Ryohei Akima blew a 0.02 on the test, but it was mistakenly read by the Fowlerville officer as 0.22 — nearly three times over Michigan’s blood-alcohol limit for driving.

Caitlyn Peca, who was a rookie officer, told a colleague over the radio, “I have no idea what I’m doing,” according to a summary of the case.

Akima, a native of Yonago, Japan, was in the U.S. on a work visa in 2020. Charges of driving while intoxicated were dropped when a blood sample further showed that he wasn’t drunk.

Akima, 37, filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that Peca’s actions violated the U.S. Constitution. A settlement was reached in January, a few months after a federal appeals court said the case could move forward.

“It would be evident to a reasonable officer that (Akima) was, quite apparently, sober,” Judge Jane Stranch said in a 3-0 opinion. “So a reasonable jury could conclude that (the) arrest was not supported by probable cause and that Officer Peca was not entitled to qualified immunity.”

Fowlerville is paying the lawsuit settlement through insurance, records show.

An email seeking comment from Akima’s lawyer wasn’t immediately answered Thursday.

T. Joseph Seward, an attorney who represented Peca, claimed that performance on roadside sobriety tests was enough to make an arrest and avoid civil liability in the lawsuit.

“We’re disappointed the courts didn’t see it that way,” he said.

Peca is no longer an officer in Fowlerville.

The storm began barreling into the region on Thursday, with the biggest effects expected to close major highways and trigger power outages Friday afternoon into Saturday. A blizzard warning through Sunday morning covers a 300-mile (482-kilometer) stretch from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Yosemite National Park.

“Your safe travel window is over in the Sierra,” the National Weather Service in Reno posted Thursday morning on social media. “Best to hunker down where you are.”

Meteorologists predict as much as 10 feet (3 meters) of snow is possible in the mountains around Lake Tahoe by the weekend, with 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters) in the communities on the lake’s shores and more than a foot (30 centimeters) possible in the valleys on the Sierra’s eastern front, including Reno.

Winds are expected to gust in excess of 115 mph (185 kph) over Sierra ridgetops, and 70 mph (113 kph) at lower elevations.

“This will be a legitimate blizzard,” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said during an online briefing Thursday. “Really true blizzard conditions with multiple feet of snow and very strong winds, the potential for power outages and the fact that roads probably aren’t going to be cleared as quickly or as effectively as they normally would be even during a significant winter storm.”

Backcountry avalanche warnings were in place around Lake Tahoe, as well as areas around Yosemite National Park stretching down to Mammoth Lakes.

Alpine Meadows, an affiliate of neighboring Palisades Tahoe, will be closed Friday. Palisades planned to open only its lowest elevation runs, and could end up closing those.

Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist at UC-Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, said it is possible they could break their modern-day record of about 3.5 feet (1 meter) of snow in a single day from back in 1989. The lab was founded atop the Sierra in 1946 in Soda Springs, California, northwest of Lake Tahoe.

New Hampshire Jan 8

New Hampshire firefighters rescue dog that fell into well during Sunday's snowstorm

storm Feb 13

Video shows ambulance narrowly dodging overturning car during Massachusetts snowstorm

The California Highway Patrol imposed travel restrictions on a long stretch of Interstate 80 between Reno and Sacramento, requiring drivers to put chains on their tires. A stretch of the highway was closed for hours at midday Thursday while crews cleared the wreckage of a semi-trailer truck that overturned near Truckee, California.

On the bright side, California water officials said the storm should provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the Sierra snowpack, which is vital to the state’s water supplies and sits well below normal so far this season.

Palisades Tahoe ski resort wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the big dump expected over the weekend on top of 8 feet (2.4 meters) of snow in February should allow them to keep the slopes open through Memorial Day. But it warned blizzard conditions are likely to force temporary closures off and on through the weekend.

Todd Cummings decided to drive from Santa Cruz to the Lake Tahoe area ahead of the storm with plans to lay low during the blizzard and then hit the slopes.

“When a storm comes in, people have a tough time getting there, so there’s sometimes less crowds on the mountains and there is untracked, fresh snow that it’s super light and you float on it. It’s fantastic!” he said.

Some remained skeptical it will be as bad as predicted.

Richard Cunningham said he has heard before about forecasts for the storm of the century that didn’t materialize since he moved from Las Vegas to Reno in 1997.

“Same story, different day,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t even snow.”

That was before blue skies gave way to clouds and gusty winds that blew the roof off a shed east of Reno Thursday afternoon.

Howie Nave, a radio DJ and stand-up comedian in South Lake Tahoe, said some people may not have been taking the storm seriously earlier in the week because dire forecasts of potentially heavy storms have not materialized several times this winter.

“There were times when I was expecting a Saint Bernard, but you gave me a Chihuahua,” Nave said about the weather forecasters.

But “everybody’s talking about the storm up here,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve had a blizzard warning.”

The Sierra Nevada snowpack stood at 80% of average to date but only 70% of the typical April 1 peak, California Department of Water resources officials said Thursday.

“The results today show just how critical this upcoming month is going to be in terms of our water supply outlook for the upcoming year,” hydrometeorologist Angelique Fabbiani-Leon said during a briefing at Phillips Station, a snowpack-measuring location south of Lake Tahoe.

___

Associated Press reporter John Antczak contributed to this report from Los Angeles. Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.

Now, psychologists and dating experts are talking about a different phenomenon: breadcrumbing.

“Breadcrumbing basically means not being super interested in someone, but continuing to lead someone on,” says Bela Gandhi, founder the of Smart Dating Academy and a dating and relationship expert. “It’s leading somebody on with no intent of following through.”

That could look like a few different scenarios: it might be an ex who continues to “check in” with you, but never goes so far as to suggest meeting up. It may be a guy that you’ve been flirting with back and forth, who will disappear for weeks, and then send an ambiguous “Hey, how’s it going?” text.

Or, it may be someone you went on a few dates with, who isn’t asking you out again, but will occasionally like one of your photos on Facebook or Instagram, or send you a message that has no significance, other than to pop back into your mind.

We asked several experts about why breadcrumbing happens and how to avoid it. Read on for more information about the dating trend.

Why do people do it?

“A lot of it is just ego,” Gandhi explains. The other person could just be narcissistic, seeking constant validation and attention even if they have no desire to commit to anyone. Or, they may just want to keep all of their options open, Gandhi adds.

However, dating coach Evan Marc Katz, author of “Why He Disappeared,” also challenged daters to put themselves in the other person’s shoes — it’s likely, he tells TODAY, that daters have themselves unintentionally led someone on in a similar manner.

“Men are not mysterious creatures,” Katz says. The man could be talking to multiple women, or secretly in love with an ex, or had a hard week at work. His actions, Katz says, are more selfish than calculating — he’s not considering the consequences of his confusing actions, just as women might not consider the consequences of reaching out to catch up with an ex.

But that doesn’t mean that you need to play along with these sorts of digital games. Here are a few tips on how to spot and respond to breadcrumbing.

How to spot breadcrumbing

Watch out for laziness.

One way to spot a person who is breadcrumbing? Look at their texts. They may, for instance, leave out letters or avoid writing out complete words — writing out things like, “How r u,” for instance.

“It’s the ultimate in lazy,” Gandhi says. “It just shows a lack of effort.”

The same goes for someone who only likes your posts on social media, or only sends the occasional “hey” text. Someone that really likes you, Gandhi says, is going to make an effort to see and spend time with you — not just text you every now and then.

Pay attention to the pace of your relationship.

A healthy relationship will be paced right, according to Gandhi. Over the first couple of weeks, you may go out on one date per week. That could increase to two dates a week, and then more — the important thing to note is whether you are naturally building momentum.

If, you’ve only gone out on one date over a handful of weeks, and they haven’t set up a new date, then “they’re evidently not that interested in getting serious about you right now, for any number of reasons,” Katz says.

The solution? Look out for consistent pacing over time to know when a person is pursuing you with intention.

Don’t make excuses.

It’s easy for women to feel that a guy may need encouragement, or that he’s a little bit different than other guys. But, Gandhi warned, don’t make excuses for someone else.

“Nobody is too busy to call you or to see you, no matter what they say,” Gandhi says. She’s even known clients who have flown to a city where a woman was on a layover, just to spend time with her.

And don’t worry about being too picky — you have to be when it comes to things like consistency, reliability and kindness, Gandhi says. If someone doesn’t live up to your standards, cut them loose.

Stop responding.

Ultimately, you may just have to stop engaging with this person. “If you feel like somebody is just throwing you crumbs, stop picking up the crumbs,” Gandhi says. If a person really wants to be with you, they’re going to amp up their efforts in response.

Don’t forget that you are the CEO of your own love life, Katz adds, and the people you date are interns applying for a job. “Focus your energies on the people who do follow up,” he advises.

Or, call out the behavior.

“Call them on it,” advises Ian Kerner, Ph.D, and licensed psychotherapist. “Give them a small window to respond, and then block their number if you don’t like what they’re telling you.”

Kerner notes that in his experience, women have been the ones breadcrumbing guys.

“For some women breadcrumbing is a way of flirting and keeping options open. Regardless of gender, it’s a way of flirting, passing time, maintaining options and feeling validated,” he explains.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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• Are sardines healthy? The trendy canned fish has these benefits for the heart, brain and skin

The Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile show, is a place where device makers show off some of their latest innovations.

And there was quite a lot on display in Barcelona, Spain, this year.

Artificial intelligence took center stage, but there was also plenty of experimentation with different types of screens and first looks at some devices from some of the world’s biggest tech firms.

Motorola phone that wraps around wrist

Motorola showed off a concept smartphone that has the ability to bend along the spine-like hinge, including wrapping around your wrist.

The “adaptive display concept” smartphone from the brand, which is owned by China’s Lenovo,  has an interface that changes depending on how it bends.

It even has a feature to generate a background to match your outfit.

Lenovo’s see-through laptop

Lenovo revealed a concept laptop with a transparent screen.

A company representative showed how an object could be placed behind the screen. The laptop’s camera can identify it. Artificial intelligence is then used to display information about the object on the screen.

Expandable smartphone

Forget foldables. It’s now about rollables, according to one company.

Tecno, a brand under Chinese firm Transsion, showed off the Phantom Ultimate, a phone with an expandable screen.

The screen expands horizontally after it a user presses the button on the top of the device.

Humane AI Pin

The AI Pin from a company called Humane is a small device that attaches to your clothing.

You can ask it questions and it will give you a response.

There’s also a camera built in so it can take pictures.

Here’s the coolest part: The laser projector beams a menu onto your hand. You can then use hand gestures to navigate.

We posted a video about it on social media here.

OPPO augmented reality glasses

Oppo debuted a set of augmented reality glasses it calls the Air Glass 3.

The glasses are equipped with an AI assistant you can talk to.

AR gaming headset

Tecno showed off an augmented reality glasses product with a video game controller attached.

It allows a user to play games on a big screen by wearing the glasses.

The processing power for the whole system is housed inside the gaming controller.

Xiaomi phone that turns into a proper camera

Xiaomi has spent years talking up its smartphones’ camera capabilities.

This year, the company took it one step further when it announced that it is selling a professional photography kit with its flagship Xiaomi 14 smartphone.

This is a kit that attached to the smartphone and turns it into something akin to a DSLR camera.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

Samsung introduced its Galaxy Ring this week.

It’s the South Korean tech giant’s first foray into smart rings.

It is equipped with sensors that can track things like heart rate and aspects of your sleep.

Samsung said that this, combined with its smartwatch and phone, can give users some insightful health readings.

The company is looking to launch it in the second half of 2024.

Robot dog

Chinese firm Tecno showed off a robot dog.

Called the Tecno Dynamic 1, it has a design inspired by a German Shepherd, according to the company.

In a demo, the dog danced to a beat, jumped around and shook hands with a person.

Other companies like Xiaomi are also developing robot dogs.

Xiaomi SU7

Xiaomi debuted its first ever electric vehicle, the SU7, in Europe this week. The car is not yet on sale and it’s unclear if Xiaomi will sell the car in Europe. But the Chinese tech company is keen to flaunt its progress and entrance into the highly competitive EV space. The car took center stage at Xiaomi’s display at MWC.

A second officer was critically injured, but is expected to survive, police said.

Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman said Thursday afternoon at a news conference outside Centerpoint Medical Center that two of his police officers were met with gunfire while coming to the aid of Drexel Mack, the man who had been trying to serve the eviction notice.

Mack, or another civil process server also at the home, had called 911 saying Mack had been shot, Dustman said. The officers responded at about 1:10 p.m. and approached Mack to help him when someone shot at them, he said.

“I’m very tragically sorry to report that we lost one of our own,” Dustman said, identifying the officer as Cody Allen, 35.

The second officer, whose name wasn’t released, underwent surgery and is expected to recover, Dustman said. A third officer also “took gunshot rounds” and had minor injuries, the police chief said.

Dustman called Allen a hero and described the police department as a “broken family,” over Allen’s death.

“He always had a smile,” Dustman said.

A man suspected in the shooting was in custody and sustained minor injuries, Corporal Justin Ewing with Missouri State Highway Patrol said during an earlier news conference.

Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said no details were immediately available about what exactly happened before the shootings began.

Mack, who was in his early 40s, had worked for Jackson County for over a decade, officials said.

“We are devastated that a court employee, who is a public servant, was shot by a member of the public while performing their job,” Presiding Judge Jalilah Otto said in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with our employee, our entire Court family, and the Independence Police Department.”

More than a dozen officers lined up outside the hospital late Thursday afternoon to escort the bodies of the slain to the medical examiner’s office. People hugged and consoled each other after the procession left.

Helicopter video from KMBC-TV earlier in the day showed emergency vehicles converged around a large, isolated house in the middle of a field. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the homes.

Kansas City Police Capt. Jake Becchina said in an email that tactical operations at the house ended by about 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Officers searched the property to ensure the safety of investigators and other community members and found no one else inside the residence, he said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is leading an investigation.

Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.

___

Associated Press reporters Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this story.

The short-term extension is the fourth in recent months, and many lawmakers expect it to be the last for the current fiscal year. House Speaker Mike Johnson said negotiators had completed six of the annual spending bills that fund federal agencies and had “almost final agreement on the others.”

“We’ll get the job done,” Johnson said as he exited a closed-door meeting with Republican colleagues.

The House acted first Thursday. The vote to approve the extension was 320-99. It easily cleared the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Democrats overwhelmingly voted to avert a partial shutdown. But the vote was much more divided with Republicans, 113 in support and 97 against.

The Senate then took up the bill and approved it during an evening vote of 77-13.

“When we pass this bill, we will have, thank God, avoided a shutdown with all its harmful effects on the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said moments before the vote.

Biden called Thursday night’s vote “good news for the American people” but added, “I want to be clear: this is a short-term fix — not a long-term solution.”

Next week, the House and Senate are expected to take up a package of six spending bills and get them to the president before March 8. Then, lawmakers would work to fund the rest of the government by the new March 22 deadline.

At the end of the process, Congress is expected to have approved more than $1.6 trillion in spending for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. That amount is roughly in line with the previous fiscal year and is what former Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with the White House last year before eight disgruntled Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats a few months later and voted to oust him from the position.

Some of the House’s most conservative members wanted deeper cuts for non-defense programs than that agreement allowed through its spending caps. They also sought an array of policy changes that Democrats opposed. They were hoping the prospect of a shutdown could leverage more concessions.

“Last I checked, the Republicans actually have a majority in the House of Representatives, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at our checkbook because we are all too willing to continue the policy choices of Joe Biden and the spending levels of Nancy Pelosi,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

But Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., countered before the vote that shutdowns are damaging and encouraged lawmakers to vote for the short-term extension.

“I want the American people to know, Mr. Speaker, that this negotiation has been difficult, but to close the government down at a time like this would hurt people who should not be hurt,” Fleischmann said.

The split within the GOP conference on spending and their tiny House majority bogged down the efforts to get the bills passed on a timely basis. With the Senate also struggling to complete work on all 12 appropriations bills, lawmakers have resorted to a series of short-term measures to keep the government funded.

Republican leadership said that the broader funding legislation being teed up for votes in March would lead to spending cuts for many nondefense agencies. By dividing the spending bill up into chunks, they are hoping to avoid an omnibus bill — a massive, all-encompassing bill that lawmakers generally had little time to digest or understand before voting on it. Republicans vowed there would be no omnibus this time.

“When you take away Defense and Veterans Affairs, the rest of the agencies are going to be seeing spending cuts in many cases,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “There are also some policy changes that we pushed through the House that will be in the final product. Of course, some of those are still being negotiated.”

The temporary extension funds the departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Interior and others through March 8. It funds the Pentagon, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the State Department through March 22.

While congressional leaders have said they’ve reached final agreement on what will be in the first package of spending bills voted on next week, there’s still room for an impasse on the second package to be voted on later in the month.

“We are working in a divided government. That means to get anything done, we have to work together, in good faith to reach reasonable outcomes,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The renewed focus on this year’s spending bills doesn’t include the separate, $95.3 billion aid package that the Senate approved for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this month, with much of that money being spent in the U.S. to replenish America’s military arsenal. The bill also contained about $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine and other war zones.

Biden summoned congressional leaders to the White House on Tuesday, during which he and others urged Johnson to also move forward with the aid package. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the U.S. can’t afford to wait months to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, which is running short of the arms and ammunition necessary to repel Russia’s military invasion.

“We’ve got a lot of priorities before us, but we have to get the government funded and secure our border and then we’ll address everything else,” Johnson told reporters upon exiting his meeting with GOP colleagues.

Democrats urged quicker action on Ukraine as the temporary spending bill was debated.

“Without swift action, the legacy of this Congress will be the destruction of Ukraine, the appeasement of a dictator, and the abandonment of starving children and ailing families,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is expected to veto the trespassing bill as well as one that cleared the second of both houses Wednesday that would make it a state crime to enter Arizona illegally between ports of entry.

“They are acting on clear political signals from the voters that immigration and the border is their No. 1 issue,” Stan Barnes, a Phoenix-based political consultant and former Republican state senator, said of the GOP lawmakers. “This is what their constituents want.”

Arrests for illegal crossings topped 2 million for the first time in each of the government’s last two budget years, and Arizona in recent months emerged as the most popular area to cross.

The state Senate’s GOP said the “Arizona Border Invasion Act” would “protect Arizona citizens and communities from the crime and security threats associated with the current border invasion caused by the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce immigration laws.”

It would allow local law enforcement to arrest non-U.S. citizens who enter Arizona from anywhere but a lawful entrance point. A violation would be a top-tier misdemeanor – or a low-level felony for second offenses.

“I think we are seeing an effort in these bills to advance an inflammatory immigration agenda,” said Noah Schramm, policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union in Arizona. “They seem to trying to force Hobbs into a situation where she has to say ‘no,’ and then they can say she is unwilling to do anything on the border.”

The moves in Arizona come as Republicans in several states, most notably Texas, trumpet tough immigration policies in the lead up to this year’s presidential election.

A federal judge on Thursday blocked a new Texas law that would give police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S., rejecting Republican Gov. Abbott’s immigration enforcement effort. The preliminary injunction pausing the law came as President Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger in November, Donald Trump, were visiting distinct areas of the Texas-Mexico border.

Federal law already prohibits the unauthorized entry of migrants into the U.S. But Republicans in Arizona and Texas say that the U.S. government is not doing enough and they need additional state powers.

Hobbs “has declared on numerous occasions her disapproval for the lawlessness caused by the federal government’s open border policies,” said Arizona Sen. Janae Shamp, who sponsored the state border control bill. “Now is her chance to protect the citizens of Arizona by signing.”

Hobbs confirmed Thursday she planned to veto the bills and said she recognizes that Arizonans are frustrated by the situation on the border.

Texas-Mexico Border Feb 29

On the Rio Grande, 300 miles apart, Biden and Trump try to use immigration to election advantage

Immigration 16 hours ago

Judge blocks Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants who enter the US illegally

“But passing job killing, anti-business bills that demonize our communities is not the solution,” she said. “Instead of securing our border, these bills will simply raise costs, hurt our farmers, put Arizona entrepreneurs out of business, and destroy jobs for countless working class Arizonans.”

A separate Arizona bill that focuses on trespassing has raised eyebrows because of its author’s stated intention that it could be used by farmers to legally kill people crossing their properties.

But the text of the bill does not mention migrants or the border, instead making a few changes in an existing law.

Republican Rep. Justin Heap used the example of a rancher defending his property from migrants when he said his bill would close “a loophole” in the earlier law that allows a property owner to use deadly force against someone inside a home but not elsewhere on the property.

“We are seeing an increasingly larger number of migrants or human traffickers moving across farm and ranchland,” Heap told a committee hearing earlier this year.

His statement brought to mind one case in which border rancher George Kelly faces trial later this month in the fatal shooting of a migrant on his Nogales area property.

Abbott said in an interview with a conservative commentator earlier this year that his state was doing everything to stop migrants from crossing the border illegally short of shooting them “because of course the Biden administration would charge us with murder.”

This isn’t the first time Republican lawmakers in Arizona have tried to criminalize migrants who aren’t authorized to be in the United States.

When passing its landmark 2010 immigration bill, the Arizona Legislature considered expanding the state’s trespassing law to criminalize the presence of immigrants and imposed criminal penalties.

But the trespassing language was removed and replaced with a requirement that officers, while enforcing other laws, question people’s immigration status if they’re believed to be in the country illegally.

The questioning requirement was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court despite the racial profiling concerns of critics, but courts barred enforcement of other sections of the law.

The law touched off a national furor with supporters calling for similar legislation for their own states and detractors calling for an economic boycott of Arizona.

Several other Arizona immigration laws have been thrown out by courts over the years.

San Diego police officers searched the area and took the suspect into custody shortly after, near where they located the vehicle, Capt. Rob Ransweiler with the El Cajon Police Department (ECPD) said.

El Cajon police responded to the shooting at a dental office near the intersection of Magnolia and Madison avenues at around 4:15 p.m. Thursday.

At this time, “there are three victims,” according to Ransweiler. He said that the person who was killed was a male, and the other two victims, who were both taken to area hospitals, were a man in his 40s and a woman in her 20s. Ransweiler added that both victims were “stable” and that all the victims were shot with a handgun.

“There were a lot of family members on scene,” Ransweiler said.

Father of one of the shooting victims speaks to NBC 7

Jose Antonio identified his only daughter, Yareli, as one of the shooting victims. He says she is 27 years old and works in the front office of the dental office.

Antonio said his daughter does not know the shooter.

Just after 6 p.m., ECPD identified the suspect as 29-year-old El Cajon resident Mohammed Abdulkareem and warned the public that he was considered armed and dangerous.

Abdulkareem took off in a white U-Haul pickup truck with an Arizona license plate, El Cajon police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Ransweiler said at a news briefing that video of the vehicle was captured by the city’s Flock traffic-camera system.

At least half a dozen police cars were at the shooting scene, and officers were seen searching the area and surrounding buildings. First responders could be seen providing aid to a person down on the sidewalk.

The shooting took place inside the dental office, Ransweiler said, and because it was still an active scene when officers arrived, the male who was killed was brought outside by officers so that they could attempt to provide lifesaving aid.

Sarkar Shiro says he lives across the street and came to the scene after hearing police officers and a helicopter. He says safety in the area has never been a big concern for him.

“There’s always a lot of traffic, foot traffic, a lot going on in this area, but nothing to this extent,” Shiro told NBC 7.

The investigation is ongoing. Ransweiler said that there would be no additional news conferences for the rest of the evening. Any additional information would come out via X or in a news release.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is at the scene assisting with the investigation, according to a spokesperson for ATF Los Angeles Field Division. FBI San Diego is also assisting as needed, the agency wrote in a statement to NBC 7.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Ministry reported that about 70% of dead Palestinians are women and children.

That’s since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 240 kidnapped, according to the Israeli government.

According to the Israeli military, 576 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7.

Now 146 days into Israel’s retaliation attacks, humanitarian workers in Gaza say thousands of people may still be trapped under the rubble, and about 70,000 people have been injured.

That’s where Dr. Khawaja Ikram, an orthopedic surgeon in DFW, felt compelled to help. He signed up with the nonprofit MedGlobal, which conducts medical missions in Gaza under the umbrella and with the assistance of the World Health Organization.

“I know that I’ve been blessed with a skill set that other people need,” said Ikram, who practices in Mesquite and Plano.

