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Associated Press News	2025-05-22 12:02:18+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Vladimir Putin", "Russia", "Ukraine", "Dmitry Peskov", "Russia government", "Prisoner exchange", "Russia-Ukraine war", "Ukraine government", "Volodymyr Zelenskyy", "Russia Ukraine war", "Politics" ]	# No new direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks scheduled, Kremlin says By The Associated Press May 22nd, 2025, 12:02 PM --- 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
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 12:32:35+00:00	[ "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" ]	# Mothers and their babies face starvation in Gaza By Mohammed Jahjouh, Wafaa Shurafa, Sarah El Deeb, and Sam Mednick May 22nd, 2025, 12:32 PM --- 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
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 00:52:12+00:00	[ "Panama", "Saul Mendez", "Carlos Javier Surez Cornejo", "Panama City", "Jos Ral Mulino", "Labor unions", "Jaime Caballero", "Asylum", "Minimum wage", "Protests and demonstrations" ]	# Leader of powerful Panamanian union scales embassy wall, requests asylum from Bolivia May 22nd, 2025, 12:52 AM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 12:20:23+00:00	[ "Books and literature", "Nobel Prizes", "Lifestyle", "Libya", "Entertainment", "Gloria Steinem" ]	# Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee, activists and close friends, are working on a picture book By Hillel Italie May 21st, 2025, 12:20 PM --- 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."
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 16:42:23+00:00	[ "Fires", "South Korea", "Federal Aviation Administration", "Business", "Florida", "David Wroth", "Southwest Airlines Co." ]	# Southwest Airlines will require chargers be kept out while in use because of battery fire concerns By Josh Funk May 20th, 2025, 04:42 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 18:00:57+00:00	[ "Medical research", "Science", "Lifestyle", "Health" ]	# Markers in blood and urine may reveal how much ultraprocessed food we are eating By Jonel Aleccia May 20th, 2025, 06:00 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 22:17:33+00:00	[ "Prostate cancer", "Joe Biden", "Donald Trump", "Mens health", "Health", "Politics" ]	# Biden's office says his 'last known' prostate cancer screening was in 2014 By Jonathan J. Cooper May 20th, 2025, 10:17 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 19:25:24+00:00	[ "Liam g", "London", "Hezbollah", "Northern Ireland", "Classical music", "United Kingdom government", "Music videos", "Language", "Liam OHanna", "Race and ethnicity", "Entertainment", "Movies", "Music", "Terrorism", "Hamas" ]	# Member of Irish rap trio Kneecap charged with a terror offense in the UK May 21st, 2025, 07:25 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 21:40:09+00:00	[ "Memphis", "Martin Luther King Jr.", "Strikes", "Fires", "Gina Sweat", "Race and ethnicity", "Religion", "Labor", "Robert Walker", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Fire at historic Black church in Memphis was intentionally set, investigators say By Adrian Sainz May 21st, 2025, 09:40 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 17:23:09+00:00	[ "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" ]	# Federal judge blocks Trump's firing of two Democratic members of privacy oversight board By Rebecca Boone May 21st, 2025, 05:23 PM --- 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. ___
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 14:42:18+00:00	[ "Mining accidents", "China", "Business" ]	# 3 coal mine workers killed in China after water rushes in May 20th, 2025, 02:42 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 13:21:12+00:00	[ "Iran", "Tehran", "Iran government", "Mohammad Reza Pahlavi", "2024-2025 Mideast Wars" ]	# A look at major nuclear sites in Iran By Jon Gambrell May 22nd, 2025, 01:21 PM --- 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/
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 15:44:49+00:00	[ "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" ]	# New York Narratives tour centers Muslim experiences, history in the city By Fiona Andre May 21st, 2025, 03:44 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 02:09:06+00:00	[ "Erik Menendez", "California", "Lyle Menendez", "Legal proceedings", "Shootings", "Kitty Menendez", "Law and order", "Scott Wyckoff" ]	# Parole hearing for Menendez brothers delayed until August By Jaimie Ding May 21st, 2025, 02:09 AM --- 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."
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 16:31:05+00:00	[ "Natalie Portman", "John Krasinski", "Guy Ritchie", "Movies", "Vienna", "Entertainment", "Bangkok" ]	# Natalie Portman and John Krasinski embark on a globe-trotting adventure in 'Fountain of Youth' By Lindsey Bahr May 21st, 2025, 04:31 PM --- 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
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 18:17:30+00:00	[ "Europe", "Donald Trump", "European Union", "United States government", "United States", "Eurocopa 2024", "Language", "Government policy", "Entertainment", "Kaja Kallas", "Journalism", "Politics", "Democracy", "Business" ]	# EU will provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after US cuts May 20th, 2025, 06:17 PM --- 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."
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 17:42:43+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Middle East", "Qatar", "Saudi Arabia", "District of Columbia", "Books and literature", "Politics", "Business" ]	# Trump tallies promised Mideast investments in US differently by the day By Josh Boak May 20th, 2025, 05:42 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 15:38:02+00:00	[ "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" ]	# Tony Award nominee Marjan Neshat makes history in 'English' By Mark Kennedy May 20th, 2025, 03:38 PM --- 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."
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 15:05:56+00:00	[ "Mali", "Crime", "Human Rights Watch", "Ilaria Allegrozzi", "Wagner Group", "Al-Qaida", "War and unrest", "Mali government", "Homicide" ]	# Families mourn and call for probe after Malian soldiers accused of massacre By The Associated Press May 20th, 2025, 03:05 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 00:27:01+00:00	[ "Kim Kardashian", "Jessica Jackson", "California", "Donald Trump", "Paris", "Entertainment", "Robert Kardashian", "Alice Marie Johnson", "Business", "O.J. Simpson" ]	# Kim Kardashian dons a graduation cap and marches closer to becoming a lawyer May 22nd, 2025, 12:27 AM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 07:13:30+00:00	[ "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" ]	# Putin visits Kursk region for the first time since expelling Ukrainian forces By The Associated Press May 21st, 2025, 07:13 AM --- 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
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 13:04:58+00:00	[ "Recipes", "Food and drink", "Katie Workman", "Lifestyle" ]	# How to cook the perfect steak, grill marks and all By Katie Workman May 22nd, 2025, 01:04 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 04:29:50+00:00	[ "Philippines government", "Sara Duterte", "Ferdinand Marcos Jr.", "Rodrigo Duterte", "Netherlands", "The Hague", "Manila", "Martin Romualdez", "Benigno Aquino III", "Politics", "Elections", "Government programs", "Lucas Bersamin" ]	# Philippine president calls for all Cabinet secretaries to resign after election setbacks By Jim Gomez May 22nd, 2025, 04:29 AM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 02:47:22+00:00	[ "New Mexico", "Farmington", "Shootings", "Law enforcement", "Robert Dotson", "Matthew Garcia", "Lawsuits", "Legal proceedings", "Gun violence", "Philip Stinson", "Tom Clark" ]	# Judge finds police acted reasonably in shooting New Mexico man while at wrong address By Morgan Lee May 21st, 2025, 02:47 AM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 14:11:28+00:00	[ "Patrick Lyoya", "Michigan", "Grand Rapids", "Law enforcement", "Christopher Schurr", "Legal proceedings", "Juries", "Chris Becker", "Shootings" ]	# Trial decision expected in case of Michigan police officer who killed Black man in 2022 By Ed White May 22nd, 2025, 02:11 PM --- 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.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 01:06:52+00:00	[ "Louisiana", "Juries", "Oregon", "Legal proceedings", "Louisiana state government", "Legislation", "Discrimination", "Race and ethnicity", "Trials", "U.S. Republican Party", "Royce Duplessis", "Supreme Court of the United States", "Race and Ethnicity" ]	# Louisiana Republicans reject bill that would address split jury verdicts, a Jim Crow-era practice By Sara Cline May 22nd, 2025, 01:06 AM --- BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana bill that would have carved out a path for incarcerated people convicted by now-banned split juries the opportunity to ask for a new trial was rejected by Republican state senators on Wednesday, likely killing the measure. An estimated 1,000 people behind bars in the Deep South state were convicted by non-unanimous juries, a practice rooted in racism from the era of "Jim Crow" laws and deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020. Advocates say it is past time for Louisiana to right a wrong and to give those people a chance at a fair trial. Proponents of the bill pointed to multiple examples of innocent people — since exonerated — who were wrongfully convicted by split juries and spent decades in prison. Supporters said the measure could have created a way for any other possibly innocent people behind bars who had been convicted by non-unanimous juries to seek another chance for a fair trial. The bill would have added non-unanimous verdicts to a list of claims for which an inmate can seek a retrial. Proponents reiterated that the legislation would only have created the opportunity to do so and that it would not have automatically granted a retrial or release. During debate in the state Senate on Wednesday, Republican lawmakers raised concerns about overburdening courts and district attorneys with additional trials. Proponents said whether a new trial is granted is ultimately at the discretion of district attorneys. Opponents also raised concerns about the cases being decades-old with some witnesses possibly dead or evidence lost. Supporters countered that old cases are tried all the time and that transcripts of testimony from the original trials could be used. "This is about what's right, not about what's easy or convenient," Sen. Royce Duplessis, the New Orleans Democrat who authored the bill, said to his colleagues. Louisiana adopted the practice of split jury convictions in 1898 during a constitutional convention that was fueled by efforts to maintain white supremacy after the Civil War. Diluting the voice of Black jurors allowed the often-white majority to determine the outcome. Louisiana voters did not get rid of the practice until 2018, two years before the Supreme Court ruled that it was a violation of the 6th Amendment's guarantee of the right to an impartial jury. At the time, Louisiana and Oregon were the only states that allowed split decisions — 10-2 or 11-1 jury votes — to result in convictions. The Oregon Supreme Court granted new trials to hundreds of people. But Louisiana's Supreme Court rejected arguments to apply the ruling retroactively. "If we choose to vote down this bill we're saying that justice has an expiration date," Duplessis said. "We have an opportunity in Louisiana to remove this stain, because right now we are the only ones wearing it." The bill failed on a vote of 9-26, along party lines. Given the overwhelming lack of support for the bill in the Senate and that there is only a month left in this year's Legislative Session, the measure currently has no viable path forward and is likely dead.