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Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 15:14:50+00:00 | [
"Denmark",
"Arctic",
"Donald Trump",
"Greenland",
"Denmark government",
"Russia Ukraine war",
"Vivian Motzfeldt",
"Politics"
] | # Denmark takes over as Arctic Council chair at a time when Trump eyes its territory, Greenland
May 12th, 2025, 03:14 PM
---
TROMSOE, Norway (AP) — Denmark on Monday took over the Arctic Council's rotating chairmanship from Norway at a time when security tensions over the region are fraught and U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to annex Greenland.
Denmark named Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland's foreign affairs minister, as the new chair of the council, the eight-nation grouping of countries that border the Arctic. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which has rebuffed Trump's talk of buying the island.
When asked about negotiating with the U.S., Motzfeldt reaffirmed her government's commitment to becoming an independent nation while still working with the Trump administration.
"I think that we have been very clear in our politics, that we don't want to be Danes but we don't want to be Americans, either," she said. "And our cooperation in the new administration is very strong."
During Norway's two-year turn at the helm, the Arctic Council faced strain over how to deal with Trump and Russia's war in Ukraine. Russia is the biggest Arctic nation and was council chair before Norway.
The council was one of the few settings where Western countries and Russia worked together closely, but members decided to suspend their work with Russia shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"The Arctic must remain a region where tensions are resolved through diplomacy, where Indigenous rights are protected and where cooperation prevails," Motzfeldt said. "This is more important now than ever. We firmly believe that the cooperation will continue to build — even in uncertain times — and will lead to a stronger, more resilient future for the Arctic and its peoples."
The Arctic Council does not deal with security issues but makes binding agreements on environmental protection and gives a voice to the Indigenous peoples of the region.
Its members are Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Six organizations representing Arctic Indigenous peoples are permanent participants of the council, which was established in 1996. Countries including France, Germany, China, Japan, India and Korea attend meetings as observers. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 11:24:52+00:00 | [
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Donald Trump",
"Bernie Sanders",
"Charles Schumer",
"Marco Rubio",
"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Joe Biden",
"Mike Johnson",
"Pete Hegseth",
"Public opinion",
"Florida",
"United States government",
"United States",
"Barack Obama",
"Elon Musk",
"Politics",
"Linda Sleet",
"Patrick Reynolds",
"Damien Williams"
] | # AP-NORC Poll: Democrats' optimism about party's future drops sharply
By Steve Peoples and Linley Sanders
May 14th, 2025, 11:24 AM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Six months after Donald Trump's presidential victory, Democrats remain deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, although neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party is viewed favorably by a majority of U.S. adults.
A new poll conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about one-third of Democrats are "very optimistic" or even "somewhat optimistic" about their party's future. That's down sharply from July 2024, when about 6 in 10 Democrats said they had a positive outlook.
"I'm not real high on Democrats right now," said poll respondent Damien Williams, a 48-year-old Democrat from Cahokia Heights, Illinois. "To me, they're not doing enough to push back against Trump."
The poll comes at a critical moment for the Democratic Party, which is desperately seeking momentum after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in last fall's general election. In the survey, Democrats offer mixed reviews for some of their party's best-known elected officials — including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both of New York — while reporting significant concerns about how leaders are chosen in the U.S. political system.
Williams, a member of the Teamsters union, said he likely won't feel good about his party again "until somebody steps up in terms of being a leader that can bring positive change — an Obama-like figure."
Republicans, meanwhile, are slightly more optimistic about the future of the GOP than they were last year.
The poll finds that about half of Republicans, 55%, are very or somewhat optimistic about their party's future, up from 47% last summer. Still, only about 3 in 10 Republicans are optimistic about the state of U.S. politics, up from about 1 in 10 last summer.
Patrick Reynolds, a 50-year-old Republican community activist and pastor from Fort Worth, Texas, says he has conflicting feelings about Trump's leadership and the future of his party.
He worries that too many Republicans in Congress are falling in line behind the Republican president and his chief ally and adviser, Elon Musk, who has led Trump's push to slash the size of the federal government. Reynolds also says he's concerned that Trump's aggressive moves to combat illegal immigration may be violating the Constitution.
"How can we be the party of the rule of law when we're violating constitutional principles?" Reynolds said. "I think there could be a (political) backlash."
Neither political party is especially popular right now.
Overall, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable view of the Republican Party while about one-third have a positive view of the Democratic Party.
This relatively weak support extends to some of each party's most prominent officials.
Roughly 4 in 10 Americans have a favorable view of Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has twice run for the Democratic presidential nomination and has toured the nation in recent months rallying anti-Trump resistance. Among self-described Democrats, about three-quarters view Sanders favorably.
About half of Democrats have a favorable view of Ocasio-Cortez, who has joined Sanders on the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. She is less popular among U.S. adults overall — about 3 in 10 have a favorable opinion of the 35-year-old representative, who is sometimes mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.
Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, is less popular than Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez.
Just about one-third of Democrats have a somewhat or very favorable view of the 74-year-old senator, who took a hit from many liberals for acceding to a Republican-led funding bill that kept the government open. The share of Democrats who view Schumer positively has fallen since December 2024, when about half had a somewhat or very favorable view. Among all adults, his favorability stands at 21%.
"I just feel like the majority of the old Democratic Party needs to go," said Democrat Monica Brown, a 61-year-old social worker from Knoxville, Tennessee. "They're not in tune with the new generation. They're not in tune with the new world. We've got such division within the party."
On the GOP side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator, is more popular than several other high-profile Republicans.
About 6 in 10 Republicans view Rubio favorably, although that number falls to about one-third among all adults. About half of Republicans have a positive opinion of House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, while around one-quarter of U.S. adults feel the same. That's roughly the same level of support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel host who earns favorable ratings from 44% of Republicans and about one-quarter of Americans overall.
Beyond their negative outlook on the future of their party, 55% of Democrats are also pessimistic about the way leaders are chosen in the U.S. The figure is up slightly from 46% last summer, when President Joe Biden was still in the White House.
Linda Sleet, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in Venice, Florida, raised specific concerns about the way congressional districts are drawn and the Electoral College that is used to determine presidential contests instead of the popular vote.
"I don't have confidence in the system," Sleet said. "I think it served a purpose way back when. It does not now."
Williams, the Teamster from Illinois, said he's unhappy with just about everything to do with U.S. politics.
"I'm going to need to see some wins for America, for humanity, before I can be optimistic right now," he said. "Every day is just a constant barrage of negative feelings and news politically. It's all screwed up right now."
___
Sanders reported from Washington.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,175 adults was conducted May 1-5, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 18:24:56+00:00 | [
"Newark",
"Federal Aviation Administration",
"Sean Duffy",
"Aviation safety",
"Power outages",
"New York City Wire",
"Business",
"Robert Garcia",
"Frank McIntosh",
"Rick Larsen",
"Donald Trump"
] | # Air traffic controllers in Denver scrambled to use backup communications during an outage
By Josh Funk
May 15th, 2025, 06:24 PM
---
Air traffic controllers in Denver lost communications with planes for 90 seconds earlier this week and had to scramble to use backup frequencies in the latest Federal Aviation Administration equipment failure.
The outage at a control center that directs planes flying at high altitude between airports all over the country on Monday afternoon affected communications, not radar, the FAA's head of air traffic control, Frank McIntosh, said during a House hearing Thursday. This communications failure follows two high-profile outages of radar and communications in the past 2 1/2 weeks at a facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of the Newark, New Jersey, airport.
The FAA said in a statement that the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center lost communications for approximately 90 seconds. McIntosh said both the primary and main backup frequencies went down, so the controllers had to turn to an emergency frequency to communicate.
"Controllers used another frequency to relay instructions to pilots. Aircraft remained safely separated and there were no impacts to operations," the FAA said.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California told McIntosh during the hearing that these outages are happening more regularly and it's concerning every time.
"We know that there are staffing and equipment problems at air traffic control," Garcia said. "We know that the problems have gone back decades in some cases, but it's still an absolutely shocking system failure and we need immediate solutions."
Last week, the Trump administration announced a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul an air traffic control system that relies on antiquated equipment. Air travel is safe even if the air traffic control system is old, but the problems in Newark were unacceptable and could have been prevented if the system had been upgraded sooner, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a Thursday op-ed in Newsweek.
The Newark airport has generally led the nation in flight cancellations and delays ever since both radar and communications went out on April 28 and again on May 9. A third similar problem happened Sunday, but that time the backup system worked and kept radar online.
"The safety of the traveling public cannot continue being put at risk," Democrat and ranking member Rep. Rick Larsen said after the hearing. "Problems with our system have crossed administrations, but safety improvements cannot span generations. We need action now."
The FAA and airlines that fly out of Newark met again Thursday to discuss cutting flights because there aren't enough controllers to handle them all. Those conversations will continue for a third day on Friday, but the FAA isn't likely to issue a decision immediately. More than 140 flights have been canceled at Newark Thursday.
Officials developed the plan to upgrade the air traffic control system after a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people in the skies over Washington, D.C. Several other crashes this year also put pressure on officials to act. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-10 06:55:52+00:00 | [
"Russia",
"Ukraine",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Donald Trump",
"Emmanuel Macron",
"Volodymyr Zelenskyy",
"Keir Starmer",
"Kyiv",
"Moscow",
"Europe",
"Friedrich Merz",
"Keith Kellogg",
"Donald Tusk",
"Russia government",
"Germany government",
"Poland government",
"Russia-Ukraine war",
"Poland",
"Politics",
"Russia Ukraine war",
"Recep Tayyip Erdogan",
"Ukraine government",
"United Kingdom government"
] | # Putin proposes direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 15
By Samya Kullab and Joanna Kozlowska
May 10th, 2025, 06:55 AM
---
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, "without preconditions," an offer that came in response to Ukraine and its allies urging Moscow to commit to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face additional sanctions.
Putin referenced the unsuccessful 2022 peace talks that took place in Istanbul in March, shortly after Moscow's full-scale invasion, and proposed "restarting" them without preconditions in remarks to reporters in the early hours of Sunday.
"We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine," Putin said, adding that he doesn't rule out agreeing to a ceasefire later, in the course of direct talks with Ukraine.
Putin's proposal came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.
The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.
Trump has called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for "very high level talks," saying they are "very close to a deal" on ending the bloody three-year war.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said he was ready for peace talks, but only after a ceasefire is in place.
## Moscow's proposals
Putin said that Russia proposed several ceasefires in recent months — a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure, which Ukraine had agreed to, a unilateral 30-hour Easter truce and another unilateral ceasefire on May 8-10 that has since expired.
Ukrainian officials said Russia repeatedly violated all of those.
Putin on Sunday accused Ukraine of sabotaging "these initiatives time and time again" and launching multiple attacks on Russia.
In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.
Putin on Sunday once again said the Kremlin needs a truce that would lead to a "lasting peace" instead of one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more men into its armed forces.
He said he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and ask him to facilitate the peace talks on May 15.
Shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey hosted unsuccessful talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at ending the hostilities. The proposed deal reportedly included provisions for Ukraine's neutral status and put limits on its armed forces, while delaying talks on the status of Russian-occupied areas.
Moscow has blamed Kyiv and the West for the talks collapsing.
Putin said that "those who truly want peace cannot but support" his proposal to restart the peace talks.
## 'A very important signal'
Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv on Saturday, called their meeting "a very important signal."
In a joint statement, as published on Zelenskyy's official website, the five leaders called for a ceasefire "lasting at least 30 days" from Monday, to make room for a diplomatic push to end the war.
"An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy," the statement read.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that the U.S. would take the lead in monitoring the proposed ceasefire, with support from European countries, and threatened "massive sanctions ... prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans," should Russia violate the truce.
Macron traveled to Kyiv with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
"This is Europe stepping up, showing our solidarity with Ukraine," Starmer said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, said Saturday that a "comprehensive" 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, "will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II."
Meanwhile, Putin on Saturday held a series of bilateral talks with foreign officials who had attended Moscow's own celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, in an apparent attempt to underscore the West's failure to isolate it on the global stage. Putin's interlocutors included To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the leaders of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and the Palestinian Authority.
## Europe threatens more sanctions if Russia ignores ceasefire offer
Progress on ending the three-year war has seemed elusive in the months since Trump returned to the White House, and his previous claims of imminent breakthroughs have failed to come to fruition. Trump has previously pushed Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, threatening to walk away if a deal becomes too difficult.
Since the start of U.S.-mediated talks, Russia has kept up attacks along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, including deadly strikes on residential areas with no obvious military targets.
The ceasefire would include a halt to fighting on land, sea and in the air. The European leaders threatened to ratchet up sanctions, including on Russia's energy and banking sectors, if Putin did not comply.
The priority was to make it too costly for Russia to keep fighting in Ukraine, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
When asked how the monitoring mechanism would work, Sybiha told The Associated Press the details were still being discussed.
Addressing skepticism over whether fresh sanctions against Moscow, which has so far managed to keep fighting in the war, Merz said "almost all member states of the European Union and a large coalition of the willing around the world are determined to enforce these sanctions even if our initiative of the weekend should fail."
The leaders also discussed security guarantees for Ukraine.
Building up Kyiv's military capabilities will be a key deterrent against Russia and require supplying Ukraine with robust quantities of arms to deter future attacks and investing in its defense sector. A force comprised of foreign troops could also be deployed as an added "reassurance" measure, Macron said.
He said details about potential European deployments to Ukraine were still being fine-tuned. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Kyiv's top choice for a security guarantee.
Earlier on Saturday, the European leaders joined a ceremony at Kyiv's Independence Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lit candles alongside Zelenskyy at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians slain since Russia's invasion.
## Russian attacks continue
Russian shelling in Ukraine's northern Sumy region over the past day killed three residents and wounded four more, local officials said. Another civilian died Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Friday warned of a "potentially significant" Russian air attack in the coming days, without giving details.
Russia in November gave the U.S. brief advance warning before striking Ukraine for the first time with its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, an experimental hypersonic weapon that Putin claimed could travel at 10 times the speed of sound.
Ukrainian Telegram channels linked the embassy's warning to reports of an imminent flight ban by Moscow over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex. A similar flight ban preceded November's strike. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.
Trump said last week that he doubts Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon, and hinted at further sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine's European allies view its fate as fundamental to the continent's security, and pressure is now mounting to find ways to support Kyiv militarily, regardless of whether Trump pulls out.
___
Kullab reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Kozlowska reported from London. Associated Press writers Thomas Adamson in Paris, Philipp Reissfelder in Berlin and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-11 22:01:47+00:00 | [
"Medication",
"Clinical trials",
"Weight management",
"Eli Lilly",
"New York City Wire",
"Health",
"Angela Fitch",
"Business",
"Louis Aronne",
"Spain"
] | # Zepbound beats Wegovy for weight loss in first head-to-head trial of blockbuster drugs
By Jonel Aleccia
May 11th, 2025, 10:01 PM
---
People taking Eli Lilly's obesity drug, Zepbound, lost nearly 50% more weight than those using rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in the first head-to-head study of the blockbuster medications.
Clinical trial participants who took tirzepatide, the drug sold as Zepbound, lost an average of 50 pounds (22.8 kilograms) over 72 weeks, while those who took semaglutide, or Wegovy, lost about 33 pounds (15 kilograms). That's according to the study funded by Lilly, which was published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Both drugs are part of a new class of medications that work by mimicking hormones in the gut and brain that regulate appetite and feelings of fullness. But tirzepatide targets two such hormones, known as GLP-1 and GIP, while semaglutide targets GLP-1 alone, said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
"Two drugs together can produce better weight loss," said Aronne, who led the study and presented the findings Sunday at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain.
While tirzepatide won out in what Aronne said many view as "a drag race of efficacy," both are important tools for treating obesity, which affects about 40% of American adults.
"The point of these medications is to improve health," he said. "The majority of people won't need the most effective medication."
The trial included 751 people from across the U.S. who were overweight or had obesity and at least one other weight-related health problem, but not diabetes. Participants received weekly injections of the highest tolerated doses of Zepbound, either 10 milligrams or 15 milligrams, or Wegovy, 1.7 milligrams or 2.4 milligrams.
By the end of the trial, those who took Zepbound lost about 20% of their body weight on average, compared with a nearly 14% loss for those who took Wegovy. The tirzepatide group trimmed about 7 inches (17.8 centimeters) from their waist circumference, compared to about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) with semaglutide. In addition, nearly 32% of people taking Zepbound lost at least a quarter of their body weight, compared to about 16% of those taking Wegovy, the study found.
Weight loss was about 6% lower in men than in women in both groups, the authors noted. As participants in both groups lost more weight, they saw improvements in health markers such as blood pressure, blood fat and blood sugar levels.
More than three-quarters of patients taking both drugs reported at least one side effect, mostly mild to moderate gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. About 6% of participants taking Zepbound left the trial because of adverse events, compared with 8% of those taking semaglutide.
The GLP-1 drugs have become increasingly popular, with at least 1 in 8 U.S. adults reporting their use, according to a 2024 survey by KFF, a independent health policy research organization. Zepbound generated $4.9 billion in global sales last year. Wegovy brought in nearly $8.8 billion (58.2 billlion Danish kroner).
Access and affordability have limited wider use of the drugs. Tirzepatide and semaglutide were removed recently from a list of drug shortages by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both manufacturers recently released programs that cut costs to about $500 per month or less, depending on the dose.
Other factors can affect access. This week, CVS Health said Wegovy will become the preferred option on its standard formulary, or list of covered drugs, as of July 1. Zepbound will be excluded.
It's important to have a range of drugs to treat a disease as widespread as obesity in the U.S., said Dr. Angela Fitch, chief medical officer of knownwell, an obesity care company. Wegovy has been found to cut the risk of serious heart problems by 20%, she noted. A drug may work well for one patient, but not for others.
"We're going to need to use them all just because we have so many patients who need treatment," she added.
___
AP Health Writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
___
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 | 2025-05-08 12:35:54+00:00 | [
"Kashmir",
"Pakistan",
"War and unrest",
"India",
"India government",
"Narendra Modi",
"South Asia",
"Pakistan government"
] | # Many in Kashmir fear the deadly India-Pakistan escalation heralds another war
By Aijaz Hussain and Sheikh Saaliq
May 8th, 2025, 12:35 PM
---
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Poet Zareef Ahmed Zareef has watched India and Pakistan fight for decades over his homeland, the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
He was born in 1947, the same year India and Pakistan became independent nations and British colonial rule ended. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have since fought two wars over Kashmir, which is split between them but claimed by both in its entirety.
Now the 78-year-old worries this week's dramatic escalation heralds yet another war.
"We've been told that Kashmir is paradise on earth," he said. "But for us, it's living in a permanent fear of hell. Every war has brought misery, death and destruction."
His fears have only been exacerbated by the developments.
On Wednesday, Indian missile strikes killed 31 people in Pakistan, including women and children. The strikes came in the wake of an April 22 attack, when gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, in the India-controlled part of Kashmir.
India accused Pakistan of backing the militants who carried out the attack, a charge Islamabad denied. Pakistan has vowed to avenge the killings.
Since Wednesday, exchanges spiked across the so-called Line of Control, the boundary dividing the Indian and the Pakistani-controlled sections of Kashmir.
Militaries on both sides have mobilized. The people are scared.
## A devastated border town
Indian and Pakistani soldiers guard their side of the frontier. Coils of razor wire snake around mountain foothills, by ancient villages and across fields of rice and corn. Watch towers stand on every few hundred meters (yards) and some Indian and Pakistani troops are so close they can wave to each other.
Like many places along the frontier, the border town of Poonch in Indian-controlled Kashmir is swarmed by soldiers, their barracks close to civilian homes.
Shortly after India's strikes, Pakistani shells and bullets rained on Poonch, killing 13 civilians, including three women and three children, and wounding 44, Indian officials and medics said.
Mehtab Din, 46, and his wife were lightly injured when three shells hit their home in Poonch. Their next-door neighbor was not that lucky, he said.
"His two children were killed and he's battling for his life in a hospital," Din said. "Leaders are safe in their homes. The brutal axe of the war they start falls on us."
## A shattered calm
The region saw a tentative calm in 2021, after India and Pakistan renewed a ceasefire agreement from two decades earlier. But this weeks escalation shattered that.
Rubina Begum said early morning explosions in her village of Salamabad in the area of Uri sent her running for cover with her children.
"There was confusion and smoke all over. Thank God, we're alive," she wailed, standing in front of her heavily damaged home as relatives tried to calm her.
Begum was among few left in Salamabad on Thursday. Many had fled in fear of more attacks; some houses were still smoldering.
## Caught in the middle of bitter rivalry
In the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed after an armed revolt erupted against Indian rule in 1989.
India decries the rebellion as Islamabad's proxy war and state-sponsored terrorism. Many Muslim Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle and support the rebel goal that the territory be united, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
Zareef, the poet, said the people of the region have become "cannon fodder" in the conflict.
"One group says you belong to us," he said. "The other too says you belong to us. But at critical times, they ... punish us," he said.
Kashmiris have particularly reeled after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped the Indian-controlled sector's semi-autonomy in 2019, bringing it firmly under India's control. Since then, the government's heavy-handed approach has largely silenced people, with civil liberties eroded and the press gagged.
Jagmohan Singh Raina, a 72-year-old Sikh businessman said like him, many Kashmiris feel they've had enough of being used in the fight between Pakistan and India.
"Don't push us further," he said. "End this warfare and let Kashmiris live in peace."
___
Saaliq reported from New Delhi. Associated Press writers Channi Anand in Poonch, India, and Mukhtar Khan in Uri, India, contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 16:16:10+00:00 | [
"Sean Diddy Combs",
"Casandra Ventura",
"Legal proceedings",
"Crime",
"Celebrity",
"Lawsuits",
"Music",
"RB",
"New York City Wire",
"Entertainment",
"Wiz Khalifa",
"Sexual misconduct",
"Human trafficking",
"Mario Barrett",
"Ryan Leslie",
"Sexual assault",
"Daniel Phillip",
"Frankie Stone Fine",
"Kid Cudi",
"Suge Knight",
"Alex Fine",
"Lil Wayne",
"Akon"
] | # Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial: Who is Cassie?
By Maria Sherman
May 13th, 2025, 04:16 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Casandra Ventura, the R&B singer and actor known simply as Cassie, began testifying Tuesday in Sean "Diddy" Combs ' sex trafficking trial. She is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday.
The music mogul is charged with leveraging his status to coerce women — including Cassie — into abusive sexual encounters and using violence if they refused. He has pleaded not guilty. Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of rape and abuse. The suit was settled within hours, but was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation.
Here's what you need to know about the 38-year-old star witness:
## A talented performer
A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's professional ambitions began in adolescence, when she signed to the top-tier talent and modeling agency Wilhelmina. Her music career launched shortly thereafter, when she left her home state of Connecticut for New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and first met Combs.
Cassie is perhaps best known for the 2006 hit single "Me & U," which secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She left the label in 2019.
As an actor, she appeared in several television and film projects including Fox's "Empire," "The Perfect Match" and "Spenser Confidential." She made her acting debut in 2008 in "Step Up 2: The Streets" and contributed the song "Is It You" to its soundtrack.
She appeared in a number of music videos as well, including Wiz Khalifa's "Roll Up" and Mario's "Just A Friend 2002."
Although she never released her long-teased sophomore album, at one point tentatively titled "Electro Love," she did drop a few tracks: the R&B-pop "Official Girl" with Lil Wayne, "Must Be Love" with Combs, and "Let's Get Crazy" with Akon. And in 2012, Nicki Minaj tapped her for a feature on "The Boys" from Minaj's "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — The Re-Up."
Cassie is also a wife and a mother. She married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born that same year and they welcomed their second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021. She is currently pregnant with their third child, a son.
## The Combs connection
Cassie met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating.
In her 2023 civil lawsuit, Cassie alleges Combs trapped her in a "cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking" for more than a decade, including raping her and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day.
In May 2024, CNN aired video that showed Combs attacking Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrored an assault described in her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Cassie, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. The lawsuit alleges Combs paid $50,000 to bury the video at the time.
Later, Combs apologized for the assault on Cassie in his first real acknowledgment of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began.
Among other things, Cassie alleges Combs raped her when she tried to leave him and often punched, kicked and beat her, causing injuries including bruises, burst lips, black eyes and bleeding.
She also alleges that Combs was involved in blowing up rival rapper Kid Cudi's car when he learned that Cudi was romantically interested in her, and she alleges that Combs ran out of his home with guns when he learned that Suge Knight, a rival producer, was eating at a nearby diner.
On the first day of Combs' sex trafficking trial, a witness, Daniel Phillip, said he was a professional stripper who was paid $700 to $6,000 to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched and gave instructions, with the first encounter in 2012.
Phillip told jurors that he stopped meeting with the couple after he saw Combs throw a bottle at her and then drag her by her hair into a bedroom as she screamed.
___
AP writer Mike Sisak contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-06 10:33:26+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Labor",
"Barack Obama",
"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.",
"Education costs",
"Workplace culture",
"United States government",
"United States",
"Spencer Goidel",
"Health",
"Abby Tighe",
"Atlanta",
"Politics",
"Katy Neas",
"Kelly McCullough",
"Business",
"Department of Government Efficiency"
] | # Disabled workers question federal government inclusion amid Trump cuts
By Kenya Hunter and Fatima Hussein
May 6th, 2025, 10:33 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spencer Goidel, a 33-year-old federal worker in Boca Raton, Florida, with autism, knew what he could be losing when he got laid off from his job as an equal employment opportunity specialist at the IRS.
Because of his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, Goidel had been able to secure his spot as one of more than 500,000 disabled workers in the federal government under Schedule A, which allows federal agencies to bypass the traditional hiring process and pick a qualified candidate from a pool of people with certain disabilities.
His job, he said, was accommodating and enriching, and he wonders if he'll ever get another one like that in the private sector.
"A lot of people who are disabled, they came to the federal government because it was a model employer for disabled individuals, and now they have nowhere else to go," he told The Associated Press.
The irony, he says, is that his job was to help resolve workers' harassment claims before they escalated into full-blown lawsuits against the government. So much for reducing waste, he says.
## A model employer for disabled workers
For decades, the federal government has positioned itself as being committed to inclusive hiring and long-term retention across agencies. But as mass layoffs ripple through the federal workforce under President Donald Trump's Republican administration, disabled employees are among those being let go.
Amid the firings, rollbacks of accommodation guidance for businesses and skepticism of disability inclusion practices, advocates and experts wonder if the government's status as a "model employer" will hold true.
Trump has said he ended diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the government because people should be hired based on work quality and merit alone.
However, under Schedule A, candidates already have to be qualified for the position with or without an accommodation. They don't get a job solely because they have a disability.
Disability advocates point to a slew of statements from Trump administration officials that indicate they view disabled workers as a liability to the government.
Trump criticized the federal government's inclusion efforts in January when a midair collision between a plane and a helicopter near Reagan National Airport killed 67 people. Without evidence, he blamed the Federal Aviation Administration's targeted hiring of people with disabilities for the crash, saying that only "psychologically superior" air traffic controllers should work for the agency.
## How the private sector responds
Kelly McCullough, legal director at Disability Law Colorado, said the messaging from the Trump administration could affect how seriously the private sector takes on disability inclusion efforts. Recently, she said, the nonprofit has received an uptick in disability discrimination complaints.
"It does make me wonder, if the federal government is setting this example, challenging these ideas of inclusion that have (had) long-standing support from the government … is that trickling down?" she said. "Is that messaging getting to employers in other contexts?"
Trump also rescinded a Biden-era executive order that required federal agencies to create action plans to hire more diverse staff, including those with disabilities. The order calls diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, or DEIA, efforts "illegal" and says they "violate the text and spirit" of civil rights.
The Trump administration's other actions have caused consternation, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s dismantling of the Administration for Community Living, an agency that serves disabled and aging adults. HHS officials also floated –- and walked back -– a plan to create a registry of people with autism.
Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc of the United States, which advocates for people with physical and intellectual disabilities, said she is concerned about the impact the massive reductions in the federal workforce will have on government services for all Americans as well as the loss of opportunities for workers with disabilities.
"I'm really worried — where are these folks going to go? Who's going to hire them?" she asked.
Employment gaps for disabled people have been an issue across the federal and private sectors for years. When the Labor Department began recording disability status in its employment trends in the Current Population Survey in 2009, just 30% of disabled people between ages 16 and 64 were working at least part time. That's compared with 71% of people without a disability.
Last year, employment rates for disabled people hit a record high of 38%, but the decades-old disparities still persisted: 75% of people without disabilities were employed that year.
## Making disability hiring a federal priority
Disability hiring in the federal government became a prominent effort in the 1970s, shortly after the passing of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits disability discrimination in federal agencies. Expectations to hire disabled people expanded from there.
In 2014, Democratic President Barack Obama's administration began requiring that federal contractors meet specific goals related to hiring disabled people.
Three years later, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated rules under the Rehabilitation Act. The new rules required federal agencies to set hiring goals for people with disabilities and create plans to help them get jobs and promotions.
Anupa Iyer Geevarghese worked as a disability policy adviser at the EEOC when officials updated the regulations. She said it increased progress in ensuring that disabled people had equitable opportunities in the federal workforce. She now worries that progress will be undone as the Trump administration shows little interest in continuing inclusion efforts.
"I think, unfortunately, there are still perceptions about the knowledge, skill and abilities of people with disabilities," she said. "As a whole, we're still, as a community, still perceived as people who can't do their jobs, are unqualified, who are uneducated and are incapable … we thought we had combated it, but we are still fighting that fight."
Abby Tighe, a former public health adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, was among thousands of federal probationary workers terminated in February. Tighe, 30, has a progressive form of muscular dystrophy, which may eventually affect her ability to walk independently.
"I really truly understand how other people who are using a chair or using some kind of assistance device might be really concerned about that next stage of employment when they can't interview and hide their disability at the same time," she said.
## Laid-off federal workers with disabilities worry about the future
Some also worry that disabled federal workers may have been disproportionately hurt by the terminations. Tighe and Goidel were hired through Schedule A, which allows a probationary period of up to two years. Other federal employees typically have one year of probation.
Tighe suspects that if she hadn't been hired through the special hiring authority, she might still have a job, given that no one else on her team was let go.
Goidel, who was converted to permanent status with full tenure in 2019, says his employment with the federal government motivated him to continue his education and pursue a master's degree in employment law. He says the decision to slash jobs at the IRS' EEO office will mean there are fewer federal workers able to investigate harassment claims and that could result in more litigation against the government.
The White House is promoting its efforts to provide services for disabled individuals and veterans.
In an email to The Associated Press, a White House official pointed to student loan forgiveness for completely disabled veterans and record low unemployment for people with disabilities during Trump's first term. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, also noted that a multiagency task force was created in 2018 to focus on increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
HHS also announced plans for the Administration for Community Living to release more than $1 billion in funding to states to address nutrition, daily living assistance, chronic disease management and more.
Goidel says he hopes the Trump administration realizes what it's losing with the layoffs.
"They're taking away people's opportunities, and they're taking away people's livelihoods," he said. "They're also hurting people who may need a little extra help to get over the finish line and have that upward mobility."
___
Hunter reported from Atlanta. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-01 16:05:50+00:00 | [
"Mortgages",
"Federal Reserve System",
"Business",
"Bob Broeksmit",
"Lisa Sturtevant"
] | # Average rate on a US 30-year mortgage eases to 6.76%, its second straight weekly decline
By Alex Veiga
May 1st, 2025, 04:05 PM
---
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased again this week, modest relief for prospective home shoppers during what's traditionally the busiest time of the year for the housing market.
The rate fell to 6.76% from 6.81% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.22%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell. The average rate dropped to 5.92% from 5.94% last week. It's down from 6.47% a year ago, Freddie Mac said.
Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including global demand for U.S. Treasurys, the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy decisions and bond market investors' expectations for future inflation.
After climbing to a just above 7% in mid-January, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained above 6.62%, where it was just three weeks ago. It then spiked above 6.8% the next two weeks, reflecting volatility in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
The yield, which had mostly fallen after climbing to around 4.8% in mid-January, surged last month to 4.5% amid a sell-off in government bonds triggered by investor anxiety over the Trump administration's trade war.
The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.23% in midday trading Thursday, up from 4.17% late Wednesday.
As mortgage rates decline, they help give homebuyers more purchasing power. While down from a year ago, mortgage rates haven't come down enough to encourage more home shoppers at a time when real estate prices are still rising nationally, albeit more slowly, and the number of properties on the market has risen sharply from a year ago.
It's one reason the spring homebuying season is off to a lackluster start. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in March, posting the largest monthly drop since November 2022.
An index that tracks home loan applications fell 4.2% last week from a week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That was the index's second straight weekly drop, although it was up 16.5% from a year earlier.
"Mortgage applications fell for the second consecutive week as uncertainty continues to impact many buyers' decisions to enter the housing market," said MBA CEO Bob Broeksmit.
Economists expect mortgage rates to remain volatile in coming months, though they generally call for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6.5% this year.
"Homebuyers would like to see rates come down further, but it is becoming more likely that they will remain in the high 6% range this spring," said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 04:23:26+00:00 | [
"Atlanta",
"Georgia",
"Manuel Esteban Paez Tern",
"Law enforcement",
"Protests and demonstrations",
"Indictments",
"National",
"New York City Wire",
"Priscilla Grim",
"Hannah Kass",
"Julia Dupuis",
"Climate and environment",
"Terrorism",
"Legal proceedings",
"Chris Carr",
"Trials",
"Michael Mears",
"Chris Timmons",
"Climate"
] | # 'Stop Cop City' activists' lives in limbo as unprecedented Georgia racketeering case unfolds
By R.J. Rico
May 12th, 2025, 04:23 AM
---
ATLANTA (AP) — Single mother Priscilla Grim lost her job. Aspiring writer Julia Dupuis frequently stares at the bedroom ceiling, numb. Geography and environmental studies researcher Hannah Kass is worried about her career prospects after she graduates from her Ph.D. program.
The three are among 61 defendants accused by Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr of participating in a yearslong racketeering conspiracy to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training facility just outside Atlanta that critics pejoratively call "Cop City."
Their cases are at a standstill, 20 months after being indicted under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, or RICO, which is likely the largest criminal racketeering case ever filed against protesters in U.S. history, experts say.
Trial for five of the defendants was supposed to start last year but got bogged down in procedural issues. The judge overseeing the case then moved to another court. A new judge has set a status hearing for Wednesday.
The delays have left people in limbo, facing charges carrying up to 20 years behind bars for what they maintain was legitimate protest, not domestic terrorism. The case also has suppressed a movement that brought together hundreds of activists to protect a wooded patch of land that ultimately was razed for the recently completed $118 million, 85-acre (34-hectare) project.
Officials say the project is sorely needed to replace outdated facilities and boost officers' morale. Opponents say it will be a training ground for a militarized police force and its construction has worsened environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.
Protests escalated after the fatal 2023 shooting of Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, known as Tortuguita, who was camping near the site when authorities launched a clearing operation. Officials said they killed Tortuguita, 26, after the activist shot and wounded a trooper from inside a tent.
A family-commissioned autopsy concluded Tortuguita was killed with their hands in the air, but a prosecutor found the officers' use of force was " objectively reasonable."
## The challenges of a 61-person indictment
Chris Timmons, a former Georgia prosecutor who has handled numerous RICO cases, said it's understandable such a large case would take a long time to be scheduled. But Timmons said he is surprised prosecutors don't seem to be aggressively pushing for a trial date.
"Cases age like milk, not like wine," Timmons said. "The longer we go, memories fade, witnesses become unavailable. If I were in the prosecutors' shoes, I'd want this case tried as soon as possible."
The attorney general's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Michael Mears, a professor at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School who studies RICO cases, said prosecutors "boxed themselves in by charging so many people at one time instead of going after the leadership."
Prosecutors' decision last year to drop money laundering charges against three of the movement's alleged leaders was a sign of the case's weakness. And with the movement having faded from the public consciousness, there is less political appetite for cracking down on the protesters, he said.
"Prosecutors can't just walk away from it, but I think you'll probably see it die a slow death," Mears said, predicting charges would slowly be dismissed.
That is cold comfort for those who say their lives are on hold.
## Julia Dupuis
"I think most of our lives are just completely frozen in one way or another," said Dupuis, 26, who lives in Massachusetts.
Dupuis was charged with felony intimidation of an officer in 2023 for distributing anti-police flyers near the home of one of the troopers who killed Tortuguita, Dupuis' friend. The trooper called authorities after learning the flyers, which called him a "murderer," were placed on his neighbors' mailboxes.
Now banned from Georgia, Dupuis struggles to find the motivation to complete freelance copywriting projects that pay for their $650 rent.
"There's a lot I want to do, a lot of hopes and dreams that I feel like are just kind of stuck," said Dupuis, who dreams of joining New York City's creative writing scene.
But most of all, Dupuis misses the activist community that once thrived in the South River Forest.
"The charges have ripped me away from my community and the people that I love so much. That's what I've been longing for every single day: to be back with my people," Dupuis said.
## Priscilla Grim
Grim, 51, is tired of waiting and recently filed for a speedy trial. It's unclear whether her motion will be granted, since the speedy trial deadline passed long ago.
"Let's get this over with," Grim said. "If you think you have something on me, let's do it — which you don't."
Grim, who lives in New York City, is one of many "Stop Cop City" defendants who post on social media for financial support to help pay for food and rent. Health insurance is out of the question, despite chronic pain in her knee from a prior accident.
Besides the couple hundred dollars she gets each month from donors she doesn't know, Grim cobbles together funds through freelance work for activist-oriented causes and is focused on helping her daughter get through college.
"I've never had such a hard time finding employment," said Grim, who previously held marketing jobs. "I do really well until the final interview and then everybody goes ghost on me. I think it's because that's when they look my name up."
Prosecutors say Grim was among a throng of black-clad activists in March 2023 who left a music festival, walked through the woods and overtook the construction site, torching equipment and throwing rocks at retreating officers before returning to blend in with festivalgoers.
Grim said she was in her tent, having woken up from a nap, when officers arrived at the festival and began making arrests. Grim said she began to run before falling due to her knee injury.
"I heard men screaming at me," Grim said, describing what prompted her to run. "That's scary as a woman. They didn't say they were police or anything."
Authorities, however, said Grim ran upon spotting the officers and tried to hide.
After her arrest, Grim lost an email marketing contract with Fordham University, which had been about to give her a full-time position.
"People know me, and when they hear I'm a 'domestic terrorist' they're like, 'What? No! What?!' Grim said. "I'm not just talking about activist friends saying this — these are friends from parent circles."
## Hannah Kass
On May 12, 2022, a group of protesters gathered in suburban Atlanta outside the offices of Brasfield & Gorrie, the training center's primary contractor. Some set off fireworks as others broke windows and spray-painted "Trees not cops," causing an estimated $30,000 in damage, authorities said.
Kass, 32, attended the protest but said she never vandalized anything and was engaging in a research method called "participant observation," which involves immersing oneself in the community being studied.
"I was there as both a scholar and an activist," said Kass, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies land struggles and teaches environmental social sciences to undergraduates.
Authorities arrested her on charges of felony criminal property damage and felony terroristic threats, saying surveillance video shows she helped set off Roman candles.
Kass underwent a university disciplinary hearing but said the school has supported her. She worries potential employers might not be as understanding.
Like many of her codefendants, Kass rejected prosecutors' plea deal at her RICO arraignment that would have included serving three years in prison.
"I have absolutely nothing to plead guilty for," she said. "I should have every right to protest and believe what I want to believe and associate with whatever political tendencies I wish to associate with." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-03 21:08:55+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Georgia",
"Charlie Bailey",
"Kamala Harris",
"Jon Ossoff",
"2024 United States presidential election",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Duluth",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Atlanta",
"Wendy Davis",
"Elections",
"Politics",
"United States government",
"2020 United States presidential election",
"Jay Jones",
"Matthew Wilson"
] | # Newly elected chair of Georgia Democrats says party hasn't been fighting enough
By Jeff Amy
May 3rd, 2025, 09:08 PM
---
ATLANTA (AP) — Charlie Bailey won election to chair Georgia's Democratic Party on Saturday, pledging he'll raise the money to help the party win elections in 2025 and 2026.
Bailey was the Democratic nominee in 2018 for attorney general and in 2022 for lieutenant governor, losing both times to Republicans.
He replaces U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, who stepped down after Kamala Harris' loss to Donald Trump in the Southern swing state spotlighted discontent with her leadership.
The party voted earlier to change its bylaws to say that its chair would be paid and full time, instead of the volunteer post it traditionally has been. Williams agreed to the change and stepped down after it was made.
Bailey told the more than 200 state committee members who gathered at a Teamsters union hall south of downtown Atlanta that he would focus on the party's one job, "to elect as many Democrats to as many offices across this great state as humanly possible."
Bailey promised to raise "a whole heap of money" and to be a strong messenger for Democratic values while holding Republicans accountable. He takes office at a time when many Democrats are alarmed about the early actions of the second administration of President Donald Trump and are pressing for their party to provide forceful opposition before the 2026 election, even though they are in the minority in the U.S. House and Senate.
Bailey said that Democrats "have not been fighting enough" and that he would begin by clearly communicating what his party stands for.
"The first thing is you've got to be clear about what your values are, which we're going to do, and then we've got to win races," he said. "I mean, the only way to change this stuff is to take back power. You got to beat these Republicans."
He said his narrow losses in 2018 and 2022 can help him show other Democrats how to beat GOP candidates and that the party will seek to identify the best targets to make gains. While Georgia has two Democratic U.S. senators, its governor and all other statewide officials are Republicans.