The husband and father of four had a tough conversation with his family.

“Hey, this is an active war zone. This is a humanitarian crisis and these people are suffering. Anything that we can do to help out, even if it’s for a few weeks, is probably best for us,” he recalled telling them.

Ikram said he’s gone on other medical missions before; Guatemala, Haiti, and Pakistan. But none like Gaza.

“I had the discussion with the kids and the wife that… this may be the last time that we see each other. But again, whenever time is written, we’re going to go. So I said, ‘What better way to go than serving humanity?'” Ikram said.

Some of his memories heartwarming, like a child who gave him a shell with Arabic written on it. When he asked someone to translate it, he found out it said, “From Gaza, with love, despite the pain.”

“I mean, I start crying,” he said. “These people have nothing, but they still want to give you something.”

Other memories are heartbreaking, like one day, when Dr. Ikram said the Israeli military had given them a green light, indicating it was safe to drive from the home they were staying in, to the European Gaza Hospital.

“So, we’re on the road in the van and we hear the bomb go off… maybe a block away,” he said, showing a picture of the thick, black smoke.

They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later to a chaotic scene; an ambulance had arrived, and another civilian car, carrying bomb victims.

“The cars come with their family members who had been part of this bomb. So, we rush into the emergency room. We’re just trying to do chest compressions, trying to save them, but unfortunately, the bombs that are going off are there to kill people. So from that standpoint, most of the time, not many people survive those,” Ikram recalled.

Ikram said another time, a man came in carrying his five-year-old daughter, who had a single bullet wound to the head. He said they were displaced, trying to check on their home.

“He said, ‘Supposedly the troops were pulling back. So, we thought maybe, let’s go see what is still left over our house, see if there’s anything left. There were snipers waiting for us. My five-year-old daughter was shot, and she’s my only daughter, so please save her for us,” Ikram recounted. “And of course, there’s nothing we could do.”

Another heartbreaking memory for the father was when a man came in with a little boy, around five years old.

“And he’s like, ‘I was just on the side of the road. I saw this child fall and hurt himself.’ And we’re like, ‘Where’s his family?’ He’s like, “He doesn’t have any family. All of his family has been killed,'” Ikram said. “I can’t fathom losing your whole family and being a five-year-old child, trying to raise yourself on your own.”

Ikram, with more than 20 years of experience, also found himself handling new injuries.

“[When you see] a leg blown off, when you see shrapnel throughout the whole body, when you see parts of the scalp blown out from a single bullet shot, I mean, these are nothing that I ever have seen before,” he said.

He said patients’ wounds were slow to heal due to their lack of nutrition.

“It’s surreal when, again, there is aid that’s right across the border, literally five miles away from where it’s needed and it’s not being allowed to be brought into to them,” said Ikram, who took a video of miles of aid trucks lined up at the Egyptian border with Gaza.

Israel, which had blockaded the enclave for 16 years, announced a full siege in October. Aid organizations say only a fraction of the help needed has been allowed in.

He also saw harsh living conditions, he said, with more than a million displaced people in tents, wherever they could find room– from open fields to the side of streets, to inside the European Gaza Hospital, where Ikram worked.

He said the hospital was built for 300 patients, and they were treating over 1,000 there, not including civilians crammed inside, seeking shelter.

“Even in the hallways… People are just trying to find some little space of refuge for themselves. Even as we’re walking in the stairwells, people made their own little area on the stairwells, in the storage closets,” he said.

Dr. Ikram said he hasn’t forgotten Gaza’s crowded corridors, as he makes his rounds here at home, three weeks later.

“When I saw the pain in these people’s eyes and they said, ‘This is the one thing we ask from you,’ I decided to go ahead and do this story,” he said.

He shares their message, “from Gaza, with love, despite the pain.”

“I don’t know how to change it other than to tell the stories that we need an immediate ceasefire and these people need our aid,” he said.

As of Thursday, owners of Ford electric vehicles — the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning — in North America finally have the ability to power up using Tesla Superchargers.

Ford CEO Jim Farley wrote in a post on LinkedIn that the charging partnership, which involves use of fast-charging adapters, should “improve the EV ownership experience,” for Ford EV drivers, noting that “I’ve tested it myself and its works great.”

Tesla has forged a similar agreement with General Motors, which was announced in June, giving GM customers access to more than 12,000 Tesla fast chargers in the U.S and Canada. GM CEO Mary Barra said at the time that her company expected to save up to $400 million of a planned investment in building out EV charging stations.

The partnerships mark a strategy shift for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who for years touted the exclusivity of Tesla’s charging network and his company’s ability to build reliable charging locations that would keep consumers from sitting in long lines. Becoming the charging standard has required Tesla to invest heavily in technical and business development.

But Tesla has plenty to gain from working with others.

Sam Fiorani, vice president for global forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said these efforts should eventually yield huge financial benefits for Tesla, including from environmental credits and fees for charging sessions.

Currently, Tesla operates about one in three charging stations in the U.S. Even if adoption of battery electric vehicles slows domestically, and the fleet of electric vehicles is smaller than what the government and many automakers planned six months ago, “Tesla could still see $6 billion to $12 billion a year,” by 2030 from its expanded charging business, Fiorani said in an email.

While Tesla could lose some customers to other brands by making charging easier, AutoForecast said there are other reasons car buyers flock to Tesla.

“People shopping for a Tesla aren’t typically cross-shopping at Kia, Ford, or Mercedes-Benz dealers because they simply want a Tesla,” Fiorani wrote. “Competition will continue to heat up and Tesla will inevitably lose some sales to rivals, but loyalty to the brand means the vast majority of owners will return to Tesla with little or no comparison shopping.”

Allowing other automakers to tap its charging network also opens up some federal money for Tesla under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

“Tesla is not afraid to use government regulations for income and has been working all possible revenue streams for much of its existence,” Fiorani wrote.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for further information.

Tesla reports charging revenue with its “Total automotive & services and other segment revenue.” The company hasn’t said whether it may break out revenue from non-Tesla vehicle use of its charging network.

William Navarro Jameson, Tesla’s Strategic Charging Programs lead, wrote in a post on LinkedIn on Thursday that getting to this point with Ford has required a lot of “interoperability testing” along with creating all the necessary hardware and software integrations and working through legal issues.

“There have been so many pieces to this puzzle that have been put in place over the past 18 months,” he wrote.

On social media, Tesla touted the opening up of its charging network in North America and circulated a link to entice more retailers to host Superchargers at their facilities.

WATCH: Tesla charging connector is on pace to become the North America EV standard

A couple days later, the rash turned yellow and crusty.

“I was touching it because it was really itchy, and then I think it got infected,” said Leora, whose family requested her last name not be published for privacy reasons, given that she is a minor.

A dermatologist prescribed Leora a medication to alleviate irritation and advised her to stop her skin care routine and apply petroleum jelly until the rash cleared.

Then came a discussion that dermatologists say is increasingly common: “We got into a whole conversation about this new fad of preteens interested in using a lot of anti-aging products and things that they are learning about on social media,” said Dr. Alexis Young, Leora’s dermatologist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

“In general for the preteen population, they’re layering product upon product and not really being told how to use them,” Young said.

Young and six other dermatologists told NBC News that in recent months, tweens and young teenagers have been showing up at their offices in droves with red, dry, bumpy and itchy rashes after using skin care products they don’t need. Some dermatologists said it happens monthly or weekly; others said they see such patients multiple times per day.

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Kids ages 7 to 13 are clearing the shelves at makeup stores, spending hundreds on anti-aging creams, moisturizers and acne serums from trendy and colorful brands like Drunk Elephant — which sells one Protini Polypeptide Cream every 40 seconds, according the brand’s website — and Glow Recipe, which surpassed $100 million in revenue in 2021, just seven years after its founding, CNBC reported.

The trend has been driven, in part, by social media, where young creators’ videos about their multistep skin care routines sometimes garner millions of views. (Some adults, meanwhile, have taken to social media to vent about makeup stores becoming overrun with children.)

Drunk Elephant and Glow Recipe products aren’t inherently harmful when used as instructed for their intended purpose, and the companies make products that tweens can tolerate. But some contain ingredients that can irritate young skin, dermatologists said.

“It’s a lot for parents, certainly kids, to wade through,” said Dr. Brooke Jeffy, a board-certified dermatologist in Arizona. “They just maybe don’t have the knowledge to know what’s safe, and so it’s difficult.”

Many Drunk Elephant and Glow Recipe products come in bright pink, orange or teal packaging that can attract young customers; a promotional video from Drunk Elephant even depicts a line of travel-size products as animated cartoon characters.

Like many beauty products, the brands’ product labels don’t usually specify an intended age range. Instead, they list the expected effects. Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum, for example, says it “resurfaces dull, congested skin, dramatically improving the appearance of skin’s tone and texture, fine lines, wrinkles, and pores.” Glow Recipe’s Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Serum, meanwhile, says it can “gently smooth texture, clear breakouts, and refine pores, while calming skin.”

Each of those two products contains exfoliating acids, which the dermatologists interviewed said are among the most problematic ingredients for young people, along with retinoids. Both types of ingredients are intended to address issues like hyperpigmentation, wrinkles or acne, according to Dr. Jayden Galamgam, a dermatologist at UCLA Health. But for young skin without any problems, they may be too harsh, he said.

“We have a handful of patients that get these recurrent rashes around their eyelids and around the mouth,” Galamgam said, adding: “It’s miserable for them. It’s so itchy. It sometimes keeps them up at night. It gets bloody because they keep scratching it, and they’re so embarrassed because it’s on their face and it’s what their friends see.”

In a statement, a Drunk Elephant spokesperson said “anyone with skin can use Drunk Elephant,” but that “different products are appropriate for different ages.”

“We always recommend that parents/guardians provide guidance to their children, particularly before starting a new routine,” the statement said. “In general, we do not recommend products that contain high concentration of active ingredients for our younger fans.”

Glow Recipe did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Young said Leora’s rash was likely caused by a combination of irritating ingredients and the overexfoliating of her skin. Leora said she got interested in skin care through YouTube and her friends.

Her peers want the trendy products from Drunk Elephant and Glow Recipe, she said, in order to feel “preppy” and flaunt their social status.

“It shows off that you have a lot of money if you buy these expensive stuff,” Leora said. “There’s always trends going around, and that’s just how it is, and people are jealous of other people. But now I guess it’s skin care.”

NBC asked YouTube for comment about situations like Leora’s, in which teenagers get inspired to buy products that may be unhealthy for their skin via videos on its platform. In a statement, YouTube referred NBC News to the company’s policies for content pertaining to harmful substances and medical misinformation.

Videos about Drunk Elephant and Glow Recipe products also proliferate on TikTok, which has a user base that skews young. The company did not answer questions regarding minors exposed to such content.

Which ingredients can be harmful for kids?

Retinoids, a group of chemical compounds derived from vitamin A, commonly cause issues for tweens and young teens who don’t need them, dermatologists said.

The category includes retinol, which is often found in over-the-counter products and is used to reduce signs of aging. It promotes collagen production and increases the rate that new skin cells replace dead ones. Retinoids can also treat acne.

Tween skin, however, naturally produces plenty of collagen, Jeffy said. Young skin cells turn over approximately every 20 days, she added, while adult skin can take more than twice as long. So retinol is generally unnecessary for teen skin that isn’t acne-prone, and it can irritate and damage the skin barrier, which acts as a first layer of defense. It can also lead to a red or brown, dry and itchy rash called retinoid dermatitis, Jeffy said.

She described a tween patient who developed a rash around her eyes after applying a Drunk Elephant retinol cream: “The sad thing is, she didn’t need a retinol. It’s doing nothing for her, and it’s giving her this rash. It may take a few months for that to totally fade.”

When asked about the anecdote, Drunk Elephant referred NBC News to its statement and to the “Younger Fans” section of the FAQ page on its website.

Exfoliating hydroxy acids, meanwhile, cause the surface layer of skin to peel to promote new cell growth, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But since young skin renews quickly, these acids may damage the skin barrier, causing irritation, sun sensitivity, burning and rashes.

Dr. Claire Wolinsky, a dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology in New York City, said her 11-year-old niece’s skin became red and sensitive after using a Watermelon Glow toner from Glow Recipe that contained beta-hydroxy and polyhydroxy acids.

