST, Brazil (AP) — Deep in silence, as if under a spell, children watch intently as Bacuri, a young Amazonian manatee, glides around a small plastic pool. When he surfaces for air, some of them exchange wide smiles. The soft rustle of rainforest leaves punctuated by bird song adds to the magic of the moment. The children from riverside communities traveled for hours by boat just to meet Bacuri at the Ferreira Penna Scientific Base of the Emilio Goeldi Museum, Brazil's oldest research institute in the Amazon. Despite their endangered status, manatees are still hunted and their meat illegally sold, and they are increasingly threatened by climate change. Environmentalists hope that by engaging local communities, Bacuri and others like him will be spared. The Amazonian manatee is the region's largest mammal but is rarely seen, much less up close. The reasons for this are twofold: The manatee has acute hearing and will vanish into the murky water at the slightest sound; and its population has dwindled after being overhunted for hundreds of years, mostly for its tough hides that were exported to Europe and Central America. To help the manatee population recover, several institutions are rescuing orphaned manatee calves, rehabilitating them and reintroducing them to the wild. ## Bacuri's story Bacuri weighed just 22 pounds (10 kilograms) — a fraction of the more than 900 pounds (400 kilograms) of an adult manatee — when he was rescued and taken to the federally protected Caxiuana National Forest. He was named after the local community that found him. Two years and several thousand milk bottles later, Bacuri has grown to about 130 pounds (60 kilos). Three institutions are responsible for his care. The Goeldi Museum provides facilities and educates nearby communities. The federal Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation assigns two staffers for 15-day shifts to feed Bacuri three bottles of milk a day as well as chopped beets and carrots, and clean the pool every 48 hours. The nonprofit Instituto Bicho d'Agua — meaning institute of water animals in Portuguese — oversees veterinary care, dietary planning and caregiver training. During their visit, the children learn that female manatees are pregnant for about a year then nurse their young for two more, feeding them from nipples behind their front flippers — the manatee equivalent of armpits. This long reproductive cycle is one reason the manatee population has not recovered from the commercial hunting that persisted until the mid-20th century. They also learn the species is endangered and that they are the ones who must protect it. "You are the main guardians," biologist Tatyanna Mariúcha, head of the Ferreira Penna scientific base, tells the children, who spend the rest of the day drawing and making Play-Doh models of Bacuri. ## Local knowledge is key With its auditorium, dormitories, observation towers, cafeteria and laboratories, the research station — two hours by speedboat from Portel, the nearest city — stands in stark contrast to nearby communities comprising clusters of wooden houses on stilts where families rely on cassava farming, fishing and harvesting açaí berries. School field trips and community outreach aim to narrow the gap. "Caxiuana is their home," Mariúcha told The Associated Press. "We can't just come here and do things without their consent." Local knowledge will play a key role when Bacuri is finally released. He is the only manatee calf under care at Caxiuana. Once he has fully transitioned to a plant-based diet, he'll spend time in a river enclosure before his release. That site will be selected based on where residents say wild manatees feed and pass through. If all goes as planned, Bacuri will be the first manatee released in the Caxiuana area. Two other calves rescued in poor health died in captivity, a sadly common outcome. While subsistence hunting isn't a major threat to the species, some fishermen still sell manatee meat illegally in nearby towns. Brazil banned hunting of all wild animals in 1967, with two exceptions: Indigenous peoples are allowed to hunt, and others can kill a wild animal to satisfy the hunger of the hunter or his family. ## The impact of climate change The threat of hunters has become harder to manage due to climate change, said Miriam Marmontel, a senior researcher at the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, hundreds of miles (kilometers) upstream along the Amazon River. Dozens of dolphins died near Mamiraua in 2023, likely due to soaring water temperatures during a historic drought. Manatees avoided mass mortality then because they typically inhabit deep pools during the dry season, but recent droughts have dramatically reduced the water level, making manatees more vulnerable to poachers. "As climate change accelerates, manatees may begin to suffer from heat stress too," Marmontel said. "They also have a thermal limit, and eventually it may be crossed." That's why reintroduction efforts are so important. Around 60 rescued manatees are being cared for across the state of Para, where Caxiuana is located. Bicho d'Agua is caring for four in partnership with the Federal University of Para and Brazil's environmental agency. One of the four, named Coral, was found near Obidos and airlifted 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the institute's facility in Castanhal. She arrived dehydrated and with severe skin burns, likely from sun exposure. "The population has declined so much that every hunted animal impacts the species," Renata Emin, president of Bicho d'Agua, told AP. "That's why any effort matters, not just because one individual may return to the wild and help rebuild the population but because of the community and government engagement it inspires." ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Associated Press News	2025-05-16 12:36:01+00:00	[ "Fanny Ardant", "France", "Cannes Film Festival", "Juliette Binoche", "Brigitte Bardot", "Amber Heard", "Grard Depardieu", "Johnny Depp", "Roman Polanski", "Crime", "Legal proceedings", "Thierry Frmaux", "Tho Navarro-Mussy", "Anne Sophie Laguens", "Bertrand Cantat", "Dominik Moll", "Marie Trintignant", "Nicolas Bedos", "Movie premieres", "Adle Haenel", "Gisele Pelicot", "Entertainment", "Sexual assault", "Lifestyle", "Carine Durrieu Diebolt", "Christophe Ruggia", "Catherine Deneuve", "MeToo", "Cline Piques" ]	# What Depardieu's conviction and Cannes' response means for #MeToo in France By Thomas Adamson May 16th, 2025, 12:36 PM --- PARIS (AP) — For powerful men in France's film industry, this was a week of reckoning. Gérard Depardieu — the country's most famous male actor — was convicted of sexual assault. Two days later, the Cannes Film Festival barred another actor accused of rape from walking the red carpet. Together, the decisions sent a message that France had long resisted: that artistic brilliance may no longer shield those who abuse their power. For decades, Depardieu was revered as French cinema's "sacred monster" — a towering talent whose gluttony, volatility and magnetism became part of his myth. With more than 250 films to his name, many believed he would remain untouchable even after more than 20 women accused him of sexual misconduct. Now, that myth has cracked. The verdict has revived a broader question France has ducked since the dawn of the #MeToo movement: Can a country that celebrates seduction and irreverence finally hold its male icons to account? France has long lived its own #MeToo contradiction. That talent, charm, or intellect forgives misconduct. That the art excuses the artist. This is the land that gave the world Brigitte Bardot's pout and Catherine Deneuve's poise — and then watched both recoil when the movement came knocking. Deneuve has defended "the right" to seduce, while Bardot has dismissed feminism outright: "I like men." But the ground is shifting. ## Cannes' seismic shift Depardieu was handed an 18-month suspended sentence on Tuesday for groping two women on a 2021 film set. He denies the charges and is appealing. "It's the end of impunity of artists with a capital A," Carine Durrieu Diebolt, a lawyer for one of the two women who won their case against Depardieu, told The Associated Press. The verdict represented "a bookend for putting actors on a pedestal because they were talented," she added. Two days later, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival barred actor Théo Navarro-Mussy — accused of rape by three former partners — from attending the premiere of the movie "Case 137," which he stars in, even though the file was dropped for lack of evidence. The women are launching a civil complaint. Navarro-Mussy denies wrongdoing. His lawyer said that she's unaware of any ongoing proceedings against him. Dominik Moll, the movie's director, said he supported the move. "It was the proper decision," he told the AP. "Out of respect for the women, the plaintiffs." Yet what stunned wasn't just the decision, but who made it. Cannes director Thierry Frémaux had long been seen as emblematic of the old guard. He defended Roman Polanski for years and continued to screen his films despite the director's 1977 guilty plea in the U.S. for sex with a 13-year-old. In 2018, when asked why Cannes still included Polanski, Frémaux said: "These are complicated matters." Frémaux opened 2023's festival with a film starring Johnny Depp, despite the actor's highly public legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over allegations of domestic abuse, in which he was never criminally charged. When asked about the backlash, Frémaux replied: "I only have one rule: it's the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework." This week, the rules changed. "The Cannes decision is of course linked to the Depardieu verdict," said Céline Piques of Osez le féminisme ("Dare Feminism!"), a group that campaigns against sexual violence. "(They've) realized which way the wind is blowing. Frémaux is trying to right the wrongs." ## Resistance remains Not everyone welcomed the verdict — or what followed — as a cultural turning point. Fanny Ardant, one of French cinema's grandes dames and a longtime friend of Depardieu, sat on his side in court. She is now directing him in a film in Portugal, despite the conviction. "Fanny Ardant? She completely missed the point," said Piques. "She downplayed the violence, normalized it. That's rape culture, plain and simple." Juliette Binoche, Cannes jury president and one of France's most respected actors, struck a note of restraint: "He's not a monster. He's a man — one who has, apparently, been desacralized." ## A justice system slowly opening In 2024, more than 22,000 rapes were reported in France. Fewer than 3% led to convictions. "The Depardieu verdict shows there's progress," said lawyer Anne-Sophie Laguens, who works with victims of sexual assault. "But for most women, the barriers to justice remain enormous." When Bertrand Cantat — front man of Noir Désir and once one of France's bestselling rock singers — launched a 2018 comeback tour, he had served just four years in prison for killing his partner, actor Marie Trintignant, during a violent assault. Despite public outrage, he returned to the stage and performed. "That would be unthinkable today," said Piques. "The public mood has changed. What we tolerate has changed." ## The shift in shame One breakthrough came not from a film set, but a courtroom in Avignon. The conviction of 51 men for drugging and raping Gisele Pelicot — who chose to waive her anonymity and insisted on a public trial, turning private horror into public reckoning — marked a turning point. For years, shame was hers. Now, it belongs to the perpetrators. "It proved rapists aren't just strangers in alleys," said Piques. "They're husbands. Colleagues. Respected men." That shift in shame is now rippling through the cultural world — once seen as a bastion of male privilege. Director Christophe Ruggia was recently convicted of abusing actor Adèle Haenel when she was a minor, though he is appealing; and actor-director Nicolas Bedos, was sentenced for sexual assault. ## Is this a victory for #MeToo? Slowly but surely, yes. The system that long protected men like Depardieu is not yet dismantled, but it is shifting. As one of the actor's accusers said through tears after the ruling: "I'm very, very much satisfied with the decision. That's a victory for me, really. And a big progress, a step forward. I feel justice was made." __ Associated Press journalist Louise Dixon in Cannes, France contributed to this report
Associated Press News	2025-05-12 21:03:02+00:00	[ "Military and defense", "Hawaii", "Hawaii state government", "Dawn Chang", "Josh Green", "Tim Alvarado", "Race and ethnicity", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Hawaii land board vote deals setback to Army at key combat training ground in Pacific theater By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher May 12th, 2025, 09:03 PM --- HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's land board rejected the Army's environmental impact statement to retain land on the Big Island used for live-fire training, a vote some Native Hawaiian leaders say reflects a growing distrust of the U.S. military in the islands. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted Friday after members considered voluminous written testimony and listened to hours of oral comments, including from many in the Native Hawaiian community citing environmental destruction and cultural desecration. The Army calls the Pohakuloa Training Area the "premier" combat training grounds in the Pacific theater for all U.S. ground forces, including the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. Board Chair Dawn Chang later called the vote "one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make." Chang said the decision was based on the adequacy of the environmental review and not about the merits of whether the Army should not conduct training in Hawaii. No decision has been made on the Army's long-term lease request. The Army's lease for 23,000 acres (9,308 hectares) is set to expire in 2029. What happens next is up to the Army, Chang said. The Army, noting that the environmental impact statement was created with community input, said in a statement that it was observing a 30-day waiting period. After that, the Army will determine how much land it will seek to retain. The vote was a "pleasant surprise" to activists who are concerned that military training in Hawaii harms island aquifers, sensitive wildlife and ancient Hawaiian burials, said Healani Sonoda-Pale, a Native Hawaiian activist. It was unexpected because of the military's economic stronghold on Hawaii, she said. "Friday's vote is a real shift," Sonoda-Pale told The Associated Press Monday. "I think the shift here happened because of the Red Hill spill. The military lost a lot of trust and respect." In 2021, jet fuel leaked into the Navy water system serving 93,000 people on and around the Pearl Harbor base. It sickened thousands in military housing and heightened concerns about leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The military eventually agreed to drain the tanks, amid state orders and protests from Native Hawaiians and other Hawaii residents worried about the threat posed to Honolulu's water supply. The tanks sit above an aquifer supplying water to 400,000 people in urban Honolulu. "U.S. Army Hawai'i understands and deeply respects the concerns expressed by community members, cultural practitioners, and environmental advocates regarding the Army's presence and activities at Pōhakuloa Training Area," Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado, U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa commander, said in a statement. "We recognize that past actions have caused harm and eroded trust, and we continue to seek a balance with consideration for the cultural and environmental significance of this land." The U.S. Army is seeking to return nearly 3,300 acres (1,335 hectares) of leased lands back to the state and retain 19,700 acres (7,972 hectares) to sustain training, the Army statement said. Hawaii's congressional delegation issued a joint statement saying they "believe there can be a path forward that accounts for the critical importance of Hawaii's role in our country's national security strategy and fundamentally respects and responds to the needs of the people of Hawaii." In a statement, Gov. Josh Green acknowledged the rejected environmental impact statement presents challenges but doesn't end the conversation: "This is a time for collaboration, not division, as we seek balanced solutions that honor both our heritage and our future."
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 10:37:24+00:00	[ "Japan", "Japan government", "Tokyo", "Asia", "Asia Pacific", "Shinobu Oyama" ]	# The body of a truck driver whose vehicle fell into a sinkhole in Japan is recovered after 3 months By Mari Yamaguchi May 2nd, 2025, 10:37 AM --- TOKYO (AP) — The body of a truck driver was recovered Friday three months after his vehicle fell into a sinkhole that suddenly appeared while he was driving on a road near Tokyo. The 3-ton truck fell into the hole in Yashio City, just northeast of the Japanese capital, in January. During an earlier search and rescue operation, workers tried to lift the truck but only its flat-bed came out. The 74-year-old driver, trapped in the cabin of the truck, was believed to have been swept to a location about 30 meters (yards) downstream. On Friday, after three months of preparation to build a safe underground pathway for workers to reach the targeted area, rescuers wearing helmets and hazmat suits went inside of it and recovered the body, officials said. Experts say the Yashio sinkhole was caused by corrosion in sewer pipes. The unsteady ground and a hollow space below it had hampered the rescue, while residents were asked to cut back on water use to minimize sewage water going through the area. The case was a wakeup call about the aging infrastructure in Japan, where most of its main public infrastructure was built during the rapid economic growth of the 1960s and 1970s. According to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, more than 10,500 sinkholes were found across Japan, many of them related to sewage facilities in urban areas. Yashio Mayor Shinobu Oyama, in a statement, offered his prayer for the driver and condolences to his family. He pledged to do his utmost for the speedy reconstruction of the damaged road.
Associated Press News	2025-05-07 07:53:56+00:00	[ "Electric vehicles", "Consumer electronics manufacturing", "Transportation technology", "Mobile phones", "Japan", "Auto industry", "New Zealand", "Business", "Technology", "Taiwan", "Oceania", "Australia", "Mitsubishi Motors Corp." ]	# Automaker owned by Taiwan's Foxconn to make EVs for Japan's Mitsubishi Motors By The Associated Press May 7th, 2025, 07:53 AM --- Foxtron, an automaker partly owned by Taiwan iPhone manufacturer Hon Hai Technology Group, and Mitsubishi Motors of Japan said Wednesday they have agreed to develop an electric vehicle to be sold in Australia and New Zealand. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, is one of a growing number of technology companies that are leveraging their knowhow in electronics and communications to try to break into the EV market, snapping up links in the automotive supply chain. Foxtron is a joint venture between Hon Hai and Taiwan's Yulon Motor Co. Yulon makes Nissan vehicles under license. There was speculation earlier this year, when talks on a possible merger between Nissan and Honda Motor Corp. fell through, that Hon Hai might make a bid for Mitsubishi's alliance partner Nissan Motor Co. The two companies said Wednesday that the EV developed by Foxtron will be produced by Yulon and introduced in Oceania in the second half of 2026. Foxtron and Mitsubishi Motors gave no financial details and said their memorandum of understanding would be followed by further talks. Japanese automakers like Mitsubishi have been stepping up efforts to compete in the EV segment as they contend with intense competition from their Chinese rivals. Mitsubishi has set a target for having all of its product lineup be EVs or hybrids by 2035. Foxtron showcased its Model B, a sleek EV hatchback, and its automotive electronics at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Foxconn lists 11 vehicle models on its website, including its Model T bus, Model V pickup truck, Model N van, its Model B, and its "luxury flagship" Model E sedan.
Associated Press News	2025-05-06 17:50:27+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Colleges and universities", "Taxes", "Education funding", "Earnings", "Politics", "U.S. Republican Party", "Associated Press", "Education costs", "Education" ]	# What to know about the Republican effort to raise money off universities By Collin Binkley May 6th, 2025, 05:50 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — A tax on the endowments of America's wealthiest colleges began during President Donald Trump's first administration, collecting 1.4% of their investment earnings. Under Republican proposals on Capitol Hill, that rate could increase by tenfold or more. As Trump spars with prestigious colleges he accuses of "indoctrinating" students with leftist ideas, calls to raise the tax have gained momentum. Republicans have questioned whether colleges with huge endowments — tens of billions of dollars, in some cases — should be entitled to tax breaks that are not offered to businesses. Proposals to increase the tax have come as the House looks to cut or offset $1.5 trillion in spending as part of the president's sweeping tax bill. Colleges say the proposed increases would take money that otherwise could go to financial aid and other support for students. The American Council on Education, which lobbies on behalf of college presidents, calls it a "tax on scholarships." ## What is the endowment tax? In 2017, Congress passed the 1.4% tax on wealthy colleges' investment earnings. It applies to colleges with at least 500 tuition-paying students and endowments worth at least $500,000 per full-time student. Before that, colleges weren't taxed on their endowment income. The tax reflected a sentiment that some colleges were too concerned with generating investment income, with huge endowments that operate like hedge funds. Critics pointed to colleges like Harvard, Yale and Stanford, with tens of billions of dollars. Harvard and dozens of other schools opposed the tax, calling it "an unprecedented and damaging tax on the charitable resources" of universities. ## How does the tax work? Those hit by the tax include big Ivy League schools along with smaller liberal arts colleges that have accrued large endowments. Endowments are made up of donations that are invested to maintain the money over time. Colleges often draw about 5% of their investment earnings every year to put toward their budgets. Much of it goes toward student financial aid, along with other costs like research or endowed faculty positions. The 1.4% applies to those investment earnings. In 2024, Harvard was taxed more than $40 million. For some smaller schools, the bill was closer to $1 million. A relatively small number of schools are subject to the tax. In 2023, the tax generated $380 million from 56 colleges. ## Would the new tax affect other nonprofits? Not directly. The proposed tax increase applies only to certain colleges and universities and not other nonprofit organizations. But in the past, some colleges have argued that any endowment tax threatens the tax-exempt status of other charitable groups. Some say a tax increase would chip away at the idea that colleges provide a public benefit that deserves to be protected from taxation — a principle that applies to other tax-exempt groups. ## What's being proposed? House Republicans already were considering a hike in the tax on college endowments' earnings from 1.4% to 14% as part of Trump's tax bill. As the president raises the stakes in his fight with Harvard and other Ivy League schools, lawmakers are floating raising the rate as high as 21% in line with the corporate tax rate. It appears no decisions have been made. A separate proposal being looked at would expand the number of schools subject to the tax. It would change the calculation used to determine if a school has $500,000 per student, counting only U.S. citizens and residents. If approved, roughly a dozen additional colleges would be subject to the tax. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Associated Press News	2025-05-06 19:46:01+00:00	[ "Romania government", "Romania", "Donald Trump", "Europe", "George Simion Romania", "European Union", "Global elections", "Voting", "Marcel Ciolacu", "Politics", "Elections", "Nationalism", "Democracy", "Siegfried Muresan", "Run-off elections" ]	# Romania's hard-right election front-runner Simion seeks to capitalize on voters' discontent By Stephen Mcgrath May 6th, 2025, 07:46 PM --- BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Sitting at a desk inside Romania's sprawling Parliament building in the capital, presidential front-runner George Simion accuses the current government of attacking democracy and says he is the only candidate who hasn't been tainted by holding power. The 38-year-old leader of the hard-right nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, won a landslide in Romania's first-round presidential election redo on Sunday and will face pro-Western reformist Nicusor Dan in a runoff on May 18. He says his success proves that voters are ready for change, and insists that is what he represents. "I am a person who was never in government, and was never partners with those who made this … coup d'etat against the will of the people," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday in an interview in the Palace of the Parliament building in Bucharest. Romania's political landscape was shaken last year when a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied. In March, Georgescu was barred from standing in the rerun election, and Simion emerged as the standard-bearer for the hard right. Distrust in the authorities remains widespread, especially among those who voted for Georgescu, a sizable electorate that Simion has sought to tap into. ## Political turmoil and discontented voters Sunday's vote underscored strong anti-establishment sentiment among voters and signaled a shift from traditional mainstream parties. It also renewed the political uncertainty that has gripped the European Union and NATO member country. "The Romanians are upset," Simion said, "It's not every day in a European Union member state you have annulled elections — Romanians want a change, and I represent change." Sunday's vote also renewed political turmoil after Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stepped down following his governing coalition candidate's failure to advance to the runoff. Simion, who came fourth in last year's race and later backed Georgescu, called the former candidate the "rightful president," and said that at some point, Georgescu "must be in power in some form or another." "If he asks to be prime minister, I will nominate him," he said. "Because he was the one voted by the Romanians." ## Opposition warns of a choice for or against the West In 2019, Simion founded the AUR party, which rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election and proclaims to stand for "family, nation, faith, and freedom." It has since doubled its support to become the second-largest party in the Romanian legislature. In more stable times, Simion says he would focus on administrative reforms, slashing red tape, and reducing bureaucracy and taxes — but he insists that returning to democratic norms is his priority. "We are in an extraordinary situation right now," he said. Simion's opponent in the runoff, Nicusor Dan, is a 55-year-old mathematician and former anti-corruption activist who has warned voters that they face a choice "between a pro-Western direction for Romania and an anti-Western one." "I call on all Romanians to be part of this battle, and I am optimistic that we will win," the pro-EU politician said after he advanced to the final round. Simion's critics have long accused him of being pro-Russian and warn that his presidency would undermine both the EU and NATO as Moscow's war drags on in Ukraine. He rejected the accusations and said, "It's not for the good of the Romanian people to be close to Russia. "I will fight for my people as part of the EU and NATO to have a normal life here at home, and not have to work abroad and contribute to the budgets and to the well-being of other states," said Simion, who won a massive 61% of Romania's large diaspora vote. Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian member of the European Parliament, said a day after the first-round vote that a Simion presidency would be "bad news" for Romania and Europe, and accused the AUR leader of having "disdain for democratic processes." "George Simion is not a conservative politician. He is an anti-European extremist. His election would endanger Romania, threaten European stability, and serve as a strategic victory for Russia," he said. "He offers no viable solutions to Romania's challenges." Simion rebutted those claims. "I am not the one who annulled the elections, not the one with authoritarian reflexes," he said. A vocal supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, Simion said his political platform aims to return Romania to democracy, and "to guarantee freedom: freedom of elections, freedom of speech." ## Simion banned from Moldova and Ukraine The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy. However, a Simion presidency would pose unique foreign policy conundrums. He is banned from entering neighboring Moldova on allegations of trying to destabilize the country, and is also banned from neighboring Ukraine for "systemic anti-Ukrainian" activities. "After I am elected president, having a respectful way of dealing with our neighbors and reaching out to them, they will need us — I will be proactive in that direction," he said of the two countries, adding that he will support their goal to join the EU. On Ukraine, he opposes sending any boots on the ground from NATO countries to protect any peace agreements, fearing escalation. "Donald Trump won the elections under a mandate in which he promised peace. Now he must deliver peace," he said. Addressing concerns that Romania would become less attractive to investors if he wins the presidency, he said: "Our only possibility of growth is to attract foreign investment, combined with exploiting the natural resources Romania has." Although his AUR party opposes same-sex marriage and has close ties to the Romanian Orthodox Church, Simion addressed fears that he would attack LGBTQ+ rights by saying he wouldn't push to change any current legislation. "It's everyone's right to have what sort of sexual orientation they want," he said. "We as Romanians are a majority socially conservative people, and we were accepted in the European Union as socially conservative people," he added. "Just because you love your identity, your tradition, just because you go to church, doesn't mean you are a bad person." As Romania seeks to restore its democracy after last year's election fiasco, Simion compares Romania's struggles of today and its 1989 revolution that toppled a harsh communist regime. "From what I see," he said, "for freedom, you have to constantly fight."
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 15:42:16+00:00	[ "South Africa", "Kidnapping", "Cape Town", "Nathan Erasmus", "Crime", "Legal proceedings", "Human trafficking" ]	# South African woman convicted of kidnapping, selling 6-year-old daughter May 2nd, 2025, 03:42 PM --- CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A South African woman was convicted Friday of kidnapping and selling her 6-year-old daughter in a case that horrified the country. The girl went missing more than a year ago and hasn't been found. Kelly Smith and two men — her boyfriend and their friend — were convicted of kidnapping and human trafficking over the disappearance of Smith's daughter, Joshlin, who was 6 when she went missing in February 2024. Smith — whose full name is Racquel Chantel Smith — was initially a figure of sympathy when her daughter went missing. Community members rallied around her and volunteered to help police search for Joshlin in the sand dunes near their poor neighborhood of shacks close to the west coast town of Saldanha Bay, around 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Cape Town. A photograph of Joshlin smiling and with her hair tied in pigtails was broadcast by news stations across South Africa as police then launched a nationwide hunt. Smith said she had left Joshlin with her boyfriend on the day she disappeared, but the case took a shocking twist when Smith was arrested. A woman testified during the trial that Smith had told her she and the two men had sold Joshlin for around $1,000 to a traditional healer who wanted the child for her body parts. The judge's verdict did not make any conclusions on who the child was sold to or exactly what happened to her. Smith, her boyfriend Jacquin Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn face life in prison and the judge said sentencing hearings will begin next week. People attending the trial cheered and applauded when Judge Nathan Erasmus read out the guilty verdicts. The trial was held in a Saldanha Bay sports center that had more space than a courtroom so that members of the community could attend. ___ AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 18:11:11+00:00	[ "Omaha", "John Ewing", "Donald Trump", "Nebraska", "Government programs", "Elections", "Politics", "2020 United States presidential election", "Voting", "Data management and storage" ]	# First female mayor of Omaha concedes in race against likely first Black mayor May 13th, 2025, 06:11 PM --- OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha's first female mayor has conceded the mayoral race to a man who will likely become the community's first Black mayor. Voters in Omaha were making history Tuesday by either reelecting the city's first female mayor to a rare fourth term or electing the community's first Black mayor. The race between Mayor Jean Stothert and challenger John Ewing primarily revolved around local issues like street repairs and garbage service, but in the final stretch the campaign touched on more national, hot-button issues such as President Donald Trump's administration and transgender rights. Stothert was trailing by nearly 5,000 votes in early returns Tuesday night. At her election night event, Stothert said she called Ewing and conceded in the race, KETV reported. "I called John Ewing and I congratulated him," Stothert said. "John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city, and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we love. We are grateful and we are hopeful." The winner will lead Nebraska's largest city, which makes up nearly a quarter of the state's population. In campaigning for a fourth term, Stothert has portrayed Omaha as a city on a hot streak with a revitalized riverfront, plans moving ahead on a streetcar line and progress repairing city streets. "I have plans and can talk about them, and they are working," Stothert told the Omaha World-Herald. If reelected, she would have the longest tenure as mayor in more than a century. Ewing, the county treasurer, said the mayor hasn't focused enough attention on core issues like filling potholes, hiring more police officers and building more affordable housing. "People just feel like she's had her time, and it's time for somebody new," Ewing said. Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, the candidates have made it clear to voters that Stothert is a Republican and Ewing is a Democrat. Omaha is among the few spots in conservative Nebraska where Democrats have a reasonable chance of winning elected offices. Despite a focus on bread-and-butter issues like city services, the candidates have issued more partisan messages as the election neared. A Stothert TV ad says, "Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls' sports." Ewing responded that he hasn't dealt with such transgender issues as treasurer and told KETV he wouldn't respond to hypothetical questions. Ewing has aired ads that connect Stothert to the Trump administration, showing the mayor on a split screen with Trump and saying "Let's say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done."