"I know what it takes to run effective campaigns and cut into those margins," Bailey said.
Seven candidates competed for the chair's position Saturday, including state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes of Duluth, former Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis and former Chatham County Commissioner Jay Jones. After no one won a majority in the first round of voting, Bailey defeated former Rome City Commissioner and longtime Democratic activist Wendy Davis in a runoff.
Bailey was nominated Saturday by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath and was endorsed by U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff, among many others. But some who supported Davis and other candidates said they wanted a more grassroots approach.
"There is no knight on a white horse who's going to ride in and save the DPG or our democracy," Davis told committee members, saying she would focus on building up county parties and leverage her long relationships.
There was also discomfort with electing Bailey, a white man, after Democrats pushed out Williams, a Black woman. The state party amended its bylaws Saturday to allow the top two offices to be held by men temporarily, allowing First Vice Chair Matthew Wilson to remain in that role. Normally if the chair is a man, bylaws require the first vice chair to be a woman.
Williams' exit was one of several among Democratic parties as disgruntled partisans seek change after the electorate embraced Trump's return to the presidency. As a sitting member of Congress, she was legally barred from raising money for the party's state campaign account. Raising money and recruiting candidates are two of the top jobs of any party chair. There were also questions about how much time Williams could devote to being a party chair while also attending to congressional duties. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-01 12:53:58+00:00 | [
"Nicolas Cage",
"Movies",
"Surfing",
"Julian McMahon",
"Coastlines and beaches",
"Celebrity",
"Film Reviews",
"Thomas Martin",
"Entertainment"
] | # 'The Surfer' review: Nicolas Cage brings beach thriller to a boil
By Jake Coyle
May 1st, 2025, 12:53 PM
---
For a long, sun-addled stretch, Lorcan Finnegan's beach-set "The Surfer" simmers as a deliciously punishing nightmare, driving Nicolas Cage into his most natural state: a boil.
"Don't live here, don't surf here," is the slogan at a pristine stretch of beach along Luna Bay on the Australian coast where our unnamed protagonist (Cage) has come to surf with his teenage son (Finn Little). The "locals only" signs, though, don't deter him. He was born there, and has come back to surf the break and show his son the million-dollar house on the hills nearby he plans to buy.
But the situation rapidly disintegrates. He's roughed up by the pushy local surfers, his son takes off, and one issue after another keeps him stuck there on a hillside overlooking the ocean. Anyone who comes to "The Surfer" expecting glamorous photography of perfectly tubular waves will be disappointed. This is a movie that gets a remarkable amount of mileage out of a parking lot.
It also belongs to that small niche of films where things get so unbearably terrible for the protagonist that the psychodrama becomes more a matter of endurance than pure entertainment. I'm thinking of movies like "U-turn" or "Affliction" — films where a character's inability to reckon with their reality spirals miserably.
As time wears on, Cage's character gets bloodied, sunburned and incredibly thirsty, and the film grows hallucinatory and surreal. There are snakes, rats and bird eggs. The Lexus he arrives in is towed. His suit gets dusty and ripped. Small nuisances — a dead cellphone battery — accumulate. The sun seems to be melting his brain, so much so that he's no longer sure of who he is, and we start to doubt what's real, too.
What's happening here? The Surfer, as he's credited, is hell-bent on reclaiming something. He envisions reuniting with his family at the new house, but his separated wife, on the phone, tells him she wants a divorce. Is "The Surfer," penned by Thomas Martin, a metaphor for knowing when to cut bait? Cage's character won't accept his loses, and so he ultimately comes to risk much more.
When Finnegan begins to answer these questions in a third act that brings us closer to the surfer bros on the beach, "The Surfer" becomes more tolerable to watch and yet less transfixing. The beach gang, led by a man named Scally (Julian McMahon), are something of a cult for reviving an old-fashioned idea of masculinity. With this turn, the strong undertow of "The Surfer" dissipates.
But if there was ever an actor to elevate pulpy, not-fully formed genre material, it's Cage. His performance of a man brought to near-disintegration can be neatly filed alongside Cage's many other head trips to the brink. All he needs is a bluff above a beach to make "The Surfer" churn with the currents of a man tenuously close to being swept out to sea.
"The Surfer," a Roadside Attractions release that's in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language, suicide, some violence, drug content and sexual material. Running time: 103 minutes. Three stars out of four. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-19 08:36:15+00:00 | [
"United Kingdom",
"Iran",
"United Kingdom government",
"Espionage",
"Iran government",
"Political refugees",
"Politics",
"Asylum"
] | # UK and Iran summon each other's top diplomats in espionage tit-for-tat
May 19th, 2025, 08:36 AM
---
LONDON (AP) — Britain summoned Iran's ambassador on Monday after charges were filed against three Iranian nationals accused of acting as spies.
The move came the day after Iran summoned a British diplomat to protest what it described as the "illegal and unjustified" detention of an Iranian in the U.K., Iran's state-run news agency reported.
The tit-for-tat comes as ties between Tehran and London deteriorate.
Iran called the detention of its citizen, who was not identified, a violation of international law and expressed strong dissatisfaction over what it characterized as politically motivated judicial actions, Iran's state-run news agency reported.
The ministry warned the U.K. against further "unconstructive behavior" that could damage diplomatic relations, IRNA said.
Three men accused of being Iranian spies faced charges in a London court Saturday that they conducted surveillance on and plotted violence against U.K.-based journalists for an Iranian news outlet.
On Monday, Britain summoned Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi to the Foreign Office in response to the criminal case.
"The U.K. government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority and Iran must be held accountable for its actions," the ministry said in a statement.
When the three men were arrested in the U.K. two weeks ago, police also took four other Iranian nationals into custody on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act in a separate investigation. The four were released from custody Saturday, though counterterror police said that the investigation continues. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-05 22:05:19+00:00 | [
"Juries",
"Florida",
"Miami",
"Jose Hernandez",
"Business",
"Lawsuits",
"Bankruptcy"
] | # Florida jury awards man $3M for defective airbag that caused serious injury during crash
May 5th, 2025, 10:05 PM
---
MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida jury has awarded $3 million to a man who was severely injured by a defective airbag in a 2020 crash.
Miami-Dade jurors reached a verdict for Jose Hernandez on Thursday, according to court records. He had filed a lawsuit in 2022 against Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund, which was formed during Takata's bankruptcy
Hernandez was driving his 2005 Honda Civic in Miami in December 2020 when another vehicle hit him as he tried to make a left turn, his attorneys said. The collision should have caused only minor injuries, but the car's Takata airbag inflator improperly exploded, shooting a piece of metal shrapnel several inches long into Hernandez's right arm, the lawsuit said.
Attorneys for the Takata trust didn't immediately respond to an email Monday seeking comment.
At least 28 deaths have been linked to Takata air bag inflators in the U.S. and at least 36 worldwide, according to regulators. More than 400 people in the U.S. have been hurt. Large-scale recalls began in 2013.
Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time due to high heat and humidity and explode with too much force. That can blow apart a metal canister and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 20:36:15+00:00 | [
"Hip hop and rap",
"Megan Thee Stallion",
"Tory Lanez",
"Celebrity",
"Kylie Jenner",
"California",
"Shootings",
"Crime",
"Music",
"Legal proceedings",
"Prisons",
"Gun violence",
"Beyonce Knowles",
"Entertainment",
"Michel",
"Jay-Z",
"Cardi B"
] | # Rapper Tory Lanez attacked at California prison
By Andrew Dalton
May 12th, 2025, 08:36 PM
---
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rapper Tory Lanez was hospitalized after an attack Monday at a California prison where he's serving a 10-year sentence for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet, authorities said.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was attacked at a housing unit at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, at about 7:20 a.m., Pedro Calderon Michel, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in an email.
Michel did not specify how Lanez was attacked, but a message posted on the rapper's Instagram account Monday evening said Lanez was stabbed 14 times and both his lungs collapsed. The post said Lanez is breathing on his own.
"Despite being in pain, he is talking normally, in good spirits, and deeply thankful to God that he is pulling through," the post said, adding Lanez was stabbed in his back, torso, head and face.
Staff immediately gave Lanez medical aid and called 911, and he was taken to an outside hospital, Michel said. The prison's investigative unit and the Kern County District Attorney's Office are investigating, he said.
The prison is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Los Angeles in the mountains of the Mojave Desert and houses about 1,700 medium- and maximum-security inmates.
In December 2022, Lanez was convicted of three felonies: assaul/t with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified during the trial that in July 2020, after they left a party at Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home, Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding.
She had bullet fragments in both feet that had to be surgically removed. It wasn't until months after the incident that she publicly identified Lanez as the person who had fired the gun.
A judge rejected a motion for a new trial from Lanez's lawyers, who are appealing his conviction. They did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Megan recently alleged that Lanez was harassing her from prison through surrogates, and in January a judge issued a protective order through 2030 ordering him to stop any such harassment or any other contact.
The 32-year-old Canadian Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major label albums, two of which reached the top 10 on Billboard's charts.
The case created a firestorm in the hip-hop community, churning up issues including the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, and the ramifications of misogynoir, a particular brand of misogyny Black women experience.
The often dramatic trial was packed with friends and family members of Lanez who felt he was a victim of both the justice system and the powerful people around Megan, who his managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation.
When the verdict was announced, Lanez's father, Sonstar Peterson, jumped up and angrily denounced prosecutors and the system before he was dragged from the chaotic courtroom where many in the audience were shouting similar things. He later apologized to the judge.
Megan Thee Stallion, 30, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her music's popularity has soared since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with "Savage," featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B's "WAP." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 14:37:54+00:00 | [
"Milwaukee",
"Fires",
"Aaron Lipski"
] | # 5th person dies from blaze that forced residents to jump from Milwaukee apartment building windows
May 12th, 2025, 02:37 PM
---
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A fifth person has died following an intense fire that engulfed a four-story apartment building in Milwaukee on Mother's Day.
Details about the victim were not immediately released Monday by the Milwaukee Fire Department. Further details about the blaze also were not released.
The fire was reported about 8 a.m. Sunday at the 85-unit building. Officials said some residents were forced to jump to escape the flames and smoke.
Ladder trucks were used to rescue other residents from windows while some firefighters inside the burning building crawled on hands and knees to get people out, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said Sunday. In all, about 30 people were rescued.
Four people died Sunday. The fifth fatality was among four others who were critically injured. Several other residents were treated for lesser injuries.
An estimated 200 people were displaced by the fire which left the building uninhabitable. The building was built in 1968 and did not have a sprinkler system, predating a law that would have required one, Lipski said.
Lipski said the fire began in a common area and spread to multiple floors. Authorities have not said how the fire might have started. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-03 12:43:43+00:00 | [
"China",
"Automotive accidents",
"National parks",
"Idaho",
"Travel",
"Lifestyle",
"Accidents",
"Lee Whittlesey",
"Jeff McBirnie",
"Brian Riley",
"Donald Trump"
] | # International tourists killed in vehicle crash were among millions drawn to the Yellowstone area
By Mead Gruver and Matthew Brown
May 3rd, 2025, 12:43 PM
---
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The deaths of at least six Italian and Chinese tourists in a fiery van crash in Idaho near Yellowstone National Park are a reminder that the roads leading into the popular international destination can be as dangerous as the region's grizzly bears and boiling hot pools.
The van collided with a pickup truck Thursday on a highway just west of Yellowstone. Both vehicles caught fire, and the survivors were taken to hospitals with injuries, according to police. The tourists who were killed were from Italy and China, officials said.
The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco said eight Chinese citizens were injured in the crash. The accident comes after a crash in 2019 of a bus from Las Vegas carrying Chinese tourists that rolled over near southern Utah's Bryce National Park, killing four people and injuring dozens more.
Where the van in Thursday's accident was coming from and going was unknown. Some Yellowstone roads, including the one south of Old Faithful — the park's most famous geyser — were still closed after the snowy winter.
The highway where the accident happened south of West Yellowstone, Montana, offers a way to get between Yellowstone and Grand Teton at this time of year, before a north-south route is plowed and the park fully opens for summer.
## National parks including the world's first, Yellowstone, draw visitors from worldwide
According to the most recent data from the International Trade Administration, 36% of international visitors who arrived to the U.S. by air listed visits to national parks and national monuments as their top leisure activity while in the U.S.
Seventeen percent of Yellowstone's visitors came from other countries in 2016, according to a park visitor use study with the most recent comprehensive data available.
Visitors from Europe and Asia accounted for the majority of travelers from outside the U.S., with 34% from China, 11% from Italy and 10% from Canada.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed those numbers significantly, said Brian Riley whose Wyoming-based business, Old Hand Holdings, markets the Yellowstone region in China and runs tours.
"Every Chinese is taught how great Yellowstone is in their elementary school," Riley said Friday.
The pandemic put a sharp brake on tourism of all kinds but especially from China, which has yet to recover, Riley observed. Now, visits by people already living in the U.S. account for most visits by Chinese, he said.
"Foreigners in general they don't feel safe over here like they did before," Riley said Friday. "The Chinese are kind of preaching that behind the scenes."
The U.S. tourism industry expected 2025 to be another good year for foreign visitors. But several months in, international arrivals have been plummeting. Angered by President Donald Trump's tariffs and rhetoric, and alarmed by reports of tourists being arrested at the border, some citizens of other countries are staying away from the U.S. and choosing to travel elsewhere.
Riley, who grew up in Jackson, Wyoming, just south of Grand Teton and lived in China for a time to learn Mandarin and why Chinese wanted to visit the U.S., is more focused of late on getting them to visit Hawaii, a state perceived as less dangerous.
## International visitors are all ages
Yellowstone's crowds peak in the summer, but international tourism peaks in spring and fall, according to Riley and West Yellowstone Mayor Jeff McBirnie.
Many foreign visitors are parents of international students at U.S. colleges and universities.
"They're like, 'Hey let's drop our kid off and go on vacation for a week.' Or kid's graduating, let's get them through college and go on vacation,'" said McBirnie, who owns a pizza place in town. "They really bring a huge economic impact to this town."
Yellowstone suffered a one-two punch between the pandemic and devastating floods in 2022 that cut off access to parts of the park for months.
Tourism rebounded with 4.7 million visitors last year, Yellowstone's second-busiest on record.
## A 'legion' of road deaths over the past century
Winding roads and natural distractions help fuel numerous accidents in and around the park.
The first death involving a passenger vehicle in Yellowstone came just a few years after the park was completely motorized and a fleet of buses replaced the stage coaches and horses used for transport in the park's early years.
In 1921, a 10-passenger bus went off the road in the Fishing Bridge area of the park and down an embankment, killing a 38-year-old Texas woman when her neck was broken, according to park historian Lee Whittlesey.
Whittlesey in his book "Deaths in Yellowstone." chronicles deaths by all means –- from drownings in hot springs, to bear maulings, airplane crashes and murders. Auto deaths, Whittlesey wrote, are "legion" in the park, to the point that he felt them too ordinary to include in his tally of fatalities.
Another accounting of deaths in Yellowstone says at least 17 people died inside the park in motor vehicle crashes since 2007, ranking it the second most common cause of deaths behind medical issues.
Whittlesey presaged the chapter of his book covering road deaths with a quote attributed to the 15th century soothsayer Mother Shipton: "Carriages without horses shall go, And Accidents fill the world with woe."
___
Brown reported from Billings, Montana. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-06 14:32:35+00:00 | [
"China",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Russia",
"Xi Jinping",
"Russia government",
"Politics",
"Yuri Ushakov",
"Government policy",
"China government"
] | # Russia says Putin will travel to China in August
May 6th, 2025, 02:32 PM
---
MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China at the end of August and beginning of September, reciprocating Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Russia this week to attend festivities marking Victory Day in World War II.
Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the visit will be part of a "good tradition," in which Xi visits Moscow to attend celebrations of Russia's defeat over Nazi Germany in May 1945, and Putin travels to China to attend events marking the Allied defeat of Japan.
"This was the case 10 years ago, in 2015, and this will be the case this year," Ushakov said.
On Sept. 3, Beijing is set to host an event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which China refers to as "the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression."
In 2015, China marked the 70th anniversary of its role in the defeat of Japan with a massive military parade involving more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military equipment and 200 military aircraft.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier this year announced that China and Russia would jointly mark this year's anniversary.
Putin last visited China a year ago, in his first foreign trip after being sworn in for his fifth term in office. He also went in October 2023 and in February 2022, weeks before the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Xi's visit to Russia will be his third since then. China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed the Kremlin's contentions that Russia's action was provoked by the West, and it continues to supply key components needed by Moscow for weapons production.
After launching what the Kremlin insists on calling a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Russia has become increasingly dependent economically on China because of Western sanctions. China's increased trade with Russia has helped the country mitigate some of the worst blows from the sanctions.
Moscow has diverted the bulk of its energy exports to China and relied on Chinese companies to import high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.
Xi last visited Russia in September 2024 for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies. He paid a state visit to Russia in March 2023. The two leaders also met in Kazakhstan in July 2024.
___
Associated Press writer Simina Mistreaunu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 12:42:42+00:00 | [
"Labor",
"Meta Platforms",
"Inc.",
"Donald Trump",
"Government programs",
"Economic policy",
"Economy",
"Jerome Powell",
"Business",
"Department of Government Efficiency",
"United States government",
"U.S. Department of Labor",
"Elon Musk",
"Starbucks Corp.",
"District of Columbia",
"Southwest Airlines Co.",
"Microsoft Corp.",
"Federal Reserve System"
] | # US applications for jobless benefits hold firm as layoffs remain low despite tariff uncertainty
By Matt Ott
May 15th, 2025, 12:42 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for jobless benefits held steady last week as layoffs remain low despite uncertainty over how President Donald Trump's tariffs will impact the economy.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid was unchanged at 229,000 for the week ending May 10, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's in line with the 230,000 new applications analysts forecast.
Weekly applications for jobless benefits are seen as representative of U.S. layoffs and have mostly bounced around a healthy range between 200,000 and 250,000 since COVID-19 ravaged the economy and wiped out millions of jobs five years ago.
Even though Trump has paused or rolled back many of his tariff threats, concerns remain about a global economic slowdown that could upend the U.S. labor market, which has been a pillar of the American economy for years.
Last week, the Federal Reserve held its benchmark lending rate at 4.3% for the third straight meeting after cutting it three straight times at the end of last year.
Fed chair Jerome Powell said the risks of both higher unemployment and inflation have risen, an unusual combination that complicates the central bank's dual mandate of controlling prices and keeping unemployment low.
Powell said that tariffs have dampened consumer and business sentiment but that data has not yet shown significant harm to the economy.
Also on Thursday, the government reported that inflation at the wholesale level fell unexpectedly in April for the first time in more than a year. However, new retail sales data showed that Americans pulled back their spending in April after stocking up on goods the month before to get ahead of expected price increases due to tariffs.
On Monday, the U.S. and China agreed to a 90-day pause in their trade war, giving financial markets a boost and at least temporarily relieving some of the anxiety over the impact of tariffs on the U.S. economy.
Trump is attempting to reshape the global economy by dramatically increasing import taxes to rejuvenate the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Contraction has already begun in the U.S., where the economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March as Trump's trade wars disrupted business. First-quarter growth was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the U.S. tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump's massive tariffs went into effect.
Trump has also promised to drastically downsize the federal government workforce, which occupied much of the initial weeks of his second term.
It's not clear when the job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency — or "DOGE," spearheaded by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk — will surface in the weekly layoffs data. Many of the cuts are being challenged in the courts, though the federal government staff reductions are already being felt, even outside of the Washington, D.C. area.
Despite showing some signs of weakening during the past year, the labor market remains robust, with plentiful jobs and relatively few layoffs.
Earlier this month, the government reported that U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 177,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate held at a historically healthy 4.2%.
Many economists still anticipate that a negative impact from trade wars will materialize this year for American workers.
On Tuesday, Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers, nearly 3% of its workforce and its largest job cuts in more than two years as the company spends heavily on artificial intelligence.
Other companies that have announced job cuts this year include Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and Facebook parent company Meta.
The Labor Department's report Thursday said that the four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week fluctuations, rose by 3,250 to 230,500.
The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of May 3 rose by 9,000 to 1.88 million. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 21:00:39+00:00 | [
"Government budgets",
"Tim Walz",
"Minnesota",
"Donald Trump",
"Business",
"Politics",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Lisa Demuth",
"Melissa Hortman"
] | # Walz contrasts Minnesota's bipartisan budget breakthrough with Washington's deep divisions
By Steve Karnowski
May 15th, 2025, 09:00 PM
---
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz and leaders of the Minnesota Legislature announced a hard-fought budget deal Thursday, contrasting the bipartisan cooperation that produced the agreement with the deep divisions that have tied Washington in knots.
The Democratic governor and former vice presidential candidate noted that he was sharply critical of President Donald Trump's administration, and what he considers the dysfunction in the nation's capital, when he delivered his State of the State address last month. But he also stressed back then that Minnesota could write its own story. Legislative leaders from both parties accepted that challenge, he said, and came up with a fiscally responsible balanced budget despite their ideological differences.
The Minnesota House is tied at 67-67, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. The session got off to a chaotic start in January when Democratic House members boycotted it for three weeks until a power struggle was resolved. Senate Democrats hold just a one-vote, 34-33 majority. Those razor-thin margins mean at least some bipartisan support is needed to enact anything.
"So I'm truly grateful for the work," Walz said at a news conference. "Grateful that Minnesota sends legislators here that understand that we may have differences, but we have not succumbed to the idea that we let dysfunction rule, and democracy and compromise are still seen as virtues instead of vices."
However, Walz may still need to call legislators back for a one-day special session to finish the two-year budget, which will come in around $66 billion to 67 billion and take effect July 1. The adjournment deadline is Monday. A special session would likely be held before the Memorial Day weekend.
Walz hasn't announced yet whether he will seek a third term as governor in 2026. Nor has he ruled out a presidential run.
But he's one of several potential 2028 Democratic contenders touring the country as the party seeks future national leaders. He makes frequent appearances on cable TV shows and visits to early-primary states. He went to Iowa in March to launch a series of town halls in competitive congressional districts represented by Republicans. And he's scheduled to make appearances May 31 at Democratic gatherings in both South Carolina and California.
The leaders expressed confidence that — despite some deep remaining differences that quickly flared up Thursday — they will have enough votes to pass everything. Many progressive Democrats are angry, and the Senate Republican minority didn't sign off on the deal but supports parts of the agreement.
GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, paid tribute to the governor for "getting us all into the same room" to talk through differences. Republicans claimed a big win by blocking any general tax increases, except for a small bump in the state's recreational cannabis tax.
"We worked well together, and I'm very proud of the work that we did," Demuth said. "Am I perfectly happy about it? No. And I know I'm not alone in standing with other leaders here that are not happy about every part. But we worked very, very well together."
The top House Democratic leader, Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said the governor's role was crucial.
"I'd like to really thank the governor for his strong leadership in these negotiations, keeping us all focused on the end goal of fiscal responsibility, and having those hard conversations and getting through the hard things," Hortman said.
The deal includes a compromise that Walz floated to try to resolve one of the biggest sticking points. A top Republican demand was that a state-funded health care program for the working poor, called MinnesotaCare, should exclude undocumented immigrants. The deal lets undocumented children stay in the program, but undocumented adults will have to seek coverage elsewhere.
That retreat sparked an angry protest by progressive legislators, who pounded on the door to the governor's reception room while the news conference was in progress and chanted, "You're killing our communities." They held a news conference afterward to say the agreement will deprive thousands of the state's most vulnerable people of life-saving health care. They said Walz and Democratic leaders should not have given in.
"We can not vote for that. We're not ready to accept that for our neighbors, for our friends, for our families," said Democratic Rep. Cedrick Frazier, of New Hope. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-01 12:00:39+00:00 | [
"Measles",
"El Paso",
"Texas",
"North America",
"Disease outbreaks",
"Mexico government",
"Latin America",
"Health",
"Leticia Ruz",
"World Health Organization",
"Sarah Wilson",
"Hector Ocaranza",
"Rogelio Covarrubias",
"David Sugerman",
"Natasha Bagdasarian"
] | # Measles outbreaks spread to Canada, Mexico, and the US
By Devi Shastri and Megan Janetsky
May 1st, 2025, 12:00 PM
---
Dr. Hector Ocaranza knew El Paso would see measles the moment it began spreading in West Texas and eastern New Mexico.
Highways connect his border city with the epicenter of Texas' massive outbreak, which is up to 663 cases. They're the same roads used by thousands of families and commercial truckers who cross into Mexico and back each day.
"Diseases know no borders," said Ocaranza, El Paso's top public health doctor, "so as people are mobile, they're going to be coming and receiving medical attention in El Paso but they may be living in Juarez." It took a couple of months, but El Paso now has the highest measles case count in the state outside of West Texas with 38. Neighboring Ciudad Juarez has 14 cases as of Monday.
North America's three biggest measles outbreaks continue to balloon, with more than 2,500 known cases; three people have died in the U.S. and one in Mexico. It started in the fall in Ontario, Canada; then took off in late January in Texas and New Mexico; and has rapidly spread in Chihuahua state, which is up to 786 cases since mid-February.
These outbreaks are in areas with a notable population of certain Mennonite Christian communities who trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas. Chihuahua health officials trace their first case to an 8-year-old Mennonite child who visited family in Seminole, got sick and spread the virus at school. And Ontario officials say their outbreak started at a large gathering in New Brunswick involving Mennonite communities.
Mexican and U.S. officials also say the genetic strains of measles spreading in Canada match the other large outbreaks.
"This virus was imported, traveling country to country," said Leticia Ruíz, director of prevention and disease control in Chihuahua.
North and South American countries have struggled to maintain the 95% measles vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization. And a recent World Health Organization report said measles activity in the Americas region is up elevenfold from the same time last year and that the risk level is "high" compared to the rest of the world's "moderate" level.
Measles cases have been confirmed in six of the region's countries — Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, the United States and Mexico — and investigating the disease's spread is labor-intensive and pricey. The response to each measles case in the U.S. costs an estimated $30,000 to $50,000, according to Dr. David Sugerman, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist.
## Measles at the U.S.-Mexico border
The cases in Ciudad Juarez have no direct connection to the Mennonite settlement in Chihuahua, said Rogelio Covarrubias, a health official in the border city. The first measles case in El Paso was in a child at Fort Bliss, Ocaranza said.
More than half of El Paso's cases are in adults, which is unusually high, and three people have been hospitalized. The health department is holding vaccination clinics in malls and parks and says hundreds have gotten a shot. The vaccines are free — no questions asked, no matter which side of the border you live on.
Communication about measles between the two health departments is "informal" but "very good," Ocaranza said. Covarrubias said his team was alerted last week to a case of someone who became sick in El Paso and returned home to Juarez.
"There is constant concern in Ciudad Juarez … because we have travelers that pass through from across the world," Covarrubias said. "With a possible case of measles without taking precautions, many, many people could be infected."
## Measles at the U.S.-Canada border
Michigan health officials said the outbreak of four cases in Montcalm County are linked to Ontario.
The state's chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, expects to see more cases. Michigan has a 95% vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella, but it hides weak spots — counties with 70% vaccination rates and individual schools where just 30% of kids vaccinated.
"If we think about measles as a forest fire, we've got these burning embers that are floating in the air right now," Bagdasarian said. "Whether those embers result in another wildfire just depends on where they land."
In Canada, six out of 10 provinces have reported measles cases. Alberta has the second-most with 83 as of April 12, according to government data.
Case counts in Ontario reached 1,020 as of Wednesday, mostly in the southwest part that borders Michigan. In one of the hardest-hit regions, Chatham-Kent Public Health officials announced a public exposure at a Mennonite church on Easter Sunday.
"It sometimes feels like we're just behind, always trying to catch up to measles," Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician for Public Health Ontario. "It's always moving somewhere."
___
Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Shastri reported from Milwaukee.
___
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 | 2025-05-01 19:47:17+00:00 | [
"Ron DeSantis",
"Florida",
"National parks",
"Legislation",
"Tallahassee",
"Environmental conservation",
"National",
"Alexis Lambert",
"Politics",
"John Snyder",
"Climate and environment",
"Business",
"Shawn Hamilton",
"Climate"
] | # State parks in Florida appear off-limits to development as lawmakers react to outcry
By Stephany Matat
May 1st, 2025, 07:47 PM
---
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — State parks would be protected from pickleball courts, golf courses and hotel development under a bill passed unanimously by the Florida House on Thursday in response to last summer's statewide outcry over plans for these kinds of projects.
The bill now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis for final approval, and his office hasn't said if he'll sign it. The Republican governor distanced himself from the proposal following the backlash, saying he never saw or approved plans to allow resorts and sports facilities on state park land. DeSantis leads and appoints the heads of all state agencies.
The issue created a dilemma for Republican lawmakers who have traditionally defended the governor's administration, and increased scrutiny of DeSantis' record on environmental conservation.
Protections for state parks are reflected "loud and clear" in the bill, said state Rep. John Snyder.
"We've put real plans in place to make sure that, for generations to come, our state parks will be preserved," said Snyder, who represents a district about an hour north of Palm Beach. He noted the parks are enjoyed by millions of residents and tourists alike.
The bill doesn't ban all types of development. But any projects must be "conservation-based recreational uses" that support things like hiking, swimming, horseback riding, boating, studying nature and other similar activities, according to a House staff analysis.
Snyder said the bill's language was strengthened by an amendment proposed in the Senate, which also added a name change for a state park in Tallahassee.
The public first got wind that DeSantis' environmental agency was looking for recreational development plans in state parks when the Great Outdoors Initiative was leaked last August. Hundreds of people protested at parks and the state's environmental protection headquarters, waving signs like "Parks Over Profit" and "Save Don't Pave."
Before the month was over, the governor said the Department of Environmental Protection's plans were "going back to the drawing board."
The environment secretary at the time, Shawn Hamilton, eventually stepped down after facing intensified scrutiny and bipartisan criticism of the initiative. In November, DeSantis appointed a new head of the agency, Alexis Lambert. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 21:09:40+00:00 | [
"North Carolina",
"Donald Trump",
"Legislation",
"Phil Berger",
"North Carolina state government",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Parenting",
"Government budgets",
"Marcia Morey",
"Immigration",
"Legal proceedings",
"Politics",
"Jennifer Balkcom",
"Josh Stein",
"Capital punishment"
] | # North Carolina lawmakers focus on guns, immigration and parental rights ahead of a key deadline
By Makiya Seminera and Gary D. Robertson
May 8th, 2025, 09:09 PM
---
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gun access, parental rights and the response to illegal immigration were front and center this week in North Carolina as Republican lawmakers worked to keep their high-priority bills alive, while many other pieces of legislation are likely dead for two years.
Unlike other years with chaotic late-night sessions full of political bargaining, the lead-up to Thursday's biennial "crossover deadline" looked more orderly and even wrapped up a day early.
GOP legislative veterans chalked it up to a disciplined House work schedule from new Speaker Destin Hall, and perhaps because fewer "controversial" bills were considered. It doesn't hurt that parliamentary maneuvers can be used to bypass the deadline and move bills later — if top leaders allow. There are also exceptions for bills involving spending or taxes, constitutional amendments and other topics.
"There are so many ways to skin a cat," Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters.
Among other things, legislators advanced measures making it easier to retain a concealed handgun permit, as well as ensure immigrants unlawfully in the country can't get certain state benefits, and make it so minors need a parent's consent for more kinds of medical treatments. Since bills on these topics passed one General Assembly chamber, they met the deadline.
Here's a look at some of the recent activity:
## Gun access appeared as a leading issue
After a brief debate, the GOP-led House passed a bill that creates lifetime concealed handgun permits and eases training requirements for some people renewing expired permits with fixed durations.
Democratic Rep. Marcia Morey warned that having renewals safeguards the public, because a lifetime permit wouldn't account for changing circumstances like addiction or mental illnesses.
But Republican proponents emphasized that permits — with or without renewals — don't prevent bad behavior. Earlier this year, Senate Republicans approved legislation that would allow concealed carry without a permit.
In the past week, the House and Senate approved competing bills that would allow certain people with concealed handgun permits — like teachers — to carry such guns at their private K-12 schools, if granted permission by school leaders, to promote campus safety.
## Advancing Trump's immigration agenda
Amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the House passed a bill Wednesday that would bar several state agencies from supplying benefits to immigrants unlawfully in the country. State public universities are also instructed to verify applicants as legal U.S. residents to be considered for instate tuition and financial aid, according to the bill.
Republicans in both chambers have already signaled support for Trump's immigration policies through bills previously advanced this session.
## Emphasis on parents' rights and protections
Minors would be limited in their ability to consent to most medical treatments on their own, except for pregnancy, according to a bill passed Tuesday in the House. A handful of House Democrats joined Republicans in approving it.
Under current law, minors can provide sole consent for treating sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, substance abuse and mental health conditions. Minors could still consult with doctors about those issues, but the bill maintains parents' "essential role" in determining the best medical course of action for their children, Republican Rep. Jennifer Balkcom said.
Some Democrats spoke against the bill, saying it would endanger teenagers who feel less inclined to seek treatment for sensitive issues.
The Senate approved legislation Wednesday that would prevent parents from being cited for neglect because they raised their child consistent with the child's sex assigned at birth.
## What didn't meet crossover?
One House bill with momentum that fell short would have expanded the state's capital punishment methods from lethal injection to include death by electrocution and a firing squad.
The legislation, which had cleared two committees, would make electrocution the default execution method but allow death-row offenders to choose another option if correction officials have it available.
The firing squad method garnered national attention this year after South Carolina executed the first U.S. prisoner by firing squad in over a decade.
North Carolina hasn't carried out a state execution since 2006 in part due to a legal impasse involving lethal injections and litigation over racial bias in capital trials.
## What's ahead?
House and Senate leaders will decide the fate of measures from the other chambers.
The state budget process also revs up as House Republicans hope to pass their two-year spending plan before Memorial Day weekend. Negotiations with Senate Republicans, who approved their budget last month, will follow.
In the background is new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who has his own ideas on a budget and other legislation. Veto threats could wield Stein more influence since Republicans are now one seat short of a veto-proof majority. Republicans have been able to sway some Democrats on key measures. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-03 12:35:53+00:00 | [
"Warren Buffett",
"Berkshire Hathaway",
"Inc.",
"Greg Abel",
"Tim Cook",
"Wildfires",
"Business",
"Economic policy",
"Los Angeles Area wildfires",
"Apple",
"International trade",
"Financial services",
"Government policy",
"Kyle Sanders",
"Troy Bader",
"Financial performance",
"Dan Sheridan",
"Natural disasters",
"Retail and wholesale"
] | # Warren Buffett's profits fall on wildfire losses as thousands line up to listen to him Saturday
By Josh Funk
May 3rd, 2025, 12:35 PM
---
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett's company reported just over one-third of last year's profit Saturday a few hours before Buffett announced plans to retire as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO at the end of the year.
Berkshire Vice Chairman Greg Abel will take over as CEO as Buffett has long planned. Abel has already been overseeing all of Berkshire's noninsurance businesses for years, but he will now take on responsibility for also overseeing the many insurance companies and deciding how to invest all of the conglomerate's cash.
The profit numbers were weighed down by a major drop in the value of its investments and $860 million in insurance losses related to policies that its insurance companies wrote before the devastating Southern California wildfires.
Berkshire said it earned $4.6 billion, or $3,200 per Class A share, in the first quarter. That's down from $12.7 billion, or $8,825 per Class A share, last year.
But Buffett has long recommended that investors pay more attention to Berkshire's operating earnings because those exclude the value of its investments, which can vary widely from quarter to quarter. Berkshire must include the value of its investments in its bottom line numbers even though it hasn't sold most of them.
By that measure, Berkshire's earnings were still down 14% at $9.6 billion, or $6,703.41 per A share. Last year, the conglomerate reported operating earnings of $11.2 billion, or $7,796.47 per Class A share.
The analysts surveyed by FactSet Research predicted Berkshire would report operating earnings of $7,076.90 per Class A share.
Buffett's comments were the main attraction Saturday and his surprise retirement announcement overshadowed everything else.
But investors have been wondering why Berkshire is now sitting on $347.7 billion cash as of the end of the first quarter, up from $334.2 billion at the end of the year. Buffett told shareholders that he just isn't finding any attractive deals for companies he understands. And he said the market didn't really drop enough in April to catch his attention.
Buffett told shareholders that he nearly spent $10 billion on a deal recently but that fell through and he didn't disclose the details.
Many of Berkshire's myriad businesses like BNSF railroad and its assortment of manufacturing and retail businesses tend to follow the economy. Berkshire said Saturday that its future results may be affected by geopolitical events and trade policy, but it's impossible to predict what will happen.
"The pace of changes in these events, including international trade policies and tariffs, has accelerated in 2025. Considerable uncertainty remains as to the ultimate outcome of these events," Berkshire said in the report.
But during the quarter, earnings improved at BNSF and Berkshire's utility division while the manufacturing and retail businesses held steady. The main area where operating profits fell was in insurance underwriting, weighed down by the wildfire losses.
Geico's underwriting profits were actually up at $2.2 billion from last year's $1.9 billion. The results at reinsurance and primary insurance groups dragged down the insurance results.
But Berkshire managers — just like every CEO — are worrying about the potential impact of tariffs on their business. Dairy Queen CEO Troy Bader said their restaurants should be able to weather the trade war OK even thought they have thousands of locations in China because most of its ingredients are sourced locally.
But the tariffs are a greater concern to other Berkshire businesses like Brooks Running, which makes all of its shoes in Vietnam and Indonesia. Brooks CEO Dan Sheridan said his company will likely have to raise its prices because of the tariffs, but he is still waiting to see exactly which tariffs go into effect.
Edward Jones analyst Kyle Sanders said the results appear solid outside of the wildfire losses, but Berkshire continued to be a net seller of stocks by unloading $1.5 billion more than it bought during the quarter. That contributed to the growing cash pile that's more than double where it was a year ago as Buffett has largely stayed on the sidelines while selling off much of Berkshire's Apple stake.
But Buffett still praised Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is attending the Berkshire shareholders meeting, for all the money he has made Berkshire.
Berkshire Hathaway owns dozens of companies, including Geico, BNSF railroad, a collection of massive utilities and an assortment of retail and manufacturing businesses including well-known brands like See's Candy. It also holds a massive stock portfolio. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 01:11:00+00:00 | [
"Schools",
"California",
"Santa Ana",
"National",
"Natalie Garcia",
"Education",
"Law enforcement"
] | # 1 student killed and 2 wounded in stabbing outside Southern California high school
May 8th, 2025, 01:11 AM
---
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — One student was killed and two others were wounded in a stabbing in front of a Southern California high school Wednesday, authorities said.
The three male Santa Ana High students were taken to a hospital, where one of them died and the other two were in stable condition, according to city police spokesperson Officer Natalie Garcia.
The stabbing happened in the afternoon as students were leaving school for the day, district spokesperson Fermin Leal said. The incident involved both students and nonstudents.
Authorities were searching for at least two suspects whose connection to the school and motive were not clear, Garcia said.
Other details such as the ages of the victims were not immediately made public.
After-school programs and athletics were canceled, and officials said the school would make crisis counselors available Thursday.
Santa Ana is a city of about 300,000 people roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. The school serves roughly 3,000 students. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 10:27:59+00:00 | [
"Bangkok",
"Thailand government",
"Building collapses",
"Earthquakes",
"Thailand",
"Xin Ke Yuan Steel"
] | # Bangkok officials end search operation at the skyscraper that collapsed following an earthquake
May 13th, 2025, 10:27 AM
---
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities on Tuesday officially ended the search operation at the building under construction in the capital, Bangkok, that collapsed following an earthquake that killed dozens over a month ago.
The 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 centered in Myanmar, more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) away, killed at least 96 people in Bangkok, mostly at the collapsed site. More than 3,000 were killed in Myanmar.
Eighty-nine bodies have been retrieved from the rubble while seven people remain unaccounted for at the site, officials said. They said they would continue to test hundreds of pieces of human remains to identify those still missing.
The collapse sparked questions about the enforcement of construction safety and corruption. The high-rise building, meant to be the new office of the State Audit Office, was the only building that suffered a total collapse that day.
The police on Tuesday said they are still investigating and will continue to collect evidence from the collapse site until the end of this month.
Authorities are probing several companies and individuals for any wrongdoing in relation to the collapse, including the state-run Chinese contractor, China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group. The investigation has led to the arrest of its Chinese executive in Thailand, identified as Zhang, and three Thai shareholders on suspicion of operating the business through the use of nominees.
Foreigners can operate a business in Thailand, but it must be a joint venture with a Thai partner, and they cannot own more than 49% to protect local competitiveness.
Another Thai-Chinese company, Xin Ke Yuan Steel, also came under scrutiny over the quality of the steel rods provided for the building. Industry Minister Akanat Promphan said two types of steel rods found at the collapse site did not pass safety standards and that Xin Ke Yuan supplied both. The company has denied any wrongdoing. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 02:27:49+00:00 | [
"Associated Press"
] | # The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists
By The Associated Press
May 9th, 2025, 02:27 AM
---
May 8, 2025
From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today's top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.
____
Follow AP visual journalism:
AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 20:23:37+00:00 | [
"Financial markets",
"China",
"Donald Trump",
"U.S. Department of the Treasury",
"Stocks and bonds",
"Business"
] | # How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 5/9/2025
By The Associated Press
May 9th, 2025, 08:23 PM
---
U.S. stocks closed mixed at the end of an unusually quiet week.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% Friday and wound up with a loss of 0.5% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite was little changed.
