RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling became the first woman in Virginia allowed by political leaders to vote remotely after she delivered her child last week, casting her votes miles from a statehouse historically governed by men.

About a third of state lawmakers are women, garnering 49 out of 140 seats. And of those female legislators, about two dozen have kids under 18, ranging from newborns to teens. But while LeVere Bolling juggled committee meetings, the delegate went into labor. Clerk G. Paul Nardo confirmed she is the first lawmaker granted permission to vote remotely because of childbirth.

“Being a woman, you feel pressured to just always show up,” she said before giving birth. “I feel compelled because of the issues — I feel compelled because of the lives that we’re all leading and the tumultuous political climate that we’re living in to be here. I almost feel this guilt or shame for being pregnant during this time, and I shouldn’t, right?”

The Virginia House of Delegates first allowed remote voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic and hosted virtual sessions, whereas the Senate continued to meet in person but allowed members to participate online. This year’s House rules allow Democratic House Speaker Don Scott to approve a member to participate electronically to ensure their safety.

He said letting LeVere Bolling vote remotely was a no-brainer.

“We want to live our values,” Scott said. “We say we believe in families. We say we want people to participate when they’re young when they have something to think about. We don’t need all the legislators to be very old and people who have grown children.”

In a body tracing its lineage back four centuries, women only began representing Virginians in 1924. A database of Virginia Delegates shows more than 9,500 men have served the body compared to 123 women. Today, Virginia is one of the states with the highest representation of mothers caring for minors in its statehouse.

Elsewhere, the Colorado House also allows lawmakers to vote remotely for health reasons. But 31 states do not allow remote participation in floor proceedings in either chamber as of 2023, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Experts say the varying policies show that procedural rules were not designed with mothers in mind.

“Proxy voting in Virginia would be a significant step towards modernizing our legislatures,” Liuba Grechen, founder of the Vote Mama Foundation, said in a statement. “However, we need to do more to ensure lawmakers with caregiving responsibilities are fully included in the legislative process.”

Del. Adele McClure had a daughter in October and has spent the session navigating postpartum, pumping breast milk on the House floor and rushing to see her daughter after long days.

“I’ve had to kind of learn different ways to adapt and adjust to motherhood and postpartum life and healing,” she said, adding: “I’m definitely not the same person I was last session.”

Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker said she took her 8-month-old baby with her to the Legislature last year, a challenging situation. She said she hoped opportunities for proxy votes would become normalized, noting discussions in Congress about whether U.S. lawmakers should vote remotely.

“Every single year, we have members who have medical conditions, or every single year, I’ve seen paramedics called to the House floor for a member,” she said, adding: “Health is unpredictable.”

In the House chamber on Thursday, lawmakers debated a tax-related Senate bill previously opposed by the governor. After a spirited debate, lawmakers cast their votes. The clerk spoke into his microphone: “Delegate LeVere Bolling?”

“Aye,” LeVere Bolling responded, her voice booming in the chamber’s speakers. The bill passed 62-33.

___

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press

The threat is real. The threat is plain. We're not talking about some parlour disagreement about subsection 3, clause 4 of the unsightly premises bylaw; we're talking about the violent takeover of Canada.

The post Halifax’s weak-kneed hand-wringing about whether to leave X is embarrassing appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores.

Retail sales dropped 0.9% in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said, after two months of healthy gains. It was a much bigger drop than economists expected and the biggest decline since last January.

The average temperature in January was the lowest since 1988, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics, and was particularly disruptive in the South. Devastating fires in Los Angeles may have also impacted spending.

Sales plummeted 2.8% last month at auto dealers and slumped at furniture stores, home and garden centers, Even in the usually strong online retail sector saw a 1.9% decline. Sales rose at general merchandise stores, a category that includes big retailers like Walmart and Target, and at restaurants and bars.

In addition to cold weather, the decline could reflect falling consumer confidence as reflected in recent surveys by the Conference Board and University of Michigan. Still, hiring and wage growth have been steady, suggesting the economy is still expanding. Last week the government reported that the unemployment rate fell for the second straight month to a low 4%.

Yet inflation also ticked higher last month, underscoring its persistence despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool prices through higher interest rates. The cost of groceries jumped in January from the previous month, pushed higher by soaring egg prices. Rising costs could be exacting a toll on shoppers.

President Donald Trump is also stepping up tariff threats, which could raise prices further. Trump said Thursday he would soon impose “reciprocal” tariffs on countries that levy large duties on U.S. goods exports. Trump has already added 10% import taxes on goods from China, and has said he will place 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.

Christopher Rugaber And Anne D’innocenzio, The Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — A court in India on Friday found a 31-year-old man guilty of raping and murdering an Irish woman at a popular tourist resort in 2017.

Vikat Bhagat was found guilty of the crime by Judge Kshama Joshi at the District and Sessions Court in western Goa state. Joshi said she will pronounce sentencing on Monday.

The body of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin was found by a farmer on a beach popular with holidaymakers in the western state of Goa in March 2017. An autopsy showed that cerebral damage and constriction of the neck caused her death.

Usually, rape victims cannot be named under Indian law. In this case, the victim’s family spoke to the media to raise awareness of her case. The crime highlighted persistent violence against women in India despite tougher laws against sexual assault imposed after the 2012 death of a young woman who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi.

McLaughlin’s family in a statement said they and her friends were “thankful to the public prosecutor and the investigating officer for justice.”

“They have treated her like their daughter and tirelessly fought for her,” the family said in a statement, according to Press Trust of India news agency.

A separate statement posted on behalf of the family on the “Truth For Danielle McLaughlin” Facebook page said her “truth has finally been heard.”

“We have lost nearly 8 years of our lives fighting for Danielle and we are so thankful that we now can start grieving her immeasurable loss. She was so much more than a daughter, sister and best friend. She lit up every room she entered and touch the lives of all who met her. She brought so much good into this world and he so quickly took her from this world with his cruelty,” the statement said.

Ireland’s foreign ministry in a statement on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris paid tribute to McLaughlin’s family, in particular to her mother, “for her determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy.”

“While nothing can ease the pain of their loss, I hope that this verdict represents some closure for the family. My thoughts will remain with them as they continue to grieve the loss of their beloved daughter and sister. May Danielle rest in peace,” the statement said.

Goa is a popular backpacking destination in India. Millions of tourists visit its numerous beach resorts every year.

The Associated Press

The Black Masters golf tournament was started in Truro, N.S., leaving a lasting impact celebrating 50 years. Founder Darrell Maxwell shares his inspiring journey. Watch 'Apex: The Black Masters' on CBC Gem for the full documentary.

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying coal miners in restive southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding five others, officials said.

The attack happened in Harnai, a district in Balochistan province, according to a government administrator Wali Kakar. He said police had transported the dead and wounded to a hospital and officers are still investigating.

Wasim Baig, a spokesman at a hospital, said medics received nine bodies and two others who were critically wounded died at the hospital. He said at least two people were still listed in a critical condition.

Authorities said the victims were from the country’s northwestern Swat Valley and other areas in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and provincial authorities in separate statements condemned the attack and ordered local authorities and police to trace and arrest those who orchestrated the attack and killed innocent laborers.