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 09:14:59+00:00	[ "Germany", "Friedrich Merz", "Donald Trump", "Europe", "Economy", "Germany government", "International trade", "Government policy", "Politics", "Economic indicators", "Monika Schnitzer", "Business" ]	# Germany's economy will stagnate this year, advisers say May 21st, 2025, 09:14 AM --- BERLIN (AP) — Germany's economy will stagnate this year as the country faces headwinds from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and trade threats, the government's panel of independent economic advisers said Wednesday. Germany has Europe's biggest economy, but hasn't seen significant economic growth in five years and the gross domestic product shrank in each of the last two years. The advisory panel, in its first forecast since new Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government took office earlier this month, predicted the economy will stagnate this year and grow by 1% in 2026. Its previous forecast, in November, was for 0.4% growth this year. The new outlook is in line with the forecast made a month ago by Germany's last government. Merz, who took office on May 6, has pledged to roll back bureaucracy, advance digitization, provide tax breaks for companies and promote more European trade agreements. "Trump's tariff policy is increasing uncertainty and endangering economic growth worldwide," said Monika Schnitzer, the head of the panel. But she said that a huge investment package put together by Merz's coalition "offers opportunities for a modernization of infrastructure in Germany and a return to a higher path of growth," meaning a better outlook for next year. Germany for years expanded exports and dominated world trade in engineered products such as industrial machinery and luxury cars. But it has suffered from increasing competition from Chinese companies, along with many other factors, and Trump's tariffs have added a further risk to German exports. Last year, the United States was Germany's biggest single trading partner for the first time since 2015, displacing China from the top spot as exports to the Asian power declined.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 14:06:02+00:00	[ "Financial performance", "National Association of Realtors", "Business", "Lawrence Yun", "Mortgages" ]	# April home sales slow with high mortgage rates, prices, putting chill into spring buying season By Alex Veiga May 22nd, 2025, 02:06 PM --- Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in April, as elevated mortgage rates and rising prices discouraged prospective home buyers during what's traditionally the busiest time of the year for the housing market. Existing home sales dropped 0.5% last month from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. The sales decline marks the slowest sales pace for the month of April going back to 2009. March's sales pace was also the slowest for that month going back to 2009. Sales fell 2% compared with April last year. The latest home sales fell slightly short of the 4.10 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 22nd consecutive month, although at a slower rate. The national median sales price rose 1.8% in April from a year earlier to $414,000, an all-time high for the month of April. "The affordability condition is clearly hurting the market, particularly higher mortgage rates," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close to its high so far this year of just above 7%, which it set in mid-January. The average rate's low point so far was five weeks ago, when it briefly dropped to 6.62%. The elevated mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have kept frozen out many would-be homebuyers, even as the inventory of homes on the market has risen sharply from last year. There were 1.45 million unsold homes at the end of last month, a 9% increase from March, and 20.8% higher than April last year, NAR said. That translates to a 4.4-month supply at the current sales pace, up from a 3.5-month pace at the end of April last year. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 14:12:13+00:00	[ "North Sea", "Netherlands", "Fires", "Panama City", "Panama", "Transportation and shipping", "Transportation technology", "Electric vehicles" ]	# Dutch safety board calls for urgent improvements after deadly North Sea cargo ship blaze By Mike Corder May 22nd, 2025, 02:12 PM --- THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Protocols for responding to emergencies on busy North Sea shipping routes off the Dutch coast must be urgently improved, an independent Dutch safety watchdog said Thursday in a report into a deadly blaze on a cargo ship. The warning by the Dutch Safety Board came in its report about emergency services' response to a fierce fire that broke out on the night of July 25, 2023, on the Fremantle Highway freighter that was carrying nearly 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore. One of the 23 people on board was killed and six others were injured after jumping overboard to escape smoke churning out of the ship's cargo hold about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland. The remaining 16 people were rescued using helicopters. During the mission by Dutch maritime rescuers, "the focus for too long was on firefighting instead of saving the crew," the report said. It added that poor information sharing between different rescuers and emergency services on land meant authorities were not fully prepared when 16 survivors who also required medical help were flown to shore, causing delays in transferring them to hospitals. "In order to be well prepared for future incidents at sea, the emergency assistance system must be put in order as soon as possible. Various improvements are needed for this, both at the Coastguard and at the relevant safety regions," the report said in recommendations to the government. The Dutch report did not look into or comment on the cause of the fire. Maritime authorities in Panama were investigating the cause because the ship was flying under a Panamanian flag. The fire burned out of control for a week as the stricken freighter floated near shipping lanes and the shallow Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed migratory bird habitat. It was eventually towed to a port in the northern Netherlands for salvage.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 16:32:30+00:00	[ "Books and literature", "Book Reviews", "Fiction", "Ann Levin", "Entertainment", "Bobby Mahon" ]	# 'Heart, Be at Peace' review: Donal Ryan offers spellbinding sequel By Ann Levin May 20th, 2025, 04:32 PM --- In 2014 Donal Ryan published a novel in the U.S. called "The Spinning Heart" about a rural Irish town after the 2008 financial collapse. It was narrated by a chorus of voices, one per chapter, and at the center was a good-hearted contractor, Bobby Mahon. Ryan's latest book is a spellbinding sequel, "Heart, Be at Peace," that works just fine on its own. It chronicles the changes that have buffeted Nenagh, County Tipperary, in the decade since the recession. Once again, the story is told by 21 townspeople, including one who has died, and Bobby is at the center. Over the years he has done well for himself with a "kitchen the size of a soccer pitch" and a "marble island in the middle of it that you could feed an army at," as one envious frenemy grouses. But recently Bobby has been having panic attacks because a compromising picture of him at a stag party in Amsterdam has been making the rounds. Also, he is worried sick about the drug dealers lurking around town in cars with blacked-out windows, posing a threat to the children, including his own. Another member of the chorus is Lily, who describes herself as "witch by training" and prostitute by inclination. She learned her magic from a Roma woman who settled in the town, "caught roots" and married a local. Lily adores her beautiful granddaughter, Millicent — her long legs, blue eyes and "the shine off of her like the sun on the water of the lake." They go for long walks in the meadows, gathering wild garlic, dock leaves and sorrel, but lately, the girl has fallen under the spell of Augie Penrose, the ringleader of the drug dealers, and Granny knows in her heart it will not end well. Bobby, Lily, Millicent and all the others — each one sees the town and its residents, including the newcomers from Eastern Europe, from a different perspective. Together, they narrate a gripping story that is heartbreaking, funny and occasionally raunchy of a beaten-down but resilient community that embodies the best and worst of humanity. The book ends with a monologue from Bobby's preternaturally wise and forbearing wife, Triona, who is puzzling over a dramatic plot development in the last chapter. "There's more to that story, a lot more I'd say, but it'll be told elsewhere, I'm sure." If she is right, then perhaps Ryan is already planning the third installment of a trilogy. What a gift that would be for readers everywhere. ___ AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 21:02:27+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Law enforcement", "Florida", "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement", "Immigration", "Greg Abbott", "Texas", "Ron DeSantis", "United States government", "United States", "Katie Blankenship", "Government and politics", "Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet", "Barack Obama", "Austin Kocher", "Lena Graber", "John Torres", "Jeffrey Dinise", "Politics" ]	# The revival of a program delegates Trump immigration enforcement to police By Gisela Salomon and Rebecca Santana May 20th, 2025, 09:02 PM --- As part of the Trump administration's push to carry out mass deportations, the agency responsible for immigration enforcement has aggressively revived and expanded a decades-old program that delegates immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies. Under the 287(g) program led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police officers can interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, ICE has rapidly expanded the number of signed agreements it has with law enforcement agencies across the country. The reason is clear. Those agreements vastly beef up the number of immigration enforcement staff available to ICE, which has about 6,000 deportation officers, as they aim to meet Trump's goal of deporting as many of the roughly 11 million people in the country illegally as they can. Here's a look at what these agreements are and what critics say about them: ## What is a 287(g) agreement and what's the benefit to ICE? These agreements are signed between a law enforcement agency and ICE and allow the law enforcement agency to perform certain types of immigration enforcement actions. There are three different types of agreements. —Under the "jail services model," law enforcement officers can screen people detained in jails for immigration violations. —The "warrant service officer" model authorizes state and local law enforcement officers to comply with ICE warrants or requests on immigrants while they are at their agency's jails. —The "task force model" gives local officers the ability to investigate someone's immigration status during their routine police duties. These agreements were authorized by a 1996 law, but it wasn't until 2002 that the federal government actually signed one of these agreements with a local agency. The first agreement was with Florida's Department of Law Enforcement. "The benefit to ICE is that it expands the ability to enforce immigration law across multiple jurisdictions," said John Torres, who served as acting director of ICE from 2008 to 2009. Earlier in his career, he said, he was assigned to the Los Angeles jail and would interview any foreign citizen who came through the jail to see if they were in the country illegally. But if a jail has a 287(g) agreement with ICE it frees up those agents at the jail to do something else. ## What's going on with these agreements under the Trump administration? The number of signed agreements has ballooned under Trump in a matter of months. In December of last year, ICE had 135 agreements with law enforcement agencies across 21 states. By May 19, ICE had signed 588 agreements with local and state agencies across 40 states, with an additional 83 agencies pending approval. Roughly half of the pacts are in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced the arrest of more than 1,100 immigrants in an orchestrated sweep between local and federal officials. Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has also allied himself with Trump on immigration, comes in second. Other states topping the list are Georgia and North Carolina. A majority of the agreements are with sheriff's departments, a reflection of the fact that they are largely responsible for running jails in America. But other agencies have also signed the agreements including the Florida and Texas National Guard, the Florida Department of Lottery Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The expansion of agreements "has been unprecedented in terms of the speed and the breath," said Amien Kacou, attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union in Florida. "ICE under the Trump administration has made a push in every state essentially to have them cooperate," Kacou said. ## So what are the concerns? Immigrants, and their attorneys and advocates say these agreements can lead to racial profiling and there's not enough oversight. "If you are an immigrant, or if you sound like an immigrant or you look like an immigrant, you are likely to be detained here in Florida," said Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, executive director at Hope Community Center in Apopka, central Florida. These concerns are especially acute over the task force model since those models allow law enforcement officers to carry out immigration enforcement actions as part of their daily law enforcement work. Lena Graber, a senior staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center which advocates for immigrants, said that the Obama administration phased out the task force model in 2012 after concerns that law enforcement organizations authorized under it were racially profiling people when making arrests. The first Trump administration considered bringing back that model but ultimately did not, she said. Graber said using this model, the local law enforcement have most of the powers of ICE agents. "They're functionally ICE agents," she said. Rights groups say that in areas where 287(g) agreements are in place, people in the country illegally are less likely to reach out to law enforcement authorities when they're victims of or witness to a crime for fear that authorities will turn around and arrest them instead. "This is finding methods to terrorize communities," said Katie Blankenship, an immigration attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South. "They create immigration enforcement and local law enforcement which they are not trained or able to do in any sort of just manner." Federal authorities and local law enforcement agencies deny those critics and maintain that officers follow the laws when detaining people. "There is no racial profiling," said Miami Border Patrol chief agent Jeffrey Dinise at a recent press conference along with Florida and ICE officials. He explained that officers may stop cars after traffic violations. They run the tag plates through immigration systems and can see the legal status of the person, he said. Torres also said that local law enforcement officers operating under 287(g) agreements aren't "out on an island by themselves." There's a lot of coordination with ICE agents and the local law enforcement officers. "They're not asking them to operate independently on their own," Torres said. ## How does law enforcement join? Law enforcement agencies nominate officers to participate in the 287(g) program. They have to be U.S. citizens and pass a background check. On its website, ICE has created templates of the forms that law enforcement agencies interested in joining the program can use. The training varies. According to ICE's website, officers in the "task force model" must complete a 40-hour online course that covers such topics as immigration law, civil rights and liability issues. As of mid-March about 625 officers had been trained under that model, the website said, although that number is likely much higher now as law enforcement agencies are signing up regularly. For the "jail enforcement model," there's a four week training as well as a refresher course. The Warrant Service Officer model requires eight hours of training. Austin Kocher, a researcher at Syracuse University in New York who focuses on immigration affairs, said that training has always been a challenge for the 287(g) program. It's expensive and often a strain on small departments to send them to a training center, so the training has gotten progressively shorter, he said.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 18:37:37+00:00	[ "Khartoum", "Sudan", "Sudan government", "War and unrest", "Nabil Abdullah", "Military and defense", "Humanitarian crises", "Famine" ]	# Sudan's military says it took full control of Greater Khartoum region that includes the capital May 20th, 2025, 06:37 PM --- CAIRO (AP) — Sudan's military on Tuesday said it took full control of the Greater Khartoum region after a long-running battle against remnants of a paramilitary group in the region's west and south. The development was the latest victory for the military in its more than two years of fighting against the Rapid Support Forces, a civil war that has pushed parts of the country into famine. Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sudanese military, said forces retook the Greater Khartoum region, which include the capital city of Khartoum and its sister cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North, or Bahri. "Khartoum state is completely free of rebels," he declared in a video statement. Earlier, Abdullah said troops battled RSF fighters in the western and southern areas of Omdurman as part of a large-scale operation to kick the paramilitaries out of their pockets there. There was no immediate comment from the RSF. Sudan plunged into civil war on April 15, 2023, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in Khartoum and other parts of the country. The war has killed at least 24,000 people, though the number is likely far higher. The war has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighboring countries. Parts of Sudan have been pushed into famine. The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the U.N. and international rights groups.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 12:11:45+00:00	[ "Amazon.com", "Inc.", "Spotify Technology SA", "Apple", "Mobile apps", "Consumer electronics manufacturing", "Lifestyle", "Business", "PayPal Holdings", "Internet", "Technology", "Tablets and e-readers", "Production facilities", "Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers" ]	# One Tech Tip: These are the apps that can now avoid Apple's in-app payment system By Kelvin Chan May 22nd, 2025, 12:11 PM --- LONDON (AP) — Apple users are starting to get ways out of the iPhone maker's so-called "walled garden." For years, the company blocked app developers from informing people about how to pay for a subscription or service that didn't involve going through its own iOS App Store. Some apps didn't like this. It's the reason you weren't able to pay for your Spotify subscription from the app. But all that changed last month, when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a scathing decision against Apple that promises to shake up the iPhone app payment ecosystem. She ordered Apple to tear down the barriers around its previously exclusive payment system for in-app digital transactions and allow developers to provide links to alternative options. She also ordered Apple to stop preventing app makers from communicating directly with users through their apps to let them know about deals and offers. She told Apple not to impose new commissions on purchases made outside the App Store. Some companies, including Spotify, moved quickly to capitalize on the judge's demand with app updates. Here's a look at how iPhone users — at least those in the United States — can make the most of the changes: ## Spotify Spotify customers previously had to go to its website to pay for a music streaming subscription. That's because Spotify long ago removed the in-app payment option in protest against Apple's practice of requiring that digital subscriptions be bought only through iOS apps while taking a commission of up to 30%. Following a U.S. app update, Spotify said users "can finally see how much something costs in our app, including pricing details on subscriptions and information about promotions that will save money." If you're a Spotify listener, you can now scroll through various subscription plans on the app to see their prices. Free users who want to upgrade to a premium subscription can sign up by tapping a button directly in the app. Existing premium users can easily switch to a different subscription level, also by simply tapping a button. And in another update, the company said users can also view individual audiobook prices and buy them within the Spotify app. Premium subscribers will also be able to buy "top up" hours for audiobook listening if they've maxed out their 15 free listening hours each month. ## Epic Games Gamers can rejoice. Five years after Apple ousted Fortnite for trying to introduce a direct payment plan to bypass the App Store, the popular game is back on iOS. The comeback appeared in jeopardy after Apple initially refused to approve Fortnite's bid before Apple relented this week, clearing the app for U.S. users. It's also back in the European Union, where alternative app marketplaces have been mandated since last year. Fortnite maker Epic Games had previewed the updated app's new payment buttons to let players buy V-bucks currency to spend on character "cosmetics" like outfits, wraps for weapons or dance movements known as "emotes." One button leads to Apple's in-app purchasing system while the other is for Epic's own payment system, which can earn players up to 20% extra V-bucks for their accounts. ## Kindle Amazon has updated its Kindle app to add a button so that users can more easily buy books directly from their iPhones. Previously, users could only look up books and download a sample on the app, but did not have an option to buy directly. They had to open up their web browser and log in to their Amazon accounts to make the purchase, or else buy it from a Kindle reader. Now, U.S.