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https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-prisoner-swap-f3ef84975c61cf7e1efe22e86fedbf5c | No new direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks scheduled, Kremlin says | Russia and Ukraine have scheduled no further direct talks on ending their more than three-year war, the Kremlin said Thursday, almost a week after the first face-to-face engagement between their delegations since 2022, and days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced they would start ceasefire negotiations “immediately.”
“There is no concrete agreement about the next meetings,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “They are yet to be agreed upon.”
During two hours of talks in Istanbul last Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, in what would be their biggest such swap. Apart from that step, the meeting delivered no significant breakthrough.
Several months of intensified U.S. and European pressure on the two sides to accept a ceasefire and negotiate a settlement have yielded little progress. Meanwhile, Russia is readying a summer offensive to capture more Ukrainian land, Ukrainian government and military analysts say.
Putin’s proposals
Putin said earlier this week that Moscow would “propose and is ready to work with” Ukraine on a “memorandum” outlining the framework for “a possible future peace treaty.” Putin has effectively rejected a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has accepted. He has linked the possibility to a halt in Ukraine’s mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms shipments to Kyiv as part of a comprehensive settlement.
The major prisoner swap is a “quite laborious process” that “requires some time,” Peskov said.
But he added: “The work is continuing at a quick pace, everybody is interested in doing it quickly.”
Peskov told Russian news agency Interfax that Moscow had provided to Kyiv a list of prisoners it wants released in the swap. “We have not yet received a counter list from Kyiv. We are waiting,” he told Interfax.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that preparations are underway for the potential prisoner exchange, which he described as “perhaps the only real result” of the talks in Turkey.
Peskov disputed a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal that Trump told European leaders after his phone call with Putin on Monday that the Russian leader wasn’t interested in talks because he thinks that Russia is winning.
“We know what Trump told Putin, we don’t know what Trump told the Europeans. We know President Trump’s official statement,” Peskov said. “What we know contrasts with what was written in the article you mentioned.”
Russian capital targeted by drones for the second night
Apart from the continuing war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, which has killed tens of thousands of troops on both sides, the warring parties have been firing dozens of long-range drones at each other’s territory almost daily.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 35 over the Moscow region. It was the second straight night that Kyiv’s forces have targeted the Russian capital.
More than 160 flights were delayed across three of Moscow’s four main airports, the city’s transport prosecutor said, as officials grounded planes citing concerns for passenger safety.
The attack prompted some regions to turn off mobile internet signals, including the Oryol region southwest of Moscow, which was targeted heavily on Wednesday.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses downed 485 Ukrainian drones over several regions and the Black Sea between late Tuesday and early Thursday, including 63 over the Moscow region, in one of the biggest spates of drone attacks.
It was not possible to verify the numbers.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 128 drones at Ukraine overnight.
Among the targets were Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging an industrial facility, power lines, and several private homes, regional governor Serhii Lysak said on Telegram.
In Kyiv, debris from a Russian drone fell onto the grounds of a school in the capital’s Darnytskyi district, according to the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko. No injuries were reported.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"Russia and Ukraine have scheduled no further direct talks on ending their more than three-year war, the Kremlin said Thursday, almost a week after the first face-to-face engagement between their delegations since 2022, and days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced they would start ceasefire negotiations “immediately.”",
"“There is no concrete agreement about the next meetings,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “They are yet to be agreed upon.”",
"During two hours of talks in Istanbul last Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, in what would be their biggest such swap. Apart from that step, the meeting delivered no significant breakthrough.",
"Several months of intensified U.S. and European pressure on the two sides to accept a ceasefire and negotiate a settlement have yielded little progress. Meanwhile, Russia is readying a summer offensive to capture more Ukrainian land, Ukrainian government and military analysts say."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Putin’s proposals"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Putin said earlier this week that Moscow would “propose and is ready to work with” Ukraine on a “memorandum” outlining the framework for “a possible future peace treaty.” Putin has effectively rejected a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has accepted. He has linked the possibility to a halt in Ukraine’s mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms shipments to Kyiv as part of a comprehensive settlement.",
"The major prisoner swap is a “quite laborious process” that “requires some time,” Peskov said.",
"But he added: “The work is continuing at a quick pace, everybody is interested in doing it quickly.”",
"Peskov told Russian news agency Interfax that Moscow had provided to Kyiv a list of prisoners it wants released in the swap. “We have not yet received a counter list from Kyiv. We are waiting,” he told Interfax.",
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that preparations are underway for the potential prisoner exchange, which he described as “perhaps the only real result” of the talks in Turkey.",
"Peskov disputed a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal that Trump told European leaders after his phone call with Putin on Monday that the Russian leader wasn’t interested in talks because he thinks that Russia is winning.",
"“We know what Trump told Putin, we don’t know what Trump told the Europeans. We know President Trump’s official statement,” Peskov said. “What we know contrasts with what was written in the article you mentioned.”"
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Russian capital targeted by drones for the second night"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Apart from the continuing war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, which has killed tens of thousands of troops on both sides, the warring parties have been firing dozens of long-range drones at each other’s territory almost daily.",
"Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 35 over the Moscow region. It was the second straight night that Kyiv’s forces have targeted the Russian capital.",
"More than 160 flights were delayed across three of Moscow’s four main airports, the city’s transport prosecutor said, as officials grounded planes citing concerns for passenger safety.",
"The attack prompted some regions to turn off mobile internet signals, including the Oryol region southwest of Moscow, which was targeted heavily on Wednesday.",
"The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses downed 485 Ukrainian drones over several regions and the Black Sea between late Tuesday and early Thursday, including 63 over the Moscow region, in one of the biggest spates of drone attacks.",
"It was not possible to verify the numbers.",
"Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 128 drones at Ukraine overnight.",
"Among the targets were Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging an industrial facility, power lines, and several private homes, regional governor Serhii Lysak said on Telegram.",
"In Kyiv, debris from a Russian drone fell onto the grounds of a school in the capital’s Darnytskyi district, according to the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko. No injuries were reported.",
"___",
"Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Donald Trump",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Russia",
"Ukraine",
"Dmitry Peskov",
"Russia government",
"Prisoner exchange",
"Russia-Ukraine war",
"Ukraine government",
"Volodymyr Zelenskyy",
"Russia Ukraine war",
"Politics"
] | [
"THE ASSOCIATED PRESS"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 12:02:18+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/malnutrition-hunger-starvation-gaza-f33432592d7143767ca3797b15c6777b | Mothers and their babies face starvation in Gaza | KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Grabbing her daughter’s feeble arm, Asmaa al-Arja pulls a shirt over the 2-year-old’s protruding ribs and swollen belly. The child lies on a hospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably, throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself.
This isn’t the first time Mayar has been in a Gaza hospital battling malnutrition, yet this 17-day stint is the longest. She has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that means she can’t eat gluten and requires special food. But there’s little left for her to eat in the embattled enclave after 19 months of war and Israel’s punishing blockade, and she can’t digest what’s available.
“She needs diapers, soy milk and she needs special food. This is not available because of border closures. If it’s available, it is expensive, I can’t afford it,” her mother said as she sat next to Mayar at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Mayar is among the more than 9,000 children who have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the U.N. children’s agency, and food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year.
Experts also warn the territory could plunge into famine if Israel doesn’t stop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade — but the World Health Organization said last week that people are already starving.
“Everywhere you look, people are hungry. ... They point their fingers to their mouths showing that (they) need something to eat,” said Nestor Owomuhangi, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund for the Palestinian territories. “The worst has already arrived in Gaza.”
Israel eases blockade but little aid reaches Palestinians
For more than two months, Israel has banned all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some 2 million Palestinians, as it carries out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel’s offensive has destroyed almost all the territory’s food production capabilities.
After weeks of insisting Gaza had enough food, Israel relented in the face of international pressure and began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into the territory this week — including some carrying baby food.
“Children are already dying from malnutrition and there are more babies in Gaza now who will be in mortal danger if they don’t get fast access to the nutrition supplies needed to save their lives,” said Tess Ingram of the U.N. children’s agency.
But U.N. agencies say the amount is woefully insufficient, compared to around 600 trucks a day that entered during a recent ceasefire and that are necessary to meet basic needs. And they have struggled to retrieve the aid and distribute it, blaming complicated Israeli military procedures and the breakdown of law and order inside the territory.
On Wednesday, a U.N. official said more than a dozen trucks arrived at warehouses in central Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. That appeared to be the first aid to actually reach a distribution point since the blockade was lifted.
Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence, and plans to roll out a new aid distribution system within days. U.N. agencies and aid groups say the new system would fall far short of mounting needs, force much of the population to flee again in order to be closer to distribution sites, and violate humanitarian principles by forcing people to move to receive the aid rather than delivering it based on need to where people live.
On top of not being able to find or afford the food that Mayar needs, her mother said chronic diarrhea linked to celiac disease has kept the child in and out of hospital all year. The toddler — whose two pigtails are brittle, a sign of malnutrition — weighs 7 kilograms (15 pounds), according to doctors. That’s about half what healthy girl her age should.
But it’s getting harder to help her as supplies like baby formula are disappearing, say health staff.
Hospitals are hanging by a thread, dealing with mass casualties from Israeli strikes. Packed hospital feeding centers are overwhelmed with patients.
“We have nothing at Nasser Hospital,” said Dr. Ahmed al-Farrah, who said his emergency center for malnourished children is at full capacity. Supplies are running out, people are living off scraps, and the situation is catastrophic for babies and pregnant women, he said.
Everything watered down to make it last
In the feeding center of the hospital, malnourished mothers console their hungry children — some so frail their spines jut out of their skin, their legs swollen from lack food.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises, has warned that there could be some 71,000 cases of malnourished children between now and March. In addition, nearly 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming months.
Mai Namleh and her 18-month-old son, who live in a tent, are both malnourished. She wanted to wean him off of breastmilk because she barely has any, but she has so little else to give him.
She gives him heavily watered-down formula to ration it, and sometimes offers him starch to quiet his hunger screams. “I try to pass it for milk to stop him screaming,” she said of the formula.
An aid group gave her around 30 packets of nutritional supplements, but they ran out in two days as she shared them with family and friends, she said.
In another tent, Nouf al-Arja says she paid a fortune for a hard-to-find kilogram (about 2 pounds) of red lentils. The family cooks it with a lot of water so it lasts, unsure what they will eat next. The mother of four has lost 23 kilograms (50 pounds) and struggles to focus, saying she constantly feels dizzy.
Both she and her 3-year-old daughter are malnourished, doctors said. She’s worried her baby boy, born four months earlier and massively underweight, will suffer the same fate as she struggles to breastfeed.
“I keep looking for (infant food) .... so I can feed him. There is nothing,” she said.
___
El Deeb reported from Beirut and Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel.
___
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Grabbing her daughter’s feeble arm, Asmaa al-Arja pulls a shirt over the 2-year-old’s protruding ribs and swollen belly. The child lies on a hospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably, throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself.",
"This isn’t the first time Mayar has been in a Gaza hospital battling malnutrition, yet this 17-day stint is the longest. She has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that means she can’t eat gluten and requires special food. But there’s little left for her to eat in the embattled enclave after 19 months of war and Israel’s punishing blockade, and she can’t digest what’s available.",
"“She needs diapers, soy milk and she needs special food. This is not available because of border closures. If it’s available, it is expensive, I can’t afford it,” her mother said as she sat next to Mayar at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.",
"Mayar is among the more than 9,000 children who have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the U.N. children’s agency, and food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year.",
"Experts also warn the territory could plunge into famine if Israel doesn’t stop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade — but the World Health Organization said last week that people are already starving.",
"“Everywhere you look, people are hungry. ... They point their fingers to their mouths showing that (they) need something to eat,” said Nestor Owomuhangi, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund for the Palestinian territories. “The worst has already arrived in Gaza.”"
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Israel eases blockade but little aid reaches Palestinians"
],
"paragraphs": [
"For more than two months, Israel has banned all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some 2 million Palestinians, as it carries out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel’s offensive has destroyed almost all the territory’s food production capabilities.",
"After weeks of insisting Gaza had enough food, Israel relented in the face of international pressure and began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into the territory this week — including some carrying baby food.",
"“Children are already dying from malnutrition and there are more babies in Gaza now who will be in mortal danger if they don’t get fast access to the nutrition supplies needed to save their lives,” said Tess Ingram of the U.N. children’s agency.",
"But U.N. agencies say the amount is woefully insufficient, compared to around 600 trucks a day that entered during a recent ceasefire and that are necessary to meet basic needs. And they have struggled to retrieve the aid and distribute it, blaming complicated Israeli military procedures and the breakdown of law and order inside the territory.",
"On Wednesday, a U.N. official said more than a dozen trucks arrived at warehouses in central Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. That appeared to be the first aid to actually reach a distribution point since the blockade was lifted.",
"Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence, and plans to roll out a new aid distribution system within days. U.N. agencies and aid groups say the new system would fall far short of mounting needs, force much of the population to flee again in order to be closer to distribution sites, and violate humanitarian principles by forcing people to move to receive the aid rather than delivering it based on need to where people live.",
"On top of not being able to find or afford the food that Mayar needs, her mother said chronic diarrhea linked to celiac disease has kept the child in and out of hospital all year. The toddler — whose two pigtails are brittle, a sign of malnutrition — weighs 7 kilograms (15 pounds), according to doctors. That’s about half what healthy girl her age should.",
"But it’s getting harder to help her as supplies like baby formula are disappearing, say health staff.",
"Hospitals are hanging by a thread, dealing with mass casualties from Israeli strikes. Packed hospital feeding centers are overwhelmed with patients.",
"“We have nothing at Nasser Hospital,” said Dr. Ahmed al-Farrah, who said his emergency center for malnourished children is at full capacity. Supplies are running out, people are living off scraps, and the situation is catastrophic for babies and pregnant women, he said."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Everything watered down to make it last"
],
"paragraphs": [
"In the feeding center of the hospital, malnourished mothers console their hungry children — some so frail their spines jut out of their skin, their legs swollen from lack food.",
"The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises, has warned that there could be some 71,000 cases of malnourished children between now and March. In addition, nearly 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming months.",
"Mai Namleh and her 18-month-old son, who live in a tent, are both malnourished. She wanted to wean him off of breastmilk because she barely has any, but she has so little else to give him.",
"She gives him heavily watered-down formula to ration it, and sometimes offers him starch to quiet his hunger screams. “I try to pass it for milk to stop him screaming,” she said of the formula.",
"An aid group gave her around 30 packets of nutritional supplements, but they ran out in two days as she shared them with family and friends, she said.",
"In another tent, Nouf al-Arja says she paid a fortune for a hard-to-find kilogram (about 2 pounds) of red lentils. The family cooks it with a lot of water so it lasts, unsure what they will eat next. The mother of four has lost 23 kilograms (50 pounds) and struggles to focus, saying she constantly feels dizzy.",
"Both she and her 3-year-old daughter are malnourished, doctors said. She’s worried her baby boy, born four months earlier and massively underweight, will suffer the same fate as she struggles to breastfeed.",
"“I keep looking for (infant food) .... so I can feed him. There is nothing,” she said.",
"___",
"El Deeb reported from Beirut and Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel.",
"___",
"Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Israel",
"War and unrest",
"Gaza Strip",
"Israel government",
"Gaza",
"United Nations",
"Humanitarian crises",
"Celiac disease",
"Health care costs",
"Foreign aid",
"Food and beverage manufacturing",
"2024-2025 Mideast Wars",
"Health",
"Aerospace and defense industry",
"Pain management",
"Ahmed al-Farrah",
"Children",
"Nestor Owomuhangi",
"Famine",
"Tess Ingram"
] | [
"MOHAMMED JAHJOUH",
"WAFAA SHURAFA",
"SARAH EL DEEB",
"SAM MEDNICK"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 12:32:35+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/panama-union-bolivia-protests-asylum-5547196613fa153fabb30761e9f5260f | Leader of powerful Panamanian union scales embassy wall, requests asylum from Bolivia | PANAMA CITY (AP) — A leader of Panama’s most powerful union, a driving force for weeks of street protests against social security reforms, climbed an embassy wall and requested political asylum from Bolivia on Wednesday.
Hours later, Panamanian prosecutors announced that arrest orders had been issued in relation to a three-year investigation into the national construction workers union that he led. Prosecutors did not name the targets of the investigation.
Panama’s Foreign Relations Ministry confirmed that Saúl Méndez, the union’s secretary general, had requested asylum.
Bolivia’s business attache in Panama, Carlos Javier Suárez Cornejo, said Méndez was given temporary protection while they evaluated his case.
A day earlier, the government of President José Raúl Mulino announced that the union’s legal status had been canceled because it did not have necessary internal controls, among them to prevent money laundering.
Another of the union’s leaders, Jaime Caballero, was arrested a week earlier for alleged money laundering.
The union has been a central force in a month of street protests that sometimes blocked major highways. The demands have included scrapping reforms to Panama’s social security system and opposition to a security agreement giving U.S. soldiers and contractors access to some facilities in Panama.
Marches continued Wednesday, but roadblocks that had snarled traffic were gone.