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 03:14:56+00:00	[ "Hong Kong", "Electric vehicles", "Ford Motor Co.", "Beijing", "China", "IPOs", "JPMorgan Chase Co.", "Volkswagen AG", "Robin Zeng", "Business", "Technology", "Honda Motor Co.", "Ltd.", "TDK Corp.", "China government", "Tesla", "Inc.", "Hong Kong government", "United States government", "Toyota Motor Corp.", "Paul Chan", "Terence Chong", "JX Advanced Metals Corp.", "Bank of America Corp.", "John Moolenaar", "Bayerische Motoren Werke AG" ]	# EV battery maker CATL shares surge in Hong Kong after $4.6 billion IPO By Kanis Leung May 20th, 2025, 03:14 AM --- HONG KONG (AP) — Shares in CATL, the world's largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, jumped more than 16% Tuesday in its Hong Kong trading debut after it raised about $4.6 billion in the world's largest initial public offering this year. The solid reception for the Chinese company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., in Hong Kong suggests there is still an appetite among international investors for leading Chinese manufacturers despite trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. It sold more than 135 million shares at their maximum offer price, 263 Hong Kong dollars ($33.6) each. Its shares rose after they started trading at 296 Hong Kong dollars ($37.80), 12.5% higher than their offer price. They closed 16.4% higher. CATL also has shares listed in Shenzhen, a business hub neighboring Hong Kong. They initially fell but then edged 1.2% higher. A supplier to automakers like Tesla, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Toyota and Honda, CATL held a nearly 38% global market share for EV batteries in 2024, its listing documents showed. The company has faced pressure from the U.S. In January, the U.S. Defense Department added it to a list of companies it says have ties to China's military, an accusation that CATL denied. It called the inclusion a "mistake." In April, John Moolenaar, chairperson of the U.S. House Select Committee on China, wrote to the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America to demand that the two American banks withdraw from their work on CATL's IPO. But the two banks stayed on. In the U.S., Ford Motor Co. is licensing technology from CATL to build batteries, but the plan faces resistance from some Republican lawmakers, who have expressed concern that the Chinese company could benefit from U.S. tax dollars. The U.S. has listed CATL as having ties to the Chinese military and U.S. investors inside the U.S. were excluded from the "Regulation S" share offering. Such offerings do not require registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. However, many large U.S. institutional investors have offshore accounts that allowed them to participate. The company said it plans to use most of the net proceeds from its IPO to build its factory in Hungary, meant to bring it closer to the manufacturing facilities of its main European customers. Government officials, including Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan, attended its gong-striking ceremony in the city's vibrant business district, Central, on Tuesday. The company's chairman Robin Zeng said his business is committed to becoming a zero-carbon technology company. "Listing in Hong Kong means we are more broadly integrated into the global capital markets, and it's also a new starting point for us to promote the global zero-carbon economy," Zeng said. Zeng, who trained as a physicist, helped found Amperex Technology Ltd. in 1999. It mainly was engaged in research and development and manufacturing of consumer lithium batteries. The company was sold to Tokyo-listed TDK Corporation in 2005, but Zeng continued to oversee the firm's management until 2017, its listing documents say. In 2011, a team led by Zeng founded CATL, headquartered in the businessman's hometown of Ningde in Fujian province in southeast China. The literal meaning of the company's Chinese name is "Ningde Era." CATL says it has the broadest coverage of EV battery users globally, with its batteries installed in over 17 million EVs, or one in every three EVs worldwide, as of the end of 2024. Terence Chong, executive director of the Lau Chor Tak Institute of Global Economics and Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Hong Kong hasn't seen an IPO of this size in a while and the listing may boost such activity in the city. The exclusion of U.S. investors had little impact since there was sufficient demand for CATL's offering, he said. The amount of funds raised through IPOs in Hong Kong rose 89% year-on-year in 2024 following a double-digit decrease in 2023, according to Yujia Li, an analyst at the Hong Kong Financial Research Institute of the Bank of China. CATL recorded a profit of 55.3 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) in 2024, up 16.8% from 2023. Its listing surpassed JX Advanced Metals' $2.9 billion IPO in Japan in March, which was previously the largest this year, according to Renaissance Capital, a provider of pre-IPO research and IPO-focused ETFs. ___ Associated Press writers Damian Troise in New York and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 05:59:41+00:00	[ "Rotterdam", "Europe", "Netherlands government", "Migration", "Netherlands", "Cathrine Bublatzky", "Waterways", "Anne Kremers" ]	# Rotterdam unveils a museum about migration while anti-foreigner sentiment rises in Europe By Molly Quell May 15th, 2025, 05:59 AM --- ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A gleaming spiral staircase jutting from the roof of a former Dutch warehouse overlooks the waterway where millions of Europeans once boarded ships bound for a new life in the United States. The twisting path, intended to represent migrants' unexpected journeys, stands on the Fenix museum, the newest attraction on Rotterdam's waterfront. The museum tells the story of migration, with exhibits including thousands of suitcases from travelers, portraits of refugees and a life-sized city bus. Architect Ma Yansong of Chinese firm MAD Architects told The Associated Press he wanted the building to serve not only as a museum but also as "a memory." The museum opens Friday as migration is on the rise, along with anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world. The number of people living outside their country of birth — over 300 million — has nearly doubled since 1990, according to the United Nations. "As long as we exist as human beings, we move and we migrate. And we will always keep on doing that. And that's what we show in Fenix," said the museum's director, Anne Kremers. As the museum's construction continued last year, the hard-right Dutch government announced unprecedented measures aimed at reining in migration, including a reintroduction of border checks. It shattered a long-held image of the Netherlands as a nation that welcomed new arrivals. The museum's viewing platform looks out across Rotterdam, whose 650,000 inhabitants represent over 170 nationalities. The city is the largest port in Europe. Many of those departing Rotterdam in the early part of the 20th century made the trans-Atlantic journey on the Holland America Line, a shipping company founded by the Van der Vorm family in 1873. The family has been the primary financial backer for the Fenix project, via Dutch art foundation Droom en Daad (Dream and Action). Art can sometimes provide a better basis for discussion of politically loaded topics like migration, said Cathrine Bublatzky, an anthropologist who studies the intersection of art and migration. Kremers said she hopes visitors will take away "what it feels like to leave your home, to find a new home, and to say farewell."
Associated Press News	2025-05-14 09:48:37+00:00	[ "Australia", "Melbourne", "James Cook", "United Kingdom", "Politics", "Brad Battin", "Bill Lang", "Sydney Cove", "Voting", "Stephen Jolly", "International agreements" ]	# Australian locality removing often-vandalized monument to British explorer James Cook By Rod Mcguirk May 14th, 2025, 09:48 AM --- MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian local government has decided against repairing an often-vandalized monument to renowned British explorer James Cook because it would be destroyed again. But the mayor on Wednesday rejected accusations that the vandals have won. Statues and monuments to the 18th century naval officer are common in Australia and are often defaced by opponents of Britain's settlement of the country without a treaty with its Indigenous people. In 1770, then Lt. Cook charted the Australian east coast where Sydney would become the first British colony on the continent. The granite and bronze monument to the master navigator and cartographer in an inner-city Melbourne park was vandalized days after the anniversary of the first British settlers' arrival at Sydney Cove was commemorated on Jan. 26. Opponents of Australia Day celebrations denounce the public holiday as "Invasion Day." There are growing calls for the country to find a less divisive national day. The monument in Melbourne's Edinburgh Gardens was snapped at its base and spray painted with the words "cook the colony." ## Local councilors vote unanimously against repairing monument Mayor Stephen Jolly, head of the Yarra City Council, which is a municipality near the heart of Melbourne, said his fellow councilors had voted unanimously on Tuesday night against spending 15,000 Australian dollars ($9,700) on repairing the monument, which remains in storage. Jolly said the decision to permanently remove the monument, which included an image of Cook's face cast in bronze, was about economics rather than taking a position in Australia's culture wars. "It's about being economically rational. It's AU$15,000 a pop every time we have to repair it and it's persistently getting either demolished or vandalized or tagged," Jolly told Australian Broadcasting Corp. "It's just a waste of ratepayers money. We can't afford to do that," Jolly added. But Victoria state's Melbourne-based conservative opposition leader Brad Battin condemned removing such memorials as surrendering to vandals. "We need to stand strong and remember the fact that this is part of our history," Battin told reporters. "If you start to remove the history of our state and our country because of activists, then you're actually giving in to those that are campaigning against it," Battin added. Jolly disagreed that his council had given the vandals what they wanted. "No, I think they would've loved for us to put it back up and then they could've just tagged it again or destroyed it again and just had this ongoing sort of little war going on in Edinburgh Gardens," Jolly said. "I think they're probably the most disappointed people that it's not going to be there anymore," Jolly added. ## Monument base remains attached to a traffic cone The base of the monument remained at the entrance of the park on Wednesday with a traffic cone attached to warn cyclists, joggers and pedestrians of the trip hazard it presents. Someone has scrawled a smiling face and a torso on the cone in an apparent reference to the memorial that had once stood in its place. Jolly said a local branch of the Captain Cook Society, an international group that celebrates the explorer, have offered to preserve the bronze plaques. Melbourne-based society member Bill Lang said discussions were under way to find a short-term home for the monument, such as a museum. Lang said the council's decision not to repair the monument was disheartening. "It's very disappointing for every open-minded Australian that believes that there are lots of things that we can learn about and learn from our history that we should celebrate," Lang said.
Associated Press News	2025-05-19 17:04:46+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Elon Musk", "District of Columbia", "Department of Government Efficiency", "United States Congress", "United States government", "Pakistan", "Afghanistan", "Congress", "United States", "South Asia", "Trump lawsuits", "DC Wire", "Government and politics", "George Moose", "Ronald Reagan", "Anna Kelly", "Think tanks", "U.S. government shutdown", "Lawsuits", "Courts", "Politics" ]	# Federal judge blocks Trump from dismantling Institute of Peace By Gary Fields May 19th, 2025, 05:04 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with its dismantling of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an organization taken over in March by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the think tank, which was created and funded by Congress to focus on resolving violent conflicts around the globe, was taken over illegally by DOGE through "blunt force, backed up by law enforcement officers from three separate local and federal agencies." The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed by the organization's former board members and president, had maintained that the Institute of Peace was established by law as an independent, nonprofit organization. The plaintiffs also argue that the firing of the board members did not meet any of the steps required by the law that created the organization. The moves also did not go before any of the four congressional committees that have oversight of the institute. In her ruling, Howell cited the uniqueness of the organization, saying the president "second-guessed" the judgment of Congress and President Ronald Reagan in creating the institute 40 years ago, and the judgment of every Congress since. In an email, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said "the United States Institute of Peace has existed for 40 years on a $50 million annual budget, but failed to deliver peace. President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum, and this rogue judge's attempt to impede on the separation of powers will not be the last say on the matter." The administration has 30 days to file a notice of appeal. Trump issued the executive order in February that targeted the institute and three other agencies for closure in an effort to deliver on campaign promises to shrink the size of the federal government. The first attempt by DOGE to take over the headquarters led to a standoff. Members of Musk's DOGE group returned days later with the FBI and District of Columbia Metropolitan Police to help them gain entry. The institute and many of its board members sued the Trump administration March 18, seeking to prevent their removal and to prevent DOGE from taking over its operations. The firing of the board was followed by a Friday night mass firing by email on March 28, which threw the workforce into turmoil. At the same time, DOGE transferred the administrative oversight of the organization's headquarters and assets to the General Services Administration that weekend. Since then, employees were allowed to retrieve personal items but computers, office tools and supplies and furniture were left behind. In reaching her opinion Howell concluded that the institute "ultimately exercises no Executive branch power under the Constitution but operates, through research, educational teaching, and scholarship, in the sensitive area of global peace. In creating this organization, Congress struck a careful balance between political accountability, on the one hand, and partisan independence and stability, on the other." As such, "the Constitution makes clear that the President's constitutional authority only extends as far as Article II, but even Article II does not grant him absolute removal authority over his subordinates, under current binding caselaw precedent." Howell said that because the removal of the board by the administration was illegal, all subsequent actions are null and void, including the firing of the staff and the transfer of the headquarters to the General Services Administration. The idea in creating the institute was for an organization that would operate outside normal channels to work to promote peace and prevent and end conflicts. At the time it was shuttered, the institute operated in more than two dozen conflict zones, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Howell had denied two requests by the plaintiffs for restraining orders — one to halt the firing of the board and another to stop the administration from taking over the institute's headquarters. That ruling came after she held a status hearing and learned that DOGE-installed leadership had already initiated and completed the transfer of the headquarters before the plaintiffs could even get to court. Howell equated the quick action to a bull in a China shop. USIP's acting president and CEO, George Moose, said in a briefing that the actions against the institute have had a traumatic impact on the staff and people around the world who have worked with the institute. "I don't think there's any question that this has caused harm and damage, some of which in fact will be irreparable," the former U.S. ambassador said. Moose said how quickly the staff can try to resume its work and repair the damage depends on how the administration responds. "We have an understanding that we once we return to the building, the challenge of restarting and recovering and rebuilding is in fact, going to take time," he said. "We anticipate that we're going to have to do this in phases starting out modestly" with what resources are available. As word of the court action spread an impromptu group of about two dozens employees gathered in front of the headquarters and cheered as parts of Howell's ruling were read aloud. All understood it was only the first step in what they expect to be a longer court battle before they can return to work. Tonis Montes, 36, who worked in the institute's Gandhi-King Global Academy said she felt vindicated but "there's a lot to interpret in the ruling. If it were up to us, we'd be in that building, getting to work." Nicoletta Barbera, 36, and the acting director of the West Africa and Central Africa programs, said she was ecstatic "but aware this is just step one, but happy that some justice prevailed today." ___ Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman and Thalia Beaty contributed to this story.
Associated Press News	2025-05-11 17:02:03+00:00	[ "Amber Heard", "Johnny Depp", "Spain", "Entertainment" ]	# Amber Heard reveals names of twin babies in Mother's Day post May 11th, 2025, 05:02 PM --- Amber Heard is now a mother of three. The actor on Sunday wrote on Instagram that she has welcomed twins into the family, a son named Ocean and a daughter named Agnes. She shared the news along with a photo of their tiny feet. "Becoming a mother by myself and on my own terms despite my own fertility challenges has been the most humbling experience of my life," Heard, 39, wrote. "I am eternally grateful that I was able to choose this responsibly and thoughtfully." Heard, who moved to Spain after the high profile legal battles with her ex-husband Johnny Depp, is also mother to a 4-year-old daughter named Oonagh. She wrote in the Mother's Day post that she is celebrating the "completion of the family" that she's strived to build for years.
Associated Press News	2025-05-01 20:18:13+00:00	[ "Brazil", "Luiz Incio Lula da Silva", "Fernando Collor", "Legal proceedings", "South America", "Parkinsons disease", "Corruption", "Indictments", "Sleep apnea", "Bipolar disorder", "Brazil government", "Bribery", "Law enforcement", "Alexandre de Moraes", "Criminal punishment", "Politics" ]	# Brazil judge grants former President Collor house arrest for health reasons By Gabriela Sá Pessoa May 1st, 2025, 08:18 PM --- SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian judge ruled Thursday that former President Fernando Collor can serve his sentence from a 2023 corruption conviction under house arrest instead of prison because of his poor health. Collor had been arrested late last week and ordered to begin serving eight years and 10 months in prison. But on Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes accepted a defense request for house arrest because of the former leader's advanced age of 75 and deteriorating health. Collor's lawyers said that he suffers from Parkinson's disease, severe sleep apnea and bipolar disorder. Collor, who led the country from 1990 to 1992, had been convicted of receiving 20 million reais ($3.5 million) to facilitate contracts between a state company and a private firm for the construction of fuel depots. He remained out of prison as his lawyers continued to lodge appeals. But he was arrested April 24 in the northeastern state of Alagoas, where he lives, on a warrant that said the start of his sentence was overdue. Under the Brazilian legal system, cases concerning presidents, Cabinet ministers and members of Congress go directly to the Supreme Court. The case stemmed from the Operation Car Wash, a sweeping corruption probe that has implicated top politicians and businesspeople across Latin America — including current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was arrested in 2018 and imprisoned for nearly two years. Collor, 75, was the first Brazilian president elected by popular vote, in 1989, after a 21-year military dictatorship. He was impeached and removed from office by Congress in 1992 following corruption allegations. In 2007, he was elected as a senator representing his home state of Alagoas in northeastern Brazil. ___ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Associated Press News	2025-05-03 03:31:07+00:00	[ "Ron DeSantis", "Florida", "Tallahassee", "Government budgets", "Florida state government", "U.S. Republican Party", "Government programs", "Ben Albritton", "Casey DeSantis", "Daniel Perez", "Politics", "Kate Payne" ]	# Florida lawmakers go into overtime without passing a budget. Here's a look by the numbers By Kate Payne May 3rd, 2025, 03:31 AM --- TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is used to getting his way in the state capital, with a tight grip on the GOP-controlled Legislature, where once-pliant lawmakers hustled his priorities and helped him build his national brand. But not this year. DeSantis' second-to-last legislative session in Tallahassee has been defined by interparty squabbles that spilled out into the open, as the Legislature's GOP leaders sparred with each other and openly defied the term-limited governor. Over the 60-day regular session, members of DeSantis' own party launched an investigation into the signature initiative of his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, accused a key ally of the governor of criminal conspiracy and advanced measures aimed at reining in his administration. Despite enjoying a GOP supermajority in both chambers, legislative leaders failed to pass the one bill Florida law requires, the state budget, ahead of the scheduled end of the regular session on Friday. Instead, lawmakers ran out the clock, dragging their negotiations into the night before announcing a budget framework shortly before 10 p.m. Friday. Under the deal, the Legislature will return to Tallahassee for an extended session scheduled to last through June 6 to hammer out a spending deal ahead of the July 1 start of the next fiscal year. Here's a look at Florida's regular legislative session, by the numbers. ## 3 different philosophies Republicans have a political trifecta in Tallahassee, with the sheer might to ram bills through over the protests of their Democratic colleagues. But this year, GOP leaders simply could not reconcile their different philosophies on tax policy in time to reach an agreement on the state budget. The House began negotiations with a $113 billion spending plan, compared to the Senate's $117.4 billion proposal and the governor's projected $115.6 billion budget. The main sticking point was how to cut taxes, with House Speaker Daniel Perez calling for a permanent .75% reduction in the state's sales tax, a proposal Senate President Ben Albritton had balked at. But after hours of prolonged negotiations Friday, legislative leaders announced a joint framework for a budget deal they say will come in lower than the governor's proposal and include $2.8 billion in tax relief. DeSantis meanwhile has pushed legislators to eliminate the state's property taxes, a change that would ultimately have to go before the voters. ## 205 measures passed Overall, both chambers passed 205 bill and resolutions this session, out of more than 1,900 filed. Among the bills lawmakers approved are a measure creating new hurdles for citizen-driven ballot initiatives, reforms easing the financial burden on condominium owners grappling with new safety regulations following the Surfside condo collapse in 2021, a measure banning fluoride in public drinking water systems and a bill allowing additional execution methods to carry out the state's death penalty. Meanwhile, a number of the governor's priorities died this session, including bills that would have lowered the minimum age to buy a firearm and allowed gunowners to carry on college campuses. Other DeSantis-backed bills that failed include measures to roll back some of the state's child labor protections and require all employers in the state to use E-Verify, a federal government system to verify work eligibility. ## A two-thirds majority Lawmakers also advanced measures aimed at curbing the power of the governor, which he can sign, veto or allow to become law without his signature. Legislators could revive bills axed by the governor, if two-thirds of both chambers vote to override his veto. They took that step in January to overturn some of DeSantis' line-item vetoes of last year's budget, a move seen as a bold act of defiance. Among the bills that could spark DeSantis' ire is a measure that would restrict development in state parks, following bipartisan backlash over a DeSantis administration proposal to build golf courses, pickleball courts and hotels in state parks. Lawmakers also passed a measure that would outlaw the use of public funds for political ads on proposed constitutional amendments after DeSantis led an aggressive campaign against two ballot initiatives in November. Another measure would prohibit state employees from fundraising for political campaigns or candidates while on the job. ## A $10 million donation Also this session, lawmakers in DeSantis' own party scrutinized the welfare program that is his wife's signature initiative. Representatives began investigating Hope Florida amid revelations its foundation gave $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement to two nonprofits. Those groups in turn gave millions to a political committee, chaired by DeSantis' then-chief of staff, which campaigned against a failed referendum on recreational marijuana. Legislators wound down the probe after key officials involved in the transactions refused to testify, though lawmakers say the chamber's oversight will continue as they wait for state agencies to hand over a trove of public records related to Hope Florida. ## $50,000 a day That is the average cost to Florida taxpayers for each day lawmakers have to come back to Tallahassee to carry out the public's business outside of a regular session, according to a spokesperson for the state Senate. Under the plan legislative leaders hashed out on Friday, lawmakers will return the week of May 12 for the extended session, which is scheduled to end June 6. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press News	2025-05-16 23:15:19+00:00	[ "James Comey", "Donald Trump", "Kristi Noem", "Pam Bondi", "Robert Mueller", "Soviet Union", "U.S. Secret Service", "Social media", "U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation", "U.S. Department of Homeland Security", "Kash Patel", "Violence", "George W. Bush", "U.S. Republican Party", "Politics", "Barack Obama" ]	# Comey interviewed by the Secret Service By Rebecca Santana and Eric Tucker May 16th, 2025, 11:15 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service on Friday about a social media post that Republicans insisted was a call for violence against President Donald Trump. The interview was part of an ongoing Trump administration investigation and was expected to help authorities assess the purpose and intent of the post and whether Comey intended to communicate a threat to the president, which he has flatly denied. Any decision on whether charges should be filed would be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump said Friday, though there's a high bar in proving that comments or posts amount to direct threats of violence. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a post on X that Comey had been interviewed and said she would "take all measures necessary to ensure the protection" of Trump. The Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security. An interview is a standard part of an investigation into comments perceived as potentially threatening but does not suggest that charges are being considered. At issue is an Instagram post from Thursday in which Comey wrote "cool shell formation on my beach walk" under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for "86 47." Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning "to throw out," "to get rid of" or "to refuse service to." It notes: "Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of 'to kill.' We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use." Numerous Trump administration officials, including Noem, asserted that Comey was advocating the assassination of Trump, the 47th president. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was also supporting the investigation. Asked about it Friday during a Fox News interview, Trump said: "He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear." He deflected a question on what he thought should happen, saying the decision would be up to Bondi. The post was deleted Thursday not long after it was made, with Comey subsequently writing: "I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. Trump and Comey have had a fraught dynamic dating back nearly a decade. Comey was the FBI director when Trump took office in 2017, having been appointed by then-President Barack Obama and serving before that as a senior Justice Department official in President George W. Bush's administration. But the relationship was strained from the start, including after Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private dinner to pledge his personal loyalty to the president -- an overture that so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum. Trump fired Comey in May 2017 amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign. That inquiry, later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, would ultimately find that while Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the Trump team welcomed the help, there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal collaboration.
Associated Press News	2025-05-19 09:54:57+00:00	[ "Romania", "Bucharest", "Donald Trump", "Romania government", "Europe", "George Simion", "Mark Rutte", "European Union", "Global elections", "Cristian Andrei", "Marriage", "Voting", "Siegfried Muresan", "Politics", "Elections" ]	# Romania's new pro-European president puts it back on a Western course, but fault lines remain By Justin Spike and Stephen Mcgrath May 19th, 2025, 09:54 AM --- BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A pro-European Union centrist pulled off an upset in Romania's presidential election, beating out a hard-right nationalist who had channeled people's anger at the political establishment to surge in the polls. But the new leader now must contend with deep societal divisions that the tense vote laid bare. Final results from Sunday's presidential race showed Nicusor Dan winning 53.6% of the vote, ahead of the hard-right candidate George Simion, who during the campaign portrayed his movement as championing conservative values like patriotism, sovereignty and the family, and who styled himself as the Romanian analogue to U.S. President Donald Trump. The victory for the pro-EU candidate marked a significant comeback in a tense election that many viewed as a geopolitical choice for the former Eastern Bloc country between East or West. But as Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, pro-Western reformist and mayor of Bucharest, takes over Romania's presidency, fault lines remain in the country where endemic corruption, inequality and an erosion of trust in traditional institutions and parties have fueled a broad rejection of the political establishment. ## A tense election Dan's decisive win on Sunday was a major turnaround from the first round of elections on May 4, where Simion — a nationalist who has advocated for uniting Romania with neighboring Moldova and is banned from entering Ukraine — had nearly double Dan's share of votes to become the clear front-runner for the second round. Simion's surge to prominence came after Romania's first attempt to hold the presidential election late last year in which far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped first-round polls. The country's political landscape was upended after a top court voided the ballot, alleging electoral violations and Russian interference. Capitalizing on the furor over the annulment of that election, Simion allied with Georgescu, who was banned in March from running in the election redo, and promised to appoint him prime minister if Simion secured the presidency. While Simion was considered the favorite for the second round, a high voter turnout of 64.7% in Sunday's ballot — more than in any Romanian election of the past quarter-century — is thought to have benefited Dan. Adding to the high turnout were approximately 1.6 million votes from members of Romania's large diaspora, which is primarily concentrated in Western Europe. Estimates suggest that between 4 and 5 million Romanians live abroad — nearly a quarter of the country's population. Most emigrated after Romania joined the EU in 2007, seeking relief from high unemployment and low wages. ## Fault lines remain After Dan is sworn in as president in the coming days, he will face the challenge of nominating a prime minister who can garner the support necessary to form a government — a tall order in a country where anger with establishment politicians led to the emergence of figures like Georgescu and Simion. Yet Dan himself, who rose to prominence as a civic activist fighting against illegal real estate projects and ran independently on a pro-EU ticket to support Ukraine and reaffirm Western ties, is among the critics of Romania's entrenched political elite, and has argued for fiscal reforms and a crackdown on corruption. Speaking to ecstatic supporters in the early hours of Monday following his victory, he struck a reformist tone, saying Romania was beginning "a new chapter, and it needs every one of you." "It needs experts to get involved in various public policies, it needs people in civil society, it needs new people in politics," he said. Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, says Dan will face a string of immediate challenges, including putting together a new government in what is now a "totally new political landscape." "He will have to push and show reforms while meeting resistance in the state apparatus and being opposed by the new populist parties that now won 5 million votes," Andrei said. "He will be under pressure to deliver change to an exasperated Romania while trying to unify a divided country." ## Romania in the EU and NATO As a member of the EU and one of the easternmost members of the NATO military alliance, Romania plays a pivotal role in Western security infrastructure — especially since Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. After that invasion, NATO bolstered its presence on Europe's eastern flank by sending additional multinational battlegroups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia, and Bucharest has played an increasingly prominent role in the alliance, donating a Patriot missile system to Ukraine and opening an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries. Dan said Monday he had a call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and that he conveyed to Rutte that Romania "will remain a steadfast ally" within the alliance. "At the same time, we rely on NATO to guarantee Romania's unwavering security," he said. Many observers saw Sunday's vote as crucial to maintaining Romania's place within the network of Western alliances — especially amid fears that the Trump administration is reconsidering its security commitments to the United States' European partners. Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian member of the European Parliament, told The Associated Press on Monday that the election result was a relief for many in Brussels, the EU's de-facto capital, and that Romania is now expected to play an active role in the bloc particularly in security and defense. "There was an erosion of Romania's credibility in the last year," Muresan said. "That is partly restored now through the clear victory of the pro-European candidate." Muresan added that Romanians will expect Dan to deliver on promised reforms, but that his clear victory marks a setback for hard-right nationalism. "People really rallied behind Europe … and understood the risks which extremists pose," he said. "So much lies now with the new president, who is a unifier, who has campaigned on the basis of facts."
