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La familia de Aarón Muñoz, el menor de 17 años del municipio sevillano Aznalcóllar apuñalado mortalmente a la salida del instituto de Gerena donde cursaba sus estudios, ha presentado un recurso de reforma contra la decisión del juzgado de desestimar la petición de implicar al director y el jefe de estudios del centro de la investigación , al considerar que "ambos cargos escolares son ajenos a los hechos". Según el escrito, la familia insiste en que ambos responsables habrían llevado a cabo una omisión procedente por no activar los protocolos sancionadores y aseguran que no habrían impedido el uso del teléfono móvil desde el que presuntamente se fraguó la agresión a Aarón Muñoz a la salida del centro escolar y que acabó siendo apuñalado mortalmente . De hecho, asevera que este uso se habría realizado sin control alguno desde el centro escolar. "En conclusión, consideramos que presumiblemente puede existir inacción, por no haberse impedido el uso del dispositivo móvil cuando el centro escolar estaba obligado a hacerlo , pues existe una normativa clara de la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía", declara la familia del menor. Posible caso de acoso previo Por otro lado, la familia asegura que no se procedió a sancionar a la novia del presunto culpable cuando existía claro caso de acoso de esta respecto a otros compañeros y como consecuencia de dicha inacción, se permitió que la misma campara a sus anchas por el centro escolar amenazando y haciendo uso de su dispositivo móvil. Además, afirma que consta antecedentes previos por acoso escolar de esta joven contra otro compañero y no se activaron protocolos al respecto ni se tomaron medidas sancionadoras ante la falta del control en el uso del dispositivo móvil durante la jornada escolar, incluso sin que ningún profesor o responsable se percatara de ello cuando hay normativa al respecto que prohíbe y restringe el uso del dispositivo móvil salvo con fines educativos. Por todo ello, piden que se lleve a cabo una investigación más profunda y, en consecuencia, acordar las diligencias correspondientes , al menos para el esclarecimiento de los hechos. El caso se dio a conocer el 8 de enero de 2025 , momento en el que el joven fallecía tras ser apuñalado a la salida del instituto. El joven, vecino del Castillo de las Guardas, tenía 17 años en el momento de los hechos . Posteriormente, fueron puestos en prisión dos jóvenes, mayores de edad, como presuntos autores del apuñalamiento mortal . Se les atribuye un presunto delito de homicidio doloso.

Sin haber pasado 24 horas desde que el expresidente valenciano Carlos Mazón presentó un escrito ante el juzgado de Catarroja en el que solicitaba personarse en la causa de la DANA , la magistrada Nuria Ruiz Tobarra ha rechazado su petición . La titular de la plaza número 3 de la Sección Civil y de Instrucción del Tribunal de Instancia de la localidad valenciana justifica su decisión en que el anterior jefe del Consell tiene la condición de testigo , figura bajo la que lo ha citado a declarar tras descartar el TSJCV los indicios de delito que la jueza apreciaba en su gestión de las catastróficas riadas que asolaron la provincia de Valencia el 29 de octubre de 2024 con un saldo de 230 muertos. "La solicitud que formula la representación del Sr. Carlos Mazón Guixot constituye un tertium genus que no existe en el derecho procesal penal español . Citado como testigo, no puede solicitar su personación como investigado . Dicha posibilidad existe en el derecho francés, el denominado ‘testigo asistido’, pero no en España", señala la magistrada Nuria Ruiz Tobarra. En este sentido, la argumenta que la fundamentación de personación en la causa formulada por su representación legal de Mazón cita una serie de preceptos, los artículos 118 y 118 bis de la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal, "que remiten inequívocamente a la condición de investigado ". Recuerda asimismo, respecto a su situación procesal, que el auto del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunitat Valenciana (TSJCV) excluye su responsabilidad "de forma completa en su vertiente omisiva, al no ostentar la posición de garante", y tampoco "aprecia indicios de delito en la acción del aforado en una eventual participación activa". La magistrada descarta igualmente los argumentos vertidos por la representación legal del expresidente, "sin sustento procesal ni fáctico alguno", relativos a que se siguen "practicando diligencias investigadoras" sobre él, pues el escrito no concreta "qué diligencias hayan poseído tal carácter, y dicho testigo nunca adquirió la condición de investigado ". "Quiero saber si se me está investigando. Tengo derecho" Tras conocer el auto, Mazón ha afirmado en declaraciones a los periodistas en los pasillos de Les Corts, donde sigue siendo diputado del PP: "Lo vamos a analizar y obraremos en consecuencia" . Cuestionado por si le sorprende la rapidez de la jueza en rechazar su petición de personación, ha insistido en que desde su equipo "lo vamos a analizar y ya está" y en manifestar que no va a hablar sobre el proceso judicial. "Os agradezco el interés. Vamos a analizarlo y lo vemos", ha añadido. Poco antes de conocer la resolución de la magistrada, Mazón había dicho que tiene derecho "a saber" si se le está "investigando" en el juzgado de Catarroja, y por ello había solicitado su personación en la causa. En declaraciones a los medios, ha insistido: "Quiero saber, primero, qué causa hay ahí, y quiero saber si se me está investigando o no . Creo que tengo derecho a saberlo", ha respondido ante la pregunta de si con su petición de personarse pretende dilatar el proceso judicial o su comparecencia en calidad de testigo. "He dado decenas de explicaciones, decenas de comparecencias, decenas de datos. Creo que nadie ha dado más explicaciones que yo, jamás, nadie ha aportado más llamadas. Es el momento de que otros asuman algún tipo de responsabilidad ", ha añadido. Mazón no ha respondido a la pregunta de si piensa dejar el acta de diputado autonómico y, al ser interrogado por los cambios de versión sobre lo que hizo la tarde de la DANA , ha respondido que "no hubo ningún cambio de versión, lo que ha habido son muchos bulos a los que ha habido que responder".

Trabajar en la hostelería no es sencillo. Como así lamentan muchos empleados, tanto las jornadas laborales como las condiciones no siempre son las ideales . Ejemplo de ello fue el caso de Sebas Gotoro, un creador de contenido en TikTok que explicó a través de su perfil la "verdad incómoda" que muchos empresarios no llegan a comprender. "La gente muy competente, muy buena, se va de los sitios porque se les explota", comenzó a explicar en su vídeo. Aunque, como así destacó, el problema no es de los trabajadores, sino de los malos tratos que sufren los "mejores" . Así, lanzó un duro mensaje a los jefes. "Una de las tareas más importantes que tiene un jefe o dueño de un restaurante es darse cuenta cuando tiene una persona competente y saber cómo atarle y cómo quedártelo ", recalcó. Porque de haber mejores condiciones o salarios competitivos no habría tanta escasez de empleados: "La hostelería está supercomplicada para encontrar gente, y gente buena aún más; casi ni hay". "Si tienes una persona buena y te has dado cuenta de que es buena, valóralo, mímalo ", aconsejó. Porque, debido a la precariedad, muchas personas desde la pandemia decidieron que la mejor opción era cambiar de sector a uno que sí les ofreciera una mejor conciliación. El vídeo alcanzó casi 13.000 visualizaciones en TikTok y no fueron pocos los comentarios que recibió al respecto. "Yo llevo desde 1987 trabajando en la hostelería y, por desgracia, tuve que parar. Después de seis meses sin trabajar, me ha salido uno de ayudante de camarero. Llevo dos semanas trabajando y la próxima semana lo dejaré. No saben valorar al personal y si falta personal es por eso", aseguró un usuario ejemplificando la queja de Sebas. "En la hostelería los jefes son los que no son nada buenos. De acuerdo totalmente", " ha habido mucha explotación. Todos lo sabemos" o "no existe el empresario de hostelería que mire lo que haces por la empresa. Solo le interesan los beneficios que le quedan; por eso no hay camareros", destacaron otros internautas.

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Workers labor at a ceramic ware factory, in Handan in north China's Hebei province on Nov. 4, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP, File) 2026-03-31T03:12:22Z HONG KONG (AP) — China’s factory activity expanded in March, ending two months of contraction, the government said Tuesday, but analysts say prolonged impacts of the Iran war could weigh on growth. The official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 50.4 from 49 in February, the National Bureau of Statistics reported, beating economists’ expectations and notching the strongest reading in a year. PMI is measured on a scale of 0 to 100 and a reading above 50 indicates expansion. While the latest official data covered a period after the Iran war began on Feb. 28, analysts say the impacts of surging energy costs have not yet been fully seen. “So far supply disruptions have not occurred in a material way,” said Jacqueline Rong, Chief China Economist, BNP Paribas, a French bank. A years-long property sector slump in China has also weighed on economic growth and weakened domestic consumption and investment demand in China, the world’s second-largest economy after the U.S. To help drive its economy, China has been reliant on growing exports, especially to regions such as Southeast Asia and Europe , which propelled its trade surplus last year to a record $1.2 trillion despite higher U.S. tariffs. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); China’s export engine could hit headwinds as the Iran war drive up energy costs and disrupts supply chains, with most maritime traffic blocked from passing the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes. The extent of the impact will depend on how long the energy flows from the Middle East are cut off, said BNP Paribas’ Rong. “If it is months, rather than weeks, then the supply disruptions, not just from oil, but also from the shortage of many chemical products — such as rare gases — would manifest itself in disrupting industrial production and services,” she said. China’s exports could also suffer if overall global growth takes a serious hit from the energy crisis, Rong said. Analysts say, for example, higher global inflation could weaken consumption demand for Chinese goods. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Chinese leaders in early March unveiled an economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for this year, a slightly lower goal than the “around 5%” last year and the lowest growth target since 1991 . For now, China’s economy “appears to have weathered” the energy shock from the Iran war well, wrote Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, in a recent research note, although she also cautioned it is “likely that the fallout from the Iran war will grow over the coming months.” With China’s exports to the U.S., its largest trading partner, in decline over the past months, economists are closely watching for positive signs in trade relations between Washington and Beijing as U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May. Some analysts say lower U.S. tariffs following a recent Supreme Court ruling against Trump’s wide-reaching global tariffs could give China a small boost to exports and factory activity. CHAN HO-HIM Chan writes about business and economy in China for The Associated Press, reporting on key sectors of the world’s second-largest economy from trade and technology to autos. He is based in Hong Kong. mailto