The relatively calm movements offered a respite after stocks whipsawed for weeks on fears about President Donald Trump's trade war and then on hopes that he'll relent on some of his tariffs. Treasury yields and other financial markets also held relatively steady ahead of a highly anticipated meeting on Saturday between China and the United States on trade.
On Friday:
The S&P 500 fell 4.03 points, or 0.1%, to 5,659.91.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 119.07 points, or 0.3%, to 41,249.38.
The Nasdaq composite rose 0.78 points, or less than 0.1%, to 17,928.92.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.34 points, or 0.2%, to 2,023.07.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is down 26.76 points, or 0.5%.
The Dow is down 68.05 points, or 0.2%.
The Nasdaq is down 48.81 or 0.3%.
The Russell 2000 is up 2.34 points, or 0.1%.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is down 221.72 points, or 3.8%.
The Dow is down 1,294.84 points, or 3%.
The Nasdaq is down 1,381.88 or 7.2%.
The Russell 2000 is down 207.08 points, or 9.3%. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 20:52:45+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"United States government",
"Fires",
"United States",
"Venezuela government",
"James Himes",
"Politics",
"Mike Collins",
"U.S. Central Intelligence Agency",
"Maria Langan-Riekhof"
] | # Tulsi Gabbard fires 2 top officials at US National Intelligence Council
By David Klepper
May 14th, 2025, 08:52 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired two veteran intelligence officials because they oppose President Donald Trump, her office said, coming a week after the release of a declassified memo written by their agency that contradicted statements the Trump administration has used to justify deporting Venezuelan immigrants.
Mike Collins was serving as acting chair of the National Intelligence Council before he was dismissed alongside his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof. They each had more than 25 years of intelligence experience. The two were fired because of their opposition to Trump, Gabbard's office said in an email, without offering examples.
"The director is working alongside President Trump to end the weaponization and politicization of the intelligence community," the office said.
The firings, which were first reported by Fox News Digital, follow the release of a declassified memo from the National Intelligence Council that found no coordination between Venezuela's government and the Tren de Aragua gang. The Trump administration had given that as reasoning for invoking the Alien Enemies Act and deporting Venezuelan immigrants. The intelligence assessment was released in response to an open records request.
While it's not uncommon for new administrations to replace senior officials with their own picks, the firings of two respected intelligence officials who had served presidents of both parties prompted concern from Democrats. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he's seen no details to explain the dismissals.
"Absent evidence to justify the firings, the workforce can only conclude that their jobs are contingent on producing analysis that is aligned with the President's political agenda, rather than truthful and apolitical," Himes said in a statement.
Though it's not widely known to the public, the National Intelligence Council plays a key role in the nation's spy services, helping combine intelligence gathered from different agencies into comprehensive assessments used by the White House and senior national security officials.
Collins was considered one of the intelligence service's top authorities on East Asia. Langan-Riekhof has served as a senior analyst and director of the CIA's Strategic Insight Department and is an expert on the Middle East.
Attempts to reach both were unsuccessful Wednesday. The CIA declined to comment publicly, citing personnel matters.
Gabbard also is consolidating some of the intelligence community's key operations, moving some offices now located at the CIA to ODNI buildings, her office said. They include the National Intelligence Council as well as the staff who prepare the President's Daily Brief, the report to the president that contains the most important intelligence and national security information.
The move will give Gabbard more direct control over the brief. While the brief is already ODNI's responsibility, the CIA has long played a significant role in its preparation, providing physical infrastructure and staffing that will have to be moved to ODNI or re-created.
Gabbard oversees and coordinates the work of 18 federal intelligence agencies. She has worked to reshape the intelligence community — eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs under Trump's orders and creating a task force to examine ways to cut costs and consider whether to declassify material relating to COVID-19 and other topics.
Gabbard also has vowed to investigate intelligence leaks and end what she said was the misuse of intelligence for political aims.
___ |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 14:00:34+00:00 | [
"Patrick Lyoya",
"Michigan",
"Detroit",
"Law enforcement",
"George Floyd",
"Christopher Schurr",
"Shootings",
"Legal proceedings",
"Grand Rapids",
"Homicide",
"Trials",
"Juries",
"Racial injustice",
"Gun violence",
"Tyre Nichols",
"Peter Lyoya",
"Christina Mims",
"Matthew Borgula",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Police brutality",
"Chris Becker",
"Abner Louima",
"Black experience",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | # Mistrial declared for Michigan police officer who killed Congolese immigrant
By Isabella Volmert and Ed White
May 8th, 2025, 02:00 PM
---
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a Michigan jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict in the second-degree murder trial of a police officer who shot Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, in the back of the head following a traffic stop in 2022.
The result came at the start of the fourth day of deliberations and was a partial victory for Christopher Schurr, who still could face another trial. The killing of Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant and father of two, sparked weeks of protest in Grand Rapids, especially after the city's police chief released video of the confrontation.
"It hurts my family, my wife. We are bleeding. We are in pain," Lyoya's father, Peter Lyoya, said of the outcome, speaking through an interpreter. "We'll continue to fight until we get true justice for Patrick."
Defense attorney Matthew Borgula said he talked to jurors and learned that most wanted to acquit Schurr.
"We cannot declare victory because there really is no winning here. A man died, and that is a very serious thing," Borgula told reporters.
The mistrial occurred a day after three former Memphis police officers were acquitted in the beating death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop. His death was the first post-George Floyd case that revealed the limits of an unprecedented reckoning over police reform and racial injustice in Black America.
## Video was played for days
Schurr shot Lyoya while on top of the 26-year-old, who was facedown on the ground. Schurr told jurors he feared for his life after losing control of his Taser during an intense struggle across front yards in a residential neighborhood.
Videos were an important part of the trial and were repeatedly shown to the jury, including critical images recorded by a man who was with Lyoya. The struggle with the Taser, which fires electrically charged probes, was central to Schurr's defense.
The 34-year-old stared straight ahead as the mistrial was declared. One spectator sitting near the Lyoya family loudly objected to the result as he left the courtroom. Few members of the general public were present compared to earlier in the trial.
Judge Christina Mims had urged the jurors to keep working after they said Tuesday that they were struggling to reach a consensus. Besides murder, they also could consider a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Lyoya's family wants a second trial. Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker said he would need more time to decide, adding that he won't "bow to public pressure" from supporters or critics.
"We thought we put a good case forward. Obviously the jury thought differently," Becker said.
## Foot chase turned tragic
The shooting happened on April 4, 2022, when Schurr, who was patrolling alone, stopped a Nissan Altima for improper license plates and requested Lyoya's driver's license.
Body camera and dash camera footage showed Lyoya running and the officer tackling him. They struggled and the officer wasn't able to subdue Lyoya with a Taser, which Lyoya was able to grab. Schurr repeatedly demanded he stop resisting and drop the Taser, then fired one bullet into his head.
Schurr testified he was "running on fumes" after the fight and in great fear because a Taser can cause "excruciating pain."
"I believed that if I hadn't done it at that time, I wasn't going to go home," Schurr said of shooting Lyoya.
The prosecutor, however, argued that the Taser had already been deployed twice by Schurr and could only be used in a different mode if Lyoya had decided to turn it against the officer.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Becker said the jury was divided over the threat of the Taser and whether to focus on the exact moment of the shooting or the entirety of the encounter.
## Experts filled witness chair
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.
Besides Schurr's account of that day, jurors heard from witnesses who were described as experts in the use of force. Some were Schurr's fellow officers at the Grand Rapids department who supported him.
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 the driver run.
Schurr, a Grand Rapids officer for seven years, was fired shortly after he was charged.
Lyoya's family has said they came to the U.S. to escape prolonged civil unrest in eastern Congo. Lyoya ultimately joined a list of other Black immigrants who sought better lives in the U.S. only to suffer abuse or death at the hands of law enforcement, including Botham Jean, Amadou Diallo and Abner Louima.
___
White reported from Detroit. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-17 06:50:56+00:00 | [
"Ukraine",
"Donald Trump",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Volodymyr Zelenskyy",
"International agreements",
"Marco Rubio",
"Russia",
"Sergey Lavrov",
"Friedrich Merz",
"Giorgia Meloni",
"Kyiv",
"Prisoner exchange",
"Moscow",
"Europe",
"Russia-Ukraine war",
"Russia government",
"Germany government",
"North Atlantic Treaty Organization",
"Russia Ukraine war",
"Politics",
"Ukraine government",
"Dmitry Peskov",
"David Lammy",
"Italy government"
] | # Trump says he will call Putin on Monday to discuss the war in Ukraine
By Yehor Konovalov and Joanna Kozlowska
May 17th, 2025, 06:50 AM
---
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to speak by phone Monday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, followed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of various NATO countries, about ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump said the call with Putin will be about stopping the "bloodbath" in Ukraine.
"Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end," Trump wrote Saturday in a post on his social networking site Truth Social.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed in comments to Russian media that preparations were underway for Monday's call.
Trump's remarks came a day after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire. Putin had spurned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to meet face-to-face in Turkey after he himself proposed direct negotiations — although not at the presidential level — as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the U.S.
Also on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. During a visit to Rome, Rubio suggested that the Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
In Ukraine, a northeastern town declared a period of mourning after a Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from front-line areas, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said. The strike came hours after the Russian and Ukrainian delegations left Istanbul, after agreeing to what would be the biggest prisoner swap to date between the warring parties.
## Zelenskyy faces a gamble as talks stall
The talks in Istanbul on Friday broke up after less than two hours without a ceasefire, although both sides agreed on exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations. Ukraine's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Ukrainian television Saturday that the exchange could happen as early as next week.
But the Kremlin has pushed back against a proposal by Ukraine and its Western allies for a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement, and the parties remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting.
Since U.S.-brokered talks began in March, Ukraine's strategy has been to convince the Trump administration that Putin is unreliable, and that Kyiv is serious about peace. Trump has expressed frustration with the stalled talks and threatened to abandon his efforts if results aren't achieved.
He has also said that no peace would be reached until he held a face to face meeting with Putin. On Friday, Trump told reporters after boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Abu Dhabi that he may call Putin soon.
"He and I will meet, and I think we'll solve it, or maybe not," Trump said. "At least we'll know."
The political theatrics are underscored by stark realities on the ground in Ukraine. In a war of attrition against Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's position is poised to grow weaker as time goes on, unless powerful sanctions are imposed against Moscow and the U.S. continues arms deliveries.
Zelenskyy said that he had discussed the outcome of the talks with Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Poland. In an X post from a European leadership meeting in Albania on Friday, Zelenskyy urged "tough sanctions" against Moscow if it rejects "a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings."
Peskov on Saturday held open the possibility of Putin holding talks with Zelenskyy, providing the agreed prisoner swap goes ahead, and if the Russian and Ukrainian delegations reached unspecified further "agreements."
Peskov also told reporters that Moscow will present Ukraine with a list of conditions for a ceasefire, but gave no timeframe, or say what needed to happen before Zelenskyy and Putin can meet.
## A town in mourning
In Ukraine, nine civilians were killed and seven others were wounded when a Russian drone struck a bus evacuating people from Bilopillia, a town around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Russia's border, according to local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov and Ukraine's national police. The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.
Zelenskyy described the attack as "deliberate killing of civilians," adding in a post on the Telegram messaging app that "Russians could scarcely not realize what kind of vehicle they were hitting."
The local media outlet Suspilne said that the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from the town when the strike happened. Authorities are working to identify some of the victims, most of them older women.
Local community chief Yurii Zarko called the day "Black Saturday," and mourning was declared in the town through Monday.
Zelenskyy lamented the missed opportunity from Friday's peace talks, saying that "Ukraine has long proposed this — a full and unconditional ceasefire in order to save lives."
Ukraine's European allies strongly condemned the attack. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that he was "appalled" by it. "If Putin is serious about peace, Russia must agree to a full and immediate ceasefire, as Ukraine has done," he wrote on X.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, condemned Russia for "continuing their attacks today with undiminished ferocity." He vowed to continue to increase the pressure on Moscow with added sanctions.
___
Joanna Kozlowska reported from London. Hanna Arhirova in Istanbul, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-17 11:33:06+00:00 | [
"Cannes Film Festival",
"Fairs and festivals"
] | # Palm tree falls on a person at Cannes Film Festival
May 17th, 2025, 11:33 AM
---
CANNES, France (AP) — A palm tree fell on a man at the Cannes Film Festival who was walking along the Croisette on Saturday in the seaside French town.
Authorities sped through festivalgoers to tend to the person who laid injured and bleeding on the sidewalk. No information was immediately available on their condition.
Representatives for the festival didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
The incident happened midday at the festival. Cannes, which runs until May 24, is about halfway through. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-03 06:11:23+00:00 | [
"Narendra Modi",
"News media",
"Politics",
"Hinduism",
"Maha Kumbh",
"Fairs and festivals"
] | # Stampede at temple in Goa kills at least 6
May 3rd, 2025, 06:11 AM
---
NEW DELHI (AP) — At least six people are dead and dozens injured after a stampede at a religious gathering in the western Indian state of Goa early Saturday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
The stampede broke out as thousands of devotees thronged narrow lanes leading to a temple in Shirgao village, some 40 kilometers from the state capital of Panaji, the agency quoted police as saying.
Tens of thousands of devotees from Goa and neighboring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka attended the annual Hindu festival at Sree Lairai Devi temple.
The stampede was caused as people standing on a slope near the temple fell over, pushing more people to fall onto each other, Director General of Police Alok Kumar said, according to the news agency.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Authorities ordered a probe into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the loss of lives and expressed condolences to the victims' families.
"The local administration is assisting those affected," Modi said on social media.
Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds often gather in small areas.
In January, at least 30 people died and many more were injured in a stampede as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to bathe in a sacred river at India's massive Maha Kumbh festival, the world's largest religious gathering.
In July, at least 116 people died, most of them women and children, when thousands at a religious gathering in northern India stampeded at a tent camp in Hathras town. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 10:47:14+00:00 | [
"Estonia",
"Europe",
"Russia",
"European Union",
"Sanctions and embargoes",
"NATO",
"Politics",
"Business",
"North Atlantic Treaty Organization"
] | # Estonia warns Russia may use military force to defend its shadow tanker fleet
May 15th, 2025, 10:47 AM
---
ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Estonia warned on Thursday that Russia appears willing to defend with military force its shadow fleet of aging tankers dodging international sanctions to keep oil revenue and equipment flowing, even through the territorial waters of European countries.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that a Russian fighter jet entered NATO airspace in recent days after Estonia's navy had intercepted a suspected shadow fleet ship in its waters.
Tsahkna said the navy stopped the ship, the Jaguar, because it was flying no flag and apparently had no insurance. The Russian warplane appeared on the scene while the ship was stopped.
"This fighter jet violated NATO territory, for one minute. This is something very new," he told reporters at a NATO meeting in Antalya, Turkey. He said that NATO aircraft scrambled to intercept the Russian fighter.
"We need to understand that Russia has officially tied and connected itself to the Russian shadow fleet," Tsahkna said, and underlined the importance of air patrols over the Baltic Sea, saying that "we need to understand that the situation is really serious."
The shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers bought used, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries such as the United Arab Emirates or the Marshall Islands, and flagged in places like Gabon or the Cook Islands.
Some of the vessels are owned by the Russian state Sovcomflot shipping company. Their role is to help Russia's oil exporters avoid the $60 per barrel price cap imposed by Ukraine's allies.
The European Union has been targeting the ships, which sometimes also carry stolen Ukrainian grain, with sanctions. In February, 70 vessels believed to be part of the shadow fleet were added to more than 50 already listed.
EU foreign ministers are expected next week to slap sanctions on dozens more. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-06 05:35:24+00:00 | [
"Europe",
"War and unrest",
"Adolf Hitler",
"Japan",
"Russia",
"Germany",
"Dan Ellin",
"Dorothea Barron",
"Military occupations",
"Harold Alexander",
"France government",
"Mervyn Kersh",
"Bernard Montgomery",
"Rob Citino"
] | # V-E Day marks messy end of a conflict that engulfed Europe for 6 long years. Here's what to know
By Danica Kirka
May 6th, 2025, 05:35 AM
---
LONDON (AP) — Cities from London to Moscow will be awash with parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day — the day Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces.
The surrender didn't end World War II because the war against Japan continued in the Far East. However, it was a moment of celebration for the servicemen and women who battled Adolf Hitler's armies, as well as civilians across Europe who had been bombed, invaded and subjugated since the invasion of Poland in 1939.
When the surrender was announced, people poured into the streets of London, New York and Paris to celebrate in what the BBC described as a "mood of thanksgiving."
Here's a look at the events leading up to V-E Day and its significance.
## When is V-E Day?
While most Western countries celebrate the anniversary on May 8, that's not an easy question to answer.
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, actually accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany at 2:41 a.m. local time on May 7, in a ceremony at Reims, France. Although the news had leaked out by that evening, the official announcement was delayed until the following day. The U.S., Britain and France were trying to work out differences with the Soviet Union, which felt the surrender didn't recognize the sacrifices its troops had made in securing victory.
A second surrender document was signed around midnight on May 8 in Berlin, satisfying Soviet concerns. Russia celebrates what it calls Victory Day on May 9.
## The path to victory
By the time France fell to the Nazi "Blitzkrieg" on June 25, 1940, Hitler's forces controlled most of Europe and were threatening to invade Britain.
But the war in Europe began to turn in early 1942, when the Soviet Red Army defeated German forces attempting to take Moscow. Hitler suffered another crushing defeat in February 1943, when German forces surrendered in the Battle of Stalingrad.
Invading the Soviet Union was "probably not Hitler's best idea," said Rob Citino, distinguished fellow at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
"They were counterpunched in front of Moscow, and in a war that the Germans had taken very few casualties up to now they suddenly had added a million and they never recovered from it."
Then in 1944 the Western Allies and the Soviet Union launched twin offensives that forced Nazi Germany to fight for survival on two fronts. The Allies began their march across Europe with the D-Day landings in northern France on June 6, 1944. Two weeks later, the Soviets began their push toward Berlin.
As 1944 turned to 1945, "victory is all but certain," Citino said. "But something else is certain: There's still a lot of soldiers, a lot of military personnel, on both sides who are going to die.''
The Red Army alone lost about 3 million soldiers in 1945, or about 70,000 a day, he estimated.
## The fall of Berlin
Soviet forces began their assault on Berlin on April 16, 1945, while the Allies were still fighting their way across western Germany.
With the city in ruins and the Red Army advancing street by street, Hitler retreated to his bunker under the Reich Chancellery, where he committed suicide on April 30. The last defenders finally surrendered on May 2.
## Rolling surrenders
V-E-Day came after a series of surrenders.
The first came on April 29 at the Palace of Caserta, outside Naples, Italy where British Field Marshal Harold Alexander accepted the surrender of German and Italian forces in Italy and western Austria. Five days later, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery accepted the surrender of German forces in northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands at Luneberg Heath, south of Hamburg.
Finally, there was the unconditional surrender of all Nazi forces in Europe that was signed first at Reims and again in Berlin.
## A bittersweet moment
V-E Day was a time of reflection as well as celebration.
While many people lit bonfires and threw back the blackout curtains, others thought about what they had lost. The world also had to reckon with the Holocaust after the advancing armies uncovered the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps where millions of Jews were slaughtered.
"It was just a big letting off (of) steam and a massive relief for so many people,'' said Dan Ellin, a historian at the University of Lincoln in the U.K. "But then, of course, for others, there wasn't an awful lot to celebrate. For thousands of people, the victory was tinged with a sadness because for them, their loved ones were not going to come home."
And V-E Day wasn't actually the end of the war. The Japanese were still fighting ferociously to defend their home against any invasion, and many Allied soldiers expected that they would be deployed to the Far East as soon as the war in Europe ended.
"Everybody knows there's a big show left and the big show is going to be gigantic and it's going to be bloody … ,'' Citino said. "And I bet you every single Allied soldier in Europe, after toasting victory in Europe, they sat down and said, 'I'm going to Japan. This isn't over yet.'"
Most were spared another fight when Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
## The veterans have their own thoughts on V-E Day
Dorothea Barron, now 100, who served as a signaler in the Wrens, the Women's Royal Naval Service, remembers the sense of camaraderie as everyone banded together to defeat a common enemy.
"Well, naturally, it's something worth celebrating, because we had finally stopped the Germans from trying to get into England," she said. "Because we were absolutely determined they weren't going to set foot in our country, absolutely, and we would have resisted, man, woman and child.''
Mervyn Kersh, also 100, said V-E Day should be a reminder to today's leaders that they must stand up to bullies and despots, wherever they may be.
"You can't have peace without strength,'' he said. "It's no good just remembering. You've got to do something."
——
This story has been corrected to say the date of Japan's surrender was Sept. 2, not Aug. 2. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 04:06:53+00:00 | [
"Pittsburgh",
"Pennsylvania",
"Donald Trump",
"Philadelphia",
"Corey OConnor",
"Ed Gainey",
"Ann Marie Wheatcraft",
"Affordable housing",
"Campaign finance",
"Politics",
"Elections",
"Pat Dugan",
"Courts",
"Brandon Neuman",
"Stella Tsai",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Bill Peduto",
"Larry Krasner",
"Maria Battista"
] | # Corey O'Connor defeats Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey
By Marc Levy
May 20th, 2025, 04:06 AM
---
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Challenger Corey O'Connor ousted Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in Tuesday's Democratic primary election, beating an incumbent in a race that hinged on how Gainey was handling city finances, affordable housing and public safety.
O'Connor is all but assured of winning November's general election against a low-profile Republican nominee in a city that hasn't elected a GOP mayor in nearly a century.
The race for Pittsburgh mayor hinged on local issues, driven by unhappiness in some quarters with Gainey's management, rather than the questions dividing the national Democratic Party. On the other side of the state, progressive stalwart Larry Krasner won the Democratic primary for Philadelphia district attorney driven by nationalized themes of criminal justice reform and Krasner's positioning himself as a guardian of the city against President Donald Trump's conservative agenda.
O'Connor, the Allegheny County controller, is the son of a former Pittsburgh mayor and had won the local party's endorsement over Gainey, who had allied himself with progressives.
Gainey, the city's first Black mayor and someone who grew up in subsidized housing, beat predecessor Bill Peduto in 2021's primary campaign. He portrayed himself as someone who sides with regular people and as a "mayor that's going to fight for you" when the Trump administration threatens the city.
Gainey touted the city's strong economy and contended that he had held the line against tax increases, been saddled with the mistakes of prior administrations and had overseen dropping crime rates.
But O'Connor criticized Gainey's management of the city, saying Gainey was reckless with city finances, fell badly short in expanding affordable housing, and lacked vision to bring businesses back to downtown after the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating collapse of the hometown steel industry.
He also said people didn't feel safe in Pittsburgh and that city vehicles — including snow plows and ambulances — were breaking down at critical times.
O'Connor benefited from support from builders and developers amid friction over Gainey's affordable housing plan, and O'Connor's campaign and allied groups outspent Gainey's side, which had support from the liberal Working Families Party and Service Employees International Union.
Still, unions were divided in the race, and affordable housing groups had criticized Gainey's efforts. O'Connor, meanwhile, characterized the city under Gainey as headed for a "financial crisis" that threatened quality of life and public safety, a crisis that O'Connor confidently said he could fix.
Gainey, he said, was leading the city "down a path of managing our decline."
"That financial crisis is going to impact each and every one of us, each and every day," O'Connor said during a televised May 8 debate. "It's going to stop our ability to fill in your potholes. It's going to stop our ability to buy new ambulances and equipment for public safety to keep you safe."
Gainey conceded Tuesday night and called himself a "mayor of change" who had worked to boost affordable housing, reduce the murder rate and let residents know that his administration was "there for them."
"It wasn't the popular message, but it was the populist message," Gainey told KDKA-TV.
There were also two statewide courts contests on Tuesday's ballots.
Here's what to know about the contests:
## Philadelphia district attorney
Krasner defeated Pat Dugan, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the head administrative judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court before he resigned to run.
Krasner is seeking a third term after withstanding an impeachment attempt by Republican state lawmakers and years of being a campaign trail punching bag for Trump.
Krasner has the benefit of crime rates falling in big US cities, including Philadelphia, after they rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dugan had aimed to make the race about Krasner's crime-fighting policies — he called Krasner "Let 'em Go Larry" — and accused the incumbent of staffing the district attorney's office with ill-prepared and inexperienced lawyers.
Krasner originally ran in 2017 on a progressive platform that included holding police accountable and opposing the death penalty, cash bail, prosecuting minor nonviolent offenses and a culture of mass-incarceration.
Like some big-city Democrats, Krasner has turned toward pro-public safety messaging, maintaining that he is serious about pursuing violent crime and touting new technologies and strategies that his office is using to solve or prevent crime.
Krasner has repeatedly invoked Trump and suggested that he was the best candidate to stand up to him. In a TV ad, he cast himself as the foil to "Trump and his billionaire buddies, the shooting groups and gun lobby, the old system that denied people justice for too long. They can come for Philly, but I'm not backing down."
Dugan had invoked Trump, too, saying in a TV ad that Philadelphia faces the threats of crime, injustice and a "president bent on destruction." He also accused Krasner of failing to deliver "real reform or make us safe. Now he wants us to believe he can take on Trump? Get real."
## Courts
Two statewide court seats are opening up, one on the Commonwealth Court and one on the Superior Court.
Democrats didn't have a primary in either contest, with Washington County Judge Brandon Neuman running uncontested for Superior Court and Philadelphia Judge Stella Tsai running uncontested for Commonwealth Court.
On the Republican ticket, Clarion County lawyer Maria Battista won the Superior Court contest, defeating the party-endorsed Ann Marie Wheatcraft, a Chester County judge. In the Commonwealth Court contest, Matt Wolford of Erie County, a former state and federal prosecutor, defeated Josh Prince of Berks County, a prominent gun rights lawyer.
The 15-member Superior Court hears appeals of civil and criminal cases from county courts. The nine-seat Commonwealth Court hears challenges or appeals from county courts in cases involving laws or government actions. Judges are elected to 10-year terms.
___
Follow Marc Levy on X at https://x.com/timelywriter. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-01 11:57:44+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Pam Bondi",
"U.S. Department of Justice",
"Bill Clinton",
"Robert Mueller",
"George W. Bush",
"United States government",
"Courts",
"Executive orders",
"Diversity",
"equity and inclusion",
"El Salvador",
"Manhattan",
"United States",
"Education funding",
"Stuart Gerson",
"Andrew Weissmann",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Chad Gilmartin",
"Politics",
"Elon Musk",
"Immigration",
"Colleen Kollar-Kotelly",
"Jonathan Turley",
"Kent Greenfield",
"Ronald Reagan",
"Voting",
"Richard Lawson"
] | # Justice Department struggles to represent Trump's positions in court
By Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer
May 1st, 2025, 11:57 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — To understand the Justice Department's struggles in representing President Donald Trump's positions in court, look no further than a quick succession of losses last week that dealt a setback to the administration's agenda.
In orders spanning different courthouses, judges blocked a White House plan to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, ruled the Republican administration violated a settlement agreement by deporting a man to El Salvador and halted directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
That's on top of arguments in which two judges expressed misgivings to a Justice Department lawyer about the legality of Trump executive orders targeting major law firms and a department lawyer's accidental filing of an internal memo in court questioning the Trump administration's legal strategy to kill Manhattan's congestion toll — a blunder the Transportation Department called "legal malpractice."
According to an Associated Press tally, Trump executive actions have been partially or fully blocked by the courts around 70 times while judges have not impeded the president's orders in nearly 50 cases. Dozens of others are pending.
The Trump administration's effort to reshape American civil society, including a crackdown on illegal immigration and downsizing of the federal government, is encountering resistance from judges across a broad spectrum of philosophical leanings as lawyers for the Justice Department in some cases have strained to answer straightforward questions from judges about the basis or rationale for a particular policy or about the mechanics of its implementation. In at least one instance, a government lawyer who became openly exasperated in court at the lack of information he'd been given from the administration was soon after fired by the Justice Department.
## Experienced career Justice Department lawyers are leaving
Compounding the problem is an ongoing exodus from the department of experienced career lawyers accustomed to representing the federal government in court. Some of the key arguments in recent weeks have been handled by lawyers newly hired into political, rather than career, positions at the department.
Justice Department leadership has in recent months hired lawyers with conservative credentials from law firms in Washington and with past experience at state and local government agencies — but not necessarily federal experience.
"This is quite rare, if not unprecedented," said Boston College law professor Kent Greenfield. "I can't think of another instance in which the Justice Department has lost so many cases in a short period of time and the reason they're losing is because they're wrong — and obviously wrong."
## Trump allies want to impeach the judges
Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, have attributed the losses to what they call "activist" judges bent on impeding his agenda. Some White House allies have called for impeaching judges, with adviser Elon Musk describing it as a "judicial coup."
But that belies the reality that some of the most blistering rebukes of Justice Department arguments have come from conservative judges like J. Harvie Wilkinson III, an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan who said in an April opinion that the idea the government could not return to the U.S. a man it had deported to El Salvador was "shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear."
Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, cautioned against making too much so soon in the administration of its legal track record. The Supreme Court with its conservative 6-3 majority, including three Trump appointees, has yet to weigh in on the vast majority of the cases.
"This Department of Justice will continue to defend President Trump's agenda in court, and we remain confident that we will ultimately prevail," Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said in an email.
The Trump administration has also succeeded in some cases in beating back legal challenges, and some early defeats at the trial court level have been subsequently overturned by a federal appeals court, such as when a panel cleared the way for the administration to fire thousands of probationary workers in spite of a judge's earlier opinion.
In another case, the Supreme Court overturned a lower judge's order that had blocked the administration from using an 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants, though the court said they must get a chance to challenge their removals before they're taken from the United States. The Supreme Court also recently granted the Trump administration's plea to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher training money while a lawsuit continues.
"There's over 600 District Court judges, any one of which can issue limited or national injunctions," Turley said. The rulings may be important, he added, "but there's a great deal of runway between a U.S. district court and the United States Supreme Court.
## Judges push Justice Department lawyers to explain
The challenges, however, were laid bare in a Washington courtroom just last week when Richard Lawson, a newly minted deputy associate attorney general, repeatedly struggled to provide what a judge said was "basic" information about one in a series of executive orders targeting a major law firm with punishing sanctions — including the suspension of attorney security clearances.
"So you don't know whether the firm or the individuals whose security clearances were suspended have been given any notice about the timing of the review, who the decision-maker is, the information that's being reviewed as part of this review, whether they're going to have an ability to see that information, comment on the information, correct the information, object to the information?" U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell asked pointedly. "You can't tell me anything about that?"
"I can't speak to that, Your Honor," replied Lawson, who years before recently joining the Justice Department had worked with Bondi in the Florida attorney general's office and was also a lawyer at a pro-Trump think tank called the America First Policy Institute.
Lawson fared no better weeks earlier when pushed to explain the administration's national security rationale for punishing a different law firm, Jenner & Block, because one of its former partners, Andrew Weissmann, had years earlier been a prosecutor on the team of special counsel Robert Mueller that investigated Trump during his first term.
"You're not going to really tell me that having someone employed four years ago poses some kind of national security threat?" asked U.S. District John Bates, an appointee of George W. Bush, a Republican.
"Not per se, no," replied Lawson.
In another case, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scolded the Justice Department in court papers last week over what she described as the "contradiction" between statements made in court by one of its lawyers "and the facts on the ground." While the judge did not contend that the lawyer "intentionally misrepresented the facts," the appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton added: "The Court must remark that this exchange does not reflect the level of diligence the Court expects from any litigant — let alone the United States Department of Justice."
Stuart Gerson, who led the Justice Department's civil division under Republican President George H.W. Bush and later served briefly as acting attorney general, said it appeared the Trump administration was sending lawyers into court "without adequate information and instructions."
"I sympathize greatly with these folks who are arguing some of the cases, who are just parroting what they've been told to say without being able to answer questions about their ramifications, the what-ifs and the background information," Gerson said.
___
Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Department of Justice at https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-justice. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 15:50:15+00:00 | [
"Microsoft Corp.",
"Labor",
"Meta Platforms",
"Inc.",
"Mark Zuckerberg",
"Satya Nadella",
"Artificial intelligence",
"Engineering",
"Technology",
"Cory Stahle",
"Daniel Zhao",
"Business",
"Amy Hood",
"Scott Hanselman",
"Donald Trump"
] | # Microsoft lays off about 3% of its workforce in what one executive calls a 'day with a lot of tears'
By Matt O'Brien
May 13th, 2025, 03:50 PM
---
Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers Tuesday, nearly 3% of its entire workforce and its largest job cuts in more than two years as the company spends heavily on artificial intelligence.
Hard hit was the tech giant's home state of Washington, where Microsoft informed state officials it was cutting 1,985 workers tied to its Redmond headquarters, many of them in software engineering and product management roles.
Microsoft said the layoffs will be across all levels, teams and geographies but the cuts will focus on reducing the number of managers. Notices to employees began going out on Tuesday.
The mass layoffs come just weeks after Microsoft reported strong sales and profits that beat Wall Street expectations for the January-March quarter, which investors took as a dose of relief during a turbulent time for the tech sector and U.S. economy.
"I think many people have this conception of layoffs as something that struggling companies have to do to save themselves, which is one reason for layoffs but it's not the only reason," said Daniel Zhao, lead economist at workplace reviews site Glassdoor. "Big tech companies have trimmed their workforces as they rearrange their strategies and pull back from the more aggressive hiring that they did during the early post-pandemic years."
Microsoft employed 228,000 full-time workers as of last June, the last time it reported its annual headcount. About 55% of those workers were in the U.S.
Microsoft announced a smaller round of performance-based layoffs in January. But the 3% cuts will be Microsoft's biggest since early 2023, when the company cut 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, joining other tech companies that were scaling back their pandemic-era expansions.
Microsoft's chief financial officer, Amy Hood, said on an April earnings call that the company was focused on "building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers." She also said the headcount in March was 2% higher than a year earlier, and down slightly compared to the end of last year.
The layoffs are hitting all parts of Microsoft's business, including the video game platform Xbox and the career networking site LinkedIn. Some laid-off workers and the executives who made the cuts took to LinkedIn to talk about them.
"This is the first time I've had to lay people off to support business goals that aren't my own," wrote Scott Hanselman, a vice president of Microsoft's developer community. "I often have trouble separating my beliefs with the system that I participate in and am complicit in. These are people with dreams and rent and I love them and I want them to be OK."
He added: "This is a day with a lot of tears."
The company didn't give a specific reason for the layoffs, only that they were part of "organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace."
Microsoft has said it has been spending $80 billion in the fiscal year that ends in June on building data centers and other infrastructure it needs to develop its artificial intelligence technology, though it has also scaled back some of those projects. Those AI tools have been pitched as changing the way people work, including in Microsoft's own workplaces.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at an AI event last month at Meta's headquarters that "maybe 20, 30% of the code" for some of Microsoft's coding projects "are probably all written by software."
Even if AI is increasingly helping Microsoft software engineers, however, doesn't necessarily mean it's a chief reason for laying them off.
"When these big tech companies say that they're trimming management layers, that doesn't really sound like it's being driven by AI," Zhao said. "You're not expecting ChatGPT to replace the manager."
Instead, cutting management ranks can often reflect a broader strategy.
"As companies grow quickly, you need to add managers who can coordinate across teams or within teams," Zhao said. "But it's not until things start to slow down that people start asking questions about how necessary those roles are."
Of the laid-off employees in Washington, about 1,500 worked in person at Microsoft's offices and 475 worked remotely, according to the notice the company sent to the state employment agency. Their official last day will be in July.
After hiring sprees that started when the COVID-19 pandemic spiked demand for online services, many tech companies are still in a process of "coming back to Earth and trying to kind of rebalance some things," said Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed, the job listings website.
And while Microsoft isn't as directly affected by President Donald Trump's wide-ranging tariffs as some of its peers, it must also think more broadly about economic conditions that could play out over the coming months and years.
"This could be an effort to think more long term," Stahle said. "If you have to go out and buy groceries and spend more on groceries and produce that are more expensive due to tariffs, you maybe don't have as much discretionary income to spend on electronics or video game systems." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 18:22:36+00:00 | [
"Starbucks Corp.",
"Workplace culture",
"Dress codes",
"Retail and wholesale",
"Lifestyle",
"Business"
] | # Starbucks strike: More than 2,000 baristas protest new dress code
By Dee-Ann Durbin
May 14th, 2025, 06:22 PM
---
A strike by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's new dress code grew Thursday.
More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to Starbucks Workers United, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers.
Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms.
Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores.
But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining.
"Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code," said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. "Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte."
Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code.
On Wednesday, Starbucks Workers Union said a total of 1,000 workers had staged walkouts at 75 U.S. stores. Starbucks said at the time that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said.
"It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they're putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work," Starbucks said in a statement. "More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week."
Associated Press readers who shared their opinions had mixed views of the dress code. Some said they didn't think Starbucks' baristas had much to complain about, noting that many retailers require their workers to dress a certain way. Others said they thought Starbucks should focus on improving the quality and prices of its beverages, and keeping workers happy instead of worrying about what its employees wear.
Maddie Mucklow, who manages a Starbucks store in Seattle, said she's in favor of the new rules.
"I'll be honest, I think the dress code was a difficult change for the partners at my store," Mucklow said. "But the dress code gives us a more consistent boundary for how to show up best for each other while still expressing our individuality."
Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024.
The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 05:06:35+00:00 | [
"Vatican City",
"Pietro Parolin",
"Papal conclave",
"Religion",
"Sebastiano Minuzzo",
"Pope Benedict XVI",
"Angelo Cisotto",
"Catholic Church",
"Don Piero",
"Giacomo Bonora",
"Mariano Vialetto",
"Morgan Zaetta"
] | # Conclave watching over red wine spritz in a cardinal's hometown
By Colleen Barry
May 8th, 2025, 05:06 AM
---
SCHIAVON, Italy (AP) — Conclave watching turned out to be a perfect aperitivo activity.
Caffè Centrale, on the main drag of the Veneto hometown of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a papal favorite, filled up with locals and journalists on Thursday. Three friends clinked their glasses in an Italian salute when the white smoke went up in St. Peter's Square.
"We hope it's him," said Mariano Vialetto, over an aperitivo in Caffè Centrale. "We have our fingers crossed."
Morgan Zaetta was more sure: "It's him, it's him."
A few moments later the bells rang in the church, St. Margherita — only the sacristan says it wasn't he who rang them and doesn't know who did.
"It wasn't me," said Angelo Cisotto, adding no one was in the bell tower and they could not be rung by remote. "It's a mystery," he said. Asked if it could be a sign: "We hope, we hope.''
All day, a large TV screen displayed images from St. Peter's Square and the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, where 133 cardinals were casting the first votes for pope, as locals in the Veneto town of Schiavon, near Vicenza, quaffed glasses of wine.
The day before, Giacomo Bonora raised a glass of the local favorite, a red wine spritz, and said that when Parolin returns to the town of 2,600, he asks to be called by his local nickname: "Don Piero." It's the way a parish priest would be addressed rather than "eminence," a cardinal's honorific. Piero is the Veneto dialect for Pietro.
Parolin, 70, is a veteran diplomat who was Francis' secretary of state, essentially the Holy See's prime minister and No. 2 to the pope. Everyone is hopeful, but officials have been instructed not to speak to the media until a new pope is elected.
Cisotto, the 84-year-old sacristan, remembers Parolin as a child, 14 years his junior, and always devout. "He used to dress up as an altar boy, and at home, in his garage, he had a little altar,'' where he would play saying Mass, Cisotto recalled. "He is a very good, very humble and very kind person.''
As for Parolin's papal chances, 86-year-old Sebastiano Minuzzo said: "This is a dream, but usually dreams don't come true."
Locals recalled that Parolin came regularly to Schiavon before his mother died last summer. His father died when he was 10, and he entered the seminary in nearby Vicenza at 14. For a period, he was a parish priest in the foothills town of Schio before joining the Vatican's diplomatic corps.
"He has such a mind, I can't grasp it,'' said Cisotto, the sacristan.
While closely associated with Francis' pontificate, Parolin is much more demure in personality and diplomatic in his approach to leading than the Argentine Jesuit he served — and he knows where the Catholic Church might need a course correction. Many see him as embodying Francis' pastoral message while being more open to conservative points of view. While his career has been spent in Italy, his job as a Vatican diplomat has seen him travel the world, giving him a global perspective.
If he were elected, he would return an Italian to the papacy after three successive outsiders: St. John Paul II (Poland), Pope Benedict XVI (Germany) and Francis (Argentina). |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 20:19:43+00:00 | [
"Kathy Hochul",
"New York",
"New York state government",
"Robert Brooks",
"Crime",
"Prisons",
"Maine",
"Florida",
"New Jersey",
"New York City Wire",
"Strikes",
"Homicide"
] | # New York set to lower hiring age of prison guards to 18 amid correction officer shortage
May 8th, 2025, 08:19 PM
---
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York is set to lower the minimum hiring age for prison guards from 21 to 18, seeking to boost the ranks of corrections officers during a shortage that was exacerbated by the firing of more than 2,000 guards after a weekslong strike crippled the state's prison system.
State lawmakers approved the measure on Wednesday and Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is expected to sign it into law.
The bill establishes some rules for the younger guards, including policies that they cannot obtain or use firearms or transport inmates outside of prisons. They also must be supervised when performing "contact roles" with inmates during the first year-and-a-half on the job.
The push to lower the age for correction officers came after guards walked off the job in February while striking to protest poor working conditions. Hochul was forced to deploy the state National Guard to prisons to maintain operations during the strike.