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 22:50:54+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "District of Columbia", "Muriel Bowser", "DC Wire", "Fairs and festivals", "Military and defense", "U.S. Department of Defense", "Steve Warren", "Associated Press", "Elon Musk", "United States government", "Politics" ]	# Military parade to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary will be held on Trump's birthday By Lolita C. Baldor May 2nd, 2025, 10:50 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army on Friday confirmed there will be a military parade on President Donald Trump's birthday in June, as part of the celebrations around the service's 250th birthday. Plans for the parade, as first detailed by The Associated Press on Thursday, call for about 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters to follow a route from Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall. Until recently, the Army's birthday festival plans did not include a massive parade, which officials say will cost tens of millions of dollars. But Trump has long wanted a military parade, and discussions with the Pentagon about having one in conjunction with the birthday festival began less than two months ago. The Army 250th birthday happens to coincide with Trump's 79th birthday on June 14. In a statement Friday, Army spokesman Steve Warren said the Army's birthday celebration will include "a spectacular fireworks display, a parade, and a daylong festival on the National Mall." The pricey parade comes as Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk, have slashed federal government departments, personnel and programs, with thousands of workers losing their jobs, including civilians in the Defense Department. In comments to Fox News Digital, White House officials confirmed a commemorative parade would take place and said it would be one of the first events to kick off a yearlong celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary. When asked about the parade Thursday, the White House did not respond, and Army officials said no decision had been made. While officials said there has now been a formal decision to proceed with the parade, there is still no specific cost estimate. Warren said that given the significance of the Army birthday, they are looking at options "to make the celebration even bigger, with more capability demonstrations, additional displays of equipment, and more engagement with the community." Army planning documents, obtained this week by the AP and dated April 29 and 30, said the parade will include soldiers from at least 11 corps and divisions nationwide. They said it would involve a Stryker battalion with two companies of Stryker vehicles, a tank battalion and two companies of tanks, an infantry battalion with Bradley vehicles, Paladin artillery vehicles, Howitzers and infantry vehicles. The plans note that while the parade will begin near the Pentagon, the heavy, tracked vehicles — which would include the Strykers — would be stationed near the Lincoln Memorial and join the procession there, so they will not go over the bridge from Virginia City officials, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, acknowledged in April that the administration reached out to the city about holding a parade on June 14. At the time, she said that tanks rolling through the city's streets "would not be good." "If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads," she said. The Army birthday festival has been planned for more than a year and is slated to include displays of Army equipment, military demonstrations, musical performances and a fitness competition on the National Mall. The late afternoon parade would be followed by a parachute jump by the Golden Knights, a concert and the fireworks. The planning documents also suggest that civilian participants would include historical vehicles and aircraft and two bands, along with people from veterans groups, military colleges and reenactor organizations. According to the plans, the parade would be classified as a national special security event, and that request has been submitted by the National Park Service and is under review. During his first term, Trump proposed having a parade after seeing one in France on Bastille Day in 2017. Trump said that after watching the two-hour procession along the famed Champs-Elysees he wanted an even grander one on Pennsylvania Avenue. That plan was ultimately dumped due to the huge costs — with one estimate of a $92 million price tag — and other logistical issues. Among those were objections from city officials who said including tanks and other heavy armored vehicles would tear up the roads. Trump said in a social media post in 2018 that he was canceling the event over the costs and accused local politicians of price gouging.
Associated Press News	2025-05-07 19:59:39+00:00	[ "United Kingdom", "South Africa", "United Kingdom government", "Nelson Mandela", "South Africa government", "Julius Malema", "Antony Phillipson", "Politics", "Genocide" ]	# Far-left South African politician says the UK denied him a visa to speak at Cambridge University By Gerald Imray May 7th, 2025, 07:59 PM --- CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A far-left South African politician renowned for his anti-West rhetoric accused U.K. authorities Wednesday of denying him a visa to speak at an event at Cambridge University for political reasons. Julius Malema, the leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, said the decision was effectively a ban on him addressing students and "an attempt to silence a dissenting political perspective." He posted on social media platform X that he had been assured that his visa was being processed but had received "a regret letter" informing him his application was not successful while he was at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport waiting for his flight to London. Malema, who also uses the title "Commander in Chief" of his party, has previously demanded the U.K. pay reparations and apologize to African nations for colonialism. The lawmaker and his party have also accused the British monarchy of playing a leading role in the slave trade and colonial abuses. The BBC reported that it had seen a leaked letter to Malema's EFF party from the British high commissioner to South Africa personally apologizing that the U.K. Home Office wasn't able to process Malema's visa in time and saying it was due to procedural issues. The letter from High Commissioner Antony Phillipson cited "the unfortunate timing" of recent British national holidays, according to the BBC. The Home Office didn't comment. Malema was due to speak at an Africa-themed event at Cambridge University on Saturday, his party said. The firebrand politician, who was expelled from South Africa's then-ruling African National Congress party in 2012, has also taken anti-Western positions recently on the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. He has voiced support for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and has accused Western nations of supporting and financing what he calls Israel's "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza. In October, the U.K. denied ex-South African lawmaker Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, a visa to travel and speak at pro-Palestinian events in several British cities. Mandla Mandela said he was informed by the Home Office that his visa had been rejected because of his support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which the U.K. considers a terrorist organization, and his presence was "not conducive to the public good." ___ AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 21:32:04+00:00	[ "District of Columbia", "Donald Trump", "Corruption", "Virginia", "Eric Adams", "U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation", "United States government", "United States", "Associated Press", "Politics", "Kash Patel" ]	# The FBI is disbanding one of its public corruption squads, AP sources say By Eric Tucker May 15th, 2025, 09:32 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is disbanding a squad in its Washington field office that investigates allegations of fraud and public corruption against members of Congress and other federal officials, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The move is part of a broader reorganization of the field office, said one FBI official familiar with the plans, adding that the bureau would continue to pursue investigations into alleged corruption by public officials. It was not immediately clear where the agents on the squad might be reassigned, though the office does have other squads focused on public corruption in the District of Columbia and Virginia. The people who confirmed the FBI's decision insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel changes that had not been previously announced. The action comes as the Trump administration has overhauled its approach to enforcement of public corruption, including by moving to dramatically slash the size of a prestigious section of Justice Department prosecutors responsible for pursuing cases of fraud and corruption against elected officials. The administration also has announced a pause in criminal enforcement of a law that prohibits U.S. companies from paying bribes to foreign officials for business. In addition, Justice Department leaders in February urged a judge to dismiss a public corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams so he could support the administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. The dissolving of the squad is consistent with an ongoing shuffling of FBI priorities as the bureau under Director Kash Patel pivots to focus more on illegal immigration, drug trafficking and violent crime, core priorities of the Trump administration. The Washington field office is one of the largest in the country, responsible for investigating national security threats, public corruption and other crimes in the nation's capital. The federal public corruption squad has handled significant investigations over the years, including into efforts by Trump and allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The development was first reported by NBC News. ___
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 18:34:24+00:00	[ "Jon Ossoff", "Marjorie Taylor Greene", "Brian P. Kemp", "Donald Trump", "Georgia", "Joe Biden", "U.S. Republican Party", "Kevin McCarthy", "Senate elections", "Raphael Warnock", "David Perdue", "Voting", "Jay Morgan", "Rick Allen", "Rich McCormick", "Buddy Carter", "Brian Robinson", "Elections", "Politics", "Eric Tanenblatt", "John King Jr.", "2020 United States presidential election", "Greg Dolezal", "Mike Collins", "United States Senate", "Georgia state government", "Brad Raffensperger", "Brian Jack" ]	# Georgia Republicans look to rally behind a challenger to Sen. Jon Ossoff By Jeff Amy and Bill Barrow May 13th, 2025, 06:34 PM --- ATLANTA (AP) — When Georgia's governor and a lightning-rod congresswoman decided last week to not run for the U.S. Senate, it seemed like the waiting game was over among Republicans seeking to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who represents a district on the Georgia coast, had become the first major Republican candidate to declare when he announced on Thursday. Then, state Insurance Commissioner John King did the same on Monday. "I expect a competitive primary — Senate seats don't come along that often," said Eric Tanenblatt, a top national GOP fundraiser and Kemp ally who has backed Trump's rivals in presidential primaries. But after the exits of Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, there's a new waiting game going on. Hopefuls are looking to President Donald Trump and Kemp for support. The governor told reporters last week that he'd like to unite with Trump behind a preferred candidate, which could head off an expensive and tumultuous primary that could weaken a nominee. "I had a good conversation with President Trump about my decision. And I'm going to continue talking to him about the races in Georgia," Kemp said in Forsyth, Georgia. "I think if it's possible, it would be great if we can line up on things. That's hard to do sometimes in primaries." Kemp and Trump met Sunday in Washington, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, and some possible contenders are waiting to see how things play out. Republican congressman Mike Collins said on the day that Kemp stepped aside that he wanted to hear from Trump. "I will speak to President Trump and his team and do whatever is necessary to ensure he has another vote in the Senate for the America First agenda," Collins said on the day Kemp stepped aside. Five other GOP officeholders have acknowledged interest in the race, including two other Republicans in Congress, Rick Allen and Rich McCormick. Also mulling it over are Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and state Sen. Greg Dolezal. Trump's own desires could elevate others. U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, Trump's White House political adviser during Trump's first term, is in his first term in Congress. Jack has vaulted onto a leadership track in the House, becoming deputy chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP House campaign arm. Having also served as an aide to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Jack was elected as the freshman representative to the House GOP Steering Committee. Jack has shown no public interest in the Senate seat but may be closer to Trump than any Georgia Republican. Republicans have flagged Georgia and Michigan as prime opportunities for expanding their Senate majority in 2026. But in Georgia, unlike Michigan, the Democratic incumbent is seeking reelection. Ossoff is trying to show he can deliver for Georgia and work with Republicans while also offering a sharp critique of Trump. While Georgia backed Trump in 2024, the state's voters have sometimes supported Democrats. They chose Joe Biden in 2020. They handed Senate control to Democrats in January 2021 runoffs by electing Ossoff and Raphael Warnock after Republicans David Perdue and Loeffler lashed themselves to Trump's false claims that his 2020 defeat was rigged. They then reelected Warnock in a runoff over Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee in 2022. Any Republican challenger to Ossoff must win a primary that could be decided well to the right of the broader electorate. "Republicans don't want business as usual. They want disruption," said Chip Lake, a GOP campaign consultant who worked for Walker in 2022. But a primary in which every candidate tries to be the most conservative and most loyal to Trump could cause problems later. "If we nominate someone that is just too extreme, I don't think it's going to go well for us in a general election," Tanenblatt said. Rallying around a single candidate might reduce that risk. That's where Trump and Kemp, who has his own fraught history with the president, could play key roles. Kemp pledged that his political organization, considered the most effective in Georgia, will work for a Republican Senate win in 2026. Victory could burnish Kemp's reputation. "Just because my name's not on the ballot, that doesn't mean that I won't be on the political playing field," Kemp said. But some time to campaign without a Trump endorsement would give candidates time to prove themselves, said Brian Robinson, a Republican political consultant. "We'll see how hard they're working. We'll see how much money they're raising and we'll see what machinations go on in the third-party groups out of D.C.," Robinson said, alluding to politically active conservative groups such as Club for Growth. Carter, a pharmacist, mayor and state lawmaker before he went to Congress, is trying to get a jump on that process. Tanenblatt said Carter is the kind of Republican who can appeal to the Trump base and the party's more traditional wing. His challenge, Tanenblatt said, is that he's largely unknown in metro Atlanta, home to most Georgia voters. Collins, a second-term congressman, might benefit from representing a northeast Georgia district that includes some of Atlanta's suburbs. Besides Greene, he's maybe the most like Trump stylistically, with a string of inflammatory social media posts and a big, booming personality. It's not an act, said Jay Morgan, a longtime Republican strategist. "This is not something he made up," Morgan said. "He's gotten a little better at it, he's gotten a little more polished and he is a hard worker. Nobody will work harder than Mike Collins." Maybe the best-known Republican prospect is Raffensperger, but his notoriety could cut both ways. Raffensperger is best known for clashing with Trump when Trump asked him to overturn Biden's 2020 win in Georgia. "The best argument Brad Raffensperger can make is he can win," Morgan said. Raffensperger appealed to moderates and even Democrats in his 2022 reelection bid, but he is despised by many Republican activists. "Donald Trump is the leader of this party, and you're not going to have success at all in a primary as a candidate running for any office in Georgia if you don't acknowledge that and be supportive of that," Lake said, The right nominee will tap into GOP hunger to win back one of Georgia's Senate seats after three consecutive losses. "They are tired of losing," Morgan said. "And this could be a critical, critical race. Depending on what happens in the country and the mood of the country, this is a race Republicans can win again." ___
Associated Press News	2025-05-10 00:55:51+00:00	[ "Marjorie Taylor Greene", "Jon Ossoff", "Georgia", "Brian P. Kemp", "U.S. Republican Party", "Senate elections", "2021 United States Capitol riot", "Kevin McCarthy", "Donald Trump", "Government appointments and nominations", "Mike Collins", "Tyler Harper", "Voting", "Rich McCormick", "Politics", "Buddy Carter", "Elections", "Greg Dolezal", "Eric Tanenblatt", "Brad Raffensperger" ]	# Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene won't run for US Senate By Jeff Amy and Jonathan J. Cooper May 10th, 2025, 12:55 AM --- ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Friday she won't challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia in next year's midterms, delivering relief for some Republicans who worry she's too divisive to win. In a lengthy post on the social media platform X, Greene disputed GOP donors and consultants who fear she would turn off the moderate Republicans and independents needed to beat Ossoff. But Greene said she doesn't want to serve in a Senate that "doesn't work" and that she said is dominated by lawmakers hostile to grassroots Trump supporters and unwilling to shake up the status quo. "If I'm going to fight for a team, it will only be a team willing to lay it all on the line to save this country," she wrote. Ossoff, a first-term senator, won the seat by a slim margin in a state that has historically been a Republican stronghold but has more recently become a battleground. He is a top target for Republicans looking to expand their narrow Senate majority. Popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who could be a formidable opponent for Ossoff, opted out of the 2026 race on Monday. His decision leaves a wide-open race for the GOP nomination. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who represents a district on the Georgia coast, became the first major Republican candidate to declare Thursday. Six other GOP officeholders besides Greene have acknowledged interest in running to The Associated Press. They include two other Republicans in the U.S. House, Mike Collins and Rich McCormick. Also considering the race are Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, state Insurance Commissioner John King and state Sen. Greg Dolezal. "I expect a competitive primary — Senate seats don't come along that often," said Eric Tanenblatt, a top national GOP fundraiser and Kemp ally who has backed Trump's rivals in presidential primaries. Greene is nationally known and a prolific fundraiser, but she has embraced conspiracy theories and feuded with members of her own party. On Thursday, she noted to reporters that she has more than 11 million social media followers, saying that's because people know where she stands. Greene's appeal would be clear in a GOP primary with many voters fiercely loyal to the president. Her decision not to run came a day after she told reporters she was considering it. "I'm going to give it some thought, talk to my family. I'm honored to have so much support from the great people of Georgia. And I have options," she said Thursday. Greene was first elected to the House in 2020. She initially planned to run in a competitive district in northern Atlanta's suburbs, but relocated into the much more conservative 14th District in Georgia's northwest corner. Greene continued to embrace conspiracies even after 11 House Republicans joined Democrats to remove her committee assignments in February 2021. She embraced people jailed on charges following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol as political prisoners, part of her campaign to reframe the narrative of the attack and cast Democrats, not Republicans, as a party of violence. She was welcomed back into the mainstream of the Republican conference by Kevin McCarthy, who forged an alliance with her. But Greene kept feuding with Republicans and Democrats alike. The House Freedom Caucus expelled Greene in 2023. ___ Cooper repoted from Phoenix.
Associated Press News	2025-05-03 15:22:46+00:00	[ "Miami", "Technology", "Gaming", "Reddit", "Inc.", "Business", "Take-Two Interactive Software", "Strauss Zelnick" ]	# Grand Theft Auto VI delayed again, this time until May 2026 By Michael Casey May 3rd, 2025, 03:22 PM --- BOSTON (AP) — Fans of the hugely popular video game series Grand Theft Auto will have to wait a little longer to play the latest version. In a post on X Friday, Rockstar Games said it delayed the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI until May 26, 2026. It apologized for the delay of a game, the release of which has been talked about for several years. It didn't provide any specifics on why the release date has been pushed back from fall of this year. "With every game we have released, the goal has been to try and exceed your expectations and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception," the company said in a statement. "We hope you understand we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve." Shares of Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, fell Friday by nearly 7%. Strauss Zelnick, the chairman and CEO for Take-Two Interactive Software, stood by Rockstar in a statement and said it supports the company taking additional time to realize their creative vision. He said it still expects a "groundbreaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations." "While we take the movement of our titles seriously and appreciate the vast and deep global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI, we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence," Zelnick said in a statement. "As we continue to release our phenomenal pipeline, we expect to deliver a multi-year period of growth in our business and enhanced value for our shareholders." Fans of the game reacted to the delay with disappointment but also a shrug -- since it has been suggested the game would be released in 2024 and then this year. On a Reddit discussion forum dedicated to the game, several fans noted they had seen this before and wouldn't be surprised if the release was delayed again. Others took a more optimistic tone, saying an exact release date means it will actually happen this time around. One of the last times the game garnered this much buzz was in 2023, when a trailer for the game was leaked online. At the time, Rockstar released the first look of the sixth game 15 hours earlier than planned, citing the leak. That 90-second trailer gave fans a taste of what comes next for the game. The trailer suggested the next installment would be set in the Miami-inspired Vice City and star a female protagonist, a first for the franchise, named Lucia. It is unclear whether the delay means any, or all, of these details will remain part of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 12:05:12+00:00	[ "Eurovision Song Contest", "Finland", "Jakob Norrgrd", "Sweden", "Music", "Eurocopa 2024", "Axel hman", "Entertainment", "Lifestyle" ]	# Eurovision favorites KAJ fly the flag for Sweden and make saunas all the rage at the contest By Jill Lawless May 15th, 2025, 12:05 PM --- BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — There's one word you hear more than any other in Basel during the Eurovision Song Contest: Sauna. The northern Swiss city isn't known as an epicenter of steamy wood-cabin relaxation, but the small municipality of Vora in Finland is, and three local performers have made saunas synonymous with this year's Eurovision. KAJ — pronounced "kai" and named for the members' initials — is bookies' favorite to win the pan-continental music contest this week with "Bara Bada Bastu," an ode to steam and heat whose title translates roughly as "just take a sauna." KAJ is representing Sweden, but the band members come from neighboring Finland, a country of 5.5 million people and 3.3 million saunas, where they are part of the Swedish-speaking minority. At Eurovision, the trio perform on a set styled like a rustic cabin in the woods, backed by dancers dressed as lumberjacks or in big white towels. The song has an infectiously catchy chorus, a memorable dance routine and a one-word invocation to "sauna!" that is shouted at KAJ wherever they go. If they are sick of it, it doesn't show. "The Eurovision bubble is a great bubble to be in," Jakob Norrgård told The Associated Press on Thursday. He's the J in KAJ, alongside fellow band members Kevin Holmström and Axel Åhman. Norrgård said that he expected Eurovision to be a welcoming environment, "but not this friendly. This is a bit over the top." The band members' only regret is that they haven't had a sauna since arriving in Basel for Eurovision, which ends Saturday with a grand final that will see acts from 26 countries compete at Basel's St. Jakobshalle arena for the continent's pop crown. Holmström said that the band is delighted to be an ambassador for sauna culture. "It's a thing I really endorse," he said. "It's good for people. It is good for me, for both my mental and physical health, and (it's) also a very social event." KAJ was formed in 2009 and built a strong local following with humorous songs in Vora's local dialect. Not long ago they were performing at birthday parties and in town halls of their home region. They entered Sweden's national Eurovision selection contest, Melodifestivalen, thinking it might get them some gigs in Sweden. They unexpectedly won that contest, and their performance in Saturday's Eurovision final is likely to be watched by more than 150 million people. The Eurovision winner will be decided by a mix of public voting and points from national juries. Victory for KAJ would give Sweden a record eight victories since the contest was founded in 1956, adding KAJ to a list of Swedish winners that includes ABBA. It would also mean a huge amount to Swedish-speaking Finns, who make up about 5% of Finland's population — and to sauna enthusiasts. Sauna-lovers from Vora — along with the Finnish city of Tampere, which bills itself as the sauna capital of the world — drove a mobile sauna 1,500 miles (2,500 kilometers) to Basel, parked it near the Rhine and opened it to the public for free during the weeklong Eurovision festivities. A dip in the chilly river after working up a sweat was optional. It sparked the kind of cultural cross-fertilization that fans say is the essence of Eurovision. At the pop-up sauna, local Swiss people steamed and chatted with Finns, a Canadian and others. When KAJ dropped by for a visit, they were mobbed by selfie-seeking fans. "I love Finnish sauna culture, because it celebrates the freedom of choice," said Dorothee Schulte-Basta, a Vora resident who traveled to Basel with the mobile sauna. "There are no rules in the sauna. Come as you are — everyone's equal in the sauna." Finnish politicians have long used saunas, relaxed but exposing, as an ideal setting for hard talks, a practice known as "sauna diplomacy." KAJ wear drab suits onstage in tribute to Urho Kekkonen, a long-serving Finnish president who famously deployed the technique in talks with Finland's overbearing neighbor the Soviet Union. KAJ never thought a lo-fi song about rural saunas would take them so far at a competition known for electro-pop, outrageous outfits and over-the-top staging. "When you sit there on the stage and the song is about to start and you see all the LED screens, the millions of lights, and we're just three dudes sitting and grilling a sausage, the contrast is so funny," Norrgård said. "And that's exactly our type of humor — you shouldn't be doing this, this is so stupid. It's funny. It's really cool as well." ___ Kwiyeon Ha and Hilary Fox contributed to this story.
Associated Press News	2025-05-08 21:37:01+00:00	[ "Melania Trump", "Donald Trump", "Barbara Bush", "Jeb Bush", "Florida", "Politics", "Maine", "John Quincy Adams", "Judy de Torok", "Abigail Adams" ]	# Melania Trump hosts White House event to unveil Barbara Bush postage stamp By Fatima Hussein and Darlene Superville May 8th, 2025, 09:37 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — In the White House's East Room on a rainy Thursday, first lady Melania Trump and members of the Bush family gathered to unveil a U.S postage stamp bearing the portrait of former first lady Barbara Bush. Amid the anticipation of the unveiling, Trump, Bush's daughter Dorothy "Doro" Bush Koch and Judy de Torok, a vice president at U.S. Postal Service, took turns sharing stories chronicling the former first lady's life and achievements. Bush Koch held back tears recalling moments from her mother's early life. "Mom was never one to shy away from speaking the truth or taking a stand," she said. "With her signature white hair and pearls, she became an icon in her own right, and yet, even as a former first lady, she remained humble and humorous." The image on the stamp is Barbara Bush's official White House portrait, which currently hangs in the entrance to the East Wing. She is depicted in a black suit and purple blouse, wearing her hallmark triple strand of pearls. After a commemoration ceremony in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the Bush family compound is located, the stamp will go on sale June 10th. Bush notably championed literacy programs and helped destigmatized people with AIDS and HIV when she cradled an infant during a 1989 visit to a hospice for children with the disease. Trump said Bush "changed the national conversation on AIDS and took a stand supporting gay rights." Trump also said she appreciated how Bush inspired people to pursue their personal dreams and was ahead of her time when she made the call for a female American president. "Who knows?" Trump said. "Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps and preside over the White House, and I wish him well," she said to laughs. Barbara Bush died in 2018 at 92 years-old. She was married to President George H. W. Bush. She is the mother of former President George W. Bush. She was one of only two first ladies who had a child who was elected president. The other was Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams. And in 2016 — at 90 years-old — Barbara Bush campaigned for her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush when he vied for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the George H. W. Bush library. She had strong words for Donald Trump — back in 2016 she said in a joint CNN interview with Jeb Bush that she was "sick" of the current president. "He's said terrible things about women, terrible things about the military. I don't understand why people are for him, for that reason," she said at the time. Melania Trump attended Bush's funeral in 2018 while Donald Trump did not attend. The White House said he stayed away to avoid security disruptions. Bush is the eighth first lady to be honored with a U.S. postage stamp. Bush Koch said "it's unlikely that mom ever pictured herself on the postage stamp, and it's very likely that she would be wondering what all this fuss is about."
Associated Press News	2025-05-14 14:16:14+00:00	[ "Addiction and treatment", "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.", "Donald Trump", "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention", "San Francisco", "Ohio", "West Virginia", "Madeleine Dean", "Daniel Ciccarone", "Tamara Olt", "Regina LaBelle", "Health", "Kimberly Douglas" ]	# US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen By Mike Stobbe and Geoff Mulvihill May 14th, 2025, 02:16 PM --- There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That's down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency's National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota experiencing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation's decades-long overdose epidemic. Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited: — Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. — Expanded addiction treatment. — Shifts in how people use drugs. — The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money. — The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Still, annual overdose deaths are higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the CDC noted that overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people 18-44 years old, "underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress." Some experts worry that the recent decline could be slowed or stopped by reductions in federal funding and the public health workforce, or a shift away from the strategies that seem to be working. "Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal," said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The provisional numbers are estimates of everyone who died of overdoses in the U.S., including noncitizens. That data is still being processed, and the final numbers can sometimes differ a bit. But it's clear that there was a huge drop last year. Experts note that there have been past moments when U.S. overdose deaths seemed to have plateaued or even started to go down, only to rise again. That happened in 2018. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Naloxone has become more widely available, in part because of the introduction of over-the-counter versions that don't require prescriptions. Meanwhile, drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy chains and other businesses have settled lawsuits with state and local governments over the painkillers that were a main driver of overdose deaths in the past. The deals over the last decade or so have promised about $50 billion over time, with most of it required to be used to fight addiction. Another settlement that would be among the largest, with members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreeing to pay up to $7 billion, could be approved this year. The money, along with federal taxpayer funding, is going to a variety of programs, including supportive housing and harm reduction efforts, such as providing materials to test drugs for fentanyl, the biggest driver of overdoses now. But what each state will do with that money is currently at issue. "States can either say, 'We won, we can walk away'" in the wake of the declines or they can use the lawsuit money on naloxone and other efforts, said Regina LaBelle, a former acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She now heads an addiction and public policy program at Georgetown University. President Donald Trump's administration views opioids as largely a law enforcement issue and as a reason to step up border security. It also has been reorganizing and downsizing federal health agencies. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said overdose prevention efforts will continue, but some public health experts say cuts mean the work will not go on at the same level. U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Pennsylvania Democrat, asked Kennedy at a Wednesday hearing "why the hell" those changes are being made when the steep drop in deaths showed "we were getting somewhere." Some advocates made a similar point in a call with reporters last week. "We believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support — not punish — people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis," said Dr. Tamara Olt, an Illinois woman whose 16-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2012. She is now executive director of Broken No Moore, an advocacy organization focused on substance use disorder. Olt attributes recent declines to the growing availability of naloxone, work to make treatment available, and wider awareness of the problem. Kimberly Douglas, an Illinois woman whose 17-year-old son died of an overdose in 2023, credited the growing chorus of grieving mothers. "Eventually people are going to start listening," she said. "Unfortunately, it's taken 10-plus years." ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 19:49:45+00:00	[ "Cervical cancer", "Womens health", "U.S. Food and Drug Administration", "Cancer", "San Francisco", "Health", "Business" ]	# First at-home test kit for cervical cancer approved by the FDA, company says By The Associated Press May 9th, 2025, 07:49 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved the first cervical cancer testing kit that allows women to collect their own sample at home before shipping it to a laboratory, according to a medical device company. Teal Health said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved its Teal Wand for home use, offering a new way to collect vaginal samples that can detect the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer. Currently, HPV tests and Pap smears are performed at a health clinic or doctor's office. An influential federal panel recommended last year the use of self-collection of HPV samples to boost screening. The FDA also recently expanded the use of two older HPV tests for self-collection, but those must be done at a medical office or mobile clinic. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and is spread through sex. Most HPV infections clear up on their own, but persistent infection can lead to cancer of the cervix. Most cervical cancers occur in women who are inadequately screened, diagnosed or treated. To collect a sample, a swab or brush is inserted into the vagina and rotated, then the swab is put into a tube or container and processed at a lab. Teal Health's kit requires a prescription, which customers can obtain through one of the company's online health providers. The San Francisco-based company said it will initially beginning selling the kits in California next month before expanding to other states. The company also said it is working with insurers on health coverage for the test. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 15:15:47+00:00	[ "Sean Diddy Combs", "Juries", "Bronx", "Music", "Manhattan", "Classical music", "New York City Wire", "Entertainment", "National Public Radio", "Technology" ]	# A closer look at the jurors in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial May 13th, 2025, 03:15 PM --- NEW YORK (AP) — A jury of 12 New Yorkers, plus a half-dozen alternates, is hearing testimony at the federal sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs. The group tilts male and middle-aged or older. Only three jurors are under 40. Five are over 60. Classical music listeners outnumber people who identified as hip-hop fans. Their identities are known to the judge and lawyers but won't be made public. The jurors revealed a little about themselves as they were selected for the trial. Here's what we know about the regular jurors: ## Eight men — Investment analyst, age 31 — Social worker, 39 — Communications clerk at a prison system facility, 41 — Scientist, 51 — Retired worker in finance, 68 — Retired telecommunications company field technician, 68 — Logistics analyst for a bank, 67 — Massage therapist and actor, 69 ## Four women — Deli clerk, 30 — Nursing home dietary aide, 42 — Physician assistant, 43 — Former treatment coordinator at a charity for blind people, 74 ## Their homes, families and educations Eight are from New York City, including five from Manhattan and three from the Bronx. Four are from Westchester County, north of the city. Nine are single, but some live with domestic partners and at least three are engaged. Six have children. Nearly all have significant college experience and most are college graduates. A few have masters degrees and one, the scientist, has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and neuroscience. ## Their taste in music At a trial where the defendant is one of the biggest stars in the history of hip-hop, three jurors said they were hip-hop fans, with one specifying the rap music of the 1990s. Two said they listen to reggaeton and two mentioned R&B. Nearly half said they listen to classical music, including the 31-year-old investment analyst, who said he also listens to scores from video games. A couple of older jurors said they listen to rock 'n' roll and one of the retirees said he listens primarily to Indian music. ## Their taste in news Several jurors said they go to the New York Times and NPR for their news. One of the retirees said his main sources are CNN, Fox News and local TV stations. Another retiree said he mainly listens to New York news radio and occasionally reads local papers such as the Journal News of Westchester. The prison-system employee said he gets his news from the New York Post. Others eschew formal news sources altogether. The 30-year-old deli clerk said "I don't really get news. I get word of mouth." The 42-year-old dietary aide echoed that, saying, "I'm not really a fan of the news." The physician assistant said, "I get my news primarily from just pop-ups, honestly, on my phone," which come from "CNN, Washington Post, and other things that aren't necessarily reputable." ## Their hobbies and habits The 31-year-old investment analyst said he's a member of Connecticut country club and a regular Catholic church goer. The nursing home worker said she is a fan of "Harry Potter," "The Chronicles of Narnia" and the offerings of Disney and Marvel. She's one of two jurors who said they were union members, along with the massage therapist, who is a member of the Actors' Equity Association. One of the retirees said he plays cricket and volleyball. Several said they were big sports fans. Finally, all agreed that nothing in their experience would keep them from being fair and impartial.