Though no one claimed responsibility, the suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army separatist group which has been blamed by the government for such previous attacks on laborers from other parts of the country.

Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan has a long-running insurgency, with several separatist groups staging attacks, targeting security forces and civilians in their quest for independence. Several militant groups also are active in the province.

The Associated Press

Many schools in Nova Scotia are closed Friday because streets are slicked with ice.

The clean-up continues after yesterday’s messy storm.

HRCE has closed all its schools for the day. On their website, officials explained that the decision to close was based on:

1. Freezing rain, rain, and a drop in temperature overnight.
2. Roads and sidewalks are still being cleared.

HRCE was not alone in closing schools on Friday. Schools were also closed within the following districts:

• Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education
• Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education
• Strait Regional Centre for Education
• South Shore Regional Centre for Education
• Tri-County Regional Centre for Education

Backcountry campers at Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site will have to purchase and transport wood if they want to enjoy a campfire this summer. 

Nova Scotia contractor and union reps say it's not true that construction is more expensive on the island than it is elsewhere. They say the cost of labour, especially, has been stable thanks to a five-year collective agreement with unions.

A group of volunteers providing a small free food pantry in Digby, N.S., is hoping its efforts will help keep people in the area fed, and the new pantry won't suffer the same fate as two others around town that were vandalized in December. 

It’s a sure sign that spring is on the way — the Port of Halifax has released its schedule for the upcoming cruise season.

The port says the April 4 to November 19 season is the longest to date.

It is scheduled for 188 calls and nearly 330,000 cruise guests in Halifax.

There will be six inaugural calls from vessels visiting Halifax for the first time, and 52 days will see multiple ships dock here.

The Port Authority shares the schedule in advance so local businesses and tourism operators can plan accordingly to make the most of the arrivals.

“We’re pleased to share this year’s schedule, and we look forward to the return of cruise ships and cruise guests to the Halifax Seaport,” said Fulvio Fracassi, President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority. “We know advance planning and preparations are important for our tourism partners, including the many local businesses like restaurants, stores, and attractions contributing to guest experiences. The cruise industry makes an important contribution to Nova Scotia’s tourism sector.”

The Halifax Seaport is also receiving upgrades this year, including the installation of new digital signage, public address systems, enhanced wayfinding, new murals, water bottle filling stations, and a modern, interactive information booth at Pavilion 22 in partnership with Discover Halifax.

Season at-a-glance highlights for Halifax:

• Longest season to date, from April 4 until November 19
• 188 calls
• approx 328,000 cruise guests
• Sustainability prioritized, with shore power connection available and Environmental Shipping Index (ESI) rebates for cruise vessels
• Six inaugural calls (first time a vessel visits Halifax), one overnight, and two turnarounds on smaller, boutique vessels (guests disembark and new guests board the vessel in Halifax)
• 13 tendering calls, with the capability of tendering two vessels on one day; these double-tender days are expected on Sept. 30, Oct. 16, and 21
• 52 multiple ship days
• Three calls for the Queen Mary on July 6, Aug. 6, and Oct. 6
• Inaugural call by Virgin Voyages in the region — Halifax is the first North American port of call (and third port) for the maiden voyage of the Brilliant Lady
• Return of AIDA Cruises to the region, based out of Germany
• Halifax continues to develop summer cruises during the months of June, July, and August, to spread out the season and attract visitors seeking warmer weather experiences and activities.

There was no change in the price of gasoline heading into the long weekend.

The Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board decided to leave the minimum price for self-serve regular gasoline at 163.8 cents per liter for a second consecutive week.

There was a small increase in the price of diesel, rising by 0.7 cents to 192.6 cents per liter.

Twelve months ago, we were paying 1.64 for gasoline and 1.99 for diesel.

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly up Friday on the back of a near-record rally on U.S. stocks, as investors paid little attention to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged 3.14% to 22,499.72, while the Shanghai Composite was up 0.43% to 3,346.72. The Nikkei 225 slid 0.79% to 39,149.43. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia was up 0.19% to 8,555.80 and South Korea’s KOSPI was up 0.31% to 2,591.05.

“There are much tailwinds for risk sentiments in the region to tap on, with the positive handover in Wall Street, weaker US dollar and lower Treasury yields,” Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at IG, wrote in a note.

“However, Japan’s Nikkei lagged, likely pressured by a stronger yen,” he said.

Chinese technology stocks listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange all gained on Friday, with stocks from video games firm Tencent, e-commerce firm Alibaba and online services firm Meituan rising over 5%.

Chinese technology firms have enjoyed renewed interest since Chinese AI company DeepSeek released an artificial intelligence model that rivals those of OpenAI while being trained on cheaper hardware. Companies like Alibaba have in recent weeks also released new iterations of their own AI models, and search engine firm Baidu said Friday that it would make its Ernie Bot AI chatbot available for free to public.

“With Beijing doubling down on AI as a national priority, investors are rushing to reprice China’s tech and innovation potential. This is no longer just a stimulus-driven bounce — it’s a paradigm shift,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

“If momentum holds, the Hang Seng Index could finally break out of its multi-year slump, reigniting global appetite for Chinese equities.”

On Thursday, the S&P 500 climbed 1% to pull within 0.1% of its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 342 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.5%.

U.S. stocks rose after officials in Washington said reciprocal tariffs would take time to implement.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S crude added 14 cents to $71.43 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 37 cents to $75.39 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar weakened to 152.57 Japanese yen from 152.82 yen. The euro cost $1.0459, remaining largely unchanged.

___

AP Business Writer Stan Choe in New York contributed.

Zen Soo, The Associated Press

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying coal miners in restive southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least nine people and wounding others, officials said.

The attack happened in Harnai, a district in Balochistan province, according to a government administrator Wali Kakar. He said police had transported the dead and wounded to a hospital and officers are still investigating.

Most of the victims were from the country’s northwestern Swat Valley and other areas, authorities said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and provincial authorities in separate statements condemned the attack and ordered local authorities and police to trace and arrest those who orchestrated the attack and killed innocent laborers.

Though no one claimed responsibility, the suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army separatist group which has been blamed by the government for such previous attacks on laborers from other parts of the country.

Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan has a long-running insurgency, with several separatist groups staging attacks, targeting security forces and civilians in their quest for independence. Several militant groups also are active in the province.

The Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the U.S., after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban.

TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to comply with a law that requires ByteDance to divest the app or be banned in the U.S.

The popular social media app, which has over 170 million American users, previously suspended its services in the U.S. for a day before restoring service following assurances from Trump that he would postpone banning the app. The TikTok service suspension briefly prompted thousands of users to migrate to RedNote, a Chinese social media app, while calling themselves “TikTok refugees.”

The TikTok app became available to download again in the U.S. Apple App store and Google Play store after nearly a month. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order to extend the enforcement of a ban on TikTok to April 5.

TikTok has long faced troubles in the U.S., with the U.S. government claiming that its Chinese ownership and access to the data of millions of Americans makes it a national security risk.