The governor ended up firing more than 2,000 guards who refused to return to work after the state and guards' union reached a deal to end the walkout, which lasted around three weeks. Hochul has barred the guards who were fired from holding other state jobs in the future.
The state corrections commissioner has since directed the department to begin the process of releasing some inmates early because of a shortage of guards. But the early discharges have been limited to inmates who were convicted of minor crimes and were already set for release in the near future. Inmates convicted of sex crimes, violent felonies or serious felonies such as murder, terrorism and arson would not be eligible for early release, the agency said.
The strike came after the high-profile fatal beating of Robert Brooks at an upstate New York prison in December, which was recorded on guards' body cameras and led to charges against more than a dozen people.
Another incarcerated person, Messiah Nantwi, died on March 1 after being injured in a series of beatings by guards, according to an indictment. Ten guards were charged over Nantwi's death, including two who were charged with murder.
Some other states, including Florida, Maine and New Jersey, allow 18-year-olds to become correction officers. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 22:33:45+00:00 | [
"Scott Bessent",
"Donald Trump",
"Mike Johnson",
"National debt",
"Janet Yellen",
"Government and politics",
"United States government",
"Business",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Politics"
] | # Treasury secretary calls on Congress to raise or suspend the debt ceiling by mid-July
By Fatima Hussein and Kevin Freking
May 9th, 2025, 10:33 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is on track to run out of money to pay its bills as early as August without congressional action, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Friday.
He is calling on Congress to either raise or suspend the debt ceiling by mid-July.
"A failure to suspend or increase the debt limit would wreak havoc on our financial system and diminish America's security and global leadership position," Bessent wrote in the letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson. "Prior episodes have shown that waiting until the last minute to suspend or increase the debt limit can have serious adverse consequences for financial markets, businesses and the federal government."
Earlier this week, Bessent twice testified in front of congressional committees that the Treasury's debt ceiling is "on the warning track."
After the debt limit was reinstated in January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen — in one of her last acts in the position — said the agency would institute "extraordinary measures" intended to prevent the U.S. from reaching the debt ceiling.
Since then, the Treasury Department has stopped paying into certain accounts, including a slew of federal worker pension and disability funds, to make up for the shortfall in money. Bessent has continued to notify Congress about the use of extraordinary measures in an effort to prevent a breach of the debt ceiling. In his latest letter, Bessent attributed the August deadline, known as the "X-date," in part to receipts from the latest tax filing season.
A Bipartisan Policy Center analysis released in March estimated that the U.S. could run out of cash by mid-July if Congress did not raise or suspend the nation's debt limit.
President Donald Trump had previously demanded that a provision raising or suspending the debt limit — something his own Republican Party routinely resists — be included in legislation to avert the last potential government shutdown under his Democratic predecessor, President joe Biden.
"Anything else is a betrayal of our country," Trump said in a statement in December. That deal did not ultimately address the debt limit.
The letter to Johnson comes as Republicans consider a massive tax cut and border security package that includes an increase in the debt limit. Bessent's request could give GOP lawmakers greater incentive to reach an agreement. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-07 16:02:23+00:00 | [
"Newark",
"Sean Duffy",
"Donald Trump",
"Aviation safety",
"Federal Aviation Administration",
"DC Wire",
"New York City Wire",
"Frank Lorenzo",
"Politics",
"Jeff Guzetti",
"Business",
"Continental AG",
"Sheldon Jacobson"
] | # FAA to fix problems at Newark, overhaul of US air traffic control system
By Josh Funk
May 7th, 2025, 04:02 PM
---
A deadly midair collision in January between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner, several additional crashes and technical problems that resulted in mass cancellations at New Jersey's biggest airport have prompted officials to pledge a fix for the nation's outdated air traffic control system and vow to hire more controllers.
Doing so, they say, would help ensure safety and prevent the kind of problems that have plagued the Newark, New Jersey, airport since its radar system briefly failed last week.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to unveil a multi-billion-dollar plan to overhaul the nation's air traffic control system Thursday, while the Federal Aviation Administration works to quickly solve technology and staffing problems in Newark and avoid similar crisis elsewhere.
Amid turmoil, one thing seems clear: An aging system struggles to handle the nation's more than 45,000 daily flights.
It's uncertain whether Duffy's plan that President Donald Trump supports will get the necessary congressional funding to be more effective than previous reform efforts during the last three decades. But Duffy says it's necessary. Already more than $14 billion has been invested in upgrades since 2003 but none have dramatically changed how the system works.
"We are on it. We are going to fix it. We are going to build a brand new system for all of you and your families and the American people," Duffy said.
But details are scant. It's unclear whether the plan will involve privatizing the air traffic control system as Trump backed in his first term. Duffy has not highlighted that possibility. Thursday's announcement is expected to attract dozens of unions, which would likely oppose privatization, along with trade groups, industry representatives and family members of victims of the January crash.
## History of problems
For years, the system has operated well enough to be largely neglected by every administration, said University of Illinois professor Sheldon Jacobson, who has studied risks in aviation. "But well enough isn't good enough when it comes to air travel because people's lives are at risk."
Jacobson is skeptical Duffy's proposal will succeed. But there could be renewed support following the collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter over Washington D.C. in January, and a plane that flipped and caught fire in Toronto.
The weaknesses of the nation's air traffic control system have for years been highlighted in reports and hearings. Most recently, a Government Accountability Office review released in March declared that 51 of the FAA's 138 systems were considered unsustainable and another 54 were potentially unsustainable. A 2023 outage in FAA's Notice to Airmen system forced the grounding of every flight nationwide for more than two hours.
"We're dealing with an outmoded system and we have an outdated infrastructure," said former Continental Airlines CEO Frank Lorenzo, who helped establish a major hub in Newark that United Airlines still maintains years after acquiring Continental. "We haven't really given it the attention that it requires."
## Outdated technology
The president of National Air Traffic Controllers Association told Congress that the majority of the FAA's telecommunications infrastructure at more than 4,600 sites relies at least in part on aging copper wires, instead of more reliable fiber optic lines that can handle more data. Unexpected outages related to those lines routinely cause ground stops at airports and appear to have led to the problems in Newark.
The radar system air traffic controllers in Philadelphia use to direct planes in and out of the Newark airport went offline for at least 30 seconds on April 28. That facility relies on radar data sent over lines from New York that may have failed, some of which are old copper phone lines. The FAA relies on those lines because Newark controllers were moved from New York to Philadelphia last summer to address staffing issues.
The FAA said Wednesday it plans to replace any old copper wires with fiber optics and add three new data lines between New York and Philadelphia. The agency is also working to get additional controllers trained and certified.
It wasn't immediately clear how long either step will take, but Duffy has said he hopes the situation in Newark will improve by summer, which is when an ongoing runway construction project is scheduled for completion. Several controllers remain on extended trauma leave after the radar outage, which worsened staff shortages in Philadelphia.
In response, the FAA has slowed traffic in and out of Newark to ensure flights can be handled safely, leading to cancellations. Duffy also said FAA will meet with all airlines to determine how many flights the airport can handle. On Wednesday, Newark led the nation with 42 canceled departures and 46 canceled arrivals, according to FlightAware.com. That's even after United cut 35 daily flights at the airport starting last weekend.
## Some upgrades have been completed
The FAA has made incremental improvements as part of its Nextgen program that was established in 2003. Advancements include development of the ADS-B system that provides more precise aircraft locations to controllers and other planes. That system has been a focal point of the investigation of the January crash because the Black Hawk helicopter was not using it to broadcast its location at the time of the collision.
Duffy has also tried to supercharge air traffic controller hiring by shortening the time it takes to get into the academy and improving student success rates. The FAA is also offering bonuses to experienced controllers to discourage early retirement.
A major challenge to upgrading the aviation infrastructure is that the FAA must keep the current system operating while developing a new system — and then find a way to seamlessly switch over. That's partly why the agency has pursued more gradual improvements in the past.
"The problem has existed for decades. It's not because of neglect, but because it's a hard problem to solve," said Jeff Guzetti, who is a former accident investigator who also worked in the Transportation Department's Inspector General's office for several years that was focused on aviation. "And it requires money and good management. And the FAA has been has had shortages of both money and in some cases good management for years." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-05 18:39:35+00:00 | [
"Newark",
"Sean Duffy",
"Charles Schumer",
"Donald Trump",
"New York City",
"New Jersey",
"Scott Kirby",
"Phil Murphy",
"Federal Aviation Administration",
"New York City Wire",
"United States Senate",
"Labor",
"Aviation safety",
"Politics"
] | # Newark airport experiencing flight delays and cancellations
May 5th, 2025, 06:39 PM
---
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Flight delays and cancellations persisted at Newark Liberty International Airport Monday, and the Federal Aviation Administration says some air traffic controllers were taking time off to destress from recent equipment and telecommunications outages.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for an investigation into the "chaos" sparked by an air traffic controller shortage and thick cloud cover.
Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said he wants an inspector general's investigation into the delays and cancellations to prevent them from getting worse or spreading. New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy called the delays "completely and utterly unacceptable" in a post on X, and said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is "committed" to hiring more air traffic controllers.
The delays at the busy airport outside New York City made headlines over the weekend as United Airlines said it was cutting 35 daily flights from its schedule.
As of Monday, the FAA attributed arriving flight delays of nearly four hours to a combination of staffing and cloud cover.
Here's a closer look at what to know about the delays.
## What's behind the delays at Newark?
The airport faced disruptions last week as well.
United CEO Scott Kirby said in a letter to customers over the weekend that the technology used to manage planes at the New Jersey airport failed more than once in recent days.
The flight delays, cancellations and diversions that the equipment problems caused were compounded when more than one-fifth of Newark's traffic controllers "walked off the job," he said.
The FAA issued a statement Monday saying some controllers who work on flight arrivals and departures from Newark have taken time off to recover from stress associated with recent outages.
"Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce," the FAA said.
Faulting the Federal Aviation Administration's alleged failure to address "long-simmering" challenges related to the air-traffic control system, United Airlines cut 35 daily flights from its Newark schedule starting Saturday.
Messages seeking comment were left with the air traffic controllers labor union and the federal Transportation Department, which oversees the FAA.
## What's the broader issue with air traffic control?
The Trump administration has said an "obsolete" air traffic control system needs to be fixed.
The administration says it's been trying to "supercharge" the air traffic controller workforce and address the nation's shortage of controllers. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last week announced a program to recruit new controllers and give existing ones incentives not to retire.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a workers' union, said at the time that those moves could help address staffing shortages, but it also said the system is " long overdue for technology and infrastructure upgrades."
## Uncertainty at play?
United's decision to pare back its flight schedule in Newark comes at an already uncertain period for U.S. airlines. Potential customers across the industry are reconsidering whether to fly for work or for vacation given all the unknowns about what President Donald Trump's trade war will do to the economy.
Uncertainty is so high that United recently made the unusual move of offering two separate forecasts for how it could perform financially this year: one if there were a recession and one if not.
United flies to 76 U.S. cities and 81 international destinations from Newark. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 00:30:27+00:00 | [
"Ras Baraka",
"Newark",
"Donald Trump",
"Hakeem Jeffries",
"Alina Habba",
"Todd Blanche",
"Paul Fishman",
"Assault",
"Law enforcement",
"United States government",
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement",
"United States",
"Protests and demonstrations",
"Prisons",
"Politics",
"Immigration",
"Indictments",
"Kristi Noem",
"Donald Payne Jr."
] | # LaMonica McIver: Congresswoman charged with assault after skirmish at ICE center
By Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker, and Mike Catalini
May 20th, 2025, 12:30 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault after a skirmish with federal officers outside an immigration detention center, said New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, who also announced Monday that she was dropping a trespassing case against the Newark mayor whose arrest led to the disturbance.
Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba wrote on social media that McIver is facing a charge of assaulting, impeding or interfering with law enforcement, but court papers providing details were not immediately released or publicly available online.
The prosecution of McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption. The case instantly taps into a much broader and more consequential power struggle between a Trump administration engaged in a sweeping overhaul of immigration policy and a Democratic party scrambling for ways to respond.
Within minutes of Habba's announcement, McIver's Democratic colleagues cast the prosecution as an infringement on lawmakers' official duties to serve their constituents and an effort to silence their opposition to an immigration policy that helped propel the president back into power but now has emerged as divisive fault line in American political discourse.
At the same time, Habba announced that her office agreed to dismiss a misdemeanor charge against Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested after he attempted to join McIver and two other members of New Jersey's congressional delegation inspecting the facility in their oversight capacity. Habba said the decision was reached "for the sake of moving forward" and said she has invited the mayor to tour the Delaney Hall detention center and will join him herself.
"The citizens of New Jersey deserve unified leadership so we can get to work to keep our state safe," Habba said in a statement.
McIver has denied any wrongdoing and has accused federal agents of escalating the situation by arresting the mayor. She denounced the charge as "purely political" and said prosecutors are distorting her actions in an effort to deter legislative oversight.
"This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right," she said in a statement. "I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the truth being laid out clearly in court."
A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence. She and uniformed officials go through the gate and she joins others shouting "surround the mayor." The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word "Police" on it.
It isn't clear from bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene.
In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said McIver was being charged after a "thorough review of the video footage" and investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.
"Assaults on federal law enforcement will not be tolerated," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X. "This Administration will always protect those who work tirelessly to keep America safe."
McIver's attorney called the decision to charge her "spectacularly inappropriate," saying she went to Delaney Hall "to do her job" and she has the responsibility as a member of Congress to oversee U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's treatment of detainees. As of Monday night, neither McIver nor her attorneys had gotten charging documents from prosecutors, according to an emailed statement from a spokesperson for her attorney.
"Rather than facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos," Paul Fishman, the former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said in a statement. "This prosecution is an attempt to shift the blame for ICE's behavior to Congresswoman McIver. In the courtroom, facts — not headlines — will matter."
Baraka, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in this year's governor's race, had repeatedly denied trespassing and said he had been invited inside the gate at one point before the arrest.
He said in an emailed statement Monday that he was glad the case against him was dismissed. He said he will "continue to advocate for the humane treatment of detainees" and "continue to press the facility to ensure that it is compliant with City of Newark codes and regulations."
Baraka called McIver a "daughter of Newark" and said he stood with her.
"I fully expect her to be vindicated," he said.
McIver, 38, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November. A Newark native, she served as the president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city's public schools before that.
House Democratic leaders decried the criminal case against their colleague in a lengthy statement in which they called the charge "extreme, morally bankrupt" and lacking "any basis in law or fact."
"The proceeding initiated by the so-called U.S. Attorney in New Jersey is a blatant attempt by the Trump administration to intimidate Congress and interfere with our ability to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch," said the statement from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and other senior members of the party. "House Democrats will not be intimidated by the Trump administration. Not today. Not ever." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 10:00:23+00:00 | [
"Saudi Arabia",
"IPOs",
"Riyadh",
"Business",
"Government programs"
] | # Saudi Arabia's low-cost carrier Flynas sells out all shares from initial public offering
By Gabe Levin
May 12th, 2025, 10:00 AM
---
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia 's low-cost carrier Flynas sold within minutes of opening all of the $1.1 billion in shares from its initial public offering on the Riyadh stock exchange on Monday.
The carrier, backed by billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal, is offering 51.2 million shares at around $20 to over $21 apiece, representing about 30% of the company's share capital.
Flynas, which describes itself as the kingdom's only independent airline, hopes to build out its fleet and expand its four bases, according to a statement from the company.
The move to go public comes despite worldwide market uncertainty fueled by U.S. tariffs and a continued downturn in oil prices that threatens to stifle growth in the kingdom.
The move comes after media reports that Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways is eyeing an IPO plan of its own.
The IPO, which would make Flynas the first carrier in the Gulf Arab region to go public over the past two decades, includes newly issued stocks, as well as shares from National Flight Services Co. and Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding Co.
Flynas, which last year posted a profit of $116 million and $2 billion in revenues, is not the only Saudi firm that is looking to go public. Specialized Medical, which operates hospitals, the packaging company United Carton Industries, and tech company iMENA Group all have IPO plans underway. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 17:24:25+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Joe Biden",
"Boston",
"Indira Talwani",
"John Sauer",
"Barack Obama",
"Venezuela",
"Courts",
"District of Columbia",
"Immigration",
"U.S. Supreme Court",
"Nicaragua",
"Venezuela government",
"Legal proceedings",
"Politics",
"United States government",
"Haiti"
] | # Trump asks Supreme Court to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people
By Lindsay Whitehurst
May 8th, 2025, 05:24 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to end humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from four countries, setting them up for potential deportation.
The emergency appeal asks the justices to halt a lower-court order keeping in place temporary legal status for more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
The Republican administration argues that the decision wrongly intrudes on the Department of Homeland Security's authority.
"The district court has nullified one of the administration's most consequential immigration policy decisions," Solicitor General John Sauer wrote.
The order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston blocked the Trump administration from putting an early end to the migrants' temporary legal status. Her ruling in mid-April came shortly before their permits were due to be canceled, opening them up to removal from the country.
Talwani, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, said that people in the program faced the option of "fleeing the country" or staying and "risk losing everything." She said the government's explanation for ending the program was "based on an incorrect reading of the law."
The Justice Department went to the Supreme Court after an appeals court refused to lift Talwani's order.
Sauer argued that the judge was instead wrong on the law, including her finding that any revocations of parole must be made on a case-by-case basis. He argued that ending the program early allows the federal government to remove people from the country more quickly, in line with the Trump administration's policy goals.
The case is the latest in a string of emergency appeals the administration has made to the Supreme Court, many of them related to immigration. The government asked the court to strip temporary legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans last week, and it remains locked in legal battles over its efforts to swiftly deport people accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act.
Trump promised on the campaign trail to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally. His administration has also sought to dismantle policies from President Joe Biden's Democratic administration that created new ways for people to live legally in the U.S., generally for two years with work authorization.
Biden used humanitarian parole more than any other president, employing a special presidential authority in effect since 1952. Beneficiaries included more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who flew to the United States with financial sponsors on two-year permits since late 2022, with authorization to work.
Advocates have called the Trump administration's move to end the program "unprecedented" and argued that it violated federal rule-making.
___
Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-16 14:48:18+00:00 | [
"Tommy Cash",
"Eurovision Song Contest",
"Lucio Corsi",
"Music",
"Italy",
"Hip hop and rap",
"Eurocopa 2024",
"Estonia",
"Entertainment",
"Francesco Malferrari",
"Lifestyle",
"Sabrina Carpenter",
"Jill Lawless"
] | # Estonia's Tommy Cash says Italians aren't in a froth over his Eurovision song 'Espresso Macchiato'
By Jill Lawless
May 16th, 2025, 02:48 PM
---
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — One song generating a lot of froth at the Eurovision Song Contest is "Espresso Macchiato," a dance-pop ditty by Estonian rapper and visual artist Tommy Cash.
Estonia's entry in the pan-continental pop competition, which holds its grand final on Saturday in Basel, Switzerland, is a playful dance-pop track that reels off a string of Italian cliches — including references to spaghetti and "sweating like a mafioso" — before a singalong chorus: "Espresso macchiato, macchiato, macchiato."
The song has some fans singing it in the streets of Basel. But it raised a few eyebrows in Italy, where a consumers' association branded it offensive and complained to Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union.
Cash said that he's seen media articles about a backlash, but "I see only the love."
"Everyone coming to me is like 'I'm from Italy, you're a legend there and we're so happy to have your song,'" he told The Associated Press on Friday amid rehearsals for the Eurovision final.
Cash said that if U.S. singer Sabrina Carpenter can have a hit about espresso in her Grammy Award-winning 2024 hit of that name, he too should be able to sing about coffee.
"She should be singing about Big Gulps," he joked. As Europeans, "we're the OGs. (Coffee) originated from Italy.
"The thing is, coffee is for the world," he said. "Everyone can drink coffee. Americans, Europeans, and this brings us together."
Italian themes are in vogue at Eurovision this year — another competitor is Italian DJ Gabry Ponte, representing tiny San Marino with "Tutta L'Italia."
Many Italians have embraced the cheery catchiness of "Espresso Macchiato," even though most would never dream of adding milk to espresso, widely considering macchiato a tourists' drink.
"We Italians are nice and we laugh at these things," said Francesco Malferrari, enjoying an espresso — no milk — in a Rome cafe. "Yes, there are some stereotypes, but we in Italy are used to it, so in reality we smile.
"But this year we have to root for Lucio Corsi," the glam rocker who is Italy's Eurovision competitor. "Because we are for Italy, so let's root for Lucio Corsi. But let's have an espresso and laugh it off."
___
Jill Lawless first covered Eurovision in Athens in 2006, when it was won by masked Finnish metal band Lordi with "Hard Rock Hallelujah." She has been a fan ever since.
___
Dario Artale contributed to this story from this Rome. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-02 11:04:58+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Joe Biden",
"Public opinion",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"United States government",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"District of Columbia",
"United States",
"Executive orders",
"Elon Musk",
"Linda Seck",
"Associated Press",
"Politics"
] | # Americans see more overreach from president than judges: AP-NORC poll
By Nicholas Riccardi and Linley Sanders
May 2nd, 2025, 11:04 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump faces significant pushback from federal judges, a new poll shows U.S. adults are more likely to believe the president is the one overstepping his power rather than the courts -- although Republicans largely think the opposite.
According to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about half of Americans say the president has "too much" power in the way government operates these days. On the other hand, Americans are more likely to believe the federal courts have an appropriate amount of authority. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults say that federal judges have "too much" power.
Republicans see it the other way: Roughly half say the federal judiciary has too much power, and only about 2 in 10 say the president does.
The survey comes as Trump has issued a record number of executive orders and pushed the boundaries of presidential power, wresting from Congress its constitutional authority to determine spending levels and defying court orders on immigration. The Republican president has directed the Department of Justice to go after his enemies, pressured law firms he sees as antagonistic and used the threat of federal prosecution to coerce officials and others to support his agenda.
The courts have generally been the only branch of government to push back on Trump's plans, while the GOP-controlled Congress has mostly deferred to him. Only about 3 in 10 Americans say Congress has too much power, and just 17% of Democrats say federal courts have excessive power. On the other hand, the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court fares better with Republicans — only about one-quarter think it has too much power, while one-third of Democrats believe that.
About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump has "gone too far" in using presidential power to achieve his goals, the survey found, but concerns over his power are centered among Democrats and independents. Among Republicans, only about one-quarter say Trump has "gone too far," while about 6 in 10 feel his use of power has been "about right." About 14% of Republicans feel Trump hasn't gone far enough.
"He's been able to do unprecedented things," said Brie Horshaw, a 35-year-old Los Angeles esthetician and Democrat. "He's got too much power. It goes beyond what a president would normally do."
Democrats are largely united in their sense that Trump has "gone too far" in using presidential power, with about 9 in 10 saying this. About 6 in 10 independents feel that way.
The AP-NORC poll is only the latest of several surveys showing that Trump's actions have sparked widespread anxiety.
A Pew Research Center poll found that about half of U.S. adults say Trump is setting too much policy by executive order, while about 3 in 10 say he's doing about the right amount. A CNN-SSRS poll found that 46% of Americans have "a lot" or "some" confidence in Trump's ability to use the power of the presidency responsibly, which is down from 54% in December.
The findings indicate a rising sense of panic among Democrats as Trump takes aggressive actions to implement his agenda. According to the AP-NORC poll, the share of U.S. adults who say the president has too much power in the way the U.S. government operates has jumped significantly since last year, when Democrat Joe Biden was in his final year in office. It has risen from 32% in a March 2024 AP-NORC poll.
Democrats are almost 70 percentage points more likely to say the president has too much power than they were last year, while independents are about 20 percentage points more likely.
Republicans, meanwhile, are less likely to say the president has too much power than they were in March 2024, when 46% believed it, double the 23% who do now. Linda Seck, a retired nurse, said Trump has the same tools Biden had.
"They both had the same power. They might choose to use it differently," said Seck, 76, a Republican who feels Trump has been using the right amount of power.
The Michigan resident, who once worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, has cheered Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk cutting deeply into the federal workforce without waiting for Congress' approval. Overall, Seck compared Trump's behavior to driving on a two-lane road: "I don't think he's going over the yellow line, but he's right there beside it."
Seck says she's a believer in the constitutional system of checks and balances and thinks Trump's power is not unlimited.
"He can't declare war without consulting Congress. He can't bully the Federal Reserve," Seck said.
Seck, however, joins fellow Republicans in fearing individual federal judges have too much power.
"I don't think a district judge should be able to overrule the federal government," she said. "That's the job of the Supreme Court."
Other polls show that Americans are broadly more concerned about presidential than judicial overreach. A Fox News poll, for example, found that about half of Americans are more concerned about the president ignoring rulings from the judicial branch, while about 3 in 10 say they're more worried about the judicial branch going beyond its authority.
And few think the president has the power to override the courts. The Fox News poll found that about two-thirds of Americans say the president can't ignore the Supreme Court if the president thinks the justices are overstepping their constitutional authority, while about 2 in 10 say the president can and another 16% are uncertain.
The Pew Research Center poll found that most Americans — including two-thirds of Republicans — think if a federal court rules that a Trump administration action is illegal, the Republican administration would need to follow the court's ruling.
Lynn Cohee, a 48-year-old database administrator and Democrat who lives south of Austin, Texas, is distressed in what he sees as the other branches of government not adequately checking Trump's actions.
"There's decisions he's making where other branches should step in and say, 'Hey, this isn't the wisest choice,'" Cohee said. "'Let's get rid of all these people' — well, lets talk about it first. The mass deportations, the foreign policy, the whole idea we're going to take over the Gaza Strip."
Cohee said he doesn't follow politics closely, but he's worried that the intense partisanship stops one part of the government from checking the other.
"With our political parties, it doesn't become what's best, but it becomes like sports and I want to see my team win," he said.
___
Riccardi reported from Denver.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-07 16:54:19+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Russia",
"Europe",
"District of Columbia",
"War and unrest",
"United States",
"DC Wire",
"Rob Couture",
"Germany government",
"Government and politics",
"London",
"Politics"
] | # Why Trump designated Thursday for US to celebrate World War II victory
By Darlene Superville
May 7th, 2025, 04:54 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation designating Thursday as a day for the United States to celebrate victory in World War II as countries in Europe already do.
Cities from London to Moscow are holding parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world observes Thursday's 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, when Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces, including the U.S.
Here's what to know about Trump's plans:
## What is Trump doing and why?
The Republican president is designating specific days for the U.S. to celebrate being on the winning side in World War I and World War II. He complained in recent social media posts that Americans don't spend enough time celebrating those achievements, which he said wouldn't have been possible without the U.S.
"Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II. I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I," he said last week on social media. "We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything — That's because we don't have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!"
## Can Trump rename an existing federal holiday?
No. Nov. 11 is already Veterans Day, a federal holiday in the U.S., and only Congress can create, rename or take it back. That could explain why Trump backed away from his "renaming" plan and said he'd instead be "declaring" national holidays instead.
"We won two World Wars, but we never took credit for it — Everyone else does! All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us," he wrote Monday on social media. "Without the United States, the War would have been won by other Countries, and what a different World it would be. Therefore, I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945."
He signed a proclamation on Wednesday that designates May 8, 2025, as a "day in celebration of Victory Day for World War II." He's expected to issue a similar proclamation for World War I later this year.
## Is Thursday a day off from work?
No, Thursday is not a federal holiday and therefore not a day off from work. Only Congress can create federal holidays, and Trump has complained that there already are too many of them.
## What does he envision will happen around the U.S. on these days?
It's unclear. Trump didn't say what he envisions happening, and the proclamation didn't include any details. But he said during an unrelated appearance Wednesday in the Oval Office that he noticed France and other countries were "all getting ready for Victory Day."
"We don't celebrate it and I think that's a great disservice," Trump said.
## What happens in other countries?
On major anniversaries like this year's 80th, Britain celebrates VE Day with parades, airplane flyovers and memorials. The British royal family traditionally watches the airplanes pass overhead from a balcony at Buckingham Palace.
Russia celebrates on Friday, and its Victory Day parades are a massive show of its armed forces, with thousands of troops, scores of heavy equipment rolling across Red Square and flyovers involving dozens of warplanes. Military parades, fireworks and other festivities are held in cities across the country.
## What have veterans groups said about Trump's plans?
Rob Couture, director of public affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said they are encouraged by any steps that "bring attention to the service of veterans from that time."
Just over 66,100 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of 2024.
—-
Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 04:15:41+00:00 | [
"Europe",
"Donald Trump",
"Greece",
"Giorgos Gerapetritis",
"European Union",
"Democracy",
"Palestinian territories government",
"Alphabet",
"Inc.",
"Government policy",
"Politics",
"United Nations Security Council",
"International trade",
"Greece government",
"War and unrest",
"Economic policy"
] | # Greece's top diplomat calls war in Gaza a 'nightmare'
By Edith M. Lederer
May 20th, 2025, 04:15 AM
---
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world is facing the most turbulent times since World War II, Greece's top diplomat says, pointing to a crossroads in democracy and saying Europe is facing a "political identity crisis."
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis weighed in on two of the globe's major conflicts, saying the "nightmare" and escalating death toll in Gaza must end and Greece stands by Ukraine.
He also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are not "good news."
Here are some takeaways from Monday's interview:
## A crisis in democracy tied to inequality
Gerapetritis, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month, said inequalities between nations and people are challenging "the essence of democracy and the rule of law." As a result, "we have turned into an era where populism and demagogues are essentially ruling the state," he said.
He said global turmoil is also the result of technology and the world's mobility, which mean every challenge — from pandemics to climate and migration — touches everyone. The upheaval also follows a crisis in overall global cooperation and belief in international organizations, which have failed to address challenges in recent years.
Nonetheless, Gerapetritis said, Greece believes "democracy has a self-corrective mechanism" and what's needed at this challenging time is strong leadership in major nations and international organizations "to make people believe in the noble cause of being together in peace and prosperity."
## Europe is seeking resilience amid the war in Ukraine
The Greek foreign minister said the European Union's requirement that decisions be adopted unanimously by its 27 members — giving a single nation veto power — has become an obstacle.
On the other hand, he said, the veto reflects national interests that should be at the core of European politics.
At the moment, Gerapetritis said Europe is in a "political identity crisis."
"It seems that on occasions, we forget what are the essential elements that brought us together as Europeans, and we do suffer from some divergences and conflict," he said. "And now we're suffering the post-shock syndrome after the war in Ukraine. So I think Europe needs again to find its resilience and identity."
Greece stands by Ukraine because it supports the rule of law and its sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.
As for EU and U.S. sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Gerapetritis said they have been only partially successful because Moscow has found ways to circumvent their impact. The economic penalties have not become "a turning point for peace," he said.
## Greece has good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians
Gerapetritis said his country supports a two-state solution, has discussed it and Gaza's reconstruction extensively with Israel and the Palestinians, and sees itself as an "honest broker."
"We would like to be actively involved, but to be totally honest, it's not a matter of who mediates, it's a matter of stopping the nightmare," he said.
Hamas' killing of 1,200 people and taking of hostages from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was absolutely inhumane, he said. Also, "I cannot really tolerate what is happening now in the Middle East," he said, pointing to the more than 53,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to its health ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.
Gerapetritis, who will preside at a Security Council meeting Thursday on protecting civilians in conflict, called for massive humanitarian aid for Gaza and a speedy ceasefire.
The first few aid trucks entered Gaza this week following nearly three months of an Israeli blockade of food, medicine and other supplies. Israel says a new distribution system will launch to prevent Hamas from accessing aid, which Israel says the militant group uses to bolster its rule in Gaza.
## Looking for compromise on U.S. tariffs
Gerapetritis said U.S.-Greek ties are growing, citing investments by Amazon, Google, Pfizer and other companies, including in the energy field.
Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration haven't had a major influence in the country, he said, "because we are not overexposed to that type of bilateral trade."
But Greece is in favor of free trade, he said, and while "we do not consider that tariffs are good news … we do believe that there must be a modus vivendi," a Latin phrase that in international relations often means a compromise between parties.
Trump imposed a 20% levy on goods from the EU amid a series of such moves against trading partners but later paused them to give a chance to negotiate solutions to U.S. trade concerns. Countries subject to the pause will face Trump's 10% baseline tariff. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-19 20:58:27+00:00 | [
"Arizona",
"Donald Trump",
"Juries",
"Joe Biden",
"Crime",
"Voting",
"Sam Myers",
"Kris Mayes",
"Richie Taylor",
"Government and politics",
"Mel McDonald",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Rudolph Giuliani",
"Politics"
] | # Arizona prosecutors ordered to send fake elector case back to grand jury
By Jacques Billeaud
May 19th, 2025, 08:58 PM
---
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona prosecutors pressing the case against Republicans who are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election results in President Donald Trump's favor were dealt a setback when a judge ordered the case be sent back to a grand jury.
Arizona's fake elector case remains alive after Friday's ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sam Myers, but it's being sent back to the grand jurors to determine whether there's probable cause that the defendants committed the crimes.
The decision, first reported by the Washington Post, centered on the Electoral Count Act, a law that governs the certification of a presidential contest and was part of the defendants' claims they were acting lawfully.
While the law was discussed when the case was presented to the grand jury and the panel asked a witness about the law's requirements, prosecutors didn't show the statute's language to the grand jury, Myers wrote. The judge said a prosecutor has a duty to tell grand jurors all the applicable law and concluded the defendants were denied "a substantial procedural right as guaranteed by Arizona law."
Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat whose office is pressing the case in court, said in a statement that prosecutors will appeal the decision. "We vehemently disagree with the court," Taylor said.
Mel McDonald, a former county judge in metro Phoenix and former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, said courts send cases back to grand juries when prosecutors present misleading or incomplete evidence or didn't properly instruct panel members on the law.
"They get granted at times. It's not often," said McDonald, who isn't involved in the case.
In all, 18 Republicans were charged with forgery, fraud and conspiracy. The defendants consist of 11 Republicans who submitted a document falsely claiming Trump won Arizona, two former Trump aides and five lawyers connected to the former president, including Rudy Giuliani.
Two defendants have already resolved their cases, while the others have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Trump wasn't charged in Arizona, but the indictment refers to him as an unindicted coconspirator.
Most of the defendants in the case also are trying to get a court to dismiss their charges under an Arizona law that bars using baseless legal actions in a bid to silence critics.
They argued Mayes tried to use the charges to silence them for their constitutionally protected speech about the 2020 election and actions taken in response to the race's outcome. Prosecutors said the defendants didn't have evidence to back up their retaliation claim and that they crossed the line from protected speech to fraud.
Eleven people who had been nominated to be Arizona's Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were "duly elected and qualified" electors and claimed Trump had carried the state in the 2020 election.
President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document later was sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.
Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-07 19:36:38+00:00 | [
"Boise",
"Idaho",
"Salt Lake City",
"Spencer Cox",
"Raul Labrador",
"LGBTQ",
"National",
"Andrew Wittenberg",
"Mike Schultz",
"Meredith Stead",
"Lauren McLean",
"Erin Mendenhall",
"Politics",
"Utah state government",
"Trevor Lee"
] | # Utah and Idaho capitals adopt new pride flags to sidestep bans
By Hannah Schoenbaum and Rebecca Boone
May 7th, 2025, 07:36 PM
---
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Democratic controlled cities of Salt Lake City and Boise adopted new city flags this week showing support for LGBTQ+ people in defiance of their states' Republican-controlled Legislatures, which have banned traditional rainbow pride flags at schools and government buildings.
Utah's capital of Salt Lake City created new flag designs while Boise, the capital of Idaho, made the traditional pride flag one of its official city flags. The move in Utah came hours before a ban on unsanctioned flag displays took effect Wednesday.
The cities' mayors spoke Tuesday morning to discuss their individual plans and offer each other support, said Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall's office.
"My sincere intent is not to provoke or cause division," Mendenhall said. "My intent is to represent our city's values and honor our dear diverse residents who make up this beautiful city and the legacy of pain and progress that they have endured."
Idaho's flag ban took effect April 3, barring government buildings from displaying any flags except those on a short list including the U.S. flag, flags of military branches and official flags of government entities. A separate ban containing some exemptions for school buildings takes effect July 1.
Supporters said the laws would encourage political neutrality from teachers and other government employees. Opponents argued they aimed to erase LGBTQ+ expression and wrest authority from cities and towns that did not align politically with the Republican Legislatures.
More than a dozen other states are considering similar measures.
The pride flag has regularly flown over Boise's City Hall for years, and Mayor Lauren McLean kept the flag aloft even after Idaho's law took effect. McLean said she believed the law was unenforceable.
But Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador recently warned he would ask lawmakers to add an enforcement mechanism in the 2026 legislative session.
Under the Utah law, state or local government buildings can be fined $500 a day for flying any flag other than the U.S. flag, the state flag, a city or county flag, military flags, Olympic and Paralympic flags, official college flags or tribal flags. Political flags are not allowed.
Last week, McLean responded to the Idaho law by issuing a proclamation retroactively making the pride flag an official city flag, along with a flag honoring organ donors. It allowed both to be flown alongside Boise's traditional blue flag featuring the Capitol building and the slogan "City of Trees."
The city council voted 5 to 1 for the proclamation during a packed and sometimes rowdy meeting Tuesday night.
"Removing the flag now after years of flying it proudly would not be a neutral act," said council member Meredith Stead. "It would signal a retreat from values we've long upheld and send a disheartening message to those who have found affirmation and belonging through its presence at city hall."
Some in attendance held pride flags while others waved the U.S. flag. At times, shouts erupted, prompting a brief recess.
Utah in March became the first state to enact a ban on unsanctioned flags at all government buildings. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox let the bill become law without his signature. He said he thought it went too far in regulating local governments but chose not to reject it because his veto would likely be overridden by the Legislature.
Utah's law does not explicitly mention LGBTQ+ pride flags, but the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Trevor Lee, repeatedly stated he aimed to ban them.
Council members in Salt Lake City unanimously approved new designs Tuesday evening, adding the city's emblem — a sego lily — atop the traditional rainbow LGBTQ+ pride flag and the blue, pink and white transgender flag. They also adopted a red and blue flag for Juneteenth, a federal holiday celebrated on June 19 that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
Utah's Republican House Speaker Mike Schultz called that a "clear waste of time and taxpayer resources."
"This law is about keeping government spaces neutral and welcoming to all," Schultz said. "Salt Lake City should focus on real issues, not political theatrics."
Other Idaho communities are also grappling with the restriction.
City buildings in Bonners Ferry, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Canadian border, have long flown Canada's flag in a sign of cross-border friendship, removing it only in April after Idaho's governor approved the flag restriction.
But the law contains an exception that allows government entities to fly the flags of other countries during "special occasions." Seeking to again fly the flag year-round, the Bonners Ferry City Council passed a resolution Tuesday designating every day of the year a "special occasion" to commemorate friendship with Canada.
___ Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 22:26:52+00:00 | [
"Yahya Jammeh",
"Gambia",
"Protests and demonstrations",
"Banjul",
"Crime",
"Law enforcement",
"Omar Saibo Camara",
"Politics"
] | # 27 people arrested in a protest in Gambia over the sale of a former dictator's assets
By Abdoulie John
May 9th, 2025, 10:26 PM
---
BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — Protests in Gambia over the sale of a former dictator's assets led to the arrests of at least 27 demonstrators and two journalists, who were later released, police said Monday.
The protests in the West African country's capital of Banjul began after an investigative report by local media that accused the government of selling former dictator Yahya Jammeh 's assets at below market value. A group called the Gambians Against Looted Assets, or GALA, led the protest.
According to a government statement Monday, the sale went through a "legally grounded process."
"At all times, the government acted within the confines of the law and in the public interest," the Ministry of Justice said.
"We condemn the (Inspector General of the Police) denial of our rights to protest and we will take none of it. We call on all Gambians to stand in opposition to this unlawful behavior of the police and come out in the thousands to take to the streets," GALA spokesperson Omar Saibo Camara said at a news conference earlier this week. Camara was responding to the government's announcement that it had denied their request to protest.
A government commission was created in 2017 with the goal of looking into the financial dealings of former President Jammeh and his advisers. The commission concluded on Sept. 13, 2019 with a report indicating that the former president had stolen up to $362 million from the country.
His two-decade-long rule was marked by arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, according to rights activists. Along with political opponents, Jammeh also targeted journalists and members of the gay community.
Jammeh now resides in Equatorial Guinea. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 10:55:33+00:00 | [
"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.",
"Mike Simpson",
"Lisa Murkowski",
"Bill Cassidy",
"Donald Trump",
"Medical research",
"Addiction and treatment",
"Angela Alsobrooks",
"Chris Murphy",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Medication",
"Immunizations",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Measles",
"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services",
"Chuck Fleischmann",
"Health",
"United States government",
"Politics",
"Bonnie Watson-Coleman"
] | # GOP, Democrats press RFK Jr. about budget cuts as health secretary
By Amanda Seitz
May 14th, 2025, 10:55 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats and Republicans alike raised concerns on Wednesday about deep staffing cuts, funding freezes and far-reaching policy changes overseen by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers questioned Kennedy's approach to the job, some saying that he has jeopardized vaccine uptake, cancer research and dental health in just a few short months.
In combative and at times highly personal rejoinders, Kennedy defended the Trump administration's dramatic effort to reshape the sprawling, $1.7 trillion-a-year agency, saying it would deliver a more efficient department focused on promoting healthier lifestyles among Americans.
"There's so much chaos and disorganization in this department," Kennedy said on Wednesday during the Senate hearing. "What we're saying is let's organize in a way that we can quickly adopt and deploy all these opportunities we have to really deliver high-quality health care to the American people."