Mulino has said the reforms were necessary to keep the social security system solvent and denied that the agreement with the United States infringes on Panama’s sovereignty. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"PANAMA CITY (AP) — A leader of Panama’s most powerful union, a driving force for weeks of street protests against social security reforms, climbed an embassy wall and requested political asylum from Bolivia on Wednesday.",
"Hours later, Panamanian prosecutors announced that arrest orders had been issued in relation to a three-year investigation into the national construction workers union that he led. Prosecutors did not name the targets of the investigation.",
"Panama’s Foreign Relations Ministry confirmed that Saúl Méndez, the union’s secretary general, had requested asylum.",
"Bolivia’s business attache in Panama, Carlos Javier Suárez Cornejo, said Méndez was given temporary protection while they evaluated his case.",
"A day earlier, the government of President José Raúl Mulino announced that the union’s legal status had been canceled because it did not have necessary internal controls, among them to prevent money laundering.",
"Another of the union’s leaders, Jaime Caballero, was arrested a week earlier for alleged money laundering.",
"The union has been a central force in a month of street protests that sometimes blocked major highways. The demands have included scrapping reforms to Panama’s social security system and opposition to a security agreement giving U.S. soldiers and contractors access to some facilities in Panama.",
"Marches continued Wednesday, but roadblocks that had snarled traffic were gone.",
"Mulino has said the reforms were necessary to keep the social security system solvent and denied that the agreement with the United States infringes on Panama’s sovereignty."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Panama",
"Saul Mendez",
"Carlos Javier Surez Cornejo",
"Panama City",
"Jos Ral Mulino",
"Labor unions",
"Jaime Caballero",
"Asylum",
"Minimum wage",
"Protests and demonstrations"
] | [] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 00:52:12+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/gloria-steinem-leymah-gbowee-picture-book-6b66128d908604856e227a5ff9784ab0 | Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee, activists and close friends, are working on a picture book | NEW YORK (AP) — Two giants of the women’s rights movement, Gloria Steinem and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee, have teamed up for a picture book with the mission of inspiring young people to change the world.
“Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All” will be published next February, Scholastic Inc. announced Wednesday. Illustrated by Kah Yangni, it draws upon the close bond between Steinem and Gbowee, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Libya.
“I am so proud to collaborate with my longtime friend and sister activist Leymah Gbowee,” Steinem said in a statement. “‘Rise, Girl, Rise’ is for anyone who cares deeply about being part of a promising future.”
Gbowee said in a statement that “Gloria Steinem and I have traveled many roads together, physically, and through our individual actions. This special book is our gift to the trailblazers of tomorrow, who are finding power and joy in their friendships today.” | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"NEW YORK (AP) — Two giants of the women’s rights movement, Gloria Steinem and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee, have teamed up for a picture book with the mission of inspiring young people to change the world.",
"“Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All” will be published next February, Scholastic Inc. announced Wednesday. Illustrated by Kah Yangni, it draws upon the close bond between Steinem and Gbowee, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Libya.",
"“I am so proud to collaborate with my longtime friend and sister activist Leymah Gbowee,” Steinem said in a statement. “‘Rise, Girl, Rise’ is for anyone who cares deeply about being part of a promising future.”",
"Gbowee said in a statement that “Gloria Steinem and I have traveled many roads together, physically, and through our individual actions. This special book is our gift to the trailblazers of tomorrow, who are finding power and joy in their friendships today.”"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Books and literature",
"Nobel Prizes",
"Lifestyle",
"Libya",
"Entertainment",
"Gloria Steinem"
] | [
"Hillel Italie"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 12:20:23+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/airplanes-lithium-ion-batteries-fire-southwest-hazard-736e74e55a6467b0b12e3938653de169 | Southwest Airlines will require chargers be kept out while in use because of battery fire concerns | Passengers on Southwest Airlines flights will soon be required to keep their portable chargers in plain sight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithium-ion battery fires in a new policy that other airlines may adopt.
Southwest announced the new policy that will go into effect May 28 and said passengers may have already seen notifications about the rule when using the airline’s app. While Southwest is the first U.S. airline to restrict the use of portable chargers like this, several Asian airlines have taken action earlier this year after a devastating fire aboard an Air Busan plane waiting to take off from an airport in South Korea in January.
There is growing concern about lithium-ion battery fires on planes because the number of incidents continues to grow yearly, and devices powered by those batteries are ubiquitous. There have already been 19 incidents involving these batteries this year, following last year’s record high of 89, according to Federal Aviation Administration statistics.
The incidents have more than doubled since the pandemic-era low of 39 in 2020, and have climbed annually.
Some research suggests that portable chargers might be the second-leading cause of battery fires on planes, only behind electronic cigarettes.
Compared to the roughly 180,000 flights U.S. airlines operate each week, the number of incidents is still relatively small and lithium batteries can overheat anywhere. However, this is a growing concern for the airlines.
“It’s definitely a serious risk,” said David Wroth, who studies the risks for UL Standards & Engagement and works with 37 airlines and battery manufacturers to minimize them. At least a couple of airlines UL is working with are reevaluating the risks associated with rechargeable batteries, so additional rule changes could be coming.
What has happened before?
In the Korean airline fire in January, all 176 people aboard the plane had to be evacuated because the blaze burned through the plane’s roof. The cause of that fire hasn’t been officially determined, but several airlines and Korean regulators took action against portable chargers afterward.
Korean airlines won’t allow the chargers to be stored in overhead bins anymore; they must either be packed in a plastic bag or have their ports covered with insulating tape to keep them from touching metal.
In addition, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways both prohibit the use or charging of portable power banks at all during flights.
Last summer, a smoking laptop in a passenger’s bag led to the evacuation of a plane awaiting takeoff at San Francisco International Airport. In 2023, a flight from Dallas to Orlando, Florida, made an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, after a battery caught fire in an overhead bin.
Why make this change?
Southwest said that requiring these chargers to be kept out in the open when they are being used will help because “in the rare event a lithium battery overheats or catches fire, quick access is critical and keeping power banks in plain sight allow for faster intervention and helps protect everyone onboard.”
Experts have long recommended keeping rechargeable devices in reach during flights so they can be monitored for any signs of problems like becoming too hot to touch or starting to bulge or smoke. But the airlines have to rely on educating consumers and encouraging them to take precautions.
“Ultimately, it comes down to a lot of personal responsibility that we as passengers have to take,” Wroth said.
Southwest will allow the chargers to be stored inside carry-on bags when they aren’t in use. But a spokeswoman said the airline is just alerting customers about the policy before their flight and asking for their compliance. Wroth said that approach is probably best.
“We have enough problems with unruly passengers already. And having cabin crew confront somebody over bringing something on board is not likely to be a good situation as well,” Wroth said.
What do the existing rules say?
The Transportation Security Administration has long prohibited e-cigarettes and chargers and power banks with lithium-ion batteries in checked bags, but allows them in carry-on bags. The rule exists precisely because fires in the cargo hold might be harder to detect and extinguish.
The FAA recommends passengers keep cell phones and other devices nearby on planes so they can access them quickly. The agency said flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires. Passengers should notify the flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.
How common is this problem?
The latest research from UL Standards & Engagement said that data from 2024 suggests that portable chargers were to blame in 19% of the incidents, though that was only slightly ahead of the number of cell phone incidents. E-cigarettes accounted for 28% of the problems.
Nearly one-third of all passengers carried portable chargers on flights last year.
More than one-quarter of passengers surveyed last year said they put vaping cigarettes and portable chargers in checked bags. That is against federal rules, but Wroth said it might be as much an issue of them not understanding the dangers as much as it is passengers trying to hide the devices.
UL Standards & Engagement, part of a safety-science company once known as Underwriters Laboratories, said it based its findings on data from 37 passenger and cargo airlines, including nine of the 10 leading U.S. passenger carriers. It is just getting ready to release this year’s report. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"Passengers on Southwest Airlines flights will soon be required to keep their portable chargers in plain sight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithium-ion battery fires in a new policy that other airlines may adopt.",
"Southwest announced the new policy that will go into effect May 28 and said passengers may have already seen notifications about the rule when using the airline’s app. While Southwest is the first U.S. airline to restrict the use of portable chargers like this, several Asian airlines have taken action earlier this year after a devastating fire aboard an Air Busan plane waiting to take off from an airport in South Korea in January.",
"There is growing concern about lithium-ion battery fires on planes because the number of incidents continues to grow yearly, and devices powered by those batteries are ubiquitous. There have already been 19 incidents involving these batteries this year, following last year’s record high of 89, according to Federal Aviation Administration statistics.",
"The incidents have more than doubled since the pandemic-era low of 39 in 2020, and have climbed annually.",
"Some research suggests that portable chargers might be the second-leading cause of battery fires on planes, only behind electronic cigarettes.",
"Compared to the roughly 180,000 flights U.S. airlines operate each week, the number of incidents is still relatively small and lithium batteries can overheat anywhere. However, this is a growing concern for the airlines.",
"“It’s definitely a serious risk,” said David Wroth, who studies the risks for UL Standards & Engagement and works with 37 airlines and battery manufacturers to minimize them. At least a couple of airlines UL is working with are reevaluating the risks associated with rechargeable batteries, so additional rule changes could be coming."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"What has happened before?"
],
"paragraphs": [
"In the Korean airline fire in January, all 176 people aboard the plane had to be evacuated because the blaze burned through the plane’s roof. The cause of that fire hasn’t been officially determined, but several airlines and Korean regulators took action against portable chargers afterward.",
"Korean airlines won’t allow the chargers to be stored in overhead bins anymore; they must either be packed in a plastic bag or have their ports covered with insulating tape to keep them from touching metal.",
"In addition, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways both prohibit the use or charging of portable power banks at all during flights.",
"Last summer, a smoking laptop in a passenger’s bag led to the evacuation of a plane awaiting takeoff at San Francisco International Airport. In 2023, a flight from Dallas to Orlando, Florida, made an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, after a battery caught fire in an overhead bin."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Why make this change?"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Southwest said that requiring these chargers to be kept out in the open when they are being used will help because “in the rare event a lithium battery overheats or catches fire, quick access is critical and keeping power banks in plain sight allow for faster intervention and helps protect everyone onboard.”",
"Experts have long recommended keeping rechargeable devices in reach during flights so they can be monitored for any signs of problems like becoming too hot to touch or starting to bulge or smoke. But the airlines have to rely on educating consumers and encouraging them to take precautions.",
"“Ultimately, it comes down to a lot of personal responsibility that we as passengers have to take,” Wroth said.",
"Southwest will allow the chargers to be stored inside carry-on bags when they aren’t in use. But a spokeswoman said the airline is just alerting customers about the policy before their flight and asking for their compliance. Wroth said that approach is probably best.",
"“We have enough problems with unruly passengers already. And having cabin crew confront somebody over bringing something on board is not likely to be a good situation as well,” Wroth said."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"What do the existing rules say?"
],
"paragraphs": [
"The Transportation Security Administration has long prohibited e-cigarettes and chargers and power banks with lithium-ion batteries in checked bags, but allows them in carry-on bags. The rule exists precisely because fires in the cargo hold might be harder to detect and extinguish.",
"The FAA recommends passengers keep cell phones and other devices nearby on planes so they can access them quickly. The agency said flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires. Passengers should notify the flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"How common is this problem?"
],
"paragraphs": [
"The latest research from UL Standards & Engagement said that data from 2024 suggests that portable chargers were to blame in 19% of the incidents, though that was only slightly ahead of the number of cell phone incidents. E-cigarettes accounted for 28% of the problems.",
"Nearly one-third of all passengers carried portable chargers on flights last year.",
"More than one-quarter of passengers surveyed last year said they put vaping cigarettes and portable chargers in checked bags. That is against federal rules, but Wroth said it might be as much an issue of them not understanding the dangers as much as it is passengers trying to hide the devices.",
"UL Standards & Engagement, part of a safety-science company once known as Underwriters Laboratories, said it based its findings on data from 37 passenger and cargo airlines, including nine of the 10 leading U.S. passenger carriers. It is just getting ready to release this year’s report."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Fires",
"South Korea",
"Federal Aviation Administration",
"Business",
"Florida",
"David Wroth",
"Southwest Airlines Co."
] | [
"JOSH FUNK"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 16:42:23+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/ultraprocessed-foods-markers-biomarkers-3d19f93573cf36698c7b946fee6e8d18 | Markers in blood and urine may reveal how much ultraprocessed food we are eating | Molecules in blood and urine may reveal how much energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods, a key step to understanding the impact of the products that make up nearly 60% of the American diet, a new study finds.
It’s the first time that scientists have identified biological markers that can indicate higher or lower intake of the foods, which are linked to a host of health problems, said Erikka Loftfield, a National Cancer Institute researcher who led the study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine.
“It can potentially give us some clues as to what the underlying biology might be between an ultraprocessed food association and a health outcome,” Loftfield said.
Ultraprocessed foods – sugary cereals, sodas, chips, frozen pizzas and more – are products created through industrial processes with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives not found in home kitchens. They’re ubiquitous in the U.S. and elsewhere, but studying their health impacts is hard because it’s difficult to accurately track what people eat.
Typical nutrition studies rely on recall: asking people what they ate during a certain period. But such reports are notoriously unreliable because people don’t remember everything they ate, or they record it inaccurately.
“There’s a need for both a more objective measure and potentially also a more accurate measure,” Loftfield explained.
To create the new scores, Loftfield and her colleagues examined data from an existing study of more than 1,000 older U.S. adults who were AARP members. More than 700 of them had provided blood and urine samples, as well as detailed dietary recall reports, collected over a year.
The scientists found that hundreds of metabolites – products of digestion and other processes – corresponded to the percentage of energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods. From those, they devised a score of 28 blood markers and up to 33 urine markers that reliably predicted ultraprocessed food intake in people consuming typical diets.
“We found this signature that was sort of predictive of this dietary pattern that’s high in ultraprocessed food and not just a specific food item here and there,” she said.
A few of the markers, notably two amino acids and a carbohydrate, showed up at least 60 times out of 100 testing iterations. One marker showed a potential link between a diet high in ultraprocessed foods and type 2 diabetes, the study found.
To confirm the findings, Loftfield measured the scoring tool with participants in a carefully controlled 2019 National Institutes of Health study of ultraprocessed foods.
In that study, 20 adults went to live for a month at an NIH center. They received diets of ultraprocessed and unprocessed foods matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and macronutrients for two weeks each and were told to eat as much as they liked.
Loftfield’s team found that they could use the metabolite scores to tell when the individual participants were eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods and when they weren’t eating those foods.
The results suggested the markers were “valid at the individual level,” Loftfield said.
It’s still early research, but identifying blood and urine markers to predict ultraprocessed foods consumption is “a major scientific advance,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food Is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, who was not involved in the study.
“With more research, these metabolic signatures can begin to untangle the biologic pathways and harms of UPF and also differences in health effects of specific UPF food groups, processing methods and additives,” he said.
Loftfield said she hopes to apply the tool to existing studies where blood and urine samples are available to track, for instance, the effect of consuming ultraprocessed foods on cancer risk.
At a time when support for government research is being cut, funding remains uncertain.
“There’s a lot of interest across the board — scientifically, public interest, political interest — in the question of: Does ultraprocessed food impact health and, if so, how?” she said. “How can we fund the studies that need to be done to answer these questions in a timely way?”