A sign announcing 'Diesel fuel has run out' is displayed on a gas staton, in Prajuab Kirikhan, Thailand, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Grant Peck, file) 2026-03-31T02:13:21Z BANGKOK (AP) — Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply. Much of the oil from the mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was headed for Asia, hit hardest by recent energy shocks. Over the weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the conflict, further threatening shipping . To shore up global crude oil supplies, the U.S. has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil shipments already at sea — first for India , then for the rest of the world. Demand is rising in Asia while Russia is raking in billions of dollars . But experts say there is a limit to how much Moscow can boost its exports of crude oil, which is unrefined petroleum needed to make fuels like gasoline and diesel, and it is already exporting at a level close to its previous peak. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); In addition, Russia’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine and recent drone attacks on its energy facilities by Kyiv are hurting its export capabilities. For desperate countries in Asia the opportunity is short-lived and shrinking, said Muyu Xu, a senior crude oil analyst at the global trade data firm Kpler. “The real problem is how much cargo is still available in this market,” she said. A flurry of interest Before the Iran war, China, India and Turkey were the main importers of Russian oil, flouting Western sanctions for a healthy discount. U.S. and European Union sanctions were meant to economically hinder Russia after its invasion of Ukraine . But the U.S. sanction waiver sent energy-hungry Southeast Asia into a flurry. This month, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam signaled new interest in Russian oil. Manila, a long-time U.S. ally, imported Russian crude for the first time in five years — days after it declared an energy emergency . Others may follow, but will compete with China and India for roughly 126 million barrels still at sea, according to Kpler. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); India alone typically needs 5.5 million to 6 million barrels of oil per day. Analysts say Russia is unlikely to boost exports sharply. In March, flows were about 3.8 million barrels a day, above February’s 3.2 million but still below the mid-2023 peak of 3.9 million. Xu said the crisis was a reminder of how quickly geopolitics can shift — sometimes driven by just a few decision-makers — making it hard for countries to plan ahead. She said “right now, really the priority is to ensure your supply and all the other considerations are secondary.” Southeast Asian countries competing for the dwindling amount of Russian crude oil at sea are likely hoping the U.S. extends its sanction waiver beyond April, Xu added. The options are limited for these nations, and safer bets — like crude oil from the U.S., South America or West Africa — are too far for Asia, meaning shipments won’t arrive for months. That leaves poorer nations scrambling. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); A squeeze in the Philippines Airlines in the Philippines are weighing fuel rationing. Cash handouts are being rushed to those hit hardest, like transportation workers. On most days, lines at gas stations stretch for blocks. The nation of 117 million is an early warning for Southeast Asia . Before the war, the Philippines relied on the Middle East for nearly 97% of its total seaborne oil imports, according to Kpler data. The energy emergency declaration is a “new frontier” in its scale and magnitude, said Kairos Dela Cruz of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities. “It will definitely drive people down even further in the poverty line,” he said. To ease energy shortfalls, the Philippines imported crude oil, a first since 2021. Other Southeast Asian nations are weighing similar options. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s March 23 visit to Russia included agreements on oil and gas cooperation, alongside nuclear energy, as rising diesel prices begin to squeeze Vietnam’s manufacturing sector. In Indonesia, officials said “all countries are possible” partners as they shore up reserves. This includes Russia and the tiny oil and gas sultanate of Brunei, said Indonesian Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); “When you don’t have any other options, all options are on the table,” said Putra Adhiguna of the Jakarta-based Energy Shift Institute. While weighing similar moves, Thailand is not as desperate as the Philippines, said Jitsai Santaputra of the energy consultancy The Lantau Group in Bangkok. She added that Thailand will likely wait and see so long as the impact is limited. But it’s growing. Fuel prices in Thailand jumped on March 26 after caps and subsidies were lifted, with most fuels rising about 20 U.S. cents per liter, with diesel up roughly 18% — a hit to industry and transportation that risks pushing up the price of other goods. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); China and India have the advantage Defying Western sanctions, China and India were major Russian crude oil customers before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. An additional advantage for India was having U.S. sanctions on Russian crude oil removed about a week before other countries. “They took that chance and snapped up quite many cargoes,” Xu said. By the time U.S. President Donald Trump allowed everybody else to buy, she said it was “already a bit too late because most of the cargo had already been ordered” by China and India. Even with the head start, Kpler data shows India’s crude oil imports from Russia probably aren’t enough to offset the lack of supplies from the Middle East. Its oil imports from Russia jumped to roughly 1.9 million barrels a day in March, from about 1 million barrels before the Iran war. Before that conflict, India imported around 2.6 million barrels per day of crude oil from the Middle East. That may not be enough, with the approach of peak summer energy demand — driven by travel, agriculture and freight needs — especially as emergency oil stockpiles run down, said Duttatreya Das of the think tank Ember. He added that short-term buys cover only a few days of supply, leaving any gap hard to fill without extra shipments from the U.S. or Canada. “I don’t know how the shortfall will be met,” he said. Despite being the fifth-largest crude producer and pushing clean energy , China still has strong oil demand from its 1.4 billion people. But it also has built a vast oil stockpile. It has approximately 1.2 billion barrels of onshore crude inventories, Kpler estimates. That is nearly four months of its overall seaborne crude imports, which cushion short term impacts from the war. China sourced about 13% of its seaborne crude from Iran, according to Kpler, and roughly 20% from Russia, said financial data group LSEG. With ample reserves and deep pockets, analysts say some Russian shipments bound for China could be diverted to more desperate countries. “Russia emerges as a major winner from the entire conflict,” said Sam Reynolds of the U.S.-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Given the energy crisis, speed of delivery and temporarily lower prices, he said Asia has “a much larger incentive to import Russian oil.” “We can argue whether there’s a moral dilemma there, but I think it’s a reflection of the fact that countries are going to do whatever they need to to protect their energy security,” he said. ___ Chan reported from Hong Kong and Ghosal from Hanoi, Vietnam. Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org . ANTON L. DELGADO Delgado covers climate and energy stories across Southeast Asia for The Associated Press. twitter instagram mailto CHAN HO-HIM Chan writes about business and economy in China for The Associated Press, reporting on key sectors of the world’s second-largest economy from trade and technology to autos. He is based in Hong Kong. mailto ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Ghosal covers the intersection of business and climate change in southeast Asia for The Associated Press. He is based out of Hanoi in Vietnam. twitter mailto

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a forum on climate change and the consequences for home insurance, grocery prices, and health care costs, at the Capitol in Washington, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) 2026-03-31T04:09:09Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ hopes of reclaiming the U.S. Senate are colliding with a fight within their own party. In Maine, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has thrown his weight behind Gov. Janet Mills in a crucial race, but some of his Senate colleagues are backing insurgent candidate Graham Platner in a rebuke of his strategic vision. A similar dynamic is playing out in other battlegrounds, including Michigan and Minnesota, where progressives senators are endorsing non-establishment candidates. At stake is more than any single race. Democrats are fighting over whether the party’s traditional playbook still works in a country that elected Donald Trump for a second time — and whether leaders like Schumer should remain in charge. “Clearly there’s a disagreement of strategy here,” said New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who has endorsed Platner. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); He added that “the business-as-usual calculation for what is going to be successful in a given election cycle does not necessarily, in my view, meet the moment.” The divide reflects a Democratic base frustrated after the last presidential election, when President Joe Biden ran for a second term despite widespread concerns about his age. He dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump. Nan Whaley, a Democratic strategist in Ohio who ran for governor four years ago, said the debate is no longer about progressive or moderate. “It’s really about, who do you trust? Establishment or not establishment,” she said. “And frankly, the establishment hasn’t given us a lot to trust these past few years.” ‘A rebuke of Schumer’ In Maine, Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, have backed Mills, a 78-year-old moderate in her second term. Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, quickly won the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., just days after launching his campaign. His bid has since gained momentum despite scrutiny over past controversial comments and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. In recent weeks, Heinrich, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have endorsed Platner as he builds support on Capitol Hill. Heinrich and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse held a fundraiser for him, too. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Gallego , a first-term senator who won a battleground race in 2024, downplayed the endorsements as a broader critique of party leadership. “Senate leadership didn’t back me at the beginning. So I didn’t take that as a critique,” Gallego said. Michigan also has a contentious primary, with three high-profile candidates. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow has said she would not support Schumer as the caucus leader if Democrats regain the majority, and she’s been endorsed by four senators. Abdul El-Sayed, running further to the left, has been endorsed by Sanders and has also run on an anti-establishment platform. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens has aligned with establishment figures, working with a former DSCC executive director and securing support from two senators. Democratic strategist Lis Smith said the endorsements in races like Maine and Michigan are “as much as a rebuke of Schumer as it is an endorsement of these candidates.” freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); “It’s pretty uncommon for sitting senators to endorse against the Senate leader,” Smith said. “Senators are reading the tea leaves and are getting feedback from the grassroots that they are dissatisfied with Schumer’s performance as leader.” In Minnesota, an open-seat race has similarly emerged as a test of the party’s direction. Rep. Angie Craig is seen as the centrist candidate in the primary, with endorsements from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the more progressive candidate, has been backed by Sanders, Warren and others, including Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, who is vacating the seat. “She understands that right now what we need are fierce fighters, people who are willing to stand up to the status quo,” Smith said in her endorsement. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); ‘The election may impact’ Schumer’s time as leader Some tensions trace to March 2025, when Schumer voted with Republicans to end a government shutdown, drawing backlash from Democrats who argued he did not push hard enough against Trump’s agenda. Later that year, Democrats held firm in a record-long shutdown fight, helping regain some ground with activists and progressives. But divisions resurfaced when a group of moderates ultimately sided with Republicans, fueling renewed frustration with party leadership even as Schumer opposed the move. Since he became Senate leader in 2017, Schumer’s record in elections has been mixed. He led Democrats back to the majority in 2020 and expanded it in 2022 but lost ground in both 2018 and 2024. “Leader Schumer’s North Star is taking back the Senate and is pursuing a path to do just that,” said Allison Biasotti, a spokesperson for Schumer. He’s recruited high-profile candidates this year in tough Senate races, such as Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina. Maeve Coyle, communications director for the DSCC, said Schumer “created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority this cycle” with the recruitment. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); “Senate Democrats overperformed in the last four election cycles and in 2026, we will win seats and flip the majority,” she added. David Axelrod, who served as a top strategist for President Barack Obama, said that being Senate leader is never easy, and that Schumer “has been under fire for some time, particularly from progressives in the party.” Schumer’s time as leader, Axelrod added, is likely directly linked to the outcome of the 2026 midterms. “There’s questions as to whether he’ll run in 2028. There’s even questions as to whether he might be challenged as leader,” he said. “I think the results of this election may impact that.” For now, Schumer’s caucus is tentatively standing behind him. None have explicitly called for him to step aside. But discontent has lingered, with some openly questioning whether the party needs a new direction. “How people did politics in the 1990s is going to feel different than in the 2020s,” said Heinrich. JOEY CAPPELLETTI Cappelletti covers Congress for The Associated Press. He previously reported on Michigan politics for AP. twitter mailto

BBC Mundo habló con las periodistas detrás de la iniciativa #YoTeCreoColega, que ya ha recibido decenas de denuncias.