Associated Press News	2025-05-08 17:44:33+00:00	[ "NVIDIA Corp.", "OpenAI Inc", "Microsoft Corp.", "Sam Altman", "Artificial intelligence", "Joe Biden", "Tammy Duckworth", "Donald Trump", "Brad Smith", "Michael Intrator", "Brian Schatz", "Ted Cruz", "China", "Production facilities", "Europe", "Semiconductor manufacturing", "Illinois", "DC Wire", "Bernie Moreno", "Business", "Meta Platforms", "Inc.", "Lisa Su", "United States Congress", "Elon Musk", "European Union", "Associated Press", "Advanced Micro Devices", "Technology", "Anthropic PBC", "United States government", "CoreWeave", "Politics" ]	# OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other US tech leaders testify to Congress on AI competition with China By Matt Brown May 8th, 2025, 05:44 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and executives from Microsoft and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices testified on Capitol Hill about the biggest opportunities, risks and needs facing an industry which lawmakers and technologists agree could fundamentally transform global business, culture and geopolitics. The hearing comes as the race to control the future of artificial intelligence is heating up between companies and countries. Altman's OpenAI is in a furious race to develop the best artificial intelligence model against tech rivals like Alphabet and Meta, as well as against those developed by Chinese competitors. "I believe this will be at least as big as the internet, maybe bigger," Altman said in his opening remarks about AI's potential to transform society. "For that to happen, investment in infrastructure is critical." Altman urged senators to help usher in the "dual revolutions" of artificial intelligence and energy production that "will change the world we live in, I think, in incredibly positive ways." The witnesses included Altman; Lisa Su, chief executive of semiconductor maker AMD; Michael Intrator, co-founder of AI cloud computing startup CoreWeave; and Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. The four executives unanimously urged lawmakers to help streamline policy for AI-related projects and fundraising. The hearing spanned topics ranging from industry debates over chip performance, jobs, human relationships and power generation to grander questions about the global competition with China and the European Union. "China aims to lead the world in AI by 2030," said Sen. Ted Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. "In this race, the United States is facing a fork in the road. Do we go down the path that embraces our history of entrepreneurial freedom and technological innovation? Or do we adopt the command and control policies of Europe?" Senators were broadly sober in their questioning and united in their concern that the U.S. maintain its dominance in artificial intelligence. Lawmakers from both parties also raised concerns over cybersecurity, data privacy and AI's ability to create content that could confuse or mislead people. Some partisan fighting did arise. Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, pressed Su and Smith on whether the Biden administration's sustainable energy policies hindered the goal of producing more power for AI-related infrastructure. And Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, criticized cuts by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to federal funding for research and to agencies like the Energy Department's national laboratories and National Science Foundation, painting them as "a self sabotaging attack." "Does anyone truly have confidence that had DOGE been around decades ago, they would not have cut the project that created the internet as an example of wasteful, publicly funded research and development?" asked Duckworth. But despite some barbs, the hearing maintained a low-key tenor and some bipartisan joking as lawmakers and executives discussed the potential of a technology all present agreed would determine humanity's future. "Look, there is a race, but we need to understand what we're racing for," Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, told the witnesses. "It's not just a sort of commercial race, so we can edge out our nearest competitor in the public sector or the private sector. We're trying to win a race so that American values prevail." ## Trade policy and AI Several of the executives warned against U.S. export controls that could end up pushing other countries toward China's AI technology. "We totally understand as an industry the importance of national security," Su said. But she added, if not able to "have our technology adopted in the rest of the world, there will be other technologies that will come to play." Those technologies are less advanced today but will mature over time, she said. Altman drew a direct connection between the ability of the U.S. to attract global talent and sell its products globally to national security and its international influence. "The leverage and the power the U.S. gets from having iPhones be the mobile device people most want, and Google being the search engine that people most want around the world is huge," Altman said. "We talk maybe less about how much people want to use chips and other infrastructure developed here, but I think it's no less important, and we should aim to have the entire U.S. stack be adopted by as much of the world as possible." Trade rivalry between the U.S. and China has been weighing heavily on the AI industry, including California-based chipmakers Nvidia and AMD. The Trump administration announced in April that it would restrict sales of Nvidia's H20 chips and AMD's MI308 chips to China. Nvidia has said the tighter export controls will cost the company an extra $5.5 billion. AMD said after reporting its quarterly earnings this week that it will cost the firm $1.5 billion in lost revenue over the coming months. Still uncertain are additional AI chip controls set by former President Joe Biden's administration that are set to take effect next week targeting more than 100 countries, including a number of U.S. allies. The policy drew strong opposition from Nvidia and other tech companies, while it was supported by others, including AI company Anthropic, as a way to prevent China's "sophisticated smuggling operations" to obtain chips from shell companies in third countries. The Commerce Department said in an email Thursday that Trump plans to replace Biden's "overly complex, overly bureaucratic" rule with a simpler one but didn't say when. ## AI data center expansion and state competition The day before the hearing, Altman visited the Abilene, Texas, site of the massive Stargate data center project being built for OpenAI in collaboration with Oracle and other partners. The site was chosen for its potential access to a variety of energy resources, including wind and solar power. Altman, during the hearing, said that Texas had been "unbelievable" in incentivizing major AI projects. "I think that would be a good thing for other states to study," Altman said. He predicted that the Abilene site would be the "largest AI training facility in the world." But Altman also later cautioned against a patchwork regulatory framework for AI. "It is very difficult to imagine us figuring out how to comply with 50 different sets of regulations," said Altman. "One federal framework that is light touch, that we can understand, and it lets us move with the speed that this moment calls for, seems important and fine." While the tech industry has long relied on data centers to run online services, from email and social media to financial transactions, new AI technology behind popular chatbots and generative AI tools requires even more powerful computation to build and operate. A report released by the Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12% of the nation's electricity. —— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement that allows OpenAI access to part of AP's text archives. —— AP Technology Writer Matt O'Brien contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island.
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 18:36:10+00:00	[ "California", "Teens", "U.S. Democratic Party", "Legislation", "U.S. Republican Party", "Children", "Voting rights", "Politics", "Sexual assault", "Health", "Voting", "Prostitution" ]	# California Assembly advances bill to toughen penalties for soliciting sex from older teens By Trân Nguyễn May 15th, 2025, 06:36 PM --- SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Assembly on Thursday approved harsher penalties for soliciting sex from 16- and 17-year-olds, with an exception for cases where there is an age difference of three years or less between both parties. It's an updated version of legislation that recently threw Democrats into political turmoil, causing Gov. Gavin Newsom to break with legislative leaders and Republicans to accuse Democrats of protecting people who prey on teens. Young people ages 16 or 17 were not included in bipartisan legislation on sex trafficking signed by Newsom last year. The law, which took effect this year, allows prosecutors to charge those who solicit and buy sex from minors 15 or younger with a felony. It left in place an existing law that limits the penalty for soliciting older teens to a misdemeanor. Some moderate Democrats, siding with Republicans, wanted to see harsher punishments to protect more children, while others say the original measure could be misused by parents upset about interracial or LGBTQ+ relationships to target older teens involved in consensual relationships. Democrats earlier this month r ejected a provision that would have allowed prosecutors to charge people accused of soliciting of older teens with a felony. Assemblymember Nick Schultz, the chair of the public safety committee, said at the time he wanted to gather more feedback. Following fierce and swift backlash, the legislation was amended to toughen the penalties for soliciting older teens, but only when the solicitors are more than three years older. "I don't view this as a win for a particular party. I view this as a win for all Californians," Schultz said after the vote. The bill also would create a new victim support fund, make it a crime for those who loiter to buy sex and increase penalties for hotels and businesses that are complicit in sex trafficking. Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho, who helped craft the legislation, said the bill creates a new tool for law enforcement to go after predators. California already has laws in place that make it a felony to contact a person under 18 to engage in sexual activity in California, sexting a minor and engaging in sex with a minor if the age gap between the parties is more than three years. "There is a difference between a 55-year-old man who was soliciting sex from a 16-year-old versus an 18-year-old soliciting," Ho said. "That's what was done here in a very nuanced and measured way." Republicans said the Thursday vote is a victory for children in California. "It has always been for me about good policy and about justice," Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said before the vote. "I'm glad that today we come together and we can push through this bill, which was a righteous bill from the beginning to protect 16- and 17-year-olds." The bill now heads to the Senate. Democrats in the Senate last year rejected a similar effort to increase penalties for soliciting older teens.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 19:33:08+00:00	[ "Medical research", "David Thomas", "Public health", "Michigan", "Colleges and universities", "Black experience", "Education", "Willie Woods", "Race and ethnicity", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Morehouse College names Michigan public health dean as next president May 13th, 2025, 07:33 PM --- ATLANTA (AP) — Morehouse College trustees have named a University of Michigan public health researcher as the next president of the all-male historically Black school. Trustees said Tuesday that F. DuBois Bowman, currently dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, would become Morehouse's new leader on July 15. Bowman, a 1992 Morehouse graduate, will take over for David Thomas, who is stepping down in June after leading the 2,200-student college since 2018. "Dr Bowman's record of visionary leadership, his deep commitment to academic excellence and his lifelong dedication to Morehouse make him the ideal choice to lead the college into its next era," Board of Trustees Chairman Willie Woods said in a statement. Bowman won Morehouse's top alumni award in 2019, with trustees saluting his work as a mentor and for welcoming graduate students from Morehouse and sister school Spelman College at Michigan. One of his sons graduated from Morehouse in 2024 and a second son is currently a student. He holds a master's degree in biostatistics from Michigan and a doctorate in biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has previously worked at Columbia University and Emory University. His research has focused on neurological and mental health disorders. Bowman has led Michigan's public health school for more than seven years. It's one of the top-ranked schools of public health nationwide, with more than 1,300 students and more than $100 million in annual research spending.
Associated Press News	2025-05-06 00:48:16+00:00	[ "Associated Press" ]	# The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists By The Associated Press May 6th, 2025, 12:48 AM --- May 5, 2025 From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today's top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors. ____ Follow AP visual journalism: AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews
Associated Press News	2025-05-17 13:06:49+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Joe Biden", "Pam Bondi", "U.S. Department of Justice", "United States government", "United States", "Government and politics", "David Warrington", "Bureau of Alcohol", "Tobacco", "Firearms and Explosives", "Shootings", "Lawrence DeMonico", "Gun politics", "Vanessa Gonzalez", "Politics" ]	# Justice Department deal ends a ban on an aftermarket trigger By Alanna Durkin Richer May 17th, 2025, 01:06 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will allow the sale of forced-reset triggers, which make semiautomatic rifles fire more rapidly, with the federal government ending a ban as part of a settlement that also requires it to return seized devices. The agreement announced Friday by the Justice Department resolves a series of cases over the aftermarket trigger that the government had previously argued qualify as machine guns under federal law. The settlement is a dramatic shift in Second Amendment policy under the Republican administration, which has signaled it may undo many of the regulations that the previous administration of Democratic President Joe Biden had fought to keep in place in an effort to curb gun violence. "This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Gun control advocates said the settlement would worsen gun violence. "The Trump administration has just effectively legalized machine guns. Lives will be lost because of his actions," said Vanessa Gonzalez, vice president of government and political affairs at GIFFORDS, a gun control group. There had been several legal battles over forced-reset triggers, which replace the typical trigger on an AR-15-style rifle. The government for years had argued they are essentially illegal machine gun conversion devices because constant finger pressure on the triggers will keep a rifle firing essentially like an automatic. The deal announced Friday was between the Justice Department and Rare Breed Triggers, which was previously represented by David Warrington, Trump's current White House counsel. Rare Breed Triggers argued that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was wrong in its classification and ignored demands to stop selling the triggers before being sued by the Biden administration. "This victory is a landmark moment in the fight against unchecked government overreach," Lawrence DeMonico, the group's president, said in a statement. "The ATF and DOJ tried to silence and bury us not because we broke the law, but because I refused to bend to the will of a tyrannical administration." Under the settlement, Rare Breed Triggers has agreed not to develop such devices to be used on handguns, according to the Justice Department. The settlement requires the ATF to return triggers that it had seized or that owners had voluntarily surrendered to the government.
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 10:28:31+00:00	[ "Melania Trump", "Donald Trump", "South Africa", "Joe Biden", "Nelson Mandela", "Hillary Clinton", "Michelle Obama", "Barack Obama", "Jill Biden", "Chicago", "Texas", "DC Wire", "Recipes", "Jacqueline Kennedy", "John Comerford", "United States government", "Deborah Chang", "Government and politics", "George W. Bush", "Tommy Kurpradit", "Queen Elizabeth II", "Prince Philip", "Bill Clinton", "Food and drink", "Pedro Udo", "Ren Verdon", "Lifestyle", "Politics" ]	# Former White House chef says first families are 'regular people' at home By Darlene Superville May 15th, 2025, 10:28 AM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — Cristeta Comerford, a longtime White House executive chef who recently retired after nearly three decades of preparing meals for five presidents and their guests, says first families are "just regular people" when they're at home in the private living areas of the Executive Mansion. "It's not what you see on the news," she told The Associated Press in an interview. Preparing the first families' meals was among Comerford's many culinary responsibilities. Meals mostly would be prepared in the main kitchen, then finished off in the residence kitchen on the second floor. "At the end of the day, when you do the family meals upstairs, they're just regular people at home. They just want a good meal. They want to sit down with their family," she said. "If they have children, they eat together. And just to see that on a daily basis, it's not what you see on the news. "It's the other side of them that we get to see," she said. ## Presidents as foodies Comerford, who hung up her apron and chef's toque in July 2024 after nearly 20 years as top chef and nearly three decades on the kitchen staff, is the longest-serving chef in White House history. Her tenure spanned the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Each of the five families she served approached food differently, Comerford said at a recent White House Historical Association symposium on food and wine. She was asked whether she'd describe any of the presidents as "real foodies." The Clintons liked healthier meals, Comerford said. Then-first lady Hillary Clinton hired the first American executive chef, Walter Scheib, and had the kitchen avoid serving heavy sauces and creams. She said, "I learned so much" about Southwestern cuisine from Bush, the former Texas governor who liked Tex-Mex food. "We made thousands of tamales for Christmas," she said of the popular Mexican meal of stuffed corn dough wrapped in a corn husk and steamed until cooked. Comerford got ideas from the vegetable garden Michelle Obama started when she was promoting healthy eating, primarily for children. "We used the garden as kind of like our backbone for our menu development," she said. Trump and first lady Melania Trump are "very, very classic eaters," she said. Mrs. Trump "loved Italian food, so we tend to do the pastas, but light ones." Comerford didn't comment on President Trump's food choices, but he is known to like a well-done steak served with ketchup and fast food. Jill Biden was the first Italian American first lady, and the kitchen did "a lot of Italian food, as well, because she loved Italian food." Overall, "it's different for each family," said Comerford, "but my job as the chef is to execute their style, their likes and their preferences." ## 54 state dinners A black-tie state dinner is the highest diplomatic honor the U.S. reserves for its close allies. Comerford presided over 54 of these opulent affairs, including for France and Australia during Trump's first term. Sometimes, guest chefs were brought in to help. State dinners give presidents the opportunity to bring together hundreds of guests from the worlds of government, politics and other industries for an evening in which the three-course meal, decor and entertainment are designed to help foster relations by dazzling the visiting foreign leader. The first lady's staff and the social secretary typically have about two months to pull one together. Comerford said her team started by researching the visiting leader's likes and dislikes, then she used the information to create a menu using the best of American food while incorporating nuances from the country being recognized. She'd develop at least three different menus. Then came tastings for the first lady to make a final decision. ## Comerford's career Comerford, 62, started her career tending a salad bar at a Chicago airport hotel before working as a chef at restaurants in Austria and Washington. Scheib, then the White House executive chef, hired her in 1994 for a temporary gig preparing a state dinner for Nelson Mandela, South Africa's newly elected president. Scheib then hired her as an assistant chef in 1995, and she succeeded him a decade later, becoming the first woman and first person of color to permanently hold the executive chef's position. Comerford is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the Philippines. Her husband, John Comerford, is a chef, too, and she credits him with sacrificing his career to be present for their daughter so she could thrive in hers. Their daughter is a pastry chef. When Comerford retired, assistant chef Tommy Kurpradit, whose parents are from Thailand, was named interim executive chef. Melania Trump, who worked with Comerford in the first Trump administration, has not named a successor. ## How she succeeded as the White House top chef Comerford said she managed everything with "a lot of prayers," often said during her hourlong, early morning drive into the White House, but also by being versatile, humble, able to handle chaos and having faith in herself and her team. "One thing with cooking at the White House, you don't just do fine dining meals," she said. "You have to know how to cook eggs and breakfast. You have to know to cook a smashburger." It also helps to remember that the job is about the family. "There's no ego in it," Comerford said. ## Asians in White House culinary history White House culinary history includes chefs from China, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand, as far back as the 19th century, according to Adrian Miller and Deborah Chang, co-authors of a new book, "Cooking to the President's Taste: Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History." Most sharpened their skills through service in the U.S. military. Before Comerford, Pedro Udo, a Filipino trained in the U.S. military, was the first Asian heritage chef to run the White House kitchen after he was promoted from meat chef to head chef in June 1957, according to the book. He prepared meals for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip later that year, and for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in September 1959 during the Cold War. But his stint ended after less than four years when the new first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, hired acclaimed French chef René Verdon in early 1961. Miller said the book offers a "unique window" on the presidency. "We get a look at the presidents, but also the presidents got a look at Asian American life in maybe ways that they hadn't before," he told the AP in an interview. "And I think, you know, for the presidents that decided to open that window and find out more about the people who were providing, comforting them through amazing food, I think our nation is better for them."
Associated Press News	2025-05-17 15:50:44+00:00	[ "Spain", "Business", "Frankfurt", "Seville" ]	# No pilot for 10 minutes during a Lufthansa flight in 2024 because of fainting incident, report says May 17th, 2025, 03:50 PM --- BERLIN (AP) — A Lufthansa flight to Spain last year went without a pilot for 10 minutes after the co-pilot fainted while he was alone in the cockpit, German news agency dpa reported on Saturday. During the flight from Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, on Feb. 17, 2024, the co-pilot of an Airbus A321 fainted while the captain was in the restroom, dpa reported, referring to a report by the Spanish accident investigation authority CIAIAC. The aircraft, which was carrying 199 passengers and six crew members, flew for around 10 minutes without a pilot in command of the plane, according to the report. Lufthansa told dpa that it was aware of the investigation report and that its own flight safety department had also conducted an investigation. The company didn't disclose its results, dpa said. Although the unconscious co-pilot apparently operated controls unintentionally, the aircraft was able to continue flying in a stable manner thanks to the active autopilot. During this time period, the voice recorder recorded strange noises in the cockpit that were consistent with an acute health emergency, dpa reported. The captain initially tried entering the regular door opening code, which triggers a buzzer in the cockpit so that the co-pilot can open the door. He did so five times without being able to enter the cockpit. A stewardess tried to contact the co-pilot using the onboard telephone. Finally, the captain typed in an emergency code that would have allowed him to open the door on his own. However, shortly before the door would have opened automatically, the co-pilot opened it from the inside despite being ill, dpa reported. The pilot then decided to make an unplanned landing in Madrid, where his colleague was taken to a hospital.
Associated Press News	2025-05-01 20:15:04+00:00	[ "Patrick Lyoya", "Michigan", "Shootings", "Grand Rapids", "Law enforcement", "Christopher Schurr", "Frank Hillyard", "Homicide", "Gun violence", "Bryan Chiles", "Race and ethnicity", "Eric Winstrom", "Seth Stoughton", "Jennifer Kalczuk", "Weapons testing", "Chris Becker", "Nicholas Bloomfield", "Chad McKersie", "Crime", "Jason Gady", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Did a police officer's Taser pose a threat against him? Murder trial centers on weapon By Isabella Volmert and Ed White May 1st, 2025, 08:15 PM --- GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — There's no question about how Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant, was killed. Lyoya was fatally shot in the back of the head while on the ground by a Michigan police officer, who was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. The question before a jury this week is whether the use of deadly force against the Black man was justified. High-ranking Grand Rapids officers defended Christopher Schurr's actions Thursday, the fourth day of trial, as his attorneys tried to show that he was forced to use his gun after Lyoya got possession of his Taser. If convicted, Schurr faces up to life in prison. "We don't have to wait for someone to hurt us to do something," said Capt. Chad McKersie, a Taser expert in the Grand Rapids department. Schurr pulled over a vehicle driven by Lyoya for improper license plates in April 2022 in a residential neighborhood in Grand Rapids, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Detroit. Video footage shows Schurr struggling to subdue Lyoya as they grappled over the officer's Taser. Schurr told him to stop resisting and drop the weapon multiple times throughout the encounter. While Lyoya was facedown on the ground with Schurr on top of him, the officer took out his gun and shot him once in the back of the head. McKersie told the jury that Lyoya had "complete control" of Schurr's Taser, a weapon that fires electrically charged probes intended to freeze muscles and stop an aggressor. It's possible that Lyoya could have pressed the Taser against Schurr in "drive stun" mode after two cartridges were already spent, McKersie said. "It's perceived like a blowtorch. It's unbelievably painful," he testified. But during cross-examination, prosecutor Chris Becker asked McKersie to point to a Grand Rapids policy that says deadly force can be used when an officer's Taser is taken away. "You're looking for the black-and-white answer. It's the totality of the circumstances at that time," McKersie replied, noting that Schurr was exhausted and Lyoya wouldn't stop resisting during a fight that lasted more than two minutes. Grand Rapids Officer Jason Gady, a firearms instructor, said there was nothing unreasonable about the shooting. He said training does not recommend officers fire a warning shot or a shot to the extremities if presented with a deadly threat. Schurr, 34, was fired by city officials at the recommendation of Chief Eric Winstrom after he was charged. At the time, Winstrom said his recommendation was based on video of the encounter, the prosecutor's review of a state police investigation and Schurr's interview with internal investigators. Police spokesperson Jennifer Kalczuk declined to comment Thursday about testimony from local officers in support of Schurr, saying it would be inappropriate. The trial will resume Friday. Earlier in the week, a representative from Axon, the company that makes Tasers, said Schurr's device was fired twice but apparently didn't strike Lyoya. Bryan Chiles agreed with defense lawyers that the officer could have been seriously injured if Lyoya had turned the Taser on Schurr and used in "drive stun" mode. Lyoya's death prompted calls to reform the police department. People who support Schurr and the victim have protested outside the Kent County courthouse during the trial. Mary and Frank Hillyard, retired teachers, stood outside Thursday with signs that said "Justice 4 Patrick." "I have a lot of people that I know in law enforcement," Frank Hillyard said. "I appreciate their service. But this kind of stuff is just out of bounds." Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday after calling witnesses in the neighborhood who saw the fight, as well as two experts in the use of force. Seth Stoughton, a South Carolina law professor and former police officer, said deadly force can be justified if there is an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm against an officer. "In my opinion, that was lacking in this case," Stoughton told the jury. He noted that Schurr had time to tell Lyoya that he might shoot him, a warning that might have defused the conflict. Nicholas Bloomfield, an expert from New Mexico and a former police officer, said the shooting was "unreasonable, excessive and contrary to generally accepted police practices." He noted that the video shows Lyoya trying to get away from Schurr — not get closer. Bloomfield said Schurr should have known that Lyoya couldn't use the Taser to incapacitate the officer because the weapon's two powerful electric cartridges had already been fired. "Patrick Lyoya did grab ahold of the officer's Taser and there was a struggle over the Taser," Bloomfield testified. "But again, in this circumstance, there was nothing that we termed to be aggressiveness or combativeness on the part of Mr. Lyoya toward the officer."
Associated Press News	2025-05-04 04:06:10+00:00	[ "Bucharest", "Europe", "Romania", "Donald Trump", "Victor Ponta", "George Simion", "European Union", "Romania government", "Global elections", "Elena Lasconi", "North Atlantic Treaty Organization", "Cristian Andrei", "Elon Musk", "Democracy", "Voting", "Politics", "United States government", "JD Vance", "Elections" ]	# Hard-right candidate Simion secures decisive win in first round of Romania's presidential redo By Stephen Mcgrath May 4th, 2025, 04:06 AM --- BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hard-right nationalist George Simion secured a decisive win Sunday in the first round of Romania's presidential election redo, nearly complete electoral data showed. The election took place months after an annulled vote plunged the European Union and NATO member country into its worst political crisis in decades. Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, was far outpacing all other candidates in the polls with 40.5% of the vote, official electoral data shows, after 99% of votes were counted from Sunday's vote. Far behind in second place was Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan with 20.89%, and in third place the governing coalition's joint candidate, Crin Antonescu, with 20.34%. He conceded defeat after midnight, saying he believes it's an "irreversible result." Eleven candidates vied for the presidency and a runoff will be held on May 18 between the top two candidates. By the time polls closed, about 9.57 million people — or 53.2% of eligible voters — had cast their ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau, with 973,000 votes cast at polling stations set up in other countries. ## Election redo held after vote annulled The rerun was held after Romania's political landscape was shaken last year when a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied. In a prerecorded speech aired after polls closed, Simion said that despite many obstacles, Romanians "have risen up" and "we are approaching an exceptional result." "I am here to restore constitutional order," said Simion, who came fourth in last year's race and later backed Georgescu. "I want democracy, I want normalcy, and I have a single objective: to give back to the Romanian people what was taken from them and to place at the center of decision-making the ordinary, honest, dignified people." As in many EU countries, antiestablishment sentiment is running high in Romania, fueled by high inflation and cost of living, a large budget deficit and a sluggish economy. Observers say the malaise has bolstered support for nationalist and far-right figures like Georgescu, who is under investigation and barred from the rerun. Georgescu, who appeared alongside Simion at a polling station on Sunday in the capital, Bucharest, called the vote rerun "a fraud orchestrated by those who have made deceit the only state policy," but said he was there to "acknowledge the power of democracy, the power of the vote that frightens the system, that terrifies the system." The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy. ## Widespread distrust in the authorities Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and former anti-corruption activist who founded the Save Romania Union party (USR) in 2016, ran on a pro-EU "Honest Romania" ticket. "It is about the trust of Romanians and our partners in democracy ... and in my opinion, it is a new beginning that we all have a responsibility to do correctly," Dan said after the polls closed. Antonescu, 65, a veteran centrist who campaigned on retaining Romania's pro-Western orientation, said Sunday that he voted for "a united Romania, for a strong Romania, for a dignified Romania." "Democracy means a battle, sometimes taken to the maximum, but it is a battle of ideas," he said after voting had closed. "Let's not forget that we are fellow citizens, sons of the same country, and we must move forward together." Victor Ponta, who was prime minister from 2012-2015, also pushed a MAGA-style "Romania First" campaign and boasted of having close ties to the Trump administration, stands in fourth place with 14.3% of the vote. Elena Lasconi, who came second in last year's first round ballot and participated in the rerun, only obtained about 2.6% of the vote. She positioned herself as a staunchly pro-Western, anti-system candidate, railing against what she described as a corrupt political class. Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, said Simion's clear victory indicates a complete "reshape" of the political spectrum, and that if Dan reaches the runoff, "it will be a clear signal that the political class and the political establishment have lost." "You have a populist or pro-sovereign movement ... and you also have this liberal, urban, pro-Western segment of Romania that wants change," he said, adding that it would be a "huge rejection of the classic political parties ... and this will mean that the entire political spectrum will be reshaped." ## Crossroads moment for Romania Distrust in the authorities remains widespread, especially for those who voted for Georgescu, a sizable electorate that Simion has sought to tap into. "The antiestablishment sentiment is not like an anarchic movement, but is against the people who destroyed this country," Simion told The Associated Press days before the rerun. "We are not a democratic state anymore." Simion said that his hard-right nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians party is "perfectly aligned with the MAGA movement," capitalizing on a growing wave of populism in Europe after U.S. President Donald Trump's political comeback. AUR rose to prominence in a 2020 parliamentary election, proclaims to stand for "family, nation, faith, and freedom," and has since doubled its support. Rares Ghiorghies, 36, who works in the energy sector and voted for Simion, says he hopes that if he secures the presidency, Romania can "return to the basic principles of democracy, regain our confidence." "What happened in December 2024 is definitely a dark chapter in the history of this country, and we can no longer accept it," he said. "I'm hoping things will get back to normal." The election redo is a crossroads moment for Romania as it seeks to restore its democracy and retain its geopolitical alliances, which have become strained since the canceled election fiasco. The decision to annul the election and the ban on Georgescu's candidacy drew criticism from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and Russia, which publicly supported his candidacy in the rerun.