TikTok has denied allegations that it has shared U.S. user data at the behest of the Chinese government, and argued that the law requiring it to be divested or banned violates the First Amendment rights of its American users.

During Trump’s first term in office, he supported banning TikTok but later changed his mind, claiming that he had a “warm spot” for the app. TikTok CEO Shou Chew was among the attendees at Trump’s inauguration ceremony.

Trump has suggested that TikTok could be jointly owned, with half of its ownership being American. Potential buyers include real estate mogul Frank McCourt, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast.

Zen Soo, The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Back when egg prices remained securely under $2 a dozen in 2021, Nevada joined several other states concerned about animal welfare in requiring cage-free eggs.

Now four years later, a dozen eggs costs an average of nearly $5 in the U.S. because of the lingering bird flu, so Nevada passed a law the governor signed Thursday that will allow the state to suspend that law temporarily in hopes of getting residents some relief at the checkout counter.

But it is not quite that simple, which is why the other six states with the same laws are so far reticent to follow suit.

By relaxing the rule, Nevada might get access to additional eggs, but the supply of all eggs remains tight because nearly 159 million birds have been slaughtered since the bird flu outbreak began in 2022 to help limit virus spread. The virus prompts the slaughter of entire flocks anytime it is found.

It is not clear dropping cage-free laws will have a significant effect on egg prices that have peaked at an average of $4.95 per dozen because the farmers who collectively invested several billion dollars in making the switch can’t easily go back to raising chickens packed together in massive barns that they already spent the money to convert.

Even if all the cage-free laws went away, big corporations like McDonald’s and Sodexo remain committed to buying only those kind of eggs, ensuring strong demand for cage-free eggs.

University of Arkansas agricultural economist Jada Thompson said opening up Nevada to all kinds of eggs “could ease egg prices in Nevada very slightly,” but that it might make prices worse elsewhere because supplies are so tight.

Nevada tries to counter high egg prices

But Nevada is going to give it a try even if California, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan don’t seem to be considering it. Arizona, Rhode Island and Utah also have cage-free laws on the books, but theirs won’t take effect for at least a couple more years.

Democratic Assemblymember Howard Watts III, who raises chickens in his Nevada backyard, advocated for the 2021 bill to promote the “standard of humane treatment” of the animals. But the ongoing bird flu outbreak in the U.S. has caused egg prices to to hit a record high, and cage-free eggs are generally even more expensive.

“One of the things that was not foreseen at that time was this major animal disease outbreak,” Watts testified Tuesday. “As a result, there was no regulatory flexibility to suspend those requirements in the event of a major supply chain disruption.”

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo approved the legislation Thursday. Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea is expected to authorize the 120-day suspension of the cage-free egg requirements within a day, according to Goicoechea’s spokesperson Ciara Ressel.

“We anticipate 30 days before we can see an impact at the grocery stores,” Ressel said.

This month’s jump in egg prices was the biggest since the nation’s last bird flu outbreak in 2015. The previous high was set two years ago when eggs were selling for $4.82 per dozen on average.

The average prices mask just how bad it is in some places. Some Californians these days are shelling out $12.99 for a dozen, or more than a buck an egg. Some New York shops even started selling bundles of three eggs to help people who can’t afford a full dozen.

Nevada resident Nancy Wong said she has been “outraged” by egg prices in the state. “We have gone to the store and eggs have been either rationed or completely out,” she said.

A minority of eggs are produced on cage-free farms

The concern with the cage-free requirements is that only about 121 million of the 304 million chickens laying eggs nationwide are raised on cage-free farms, so the supply is limited.

Many of the eggs those hens produce are promised to restaurant chains like McDonald’s and Panera, food service giants like Sodexo and Aramark and grocers under long-term contracts that help keep prices down. But even when they do have to pay a premium, grocers sometimes lose money on eggs by selling them cheaply to try to get shoppers in the door.

The number of cage-free chickens has steadily increased in recent years because of the laws and the pressure from the companies buying eggs, increasing exponentially from just 38 million at the start of 2017. But the United Egg Producers trade group has estimated it would take at least 226 million cage-free hens to meet all the demand for those eggs, and more customers are clamoring for them, so the supply is tight.

The total flock of chickens nationwide used to number above 330 million before the bird flu outbreak began.

Even as more egg farmers were converting to cage-free setups over the past decade, prices stayed between $1.40 and $2 per dozen most of the time with only the normal seasonal price spikes around Easter and Thanksgiving until this current bird flu outbreak began in early 2022.

If bird flu outbreaks happen to hit cage-free farms hard, there are fewer eggs out there that can replace the lost ones. For example, out of the nearly 47 million birds slaughtered just since the start of December, more than 3 million of them were on five cage-free farms in California.

Anytime birds must be killed, it takes months for a farm to resume producing eggs because of the time required to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize the barns and raise new chickens until they are about 5 months old and capable of laying eggs.

Other states resist overturning cage-free laws

California won’t consider dropping its cage-free law in part because the rule came from a measure voters passed in 2018, so voters would have to approve any major changes.

But there doesn’t seem to be much support for changes in other states either.

Michigan state Rep. Jerry Neyer, a dairy farmer and chair of the state House Agriculture Committee, said the idea that new cage-free laws are driving up egg prices is a “misconception.” The Republican added that most farms already adapted to comply with the law, so dropping the mandate wouldn’t cut costs.

A bill to repeal Colorado’s cage-free requirements, which just took effect on Jan. 1, was killed in its first committee vote last month. The sponsor, Republican state Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, argued that while the avian flu was a major factor in prices, the cage-free rules played a significant role. But the majority of lawmakers on the panel appeared skeptical.

Jonathan Kuester, who runs the small Historic Wagner Farm with about 200 Red Star hens in Illinois just outside Chicago, said he doesn’t think cage-free practices are the cause of the egg shortages.

He acknowledged his farm is more vulnerable to a bird flu infection than a traditional farm where chickens are confined inside a barn that can be better protected. Kuester’s birds roam free, where they might interact with ducks and geese that are the main carriers of the disease.

“The egg shortage that people are seeing is a result of some fairly large flocks being euthanized, and so fewer chickens are currently laying than were three or four months ago,” Kuester said. “There’s been a little bit of a panic, too. People are suddenly buying eggs as quickly as they can, and so you see that shortage.”

___

Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Govindarao reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Sophie Austin, Joey Cappelletti, Michael Casey, Isabella Volmert, Jesse Bedayn, Erin Hooley and Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

Josh Funk, Sejal Govindarao And Ty Oneil, The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A fire broke out at a resort construction site in the South Korean city of Busan Friday, killing at least six people, fire officials said.

About 100 workers managed to evacuate from the site and about 90 firefighters were trying to put out the blaze, which was reported at around 10:20 a.m., according to Busan’s fire agency. It wasn’t immediately clear whether workers were still trapped inside.

The agency said six people were taken to hospitals in cardiac arrest and later pronounced dead. Seven other people sustained minor injuries.

Television footage showed gray-black smoke and flames rising from the site and a helicopter approaching the building as part of rescue efforts. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately clear.

The country’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, instructed officials to deploy “all available personnel and equipment” to put out the fire.

The Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Some 260 people believed to have been trafficked and trapped into working in online scam centers are to be repatriated after they were rescued from Myanmar, Thailand’s army announced Thursday.

In a fresh crackdown on scam centers operating from Southeast Asia, the Thai army said it was coordinating an effort to repatriate some 260 people believed to have been victims of human trafficking after they were rescued and sent from Myanmar to Thailand.

Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, which share borders with Thailand, have become known as havens for criminal syndicates who are estimated to have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia and elsewhere into helping run online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Such scams have extracted tens of billions of dollars from victims around the world, according to U.N. experts, while the people recruited to carry them out have often been tricked into taking the jobs under false pretenses and trapped in virtual slavery.

An earlier crackdown on scam centers in Myanmar was initiated in late 2023 after China expressed embarrassment and concern over illegal casinos and scam operations in Myanmar’s northern Shan state along its border. Ethnic guerrilla groups with close ties to Beijing shut down many operations, and an estimated 45,000 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement were repatriated.

The army said that those rescued in the most recent operation came from 20 nationalities — with significant numbers from Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan and China. There were also nationals of Indonesia, Nepal, Taiwan, Uganda, Laos, Brazil, Burundi, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana and India. They were sent across the border from Myanmar’s Myawaddy district to Thailand’s Tak province on Wednesday.

Reports in Thai media said a Myanmar ethnic militia that controls the area where they were held, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, was responsible for freeing the workers and taking them to the border. Myanmar’s military government exercises little control over frontier areas where ethnic minorities predominate.

Several ethnic militias are believed to be involved in criminal activities, including drug trafficking and protecting call-center scam operations.

The Thai army statement said the rescued people will undergo questioning, and if determined to be victims of human trafficking, will enter a process of protection while waiting to be sent back to their countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who is also defense minister, said Wednesday that there might be many more scam workers waiting to be repatriated from Myanmar through Thailand, but that Thailand would only receive those that are ready to be taken back right away by their country of origin.

“I’ve made it clear that Thailand is not going to set up another shelter,” he told reporters during a visit in Sa Kaeo province, which borders Cambodia. Thailand hosts nine refugee camps along the border holding more than 100,000 people, most from Myanmar’s ethnic Karen minority.

Phumtham added that Thailand would also need to question them before sending them back, first is to make sure that they are victims of human trafficking, and also to get information that would help the police investigate the trafficking and scam problems.

On a visit to China in early February, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed along with China’s leader Xi Jinping to crack down on the scam networks that plague Southeast Asia.

Many dramatic stories of Chinese people being lured to work in Bangkok only to be trafficked into a scam compound in Myanmar have surfaced. Chinese actor Wang Xing was a high-profile case but was quickly rescued after his tale spread on social media.

Underlining Beijing’s concern, Liu Zhongyi, China’s Vice Minister of Public Security and Commissioner of its Criminal Investigation Bureau, made an official visit to Thailand last month and inspected the border area opposite where many of the Myanmar’s scam centers are located.

Just ahead of Paetongtarn’s visit to China, the Thai government issued an order to cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to several areas in Myanmar along the border with northern Thailand, citing national security and severe damage that the country has suffered from scam operations.

Her government is considering expanding this measure to Thailand’s northeastern areas bordering Cambodia, said Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Thanathip Sawangsang, who explained that officials had already removed internet cables that were installed illegally in the areas.

Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Sen. Jim Risch, to Germany for the Munich Security Conference was forced to return to Washington late Thursday after developing a mechanical issue.

“This evening, en route from Washington to Munich, the plane on which Secretary Rubio is flying experienced a mechanical issue,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

“The plane has turned around and is returning to Joint Base Andrews,” she said. “The secretary intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate air craft.”

The issue with what one official said had to do with the cockpit windshield on the C-32, a converted Boeing 757, occurred about 90 minutes after the flight took off from Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington.

Although Rubio plans to resume his journey on a new plane it was not immediately clear if the delay would cause him to miss a scheduled Friday morning meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich.

Matthew Lee, The Associated Press

References to transgender people were removed Thursday from a National Park Service website for the Stonewall National Monument, a park and visitor center in New York that commemorates a 1969 riot that became a pivotal moment for the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

The changes were made in the wake of an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office calling for the federal government to define sex as only male or female.

“This is just cruel and petty,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, posted on X. “Transgender people play a critical role in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights — and New York will never allow their contributions to be erased.”

The monument in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village section is based in a tiny park across the street from the Stonewall Inn, a bar that became ground zero for the gay rights movement on June 28, 1969, when gay and transgender patrons and neighborhood residents fought back against a police raid.

The park service website on Friday was still filled with information about the uprising, including photographs of noted transgender activists.

But the words “transgender” and “queer” had been deleted from text that had been on the site.

Also, the letters T and Q were cut from various references to the acronym LGBTQ and replaced with phrases like the “LGB rights movement” or “LGB civil rights.”

Representatives of the present-day Stonewall Inn, which is part of the national monument, and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, a nonprofit organization associated with the historic bar, expressed anger and outrage over the changes.

“This blatant act of erasure not only distorts the truth of our history, but it also dishonors the immense contributions of transgender individuals — especially transgender women of color — who were at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots and the broader fight for LGBTQ+ rights,” said organizers of the two entities in a statement.

“They’re trying to literally cis-wash, if you will, LGBTQ history by taking trans folks and saying they didn’t exist then and don’t exist now,” said Stacy Lentz, CEO of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative and a co-owner of The Stonewall Inn. “It is very alarming.”

Angelica Christina, who is board director of the initiative and a transgender woman, said the changes to the website are not surprising given “the constant executive orders the Trump administration has been leveling against the trans community.”

But she said it is shocking and unnerving to see the Stonewall National Monument in particular targeted: “The West Village, and especially the Stonewall Inn, has always been a safe haven for the LGBT community.”

Earlier this week, the homepage for the national monument said that “Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) person was illegal.”

On Thursday, it said: “Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal.”

The National Park Service did not respond to a message left Thursday seeking comment on the changes. The service previously did not respond to questions about whether Trump’s executive order would mean changes for the monument.

Timothy Leonard, Northeast program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, a 1.6 million-member nonprofit group that advocates on behalf of national parks and helped push for the Stonewall monument, said “erasing letters or webpages” does not change history or the contributions of the transgender community at Stonewall or elsewhere.

“The National Park Service exists to not only protect and preserve our most cherished places but to educate its millions of annual national park visitors about the inclusive, full history of America,” Leonard said.

Then President Barack Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument in 2016.

Last year, a $3.2 million visitor center run by the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Pride Live opened at the site, in partnership with the park service, to tell the Stonewall story in more depth. The center was financed mostly with private donations, except for $450,000 from the park service’s charitable arm.

Trump’s order declared the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female, based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than on their chromosomes. The change is being pitched as a way to protect women from “gender extremism.”

Conservative groups such as the American Family Association have praised the change as one that acknowledges the truth. But experts including the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association hold that gender is a spectrum, not a binary structure consisting only of males and females.