During tense exchanges, lawmakers — in back to back House and Senate hearings — sometimes questioned whether Kennedy was aware of his actions and the structure of his own department after he struggled to provide more details about staffing cuts.
"I have noted you've been unable, in most instances, to answer any specific questions related to your agency," said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Maryland Democrat.
The secretary, in turn, pushed back — saying he had not had time to answer specific questions — and at points questioning lawmakers' own grasp of health policy.
Kennedy testified to explain his downsizing of the department — from 82,000 to 62,000 staffers — and argue on behalf of the White House's requested budget, which includes a $500 million boost for Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative to promote nutrition and healthier lifestyles while making deep cuts to infectious disease prevention, medical research and maternal health programs.
He revealed that he persuaded the White House to back down from one major cut: Head Start, a federally-funded preschool program for low-income families across the country.
But lawmakers described how thousands of job losses at the health department and funding freezes have impacted their districts.
One Washington state mother, Natalie, has faced delays in treatment for stage 4 cancer at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center, said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. The clinical center is the research-only hospital commonly known as the "House of Hope," but when Murray asked Kennedy to explain how many jobs have been lost there, he could not answer. The president's budget proposes a nearly $20 billion slash from the NIH.
"You are here to defend cutting the NIH by half," Murray said. "Do you genuinely believe that won't result in more stories like Natalie's?" Kennedy disputed Murray's account.
Democrat Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman of New Jersey asked "why, why, why?" Kennedy would lay off nearly all the staff who oversee the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides $4.1 billion in heating assistance to needy families. The program is slated to be eliminated from the agency's budget.
Kennedy said that advocates warned him those cuts "will end up killing people," but that President Donald Trump believes his energy policy will lower costs. If that doesn't work, Kennedy said, he would restore funding for the program.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican of Alaska, said those savings would be realized too late for people in her state.
"Right now, folks in Alaska still need those ugly generators to keep warm," she said.
Murkowski was one of several Republicans who expressed concerns about Kennedy's approach to the job throughout the hearings.
Like several Republicans, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee praised Kennedy for his work promoting healthy foods. But he raised concerns about whether the secretary has provided adequate evidence that artificial food dyes are bad for diets. Removing those food dyes would hurt the "many snack manufacturers" in his district, including the makers of M&M's candy, he said.
Rep. Mike Simpson, a dentist from Idaho, said Kennedy's plan to remove fluoride recommendations for drinking water alarms him. The department's press release on Tuesday, which announced the Food and Drug Administration plans to remove fluoride supplements for children from the market, wrongly claimed that fluoride "kills bacteria from the teeth," Simpson noted. He explained to Kennedy that fluoride doesn't kill bacteria in the mouth but instead makes tooth enamel more resistant to decay.
"I will tell you that if you are successful in banning fluoride … we better put a lot more money into dental education because we're going to need a lot more dentists," Simpson added.
Kennedy was pressed repeatedly on the mixed message he's delivered on vaccines, which public health experts have said are hampering efforts to contain a growing measles outbreak now in at least 11 states.
Responding to Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat of Connecticut, Kennedy refused to recommend that parents follow the nation's childhood vaccination schedule, which includes shots for measles, polio and whooping cough. He, instead, wrongly claimed that the vaccines have not been safety tested against a placebo.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican of Louisiana and chairman of the health committee, had extracted a number of guarantees from Kennedy that he would not alter existing vaccine guidance and work at the nation's health department. Cassidy, correcting Kennedy, pointed out that rotavirus, measles and HPV vaccines recommended for children have all been tested in a placebo study.
As health secretary, Kennedy has called the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — a shot given to children to provide immunity from all three diseases — "leaky," although it offers lifetime protection from the measles for most people. He's also said they cause deaths, although none has been documented among healthy people.
"You have undermined the vital role vaccines play in preventing disease during the single, largest measles outbreak in 25 years," Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders said. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 10:00:41+00:00 | [
"West Bank",
"2024-2025 Mideast Wars",
"Israel",
"Israel government",
"Shootings",
"International",
"Gun violence",
"Hamas",
"War and unrest",
"Violence",
"Religion",
"Eyal Zamir",
"Palestinian territories government",
"Pregnancy and childbirth",
"International agreements",
"Military and defense",
"Bezalel Smotrich"
] | # An Israeli woman on her way to give birth is killed in a West Bank attack
By Tia Goldenberg
May 15th, 2025, 10:00 AM
---
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tzeela Gez was on her way to the hospital to bring new life into this world when hers was suddenly cut short.
As her husband drove their car through the winding roads of the occupied West Bank late Wednesday, a Palestinian attacker shot at them. Within hours, Gez, nine months pregnant, was dead. Doctors barely saved the life of the baby, who is in serious but stable condition.
Israel says it is trying to prevent such attacks by waging a monthslong crackdown on West Bank militants that intensified earlier this year. But the escalating offensive, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians over 19 months, displaced tens of thousands and caused widespread destruction, has ultimately not snuffed out attacks.
And the latest bloodshed is only likely to fuel a cycle of violence that has persisted for decades between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel has pledged to find the attacker, who fled the scene, and the military chief of staff, who visited the area Thursday, told troops that the broader operation would continue alongside the manhunt.
"We will use all the tools at our disposal and reach the murderers in order to hold them accountable," Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, according to a statement from the military, which said it had sealed Palestinian villages in the area of the attack and set up checkpoints.
The shooting, especially because the victim was a pregnant mother with three other children, has the potential to ignite vigilante violence against Palestinians by radical Jewish settlers. They regularly storm Palestinian towns and villages, burning and damaging property, in response to such attacks. Marauding settlers are rarely held to account for their actions and Palestinians are left to pick up the pieces of the destruction with little recourse to compensation or assistance from Israeli authorities.
## 'A mother in her essence'
Gez, 37, and her husband Hananel, were residents of Bruchin, a settlement of some 2,900 in the northern West Bank. She worked as a therapist and on her Facebook page, shared developments in her professional life as well as her thoughts on the war in Gaza, the fallen Israeli soldiers and the hostages still held by Hamas. Meital Ben Yosef, head of the settlement's local council, told Israeli Army radio that Gez was "all mother. A mother in her essence."
"A couple of parents were driving to the happiest moment that a parent can experience and the wife is killed on the way. It's a horrific incident," she said.
Photos of the car released by the military showed a bullet hole on the passenger side of the windshield and a streak of blood on a back door. Soldiers searched the rugged brush on the sides of the road following the attack, according to video released by the Israeli military.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, praised the attack as "heroic" in a video statement Wednesday but stopped short of saying the militant group was behind it.
On Thursday, military checkpoints slowed down traffic on roads in the vicinity of the attack, and many Palestinian motorists were at a standstill as they tried to make their journeys, according to video shared on social media.
## Concern about reprisal attacks
The attack sparked outrage and calls for revenge.
"Just as we are flattening Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza, we must flatten the nests of terror in Judea and Samaria," wrote the Israeli finance minister and a settler firebrand, Bezalel Smotrich, in a post on X, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.
The violence in the West Bank escalated when the war in Gaza erupted with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Israel has staged frequent raids in the territory, especially but not limited to its north, using ground and air power in violence that has killed many militants but also other Palestinians, some of them throwing rocks to protest the incursions as well as others not involved in confrontations.
On Thursday, the Israeli military said its forces killed five militants in a raid that appeared unrelated to Gez's killing. Hamas mourned the men as "resistance heroes" but stopped short of claiming them as its fighters.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, all territories the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Around 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in about 130 settlements scattered across the West Bank.
Much of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to Palestinian statehood. Israel views the West Bank as its biblical heartland and believes the fate of the settlements should be determined in peace negotiations, which have been moribund for some 15 years.
Israel says much of the Palestinian militancy in the West Bank is fueled by Iran and views the fighting there as part of its ongoing multifront wars to secure its borders and prevent a second Oct. 7-style attack.
___
Associated Press writers Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-17 04:11:43+00:00 | [
"Sean Diddy Combs",
"Human trafficking",
"Crime",
"Drug crimes",
"Sex and sexuality",
"New York City Wire",
"Legal proceedings",
"Arts and entertainment",
"Cassie",
"Sexual misconduct",
"Juries",
"Trials",
"Violence",
"Entertainment"
] | # Key moments from first week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
May 17th, 2025, 04:11 AM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Testimony in the sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs began this week, opening a window into what prosecutors say was the sordid world of group sex, drugs and violence beneath the glittering, jet set persona cultivated by the Bad Boy Records founder.
Much of the testimony was hard to watch. Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie, recounted being beaten and pressured into degrading sexual performances with strangers.
Here are five key moments from the trial, which resumes Monday:
## Defense: Combs is a violent jerk and a swinger, but not a sex trafficker
Lawyer Teny Geragos took a novel approach to defending Combs in her opening statement.
She conceded the hip-hop impresario has a "bad temper" and is prone to violent outbursts that are often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs.
But she maintained that while his actions might have warranted domestic violence charges, they aren't proof he engaged in sex trafficking and racketeering — the charges he faces.
Geragos argued that Combs' sexual habits were part of a swinger lifestyle involving consenting adults and reminded jurors that "kinky" sexual predilections don't equate to sex trafficking.
"Sean Combs is a complicated man. But this is not a complicated case," she said. "This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money."
## Jurors sees video and photos of infamous LA hotel attack on Cassie
The packed courtroom fell silent when jurors were shown security camera video of Combs assaulting Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
The video depicts Cassie, an R&B singer, headed down a hallway toward the hotel's elevators just before Combs rounds a corner, strikes her and throws her to the ground before kicking her and then dragging her back toward their hotel room.
Jurors also viewed photographs of damage in the hotel hallway, including flowers strewn on the floor and soil spattered against a wall. Later, as Cassie testified about the attack, they were shown photos of the musician's swollen lip.
The trial's first witness was a former security guard at the hotel. Israel Florez testified Combs attempted to bribe him, holding out a stack of money with a $100 on top, telling him: "Don't tell nobody."
Florez said he responded: "I don't want your money. Just go back into your room."
## Cassie describes 'freak-offs' in disturbing detail
The "Me & U" singer, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, testified that Combs was into voyeurism and dictated every aspect of sex events he dubbed "freak-offs."
The highly orchestrated affairs, which Combs also called "wild king nights" or "hotel nights," involved male sex workers, heavy drug use and copious lubrication.
"It was his fantasy," Cassie said.
Cassie said each "freak-off" involved about 10 large bottles of baby oil -- heated up.
"It was such a mess," she said. "It was like, 'What are we doing?'"
She said Combs also asked her to perform degrading and painful sex acts with male sex workers.
Cassie said eventually she was doing "freak-offs" weekly for a decade, with the final one in 2017 or 2018.
"The freak-offs became a job," Cassie recounted.
She said she felt she couldn't refuse because she feared the videos would be made public.
Jurors also heard from Daniel Phillip, who said he was a professional stripper paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs gave instructions. He testified that he once saw Combs drag Cassie by her hair as she screamed.
## Messages between Combs and Cassie show a complicated relationship
Defense lawyers, during their cross examination of Cassie, sought to cast the musician as an enthusiastic participant in the sex marathons.
"I'm always ready to freak off," she wrote in one 2009 message read in court.
Later that year, however, Cassie expressed frustration with the state of their relationship and told Combs she needed something more from him than sex.
In a 2017 text message, Cassie told Combs: "I love our FOs when we both want it," using the initials of freak-off. On the stand, Cassie explained: "I would say loving FOs were just words at that point."
## Singer Dawn Richard recalled Combs beating Cassie
The former cast member on Combs' MTV reality show "Making the Band" testified that she saw Combs physically attack Cassie on multiple occasions.
During a 2009 incident in his home, Richard said Combs tried to strike Cassie in the head with a black skillet before he put his arm around her neck and dragged her up the stairs.
"I was scared for her and scared to do anything," she said. "I had never seen anything like that before."
Richard, who was later a member of the Combs' band Diddy — Dirty Money, sued the producer last year, accusing him of physical abuse, groping, and psychological abuse during the years they worked together. His representative denied the claims at the time. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 16:47:58+00:00 | [
"Shootings",
"Crime",
"Wisconsin",
"School shootings",
"Violence",
"Gun violence",
"Virginia",
"Natalie Rupnow",
"James Crumbley",
"Jeffrey Rupnow",
"Georgia",
"Ethan Crumbley",
"Eric Rinehart",
"Abigail Zwerner",
"Deja Taylor",
"Illinois",
"Colt Gray",
"Education",
"Robert Crimo III",
"Colin Gray",
"Robert Crimo Jr."
] | # Wisconsin father charged in school shooting is latest parent accused in gun violence
By Ed White
May 9th, 2025, 04:47 PM
---
A Wisconsin man charged with crimes for a school shooting committed by his daughter is the latest U.S. parent taken to court for violence caused by a child.
Prosecutors have extended responsibility beyond shooters if they believe there is evidence that a parent contributed to the violence.
Jeffrey Rupnow is charged with intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 causing death. In December, his daughter, Natalie Rupnow, 15, killed a student and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, and killed herself.
Over a lawyer's objections, Rupnow's bond was set at $20,000 Friday.
A look at other cases:
## Oxford school shooting
Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first U.S. parents held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by a child. They are serving 10-year prison terms for involuntary manslaughter.
Their son, Ethan Crumbley, killed four students and wounded others at Michigan's Oxford High School in 2021. The school revealed his violent drawings to the Crumbleys a few hours before the shooting, but they declined to take him home. No one checked his heavy backpack for a gun.
The Crumbleys were not aware of their son's plans, but they had given a gun as a gift a few days earlier. Prosecutors said Ethan's actions were foreseeable and that the Crumbleys had failed to prevent the violence.
## July Fourth tragedy
Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to misdemeanors for endorsing his son's Illinois gun permit in 2019 despite knowing that Robert Crimo III had expressed suicidal thoughts.
Three years later, Crimo III killed seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, a suburb north of Chicago.
"He was criminally reckless the moment he submitted that affidavit," prosecutor Eric Rinehart said of the father.
Crimo Jr. was sentenced to 60 days in jail. His son is serving a life prison sentence after pleading guilty in March to murder.
## Gun as a gift
In Georgia, Colin Gray is awaiting trial on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of two students and two teachers last year at Apalachee High School in Winder.
Gray gave his son, Colt Gray, an assault-style firearm as a gift and was aware that the child's mental health had deteriorated, investigators said.
Colt Gray had a shrine above his home computer for the gunman in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school massacre, according to prosecutors.
Colin Gray has pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, his son has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
## Boy, 6, shot teacher
Deja Taylor was prosecuted in state and federal court after her 6-year-old son took her gun to school and wounded a teacher in a classroom full of students in Newport News, Virginia, in 2023.
Taylor was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for a drug-related crime connected to possessing a gun. Separately, she was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect.
"That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for himself," Taylor told "Good Morning America" in 2023.
The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, told a judge she wasn't sure "whether it would be my final moment on Earth." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-06 14:18:30+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Helen Zille",
"South Africa",
"Diversity",
"equity and inclusion",
"Cyril Ramaphosa",
"United States government",
"United States",
"Black experience",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Politics",
"South Africa government",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | # South African party launches legal challenge against new diversity and equity labor law
By Mogomotsi Magome
May 6th, 2025, 02:18 PM
---
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's second biggest political party launched a legal challenge Tuesday against a new labor law aimed at boosting the hiring of Black people and other groups in some industries, arguing it is unconstitutional, discriminatory and could dampen foreign investment.
The challenge by the Democratic Alliance, or DA, takes aim at amendments to the Employment Equity Amendment Act that went into effect in January. Intended to force companies to diversify their staff, the new laws have divided the country's unity government, which includes the DA.
The measures have drawn fire from the U.S. government under President Donald Trump, who has cited "racist laws" as part of his reasons to cut financial aid to South Africa and offer to support the relocation of some of its white minority Afrikaner community to the U.S.
The recent amendments give the labor minister the power to set numerical targets for the hiring of Black people, women and people with disabilities in sectors identified by the government as not reaching certain targets. Companies face fines for not reaching the targets.
Helen Zille, the federal chairperson of the Democratic Alliance, has described the new law as "totalitarian" and says it discriminates against other groups of South Africans while potentially discouraging foreign investment.
"Jobs are created by companies that invest in South Africa. The draconian labor regime created by the Employment Equity Amendment Act will continue to drive away investment and predictably increase unemployment," Zille said.
She said the new law is aimed at using racial quotas to address the injustices of the past under the apartheid system of white minority rule, and that it would contribute to the country's unemployment rate, which now stands at over 32%. She said such discrimination in the past has failed to lift up marginalized groups.
"It is completely senseless to knowingly intensify a discriminatory regime that has already failed so spectacularly to empower economically marginalized people," Zille said.
Though South Africa's constitution allows some discrimination to make amends for the oppression Black people experienced during apartheid's enforced racial segregation, it must meet a fairness threshold that the DA argues is not met under the new measures, which it describes as "draconian."
Official government statistics show that racial and gender disparities in the country's economy remain widespread more than 30 years after the end of apartheid.
The African National Congress party, which is the biggest party in the unity government after losing its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national elections, criticized the Democratic Alliance for its court challenge.
"The Employment Equity Act is not about quotas. It is about justice," ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said. "It is about correcting structural imbalances in the economy and ensuring that all South Africans have a fair shot at opportunity."
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, defended the employment law in his weekly message to the nation on Monday, writing it was "part of our effort to overcome the structural inequality of apartheid."
The clash over the law is the latest public spat between the two biggest parties in the unity government who remain ideologically opposed on many issues.
The parties also are divided on education and land reform policies aimed at addressing inequalities created under apartheid.
Two weeks ago, the government withdrew plans to increase a value-added tax paid on consumer goods after the DA and most opposition parties opposed it and refused to vote for the budget which contained the tax increase.
___
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 09:25:49+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Volodymyr Zelenskyy",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Friedrich Merz",
"Recep Tayyip Erdogan",
"Ukraine",
"Marco Rubio",
"Steve Witkoff",
"Istanbul",
"District of Columbia",
"Russia",
"Kyiv",
"Turkey government",
"War and unrest",
"Europe",
"Russia-Ukraine war",
"Dmitry Peskov",
"Politics",
"Ukraine government",
"Mykhailo Podolyak",
"Russia government",
"Germany government",
"Russia Ukraine war"
] | # Zelenskyy says he will be waiting for Putin in Ankara for talks
By Illia Novikov and Samya Kullab
May 13th, 2025, 09:25 AM
---
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he will be waiting for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than 3-year war, amid heavy pressure from the U.S. and European leaders to reach a settlement.
Putin hasn't yet said whether he will be at the talks, which U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the two sides to attend as part of Washington's efforts to stop the fighting.
Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations. He will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive, he said.
Zelenskyy said he would "do everything to agree on a ceasefire, because it is with (Putin) that I must negotiate a ceasefire, as only he can decide on it."
Zelenskyy said that if Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there from Ankara.
"If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader added that if Putin doesn't show up, European and U.S. leaders should follow through with threats of additional and heavy sanctions against Russia.
Trump, who is on a four-day Middle East trip, said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend the talks. Special envoy Steve Witkoff also is set to take part, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview plans that have not been made public.
Washington has been applying strong pressure on both sides to come to the table since Trump took office in January with a promise to end the war.
Military analysts say that both sides are preparing a spring-summer campaign on the battlefield, where a war of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Monday that Russia is "quickly replenishing front-line units with new recruits to maintain the battlefield initiative."
## German leader says ball is in Putin's court
International pressure has been growing to push Ukraine and Russia into finding a settlement.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pressed again for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as he met his Greek counterpart in Berlin on Tuesday.
"We are waiting for Putin's agreement," he said.
"We agree that, in case there is no real progress this week, we then want to push at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions," Merz added. He said that "we will focus on further areas, such as the energy sector and the financial market."
Merz welcomed Zelenskyy's readiness to travel personally to Turkey, "but now it is really up to Putin to accept this offer of negotiations and agree to a ceasefire. The ball is exclusively in Russia."
## Russia isn't saying whether Putin will attend talks
Overnight, Russia launched 10 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said. It was Russia's smallest drone bombardment this year.
The Kremlin hasn't directly responded to Zelenskyy's challenge for Putin to meet him in person at the negotiating table.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined for the second straight day Tuesday to tell reporters whether Putin will travel to Istanbul and who else will represent Russia at the potential talks.
"As soon as the president considers it necessary, we will make an announcement," Peskov said.
Russia has said that it will send a delegation to Istanbul without preconditions.
## European leaders say Putin is dragging his feet
Zelenskyy won't be meeting with any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Tuesday on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.
Lower-level talks would amount to simply "dragging out" any peace process, Podolyak said.
European leaders have recently accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts, while he attempts to press his bigger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.
Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, starting Monday, that was demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders, when it fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine. Putin instead offered direct peace talks.
But the wrangling over whether a ceasefire should come before the talks begin has continued.
"Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first," Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Tuesday.
Negotiations are impossible while "the Ukrainian people are under attack by Russian missiles and drones around the clock," Yermak said in a video address to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025.
Putin has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, especially Zelenskyy himself, saying his term expired last year. Under Ukraine's constitution, it's illegal for the country to hold a national election while it's under martial law, as it now is.
Zelenskyy dismissed claims that a decree enacted by him in 2022 prohibited him from meeting Putin, saying that the claim was Russian propaganda.
Putin and Zelenskyy have only met once, in 2019.
In the war's early months, Zelenskyy repeatedly called for a personal meeting with Putin but was rebuffed. After the Kremlin's decision in September 2022 to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Zelenskyy issued the decree declaring that holding negotiations with Putin had become impossible.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that this decree affected other Ukrainian officials who were directly negotiating with the Russian leader.
___
AP writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Matthew Lee in Antalya, Turkey, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 00:07:44+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Troy Meink",
"Military and defense",
"U.S. Air Force",
"Pete Hegseth",
"District of Columbia",
"Daniel Driscoll",
"John Phelan"
] | # Senate confirms Troy Meink as the new Air Force secretary
By Lolita C. Baldor
May 14th, 2025, 12:07 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday easily confirmed Troy Meink as the secretary of the Air Force, putting a former KC-135 tanker aircraft navigator and space expert in charge of the service.
The vote was 74-25.
Meink has almost four decades of experience in the military and in government, including managing some of the nation's most sensitive satellite intelligence capabilities and the military's space portfolio.
He previously served as a deputy of the National Reconnaissance Office. While he is the last of the military's three service secretaries to get confirmed, Meink is the one with the most extensive national security and military experience.
"Your leadership is exactly what we need to refocus the Department of Defense on its core mission—lethality, readiness, and putting the warfighter first," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post.
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll served a short stint in the Army, but worked largely as a lawyer and investment banker. Navy Secretary John Phelan had been a private investment executive and businessman, and is the first leader of the sea service since 2006 not to have been a veteran.
Meink assumes control of both the Air Force and U.S. Space Force, which was established by President Donald Trump during his first term and just hit its fifth year in existence. And his confirmation comes as the Trump administration is working to reshape the nation's space capabilities, including the development of the "Golden Dome" missile defense system.
The futuristic system was ordered by Trump during his first week in office. If successful, it would for the first time enable the U.S. to place weapons in space that are meant to destroy ground-based missiles within seconds of launch.
Many countries, including Russia, China, North Korea and the U.S., are developing new ways to disable of defend the tens of thousands of satellites that ring the Earth as a way to cripple a potential adversary without fighting a traditional land-based war.
Meink is from Lemmon, South Dakota, and joined the Air Force as an ROTC cadet at South Dakota State University in 1988. In his previous position at the National Reconnaissance Office, Meink oversaw a more than $15 billion budget to acquire new satellite capabilities. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-03 06:16:12+00:00 | [
"Pope Francis",
"Vatican City",
"Voting",
"Europe",
"Papal conclave",
"Brian Burch",
"Religion",
"Antonio Caizares Llovera",
"Silvio Screpanti",
"Giovanni Battista Re",
"Pietro Parolin",
"Italy government",
"Donald Trump",
"Catholic Church",
"William Goh",
"Matteo Bruni",
"United States government",
"John Njue",
"Jean-Paul Vesco"
] | # Vatican workers install Sistine Chapel stove where ballots are burned during conclave to elect pope
By Nicole Winfield
May 3rd, 2025, 06:16 AM
---
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Vatican workers installed the simple stove in the Sistine Chapel where ballots will be burned during the conclave to elect a new pope and began taking measures to block any electronic interference with their deliberations, as jockeying continued Saturday outside over who among the cardinals was in the running.
The Holy See released a video Saturday of the preparations for the May 7 conclave, which included installing the stove and a false floor in the frescoed Sistine Chapel to make it even. The footage also showed workers lining up simple wooden tables where the cardinals will sit and cast their votes starting Wednesday, and a ramp leading to the main seating area for any cardinal in a wheelchair.
The engineer overseeing the works, Silvio Screpanti, said workers were also deactivating all the electronic sensors that have been installed in the Sistine Chapel in recent years to help protect its precious frescoes. Such work is part of the technological blackout that accompanies a conclave to prevent bugging of the secret deliberations and ensure the cardinals have no contact with the outside world.
In the coming days, all the windows of the Apostolic Palace facing the Sistine Chapel will be darkened. On the eve of the first vote itself, some 80 seals will be erected around the perimeter of the space where the cardinals will live — between their residence and the Sistine Chapel — to keep outsiders away, he said in comments posted on the site of the Vatican city state.
On Friday, fire crews were seen on the chapel roof attaching the chimney from which smoke signals will indicate whether a pope has been elected.
The preparations are all leading up to the solemn pageantry of the start of the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, history's first Latin American pope, who died April 21 at age 88.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a net denial of reports that one of the leading candidates, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, had suffered health problems earlier in the week that required medical attention. The reports, which spoke of a blood pressure issue, were carried by some Italian media and picked up by some conservative U.S. sites, including Catholicvote.org, the U.S. site headed by Brian Burch, the Trump administration's choice to be ambassador to the Holy See.
Speculation about a papal candidate's health is a mainstay of conclave politics and maneuvering, as various factions try to torpedo or boost certain cardinals. Francis experienced the dynamic firsthand: When the votes were going his way in the 2013 conclave, one breathless cardinal asked him if it was true that he had only one lung, as rumors had it. (Francis later recounted that he told the cardinal he had had the upper lobe of one lung removed as a young man.) He was elected a short time later.
Bruni also confirmed the names of two cardinal electors who will not be participating for health reasons, bringing the number down to 133: Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, the retired archbishop of Valencia, Spain, and the retired archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya, Cardinal John Njue. Two more cardinals have yet to arrive in Rome
## What happens in the conclave?
The Vatican said Saturday that all cardinals will be asked to arrive at the main Vatican residence, Domus Santa Marta hotel, or an adjacent residence between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to begin their sequester. They must be in place before Mass on Wednesday morning in St. Peter's Basilica celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. In the afternoon after lunch, they will process into the Sistine Chapel, hear a meditation and take their oaths before casting their first ballots.
If no candidate reaches the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, on the first ballot, the papers will be burned and black smoke will indicate to the world that no pope was elected.
The cardinals will go back to their Vatican residence for the night and return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning to conduct two votes in the morning, two in the afternoon, until a winner is found.
The preparations are underway as the cardinals meet privately in more informal sessions to discuss the needs of the Catholic Church going forward and the type of pope who can lead it.
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, said cardinals were feeling the pressure to find a new pope but weren't ready.
"Of course we don't feel ready," Vesco said as he arrived for Saturday's closed-door meetings. "Because we have to discover the one that God has already chosen. We need a lot more time of prayer together. But I'm sure that at the right moment we will be ready and we will give to the church the pope that God himself wanted."
Singapore Cardinal William Goh, who welcomed Francis on the final stop of his four-nation Asian trip last September, said the right pope would eventually materialize.
"We recognize the achievement (of Pope Francis) but no pope is perfect, no one is able to do everything, so we'll find the best person to succeed St. Peter," he said.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-02 05:26:47+00:00 | [
"Pope Benedict XVI",
"Pope Francis",
"Miles Pattenden",
"Rome",
"Vatican City",
"Papal conclave",
"Elena Cangiano",
"Religion",
"Pauline Chapel",
"Mens health"
] | # How long was the longest conclave? Facts about the secret voting to elect a pope
By Giada Zampano
May 2nd, 2025, 05:26 AM
---
VATICAN CITY (AP) — "Conclave" the film may have introduced moviegoers to the spectacular ritual and drama of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elect a new pope has been going on for centuries and created a whole genre of historical trivia.
Here are some facts about conclaves past, derived from historical studies including Miles Pattenden's "Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450–1700," and interviews with experts including Elena Cangiano, an archaeologist at Viterbo's Palazzo dei Papi (Palace of the Popes).
## The longest conclave in history
In the 13th century, it took almost three years — 1,006 days to be exact — to choose Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave in the Catholic Church's history. It's also where the term conclave comes from — "under lock and key," because the cardinals who were meeting in Viterbo, north of Rome, took so long the town's frustrated citizens locked them in the room.
The secret vote that elected Pope Gregory X lasted from November 1268 to September 1271. It was the first example of a papal election by "compromise," after a long struggle between supporters of two main geopolitical medieval factions — those faithful to the papacy and those supporting the Holy Roman Empire.
## 'One meal a day' rule
Gregory X was elected only after Viterbo residents tore the roof off the building where the prelates were staying and restricted their meals to bread and water to pressure them to come to a conclusion. Hoping to avoid a repeat, Gregory X decreed in 1274 that cardinals would only get "one meal a day" if the conclave stretched beyond three days, and only "bread, water and wine" if it went beyond eight. That restriction has been dropped.
## The shortest conclave ever
Before 1274, there were times when a pope was elected the same day as the death of his predecessor. After that, however, the church decided to wait at least 10 days before the first vote. Later that was extended to 15 days to give all cardinals time to get to Rome. The quickest conclave observing the 10-day wait rule appears to have been the 1503 election of Pope Julius II, who was elected in just a few hours, according to Vatican historian Ambrogio Piazzoni. In more recent times, Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot, Benedict XVI won in 2005 on the fourth and Pope Pius XII won on the third in 1939.
## The first conclave in the Sistine Chapel
The first conclave held in the Sistine Chapel was in 1492. Since 1878, the chapel — renowned for its iconic Michelangelo's frescoes — has become the venue of all conclaves. "Everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged," St. John Paul II wrote in his 1996 document regulating the conclave, "Universi Dominici Gregis." The cardinals sleep a short distance away in the nearby Domus Santa Marta hotel or a nearby residence.
## The alternative locations
Most conclaves were held in Rome, with some taking place outside the Vatican walls. Four were held in the Pauline Chapel of the papal residence at the Quirinale Palace, while some 30 others were held in St. John Lateran Basilica, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva or other places in Rome. On 15 occasions they took place outside Rome and the Vatican altogether, including in Viterbo, Perugia, Arezzo and Venice in Italy, and Konstanz, Germany, and Lyon, France.
## The alternative popes, or antipopes
Between 1378-1417, referred to by historians as the Western Schism, there were rival claimants to the title of pope. The schism produced multiple papal contenders, the so-called antipopes, splitting the Catholic Church for nearly 40 years. The most prominent antipopes during the Western Schism were Clement VII, Benedict XIII, Alexander V, and John XXIII. The schism was ultimately resolved by the Council of Constance in 1417, which led to the election of Martin V, a universally accepted pontiff.
## A challenge to personal hygiene
The cloistered nature of the conclave posed another challenge for cardinals: staying healthy. Before the Domus Santa Marta guest house was built in 1996, cardinal electors slept on cots in rooms connected to the Sistine Chapel. Conclaves in the 16th and 17th centuries were described as "disgusting" and "badly smelling," with concern about disease outbreaks, particularly in summer, according to historian Miles Pattenden. "The cardinals simply had to have a more regular and comfortable way of living because they were old men, many of them with quite advanced disease," Pattenden wrote. The enclosed space and lack of ventilation further aggravated these issues. Some of the electors left the conclave sick, often seriously.
## Vow of secrecy
Initially, papal elections weren't as secretive, but concerns about political interference soared during the longest conclave in Viterbo. Gregory X decreed that cardinal electors should be locked in seclusion, "cum clave" (with a key), until a new pope was chosen. The purpose was to create a totally secluded environment where the cardinals could focus on their task, guided by God's will, without any political interference or distractions. Over the centuries, various popes have modified and reinforced the rules surrounding the conclave, emphasizing the importance of secrecy.
## Youngest pope, oldest pope
Pope John XII was just 18 when he was elected in 955. The oldest popes were Pope Celestine III (elected in 1191) and Celestine V (elected in 1294) who were both nearly 85. Benedict XVI was 78 when he was elected in 2005.
## A non-cardinal pope and non-Italian pope
There is no requirement that a pope be a cardinal, but that has been the case for centuries. The last time a pope was elected who wasn't a cardinal was Urban VI in 1378. He was a monk and archbishop of Bari. While the Italians have had a stranglehold on the papacy over centuries, there have been many exceptions aside from John Paul II (Polish in 1978) and Benedict XVI (German in 2005) and Francis (Argentine in 2013). Alexander VI, elected in 1492, was Spanish; Gregory III, elected in 731, was Syrian; Adrian VI, elected in 1522, was from the Netherlands. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-01 16:09:26+00:00 | [
"Alec Baldwin",
"Movies",
"Patrick Scott McDermott",
"Homicide",
"Film Reviews",
"Jocelyn Noveck",
"Entertainment",
"Josh Hopkins",
"Frances Fisher",
"Halyna Hutchins",
"Associated Press",
"Bianca Cline",
"Travis Fimmel",
"Lucas Hollister",
"Joel Souza"
] | # 'Rust' review: A serviceable Western, haunted by tragedy
By Jocelyn Noveck
May 1st, 2025, 04:09 PM
---
Surely, bringing an audience to tears with a poignant ending is something every filmmaker dreams of.
And yet the moment that inspires a genuine, unambiguous tear in "Rust" is born of a true nightmare.
"...for Halyna," the screen reads as the film comes to a close. Halyna Hutchins' name also appears in Ukrainian. And we're given a favored quote from the late cinematographer: "What can we do to make this better?"
Just as there's no way to make this film's offscreen history any better, there's no way to write a normal review of a movie that is anything but. "Rust" has inevitably and inexorably become synonymous with tragedy: Hutchins' shocking death during an on-set rehearsal, when producer-star Alec Baldwin pointed a pistol at her that somehow contained a live round. It discharged, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
An involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin was dismissed. The movie's weapons supervisor is serving an 18-month prison sentence. And eventually, the film was finished, with Souza returning and cinematographer Bianca Cline replacing Hutchins.
Souza said at the film's premiere in Poland that the family wanted Hutchins' work to be seen. The movie's terse publicity materials note that the original producers will not gain financially from it, and that although terms of a settlement were sealed, "it has been confirmed that (husband Matthew) Hutchins and son Andros will receive profits from the film."
In any case, the movie is here. It is not, as many surely expect, a uniformly shoddy effort. The plot is basic and the dialogue merely serviceable, but there are lovely scenery shots throughout, the vastness, gentle light and deep colors of the American West illustrated carefully and evocatively by Hutchins' — and Cline's — camera work. Yes, the cinematography is what stands out here.
There are also several compelling performances, though Baldwin's somewhat halting, somber turn is not among them.
Most of all, though, there's not a moment in "Rust" in which one loses awareness of the tragedy. While the scene we've all read about does not appear, there is constant gunfire, this being a Western. It's hard to forget about a shooting while watching so much shooting.
In fact, we begin with an accidental shooting.
The unfortunate perpetrator is Lucas Hollister, a teenager in 1880s Wyoming who's recently been orphaned, along with his little brother. We learn later that their father shot himself a year after their mother died. So Lucas (Patrick Scott McDermott, in an accomplished performance) has become the parent.
On a trip into town, Lucas gets into a scuffle with another boy who's insulting their late mother, hurting him. The rancher father demands that Lucas come work for him to pay off his debt. And when he comes to the desolate farm where the boys live to get him, Lucas accidentally shoots and kills him, while aiming at a wolf.
A judge decides the crime was premeditated and sentences the boy to the gallows. His little brother comes each night to the prison to sleep next to him. Things look bleak — until a shadowy character with a white beard comes to break him out of the jailhouse, killing whoever gets in the way.
"You tell any SOB who comes after me that he will shake hands with the devil himself," says the mystery man. It's Harlan Rust (Baldwin), a notorious outlaw who hasn't been seen for years. He is also Lucas' estranged grandfather, having been alerted to the boy's plight by his sister (Frances Fisher, excellent).
Thus begins the great chase. Rust and Lucas flee towards Mexico, the only place they can be safe. On their tail are a plethora of pursuers: Sheriff Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and various bounty hunters, chief among them the brutal Fenton "Preacher" Lang (Travis Fimmel, appropriately fearsome).
The two don't get along at first — they never do, in such stories — and Lucas aches to get back to his brother. But Rust convinces him it's better to stay alive. Eventually, luck runs out for the pair, and someone will have to pay.
But for its unique circumstances, one can imagine "Rust" coming and going without much of a ripple. The question now is, who is going to be seeing this movie? Certainly many people will come — or watch at home — out of morbid curiosity.
What they will find is a movie better in some aspects — especially, and poignantly, the cinematography — than they may have suspected. But it is one that will always be defined, and reflected in every frame, by its tragic history. And there's no real way to make that better.
"Rust," a Falling Forward release, is unrated by the Motion Picture Association. Running time: 139 minutes. One and half stars out of four. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 21:58:07+00:00 | [
"Pete Hegseth",
"Gender",
"U.S. Department of Defense",
"Military and defense",
"Sean Parnell",
"United States government",
"Government and politics",
"Health",
"Politics"
] | # Transgender troops being moved out of the military under new Pentagon order
By Lolita C. Baldor
May 8th, 2025, 09:58 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out of the military and give others 30 days to self-identify under a new directive issued Thursday.
Buoyed by Tuesday's Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will begin going through medical records to identify others who haven't come forward.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the latest memo, made his views clear after the court's decision.
"No More Trans @ DoD," Hegseth wrote in a post on X. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind.
"No more pronouns," he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. "No more dudes in dresses. We're done with that s---."
Department officials have said it's difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are, but medical records will show those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, who show symptoms or are being treated.
Those troops would then be involuntarily forced out of the service. And no one with that diagnosis will be allowed to enlist. Gender dysphoria occurs when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity.
Officials have said that as of Dec. 9, 2024, there were 4,240 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the active duty, National Guard and Reserve. But they acknowledge the number may be higher.
There are about 2.1 million total troops serving.
The memo released Thursday mirrors one sent out in February, but any action was stalled at that point by several lawsuits.
The Supreme Court ruled that the administration could enforce the ban on transgender people in the military, while other legal challenges proceed. The court's three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold.
Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.
When the initial Pentagon directive came out earlier this year, it gave service members 30 days to self-identify. Since then, about 1,000 have done so.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the 1,000 troops who already self-identified "will begin the voluntary separation process" from the military.
Under the new guidelines, active duty troops will have until June 6 to voluntarily identify themselves to the department, and troops in the National Guard and Reserve will have until July 7.
While it may be difficult to see which troops have changed their gender identity in their military records, it will be easier to determine who has gotten a gender dysphoria diagnosis because that will be part of their medical record, as will any medication they are taking.
Between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million, according to a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.
Pentagon officials in an earlier memo defended the ban, saying that "the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service."
The new Pentagon policy would allow for limited exemptions.
That includes transgender personnel seeking to enlist who can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member diagnosed with gender dysphoria can prove they support a specific warfighting need, never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex "without clinically significant distress."
If a waiver is issued, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called "Sir" or "Ma'am."
___ |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 12:41:41+00:00 | [
"Human trafficking",
"London",
"Italy",
"Ahmed Ebid",
"Adam Hiddleston",
"Crime",
"Courts",
"Migration",
"Tim Burton",
"Italy government"
] | # A London court sentences an Egyptian man to 25 years for smuggling people from Africa to Italy
May 20th, 2025, 12:41 PM
---
LONDON (AP) — A London court on Tuesday sentenced an Egyptian man to 25 years in prison for smuggling people from North Africa to Italy.
Ahmed Ebid, who arrived in the U.K. in October 2022 after crossing the English Channel in a small boat, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
Judge Adam Hiddleston said Ebid played a key role in an organized crime group and that his "primary motivation was to make money" from human trafficking.
Since his arrival in Britain and until June 2023, Ebid, 42, was implicated in at least seven separate boat crossings as part of a 12 million-pound ($16 million) operation that carried 3,781 people, including children, into Italian waters from North Africa.
Britain's National Crime Agency cited some of those who had entered the U.K. illegally as saying that Ebid even told an associate to kill and throw into the sea anyone onboard caught with a mobile phone.
Ebid "preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats," said Jacque Beer of the agency.
In one crossing, on Oct. 25, 2022, more than 640 people were rescued by the Italian authorities after they attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a wooden boat, the agency said. The boat was taken into port in Sicily and two bodies were recovered.
"Vulnerable people were transported on long sea journeys in ill-equipped fishing vessels completely unsuitable for carrying the large number of passengers," said Tim Burton, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service.
"His repeated involvement in helping to facilitate these dangerous crossings showed a complete disregard for the safety of thousands of people, whose lives were put at serious risk," Burton added about Ebid.