Analizamos cuáles son las implicaciones de la llegada de petróleo ruso para Cuba, sumida en una grave crisis económica.

Desde el Primer Cartel Uruguayo hasta el Primer Comando de la Capital de Brasil, miembros de varios grupos delictivos coordinan sus acciones desde el oriente boliviano.

The defence secretary's comments came after US President Donald Trump told other nations to "go get your own oil".

Despite political tensions between the US and UK, the King will travel to Washington next month.

It is believed to be the first wolf attack on a human since the animals began to reestablish themselves in Germany decades ago.

Ce mardi 31 mars, dans sa chronique USA Today, John Plassard, associé et responsable de la stratégie d’investissement de Cité Gestion, s'est penché sur l'éventualité d'un désengagement de Trump de la guerre en Iran d'après le WSJ, la forte volatilité des cours du pétrole avec un baril pouvant atteindre les 200 dollars, le scandale au Pentagone avec le délit d'initié dont des soupçons sur Pete Hegseth, la mise à l'arrêt de l'usine de véhicules électriques à Détroit de General Motors, ainsi que la fusion de l'unité alimentaire d'Unilever avec McCormick. Cette chronique est à voir ou écouter du lundi au vendredi dans l'émission BFM Bourse présentée par Antoine Larigaudrie sur BFM Business.

Ce mardi 31 mars, dans sa chronique USA Today, John Plassard, associé et responsable de la stratégie d’investissement de Cité Gestion, s'est penché sur l'éventualité d'un désengagement de Trump de la guerre en Iran d'après le WSJ, la forte volatilité des cours du pétrole avec un baril pouvant atteindre les 200 dollars, le scandale au Pentagone avec le délit d'initié dont des soupçons sur Pete Hegseth, la mise à l'arrêt de l'usine de véhicules électriques à Détroit de General Motors, ainsi que la fusion de l'unité alimentaire d'Unilever avec McCormick. Cette chronique est à voir ou écouter du lundi au vendredi dans l'émission BFM Bourse présentée par Antoine Larigaudrie sur BFM Business.

Un pétrolier russe sanctionné par les États-Unis a livré du pétrole à Cuba pour la première fois depuis près de trois mois, défiant le blocus américain et offrant un répit temporaire face à la grave pénurie d’énergie du pays.

Die in Israel beschlossene Todesstrafe für palästinensische Terroristen schreckt die deutsche Politik auf. Grünen-Chefin Franziska Brantner ruft die Merz-Regierung zum Handeln auf. Auch die Linke spricht von Rassismus.

In vier Duellen werden am Abend die letzten vier WM-Teilnehmer Europas gesucht. Die Fußballnation Italien, zuletzt zweimal nur Zuschauer, zittert. Wer noch? Vier Finals, vier Geschichten.

Ein Feuerwehrmann lässt die erste Strophe des Deutschlandliedes spielen und verliert seine Ämter. In dessen Heimat solidarisiert sich Schlagerstar Heino mit einem Konzert. Es wird zum Treffpunkt der Empörten.

80 Prozent der in Deutschland lebenden Menschen aus Syrien sollen laut Kanzler Merz in den nächsten drei Jahren in ihr Heimatland zurückkehren. Die Kritik daran ist heftig.

Höhere Energiepreise, gestörte Lieferketten, wachsende Unsicherheit. Überall in der Welt sind die Folgen des Iran-Krieges zu spüren. Was aber bedeuten sie für die Weltwirtschaft und Deutschlands Wachstum?

Die Hilfsorganisation will wachrütteln: Vor allem nichtarabische Bevölkerungsgruppen seien Opfer "unvorstellbarer Brutalität". Die Täter kämen oft aus den Reihen der RSF-Miliz.

Die Regierung erwägt laut Medienberichten das Aus für die kostenlose Mitversicherung von Ehepartnern bei der Krankenversicherung. Sozialverbände und Opposition schlagen Alarm.

Rheinmetall nimmt gemeinsam mit Boeing an der Bundeswehr-Ausschreibung für Jagdbomberdrohnen teil. Die Zusammenarbeit markiert einen weiteren entscheidenden Punkt in der Zusammenarbeit mit dem US-Luftfahrt-Giganten. Allerdings hat das Duo auch Konkurrenz.

Marie Neuwald, NABU-Referentin für Wölfe, erklärt, warum Wölfe selten Menschen angreifen und wie man sich bei einer Begegnung richtig verhält. „Das Wichtigste ist, dass man ruhig bleibt – man sollte den Wolf aber auch nicht anfassen oder bedrängen.“

La Guardia Revolucionaria iraní ha anunciado en un comunicado que, a partir del 1 de abril, va a atacar a empresas estadounidenses en Oriente Medio en represalia por los ataques contra Irán . Entre las compañías amenazadas por la Guardia Revolucionaria se encuentran Intel , IBM, Meta, DELL, Plantier, Tesla, Nvidia, Boeing, Microsoft y HP . "Estas empresas deben esperar la destrucción de sus respectivas unidades a cambio de cada acto terrorista en Irán , a partir de las 8 de la noche, hora de Teherán , del miércoles 1 de abril", explica un comunicado de la Guardia Revolucionaria iraní . Según este organismo militar, el anuncio se produce después de que EEUU " ignorase nuestras advertencias sobre la necesidad de detener las operaciones terroristas" y también por la implicación, a ojos de la Guardia Revolucionaria ", de estas empresas en el "diseño y seguimiento" de los objetivos de Estados Unidos en la guerra . La UE pide tomar medidas "para garantizar el suministro de petróleo" ante la crisis de Irán Nacho Alarcón. Bruselas Bruselas descarta un riesgo inminente de suministro, pero pide estar "preparados para una posible interrupción prolongada del comercio internacional de energía" Ante los inminentes ataques , la fuerza iraní ha instado a los empleados de estas empresas a "abandonar" sus puestos de trabajo de " inmediato para proteger sus vidas ". Asimismo, las autoridades iraníes también han hecho la misma petición a los " residentes de las inmediaciones de estas empresas terroristas en todos los países de la región", quienes deben "abandonar sus viviendas en un radio de un kilómetro ".

Estados Unidos ha ordenado a todas sus embajadas y consulados en todo el mundo que pongan en marcha campañas coordinadas contra la propaganda extranjera. Según un documento, firmado por el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio y obtenido por The Guardian , el Gobierno de Estados Unidos ha dado instrucciones para que su personal fuera del país pueda combatir lo que ha descrito como "esfuerzos coordinados" para socavar los intereses de Washington en el exterior. Las embajadas, siempre según el documento, tendrán ahora cinco nuevos objetivos en este sentido : contrarrestar los mensajes hostiles, ampliar el acceso a la información, exponer el comportamiento del adversario, dar voz a quienes apoyan los intereses estadounidenses a nivel local y promover lo que denomina "contar la historia de Estados Unidos". Asimismo, se insta al personal a reclutar a personas influyentes, académicos o líderes de las comunidades en el extranjero para que difundan mensajes contra la propaganda. "Estas campañas buscan culpar a Estados Unidos, sembrar la división entre aliados, promover visiones del mundo alternativas contrarias a los intereses estadounidenses e incluso socavar los intereses económicos y las libertades políticas de Estados Unidos", afirma el documento. "Mediante plataformas digitales, medios de comunicación controlados por el Estado y operaciones de influencia, representan una amenaza directa para la seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos y alimentan la hostilidad hacia los intereses estadounidenses", continúa. La nueva directriz desde Washington tiene lugar en medio de la guerra de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán . Desde que empezó, el pasado 28 de febrero, Donald Trump ha asegurado en varias ocasiones que su país ya ha ganado y que la República Islámica ha sido derrotada. Sin embargo, las fuerzas de Teherán han continuado atacando los países del Golfo y han rechazado cualquier avance en unas hipotéticas negociaciones de paz. Operación Confusión Épica: cómo Trump vendió que "hemos ganado porque la guerra está ya ganada" Mónica Redondo Trump ha afirmado que ha ganado la guerra. Luego que todavía era necesario continuar con la operación. También ha generado dudas sobre el objetivo real de la operación Cuando los medios de comunicación han cuestionado las declaraciones de victoria de Trump, este ha respondido con una ya habitual hostilidad hacia aquellos que han puesto en duda sus políticas . "Saben, no me gusta decir esto, pero hemos ganado, porque esta guerra ya está ganada; los únicos que quieren que continúe son las noticias falsas ", dijo Trump en el Despacho Oval la semana pasada. La administración de Donald Trump se considera, en este contexto, uno de los aparatos de desinformación estatal más sofisticados del mundo. El mismo documento divulgado por The Guardian sugiere que las embajadas y consulados colaboren con la unidad de operaciones psicológicas del ejército estadounidense para abordar el problema de la desinformación generalizada. Además, también indica que el trabajo contra la "propaganda" extranjera debe llevarse a cabo con ayuda de la plataforma X, de Elon Musk . Específicamente, con funciones que se consideran "innovadoras" y "colaborativas" para eliminar la desinformación. El apoyo a la red social de X se enmarca después de que la Unión Europea ya haya multado a X con 120 millones de euros en virtud de su Ley de Servicios Digitales por prácticas engañosas —la primera multa de este tipo en virtud de dicha ley—. Además, ha abierto nuevas investigaciones sobre las herramientas de IA y los algoritmos de recomendación de la plataforma. Otro de los puntos del documento exige que las embajadas de todo el mundo aumenten la disponibilidad de noticias internacionales y análisis independientes traducidos a los idiomas locales. De esta manera, EEUU busca que sus oficinas en el extranjero se conviertan en centros de distribución de medios de comunicación en lengua extranjera en países donde, según señala el cable, "la propaganda antiestadounidense es generalizada o donde la información está restringida".