“Using a chemical exfoliant, multiple of them in your regimen, it’s just going to lead to irritation,” Wolinsky said. “For a kid with perfect skin, it feels like a bad choice.”

How can parents protect kids’ skin?

Dr. Carol Chen, a pediatric dermatologist and associate professor at UCLA, said she recommends that children without skin issues keep it simple: a gentle cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. 

“If there’s nothing to fix, I wouldn’t fix it,” she said.

If a child insists on additional products, parents should avoid retinol and exfoliating hydroxy acids. Both ingredients can appear on labels with a variety of names — including retinyl acetate or all-trans retinoic acid for the former, and glycolic, lactic or citric acid for the latter.

If there’s any doubt about a product, Chen said, consult a pediatrician or dermatologist.

Her advice to young people: “Don’t try to go out and try to find something wrong with your skin.”

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Prosecutors asked the judge to schedule a change of plea hearing for Monday, but no other details were immediately available. Teixeira had previously pleaded not guilty.

Teixeira was indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The Massachusetts U.S. attorney’s office declined further comment. An attorney for Teixeira didn’t immediately return a phone message Thursday.

Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, has been behind bars since his April arrest for a leak that left the Biden administration scrambling to assess and contain the damage among the international community and reassure allies that its secrets are safe with the U.S.

He was accused of sharing classified military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other sensitive national security topics on Discord, a social media platform popular with people who play online games. Investigators believe he led a private chat group called Thug Shaker Central, where enthusiasts shared jokes, talked about their favorite types of guns and discussed wars, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Authorities say Teixeira, who enlisted in the Air National Guard in 2019, began around January 2023 sharing military secrets with other Discord users — first by typing out classified documents and then sharing photographs of files that bore SECRET and TOP SECRET markings. Teixeira worked as a “cyber transport systems specialist,” essentially an IT specialist responsible for military communications networks.

Authorities have said that Teixeira was detected on April 6 — the day The New York Times first published a story about the breach of documents — searching for the word “leak” in a classified system. The FBI says that was reason to believe Teixeira was trying to find information about the investigation into who was responsible for the leaks.

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Prosecutors say he continued to leak government secrets even after he was warned by superiors about mishandling and improper viewing of classified information. After being admonished by superiors, he was again seen viewing information not related to the intelligence field, not his primary duty, according to internal Air National Guard memos filed in court.

Authorities have provided few details about an alleged possible motive, but accounts of those in the online private chat group where the documents were disclosed have depicted Teixeira as motivated more by bravado than ideology.

Prosecutors had urged the judge to keep Teixeira jailed while the case played, in part because of an arsenal of weapons found at his home and his history of disturbing online statements. They included one social media post saying that, if he had his way, he would like to kill a “ton of people” because it would be “culling the weak minded.”

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani last year denied Teixeira’s bid for release, saying “No set of release conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community, or prevent destruction of evidence.”

In pressing for their client to be freed from jail, Teixeira’s attorneys pointed to the pretrial release of former President Donald Trump and others in high-profile classified documents cases. Teixeira’s lawyers noted that prosecutors did not seek to detain Trump — or his co-defendant, Walt Nauta — even though they said the former president and his valet “possess extraordinary means to flee the United States.”

The probe could lead to new regulations aimed at preventing China from using sophisticated technology in electric vehicles and other so-called connected vehicles to track drivers and their personal information. Officials are concerned that features such as driver assistance technology could be used to effectively spy on Americans.

While the action stops short of a ban on Chinese imports, President Joe Biden said he is taking unprecedented steps to safeguard Americans’ data.

“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” Biden said in a statement Thursday. “China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.”

The probe is the latest action by the Biden administration to guard against what officials see as the growing threat of Chinese cyberattacks. Biden signed an executive order this week aimed at better protecting Americans’ personal data such as health and finance records from foreign adversaries like China and Russia.

Biden and other officials noted that China has imposed wide-ranging restrictions on American autos and other foreign vehicles.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said connected cars “are like smartphones on wheels” and pose a serious national security risk.

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“These vehicles are connected to the internet. They collect huge amounts of sensitive data on the drivers — personal information, biometric information, where the car goes,” she told reporters late Wednesday. “So it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out how a foreign adversary like China, with access to this sort of information at scale, could pose a serious risk to our national security and the privacy of U.S. citizens.”

Data collection is not the only concern, she and other officials said. Connected vehicles could also be remotely enabled or manipulated by bad actors.

“Imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese-connected vehicles on American roads that could be immediately and simultaneously disabled by somebody in Beijing,” Raimondo said. “So it’s scary to contemplate the cyber risks, espionage risks that these pose.”

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Biden’s order limiting access to Americans’ personal data “overstretches the concept of national security.” Biden’s actions “are discriminatory practices clearly targeted at certain countries,” spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Few Chinese cars are currently imported to the United States, in part because of steep tariffs the U.S. imposes on vehicles imported from China. Still, officials are concerned tariffs are not sufficient to address the problem. Some Chinese companies seek to avoid U.S. tariffs by setting up assembly plants in nearby countries such as Mexico.

Under a plan announced Thursday, the Commerce Department is issuing notice of a proposed rulemaking that will launch an investigation into national security risks posed by “connected vehicles” from China and other countries considered hostile to the United States.

Commerce will seek information from the auto industry and the public on the nature of the risks and potential steps to mitigate them, the White House said. Officials will then develop potential regulations to govern the use of technology in vehicles from China and other “countries of concern,” including Russia and Iran.

“We’re doing it now, before Chinese manufactured vehicles become widespread in the United States and potentially threaten our privacy and our national security,” Raimondo said.

The investigation is the first action taken by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security under executive orders Biden issued to protect domestic information and communications technology from national security threats.

Electric vehicles and other cars increasingly rely on advanced technologies to enable navigational tools, provide driver-assist features and reduce operating costs and carbon emissions through fast charging, the White House said. The cars are constantly connecting with personal devices, other cars, U.S. infrastructure and their original manufacturer, posing national security risks, the White House said.

New vulnerabilities and threats “could arise with connected autos if a foreign government gained access to these vehicles’ systems or data,” the White House said.

High tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and continued by Biden have effectively deterred Chinese automakers from entering the U.S. market, but U.S. officials and industry leaders worry that Chinese companies might choose to absorb the additional costs as China leans more heavily on exports. Chinese car makers are looking to build more vehicles overseas, with EV giant BYD announcing plans last year for its first European plant.

Ford CEO Jim Farley has said his company and others will have trouble competing on EVs with Chinese automakers, who have gone from no EV market share in Europe two years ago to about 10% now.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents Ford, General Motors, Toyota and other major automakers, said it supports Biden’s goal to protect the safety of the traveling public.

In a statement, the group urged Commerce to work closely with the auto industry to determine the scope of any action so it targets transactions that pose undue risk to U.S. economic and national security. At the same time, U.S. regulators must not impede “low-risk transactions” that advance “safety technologies essential to vehicles on the road today,” the group said, warning that such actions “could have unintended near-term impacts.”

The Alliance for American Manufacturing, another industry group, said it agreed that “data security of connected vehicles is an issue critical to national security, especially when manufactured by companies based in China.”

The group hopes the investigation “swiftly leads to decisive action,” said Scott Paul, the group’s president. “We also believe more will need to be done to stem the threat of Chinese autos to our national and economic security,” including higher tariffs and limiting EV tax credits.

The European Union, concerned about rising imports from China, opened a trade investigation last year into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles. The investigation is ongoing.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this story.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee condemned the lapse as an embarrassment and a failure of his leadership. They said the fact that Biden was kept in the dark about Austin not being in command for days could have meant confusion or delays in military action, even though decision-making authorities had been transferred to the deputy defense secretary.

Austin insisted there were no gaps in control of the department or the nation’s security because “at all times, either I or the deputy secretary was in a position to conduct the duties of my office.” He said changes have been made to the notification process.

Manyl Democrats also expressed concerns about Austin’s lack of transparency about his hospitalization for complications from prostate cancer surgery. But some also used the hearing to criticize House Republicans, who hold a slim majority, for not passing a budget or addressing critical national security needs.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., denounced the “outrage and drama” from committee members as she said Austin has admitted making an error, apologized and taken action to prevent a repeat. She implored her colleagues to “focus in on the things that are actually important to national security” such as threats from Russia and China.

Nonetheless, there was general agreement that Austin and his staff bungled notifications about his hospital stay in early January.

“It’s totally unacceptable that it took three days to inform the president of the United States that the secretary of defense was in the hospital and not in control of the Pentagon,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, the committee chairman, adding that wars were raging in Ukraine and Israel at the time. “The chain of command doesn’t work when the commander in chief doesn’t know who to call.”

Lawmakers pointed out that any employee — from truck drivers and bartenders to a subordinate military service member — who failed to notify their superior about an absence would typically face punishment.

Austin struggled at times when pressed on who was to blame. He said he took full responsibility, but also said he did not tell his staff to keep it a secret. At times he appeared to blame his staff.

“I was the patient and so my expectation is that the organization informed the right agencies,” Austin said, when asked why it took four days to inform the White House that he was hospitalized. The Cabinet member said his public affairs staff knew he was hospitalized, but said he did not know why they did not tell anyone or if they made a decision not to inform the public.

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The incident led to concerns about lapses in the command and control of the armed forces, including the country’s nuclear arsenal.

The Pentagon has said Austin’s staff notified Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks when Austin went into intensive care in early January. But that only raised questions about why Austin did not do that himself and whether that suggested there was a gap in control.

Austin told lawmakers that “at no time during my treatment or recovery were there any gaps in authorities.” He offered a mea culpa that mirrored remarks early this month at a news briefing, saying he takes full responsibility and had apologized to Biden.

“I should have promptly informed the president, my team, Congress, and the American people about my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Again: We did not handle this right. And I did not handle it right,” Austin said.

Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December. He went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for surgery on Dec. 22. On Jan. 1, he was taken back to Walter Reed by ambulance after experiencing significant pain. He was moved to the intensive care unit the next day.

Pentagon officials have acknowledged that public affairs and defense aides were told on Jan. 2 that Austin had been hospitalized but did not make it public and did not tell the military service leaders or the White House National Security Council until Jan. 4. Only then did Biden find out. It took four more days before the reason for Austin’s hospitalization was disclosed.

A newly released internal review — conducted by Austin’s subordinates — largely absolved anyone of wrongdoing for the secrecy. The review concluded there was “no indication of ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate,” and it blamed communications failures on privacy restrictions and staff hesitancy to seek or communicate timely information about Austin’s health and condition.

Austin spent several days in intensive care and transferred decision-making authorities to Hicks during that time and when he had the initial surgery in December. He did not tell her why.

In his news briefing Feb. 1, Austin said the cancer diagnosis “was a gut punch. And, frankly, my first instinct was to keep it private.”

The internal review said procedures must be improved and information shared better when the defense secretary must transfer decision-making authorities to the deputy. The Defense Department’s inspector general is also conducting a review.

The Princess of Wales, 42, has been out of the public eye since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, fueling online rumors and conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and condition.

“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” a spokesperson for the princess said in a statement to NBC News on Feb. 29. “That guidance stands.”

Kate’s husband, Prince William, recently pulled out of attending his godfather’s memorial service due to a “personal matter.” In a statement to NBC News on Feb. 27, the palace wouldn’t elaborate further on the reason for William’s absence but said Kate “continues to be doing well.”

In addition to his wife’s recovery, William is also juggling the recent news of father King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis. William spoke publicly in February about his dad’s diagnosis and thanked supporters for the “kind messages” for both Kate and Charles.

He walked the red carpet at the 2024 BAFTAs — an event he usually attends with Kate — solo in February as Kate continued her recovery, and on Feb. 29, made an appearance at a London synagogue where he spoke with advocates against antisemitism.

“Prejudice has no place in society. Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise in antisemitism,” William said, according to royals editor Rebecca English. “That’s why I’m here today to reassure you all that people do care and people do listen and we can’t let that go.”

Here’s what to know about the former Kate Middleton’s health and recovery.

How is Kate Middleton’s health?

A spokesperson for Kate told NBC News Feb. 29 that the princess is “doing well” after undergoing a “planned abdominal surgery” on Jan. 16.

The palace announced on Jan. 17 that she had undergone the procedure the day before. They did not disclose why she needed to have the surgery, though they specified that her condition is not cancerous.