____
Follow AP's Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-11 13:00:42+00:00 | [
"Abortion",
"Warren Hern",
"Pregnancy and childbirth",
"Reproductive rights",
"California",
"Oregon",
"New Jersey",
"Washington",
"Health",
"George Tiller",
"Anna Rupani",
"Diane Horvath",
"Sarah Watkins",
"Susan B. Anthony",
"Hannah Brehm",
"Jane Armstrong"
] | # Late abortions are rare. The US just lost a clinic that offered the procedure for over 50 years
By Kimberlee Kruesi
May 11th, 2025, 01:00 PM
---
To fellow travelers, Hannah Brehm likely looked like she was taking a belated babymoon well into her third trimester.
But she and her husband had received a crushing diagnosis: Their baby's brain was not developing properly, upending their wanted pregnancy. Medical experts warned moving forward would likely mean her son would know only pain and suffering. The Minnesota couple wasn't going to take that chance.
Instead, they went to Colorado, where for decades the Boulder Abortion Clinic served as a resource for women who looked to terminate their pregnancies in the second or third trimester because of medical reasons, like Brehm, or other circumstances.
After more than 50 years, that clinic quietly closed last month, leaving the U.S. with just a handful that offer abortions after 28 weeks into pregnancy — many on a case-by-case basis.
The 87-year-old clinic founder, Dr. Warren Hern, says he is deeply upset: "It became impossible to continue, but closing is one of the most painful decisions of my life."
Anti-abortion advocates have celebrated the closure, calling it a step forward in protecting mothers and unborn children. While the overwhelming majority of abortions take place in the first trimester, former patients and reproductive rights advocates worry about the impact of losing an already narrow resource.
"Chances are it's not gonna happen to you. And I hope it doesn't happen to someone else that you love, but it is happening," Brehm said, reflecting on her experience in 2022.
## Reasons for late abortions
Federal data shows just 1% of abortions come after 21 weeks of pregnancy, but experts believe that number is higher because some states, including California, don't give the feds their abortion statistics.
The reasons for late abortions vary. Some diagnoses like anatomy abnormalities or genetic disorders can't happen until after 20 weeks or later into pregnancy. Other women may not find out they're pregnant until after the first trimester. Millions of women live in a state with a strict abortion ban.
Sarah Watkins traveled from Georgia to the Boulder clinic in 2019 just before 25 weeks into her pregnancy after learning her baby had a condition called trisomy 18, an extra chromosome that made it likely the baby would die in utero or shortly after birth. A genetic blood screening at 10 weeks previously dismissed chances of the condition, but a detailed ultrasound in the second trimester proved otherwise.
"You can do everything right, by the book, but you still can't find out certain things until that ultrasound at 20 weeks and sometimes even later," she said. "And as a mom, I did not want her to feel a single moment of hurt or suffering or pain or discomfort. That's why I made the decision."
Watkins described the medical care she received at the Hern's clinic attentive and caring. Nevertheless, she said traveling to a place with multiple layers of bulletproof glass and a throng of protesters was a traumatic experience.
## Hern's reach through the decades
For years, Hern was the only provider in the U.S. to offer later abortions, starting in 1973 and developing specialized techniques and even innovating certain tools to ensure better health outcomes. But offering abortions late in pregnancy came with risks.
He and his medical team received constant death threats. Someone shot through the windows of the clinic five times in 1988. Five of Hern's colleagues who offered similar services were assassinated throughout his career, including the 2009 slaying of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas.
When Hern announced the clinic's closure in late April, the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America declared the news as a "VICTORY" in a social media post.
Hern said the work was always worth it. He recalled one of his first patients who couldn't believe cleanliness of his operating room; she previously had an illegal abortion that left her humiliated and frightened.
"She looked up at me and said 'Please, don't ever stop doing this,'" Hern said. "So I didn't. Until now."
In the end, financial issues made it almost impossible to operate the clinic. Hern said patients increasingly were having trouble paying for the procedure, which hovers around $10,000 and is often not covered by insurance. Longtime personal donors were also dwindling.
Hern worked with physicians over the decades, hopeful that one day they would take over his clinic, but that never worked out.
"I had to make a decision really, you know, sort of on the basis of the situation at the moment that we couldn't continue," he said. "It was very, very painful. I see this as my personal failure."
## Providers and patients w
According to the Later Abortion Initiative by Ibis Reproductive Health, fewer than 20 clinics provide abortions after 24 weeks into pregnancy in the U.S. — though that number isn't considered comprehensive and excludes hospitals and a handful of other clinics for security reasons.
Currently, the group lists three clinics — in New Mexico, Maryland and Washington, D.C. — that provide services after 28 weeks. Five others — in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington state — will consider patients depending on physician recommendations or fetal and maternal conditions.
"I think Dr. Hern has been the torchbearer for abortion leaders in pregnancy," said Jane Armstrong, a licensed therapist in Texas who now helps support families who have terminated pregnancies for medical reasons. She ended her own pregnancy around 21 weeks in 2021.
"Who will pick up the mantle? We really do need a new torchbearer right now."
A dozen states have bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy and four more have bans that kick in after about six weeks. Abortion fund organizations, which help people arrange and pay abortions, say the bans mean a higher demand for later abortions. When people travel, it often takes more time to make appointments, gather the money needed and to catch a flight or take a drive hundreds of miles away.
"Every time a clinic closes, it does impact everybody and what kinds of care they give," said Anna Rupani, executive director of Fund Texas Choice.
Shortly after the nation's highest court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, an all-trimester abortion clinic opened in Maryland — a partnership between certified nurse-midwife Morgan Nuzzo and Dr. Diane Horvath, an OB-GYN who specializes in complex family planning.
They said they're worried about many things when it comes to reproductive rights, including the Trump administration's move to curtail prosecutions against people accused of blocking access to abortion clinics and reproductive health centers. But they're also buoyed by the consistent overwhelming number of applications from providers whenever they post a position, and said that the number of clinics that offer later abortions has gone up since Roe was overturned.
"This type of care is still available," Horvath said. "It's more rare than it was a couple weeks ago, but we want to say loud and proud that our doors are still open and there are other places still open."
___
Associated Press reporter Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 16:00:34+00:00 | [
"Jon Batiste",
"Diana Ross",
"Music",
"Grammy Awards",
"Arts and entertainment",
"Jazz",
"Austin",
"Philadelphia",
"St. Louis",
"Kansas City",
"Texas",
"Classical music",
"Entertainment"
] | # Jon Batiste announces Big Money Tour with promise of fresh sounds, improvisation and connection
By Jonathan Landrum Jr.
May 15th, 2025, 04:00 PM
---
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jon Batiste is hitting the road again. The Grammy and Oscar winner is launching his second headlining tour, promising fresh sounds for his forthcoming album and material from his latest project, "Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1)."
Batiste announced Thursday that his Big Money Tour: Jon Batiste Plays America will begin Aug. 27 in Kansas City. He'll groove through more than 30 venues across the U.S. in cities like Detroit, Austin, Texas, Nashville, a co-bill with Diana Ross in St. Louis and Philadelphia, before closing in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 31.
For the first time, Batiste will grace the stages of the Encore Theater in Las Vegas and the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. He hopes the tour will offer attendees a deeper connection to him as an artist for the tour, a nod to his ninth studio album.
"Every show is both an origin story and a manifesto," said Batiste, a seven-time Grammy winner who won an Oscar for his work on "Soul" in 2020. The tour comes on the heels of performing the national anthem at this year's Super Bowl and "Beethoven Blues," which reimagined the famed German pianist's work and debuted No. 1 on Billboard's classical albums chart.
Batiste, a Louisiana native, is known for his signature rich blend of R&B, hip-hop, swing, jazz and pop. He's also the former bandleader for the "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
The multitalented musician will wrap up his intimate Maestro Tour shows on Monday in Los Angeles.
He expects to be joined on the road by his wife, Suleika Jaouad, who is currently facing cancer for the third time and recently released a new book, "The Book of Alchemy."
Batiste believes his unreleased music can still forge a connection, even with those hearing it for the first time.
"I try to tell the most up-to-date origin story through the set," he said. "If you come to the show and you don't know any of the music, or you don't know anybody on stage and it's your first time seeing me perform or seen me on television, you'll leave and feel like you know the songs. You'll connect with the artist, the human being and the movement. It's almost like you're going to see a play."
Batiste said the tour will mark the beginning of his "next era" of music. He views the live performances as an opportunity to introduce new material to audiences, allowing the songs to evolve through connection before ultimately recording them for his forthcoming album.
Tickets will be available through artist presales beginning Friday.
"It's about getting the music to a point where you and your community and everybody is acquainted with the sound and feeling of it," he said. "You've explored every aspect of it. You've arranged and rearranged, then go record and share it, versus the opposite, which is most often the case. It's fresh and brand new. Then you go on tour, and you start discovering things in the music on stage you didn't even know were there in the studio."
Along with introducing fresh sounds, Batiste said he'll incorporate some improvisation.
"I'm always going to find a space in the show where there's improv," he said. "That's at the heart of what I'm all about in trying to represent the cultural music that I come from. I really take a responsibility to push forward. This is about bringing people together, channeling the moment and communal expression." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-06 00:24:43+00:00 | [
"North Carolina",
"Voting",
"Donald Trump",
"Allison Riggs",
"Courts",
"2024 United States presidential election",
"Ken Martin",
"Politics",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Constitutional law",
"North Carolina state government",
"Paul Shumaker",
"Elections",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Richard Myers"
] | # Federal judge says results of North Carolina court race with Democrat ahead must be certified
By Gary D. Robertson
May 6th, 2025, 12:24 AM
---
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Disputed ballots in the still unresolved 2024 race for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat must remain in the final count, a federal judge ruled late Monday, a decision that if upheld would result in an electoral victory for Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs.
U.S. District Judge Richard Myers agreed with Riggs and others who argued it would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution to carry out recent decisions by state appeals courts that directed the removal of potentially thousands of voter ballots they deemed ineligible. Myers wrote that votes couldn't be removed six months after Election Day without damaging due process or equal protection rights of the affected residents.
Myers also ordered the State Board of Elections to certify results that after two recounts showed Riggs the winner — by just 734 votes — over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin. But the judge delayed his order for seven days in case Griffin wants to appeal the ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The board "must not proceed with implementation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court's orders, and instead must certify the results of the election for (the seat) based on the tally at the completion of the canvassing period," wrote Myers, who was nominated to the bench by President Donald Trump.
More than 5.5 million ballots were cast in what has been the nation's last undecided race from November's general election. Griffin, himself a state Court of Appeals judge, filed formal protests after the election in hopes that removing ballots he said were unlawfully cast would flip the outcome to him.
## Incumbent celebrating, challenger evaluating
Griffin's legal team was reviewing Myers' order Monday night and evaluating the next steps, Griffin campaign spokesperson Paul Shumaker wrote in an email.
Riggs was more assured in her statement: "Today, we won. I'm proud to continue upholding the Constitution and the rule of law as North Carolina's Supreme Court Justice."
Griffin wanted Myers to leave undisturbed the state courts' decisions, which also directed that most of the voters with otherwise ineligible ballots get 30 days to provide identifying information for their race choices to remain in the tally.
Riggs, the state Democratic Party and some affected voters said Griffin was trying to change the 2024 election outcome after the fact by removing ballots cast by voters who complied with voting rules as they were written last fall.
## Judge: You can't change rules for a game that's over
Myers wrote that Griffin's formal protests after the election, which were rejected by the State Board of Elections, constituted efforts to make retroactive changes to the voting laws that would arbitrarily disenfranchise only the voters who were targeted by Griffin. Griffin's challenges over voters not providing photo identification only covered at most six Democratic-leaning counties in the state.
"You establish the rules before the game. You don't change them after the game is done," Myers wrote in a 68-page order.
"Permitting parties to 'upend the set rules' of an election after the election has taken place can only produce 'confusion and turmoil'" that "'threatens to undermine public confidence in the federal courts, state agencies, and the elections themselves,'" he added while citing other cases.
Democrats and voting rights groups raised alarm about Griffin's efforts. They called it an attack on democracy that would serve as a road map for the GOP to reverse election results in other states.
Monday's order "must bring an end — once and for all — to Republicans' attempts to overturn a free and fair election," Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said.
The state Republican Party, which didn't immediately comment Monday, has said Griffin was seeking to ensure that only legal votes are counted.
## Two categories of ballots at issue
One category of ballots that state appeals courts were found to be ineligible covered military or overseas voters who didn't provide copies of photo identification or an ID exception form with their absentee ballots. A state rule exempted them from the requirement. The appeals courts had permitted a "cure" process for these voters so their ballots could still count in the race.
The other category of ballots that the appeals courts declared violated the state constitution were cast by overseas voters who have never lived in the U.S. but whose parents were declared North Carolina residents. A state law had authorized these persons to vote in state elections. While these people had no substantive right to have their votes counted, Myers wrote, there is "sufficient evidence" that some people are mistakenly on the list and have no opportunity to contest their ineligibility, which "represents a unconstitutional burden on the right to vote."
Griffin filed formal protests that appeared to cover more than 65,000 ballots. Ensuing state court rulings whittled down the total to as few as 1,675 ballots or perhaps as many as 7,000, according to court filings.
Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member state Supreme Court, and winning an eight-year term would improve the party's efforts to retake a majority on the court later in the decade. Griffin and Riggs have not participated in deliberations in their respective courts about their election. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 16:06:13+00:00 | [
"South Carolina",
"Abortion",
"Henry McMaster",
"Planned Parenthood",
"Courts",
"South Carolina state government",
"Legal proceedings",
"Health",
"John Few",
"Lawsuits",
"Legislation"
] | # South Carolina Supreme Court decides heartbeat definition allows six-week abortion ban
By Jeffrey Collins
May 14th, 2025, 04:06 PM
---
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the state can keep banning abortions around six weeks after conception by agreeing with the earliest interpretation offered of when a heartbeat starts.
The justices unanimously ruled that while the medical language in the 2023 law was vague, supporters and opponents of the law all seemed to think it banned abortions after six weeks until Planned Parenthood lost its challenge to the entire law two years ago.
The law says abortions cannot be performed after an ultrasound can detect "cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac."
The state argued that is the moment when an ultrasound detects cardiac activity. Planned Parenthood said the words after the "or" mean the ban should only start after the major parts of the heart come together and "repetitive rhythmic contraction" begins, which is often around nine weeks.
The justices acknowledged the medical imprecision of South Carolina's heartbeat provision, which is similar to language in the laws in several other states. But they said this drove them to study the intent of the General Assembly, which left no doubt that lawmakers on both sides of the issue saw it as a six-week ban.
"We could find not one instance during the entire 2023 legislative session in which anyone connected in any way to the General Assembly framed the Act as banning abortion after approximately nine weeks," Associate Justice John Few wrote in the court's opinion.
The justices said opponents of the law used six weeks when proposing amendments on when child support payments should start that were voted down.
And the Supreme Court pointed out Planned Parenthood used the phrase "six-week ban" more than 300 times in previous filings, as South Carolina's 2021 ban at cardiac activity was overturned in a 3-2 decision in 2023 and then reinstated months later after the General Assembly tweaked the law and the court's only woman who overturned the ban had to retire because of her age.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a nationwide right to abortion in 2022, most Republican-controlled states have begun enforcing new bans or restrictions while most Democrat-dominated ones have sought to protect abortion access.
Currently, 12 states enforce bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. South Carolina and three others prohibit abortions at or about six weeks into pregnancy -- often before women realize they're pregnant.
The fight over South Carolina's abortion law is not over. A federal judge this month allowed to continue a lawsuit by five OB-GYN doctors who said they can't properly treat patients because they fear they could be charged with crimes due to the vague definitions of heartbeat and the exceptions allowing abortions only when a fatal fetal anomaly exists or a woman's life is at risk.
South Carolina's law also allows abortions for up to 12 weeks after conception if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest.
Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said the state will continue to fight as long as the law is challenged.
"Today's ruling is another clear and decisive victory that will ensure the lives of countless unborn children remain protected and that South Carolina continues to lead the charge in defending the sanctity of life," he said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood also vowed to keep challenging the ban, saying it harms women and damages the state's healthcare system.
"Justice did not prevail today, and the people of South Carolina are paying the price. People have been forced to carry pregnancies against their will, suffered life-threatening infections, and died as a direct result of this abortion ban," the organization's statement said. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-16 11:25:05+00:00 | [
"Tokyo",
"Medication",
"Health",
"Surgery",
"Law enforcement"
] | # Tokyo customs make what is believed to be Japan's largest bust of ketamine
May 16th, 2025, 11:25 AM
---
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo police and customs have made what is believed to be their biggest bust of the anesthetic drug ketamine, brought through Haneda airport in two suitcases.
On Friday Tokyo customs officials said they filed a criminal complaint against a French woman on suspicion of attempting to smuggle into Japan about 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of ketamine in the luggage.
The suspect, whom the officials identified as a 21-year-old cook, was detained at the Haneda airport customs after arriving on a flight from Germany in April, officials at Tokyo Customs said.
The seized drugs had an estimated street value of about 920 million yen ($8.8 million), according to Japan's NHK television.
Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved by U.S. health regulators for use during surgery. It can be given as an intramuscular injection or intravenously.
The drug is used recreationally for its euphoric effects and can cause hallucinations or impact breathing and the heart.
——
This story has been corrected to note that the drugs were in two suitcases, not one. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 20:41:52+00:00 | [
"Newark",
"Kristi Noem",
"Donald Trump",
"New Jersey",
"Robert Menendez",
"Ras Baraka",
"U.S. Department of Homeland Security",
"Prisons",
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement",
"Immigration",
"Lauren Underwood",
"Ned Cooper",
"Bonnie Coleman",
"Politics",
"Todd Lyons",
"Military and defense"
] | # ICE head recognizes Congress' role in visiting detention facilities
By Rebecca Santana
May 14th, 2025, 08:41 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement agency on Wednesday recognized the right of members of Congress to visit detention facilities, even unannounced, while the department's secretary said members of Congress should have requested a tour of an immigration detention facility in New Jersey where a skirmish broke out last week.
The slightly divergent comments by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, came in separate congressional committee hearings Wednesday.
Three members of Congress have said that they went to the facility to inspect it as a matter of congressional oversight and that federal agents escalated the situation by arresting the mayor of Newark, who was also trying to enter. DHS has blamed the lawmakers, accusing them of trying to break into the detention center.
## Noem took a narrower view
Noem dived straight into the brewing controversy during her opening statement.
"What happened on May 9 was not oversight. It was a political stunt," she said. DHS later followed up on Noem's remarks with a news release once again accusing the representatives of storming the facility and "reminding" members of Congress of the visitation rules.
Lyons addressed the issue as well after being questioned by Rep. Lauren Underwood, a Democrat from Illinois.
"We do acknowledge that any member of Congress has the right to show up for an inspection at one of our facilities in their oversight capability," Lyons said. He also said that while those visits are "unannounced," members need to show identification and go through screening and can't bring contraband.
By law, members of Congress are allowed to visit ICE facilities and don't have to give any notice, although congressional staff members need to give 24 hours' notice.
Federal prosecutors charged Newark Mayor Ras Baraka with trespassing after agents arrested him outside the fence of the Delaney Hall detention center on Friday. The interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey says Baraka, a Democrat who is running for governor, ignored warnings to leave while he was at the 1,000-bed ICE facility with three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation.
The arrest escalated into a brief but tense confrontation in the parking lot that included the members of Congress and federal agents, some of whom wore masks.
The representatives — Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. — have said they went to the facility to inspect it as a matter of congressional oversight.
"We were able to get in, speak to detainees, check out the facilities, and make sure everything was OK there," Rep. Watson Coleman told CNN in an interview Sunday that also included her two New Jersey colleagues. "We were there almost two hours before the confrontation took place, but ICE kept giving us the runaround and kept saying that they needed to talk to someone else."
Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper has said the three lawmakers went there unannounced because they planned to inspect the site, not take a scheduled tour.
## ICE is key to Trump's promises of mass deportations
DHS and ICE are integral to President Donald Trump's goal of carrying out mass deportations.
Lyons defended ICE's performance, saying his agents were finally able to do the job they signed up for. He said the agency is focusing on "the worst of the worst," and Homeland Security touts daily the arrests they've made of people convicted of crimes in the U.S. or alleged gang members. But critics dispute that, saying the agency is sweeping up people who pose no threat in their push to increase deportations.
Lyons said there had been nine deaths in custody, and the agency investigates all of them.
Republicans are planning to pour billions of dollars into immigration enforcement with more money for deportation officers, detention space and removal flights.
The plan aims to remove 1 million immigrants annually and house 100,000 people in detention centers. It calls for 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators.
ICE houses people it arrests at a network of detention centers around the country, including government-run facilities, privately contracted facilities and local jails.
Lyons also said the agency has about 3,500 beds available at Fort Bliss in Texas and is currently holding 69 detainees there. He said money to pay for detaining those people at Fort Bliss and other military bases would come out of the Defense Department's budget.
Asked about some of the bottlenecks when it comes to removing people from the country, Lyons mentioned the need for more airplanes and charter companies to remove people as well as more ICE lawyers to help them deal with backlogged immigration courts. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 10:51:29+00:00 | [
"Abdullah Ocalan",
"Kurdistan Workers Party",
"Turkey",
"Hakan Fidan",
"Disarmament",
"Politics",
"International agreements",
"Islam",
"Devlet Bahceli"
] | # PKK militant group says it reached 'historic' decisions, without confirming disbandment
By Suzan Fraser
May 9th, 2025, 10:51 AM
---
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A militant Kurdish group announced on Friday that it had made "historic" decisions during its long-awaited congress earlier this week. The group, however, stopped short of saying whether it had resolved to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey aimed at ending the four-decade insurgency.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, held a congress in two locations in northern Iraq between May 5-7, according to a statement carried by the Firat News Agency, a media organization close to the banned group.
The PKK said the historic decisions taken during the congress would be shared with the public soon.
In February, the PKK's jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on his group to convene a congress to dissolve itself and disarm to end the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
The group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and most Western states, announced a ceasefire days later but had set conditions to disband, including the establishment of a legal mechanism for peace talks.
During the congress, statements by Ocalan outlining his "perspectives and proposals" were read, according to Firat news. Turkey's Haberturk broadcaster said the congress convened in Suleymaniyah and Duhok, in northern Iraq where the PKK's leadership is thought to be based.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey expects the PKK to respond "positively" to Ocalan's call to dissolve but said an announcement was not imminent.
"It seems that we will have to wait a little longer to hear the organization's response to this historic call," he told Turkey's 24 news channel in an interview.
"This is not an easy decision for the organization," he added, suggesting possible disagreements among factions within the PKK.
Earlier, Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, DEM, which is involved in the peace effort, said the PKK could declare its decision "at any moment."
"We, too, are awaiting this historic step, this historic decision," DEM party spokeswoman Aysegul Dogan said.
In a later statement, the DEM party described the PKK's congress as a turning point toward peace, and paid tribute to all lives lost during the conflict.
The party also said Turkey's parliament and other institutions would have a significant role to play toward peace and democratization.
"A new page is opening on the path to an honorable peace and a democratic solution," the party said.
The statement added: "We believe that, following this historic turning point, all democratic political institutions — especially the Grand National Assembly of Turkey — must take responsibility for solving the Kurdish issue and ensuring Turkey's true democratization."
The latest peace initiative was launched in October by Devlet Bahceli, a far-right Turkish politician who suggested that Ocalan, who is imprisoned on an island off Istanbul, could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.
The DEM party statement also honored Sirri Sureyya Onder, a party legislator who was a key figure in the latest effort of peace, and who died last week.
Onder and other DEM party officials visited Ocalan on Imrali island where he is serving a life sentence several times, as part of the peace effort.
Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the group have ended in failure — most recently in 2015. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 18:21:41+00:00 | [
"Pete Hegseth",
"Gender",
"U.S. Department of Defense",
"Military and defense",
"Racism",
"Maryland",
"Annapolis",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Government policy",
"Maya Angelou",
"Timothy Dill",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | # Pentagon directs military to pull library books that address DEI issues
By Lolita C. Baldor
May 9th, 2025, 06:21 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on Friday.
It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's campaign to rid the military of diversity and equity programs, policies and instructional materials. And it follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo, which was signed Friday by Timothy Dill, who is performing the duties of the defense undersecretary for personnel.
In addition, Hegseth put out a memo Friday ordering the military academies to make sure they are admitting students based solely on merit —- with "no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex." He underlined the word "no," but added that the schools can consider "unique athletic talent," prior military service or those from a military prep school.
He said the secretaries of the services must certify within 30 days that the admissions offices are adhering to those standards. And he said the academies must rank student candidates by their "merit-based scores" within each nomination category.
Those categories include students whose parents are service members or were troops killed or injured in duty, as well as those nominated by the vice president, senators or members of Congress.
The memo on the latest library purge says that educational materials at the libraries "promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department's core mission." It says department leaders must "promptly identify" books that are not compatible with that mission and sequester them by May 21.
By then, the memo says, additional guidance will be provided on how to cull that initial list and determine what should be removed and "determine an appropriate ultimate disposition" for those materials. It does not say what will happen to the books or whether they will be stored away or destroyed.
According to the memo, a temporary Academic Libraries Committee set up by the department will provide information on the review and decisions about the books. That panel provided a list of search terms to use in the initial identification of the books to be pulled and reviewed.
The search terms include: affirmative action, anti-racism, critical race theory, discrimination, diversity, gender dysphoria, gender identity and transition, transgender, transsexual and white privilege.
Early last month the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Hegseth's office to get rid of those that promote DEI.
About two weeks later, the Army and Air Force libraries were told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Naval Academy's purge led to the removal of books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelou's famous autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," based on the list of 381 books that have been taken out of its library.
In addition to Angelou's award-winning book, the list includes "Memorializing the Holocaust," which deals with Holocaust memorials; "Half American," about African Americans in World War II; "A Respectable Woman," about the public roles of African American women in 19th century New York; and "Pursuing Trayvon Martin," about the 2012 shooting of the Black 17-year-old boy in Florida that raised questions about racial profiling. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 17:35:39+00:00 | [
"Burkina Faso",
"Tehran",
"Iran",
"Iran government",
"Mohammad Kabura",
"Taliban",
"Ulf Laessing",
"Mohamed Toumba"
] | # The Taliban and Burkina Faso ambassadors pledge new trade and mining cooperation
By Wilson Mcmakin
May 13th, 2025, 05:35 PM
---
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Taliban's acting ambassador to Iran has met with his Burkina Faso counterpart in the Iranian capital Tehran as part of a broader outreach effort by the West African country to win new trade partners, according to Taliban-controlled media.
During the meeting between acting Ambassador Maulvi Fazl Mohammad Haqqani and Ambassador Mohammad Kabura, both parties pledged to cooperate on trade, mining and vocational training. The Taliban are the de facto rulers of Afghanistan.
"In this meeting, the parties emphasized the expansion of cooperation in the fields of trade, agriculture, mining, and the exchange of professional and vocational skills," the Afghan embassy in Tehran said in a statement.
Both ambassadors also pledged Monday to have private sector delegations visit soon as part of the plan to develop trade between Afghanistan and Burkina Faso.
The meeting comes less than a week after the Commander General of Iranian law enforcement and security forces visited neighboring Niger and announced new areas of cooperation and training for the Niger Police and National Guard, including training at the Iranian Police University.
"The meeting culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding covering several areas of cooperation between the two countries," according to a statement from Niger's Minister of the Interior, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Toumba to media outlets.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of withdrawing from the country after two decades of war.
Burkina Faso has struggled in recent years with a ballooning militant insurgency, elements of which are aligned with the Taliban informally. The landlocked nation of 23 million people has come to symbolize the security crisis in the arid Sahel region south of the Sahara in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them.
The three-nation bloc of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced last year that they were leaving the regional bloc known as ECOWAS. They then created their own security partnership, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, severed military ties with long-standing Western partners such as U.S. and France, and turned to Russia for military support.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Bamako, told The Associated Press that Burkina Faso and the Alliance of Sahel States, known by its French acronym AES, have been searching for alternative partners since their respective military juntas took power.
They wish to "rely less on western companies and focus more on their so called new partners," Laessing said.
"Iran has been trying to boost cooperation with the Sahel AES countries. They also have been active in Burkina Faso sending even some aid. A shipment arrived at Ouagadougou airport." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 18:55:49+00:00 | [
"Respiratory syncytial virus",
"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention",
"Children",
"Immunizations",
"Health",
"Amanda Williams"
] | # US infant mortality dropped in 2024. Experts partly credit RSV shots
By Mike Stobbe
May 8th, 2025, 06:55 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's infant mortality rate dropped last year after two years of hovering at a late-pandemic plateau.
Some experts think one reason for the drop could be a vaccination campaign against RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be dangerous for infants.
The infant mortality national rate dropped to about 5.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted Thursday. That's down from about 5.6 per 1,000 live births, where it had been the previous two years.
CDC officials believe the findings will not change much when the final numbers come out later this year.
Infant mortality is the measure of how many babies die before they reach their first birthday. Because the number of babies born in the U.S. varies from year to year, researchers instead calculate rates to better compare infant mortality over time.
U.S. infant deaths fell to about 19,900 last year, according to CDC data, compared with about 20,150 in 2023.
The U.S. infant mortality rate has been worse than other high-income countries, which experts have attributed to poverty, inadequate prenatal care and other things. Even so, the U.S. rate generally has improved over the decades because of medical advances and public health efforts.
The 2022 and 2023 levels were up from 5.44 per 1,000 in 2021 — the first statistically significant jump in the rate in about two decades. Experts attributed those years to a rebound in RSV and flu infections after two years of pandemic precautions.
In 2023, U.S. health officials began recommending two new measures to prevent the toll on infants — one was a lab-made antibody shot for infants that helps the immune system fight off the virus, and the other was giving an RSV vaccine to women between 32 weeks and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
That effort is probably one explanation for the improvement, said Dr. Amanda Williams, interim chief medical officer for the March of Dimes.
In a separate CDC report released Thursday, researchers noted infant hospitalizations in the 2024-25 respiratory virus season were more than 40% lower than past averages.
But more work needs to be done to tease out other reasons, Williams added, noting that much of the improvement in 2024 was in infants who were at least one month old when they died. That could be explained not only by fewer deaths from RSV but also from other causes, like accidents, homicides or SIDS.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-15 14:04:22+00:00 | [
"China",
"Argentina",
"Brazil",
"China government",
"Business",
"Lin Jian",
"Politics"
] | # China allows visa-free entry for 5 Latin American nations to boost ties
May 15th, 2025, 02:04 PM
---
BEIJING (AP) — China will allow visa-free entry for nationals of five Latin American countries for one year to boost closer connections with the region.
Starting June 1, citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay will be allowed to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, China's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. The trial program will be in effect for one year.
"We welcome more foreign friends to visit China, to experience the colorful and vibrant China," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily briefing.
Beijing hosted the China-CELAC, or Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Forum earlier this week, aiming at strengthening its alliances in the region as a counterweight to U.S. influence.
China has been opening up to dozens of countries including most of the European nations, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia to boost the economy after strict pandemic travel measures. China and Uzbekistan will also begin mutual visa-free entry for up to 30 days starting June 1, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-20 14:01:09+00:00 | [
"Tesla",
"Inc.",
"Elon Musk",
"Donald Trump",
"Austin",
"Self-driving cars",
"Doha",
"Government regulations",
"Technology",
"Department of Government Efficiency",
"Politics",
"San Antonio",
"United States government",
"Business",
"Campaign finance",
"Los Angeles",
"Dan Ives",
"San Francisco"
] | # Musk vows to put hundreds of thousands of self-driving Teslas on US roads by the end of next year
By Jon Gambrell and Bernard Condon
May 20th, 2025, 02:01 PM
---
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Elon Musk said that he expects hundreds of thousands of self-driving Teslas will be on the road requiring no human intervention by the end of next year and that he is committed to staying as CEO of the company for at least another five years.
The billionaire also said in a pair of interviews on Tuesday that he has no regrets about leading the job-slashing Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. He downplayed any damage to the Tesla brand from that role, saying demand for Teslas has experienced a "major rebound." That's potentially a big development given that the latest public sales figures from Europe and U.S. show steep declines in sales for several months running.
"We'll probably have hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, Teslas doing self-driving in the U.S.," Musk said in an CNBC interview Tuesday, adding that passengers won't need to pay attention to the road. "Like you're asleep and you wake up at your destination."
His comment about sticking around as CEO was made earlier in the day at the Qatar Economic Forum hosted by Bloomberg.
Musk has been promising fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles "next year" for a decade but the pressure is on now as Tesla begins a test run of its self-driving taxi service in Austin, Texas, next month.
"This is a watershed time for Tesla, and Musk is doubling down on these numbers," said Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. "These are pretty bullish forecasts."
Tesla's stock closed Tuesday up nearly 1% to $345. After a steep fall this year, the stock is up more than 50% in little over a month as investors have cheered Musk's decision to scale back his time in Washington and spend more time running the company.
Musk also gave new details about the Austin service, saying Tesla taxis will be remotely monitored at first and "geofenced" to certain areas of the city deemed the safest to navigate. He told CNBC that he expected to initially run 10 or so taxis, increase that number rapidly and start offering the service in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and other cities.
Federal safety regulators recently asked Tesla to explain how its driverless taxis will operate safely in Austin when there is fog, sun glare, rain and other low-visibility conditions that have been tied to accidents involving the company's driver-assistance software. However, federal regulators have limited powers over new Tesla taxis that operate without a steering wheel or brake pedals because there are no national regulations on self-driving technology.
Musk also dismissed autonomous vehicle rivals such as Waymo, a driverless taxis service that has jumped ahead of Tesla with already 250,000 paid trips each week in several cities.
"I think it'll better," he said of Tesla's taxis. Then added, "I don't really think about competitors. I just think about making the product as perfect as possible."
The question about his expected tenure in Tesla's top job came in a video appearance at the Qatar Economic Forum after Musk traveled to Doha as part of Trump's Mideast trip last week. Musk, who also runs SpaceX, Starlink and other companies, offered terse responses and became combative over questions regarding his businesses and how his involvement in politics had affected his businesses.
Moderator Mishal Husain asked: "Do you see yourself and are you committed to still being the chief executive of Tesla in five years' time?"
Musk responded: "Yes."
Husain pushed further: "No doubt about that at all?"
Musk added, chuckling: "I can't be still here if I'm dead."
Tesla has faced intense pressure as Musk worked with Trump as part of DOGE, particularly amid its campaign of cuts across the U.S. federal government.
Asked if what he faced made him think twice about his involvement in politics, Musk grew quiet and looked off camera for a moment before responding.
"I did what needed to be done," he said. "I'm not someone who has ever committed violence and yet massive violence was committed against my companies, massive violence was threatened against me."
He added: "Don't worry: We're coming for you."
Asked about his political donations, which include at least $250 million to support Trump's election, Musk said that he would "to do a lot less in the future."
"I think I've done enough," he said.
Musk has seen a Tesla pay package he was due, once valued at $56 billion, stopped by a Delaware judge. Musk on Tuesday referred to Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick as an "activist who is cosplaying a judge in a Halloween costume."
Yet he acknowledged his Tesla pay was a part of his consideration about staying with the automaker, though he also wanted "sufficient voting control" so he "cannot be ousted by activist investors."
"It's not a money thing, it's a reasonable control thing over the future of the company, especially if we're building millions, potentially billions of humanoid robots," he added.
—
Condon reported from New York. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-17 21:09:10+00:00 | [
"Bolivia",
"Brazil",
"Crime",
"Marcos Roberto de Almeida",
"Law enforcement",
"Corporate crime",
"Money laundering"
] | # A leader of the largest crime organization in Brazil arrested in Bolivia, authorities say
May 17th, 2025, 09:09 PM
---
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian and Bolivian police arrested one of the leaders of Brazil's biggest criminal organization s in eastern Bolivia after nearly five years on the run, authorities said Saturday.
Marcos Roberto de Almeida had been an international fugitive since 2020 after being sentenced to 12 years in prison in Brazil for crimes including criminal organization, money laundering and drug trafficking.
Brazil's Federal Police said in a statement that Almeida was arrested Friday in Santa Cruz de La Sierra in Bolivia in a joint operation with Bolivian police and Interpol.
It wasn't immediately clear if Almeida had legal representation.
According to Brazilian authorities, Almeida presented a false identity document at a police station in Bolivia while addressing immigration issues. Bolivian authorities detected forgery and contacted Interpol and Brazilian police in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
"Once his true identity was confirmed, he was detained by Bolivia's Special Force to Combat Organized Crime," Brazil's Federal Police said in a statement.
Almeida is one of the leaders of First Capital Command, widely known by its Portuguese initials PCC, which is Brazil's biggest and most powerful organized crime group. It was founded in 1993 by hardened criminals inside Sao Paulo's Taubate Penitentiary to pressure authorities to improve prison conditions. It quickly started using its power to direct drug dealing and extortion operations on the outside.
The Federal Police said in a press release that Almeida was one of the main coordinators of an international money laundering scheme linked to the criminal organization and was on Interpol's Red Notice list.
Brazilian authorities said that a hearing with Almeida in Bolivia on Sunday will determine whether he'll be transferred to Brazil or face charges for using a false document in the country. If expelled, he could return to Brazil within hours or days, depending on arrangements between both countries. If a formal extradition process is required, it may take longer, depending on Bolivian judicial procedures. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-11 14:00:41+00:00 | [
"Papal conclave",
"Photography Lead",
"Religion",
"Pope Leo XIV",
"Vatican City"
] | # AP PHOTOS: Pope Leo XVI addresses crowds in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff
May 11th, 2025, 02:00 PM
---
VATICAN CITY (AP) —
Pope Leo XIV called for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff that featured some symbolic gestures suggesting a message of unity in a polarized Catholic Church.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-19 17:18:26+00:00 | [
"Cannes Film Festival",
"Nigeria",
"Movies",
"Ibrahim Babangida",
"Lagos",
"Entertainment",
"Jake Coyle"
] | # Nigeria's historic first: Cannes standout 'My Father's Shadow'
By Jake Coyle
May 19th, 2025, 05:18 PM
---
CANNES, France (AP) — Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother Wale were both toddlers when their father died. Many years later, they began thinking about an idea for movie: What if they had gotten to spend a day with him?
In "My Father's Shadow," which is playing in the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard section, the Davies brothers pay tribute to the father they hardly knew in a shattering father-son tale and one of the clear standouts of the festival.
The film, which premiered Sunday, was the culmination of more than a decade's worth of wondering. Wale first sent Akinola a script — the first Wale had written and the first Akinola had read — in 2012.
"With zero context, he sent it to me and I just had this real emotional reaction," Akinola Davies said in an interview. "I actually cried when I read it because I had never conceived of the idea of spending a day with my father and what we would say to him and what he would be like."
"My Father's Shadow," set over a single day in Lagos in 1993, is making history in Cannes. It's the first Nigerian film in Cannes' official selection, a milestone that Nigeria is celebrating. The country has its own large film industry, nicknamed Nollywood. But thanks to "My Father's Shadow," Nigeria set up its own national pavilion in Cannes' international village this year.
"It means a lot to people back in Nigeria. It means we can exist on these platforms and our stories can exist in these spaces," said Davies. "It's a testament to talent that's around in Nigeria. It's a testament to the stories that are there. It's a testament to the industry that's flourishing."
"My Father's Shadow," which Mubi acquired for North American distribution ahead of the festival, has connections to the United Kingdom, too, which is where Davies is based after growing up in Nigeria.
"The Nigerian press asks me a lot if the film is Nollywood or not Nollywood. I would say it is because all the technicians work in Nollywood," said Davies. "You can't borrow people from that whole industry and say it's not part of it."
"My Father's Shadow," shot in Lagos, also gets a tremendous amount of its texture and atmosphere from Nigeria. "Point a camera at anything in Lagos, and it's so cinematic," Davies says.
"I have this real sense of romance for Nigeria," he adds. "Everyone's like, 'It's super chaotic,' but for me it's actually very still. Just driving around in the car feels really cinematic to me. I just take pictures of people all the time."
"Gangs of London" actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù plays the father, Folarin. At the family's home outside Lagos, the boys (Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo) return home to unexpectedly find him there. They hardly ever see him — he works in Lagos — but Folarin takes them along on a trip in the city that will be revelatory for the boys.
To make the fictional version of their father, the Davies brothers had to try to remember what they could (Akinola was 20 months when his father died; Wale was 4 years old), listen to stories and weed out their imagined memories. Their father rapidly developed epilepsy and died during a seizure, lying in bed next to their mother. Akinola is named after him.
"It's kind of the confluence of memory, dream and hearsay," Davies says. "How do you work through all of that to create a portrait?"
"My Father's Shadow" is set on a pivotal day for Nigeria, when Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who took power in a coup, refuses to accept the results of a democratic election. On this day, not just the conjured memory of the Davies' father but the dreams of a nation are put on hold.
"My Father's Shadow," though, represents the realization of Davies' filmmaking aspirations. His first feature, following the brothers' BAFTA-nominated short "Lizard," confirms Davies as a major up-and-coming director. More than that, though, "My Father's Shadow" is deeply cathartic for him.
"Being the age I am, I've done my grieving," Davies says. "But just before we shot, I realized I was still grieving. Our prep started about a week after the anniversary of my dad's passing. Every year, my mum calls me or texts me. I took my brother to his grave, put flowers down and made kind of a ceremony out of it."___
For more on the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-17 20:27:41+00:00 | [
"Gene Hackman",
"Benicio del Toro",
"Movies",
"Bryan Cranston",
"Michael Cera",
"New York City Wire",
"Cannes Film Festival",
"Paris",
"Scarlett Johansson",
"Entertainment",
"Wes Anderson",
"Jake Coyle",
"Mia Threapleton"
] | # Wes Anderson talks 'The Phoenician Scheme,' Gene Hackman and his Cannes bus
By Jake Coyle
May 17th, 2025, 08:27 PM
---
CANNES, France (AP) — Wes Anderson isn't driving the bus. Laurent is. That's the name of the driver who's bringing Anderson, and his bus, to the Cannes Film Festival.