Susan Haigh, The Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Tens of thousands of people in densely populated, land-poor Hong Kong live in tiny dwellings made by dividing up apartments, most smaller than a parking space. It’s an affordable option for students and low-income families but can also mean banging shins in cramped and in some cases substandard living spaces.

The city’s government has proposed new rules that would set minimum standards for such housing units, but residents and advocates for the poor worry that it could drive up rents and make it even harder to hang on in the city. The city’s eventual goal, mandated by Beijing, is to eliminate subdivided apartments over the next 25 years.

Officials are aiming to pass the rules into law within the year. After that, landlords will have a grace period to make their substandard flats meet the bar. The government has promised to assist affected residents in resettlement and adopt a gradual approach in its policy implementation to avoid causing panic.

Here are some of the numbers that illustrate the residents’ living conditions and the proposed policy.

7.5 million

Hong Kong’s population in mid-2024

80 square kilometers (31 square miles)

How much land is used for housing in the densely-packed territory, according to the city’s planning department

11O,000

The number of dwellings created by dividing apartments

220,000

The number of people who live in them

10 square meters (110 square feet)

The median size of the units that have been carved out. About one-fourth are less than eight square meters (86 square feet), the minimum size mandated under the proposed rules

12.5 square meters (135 square feet)

The standard size of a parking space in Hong Kong

$640

Or 5,000 Hong Kong dollars: the median rent for a unit in a subdivided apartment

33,000

Estimated number of units that would need major renovations under the proposed rules

2049

The year by which China’s central government wants Hong Kong to phase out subdivided units. It will mark 100 years of communist rule in China.

The Associated Press

The Cape Breton Eagles came back to defeat the Halifax Mooseheads 5-3 at Scotiabank Centre on Thursday night.

The Mooseheads drew first blood as Shawn Carrier opened up the scoring less than a minute into the opening frame. Lucas Romeo answered back for the Eagles to even things up at 1-1 heading into the second period.

Quinn Kennedy put the Herd back up by one in the second period followed up by a power play goal from Braeden MacPhee to make it 3-1 Halifax. Jacob Newcombe responded seconds later to bring the Eagles back within one.

Newcombe would follow up with his second goal of the evening in the opening minute of the third period. It only look Lucas Romeo a few seconds after that to follow up with his second goal of the contest, putting Cape Breton up 4-3.

An empty netter from Romain Litalien sealed the deal for the Eagles, who have now defeated Halifax four straight.

The Mooseheads are back on the road on Saturday when they visit the Moncton Wildcats.

Make sure you tune into 95.7 News Radio for all your play-by-play action with Garreth MacDonald.

EDMONTON — An Edmonton mother says she’s thrilled to see the community rally to support her nine-year-old son’s soccer team after its coach dropped out of contact and tens of thousands of dollars vanished.

Lauren Scorgie says the Selects Football Club has been working for two years to raise more than $50,000 to travel to a tournament in Las Vegas.

Speaking to The Canadian Press, she said parents learned Monday that the team hadn’t been registered for the event and hotel rooms hadn’t been booked.

Scorgie, the assistant coach and team manager, said nobody has been able to contact the head coach and roughly $40,000 is missing from the team’s bank account.

“He was at the kids’ practice on Sunday, told everyone he’d get everyone the tickets on Monday or Tuesday, and we never heard from him after Monday,” she said Thursday.

Edmonton police spokesperson Blaire McCalla confirmed officers received a fraud complaint Monday related to a youth sports team. Attempts to reach the coach by phone, email, social media and text have gone unanswered.

Scorgie said the coach got the team together two years ago to crowdsource money for the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup International Tournament. The kids were excited, she said, holding bottle drives, silent auctions and selling chocolate door-to-door.

After they raised $50,000, she said the coach offered to book flights and hotels on his credit card and be reimbursed by the team. It started in July with $1,500 to register the team for the event, $1,300 for travel insurance, and then $15,000 for plane tickets, she said.

Scorgie said the coach was to provide credit card statements as proof of transaction before taking money from the team bank account.

Last weekend, parents checked the event schedule online — only to discover the team wasn’t listed.

Scorgie said she called the coach, who told her he’d take care of things, but the team still wasn’t listed on the schedule when he stopped answering parents’ calls on Monday.

Upon making some calls to officials in Las Vegas, she learned the team hadn’t been registered.

“I don’t know why anybody would do that to children,” Scorgie said.

After telling the kids what happened, she said parents came together and agreed to start a GoFundMe campaign for the team. As of Thursday, it has raised more than $55,000, including a $4,000 donation from Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers.

“Everybody was going off,” she said. “When the kids saw that, they’re like, ‘This is awesome.’ It’s crazy.”

Community groups, businesses and sports organizations have also shown support, she said. The Edmonton Oil Kings have donated tickets for families to watch them play. One restaurant has even offered to throw the kids a pizza party.

Scorgie said the parents plan to give back by using some of the GoFundMe money to help underprivileged kids who can’t afford sports fees.

Parents hope the team can attend another soccer competition in Minnesota this summer and the Mayor’s Cup next year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An 86-year-old Kansas City man will plead guilty Friday to the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang the man’s doorbell by mistake, two people familiar with the case told The Associated Press.

Andrew Lester was scheduled to stand trial next week on charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of the then 16-year-old, who survived.

On Thursday, prosecutors said Lester would appear in court Friday, but they did not say why. Two people familiar with the case who requested anonymity to speak in advance of Friday’s hearing told The Associated Press that Lester will plead guilty. One of those people said he will plead to a lesser charge of second-degree assault.

Yarl showed up on Lester’s doorstep in April 2023 after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings.

Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, has long argued that Lester was acting in self-defense.

The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debate about gun policies and race in the U.S.

The Associated Press

The SS Mont Blanc is famous for its role in the Halifax Explosion, and historians are urging the province to preserve these pieces of history. Tom Murphy has the story.

Black Boy just hit stores across the country. In early March, it will be sold at U.S. bookstore Barnes & Noble. Elizabeth Chiu caught up with the author in New Glasgow.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators have introduced legislation seeking to designate North America’s tallest peak as Denali — weeks after President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in a statement Thursday, said that in Alaska, the peak is Denali.

“Once you see it in person and take in the majesty of its size and breathe in its cold air, you can understand why the Koyukon Athabascans referred to it as ‘The Great One.’ This isn’t a political issue –- Alaskans from every walk of life have long been advocating for this mountain to be recognized by its true name,” she said.

The bill introduced by Murkowski is cosponsored by Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, whose wife is Athabascan.

Trump on his first day in office last month signed an executive order to rename the iconic 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain in Denali National Park and Preserve for McKinley, saying a 2015 decision by the Obama administration to recognize the peak as Denali instead of Mount McKinley was “an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements and his sacrifice.”

William McKinley, the 25th president, hailed from Ohio and never visited Alaska, but a prospector dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” in 1896 — the year McKinley went on to be elected president. The name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until 2015, when Obama’s Interior secretary, Sally Jewell, announced the renaming of the peak to Denali “in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska.” The state had had a longstanding request for the mountain to be renamed Denali but had faced opposition from Ohio lawmakers for years.