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 08:29:40+00:00	[ "Russell Brand", "London", "Crime", "Courts", "Katy Perry", "Assault", "Sexual assault", "Magistrate Paul Goldspring", "Indictments", "Lifestyle", "Paul Goldspring", "Arts and entertainment", "Suki Dhadda" ]	# Russell Brand granted conditional bail after appearing in London court on rape and assault charges By Brian Melley and Pan Pylas May 2nd, 2025, 08:29 AM --- LONDON (AP) — Russell Brand got out of a sleek black Mercedes on Friday and took his first steps toward a court where he faces charges of rape and sexual assault in a scene far removed from a walk down a Hollywood red carpet. The actor-comedian, wearing a black collared shirt open to his midsection and sporting a gold cross, was quickly mobbed by cameras. He stood bolt upright and paced slowly forward through a crush of media and onlookers, protected by a ring of bodyguards and uniformed police officers. The comedian, author and "Get Him To The Greek" actor gave a thumbs-up motion as he entered Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London. His wavy locks flowed to his shoulders, his beard was peppered with gray and he wore a pair of gold-framed sunglasses, black jeans and brown boots. Inside a packed courtroom, Brand stood in the dock and confirmed his name, birth date and address during the brief hearing and was granted conditional bail after a prosecutor read a summary of complaints made by four women that date back a quarter century. Brand, 49, was charged last month with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He didn't enter a plea, and has previously denied the allegations made against him. The alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in London. The Associated Press doesn't name victims of alleged sexual violence, and the British law grants them lifelong anonymity in the media. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ordered Brand to show up at the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, on May 30 and granted him bail on the condition that he keeps the court informed of where he is staying, either in the U.K. or in the U.S. He currently lives in Florida, but is obliged to attend all future court appearances. If he doesn't abide by the conditions, he faces being jailed. Prosecutor Suki Dhadda said that Brand raped a woman in 1999 at a hotel room in Bournemouth when she attended a Labour Party conference in the town and met him at an event where he was performing. It's alleged that while the woman went to the bathroom, Brand removed some of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear and raped her. A second woman accused Brand of grabbing her by the forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in London in 2001. A third accuser was a television worker who met Brand at a friend's birthday party at a bar in Soho in 2004. He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and forcing her to perform oral sex. The final complainant worked at a radio station and met Brand while he was working on a spin-off of the "Big Brother" reality television program between 2004 and 2005. Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks. The charges follow a September 2023 joint investigation by British media outlets Channel 4 and the Sunday Times. Brand denied the allegations when they first surfaced . On the day that he was charged last month, he posted a video saying he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence. "I was a fool before I lived in the light of the lord," he said. "I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile. But what I never was was a rapist. I've never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes." Known for his unbridled and risqué stand-up routines, Brand hosted shows on radio and television and wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol. He has appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012. In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media, but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. He recently said that he had moved to the United States. ___ Jill Lawless contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 17:15:49+00:00	[ "San Francisco", "Technology", "Mass transit", "Transportation" ]	# San Francisco region's commuter trains are running again after hours-long stoppage May 9th, 2025, 05:15 PM --- SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thousands of commuters in the San Francisco Bay Area were scrambling for alternate routes after its regional commuter rail system known as BART shut down systemwide for several hours Friday morning. Bay Area Rapid Transit said it could not run its train control system due to a malfunction. A BART spokesperson said on its media phone line that they could not power up the train control system, which prevented them from being able to safely operate the trains. The cause was not immediately provided. BART carries nearly 175,000 people most weekdays. The system went down shortly after 5 a.m. and service wasn't fully restored until around 9 a.m., complicating morning commutes. BART also runs to the San Francisco International Airport. Alternate ferry and bus service stepped up to help passengers reach destinations.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 20:50:25+00:00	[ "Maren Morris", "Country music", "Music", "Celebrity", "Classical music", "Jack Antonoff", "Gary Gerard Hamilton", "Concerts", "Pop music", "Laura Veltz", "Ryan Hurd", "Entertainment", "John Ryan", "Jason Aldean" ]	# Maren Morris' 'Dreamsicle' album invites healing as she embraces her new life By Gary Gerard Hamilton May 9th, 2025, 08:50 PM --- NEW YORK (AP) — When country star Maren Morris would voice support for the LBGTQ community, including publicly clashing with Jason Aldean's wife over gender-affirming care for transgender youth, she thought she was doing it as an ally. She didn't realize it at the time, but she was also speaking up for herself, too. "I just maybe, internally, hadn't had the bravery to go there in myself, and say the words out loud," said Morris, who recently came out as bisexual. "When you spend the majority of your life in straight relationships and you haven't explored that part of yourself … is now the right time for me to tell everyone while I'm married that like, 'Hi, I'm also attracted to women?'" The Grammy winner, who's also stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter social justice movement and immigrants, has experienced drastic life changes throughout the past year, including a divorce with fellow singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd. These learning curves shaped "Dreamsicle," her fourth studio album, out now. "There's a freedom that I've found in this album that's a new version of what I thought I had," Morris explained. "It's just more wise and lived-in. And maybe part of that's just like being in your 30s — you just don't care as much." Following 2022's "Humble Quest," the 35-year-old singer-songwriter crafted 14 tracks filled with an eclectic, yet cohesive mix of traditional country, pop, soft-rock and dreamy bluegrass vibes. It continues the free-flowing, unconfined mix of sounds the "The Bones" singer is known for. Production includes superstar pop producer Jack Antonoff, John Ryan, Laura Veltz and The Monsters & Strangerz production team, with Morris credited as a writer on every song. "I was writing all through all of those personal losses and evolutions. … I was really just avoiding going home, and I would stay in my sessions late, and also write on days that I probably should have just taken a nap or gone to see my therapist," Morris said. "There were moments where I'm singing on some of these songs where I don't even remember doing the vocal because I was just in such a state of loss and grief." Standout moments include the beautiful Americana-esque "grand bouquet" where Morris sings, "been so busy praying for my grand bouquet/not noticing you gave me a new flower every day." There are also her staple poppy songs like "cry in the car" that attempt to mask the pain and frustration of heartbreak behind upbeat tempos. But it's not all doom and gloom; "The Middle" vocalist explores new themes, like on the previously released singles "bed no breakfast," and "push me over" which she wrote with the electro-pop band MUNA. "I went on a date with a woman for the first time, and I was just like I want to write about this," she said, noting she felt safe exploring the topic with the queer-identifying band. While she says each song represents some facet of this new era, the title track provides the fullest picture. "It was the first song for one of my albums that I wrote alone and I don't often do that," said Morris, who added "Dreamsicle" came to her at one night as a 3 a.m. realization that change was necessary. "Everything that I thought was going to be permanent in my life, like in some form or fashion, either ended or evolved into something completely different." Morris is currently prepping for her global tour in July, with more than 40 dates mixing headlining shows and festival appearances. Since coming out, she emphasizes she's received an abundance of love throughout Nashville, and has been overwhelmed by the support in the country music space that some have criticized as intolerant. More importantly, she hopes fans understand "Dreamsicle" is not a "divorce record," but a celebratory album of healing. "It deals with grief. It deals with the friends that helped patch you back together," Morris said. "It's important to show and to prove to myself that I can process and heal from this. … If I can do it, ... someone will hear it and feel like they can get through that day that they're in." ___ Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Associated Press News	2025-05-05 19:12:54+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Rwanda", "Marco Rubio", "Africa", "Felix Tshisekedi", "Democratic Republic of the Congo", "United States government", "United States", "War and unrest", "United States Congress", "Humanitarian crises", "Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe", "Democratic Republic of the Congo government", "Politics" ]	# The US says Congo and Rwanda submit a draft peace proposal By Justin Kabumba and Monika Pronczuk May 5th, 2025, 07:12 PM --- GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo and Rwanda have submitted a draft peace proposal as part of a U.S.-led process that could end fighting in resource-rich eastern Congo, a U.S. official said Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos, said on social media that he welcomed the draft text "received from both (Congo) and Rwanda," calling it "an important step." Details of the draft were not immediately clear, including whether it offers to ease U.S. access to the region's critical minerals — something Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has mentioned in return for U.S. help in calming the hostilities. The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by the city of Bukavu in February. The fighting has killed some 3,000 people and raised the fears of a wider regional war. Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Dozens of armed groups are vying for territory in the mining region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled homes this year. Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. The country also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves. Monday's draft peace proposal comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month oversaw the signing by Congo and Rwanda of a pledge to work toward a peace deal. Rwanda's foreign minister, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, told the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency on Monday that he would meet Congo's foreign minister in the third week of May to negotiate a final peace agreement. He said he hoped the presidents of Rwanda and Congo would sign the agreement by mid-June at the White House in the presence of Trump and heads of state from the region. "We hope that if all goes well, we are going to have a peace agreement which will allow us to achieve lasting peace in the region," Nduhungirehe said. There was no immediate comment from Congo's authorities. The M23 rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the west. Congo and Rwanda hope the involvement of the U.S. — and the incentive of major investment if there's enough security for U.S. companies to work safely in eastern Congo — will calm the violence that has defied international peacekeeping and negotiation since the mid-1990s. "A durable peace ... will open the door for greater U.S. and broader Western investment, which will bring about economic opportunities and prosperity," Rubio said, adding that it would "advance President Trump's prosperity agenda for the world." Some analysts have warned that the U.S. could become involved in, or worsen, the militia violence, corruption, exploitation and rights abuses surrounding the mining of eastern Congo's riches. Separately on Monday, Rwandan authorities confirmed that discussions were "underway" with the United States regarding a potential agreement for Rwanda to host deported migrants.
Associated Press News	2025-05-14 04:26:40+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "John Reid", "Glenn Youngkin", "Virginia", "Jim Gilmore", "Jason Miyares", "U.S. Republican Party", "Diversity", "equity and inclusion", "Conservatism", "LGBTQ", "Race and ethnicity", "Government and politics", "Nancy Akers", "Virginia Gop", "Hispanics", "Geoff Kabaservice", "Elections", "Bob Good", "David Hopkins", "Politics", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# How the Virginia GOP's diverse ticket came together -- and what it means By Olivia Diaz May 14th, 2025, 04:26 AM --- RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republicans engaged in scrubbing the federal government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs are fielding a historically diverse ticket in Virginia in one of the only states holding elections this year. Those two things aren't inherently incompatible, and some experts say nominating diverse candidates could reinforce the argument that officeholders should be chosen on merit. But in the shadow of Washington, where President Donald Trump's push to stamp out DEI programs has caused turmoil at colleges, businesses and throughout the federal government, things have gotten complicated. Conservative stalwart John Reid, a talk-radio host whose father was a Virginia delegate, is the first openly gay man to be a statewide nominee in Virginia. He was sailing toward the general election as the GOP's choice for lieutenant governor when Republican opposition research linked him to a blog featuring photographs of naked men, first reported by The Richmonder, an online news site. In late April, days after the ticket solidified, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Reid and asked him to drop out after learning about the Tumblr account with a username matching the candidate's Instagram handle. Reid said the account was a fabrication and made clear he was staying in the race. Days later, he accused Youngkin's team of extortion. "I'm really angry to be betrayed by people I personally supported, and I'm really saddened for what is happening to our party right now," Reid said the following week. Youngkin's effort to oust Reid backfired. Republicans rallied to the nominee's side, or at least offered tepid support. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Jamaican migrant and Marine veteran vying to be the state's first female governor, released a statement days after the news broke, saying it was "his race, and his decision alone to move forward." Some Republicans were more forceful, creating merchandise saying "In John Reid We Trust." Former Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore told a group of reporters, "I still endorse John, and I'm standing by my endorsement." Others were quick to back Youngkin. The conservative lobbying group Family Foundation Action wrote in a statement that voters want "elected officials who represent their values." On Monday, a Virginia Republican who failed to qualify for the primary for lieutenant governor launched a write-in campaign for the position. Former Republican Rep. Bob Good said Reid should drop out. The controversy comes five years after Good ousted former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman, who lost his party's nomination for reelection in a conservative district after officiating a same-sex wedding. "If we can't get over how other people live, I think the Republican Party is dead in Virginia," Riggleman said at the time. Youngkin, widely viewed as a possible presidential candidate in 2028, backed off within a week, describing his conversation with the candidate as a distraction from the election ahead. In the meantime, a get-together for the candidates with the tagline "Ever Forward," which had been scheduled before Youngkin phoned Reid but suddenly was loaded with new meaning, had been canceled. Reid rebooked the rally at the same time and place. But instead of celebrating the ticket, he celebrated his own candidacy as other top-of-the-ticket Republicans stayed away. ## A precarious position In a party that nominated a president who said at his inauguration that he would not allow the government to "socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life," experts say, Virginia's candidates were already in a precarious position. "They're not really able to capitalize on it as an advantage, because it works against too much of what else the rhetoric is saying," said political analyst Geoff Kabaservice, vice president of political studies at the center-right Niskanen Center. Still, GOP candidates have engaged in those conversations. Reid said in a statement when he launched his campaign that he was not a diversity hire. In a March Facebook post, he wrote: "Diversity itself is not a strength. Common values and shared goals amongst diverse people is a strength." Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, seeking reelection as the first Latino man and first-generation Cuban American to hold statewide office, has supported dismantling DEI programs. And Earle-Sears connected DEI to slavery in a fundraising email first reported by Politico. David Hopkins, a Boston College professor who studies voting behavior, said the strategy of distancing themselves from DEI, regardless of whether the idea is popular, made sense. "There's a political logic that says if you're going to run against DEI programs and Democrats are saying: 'Oh, you're just playing to racism. You're playing to prejudice,' that actually nominating diverse candidates ... can be an especially powerful way to handle the issue." Polls have shown growing frustration with Trump's administration. Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Trump has mostly focused on the wrong priorities as the right ones, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Another recent poll indicates that some disagree with his attacks on DEI, finding that people are more likely to support than oppose university services to help underrepresented students and courses that teach about racism. The election was already going to be a challenge for Republicans in Virginia, which carries out statewide elections in the year following a presidential election. The commonwealth remains one of a dwindling number willing to elect leaders from both parties statewide. Its voters have often voted for a governor from the party opposite of the one in the Oval Office. ## Ever forward — sort of ... At the event formerly known as "Ever Forward," now a Reid campaign rally, hundreds of supporters carrying John Reid posters bustled into Atlas 42, an event space in the suburban county outside Richmond that his father represented for decades. "This is something they would do in the '50s or '60s," Republican Nancy Akers said as she lined up to hear Reid speak. "I thought we were away from that by now. His private life is his private life." Carey Allen, a Republican from Chester, Virginia, also expressed frustration: "Number one, I don't believe the account was his. Number two, I don't think it's relevant." Earle-Sears, across town, threw the first pitch at a minor league baseball game. Miyares did not attend, either. Gilmore was with Reid, working the crowd. Still, as constituents crowded around Reid, the other candidates' absence did not seem to weigh on them. One woman walked up to Reid and gave him a bear hug. As they embraced, she said, "I love you." Another man shook Reid's hand and murmured in his ear, "This is really powerful." An older gentleman walked up to Reid and gently shook his hand, handing him an envelope. Reid thanked him before tucking the envelope into his inside pocket. When Reid first took the stage, the crowd roared and chanted his name. "I'd say that this is a pretty big, good distraction!" he exclaimed.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 00:00:38+00:00	[ "New Mexico", "Michelle Lujan Grisham", "John Allen", "National", "Technology", "Childrens entertainment" ]	# Drone footage shows New Mexico deputies disarm children handling a loaded gun May 13th, 2025, 12:00 AM --- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The sheriff in New Mexico's most populous county is crediting his department's drone program for helping disarm two children and prevent what could have been a worse outcome. The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office recently released drone and body camera footage showing a tense standoff in February with two young brothers — ages 7 and 9. The deputies are heard repeatedly urging the boys to drop the gun. "Put it down, baby," one of them says as other deputies say they need to keep talking to the boys. Deputies used a non-lethal round to distract the boys before moving in. At one point, Sheriff John Allen said one of the boys raised the gun and pulled the trigger, but it malfunctioned. Allen said the drone provided a critical vantage point to help deputies assess the situation in real time, allowing them to safely and swiftly secure the area. No charges have been filed. Authorities have instead been working since the standoff to get the family access to trauma therapy, medical services, behavioral support and even prepaid grocery cards. Prior to responding that day to a report of children playing with a loaded handgun, deputies had been called to the home at least 50 times for issues with the boys and their family. Allen used the Feb. 16 incident as an example of the ongoing challenges law enforcement is facing. "This case illustrates the complex intersection of juvenile crime, mental health and public safety," Allen said in a statement issued Thursday. "We are taking important steps to close service gaps and expand our ability to work with juveniles involved in firearms or violent crimes." New Mexico has had several cases of violence involving young suspects, including a fatal hit-and-run in Albuquerque and a shooting in Las Cruces in March that killed three and wounded 15 others. Prosecutors, law enforcement and Republican lawmakers have been asking Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to call a special legislative session to address the state's crime problem.
Associated Press News	2025-05-07 20:54:56+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Kari Lake", "United States government", "Conservatism", "United States", "Legal proceedings", "Charles Herring", "Daniel Baldwin", "Politics", "Entertainment", "Steve Herman" ]	# Pro-Trump network OAN to provide Voice of America content, Kari Lake says By David Bauder May 7th, 2025, 08:54 PM --- NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration, which has fought to dismantle or hollow out government-run outlets that provide news to other countries, has agreed to use the conservative media network OAN's feed on Voice of America and other services. Voice of America hasn't operated since mid-March because of funding cuts ordered by President Donald Trump, who has criticized it and similar services like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias. That has triggered court fights that are still unresolved. But Kari Lake, Trump's representative at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the funding arm for these services, said she had reached out to OAN, which has offered to provide its news and video free of charge. In an announcement, Lake called it "an enormous benefit to the American taxpayer." She said she initially reached out to OAN at the suggestion of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. It was unclear on Wednesday how or when the OAN material will be used. The One America News Network is pro-Trump in its outlook. Recently, the network promoted an "investigation" of Trump's early days in office, titled "100 Golden Days." Its White House correspondent, Daniel Baldwin, said that "President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of American prosperity in just 100 days — the closed border, inflation eradicated, women protected, investments galore." Baldwin has also endeared himself to the president through questions asked at press availabilities. In one Oval Office meeting, Baldwin said that previous American leaders lacked the conviction to begin talks with Russia. "What gave you the moral courage and conviction to step forward and lead that?" he asked Trump. "Oh, I love this guy!" Trump said. How OAN is used on Voice of America is in VOA's hands, Charles Herring, OAN's president, told The Associated Press. "We simply wished to help when asked," he said. Shortly before stopping operations in mid-March, Voice of America canceled contracts with news services like the AP, Reuters and AFP. By law, VOA is obligated to provide a balanced news diet to countries where it operates, said Steve Herman, former long-time correspondent there. Lake's Agency for Global Media is also not supposed to dictate its content, he said. "VOA is not to be the voice of left America nor the voice of right America," Herman said. In a message on social media, Lake acknowledged that she doesn't have editorial control over what is aired on Voice of America. "But," she said, "I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs." ___ Associated Press writer Ali Swenson contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social
Associated Press News	2025-05-16 23:44:28+00:00	[ "Wes Moore", "Maryland", "California", "Maryland state government", "Angela Alsobrooks", "Legislation", "New York City", "Black experience", "Adrienne Jones", "Race and ethnicity", "Bill Ferguson", "David Schuhlein", "Politics", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoes slavery reparations study, citing need for 'the work itself' By Brian Witte May 16th, 2025, 11:44 PM --- ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced Friday he will veto a measure to create a commission to study potential slavery reparations in the state, saying that while it was a difficult decision, the issue already has been studied and now is the time "to focus on the work itself." Moore, a Democrat who is the state's first Black governor and the only Black governor currently serving, wrote in his veto letter that he applauded the legislature's work on the bill. "But in light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself: Narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color, and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality — from food insecurity to education," Moore wrote. The governor also noted in his veto letter that Black politicians have risen to the highest levels of government in the state in recent years. For example, U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks is the state's first Black U.S. senator. Maryland also has a Black attorney general, a Black state House speaker and a Black treasurer. "We have moved in partnership with leaders across the state to uplift Black families and address racial disparities in our communities," Moore wrote. "That is the context in which I've made this difficult decision. Because while I appreciate the work that went into this legislation, I strongly believe now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve." ## Reparations were a legislative priority The bill was introduced in this year's legislative session as a top priority of the Legislative Black Caucus, which, with 66 members, is the largest Black caucus in the nation's state legislatures. The caucus released a statement Friday night expressing deep disappointment in the governor's veto. "At a time when the White House and Congress are actively targeting Black communities, dismantling diversity initiatives, and using harmful coded language, Governor Moore had a chance to show the country and the world that here in Maryland we boldly and courageously recognize our painful history and the urgent need to address it," the caucus said in the statement. "Instead, the State's first Black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement." The measure passed with strong support in the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats. The House voted 101-36 for the bill, and the Senate approved it 32-13. Both chambers approved the measure with margins large enough to override a veto, if all members who voted for the bill decided to vote to override the governor's veto. The legislature ended its regular 90-day session last month, and it would not take up veto overrides until lawmakers gather again, whether next year's regularly scheduled 90-day session in January, or a special session this year, if one were to be called. The governor's veto was one among 23 announced by the governor late Friday afternoon. "The Senate will closely evaluate each veto from the Governor's Office and have more details on possible action in the near future," said David Schuhlein, a spokesman for Senate President Bill Ferguson. House Speaker Adrienne Jones issued a statement specifically on the governor's veto of creating the commission, saying "I am proud of all our work during the 2025 session and grateful to lead a state that has always put these issues at the forefront of our policy discussions." "The work is not done, and I remain committed to working alongside all our partners to continue righting historical inequities," the speaker, a Democrat, added. ## Reparations remain an ongoing issue Potential reparations outlined in the bill included official statements of apology, monetary compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, as well as licensing and permit fee waivers and reimbursement. Reparations also could include assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, childcare, debt forgiveness and tuition payment waivers for higher education. The governor wrote in his veto letter that over the last 25 years, Maryland has launched several commissions and study groups to examine the legacy of slavery in the state, from the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the State Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration, and Impact of the History and Legacy of Slavery in Maryland. "The scholarship on this topic is both vast in scope and robust in scale," Moore wrote. "And we are grateful for the Marylanders who have contributed their expertise to the vital project of understanding how the legacy of slavery continues to impact Black communities in our state today." Last year, California lawmakers passed some of the nation's most ambitious legislation aimed at atoning for a legacy of racist policies that drove racial disparities for Black people. None of the bills provided widespread direct payments to Black Americans. Instead, California lawmakers approved the return of land or compensation to families whose property was unjustly seized by the government, and issuing a formal apology. New York City lawmakers approved legislation last year to study the city's significant role in slavery and consider reparations to descendants of enslaved people.