___
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. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"Molecules in blood and urine may reveal how much energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods, a key step to understanding the impact of the products that make up nearly 60% of the American diet, a new study finds.",
"It’s the first time that scientists have identified biological markers that can indicate higher or lower intake of the foods, which are linked to a host of health problems, said Erikka Loftfield, a National Cancer Institute researcher who led the study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine.",
"“It can potentially give us some clues as to what the underlying biology might be between an ultraprocessed food association and a health outcome,” Loftfield said.",
"Ultraprocessed foods – sugary cereals, sodas, chips, frozen pizzas and more – are products created through industrial processes with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives not found in home kitchens. They’re ubiquitous in the U.S. and elsewhere, but studying their health impacts is hard because it’s difficult to accurately track what people eat.",
"Typical nutrition studies rely on recall: asking people what they ate during a certain period. But such reports are notoriously unreliable because people don’t remember everything they ate, or they record it inaccurately.",
"“There’s a need for both a more objective measure and potentially also a more accurate measure,” Loftfield explained.",
"To create the new scores, Loftfield and her colleagues examined data from an existing study of more than 1,000 older U.S. adults who were AARP members. More than 700 of them had provided blood and urine samples, as well as detailed dietary recall reports, collected over a year.",
"The scientists found that hundreds of metabolites – products of digestion and other processes – corresponded to the percentage of energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods. From those, they devised a score of 28 blood markers and up to 33 urine markers that reliably predicted ultraprocessed food intake in people consuming typical diets.",
"“We found this signature that was sort of predictive of this dietary pattern that’s high in ultraprocessed food and not just a specific food item here and there,” she said.",
"A few of the markers, notably two amino acids and a carbohydrate, showed up at least 60 times out of 100 testing iterations. One marker showed a potential link between a diet high in ultraprocessed foods and type 2 diabetes, the study found.",
"To confirm the findings, Loftfield measured the scoring tool with participants in a carefully controlled 2019 National Institutes of Health study of ultraprocessed foods.",
"In that study, 20 adults went to live for a month at an NIH center. They received diets of ultraprocessed and unprocessed foods matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and macronutrients for two weeks each and were told to eat as much as they liked.",
"Loftfield’s team found that they could use the metabolite scores to tell when the individual participants were eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods and when they weren’t eating those foods.",
"The results suggested the markers were “valid at the individual level,” Loftfield said.",
"It’s still early research, but identifying blood and urine markers to predict ultraprocessed foods consumption is “a major scientific advance,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food Is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, who was not involved in the study.",
"“With more research, these metabolic signatures can begin to untangle the biologic pathways and harms of UPF and also differences in health effects of specific UPF food groups, processing methods and additives,” he said.",
"Loftfield said she hopes to apply the tool to existing studies where blood and urine samples are available to track, for instance, the effect of consuming ultraprocessed foods on cancer risk.",
"At a time when support for government research is being cut, funding remains uncertain.",
"“There’s a lot of interest across the board — scientifically, public interest, political interest — in the question of: Does ultraprocessed food impact health and, if so, how?” she said. “How can we fund the studies that need to be done to answer these questions in a timely way?”",
"___",
"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."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Medical research",
"Science",
"Lifestyle",
"Health"
] | [
"JONEL ALECCIA"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 18:00:57+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/biden-psa-2014-prostate-cancer-a052da2bb3b464bec670db97689e3688 | Biden's office says his 'last known' prostate cancer screening was in 2014 | Former President Joe Biden’s “last known” prostate cancer screening was in 2014, and he had never been diagnosed with the disease before last week, his office said Tuesday.
Biden’s aides released the new details about his diagnosis amid intense scrutiny of Biden’s health during his presidency and skepticism that the disease could have progressed to an advanced stage without being detected.
Although Biden’s cancer can possibly be controlled with treatment, it has spread to his bones and is no longer curable.
The brief statement from Biden’s office did not disclose the results of his 2014 PSA blood test. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen.
“President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014. Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the statement said in its entirety.
Biden’s cancer was announced on Sunday, prompting a wave of sympathy but also suggestions from some of his critics, including his successor Donald Trump, that the former president and his aides covered up the disease while he was in the White House given the severity of the cancer when it was announced. Tuesday’s statement appeared aimed at tamping down that speculation.
Asked about Biden during an appearance at the White House, Trump said, “it takes a long time to get to that situation” and that he was “surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago.”
“It’s a very sad situation and I feel very badly about it,” Trump said.
A memo from the White House physician released following Trump’s annual physical exam in April listed a normal PSA. Biden’s White House doctor did not include PSA results in the health summaries he released.
Screening with PSA blood tests can lead to unnecessary treatment with side effects that affect quality of life, and guidelines recommend against prostate cancer screening for men 70 and older. Biden is 82.
When caught early, prostate cancer is highly survivable, but it is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"Former President Joe Biden’s “last known” prostate cancer screening was in 2014, and he had never been diagnosed with the disease before last week, his office said Tuesday.",
"Biden’s aides released the new details about his diagnosis amid intense scrutiny of Biden’s health during his presidency and skepticism that the disease could have progressed to an advanced stage without being detected.",
"Although Biden’s cancer can possibly be controlled with treatment, it has spread to his bones and is no longer curable.",
"The brief statement from Biden’s office did not disclose the results of his 2014 PSA blood test. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen.",
"“President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014. Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the statement said in its entirety.",
"Biden’s cancer was announced on Sunday, prompting a wave of sympathy but also suggestions from some of his critics, including his successor Donald Trump, that the former president and his aides covered up the disease while he was in the White House given the severity of the cancer when it was announced. Tuesday’s statement appeared aimed at tamping down that speculation.",
"Asked about Biden during an appearance at the White House, Trump said, “it takes a long time to get to that situation” and that he was “surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago.”",
"“It’s a very sad situation and I feel very badly about it,” Trump said.",
"A memo from the White House physician released following Trump’s annual physical exam in April listed a normal PSA. Biden’s White House doctor did not include PSA results in the health summaries he released.",
"Screening with PSA blood tests can lead to unnecessary treatment with side effects that affect quality of life, and guidelines recommend against prostate cancer screening for men 70 and older. Biden is 82.",
"When caught early, prostate cancer is highly survivable, but it is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Prostate cancer",
"Joe Biden",
"Donald Trump",
"Mens health",
"Health",
"Politics"
] | [
"JONATHAN J. COOPER"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 22:17:33+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/kneecap-irish-band-terrorism-charges-951643fa3345a152f86b59bbdcbd0a49 | Member of Irish rap trio Kneecap charged with a terror offense in the UK | LONDON (AP) — British police on Wednesday charged a member of Irish hip-hop group Kneecap with a terrorism offense for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert.
The Metropolitan Police force said Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, was charged under the Terrorism Act with displaying a flag in support a proscribed organization. The alleged offense happened at the Kentish Town Forum, a London venue, on Nov. 21, 2024.
The force said the musician — whose stage name is Mo Chara, and whom police referred to by the English spelling of his name, Liam O’Hanna — is due in court on June 18.
Earlier this month, police said Kneecap was being investigated by counterterror detectives after videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and calling on people to kill lawmakers.
After the police investigation was announced, Kneecap said it had “never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” and accused “establishment figures” of taking comments out of context to “manufacture moral hysteria.”
The Belfast trio has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, where the status of the language remains a contested political issue in a society still split between British unionist and Irish nationalist communities.
It has also been criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references and for political statements.
Police said they are still investigating footage from another Kneecap concert in November 2023.
Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy, and some British lawmakers have called on organizers of next month’s Glastonbury Festival to scrap a planned performance.
Kneecap was not well known outside Northern Ireland before the release of a raucous feature film loosely based on the band’s origins and fueled by a heavy mix of drugs, sex, violence, politics and humor.
The group’s members played themselves in “Kneecap,” which won an audience award when it was screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It was shortlisted for best foreign-language picture and best original song at this year’s Academy Awards, though it didn’t make the final cut. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"LONDON (AP) — British police on Wednesday charged a member of Irish hip-hop group Kneecap with a terrorism offense for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert.",
"The Metropolitan Police force said Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, was charged under the Terrorism Act with displaying a flag in support a proscribed organization. The alleged offense happened at the Kentish Town Forum, a London venue, on Nov. 21, 2024.",
"The force said the musician — whose stage name is Mo Chara, and whom police referred to by the English spelling of his name, Liam O’Hanna — is due in court on June 18.",
"Earlier this month, police said Kneecap was being investigated by counterterror detectives after videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and calling on people to kill lawmakers.",
"After the police investigation was announced, Kneecap said it had “never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” and accused “establishment figures” of taking comments out of context to “manufacture moral hysteria.”",
"The Belfast trio has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, where the status of the language remains a contested political issue in a society still split between British unionist and Irish nationalist communities.",
"It has also been criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references and for political statements.",
"Police said they are still investigating footage from another Kneecap concert in November 2023.",
"Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy, and some British lawmakers have called on organizers of next month’s Glastonbury Festival to scrap a planned performance.",
"Kneecap was not well known outside Northern Ireland before the release of a raucous feature film loosely based on the band’s origins and fueled by a heavy mix of drugs, sex, violence, politics and humor.",
"The group’s members played themselves in “Kneecap,” which won an audience award when it was screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It was shortlisted for best foreign-language picture and best original song at this year’s Academy Awards, though it didn’t make the final cut."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Liam g",
"London",
"Hezbollah",
"Northern Ireland",
"Classical music",
"United Kingdom government",
"Music videos",
"Language",
"Liam OHanna",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Entertainment",
"Movies",
"Music",
"Terrorism",
"Hamas"
] | [] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 19:25:24+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/clayborn-temple-historic-black-church-fire-82dc7d042dcdaf74b4a8fde277d5e669 | Fire at historic Black church in Memphis was intentionally set, investigators say | MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A fire that severely damaged a historic Black church that served as the headquarters for a 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, which brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, was intentionally set, investigators said Wednesday.
The fire at Clayborn Temple, which was undergoing a yearslong renovation, was set in the interior of the church, the Memphis Fire Department said in a statement. Investigators are searching for a person suspected of being involved with the blaze.
Flames engulfed the downtown church in the early hours of April 28. Later that day Memphis Fire Chief Gina Sweat said the inside of the building was a total loss but there was still hope that some of the facade could be salvaged.
The fire department said May 14 that the building had been stabilized and investigators would use specialized equipment to study the fire’s cause.
“Clayborn Temple is sacred ground — home to generations of struggle, resilience and creativity,” Anasa Troutman, executive director of Historic Clayborn Temple, said Wednesday. “This act of violence is painful, but it will not break our spirit.”
Located just south of the iconic Beale Street, Clayborn Temple was built in 1892 as the Second Presbyterian Church and originally served an all-white congregation. In 1949 the building was sold to an African Methodist Episcopal congregation and given its current name.
Before the fire it was in the midst of a $25 million restoration project that aims to preserve the architectural and historical integrity of the Romanesque revival church, including the revival of a 3,000-pipe grand organ. The project also seeks to help revitalize the neighborhood with a museum, cultural programing and community outreach.
King was drawn to Memphis in 1968 to support some 1,300 predominantly Black sanitation workers who went on strike to protest inhumane treatment. Two workers had been crushed in a garbage compactor in 1964, but the faulty equipment had not been replaced.
On Feb. 1 of that year, two more men, Echol Cole, 36, and Robert Walker, 30, were crushed in a garbage truck compactor. The two were contract workers, so they did not qualify for worker’s compensation, and had no life insurance.
Workers then went on strike seeking to unionize and fighting for higher pay and safer working conditions. City officials declared the stoppage illegal and arrested scores of strikers and protesters.
Clayborn Temple hosted nightly meetings during the strike, and the movement’s iconic “I AM A MAN” posters were made in its basement. The temple was also a staging point for marches to City Hall, including one on March 28, 1968, that was led by King and turned violent when police and protesters clashed on Beale Street. One person was killed.
When marchers retreated to the temple, police fired tear gas inside and people broke some of the stained-glass windows to escape. King promised to lead a second, peaceful march in Memphis, but he was shot by a sniper while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4.
After King was assassinated and the strike ended with the workers securing a pay raise, the church’s influence waned. It fell into disrepair and was vacant for years before the renovation effort, which took off in 2017 thanks to a $400,000 grant from the National Park Service.
Clayborn Temple was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. A memorial to the sanitation workers, named “I AM A MAN Plaza,” opened on church grounds in 2018.
About $8 million had been spent on the renovations before the fire, and the exterior had been fully restored, Troutman said.
She said in a recent interview that two chimneys had to be demolished before investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could safely work on the property, but the church organ had been removed before the fire.
As the fire was burning, she said, people went to the “I AM A MAN” memorial and stood at a wall where the names of the striking sanitation workers are listed.
“I watched that wall turn into the Wailing Wall, because people were literally getting out of their cars, walking up to that wall and wailing, staring at the building on fire,” she said. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A fire that severely damaged a historic Black church that served as the headquarters for a 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, which brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, was intentionally set, investigators said Wednesday.",
"The fire at Clayborn Temple, which was undergoing a yearslong renovation, was set in the interior of the church, the Memphis Fire Department said in a statement. Investigators are searching for a person suspected of being involved with the blaze.",
"Flames engulfed the downtown church in the early hours of April 28. Later that day Memphis Fire Chief Gina Sweat said the inside of the building was a total loss but there was still hope that some of the facade could be salvaged.",
"The fire department said May 14 that the building had been stabilized and investigators would use specialized equipment to study the fire’s cause.",
"“Clayborn Temple is sacred ground — home to generations of struggle, resilience and creativity,” Anasa Troutman, executive director of Historic Clayborn Temple, said Wednesday. “This act of violence is painful, but it will not break our spirit.”",
"Located just south of the iconic Beale Street, Clayborn Temple was built in 1892 as the Second Presbyterian Church and originally served an all-white congregation. In 1949 the building was sold to an African Methodist Episcopal congregation and given its current name.",
"Before the fire it was in the midst of a $25 million restoration project that aims to preserve the architectural and historical integrity of the Romanesque revival church, including the revival of a 3,000-pipe grand organ. The project also seeks to help revitalize the neighborhood with a museum, cultural programing and community outreach.",
"King was drawn to Memphis in 1968 to support some 1,300 predominantly Black sanitation workers who went on strike to protest inhumane treatment. Two workers had been crushed in a garbage compactor in 1964, but the faulty equipment had not been replaced.",
"On Feb. 1 of that year, two more men, Echol Cole, 36, and Robert Walker, 30, were crushed in a garbage truck compactor. The two were contract workers, so they did not qualify for worker’s compensation, and had no life insurance.",
"Workers then went on strike seeking to unionize and fighting for higher pay and safer working conditions. City officials declared the stoppage illegal and arrested scores of strikers and protesters.",
"Clayborn Temple hosted nightly meetings during the strike, and the movement’s iconic “I AM A MAN” posters were made in its basement. The temple was also a staging point for marches to City Hall, including one on March 28, 1968, that was led by King and turned violent when police and protesters clashed on Beale Street. One person was killed.",
"When marchers retreated to the temple, police fired tear gas inside and people broke some of the stained-glass windows to escape. King promised to lead a second, peaceful march in Memphis, but he was shot by a sniper while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4.",
"After King was assassinated and the strike ended with the workers securing a pay raise, the church’s influence waned. It fell into disrepair and was vacant for years before the renovation effort, which took off in 2017 thanks to a $400,000 grant from the National Park Service.",
"Clayborn Temple was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. A memorial to the sanitation workers, named “I AM A MAN Plaza,” opened on church grounds in 2018.",
"About $8 million had been spent on the renovations before the fire, and the exterior had been fully restored, Troutman said.",
"She said in a recent interview that two chimneys had to be demolished before investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could safely work on the property, but the church organ had been removed before the fire.",
"As the fire was burning, she said, people went to the “I AM A MAN” memorial and stood at a wall where the names of the striking sanitation workers are listed.",
"“I watched that wall turn into the Wailing Wall, because people were literally getting out of their cars, walking up to that wall and wailing, staring at the building on fire,” she said."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Memphis",
"Martin Luther King Jr.",
"Strikes",
"Fires",
"Gina Sweat",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Religion",
"Labor",
"Robert Walker",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | [
"ADRIAN SAINZ"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 21:40:09+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/privacy-oversight-federal-judge-8ec805e2b97f31bd6af65dada3448809 | Federal judge blocks Trump's firing of two Democratic members of privacy oversight board | A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s firing of two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
The ruling Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ends the lawsuit brought by two of the three fired board members in February.
The five-member board is an independent watchdog agency housed within the executive branch. Congress created the agency after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and tasked the board members with making sure the federal government’s counterterrorism policies are balanced against privacy and civil liberties.
“The Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
Walton said in the written ruling that allowing at-will removal of board members by the president would make the board “beholden to the very authority it is supposed to oversee on behalf of Congress and the American people.”
“To hold otherwise would be to bless the President’s obvious attempt to exercise power beyond that granted to him by the Constitution and shield the Executive Branch’s counterterrorism actions from independent oversight, public scrutiny, and bipartisan congressional insight regarding those actions,” Walton wrote.
The judge said that even though the statute creating the board didn’t include any specific protections from at-will removal for board members, the basic structure and function of the board showed that Congress intended to restrict the President’s power to fire board members.
Former board members Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten sued in February, asking the judge to find that board members can’t be fired without cause. Otherwise, they said, members would fear that criticizing the executive branch would lead to their dismissal, effectively rendering the agency unable to give candid, independent advice to Congress.
The third Democratic board member removed by Trump had just two days left in her six-year term and did not sue. Another board seat was already vacant, leaving just one Republican-appointed member on the board.
That’s well short of the quorum required for the agency to perform any significant activities, including the duties mandated by Congress like an in-the-works report on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, LeBlanc and Felten said in the lawsuit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Dreier told the judge in court documents that other congressionally-created independent boards do have special protections from removal written into statute. He said the judge should not add a protection that Congress declined to grant, suggesting that would be akin to stepping into a legislative role.
___ | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s firing of two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.",
"The ruling Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ends the lawsuit brought by two of the three fired board members in February.",
"The five-member board is an independent watchdog agency housed within the executive branch. Congress created the agency after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and tasked the board members with making sure the federal government’s counterterrorism policies are balanced against privacy and civil liberties.",
"“The Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”",
"Walton said in the written ruling that allowing at-will removal of board members by the president would make the board “beholden to the very authority it is supposed to oversee on behalf of Congress and the American people.”",
"“To hold otherwise would be to bless the President’s obvious attempt to exercise power beyond that granted to him by the Constitution and shield the Executive Branch’s counterterrorism actions from independent oversight, public scrutiny, and bipartisan congressional insight regarding those actions,” Walton wrote.",
"The judge said that even though the statute creating the board didn’t include any specific protections from at-will removal for board members, the basic structure and function of the board showed that Congress intended to restrict the President’s power to fire board members.",
"Former board members Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten sued in February, asking the judge to find that board members can’t be fired without cause. Otherwise, they said, members would fear that criticizing the executive branch would lead to their dismissal, effectively rendering the agency unable to give candid, independent advice to Congress.",
"The third Democratic board member removed by Trump had just two days left in her six-year term and did not sue. Another board seat was already vacant, leaving just one Republican-appointed member on the board.",
"That’s well short of the quorum required for the agency to perform any significant activities, including the duties mandated by Congress like an in-the-works report on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, LeBlanc and Felten said in the lawsuit.",
"Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Dreier told the judge in court documents that other congressionally-created independent boards do have special protections from removal written into statute. He said the judge should not add a protection that Congress declined to grant, suggesting that would be akin to stepping into a legislative role.",
"___"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Donald Trump",
"Reggie B. Walton",
"Human rights",
"September 11 attacks",
"Lawsuits",
"Privacy",
"Civil rights",
"Politics",
"Government policy",
"Douglas Dreier",
"Counterterrorism",
"Edward Felten",
"Legal proceedings",
"Harrison Fields"
] | [
"REBECCA BOONE"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 17:23:09+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/china-coal-mine-deaths-gansu-e1a7beddfb6a5d190badbedec2536b9c | 3 coal mine workers killed in China after water rushes in | BEIJING (AP) — Water rushed into a coal mine in northwestern China’s Gansu province, leaving three workers dead, official state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday.
There were 133 people working in the mine when the flooding happened on Monday evening at a depth of about 610 meters (2,000 feet).
The report didn’t provide any details on how the three victims died, but said that the bodies were found 18 hours after the flooding happened. The other 130 workers were evacuated to safety within an hour of the flooding at the Jingmei Energy Co. mine in Gansu, a major coal-producing region.
China has been working to improve mine safety to prevent disasters, which happen frequently. A coal mine explosion killed 11 people in Shanxi in August 2023, a coal mine fire in southern Guizhou province killed 16 people in September, and a coal mine cart ran off the tracks in northeastern Heilongjiang province killed 12 people in December 2023.
A fire at a coal mining company building killed 26 people and injured dozens of others in Shanxi in 2023. The blaze wasn’t in the mine itself. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"BEIJING (AP) — Water rushed into a coal mine in northwestern China’s Gansu province, leaving three workers dead, official state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday.",
"There were 133 people working in the mine when the flooding happened on Monday evening at a depth of about 610 meters (2,000 feet).",
"The report didn’t provide any details on how the three victims died, but said that the bodies were found 18 hours after the flooding happened. The other 130 workers were evacuated to safety within an hour of the flooding at the Jingmei Energy Co. mine in Gansu, a major coal-producing region.",
"China has been working to improve mine safety to prevent disasters, which happen frequently. A coal mine explosion killed 11 people in Shanxi in August 2023, a coal mine fire in southern Guizhou province killed 16 people in September, and a coal mine cart ran off the tracks in northeastern Heilongjiang province killed 12 people in December 2023.",
"A fire at a coal mining company building killed 26 people and injured dozens of others in Shanxi in 2023. The blaze wasn’t in the mine itself."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Mining accidents",
"China",
"Business"
] | [] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 14:42:18+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-sites-explained-us-negotiations-cb602a7b53f9314dfba7e35a889fc086 | A look at major nuclear sites in Iran | DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has multiple major sites associated with its rapidly advancing nuclear program, now the subject of several rounds of negotiations with the United States.
The sites across the country, including one in the heart of Tehran, the capital, show the breadth and history of the program. One in particular, Iran’s Natanz enrichment site, has been targeted several times in suspected sabotage attacks by Israel amid tensions between the two Mideast rivals.
Here’s a look at some of those major Iranian sites and their importance in Tehran’s program.
Natanz enrichment facility
Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz, located some 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, is the country’s main enrichment site. Part of the facility on Iran’s Central Plateau is underground to defend against potential airstrikes. It operates multiple cascades, or groups of centrifuges working together to more quickly enrich uranium. Iran also is burrowing into the Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or “Pickaxe Mountain,” which is just beyond Natanz’s southern fencing. Natanz has been targeted by the Stuxnet virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges. Two separate sabotage attacks, attributed to Israel, also have struck the facility.
Fordo enrichment facility
Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordo is located some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran. It also hosts centrifuge cascades, but isn’t as big a facility as Natanz. Buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries, Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes. Its construction began at least in 2007, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, although Iran only informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the facility in 2009 after the U.S. and allied Western intelligence agencies became aware of its existence.
Bushehr nuclear power plant
Iran’s only commercial nuclear power plant is in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, some 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of Tehran. Construction on the plant began under Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the mid-1970s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly targeted in the Iran-Iraq war. Russia later completed construction of the facility. Iran is building two other reactors like it at the site. Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency.
Arak heavy water reactor
The Arak heavy water reactor is 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Tehran. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon. Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns.
Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center
The facility in Isfahan, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Tehran, employs thousands of nuclear scientists. It also is home to three Chinese research reactors and laboratories associated with the country’s atomic program.
Tehran Research Reactor
The Tehran Research Reactor is at the headquarters of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the civilian body overseeing the country’s atomic program. The U.S. actually provided Iran the reactor in 1967 as part of America’s “Atoms for Peace” program during the Cold War. It initially required highly enriched uranium but was later retrofitted to use low-enriched uranium over proliferation concerns. ___
The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
___
Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/ | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has multiple major sites associated with its rapidly advancing nuclear program, now the subject of several rounds of negotiations with the United States.",
"The sites across the country, including one in the heart of Tehran, the capital, show the breadth and history of the program. One in particular, Iran’s Natanz enrichment site, has been targeted several times in suspected sabotage attacks by Israel amid tensions between the two Mideast rivals.",
"Here’s a look at some of those major Iranian sites and their importance in Tehran’s program."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Natanz enrichment facility"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz, located some 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, is the country’s main enrichment site. Part of the facility on Iran’s Central Plateau is underground to defend against potential airstrikes. It operates multiple cascades, or groups of centrifuges working together to more quickly enrich uranium. Iran also is burrowing into the Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or “Pickaxe Mountain,” which is just beyond Natanz’s southern fencing. Natanz has been targeted by the Stuxnet virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges. Two separate sabotage attacks, attributed to Israel, also have struck the facility."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Fordo enrichment facility"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordo is located some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran. It also hosts centrifuge cascades, but isn’t as big a facility as Natanz. Buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries, Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes. Its construction began at least in 2007, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, although Iran only informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the facility in 2009 after the U.S. and allied Western intelligence agencies became aware of its existence."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Bushehr nuclear power plant"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Iran’s only commercial nuclear power plant is in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, some 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of Tehran. Construction on the plant began under Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the mid-1970s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly targeted in the Iran-Iraq war. Russia later completed construction of the facility. Iran is building two other reactors like it at the site. Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Arak heavy water reactor"
],
"paragraphs": [
"The Arak heavy water reactor is 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Tehran. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon. Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center"
],
"paragraphs": [
"The facility in Isfahan, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Tehran, employs thousands of nuclear scientists. It also is home to three Chinese research reactors and laboratories associated with the country’s atomic program."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Tehran Research Reactor"
],
"paragraphs": [
"The Tehran Research Reactor is at the headquarters of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the civilian body overseeing the country’s atomic program. The U.S. actually provided Iran the reactor in 1967 as part of America’s “Atoms for Peace” program during the Cold War. It initially required highly enriched uranium but was later retrofitted to use low-enriched uranium over proliferation concerns. ___",
"The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.",
"___",
"Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Iran",
"Tehran",
"Iran government",
"Mohammad Reza Pahlavi",
"2024-2025 Mideast Wars"
] | [
"JON GAMBRELL"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 13:21:12+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-tours-harlem-muslims-islam-a0d864041520c570bdf5c72482616a70 | New York Narratives tour centers Muslim experiences, history in the city | NEW YORK (RNS) — Participants are often surprised when Asad Dandia’s Muslim Harlem tour stops at JC Barbershop in Spanish Harlem — only until he explains it was the headquarters of the country’s first Puerto Rican Muslim organization, the AlianzaIslámica (the Islamic Alliance).
A photo of the 1990s storefront in hand, Dandia lectures a tour group on a Saturday in April about the history of Latino Muslims in New York City.
“I’ve stopped there so many times, I know clients and barbers probably wonder what I’m doing,” he said.
Dandia founded his walking-tour company, New York Narratives, in 2023 to help tourists discover the city’s Muslim history. He highlights traces of the earliest Muslim New Yorkers and locations important to the approximately 750,000 Muslims who currently call the city home. The tours have since expanded to show experiences of other religious minorities and cultural histories, such as a tour through the “Jewish Lower East Side,” and others focused on social movements and working-class New Yorkers.
___
This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story.
___
A museum educator for the Museum of the City of New York with a background in Islamic studies, Dandia draws from both his professional interests and personal experience as a Pakistani American who grew up in southern Brooklyn. He shows a side of New York many aren’t familiar with, referring to it as “my New York.”
“I try to demonstrate how Muslims are deeply interconnected and intertwined with the histories of New York City,” Dandia said in an interview before the tour.
On the company’s flagship Muslim Harlem tour, Dandia covers five different communities that settled in the neighborhood, highlighting American Muslims’ diversity.
The group first stopped at the Islamic Cultural Center on the Upper East Side, the city’s first mosque built for that purpose, as earlier mosques were created in homes or apartments. In Spanish Harlem, Dandia touched on the history of Hispanic Muslims and Bengali immigrants. After a stop at a Somali restaurant — the only one in the city, Dandia said — for chicken suqaar and bits of East African history, the group headed to central Harlem. In Little Senegal, Dandia delved into the history of West African immigrants and their kinship with Harlem’s African American residents. The tour, which ended early on that April day, usually ends in front of Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in central Harlem, where Malcolm X once preached.
The itinerary covers various Muslim sects, from the Nation of Islam to Sufism. It places a “great emphasis on Islam in Harlem as a lived religion,” according to the New York Narratives website.
He came up with the idea of creating tours focused on New York’s religious minorities after noticing few walking tours reflecting the city’s immigrant communities, where Dandia grew up. Since he launched the company, Dandia has broadened tour offerings to cover Ottoman Empire diplomats who settled on Manhattan’s Lower West Side and highlight Harlem’s cultural relevance for Black Muslims.
“There was a tremendous gap in how public historians and tour guides talk about New York City’s communities,” he said. “I just saw that some stories were not being told that I felt needed to be told.”
Through his tours, Dandia hopes to demystify the history of Muslim New York by highlighting the community’s contributions to the city. Muslim presence in New York, he said, dates back 400 years and has added to the “city’s tapestry and its culture.”
“Muslims are a central part of New York,” he said. “We are your doctors, your pharmacists, we are your cab drivers. We’re making your halal food right at the food carts, and we’re involved in social justice movements. We’re educators.”
When developing a new tour, he relies on historians, history books, local faith leaders, activists, and community historians as integral sources, he said.
“They share with me their knowledge and what they know, and I turn it into a compelling story with their consent and with their support,” he said, adding he also pulls from old newspapers and other written archives to craft his itineraries.
Since 2023, he has taken hundreds of university students and professors on tours, as well as nonprofit staff, eager to learn more about the communities they serve.
The opportunity to talk about Muslim New Yorkers’ experiences without focusing on Islamophobia feels refreshing, he said.
“I can talk about cultural traditions, theologies, urban religion, and all of that really fun stuff,” he said.
In 2013, Dandia was among plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department for its decade-long surveillance of Muslims. The suit resulted in a change in the NYPD’s policies, barring it from opening investigations on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity.
Dandia also helped curate the “City of Faith” exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York in 2022, which documented religious profiling that South Asian Americans faced post-9/11.
Still, on the tours, Dandia often addresses how Muslim New Yorkers navigate anti-Muslim biases and the impact the post-9/11 Islamophobia peak had on the community.
Recently, he started developing a tour in conjunction with the Tenement Museum, which covers immigration in New York from the late 19th century to the 1970s, to explore Muslim history on the Lower East Side and Buddhist and Taoist communities in the area.
“Asad’s outlook on history and working with community members and sort of unearthing untold stories felt so aligned with the way the Tenement Museum shares stories of immigrant and migrant communities,” said Kathryn Lloyd, vice president of programs and interpretations at the museum.
Their joint tour, still in the planning phase, is part of the museum’s “Lived Religion” project, which looks at religious practices of Lower East Side communities. The project, funded by a Lilly Endowment grant, will help the museum document the experience of Muslim immigrants, Lloyd said. Though the museum currently documents the lives of a German Jewish immigrant family, an African American family, and families from Puerto Rico, China, and Italy, the museum had no section on a Muslim family.
“They’re a community that often doesn’t get talked about as much, so we’re excited to kind of elevate both the past and present Muslim communities on the Lower East Side,” Lloyd said. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"NEW YORK (RNS) — Participants are often surprised when Asad Dandia’s Muslim Harlem tour stops at JC Barbershop in Spanish Harlem — only until he explains it was the headquarters of the country’s first Puerto Rican Muslim organization, the AlianzaIslámica (the Islamic Alliance).",
"A photo of the 1990s storefront in hand, Dandia lectures a tour group on a Saturday in April about the history of Latino Muslims in New York City.",
"“I’ve stopped there so many times, I know clients and barbers probably wonder what I’m doing,” he said.",
"Dandia founded his walking-tour company, New York Narratives, in 2023 to help tourists discover the city’s Muslim history. He highlights traces of the earliest Muslim New Yorkers and locations important to the approximately 750,000 Muslims who currently call the city home. The tours have since expanded to show experiences of other religious minorities and cultural histories, such as a tour through the “Jewish Lower East Side,” and others focused on social movements and working-class New Yorkers.",
"___",
"This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story.",
"___",
"A museum educator for the Museum of the City of New York with a background in Islamic studies, Dandia draws from both his professional interests and personal experience as a Pakistani American who grew up in southern Brooklyn. He shows a side of New York many aren’t familiar with, referring to it as “my New York.”",
"“I try to demonstrate how Muslims are deeply interconnected and intertwined with the histories of New York City,” Dandia said in an interview before the tour.",
"On the company’s flagship Muslim Harlem tour, Dandia covers five different communities that settled in the neighborhood, highlighting American Muslims’ diversity.",
"The group first stopped at the Islamic Cultural Center on the Upper East Side, the city’s first mosque built for that purpose, as earlier mosques were created in homes or apartments. In Spanish Harlem, Dandia touched on the history of Hispanic Muslims and Bengali immigrants. After a stop at a Somali restaurant — the only one in the city, Dandia said — for chicken suqaar and bits of East African history, the group headed to central Harlem. In Little Senegal, Dandia delved into the history of West African immigrants and their kinship with Harlem’s African American residents. The tour, which ended early on that April day, usually ends in front of Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in central Harlem, where Malcolm X once preached.",
"The itinerary covers various Muslim sects, from the Nation of Islam to Sufism. It places a “great emphasis on Islam in Harlem as a lived religion,” according to the New York Narratives website.",
"He came up with the idea of creating tours focused on New York’s religious minorities after noticing few walking tours reflecting the city’s immigrant communities, where Dandia grew up. Since he launched the company, Dandia has broadened tour offerings to cover Ottoman Empire diplomats who settled on Manhattan’s Lower West Side and highlight Harlem’s cultural relevance for Black Muslims.",
"“There was a tremendous gap in how public historians and tour guides talk about New York City’s communities,” he said. “I just saw that some stories were not being told that I felt needed to be told.”",
"Through his tours, Dandia hopes to demystify the history of Muslim New York by highlighting the community’s contributions to the city. Muslim presence in New York, he said, dates back 400 years and has added to the “city’s tapestry and its culture.”",
"“Muslims are a central part of New York,” he said. “We are your doctors, your pharmacists, we are your cab drivers. We’re making your halal food right at the food carts, and we’re involved in social justice movements. We’re educators.”",
"When developing a new tour, he relies on historians, history books, local faith leaders, activists, and community historians as integral sources, he said.",
"“They share with me their knowledge and what they know, and I turn it into a compelling story with their consent and with their support,” he said, adding he also pulls from old newspapers and other written archives to craft his itineraries.",
"Since 2023, he has taken hundreds of university students and professors on tours, as well as nonprofit staff, eager to learn more about the communities they serve.",
"The opportunity to talk about Muslim New Yorkers’ experiences without focusing on Islamophobia feels refreshing, he said.",
"“I can talk about cultural traditions, theologies, urban religion, and all of that really fun stuff,” he said.",
"In 2013, Dandia was among plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department for its decade-long surveillance of Muslims. The suit resulted in a change in the NYPD’s policies, barring it from opening investigations on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity.",
"Dandia also helped curate the “City of Faith” exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York in 2022, which documented religious profiling that South Asian Americans faced post-9/11.",
"Still, on the tours, Dandia often addresses how Muslim New Yorkers navigate anti-Muslim biases and the impact the post-9/11 Islamophobia peak had on the community.",
"Recently, he started developing a tour in conjunction with the Tenement Museum, which covers immigration in New York from the late 19th century to the 1970s, to explore Muslim history on the Lower East Side and Buddhist and Taoist communities in the area.",
"“Asad’s outlook on history and working with community members and sort of unearthing untold stories felt so aligned with the way the Tenement Museum shares stories of immigrant and migrant communities,” said Kathryn Lloyd, vice president of programs and interpretations at the museum.",
"Their joint tour, still in the planning phase, is part of the museum’s “Lived Religion” project, which looks at religious practices of Lower East Side communities. The project, funded by a Lilly Endowment grant, will help the museum document the experience of Muslim immigrants, Lloyd said. Though the museum currently documents the lives of a German Jewish immigrant family, an African American family, and families from Puerto Rico, China, and Italy, the museum had no section on a Muslim family.",
"“They’re a community that often doesn’t get talked about as much, so we’re excited to kind of elevate both the past and present Muslim communities on the Lower East Side,” Lloyd said."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"New York City",
"Islam",
"New York",
"Asad Dandias Muslim Harlem",
"New York City Wire",
"Religion",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Kathryn Lloyd",
"Associated Press",
"Malcolm Shabazz",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | [
"FIONA ANDRE"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 15:44:49+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-parole-hearing-ed6558ab7e5e82899e5408126e46b6bd | Parole hearing for Menendez brothers delayed until August | LOS ANGELES (AP) — Erik and Lyle Menendez’s hearing in front of the California state parole board has been pushed back to August, their attorneys said Tuesday.