La nueva carrera espacial hacia la Luna enfrenta a Estados Unidos y China con un horizonte claro: llegar antes de 2030 . Pero, a diferencia de los años 60, Estados Unidos ya no domina con claridad. El programa Artemis ha acumulado retrasos , rediseños y problemas técnicos, hasta el punto de que el regreso tripulado a la Luna ya no se plantea como estaba previsto inicialmente. Mientras tanto, China ha avanzado de forma constante , consolidando su estación espacial Tiangong y desplegando misiones robóticas en zonas estratégicas de la Luna, incluido el polo sur y la cara oculta. El gran problema de la NASA es que Artemis es una arquitectura mucho más compleja y fragmentada que el programa Apolo. En lugar de depender de un sistema centralizado, la agencia ha repartido el desarrollo entre múltiples empresas privadas, lo que abarata costes, pero multiplica la dificultad de coordinación. A eso se suma la debilidad institucional y presupuestaria de la NASA, afectada por recortes, bloqueos políticos y pérdida de personal. China, en cambio, ha apostado por una misión técnicamente más simple y destinada a un terreno menos hostil. Factores que podrían darle ventaja frente a Estados Unidos. En juego está ya no es solo el prestigio, sino el control futuro de recursos, posiciones estratégicas y las reglas de la exploración lunar en las próximas décadas..

Avanza la unidad en torno a Por Andalucía y con Maíllo de candidato y el 2 de abril puede anunciarse  Leer

Teherán advierte que cualquier ataque que intente derrocar al régimen o reabrir el Estrecho de Ormuz será "una tumba" para Washington y Tel Aviv  Leer

Una investigación pionera de la Universidad de Cambridge y la Universidad de Columbia analiza más de tres millones de células para responder a una gran incógnita: por qué el cuerpo femenino pierde la capacidad de frenar los tumores a medida que envejece  Leer

A una semana del Masters de Augusta, Tiger Woods acapara cada titular en el mundo del golf. Y no porque el ganador de 15 grandes, de 50 años, haya desvelado todavía si va a disputar el primer grande de la temporada, lo que sería su primera ronda oficial desde el Open Británico de 2024. Sino por el accidente de tráfico que sufrió el pasado viernes y que vuelve a convertirle en protagonista por sus problemas personales fuera de un campo de golf en lugar de por su último intento de resurrección deportiva. El informe policial hecho público este martes desvela los destalles de ese nuevo percance al volante, uno más del hombre que se aleja del mito. Seguir leyendo

Taylor Swift se enfrenta a una demanda por presunta infracción de marca a raíz de The Life of a Showgirl , su último álbum. La acción judicial, presentada ayer ante un tribunal federal de California, parte de Maren Wade, artista y escritora que sostiene que la denominación The Life of a Showgirl invade un terreno que ella llevaba años ocupando con Confessions of a Showgirl . Sobre esa base, acusa a la cantante y a UMG Recordings por infracción de marca, falsa designación de origen y competencia desleal. Seguir leyendo

Washington se desentiende de la reapertura de Ormuz, el estratégico estrecho por el que cruza el 20% del petróleo mundial y que Irán mantiene cerrado como consecuencia de la ofensiva de Estados Unidos e Israel contra su territorio . En un mensaje en redes sociales, el presidente Donald Trump ha llamado a los países que consumen el combustible que atraviesa ese paso a que “hagan acopio de valentía, vayan al Estrecho y tomen” el petróleo ellos mismos. Seguir leyendo

Wegen des Nahost-Konflikts ist Kerosin deutlich teurer geworden. Lufthansa befürchtet eine abflauende Nachfrage wegen teurerer Tickets – und erwägt zunächst 20 Flugzeuge zwangszuparken.

BA-Chefin Andrea Nahles kann auch in diesem Monat keine guten Nachrichten bieten. Auf die Debatte um die Rückkehr syrischer Geflüchteter angesprochen, betont sie deren gute Integration in den Arbeitsmarkt.

Viktor Jerofejew macht in seiner Romanphantasie „Die neue Barbarei“ die russische Schuld zu seiner Geliebten und Muse. Und entfesselt an ihrer Seite einen wahren Hexensabbat in der Tradition Bulgakows.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian reconnaissance satellites have recently imaged key U.S. and allied military facilities across the Middle East , raising concerns about potential targeting, after returning from a high-stakes trip to Gulf countries now under Iranian attack. Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Ukraine deepens its role in the region, sharing intelligence and defense expertise with Middle Eastern partners facing Iranian missile and drone strikes. In a March 28 post on X, Zelenskyy said he had been briefed that Russian satellites photographed multiple strategic sites "in the interests of Iran," including bases and critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf. "Everyone knows that repeated reconnaissance indicates preparations for strikes," he wrote. AI WAR IN IRAN HAS BROUGHT CONFLICT TO SILICON VALLEY. NO ONE IS READY According to Zelenskyy, the surveillance occurred over several days in late March. On March 24, Russian satellites reportedly captured imagery of the U.S.-U.K. military facility on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The following days included Kuwait International Airport and parts of the Greater Burgan oil field, as well as Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Additional sites imaged on March 26 included Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oil and gas field, Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the largest U.S. military installations in the region. Some of the locations identified by Zelenskyy, including places in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, have been targeted in recent Iranian attacks , though it remains unclear whether the satellite imagery he described was directly used in those operations. The warning follows Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, where he discussed security cooperation and shared intelligence with regional leaders. In an interview published Monday by Axios, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had provided Middle Eastern partners with information about Russian support for Iran , including potential targeting assistance. "I think Russia is supporting Iran directly, 100%," Zelenskyy told Axios. "The same format of sharing satellite images like they did in the case of Ukraine." TRUMP’S STRIKE ON IRAN DEALS A MAJOR BLOW TO PUTIN’S WAR MACHINE IN UKRAINE Ksenia Svetlova, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said recent developments point to increased cooperation in that space. "There is more cooperation in everything that has to do with intelligence," she said, citing reports that Russia has provided Iran with "a target list, basically, through their satellites, American targets, but also air targets in the Gulf." Svetlova added that such support enables Russia to assist Iran without deploying troops or equipment. "They are doing for the Iranians whatever they can without spending money, spending troops, or spending equipment," she said. The White House has not confirmed the intelligence-sharing but said it is not impacting U.S. operations. "Nothing provided to Iran by any other country is affecting our operational success. The United States military has struck more than 11,000 targets and destroyed more than 150 Iranian naval vessels, leading to their missile attacks and drone attacks decreasing by 90%. The terrorist Iranian regime continues to be crushed by the full might of the most lethal fighting force in the world," White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also downplayed concerns about Russia’s role, telling reporters Friday: "There is nothing Russia is doing for Iran that is in any way impeding or affecting our operation or the effectiveness of it." IRAN BACKLASH FORCES GULF ALLIES TOWARD WASHINGTON AS REGIONAL TENSIONS RISE Lt. Gen. Richard Newton (Ret.), a former U.S. Air Force assistant vice chief of staff, said the reports should not come as a surprise. "The latest reports that Russia provided essential imaging intelligence to the Iranian regime to target a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia should surprise no one. Putin is our adversary who can't be trusted." "We should avoid a direct conflict with Moscow," he added, "but there must be consequences for Russia aiding and abetting the Iranian regime that harms American military personnel and our assets." Russia has not publicly responded to Zelenskyy’s claims. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian government and the Iranian mission to the United Nations for comment and did not receive responses in time for publication. Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former senior State Department official, told Fox News Digital the reports reflect a broader and growing threat. "There is no clearer signal that Russia is a dangerous adversary than the continued reporting that Russia is providing intelligence targeting Americans to a regime currently engaged in combat against the United States," Filipetti said. "American service members' lives are at continued risk because of Putin's war machine," she added, warning that Washington must act to "hold the Russian regime accountable and prevent future American deaths." Zelenskyy has also questioned ongoing discussions about easing sanctions on Russia. "There must be pressure on the aggressor. And lifting sanctions is certainly not pressure," he wrote.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Spain is grappling with the death of a 25-year-old woman from Barcelona who was euthanized following a series of tragic events despite multiple legal challenges from her father. Noelia Castillo Ramos' case galvanized international attention after her father, Gerónimo Castillo, mounted a legal battle against the authorization of various Spanish courts for his daughter to receive euthanasia in 2023. Aided by Abogados Cristianos (Christian Lawyers), a conservative Catholic organization, Mr. Castillo exhausted all appeals to the Spanish courts. The father argued that his daughter wasn’t fully psychologically able to make a decision regarding euthanasia and that she needed better medical and psychiatric care. His legal battle was ultimately shut down by the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg, France , on March 10. GRIEVING PARENTS DEMAND CHANGES AFTER 26-YEAR-OLD SON EUTHANIZED UNDER CONTROVERSIAL LAW The case of Castillo Ramos is just the latest in euthanasia deaths across Europe, but the Barcelona woman’s choice to die has inflamed passions across the country. Castillo Ramos' parents divorced when she was 13 and spent almost four years in public tutelage centers when she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) — a serious psychiatric condition often leading to severe depression, suicide ideation and a tendency to addiction. By her own account, in an interview she gave before dying to Spanish TV channel Antena 3 she tried to commit suicide at least twice despite being under intensive psychiatric care. In her first suicide attempt, she took several pills and ingested a toxic automotive liquid, but was saved by her mother, who took her to the hospital for a gastric-intestinal cleansing procedure. Things got worse for her when she left the home and ended up being sexually assaulted multiple times when she was about 20. First, she was sexually abused by a former boyfriend after taking sleeping pills. Soon after, two men attempted to rape her while in a nightclub, leaving her deeply scarred, and as reports indicate, this led her to a care home for worsening psychiatric symptoms. POPE LEO XIV SAYS HE’S ‘VERY DISAPPOINTED’ AFTER ILLINOIS APPROVES ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW There, she was gang-raped by three men . With her mental state deteriorating, she attempted suicide by jumping out of the fifth floor of a building. Multiple reports and social media posts originally indicated that the three rapists who assaulted her were immigrant minors under the care of the state – something the Barcelona-based newspaper El Periódico says is false. Many Spaniards have reacted angrily the court's authorization for her to receive euthanasia, accusing the leftist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of not providing the girl with adequate medical care, opening up the country to mass migration, lack of policing and ultimately handing down euthanasia as a solution to her case. After her interview on Spanish TV, several anonymous donors and public figures, including pianist James Rhodes, offered to fund her treatment and to provide her and her family with material assistance if she decided against having the procedure. The Catalan High Court of Justice confirmed to Fox News Digital that all legal and medical requirements, including a favorable opinion by the Catalan Commission of Guarantee and Evaluation (CGEC), had been met and that there was nothing preventing the young woman from receiving the requested euthanasia. Noelia died at 6 p.m. local time on Thursday at Hospital Sant Pere de Ribes in Barcelona. She is the youngest person ever to be euthanized in Spain under the country’s assisted dying law passed in 2021.