Associated Press News	2025-05-12 11:28:37+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Prescription drugs", "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.", "Health care costs", "Jay Bhattacharya", "Joe Biden", "John Thune", "United States government", "District of Columbia", "United States", "Health", "Stephen J. Ubl", "Pfizer Inc.", "Politics", "Rachel Sachs", "Business", "Gilead Sciences", "Inc.", "Merck KGaA", "United States Congress" ]	# Trump executive order gives drugmakers 30-day deadline to lower drug costs By Amanda Seitz and Seung Min Kim May 12th, 2025, 11:28 AM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday signed a sweeping executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to electively lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits down the road over what the government will pay. The order calls on the health department, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to broker new price tags for drugs over the next month. If deals are not reached, Kennedy will be tasked with developing a new rule that ties the price the U.S. pays for medications to lower prices paid by other countries. "We're going to equalize," Trump said during a Monday morning press conference. "We're all going to pay the same. We're going to pay what Europe pays." It's unclear what — if any — impact the Republican president's executive order will have on millions of Americans who have private health insurance. The federal government has the most power to shape the price it pays for drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Trump's promised new — but uncertain — savings on drug prices, just hours after the Republican-led House released its new plan to trim $880 billion from Medicaid. Taxpayers spend hundreds of billions of dollars on prescription drugs, injectables, transfusions and other medications every year through Medicare, which covers nearly 70 million older Americans. Medicaid, which provides nearly-free health care for almost 80 million poor and disabled people in the U.S. also spends tens of billions of dollars each year for drugs. ## Top US drugmakers say Trump's order is bad for patients The nation's pharmaceutical lobby, which represents the top U.S. drugmakers, immediately pushed back against Trump's order, calling it a "bad deal" for American patients. Drugmakers have long argued that any threats to their profits could impact the research they do to develop new drugs. "Importing foreign prices from socialist countries would be a bad deal for American patients and workers," Stephen J. Ubl, the president and CEO of PhRMA, said in a statement. "It would mean less treatments and cures and would jeopardize the hundreds of billions our member companies are planning to invest in America." Trump's so-called "most favored nation" approach to Medicare drug pricing has been controversial since he first tried to implement it during his first term. He signed a similar executive order in the final weeks of his presidency, which called for the U.S. to only pay a lower price that other countries pay for some drugs — such as injectables or cancer drugs given through infusions — administered in a doctor's office. That narrow executive order faced hurdles, with a court order that blocked the rule from going into effect under President Joe Biden's administration. The pharmaceutical industry argued that Trump's 2020 attempt would give foreign governments the "upper hand" in deciding the value of medicines in the U.S. The concept also remains unpopular with many in his own party. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted to reporters on Monday that it would be "fairly controversial" if Trump had tried to push through the policy legislatively, rather than via an executive order. ## Trump says other countries are to blame Trump repeatedly defended pharmaceutical companies, instead blaming other countries for the high price Americans pay for drugs, during a wide-ranging speech at the White House on Monday. The president was flanked by Kennedy, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya. He did, however, threaten the companies with federal investigations into their practices and opening up the U.S. drug market to bring in more imported medications from other countries. "The pharmaceutical companies make most of their profits from America," Trump said. "That's not a good thing." Trump played up the announcement over the weekend, boasting in one post that his plan could save "TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS." But on Monday, the White House offered no specifics for how much money the administration anticipates it could save. The health department's top leaders will be meeting with drug company executives over the next 30 days to offer new prices on drugs that are based off what other countries pay, Oz said on Monday. ## Americans are unlikely to see immediate savings Americans are unlikely to see relief on rising drug costs quickly because of the order, said Rachel Sachs, a health law expert at Washington University. "It really does seem the plan is to ask manufacturers to voluntarily lower their prices to some point, which is not known," Sachs said. "If they do not lower their prices to the desired point, HHS shall take other actions with a very long timeline, some of which could potentially, years in the future, lower drug prices." The health department has the most authority to change the prices of drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid because it can set regulations. Even still, the agency's power to do so is limited. Congress just approved in 2022 a new law that allows Medicare to negotiate the price it pays for a handful of prescription drugs starting in 2026. Before the law, Medicare paid what the drug companies charged. Drug companies unsuccessfully sued over the implementation of the law. The price that millions of Americans covered by private insurance pay for drugs is even harder for the agency to manipulate. The U.S. routinely outspends other nations on drug prices, compared with other large and wealthy countries, a problem that has long drawn the ire of both major political parties, but a lasting fix has never cleared Congress. Trump came into his first term accusing pharmaceutical companies of "getting away with murder" and complaining that other countries whose governments set drug prices were taking advantage of Americans. ## Trump says he'll 'do the right thing' Ahead of the announcement, Trump puffed up his rhetoric toward the industry again on social media, writing that the "Pharmaceutical/Drug Companies would say, for years, that it was Research and Development Costs, and that all of these costs were, and would be, for no reason whatsoever, borne by the 'suckers' of America, ALONE." Referring to drug companies' powerful lobbying efforts, he said that campaign contributions "can do wonders, but not with me, and not with the Republican Party." "We are going to do the right thing," he wrote. Several pharmaceutical companies gained ground in the stock market on Monday morning. Merck, a company that made $64.2 billion last year with the help of its cancer treatment Keytruda, jumped 3.9%. Pharma giant Pfizer, which notched $63.6 billion in revenue in 2024, rose 2.5% while Gilead Sciences rose 5.8%. ___ Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Washington and Damian Troise in New York contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-01 20:10:52+00:00	[ "Opioids", "Medication", "Chicago", "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention", "Pittsburgh", "Philadelphia", "Addiction and treatment", "Pain management", "Health" ]	# Animal sedative medetomidine is showing up in the US illegal drug supply, CDC says By Mike Stobbe May 1st, 2025, 08:10 PM --- NEW YORK (AP) — The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly showing up in the U.S. illegal drug supply, according to three reports released Thursday. Medetomidine, which is used to sedate pets and is somewhat similar to xylazine, was first detected in illegally manufactured opioids in North America in 2022. Investigators say the drug is being mixed in with other illicit drugs, mainly fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published three reports about recent clusters of medetomidine cases in Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In Chicago, health officials last May were puzzled by a surge in overdoses. The patients had taken fentanyl, but the overdose-reversing drug naloxone didn't seem to work. After an investigation, the city's health department reported 12 confirmed cases of medetomidine-involved overdose — the largest to date — as well as more than 160 probable or suspected cases including a possible death. The two other reports focused on medetomidine withdrawal in patients in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In Philadelphia, medetomidine was detected in 72% of illegal opioid samples tested late last year, overtaking xylazine, which has complicated the U.S. response to the opioid crisis. More than 160 people were hospitalized for an unusual version of fentanyl withdrawal that was resistant to medications that helped against fentanyl and xylazine. However, another drug — dexmedetomidine — did work, health officials said. Pittsburgh reported 10 similar cases during a similar time period. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-15 22:48:44+00:00	[ "Kentucky", "Andy Beshear", "Allison Ball", "Julie Raque Adams", "Children", "Politics", "Military and defense", "Constitutional law" ]	# Kentucky auditor sues governor in bid to end dispute blocking kinship care law By Bruce Schreiner May 15th, 2025, 10:48 PM --- FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's Republican auditor sued Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday, asking a judge to untangle a dispute blocking the implementation of a state law meant to support adults who step up to care for young relatives who endured suspected abuse or neglect at home. The standoff revolves around whether funds are available to carry out the law's intent — enabling relatives who take temporary custody of children to later become eligible for foster care payments. Beshear signed Senate Bill 151 in April 2024 and his administration has praised the measure for seeking to help children in bad situations be placed with relatives or close family friends. But the governor warned at the time that lawmakers had not approved the necessary funding. A year later, his administration still maintains that nearly $20 million is needed for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services to put the law into action, the lawsuit says. In her suit, Auditor Allison Ball says the state Constitution requires Beshear's administration to "do whatever it takes" to carry out Kentucky laws. The suit asks a state judge to "remind" the administration of that duty. "As the policymaking body and holder of the power of the purse that determines the proper level of funding to give state agencies to carry out the commonwealth's laws, the General Assembly says that Governor Beshear and CHFS have more than enough money to carry out SB151 and must do so," the suit says. Beshear's office said Thursday that his administration notified lawmakers on multiple occasions about the costs associated with carrying it out. "Lawmakers had many opportunities to deliver the funding during both the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions but chose not to," Beshear spokesperson Crystal Staley said in a statement. "It is simple: The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled the state cannot implement programs and policies if it doesn't have the funding to do so," she added. Kentucky lawmakers ended this year's session weeks ago and aren't scheduled to reconvene until the 2026 session begins in January. An estimated 55,000 Kentucky children are currently in what's commonly called kinship care — when a child is living with relatives or close family friends instead of their parents. The 2024 measure — which sailed through Kentucky's Republican-led legislature with overwhelming support — is meant to fix what child welfare advocates say was a flaw in the support system. The law gives relatives considerably more time to apply to become foster parents for their young relatives, and thus eligible for foster care payments to help support the children already in their care. Frustration over the dispute resurfaced Tuesday when GOP lawmakers, including state Sen. Julie Raque Adams, the measure's lead sponsor, called out Beshear's administration for not implementing the law. "They don't even have a program model for SB151, yet they continue to insist it would cost $20 million to implement," she said. "You can't assign a price tag to something you haven't built. The truth is, they have the tools to get started. They just haven't." Ball's office started an investigation last October to determine whether the health and family services cabinet has the money to carry out the law or whether lawmakers needed to appropriate more funds. The suit says the probe has stalled because of what it calls the cabinet's "obstruction," and it asks the judge to order Beshear's administration to provide whatever information the auditor needs to complete the review.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 05:01:51+00:00	[ "Edan Alexander", "Middle East", "Donald Trump", "Steve Witkoff", "Adi Alexander", "Yael Alexander", "Gaza Strip", "Israel", "Hostage situations", "Hamas", "Israel government", "2024-2025 Mideast Wars", "International agreements", "Israel-Hamas war", "Alexanders", "Inc.", "Religion", "United States government", "Palestinian territories government", "Adam Boehler" ]	# Israeli-American hostage's parents says he is making progress after release By Melanie Lidman May 20th, 2025, 05:01 AM --- TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — For two days after Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was released from 19 months of captivity in Gaza, he couldn't eat anything. Despite periods of near starvation while being held by Hamas militants, Alexander just didn't have an appetite. Then, his mother, Yael Alexander, put a burger and fries in front of him, and her son dove in. It was one of many joyful moments his family has experienced since learning he would be freed. Hamas portrayed the release of Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, as a gesture to President Donald Trump ahead of his Mideast tour last week, which the militants hoped would revive ceasefire talks. Instead, Israel launched a renewed offensive days later that families of the remaining hostages fear could put their loved ones in grave danger. Alexander's father was somewhat heartened by Israel's announcement Monday that some aid was going into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. "That's the first step forward, so hopefully we'll see another ceasefire, more releases and the end to this conflict," Adi Alexander said. "It's been too long, too much, and you can't treat agony with more agony. It's enough." He urged Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to "rise above politics to prioritize human life." ## Eight missed calls on Mother's Day The family had just finished celebrating Mother's Day at their home in New Jersey when Adi Alexander saw eight missed calls from Steve Witkoff, Trump's Mideast envoy. Witkoff told them to turn on the TV because Hamas was about to announce their son would be released. "We were freaking out," he said. The family raced to book flights to Israel. Alexander's mother traveled with Trump's hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler. His father and the couple's other two children arrived just minutes before Edan Alexander crossed into Israel from Gaza. Alexander was one of 251 people kidnapped during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hamas is still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight hostages alive and recovered more than 40 bodies. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The campaign has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population. ## Moved between tunnels The lowest point of his 584 days of captivity, Alexander told his parents, was being dragged into Gaza and pushed into a tunnel. For hours, he was held alone underground until 10 other hostages were thrust in with him. That came as a relief. His father said his son's biggest fear was being kidnapped alone, like an Israeli soldier captured in Gaza in 2006, who was held for years until he was released in a 2011 exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Edan Alexander told his parents he was kept mostly underground and moved frequently between tunnels with other hostages. There was very little food, and he rarely saw sunlight or was able to breathe fresh air. In the beginning, like many other male hostages, he was kept handcuffed, sometimes with a sack over his head, and interrogated. The 6-foot-tall (180 cm) Alexander dropped to around 130 pounds (60 kilograms) from around 175 pounds (80 kilograms) before he was kidnapped. The conditions of his son's captivity improved slightly following Trump's election in November, Adi Alexander said. During a weekslong ceasefire earlier this year, he was given meat and vegetables for the first time, but that ended once Israel reimposed the blockade on Gaza in March. ## A family reunited with their son vows to keep fighting for others Adi Alexander said the family is beyond grateful to Trump and the American officials who worked tirelessly to free their son. He lived in Maryland as a young child and graduated from high school in Tenafly, New Jersey. He moved to Israel in 2022 and volunteered for the Israeli army. The day after Alexander's release, American officials Boehler and Witkoff visited what's come to be known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, meeting with families of those held in Gaza. Hostage families said they left the meeting optimistic there would be more releases. But Trump ended a whirlwind trip through three Gulf countries without additional announcements, and Israel renewed its military campaign on Saturday, dashing hopes for immediate releases. Alexander's parents said as soon as they catch their breath the family will resume the fight to win the hostages' release. They have been a constant presence at rallies, speaking with the media and politicians, shuttling between New Jersey, Washington and Israel. Alexander's terminally-ill great-aunt managed to hold on until he was safe. She died just after hearing he was with the Red Cross, Yael Alexander said. ## Moments of quiet as recovery begins Edan Alexander returned weak and pale, but his parents say they see him gaining strength each day. The hamburger two days after his release was a turning point. "I was sitting there and looking at him with this big smile on my face, and I'm like, oh my God, because he was like, craving the hamburger," Yael Alexander said. For now, Edan Alexander is back in the room in his grandmother's apartment in Tel Aviv where he stayed during breaks from the army before his abduction. He's reconnected with some hostages, including Sagui Dekel Chen, an American-Israeli who was released during the previous ceasefire. He's visiting with old friends from the army and New Jersey, squeezing in doctor's appointments between hanging out with his siblings. There are quiet moments that have stuck out to his mother over the past week, when he does normal things, like scrolling through Spotify. Seeing her three children together. Simply being able to touch him, hug him. It's a long path to recovery, but there are moments of bliss, like seeing him share a beer with his sister on the hospital rooftop. It was his first "legal" beer, since he turned 21 in captivity, a rite of passage since that's the legal drinking age in the U.S. "It was like, I'm here, I'm back, I have my sunglasses, I have a beer in my hand, and we are all good," she said. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Associated Press News	2025-05-11 23:07:14+00:00	[ "Sara Duterte", "Ferdinand Marcos Jr.", "Philippines", "Rodrigo Duterte", "The Hague", "Manila", "Diana Joy Acosta", "Maria Ela Atienza", "Philippines government", "Legal proceedings", "Drug crimes", "Global elections", "Elections", "Indictments", "Voting", "Impeachment", "Politics", "International Criminal Court" ]	# Voting ends in Philippines midterm elections, with detained ex-President Duterte among candidates By Teresa Cerojano May 11th, 2025, 11:07 PM --- MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Even though he is detained in The Hague, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was among candidates who vied for some 18,000 national and local seats in Monday's midterm elections that analysts say will decide if he and his family continue to hold political power. Duterte has been in custody of the International Criminal Court since March, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity over a brutal war on illegal drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead during his 2016-2022 presidency. It hasn't stopped him from running for mayor of his southern Davao city stronghold. Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals. Duterte is widely expected to win as Davao mayor, a position he held for over two decades before becoming president. It's less clear how he can practically serve as mayor from behind bars. Over 68 million Filipinos were registered to vote Monday for half of the 24-member Senate, all the 317 seats in the House of Representatives and various positions in provinces, cities and municipalities. Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time, but voters still in line in some areas were allowed to cast ballots. Election officers said the unofficial outcome may be known in a few hours, while official results would be announced within a week. The spotlight is on the race for the Senate that could determine the political future of Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. She faces an impeachment trial in the Senate in July over accusations of plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and corruption involving her office's intelligence funds. She has denied the allegations, saying they were spread by her political opponents to destroy her. Sara Duterte is considered a strong contender for the 2028 presidential race. But if convicted by the Senate, she will be removed as vice president and disqualified from holding public office. To be acquitted, she needs at least nine of the 24 senators to vote in her favor. "The 2025 midterm elections will be crucial because the results will set the pace for what will happen next, which family or faction will dominate the elections in 2028," said Maria Ela Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines. If Sara Duterte is convicted in the impeachment trial, it could signal the end of the Duterte family holding key positions in the country, she said. Other family members running in the election include Rodrigo Duterte's youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, who is now running for vice mayor and widely expected to win. His eldest son Paolo is seeking reelection as a member of the House of Representatives. Two grandsons are also running in local races. The impeachment and Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and transfer to the tribunal in The Hague came after Marcos and Sara Duterte's ties unraveled over political differences and their competing ambitions. Earlier Monday, Sara Duterte voted in Davao while Marcos cast his ballot in his northern hometown, Batac City. She told reporters after casting her ballot she would accept the will of the electorate if candidates she backed did not win. Speaking about her father's expected win: "Definitely, he will not be here, our expectation is the vice mayor (Sebastian) will be the acting mayor," she said. Marcos, in a video message on election eve, had urged Filipinos to vote and make their voice heard. Her father's spiritual adviser and close political ally, televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, is also running for a Senate seat despite being detained on charges of sexual abuse and human trafficking. He is also wanted in the U.S. on similar charges. Voting has been marred by pockets of violence. In Silay City in central Philippines, police reported that two people died and seven others were hurt in a shooting. In the southern New Corella municipality, supporters of two candidates vying for mayor engaged in a gunfight, leaving two dead and two wounded. In southern Basilan, seven people were killed in suspected election-related shootings. Several others were also injured in shootings in other parts of the country. Fights between supporters of rival candidates also delayed balloting in some constituencies. In Manila, some voters complained their names were missing from the list in their precinct. Others grumbled about the long queue in stifling heat. Voter Reymark Marquez said the Marcos-Duterte team that won in 2022 failed to deliver on promises. He said the midterm elections are "beyond Duterte versus Marcos but about choosing the right leaders." "I think what is at stake in this election is the future of the next generation," Diana Joy Acosta, a 32-year-old new mother, said after casting her vote in a school in metropolitan Manila's Mandaluyong City. For her baby's future, she hopes for an end to corruption and the election of politicians with integrity.
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 19:23:23+00:00	[ "Cody Balmer", "Pennsylvania", "Josh Shapiro", "Jeffrey Miller", "Harrisburg", "Law enforcement", "Fires", "Arson", "Homicide", "Myles Snyder", "Edward Rendell", "Jesse Topper", "Paula Knudsen Burke", "Politics", "Manuel Bonder", "Bombings", "Christopher Paris" ]	# Security report on arson at Gov. Shapiro's mansion won't be released By Mark Scolforo and Marc Levy May 2nd, 2025, 07:23 PM --- HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A consultant paid to review security at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after it was firebombed by a late-night intruder said Friday that his team's findings will not be made public. Retired state police Col. Jeffrey Miller said in a statement that the "sensitive nature" of the findings he has given to Shapiro and state police "precludes their release to the public for obvious reasons." The dangerous breakdown in protection has raised questions about how the intruder was able to elude state police security as he climbed a 7-foot (2-meter) fence and smashed two windows, then crawled inside and ignited destructive fires with two gasoline-filled beer bottles. "I am confident that if fully implemented, the key recommendations that we have made will prevent an attack of this nature from succeeding in the future," Miller said. His San Diego-based security consulting firm is being paid more than $35,000 for the work. Paula Knudsen Burke, the Pennsylvania lawyer with the nonprofit Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said portions of the report could be released even if the full report isn't. "It seems we're spending taxpayer dollars to review taxpayer paid employees working in a taxpayer owned building," Burke said. "It seems taxpayers should have some visibility into what their money is used for." ## Review assessed gaps in security Miller and his team assessed security at Shapiro's official residence and has recommended how to "mitigate the gaps discovered," as Miller put it in a contract document filed with the state. They interviewed state police employees about duty assignments the night of the attack and about security monitoring systems that were in place. They also looked into fire suppression, the outer and inner perimeters, training and other factors. State Police Col. Christopher Paris said some of Miller's recommendations have already been implemented. "The State Police value the trust of the people we serve, and I believe that this review by an independent examiner with first-hand knowledge of our Commonwealth government will help us continue to earn that trust," Paris said in a release. Myles Snyder, the state police's communications director, said Friday that Paris agrees with Miller that the report should not be made public, and Shapiro press secretary Manuel Bonder deferred to state police about disclosing the details. The Associated Press has filed a request that state police release the document under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law. Shapiro has thanked police and firefighters for rescuing him and his family, but also said there were security failures at the three-story brick Georgian-style residence that sits along the Susquehanna River more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) north of the Capitol. Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, a Bedford County Republican, has pressured the administration to give parts of the report to lawmakers that show what went wrong with the governor's security. He has said, however, that he understands that plans to enhance the security shouldn't be made public if it compromises the governor's safety. "However, in terms of the accountability of what happened and how it happened, I think that is a question that needs to be answered and that those answers need to be provided to the people's representatives here in the House and the Senate," Topper said Thursday in his Capitol office. Topper said Friday that he had not received a response to an inquiry about whether lawmakers — who may be called upon to approve more money for enhanced security — will be allowed to read parts of the report. Miller was named to lead the state police in 2003 by then-Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, and spent nearly six years in the top job. He has also been a senior security official with the National Football League and held other security related posts. ## Mansion attacked in early morning hours A Harrisburg man, Cody Balmer, 38, has been charged with attempted homicide, arson and other offenses for the attack on the state-owned Harrisburg residence about 2 a.m. on Sunday, April 13. The fire caused an estimated millions of dollars in damage but no one was hurt. Shapiro fled the residence along with his wife and their kids — he has since clarified that only three of their four children were home — after being awakened by police. They and their guests had participated in a Passover Seder the previous evening. A message seeking comment was left for Shapiro. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo has said investigators are assessing whether religious or political bias could explain why Balmer expressed "hatred" for Shapiro, who is Jewish. Balmer, who denied having a mental illness despite his family's comments to the contrary, is accused of breaking into the residence in Harrisburg in the dead of night early Sunday and starting the fire. "As bad as the outcome of the attack was, we are grateful that the actions of members of the Executive Services Office in immediately evacuating the Governor and his family to safety prevented any injuries or loss of life," Miller said in the statement. Shapiro splits his time between the Harrisburg mansion built in the 1960s and the family home in Abington, a Philadelphia suburb. The Democrat is seen as a potential White House contender in 2028. In a 911 call less than an hour after the fire, Balmer said, "Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," according a recording released by Dauphin County. When asked what he might have done had he encountered Shapiro, Balmer said he would have hit the governor with a sledgehammer, police said. Balmer subsequently turned himself in at the state police's headquarters in Harrisburg and remains jailed without bond. Balmer's family has said he has a history of mental illness, which Balmer denied at a brief court appearance. Proceedings in the criminal case are on hold while he is evaluated to see if he is mentally competent to stand trial.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 06:15:08+00:00	[ "Colombo", "Sri Lanka" ]	# Military helicopter plunges into reservoir in Sri Lanka, killing 5 May 9th, 2025, 06:15 AM --- COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A military helicopter plunged into a reservoir in Sri Lanka on Friday, killing five people. Air force spokesperson Eranda Geeganage said the helicopter was carrying 12 people from the army and air force to a military pass out event when it plunged into a reservoir in Maduru Oya, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo. All the passengers were recovered alive, but three army personnel and two from the air force died later in a hospital, Geeganage said. The reason for the crash was not immediately known.
Associated Press News	2025-05-11 17:15:46+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Shira Perlmutter", "Fires", "Artificial intelligence", "United States government", "United States", "Politics", "Technology", "Business", "Library of Congress", "Science", "Joe Morelle", "Entertainment", "Email and messaging" ]	# Trump administration fires top copyright official days after firing Librarian of Congress By Matt O'Brien May 11th, 2025, 05:15 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has fired the nation's top copyright official, Shira Perlmutter, days after abruptly terminating the head of the Library of Congress, which oversees the U.S. Copyright Office. The office said in a statement Sunday that Perlmutter received an email from the White House a day earlier with the notification that "your position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office is terminated effective immediately." On Thursday, President Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress, as part of the administration's ongoing purge of government officials perceived to oppose the president and his agenda. Hayden named Perlmutter to lead the Copyright Office in October 2020. Perlmutter's office recently released a report examining whether artificial intelligence companies can use copyrighted materials to "train" their AI systems and then compete in the same market as the human-made works they were trained on. The report, the third part of a lengthy AI study, follows a review that Perlmutter began in 2023 with opinions from thousands of people including AI developers, actors and country singers. In January, the office clarified its approach as one based on the "centrality of human creativity" in authoring a work that warrants copyright protections. The office receives about half a million copyright applications per year covering millions of creative works. "Where that creativity is expressed through the use of AI systems, it continues to enjoy protection," Perlmutter said in January. "Extending protection to material whose expressive elements are determined by a machine ... would undermine rather than further the constitutional goals of copyright." The White House didn't return a message seeking comment Sunday. Democrats were quick to blast Perlmutter's firing. "Donald Trump's termination of Register of Copyrights, Shira Perlmutter, is a brazen, unprecedented power grab with no legal basis," said Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee. Perlmutter, who holds a law degree, was previously a policy director at the Patent and Trademark Office and worked on copyright and other areas of intellectual property. She also previously worked at the Copyright Office in the late 1990s. She did not return messages left Sunday. __ Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed to this report from Chicago.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 04:11:34+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Protests and demonstrations", "Colleges and universities", "Benjamin Netanyahu", "Activism", "District of Columbia", "Associated Press", "Colombia", "Palestinian territories government", "Politics", "United States government", "Israel government", "Education", "Israel" ]	# Things to know about pro-Palestinian campus protests this spring By Collin Binkley May 13th, 2025, 04:11 AM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — Campus activism has flared as the academic year winds down, with pro-Palestinian demonstrations leading to arrests at several colleges. Compared with last spring, when more than 2,100 people were arrested in campus protests nationwide, the demonstrations have been smaller and more scattered. But the stakes are also much higher. President Donald Trump's administration has been investigating dozens of colleges over their handling of protests, including allegations of antisemitism, and frozen federal grant money as leverage to press demands for new rules on activism. Colleges, in turn, have been taking a harder line on discipline and enforcement, following new policies adopted to prevent tent encampments of the kind that stayed up for weeks last year on many campuses. ## What are protesters demanding? More are pushing for the same goal that drove last year's protests — an end to university ties with Israel or companies that provide weapons or other support to Israel. Protesters who took over a Columbia University library this month issued demands including divestment from "occupation, apartheid and genocide" and amnesty for students and workers targeted for discipline by the university. About 80 people were arrested at the protest, which also called for police and federal immigration officials to stay off campus. A protest at the University of Washington days earlier demanded the school end ties with Boeing, a supplier to the Israeli Defense Forces. Activists wanted the school to return any Boeing donations and bar the company's employees from teaching at the school. Thirty people were arrested. Other protests have sparked up at schools including Swarthmore College, Rutgers University, the University of California, Los Angeles and Brooklyn College. ## Tensions break out as the academic year ends The timing of recent protests may owe to developments in the war itself and the approaching end of the school year, said Robert Cohen, a professor of history and social studies at New York University. Cohen said activists may be energized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's discussion of an escalation of the war, at a time many Palestinians already are at risk of starvation amid an Israeli blockade of food and other goods. "And the fact that it is the end of the semester — maybe it seems like the last chance they have to take a stance, to publicize this," he said. Still, he sees the latest flare-up as a return to the kind of protests that campuses occasionally saw even before the Israel-Hamas war. As colleges have imposed stricter rules, many students may be unwilling to risk punishment, he said. "Essentially, you have a small core of people, and the larger mass movement has been suppressed," he said of the latest activism. "These are small, scattered protests." ## The stakes are much higher this spring Colleges navigating protests risk losing federal grants for research if their response runs afoul of the government. The handling of last year's protests has been at the center of the Trump administration's fight with Columbia, Harvard and other universities. Some schools have had money frozen for what the administration calls a failure to root out campus antisemitism. Federal officials have demanded tougher action against protesters, new limits on protests and other changes aimed at pro-Palestinian activism along with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. After the University of Washington protest, a federal antisemitism task force said it was launching a review. It applauded quick action from police but said it expected campus leaders to "follow up with enforcement actions and policy changes that are clearly necessary to prevent these uprisings moving forward." The stakes are also higher for international students as the federal government moves to deport students with ties to pro-Palestinian activism. ## Colleges are cracking down aggressively After calling police to clear the library occupied by protesters last week, Columbia University suspended 65 students and barred 33 others from campus. Columbia's response drew praise from the Trump administration's task force, which said it was encouraged by the university's "strong and resolute statement" condemning the protest. Even before the latest protest, Columbia had agreed to other changes amid pressure from federal officials, including a ban on face masks used to conceal identities and the hiring of new public safety officers empowered to make arrests on campus. The University of Washington protest also drew a swift response, with 21 students later suspended. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 15:25:04+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "United States government", "Education funding", "Antisemitism", "Discrimination", "United States", "Race and ethnicity", "Politics", "Racism", "Colleges and universities", "District of Columbia", "Education", "Alan Garber" ]	# Trump administration cuts another $450 million in grants to Harvard By Collin Binkley May 13th, 2025, 03:25 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration is cutting another $450 million in grants to Harvard University a day after the Ivy League school pushed back against government allegations that it's a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. In a letter to Harvard on Tuesday, a federal antisemitism task force said Harvard will lose grants from eight federal agencies in addition to $2.2 billion that was previously frozen by the Trump administration. The letter said Harvard has become a "breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination" and faces a "steep, uphill battle" to reclaim its legacy as a place of academic excellence. "There is a dark problem on Harvard's campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school's claim to taxpayer support," the letter said. It was signed by officials at the Education Department, Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration. Hours after the latest cuts Tuesday, Harvard filed a legal challenge to several sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in recent weeks. It was filed as an update to the university's April lawsuit seeking to block the initial $2.2 billion freeze. Harvard has faced escalating sanctions from the White House after becoming the first U.S. university to openly defy the government's demands to limit pro-Palestinian activism and end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Trump, a Republican, has said he wants Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status, and the Department of Homeland Security has threatened to revoke the school's eligibility to host foreign students. Last week, the Education Department said Harvard will receive no new federal grants until it meets the government's demands. The Trump administration has demanded Harvard make broad leadership changes, revise its admissions policies and audit its faculty and student body to ensure the campus is home to many viewpoints. The demands are part of a pressure campaign targeting several other high-profile universities. The administration has cut off money to colleges including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, seeking compliance with Trump's agenda. In its amended lawsuit, Harvard said much of the funding that was initially frozen has now been terminated, apparently with no hope to restore it. A May 6 letter from the National Institute of Health notified Harvard that grants were being cut over allegations of campus antisemitism. It said grants are typically suspended pending an opportunity to take corrective action, but "no corrective action is possible here," according to the lawsuit. Harvard later received similar letters from the Defense Department, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture and other agencies, according to the suit. It's seeking to have those cuts overturned. Harvard President Alan Garber disputed the government's allegations in a Monday letter, saying Harvard is nonpartisan and has taken steps to root out antisemitism on campus. He insisted that Harvard is in compliance with the law, calling the federal sanctions an "unlawful attempt to control fundamental aspects of our university's operations." The government's letter on Tuesday said Harvard has repeatedly failed to address racial discrimination and antisemitism on campus. It cited the Supreme Court's 2023 decision striking down Harvard's use of race in the admissions process, along with a recent internal report at Harvard detailing cases of antisemitic harassment. ___ Collin Binkley has covered Harvard for nearly a decade — most of the time living half a mile from its campus. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Associated Press News	2025-05-17 05:08:21+00:00	[ "Pope Francis", "Pope Leo XIV", "Christianity", "Italy", "Catholic Church", "Blessed Virgin Mary", "Religion", "Madonna", "Giuseppe Falanga", "Rome" ]	# Why popes and other Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary By Giovanna Dell'Orto May 17th, 2025, 05:08 AM --- GENAZZANO, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV closed his first public blessing as pontiff with a Hail Mary, after invoking the feast day of Our Lady of Pompei. On his first papal trip, he went to the Sanctuary of Our Mother of Good Counsel in the medieval village of Genazzano and on the drive back stopped to pray by Pope Francis' tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. That's just three of a myriad Virgin Marys around the world, whose veneration is central to Catholics from the pope to the ordinary faithful. Even many of the less-than-devout know what it means to throw a Hail Mary. The month of May is dedicated to Marian celebrations, so here's a look at the history and traditions about Mary and why praying to her means so much to so many. ## One Mary, a myriad titles According to the Gospel, Mary is the mother of Jesus — and the mystery of the incarnation of the son of God through her is central to Christian dogma. The oldest title for Mary is precisely "mother of God," or Theotokos in the original Greek. It was chosen after heated theological debate in the first centuries of Christianity. St. Mary Major is the oldest still-standing sanctuary dedicated to that, said Giuseppe Falanga, professor of liturgy at Pontificia Universita della Santa Croce in Rome. It was built on one of Rome's hills in the 5th century — according to tradition, because of the pope's dream and an August snowfall there on what is now also celebrated as the day of Our Lady of the Snows. There are three major categories of titles for Mary — first, those related to dogma and major events in her life. The Assumption on Aug. 15, for instance, celebrates Mary being taken body and soul into heaven. It's marked by Masses and religious festivals but also the peak of summer holidays for faithful and atheists alike in countries such as Italy and Greece, where all but the most essential work grinds to a halt on that feast day. Then there are titles related to apparitions. In December, millions gather in Mexico, and across the Americas, to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe who, according to church tradition, appeared to an Indigenous man in 1531. Millions more visit the sanctuaries in Fatima, Portugal, and in Lourdes, France, other sites of apparitions in the past few centuries. And then there are titles based on what pilgrims and faithful want — from Good Counsel to protection (the many "Guard" Marys ) to Star of the Sea, invoked by seafarers. "It's almost like there's a Mary for everything," said Kayla Harris, professor and director of Marian Library at University of Dayton in Ohio. It's also why the rosary is one of the most widely used prayers — including publicly for the pope — and why popular devotions to the Virgin Mary, including processions and festivals, are so central to Christianity, Falanga said. ## Different icons, common prayers How Mary is represented, however, varies greatly across time and places, Harris added. There are "Black" Virgin Marys — dark-skinned paintings and statues like Brazil's much beloved Virgin of Aparecida. In rare icons, she's represented pregnant or as an older woman. She's either portrayed alone or, most often, holding the baby Jesus, as in the Genazzano 15th century painting, a close-up of the two faces with Jesus' fingers holding his mother's neck. Mary looking at Jesus makes a theological point, too — inviting worshippers to fix their gaze on Christ, not her. In fact, according to the Catechism, Catholics are to give Mary special veneration, but not worship her — something reserved for God alone, Falanga said. ## Motherhood, prayers and the month of May It's that relatability as a mother figure that makes Mary so universally appealing as an intercessor before God, Harris said. Since the 19th century, May has been devoted to the Virgin Mary — though already in Greek and Roman times, goddesses of fertility were celebrated in this month of springtime blooming, she added. Mother's Day is also celebrated in May in many countries, including Italy and the United States — and it coincided with Leo's first public Sunday blessing at noon, a time for another traditional daily invocation to the Virgin Mary. Two mothers who went to morning Mass on a recent weekday at the Genazzano chapel — where the Mary icon stands — said they pray their children, ranging in age from 18 to 24, will keep the faith. "The Madonna has been holding my hand since I was a child," said Anastasia Galizia, who grew up in the village and witnessed Leo's visit. "I ask her how to love her son and I pray for conversion, for me, for my family and for the whole world." At the Basilica of St. Augustine in Rome, which is served by Augustinians — Leo's religious order — there are two popular prayer spots for mothers. One is a sculpture known as the "Labor Madonna" where expecting mothers go; the other is a chapel with the relics of St. Monica, St. Augustine's mother, who prayed incessantly for his conversion. "We welcome a lot of moms, who come to pray to St. Monica for their children, who have walked away from the faith, and they ask the Lord for the gift to touch their hearts," said the Rev. Pasquale Cormio, the basilica's rector. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-01 14:37:53+00:00	[ "Diego Boneta Boneta", "Television", "DIEGO BONETA", "Movies", "Fiction", "JWD-evergreen", "Julian Villareal", "Books and literature", "Mexico", "Entertainment", "Natalia Gonzlez", "Race and ethnicity", "Luis Miguel", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Diego Boneta on debut novel 'The Undoing of Alejandro Velasco' By Leslie Ambriz May 1st, 2025, 02:37 PM --- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Diego Boneta had grown tired of Hollywood's obsession with narco storylines for Latinos. The actor decided he would provide some new source material with his debut novel, out Thursday, a self-described "murder mystery, sexual thriller" set around a fictional business dynasty. "As someone who's from Mexico City, seeing all these stories that are Mexican stories, most of them have been about narcos or border crossing. And that is part of our culture. But that's only this," the actor said, gesturing to indicate it only makes up a small portion of Mexico. "So why don't we show the other stuff?" Boneta, best known for portraying Latin pop icon Luis Miguel in Netflix's 2018 biopic series and co-starring in "Rock of Ages," is now fighting against these stereotypical portrayals by unveiling his debut novel, "The Undoing of Alejandro Velasco." The Amazon Crossing book is publishing in English and available in Spanish on digital and audio formats. It is also slated for a television adaptation. "I feel weird calling myself an author. I feel like I'm a storyteller," said Boneta, 34, who is also a producer and a musician. "It's the most personal thing I've ever done, so it's really close to my heart." The novel centers on a mysterious man named Julian Villareal, who sets out to solve the mystery behind his friend and tennis rival Alejandro's sudden death but finds himself in a series of twists and turns thanks to the Velasco family's wealth and business ties. "It's in the vein of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' meets 'Match Point,' set in San Miguel de Allende, full of plot twists," Boneta said. Boneta says he wanted to set the novel in San Miguel de Allende to showcase a different side of Mexico to mainstream audiences. He grew up visiting family in the historic city and calls it the "Florence of Mexico." "I really wanted it to feel like it was coming from my heart. So, I had to write about things that I was really passionate about, and San Miguel is one of them," he said. "It's truly a magical town." Boneta did not plan on adding author to his list of attributes, until his sister and producing partner, Natalia González-Boneta, suggested that they create their own intellectual property. Boneta will star as Julian in the Amazon Studios MGM series adaptation, which is currently in development. The actor and his team developed the novel and the series in tandem, though they put a pause on the series during the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Boneta says that he crafted the character to challenge himself when bringing the story to the screen. "I love transformative roles. I love the chameleon aspect of acting," he said. "That's what we tried to do with Julian and having the con man not be the introvert, but be like this like bon vivant guy. He's so worldly and says he has so much money, but is he really who he says he is?" Julian is a role Boneta dreamed about as a kid when he failed to see himself represented on screen. He still remembers growing up and wondering why Batman wasn't someone who looked like his family members. "To me, that's the most powerful way of creating an exclusive environment," he said. "If you're like, 'Oh, we're doing the Latin Batman, and he's gonna have a mariachi, sombrero and a lucha libre mask and maracas.' I'm like, 'Dude, I don't wanna see that.' I want the real Batman to happen to be a Latin guy. You don't even have to make a thing out of it."