The delay comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew his request for the parole board to evaluate the brothers for clemency as they seek their freedom after 35 years behind bars for killing their parents.
The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time.
A Los Angeles judge opened the door to freedom last week by giving the brothers a new sentence of 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under the age of 26 when they committed their crimes.
They initially had a clemency hearing scheduled in June, but it has since been converted to a parole suitability hearing and pushed back to Aug. 21 and 22, their lawyers said.
Scott Wyckoff, executive officer of the California Board of Parole Hearings, said in an email to attorneys on both sides that Gov. Newsom withdrew the request for a clemency investigation last Thursday in light of the judge’s resentencing decision.
The governor’s office declined to comment on the decision but noted that the clemency application was still considered active.
The brothers’ cousin, Anamaria Baralt, said in a video posted on her TikTok that the change would benefit the brothers, given that many people are not granted parole at their first hearing.
“This is not a bad thing,” Baralt said. “Most people prepare for parole for like a year ... the more time that they can have to prepare, the better.” | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"LOS ANGELES (AP) — Erik and Lyle Menendez’s hearing in front of the California state parole board has been pushed back to August, their attorneys said Tuesday.",
"The delay comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew his request for the parole board to evaluate the brothers for clemency as they seek their freedom after 35 years behind bars for killing their parents.",
"The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time.",
"A Los Angeles judge opened the door to freedom last week by giving the brothers a new sentence of 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under the age of 26 when they committed their crimes.",
"They initially had a clemency hearing scheduled in June, but it has since been converted to a parole suitability hearing and pushed back to Aug. 21 and 22, their lawyers said.",
"Scott Wyckoff, executive officer of the California Board of Parole Hearings, said in an email to attorneys on both sides that Gov. Newsom withdrew the request for a clemency investigation last Thursday in light of the judge’s resentencing decision.",
"The governor’s office declined to comment on the decision but noted that the clemency application was still considered active.",
"The brothers’ cousin, Anamaria Baralt, said in a video posted on her TikTok that the change would benefit the brothers, given that many people are not granted parole at their first hearing.",
"“This is not a bad thing,” Baralt said. “Most people prepare for parole for like a year ... the more time that they can have to prepare, the better.”"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Erik Menendez",
"California",
"Lyle Menendez",
"Legal proceedings",
"Shootings",
"Kitty Menendez",
"Law and order",
"Scott Wyckoff"
] | [
"JAIMIE DING"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 02:09:06+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/fountain-of-youth-portman-krasinski-movie-28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533 | Natalie Portman and John Krasinski embark on a globe-trotting adventure in ‘Fountain of Youth’ | The spirit of Indiana Jones is baked into the essence of the new movie “Fountain of Youth.”
This lighthearted, globe-trotting heist from Guy Ritchie, debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, stars Natalie Portman and John Krasinski as estranged siblings attempting to piece together historical facts in hopes of finding the mythical spring. The quest takes them to far-flung places from Vienna to the pyramids, as they try to evade capture by the authorities and a shadowy operation intent on stopping the search.
“I’ve been looking to watch this movie for years,” Krasinski said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is the movie I pretended to be in when I was a kid. This is what got me into the business.”
The film also stars Domnhall Gleeson as the wealthy businessman funding the operation and Eiza González as one of the protectors of the Fountain of Youth.
“ Guy Ritchie gets to work with some of the best cast in the world,” said González, who has now worked with him three times. “The biggest gift Guy has given me, besides the privilege of working with him, is working with them.”
Gleeson, a newcomer to the world of Ritchie, was pretty sure that it was going to be as enjoyable as it looked. And he got a vote of confidence from his director.
“Guy basically said, if you’re not having fun, then this is not going to work and so the idea is to turn up and have fun,” Gleeson said.
Something for the whole family
There were a lot of things about “Fountain of Youth” that piqued Portman’s interest. The chance to work with Ritchie, Krasinski, and the rest of the cast, as well as the travel, but it also felt like something she could share with her own son and daughter.
“It’s so rare to get to make a movie that has this scale and this scope of adventure that you can watch with your kids,” Portman said. “I’m always looking for something that I can enjoy with my children.”
Her character, Charlotte, is an art historian who had an adventuresome childhood with her explorer father and brother Luke (Krasinski) but has since settled for a more stable life. We meet her amid a contentious divorce and custody battle over her 12-year-old son, and she’s not exactly pleased when Luke steals a piece of art from her gallery and attempts to recruit her for the bigger mission. But soon, she’s in scuba gear hunting down a lost Rembrandt in the wreckage of the RMS Lusitania.
“I think that something we search for as adults is how to regain that youthful spirit, how to hold onto that youthful energy and freedom and wildness, even when having to move into some adult responsibilities,” said Portman, who, like her character is recently divorced. “Maybe that can make you a better parent to have a little bit of that glint in your eye.”
She and Krasinski, working together for the first time, fell into the sibling dynamics easily.
“These movies sort of live and die with the relationships,” Krasinski said. “The sibling thing really only works if you’re having genuine fun with the person and it can come off screen. And I laughed with her every single day. She’s so funny.”
A historic shoot at the pyramids
Globe-trotting films aren’t just travelogues for the audience, but their own sort of adventure for the cast and crew. This production earned their miles, skipping between the streets of Bangkok and Liverpool, the Austrian National Library in Vienna and Cairo to film at the great pyramids — where “Fountain of Youth” became the first film of this scale to be granted the privilege to shoot action sequences there.
“It was really a pinch me kind of moment to be like, oh, those are the pyramids and we’re just hanging out here and walking into them and filming in them,” Portman said.
The big first was landing a Boeing Chinook CH47 helicopter in front of the Giza Plateau, and blowing up a jeep, all while the site remained open to tourists.
“With any luck, we didn’t blow it for Hollywood going back there for somebody else,” Krasinski said. “But if we did, at least we got to do it.”
Most of the big action moments “inside” the pyramids were saved for the safety of sets constructed at London’s Leavesden Studio, where they also built the wreckage of the Lusitania in a water tank so big that it took two weeks to fill.
An epic made for the small screen
“Fountain of Youth” might seem like the type of movie that would be a natural fit for the big screen: A big budget, global adventure with major stars and sweeping vistas. While Krasinski champions movie theaters — at the time of the interview, he had a ticket to see “Sinners” on IMAX the next day — he’s also not feeling bittersweet that this one won’t be playing at the multiplex. They all came into “Fountain of Youth” knowing that it was a streaming-first endeavor.
“This was always going to be a streaming movie, so I didn’t really think about it in terms of ... Would people want to see it in theaters because it was just one of those things,” Krasinski said. “And I think that’s the new reality. There are definitely movies that are being made for streaming, and there are movies being made for theatrical.”
He added: “It all depends on what the filmmaker’s intent was, what the studio’s intent and I think as long as those rules are laid out clearly in the beginning, I’m down for either one.”
___
For more coverage of films, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"The spirit of Indiana Jones is baked into the essence of the new movie “Fountain of Youth.”",
"This lighthearted, globe-trotting heist from Guy Ritchie, debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, stars Natalie Portman and John Krasinski as estranged siblings attempting to piece together historical facts in hopes of finding the mythical spring. The quest takes them to far-flung places from Vienna to the pyramids, as they try to evade capture by the authorities and a shadowy operation intent on stopping the search.",
"“I’ve been looking to watch this movie for years,” Krasinski said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is the movie I pretended to be in when I was a kid. This is what got me into the business.”",
"The film also stars Domnhall Gleeson as the wealthy businessman funding the operation and Eiza González as one of the protectors of the Fountain of Youth.",
"“ Guy Ritchie gets to work with some of the best cast in the world,” said González, who has now worked with him three times. “The biggest gift Guy has given me, besides the privilege of working with him, is working with them.”",
"Gleeson, a newcomer to the world of Ritchie, was pretty sure that it was going to be as enjoyable as it looked. And he got a vote of confidence from his director.",
"“Guy basically said, if you’re not having fun, then this is not going to work and so the idea is to turn up and have fun,” Gleeson said."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Something for the whole family"
],
"paragraphs": [
"There were a lot of things about “Fountain of Youth” that piqued Portman’s interest. The chance to work with Ritchie, Krasinski, and the rest of the cast, as well as the travel, but it also felt like something she could share with her own son and daughter.",
"“It’s so rare to get to make a movie that has this scale and this scope of adventure that you can watch with your kids,” Portman said. “I’m always looking for something that I can enjoy with my children.”",
"Her character, Charlotte, is an art historian who had an adventuresome childhood with her explorer father and brother Luke (Krasinski) but has since settled for a more stable life. We meet her amid a contentious divorce and custody battle over her 12-year-old son, and she’s not exactly pleased when Luke steals a piece of art from her gallery and attempts to recruit her for the bigger mission. But soon, she’s in scuba gear hunting down a lost Rembrandt in the wreckage of the RMS Lusitania.",
"“I think that something we search for as adults is how to regain that youthful spirit, how to hold onto that youthful energy and freedom and wildness, even when having to move into some adult responsibilities,” said Portman, who, like her character is recently divorced. “Maybe that can make you a better parent to have a little bit of that glint in your eye.”",
"She and Krasinski, working together for the first time, fell into the sibling dynamics easily.",
"“These movies sort of live and die with the relationships,” Krasinski said. “The sibling thing really only works if you’re having genuine fun with the person and it can come off screen. And I laughed with her every single day. She’s so funny.”"
]
},
{
"headline": [
"A historic shoot at the pyramids"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Globe-trotting films aren’t just travelogues for the audience, but their own sort of adventure for the cast and crew. This production earned their miles, skipping between the streets of Bangkok and Liverpool, the Austrian National Library in Vienna and Cairo to film at the great pyramids — where “Fountain of Youth” became the first film of this scale to be granted the privilege to shoot action sequences there.",
"“It was really a pinch me kind of moment to be like, oh, those are the pyramids and we’re just hanging out here and walking into them and filming in them,” Portman said.",
"The big first was landing a Boeing Chinook CH47 helicopter in front of the Giza Plateau, and blowing up a jeep, all while the site remained open to tourists.",
"“With any luck, we didn’t blow it for Hollywood going back there for somebody else,” Krasinski said. “But if we did, at least we got to do it.”",
"Most of the big action moments “inside” the pyramids were saved for the safety of sets constructed at London’s Leavesden Studio, where they also built the wreckage of the Lusitania in a water tank so big that it took two weeks to fill."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"An epic made for the small screen"
],
"paragraphs": [
"“Fountain of Youth” might seem like the type of movie that would be a natural fit for the big screen: A big budget, global adventure with major stars and sweeping vistas. While Krasinski champions movie theaters — at the time of the interview, he had a ticket to see “Sinners” on IMAX the next day — he’s also not feeling bittersweet that this one won’t be playing at the multiplex. They all came into “Fountain of Youth” knowing that it was a streaming-first endeavor.",
"“This was always going to be a streaming movie, so I didn’t really think about it in terms of ... Would people want to see it in theaters because it was just one of those things,” Krasinski said. “And I think that’s the new reality. There are definitely movies that are being made for streaming, and there are movies being made for theatrical.”",
"He added: “It all depends on what the filmmaker’s intent was, what the studio’s intent and I think as long as those rules are laid out clearly in the beginning, I’m down for either one.”",
"___",
"For more coverage of films, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Natalie Portman",
"John Krasinski",
"Guy Ritchie",
"Movies",
"Vienna",
"Entertainment",
"Bangkok"
] | [
"LINDSEY BAHR"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 16:31:05+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/europe-radio-free-trump-funds-9e6283df860222e825c81ff0c1c0ef9b | EU will provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after US cuts | BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed Tuesday to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War. Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Its lawyers have been fighting the administration in court.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers had agreed to a 5.5-million-euro ($6.2 million) contract to “support the vital work of Radio Free Europe.” The “short-term emergency funding” is a “safety net” for independent journalism, she said.
Kallas said the EU would not be able to fill the organization’s funding gap around the world, but that it can help the broadcaster to “work and function in those countries that are in our neighborhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside.”
She said that she hoped the 27 EU member countries would also provide more funds to help Radio Free Europe longer term. Kallas said the bloc has been looking for “strategic areas” where it can help as the United States cuts foreign aid.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s corporate headquarters are in Washington and its journalistic headquarters are based in the Czech Republic, which has been leading the EU drive to find funds.
Last month, a U.S. federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore $12 million that was appropriated by Congress. Lawyers for the service, which has been operating for 75 years, said it would be forced to shut down in June without the money.
In March, Kallas recalled the influence that the network had on her as she was growing up in Estonia, which was part of the Soviet Union.
“Coming from the other side of the Iron Curtain, actually it was (from) the radio that we got a lot of information,” she said. “So, it has been a beacon of democracy, very valuable in this regard.” | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed Tuesday to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias.",
"Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War. Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Its lawyers have been fighting the administration in court.",
"EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers had agreed to a 5.5-million-euro ($6.2 million) contract to “support the vital work of Radio Free Europe.” The “short-term emergency funding” is a “safety net” for independent journalism, she said.",
"Kallas said the EU would not be able to fill the organization’s funding gap around the world, but that it can help the broadcaster to “work and function in those countries that are in our neighborhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside.”",
"She said that she hoped the 27 EU member countries would also provide more funds to help Radio Free Europe longer term. Kallas said the bloc has been looking for “strategic areas” where it can help as the United States cuts foreign aid.",
"Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s corporate headquarters are in Washington and its journalistic headquarters are based in the Czech Republic, which has been leading the EU drive to find funds.",
"Last month, a U.S. federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore $12 million that was appropriated by Congress. Lawyers for the service, which has been operating for 75 years, said it would be forced to shut down in June without the money.",
"In March, Kallas recalled the influence that the network had on her as she was growing up in Estonia, which was part of the Soviet Union.",
"“Coming from the other side of the Iron Curtain, actually it was (from) the radio that we got a lot of information,” she said. “So, it has been a beacon of democracy, very valuable in this regard.”"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Europe",
"Donald Trump",
"European Union",
"United States government",
"United States",
"Eurocopa 2024",
"Language",
"Government policy",
"Entertainment",
"Kaja Kallas",
"Journalism",
"Politics",
"Democracy",
"Business"
] | [] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 18:17:30+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/trump-mideast-business-investment-trillions-806849fae23f513062401c70d9333d25 | Trump tallies promised Mideast investments in US differently by the day | WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump loves big numbers — and he’s always happy to talk them up.
Trump, who coined the phrase “truthful hyperbole” in his book “The Art of the Deal,” over the last few days has been steadily increasing the amount of money he says that countries in the Mideast pledged to invest in the U.S. when he visited the region last week. He didn’t provide underlying details.
The figure has gone from $2 trillion last week to potentially as much as $7 trillion as of Tuesday, according to statements by Trump and the White House.
A look at how the number has bounced around:
THURSDAY: With his Mideast trip still under way, Trump told reporters on Air Force One: “We just took in $4 trillion.”
FRIDAY: A White House statement said Trump’s “first official trip was a huge success, locking in over $2 trillion in great deals.”
MONDAY: “We brought back about $5.1 trillion,” Trump said in remarks to the Kennedy Center’s leadership. “That’s not bad. And, it’s being credited as one of the, maybe, the most successful visit that anybody’s ever made to any place. There’s never been anything like this.”
TUESDAY: “They’re spending $5.1 trillion, probably it’s going to be $7 trillion by the time we stop,” Trump said before a U.S. Capitol meeting with Republican House members.
TUESDAY: “You know, we took in $5.1 trillion in the last four days from the Middle East,” Trump said later in the afternoon in the Oval Office.