As they drive from his home in Paris to the South of France, Anderson explains by phone: "I don't drive the bus. You have to have, like, four years of training and an EU bus driver's license. The thing is, if you're going to drive a bus like this, you've got to be able to drive it in reverse, too."
For years, Anderson has, in favor of the normal festival cars that shuttle guests, brought his own bus to Cannes so his whole cast can arrive together at the premiere. On Sunday, Anderson and company (including Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Scarlett Johansson and Bryan Cranston) will pile in for the premiere of Anderson's latest, "The Phoenician Scheme."
It's another example of how Anderson has made something quite unusual into a regular tradition.
With remarkable regularity, Anderson has been crafting movies uniquely his own since his 1996 debut, "Bottle Rocket." There are variations. Some are expansive family dramas ("The Royal Tenenbaums"). Some are more intimate ("Rushmore"). Some are more densely layered ("Asteroid City").
"The Phoenician Scheme," a leaner tale which Focus Features will release May 30, is Anderson working in high comic gear. A playful and poignant kind of thriller, it stars Del Toro as the tycoon Zsa-Zsa Korda, who decides to name his daughter, a novitiate (Threapleton) heir to his dubiously accrued fortune.
The wheels keep turning for the 56-year-old Anderson. But there are signs of time passing, too. The Cinémathèque in Paris is hosting an Anderson retrospective, as well as an exhibition of props, costumes and artifacts from his expansive personal archive.
Anderson, who has a 9-year-old daughter with his wife, the costume designer Juman Malouf, spoke about those things and others on his way to Cannes to unveil "The Phoenician Scheme," a movie that adds yet another fitting mantra to the world of Wes: "What matters is the sincerity of your devotion."
## AP: How was it to dig through all the things you've saved from your movies?
ANDERSON: We've been keeping this stuff for so long. The experience of doing it was kind of great. I'd sort of get pulled over there to approve things. And my reaction was, "Well, we have more stuff." So we kept adding things. My daughter has lived with a lot of this stuff. The "Fantastic Mr. Fox" puppets have been in our apartment in New York ever since we made the movie in boxes. Over the years, she takes them out and plays with them.
## AP: Jason Schwartzman once told me your movies aren't for kids but it's "like they're for kids when they grow up." Do you agree?
ANDERSON: (Laughs) Jason, and Bill, have a way of catching you off guard with a turn of phrase. But I like that description. It's kind of an amazing experience to have had Jason involved in our movies for so long given that he was 17 when I met him. It's fun and a strange feeling. The decades have to elapse for you to have had that much time together. And it's quite shocking that they do. But there it is.
## AP: The sweetest parts to "The Phoenician Scheme" are its father-daughter moments. Were you at all inspired by your own experience as a father?
ANDERSON: I didn't have something I thought I wanted to communicate about what it's like to be a father. The story really come out of an idea for Benicio and for this character. But I don't think he would have had a daughter if I didn't. That's my hunch. He's a special kind of a father, in all the worst ways. But nevertheless, there's something we related to. That's probably somewhere in the DNA of the movie.
## AP: What drew you to Del Toro?
ANDERSON: If I were to say what is the first idea of the movie, it is that face. It's not an image of the setting, it's an image of Benicio in a close-up as this character. His face is just so expressive and interesting. It's a special advantage he has. He's quite mesmerizing just looking at him on camera, his chemistry with the exposure of film. In "The French Dispatch," there were electric moments on the set. But the electricity was amplified when we went back into the cutting room. The wheels started turning. When we showed "The French Dispatch" however many years ago in Cannes, I did mention to Benicio there, "Just be aware, there's something else coming."
## AP: Is that a common way for you to start imagining a movie? I can see "Rushmore" starting with Murray's face with a cigarette dropping from his mouth, "The Royal Tenenbaums" with Gene Hackman's smile and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" with Ralph Fiennes as a concierge.
ANDERSON: Essentially, you've put your finger on the movies that were written for a specific actor, along with Jason in "Asteroid City." Owen and I were talking about Gene Hackman by the time we had 10 pages of a script. Ralph was the idea for the character in "Grand Budapest" before there was even one page. But I never had one where I thought of someone in such a tight close-up. With this movie, somehow it's the face and the eyes and the closest close-up.
## AP: After Gene Hackman's death, Bill Murray and others talked about the tough time he gave you while making "The Royal Tenenbaums."
ANDERSON: First of all, Gene Hackman, one of the greatest movie actors ever. He did enjoy the movie, I think, between action and cut. He said, "That's when I have a good time." But he really didn't enjoy the parts in between, which is most of the time. He wasn't wildly taken with the script in the first place. I don't think he loved the idea of being that guy. I think he thought: "There's a lot of things I don't like about this man and I'm not sure I want to live as him."
Also, I was very young. He was shy and reserved, though he could also get quite explosive. We didn't know each other well. Sometimes, when we had conflict, we often had open conversations about what just happened. And I felt like I learned so much about him in those times. And he would often become much more gentle.
I don't want to assume a great friendship because I don't think he would have ever have referred to our relationship (laughs) in those terms. But I really liked him. He just carried so much tension and he used in the work, but it was sometimes bordering on a little abusive, especially to me. (Laughs)
## AP: Given how good he is in the film, it makes me wonder if the best parts for actors are the ones they resist.
ANDERSON: I think that's the case sometimes. When he saw the movie, he told me, "I didn't understand what we were making." But he totally understood it when he saw the movie. It worked for him. He liked it, and I think he liked what he had done it. I later thought: I wish I had paused for three days of shooting, edited some of the scenes carefully and then shown him: Here's what you're doing and here's what we're doing. I think maybe if I had done that, we might have had a gentler time.
## AP: You've managed to continue making movies for adults at some scale when hardly anyone can do that. Are you happy to avoid the changes in the industry or do they concern you?
ANDERSON: The path that I've had as a movie director, I don't know if that's totally available right now. I don't know if the kind of movies I started out making would have been made on the same scale or with the same support or with any audience available. To get to the point where I can make the movies I make I now, I just don't know what route that would take. I think some things have changed fundamentally. But I'm not 25 years younger than myself, so I just do what I do.___
For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-17 04:03:32+00:00 | [
"U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration",
"Colombia",
"Pablo Escobar",
"Donald Trump",
"Juan Carlos Buitrago",
"Gustavo Petro",
"Diego Marin",
"U.S. Department of Justice",
"Crime",
"Legal proceedings",
"Law enforcement",
"AP Investigations",
"Miguel Vidal",
"Luis Sierra",
"Politics",
"Anne Milgram",
"Raffaele Imperiale",
"United States government",
"Jos Irizarry",
"Diego Marn"
] | # An alleged smuggler to Colombia's cartels had a secret ally: the DEA
By Joshua Goodman and Jim Mustian
May 17th, 2025, 04:03 AM
---
MIAMI (AP) — In the sordid annals of Colombia's underworld, Diego Marín stood out as the ultimate survivor.
Time and again, the reputed henchman for the Cali cartel evaded capture — or worse fates — as he built a money-laundering network stretching across four continents. He did so, authorities have alleged, with ruthlessness, street smarts and a willingness to bribe a slew of South American police officers and politicians.
All the while, Marín had an even more powerful ally in his corner: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
For years, the elite narcotics agency claimed it was investigating the Colombian importer, telling the U.S. Justice Department he was among DEA's top targets. In reality, the relationship was more fraught, with Marín briefly signed up as an informant even as he assiduously corrupted agents with a movable feast of prostitutes, fine dining and expensive gifts, an Associated Press investigation found.
In return, at least one of those agents helped Marín launder money and smuggle contraband — throwing law enforcement off his tracks. As the DEA looked the other way, Marín's business flourished into a criminal empire that generated up to $100 million a year, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
The AP's findings — based on interviews with current and former agents, as well as a trove of highly sensitive Justice Department files — offer an unprecedented glimpse into the fraud, shoddy oversight and profligate DEA spending that enabled Marín's ascent. The corruption was so extensive, the officials said, that it reminded them of one of the most infamous law enforcement scandals in U.S. history — the FBI's unscrupulous dealings with Whitey Bulger, the Boston mob boss.
"It's an embarrassment for the DEA," said retired Colombian Gen. Juan Carlos Buitrago, who spent years trying to take down Marín only to see his own career derailed by the pursuit. "They ended up creating a monster."
After decades in the shadows, Marín has recently become front-page news in Colombia, where he's been dubbed the "Contraband Czar" over bribery charges that led to his arrest last year in Spain. Among the revelations aired in Colombian media: Marín provided a private plane and an illegal $125,000 campaign donation to President Gustavo Petro.
Marín attorneys declined to comment. The DEA did not respond to requests for comment.
The revelations are the latest stain for an agency at a crossroads under President Donald Trump. DEA agents already have been redirected to assist in immigration enforcement, and the Justice Department is considering merging the DEA with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — a restructuring that could change how the U.S. fights the drug war.
## 'Untouchable'
Marín, 62, learned to hustle from an early age. He was raised in Palestina, a western frontier town settled by devout Catholics who eked out a modest existence from the surrounding coffee farms. To help provide for his family, as a kid he sold candies in the town's plaza.
It's not precisely known how he got into the drug business. But it was sometime during Colombia's bloody cocaine wars, an era popularized by drug lord Pablo Escobar's infamous phrase of "plata o plomo": money or bullets.
His first brush with the law came in 1993, when he was arrested on accusations of hiding dope money in Colombia-bound home appliances for the leaders of the Cali cartel, Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Escobar's main rivals. The evidence, obtained through wiretapped phone calls, tracked with DEA's own intelligence at the time that Marín was involved in drug trafficking, according to Colombian court records.
Colombian authorities declined to charge him and the case fell apart when a police officer — himself later convicted of leaking confidential information to the cartel — recanted his testimony against Marín.
In the ensuing years, the U.S. government records show, Marín sought to line the pockets of law enforcement. An FBI report from 2020 said Marín "paid everyone off" as he developed a niche in what's known as trade-based money laundering, a complex method of hiding and moving drug proceeds through the use of offshore shell companies and misvalued cargo shipments.
Even as he amassed a fortune, Marín was careful to eschew the narco bling of infamous drug lords. Few photographs are known to exist of him. He carefully avoided opening bank accounts and limited his electronic communications.
"He was pretty much untouchable," said Luis Sierra, a longtime U.S. criminal investigator who served as the Homeland Security Investigations attaché to Bogota. "His tradecraft was compromising and corrupting Colombian — and even a few U.S. — officials."
Buitrago, the Colombian general who investigated Marín, said he obtained reliable intelligence that Marín had offered $5 million to officials to have him ousted. Buitrago retired rather than accept an unwanted transfer.
"The message was clear: I had to get out of the way or I had to get out of the way," Buitrago said. "It's incalculable the number of institutions he co-opted."
Over time, authorities said, those relationships helped Marín emerge as a key money launderer to remnants of the defunct Cali cartel.
In that role, they said, contraband he smuggled would end up converted into pesos at Colombia's ubiquitous "San Andresitos": informal shopping areas packed full of budget-priced electronics and appliances. The name is a play on the Colombian island of San Andres, a duty-free zone in the Caribbean.
That sophisticated system was starting to draw scrutiny from law enforcement when Marín befriended an impressionable, up-and-coming DEA agent.
## The corrupt agent
Special Agent José Irizarry — a former air marshal from Puerto Rico hired by the DEA in 2009 despite failing a polygraph — landed a coveted overseas post in Cartagena, Colombia, in part because he was bilingual. He met Marín in 2011, not long after the head of Colombia's police publicly identified Marín as a major smuggler.
The DEA's elite Special Operations Division also had pegged Marín as a major player. The agency even sought to classify him as a so-called Consolidated Priority Target, reserved for the most prolific drug traffickers and money launderers, according to hundreds of pages of Justice Department reports obtained by the AP. The investigative records, which include FBI interview notes, internal DEA memos and private text messages among agents, show Marín had been on the radar of at least five federal law enforcement agencies by the time Irizarry was charged.
But Irizarry believed Marín could be more valuable as an informant. "Marín would come over and they would play cards and have girls over," according to an investigative IRS report. The meetings in Colombia were the first of many that would flout DEA rules forbidding agents from socializing with informants.
Soon, the government records show, Marín tried to compromise the DEA, showering Irizarry with expensive Hublot watches, luxury cars and a $750,000 condo.
Instead of providing Irizarry with intelligence, Marín gave him a Tiffany ring for his Colombian wife, as well as $5,000 in cash so the agent could buy a gift for his mistress. One internal government record said Marín "viewed Irizarry like a son."
Irizarry began protecting Marín and his organization, signing him up as an informant in 2013. "He would pay me," Irizarry told the AP, "and if he ever needed me, he had me."
Irizarry helped Marín expand his empire, the government records show, by steering undercover DEA wire transfers to his associates, providing safe passage for containers full of contraband and even seeking to throw off other federal agencies.
Once, the records show, Irizarry told a suspicious federal investigator that "people make up stories about Marín," calling him an "open book."
## 'White Wash'
Irizarry avoided suspicion in part by exploiting a powerful Justice Department tool that long lacked proper oversight.
That tool, known as an Attorney General Exempt Operation, or AGEO, gives DEA authority to launder money on behalf of cartels with the goal of carrying out major seizures and arrests. Like actual money launderers, the DEA charges hefty commissions for the transactions — money that agents can spend more freely than government funds.
The DEA has long refused to discuss the stings, which involve setting up front companies, buying property and making wire transfers on behalf of cartels. But internal records show the number of such money laundering operations ballooned at one point to 53 around the country.
In 2011, Irizarry and other agents launched an AGEO to target Marín. In a memo spelling out the operation, they wrote to top Justice Department officials that they hoped to strike "a devastating blow" against Marín, whom they described as a "primary launderer" and investor in cocaine shipments leaving Colombia. They gave the operation a now-ironic name: White Wash.
Marín, however, was only a target on paper. And two years later, Irizarry and his Miami-based colleagues quietly converted him to an informant, a process that typically involves careful vetting and supervisory sign-off.
All the while, income generated by White Wash allowed Irizarry and other agents to party around the world with Marín in what the agents described as a blur of booze, drugs, prostitutes and high-end dining.
"It was a very fun game that we were playing," Irizarry said.
The debauchery also included tickets to premier tennis and soccer matches in Spain, Caribbean cruises on a yacht seized from drug traffickers and lap dances at a strip club in the Dominican Republic paid for by a hitman nicknamed Iguana. The same "sicario," Irizarry told authorities, boasted of killing 15 people on Marín's behalf.
The atmosphere was captured in a 42-second video clip obtained by the AP in which Marín can be seen lording over booze-filled revelry at a Madrid restaurant.
"It's your birthday, bro," an agent shouts to a colleague as a cellphone camera pans the private salon and a reggaeton beat livens the mood.
Also captured on camera is a longtime DEA informant who was charged last year in Texas with failing to pay taxes on more than $3.8 million in snitch money.
The clip is dated April 2018, at the apex of Marín's power, when he had even become the godfather of Irizarry's twins.
The agents running White Wash ultimately claimed that the operation generated 125 arrests and the seizure of $107 million in assets and nearly 9 tons of cocaine. However, a 216-page DEA audit in 2020 found White Wash's statistics were wildly inflated, and a memo prepared for then-DEA Administrator Anne Milgram described the operation as a "mirage."
For instance, a large chunk of the operation's total seized assets — some $30 million — was attributed to two stolen Van Gogh paintings recovered by Italian investigators in the villa of notorious drug trafficker Raffaele Imperiale. In the end, the audit attributed just five convictions to White Wash.
White Wash seized only $1.3 million in illicit funds — a little more than the $900,000 tab DEA agents racked up in travel, according to the audit. Paid DEA informants helped hide much of the partying, as agents would falsely book unneeded hotel rooms and charge alcohol and dinners to them.
To this day, the U.S. government is unable to account for another $19 million in DEA-laundered funds tied to White Wash.
## The fall
After so many years with so little oversight, Irizarry grew overconfident.
In 2016, he tried to block authorities in Colombia from seizing a container of Marín's that was later revealed to contain $3 million in contraband liquor, cigarettes and clothing. Irizarry falsely told U.S. customs officials the shipment was part of an undercover DEA operation, the government records show.
Within days, the U.S. ambassador to Colombia kicked him out of the country. Irizarry was indicted in 2020 and pleaded guilty to 19 counts of money laundering. He's now serving a more than 12-year federal sentence. None of his colleagues was charged, but more than a dozen were either disciplined or investigated.
"I messed up," Irizarry told the AP. "The indictment paints a picture of me, the corrupt agent that did this entire scheme. But it doesn't talk about the rest of DEA. I wasn't the mastermind."
Marín's good fortune also appears to have run out. Last year, he was arrested in Spain on a Colombian warrant over bribes he allegedly paid to three public officials to provide safe passage for dozens of containers arriving each week, some of them from China. After being released on bail, he fled to Portugal, where he was rearrested and is seeking asylum.
The allegations tying him to Petro, the Colombian president, recall some of the darkest episodes of that country's long fight against cocaine and corruption. The money he's accused of giving Petro's 2022 presidential campaign was received by a close aide, though the president has said he later ordered it returned.
"Even DEA agents helped Diego Marín in his smuggling work," Petro said on X Saturday with a link to the AP's story.
___
Contact AP's global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 04:10:08+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"JD Vance",
"Chicago",
"Pope Francis",
"Pope Leo XIV",
"Catholic Church",
"United States government",
"United States",
"Papal conclave",
"JWD-evergreen",
"United States Congress",
"Kamala Harris",
"Steven Millies",
"Robert F. Prevost",
"Hugh Hewitt",
"Raul Zegarra",
"David Gibson",
"Religion",
"Government and politics",
"Timothy Dolan",
"Politics"
] | # Trump and Pope Leo are Earth's most powerful Americans in differing ways
By Laurie Kellman
May 13th, 2025, 04:10 AM
---
The motto of one newly elected American world leader: " Fight! " The other introduced himself to the world with his first public word as pope: " Peace."
The contrast between President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn't be more stark — politically, personally or in their world views. They lead in different roles and realms.
But Leo's historic election last week to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics as the first U.S.-born pope means that the two most powerful people on the planet are Americans. That raises questions about American influence at a time when Trump's tariff wars and "one way or the other" threats have upended eight decades of global order and sparked distrust among allies toward the United States.
The prospect of too much American power in geopolitics is widely considered one reason that the Catholic Church had not elected an American to the papacy across the country's nearly 250-year history. Until, that is, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of Chicago — Pope Leo XIV — was chosen last week to be the 267th pontiff.
"The irony of Leo's election is that many in the rest of the world will view it as a sign of hope — as an American who can speak for them rather than act against them," said David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture.
## Pope Leo is another kind of American on the world stage
The shock and delight of the not-well-known cardinal's election soon shifted into robust discussion about how the top of the global pecking order could be populated by two Americans.
Trump is known to not enjoy sharing attention or primacy, as his "America first" foreign policy approach makes clear. American Catholics chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.
In one apparent appeal to them, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as a pope during the days of mourning for Pope Francis, who died April 21. The move was not appreciated by some Catholics and Italians. Trump denied posting the image himself and said anyone who was offended "can't take a joke." He insisted that "the Catholics loved it."
Even so, Trump wished Leo well and called it a "great honor" that the new pope was American.
Pope Leo, meanwhile, is in some senses a politician as well, with a calm manner and the approach of talking to his fellow cardinals in small groups before the conclave, they said. Though he was born in Chicago, Leo — then Prevost — spent two decades as a missionary in Peru before being appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to lead the Vatican's powerful office that vets bishops around the world.
He wouldn't be the first pope to wade into world politics. Pope John Paul II, for example, is rightly credited with helping bring down communism. But Leo enters the papacy having already criticized Vice President JD Vance, the highest-profile Catholic in American politics, on social media. Leo is at odds with the administration on such policy issues as immigration — Trump's signature issue — and the environment.
Like Trump, Leo has turned his attention to the media. On Monday in Vatican City, he called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the calling for "all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press." In contrast, Trump's approach to journalists has been combative, from the White House to the courts.
## Trump and Pope Leo are in 'different lanes' as leaders
In early February, Leo — then still Prevost — shared an article from a Catholic publication with the headline, "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
It came days after Vance — a convert to Catholicism — discussed immigration in a Fox News interview by referencing a Christian tenet "that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world."
Leo, speaking Italian to thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, described a different vision for the Church and human relations: "We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming."
Vance suggested the papacy is "bigger" than politics and social media. "It's very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America," he said during an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, adding that "it's better for all of us if we allow the church to be about the saving of souls."
In the rise of Trump at the same time as Leo, "the gospel meets the culture," said Steven Millies, director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Religion and politics, he added, are misaligned because they are "oriented toward different purposes."
"What both Francis and then Cardinal Prevost were doing was being bishops — teaching the Gospel, and reminding us the Gospel always is on the side of the poor, the afflicted, the suffering," Millies said in an email. "That's not Trump's lane as a president, a reality TV star or a businessman."
## How American is Pope Leo's world view, anyway?
Leo's decades in Peru — he is a citizen of both countries — can give him a broader view of humanity and power, and religion and politics, scholars say.
Beyond the obvious personality differences with Trump, Leo is expected to wield power differently — to the neediest people first, for example, whereas Trump cut off American aid. Leo did not mention his American roots during his first speech, nor did he speak in English — a sign, some Vatican watchers said, of his global priorities.
"Even though it is factually true that Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, it makes more sense to think about him as the second pope of the Americas. This challenges 'America first' approaches and imagines the region more holistically, as Pope Francis did first, with its center of gravity in the global south," said Raul Zegarra, assistant professor of Roman Catholic theological studies at Harvard Divinity School.
"All of this points to a pope that understands global leadership through dialogue instead of isolation; who understands power through service, instead of domination," he said. "It is hard to imagine a sharper contrast with the current administration in the U.S."
To hear some of the American cardinals tell it, Leo actually is not all that American in style or outlook, and his U.S. heritage played little if any part in his selection as pope. But Trump hovered over the proceedings.
Six American cardinals who had participated in the conclave took the stage at a press conference as "Born in the USA" and "American Pie" blared from speakers. Then, one after another downplayed Leo's American roots. One quoted a phrase that was going around, that Leo is "the least American of the American" cardinals. Several said they expected Leo to be a "bridge-builder" with the Trump administration — the meaning of the Latin word "pontiff."
Asked whether the cardinals elected Leo to offset Trump, several said no.
"I don't think at all my brother cardinals would have thought of him as a counterweight to any one person," said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York.
"Obviously the cardinals were quite aware of things that have occurred in the United States, statements that have been made, political actions that have been taken," said Wilton Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington. But the conclave's goal, he said, was choosing "who among us" could strengthen the faith.
Said Millies: "It's not that the world should fear a U.S.-born pope. Quite the reverse: As 'the least American of the Americans,' he is untainted by our recent politics and may seem safer even as, still, he is an American intimately familiar with this nation's better angels."
___
Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 19:01:57+00:00 | [
"Harvey Weinstein",
"Michael Cibella",
"Kaja Sokola",
"Assault",
"New York City Wire",
"Curtis Farber",
"Entertainment",
"Legal proceedings",
"Crime",
"Indictments",
"Sexual assault",
"Juries"
] | # Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal
By Philip Marcelo
May 13th, 2025, 07:01 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — A former fashion model testifying in Harvey Weinstein 's retrial on sexual assault charges was confronted on the stand Tuesday with a private journal in which she wrote about people who sexually abused her, but notably left out the disgraced former Hollywood mogul.
Michael Cibella, a lawyer for Weinstein, noted that the journal by Kaja Sokola names at least two people who had sexually assaulted her. Neither one of them, she acknowledged to the jury in Manhattan, was Weinstein.
Instead, the "Pulp Fiction" producer is mentioned in the writings for altogether different reasons. Under an entry for "Harvey W" Sokola wrote that he was "promising me help," but "nothing came out of it."
"The trauma that Harvey Weinstein inflicted on you was that he made promises that he didn't keep, even as you accused two other men of sexually assaulting you," Cibella said.
The Polish model, now a 39-year-old psychotherapist, pushed back at the characterization.
"That's your interpretation and I'll leave that with you," Sokola responded from the witness stand. "Harvey made promises he didn't keep -- and he sexually assaulted me."
Earlier in the day, Sokola had argued that the journal, which she wrote in Polish in 2015, shouldn't be discussed in open court at all.
She said the writing has been part of her treatment for substance abuse. One of the steps of the program, she explained, was to list all the people and things with which she held resentment.
"This is very inappropriate," Sokola pleaded as one of Weinstein's attorneys began to cite portions of the text to the jury. "Please don't read that. This is my personal things. I'm not on trial here."
Judge Curtis Farber assured Sokola that he would only permit limited questioning around the document. He also said he had concerns about the journal's completeness and authenticity and wondering how defense lawyers had obtained what appeared to be private medical records.
"This might backfire tremendously" for the defense, Farber said at one point, as prosecutors also strongly opposed inclusion of the journal as evidence in the trial. "That's the risk they're willing to take."
Weinstein's lawyers, in their cross-examination of Sokola that began Friday, have sought to cast Sokola as a wannabe actor who tried to leverage her consensual relations with the former studio boss.
Cibella, to that end, quizzed Sokola on Tuesday about what she told prosecutors during a 2020 interview.
He contended that a prosecutor's handwritten notes from the meeting don't include any mention of Weinstein using force or tearing off her clothes, as she's described the incident to jurors in her testimony.
"Is it a fact that you never made an allegation in 2020 that Mr. Weinstein used force?" Cibella asked.
"That is a lie," Sokola fired back.
Cibella also questioned Sokola about her communications with Weinstein in the years after she claimed he had sexually assaulted her in 2006.
Among them were phone messages, text messages and emails in which she tried to meet up in person with the co-founder of the production company Miramax or asked him for help on various movie industry opportunities.
Sokola, who is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday, testified last week that Weinstein exploited her dreams of an acting career to subject her to unwanted sexual advances, starting days after they met in 2002, while she was a 16-year-old on a modeling trip to New York.
Some of those allegations are beyond the legal time limit for criminal charges, but Weinstein faces a criminal sex act charge over Sokola's claim that he forced oral sex on her in 2006.
Prosecutors added the charge to the landmark #MeToo case last year, after an appeals court overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction. The guilty verdict pertained to allegations from two other women, who also have testified or are expected to testify at the retrial.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies ever sexually assaulting anyone.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted, but Sokola has given her permission to be identified.
___
Associated Press reporter Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this story.
___
Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-02 19:23:34+00:00 | [
"Texas",
"Mexico",
"Floods",
"Border security",
"Lawsuits",
"Human rights",
"Civil rights",
"Anemia",
"Health",
"Sickle cell disease",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Birth defects",
"Legal proceedings",
"Prisons",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | # Rights groups file a lawsuit on behalf of the family of an 8-year-old immigrant who died in custody
By Tim Sullivan
May 2nd, 2025, 07:23 PM
---
Civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of an 8-year-old girl who died in Border Patrol custody in 2023 despite her mother's repeated pleas for medical care. The girl died nine days after the family had surrendered to border agents after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico.
Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez, who had chronic heart problems and sickle cell anemia, died after medical personnel in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility refused to summon an ambulance, according to U.S. officials, lawyers and her family.
Her death came amid a flood of illegal crossings into the U.S. and criticism of U.S. authorities for overcrowded detention facilities. It led to investigations into what went wrong during Anadith's custody, which far exceeded the agency's own limit of 72 hours, and into medical care for detained immigrants.
The Texas Civil Rights Project and Haitian Bridge Alliance are seeking $15 million in damages in the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday and comes amid renewed scrutiny on treatment of immigrants during the Trump administration's crackdown.
"CBP's refusal to provide Anadith the medical care she needed was cruel and inhumane," Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a statement. "CBP must act now to prevent another tragedy like this."
An internal investigation found that medical personnel were informed about Anadith's medical history but declined to review her file before she had a seizure and died May 17 in Harlingen, Texas.
"Despite the girl's condition, her mother's concerns, and the series of treatments required to manage her condition, contracted medical personnel did not transfer her to a hospital for higher-level care," the CBP report said.
The Border Patrol's chief medical officer was reassigned in the wake of the death.
Anadith, whose parents are Honduran and who was born in Panama, was diagnosed with the flu May 14 at a temporary holding facility in Donna, Texas, then moved with her family to Harlingen. Staff met repeatedly with Anadith and her mother over the next four days over concerns including a high fever, flu symptoms, nausea and breathing difficulties, a CBP report said.
A congressional investigation in January found that her death "was not aberrant but consistent with other examples of poor care in CBP custody." It said children were held too long in detention, and that chronic understaffing and sometimes unreliable medical care were widespread in detention facilities. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 04:00:49+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"U.S. Agency for International Development",
"Elon Musk",
"Cathy Votaw",
"Albert Votaw",
"Beirut",
"Bombings",
"Iran",
"Afghanistan",
"Atlantic Ocean",
"Nigeria",
"John F. Kennedy",
"September 11 attacks",
"Government and politics",
"Anna Eisenberg",
"Ellen Knickmeyer",
"Radicalism",
"Politics"
] | # USAID, targeted by Trump, inspired 3 generations of service in one family
By Ellen Knickmeyer
May 12th, 2025, 04:00 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — He was special, Albert Votaw's daughter remembers all these decades later.
Cathy Votaw is 70 now, more than a dozen years older than her father lived to be. She describes a man with a larger-than-life personality and a love of fun — as if you couldn't tell that from the photos, which show an outrageous handlebar mustache and a penchant for bowties sewn by his wife.
Each year on April 18, the anniversary of the 1983 bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that took the lives of her father and 62 others, a persistent sense of loss awakens in Cathy. Some years, she writes an email to her family, telling them about Albert, a public-housing expert for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
He was, she writes, dedicated to public service — and to USAID. And she is so sorry, she tells Albert Votaw's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, that his death at the hands of an anti-American attacker driving a truck packed with explosives means they never got to meet him.
Yet Albert Votaw's influence echoes down across the generations. Four decades later, as the agency that worked to promote American security through international development and humanitarian work disappears at the hands of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, two things are abundantly clear:
Service to USAID shattered the Votaw family. And service to USAID reshaped it as well.
## A death that echoed and inspired
In a way, the requiem of the now-dismantled agency can be told through its people — including some entire families, like the Votaws. Albert's work for USAID, and his death while on the job, steered the work of two generations of his family after him.
It led his daughter, Cathy, to dedicate part of her life to working on behalf of the families of Americans killed by extremist attacks.
It led his granddaughter, Anna, to work as a contractor for USAID, with a willingness to take on dangerous assignments — a proclivity that she ties directly to his death.
"When my father talked about his work, he talked about ... how he was proud of the fact that he was an American, coming over here to help people," Cathy Votaw says.
Her father's time at USAID began in the first years after the aid and development agency's 1960s founding by Congress and President John F. Kennedy, who believed the United States needed more than troops and diplomats to protect its interests and advance global stability.
Cathy and her sisters as children followed him on his initial postings in a career that took him to countries including Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Thailand and, finally, Lebanon.
One thing Albert and his wife, Estera, a Jewish survivor of the Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, loved best in his first post for USAID, in Ivory Coast, was driving deep into the countryside to where Albert and USAID were working to expand rural housing. He had a big white station wagon that Ivorians came to recognize. They nicknamed it the Bateau - the Boat.
A treasured family photo captures one of those moments. Albert and Ivorian elders are deep in animated discussion, surrounded by community members craning to hear every word. Estera watches, smiling.
Ivory Coast's leaders gave Albert one of their country's highest medals for his work. When he was killed decades later, Ivorian officials traveled across the Atlantic for his memorial.
Back then, "you feel like you were recognized as a country for trying to do the right thing and trying to help, and in fact, contributing lives and resources to help people overseas," Cathy says. "I think that's a wonderful thing to have seen. I don't know that I'll ever see it again."
After the 1983 bombing, President Ronald Reagan eulogized Albert and the 16 other Americans killed. The Reagan administration had directed USAID workers to Lebanon just before the attack, hoping their work to restore a more normal life for civilians there could help lead the country out of civil war.
Days after the bombing, Reagan spoke in a hangar at Andrews Air Force Base over newly returned bodies.
"The best way for us to show our love and respect for our fellow countrymen who died in Beirut this week is to carry on with their task," Reagan said. "And that's exactly what we're doing."
Over the years, the names of 98 USAID and other foreign assistance colleagues were placed on a memorial wall inside USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C.
One of those names was Albert Votaw.
## A legacy that transcended generations
After her father died, Cathy Votaw switched from private legal practice to working as a federal prosecutor. It paid tribute, she felt, to his government service. She also became an advocate for better treatment for federal workers and other American victims of extremist attacks and their families.
The embassy suicide bombing that killed her father was one of the first of its kind, though it was overshadowed by another that hit a U.S. Marines barracks and killed 241 service members that October.
The Votaws and others lobbied the State Department to beef up efforts to work with families in future attacks. It worked: They won a victory in federal court designating Iran responsible as a sponsor of militants involved.
And in the biggest achievement of all, survivors of attacks and relatives of victims, including Cathy, successfully pushed Congress to set up a fund for them and future victims, using billions of dollars in fines paid by entities that did business with countries the U.S. deems state sponsors of terror. That helped spur compensation for victims and family members in attacks on the U.S. since, including 9/11.
Somehow, Albert's death in the Beirut bombing gave one of his granddaughters, Anna Eisenberg, a deep sense that because the worst had already happened to her family, it wouldn't happen to her.
After growing up hearing of her grandfather's life and death in public service, she started work as a contractor for USAID almost as soon as she got out of college.
Teaching communication skills to communities in war zones and telling the story of USAID, her assignments took her through Boko Haram territory in Nigeria, where she profiled Nigerian teachers as they schooled young children orphaned in attacks. And she worked in Afghanistan, coaching female government communication workers to speak up loudly enough to be heard.
In northern Nigeria, ''they were like, 'Are you sure you want to do this? ... You're not in an armored car. You don't have any weapons,''' Anna, now 37, recounted of her trips through militants' territory. "I just felt like I was able to go places ... because nothing bad would happen: 'Yeah, my grandfather got blown up — we're good."'
In some ways, Anna was looking forward to Trump's second term for her agency. She believed that Trump, in his first term, had done a better job than most presidents at promoting how USAID built jobs at home. He'd do that again in his second term, she figured, increasing public support for an agency few Americans cared about.
As it turned out, her job ended when USAID's life as a functioning independent agency did — in form-letter terminations.
## The last moments of Albert Votaw
Albert had been jittery about his assignment to Beirut in a way he'd never been before. Still, he reassured his family, the U.S. government knew what it was doing.
Just before he left, Cathy recalls, Albert's mother asked him if he would be OK.
"'Mother," he assured her, "they would not send me anywhere that was not safe."
Eleven days after Albert arrived, the truck bomb exploded at the front of the U.S. embassy there. Many of those killed, including Albert, were in the embassy cafeteria. His family likes to think he was in his element, chatty and at a table holding forth on some story, when the bomb exploded.
This year's anniversary of his death was nothing like the ones before. This year, USAID itself sat in ruins.
Trump and Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency crews are slashing staffing and programs across federal government, made USAID an early target. They said most American foreign assistance was a waste and advanced liberal agendas. They shut USAID headquarters, terminated the majority of its development and humanitarian programs abroad and fired most staff and contractors.
A Feb. 3 post by Musk on social media became a death notice for USAID itself: "Spent the weekend feeding USAID into a woodchipper."
A few weeks ago, at the now-closed and barricaded USAID headquarters in Washington, a crew pried off the memorial to those who died in Beirut, including the name of a gregarious public-housing expert who had a handlebar mustache and lived for, and died for, his work.
The State Department said it would find a permanent home for the memorial.
___
Associated Press journalist Ellen Knickmeyer has reported from more than 20 countries over three decades. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-06 19:26:10+00:00 | [
"Nashville",
"Shootings",
"Law enforcement",
"School shootings",
"Indictments",
"Crime",
"Gun violence",
"Alex Little",
"Mike Hill",
"William Kinney",
"Katherine Koonce",
"U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation",
"Cynthia Peak",
"Evelyn Dieckhaus",
"Todd Gardenhire",
"Freddie OConnell"
] | # An ex-police officer implicated in leak of a Nashville school shooter's journals has been arrested
By Travis Loller and Jonathan Mattise
May 6th, 2025, 07:26 PM
---
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former Nashville police lieutenant was arrested Tuesday on charges of theft, burglary and official misconduct after he was accused of taking case files, including records from a school shooting where three 9-year-olds and three adult staff were killed.
In announcing the arrest of Garet Davidson, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said he used his position with the Office of Professional Accountability at the Metro Nashville Police Department to gain access to restricted areas. "He then took multiple criminal case files, internal investigation case files, original case files, and other documents he was not authorized to retain," according to a TBI news release. Davidson was booked into the Nashville jail on a $150,000 bond.
Davidson's attorney, Alex Little, provided a statement saying the charges "represent a transparent attempt to discredit and silence a whistleblower who exposed serious misconduct within the Metro Nashville Police Department.
"The documents in question are public records documenting MNPD leadership's alleged efforts to undermine civilian oversight, protect high-ranking officers from accountability, and maintain a culture that tolerates harassment and discrimination. The additional charges related to the Covenant School Shooting materials further demonstrate the department's desire to use criminal charges to keep the public in the dark," the statement reads.
Davidson retired from the Metro Nashville Police Department in January 2024 after working for two years in the Office of Professional Accountability, which is the department's internal affairs unit.
He filed a complaint last May outlining a long list of claims against the police department. It included accusations that ranking personnel received better outcomes in investigations; command staff were overly involved in internal investigations; officers purposefully failed to keep records to avoid incriminating paper trails; training for new recruits was improperly reduced; and the department failed to enact a "zero-tolerance" policy on sexual harassment and discrimination. He also alleged the police department actively lobbied to gut the city's community oversight board.
Shortly after the complaint was filed, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell announced an independent investigation of the allegations, which is ongoing.
In a statement released last year, Police Chief John Drake only addressed the accusation involving training for new officers, saying they receive much more training than what is required by the state.
Some of the charges Davidson is facing are related to the March 2023 shooting at a private Christian elementary school. Davidson was previously implicated in the leak of the shooter's journals to conservative media outlets. The Tennessee Star published dozens of stories based on what they said were 80 pages of the shooter's writings.
That outlet was one of several parties that had filed open records requests with Nashville police for records related to the shooting, including the journals. When the city refused to immediately release the records in 2023, they sued. The plaintiffs included a gun rights group, a law enforcement nonprofit and Tennessee state Sen. Todd Gardenhire. On the other side was not just the city, but parents of many of the Covenant students who wanted to keep the records secret.
The situation quickly ballooned into a messy mix of conspiracy theories, leaked documents, probate battles and accusations of ethical misconduct. In July, a judge ruled for the parents, who claimed they own the copyright to the writings, transferred to them from the shooter's parents as next of kin. That decision is currently under appeal.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation last month provided Tennessee Star owner, Star News Digital, with a redacted version of its Covenant shooting files in response to a separate lawsuit. In a federal court filing, the FBI said it withheld names and identifying information of third parties and detailed descriptions of the shooter's plans. Also last month, Nashville police released a final report on the shooting that included details about the shooter's writings, mental health and motivations.
Those killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61. Shooter Audrey Hale was shot and killed by police at the scene. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-09 10:57:00+00:00 | [
"Tesla",
"Inc.",
"Electric vehicles",
"Financial performance",
"Labor",
"Japan",
"Finance Business",
"International",
"Technology",
"Mazda Motor Corp.",
"Engineering",
"Osaka",
"Business",
"Fuel cell technology",
"Yuki Kusumi",
"Jobs and careers",
"Yuri Kageyama",
"Donald Trump",
"Subaru Corp."
] | # Japanese tech company Panasonic cuts 4% of its global workforce as profits falter
By Yuri Kageyama
May 9th, 2025, 10:57 AM
---
TOKYO (AP) — Panasonic will slash its global workforce by 10,000 people, half in Japan and half overseas, to become a more efficient, "lean" company, the Japanese manufacturer said Friday.
The job cuts, amounting to about 4% of its 230,000 workers, will include early retirement offers in Japan and closures and consolidation of various operations, according to the Osaka-based maker of home appliances, such as washing machines and refrigerators.
Panasonic also makes solar panels, delivery robots, facial recognition technology, fuel cells for homes and EV batteries for Tesla cars.
Also Friday, Panasonic reported a 17.5% drop in profit for the fiscal year through March at 366 billion yen ($2.5 billion), down from 443 billion yen in the previous fiscal year. It sales totaled 8.46 trillion yen ($58 billion), down 0.5% year-on-year.
The company said the slowing global economy and weaker demand for electric vehicles were a factor behind its weak results. But sales of air-conditioners and consumer electronics products held up in Japan, it said.
The company's chief executive, Yuki Kusumi, told reporters his heart felt heavy in announcing the job cuts. Panasonic did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies as a factor behind its drop in profit.
Panasonic forecast that its profit will improve by at least 150 billion yen ($1 billion) by the fiscal year through March 2027, and by 300 billion yen ($2.1 billion) by the fiscal year through March 2029.
That will be achieved through management reform, closure of unprofitable businesses and building a system that's more responsive to changes in the business environment, officials told reporters.
But the turnaround will take time and profit will slip further in this fiscal year. For the fiscal year through March 2026, Panasonic is projecting a 310 billion yen ($2.1 billion) profit on 7.8 trillion yen ($54 billion) sales.