Israeli officials are warning that Iran’s ongoing internet blackout is shaping the battlefield in ways that extend far beyond cyberspace, limiting visibility into the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes while tightening the regime’s grip on its own population. Multiple Israeli sources told Fox News that the blackout is not only restricting information from leaving Iran but also preventing citizens from organizing internally, at a time when pressure on the regime is mounting. Attempts by civilians to access the internet through satellite services such as Starlink have been disrupted through jamming, according to Israeli officials, while hundreds of individuals suspected of using such terminals have been detained. "This is a blackout on truth," a senior Israeli intelligence official told Fox News. " The regime is hiding reality from its own people. They don’t want the Iranian people to see how badly they’re getting hit." ISRAEL HAMMERS IRANIAN INTERNAL SECURITY COMMAND CENTERS TO OPEN DOOR TO UPRISING The information vacuum inside Iran is being filled by state-controlled narratives, according to the official. "Iranians only know what they see on TV channels controlled by the Islamic regime, which falsely shows the U.S. and Israel being destroyed," the Israeli official said. But the impact goes beyond perception. The blackout is also affecting behavior on the ground. "And it’s not just about what people see, it’s about what they can do," the official said. "Cutting the internet stops people from communicating, from sharing what’s really happening, and from organizing." The restrictions come as the Iranian regime faces both external military pressure and lingering internal unrest following a brutal crackdown earlier in 2026. In January, security forces opened fire on nationwide protests, with reports suggesting the toll could be more than 30,000 killed in a matter of days. Against that backdrop, Israeli officials say the blackout reflects the regime’s fear of renewed unrest. "The Iranian people are one of the things the regime fears most," the official said. "That’s why this blackout was such a priority." IRAN REGIME HIDES IN BUNKERS AS CIVILIANS LEFT EXPOSED WITHOUT ADEQUATE BOMB SHELTERS OR SIRENS The result, according to Israeli officials, is a war that is unfolding largely out of public view. "This is one of the least visible wars in modern history because very little footage is coming out," the official said. "When this blackout is lifted, the full extent of the damage to the regime will become clear. Right now, we’re only seeing a small glimpse of just how badly they’re being decimated." Israeli sources also linked the blackout directly to high-value military targets. The U.S. and Israel, the official claims, "have taken out 25 senior commanders from the MOIS," referring to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. "The majority (were) eliminated in the opening strike when they gathered for a meeting," the official said, adding that those targeted were involved in managing the blackout. The official identified Esmail Khatib as among those killed, describing him as "the minister of Intelligence who was the guy who signed off on the blackout." IRAN MOVES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN CRYPTO DURING NATIONWIDE INTERNET BLACKOUT, REPORT REVEALS U.S. analysts say the information domain is becoming a central front in the conflict. John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, wrote on X that "Iran has repeatedly shut down internet access to control its population. That capability can be reversed." Spencer argued that external actors could shift the balance by targeting regime communications while enabling civilian connectivity. "Disrupt regime command networks while enabling connectivity for the population through external systems. Information becomes a weapon," he wrote. "Control of narrative, coordination, and awareness shifts away from the regime." He also pointed to underlying instability inside Iran, noting that the country’s population is "over 85 million, young, urban, and repeatedly discontent," with protest activity suggesting that a significant portion opposes the regime. "Until now, civilians have largely been told to shelter," Spencer wrote. "That could change." Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, which responded, "no comment." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

La compagnie affirme prolonger ce plafonnement pour "continuer à protéger ses clients en France pour le week-end de Pâques".

Depuis janvier, les élèves de CM1 de l’école Jeanne d’Arc subissent l’absence de leur professeur titulaire, remplacé de manière aléatoire.

Deux autres filiales de Ziegler France, qui emploient 110 salariés selon la CGT, ont obtenu une poursuite de leur période d'observation jusqu'à fin avril.

EE.UU. prepara una comparecencia del Pentágono a las 14:00 hora española en plena escalada del conflicto

Italia ha negado a Estados Unidos el uso de la base militar de Sigonella, en Sicilia, a varios aviones con destino a Oriente Medio por decisión del ministro de Defensa, Guido Crosetto. La noticia, adelantada por el diario  Corriere della Sera , ha sido confirmada por fuentes próximas al ministerio. Seguir leyendo...

El primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, estimó el lunes que ha cumplido más de la mitad de sus objetivos de guerra contra Irán, sin aventurarse, no obstante, a fijar un calendario preciso, en una entrevista concedida a la cadena estadounidense conservadora Newsmax. Seguir leyendo...

Le premier décès sur le sol français lié à une injection illégale d’acide hyaluronique par une influenceuse dans un Airbnb de Villeurbanne illustre l’engouement phénoménal pour ce type de pratique en dehors de tout contrôle et suivi.

«La France s’est montrée très peu coopérative face au “boucher d’Iran”», a tancé Donald Trump sur Truth Social.

VIDÉO - Au total, 27 personnes ont été arrêtées et plus de 17 tonnes de drogue saisies en plusieurs fois, selon le ministère de l’Intérieur.

Le parquet national financier cherche à savoir si le marché public de la cérémonie de commémoration des dix ans des attentats de novembre 2015 a été attribué dans le respect du droit à la société TRE Conseil. Ce marché représente 1,5 million d’euros, selon « Le Canard enchaîné ».

Dans l’est de Kinshasa, un praticien a asséné plusieurs coups et gifles à une jeune femme après son accouchement. La scène a été filmée et diffusée sur les réseaux sociaux. Le médecin a comparu, le 27 mars, devant la justice.

La Cour constitutionnelle belge estime, dans un arrêté rendu le 26 mars, que la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles peut contraindre la plateforme américaine à investir dans la production locale.

L’humanité travaille la vigne depuis au moins 2 500 ans, révèle une étude scientifique française qui a séquencé le génome de pépins de raisin parfois vieux de 4 300 ans. Le directeur de recherche au CNRS Ludovic Orlando explique à «Libération» que ce travail viticole précoce a permis de faire émerger des cépages conservés à l’identique pendant des siècles.

Le cétacé s’est échoué il y a plusieurs jours sur un banc de sable des côtes allemandes. L’animal errerait en mer Baltique depuis quatre semaines et son sauvetage est devenu un sujet central outre-Rhin.

Le géant pétrolier français doit annoncer ce mardi soir la prolongation du plafonnement des prix dans ses stations. Une manière aussi de déminer la polémique sur le milliard de dollars de profits que le groupe a réalisé en spéculant sur les achats de brut.