Murkowski and Sullivan earlier in 2015 introduced legislation calling for the mountain to be designated Denali. During Trump’s first term, in 2017, the senators pushed back when Trump brought up the idea of having the peak’s name revert to Mount McKinley.

Earlier this month, the Alaska Legislature passed a resolution urging the Trump administration to reverse course and keep the name Denali.

J. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson with the U.S. Interior Department, by email Thursday said that the agency doesn’t comment on proposed legislation. Peace said the name change to Mount McKinley — outlined by Trump’s order — was not yet complete but was expected to be soon.

Joe Plesha, a Murkowski spokesperson, said by email Thursday the bill would not block the order from taking effect but instead would seek to reverse it.

Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Nine people have been indicted in a child sex trafficking case involving a teen girl found last month on a boat docked at a New York marina following a nearly monthlong disappearance.

The seven men and two women pleaded not guilty during their arraignments in Suffolk County court in Riverhead on Thursday, according to Timothy Finnerty, a court spokesperson.

They face a range of charges, including child sex trafficking, kidnapping, rape and endangering the welfare of the child, online court records show.

Prosecutors told the judge the defendants took advantage of a vulnerable 14-year-old, raping her multiple times and marketing her for sex, Newsday reports.

The teen, who The Associated Press is not naming because she is a minor, disappeared for about 25 days.

She was seen on surveillance video leaving her house on Long Island, a suburban region east of New York City, and getting into a car on Dec. 9. She was eventually found by her father on a yacht docked at a marina in Islip on Jan. 3.

The father has told local news outlets he received an anonymous tip about his daughter’s location after posting about her disappearance on social media and offering a reward of up to $15,000.

Spokespersons for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, didn’t respond to emails and messages seeking comment this week.

Among Thursday’s defendants was Daniel Burke, a Long Island man who prosecutors say was among the men who had sex with the teen. He faces kidnapping, rape and other charges.

“Fortunately our justice system is based on facts and evidence,” Oscar Crisafio, Burke’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement. “And the evidence in this case, in the words of the actual complainant, suggests that she was never held against her will.”

Ralph Knowles, another Long Island resident, was charged with rape and other counts, according to online court records.

“Ralph looks forward to receiving discovery in a timely manner and his day in court where the truth will prevail,” his lawyer Chase Brown said in an emailed statement.

Other defendants in the case have also denied the charges, Newsday reports.

Three of them were remanded to the county jail Thursday, while the six others had their previously set bail increased by the judge, according to the newspaper.

Three additional defendants have also been charged in connection with the case, but are not included in the initial indictment, Newsday reports.

Among them is a staffer at a state mental health facility who prosecutors say groped the girl while she was receiving inpatient treatment following the ordeal.

He’s been charged with criminal sexual contact with a person incapable of consent and endangering the welfare of a child.

___

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press

Halifax's first research aquarium plans to open this fall, and is looking for funding from the municipality to help with the costs needed to stay afloat.

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon's storm forecast and what can be expected on Friday morning.

A federal judge in district court in Arizona on Thursday dismissed claims of defamation by former Cardinals executive Terry McDonough, his wife and daughter against the team, its law firm and public relations firm.

Judge Dominic Lanza also granted the motion to compel arbitration made by the law firm and PR firm regarding McDonough’s claims of defamation, removing them from federal court.

Last year, an NFL arbitrator ordered the Cardinals to pay nearly $3 million to McDonough for making “false and defamatory” statements about him to the media.

Jeffrey Mishkin, the arbitrator appointed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, determined the Cardinals defamed McDonough in a CounterPoint Statement that accused him of “extreme domestic violence” and claimed he “abandoned responsibility” for his daughter and “cut her off financially.”

McDonough’s claims for unlawful retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy were dismissed. He sought up to $125 million in total damages.

Following the decision, McDonough, his wife, Lynette, and daughter, Caroline, filed a lawsuit alleging defamation and other related claims by the defendants: the Cardinals, their external law firm (Gallagher & Kennedy) and external PR firm (Counterpoint).

Judge Lanza determined the claims were unwarranted.

“We are pleased with the federal court ruling today in which a United States District Judge dismissed all of the McDonough claims against the team,” a team spokesman said in a statement.

McDonough worked 10 seasons for the Cardinals’ front office, including several years as vice president of player personnel.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he’ll allow federal immigration officials to operate at the city’s Rikers Island jail following a meeting Thursday with President Donald Trump’s border czar.

Adams said he’ll issue an executive order reestablishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence at the island jail complex, as had been the case under prior administrations.

The Democrat said ICE agents would be focused on assisting the correction department’s intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, particularly those focused on violent criminals and gangs.

Adams said he also talked with Thomas Homan about ways to embed more New York police detectives into federal task forces focused on violent gangs and criminal activity.

“As I have always said, immigrants have been crucial in building our city and will continue to be key to our future success, but we must fix our long-broken immigration system,” he said in a statement. “That is why I have been clear that I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers.”

Homan met with Adams at a federal office building in Manhattan as the Republican administration pushes for more help detaining and deporting people accused of crimes.

But ICE has long had a contentious relationship with New York, which has rules and laws limiting police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Immigration officials, for example, aren’t able to request city jails hold people wanted for civil immigration law violations past when they would ordinarily be released from custody, under city policy.

New York City has also passed measures that curtail ICE’s access to public schools and other city properties.

Adams, who faces a Democratic primary in June, has said he favors loosening these so-called sanctuary policies, but he doesn’t have the broad power to do so as mayor.

He stressed Thursday that his priority is to ensure that people who commit serious crimes are removed from the city.

“Keeping the 8.3 million New Yorkers who call our city home safe is — and will always remain — our administration’s North Star,” Adams said in the statement.

The Democrat is under unique pressure to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

On Monday, the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan to dismiss corruption charges against Adams so he could focus on assisting the president’s immigration agenda.

As of Thursday, the criminal charges remained in place. If the case is ultimately dropped, a senior Justice Department official said in a memo that a review would be done after the mayoral election in November to assess whether it should be reinstated.

Immigration advocates say they’re concerned Adams might feel pressure from the Trump administration to disregard or rescind some of the city’s sanctuary protections, which come from a patchwork of state and city laws and mayoral executive orders, some stretching back decades.

Republican members of New York’s City Council who met separately with Homan prior to the mayor’s meeting said Homan hoped Adams will support efforts to roll back the city’s sanctuary protections.

“He’s expecting cooperation,” said Councilmember Bob Holden.

Adams has already ordered city officials to lawfully cooperate with Trump’s agenda around immigration and other issues, though the administration’s instructions have sparked worry and confusion among some city workers and contractors.

Adams said before the meeting with Homan that he also intended to discuss restoring the more than $80 million the Federal Emergency Management Agency clawed back from the city on Wednesday that was meant to defray the cost of sheltering homeless migrants.

The Adams administration has leased several hotels and vacant buildings and repurposed them as migrant shelters as the city has tried to house some 230,000 people that have arrived from the U.S. southern border in recent years.

The Trump administration on Wednesday also filed a lawsuit against New York’s governor and attorney general over the state’s so-called Green Light law, versions of which have been enacted in a number of states and generally allow people who might not be in the U.S. legally to get driver’s licenses.