William was by his wife’s bedside in a visit to the hospital on Jan. 18 as Kate recovered, palace officials said at the time. She was discharged from London Clinic, a private hospital, on Jan. 29.

The palace said in a Jan. 29 statement: “The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.”

“The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided,” the statement continued. “The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”

She is expected to be recuperating for two to three months following the surgery, a palace source told NBC News. The palace said she was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

When revealing that Kate needed abdominal surgery, the palace said: “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”

The palace message added that Kate “wishes to apologize” for having to postpone her upcoming engagements.

“She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible,” the statement said.

A Kensington Palace source told NBC News at the time that William would be postponing appearances in the coming months and would not conduct any official duties while his wife was in the hospital or immediately after she returned home.

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Kate Middleton’s health history

Catherine previously experienced health complications during each of her three pregnancies.

She had to be treated in the hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe type of morning sickness, when she was pregnant with the couple’s oldest child, Prince George, 10.

She also experienced the condition during the early stages of her pregnancies with Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

Hyperemesis gravidarum involves severe vomiting, nausea, weight loss and electrolyte imbalances.

The princess’s most recent public appearance with William and their three children came in late 2023 during their annual Christmas church outing at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, near one of the king’s royal estates.

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“God brought Craig home,” she wrote on the social media platform. “Craig was not very public with his battle.”

According to a GoFundMe that Chelsea Roh shared, doctors diagnosed Craig Roh with stage 4 colon cancer in August 2022. The GoFundMe noted that the money raised will help Chelsea Roh and her son, Max, pay off medical expenses and cover school for him.

“Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and battle because in true Craig fashion, he did not want the attention to be on him,” the GoFundMe stated. “From chemo to targeted therapy to clinical trials at MD Anderson and in Honduras, Craig was resilient till the very end.”

Colon cancer in young people

Colon cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in men under 50, according to a recent report from the American Cancer Society.

“The continuous sharp increase in colorectal cancer in young Americans is alarming,” Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior author of the study and senior vice president of surveillance and healthy equity science at the American Cancer Society, said in a press release. “We need to halt and reverse this trend.”

Over the past several decades, colorectal cancer’s prevalence has been increasing in young people for reasons that are not quite clear to experts.

“The quick answer is we don’t have a perfect understanding of why it is happening,” Dr. David Liska, director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Cleveland Clinic told TODAY.com last year. “We do know that it is happening, and it’s happening consistently now for the last two decades at least.”

Symptoms of colorectal cancer can include:

• Bloody stool
• Changing bowel habits
• Unexplained stomach pain
• Unintended weight loss
• Exhaustion

A love of sports, God and family

When Craig Roh was about 6, he began playing football and basketball before dedicating himself solely to football, according to his GoFundMe. During his sophomore year of high school, he became a varsity starter as a defensive end.

His skill on the field did not go unnoticed, and he received a full scholarship to play at the University of Michigan from 2009 to 2012, according to the Michigan football roster. He set a record for most starts, and his junior year, he was part of a Sugar Bowl-winning team, and he earned his third varsity letter according to 2012 Michigan football roster.

“Throughout all of this, Craig still maintained his faith in Jesus and was a light to his friends, family and church,” the GoFundMe said.

After a year in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, he played in the Canadian Football League on the BC Lions for three years before he moved to Winnipeg for two. After football, he began working in the tech industry in Austin, Texas.

In 2016, Craig and Chelsea Roh married, and in 2021 they welcomed a son, Max 2.

“It’s hard to put into words the impact that Craig has had on so many people. He was a father, a husband, a brother, a son, a friend and a teammate,” the GoFundMe said. “Despite all of his accomplishments, Craig always led with vulnerability, humility and humor. Craig didn’t care about the frivolous things in life. He wanted to spend all of his time caring, loving and building a life around the things he believed mattered.”

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Before packed audiences in states that will vote on Super Tuesday next week, Haley is making the case she laid out after losing the primary in her home state of South Carolina: Roughly 40% of GOP voters support her over Trump, suggesting their party’s dominant figure is especially vulnerable in a November rematch against President Joe Biden.

“He lost 40% of the primary vote in all of the early states,” she told more than 500 people at a campaign event in the politically mixed suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, on Monday. “You can’t win the general election if you can’t win that 40%.”

Trump is on the verge of winning several hundred more delegates for the GOP nomination on Super Tuesday and could eliminate Haley by clinching the nomination a few weeks later. But by staying in the race longer than any other major candidate, Haley has highlighted Trump’s political problems with key constituencies in their party and suggested that he is a “sinking ship.”

Trump won about 51% of voters in the Iowa caucuses, 54% in New Hampshire’s primaries and 60% in South Carolina. Haley didn’t come close to winning 40% in Michigan’s primary this week and instead lost to Trump by more than 40 points, 68% to 27%.

But just as she has throughout the primary, Haley did better in suburban areas like Oakland County near Detroit and Ottawa County near Grand Rapids. She also did better in Kent County, where Grand Rapids and a large suburban population is located.

Biden flipped Kent County and improved on Democrats’ 2016 performance in Oakland County on the way to winning Michigan in 2020 and beating Trump in the election.

Richard Czuba, a pollster who has long tracked Michigan politics, said Haley’s results were more significant for understanding a critical swing state in the general election than the campaign to vote “uncommitted” against Biden to protest his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, which drew about 100,000 votes and collected two Democratic delegates.

“This is by far, to me, the one narrative we saw (Tuesday) that will have major implications in November,” Czuba said.

Trump declined to mention Haley, his former U.N. ambassador, after beating her in South Carolina, and his campaign has accused her of deluding voters about her chances.

“She can’t name one state she can win, let alone be competitive in,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a recent statement.

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Haley indeed resisted naming a state she could win when questioned by The Associated Press and other media. But interviews with three dozen voters at her rallies and AP VoteCast data from the Republican primary suggest several vulnerabilities for Trump heading into a Biden rematch.

About half of Republican voters in South Carolina — including about a quarter of his supporters — are concerned that Trump is too extreme to win the general election, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 2,400 voters taking part in the Republican primary in South Carolina, conducted for AP by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Trump allies have accused Haley of appealing to the left to vote in open Republican primaries. Some 19% of Haley voters in South Carolina identified themselves as Democrats or people who lean Democratic, according to AP VoteCast. But 72% were Republicans or lean toward the GOP.

About 3 in 10 South Carolina primary voters believe he acted illegally in at least one of the criminal cases against him, even though about three-quarters believe the investigations are political attempts to undermine him.

“We’ve been tightening the belt as much as we can, but can’t think about having kids until we can afford it,” said Jonathan Paquette, a 27-year-old contractor from Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities. ”That’s the kind of discussion this campaign should be about, not about lawsuits and criminal indictments. That doesn’t solve any of our problems.”

Lori Jacobson, a 64-year-old retired lab technician from Monticello, a small town northwest of the Twin Cities, said Trump “repulses me.” She voted for Trump in 2016 but not 2020.

“It’s all about revenge with him,” Jacobson said. Haley, she said, “has a calm that stands in such contrast to him, though she is a very strong woman.”

Across the states where Haley’s post-South Carolina campaign has gone, some voters have picked up on that messaging.

“Forty percent is better than no percent,” said Alyssa Prevo, an Uber driver from Williamston, Michigan, as she waited for Haley ahead of a Monday event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Prevo, a military veteran, described herself as a longtime Republican, although she said she had voted for Democratic candidates in the past.

“Forty percent is a lot, it’s not a little, even though she lost her home state,” Prevo said. “People focus on the losing, I don’t. She has integrity. And for me, the umbrella, integrity, is everything she has under that.”

Nearly 9 in 10 Haley voters in South Carolina said they would not be satisfied with Trump as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, about 7 in 10 say he does not have the mental capability to serve effectively as president, and about 6 in 10 say they would not ultimately vote for him.

Given the primary race’s current trajectory, the Trump campaign may not have to address Haley again — and they expect that many disaffected Republicans will return to the former president’s side in a Biden-Trump rematch.

Haley could lose any mathematical chance of becoming the nominee in the next few weeks as more states hold “winner-take-all” primaries that would let Trump sweep their delegates even if Haley closes the gap with him.

For now, Haley and her aides say they aren’t planning beyond Super Tuesday. Indeed, Haley has not said where she’ll campaign after those contests. And her campaign has yet to book any television or digital advertising beyond Super Tuesday, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.

“That’s as far as we’ve thought so far,” Haley said Saturday. “We’ve taken it one state, one month at a time, and focused on that — that’s what’s gotten us to this moment is discipline, hard work, being smarter than everybody else and making sure that we do whatever it takes to scrappy as we need, to get to the finish line.”

Manuel Rocha‘s stunning fall from grace could culminate in a lengthy prison term after the 73-year-old said he would admit to federal counts of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government.

Prosecutors and Rocha’s attorney indicated the plea deal includes an agreed-upon sentence but they did not disclose details in court Thursday. He is due back in court April 12, when he’s likely to be sentenced.

MANUEL ROCHA

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Accused US diplomat-turned-Cuban spy avoided scrutiny for decades despite red flags

“I am in agreement,” said Rocha, shackled at the hands and ankles, when asked by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom if he wished to change his plea to guilty. Prosecutors, in exchange, agreed to drop 13 counts including wire fraud and making false statements.

The brief hearing shed no new light on the question that has proved elusive since Rocha’s arrest in December: What exactly did he do to help Cuba while working at the State Department for two decades? That included stints as ambassador to Bolivia and top posts in Argentina, Mexico, the White House and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.

His post-government career also included time as a special adviser to the commander of the U.S. Southern Command and more recently as a tough-talking Donald Trump supporter and Cuba hardliner, a persona that friends and prosecutors say Rocha adopted to hide his true allegiances.

Peter Lapp, who oversaw FBI counterintelligence against Cuba between 1998 and 2005, said the fast resolution of the case benefits not only the elderly Rocha but also the government, which stands to learn a lot about Cuba’s penetration of U.S. foreign policy circles.

Typically in counterintelligence cases, the defendant is charged with espionage. But Rocha was accused of the lesser crimes of acting as a foreign agent, which carry maximum terms of between five and 10 years in prison, making it easier for prosecutors and Rocha to reach an agreement.

“It’s a win-win for both sides,” said Lapp, who led the investigation into Ana Montes, the highest-level U.S. official ever convicted of spying for Cuba. “He gets a significant payoff and the chance to see his family again, and the U.S. will be able to conduct a full damage assessment that it wouldn’t be able to do without his cooperation.”

“There are details that can really only come from the defendant,” he added.

Rocha was arrested by the FBI at his Miami home on allegations he engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba’s behalf since at least 1981 — the year he joined the U.S. foreign service — including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and providing false information to U.S. government officials about his contacts.

Rocha made a series of recorded admissions to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Cuban intelligence operative, praising the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro as “Comandante,” branding the U.S. the “enemy” and bragging about his service for more than 40 years as a Cuban mole in the heart of U.S. foreign policy circles, prosecutors said in court records.

“What we have done … it’s enormous … more than a Grand Slam,” he was quoted as saying in one of several secretly recorded conversations.

Federal authorities have said little about what Rocha actually did to aid Cuba, and FBI and State Department investigators have been conducting a confidential damage assessment that could take years.

But a recent Associated Press investigation found there were plenty of missed red flags over the years.

Those included a tip that a longtime CIA operative received in 2006 warning that Rocha was working as a double agent. It was never pursued. And separate intelligence revealed that the CIA had been aware as early as 1987 that Castro had a “super mole” burrowed deep inside the U.S. government, and some officials suspected it could have been Rocha.

Rocha’s decision to plead guilty Thursday came just hours after the widow of a prominent Cuban dissident killed in a mysterious car crash filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the former diplomat. The lawsuit accuses Rocha of sharing intelligence that emboldened Cuba’s communist leaders to assassinate a chief opponent.

The remains discovered Wednesday are believed to be those of Autumn Lane McClure, who disappeared on May 10, 2004, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office officials said.

McClure, who lived in Ormond Beach and attended Mainland High School, was last seen when her boyfriend dropped her off at the Volusia Mall.

Detectives have spent nearly two decades investigating her disappearance, obtaining DNA from family members, and re-interviewing friends and possible witnesses.

A person of interest had been identified in 2021, but that person died in 2022, officials said.