-based readers can tap the new 'Get Book' button in the Kindle iOS app, which the ecommerce giant says will take them directly to their mobile web browser to complete the purchase. "We regularly make improvements to our apps to help ensure we are providing customers the most convenient experience possible," Amazon said in a statement. ## Patreon If you support online creators by paying for their podcasts, videos, music or other content on Patreon, you've now got the option to bypass Apple when buying subscriptions. The subscription platform updated its iOS app so that fans in the U.S. purchasing memberships have the option to skip Apple's checkout option that includes a 30% fee and instead use Patreon's own checkout option. The update app lets fans pay directly from the Patreon app by tapping the Join button. You can use credit cards, PayPal, Venmo or even the Apple Pay mobile wallet. There's still the option to stick with Apple's in-app purchasing system — displayed less prominently underneath the Join button — which will include Apple's fees, according to screenshots posted on Patreon's website. Patreon said the update doesn't apply to fans in other countries. However, it does mean creators based outside of the U.S. whose fans are in the country will be able to access the new payment option. The platform said that based on Apple's feedback, eventually it will move its alternative checkout method to an external browser so it can continue to avoid adding the extra fees. ___ Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at [email protected] with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 03:09:31+00:00	[ "Financial markets", "United States government", "Stocks and bonds", "Financial services", "United States", "Microsoft Corp.", "Enphase Energy", "Inc.", "First Solar", "UnitedHealth Group", "Business", "Donald Trump", "Sunrun", "Humana" ]	# Stocks drift as worries about the US government's soaring debt continue to weigh By Stan Choe May 22nd, 2025, 03:09 AM --- NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting on Wall Street Thursday following a rocky week so far because of worries coming out of the bond market about the U.S. government's debt. The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged in morning trading, coming off a sharp loss that has it potentially heading for its worst week in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 43 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:23 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher. Technology stocks were doing most of the heavy lifting for the broader market. The majority of stocks within the S&P 500 were losing ground, but gains for technology companies with outsized values offset those losses. Google's parent Alphabet jumped 4.1% and Microsoft rose 1.3%. Treasury yields were holding a bit steadier in the bond market, which has been the epicenter of Wall Street's action this week, but only after several sharp swings in the morning. Yields have been on the rise in part because of worries about the U.S. government's spiraling debt. The House of Representatives approved a bill early Thursday that would cut taxes and could add trillions of dollars to the U.S. debt. Besides making it more expensive for the U.S. government to borrow to pay its bills, higher Treasury yields can also filter into the rest of the economy and make it tougher for U.S. households and businesses to get their own loans. Higher yields also discourage investors from paying high prices for stocks and other investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed as high as 4.63% before the U.S. stock market opened for trading, before receding to 4.59%. It stood at 4.58% late Wednesday and was as low as 4.01% early last month. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the Federal Reserve, slipped to 4.00% from 4.02% late Wednesday. The House's multitrillion-dollar spending bill, which aims to extend some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks from President Donald Trump's first term while adding others, is expected to undergo some changes when it gets to the Senate for a vote. The legislation also includes a speedier rollback of production tax credits for clean electricity projects, which sent shares of solar companies tumbling. Sunrun dropped 37.7%, Enphase Energy fell 15.2% and First Solar slid 3.8%. Health care stocks were also falling early Thursday after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it was immediately expanding its auditing of Medicare Advantage plans. UnitedHealth Group fell 1.3% and Humana was down 4.4%. Wall Street had several economic updates on Thursday. The number of Americans filing unemployment claims last week fell slightly. The broader employment market has remained strong, though businesses remain worried about the economic uncertainty amid a trade war. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell across Europe and Asia. France's CAC 40 dropped 1.1%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.2% and South Korea's Kospi slid 1.2% for some of the sharper losses. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 02:51:08+00:00	[ "Andrew Cuomo", "James Comer", "New York", "Legal proceedings", "New York City", "U.S. Department of Justice", "District of Columbia", "New York City Wire", "Donald Trump", "Associated Press", "Pam Bondi", "Pandemics", "U.S. Republican Party", "Politics", "Government and politics", "Rich Azzopardi" ]	# Justice Dept. investigating former New York Gov. Cuomo By Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker May 21st, 2025, 02:51 AM --- The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after congressional Republicans recommended that he be charged with lying over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Washington follows a referral from Rep. James Comer, Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, over statements Cuomo made to lawmakers investigating his management of the pandemic when the virus was spreading through nursing homes, the person said. The person was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The investigation plunges the Justice Department yet again into New York politics as Cuomo runs for New York City mayor. It comes just months after federal prosecutors abandoned a corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for a second term. They cited a desire to free Adams up to cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. A spokesperson for Cuomo said Tuesday that the former governor was never informed of any such investigation. "So why would someone leak it now?" Rich Azzopardi said in an email. "The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against." Azzopardi added, "Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political." The investigation was first reported Tuesday by The New York Times. The Justice Department declined Tuesday to comment. Spokespeople for the U.S. attorney's office in Washington didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The inquiry also subjects the department to claims that it is pursuing retribution against political adversaries. The new leader of the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, ran unsuccessfully against Cuomo for New York attorney general in 2006 and has been a harsh critic in the years since, publicly accusing him of a coverup of nursing home deaths. The Justice Department separately has launched a mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump for civil fraud. The investigation into Cuomo revisits a years-old, politically divisive question over the then-governor's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. Republicans have zeroed in on a controversial directive his administration issued in March 2020 that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients just because they had had COVID-19. More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes under the directive, which was rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks. Comer referred Cuomo to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution last month, alleging that he made false statements to lawmakers during a hearing last year focused on his decision-making. Cuomo adamantly defended himself during the hearing, blaming the first Trump administration for failing to provide enough testing and personal protective equipment in the early days of the pandemic. "These are all diversions to blame New York and other states for the culpability of the federal response, which was malpractice," Cuomo said. But Comer asserted that Cuomo had lied during the hearing. He cited what he said was evidence of Cuomo's direct involvement in a state report that the congressman said "low-balled" nursing home fatalities.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 12:54:51+00:00	[ "Lebanon", "Mahmoud Abbas", "2024-2025 Mideast Wars", "Israel", "Politics", "Palestinian territories government", "Religion", "Political refugees" ]	# Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agree that Lebanon won't be used as a launchpad to strike Israel By Bassem Mroue May 21st, 2025, 12:54 PM --- BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese and Palestinian presidents agreed Wednesday that Palestinian factions won't use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren't under the authority of the Lebanese state. The announcement was made during a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived earlier in the day beginning a three-day visit to Lebanon, his first in seven years. Lebanon's government is seeking to establish authority throughout the country, mainly in the south near the border with Israel after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in late November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon aren't under the control of the Lebanese state, and Palestinian factions in the camps have different types of weapons. Rival groups have clashed inside the camps in recent years, inflicting casualties and affecting nearby areas. It wasn't immediately clear how the weapons would be removed from the camps, which are home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them descendants of families that fled to Lebanon after Israel was created in 1948. Abbas' Fatah movement and the militant Hamas group are the main factions in the camps. Smaller groups, including some jihadi factions, also have a presence in the camps — mainly in Ein el-Hilweh, which is Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp and located near the southern port city of Sidon. A joint statement read by the Lebanese presidency's spokeswoman, Najat Sharafeddine, said that both sides have agreed that weapons should only be with the Lebanese state, and the existence of "weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state has ended." The statement said that both sides have agreed that Palestinian camps in Lebanon aren't "safe havens for extremist groups." It added that "the Palestinian side confirms its commitment of not using Lebanese territories to launch any military operations." In late March, Israel intensified its airstrikes on Lebanon in response to Hamas allegedly firing rockets at northern Israel from southern Lebanon. Shortly after the wave of airstrikes, the Lebanese government for the first time called out the Palestinian group and arrested nearly 10 suspects involved in the operation. Hamas was pressured by the military to turn in three of their militants from different refugee camps. There are nearly 500,000 Palestinians registered with UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, in Lebanon. However, the actual number in the country is believed to be around 200,000, as many have emigrated but remain on UNRWA's roster. They are prohibited from working in many professions, have few legal protections and can't own property.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 18:48:57+00:00	[ "Weather", "Storms", "Winter weather", "Science", "Kyle Pederson", "Climate and environment", "Associated Press" ]	# May nor'easter to rain, snow on New England before Memorial Day By Isabella O'Malley and Patrick Whittle May 21st, 2025, 06:48 PM --- SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — An unusual May nor'easter is set to wallop New England on Thursday, providing a soaking before the Memorial Day holiday weekend with weather more commonly associated with fall and winter. Nor'easters usually arrive in the end of fall and winter and bring high winds, rough seas and precipitation in the form of rain or snow. This week's nor'easter could bring wind gusts over 40 mph (64 kph) and up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain in some areas. Snow is even possible at high elevations. The storm has New Englanders preparing for a messy couple of days during a time of year usually reserved for sunshine and cookouts. ## What is a nor'easter? A nor'easter is an East Coast storm that is so named because winds over the coastal area are typically from the northeast, according to the National Weather Service. The storms can happen at any time of the year, but they are at their most frequent and strongest between September and April, according to the service. The storms have caused billions of dollars in damage in the past. They usually reach the height of their strength in New England and eastern Canada. The storms often disrupt traffic and power grids and can cause severe damage to homes and businesses. "We have a stronger jet stream, which is helping intensify a low pressure system that just happens to be coming up the coast. And so that's how it got the nor'easter name," said Kyle Pederson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boston. ## Who will see rain and snow The heaviest rain is likely to fall in Rhode Island and southern and eastern Massachusetts, Pederson said. Localized nuisance flooding and difficult driving conditions are possible Thursday, and catastrophic flooding is not expected. The storm is then expected to pass, leaving light rain and patchy drizzle, on Friday. "It's just really a nice dose of rain for the region — not expecting much for flooding," Pederson said. Snow is expected to be confined to mountainous areas, but accumulations there are possible. ## Why nor'easters are rare in May Nor'easters are usually winter weather events, and it is unusual to see them in May. They typically form when there are large temperature differences from west to east during winter when there is cold air over land and the oceans are relatively warm. But right now there is a traffic jam in the atmosphere because of an area of high pressure in the Canadian Arctic that is allowing unusually cold air to funnel down over the Northeast. The low pressure system off the East Coast is being fueled by a jet stream that is unusually south at the moment. "It really is a kind of a winter-type setup that you rarely see this late," said Judah Cohen, seasonal forecast director at the private firm Atmospheric and Environmental Research. If this type of pattern in the atmosphere happened two months earlier, he said, "we'd be talking about a crippling snowstorm in the Northeastern U.S., not just a wet start to Memorial Day weekend." ___ O'Malley reported from Philadelphia. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 17:45:54+00:00	[ "Alphabet", "Inc.", "Artificial intelligence", "Sundar Pichai", "California", "Internet", "Associated Press", "Technology", "Meta Platforms", "Eddy Cue", "Apple", "Business", "Warby Parker" ]	# Google's unleashes 'AI Mode' in the next phase of its journey to change search By Michael Liedtke May 20th, 2025, 05:45 PM --- Google on Tuesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence technology to accelerate a year-long makeover of its search engine that is changing the way people get information and curtailing the flow of internet traffic to websites. The next phase outlined at Google's annual developers conference includes releasing a new "AI mode" option in the United States. The feature makes interacting with Google's search engine more like having a conversation with an expert capable of answering questions on just about any topic imaginable. AI mode is being offered to all comers in the U.S. just two-and-a-half-months after the company began testing with a limited Labs division audience. Google is also feeding its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5, into its search algorithms and will soon begin testing other AI features, such as the ability to automatically buy concert tickets and conduct searches through live video feeds. In another example of Google's all-in approach to AI, the company revealed it is planning to leverage the technology to re-enter the smart glasses market with a new pair of Android XR-powered spectacles. The preview of the forthcoming device, which includes a hands-free camera and a voice-powered AI assistant, comes 13 years after the debut of "Google Glass," a product that the company scrapped after a public backlash over privacy concerns. Google didn't say when its Android XR glasses will be available or how much they will cost, but disclosed they will be designed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The glasses will compete against a similar product already on the market from Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Ray-Ban. ## AI's big role in Google search The expansion builds upon a transformation that Google began a year ago with the introduction of conversational summaries called "AI overviews" that have been increasingly appearing at the top of its results page and eclipsing its traditional rankings of web links. About 1.5 billion people now regularly engage with "AI overviews," according to Google, and most users are now entering longer and more complex queries. "What all this progress means is that we are in a new phase of the AI platform shift, where decades of research are now becoming reality for people all over the world," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said before a packed crowd in an amphitheater near the company's Mountain View, California, headquarters. ## AI ripples across the internet Although Pichai and other Google executives predicted AI overviews would trigger more searches and ultimately more clicks to other sites, it hasn't worked out that way so far, according to the findings of search optimization firm BrightEdge. Clickthrough rates from Google's search results have declined by nearly 30% during the past year, according to BrightEdge's recently released study, which attributed the decrease to people becoming increasingly satisfied with AI overviews. The decision to make AI mode broadly available after a relatively short test period reflects Google's confidence that the technology won't habitually spew misinformation that tarnishes its brand's reputation, and acknowledges the growing competition from other AI-powered search options from the likes of ChatGPT and Perplexity. ## Will AI undercut or empower Google? The rapid rise of AI alternatives emerged as a recurring theme in legal proceedings that could force Google to dismantle parts of its internet empire after a federal judge last year declared its search engine to be an illegal monopoly. In testimony during a trial earlier this month, longtime Apple executive Eddy Cue said Google searches done through the iPhone maker's Safari browser have been declining because more people are leaning on AI-powered alternatives. And Google has cited the upheaval being caused by AI's rise as one of the main reasons that it should only be required to make relatively minor changes to the way it operates its search engine because technology already is changing the competitive landscape. But Google's reliance on more AI so far appears to be enabling its search engine to maintain its mantle as the internet's main gateway — a position that's main reason its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., boasts a market value of $2 trillion. During the year ending in March, Google received 136 billion monthly visits, 34 times more than ChatGPT's average of 4 billion monthly visits, according to data compiled by onelittleweb.com. Even Google's own AI mode acknowledged that the company's search engine seems unlikely to be significantly hurt by the shift to AI technology when a reporter from The Associated Press asked whether its introduction would make the company even more powerful. "Yes, it is highly likely that Google's AI mode will make Google more powerful, particularly in the realm of information access and online influence," the AI mode responded. The feature also warns that web publishers should be concerned about AI mode reducing the traffic they get from search results. ## Even more AI waiting in the wings Google's upcoming tests in its Labs division foreshadow the next wave of AI technology likely to be made available to the masses. Besides using its Project Mariner technology to test the ability of an AI agent to buy tickets and book restaurant reservations, Google will also experiment with searches done through live video and an opt-in option to give its AI technology access to people's Gmail and other Google apps so it can learn more about a user's tastes and habits. Other features on this summer's test list include a "Deep Search" option that will use AI to dig even deeper into complex topics and another tool that will produce graphical presentations of sports and finance data. Google is also introducing its equivalent of a VIP pass to all its AI technology with an "Ultra" subscription package that will cost $250 per month and include 30 terabytes of storage, too. That's a big step beyond Google's previous top-of-the-line package, which is now called "AI "Pro," that costs $20 per month and includes two terabytes of storage. —— The Associated Press and Google have a licensing and technology agreement that gives Google's Gemini AI chatbot access to AP's news coverage.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 08:52:09+00:00	[ "Benjamin Netanyahu", "Israel government", "Gaza Strip", "Donald Trump", "Israel", "Kerem Shalom", "United Nations", "Middle East", "Hamas", "2024-2025 Mideast Wars", "Foreign aid", "War and unrest", "International agreements", "Religion", "Antoine Renard", "Theft", "Stephane Dujarric", "Politics", "Military and defense" ]	# Netanyahu promises new Gaza aid delivery plan as supplies still fail to reach Palestinians By Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, and Melanie Lidman May 21st, 2025, 08:52 AM --- DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. said Wednesday it was trying to get the desperately needed aid that has entered Gaza this week into the hands of Palestinians amid delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions. Israeli strikes pounded the territory, killing at least 86 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country is days away from implementing a new aid system in Gaza that has come under heavy international criticism. He said Israel later plans to create a "sterile zone" there, free of Hamas, where the population, which has repeatedly evacuated and relocated throughout the war, would be moved and receive supplies. With renewed ceasefire talks appearing to make little progress, Netanyahu said he will end the war only if Hamas releases all hostages and steps down from power — and if President Donald Trump's plan to relocate the territory's population outside Gaza is implemented. The Palestinians, along with nearly all of the international community, have rejected Trump's plan to empty Gaza of its Palestinian population and place the territory under U.S. control. Under international pressure, Israel has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza after blocking all food, medicine, fuel and other material for nearly three months. But the supplies have been sitting on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the majority of supplies that had entered since Monday had been loaded onto U.N. trucks, but they could not take them out of the crossing area. He said the road the Israeli military had given them permission to use was too unsafe. A U.N. official later said more than a dozen trucks that left the crossing area arrived at warehouses in central Gaza on Wednesday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. Israel said 100 trucks had crossed into Gaza on Wednesday. Food security experts have warned that Gaza risks falling into famine unless the blockade ends. Malnutrition and hunger have been mounting. Aid groups ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, and most of the population of around 2.3 million relies on communal kitchens whose supplies are nearly depleted. At a kitchen in Gaza City, a charity group distributed watery lentil soup. Somaia Abu Amsha scooped small portions for her family, saying they have not had bread for over 10 days and she can't afford rice or pasta. "We don't want anything other than that they end the war. We don't want charity kitchens. Even dogs wouldn't eat this, let alone children," she said. Aid groups say the small amount of aid that Israel has allowed is far short of what is needed. About 600 trucks entered daily under the latest ceasefire. ## Netanyahu says population will be moved south Israel has said its slight easing of the blockade is a bridge until the new aid system it demands is put in place. The U.N. and other humanitarian groups have rejected the system, saying it enables Israel to use aid as a weapon and forcibly displace the population. Netanyahu told reporters the plan will begin "in coming days." He said in a later phase, the "sterile zone" in southern Gaza would be free of Hamas and the population would be moved there "for the purposes of its safety." There, they would receive aid, "and then they enter – and they don't necessarily go back." The plan involves small number of distribution hubs directed by a private, U.S.