Associated Press News	2025-05-14 13:55:26+00:00	[ "Vladimir Putin", "Volodymyr Zelenskyy", "Luiz Incio Lula da Silva", "Istanbul", "Lindsey Graham", "Ukraine", "Turkey", "Marco Rubio", "Donald Trump", "Russia government", "Russia-Ukraine war", "Politics", "Vladimir Medinsky", "United States government", "Mykhailo Podolyak", "Alexander Fomin", "Russia Ukraine war", "Igor Kostyukov", "Diplomacy", "War and unrest", "Ukraine government", "United States Senate" ]	# Brazil's Lula says he would try to urge Putin to 'go to Istanbul and negotiate' with Zelenskyy By The Associated Press May 14th, 2025, 01:55 PM --- Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Wednesday he would try to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend possible peace talks this week with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid suspense over whether Putin would take part in the proposed meeting in Turkey. Putin proposed restarting direct talks "without preconditions" on Thursday in Istanbul about the more than three-year war. Zelenskyy then challenged the Kremlin leader to meet in Turkey in person. Lula has maintained close ties with Putin despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine — a position that has caused tensions with the Kyiv government and raised eyebrows in the West. Lula on Wednesday stopped over in Moscow on his return from a state visit in China, where he told journalists: "When I get to Moscow, I'm going to try to talk to Putin. It won't cost me anything to say, 'Hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate." They did not meet, but the Kremlin said he and Putin spoke by phone. The Kremlin said Lula referenced the peace talks and "intends to do everything in his power to ensure their success." It said Putin expressed gratitude for efforts to find ways to resolve the conflict. The Kremlin did not mention any discussions of Putin's possible travel to Istanbul. Lula's communications department said the Brazilian leader encouraged Putin to attend the talks, acknowledging, however, that it's the Russian leader's prerogative to select the delegation for the meeting. The Kremlin on Wednesday said Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky will head the Russian delegation, which will also include Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Igor Kostyukov, chief of the General Staff's main directorate. Medinsky led the Russian delegation at peace talks that took place in Belarus and Turkey in the first weeks of the war in 2022. The list did not include Putin himself. Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Zelenskyy will sit at the table only with the Russian leader. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is among U.S. officials due to be in Turkey for the talks. In May 2024, China and Brazil issued a joint peace plan that called for a peace conference with Russia and Ukraine and no expansion of the battlefield, but Zelenskyy dismissed it. On Tuesday, Brazil and China released a joint statement hoping that "a direct dialogue between the parties can begin as soon as possible." The U.S. and Western European leaders have threatened Russia with further sanctions if there is no progress in halting the fighting in Ukraine. France's foreign minister said he is working with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a leading ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, on a potential new package of what he called "devastating" sanctions. The measures would aim to "asphyxiate once and for all the Russian economy" and squeeze Russia "by the throat," with possible 500% import tariffs on Russian oil and countries that buy it, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said. He told French broadcaster BFMTV he would see Graham on Thursday in Turkey. Sanctions already adopted by Ukraine's allies have failed to stop Putin. Russian forces have been readying a fresh military offensive to maximize pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position, Ukrainian government and military analysts say. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said Tuesday that Russia is "attempting to prolong negotiations to extract additional concessions from the United States and while making additional battlefield advances." ___ Associated Press writers Eléonore Hughes in Rio de Janeiro and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 14:58:34+00:00	[ "Europe", "Russia", "Vladimir Putin", "European Union", "Economy", "Eurocopa 2024", "Business", "David McHugh", "International trade", "Donald Trump" ]	# European economist says Russia's economy is strained due to the Ukraine war and sanctions By Lorne Cook and David Mchugh May 13th, 2025, 02:58 PM --- BRUSSELS (AP) — Russia's economy is under growing strain as its invasion of Ukraine drags on and Western sanctions are undermining President Vladimir Putin's ability to sustain his war, a leading European economist said after briefing finance ministers on Tuesday. The economist, Torbjörn Becker, Director of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics, warned that should Russia prevail, European Union governments would have to spend 2-3 times more than they currently do on defense for several years. Russia's "financial system, their macroeconomic performance, is under pressure. It's not in balance. Risks are mounting. But it doesn't mean that we can sit back and relax," Becker told reporters at EU headquarters in Brussels. He spoke after briefing the bloc's finance ministers to help provide a picture of "the actual condition of Russia's economy, which significantly contrasts with the narrative promoted by Russian propaganda," the EU's Polish presidency said. It said that discussion would help "us to better shape punitive, financial and economic sanctions against Russia." Becker said Russia's economy only accounts for about 12% of the economies of the world's biggest trading bloc. He underlined that it is highly dependent on oil and natural gas revenue, and on imports of high-tech equipment to sustain the war effort. Still, Russia's economy has outperformed predictions. High defense spending has propelled growth and kept unemployment low despite fueling inflation. At the same time, wages have gone up to keep pace with inflation, leaving many workers better off. Large recruiting bonuses for military enlistees and death benefits for those killed in Ukraine have also put more income into the country's poorer regions. Over the long term, inflation and a lack of foreign investments remain threats to the economy. The question is how long Russia's militarized economy can keep going before those issues bite and whether it can hold out for longer than Ukraine and its Western backers. To hit its economy harder, EU envoys have drafted a new set of sanctions that would target more ships in the shadow fleet of tankers that Russia has deployed to evade a price cap of $60 per barrel imposed on Russian oil by the Group of 7 democracies. They could also freeze the assets of the Nord Stream II gas pipeline consortium. The pipeline is not in use, but the EU believes the move could help to discourage investment. The sanctions could enter force as soon as Thursday. "If we can lower oil prices and gas revenues and put tighter sanctions on what they can import, that's great," Becker said. He said U.S. President Donald Trump should press "China and India about what they are paying for and what they're exporting to Russia." Russia found new markets for its oil in India and China after the EU imposed a near-total ban and continues to earn a substantial part of government revenues from exports of oil and gas. Becker also urged Trump to hit Russia's financial system by restricting international transactions. "If something ruins an economy pretty quickly, it's a banking crisis," he said. In a recent report, his institute said that Russia's oil revenues decreased dramatically in early 2025, notably due to EU and G7 sanctions on the ghost fleet. This has forced Russia to withdraw from its sovereign wealth fund. The institute estimates that the liquid part of the fund is now equivalent to less than 3% of GDP. "If oil prices stay as they are, they will certainly run out of these funds in a year," Becker said. ___ David McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany.
Associated Press News	2025-05-19 04:38:24+00:00	[ "Afghanistan", "Pakistan", "Bombings", "Abdullah Riaz", "South Asia", "War and unrest", "Pakistan government", "Taliban" ]	# Car bomb explodes near a market in Pakistan's southwest, killing 4 May 19th, 2025, 04:38 AM --- QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A car bomb exploded near a market in Pakistan's restive southwest, killing four people and wounding 20 others, a government official said Monday, as violence intensifies in the region. The attack occurred Sunday night in Qillah Abdullah, a city in Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan, said Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz. The blast damaged several shops and the outer wall of a building housing paramilitary forces, he said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in Balochistan and other parts of the country. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, condemned the bombing and said an investigation is underway. Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019. Pakistan's military in a statement said troops killed three Baloch insurgents in a pair of operations in Balochistan, saying the men belonged to an Indian proxy group. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a separate statement praised security forces for killing the "Indian-backed terrorists." The military also said security forces faced off with insurgents belonging to the "Indian proxy" in multiple shootouts in the restive northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, killing nine militants. Two soldiers were also killed, it said in a statement. Pakistan often accuses its rival India of supporting the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban, two groups that have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months. In one of the deadliest such attacks in March, BLA insurgents killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan. In a rare move earlier this month, the BLA sought Indian support against Pakistan. Its appeal in a May 11 statement came amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, following Pakistan's strikes on Indian military installations in retaliation for Indian missile and drone attacks, raising fears of a broader conflict. The BLA denied Islamabad's allegations that it operates as an Indian proxy, saying: "If we receive political, diplomatic and defense support from the world — especially from India — the Baloch nation can eliminate this terrorist state and lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan." It assured New Delhi that its fighters, if backed, would open another front against Pakistan's military near Afghanistan, where the Pakistani Taliban has strongholds. India has not officially responded to the BLA's overture. ___ Associated Press writer Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, contributed.
Associated Press News	2025-05-12 05:51:26+00:00	[ "Edi Rama", "Albania", "Sali Berisha", "Europe", "Donald Trump", "Socialism", "European Union", "Global elections", "International agreements", "Farah Karimi", "Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe", "Politics", "U.S. Democratic Party", "Elections", "Voting" ]	# Albanian preliminary election results show Socialists in the lead By Llazar Semini May 12th, 2025, 05:51 AM --- TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Preliminary results in Albania's parliamentary election on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead, with voters supporting the country's uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama's bid for a fourth term. With more than half of the votes counted, Rama's left-wing Socialists got 53% of the votes, followed by the opposition center-right Democratic Party-led coalition of Sali Berisha with 34%. Three other small parties will take a few seats. With those numbers, the Socialists are likely to get the required 71 seats to govern alone and likely even more than the previous mandate. Preliminary turnout Sunday was almost 42.16%, or 4% lower than four years ago. Eligible voters in Albania and abroad voted to elect 140 lawmakers for a four-year mandate in the Balkan nation. Because of mass emigration, the country of 2.8 million people has a total of nearly 3.7 million eligible voters. For the first time, those in the diaspora could vote and cast their ballots by mail. About 191,000 mailed in their votes. Ilirjan Celibashi, the head of the Central Election Commission, said that Sunday's vote was largely peaceful, with some irregularities involving candidates and some of their supporters that would not negatively impact the results. "For the most part, excluding some sporadic cases, the process has been in line with the rules and standards," he said Sunday evening after the voting ended. Still, a joint observation mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and the European Parliament urged "the need … for comprehensive electoral reform" in Albania, adding that democratic reform and European integration go hand in hand. They noted that despite being competitive and professionally managed, the election process so far was marked by the ruling party's misuse of public resources, a confrontational and polarizing tone, the two main political parties using divisive language, untransparent financing, and unbalanced media coverage of smaller parties. Out of some 570 international observers, 365 belong to these institutions, highlighting the international community's stake in ensuring Albania has a credible and transparent election. "The high interest displayed by Members of Parliament from so many countries in these elections is a manifestation of how much we care for Albania, for its people and for its future," said Farah Karimi, special coordinator of the observers. Rama's Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years — end the negotiations until 2027 and wait for approval from each of the EU's 27 member countries until 2030 — which is an ambitious pledge while battling conservative opponents with public recriminations and competing promises of pay hikes. Rama, 60, who secured the start of EU membership negotiations in October, highlighted achievements in infrastructure and justice reform in his campaign. The Socialists say they will accelerate a tourism boom and increase foreign visitors from 10 million arrivals in 2024 to 30 million by 2030, by diversifying destinations through the expansion of infrastructure projects. Rama has also pledged pension and pay hikes. Rama's main challenger is Sali Berisha, 80, a former president and prime minister, who argues that Albania still isn't ready for EU membership. Berisha held an electoral campaign resembling that of U.S. President Donald Trump, also hiring one of his top campaign consultants.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 01:02:35+00:00	[ "China", "Migrant workers", "Beijing", "Hospitality and leisure industry", "Labor", "Lifestyle", "Business", "China government", "Feng Yong" ]	# China's army of food delivery drivers get by with help from discount 'loving meals' By Tian Macleod Ji May 13th, 2025, 01:02 AM --- BEIJING (AP) — After the lunchtime rush, it's time for China's food delivery drivers to eat. Liu Lijie, halfway through a 13-hour workday, parked his electric scooter in front of a restaurant in Beijing for his go-to choice, lamb noodle soup with a side of pickles, for 12 yuan ($1.65), a discount of 6 yuan off the regular price. The reduced-price meal is part of a movement that offers free or discounted meals to people in need, no questions asked. Known as "aixincan" (eye-sheen-zan), or "loving meals," they are available at some restaurants in major Chinese cities, home to large populations of migrant workers who come looking for jobs. "There is a lot of pressure in life since I came to Beijing to work, so eating aixincan is both economical and practical," said the 40-year-old Liu, who arrived two years ago from nearby Shanxi province. Eager to get back to earning money, he digs into his meal at a branch of the Yushiji restaurant chain without even stopping to remove his helmet, branded with the name of the popular Ele.me food delivery app. The movement, also known as "suixincan" or "follow-the-heart meals," can be traced back to the early 2000s. It has been featured in China's government-run media and on social media, including posts in which influencers pose as hungry customers in need to highlight the generosity of the restaurants. Luo Shuai, a driver for Meituan, China's largest food delivery service, learned of Yushiji's discounted meal initiative through colleagues and has since become a daily customer at the Beijing chain, which serves food from his native Henan province. "It reminded me of my hometown," said the 27-year-old Luo, who moved to Beijing at the end of last year. Among China's nearly 300 million migrant workers, an increasing preference for gig-based work such as delivery driving over factory work has emerged in recent years. There are now more than 200 million gig-economy workers, according to government data. For a full-time driver, the average monthly pay at Meituan can reach more than $1,500. But only 11% of the app's drivers work full-time. Part-timers in the biggest cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, averaged closer to $1,000 a month in 2024. The existence of discounted meals reflects a shift in China's urban landscape, according to Xiang Biao, head of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany. Previously, migrant workers could carve out their own spaces by helping each other, he said, but those networks have disappeared with the erosion of informal restaurants in cities for hygiene and safety reasons. "They will have to seek help from strangers," Xiang said. The state-implemented cleanup since the late 2000s of "urban villages" — spaces where migrant workers would live that grew alongside urban development — has increased those pressures. The stigma of asking for free food exists in all societies, Xiang said, though it may not be an issue for delivery drivers in China, as they are already socially marginalized. Feng Yong, the 43-year-old manager of "Doornail Meat Pie" — so named because its food resembles the round wooden nail covers on classical Chinese doors — spends much of his day kneading, filling and wrapping the pies at the Muslim Chinese restaurant in Beijing. He said the restaurant began serving aixincan to help people in need and inspire others to do the same. A Shandong province native who moved to the Chinese capital more than 20 years ago, Feng said he has a deep understanding of being an outsider struggling in a new city. The key, he said, is to avoid any embarrassment for customers who are in need. Some hesitate at the entrance. The staff do what they can to help and don't inquire about a potential customer's circumstances. "We don't refuse them anything, just as long as they're full," Feng said.
Associated Press News	2025-05-11 16:41:17+00:00	[ "Utah", "Donald Trump", "Ryan Zinke", "Steve Daines", "U.S. Republican Party", "United States House of Representatives", "Nevada", "Montana", "Las Vegas", "Reno", "Congress", "Affordable housing", "Legislation", "Associated Press", "Mark E. Amodei", "Politics", "Mathilda Miller", "Steve Bloch", "Tara Rollins", "Climate and environment", "Benjamin Marchant", "Jeff Hurd", "Climate" ]	# A Republican push to sell lands in Nevada, Utah reignites a political fight By Matthew Brown, Jesse Bedayn, and Matthew Daly May 11th, 2025, 04:41 PM --- BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Congressional Republicans say their plan to sell potentially hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land will generate revenue and ease growth pressures in booming Western cities. Yet without clear details on how it will work, skeptics worry it could be a giveaway for developers and mining companies and do little to ease the region's housing crisis. Legislation passed by the House Natural Resources Committee last week includes about 460,000 acres (186,155 hectares) in Nevada and Utah to be sold or transferred to local governments or private entities. The provision is part of a sweeping tax cut package and mirrors the Trump administration's view of most public lands as an asset to be used, not set aside for preservation. Who should control such sites has long been a burning source of disagreement in the West, where about half the acreage is under federal control and cities that sprawl across open landscapes face rising demand for housing, water and other necessities. The GOP plan is rekindling the fight and generating strong blowback from Democrats and conservationists. They see the measure as a precedent-setting move that would open the door to sales in other states. "We have grave concerns that this is the camel's nose under the tent," said Steve Bloch with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "If it can happen in Utah, if it can happen in Nevada, it's not going to stay here. It's going to spread." Some Republicans also signaled opposition, setting up a political clash as the budget process moves forward. ## 'Good news' for fast-growing Nevada city The majority of land in the House provision is in Nevada, including the counties that encompass Reno, Las Vegas and the fast-growing city of Fernley, according to maps released by the measure's sponsors, Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah. Fernley City Manager Benjamin Marchant said the opportunity to buy 12,000 acres (4850 hectares) of federal land at the edge of the community was "good news." The city size tripled since its incorporation in 2001 and is expected to double again over the next decade, he said. There is hope to emerge as a technology hub, but Fernley needs space to grow. "We can't even talk about projects when it's federal land," Marchant said. "We can't sell what we don't own, and this is the first step." Other parcels to be sold are farther from developed areas. They include sites bordering Zion National Park and tribal lands such as the Paiute Indian Tribe reservation in Utah and the Pyramid Lake Paiute reservation in Nevada. "That means the tribe can't grow," said Mathilda Miller with Native Voters Alliance Nevada, an advocacy group for the state's tribes that opposes the sales. "They can't reclaim the land that was stolen from their tribe, and it brings development right up to their doorstep." Roughly 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares) in western Nevada's rural Pershing County could be sold to private companies with mining claims or mining infrastructure, according to Amodei's office. The legislation also requires federal parcels in that area to be exchanged for an equal amount of nonfederal land. ## Landlocked by federal holdings Many of the communities near sale locations share a common theme: Their expansion is hemmed in by federal property, which makes up 80% of the land in Nevada and 63% in Utah. Some states in the Midwest and East have 1% or less federal land by comparison. Public parcels often are interspersed with private holdings in a "checkerboard" fashion that further complicates development efforts. Housing advocates caution that federal land is not universally suitable for affordable housing. Generally, the farther away the land is from cities and towns the more infrastructure is required — roads, sewage, public transportation. "It's a costly way to go because of the infrastructure needs, because of the time it will take," said Vicki Been of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University. "I'm not saying that there's no place on federal lands that would make sense, but one has to really look carefully." The Republican proposal seeks to identify suitable lands in coordination with local municipalities. That has left some concerned there aren't enough assurances that the land, or enough land, will end up going to affordable housing. "The devils in the details," said Tara Rollins, executive director of the Utah Housing Coalition. "It could just be a land grab. There just needs to be a lot of checks and balances." ## A failed lawsuit to wrest control The wholesale transfer of federal lands to local or private entities is something many western conservatives have long sought. Republican officials in Utah last year filed a lawsuit last seeking to take over huge swathes of federal land in the state, but they were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. Twelve other states backed Utah's bid. There also are strong voices within the GOP against public land sales, notably Montana lawmakers Rep. Ryan Zinke, who was interior secretary in Trump's first term, and Sen. Steve Daines. Colorado Rep. Jeff Hurd was the lone Republican on the Natural Resources Committee to vote against the lands provision. The legislation would sell about 10,000 acres (4050 hectares) of land in two Utah counties. Maloy said it avoids areas that should be conserved and would help ease demand for housing and water, by creating space to build new homes and expand reservoir capacity. Smaller land sales are a common practice for the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management. "Not all federal lands have the same value," Maloy said. "In both Democratic and Republican administrations, for decades, we've been disposing of appropriate lands in a manner that's consistent with what I propose to do here." ___ Bedayn reported from Denver and Daly from Washington, D.C. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Associated Press News	2025-05-12 19:17:19+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "U.S. Department of Education", "Education funding", "Colleges and universities", "New York City Wire", "Antisemitism", "Politics", "Education", "Alan Garber", "Subsidies" ]	# Harvard says it won't abandon 'core' principles to meet Department of Education demands By Michael Casey and Collin Binkley May 12th, 2025, 07:17 PM --- BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University responded Monday to recent threats from the Education Department to halt its grant funding, highlighting reforms it was undertaking but warning it won't budge on "its core, legally-protected principles" over fears of retaliation. A letter from Harvard President Alan Garber detailed how the institution had made significant changes to its leadership and governance over the past year and a half. Among the reforms, Garber said, was a broad "strategy to combat antisemitism and other bigotry." Last week, the Department of Education threatened a grant freeze in a major escalation of Trump's battle with the Ivy League school. The administration previously froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, and Trump is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status. Garber warned that its efforts to change were being "undermined and threatened by the federal government's overreach into the constitutional freedoms of private universities and its continuing disregard of Harvard's compliance with the law." "Consistent with the law and with our own values, we continue to pursue needed reforms, doing so in consultation with our stakeholders and always in compliance with the law," Garber wrote. "But Harvard will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear of unfounded retaliation by the federal government." An Education Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In call with reporters last week, a Department of Education official accused Harvard of "serious failures." The person, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Harvard has allowed antisemitism and racial discrimination to perpetuate, it has abandoned rigorous academic standards, and it has failed to allow a range of views on its campus. To become eligible for new grants, Harvard would need to enter negotiations with the federal government and prove it has satisfied the administration's requirements. The demands come amid a pressure campaign targeting several other high-profile universities. The administration has cut off money to colleges including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, seeking compliance with Trump's agenda. The White House says it's targeting campus antisemitism after pro-Palestinian protests swept U.S. college campuses last year. It's also focused on the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. And the attacks on Harvard increasingly have called out the university's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, along with questions about freedom of speech and thought by conservatives on campus. Harvard has filed a federal lawsuit over the administration's demands, setting up a closely watched clash in Trump's attempt to force change at universities that he says have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. In his letter Monday, Garber also attempted to rebut many of the allegations made by the Education Department. He insisted admission to Harvard was based on "academic excellence and promise" and there were no "quotas, whether based on race or ethnicity or any other characteristic" or an "ideological litmus tests" when it comes to hiring. Garber also dismissed the suggestion that Harvard was a partisan institution and said he wasn't aware of any evidence suggesting international students were "more prone to disruption, violence, or other misconduct than any other students."
Associated Press News	2025-05-08 17:54:06+00:00	[ "Bison", "Animals", "Florida", "National parks", "Climate and environment", "Science", "Climate" ]	# A Florida man is gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park May 8th, 2025, 05:54 PM --- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — A Yellowstone National park visitor from Florida was gored by a bison — the first such violent encounter of 2025 — just weeks into the busy summer season. Park officials repeated a frequent warning: Don't get too close to wildlife. The 47-year-old man did just that but escaped with only minor injuries, according to a park statement Wednesday. Park officials declined to say more about the visitor from Cape Coral, Florida, or give details about Sunday's attack, saying only that it took place at Lake Village, an area of cabins, a lodge and campsites on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Bison can be aggressive when people don't give them enough space, park officials said in their statement, and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other wild animal. At least two people were gored by bison last year, including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was seriously injured. A bison gored and significantly injured an Arizona woman in the park in 2023. Bison injured two people in 2022. Besides getting too close, visitors have been known to pick up baby bison. Such contact can cause the baby to be shunned by its herd with deadly results, not to mention the risk to the tourist. Usually seen grazing or lolling peacefully, bison can run up to 35 mph (56 kph) — faster than the men's world record in the 100-meter dash. Park regulations require visitors to keep at least 25 yards (meters) away from bison and other large herbivores, and 100 yards away from wolves and bears. Bison are North America's biggest land animal. They stand up to 6 feet (2 meters) tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). Some 4.7 million people visited Yellowstone in 2024. A tour bus crash killed seven people in nearby Idaho last week. Summer season began with road plowing in late April.