The White House did not respond to a request to explain the sources of Trump’s escalating claims.
The White House did provide a breakdown on the $2 trillion in its Friday statement. It included $600 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia, which the country announced in January as part of a four-year commitment. There would also be a $1.2 trillion economic exchange with Qatar, as well as $243.5 billion in commercial and defense deals with that country. The United Arab Emirates committed to $200 billion in deals with the U.S., putting the initial White House total at $2.24 trillion, provided all those commitments are actually fulfilled.
Not all of the investment commitments or promised jobs are sure to materialize, so the final tally might not be as much as promised.
Trump said in 2017 that the electronics manufacturer Foxconn would build a $10 billion factory in Wisconsin employing 13,000 people, only for the company to back down from that commitment in 2019. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump loves big numbers — and he’s always happy to talk them up.",
"Trump, who coined the phrase “truthful hyperbole” in his book “The Art of the Deal,” over the last few days has been steadily increasing the amount of money he says that countries in the Mideast pledged to invest in the U.S. when he visited the region last week. He didn’t provide underlying details.",
"The figure has gone from $2 trillion last week to potentially as much as $7 trillion as of Tuesday, according to statements by Trump and the White House.",
"A look at how the number has bounced around:",
"THURSDAY: With his Mideast trip still under way, Trump told reporters on Air Force One: “We just took in $4 trillion.”",
"FRIDAY: A White House statement said Trump’s “first official trip was a huge success, locking in over $2 trillion in great deals.”",
"MONDAY: “We brought back about $5.1 trillion,” Trump said in remarks to the Kennedy Center’s leadership. “That’s not bad. And, it’s being credited as one of the, maybe, the most successful visit that anybody’s ever made to any place. There’s never been anything like this.”",
"TUESDAY: “They’re spending $5.1 trillion, probably it’s going to be $7 trillion by the time we stop,” Trump said before a U.S. Capitol meeting with Republican House members.",
"TUESDAY: “You know, we took in $5.1 trillion in the last four days from the Middle East,” Trump said later in the afternoon in the Oval Office.",
"The White House did not respond to a request to explain the sources of Trump’s escalating claims.",
"The White House did provide a breakdown on the $2 trillion in its Friday statement. It included $600 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia, which the country announced in January as part of a four-year commitment. There would also be a $1.2 trillion economic exchange with Qatar, as well as $243.5 billion in commercial and defense deals with that country. The United Arab Emirates committed to $200 billion in deals with the U.S., putting the initial White House total at $2.24 trillion, provided all those commitments are actually fulfilled.",
"Not all of the investment commitments or promised jobs are sure to materialize, so the final tally might not be as much as promised.",
"Trump said in 2017 that the electronics manufacturer Foxconn would build a $10 billion factory in Wisconsin employing 13,000 people, only for the company to back down from that commitment in 2019."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Donald Trump",
"Middle East",
"Qatar",
"Saudi Arabia",
"District of Columbia",
"Books and literature",
"Politics",
"Business"
] | [
"JOSH BOAK"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 17:42:43+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/marjan-neshat-english-broadway-tony-award-f7d07906800cd635e2aab75961cf856c | Tony Award nominee Marjan Neshat makes history in 'English' | NEW YORK (AP) — Marjan Neshat is a veteran of stage and screen who teaches fledgling actors. Like so many of us, she sometimes has bouts of self-doubt.
“I think on the first day of class, I still always have imposter syndrome, but I’ve grown to live with it,” she says. “I never thought that I had the gravitas to be like, ‘I’m going to teach you acting.’”
This semester, her students at The New School got to witness self-doubt kicked to the curb when Neshat became a first-time Tony Award nominee. “I’m sure they’re all a bit more smitten with me now,” she says, laughing.
Neshat earned the nod for her work — appropriately enough — playing a teacher in Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated play “English,” which premiered on Broadway in the fall.
“There’s something about this play that feels so bottomless,” she adds. “It kind of felt like winning the lottery because it was, to me, everything as an actress that I care about — it was artistic, and it was subtle and it was nuanced.”
A different depiction of Middle Eastern life
“English” explores the ways in which language shapes identity, can help people feel understood or misunderstood and the push and pull of culture. It’s set in a storefront school near Tehran, where four Iranian students are preparing over several weeks for an English language exam.
Neshat plays their teacher, a woman who loves rom-coms and English but who is unmoored, a foot in Iran and one in England, where she lived for many years but never completely felt at home.
“We don’t always belong to what we’re born to,” says Neshat. “She understands the potential of language and the potential of reaching beyond yourself. And yet she’s at a point in her life where she’s also losing a lot of that.”
The play is packed with cultural references — like Christiane Amanpour, Hugh Grant and “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira. One character admires Julia Roberts’ teeth, saying “They could rip through wire. In a good way.”
“I feel like so often, when you’re telling stories about a different culture, especially in the Middle East, it’s like, ‘Well, we wanna see them behind the veil’ and ‘We want to see our idea of them.’ And I feel like, especially with my character, I feel it defies all of that. I feel she is romantic and flawed and complicated.”
The play has made history by making Neshat and co-star Tala Ashe the first female actors of Iranian descent to be Tony-nominated. (The first Iranian-born actor to receive a Tony acting nomination was Arian Moayed.)
The two face off at the Tonys on June 8 in the category of best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play alongside Jessica Hecht, Fina Strazza and Kara Young.
One woman, two worlds
Neshat’s family fled postrevolutionary Iran in 1984, when Neshat was 8, and she hasn’t been back since. She decided early on she wanted to act, despite her mother’s fear that her daughter might share the same fate as Marilyn Monroe.
She adores the plays of Anton Chekhov and watching movies on the Criterion Channel, and she’s obsessed with the novel “Anne of Green Gables.” “I’m not like super-showy. I’m interior and deep,” she says. When “English” ended its run, she and the cast wept in their dressing rooms.
“She (Neshat) thrives in mystery and yearning and I think I’ve always strived to capture a feeling that goes beyond language. She’s after that, too,” says Toossi. “I think she holds contradictions and leaves space for the audience. She operates in a register must of us can’t quite reach.”
Neshat’s credits range from the movies “Sex in the City 2” and “Rockaway” to an off-Broadway production of “The Seagull” with Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming, and to roles on TV in “New Amsterdam,” “Quantico,” “Elementary” and “Blue Bloods.”
“I’ve sort of been saved by art in so many ways,” she says. “It’s been sometimes like a really bad boyfriend, and it’s brought out all my middle school rejection and angst, but truly, in the best of ways, I have, I think, become more myself or understood who I am.”
‘A cry into the void’
“English” — written in the wake of President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries during his first term — premiered off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company in 2022 with Neshat in the teacher’s role.
“There is something very emotional about the fact that she wrote this as like a cry into the void when the Muslim ban happened and the fact we were like opening shortly after Trump became president,” says Neshat. “Just the culmination of all these things, it felt like an event.”
She has a tight bond with Toossi, nurturing her “English” and also appearing in the playwright’s “Wish You Were Here.” The playwright once saw Neshat at a play reading before they ever met and soon gave the teacher in “English” the name Marjan. Neshat jokes that “she wrote me into being.”
“Her writing has given me some of the richest roles of my life,” says. Neshat. For her part, Toossi says getting Neshat and Ashe to be Tony-nominated is her proudest achievement.
On the opening night for “English” on Broadway, Neshat was joined by her mother and her 12-year-old son, Wilder, and they marveled at the journey life takes you.
Neshat’s grandmother was married at 13 in Iran and never learned to read or write, though she dictated poems and letters. Just two generations later, their family has star on Broadway.
“The little girl I was in Iran would never have imagined that I would be sitting with my mom and nominated for a Tony,” she says. “It just truly is a ride.” | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"NEW YORK (AP) — Marjan Neshat is a veteran of stage and screen who teaches fledgling actors. Like so many of us, she sometimes has bouts of self-doubt.",
"“I think on the first day of class, I still always have imposter syndrome, but I’ve grown to live with it,” she says. “I never thought that I had the gravitas to be like, ‘I’m going to teach you acting.’”",
"This semester, her students at The New School got to witness self-doubt kicked to the curb when Neshat became a first-time Tony Award nominee. “I’m sure they’re all a bit more smitten with me now,” she says, laughing.",
"Neshat earned the nod for her work — appropriately enough — playing a teacher in Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated play “English,” which premiered on Broadway in the fall.",
"“There’s something about this play that feels so bottomless,” she adds. “It kind of felt like winning the lottery because it was, to me, everything as an actress that I care about — it was artistic, and it was subtle and it was nuanced.”"
]
},
{
"headline": [
"A different depiction of Middle Eastern life"
],
"paragraphs": [
"“English” explores the ways in which language shapes identity, can help people feel understood or misunderstood and the push and pull of culture. It’s set in a storefront school near Tehran, where four Iranian students are preparing over several weeks for an English language exam.",
"Neshat plays their teacher, a woman who loves rom-coms and English but who is unmoored, a foot in Iran and one in England, where she lived for many years but never completely felt at home.",
"“We don’t always belong to what we’re born to,” says Neshat. “She understands the potential of language and the potential of reaching beyond yourself. And yet she’s at a point in her life where she’s also losing a lot of that.”",
"The play is packed with cultural references — like Christiane Amanpour, Hugh Grant and “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira. One character admires Julia Roberts’ teeth, saying “They could rip through wire. In a good way.”",
"“I feel like so often, when you’re telling stories about a different culture, especially in the Middle East, it’s like, ‘Well, we wanna see them behind the veil’ and ‘We want to see our idea of them.’ And I feel like, especially with my character, I feel it defies all of that. I feel she is romantic and flawed and complicated.”",
"The play has made history by making Neshat and co-star Tala Ashe the first female actors of Iranian descent to be Tony-nominated. (The first Iranian-born actor to receive a Tony acting nomination was Arian Moayed.)",
"The two face off at the Tonys on June 8 in the category of best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play alongside Jessica Hecht, Fina Strazza and Kara Young."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"One woman, two worlds"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Neshat’s family fled postrevolutionary Iran in 1984, when Neshat was 8, and she hasn’t been back since. She decided early on she wanted to act, despite her mother’s fear that her daughter might share the same fate as Marilyn Monroe.",
"She adores the plays of Anton Chekhov and watching movies on the Criterion Channel, and she’s obsessed with the novel “Anne of Green Gables.” “I’m not like super-showy. I’m interior and deep,” she says. When “English” ended its run, she and the cast wept in their dressing rooms.",
"“She (Neshat) thrives in mystery and yearning and I think I’ve always strived to capture a feeling that goes beyond language. She’s after that, too,” says Toossi. “I think she holds contradictions and leaves space for the audience. She operates in a register must of us can’t quite reach.”",
"Neshat’s credits range from the movies “Sex in the City 2” and “Rockaway” to an off-Broadway production of “The Seagull” with Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming, and to roles on TV in “New Amsterdam,” “Quantico,” “Elementary” and “Blue Bloods.”",
"“I’ve sort of been saved by art in so many ways,” she says. “It’s been sometimes like a really bad boyfriend, and it’s brought out all my middle school rejection and angst, but truly, in the best of ways, I have, I think, become more myself or understood who I am.”"
]
},
{
"headline": [
"‘A cry into the void’"
],
"paragraphs": [
"“English” — written in the wake of President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries during his first term — premiered off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company in 2022 with Neshat in the teacher’s role.",
"“There is something very emotional about the fact that she wrote this as like a cry into the void when the Muslim ban happened and the fact we were like opening shortly after Trump became president,” says Neshat. “Just the culmination of all these things, it felt like an event.”",
"She has a tight bond with Toossi, nurturing her “English” and also appearing in the playwright’s “Wish You Were Here.” The playwright once saw Neshat at a play reading before they ever met and soon gave the teacher in “English” the name Marjan. Neshat jokes that “she wrote me into being.”",
"“Her writing has given me some of the richest roles of my life,” says. Neshat. For her part, Toossi says getting Neshat and Ashe to be Tony-nominated is her proudest achievement.",
"On the opening night for “English” on Broadway, Neshat was joined by her mother and her 12-year-old son, Wilder, and they marveled at the journey life takes you.",
"Neshat’s grandmother was married at 13 in Iran and never learned to read or write, though she dictated poems and letters. Just two generations later, their family has star on Broadway.",
"“The little girl I was in Iran would never have imagined that I would be sitting with my mom and nominated for a Tony,” she says. “It just truly is a ride.”"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Theater",
"Arian Moayed",
"Julia Roberts",
"Middle East",
"New York City Wire",
"Jessica Hecht",
"Arts and entertainment",
"Hugh Grant",
"Marjan Neshat",
"Shakira",
"Dianne Wiest",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Alan Cumming",
"Iran",
"Donald Trump",
"Marilyn Monroe",
"Entertainment",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | [
"MARK KENNEDY"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 15:38:02+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/mali-violence-civil-army-human-rights-fulani-2e5cfd5c1d25c1c595ffc139d1b269d9 | Families mourn and call for probe after Malian soldiers accused of massacre | BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Military personnel in Mali carried out “apparent summary executions” of at least 22 people in the conflict-hit central region of the country, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
At least three families and two local leaders recounted to The Associated Press how Malian soldiers seized more than 20 men from a market in the village of Diafarabé in the central Mopti region. The men’s bodies were later found in two mass graves.
Diafarabé, whose inhabitants mostly belong to the Fulani ethnic group, is in an area where JNIM, an Al Qaida-linked extremist organization, is active and regularly targets the Malian army with attacks.
Such extrajudicial killings are becoming increasingly common under Mali’s military junta, including late last year when Human Rights Watch accused the army and Russia’s Wagner Group of killing dozens of civilians and setting fire to at least 100 houses during military operations.
In a new report on Tuesday, HRW called for an independent investigation into the killings, saying the probe being led by the military “raises grave concerns that the inquiry will not be independent or impartial.”
Locals previously told the AP the Malian army arrested the victims of the latest killings at the market in Diafarabé, but one escaped from custody and, upon return, raised the alarm that others had been executed.
In interviews with AP this week, villagers recounted seeing decomposing bodies in the graves.
“The villagers of Diafarabé went to the location ... and they discovered two mass graves,” said Diowro Diallo, president of the local Fulani association Dental Wuwardé.
Among those killed was Abba Dicko, 44, one of his relatives said, speaking anonymously out of fear for their safety.
“The bodies were in such a state of decomposition that we could not identify them or count them accurately, but we believe the account of the person who escaped the massacre and raised the alarm,” the relative said.
Another resident who gave only his first name as Cissé for fear of being arrested, said his 32-year-old son and cousin were among the victims.
“I saw the soldiers come to the market to kidnap my relatives. The arrested individuals are well-known in the village. I never imagined they would be killed in this way,” he added.
Villagers also spoke about growing fear and tension in the aftermath of the killings.
“We are asking the authorities to remove the soldiers to avoid further incidents,” said one resident who said he lost four of his relatives.
The Malian military has not provided any update from the inquiry it said it opened last week.
Human rights experts, however, see little or no positive outcome from such a probe, citing past incidents whose investigations never resulted in any action.
The military authorities have not made any progress in ensuring justice for the victims of serious rights abuses in the course of the country’s deadly conflict, said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW. The failure to hold members of the security forces and the Wagner Group to account for grave abuses “has eased the way for further atrocities,” Allegrozzi added. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Military personnel in Mali carried out “apparent summary executions” of at least 22 people in the conflict-hit central region of the country, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.",
"At least three families and two local leaders recounted to The Associated Press how Malian soldiers seized more than 20 men from a market in the village of Diafarabé in the central Mopti region. The men’s bodies were later found in two mass graves.",
"Diafarabé, whose inhabitants mostly belong to the Fulani ethnic group, is in an area where JNIM, an Al Qaida-linked extremist organization, is active and regularly targets the Malian army with attacks.",
"Such extrajudicial killings are becoming increasingly common under Mali’s military junta, including late last year when Human Rights Watch accused the army and Russia’s Wagner Group of killing dozens of civilians and setting fire to at least 100 houses during military operations.",
"In a new report on Tuesday, HRW called for an independent investigation into the killings, saying the probe being led by the military “raises grave concerns that the inquiry will not be independent or impartial.”",
"Locals previously told the AP the Malian army arrested the victims of the latest killings at the market in Diafarabé, but one escaped from custody and, upon return, raised the alarm that others had been executed.",
"In interviews with AP this week, villagers recounted seeing decomposing bodies in the graves.",
"“The villagers of Diafarabé went to the location ... and they discovered two mass graves,” said Diowro Diallo, president of the local Fulani association Dental Wuwardé.",
"Among those killed was Abba Dicko, 44, one of his relatives said, speaking anonymously out of fear for their safety.",
"“The bodies were in such a state of decomposition that we could not identify them or count them accurately, but we believe the account of the person who escaped the massacre and raised the alarm,” the relative said.",
"Another resident who gave only his first name as Cissé for fear of being arrested, said his 32-year-old son and cousin were among the victims.",
"“I saw the soldiers come to the market to kidnap my relatives. The arrested individuals are well-known in the village. I never imagined they would be killed in this way,” he added.",
"Villagers also spoke about growing fear and tension in the aftermath of the killings.",
"“We are asking the authorities to remove the soldiers to avoid further incidents,” said one resident who said he lost four of his relatives.",
"The Malian military has not provided any update from the inquiry it said it opened last week.",
"Human rights experts, however, see little or no positive outcome from such a probe, citing past incidents whose investigations never resulted in any action.",
"The military authorities have not made any progress in ensuring justice for the victims of serious rights abuses in the course of the country’s deadly conflict, said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW. The failure to hold members of the security forces and the Wagner Group to account for grave abuses “has eased the way for further atrocities,” Allegrozzi added."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Mali",
"Crime",
"Human Rights Watch",
"Ilaria Allegrozzi",
"Wagner Group",
"Al-Qaida",
"War and unrest",
"Mali government",
"Homicide"
] | [
"THE ASSOCIATED PRESS"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 15:05:56+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/kim-kardashian-lawyer-apprenticeship-3a6501cf3f7d5bc4412c412409b9b4dd | Kim Kardashian dons a graduation cap and marches closer to becoming a lawyer | BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Kim Kardashian is a step closer to following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a lawyer.