Doris Coulson remained spirited even as her illness progressed — watching cooking shows on TV, working crossword puzzles and wheeling herself down the hallways of her nursing home to show off her granddaughter when she came to visit. Coulson had been admitted to Hillview Post Acute and Rehabilitation Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, in January 2016, after Parkinson’s disease left her at risk of choking when she swallowed. That April, the facility’s operations were taken over by Skyline Healthcare, a New Jersey-based company that was buying up nursing homes across the country. Medical records for the retired cardiac nurse, then 71, were marked “NPO” — nothing by mouth. Then that September, a nursing assistant found Coulson unresponsive and hanging off the side of her bed, her skin ashy and her breathing shallow. She was taken to a hospital in a coma and died several days later. The chief cause of death was aspiration pneumonia, according to her death certificate. “The doctors said they found scrambled eggs in her lungs,” said her daughter Melissa Coulson. Coulson’s death and the circumstances surrounding it led her family to file a lawsuit against Skyline and its owner, the New Jersey businessman Joseph Schwartz, alleging that cost-cutting at Hillview left Coulson without the care she needed. It was one of several lawsuits tied to patient outcomes as Schwartz’s empire expanded and then unraveled, with much of the chain collapsing by 2018. Schwartz didn’t contest the case, and a judge in 2020 awarded nearly $19 million in damages. Coulson’s family has never been able to collect. Schwartz had by that time relinquished all of his property in Arkansas, so there was nothing left in the state for the family’s lawyer to try to seize, nor was there enough information about assets he may hold in other states. Coulson’s civil action was one of several efforts to hold Schwartz accountable for what happened at his nursing homes. In perhaps the most sweeping move, federal prosecutors in New Jersey charged Schwartz with orchestrating a $39 million payroll tax scheme connected to his nursing home empire. He pleaded guilty last April to failure to pay the IRS taxes withheld from employees and failing to file a financial report for his employees’ benefit plan. A federal judge sentenced him to three years in prison. But Schwartz served just three months. In November, President Donald Trump granted him a full pardon, negating his criminal conviction — part of a series of clemency decisions in the president’s second term that have benefited well-connected defendants, including political allies with access to the White House and individuals like Schwartz who had spent heavily on lobbyists . Often overshadowed in the attention around Trump’s decisions is the emotional and financial devastation left behind. Few clemency decisions illustrate that more clearly than the case of Schwartz, who paid himself millions of dollars from his nursing homes while diverting tens of millions owed to taxpayers and employees, and who has failed to satisfy at least three multimillion-dollar judgments awarded to grieving families. In the Coulson case, Schwartz later claimed he never received key filings and had mistaken the complaint for the same lawsuit first filed in 2017, which he believed his insurer had already handled before it was withdrawn and refiled. And he argued the company that took over Hillside and canceled insurance coverage — not him — was the proper defendant. He also said he was representing himself, in poor health and isolating because of COVID-19 risks. A judge denied his request to put the case on hold. Kevin Marino, a lawyer representing Schwartz and Skyline, said he and Schwartz had no comment. He did not respond to a follow-up email containing a detailed list of questions. Trump has granted clemency to several figures in major health care fraud cases. In 2020, he commuted the 20-year federal prison sentence of Philip Esformes, a Florida nursing home magnate convicted in a scheme that prosecutors said involved about $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims. The White House cited allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, echoing claims from Esformes’ defense that prosecutors improperly invaded attorney-client privilege by reviewing documents seized in an FBI raid. Although appeals courts did not overturn the conviction based on this argument, Esformes had support from two former U.S. attorneys general. That same year, Trump commuted the sentence of Judith Negron, convicted in a $200 million Medicare fraud case . Trump’s clemency grant said the “ends of justice” did not require her to serve another two decades in prison. Lawyers for Esformes and Negron did not respond to requests for comment. Trump has also nominated nursing home owner Benjamin Landa as ambassador to Hungary. The nomination has remained in place even as a facility Landa co-owns faces a federal audit alleging there were more than $31 million in Medicare overpayments. Landa is suing the administration to block repayment. An attorney for Landa did not respond to a request for comment but has previously denied wrongdoing by his client, saying in a statement the issues identified in the audit occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when nursing homes were in the midst of a crisis and that the company was committed to patient care. Schwartz’s case was highlighted by the far-right activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer, who had previously worked with the lobbyists Schwartz hired to press his case in Washington. Loomer published a series of posts on X that falsely claimed that Schwartz was not responsible for the tax violations, that he had been unfairly blamed for the collapse of his nursing home chain and that he had paid back “every dime.” She also accused the judge in the case of antisemitism against Schwartz, who is Jewish, though she offered no evidence. She also said Schwartz was in “extremely poor health” and that prison would be a “death sentence,” though the judge found no evidence that Schwartz was unfit for prison. Versions of Loomer’s narrative surfaced in the White House’s explanation for the pardon. A White House official said in response to questions from ProPublica that Schwartz “relied on a third-party entity” to manage tax filings, that he paid restitution, that no funds were used for personal enrichment, that the sentence was exceptionally harmful to a 65-year-old man in deteriorating health and that it was “an example of over prosecution.” But those claims are contradicted by the court record and Schwartz’s own guilty plea, in which he acknowledged responsibility for the unpaid payroll taxes. While he repaid $5 million, that covered only a fraction of what he owed. Federal prosecutors said that under Schwartz’s plea agreement, the IRS could have pursued the remaining balance — an effort that now appears far less likely following the pardon. And his three-year sentence fell in the middle of the range recommended under federal sentencing guidelines. Asked about those statements and how they square with the court record, the White House did not respond. Schwartz’s faith also became part of the Trump administration’s public celebration of the decision. Alice Marie Johnson, who has advised the White House on clemency, wrote online that the pardon meant Schwartz could now join his family for Shabbat, and weeks later, he attended the White House Hanukkah party . Schwartz paid more than $1 million to lobbyists to press the White House, the Justice Department and Congress on his behalf — including on his efforts to secure a pardon — according to lobbying disclosure forms. The White House has insisted that paid lobbyists have no influence on pardons. Loomer said she was not paid for her advocacy. She said she heard about Schwartz’s case in a group chat with members of an orthodox Jewish outreach movement, who asked her to look into it. She also pointed to her influence within the Trump administration, citing several instances in which she publicly urged specific actions that the president ultimately took. She said Schwartz approached her at the Hanukkah party to thank her. Melissa Coulson said Trump’s pardon of Schwartz reinforced her belief that justice is not applied equally. “Apparently he’s got money somewhere,” Coulson said. Her lawyer hopes to find it. Melissa Coulson and her family filed a wrongful death case against Skyline Healthcare and Joseph Schwartz over the death of her mother, Doris Coulson, who died at Hillview Post Acute and Rehabilitation Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Houston Cofield for ProPublica From the outside, Schwartz’s operation doesn’t look like a corporate empire. The headquarters of Skyline’s fast-growing nursing home network was a second-floor office above a pizza parlor in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey. Schwartz entered the nursing home business in the late 2000s and formed Skyline to acquire and operate skilled nursing facilities, initially in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He sold a Florida-based insurance business in 2015 for $22 million, allowing him to rapidly expand Skyline. By 2017, Skyline and the related companies Schwartz controlled cared for approximately 15,000 residents in roughly 100 facilities in 11 states. In a 2017 deposition in a wrongful death suit in Philadelphia, Schwartz defended the care at his facilities as “superb” while distancing himself from day-to-day operations by saying he relied on facility-level administrators and nursing directors. The suit was settled without Schwartz admitting wrongdoing. In the deposition, Schwartz minimized reports of staffing shortages and unpaid bills as simple business “disagreements.” Asked about the facility’s one-star federal staffing ratings from 2010 to 2014 — the lowest possible score under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Five-Star system — Schwartz said he recalled having “a good star rating” and that his nursing homes had tried their hardest to provide as much staffing as possible, insisting that they were “very, very, very, very, very compliant” and that residents were “happy and satisfied.” The collapse was swift. Skyline facilities failed to make payments for food and medical supplies, and cut hours for nursing home staff. At the same time, Schwartz began to siphon money from multiple sources — overbilling Medicaid and withholding millions of dollars in payroll taxes from workers’ paychecks but never sending the money to the IRS, he admitted later. What’s more, Schwartz paid himself $5 million as what one federal prosecutor described as a “ghost employee” at some of his facilities. As conditions in the homes deteriorated, health officials in at least six states from Nebraska to Massachusetts seized or transferred control of his facilities or relocated residents. In South Dakota, a vice president who oversaw 18 Schwartz-owned nursing homes began sending increasingly desperate emails to state health officials, according to court records. Debbie Menzenberg wrote in the emails that Schwartz’s son Louis, an executive officer for Skyline, had called her to say the state “has to do something — there is no money — he told me to discharge residents???” Then Menzenberg’s emails to the state became more urgent: “I need water paid at Bella Vista and Prairie Hills today or it will be SHUT OFF — Skyline is SILENT!!!” “Disconnect notice came today for Pierre May 8 electric.” “I NEED HELP!!!!!” “CEO’s are aware of stuff going on!!!” Neither Menzenberg nor Louis Schwartz could be reached for comment. Debbie Menzenberg, a vice president who oversaw 18 Schwartz-owned nursing homes in South Dakota, sent desperate emails to state health officials seeking help as Skyline collapsed. Obtained and highlighted by ProPublica A group of employees at Skyline nursing homes across the country later filed a lawsuit alleging that Skyline withheld more than $2 million in health insurance premiums from more than 1,000 workers’ paychecks but failed to provide coverage. That left some of his employees with denied health insurance claims and mounting medical bills. Schwartz has not defended himself against the claim, and a lawyer for the employees has asked a judge to award a $2.4 million default judgment. The case remains pending in federal court in New Jersey. One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, an activities director at a nursing home in Arkansas, said that she was left with more than $50,000 in medical bills after surgery on her back and neck. She said she couldn’t pay the bills and that the debt ultimately wrecked her credit. “They withheld over $1,000 from my paycheck for insurance premiums and did nothing with them except abscond with them,” said the employee, Margaret Gates. Under Schwartz’s ownership, residents suffered — and some died. In a lawsuit against Schwartz, Zelma Grissom’s family said the conditions at Hillview, the same facility where Doris Coulson was living, left residents without even basic care. The mother of six had entered the facility after brain surgery left her unable to move on her own and dependent on staff to turn her in bed. Grissom’s son, LeVester Ivy, said Hillview appeared chronically short-staffed. One day, Ivy said, a wound-care nurse called the family into his mother’s room and showed them a severe pressure sore that had developed after Grissom hadn’t been turned regularly. Surgeons had to cut away infected tissue, leaving a large open wound. After that, he said, her health spiraled. “She started getting infection after infection,” Ivy recalled. During one late-night ambulance transfer, he said, an emergency medical worker quietly told him how his mother had arrived. “She pulled me to the side and told me how dirty and nasty, how wet she was,” Ivy said. The family’s lawyers said she died of sepsis from the bedsores that Hillview caregivers allowed to become infected. A judge in February 2023 ordered Schwartz to pay Grissom’s family $15.7 million after neither Schwartz nor any representative challenged the family’s wrongful death claim. Schwartz later tried to overturn the ruling, claiming poor health, lack of notice and that he was merely an investor with no role in operations, but a judge rejected the effort. Ivy said the family sued Schwartz because “we wanted nobody else to go through the things we had to go through.” Schwartz has not paid the judgment, and the family’s lawyer said in an interview that he does not have enough information about Schwartz’s assets to try to recover the money. The suffering described in cases like Coulson’s and Grissom’s was not part of the tax case against Schwartz that landed him in prison. But it loomed over the proceedings when he appeared for sentencing in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, last April. Schwartz had pleaded guilty to withholding $39 million in payroll taxes from his employees and failing to send the money to the IRS. The investigation never determined where the money went. Prosecutors said they were not able to establish that Schwartz had used the money on a lavish lifestyle. But they said they never completed a forensic accounting of his finances, which moved money through more than 200 bank accounts. They said they believed Schwartz still controlled more than $50 million in assets. Doris Coulson in an October 2014 photo with her Chihuahua, Paddy Cake. Coulon’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Skyline and Schwartz and a judge in 2020 awarded them nearly $19 million in damages. Courtesy of Melissa Coulson His attorneys argued that his actions were not an attempt at personal enrichment but the result of a businessman who expanded too quickly, fell behind on bills and then made a series of financial decisions — some of them admittedly criminal. But, they argued, he was simply trying to save his company. Schwartz apologized for his conduct and told U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton that he “always tried to live the right way” and set a good example. But he acknowledged that he’d failed to do so in this instance. Wigenton said she could not understand why prosecutors had agreed to a sentence of just a year and a day. Even years into the investigation, she noted, it remained unclear where much of the money had gone. And because so many of the letters submitted on Schwartz’s behalf described him as a brilliant businessman, Wigenton said the “number of layers and businesses and LLCs that were created” made it hard to see him as someone who had been fooled or confused. “Not a single asset is in your name,” she said. “Not one.” Wigenton said the case was not merely an abstract tax case, citing the collapse of Skyline’s nursing homes and the harm to patients. She said there was a need for deterrence in sentencing. The judge sentenced Schwartz to three years in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $5 million — the amount he had paid himself as a ghost employee — which he did. The remaining taxes were not part of the criminal sentence because prosecutors said they were used to fund his collapsing business rather than for personal enrichment. They said the IRS could try to recover the rest through a civil case. Trump’s pardon wiped away Schwartz’s federal prison sentence — and likely any IRS effort to claw back the rest of the stolen taxes. But it did not affect a separate Arkansas state conviction for Medicaid fraud and tax evasion, in which Schwartz admitted submitting false and misleading information that inflated the Medicaid rates paid to his facilities in the state. A judge in Little Rock had sentenced Schwartz to one year in state prison, ordered to run at the same time as his federal term. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, who had announced Schwartz’s conviction as a signature achievement, made clear after Trump’s pardon that the state prosecution stood on its own. Schwartz, Griffin said at the time, owed the state of Arkansas nine months in prison and $1.8 million in restitution. A spokesman for Griffin said last week that, after making some payments — on schedule — Schwartz owed the state about $1.2 million, which must be fully repaid by April 2027. One of the lobbyists whom Schwartz hired, Joshua Nass, worked to try to reduce Schwartz’s sentence in Arkansas. Nass declined to comment. He was later charged with attempting to extort $500,000 from a client and his son. Although the victims are not identified in the case, the circumstances match those of Schwartz. Nass was released from federal custody after posting a $5 million bond. He has not yet responded to the charge. Prosecutors said in a court filing they were negotiating with Nass for a plea deal that could resolve the case without a trial. Schwartz reported to an Arkansas prison on Dec. 29, creating an opportunity for the lawyers representing families who had won judgments against him. At the height of Skyline’s expansion, the company controlled nearly 1 in 10 nursing home beds in the state. But by the time families won their cases, Schwartz had relinquished or sold his Arkansas facilities, leaving no clear assets for lawyers to pursue. Because Schwartz was in state custody again, lawyers could serve him with court papers and ask a judge to compel him to answer questions under oath about his finances — requiring him to disclose bank accounts, companies and other assets and to turn over financial records. Those proceedings are often the first step in tracing money and identifying property that might be used to satisfy a judgment. From there, attorneys could ask courts in other states to recognize and enforce the Arkansas judgments so they could pursue assets located elsewhere. John Landis, an attorney for Reddick Law, which represents the Coulson and Grissom families, said he and another attorney representing yet another client with a judgment against Schwartz, contacted the state prison system to set up depositions of Schwartz. But the window proved too brief. The Arkansas parole board released Schwartz after just three weeks. Before they could ask a single question, the chance to follow the money was gone. The post A Nursing Home Owner Got a Trump Pardon. The Families of His Patients Got Nothing. appeared first on ProPublica .