Panasonic said it remains bullish about EV batteries and plans to supply Japanese automakers Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. in new strategic partnerships.
___
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 18:41:07+00:00 | [
"John Barnett",
"Lawsuits",
"South Carolina",
"Business",
"Charleston",
"Courts",
"Legal proceedings",
"Suicide",
"The Boeing Co."
] | # Family of Boeing whistleblower settles lawsuit with aircraft maker over his death
May 13th, 2025, 06:41 PM
---
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The family of a former Boeing quality control manager who killed himself after lawyers questioned him about his whistleblowing on alleged jumbo jet defects has settled a lawsuit against the aircraft maker.
Details of the settlement over John Barnett's death were not disclosed in a court filing Monday.
Barnett, a longtime Boeing employee, shared his safety concerns with journalists after he retired in 2017. He said he once saw discarded metal shavings near wiring for the flight controls that could have cut the wiring and caused a catastrophe. He also noted problems with up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on Boeing's 787 planes.
Barnett shared his concerns with his supervisors and others before leaving Boeing, but according to the lawsuit they responded by ignoring him and then harassing him.
Barnett, 62, shot himself on March 9, 2024, in Charleston after answering questions from attorneys for several days. He lived in Louisiana.
The document announcing the settlement and closing the case in federal court in South Carolina was one page and the only detail was that either side can reopen the lawsuit if the settlement is not finalized in 60 days.
Boeing did not answer the lawsuit in court papers before the settlement.
"We are saddened by John Barnett's death and extend our condolences to his family. Boeing took actions several years ago to review and address the issues that Mr. Barnett raised," the company said in a statement Tuesday.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-02 00:48:33+00:00 | [
"California",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Teens",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Politics",
"Eleni Kounalakis",
"Sexual assault",
"Leigh LaChapelle",
"Robert Rivas"
] | # What to know about California's fight over harsher penalties for soliciting sex from older teens
By Trân Nguyễn
May 2nd, 2025, 12:48 AM
---
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A debate over whether to create harsher penalties for soliciting and buying sex from 16- and 17-year-olds exploded in the California Legislature this week.
Republicans and some moderate Democrats were pushing for a new tool to help law enforcement go after those who solicit older minors for sex. But some said they worried the measure could be misused and weaponized by parents upset about interracial or LGBTQ+ relationships to target older teens involved in relationships.
The issue came to a head Thursday after Republicans in the Assembly argued for the policy on the floor. Democrats overwhelmingly rejected the effort but vowed to bring a new proposal to address the issue.
Here's what to know:
## How does current law protect 16- and 17-year-olds?
Under current law, contacting a person under 18 to engage in sexual activity in California is a felony. So are crimes like soliciting a child who is a victim of human trafficking, sexting a minor and engaging in sex with a minor if the age gap between the parties is more than three years.
It's also a "serious" crime in California to traffic minors. Anyone convicted of at least three "serious" felonies in California faces a sentence of between 25 years and life in prison under the "three strikes law."
"California leads the nation with some of the toughest laws against trafficking," said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Democrat.
## What changes are proposed?
Those who are 16 or 17 years old were not included in bipartisan legislation on sex trafficking signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. The law, which took effect this year, allows prosecutors to charge those who solicit and buy sex from minors 15 or younger with a felony. It left in place an existing law that limits the penalty for soliciting older teens to a misdemeanor.
Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Democrat with a background as a prosecutor, wanted to expand the law Newsom signed to include older teens. Children under 18 who are bought for sex are considered victims of human trafficking under federal law and should receive the same protection under California law, she said.
"If you're 17 years old on the street corner and an old man comes up and purchases you for sex, that's rape," Krell said. "That should be treated as a felony."
## Why do some Democrats oppose the change?
Democrats on the Assembly Public Safety Committee amended Krell's bill to drop the provision that would make it a felony to solicit and buy sex from older teens. They agreed with Krell's goal but worried the approach could have unintended consequences.
Leigh LaChapelle of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking told lawmakers at a hearing that the policy could be used to target 16- and 17-year-olds who are in relationships with other minors.
"They are worried about the way that the criminal legal system can be utilized by parents who are upset about interracial and LGBTQ relationships," LaChapelle said.
During Thursday's legislative debate, Democrats said it's important to give prosecutors the discretion to decide on penalties in these cases.
Newsom, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis criticized the committee's actions.
"The law should treat all sex predators who solicit minors the same — as a felony, regardless of the intended victim's age. Full stop," Newsom's office said in a statement. He rarely comments on pending legislation.
## What happens next?
Several moderate Democrats, including Krell, broke with their party Thursday to vote with Republicans. Democrats instead backed an amendment saying they plan to "adopt the strongest laws to protect 16- and 17-year-old victims."
Assemblymember Nick Schultz, who chairs the public safety committee, said he's committed to bringing a new proposal on the issue forward this year.
"We will have a solution," Schultz said. "That's my commitment." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-02 18:11:16+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Brandon Jones",
"Climate change",
"Climate science",
"United States government",
"United States",
"Science",
"Donald Wuebbles",
"Politics",
"Climate and environment",
"Katharine Hayhoe",
"Climate"
] | # 2 scientific societies will do US climate report as Trump dismisses authors
By Seth Borenstein
May 2nd, 2025, 06:11 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two major scientific societies on Friday said they will try to fill the void from the Trump administration's dismissal of scientists writing a cornerstone federal report on what climate change is doing to the United States.
The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union said they will work together to produce peer-reviewed research documents assessing the current and future national impacts of climate change because a science-based report required by law is suddenly in question under President Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, Trump's Republican administration told about 400 scientists working on the National Climate Assessment that they were no longer needed and that the report was being reevaluated. That report, coming once every four to five years, is required by a 1990 federal law and was due out around 2027. Preliminary budget documents show slashing funding or eliminating offices involved in coordinating that report, scientists and activists said.
"We are filling in a gap in the scientific process," AGU President Brandon Jones said. "It's more about ensuring that science continues."
Meteorological society past president Anjuli Bamzi, a retired federal atmospheric scientist who has worked on previous National Climate Assessments, said one of the most important parts of the federal report is that it projects 25 and 100 years into the future.
With the assessment "we're better equipped to deal with the future," Bamzi said. "We can't be an ostrich and put our head in the sand and let it go."
Texas Tech University climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, also chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy, said the two organizations joining to do this report "is a testament to how important it is that the latest science be summarized and available."
Hayhoe, who was a lead author of reports in 2009, 2018 and 2023, said "people are not aware of how climate change is impacting the decisions that they are making today, whether it's the size of the storm sewer pipes they're installing, whether it is the expansion of the flood zone where people are building, whether it is the increases in extreme heat."
They need that knowledge to figure out how to adapt to harms in the future and even the present, Hayhoe said.
The national assessment, unlike global United Nations documents, highlights what's happening to weather not just in the nation but at regional and local levels.
Jones said he hopes the societies' work can be done in just one year.
The last climate assessment report, released in 2023, said that climate change is "harming physical, mental, spiritual, and community health and well-being through the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, increasing cases of infectious and vector-borne diseases, and declines in food and water quality and security."
In 2018, during Trump's first term, the assessment was just as blunt, saying: "Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth."
But University of Illinois climate scientist Donald Wuebbles, who led one of 2018's two national reports, said he worries about what kind of document this new administration will try to issue, if any.
"I think they'll put out something that will, like, it'll be scientifically based, but it will be pretty crappy," Wuebbles told The Associated Press.
Watering down or killing the national assessment will not keep the message about the importance of climate change from getting out, Wuebbles said. The scientific societies' efforts to fill the void will have some value because it will be a statement of the scientific community, and, in the end, he said, science is about data and observations.
"We know this is an extremely important problem. We know it is human activities driving it. So the question is: What do you do about it?" Wuebbles said.
Storms and wildfires don't care if it's a red state or a blue state, Hayhoe said.
"Climate change affects us all," Hayhoe said. "It doesn't matter how we vote."
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-12 12:16:27+00:00 | [
"Eurovision Song Contest",
"Israel",
"Germany",
"Streaming media",
"Eurocopa 2024",
"Protests and demonstrations",
"Entertainment",
"Diplomacy",
"Marko Bosnjak",
"Hamas",
"Yuval Raphael"
] | # The Eurovision Song Contest is back. Here's how and who to watch
By Jill Lawless
May 12th, 2025, 12:16 PM
---
LONDON (AP) — The Eurovision party is officially underway: a week of power pop, outrageous outfits — and, inevitably, protests — that culminates in the final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night.
Competitors representing 37 countries are in the Swiss city of Basel for disco diplomacy and one of the world's biggest spectacles. Organizers say last year's final was watched by more than 160 million people — a guilty pleasure for some, an unabashed joy for others.
Here's how and what to watch:
## Where and when is Eurovision?
This year's contest is in Switzerland because Swiss singer Nemo won the contest last year with the operatic anthem "The Code." Basel, which borders Germany and France, was chosen as the host city.
Countries from across Europe — and a few beyond, like Israel and Australia — have sent an act to Eurovision. The performers will take the stage at St. Jakobshalle arena in semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday that will choose 20 acts to go through to the final.
The "Big Five" of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., along with host Switzerland, automatically qualify for the final.
## How to watch Eurovision 2025
The competition will be aired by national broadcasters in participating nations, on streaming service Peacock in the United States and in many countries on the Eurovision YouTube channel.
Bars and clubs in many European cities will show the final at parties.
Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson, representing Iceland as half of sibling duo VAEB, said his family watches the classic, way, "sitting on a sofa with popcorn and snacks."
Croatian contestant Marko Bošnjak said he was usually "the person who was hosting the Eurovision parties and forcing everybody to give me their scores and papers," adding: "It's my Olympics. I live for this."
Adonxs, this year's competitor from Czechia, has fond memories of working in a London pub where staff were body-painted in the colors of a national flag.
"I did get an allergic reaction on my face the next morning, which I did not appreciate," he said. "But yeah, I guess it was worth it."
## How to vote on Eurovision
During and immediately after the semifinals and final, viewers in participating countries can vote by phone, text message or the Eurovision app — but not for their own country. Viewers in the U.S. and other nonparticipating countries can vote online at www.esc.vote or with the app. The combined "rest of the world" vote is given the weight of one individual country.
The semifinals are decided by public vote, and viewers can only vote in the semifinal their country is participating in.
For the final, the winner is decided by a complex mix of public voting and points from juries of music industry professionals in all the participating countries. The juries allocate between one and 12 points to their favorite songs, with an announcer from each country popping up to declare which has been granted the coveted "douze points" (12 points).
Public and jury votes are combined to give each country a single score. Ending up with "nul points" (zero points) is considered a national embarrassment.
## Who to watch for
Betting odds make Sweden the strong favorite with "Bara Bada Bastu," an upbeat ode to sauna culture performed by the trio KAJ.
Favorites have tended to win in recent years, but that isn't always the case.
Other strong contenders, according to bookmakers, include classically trained Austrian singer JJ's "popera" song "Wasted Love," French singer Louane's ballad "maman," Dutch entry Claude's "C'est La Vie" and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack, with "New Day Will Rise."
## Why are protests likely during Eurovision?
Israel has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years, and won four times. But last year's event in the Swedish city of Malmo drew large demonstrations calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza.
More than 70 former participants, including 2017 winner Salvador Sobral from Portugal, 2023 U.K. entry Mae Muller and La Zarra, who competed for France in 2023, signed a letter calling for Israel to be excluded. They noted that Russia has been banned since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, pointed out that Israel is represented by its public broadcaster, KAN, not the government.
Several of the national broadcasters that fund Eurovision, including those of Spain, Ireland and Iceland, have called for a discussion about Israel's participation.
After tensions ran high last year, with the expulsion of the Dutch contestant over a backstage altercation, the EBU tightened the contest's code of conduct, calling on participants to respect Eurovision's values of "universality, diversity, equality and inclusivity" and its political neutrality.
It has barred performers from waving flags, other than national ones, onstage or in other on-camera areas. But some delegations have protested that effectively bans LGBTQ+ pride flags from an event with a huge gay following.
Audience members will be allowed more leeway, however, after controversy last year after a ban on Palestinian flags.
___
Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this story. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-08 17:33:16+00:00 | [
"Papal conclave",
"Photography Lead",
"Pope Leo XIV",
"Robert Prevost",
"Vatican City",
"Religion"
] | # AP PHOTOS: A new pope is chosen
May 8th, 2025, 05:33 PM
---
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican's powerful office of bishops, was elected the first ever U.S. pope .
Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 07:51:55+00:00 | [
"Russia",
"Penny Wong",
"Ukraine",
"Australia",
"Moscow",
"International agreements",
"Australia government",
"Thomas Schansman",
"Business",
"Dmitry Peskov",
"Russia government",
"Politics",
"Netherlands government",
"Caspar Veldkamp",
"Rebellions and uprisings",
"Don Rothwell"
] | # Global aviation council finds Russia responsible for downing MH17 over Ukraine in 2014
By Rod Mcguirk
May 13th, 2025, 07:51 AM
---
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization on Tuesday found Russia responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives more than a decade ago, in a ruling that raises the prospect of victims' families being paid compensation.
Russia has rejected the findings.
A Dutch-led international investigation concluded in 2016 that the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur airliner was shot down on July 17, 2014, from Ukrainian territory held by separatist rebels using a Buk missile system delivered from Russia. Moscow denies any involvement in the MH17 tragedy.
The Netherlands and Australian governments brought the case against Moscow before the Montreal-based global aviation agency in 2022, and on Tuesday welcomed the verdict.
## Council finds that Russia violated the Chicago Convention
The council found that Russia had violated the Convention on International Civil Aviation, known as the Chicago Convention, which requires that states "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight."
It's the first time that the council, which represents 193 member states, has decided a dispute between governments.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said that the council would consider the question of reparations within weeks.
"In that context, the Netherlands and Australia are requesting that the ICAO Council order the Russian Federation to enter into negotiations with the Netherlands and Australia, and that the Council facilitate this process," Veldkamp said in a statement.
"The latter is important in order to ensure that the negotiations are conducted in good faith and according to specific timelines, and that they will yield actual results," he added.
Dutch father Thomas Schansman, who lost his son in the disaster, said the ICAO decision makes it clear Russia was responsible for the tragedy and could lead to compensation, but that he and other relatives mostly want the country to acknowledge its culpability.
"Money cannot buy anything back," he told The Associated Press.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged the council to move swiftly to "determine remedies."
"We call on Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for its horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct, as required under international law," Wong said in a statement.
## Russia rejects the council's findings
Speaking to journalists Tuesday, the Kremlin rejected the investigation's results as "biased."
"Russia did not take part in the investigation of this incident and therefore we will not accept these biased conclusions," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Australian National University international law expert Don Rothwell said that the council had yet to publish the reasons for its decisions.
"One of the consequences for this process will be that the council will probably make some recommendations that Russia pay what are called reparations, which is an international term for damages, as a result of its violation of international law," Rothwell said.
"So we have to wait and see exactly what the council finds on that particular point," Rothwell added. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-19 19:32:56+00:00 | [
"Octavia Spencer",
"Jamie Oliver",
"Lenny Kravitz",
"Corey Hart",
"Brooke Shields",
"Hip hop and rap",
"Eric Christian Olsen",
"Andre 3000",
"Philip Michael Thomas",
"Celebrity",
"Television",
"Lauryn Hill",
"John Ross",
"Patti DArbanville",
"Elisabeth Harnois",
"Gladys Knight",
"Leslie Uggams",
"Karen Valentine",
"Jerry Douglas",
"Antoine Fuqua",
"Melissa Etheridge",
"Cillian Murphy",
"Alexa Davalos",
"Ethan Suplee",
"Aaron McGruder",
"Phil Vassar",
"Connie Sellecca",
"Kylie Minogue",
"Jadakiss",
"Kristen Alderson",
"Margaret Colin",
"Stevie Nicks",
"Brandon Mychal Smith",
"Carey Mulligan",
"Clint Eastwood",
"Ian McKellen",
"Christian McBride",
"Annette Bening",
"Colin Farrell",
"Keir Dullea",
"Doug Hutchison",
"Chris Elliott",
"Darin Brooks",
"Ann Robinson",
"Country music",
"Celebrity Birthdays",
"Alison Krauss",
"Jacki Weaver",
"Klaus Meine",
"Kyle Secor",
"Lauren Frost",
"Christa Miller",
"Lee Meriwether",
"Joey Kibble",
"Tonya Pinkins",
"Joseph Reitman",
"Justin Henry",
"Wynonna Judd",
"Erinn Hayes",
"Jake Johnson",
"Mark Sheppard",
"Monica Keena",
"Remy Ma",
"Nathan Cochran",
"Javicia Leslie",
"Idina Menzel",
"Paul Weller",
"Lenny Davidson",
"Justin Kirk",
"Lindsay Greenbush",
"Louis Mustillo",
"Cee Lo Green",
"Jamie Kennedy",
"Curtis Williams Jr.",
"Dave Robbins",
"Paul Bettany",
"Elisabeth Hasselbeck",
"Melanie Brown",
"Lorelei Linklater",
"Douglas Quintet",
"Jack McBrayer",
"Bruce Weitz",
"Peri Gilpin",
"Cathy Silvers",
"Adam Carolla",
"John Fogerty",
"Todd Bridges",
"Chris Ballew",
"Chris Colfer",
"Gregory Harrison",
"Colm Meaney",
"Guy Lawrence",
"James Smith",
"Ted McGinley",
"Carroll Baker",
"Jessi Colter",
"Ed Adkins",
"Ben Feldman",
"Dave Clark",
"Ethan Dampf",
"Stephen Tobolowsky",
"Garry Peterson",
"Lisa Whelchel",
"Waka Flocka Flame",
"Mike Myers",
"Noel Gallagher",
"Adrian Paul",
"Joseph Fiennes",
"Andy Hurley",
"Matt Stone",
"Brent Musburger",
"Billy Vera",
"Richard Schiff",
"Brandon Cruz",
"Justin Chon",
"Brian Desveaux",
"Riley Keough",
"Neil Finn",
"Laverne Cox",
"Mark Lee",
"Anthony Azizi",
"Bruce Cockburn",
"Fonseca",
"Billy Flynn",
"Dee Dee Bridgewater",
"Colbie Caillat",
"Scott Klopfenstein",
"Sean Giambrone",
"Sharon Gless",
"Anthony Geary",
"Hank Williams Jr.",
"Tom Berenger",
"Rebbie Jackson",
"Sean Kinney",
"Patrick Dahlheimer",
"Jared S. Gilmore",
"Megalyn Echikunwoke",
"Phillip Rhodes",
"Pam Grier",
"Ralph Carter",
"Bobcat Goldthwait",
"Helena Bonham Carter",
"Archie Panjabi",
"Rupert Everett",
"Arts and entertainment",
"Danny Elfman",
"Lea Thompson",
"Phil Keoghan",
"Ted Levine",
"Genie Francis",
"Entertainment"
] | # Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 25-31
By The Associated Press
May 19th, 2025, 07:32 PM
---
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 25-31:
May 25: Actor Ann Robinson ("War of the Worlds") is 96. Actor Ian McKellen ("Lord of the Rings") is 86. Country singer Jessi Colter is 82. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 82. Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 81. Actor Karen Valentine is 78. Actor Jacki Weaver ("Silver Linings Playbook") is 78. Singer Klaus Meine of Scorpions is 78. Actor Patti D'Arbanville ("New York Undercover") is 74. Actor Connie Sellecca is 70. Singer-guitarist Paul Weller of The Jam is 67. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 62. Actor Joseph Reitman ("The Perfect Storm") is 57. Actors Sidney and Lindsay Greenbush ("Little House on the Prairie") are 55. Actor Jamie Kennedy ("Scream") is 55. Actor Octavia Spencer ("Hidden Figures," "The Help") is 55. Actor Justin Henry ("Kramer Vs. Kramer," "Sixteen Candles") is 54. Rapper Daz Dillinger of Tha Dogg Pound is 52. Actor Erinn Hayes ("Kevin Can Wait") is 49. Actor Cillian Murphy ("Oppenheimer," "The Dark Knight") is 49. Actor Ethan Suplee ("My Name Is Earl") is 49. Actor Lauren Frost ("Even Stevens") is 40. Actor Ebonée Noel (TV's "FBI") is 35. Musician Guy Lawrence of Disclosure is 34.
May 26: Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 86. Drummer Garry Peterson of The Guess Who is 80. Singer Stevie Nicks is 77. Actor Pam Grier is 76. Actor Philip Michael Thomas ("Miami Vice") is 76. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 76. Actor Margaret Colin is 67. Singer Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 66. Actor Doug Hutchison ("The Green Mile") is 65. Actor Genie Francis ("General Hospital") is 63. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 63. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 61. Actor Helena Bonham Carter is 59. Drummer Phillip Rhodes of The Gin Blossoms is 57. Actor Joseph Fiennes ("Shakespeare in Love") is 55. Singer Joey Kibble of Take 6 is 54. "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone is 54. Singer Lauryn Hill is 50. Bassist Nathan Cochran of MercyMe is 47. Actor Elisabeth Harnois ("CSI") is 46. Actor Hrach Titizian ("Homeland") is 46.
May 27: Actor Lee Meriwether is 90. Actor Bruce Weitz is 82. Singer Bruce Cockburn is 80. Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is 75. Actor Richard Schiff ("The Good Doctor," "The West Wing") is 70. Singer Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees is 68. Singer-guitarist Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz is 67. Actor Peri Gilpin ("Frasier") is 64. Actor Cathy Silvers ("Happy Days") is 64. Comedian Adam Carolla is 61. Actor Todd Bridges ("Diff'rent Strokes") is 60. Drummer Sean Kinney of Alice In Chains is 59. Actor Dondre' Whitfield ("Queen Sugar") is 56. Actor Paul Bettany ("The Da Vinci Code," ″A Beautiful Mind") is 54. Singer-guitarist Brian Desveaux of Nine Days is 54. Actor Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock") is 52. Musician Andre 3000 of Outkast is 50. Rapper Jadakiss is 50. TV chef Jamie Oliver is 50. Actor Ben Feldman ("Mad Men") is 45. Actor Darin Brooks ("The Bold and the Beautiful") is 41. Actor Chris Colfer ("Glee") is 35. Actor Ethan Dampf ("American Dreams") is 31. Actor Desiree Ross ("Greenleaf") is 26.
May 28: Actor Carroll Baker is 94. Singer Gladys Knight is 81. Singer Billy Vera is 81. Singer John Fogerty is 80. Musician Jerry Douglas of Alison Krauss and Union Station is 69. Actor Louis Mustillo ("Mike and Molly") is 67. Actor Brandon Cruz ("The Courtship of Eddie's Father") is 63. Actor Christa Miller ("Scrubs," ″The Drew Carey Show") is 61. Country singer Phil Vassar is 61. Singer Chris Ballew of Presidents of the United States of America is 60. Singer Kylie Minogue is 57. Rapper Chubb Rock is 57. Actor Justin Kirk ("Weeds") is 56. Talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck ("Fox and Friends," ″The View") is 48. R&B singer Jaheim is 48. Actor Jake Johnson ("New Girl") is 47. Actor Monica Keena ("Dawson's Creek," ″Undeclared") is 46. Actor Alexa Davalos ("Clash of the Titans" ″The Chronicles of Riddick") is 43. Actor Megalyn Echikunwoke ("24") is 43. Singer Colbie Caillat is 40. Actor Carey Mulligan ("The Great Gatsby") is 40.
May 29: Actor Anthony Geary ("General Hospital") is 78. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 75. Composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo) is 72. Singer LaToya Jackson is 69. Actor Ted Levine ("Monk," ″The Silence of the Lambs") is 68. Actor Annette Bening is 67. Actor Rupert Everett is 66. Actor Adrian Paul (TV's "The Highlander") is 66. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 64. Actor Lisa Whelchel ("The Facts of Life") is 62. Guitarist Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 58. Singer Jayski McGowan of Quad City DJ's is 58. Actor Anthony Azizi ("Threat Matrix," ″Lost") is 56. Guitarist Chan Kinchla of Blues Traveler is 56. Actor Laverne Cox ("Doubt," ″Orange Is the New Black") is 53. Guitarist Mark Lee of Third Day is 52. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder ("Boondocks") is 51. Singer Melanie Brown ("Scary Spice") of the Spice Girls is 50. Rapper Playa Poncho is 50. Singer Fonseca is 46. Actor Justin Chon ("Deception," ″Dr. Ken") is 44. Actor Billy Flynn ("Days of Our Lives") is 40. Actor Blake Foster ("Power Rangers Turbo") is 40. Actor Riley Keough ("Daisy Jones and the Six") is 36. Actor Brandon Mychal Smith ("Sonny With a Chance") is 36. Actor Kristen Alderson ("General Hospital," ″One Life To Live") is 34. Actor Lorelei Linklater ("Boyhood") is 32.
May 30: Actor Ruta Lee ("High Rollers," "What's My Line?") is 90. Actor Keir Dullea ("2001: A Space Odyssey") is 89. Guitarist Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five is 81. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky ("Groundhog Day," ″Sneakers") is 74. Actor Colm Meaney ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") is 72. Actor Ted McGinley ("Hope and Faith," ″Married... With Children") is 67. Actor Ralph Carter ("Good Times") is 64. Actor-filmmaker Tonya Pinkins ("All My Children") is 63. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 61. Guitarist Tom Morello of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine is 61. Actor Mark Sheppard ("Supernatural") is 61. Film director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day," "The Replacement Killers") is 60. Actor John Ross Bowie ("Speechless," ″The Big Bang Theory") is 54. Guitarist Patrick Dahlheimer of Live is 54. Singer-actor Idina Menzel is 54. Singer Cee Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob) is 50. Rapper Remy Ma is 45. Guitarist James Smith of Underoath is 43. Actor Javicia Leslie ("God Friended Me") is 38. Actor Sean Giambrone ("The Goldbergs") is 26. Actor Jared Gilmore ("Once Upon a Time," ″Mad Men") is 25.
May 31: Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 95. Keyboardist Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes and the Sir Douglas Quintet is 85. Actor Sharon Gless ("Cagney and Lacey") is 82. Actor Tom Berenger is 75. Actor Gregory Harrison is 75. Actor Kyle Secor ("Homicide: Life on the Street") is 68. Actor Roma Maffia ("Nip/Tuck," ″Profiler") is 67. Comedian Chris Elliott is 65. Actor Lea Thompson ("Caroline in the City," ″Back to the Future") is 64. Singer Corey Hart is 63. Rapper DMC of Run-DMC is 61. Actor Brooke Shields is 60. Country bassist Ed Adkins of The Derailers is 58. "The Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan is 58. Jazz bassist Christian McBride is 53. Actor Archie Panjabi ("The Good Wife") is 53. Actor Merle Dandridge ("Greenleaf") is 50. Actor Colin Farrell is 49. Trumpet player Scott Klopfenstein of Reel Big Fish is 48. Actor Eric Christian Olsen ("NCIS: Los Angeles") is 48. Drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy is 45. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame is 39. Actor Curtis Williams Jr. ("Parent'Hood") is 38. Singer Normani Hamilton of Fifth Harmony is 29. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-05 13:08:23+00:00 | [
"Gender",
"Donald Trump",
"U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development",
"Scott Turner",
"Barack Obama",
"Kim Johnson",
"Government policy",
"Discrimination",
"United States government",
"United States",
"New York City Wire",
"Business",
"Sasha Samberg-Champion",
"Kayla Gore",
"Hannah Adams",
"Politics"
] | # Discrimination protections for transgender people fade as Trump remakes housing agency
By Sally Ho and Heather Hollingsworth
May 5th, 2025, 01:08 PM
---
The Trump administration is swiftly remaking housing policy as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development retreats from long-established fair-housing protections for transgender people.
In recent months, HUD has been targeting the Obama-era Equal Access Rule that expanded protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Also in the bull's-eye are fair-housing complaint investigations and federally funded homeless shelters.
"This administration wants to pretend trans people don't exist," said Hannah Adams, a senior staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project. "Whatever they're doing is not in line with HUD's supposed mission to provide a safety net for families that are struggling in this country."
HUD said in a statement that it is upholding the landmark Fair Housing Act that guarantees equal access to housing for all Americans, as well as implementing what it called Trump's executive order "restoring biological truth to the federal government."
Here are key takeaways about how HUD is taking on the battle over transgender rights.
## Defining LGBTQ+ rights in the Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act identifies sex as one of seven protected classes for housing discrimination. But it wasn't until the Obama administration established the Equal Access Rule in 2012 that those protections were extended to cover sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status.
In 2016, the rule was expanded to include transgender people seeking help at federally funded emergency shelters.
Four years later, a 2020 Supreme Court ruling established that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment. Housing advocates and HUD in 2021 under the Biden administration interpreted that as broader affirmation that LGBTQ+ people were also protected in the fair housing law.
Kim Johnson, public policy manager at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said transgender people experience homelessness at a disproportionately higher rate despite being less than 1% of the general population. The spirit of the Fair Housing Act is to protect everyone who is vulnerable to discrimination, she said, even if the text of the law does not explicitly include gender identity as a protected class.
"We really need to ensure we're upholding what the law means, and the fact is that transgender people are some of the most marginalized people in this country," Johnson said.
## HUD drops housing discrimination cases
Since President Donald Trump appointed Scott Turner to take the helm at HUD, the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity has instructed staff to pause investigations of all gender identity discrimination cases, according to two HUD attorneys who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs or benefits.
One said letters were then issued closing the cases for lack of jurisdiction.
HUD has not disclosed how many cases have been dropped. A National Fair Housing Alliance report identified at least 195 discrimination complaints involving gender identity in 2023, though HUD has not specified how many cases are still outstanding.
With changes to the Equal Access rule and other guidance still unclear, what happens now often depends on where a case is filed. In blue states with laws offering protections beyond federal law, HUD can direct tenants facing LGBTQ+ discrimination to state-run offices still taking cases, said a HUD employee who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the hot-button topic.
To Sasha Samberg-Champion, HUD deputy general counsel in the Biden administration and now special counsel for civil rights at the National Fair Housing Alliance, "There is no public policy justification for permitting discrimination in the housing market against people because they are transgender. None."
## Homeless shelters struggle to comply with Trump's directives
Community leaders say they're facing seemingly contradictory requirements in new HUD contracts with nonprofits that find permanent housing for the homeless and run shelters.
One section stipulates that nonprofits can't promote "gender ideology" while at the same time another requires compliance with anti-discrimination law, according to a copy provided to the AP.
In Memphis, Tennessee, a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter for transgender people is looking to increase capacity because of the uncertainty.
Kayla Gore, executive director of My Sistah's House, said it can do that because it doesn't take federal funding. But other shelters are removing information from their websites about serving the LGBTQ+ community, fearful that federal funding will be stripped if they don't, she said.
"People are confused," Gore said. "They don't know what to do because they want to protect their bottom line."
## Uncertain future for the Equal Access Rule
Soon after being sworn in as HUD secretary in February, Turner announced he was halting enforcement of the Equal Access Rule and quietly filed a proposal to revise the policy. HUD officials have declined to say what the proposed changes are.
In 2020, the first Trump administration unsuccessfully moved to relieve shelters of any obligation to accommodate transgender people.
With Trump back for a second term, advocates fear his administration will feel even more emboldened to go further and forbid shelters from accommodating gender identity altogether.
"Unfortunately, it's making an already vulnerable class of people more vulnerable," said Seran Gee, an attorney for Advocates for Trans Equality.
"Our protections can't be a pingpong ball that changes every four years." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-07 05:04:06+00:00 | [
"Bullfighting",
"Mexico City",
"Mexico",
"Diego Silveti",
"Violence",
"Animals",
"JWD-evergreen",
"Antonio Rivera",
"Ricardo Cullar",
"Manuel Sescosse",
"Alejandro Talavante",
"Religion",
"Julia lvarez",
"Daniel Salinas"
] | # Those devoted to bullfighting in Mexico feel recent bans harm a sacred tradition
By María Teresa Hernández
May 7th, 2025, 05:04 AM
---
AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico (AP) — Mexican matador Diego Silveti performs a ritual ahead of each bullfight.
In each hotel room where he dresses in the garment that may bring him glory or death, he sets up an altar where he leaves his wedding band and prays before heading to the arena.
"By leaving my ring behind, I'm telling God: Here's everything I am as a father, a husband, a son and a brother," Silveti said. "I commit to what I was born to be — a bullfighter."
He last encountered a bull in late April in Aguascalientes, a state in central Mexico where bullfighting is considered a cultural heritage. Weeks before, though, Mexico City lawmakers banned violent bullfighting in the nation's capital.
While matadors there are still allowed to fight bulls, piercing their muscles with laces or running a sword through their body is prohibited under that ban.
Animal rights advocates celebrated the ruling and Environment Secretary Julia Álvarez said the lawmakers made history. But matadors like Silveti, as well as fans and cattle breeders, contend this long-time Spanish tradition bears a profound significance that would be undermined if bulls can't be killed in the arena.
"What they propose goes against the essence and the rituals of bullfighting," Silveti said. "It's a veiled prohibition that opposes the ways in which it has been done since its origins."
## Bullfighting in Mexico traces its roots to Spain
The European conquerors of Mesoamerican territories in the 16th century brought along Catholicism and cultural practices that are now intertwined with Indigenous customs.
Researcher and bullfighting fan Antonio Rivera lives in Yucatán, a southeastern state where bullfights reflect ancient Mayan traditions.
"In local celebrations, the roots of bullfighting are sacrificial rites," Rivera said. "Ancient cultures believed the gods requested sacrifices and blood fertilizes the earth."
Every year, the Yucatán peninsula celebrates about 2,000 events featuring bulls, he said.
In 2021, Yucatán's Congress declared bullfighting part of its cultural heritage. It was a way to keep the ancestral memory alive, the official declaration said, and a way to honor its people's identity.
"When I see a bull, I feel an immense devotion," Rivera said. "It's a mirror of myself. It's like looking at a living museum containing all the rituals from our collective memory."
## Like father, like son
Instead of soccer balls, Silveti grew up playing with "muletas" and "capotes" — the brightly colored capes matadors use to channel the bull's charge.
His father was one of Mexico's most beloved and renowned bullfighters. Until his death in 2003, fans called him "King David" and many remember him fondly when his son is in the ring.
"No one asked us where we wanted to be born," Silveti said. "The love towards the bull and the feast of bullfighting has been my life and my ancestors' life."
His grandfather and his father before him were also matadors. Silveti emphasizes that his sons — now ages 6 and 2 — will decide their profession, but he would proudly support them if they followed in his footsteps.
Neither the boys nor his wife watch him at the bullring, but Silveti conveys his passion in other ways. His family often visit ranches where bulls are breed. Occasionally, with his sons in his arms, Silveti bullfights baby cows.
"My youngest loves it," the matador said. "When he watches a bullfight, he plays with a napkin or a cloth and says 'Olé!' How is that possible?"
## Each bullfight has its rituals
"The King" was no longer alive when Silveti became a professional bullfighter in Spain in 2011, but he senses his father's presence constantly.
"I feel his spirit in my soul," Silveti said. "On certain days, when I'm alone and focused, I try to speak to him and follow his example."
As a child, Silveti never watched his father at the ring. He stayed home with his mother and brothers. With no social media at hand to monitor live updates, they asked God to protect him.
Many matadors, like Silveti, pray ahead of each bullfight. At the Aguascalientes plaza, the Rev. Ricardo Cuéllar blesses them.
"My job is to attend the religious needs of the bullfighting family," Cuéllar said. "Not only matadors, but also aficionados, those selling food at the arena and the bullfighters' assistants."
According to Tauromaquia Mexicana, Mexico's biggest bullfighting organization, more than 20,000 jobs depend on this tradition.
## A take on bulls
One of the organizations opposed to violent bullfighting, Cultura sin Tortura, was pleased by the Mexico City measure and said it would continue its efforts elsewhere. Another half a dozen Mexican states have also imposed bans.
"We will keep advocating for the prohibition, given that no animal must be seen as entertainment," the group said on social media.
Cattle breeders, meanwhile, say they view bulls not as sources of income but as fascinating creatures they spend years caring for. Manuel Sescosse, who owns a ranch, said that breeding this specific type of bull is as thrilling as bullfighting.
"They must look good at the arena," Sescosse said. "Offensive but noble. They must charge and simultaneously spark a sensitivity driving the crowds to deep emotion."
The perfect bull for a fight is 4 or 5 years old and weighs between 900-1,200 pounds.
According to Sescosse, each rainy season a bull is mated with 30 cows and their offspring are carefully monitored. Most receive a name. All are fed exclusively with grass and large areas are secured for them to exercise and grow strong. At the proper age, only a handful will be selected for bullfighting.
"You watch them since they are born and become calves and grow," Sescosse said. "That affection grows when they turn out good for a bullfight, leave a mark and are revered."
## Long live Centinela
Not everyone attending bullfights is drawn to the sacred aspect, but some do find deeper purpose.
Daniel Salinas says matadors follow strict norms to demonstrate their appreciation toward the bull's life, even as they end it. "We celebrate death deriving from a rite in which a human being confronts a wild animal," he said.
At Aguascalientes, when his second bull died, Silveti caressed him and respectfully closed his eyes before stepping out of the arena.
"I'm aware the bull is offering me everything he has and I'm also willing to present him with my life," Silveti said. "I've been gored 13 times and I've taken those hits willingly because I do this for a bigger purpose."
It rarely happens, but when a bull has a unique, artistic connection with its matador, his life is spared. Instead of a sword, he gets a "banderilla" (a dart-like stick). Then he returns to his ranch and breeds a progeny that fans will revere.
Following Silveti's performance in Aguascalientes, Spanish matador Alejandro Talavante faced one of those bulls.
Centinela — pitch-black hide, four years old, 1,140 pounds — won the fans' hearts as Talavante's passes made him spin and dance. The matador aimed to kill more than once, but the crowd pleaded for him not to. And in the end, the judge indulged.
Centinela gave a final, vigorous run and vanished through the tunnel while thousands cheered. It was a day of glory for him as well.
____
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-03 16:14:10+00:00 | [
"Gabon",
"Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze",
"Brice Oligui Nguema",
"Omar Bongo",
"Voting",
"Ali Bongo Ondimba",
"Corruption",
"Elections",
"Serge Loungou",
"Politics"
] | # Gabon swears in former military chief as president, signalling return to constitutional order
By Yves Laurent Goma and Baba Ahmed
May 3rd, 2025, 04:14 PM
---
LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema was sworn in as the fourth president of the Republic of Gabon on Saturday, signalling a return to constitutional order in the country after nearly two years of political transition following the 2023 military coup in this Central African country known for its oil wealth.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at a stadium in the capital, Libreville, to witness the ceremony.
Nguema, 50, the former head of the country's republican guard unit, has pledged to diversify the central African nation's largely oil-dependent economy, reform the education system, and reduce youth unemployment.
"Today we celebrate democratic renewal," Nguema said during a speech at the inauguration ceremony. "I promise to serve, protect and unite all Gabonese, that is the meaning of my oath."
He defeated seven other candidates in the April 12 election, including outgoing Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who finished a distant third with 3% of the vote. None of the other six candidates received more than 1% of the vote. Voter turnout was 70.11%. Some 920,000 voters, including more than 28,000 foreigners, were registered at over 3,000 polling stations.
Gabon has a very high unemployment rate, especially among young graduates, and the economy is heavily dependent on oil. There is also a lack of infrastructure, including roads connecting the regional provinces and basic social services such as improving the supply of clean water to the population.
Nguema overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba in 2023 and then led the country's transition before running and winning the presidential election on April 12 with 58,074 votes, or 94,85 % of the votes cast.
Addressing the Gabonese people on Saturday, Nguema promised "a different Gabon, in line with our aspirations ... we will diversify our economy through the transformation of our raw materials." He said he would open Gabon to foreign investors.
"Gen Brice Oligui Nguema has raised a lot of hopes among the population, but there is a difference between rhetoric and practice," said Serge Loungou, a lecturer in political geography at Omar Bongo University. "There are 40% of young graduates who are unemployed, the economy is heavily dependent on oil, and there is a lack of infrastructure, including roads to connect the regional provinces, and basic social services, such as improving the supply of clean water to the population."
Gabon, which has a population of 2.3 million people, a third of whom live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth, will hold legislative and local elections in September. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-18 18:22:21+00:00 | [
"Warren Buffett",
"Berkshire Hathaway",
"Inc.",
"Greg Abel",
"Omaha",
"Business",
"Susie Buffett"
] | # Buffett plans to attend, but not take questions, at next year's Berkshire shareholder meeting
May 18th, 2025, 06:22 PM
---
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett plans to attend, but not take questions, at next year's Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting — a big change following his recent surprise retirement announcement.
Buffett's handpicked successor, Greg Abel, told the Omaha World-Herald that Berkshire plans a shareholder meeting for the first weekend of May that will have a question-and-answer session. But Buffett, who plans to remain as Berkshire's chairman, plans to sit with the conglomerate's board of directors and not be on stage taking questions.
The annual shareholder meeting attracts some 40,000 people to Omaha in what's been dubbed "Woodstock for Capitalists." The marathon Q&A sessions held by Buffett, the world's most important investor known for his wit and self-effacing humor, have been a major draw.
The 94-year-old Buffett shocked an arena full of shareholders earlier this month by announcing at the end of a five-hour Q&A that he will retire at the end of the year. Susie Buffett, Buffett's daughter, told the World-Herald that Buffett wants Abel to handle the question-and-answer sessions going forward. |
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