She has completed a legal apprenticeship and is now eligible to take the California bar exam, her representative confirmed Wednesday.
The entrepreneur and reality TV star posted an Instagram Story from a small private ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she smiled as she donned a graduation cap.
Jessica Jackson, a lawyer who mentored her in the program, called it “one of the most inspiring legal journeys we’ve ever seen.”
“Six years ago, Kim Kardashian walked into this program with nothing but a fierce desire to fight for justice,” Jackson says in a speech in the video. “No law school lectures, no ivory tower shortcuts, just determination. And a mountain of case law books to read.”
California allows people to study under a lawyer or judge as an alternative to law school. Kardashian could become a licensed lawyer if she passes the state’s notoriously difficult state bar exam.
Jackson said Kardashian spent “18 hours a week, 48 weeks a year for six straight years” on the program.
Her late father, Robert Kardashian, was an attorney and counted O.J. Simpson among his clients.
Kardashian revealed the milestone roughly a week after she testified in a Paris courtroom about her fear of being killed during a 2016 armed robbery.
“I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me,” she told a Paris court May 13 about the ordeal. “I absolutely did think I was going to die.”
Kardashian has in recent years been a criminal justice reform advocate and in 2018 successfully lobbied President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother who was serving a life sentence without parole for drug offenses. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Kim Kardashian is a step closer to following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a lawyer.",
"She has completed a legal apprenticeship and is now eligible to take the California bar exam, her representative confirmed Wednesday.",
"The entrepreneur and reality TV star posted an Instagram Story from a small private ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she smiled as she donned a graduation cap.",
"Jessica Jackson, a lawyer who mentored her in the program, called it “one of the most inspiring legal journeys we’ve ever seen.”",
"“Six years ago, Kim Kardashian walked into this program with nothing but a fierce desire to fight for justice,” Jackson says in a speech in the video. “No law school lectures, no ivory tower shortcuts, just determination. And a mountain of case law books to read.”",
"California allows people to study under a lawyer or judge as an alternative to law school. Kardashian could become a licensed lawyer if she passes the state’s notoriously difficult state bar exam.",
"Jackson said Kardashian spent “18 hours a week, 48 weeks a year for six straight years” on the program.",
"Her late father, Robert Kardashian, was an attorney and counted O.J. Simpson among his clients.",
"Kardashian revealed the milestone roughly a week after she testified in a Paris courtroom about her fear of being killed during a 2016 armed robbery.",
"“I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me,” she told a Paris court May 13 about the ordeal. “I absolutely did think I was going to die.”",
"Kardashian has in recent years been a criminal justice reform advocate and in 2018 successfully lobbied President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother who was serving a life sentence without parole for drug offenses."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Kim Kardashian",
"Jessica Jackson",
"California",
"Donald Trump",
"Paris",
"Entertainment",
"Robert Kardashian",
"Alice Marie Johnson",
"Business",
"O.J. Simpson"
] | [] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 00:27:01+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kursk-drone-deaths-8757dc115948899600d15ac8e32cc4ec | Putin visits Kursk region for the first time since expelling Ukrainian forces | President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday.
Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day, according to the Kremlin.
Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 in one of their biggest battlefield successes in the more than three-year war. The incursion was the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin.
Since the end of 2023, Russia has mostly had the advantage on the battlefield, with the exception of Kursk.
Putin has effectively rejected recent U.S. and European proposals for a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday accused Kyiv’s allies of seeking a truce “so that they can calmly arm Ukraine, so that Ukraine can strengthen its defensive positions.”
North Korea sent up to 12,000 troops to help the Russian army take back control of Kursk, according to Ukraine, the U.S. and South Korea. Russia announced on April 26 that its forces had pushed out the Ukrainian army. Kyiv officials denied the claim.
Ukraine says it stopped Russian attacks in Kursk
The Ukrainian Army General Staff said on Wednesday evening that its operation “in the designated areas in the border regions of Kursk continues” and ”although the conditions remain difficult, Ukrainian defenders hold their positions, fulfill their tasks and inflict effective damage on the enemy.” Its map of military activity showed Ukrainian troops holding a thin line of land hard against the border but still inside Russia.
Putin’s unannounced visit appeared to be an effort to show Russia is in control of the conflict, even though its full-scale invasion of its neighbor has been slow and costly in terms of casualties and equipment.
Video broadcast by Russian state media showed that Putin visited Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2, which is still under construction, and met with selected volunteers.
Many of the volunteers wore clothes emblazoned with the Russian flag, some had the Latin letters “V” on them, one of the symbols of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“What you are doing now during this difficult situation for this region, for this area, and for the country, will remain with you for the rest of your life as, perhaps, the most meaningful thing with which you were ever involved,” Putin said as he drank tea with the volunteers.
Ukraine’s surprise thrust into Kursk and its ability to hold land there was a logistical feat, carried out in secrecy, that countered months of gloomy news from the front about Ukrainian forces being pushed backward by the bigger Russian army.
Kyiv’s strategy aimed to show that Russia has weaknesses and that the war isn’t lost. It also sought to distract Russian forces from their onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.
The move was fraught with risk. Analysts noted that it could backfire and open a door for Russian advances in Ukraine by further stretching Ukrainian forces that are short-handed along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
The incursion didn’t significantly change the dynamics of the war.
Putin told acting Kursk Gov. Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin supported the idea of continuing monthly payments to displaced families that still couldn’t return to their homes.
Putin said that he would back a proposal to build a museum in the region to celebrate what acting Gov. Alexander Khinshtein described as “the heroism of our defenders and the heroism of the region’s residents.”
Disgruntled residents had previously shown their disapproval over a lack of compensation in rare organized protests.
Putin last visited the Kursk region in March, when Ukrainian troops still controlled some parts of the area. He wore military fatigues – a rarely seen sight for the Russian leader, who usually wears a suit – and visited the area’s military headquarters where he was filmed with top generals.
Russia and Ukraine continue deep strikes with drones
Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Wednesday repeatedly reported its air defenses shot down dozens of drones over multiple Russian regions. In total, between 8 p.m. on Tuesday and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the ministry said 262 drones were shot down.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported a total of 16 drones downed on their way towards Moscow, and during the day flights were briefly halted in and out of Moscow’s Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukosky airports, according to Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya. Flights were also temporarily grounded in the cities of Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Vladimir and Yaroslavl.
Local authorities in the regions of Tula, Lipetsk and Vladimir also announced blocking cell phone internet in the wake of the drone attacks.
In Ukraine, Russian drone attacks killed two people and wounded five others in the northern Sumy region, the regional administration said.
In the Kyiv region, four members of a family were injured when debris from a downed drone hit their home, according to the regional administration.
Russia launched 76 Shahed and decoy drones overnight at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said.
The Ukrainian army said that its drones struck a semiconductor plant overnight in Russia’s Oryol region, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Ukraine. According to the General Staff, 10 drones hit the Bolkhov Semiconductor Devices Plant, one of Russia’s key producers of microelectronics for the military-industrial complex.
It wasn’t possible to independently verify the claim.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday.",
"Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day, according to the Kremlin.",
"Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 in one of their biggest battlefield successes in the more than three-year war. The incursion was the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin.",
"Since the end of 2023, Russia has mostly had the advantage on the battlefield, with the exception of Kursk.",
"Putin has effectively rejected recent U.S. and European proposals for a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday accused Kyiv’s allies of seeking a truce “so that they can calmly arm Ukraine, so that Ukraine can strengthen its defensive positions.”",
"North Korea sent up to 12,000 troops to help the Russian army take back control of Kursk, according to Ukraine, the U.S. and South Korea. Russia announced on April 26 that its forces had pushed out the Ukrainian army. Kyiv officials denied the claim."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Ukraine says it stopped Russian attacks in Kursk"
],
"paragraphs": [
"The Ukrainian Army General Staff said on Wednesday evening that its operation “in the designated areas in the border regions of Kursk continues” and ”although the conditions remain difficult, Ukrainian defenders hold their positions, fulfill their tasks and inflict effective damage on the enemy.” Its map of military activity showed Ukrainian troops holding a thin line of land hard against the border but still inside Russia.",
"Putin’s unannounced visit appeared to be an effort to show Russia is in control of the conflict, even though its full-scale invasion of its neighbor has been slow and costly in terms of casualties and equipment.",
"Video broadcast by Russian state media showed that Putin visited Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2, which is still under construction, and met with selected volunteers.",
"Many of the volunteers wore clothes emblazoned with the Russian flag, some had the Latin letters “V” on them, one of the symbols of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.",
"“What you are doing now during this difficult situation for this region, for this area, and for the country, will remain with you for the rest of your life as, perhaps, the most meaningful thing with which you were ever involved,” Putin said as he drank tea with the volunteers.",
"Ukraine’s surprise thrust into Kursk and its ability to hold land there was a logistical feat, carried out in secrecy, that countered months of gloomy news from the front about Ukrainian forces being pushed backward by the bigger Russian army.",
"Kyiv’s strategy aimed to show that Russia has weaknesses and that the war isn’t lost. It also sought to distract Russian forces from their onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.",
"The move was fraught with risk. Analysts noted that it could backfire and open a door for Russian advances in Ukraine by further stretching Ukrainian forces that are short-handed along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.",
"The incursion didn’t significantly change the dynamics of the war.",
"Putin told acting Kursk Gov. Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin supported the idea of continuing monthly payments to displaced families that still couldn’t return to their homes.",
"Putin said that he would back a proposal to build a museum in the region to celebrate what acting Gov. Alexander Khinshtein described as “the heroism of our defenders and the heroism of the region’s residents.”",
"Disgruntled residents had previously shown their disapproval over a lack of compensation in rare organized protests.",
"Putin last visited the Kursk region in March, when Ukrainian troops still controlled some parts of the area. He wore military fatigues – a rarely seen sight for the Russian leader, who usually wears a suit – and visited the area’s military headquarters where he was filmed with top generals."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Russia and Ukraine continue deep strikes with drones"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Wednesday repeatedly reported its air defenses shot down dozens of drones over multiple Russian regions. In total, between 8 p.m. on Tuesday and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the ministry said 262 drones were shot down.",
"Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported a total of 16 drones downed on their way towards Moscow, and during the day flights were briefly halted in and out of Moscow’s Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukosky airports, according to Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya. Flights were also temporarily grounded in the cities of Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Vladimir and Yaroslavl.",
"Local authorities in the regions of Tula, Lipetsk and Vladimir also announced blocking cell phone internet in the wake of the drone attacks.",
"In Ukraine, Russian drone attacks killed two people and wounded five others in the northern Sumy region, the regional administration said.",
"In the Kyiv region, four members of a family were injured when debris from a downed drone hit their home, according to the regional administration.",
"Russia launched 76 Shahed and decoy drones overnight at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said.",
"The Ukrainian army said that its drones struck a semiconductor plant overnight in Russia’s Oryol region, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Ukraine. According to the General Staff, 10 drones hit the Bolkhov Semiconductor Devices Plant, one of Russia’s key producers of microelectronics for the military-industrial complex.",
"It wasn’t possible to independently verify the claim.",
"___",
"Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine"
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Vladimir Putin",
"Russia",
"Kyiv",
"Ukraine",
"Sergey Lavrov",
"Alexander Khinshtein",
"War and unrest",
"Russia government",
"Russia-Ukraine war",
"Ukraine government",
"Politics",
"Sergei Sobyanin",
"Russia Ukraine war"
] | [
"THE ASSOCIATED PRESS"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 07:13:30+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/barbecue-steaks-grill-marks-recipe-75ef67e8a86496d1d34c982d1aadb533 | How to cook the perfect steak, grill marks and all | We aren’t in the thick of summer yet, not by a long shot, but hopefully you’ve already managed to fire up the grill at least once or twice. As the days get longer, the weather commands us to find a way to cook and dine outdoors.
A juicy steak is — for many — the pinnacle of grilling options. In your mind, you can already see them. Caramelized and sizzling on the outside, pink and tender on the inside, with those beautiful crosshatch marks that let you know exactly how your steak was prepared. Here’s how to get to that perfect beefy nirvana.
This method works for all cuts of tender beef steak, such as ribeye, porterhouse, ranch, T-bone, filet mignon, flat iron steak, NY strip steak and so on.
Buy the best grade of beef you can afford. USDA Prime is the top of the range, with USDA Choice coming after that. Next is Select, which will be leaner still. If possible, speak with a butcher about getting the best cut of meat for your needs and your budget.
How to get perfect grill marks
First, make sure your steaks are thick enough. If they’re on the thinner side, 1¼ inch or less, you will probably want to flip your steaks only once, so they don’t overcook on the inside while the outside becomes that deliciously appealing caramelized brown. In this case, you’ll get grill marks that go one way.
If your steaks are thicker, then go for crosshatch grill marks.
Place the steaks on the grill on the diagonal, at about a 45-degree angle across the direction of the grates. Grill for a few minutes. Rotate the steaks a quarter turn (90 degrees). You are looking to create a diamond pattern with grill marks.
Flip the steaks and grill them the same way.
Let your steaks sit on the cutting board for 5 minutes after removing them from the grill before you cut them. This will finish the cooking (it’s called carryover cooking). The resting period also lets the meat reabsorb its juices, so they stay in your steak where they belong and don’t run out onto your cutting board.
No matter what kind of steaks you choose, no matter what the thickness, make sure you have cleaned the grill well. A clean grill will offer cleaner grill marks. Also, oil the grill.
How to know whether the steak is rare, medium rare or medium
In general (and it depends on the cut of beef and the heat of the grill), a 1½-inch-thick steak will cook to medium rare in 12 to 16 minutes. A 1-inch steak will cook to medium rare in a total of 8 to 12 minutes.
An instant-read meat thermometer is the best way to check doneness. For medium rare, 130 degrees F is the approximate internal temperature.
You can also use the touch test, if you don’t have a meat thermometer. A general rule of thumb, so to speak:
For rare
Let one hand hang limp. With the index finger of the other hand, push gently into the soft triangle of flesh between the thumb and index finger of the hanging hand. It will offer very little resistance, give way easily, and feel soft and spongy. That’s the feel of a rare steak.
For medium-rare
Extend your hand in front of you and spread your fingers. Press the same spot with the index finger of the other hand. The flesh will be firmer but not hard — springy and slightly resistant. This is the feel of medium-rare steak.
For medium
Make a fist and press that same spot between thumb and index finger. It will feel firm and snap back quickly, offering only a minimum of give, as does meat cooked to medium.
A recipe for compound butter to go with your steak
A wonderful way to finish your grilled steak is to top it with a pat of compound butter, which is simply softened butter mixed with some herbs and/or seasonings. As the meat rests, place a bit of the butter atop it and let the butter melt as the meat rests.
Garlic Parmesan Compound Butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan
1 small garlic clove (minced)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
In a small bowl, combine the butter, Parmesan, minced garlic, salt and pepper until well blended. Place a couple tablespoons of butter on top of a steak as it rests after being removed from the fire.
___
Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at [email protected].