For years, Utah allowed government officials to do something other states banned: ask a person who reports a sexual assault to take a polygraph test. That will change soon. Earlier this month, state lawmakers passed a bill that prohibits police and other government officials from requesting polygraph tests for alleged sex assault victims. Gov. Spencer Cox signed it into law on Thursday, and it goes into effect in May.  Experts say these tests are known to be especially unreliable with victims of sexual abuse. That’s because victims may have stress and anxiety recounting their assault that the polygraph may interpret as deception. Other states don’t allow them to be used with assault victims for this reason. It took two years and three legislative sessions for Utah state Rep. Angela Romero, the House minority leader, to get the bill across the finish line. When she first sponsored it in 2024, she cited reporting from The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica as she told her fellow legislators the damaging effects polygraph tests can have on people who are reporting sexual abuse.  In the case covered by the news outlets, state licensors asked a man to take a polygraph test after he reported that his therapist, Scott Owen, had touched him inappropriately. The test results indicated he was being deceptive, and that led the patient to drop his complaint. Owen was allowed to continue to practice for two more years, until others came forward with similar allegations. Owen is now in prison after admitting he sexually abused patients. Romero said in a recent interview that she was determined to bring the bill back for that former patient. “For me, it was really specifically for that one individual who was not believed,” Romero said, “and then their perpetrator went on to harm other people.” Cox signed the legislation during a small ceremony at his office, telling Romero that she “has been such a champion, and made a difference and saved lives.” The governor also nodded to The Tribune and ProPublica’s reporting driving change. Gov. Spencer Cox, signing the polygraph legislation, praised its Democratic sponsor, saying she “made a difference and saved lives.” Utah Governor’s Office Provo police began investigating Owen in 2023 after The Tribune and ProPublica published a story that detailed a range of sexual assault allegations from the man given the polygraph test, identified in previous reporting under the pseudonym Andrew, and three others.  Former patients who spoke to the news outlets said they sought Owen’s help because he was a therapist who had built a reputation as a specialist who could help gay men who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They said he touched them inappropriately during those sessions, some of which were paid for with church funds . Half of states have laws that explicitly prohibit law enforcement from conducting a polygraph test with someone reporting a sexual assault. Some go further, barring a broader group of government employees beyond law enforcement from requiring an alleged sexual assault victim to take one. Although Romero’s bill had support from prosecutors and police each session she proposed it, there was pushback from defense attorneys and some fellow legislators who wanted to keep polygraph tests as an option because alleged sex assaults often have no other witnesses. Polygraph test results are not admissible in court because of their unreliability. But Steve Burton, with the Utah Defense Attorney Association, said in a recent legislative hearing that it is still valuable for prosecutors and investigators to consider those results before deciding whether to pursue criminal charges. “This is often one of the only things that a defense attorney can ask for or use in order to try to show that their client may be telling the truth,” he said. Romero pushed back on that idea, saying there are other kinds of interview techniques that authorities can use to help determine whether someone’s account is truthful. “This is not a way,” she said. “Especially when you’re dealing with someone who has been a victim. You could revictimize that person. And it also could discourage that person from going forward and participating in the process of criminally prosecuting their perpetrator.” “The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Gone Through” Reporting from The Tribune and ProPublica showed the damaging effects a polygraph test had on the man who reported Owen to state licensors. Andrew, who is identified by a pseudonym to protect his privacy, said he was sexually abused by therapist Scott Owen. (Objects in this image have been darkened and blurred to protect Andrew’s identity.) Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune Andrew reported Owen to Utah’s Division of Professional Licensing in 2016. As part of the investigation, licensors offered polygraph tests to both Andrew and Owen. Owen declined. Andrew agreed, recalling that an investigator told him passing would bolster what was essentially one person’s word against another’s. But the polygraph results, Andrew said, suggested he was being deceptive. Polygraph tests generally function to record signs of internal stress, which could suggest someone is not telling the truth. “I had so much trauma,” he told The Tribune and ProPublica. “And so, certainly, when they asked me questions about the particular things that happened in therapy, it’s going to elicit a very strong emotional response.” The result affected his mental health, he said, and he told an investigator he no longer wanted to pursue the complaint. In a 2016 public reprimand from licensors, Owen admitted giving Andrew hugs — touching he called inappropriate but “non-sexual.” Andrew had reported that Owen groped him, encouraged him to undress and kissed him during sessions. Officials with DOPL said they believe they responded appropriately to the complaint. But communications between Andrew and an investigator suggest that the agency’s decision not to more harshly discipline Owen rested largely on his denial and on Andrew’s polygraph results. Owen pleaded guilty to felony charges in February 2025, admitting he sexually abused two patients and led them to believe that sexual touching was part of therapy. He pleaded no contest in a third patient’s case. Andrew was among more than half a dozen men — mostly former patients — who spoke during Owen’s sentencing hearing a month later about how he had harmed them.  “The experience with Scott Owen has been the worst thing I’ve ever gone through,” Andrew said. “I don’t think he belongs in society anymore.” A judge sentenced Owen to at least 15 years in prison. He’s currently at the central Utah prison facility. A New State Task Force The state is addressing some of the shortcomings identified by The Tribune and ProPublica in another way as well: creating a task force to look into a rise in sexual misconduct complaints that state licensors say they’ve seen against licensed professionals. The task force will focus on health care, mental health and massage therapy, professions state officials say have historically received the highest percentage of sexual misconduct complaints. The news organizations reported that more than a third of mental health professionals who received discipline from licensors beginning in 2012 were accused of sexual misconduct. In 2023, DOPL spokesperson Melanie Hall said the agency was aware that certain license types “have a tendency towards certain types of violations.” The agency, she said, “takes these factors into account when investigating complaints, and takes appropriate disciplinary action when necessary.” The task force, which was announced earlier this month, will focus on suggesting changes to the law and creating resources to help victims more easily report misconduct to the state.  It also plans to develop a standardized process for sharing reports among agencies that might have knowledge of an accusation — something that is not currently legally required. The Tribune and ProPublica highlighted this gap in their reporting on Owen’s case: Although Andrew and at least two others reported Owen to DOPL, licensors never shared those reports with Provo police.  Margaret Busse is the executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, which houses DOPL. She said in a statement that licensed professionals who engage in sexual misconduct violate not just their clients’ trust, but the public’s confidence in their profession. “These heinous acts inflict profound harm to victims and damage the reputations of entire industries,” she said. “This task force is our unequivocal declaration: Utah will hold licensed professionals accountable to protect our communities and the integrity of state-regulated industries.” The post Utah Bans Polygraph Tests for Those Reporting Sexual Assault appeared first on ProPublica .