But the investigation continued and led to the suspected burial site in the Ormond Beach area.

On Wednesday, human remains were found during the excavation.

Authorities were expected to release more details on Thursday.

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An 8-year-old girl walking to school was injured Thursday when she was attacked by a dog in a Victorville, California, neighborhood.

Deputies responded at about 7 a.m. to the 13800 block of Mesa Linda Avenue in the San Bernardino County community after a report of a dog who bit two children. One child ran away, but the 8-year-old girl suffered multiple injuries, according to the sheriff’s department.

A neighbor ran outside to help the girl, and the dog ran off, authorities said.

Maria Hernandez said she was getting her daughter ready for school when the girl noticed the attack. Security camera video showed the dog dragging the girl in front of a home.

“I found the first thing that I found, which was my broom,” said Hernandez.

The dog and girl were on the neighbor’s front yard when Hernandez arrived on the scene, wielding her broomstick. The dog appeared to rip off some of the girl’s clothes and drag her by the hair.

“I was able to pull the little girl away from the dog, and tried to keep him away with my broom,” Hernandez said. “He just kept insisting to come after her.”

Video showed Hernandez, broomstick pointed at the dog, holding onto the girl as they walked toward her home. She told the other children to run inside her house.

The 8-year-old girl was hospitalized and received several stitches for her injuries.

“All I know is that I got attacked and my legs started hurting bad and my head,” said Genesis, who was the young girl injured by the dog.

While Genesis continues to recover from her injuries, her mother, Ronika Jones, is seeking answers.

“They always walk up and down the street and no child should be attacked by a dog,” Jones said. “Makes no sense.”

She has stitches here and on her back. Bruises all over her body. They always walk up and down the street and no child should be attacked by a dog. Makes no sense. 

The dog was captured and taken to animal control, authorities said. Hernandez said the same dog was seen overnight in the neighborhood.

The dog does not have a microchip ID. The sheriff’s department was attempting to find an owner.

Shares of WW International Inc. tumbled more than 23% in Thursday morning trading.

Winfrey, who told People magazine in December that she was using a weight-loss medication, has served on the company’s board since 2015. She will not stand for re-election at WeightWatchers annual meeting in May.

WW International said in a regulatory filing that Winfrey’s decision “was not the result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies or practices.” The size of its board will go from 10 to nine members following its annual meeting, the New York company added.

“I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” Winfrey said.

According to FactSet, Winfrey’s stake of about 1.1 million shares made her the company’s largest individual shareholder, with a stake of 1.43%.

Winfrey said that she will donate her interest in WeightWatchers to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The company said that it supports Winfrey’s decision to donate all of her stake to the museum during WeightWatchers upcoming trading window in March.

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“Ms. Winfrey is making the donation to support the NMAAHC’s goal to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans and to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications,” the company said. “In addition, Ms. Winfrey intends to donate the proceeds from any future exercises of her WW stock options to NMAAHC.”

Nearly a year ago, WeightWatchers said it too was getting into the prescription drug weight loss business with a $106 million deal to buy Sequence, a telehealth provider with annual revenue of about $25 million and about 24,000 members.

Move over, Nicole Kidman. AMC has some new patron saints.

In the final three months of 2023, AMC saw revenue increase 12%, and operating profit by one measure nearly triple, compared with the same period a year before. “Literally all” that growth was tied to concert films from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, AMC CEO Adam Aron told analysts Wednesday.

“These two movies added greatly, not only to AMC’s bottom line, but to movie theater success across our entire industry,” Aron said on the movie theater chain’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “Just these two films represented fully one-ninth of the complete fourth-quarter, domestic, industry-wide box office.”

AMC was behind “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” the first movie distributions in the company’s 103-year-old history. Those projects, both released in the final quarter of 2023, came near the end of a year culturally defined by the two pop stars’ tours.

U.S. market share for AMC, based outside Kansas City, expanded as a result of the two movies, Aron said. In the fourth quarter, AMC’s domestic box office receipts from the two releases alone beat out the distribution totals from most major studios, excluding Disney, he said.

Now, AMC’s phones are “ringing off the hook” as other artists look to the company to distribute filmed versions of their concerts in theaters in 2024 and 2025, he said.

“This is a stunning result, given that neither of these films were on anyone’s drawing board until midyear, and that they were the first movies ever distributed by AMC,” said Aron. “What a triumph for our company. To that end, it is no surprise that our praise for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has no limit.”

A cultural and economic force

It’s little surprise that the two divas boosted AMC’s financials in the fourth quarter. Swift’s venture alone grossed more than $200 million, making it the highest-grossing documentary or concert film of all time, by AMC’s count.

Fans came out in droves last year to the see the global music superpowers in stadiums across the U.S. The tours were notable for high ticket resale prices as consumers proved willing to splash out for what was dubbed the “funflation” trend, and attendees’ outfits that matched the aesthetic of each star, including friendship bracelets and black fedoras.

The economic effect of these events caught the attention of Wall Street and even the Federal Reserve. While some questioned the true influence on nationwide economic data, others cited a clear benefit to tourism in cities where the tours stopped.

AMC wasn’t the only company reporting a boost from the concerts and films this earnings season.

Competitor Cinemark said average ticket prices increased 2% and domestic concession stand revenue grew 8% compared with the same quarter a year ago. Chief Financial Officer Melissa Hayes Thomas credited that bump to Swift’s movie and related merchandise, as well as to strategic pricing initiatives.

Ride-share platform Lyft said it saw a 35% jump in rides to stadiums in 2023 compared with the year before. Lyft specifically mentioned Swift and Beyoncé concerts as key drivers, in addition to sporting events.

Disney drew attention after CEO Bob Iger announced on its earnings call earlier this month that the movie studio’s streaming platform would exclusively house an extended version of Swift’s tour. “Taylor’s Version” of the film, referring to her re-recorded albums, hits Disney+ on March 15.

“Over the past year, we’ve all witnessed the creative genius and sheer power of a true cultural phenomenon, Taylor Swift,” Iger said on the call. Audiences are eager “to relive the electrifying ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)’ whenever they want on Disney+.”

Meme stock performance

AMC still acknowledged challenges in 2023 tied to the actors and writers strikes that brought Hollywood to a halt at midyear and pushed back movie releases.

The company reported higher revenue than analysts polled by LSEG, formerly Refinitiv, anticipated in the latest quarter. But it also posted a larger loss in earnings per share than Wall Street forecast.

Shares of AMC, once a volatile “meme” stock that captured the interest of retail traders during the pandemic in 2021, tumbled more than 14% in afternoon trading on Thursday. The stock is down more than 28% thus far in 2024.

AMC also announced it would air new, shorter advertisements with Kidman, the actress whose first campaign for the chain became a cult classic. Rather than showing the same 60-second spot before each showing, audiences will instead see one of three different 30-second commercials starring the Australian-American actor beginning in March.

— CNBC’s Robert Hum contributed to this report.

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The IRS has unveiled plans to target “non-filers” with a new round of letters, starting with high-income taxpayers who haven’t filed federal returns since 2017.

Starting this week, the agency will send letters to wealthy non-filers, with the first batch going to those earning $400,000 to more than $1 million.

Formerly known as CP-59 notices, the letters will go to between 20,000 and 40,000 non-filers per week, according to plans announced Thursday. The IRS said recipients should take “immediate action” to avoid more letters, higher penalties and “stronger enforcement measures.” Non-filers can learn more about past-due returns here.

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“If someone hasn’t filed a tax return, this is the time to make it right,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told reporters during a press call. Citing staffing issues, he said the non-filer program has only run sporadically since 2016.

The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of the amount owed per month, capped at 25% of the tax bill, according to the IRS. There’s also an interest-based penalty based on the current interest rate.

The agency urges non-filers to work with a tax professional to file past-due returns and calculate taxes owed, penalties and interest.    

‘Historically low audit rates’ for higher earners

The new wave of letters comes amid IRS plans to reverse “historically low audit rates” of large corporations, complex partnerships and higher earners.

The audit rate for taxpayers earning $1 million or more was 0.7% in 2019, compared to 7.2% in 2011, according to the IRS.

While it’s unclear exactly how much the IRS will collect via the revamped non-filer program, the agency estimates there could be “hundreds of millions of dollars” in unpaid taxes from these cases.

“This is a very material amount of money that is being left on the table,” Werfel said Thursday.

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The ruling, issued by Circuit Court Judge Tracie Porter on Wednesday, agreed with arguments made by Colorado’s Supreme Court when it kicked Trump off the ballot in that state.

Porter’s ruling followed a determination by Illinois’ State Board of Elections in January that Trump’s name should remain on the ballot, but also recommended that a court make the ultimate decision in the case.

Trump’s attorneys filed two separate motions in the case, including an appeal of the ruling. They have asked the Illinois Appellate Court to reverse Porter’s decision and to reinstate the Board of Elections’ ruling in the case.

A second motion was also filed to clarify the terms of Porter’s stay in the case. The ruling had been placed on hold pending the expected filing of the appeal, but Trump’s attorneys are arguing that the ruling should be stayed until the appeal is decided upon, or until the U.S. Supreme Court makes a ruling in a similar case in Colorado.

Porter issued a revised ruling on Thursday, saying that the decision would be put on hold until a decision is reached by the Appellate Court.

That Colorado case, in which Trump’s name was removed from that state’s primary ballot on the same grounds, is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Porter said in her ruling that the order would be put on hold if the Supreme Court’s ruling was “inconsistent” with hers.

The Illinois Republican Party issued the following statement in reaction to Porter’s Wednesday ruling.

“As we’ve stated repeatedly, the Illinois Republican Party believes the people, not activist courts or unelected bureaucrats, should choose who represents them in the White House. This decision to remove President Trump from the ballot without due process is an affront to democracy and limits the voting rights of Illinois citizens,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy said.

The former president’s spokesperson Steven Cheung also issued a statement.

“Democrat front-groups continue to attempt to interfere in the election and deny President Trump his rightful place on the ballot,” the statement read. “Today, an activist Democrat judge in Illinois summarily overruled the state’s board of elections and contradicted earlier decisions from dozens of other state and federal jurisdictions. This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal. In the meantime, President Trump remains on the Illinois ballot, is dominating the polls, and will Make America Great Again!” 

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the Colorado case in early February, and according to legal experts cited by The New York Times and other publications, there was skepticism in the arguments made to keep the former president off the ballot.

The Illinois ruling repeatedly cited findings from the Colorado case, saying that Trump’s actions in the lead-up to, and on the day of Jan. 6, 2021, should be construed as insurrection, making him ineligible to hold the office of president.

Colorado’s Supreme Court concluded “that because President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section Three, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the secretary to list President Trump as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.”

Trump’s attorneys have disputed that characterization in appeals, saying that his actions fell well short of the 14^th Amendment’s definition of insurrection. They cited tweets the president had sent calling for peace in Washington amid the chaos at the Capitol, but Porter dismissed those remarks as “plausible deniability” of potential crimes.

“This tweet could not possibly have had any other intended purposes besides to fan the flames. The hearing office determines that these calls to peace via social media, coming after an inflammatory tweet are the product of trying to give himself plausible deniability,” the ruling read.

She argued that the Capitol riot’s purpose was “the furtherance of the president’s plan to disrupt the electoral count taking place before the joint meeting of Congress,” and therefore qualified as insurrection under the Constitution.

The Atlanta-based fast-food giant said in a message posted on it’s website, that customers who took home its Polynesian Sauce dipping cups between Feb. 14 and Feb. 27 should throw them away because they may contain an entirely different sauce that includes wheat and soy allergens.

Customers with questions about the recall can contact Chick-fil-A CARES at 1-866-232-2040.

While the message did not disclose what sauce the Polynesian sauce cups mistakenly contained, the only sauce with wheat and soy allergens listed on its website is their Sweet and Spicy Sriracha.

Chick-fil-A’s Polynesian sauce is described as “a delicious sweet and sour sauce with a strong, tangy flavor” on their website. It first debuted in 1984 alongside Honey Mustard and Barbeque, according to the company’s website.

Thought it’s a fan favorite among customers, the Chick-fil-A sauce remains the most popular condiment made by the restaurant, which began selling 16-ounce bottles in 2020.