Associated Press News	2025-05-17 13:41:16+00:00	[ "Colombia", "Gustavo Petro", "China", "Donald Trump", "South America", "District of Columbia", "Colombia government", "United States government", "United States", "Economic policy", "Business", "Politics", "Government policy", "Foreign aid", "Dilma Rousseff" ]	# Colombia seeks to join China-based development bank as Latin America drifts away from Washington By Joshua Goodman May 17th, 2025, 01:41 PM --- MIAMI (AP) — Colombia's government has applied to join a China-based development bank, another sign of Latin America's drift away from the U.S. as the Trump administration's foreign aid cuts, trade barriers and crackdown on immigration spurs many leaders in the region to seek closer ties with Washington's geopolitical rival. Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrapped up a visit to China this week with a stop in Shanghai, where he met with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the head of the New Development Bank. The multilateral lender was set up a decade ago as a project of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the so-called BRICS nations of major developing markets — as a counter to U.S.-dominated institutions like the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. To date, the New Development Bank has approved loans for 122 infrastructure projects totaling more than $40 billion in areas such as transport, sanitation and clean energy, according to Rousseff. Petro, speaking to reporters in China on Saturday, said that Colombia is committed to purchasing $512 million worth of shares in the bank. He said that he was especially excited by the possibility of securing the New Development Bank's support for a 120-kilometer (75-mile) canal, or railway, connecting Colombia's Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coastlines that he said would position the country at the "heart" of trade between South America and Asia. Colombia is the second Latin American country to try and join the bank after tiny Uruguay sought membership in 2021. But Colombia's traditional role as a staunch U.S. ally and caretaker in the war on drugs is likely to raise eyebrows in Washington. The U.S. State Department this week said that it would "vigorously oppose" financing of projects linked to China's Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America. Petro signed up to the initiative during a summit with fellow leftist leaders from Brazil and China. Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, said he wouldn't be dissuaded by U.S. pressure and reaffirmed that Colombia seeks to remain neutral in a new era of geopolitical wrangling. "We made this decision freely," Petro told reporters from Shanghai. "With the United States we can speak face to face, with China too."
Associated Press News	2025-05-04 05:21:42+00:00	[ "Manila", "Accidents", "Automotive accidents", "Red Cross and Red Crescent" ]	# Vehicle crashes into entrance at Manila airport, killing 2 people including a young girl May 4th, 2025, 05:21 AM --- MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A vehicle crashed into an entrance at Manila's airport on Sunday morning, leaving two people dead including a young girl, officials said. The Philippine Red Cross said the girl was 4 years old, but Secretary of Transportation Vivencio Hizon said she was 5 years old. The other victim was an adult male, the humanitarian group said in a statement. Three other people were injured in the incident and were being treated in a hospital, Hizon said. The driver of the vehicle was in police custody, according to the airport's operator, New NAIA Infra Co. Dozens of emergency personnel could be seen at Ninoy Aquino International Airport surrounding a black SUV that had rammed into a wall by an entrance. The vehicle was later removed from the site. The airport operator said it is coordinating with the authorities to investigate the incident.
Associated Press News	2025-05-13 21:53:40+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Margo Martin", "Riyadh", "Saudi Arabia", "U.S. Air Force", "Saudi Arabia government", "Politics" ]	# How to impress a US president? Spin up a fighter jet escort for Air Force One May 13th, 2025, 09:53 PM --- RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia didn't even wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to land there before it set out to impress him in a sky-high way. As Trump flew in to Riyadh on Tuesday, he got a ceremonial escort from six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s as his plane approached the kingdom's capital — an exceptionally rare sight. Margo Martin, a White House official, posted video of the escort online, declaring, "Saudi F-15's providing honorary escort for Air Force One!" The Royal Saudi Air Force has the world's largest fleet of F-15s after the U.S. Air Force.
Associated Press News	2025-05-07 23:46:29+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Kathy Castor", "Florida", "Havana", "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement", "United States government", "Internet", "Immigration", "Politics", "Carlos Yuniel Valle", "Cuba", "Breastfeeding" ]	# Cuban mother deported from US pleads with Trump to reunite with her family By Andrea Rodríguez and Milexsy Durán May 7th, 2025, 11:46 PM --- HAVANA (AP) — Ten times a day for the past two weeks, Heidy Sánchez has made the same two-block trek from her parents' home in Havana looking for an internet signal to video call her family and sing her daughter to sleep. And every single time she has ended up crying. Cuban-born Sánchez, 44, was detained in Florida in April during a routine check-in appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, office. Two days later, she was deported to Cuba. A breastfeeding mother to a 1-year-old and wife of a U.S. citizen, Sánchez is pleading with U.S. President Donald Trump to help her go back and reunite with her family. "To president (Trump) who has a family, he says he believes in God, and I believe in God too...I would like him to put his hand on his heart and please help us reunite our family," she told The Associated Press. "My baby is little, she needs me." Sánchez's story has raised questions among lawyers and activists about the Trump's administration crackdown against illegal immigration, including who is being deported, the legal basis for people's removal and if the expulsions have followed the proper procedures. ICE didn't respond immediately to a request for comment. The Trump administration has made it a top priority to deport about 1.4 million people who have been ordered by a judge to leave the country, arguing that they have exhausted all avenues to a legal challenge regardless of individual circumstances. Sánchez broke out in tears several times while looking at family photos of her baby and husband. "I am physically and mentally destroyed," she said. "My world has collapsed and my life is over." Sánchez arrived at the southern border of the United States in 2019, among hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants. She appeared before a judge once without problems but was late for her second appointment. By the time Sánchez finally appeared before the judge, he had signed a deportation order for non-compliance. Despite this, she was allowed to stay, although she spent nine months in an immigration detention center. After her release, Sánchez got her life back on track. She went to school and started working as a nursing assistant. In 2021, she married Carlos Yuniel Valle, an American citizen and entrepreneur from Tampa, and after two rounds of in vitro fertilization, their daughter Kailyn was born in November 2023. "We were very happy," she said. Meanwhile, in Florida, Sánchez's 40-year-old husband is grappling with the sudden reality of being a single parent. He recounted a moment when Kailyn didn't want to sleep and her mom, on a video call, suggested she sing her a song to help put her to bed. "When she started to sing, the girl began reaching out to touch the screen to caress her mother's face," he said. "She began to kiss the screen...I started crying and so did her mother." Valle is also concerned about his future, missing work to care for their child and fearing he'll be unable to keep up with his house and car payments. The family and their lawyers are launching a campaign to collect signatures in support of a humanitarian visa for Sánchez, and Tampa Rep. Kathy Castor has requested her parole from the Trump administration. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Associated Press News	2025-05-19 18:16:04+00:00	[ "Delaware", "United States Postal Service", "Oddities", "Climate and environment", "John Parana", "Business", "Jimmy Kroon", "Climate" ]	# Thousands of chickens survive USPS shipment snafu By Mingson Lau May 19th, 2025, 06:16 PM --- CAMDEN, Delaware (AP) — A Delaware animal shelter is trying to care for and rehome thousands of chicks that survived being left in a postal service truck for three days. Trapped in a warm enclosure, without food and water, thousands died before they were discovered. Involved parties are still awaiting answers as to how 12,000 chicks were abandoned within the truck at a Delaware mail distribution center. The United States Postal Service said in an email that it was aware of a process breakdown and was actively investigating what occurred. Pennsylvania-based Freedom Ranger Hatchery raised the chicks for their weekly distribution to clients across the country, said a spokesperson for the company. Due to biosecurity concerns, the hatchery cannot take the chicks back. The spokesperson said it would have been best if USPS, after discovering the chicks, had completed delivery as the recipients would have been adequately equipped to handle the birds — even malnourished ones. For more than two weeks, the surviving chicks have been nursed and cared for at First State Animal Center and SPCA, said John Parana, executive director. Last Tuesday, the shelter began offering the birds for adoption, but only a few hundred out of thousands have been picked up. There is no complete count of the chicks, as the shelter has no feasible way to do so, but Parana estimates there to be more than two thousand available. Some have inquired about buying the birds for meat, but, as a no-kill shelter and SPCA, those were refused. The strain has turned the animal care center into a 24/7 operation and necessitated a staffing increase, Parana said. Money remains the biggest concern for the donation-reliant nonprofit. Some employees have begun spending their money to support the operations, he added. Among the birds were young turkeys, geese and quail, but the vast majority were Freedom Ranger chicks. One concern for the shelter, Parana explained, was the increasing demand for space and feed over time, as Freedom Rangers take about ten weeks to reach maturity. The Delaware Department of Agriculture, after a call from USPS, directed the animals to the shelter, which shares a memorandum of understanding with the animal center as a state vendor. The department said it is responsible for assisting the shelter with funds — for chickens, the rate was $5 each per day. The department's chief of planning, Jimmy Kroon, said negotiations were ongoing, but Parana claims that the department communicated that they had no funds to allocate for the chicks. Both acknowledged the original rate would be unreasonable in the current circumstances. "They said that they're gonna try to go after the post office to get recoupment," Parana said. "That doesn't help us in the meantime."
Associated Press News	2025-05-02 04:40:32+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Smithsonian Institution", "Black experience", "John Roberts", "John Lewis", "Hakeem Jeffries", "JD Vance", "Jesse Jackson", "Jr.", "DC Wire", "Kamala Harris", "Lindsey Halligan", "Government and politics", "Martin Luther King Jr.", "Human rights", "Jonathan Jackson", "Civil rights", "Race and ethnicity", "George Washington", "Race and Ethnicity", "Politics" ]	# Pastor told books loaned to African American museum may be returned By Matt Brown May 2nd, 2025, 04:40 AM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran activist of the Civil Rights Movement said he was notified by the Smithsonian Institution that items he loaned to the National Museum of African American History and Culture may be returned, amid a potential review of the museum's collections ordered by President Donald Trump. Rev. Amos C. Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, loaned two books to the Smithsonian, which have been displayed since the museum opened nearly a decade ago. One of his items is an edition of "The History of the Negro Race in America" by George Washington Williams, which was written in 1880 and is among the first books to document Black American history and racism in the U.S. The other is a Bible that Brown carried during protests alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The reasons given for the items' return initially raised alarms that the Trump administration had begun to make visible changes to a museum considered to be a crown jewel of Black American culture. Recent reports that the museum has already removed exhibits documenting the civil rights struggle are false, the Smithsonian said. The White House had no comment for this story. However, the threat of changes to the African American museum has prompted strong responses from Democratic lawmakers, historians, civil rights leaders and education advocates, many of whom planned to demonstrate in support of the museum in the nation's capital Saturday. Brown, who counts former Vice President Kamala Harris among his parishioners, received an email last month from a Smithsonian official telling him that his items would be returned over concerns about their preservation due to museum lighting. Brown told The Associated Press he found the claim "a flimsy excuse for a museum." After the initial email to Brown, a different Smithsonian official reached out to him to express regret that the initial reason had caused a "misunderstanding," Brown said. Instead, according to Brown, the official said Smithsonian archivists will defer to "a panel that will reconsider whether or not my artifacts should be there." He said he was told this would be done for a wide range of historical artifacts. Smithsonian officials did not respond to questions about whether such a panel has been formed. After that interaction, Brown said a third Smithsonian official later reached out to him and scheduled a video conference meeting for Friday afternoon. He said he was not given the names of who would join the call, but was told it would include senior Smithsonian leadership. The Smithsonian "routinely returns loaned artifacts per applicable loan agreements and rotates objects on display in accordance with the Smithsonian's high standards of care and preservation and as part of our regular museum turnover," according to a statement the institution sent to the AP. "Recent claims that objects have been removed for reasons other than adherence to standard loan agreements or museum practices are false," the statement reads. ## Language of Trump's executive order raised alarm Concerns over potential reforms at the Smithsonian have arisen since Trump signed a March 27 executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." The order argued that the Smithsonian had in recent years "come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology" and said the institution has "promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive." The order designated Vice President JD Vance and Lindsey Halligan, a senior White House aide, "to remove improper ideology" from Smithsonian properties, which include 21 museums and the National Zoo. The Smithsonian encompasses educational, research and archival centers meant to increase and spread knowledge. It manages more than 150 million artifacts. The order cites several national parks and Smithsonian museums as displaying potentially objectionable content, including the African American museum. The Smithsonian is governed by a Board of Regents that is chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and includes Vance, members of Congress from both parties and major business executives and philanthropists. The board's next meeting is scheduled for June 9. Lawmakers, academics and activists fear the order could eventually influence the Smithsonian to remove artifacts, exhibits or research that do not conform to the Trump administration's understanding of history. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to Roberts warning that the order "seeks to whitewash our history" and "is cowardly and unpatriotic." He compared the proclamation to efforts in "twentieth-century regimes like those in the Soviet Union and 1930s Germany." "We wouldn't need African American history exhibits if America hadn't been founded by excluding African Americans and distorting our image," said Rep. Jonathan Jackson, whose father is Rev. Jesse Jackson, the politician and civil rights activist. The Jackson family is documented in multiple Smithsonian museums and said they have not been notified of changes to those exhibits. "So this makes American history whole, and I think (Trump) should go and visit it before he attempts to erase and delete and distort that tradition," said the Illinois Democrat. Trump visited the African American museum in 2017. After the tour, he wrote on social media that the museum was "A great job done by amazing people!" ## Protests follow weeks of questions about the Smithsonian's future Civil rights leaders have organized in the wake of Trump's order. A coalition of more than three dozen groups on Monday launched a "Freedom to Learn" campaign that will include a May 3 rally and march at the Smithsonian's African American museum. Among the partnering organizations are the NAACP, National Urban League, National Coalition for Black Civic Participation, Black Voters Matter, Movement for Black Lives, National Council of Negro Women and the Leadership Coalition for Civil Rights. Predominantly Black churches have rallied to support the museum and staged protests and called for greater support for the museum in the wake of potential changes. The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened to the public in 2016. It contains more than 40,000 artifacts documenting more than 400 years of African American history. The museum's exhibits span topics including the everyday life and culture of African Americans and the community's contributions to broader American culture, business, sports, religion and politics, as well as the impact of slavery, segregation and discrimination on the nation's history. Brown, 84, said he'd previously had a "positive relationship" with the Smithsonian over the items he had donated to the museum. As a youth activist in the civil rights movement, Brown organized alongside icons like King, activist Medgar Evers and congressman John Lewis. He criticized the institution for "operating in secrecy" about the changes at the African American museum. "Behave. Be respectful. Speak truth to those who sit in seats of power," Brown said of the proper response to any changes at the museum. "Let's be kind and just. If we don't, Dr. King was right — Martin was right — that if we don't learn to live together, brothers and sisters, we're all going to perish as fools." ___
Associated Press News	2025-05-11 09:54:52+00:00	[ "Pope Francis", "Pope Leo XIV", "Aldo Maria Valli", "Gaza", "Ukraine", "Catholic Church", "Gaza Strip", "Papal conclave", "Dominic Nguyen", "Hostage situations", "Religion", "Pope Benedict XVI", "Israel-Hamas war", "Angela Gentile" ]	# Pope Leo XIV calls for end of war in Ukraine and Gaza By Nicole Winfield and Giovanna Dell'Orto May 11th, 2025, 09:54 AM --- VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV called for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff that featured some symbolic gestures suggesting a message of unity in a polarized Catholic Church. "I, too, address the world's great powers by repeating the ever-present call 'never again war,'" Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to an estimated 100,000 people below. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his remarkable election as pope, the first from the United States. Then, too, he delivered a message of peace. Leo was picking up the papal tradition of offering a Sunday blessing at noon, but with some twists. Whereas his predecessors delivered the greeting from the studio window of the Apostolic Palace, off to the side of the piazza, Leo went to the very center of the square and the heart of the church. Part of that was logistics: He didn't have access to the papal apartments in the palace until later Sunday, when they were unsealed for the first time since Pope Francis' death. Leo also offered a novelty by singing the Regina Caeli prayer, a Latin prayer said during the Easter season which recent popes would usually just recite and harked back to the old Latin Mass of the past. Traditionalists and conservatives, many of whom felt alienated by Pope Francis' reforms and loose liturgical style, have been looking for gestures and substance from Leo in hopes he will work to heal the divisions that grew in the church. Some have expressed cautious optimism at the very least with a return to a traditional style that Leo exhibited on Thursday night, when he emerged for the first time wearing the formal red cape of the papacy that Francis had eschewed. He followed up on Saturday by wearing the brocaded papal stole during a visit to a Marian sanctuary south of Rome. There, he knelt in reverence at the altar and greeted the crowd surrounded by priests in long cassocks usually favored by conservatives. Aldo Maria Valli, a conservative Italian journalist who writes a popular blog, said he appreciated these gestures and urged traditionalists to give Leo a chance, saying he liked a lot of what he has seen so far. "Don't shoot Leo," he wrote. On Sunday Leo wore the simple white cassock of the papacy and had reverted back to wearing his silver pectoral cross. He had worn a more ornate one that contains the relics of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica, on Thursday night that had been given to him by his Augustinian religious order. ## 'Beloved Ukrainian people' Leo quoted Pope Francis in denouncing the number of conflicts ravaging the globe today, saying it was a "third world war in pieces." "I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people," he said. "Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible." As a bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, at the start of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, then-Bishop Robert Prevost had not minced words in assigning blame to Moscow. According to a clip of a TV interview on the Peruvian show "Weekly Expression," circulating in Italian media Sunday, Prevost said it was an "imperialist invasion in which Russia wants to conquer territory for reasons of power given Ukraine's strategic location." In his remarks Sunday, Leo also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and for humanitarian relief to be provided to the "exhausted civilian population and all hostages be freed." Leo also noted that Sunday was Mother's Day in many countries and wished all mothers, "including those in heaven" a Happy Mother's Day. The crowd, filled with marching bands in town for a special Jubilee weekend, erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled. Angela Gentile of Bari arrived in the square three hours early to be in place. Nonplussed that cardinals had elected yet another non-Italian pope, she said she was happy Leo came to the central balcony of the basilica, so the crowd could see him face-to-face. "What's good for the Holy Spirit works for me," she said. "I have trust." More than 50 pilgrims from Houston, Texas, were in the square, too, waving three large American flags. They were in Rome on a pre-planned Holy Year pilgrimage and said they were proud to be part of this historic occasion. "Words cannot express my admiration and gratitude to God," said the Rev. Dominic Nguyen, who led the Vietnamese American group. He said he hoped the pope would be happy to see the Stars and Stripes but also Peruvian flags and all other countries, showing the universality of the church. ## A Mass in the grottoes and unsealing the apartment Also Sunday, Leo celebrated a private Mass near the tomb of St. Peter and prayed at the tombs of several past popes in the grottoes underneath the basilica. Vatican Media filmed him praying before a mix of progressive and tradition-minded popes: Pope Paul VI, who closed out the modernizing reforms of the 1960s Second Vatican Council, and Popes Pius XII and Benedict XVI, on the more conservative end of the spectrum. He celebrated the intimate Mass with the head of his Augustinian order and his brother, John, in the pews. In his homily, he recalled that Sunday was also the day that the Catholic Church celebrates religious vocations, and noted that the issue of declining vocations had been raised by cardinals in their pre-conclave discussions before his election. Leo said priests can encourage more vocations by offering a good example, "living the joy of the Gospel, not discouraging others, but rather looking for ways to encourage young people to hear the voice of the Lord and to follow it and to serve in the church." Leo also attended the official unsealing of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, which were sealed after Francis' April 21 death. It is unclear if Leo will move into the apartments or just use them for formal audiences as Francis did. Leo has slept in his old apartment in a Vatican palazzo since his election. Francis decided to live and work at the Domus Santa Marta hotel in the Vatican rather than move into the palace, eventually taking over much of the second floor. The 69-year-old Chicago-born missionary was elected 267th pope on Thursday. He has a busy week of audiences before his formal installation Mass next Sunday. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-12 16:17:41+00:00	[ "Michigan", "Patricia MacIntosh", "Ron Clous", "Lawsuits", "Traverse City", "Legal proceedings", "COVID-19 pandemic", "Politics" ]	# Pandemic-era lawsuit over gun at Michigan Zoom meeting is settled for $100,000 May 12th, 2025, 04:17 PM --- TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan county has settled a lawsuit over an elected official who flashed a rifle during a COVID-19-era public meeting on Zoom. Patricia MacIntosh accused Ron Clous of trying to silence her right to free speech when he displayed the rifle during a 2021 meeting of Grand Traverse County commissioners. The county last week approved a $100,000 deal with MacIntosh, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported. Insurance will cover it. Clous, who is no longer a commissioner, also apologized. "While not my intent, I understand that my actions in getting my rifle could reasonably have caused you to feel uncomfortable or intimidated, and for that, I apologize," Clous wrote. The incident occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when the county board held public meetings over video conference. During the public comment period, MacIntosh had urged commissioners to make a statement opposing anti-government extremists, a few weeks after the U.S. Capitol riot. That's when Clous, a commissioner who was participating from home, left the screen and returned with a rifle. After paying legal fees, MacIntosh said she might create a scholarship fund with the balance of the money. She said she would not have sued if Clous had said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how stupid this was."
Associated Press News	2025-05-10 04:24:02+00:00	[ "China", "Donald Trump", "Beijing", "Switzerland", "International trade", "China government", "Economic policy", "Government policy", "Tariffs and global trade", "United States government", "United States Congress", "Scott Bessent", "Business", "DuPont de Nemours", "Inc." ]	# How US-China tariffs reached sky-high levels in 3 months By Simina Mistreanu May 10th, 2025, 04:24 AM --- TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Talks planned this weekend between U.S. and Chinese officials in Switzerland are a culmination of more than three months of dizzying rounds of retaliatory tariffs between the two countries that have crippled each other's exporters and dragged on their economies. Washington and Beijing are entering talks with tariffs on each other's goods at an all-time high. U.S. duties on Chinese imports stand at 145%, while China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods have reached 125%. U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed the talks could bring tangible progress, and that he was open to lowering the tariffs substantially if Beijing made concessions. China, however, has reiterated calls for Washington to cancel the tariffs ahead of the talks. Here is a play-by-play of how U.S. and Chinese tariffs have reached such sky-high levels since the beginning of Trump's second term in office: ## Feb. 1, 2025 Trump signs an executive order imposing 10% tariffs on China, as well as 25% duties on Mexico and Canada. He later announces a 30-day reprieve on the Mexican and Canadian tariffs. ## Feb. 4 The 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports to the U.S. come into effect. China retaliates the same day by announcing a flurry of countermeasures, including duties on American coal, liquefied natural gas and agricultural machinery. ## March 4 Trump imposes additional 10% tariffs on all Chinese goods, bringing the total level of duties to 20%. China responds with tariffs of up to 15% on imports of key U.S. farm products including chicken, pork, soy and beef, and expanded controls on doing business with key U.S. companies. ## March 10 Chinese tariffs and measures announced on March 4 go into effect. ## April 2 On Trump's so-called tariff "Liberation Day," he announces additional 34% duties on all Chinese imports, alongside tariffs on goods from countries around the world. The sweeping tariffs are to come into effect April 9. ## April 4 China fights back by imposing 34% tariffs on all U.S. goods, effective April 10, as well as other retaliatory measures including more export controls on rare earth minerals. China also suspends imports of sorghum, poultry and bonemeal from several U.S. companies, adds 27 firms to lists of companies facing trade restrictions, and starts an anti-monopoly probe into DuPont China Group, a subsidiary of the U.S. company DuPont. ## April 7 Trump threatens China with additional 50% tariffs if it doesn't roll back its 34% reciprocal tariffs. ## April 9 Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs come into effect. The U.S. raises tariffs on China even higher than previously announced, to 104%. Beijing retaliates with duties of 84% on U.S. goods, effective April 10. Trump further raises tariffs on all Chinese goods to 145%, effective immediately. ## April 11 China raises its tariffs on all U.S. goods to 125%, effective April 12. Beijing says it would not raise the duties any further. ## May 6 The Trump administration announces that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva. China will be represented at the talks by Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Associated Press News	2025-05-09 15:41:58+00:00	[ "Newark", "Karoline Leavitt", "Joshua Gottheimer", "Aviation safety", "Federal Aviation Administration", "Sean Duffy", "Charles Schumer", "Donald Trump", "New York City Wire", "Traffic", "Business", "Dennis Tajer", "Power outages" ]	# Air traffic controllers for Newark airport briefly lose radar access again By Josh Funk May 9th, 2025, 03:41 PM --- The air traffic controllers directing planes into the Newark, New Jersey, airport briefly lost their radar Friday morning for the second time in two weeks, renewing concerns about the nation's aging air traffic control system that President Donald Trump wants to overhaul. The Federal Aviation Administration said the radar at the facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of Newark airport went black for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. Friday. That's similar to what happened on April 28. That first radar outage led to hundreds of flights being canceled or delayed at the Newark airport in the past two weeks after the FAA slowed down traffic at the airport to ensure safety. Five controllers also went on trauma leave after that outage, worsening the existing shortage. It's not clear if any additional controllers will go on leave now. The number of cancellations and delays spiked after the FAA limited traffic at Newark and has remained high since then. The FAA said Newark is one of the most delay-prone airports in the nation right now. In addition to all the technical and staffing challenges, an ongoing runway construction project is adding to the disruptions. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing Friday that the "glitch this morning at Newark" was caused by the same issues as last week. The latest Newark problems reinforce the need for the multibillion-dollar plan Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday to replace the nation's aging air traffic control system, Leavitt said. The plan is designed to prevent such problems from happening and give controllers modern technology. More than 4,600 new high-speed connections would be installed and 618 radars would be replaced across the country. Officials developed the plan to upgrade the system after a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people in the skies over Washington, D.C. Several other crashes this year also put pressure on officials to act. But the shortcomings of the air traffic control system have been known for decades. The National Transportation Safety Board has not determined that a problem with the air traffic control system caused the crash near Reagan National Airport. There has been an average of 34 arrival cancellations per day since mid April at Newark, and the FAA said the number of delays increases throughout the day from an average of five in the mornings to 16 by the evening. They tend to last 85 to 137 minutes on average. The FAA said the airport clearly cannot handle its current traffic, so it will propose cutting arrivals and departures to 28 each per hour until the runway construction is complete, and 34 per hour after the main runway project is completed, although some work will continue on the weekends. The FAA scheduled a formal meeting with all the airlines that fly out of Newark on Wednesday and Thursday of next week to talk about cutting their schedules while the staffing and technology issues persist. These radar outages in such a crowded airspace are alarming because seconds matter, but Allied Pilots Association spokesman Capt. Dennis Tajer said "it's not an impending disaster that some are suggesting." "The system is wired to run really well when everything's functioning. But the most important part is that it's prepared to function when things go wrong," Tajer said. "Even when it sounds frightening, know that the air traffic controllers and the pilots have training and we go to that." When pilots lose contact with controllers their first action is to continue on their last-directed path, but if the outage continues, pilots will start broadcasting their position to every other plane in the area — much like pilots do at small airports that don't have a control tower. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer blamed the problems that have plagued Newark on the lack of proper air traffic controller staffing and modern technology. "Our region is a key economic artery for our country. Yet this region ... one of the busiest air spaces in the world, as I mentioned, is running off a tower that's full of copper wire dating back to the 1980s with outdated and inefficient technology," Gottheimer said. He said the tower was built back in "the Brady Bunch era" in 1973. The FAA said it currently has 24 air traffic controllers assigned to handle the Newark traffic, but it wants to have 38. And now several of those are on leave. Plus, 16 of the controllers currently working in Philadelphia are only assigned there temporarily through July 2026 as part of the facility's move from New York that it made last summer. So the FAA is working to quickly certify as many of the 26 trainees currently working in Philadelphia as possible. The FAA said earlier this week that it is installing new fiber optic data lines to carry the radar signal between its facilities in Philadelphia and New York. Officials said some of the lines connecting those two facilities are outdated copper wire that will be replaced. But it's not clear how quickly those repairs can be completed. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said it's important that the FAA get the problems affecting the Newark airport fixed quickly. "Enough is enough. The connection between New York air space and the Philadelphia air traffic control center must be fixed now. The backup system that is not working must be fixed. Now," Schumer said. "This is an air travel safety emergency that requires immediate and decisive action, not a promise of a big, beautiful unfunded overhaul that will take years to begin to implement."

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.