___

Associated Press reporter Cedar Attanasio in New York contributed to this report.

Jake Offenhartz And Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is holding up money for wildfire mitigation projects funded through legislation championed by his Democratic predecessor, threatening efforts to prevent catastrophic blazes like the ones that recently ripped through Southern California.

The decision undermines Trump’s repeated insistence that communities need to clear combustible materials like fallen branches and undergrowth — “it’s called management of the floor,” he said while visiting Los Angeles last month — to guard against wildfires.

Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, said via email that mitigation work is “currently undergoing review to ensure consistency” with Trump’s executive orders.

The scrutiny is being applied only to projects using money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, two centerpieces of former President Joe Biden’s administration. They included roughly $3 billion for wildfire mitigation efforts, often known as hazardous fuels reduction programs.

Peace said those programs are continuing if funded by other congressional appropriations.

Lomakatsi Restoration Project, a forest management nonprofit that develops and implements programs to reduce hazardous fuels and wildfire threat in Oregon, northern California and Idaho, has stopped work on projects funded by Biden’s legislation, which provides 65% of its $17 million budget.

Executive director Marko Bey said he laid off 15 full-time employees after being told by federal officials the funding was frozen pending review, with no information on when it would be released.

“It just doesn’t make good business sense to keep operating, not knowing if we’re going to get paid or if at some point the administration is going to rescind some of this,” Bey said. He called it a “really challenging situation.”

Mitigation work, which includes removing small and dead trees with logging equipment or through controlled burns, can prevent forests from becoming tinderboxes. It often takes place in winter and spring in preparation for warmer months when fires can be more severe. Wildfire season traditionally starts in May and ends in November, though blazes can occur year-round because of warmer, drier conditions exacerbated by climate change.

The latest example came last month in the Los Angeles area, where fires killed at least 29 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures in what is projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

Trump has talked about forest management since his first term, when he visited California after the Camp Fire killed 85 people in 2018.

“You’ve got to take care of the floors,” he said. “You know, the floors of the forest, very important.” In Finland, he said, “they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things.”

He issued an executive order intended to improve management of federal lands, and in 2020 he complained about California officials.

“I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests,” he said. “There are many, many years of leaves and broken trees, and they’re like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up.”

“Maybe we’re just going to have to make them pay for it,” he added, “because they don’t listen to us.”

Democratic lawmakers have called for federal funding to resume.

“Halting these payments is not only unlawful but also endangers our rural communities by removing a vital component of their economies and delaying critical work to mitigate the threat of wildfire,” Sens. Martin Heinrich New Mexico, Patty Murray of Washington, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Tuesday in a letter to the administration.

Harrison Fields, a deputy press secretary at the White House, defended the administration’s approach.

“Just because there’s a review doesn’t mean there’s not a desire for this work to get done,” he said. “Proper oversight of the dollars is just as important as ensuring that California gets restored.”

Fields also said that “there has been no bigger advocate for restoring California to its natural beauty than President Trump, which is why he made it a point to visit the region in his first week in office and he’s continuing to put tremendous pressure on state and local government to reduce the barriers in restoring the area.”

The review ordered by Trump is also disrupting a $1 billion grant program that helps local jurisdictions better prepare for fires through neighborhood risk assessments and community outreach programs.

Kimiko Barrett of Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, Montana, who worked with counties in the state to secure Community Wildfire Defense Grants, said grant recipients were told Monday that payments had been paused for at least 10 days.

“Coming out of Los Angeles, we have learned that this is a crisis involving very specific risk reduction efforts,” Barrett said. “Without this program communities will not have the tools to continue the very important mitigation work that’s needed.”

There are also concerns about how Trump’s recent executive order on downsizing the federal workforce could affect seasonal wildland firefighters.

McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management, said firefighters are exempt from the order as public safety workers.

But confusion has caused delays. Ben McLane, a fire crew captain for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington state, said uncertainty over whether firefighters are exempt freeze stalled the hiring process for seasonal wildland firefighter positions.

Applicants whom McLane has selected for his crew have received some of the information they need to complete — such as medical and drug tests and fingerprinting — in order to be officially hired. But the process has not been completed because human resources lacks agency permission to move forward, he said.

“We’re very confused, and we’re not being told anything,” he said. “I don’t know whose job it is to say that firefighters are an essential aspect for public safety and are exempt from the hiring freeze. But whoever’s job it is, they need to say it, because if they don’t, then there will be situations where people call 911 and there aren’t enough firefighters to go around.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allowed for some small increases to the 18,700 federal firefighters in 2022, but issues with workforce understaffing and retention remain. The attrition rate for firefighters at the U.S. Forest Service has been 45% over the past four years, a group of Democratic senators said in a second letter to the administration this week.

“We therefore need to focus on recruitment and retention of this critically important workforce, rather than place more uncertainty within it through an arbitrary freeze,” the lawmakers wrote.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana, and Megerian from Washington. Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed.

Claire Rush, Matthew Brown And Chris Megerian, The Associated Press

A new study is offering a clearer picture of how planets are born alongside stars, with the lead researcher from British Columbia calling the findings an exciting step toward understanding the formation of planets and their atmospheres.

University of Victoria doctoral candidate Dori Blakely says researchers have known that planets form by pulling in mass from gas and dust from their surroundings, a process known as accretion.

But the study Blakely led used the James Webb Space Telescope to zoom in on that phenomenon and a young star known as PDS 70, with two young planets developing around it.

He says the study published in the peer-reviewed Astronomical Journal found convincing evidence of a disk of “warm dust” around the planets.

Blakely says the finding offers insights into the formation of planets roughly similar to Jupiter, along with their atmospheres, and potentially the formation of their moons.

He says the study is “not anywhere close to the final answer” about how planets and their atmospheres form, but it is a step in the process.

It also marks the first direct detection of exoplanets — those outside our solar system — using an approach called interferometry in space, Blakely adds.

He says in a statement issued by the university that the research offers a snapshot of a “cosmic nursery” as planets compete for the material they need to grow.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — CAE Inc. says it earned $168.6 million in its third quarter, up from $56.5 million during the same quarter last year.

The company says revenues were $1.2 billion, up 12 per cent from $1.1 billion a year earlier.

Earnings per share from continuing operations were 53 cents, up from 18 cents.

Chief executive Marc Parent says during the quarter, CAE secured $2.2 billion in new orders and saw a record adjusted backlog of $20 billion.

Civil aviation revenue rose to $752.6 million during the quarter, while defense revenue was slightly lower at $470.8 million.

CAE also announced it’s appointing four new directors to its board, including former Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu as chair.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CAE)

The Canadian Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that her government wouldn’t rule out filing a civil lawsuit against Google if it maintains its stance of calling the stretch of sea between northeastern Mexico and the southeastern United States the “Gulf of America.”

The area, long named the Gulf of Mexico across the the world, has gained a geopolitical spotlight in recent weeks after President Donald Trump declared he would change the Gulf’s name.