-backed foundation known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Armed private contractors would guard the distribution. Israel says the system is needed because Hamas siphons off significant amounts of aid. The U.N. denies that claim. Initially, four hubs are being built, one in central Gaza and three at the far southern end of the strip, where few people remain. A GHF spokesman said the group would never participate in or support any form of forced relocation of civilians. The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's rules. said there was no limit to the number of sites and additional sites will open, including in the north, within the next month. ## Israeli warning shots shake diplomats Israeli troops fired warning shots as a group of international diplomats was visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Footage showed a number of diplomats giving media interviews as rapid shots ring out nearby, forcing them to run for cover. No one was reported injured. The Israeli military said their visit had been approved, but the delegation "deviated from the approved route." The military said it apologized and will contact the countries involved in the visit. The soldiers' actions were roundly criticized as officials from Italy, Austria and Germany were among those demanding that Israel investigate what happened. Foreign ministers in Canada and France called for the Israeli ambassador to be summoned to provide an explanation. Israeli troops have raided Jenin dozens of times as part of a crackdown across the West Bank. The fighting displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians. Early Thursday, sirens sounded across Israel as its military said it intercepted a missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take hours or days for them to acknowledge their assaults. ## The trickle of aid is jammed Currently, after supplies enter at Kerem Shalom, aid workers are required to unload them and reload them onto their own trucks for distribution. Antoine Renard, the World Food Program's country chief for Palestine, said 78 trucks were waiting. He told The Associated Press that "we need to ensure that we will not be looted." Looting has plagued aid deliveries in the past, and at times of desperation people have swarmed aid trucks, taking supplies. A U.N. official and another humanitarian worker said the Israeli military had designated a highly insecure route known to have looters. The military also set a short window for trucks to come to Kerem Shalom and rejected a number of individual truck drivers, forcing last-minute replacements, they said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing aid for Gaza, did not immediately respond when asked for comment. ## Hospitals surrounded Israeli strikes continued across Gaza. In the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel recently ordered new evacuations pending an expanded offensive, 24 people were killed, 14 from the same family. A week-old infant was killed in central Gaza. In the evening, a strike hit a house in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, killing two children and their parents, according to hospital officials. The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes. It says it targets Hamas infrastructure and accuses Hamas militants of operating from civilian areas. Israeli troops also have surrounded two of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities, hospital staff and aid groups said this week. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third believed to be alive, after most were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 21:01:05+00:00	[ "Automotive accidents", "Illinois", "St. Louis", "Business", "Jennifer Homendy", "National Transportation Safety Board" ]	# Shortage of overnight truck parking contributed to deadly Greyhound bus crash, regulators say By John O'Connor May 20th, 2025, 09:01 PM --- SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Overnight parking for long-haul truckers at interstate rest stops is critically short and was a key contributor to a 2023 Greyhound bus crash in Illinois that killed three people, federal regulators said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board said driver fatigue and poor company oversight of its drivers also played key roles when the Greyhound bus exited Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp east of St. Louis and struck three semitrailers parked on the shoulder. Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy said the crash, which sheared off the right side of the bus and injured 12 aboard, was preventable. "Our investigation brought to light a critical shortage of safe truck parking and made clear a painful lesson: Until we address this important safety issue, lives are at risk on our nation's roads," she said. Truck parking on rest stop entrance and exit ramps is illegal, but the ban is seldom enforced because there's insufficient parking for the 13 million rigs on the nation's roads and the federal government electronically monitors truckers' hours on the road and their rest periods. The board, meeting in Washington, also cited the bus driver's fatigue and "deficient driver oversight by Greyhound," including the company's failure to address the driver's "recurring unsafe driving behaviors." Records compiled during the investigation showed the driver had been involved in four prior accidents, two of which were deemed preventable, and an electronic monitor caught him driving over the speed limit on repeated occasions. A spokesman said via email that "Greyhound Lines has fully cooperated with the NTSB since the beginning of this investigation" but declined further comment, citing ongoing litigation. The westbound bus, with 22 passengers, entered the rest area near Highland, 32 miles (about 51 kilometers) east of St. Louis at 1:48 a.m. on July 12, 2023. It slid along the sides of three trucks parked for the night. None of the truck drivers was hurt, but three bus passengers were killed and the bus driver and 11 other passengers were injured. The report also noted that injuries could have been minimized if more passengers had been wearing safety belts provided. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adopted a rule in 2019 requiring commercial buses to have seatbelts for the driver and every passenger. Illinois law requires the use of seatbelts.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 17:52:41+00:00	[ "California", "John Thune", "Donald Trump", "Ronald Reagan", "Alex Padilla", "Charles Schumer", "Sheldon Whitehouse", "United States Senate", "U.S. Republican Party", "Pollution", "U.S. Democratic Party", "United States government", "Congress", "United States", "Government and politics", "Government policy", "U.S. Government Accountability Office", "United States House of Representatives", "Richard Nixon", "Legislation", "Voting", "Politics" ]	# Senate will try to block California rules that would phase out gas-powered cars By Mary Clare Jalonick and Matthew Daly May 20th, 2025, 05:52 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate will move this week to block California from enforcing a series of vehicle emissions standards that are tougher than the federal government's, including first-in-the-nation rules phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday that the Senate will begin to consider three House-passed resolutions that would roll back the standards. Final votes could come as soon as this week. His announcement came despite significant pushback from Democrats, questions from some Republicans and the advice of the Senate Parliamentarian, who has sided with the U.S. Government Accountability Office in saying California's policies are not subject to the review mechanism used by the House. The resolutions would block California's rules to phase out the gas-powered cars, along with standards to cut tailpipe emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and curb smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. Like the House, Senate Republicans are using the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. The Trump administration in 2019 revoked California's ability to enforce its own emissions standards, but Biden later restored the state's authority. Republicans have argued that the rules effectively dictate standards for the whole country, imposing what would eventually be a nationwide electric vehicle mandate. Around a dozen states have already followed California's lead. Thune called it an "improper expansion" of the federal Clean Air Act that would "endanger consumers, our economy and our nation's energy supply." California for decades has been given the authority to adopt vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than the federal government's. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced plans in 2020 to ban the sale of all new gas-powered vehicles within 15 years as part of an aggressive effort to lower emissions from the transportation sector. Plug-in hybrids and used gas cars could still be sold. The Biden administration approved the state's waiver to implement the standards in December, a month before President Donald Trump returned to office. The California rules are stricter than a Biden-era rule that tightens emissions standards but does not require sales of electric vehicles. Biden's EPA said in announcing the decision that opponents of the California waivers did not meet their legal burden to show how either the EV rule or a separate measure on heavy-duty vehicles was inconsistent with the Clean Air Act. Newsom has evoked Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, who signed landmark environmental laws, as he has fought congressional Republicans and the Trump administration on the issue. "The United States Senate has a choice: cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children, or follow decades of precedent and uphold the clean air policies that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon fought so hard for," he said in a statement after Thune's announcement. Senate Democrats have strongly pushed back on the GOP effort. California Sen. Alex Padilla said Tuesday that he will place holds on four pending EPA nominations over "reckless attempts" to roll back the rules. Padilla, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats also spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon in protest. Schumer, D-N.Y., said that taking the vote under the Congressional Review Act — meaning Republicans only need a simple majority and no Democratic votes — against the parliamentarian's wishes is akin to "going nuclear," a term both parties used when Democrats voted to lower the vote threshold for executive and lower court judicial nominations in 2013 and when Republicans voted to lower the threshold for Supreme Court confirmations in 2017. "Legislation to repeal these waivers should be subject to a 60-vote threshold," Schumer said. Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said he's concerned about precedent. "We are opening up a Pandora's Box of multiple abuses," Whitehouse said. Thune said that any concerns over the process are misplaced, and noted that Democrats tried and failed to eliminate the Senate filibuster when Biden was president. "We are not talking about doing anything to erode the institutional character of the Senate," Thune said. "In fact, we are talking about preserving the Senate's prerogatives." ___ Associated Press writer Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 19:14:55+00:00	[ "North Korea", "Maggie Hassan", "Stephen Miller", "Kristi Noem", "Donald Trump", "Mexico", "Amy Coney Barrett", "United States government", "United States Congress", "Constitutional law", "Border security", "Congress", "United States", "Politics", "Legal proceedings", "Roger Taney", "Ulysses S. Grant", "Prisons", "Abraham Lincoln", "Immigration", "John Blume", "Courts", "George W. Bush" ]	# Kristi Noem says habeas corpus lets Trump remove people from the US By Meg Kinnard May 20th, 2025, 07:14 PM --- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the constitutional provision that allows people to legally challenge their detention by the government is actually a tool the Trump administration can use in its broader crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border. She called habeas corpus "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their rights." Noem, testifying before a congressional committee Tuesday, gave that response when asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan to define the legal concept. "That's incorrect," the New Hampshire Democrat swiftly interrupted Noem, defining the "legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people." Hassan, a former attorney who practiced in Boston, went on to call habeas corpus "the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea." The back and forth follows comments by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who said earlier this month that President Donald Trump is looking for ways to expand his administration's legal power to deport migrants who are in the United States illegally. To achieve that, Miller said the administration is "actively looking at" suspending habeas corpus. ## What is habeas corpus? The Latin term means, literally, "you have the body." Federal courts use a writ of habeas corpus to bring a prisoner before a neutral judge to determine if imprisonment is legal. Habeas corpus was included in the Constitution as an import from English common law. Parliament enacted the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, which was meant to ensure that the king released prisoners when the law did not justify confining them. The Constitution's Suspension Clause, the second clause of Section 9 of Article I, states that habeas corpus "shall not be suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it." ## Has it been suspended previously? Yes. The United States has suspended habeas corpus under four distinct circumstances during its history. Those usually involved authorization from Congress, something that would be nearly impossible today — even at Trump's urging — given the narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate. President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus multiple times during the Civil War, beginning in 1861 to detain suspected spies and Confederate sympathizers. He ignored a ruling from Roger Taney, the Supreme Court 's chief justice. Congress then authorized suspending it in 1863, which allowed Lincoln to do so again. Congress acted similarly under President Ulysses S. Grant, suspending habeas corpus in parts of South Carolina under the Civil Rights Act of 1871. Also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, it was meant to counter violence and intimidation by groups that opposed Reconstruction in the South. Habeas corpus was suspended in two provinces of the Philippines in 1905, when it was a U.S. territory and authorities were worried about the threat of an insurrection, and in Hawaii after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor but before it became a state in 1959. Writing before becoming a Supreme Court justice, Amy Coney Barrett co-authored a piece stating that the Suspension Clause "does not specify which branch of government has the authority to suspend the privilege of the writ, but most agree that only Congress can do it." ## What has the Trump administration said about suspending it? Miller has said the administration is considering trying. "The Constitution is clear, and that of course is the supreme law of the land, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion," he told reporters outside the White House on May 9. "So, I would say that's an option we're actively looking at," Miller said. "Look, a lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not." Asked by Hassan on Tuesday if she supported the provision, Noem said she did, adding that "the president of the United States has the authority under the Constitution to decide if it should be suspended or not." Hassan, who responded by saying that even Lincoln had obtained "retroactive approval" from Congress, then asked Noem if she would follow a court order overturning a theoretical suspension of habeas corpus, or if she would follow Trump's decision. Noem said she was "following all court orders ... as is the president," prompting Hassan to say "that is obviously not true for anybody who reads the news." John Blume, a professor at Cornell Law School, said Noem's response to Hassan was either evidence that she "fundamentally misunderstands habeas corpus" or "was giving an answer she knew was wrong to appease the president." Should the administration argue that the constitutional provision should be suspended due to what Trump officials have characterized as an "invasion" by migrants, Blume said he felt such a position would be "very unlikely to fly" with the U.S. Supreme Court. ## Could the Trump administration do it? It can try. Miller suggested that the U.S. is facing an "invasion" of migrants. That term was used deliberately, though any effort to suspend habeas corpus would spark legal challenges questioning whether the country was in fact facing an invasion, let alone one that presented extraordinary threats to public safety. Federal judges have so far been skeptical of the Trump administration's past efforts to use extraordinary powers to make deportations easier, and that could make suspending habeas corpus even tougher. Trump argued in March that the United States was facing an "invasion" of Venezuelan gang members and evoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime authority he has tried to use to speed up mass deportations. His administration acted to swiftly deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua to a notorious prison in El Salvador, leading to a series of legal fights. Federal courts around the country, including in New York, Colorado, Texas and Pennsylvania, have since blocked the administration's uses of the Alien Enemies Act for many reasons, including by raising questions about whether the country is truly facing an invasion. ## If courts are already skeptical, how could habeas corpus be suspended? Miller, who has been fiercely critical of judges ruling against the administration, advanced the argument that the judicial branch may not get to decide. "Congress passed a body of law known as the Immigration Nationality Act which stripped Article III courts, that's the judicial branch, of jurisdiction over immigration cases," he said earlier this month. That statute was approved by Congress in 1952 and there were important amendments in 1996 and 2005. Legal scholars note that it does contain language that could funnel certain cases to immigration courts, which are overseen by the executive branch. Still, most appeals in those cases would largely be handled by the judicial branch, and they could run into the same issues as Trump's attempts to use the Alien Enemies Act. The U.S. system of government is divided into three branches: executive (the president), legislative (Congress) and judicial (the courts). ## Have other administrations tried this? Technically not since Pearl Harbor, though habeas corpus has been at the center of some major legal challenges more recently than that. Republican President George W. Bush did not move to suspend habeas corpus after the Sept. 11 attacks, but his administration subsequently sent detainees to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, drawing lawsuits from advocates who argued the administration was violating it and other legal constitutional protections. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo detainees had a constitutional right to habeas corpus, allowing them to challenge their detention before a judge. That led to some detainees being released. ___ Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Mark Sherman contributed to this report.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 16:54:27+00:00	[ "Donald Trump", "Bruce Springsteen", "Neil Young", "Pearl Jam", "England", "Bob Seger", "Entertainment", "Eddie Vedder", "Government and politics", "Kid Rock", "Data management and storage", "Bob Dylan", "David Bauder", "Dana Perino", "Greg Gutfeld", "Politics" ]	# Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump keep up their culture war By David Bauder May 21st, 2025, 04:54 PM --- There's no retreat or surrender from Bruce Springsteen — or from President Donald Trump, for that matter. The rock star released a digital EP on Wednesday with four songs recorded live in Manchester, England last week, along with two of his addresses to the audience that attacked Trump's "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration." The Boss pointedly opened his concert in Manchester Tuesday night, his third in the English city, with the song "No Surrender." A satirical video posted on Trump's social media account on Wednesday showed the Republican president taking a swing on the golf course and his "ball" hitting Springsteen in the back as he stumbles to get onstage. Springsteen, long a Trump opponent, began the latest skirmish in the culture war in England last week, where he opened a European tour. His same-state neighbor Trump — they both have homes in New Jersey — responded by calling the Boss a "dried-out prune of a rocker." Both men have had other rock stars leap to their defense. Trump supporter Kid Rock appeared twice on Fox News Channel last week. He said his fellow Michigander, Bob Seger, "smokes" Springsteen. "Bruce Springsteen is another one of the liberals who has mountains of money who so desperately wants to keep his good standing in the eyes of Hollywood and the elite," Kid Rock said. Springsteen "plays the working-class guy" but his politics are "ass-backward," he said. On Fox's influential show "The Five," former White House press secretary Dana Perino said she always found Springsteen overrated, and Greg Gutfeld denounced him with an off-color slur. Neil Young has backed Springsteen, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder praised him during a concert in Pittsburgh over the weekend. Springsteen brought up issues, and in response "all that we heard were personal attacks and threats that nobody else should even try to use their microphones or use their voices in public or they will be shut down," Vedder said. "The name-calling is so beneath us," said Vedder, before Pearl Jam performed Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." For Springsteen, "No Surrender" replaced "Land of Hope and Dreams" atop his concert set list. The EP released digitally on Wednesday also contained a cover of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom." ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
Associated Press News	2025-05-21 04:33:03+00:00	[ "International trade", "Japan", "Donald Trump", "United States", "Tariffs and global trade", "Business", "Yuri Kageyama", "Japan government", "United States government" ]	# Japan's exports slow in April as Trump's tariffs dent shipments to the U.S. By Yuri Kageyama May 21st, 2025, 04:33 AM --- TOKYO (AP) — Japan's exports to the United States, its largest single trading partner, fell nearly 2% in April as tariff hikes imposed by President Donald Trump hit home. Globally, exports rose just 2% year-on-year, down from 4% in March, leaving a trade deficit for the first time in three months. Imports from the United States fell more than 11% in April, while total imports slipped 2.2%. Weakening exports could drag on growth after the economy contracted 0.7% in the last quarter. Japan is asking the Trump administration to scrap his tariffs on imports from Japan, but so far, the U.S. has not agreed to do so. The Finance Ministry said April's trade deficit totaled 115.8 billion yen ($804 million), compared with 504.7 billion yen a year earlier. The Japanese yen recently has gained against the U.S. dollar, eroding the value of exports in yen terms. The dollar is trading at about 144 yen, down from about 155 yen a year ago. Exports had picked up earlier in the year as businesses rushed to beat tariffs that have gradually taken effect since Trump took office for a second time. While trade with the United States has suffered, exports to other regions such as Southeast Asia have expanded. The U.S. is charging a 25% tariff on imports of autos, a mainstay of Japan's trade with the U.S. and a key driver of growth for the economy. Trump has relaxed some of those tariffs but has kept in place higher tariffs on steel and aluminum. Japan's vehicle exports fell nearly 6% in April from the year before. Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's main tariff negotiator, is due to visit the U.S. soon for talks, likely over the weekend, in the third round of those talks. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