Cops were called to the scene at Southards Park Pond, off Siegel Boulevard in Babylon Village, shortly before 9 a.m. when a parent of the students who found the arm called 911. That came after the teens spotted a person’s left arm dumped in the bushes.

“One of the students called their father. The father responded, confirmed it was an arm on the side of the road and he called 911,” Suffolk County Police Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer said at a news conference.

A short time later in the early afternoon, a police dog searching another part of the large park found a human leg under leaves about a mile from the first location — and not far from a nearby elementary school. Later in the evening, a right arm was found as well, about 20 feet further into the woods from where the first arm was discovered in the morning, police said.

“There’s a mound of leaves. We don’t know what’s going to be under the mound. Once we clear the mound we may find the remainder of the body or we may not,” said Beyrer.

The superintendent of the Babylon Unified School District said in a letter to parents that students at the nearby school were kept indoors for recess while the investigation was underway, and that mental health resources would be provided “to assist our students at all grade levels, and we encourage any student feeling uneasy, anxious or scared in any way to please take advantage of them during this time.” The letter noted that the investigation is otherwise unrelated to any of the schools.

Homicide detectives were on scene throughout the day with crime scene tape stretched across an area usually frequented by school kids, joggers and people walking their dogs. Police said it appeared the body parts had been dumped recently.

Police didn’t immediately provide any further information on the limbs found, hoping that testing the DNA and examining tattoos could help lead them to an identification. Investigators were looking into all possibilities as to what may have happened, and did not rule out that it may have been gang-related.

Police did not share whether the body parts are believed to be of the same person or how the individual may have died.

The preliminary injunction granted by U.S. District Judge David Ezra pauses a law that was set to take effect March 5 and came as President Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger in November, Donald Trump, were visiting Texas’ southern border to discuss immigration. Texas officials are expected to appeal.

Opponents have called the Texas measure the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law that opponents rebuked as a “Show Me Your Papers” bill. The U.S. Supreme Court partially struck down the Arizona law, but some Texas Republican leaders want that ruling to get a second look.

Ezra cited the Constitution’s supremacy clause and U.S. Supreme Court decisions as factors that contributed to his ruling. He said the Texas law would conflict with federal immigration law, and the nation’s foreign relations and treaty obligations.

Ezra wrote in his decision that allowing Texas to “permanently supersede federal directives” due to an invasion would “amount to nullification of federal law and authority — a notion that is antithetical to the Constitution and has been unequivocally rejected by federal courts since the Civil War.”

Following Ezra’s decision, the office of Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he immediately appealed the ruling.

“We have appealed this incorrect decision. Texas has a clear right to defend itself from the drug smugglers, human traffickers, cartels, and legions of illegal aliens crossing into our state as a consequence of the Biden Administration’s deliberate policy choices,” said Paxton in a statement. “I will do everything possible to defend Texas’s right to defend herself against the catastrophic illegal invasion encouraged by the federal government.”

The lawsuit is among several legal battles between Texas and Biden’s administration over how far the state can go to try to prevent migrants from crossing the border.

The measure would allow state law enforcement officers to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. Once in custody, they could agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the country or face a misdemeanor charge for entering the U.S. illegally. Migrants who don’t leave after being ordered to do so could be arrested again and charged with a more serious felony.

At a Feb. 15 hearing, Ezra expressed skepticism as the state pleaded its case for what is known as Senate Bill 4. He also said he was somewhat sympathetic to the concerns expressed by Abbott and other state officials about the large number of illegal crossings.

Ezra, who was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, said he feared the United States could become a confederation of states enforcing their own immigration laws. “That is the same thing the Civil War said you can’t do,” Ezra told the attorneys.

Civil rights groups, who also sued the state, have argued the law could lead to civil rights violations and racial profiling.

Republicans who back the law have said it would not target immigrants already living in the U.S. because of the two-year statute of limitations on the illegal entry charge and would be enforced only along the state’s border with Mexico.

Tensions have remained high between Texas and the Biden administration this year over who can patrol the border and how. Other GOP governors have expressed support for Abbott, who has said the federal government is not doing enough to enforce immigration laws.

Among other things, Texas placed a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, put razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border and stopped Border Patrol agents from accessing a riverfront park in Eagle Pass that they previously used to process migrants.

However your smartphone got wet, you now need to dry it. But what do you do? There’s lots of advice on the internet, some of it conflicting. Apple inserted itself into the debate recently when it put out an advisory that included a warning against using rice.

Here are some things to keep in mind next time your phone has an unintended encounter with a liquid.

What should I do if drop my cellphone in the water?

Dry off the exterior with a towel or clean cloth, even your shirtsleeve — anything that’s absorbent. Take out the SIM card and holder. If possible, remove the back housing and battery to wipe them dry. Also, if possible, turn the phone off.

For Apple iPhone: iPhones can’t be disassembled so Apple recommends tapping it gently against your hand with the connector ports facing down so liquid can flow out.

For Samsung Android: Samsung recommends using a cotton bud to get moisture out of the earphone jack and charging port. In contrast, Apple says cotton buds shouldn’t be inserted into iPhone openings.

If it’s not water but another liquid — a drink, seawater or chlorinated pool water — Samsung advises soaking the phone in clean water for a few minutes then rinsing it to get rid of any impurities or salinity that could speed up corrosion of the circuitry inside.

Both companies say it’s best to leave the phone out in a well ventilated area (perhaps with a fan) to dry it out. Google says leave the device to dry at room temperature.

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What not to do if you drop your phone in water

• Don’t use a hair dryer or compressed air on your phone.
• Don’t put it in a freezer – this might stop your device from short-circuiting but the problem will be back once you try to thaw it.
• And while this might seem obvious, don’t put your device in a tumble dryer or on top of a radiator.
• Don’t power it up or try to charge it with a cable — although wireless charging is OK if your phone has it and you really need to turn it on in an emergency.

So what about using rice to dry your device? You may have heard that putting a phone in a bowl of rice will help draw out moisture. It’s been a tip that’s been out there for years.

Apple, however, says that’s a no-no. The company warned against it in an advisory published in early January. It drew little attention at the time, but then people noticed the line that said: “Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.”

Is there anything I can use besides rice?

The best option is silica gel, a drying agent that can absorb lots of moisture. Silica gel beads are typically found in packets that are included with products like beef jerky, seaweed sheets or sneakers to keep them dry. You can also buy them in bulk online. This works best if you put them in an airtight box with your phone.

When do I know it’s dry?

It’s hard to tell but it’s best to wait as long as possible — at least a few days. Samsung advises bringing your device into a service center for inspection even after it’s been air-dried.

Aren’t phones waterproof nowadays?

Most phones nowadays are designed to be water-resistant, which means they can resist water entering critical areas for a certain amount of time. But beware, this isn’t the same as being waterproof.

Apple says the iPhone 7 and and newer models are splash and water resistant. iPhone XS devices and up have the IP68 rating, which means they can be submerged for as long as 30 minutes and, depending on the model, as deep as 20 feet. These models also pop up a warning if there’s liquid detected in key ports, and warn against charging. Samsung says most of its Galaxy Android phones feature the same rating, though the maximum depth is about 16 feet.

Google’s newer Pixel phones carry the same water resistance ratings, but Google warns that they aren’t waterproof and the water resistance will diminish over time because of “normal wear and tear, device repair, disassembly or damage.”

She and her husband found a surrogate through a matching program, and they hoped to soon transfer frozen embryos. But now that plan is in doubt as Alabama fertility clinics paused IVF services in the wake of a state court ruling that embryos are considered children under the state’s wrongful death law.

“I’m just frustrated. We had a light at the end of the tunnel,” Ray said. She said they can’t transfer their frozen embryos to their surrogate and can’t move the embryos out of state. Ray was one of more than 200 IVF patients who descended on the Alabama Statehouse Wednesday to urge lawmakers to find a way to restore IVF treatment in the state.

Republican lawmakers promised swift action and advanced proposals to provide criminal and civil lawsuit protections to in vitro fertilization service providers. But GOP lawmakers — navigating both a backlash over the IVF decision and hardline abortion opponents in their own party — steered clear of trying to define whether the embryos should be considered human life.

“We’re trying to find a solution … It should get the clinics back open,” Republican Sen. Tim Melson, a doctor and sponsor of one of the bills, said of the immunity proposal.

Alabama justices this month said three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a storage facility could pursue wrongful death lawsuits for their “extrauterine children.” In reaching the decision, Alabama justices cited anti-abortion language added to the Alabama Constitution in 2018, saying the state recognizes and protects the “rights of unborn children.” The constitutional amendment was approved by 59% of Alabama voters.

The ruling, treating an embryo the same as a child or gestating fetus under the wrongful death statute, raised concerns about civil liabilities for clinics. Three clinics announced a pause on IVF services.

Alabama Feb 23

She needs a surrogate to have a baby. After Alabama's IVF ruling, her embryo transfer was canceled

Alabama Feb 22

University of Alabama at Birmingham pauses IVF services after court rules that embryos are children

Melson shelved an earlier proposal that said an embryo should not be considered a human life until implanted in the uterus.

“There’s a lot of different opinions on what’s alive, what’s viable, what’s not,” Melson said Wednesday.

Some conservative groups had expressed concern about proposals that would exclude embryos from the definition of human life. Eagle Forum of Alabama issued a statement urging lawmakers to avoid “legislation that may be in direct violation of our Constitution as well as the clear definition of human life.”

“Life begins at conception, not implantation,” Eagle Forum stated. The group urged lawmakers to find a way to let IVF treatments proceed, but also supported prohibitions around the destruction or donation of viable embryos.

Some lawmakers questioned the need to pause IVF. Republican Sen. Larry Stutts, an obstetrician who is also sponsoring one of the proposals, noted that some clinics “never closed.”

A Democratic senator said Wednesday that Republicans are not “dealing with the issues that got us here.” Some House Democrats have proposed legislation to state that a human embryo outside of a uterus “is not considered an unborn child or human being for any purpose under state law.”

“Unless we redefine this as to whether an embryo is a child — and if we don’t deal with the elephant in the room that got us to this place — we’re going to be back here,” Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, a Democrat from Birmingham, said.

Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said lawmakers may be able to provide a “temporary solution” through legislation, but that a long-term solution must address the 2018 constitutional amendment.

“That amendment is essentially a personhood amendment,” England said. “It’s interesting that everybody keeps saying the decision was wrong, but the legislation doesn’t address the decision.”

Advocates are concerned that IVF will become increasingly entangled in the debate over abortion.

Barbara Collura, President of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, said the nation is watching to see what happens in Alabama.

“This could potentially be a roadmap for other states to restrict IVF or a roadmap on how to protect IVF and family building,” Collura said.

Dr. Michael C. Allemand, said the past 10 days had been the “hardest of my career” as he had tear-filled conversations with patients that “we might have to interrupt their journey.”

“Everyone is crying. They’re crying. I’m crying,” Allemand said. “I never anticipated that we wouldn’t be able to provide standard fertility care to our patients.”

Federal prosecutors say Travis John Branson and others killed about 3,600 birds during a yearslong “killing spree” on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere. Feathers and other parts of eagles and other birds are highly prized among many Native American tribes for use in sacred ceremonies and during powwows.

Branson of Cusick, Washington, will plead guilty under an agreement with prosecutors to reduced charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of unlawful trafficking of eagles, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The documents did not detail how many birds he will admit to killing.

A second suspect, Simon Paul of St. Ignatius, Montana, remains at large after an arrest warrant was issued when he failed to show up for an initial court appearance in early January. His attorney, Dwight Schulte, declined to comment Tuesday.

The defendants are accused of selling eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials. Illegal shootings are a leading cause of golden eagle deaths, according to a recent government study.

Immature golden eagle feathers are especially valued among tribes, and a tail set from one of the birds can sell for several hundred dollars, according to details disclosed during a separate trafficking case in South Dakota last year in which a Montana man was sentenced to three years in prison.

A grand jury in December indicted the two men on 15 criminal charges. They worked with others — who haven’t been named by authorities — to hunt and kill the birds and on at least one occasion used a dead deer to lure an eagle that was killed, according to the indictment.

Federal officials have not said how many eagles were killed or what other kinds of birds were involved in the scheme, which they say began in 2015 and continued until 2021. The indictment included details on only 13 eagles and eagle parts that were allegedly trafficked by the defendants.