This story works best on ProPublica’s website . Before vaccines, death and disability stalked children. Then shots turned once-common infections into something doctors only read about in textbooks. When immunization rates drop, however, plagues from the past can come roaring back, as measles has in American communities where parents decided not to vaccinate their children. Imagine what would happen if even the people who wanted shots couldn’t get them. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who founded an antivaccination group, is considering changes that could prompt the handful of companies that make most shots for American children to stop selling them here. Over the last year, he has been transforming a government that long championed the lifesaving benefits of vaccines into one that questions their safety here and around the world. Shortly after Kennedy was nominated, questions swirled over how he might overhaul America’s immunization system. Two Stanford University researchers wondered how many people would suffer if vaccination rates dropped or shots became entirely unavailable for four of the most infamous diseases: polio, measles, rubella and diphtheria.  Outbreaks often start when an American catches one of these illnesses abroad and returns home. So epidemiologists Mathew Kiang and Nathan Lo, who is also an infectious diseases doctor, built a model to simulate how the four contagions could spread from sick travelers based on each state’s vaccination rates. Since a sizable chunk of the population is currently vaccinated, some of the infections wouldn’t get a foothold right away. But over time, as more babies are born and not vaccinated, a larger share of the population would become susceptible.  The professors ran thousands of simulations for each disease, producing a range of possible outcomes. From there, they figured out the average number of deaths and disabilities over a 25-year period. Their model shows that at current vaccination rates, the nation is already teetering on the brink of an explosion in measles cases — one that would be virtually wiped out with just a 5% increase in vaccination. But if current rates drop by half, all four diseases could return.  The researchers’ modeling of the worst-case scenario assumes a quarter century where no one could get the shots. It doesn’t account for the likelihood of parents going abroad to find vaccines or politicians intervening to ensure drugmakers offer them again.  But the results demonstrate in stark terms how vital shots are and what’s at stake if policy changes interfere with Americans’ ability to vaccinate their kids.  ProPublica shared the key findings of that scenario with the Department of Health and Human Services. An agency spokesperson didn’t address the modeling but said “HHS has not limited access or insurance coverage to any FDA-approved vaccines” and continues to routinely recommend the shots for children. When they published their paper in early 2025, Kiang and Lo emphasized the outcomes from less extreme drops in vaccination rates, in part because the peer reviewers suggested those were more realistic. Back then, Kennedy was in his earliest days at HHS.  A year later, though, a scenario where no one can get these vaccines doesn’t feel as far-fetched, Kiang said. “Every week that goes by,” he said, “that seems more plausible.”  Lo said that their goal was to show policy makers, “if we make certain decisions, this is what could happen.”  So ProPublica decided to illustrate what a future without vaccines could look like. If We Lost the Vaccine for Polio Polio, which mainly affects young children, can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis in the limbs or in the muscles needed to breathe. In the 1950s, many people were kept alive in iron lungs, huge metal contraptions that encased the body up to the neck and used pressure to force air in and out of the lungs. Ventilators have since replaced the antiquated equipment, but modern medicine can’t reverse the paralysis. The model assumes 1 out of every 200 unvaccinated people who catch polio would become paralyzed. Imagine if this group of kindergartners became paralyzed by polio. They would be a tiny sliver of the 23,000 people the model predicts could be paralyzed by polio over 25 years if no one is getting the vaccine. That 23,000 is the model’s average. It’s the equivalent of more than a thousand kindergarten classes. (The model results range from 0 to more than 70,000 cases of paralytic polio.) If We Lost the Vaccine for Measles Measles is among the most contagious diseases in history. A child can spread it before they even get a rash, and the virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after they leave a room.  Famous for its blotchy spots covering the body, measles is a respiratory disease that can lead to pneumonia and swelling of the brain. Before the vaccine, just about everyone got measles, and every year 400 to 500 Americans died. The model assumes that 3 out of every 1,000 people infected with measles would die. Over the last 25 years, six people who contracted measles in the U.S. died from the disease. If Americans could no longer get the vaccine, the model predicts measles would spread quickly. The model shows that measles could kill about 290,000 people over 25 years. If We Lost the Vaccine for Rubella Rubella, also known as German measles, is usually mild in kids and adults. But it’s devastating to a developing fetus. If an infection occurs very early in pregnancy, there’s up to a 90% chance that the baby will be born with congenital rubella syndrome. These children frequently have heart defects, deafness or blindness — and sometimes all three. Many have intellectual disabilities, too. About a third of babies with the syndrome die before their first birthday. A U.S. rubella epidemic in the mid-1960s left 20,000 newborns with congenital rubella syndrome. If the vaccine went away, we wouldn’t see babies born with congenital rubella syndrome right away. The unvaccinated children would first need to grow into their childbearing years. The model shows that cases would begin to climb after about 15 years. And within 25 years, 41,000 babies could be born with congenital rubella syndrome. If We Lost the Vaccine for Diphtheria Diphtheria, a major killer of children in the 1900s, was known as the “strangling angel.”  The disease’s name comes from the Greek word for leather because diphtheria’s toxin attacks the respiratory tract. Dead tissue builds up in the throat like a thick piece of hide, sealing off a swollen airway.  For those who escape suffocation, the toxin can damage the nerves and heart. Patients who seem better can drop dead weeks later. An antitoxin made from the blood of horses needs to be given promptly, but it is in short supply. Children elsewhere in the world have died waiting for it. The disease is rare and much less contagious than measles or rubella. But it’s also far more deadly. The model assumes only one infected traveler would arrive every five years and that 1 out of every 10 unvaccinated people who catch diphtheria would die. The researchers found it’s very possible nobody would die of diphtheria in the 25-year period their model covers. But we would be playing a game of high-stakes roulette if we lost the vaccine. There is a chance that the strangling angel could become devastating again. Remember the 23,000 people who could be paralyzed without a polio vaccine? A world without a diphtheria vaccine could be even worse. On average, the model predicts 138,000 deaths from diphtheria. In the worst-case scenario, though, the model shows that more than a million people could die from diphtheria in 25 years without a vaccine. The chance of that is remote, but it’s the gamble we’d all be taking. Methodology The number of paralytic polio cases, measles deaths, cases of congenital rubella syndrome and diphtheria deaths in this story are the average values generated by a model created by Stanford University researchers Mathew Kiang and Nathan Lo, which ran 2,000 simulations for each disease. When we refer to a “range” of possibilities, we mean the values within the upper and lower bounds of a 95% uncertainty interval — meaning across all simulations, 95% of the results fall within those bounds. For the worst-case scenario of deaths from diphtheria, the number used is the high end of this range. For polio, the model generated an average of 23,066 cases of paralytic polio and a range of 0 to 74,934 cases. For measles, the model generated an average of 290,129 deaths and a range of 285,271 to 294,286 deaths. For rubella, the model generated an average of 41,441 cases of congenital rubella syndrome and a range of 34,876 to 48,373 cases. For diphtheria, the model generated an average of 138,284 deaths and a range of 0 to 1,460,394 deaths.   For current vaccination rates, the researchers used the average of the rates from 2004 to 2023 in each state.  The six deaths from measles over the last 25 years figure is from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report .  Last year, the Stanford epidemiologists and other researchers published a peer-reviewed article about this model in the Journal of the American Medical Association that showed what could happen with less severe declines in vaccination. The post The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish appeared first on ProPublica .

En déplacement en Turquie pour assister à un amical de la sélection iranienne, Gianni Infantino a confirmé que l’Iran disputera comme prévu ses matches du premier tour du Mondial 2026 aux États-Unis, avant de voir la « Team Melli » écraser le Costa Rica (5-0).

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The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that ban the discredited practice. An 8-1 High Court majority sided with a Christian counsellor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed that the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide if it meets a legal standard that few laws pass. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the...

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The Philippines said on Tuesday it will rename more than 100 island features in a bid to reinforce its “sovereignty” in the disputed South China Sea, including areas claimed by China. The features to be renamed under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s executive order belong to the Spratly archipelago, site of repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels. Beijing claims the South China Sea in nearly its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal...

Der Vorschlag gehe an alle Länder, die sich nicht an der Entmachtung in Iran beteiligen wollten. „Ihr müsst anfangen zu lernen, wie man für sich selbst kämpft“, schreibt der US-Präsident auf Truth Social.

Etwa 900 000 Syrerinnen und Syrer leben in der Bundesrepublik. Welchen Aufenthaltsstatus sie haben und warum gar nicht so wenige von ihnen gute Aussichten haben, bleiben zu können.

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Video posted on social media depicts a rendering of the proposed 50-storey gargantuan structure decked in gold In a city of respected art deco buildings, ridicule is being heaped on the latest structure proposed for Miami’s skyline: the Donald J Trump presidential library, unveiled in ambitious plans posted to social media on Monday night. A 1 minute 40 second video tour of the proposed gargantuan structure revealed it will be decked, almost inevitably, in Trump’s trademark gold, including a giant statue of him, and will feature Air Force One, the $400m Boeing “flying palace” gifted to him by Qatar, in its cavernous lobby. Continue reading...

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Critics say exemption exploits White House’s ‘self-made gas crisis’, and could doom the rare Rice’s whale Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A US government panel on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a move which critics say could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life . The Endangered Species Committee – which had not convened in more than three decades – voted to approve the request for the ESA exemption at the request of the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth . Continue reading...