Associated Press News	2025-05-20 15:00:56+00:00	[ "Immunizations", "U.S. Food and Drug Administration", "Medication", "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.", "Clinical trials", "COVID-19 pandemic", "Children", "Philadelphia", "COVID-19", "Sean OLeary", "Vinay Prasad", "Pfizer Inc.", "Business", "Health", "Paul Offit", "Moderna", "Inc.", "Marty Makary" ]	# New Trump vaccine policy limits access to COVID shots By Matthew Perrone and Lauran Neergaard May 20th, 2025, 03:00 PM --- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Tuesday it will limit approval for seasonal COVID-19 shots to seniors and others at high risk pending more data on everyone else — raising questions about whether some people who want a vaccine this fall will be able to get one. Top officials for the Food and Drug Administration laid out new standards for updated COVID shots, saying they'd continue to use a streamlined approach to make them available to adults 65 and older as well as children and younger adults with at least one high-risk health problem. But the FDA framework, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, urges companies to conduct large, lengthy studies before tweaked vaccines can be approved for healthier people. It's a stark break from the previous federal policy recommending an annual COVID shot for all Americans six months and older. In the paper and a subsequent online webcast, the FDA's top vaccine official said more than 100 million Americans still should qualify for what he termed a booster under the new guidance. Dr. Vinay Prasad described the new approach as a "reasonable compromise" that will allow vaccinations in high-risk groups to continue while generating new data about whether they still benefit healthier people. "For many Americans we simply do not know the answer as to whether or not they should be getting the seventh or eighth or ninth or tenth COVID-19 booster," said Prasad, who joined the FDA earlier this month. He previously spent more than a decade in academia, frequently criticizing the FDA's handling of drug and vaccine approvals. It's unclear what the upcoming changes mean for people who may still want a fall COVID-19 shot but don't clearly fit into one of the categories. "Is the pharmacist going to determine if you're in a high-risk group?" asked Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The only thing that can come of this will make vaccines less insurable and less available." The nation's leading pediatrics group said FDA's approach will limit options for parents and their children. "If the vaccine were no longer available or covered by insurance, it will take the choice away from families who wish to protect their children from COVID-19, especially among families already facing barriers to care," said Dr. Sean O'Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows more than 47,000 Americans died from COVID-related causes last year. The virus was the underlying cause for two-thirds of those and it was a contributing factor for the rest. Among them were 231 children whose deaths were deemed COVID-related, 134 of them where the virus was the direct cause -- numbers similar to yearly pediatric deaths from the flu. The new FDA approach is the culmination of a series of recent steps under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scrutinizing the use of COVID shots and raising questions about the broader availability of vaccines. It was released two days ahead of the first meeting of FDA's outside vaccine experts under Trump. Last week the FDA granted full approval of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine but with major restrictions on who can get it — and Tuesday's guidance mirrors those restrictions. The approval came after Trump appointees overruled FDA scientists' earlier plans to approve the shot without restrictions. Pfizer and Moderna, makers of the most commonly used COVID shots, each said they would continue to work with the agency. For years, federal health officials have told most Americans to expect annual updates to COVID-19 vaccines, similar to the annual flu shot. Just like with flu vaccines, until now the FDA has approved updated COVID shots so long as they show as much immune protection as the previous year's version. But FDA's new guidance appears to be the end of that approach, according to Prasad and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who co-authored the journal paper and joined the FDA webcast. Prasad and Makary criticized the U.S.'s "one-size-fits-all," contrasting it with some European countries that recommend boosters based on age, risk and other factors. Prasad said the FDA will ask all manufacturers to do new clinical trials in healthy people ages 50 to 64, randomly assigning them to get a vaccine or a placebo and tracking outcomes with special attention to severe disease, hospitalization or death. Companies might need to repeat that requirement for future vaccine approvals if there's a large virus mutation rather than the past year's incremental evolution. Companies are also free to test their vaccines for approval in younger adults and children, Prasad said, adding "this is a free country." Since becoming the nation's top health official in February, Kennedy has filled the FDA and other health agencies with outspoken critics of the government's handling of COVID shots, including Makary and Prasad. Under federal procedures, the FDA releases new guidance in draft form and allows the public to comment before finalizing its plans. The publication of Tuesday's policy in a medical journal is highly unusual and could run afoul of federal procedures, according to FDA experts. Health experts say there are legitimate questions about how much everyone still benefits from yearly COVID vaccination or whether they should be recommended only for people at increased risk. In June, an influential panel of advisers to the CDC is set to debate which vaccines should be recommended to which groups. The FDA's announcement appears to usurp that advisory panel's job, Offit said. He added that CDC studies have made clear that booster doses do offer protection against mild to moderate illness for four to six months after the shot even in healthy people. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press News	2025-05-22 00:08:25+00:00	[ "Government budgets", "North Carolina", "Legislation", "North Carolina state government", "U.S. Republican Party", "Josh Stein", "Taxes", "Politics", "Business" ]	# Taxes, salaries, vacancy cuts make plain differences over rival North Carolina GOP budgets By Gary D. Robertson May 22nd, 2025, 12:08 AM --- RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina House's reveal of its state government budget proposal makes plain the differences on taxes, salaries and job cuts between Republicans who control both General Assembly chambers. With strong bipartisan support, the House gave preliminary approval late Wednesday to its plan to spend $32.6 billion in the year beginning July 1 and $33.3 billion the next year — the same amounts Senate Republicans agreed to for their competing two-year budget approved last month. The amounts reflect a more strained fiscal picture amid uncertainty over federal government spending, inflation and projections of flat or falling tax collections. "We've had to tighten the belt a little bit more than we normally have," Rep. Donny Lambeth, a top chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters. But the chambers' paths to those figures show deep areas of disagreement as they pursue a compromise they hope new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein can accept — or build enough legislative support to withstand a Stein veto. ## House more cautious on tax rate reductions GOP leaders in both chambers agree a previously approved law reducing the current 4.25% individual income tax rate to 3.99% in 2026 should stay in place. But the House, concerned about revenue shortfalls, doesn't want to go along with the Senate proposal to reduce that rate to 3.49% in 2027 and 2.99% in 2028. The House also would make it harder to lower the rate below 3.99% by raising revenue thresholds contained in current law that state coffers must exceed before the rate automatically falls. The Senate tilts toward a more aggressive threshold, proposing a schedule that could reduce the rate one day to 1.99%. Stein has warned that the current thresholds, if left intact, could bring "self-inflicted fiscal pain" by curbing revenues. Senate Republicans have downplayed such fears, and outside conservative groups argue the House budget actually would raise taxes — legislative staff calculate $2 billion-plus more revenue annually compared to current law. The national conservative group Club for Growth warned on X ahead of Wednesday's vote that anyone voting for the bill containing the "tax increase in North Carolina should expect to be held accountable on election day, and kiss their political future goodbye." The threat didn't faze House Republicans, some of whom considered it a scare tactic as talks begin with Senate counterparts. House leaders also note the plan would lower income taxes further by increasing standard deductions and eliminating tax on the first $5,000 of a worker's tips. "Nothing on the outside of this building is going to change my belief and this (GOP) caucus' belief that this budget is ... the more fiscally conservative between the two chambers," House Speaker Destin Hall said during a break in Wednesday's debate. ## Teacher salaries surge in House plan The House plan would raise teacher pay well above the Senate proposal, with a focus on early-career instructors. The House proposal would increase state-funded salaries of K-12 teachers by 8.7% on average over the next two years. The Senate's proposed raises are well under half of that percentage, but that doesn't include $3,000 bonuses the Senate also approved. The House says its plan would vault compensation for first-year teachers to top levels in the Southeast. Stein's budget proposal released in March would raise teacher pay well over 10% on average. ## House goes deep on cutting vacant jobs House Republicans would direct state agencies, departments and institutions to eliminate nearly 3,000 vacant positions, while the Senate version directs that 850 vacancies be eliminated. The Office of State Human Resources notes there were more than 14,000 vacancies in state agencies as of last month. About two-thirds of the House's cuts come from a directive for agencies to eliminate 20% of their vacant positions, with cost savings intended to beef up salaries to recruit and retain workers for critical hard-to-fill positions. ## Negotiations could continue well into summer After an expected final House vote Thursday, the budget bill will return to the Senate — a prelude to House-Senate negotiations on a unified plan to present to Stein. The goal is to have an enacted budget by July 1, but meeting that deadline has been difficult in recent years as Republicans have battled each other and the Democratic governor. Given this week's discourse over taxes, GOP intraparty negotiations could extend deep into summer. Legislative Republicans currently are one seat shy of a veto-proof majority, meaning Stein could wield some influence. For now, Stein backs the House plan over the Senate. In a statement released during Wednesday's floor debate, he praised its proposals for teacher pay, cutting taxes for working families and reducing income tax rates "only when the economy is growing." "The House's proposed budget isn't perfect," said Stein, yet while also criticizing "the Senate's fiscally irresponsible revenue scheme." Stein's words trickled down into Wednesday's vote. Following five hours of debate and dozens of amendments, 27 House Democrats joined all the Republicans present in voting 93-20 for the plan.

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