Sheinbaum, in her morning press conference on Thursday, said the president’s decree is restricted to the “continental shelf of the United States” because Mexico still controls much of the Gulf. “We have sovereignty over our continental shelf,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that despite the fact that her government sent a letter to Google saying that the company was “wrong” and that “the entire Gulf of Mexico cannot be called the Gulf of America,” the company has insisted on maintaining the nomenclature.

It was not immediately clear where such a suit would be filed.

Google reported last month on its X account, formerly Twitter, that it maintains a “long-standing practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”

An Associated Press analysis shows that as of Thursday, the user’s location and other data was dependent on how the Gulf appeared on Google Maps. If the user is in the United States, the body of water appeared as Gulf of America. If the user was physically in Mexico, it would appear as the Gulf of Mexico. In many other countries across the world it appears as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”

Sheinbaum has repeatedly defended the name Gulf of Mexico, saying its use dates to 1607 and is recognized by the United Nations.

She has also mentioned that, according to the constitution of Apatzingán, the antecedent to Mexico’s first constitution, the North American territory was previously identified as “Mexican America”. Sheinbaum has used the example to poke fun at Trump and underscore the international implications of changing the Gulf’s name.

In that sense, Sheinbaum said on Thursday that the Mexican government would ask Google to make “Mexican America” pop up on the map when searched.

This is not the first time Mexicans and Americans have disagreed on the names of key geographic areas, such as the border river between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. Mexico calls it Rio Bravo and for the United States it is the Rio Grande.

This week, the White House barred AP reporters from several events, including some in the Oval Office, saying it was because of the news agency’s policy on the name. AP is using “Gulf of Mexico” but also acknowledging Trump’s renaming of it as well, to ensure that names of geographical features are recognizable around the world.

Fabiola Sânchez, The Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase.

A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk, who has become President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser aiming to dismantle agencies and downsize the federal workforce, was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024, when Joe Biden was president.

While it was in its planning phases, the deal with Tesla was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers before the plans were put on hold. His companies obtain hundreds of millions of dollars each year in contracts. SpaceX has secured nearly $20 billion in federal funds since 2008 to ferry astronauts and satellites into space. And Tesla had already received $41.9 million from the U.S. government, including payment for vehicles provided to some U.S. embassies.

No government contract had been given to Tesla or any other manufacturer to produce armored electric vehicles for the Department of State, the agency said.

The Biden administration had tasked the State Department to gather information from potential suppliers to buy these vehicles in September. An official request for bids was to be released in May, according to State Department data from December. But that solicitation is now on hold with no plans to issue it, the State Department said.

After reports emerged about the plans to buy from Tesla, the State Department changed the data entry on its expected contracts forecast for fiscal year 2025 late Wednesday. The State Department said it should have been entered into the system as a generic “electric vehicle manufacturer,” but there is at least another entry for a different purchase that continues to list a company— German car manufacturer BMW.

Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated Press

The municipality signed up for a Twitter account without a motion in favour of a staff report by Halifax Regional Council.

The post Staff report on X will be used in assessment of Halifax’s social media already underway appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

A federal judge in district court in Arizona on Thursday dismissed claims of defamation by former Cardinals executive Terry McDonough, his wife and daughter against the team, its law firm and public relations firm.

Judge Dominic Lanza also granted the motion to compel arbitration made by the law firm and PR firm regarding McDonough’s claims of defamation, removing them from federal court.

Last year, an NFL arbitrator ordered the Cardinals to pay nearly $3 million to McDonough for making “false and defamatory” statements about him to the media.

Jeffrey Mishkin, the arbitrator appointed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, determined the Cardinals defamed McDonough in a CounterPoint Statement that accused him of “extreme domestic violence” and claimed he “abandoned responsibility” for his daughter and “cut her off financially.”

McDonough’s claims for unlawful retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy were dismissed. He sought up to $125 million in total damages.

Following the decision, McDonough, his wife, Lynette, and daughter, Caroline, filed a lawsuit alleging defamation and other related claims by the defendants: the Cardinals, their external law firm (Gallagher & Kennedy) and external PR firm (Counterpoint).

Judge Lanza determined the claims were unwarranted.

“We are pleased with the arbitrator’s decision dismissing all of Terry McDonough’s employment claims and finding that there was nothing improper about his dismissal from the team,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “As for Mr. McDonough’s other claim, we respect the arbitrator’s determination that our initial statement went too far. We accept responsibility for that statement and are grateful that the arbitration is now resolved.”

McDonough worked 10 seasons for the Cardinals’ front office, including several years as vice president of player personnel.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A man injured alongside author Salman Rushdie in a knife attack on a New York lecture stage said Thursday that he tried to stop the assault once he realized it wasn’t a prank and was left with a gash above his eye.

It took several stitches to close the cut, Henry Reese, 75, told jurors during the third day of testimony in the trial of Hadi Matar, the 27-year-old New Jersey man charged with trying to kill Rushdie and assaulting Reese.

Rushdie on Tuesday described being the target of the unprovoked and near fatal stabbing that began as he and Reese sat down for an armchair conversation as part of the Chautauqua Institution’s daily summer lecture series.

Rushdie said he likely survived because of the actions of Reese and other bystanders who tackled and subdued the attacker. Rushdie, 77, was stabbed and slashed in the head, neck, torso, leg and hand and left blinded in one eye. During about an hour on the stand, he described lying in a “lake” of his own blood on the stage and aware he might die.

Reese said he initially thought the man he saw running toward Rushdie was part of “a prank.”

“At some point it became real, and I got up and tried to stop the attacker,” he testified.

A large audience had taken their seats in the institution’s 4,400-seat amphitheater for the talk on keeping writers safe that August 2022 morning. Reese is co-founder of City of Asylum Pittsburgh, part of a network providing refuge for persecuted writers and artists that Rushdie inspired.

Rushdie, the author of “Midnight’s Children” and “Victory City,” spent years in hiding after the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for his death with a fatwa in 1989 following the publication of Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses,” which some Muslims consider blasphemous. But after Iran announced that it would not enforce the decree, Rushdie had traveled freely over the past quarter century.

A separate federal indictment alleges Matar, who was not yet born when the fatwa was issued, was motivated by a 2006 speech in which the leader of the militant group Hezbollah endorsed it.

A trial on the federal terrorism-related charges will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.

The current trial is expected to last at least through next week. Since Monday, jurors also have heard from employees of the Chautauqua Institution and others who either witnessed the attack or immediate aftermath.

Matar has kept his head down through much of the testimony, writing on a notepad and occasionally conferring with defense attorneys.

Matar is a dual Lebanese-U.S citizen, born in the U.S. to immigrants. In a jailhouse interview with the New York Post shortly after the attack, he did not refer directly to “The Satanic Verses” but called Rushdie someone “who attacked Islam.”

Several times since the trial’s start, Matar has said “Free Palestine” while being led past reporters in or out of the courtroom.

Carolyn Thompson, The Associated Press

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada was unable to determine what happened to the sailboat that departed from Nova Scotia in June, but said the data collected is "consistent with an occurrence involving a fire on board the sailing vessel."

On Thursday, Nova Scotia’s finance minister unveiled the province’s 2025-26 capital plan, describing it as “the largest, single-year investment in the province’s history.”

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