___
For more AP food stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/recipes. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"We aren’t in the thick of summer yet, not by a long shot, but hopefully you’ve already managed to fire up the grill at least once or twice. As the days get longer, the weather commands us to find a way to cook and dine outdoors.",
"A juicy steak is — for many — the pinnacle of grilling options. In your mind, you can already see them. Caramelized and sizzling on the outside, pink and tender on the inside, with those beautiful crosshatch marks that let you know exactly how your steak was prepared. Here’s how to get to that perfect beefy nirvana.",
"This method works for all cuts of tender beef steak, such as ribeye, porterhouse, ranch, T-bone, filet mignon, flat iron steak, NY strip steak and so on.",
"Buy the best grade of beef you can afford. USDA Prime is the top of the range, with USDA Choice coming after that. Next is Select, which will be leaner still. If possible, speak with a butcher about getting the best cut of meat for your needs and your budget."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"How to get perfect grill marks"
],
"paragraphs": [
"First, make sure your steaks are thick enough. If they’re on the thinner side, 1¼ inch or less, you will probably want to flip your steaks only once, so they don’t overcook on the inside while the outside becomes that deliciously appealing caramelized brown. In this case, you’ll get grill marks that go one way.",
"If your steaks are thicker, then go for crosshatch grill marks.",
"Place the steaks on the grill on the diagonal, at about a 45-degree angle across the direction of the grates. Grill for a few minutes. Rotate the steaks a quarter turn (90 degrees). You are looking to create a diamond pattern with grill marks.",
"Flip the steaks and grill them the same way.",
"Let your steaks sit on the cutting board for 5 minutes after removing them from the grill before you cut them. This will finish the cooking (it’s called carryover cooking). The resting period also lets the meat reabsorb its juices, so they stay in your steak where they belong and don’t run out onto your cutting board.",
"No matter what kind of steaks you choose, no matter what the thickness, make sure you have cleaned the grill well. A clean grill will offer cleaner grill marks. Also, oil the grill."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"How to know whether the steak is rare, medium rare or medium"
],
"paragraphs": [
"In general (and it depends on the cut of beef and the heat of the grill), a 1½-inch-thick steak will cook to medium rare in 12 to 16 minutes. A 1-inch steak will cook to medium rare in a total of 8 to 12 minutes.",
"An instant-read meat thermometer is the best way to check doneness. For medium rare, 130 degrees F is the approximate internal temperature.",
"You can also use the touch test, if you don’t have a meat thermometer. A general rule of thumb, so to speak:"
]
},
{
"headline": [
"For rare"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Let one hand hang limp. With the index finger of the other hand, push gently into the soft triangle of flesh between the thumb and index finger of the hanging hand. It will offer very little resistance, give way easily, and feel soft and spongy. That’s the feel of a rare steak."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"For medium-rare"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Extend your hand in front of you and spread your fingers. Press the same spot with the index finger of the other hand. The flesh will be firmer but not hard — springy and slightly resistant. This is the feel of medium-rare steak."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"For medium"
],
"paragraphs": [
"Make a fist and press that same spot between thumb and index finger. It will feel firm and snap back quickly, offering only a minimum of give, as does meat cooked to medium."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"A recipe for compound butter to go with your steak"
],
"paragraphs": [
"A wonderful way to finish your grilled steak is to top it with a pat of compound butter, which is simply softened butter mixed with some herbs and/or seasonings. As the meat rests, place a bit of the butter atop it and let the butter melt as the meat rests."
]
},
{
"headline": [
"Garlic Parmesan Compound Butter"
],
"paragraphs": [
"2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)",
"1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan",
"1 small garlic clove (minced)",
"Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)",
"In a small bowl, combine the butter, Parmesan, minced garlic, salt and pepper until well blended. Place a couple tablespoons of butter on top of a steak as it rests after being removed from the fire.",
"___",
"Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at [email protected].",
"___",
"For more AP food stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/recipes."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Recipes",
"Food and drink",
"Katie Workman",
"Lifestyle"
] | [
"KATIE WORKMAN"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 13:04:58+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/philippine-president-ferdinand-marcos-jr-cabinet-reshuffle-06f8e6eb126ddde71687ec579cfbd9f6 | Philippine president calls for all Cabinet secretaries to resign after election setbacks | MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked all of his Cabinet secretaries to submit resignations on Thursday in a “bold reset” of his administration following last week’s mid-term elections, which saw more opposition candidates win crucial Senate seats.
Marcos, the 67-year-old son of a late Philippine dictator overthrown in 1986, won the presidency in the deeply divided Southeast Asian country by a landslide in 2022 in a stunning political comeback as he made a steadfast call for national unity. But his equally popular vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, later broke from him in a falling out that has sparked intense political discord.
With support from treaty ally the United States and other friendly countries, Marcos emerged as the most vocal critic of China ’s growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea while contending with an array of longstanding domestic issues, including inflation — and delayed fulfillment of a campaign promise to bring down the price of rice — as well as many reports of kidnappings and other crimes.
“This is not business as usual,” Marcos was cited as saying in a government statement. “The people have spoken and they expect results — not politics, not excuses. We hear them and we will act.”
Marcos called for the “courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries in a decisive move to recalibrate his administration following the results of the recent elections,” the government statement said.
“The request for courtesy resignations is aimed at giving the president the elbow room to evaluate the performance of each department and determine who will continue to serve in line with his administration’s recalibrated priorities,” the government said.
At least 21 Cabinet secretaries led by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin either immediately submitted their resignations or expressed their readiness to do so.
“This is not about personalities — it’s about performance, alignment and urgency,” Marcos said. “Those who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized. But we cannot afford to be complacent. The time for comfort zones is over.”
Government services will remain uninterrupted during the transition, the government said, adding that “with this bold reset, the Marcos administration signals a new phase — sharper, faster and fully focused on the people’s most pressing needs.”
Five out of the 12 Senate seats contested in the mid-term elections were won by allies of Sara Duterte or her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been arrested and detained by the International Criminal Court in The Hague in the Netherlands. The elder Duterte, a staunch critic of Marcos, was accused of committing crimes against humanity over a brutal anti-drugs crackdown he launched that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead.
Marcos-endorsed senatorial candidates won five Senate seats while two other seats were unexpectedly won by two liberal democrats associated with the late former President Benigno Aquino III, whose family has long been at odds with the Marcoses.
Voting for half of the 24-member Senate is crucial because the government body will hold an impeachment trial for Sara Duterte in July over an array of criminal allegations, including corruption and a public threat to assassinate Marcos, his wife and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. She made those threats in an online news conference in November but later issued a vague denial that she wanted the president killed.
Sara Duterte is facing a separate criminal complaint for her threats against the Marcoses and Romualdez.
Most of the seats in the House were won by candidates allied with Marcos and his cousin, Romualdez, in the May 12 elections, which many saw as a preview to the presidential elections scheduled for 2028. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked all of his Cabinet secretaries to submit resignations on Thursday in a “bold reset” of his administration following last week’s mid-term elections, which saw more opposition candidates win crucial Senate seats.",
"Marcos, the 67-year-old son of a late Philippine dictator overthrown in 1986, won the presidency in the deeply divided Southeast Asian country by a landslide in 2022 in a stunning political comeback as he made a steadfast call for national unity. But his equally popular vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, later broke from him in a falling out that has sparked intense political discord.",
"With support from treaty ally the United States and other friendly countries, Marcos emerged as the most vocal critic of China ’s growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea while contending with an array of longstanding domestic issues, including inflation — and delayed fulfillment of a campaign promise to bring down the price of rice — as well as many reports of kidnappings and other crimes.",
"“This is not business as usual,” Marcos was cited as saying in a government statement. “The people have spoken and they expect results — not politics, not excuses. We hear them and we will act.”",
"Marcos called for the “courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries in a decisive move to recalibrate his administration following the results of the recent elections,” the government statement said.",
"“The request for courtesy resignations is aimed at giving the president the elbow room to evaluate the performance of each department and determine who will continue to serve in line with his administration’s recalibrated priorities,” the government said.",
"At least 21 Cabinet secretaries led by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin either immediately submitted their resignations or expressed their readiness to do so.",
"“This is not about personalities — it’s about performance, alignment and urgency,” Marcos said. “Those who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized. But we cannot afford to be complacent. The time for comfort zones is over.”",
"Government services will remain uninterrupted during the transition, the government said, adding that “with this bold reset, the Marcos administration signals a new phase — sharper, faster and fully focused on the people’s most pressing needs.”",
"Five out of the 12 Senate seats contested in the mid-term elections were won by allies of Sara Duterte or her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been arrested and detained by the International Criminal Court in The Hague in the Netherlands. The elder Duterte, a staunch critic of Marcos, was accused of committing crimes against humanity over a brutal anti-drugs crackdown he launched that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead.",
"Marcos-endorsed senatorial candidates won five Senate seats while two other seats were unexpectedly won by two liberal democrats associated with the late former President Benigno Aquino III, whose family has long been at odds with the Marcoses.",
"Voting for half of the 24-member Senate is crucial because the government body will hold an impeachment trial for Sara Duterte in July over an array of criminal allegations, including corruption and a public threat to assassinate Marcos, his wife and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. She made those threats in an online news conference in November but later issued a vague denial that she wanted the president killed.",
"Sara Duterte is facing a separate criminal complaint for her threats against the Marcoses and Romualdez.",
"Most of the seats in the House were won by candidates allied with Marcos and his cousin, Romualdez, in the May 12 elections, which many saw as a preview to the presidential elections scheduled for 2028."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Philippines government",
"Sara Duterte",
"Ferdinand Marcos Jr.",
"Rodrigo Duterte",
"Netherlands",
"The Hague",
"Manila",
"Martin Romualdez",
"Benigno Aquino III",
"Politics",
"Elections",
"Government programs",
"Lucas Bersamin"
] | [
"JIM GOMEZ"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 04:29:50+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-police-shooting-lawsuit-farmington-8e7843eaf509663df98bbf2ce01be032 | Judge finds police acted reasonably in shooting New Mexico man while at wrong address | SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit that accused police of violating constitutional protections when they fatally shot a man after showing up at the wrong address in response to a domestic violence call.
The shooting of Robert Dotson, 52, in the northwestern New Mexico city of Farmington prompted a civil lawsuit by his family members, though public prosecutors found there was no basis to pursue criminal charges against officers after a review of events. The suit alleged that the family was deprived of its civil rights and officers acted unreasonably.
Hearing a knock at the door late on April 5, 2023, Dotson put on a robe, went downstairs and grabbed a handgun before answering. Police outside shined a flashlight as Dotson appeared and raised the firearm before three police officers opened fire, killing him. Dotson did not shoot.
“Ultimately, given the significant threat Dotson posed when he pointed his firearm at officers ... the immediacy of that threat, the proximity between Dotson and the defendant officers, and considering that the events unfolded in only a few seconds, the court finds that the defendant officers reasonably applied deadly force,” U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Garcia said in a written court opinion.
The judge also said the officers were entitled under the circumstances to qualified immunity — special legal protections that prevent people from suing over claims that police or government workers violated their constitutional rights.
The opinion was published May 15 — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in a separate case that courts should weigh the totality of circumstances and not just a “moment of threat” when judging challenges to police shootings under the Fourth Amendment.
Tom Clark, one of the Dotson family’s attorneys, said the lawsuit against Farmington police will move forward on other claims under tort law and provisions of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, which limits immunity for police and other government agencies.
Defense attorneys said in court filings that the officers acted reasonably under “the totality of circumstances,” noting that they repeatedly knocked and announced that police had arrived and saying Dotson “posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to police.”
Philip Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said Tuesday that court evaluations of police immunity in shootings “sometimes lead to results that end up leaving you scratching your head.”
“Here the court is saying the police made a mistake — but in that moment they were confronted with a decision to use deadly force,” he said. “I don’t think this is the last word in this case.”
Lawyers for Dotson’s family emphasized that police were at the wrong address and that he was likely blinded by the flashlight with little inkling that police were there. They said officers did not give him sufficient time to comply with commands as an officer shouted, “Hey, hands up.”
According to the lawsuit, Dotson’s wife, wearing only a robe, came downstairs after hearing the shots and found her husband lying in the doorway. She fired outside, not knowing who was out there. Police fired 19 rounds but missed her. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit that accused police of violating constitutional protections when they fatally shot a man after showing up at the wrong address in response to a domestic violence call.",
"The shooting of Robert Dotson, 52, in the northwestern New Mexico city of Farmington prompted a civil lawsuit by his family members, though public prosecutors found there was no basis to pursue criminal charges against officers after a review of events. The suit alleged that the family was deprived of its civil rights and officers acted unreasonably.",
"Hearing a knock at the door late on April 5, 2023, Dotson put on a robe, went downstairs and grabbed a handgun before answering. Police outside shined a flashlight as Dotson appeared and raised the firearm before three police officers opened fire, killing him. Dotson did not shoot.",
"“Ultimately, given the significant threat Dotson posed when he pointed his firearm at officers ... the immediacy of that threat, the proximity between Dotson and the defendant officers, and considering that the events unfolded in only a few seconds, the court finds that the defendant officers reasonably applied deadly force,” U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Garcia said in a written court opinion.",
"The judge also said the officers were entitled under the circumstances to qualified immunity — special legal protections that prevent people from suing over claims that police or government workers violated their constitutional rights.",
"The opinion was published May 15 — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in a separate case that courts should weigh the totality of circumstances and not just a “moment of threat” when judging challenges to police shootings under the Fourth Amendment.",
"Tom Clark, one of the Dotson family’s attorneys, said the lawsuit against Farmington police will move forward on other claims under tort law and provisions of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, which limits immunity for police and other government agencies.",
"Defense attorneys said in court filings that the officers acted reasonably under “the totality of circumstances,” noting that they repeatedly knocked and announced that police had arrived and saying Dotson “posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to police.”",
"Philip Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said Tuesday that court evaluations of police immunity in shootings “sometimes lead to results that end up leaving you scratching your head.”",
"“Here the court is saying the police made a mistake — but in that moment they were confronted with a decision to use deadly force,” he said. “I don’t think this is the last word in this case.”",
"Lawyers for Dotson’s family emphasized that police were at the wrong address and that he was likely blinded by the flashlight with little inkling that police were there. They said officers did not give him sufficient time to comply with commands as an officer shouted, “Hey, hands up.”",
"According to the lawsuit, Dotson’s wife, wearing only a robe, came downstairs after hearing the shots and found her husband lying in the doorway. She fired outside, not knowing who was out there. Police fired 19 rounds but missed her."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"New Mexico",
"Farmington",
"Shootings",
"Law enforcement",
"Robert Dotson",
"Matthew Garcia",
"Lawsuits",
"Legal proceedings",
"Gun violence",
"Philip Stinson",
"Tom Clark"
] | [
"MORGAN LEE"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-21 02:47:22+00:00 | true | null |
https://apnews.com/article/michigan-police-shooting-immigrant-18429bfb2f23d17d3e555663cdd4e5d2 | Trial decision expected in case of Michigan police officer who killed Black man in 2022 | DETROIT (AP) — A prosecutor said he will announce Thursday whether to hold a second trial for a Michigan police officer who fatally shot a Black man in the back of the head after a tumultuous traffic stop.
Christopher Schurr’s trial on a second-degree murder charge ended May 7 when the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker scheduled an 11:30 a.m. EDT news conference in Grand Rapids, 160 miles (260 kilometers) west of Detroit, to announce the next step.
Schurr, 34, who was a Grand Rapids officer, said he feared for his life and shot Patrick Lyoya because the 26-year-old Congolese immigrant had control of his Taser.
Lyoya’s death in April 2022 was the climax of a fierce struggle that lasted more than two minutes. Schurr stopped a car for having the wrong license plate. Lyoya stepped out of the car, didn’t produce a driver’s license and began running.
Schurr was on top of Lyoya on the ground when he shot him in the back of the head. The entire confrontation was recorded on video and repeatedly played for the jury.
At trial, defense experts said the decision to use deadly force was justified because the exhausted officer could have been seriously injured if Lyoya had used the Taser. The prosecutor’s experts, however, said Schurr had other choices, including simply letting Lyoya run.
It’s not known why Lyoya was trying to flee. Records show his driver’s license was revoked at the time and there was an arrest warrant for him in a domestic violence case, though Schurr didn’t know it. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit for driving. | {
"sections": [
{
"headline": [],
"paragraphs": [
"DETROIT (AP) — A prosecutor said he will announce Thursday whether to hold a second trial for a Michigan police officer who fatally shot a Black man in the back of the head after a tumultuous traffic stop.",
"Christopher Schurr’s trial on a second-degree murder charge ended May 7 when the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.",
"Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker scheduled an 11:30 a.m. EDT news conference in Grand Rapids, 160 miles (260 kilometers) west of Detroit, to announce the next step.",
"Schurr, 34, who was a Grand Rapids officer, said he feared for his life and shot Patrick Lyoya because the 26-year-old Congolese immigrant had control of his Taser.",
"Lyoya’s death in April 2022 was the climax of a fierce struggle that lasted more than two minutes. Schurr stopped a car for having the wrong license plate. Lyoya stepped out of the car, didn’t produce a driver’s license and began running.",
"Schurr was on top of Lyoya on the ground when he shot him in the back of the head. The entire confrontation was recorded on video and repeatedly played for the jury.",
"At trial, defense experts said the decision to use deadly force was justified because the exhausted officer could have been seriously injured if Lyoya had used the Taser. The prosecutor’s experts, however, said Schurr had other choices, including simply letting Lyoya run.",
"It’s not known why Lyoya was trying to flee. Records show his driver’s license was revoked at the time and there was an arrest warrant for him in a domestic violence case, though Schurr didn’t know it. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit for driving."
]
}
],
"summary": []
} | en | [
"Patrick Lyoya",
"Michigan",
"Grand Rapids",
"Law enforcement",
"Christopher Schurr",
"Legal proceedings",
"Juries",
"Chris Becker",
"Shootings"
] | [
"ED WHITE"
] | Associated Press News | 2025-05-22 14:11:28+00:00 | true | null |
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