Branson, who was released from custody following a Jan. 8 court appearance, faces years in prison and substantial fines under the terms of the plea agreement. He also would be responsible for complete restitution of damages, including from offenses that would be dismissed under the plea deal.

Branson did not respond to a message left at a publicly listed phone number for him. His attorney, Assistant Federal Defender Andrew Nelson, declined to comment on the agreement.

Text messages obtained by investigators showed Branson and others telling buyers he was “on a killing spree” to collect more eagle tail feathers for future sales, according to the indictment. Prosecutors described Paul as a shooter and shipper of eagles for Branson.

Bald eagles are the national symbol of the United States, and both bald and golden eagles are widely considered sacred by American Indians. U.S. law prohibits anyone without a permit from killing, wounding or disturbing eagles, or taking their nests or eggs. Even taking feathers found in the wild can be a crime.

Federally recognized tribes can apply for permits with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes, and enrolled tribal members can apply for eagle feathers and other parts from the National Eagle Repository. But there’s a lengthy backlog of requests that eagle researchers say is driving the black market for eagle parts.

The operator of a tribal feather repository in Oklahoma said law enforcement officials need to be prosecuting those who buy the feathers — not just traffickers — if they want to disrupt the market.

“The buyers need to be made examples of,” said Bill Voelker, a member of the Comanche Nation and executive director of Sia: The Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative in Cyril, Oklahoma. “That’s the only way they’re going to tackle it so there’s less of this going on and fewer birds losing their lives.”

Despite a growing need, fewer students are applying for college financial aid.

Problems with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid have discouraged many students and their families from completing an application. As of the last tally, less than 5 million students have submitted the 2024-25 FAFSA form so far.  

That’s a fraction of the 17 million students who use the FAFSA form in ordinary years, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“We are putting all hands on deck and using every lever we have to make sure we can achieve the transformational potential of the Better FAFSA to make higher education possible for many more of our nation’s students,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a recent statement. 

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Yet, as of mid-February, only 24% of the high school class of 2024 had completed the FAFSA, according to the National College Attainment Network, down roughly 42% from a year ago.

“If they don’t catch up, there will be more than 2 million fewer FAFSAs submitted this year, down to less than 15 million total, a 15% decrease — that’s a huge drop,” said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

“It would be a shocking decrease.”

The FAFSA serves as the gateway to all federal aid money, including loans, work study and grants, the latter of which are the most desirable kinds of assistance because they typically do not need to be repaid.

Under the new aid formula, an additional 2.1 million students should be eligible for the maximum Pell Grant, according to the Department of Education. However, given the slower pace of FAFSA applications being submitted, “the number of Pell Grant recipients will be about the same as last year, despite the new Pell Grant formula making it easier for students to qualify,” Kantrowitz said.

“The goal of FAFSA simplification was to increase the number of lower-income students applying. If we have fewer because of a bad rollout, it’s extremely problematic,” he added.

The new FAFSA was meant to improve college access

In ordinary years, high school graduates miss out on billions in federal grants because they don’t fill out the FAFSA. 

In New York alone, students left $226 million in Pell grants on the table in 2023. “The biggest obstacle for people going to college is the cost. And the way to get the cost down is to get scholarships and grants,” New York State Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson said at a recent press briefing in support of a Universal FAFSA policy. “Unfortunately, you have to complete the FAFSA to get this financial aid, and that’s very difficult to do.”

Jacobson is sponsoring a bill requiring high school seniors to complete the FAFSA. “Education can be the great equalizer, but only if it’s accessible and affordable,” he said.

Universal FAFSA policies have been gaining steam nationwide, with at least 15 states considering a policy to make it mandatory for all high school seniors to fill out a FAFSA either through legislation or regulation, according to the National College Attainment Network.

Research shows those policies can have a direct link to improved education outcomes. In Louisiana, for example, which was the first state to implement this rule in the 2017-18 academic year, high school graduation rates rose and the number of high school graduates immediately enrolling in college climbed to an all-time high, according to early data.

FAFSA completion can predict college attendance

Submitting a FAFSA is one of the best predictors of whether a high school senior will go on to college, the National College Attainment Network found. Seniors who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to immediately enroll in college. 

However, many families mistakenly assume they won’t qualify for financial aid and don’t even bother to apply. Others said a lengthy and overly complicated application was a major hurdle.

The plan to simplify the FAFSA was meant to streamline the process.

Still, this year’s rollout was rushed, Kantrowitz said.

“They should have allowed an additional year for implementation of the new simplified FAFSA,” he said. “They did not allow enough time to get it done and not enough time for testing.”

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But within days, the flu-like symptoms turned frightening. Moody was lethargic and running a high fever. She was throwing up and having trouble breathing.

Finally, she woke up her husband in the middle of the night and said she needed to go to the hospital.

“I’ve never gone to the ER before in my life,” Moody, 51, who lives in suburban Houston, Texas, tells TODAY.com. “I was very healthy, very in shape. I ate right, exercised.”

Her husband, David, still remembers the “complete, utter shock” of what happened next. Doctors told him she had double pneumonia — an infection that affects both lungs — caused by Streptococcus bacteria.

That led to sepsis, the body’s life-threatening response to infection, and septic shock, a dangerous drop in blood pressure and the most severe stage of sepsis, according to the Sepsis Alliance.

“I had to Google what sepsis was. I had no idea. We’re pretty healthy people,” David Moody, 53, tells TODAY.com.

“I recognized real quick that we were in a severe situation. I was scared to pieces.”

‘The perfect storm’

Doctors don’t know if Sherri Moody got infected with strep during that field trip to an amusement park in April 2023 or if the timing was just a coincidence, the couple says.

Up to 87% of sepsis cases start from infections people contract at work, school or home, the Sepsis Alliance notes. Even a kidney stone can lead to sepsis.

Two days after she went to the ER, her kidneys and lungs began shutting down, a complication of septic shock, David Moody recalls.

Making things worse was medication Sherri Moody had been taking for rheumatoid arthritis before the emergency. The drug eases symptoms of the autoimmune disorder by suppressing the immune system, which can lower a person’s ability to fight infections.

Sherri Moody calls it “the perfect storm.”

“It was like a category 5 hurricane coming in,” David Moody adds. “She had nothing to fight with. It’s like she went to war with no soldiers.”

Doctors placed the teacher in a medically induced coma and she received powerful drugs in the intensive care unit, including vasopressors, which are used to combat dangerously low blood pressure, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

But when these medications pushed blood to her vital organs, it was at the expense of the circulation in her extremities. Within days, her limbs started changing colors, her husband recalls.

“I literally watched my wife’s feet and hands die,” David Moody says. “They were black and they were mummified.”

When Sherri Moody was eased out of her coma, he told her that doctors saved her life, but they wouldn’t be able to save her limbs. He cried, but she recalls feeling calm.

Her legs were amputated below the knee in June 2023 and her arms below the elbows the following month. She went home in August after spending four months in the hospital and a month in a rehabilitation facility.

‘I just choose to be happy’

There have been many complications and follow-up surgeries that are delaying her ability to get prosthetics. A wound care nurse comes to the house three days a week, and there are constant doctor’s appointments.

For now, the teacher uses an electric wheelchair to get around. She uses a band on her arm to insert a fork so she can eat. She’s frustrated about losing her independence and not being able to do simple pleasures, like baking, but focuses on staying positive.

“I’m very mentally strong,” Sherri Moody says. “I just choose to be happy. … It’s not to say that I don’t have a breakdown every now and then and just cry a little bit. I don’t let it last long.”

“She is just amazing. I’ve had more struggles,” David Moody notes. “This is the most difficult thing that I’ve ever gone through in my life.”

Next up is a complex surgery that aims to repair lingering problems with gangrene on her kneecaps. If it doesn’t work, doctors will have to amputate her legs above the knees, which lowers her chances of being able to walk with prosthetics.

The couple is taking comfort in each other and the support of their community, which has rallied to help the family with fundraisers and updates on a Facebook page dedicated to Sherri Moody.

“Both of us together talk about our blessings. We talk about the things that are going right in our day, in our lives,” David Moody says.

“I’m a lot stronger than what I ever even thought I was,” Sherri Moody adds.

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The U.S. Transportation Department is also calling Thursday for airlines to provide annual training for employees who handle wheelchairs or lift passengers with disabilities.

Damage to wheelchairs and scooters during air travel is a growing problem. The Transportation Department said 11,527 of the devices were mishandled by airlines last year, up from 10,337 in 2022.

The administration plans to announce the proposed rule during a White House event that will include advocates for people with disabilities.

There will be a 60-day period for public comment on the proposed rule. It’s not clear, however, when or if the proposal will ever become final. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declined to provide a timetable when he briefed reporters.

Under the proposal, it would be easier for the Transportation Department to fine airlines up to roughly $125,000 if they damage a wheelchair or delay its return to the passenger at the end of a flight.

The proposal would give passengers the right to use their preferred vendor to repair or replace a damaged wheelchair — airlines are already required to cover the cost.

Buttigieg called the proposal the biggest expansion of rights for passengers who use a wheelchair since 2008. He said airlines need stronger financial incentives to treat disabled passengers with dignity.

The large number of damaged wheelchairs “reflects a culture where this is just treated as part of doing business,” he said. “There is going to be this risk that if something happens to your chair, and that’s too bad.”

Airlines for America, a trade group for the largest U.S. carriers, said airlines are working with the government and disability groups to reduce barriers to flying, said its member airlines have increased employee training, set up passenger-accessibility advisory groups and supported development of accessibility improvements since signing a commitment in October 2022.

“U.S. airlines are committed to offering a high level of customer service and providing a positive and safe flight experience for passengers with disabilities,” said Hannah Walden, a spokeswoman for the group.

The airline group didn’t comment on the administration’s specific proposals.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association, one of several disability-rights groups pushing for better treatment of disabled passengers, praised the proposal. Paul Melmeyer, the group’s vice president of public policy, highlighted provisions on training for airline workers, higher standards for on-board wheelchairs that passengers use to get to the lavatory, and placing the passenger’s personal wheelchair as close as possible to the aircraft door when they exit.

Melmeyer also endorsed the prospect of big fines for mishandling wheelchairs.

“We work with the airlines. They are not trying to damage wheelchairs, but we do need them to be more motivated to damage or mishandle fewer wheelchairs used by our community,” he said. “If higher fines or more frequent use of fines by the Department of Transportation will accomplish that goal, then we’re going to be supportive of that.”

Buttigieg conceded that the proposal will fall short of the ultimate goal of disability advocates — letting disabled passengers stay in their own wheelchair during flights, which would require modifications to aircraft cabins.

“The reality is that is going to take years,” he said.

DeSantis signed the bill at a news conference in Palm Beach Thursday and was accompanied by two of Epstein’s victims.

“This is long overdue but again, we feel that we can’t just turn a blind eye,” DeSantis said. “What happened was clearly wrong, and the punishment was simply wholly inadequate to the crime.”

Under the bill, HB 117, the transcripts of a 2006 grand jury that investigated Epstein’s sexual assaults of underage girls will be released to the public.

Epstein cut a deal with South Florida federal prosecutors in 2008 that allowed him to escape more severe federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in the Palm Beach County jail system, followed by 12 months of house arrest. He was required to register as a sex offender.

“A lot of people tend to forget but this is not something we should be forgetting about, this is not something to be sweeping under the rug,” Epstein victim Haley Robson said at the news conference with DeSantis. “A lot of us are still in therapy, we’re still trying to survive.”

The bill was unanimously passed by the Legislature, will take effect July 1, although a South Florida circuit judge might release the transcripts sooner as part of a lawsuit filed by the Palm Beach Post.

The Post sued the Palm Beach County state attorney and the court clerk in 2019 to obtain a court order to unseal the grand jury proceedings and reveal why the grand jury returned only minimal charges.

A circuit judge determined in 2021 that the court didn’t have the authority under state law to release the records. A state appeals court disagreed last year, citing a state law that says grand jury records can be made public if that is a “furtherance of justice.” The appeals court ordered the lower court to review, redact and release the material, but that hasn’t happened yet.

The new bill adds that records can be released if subject of the grand jury inquiry is dead or the investigation is related to sexual activity with a minor.

Palm Beach County Court Clerk Joseph Abruzzo was technically a defendant in the Post’s lawsuit as his office holds the records, but he hasn’t fought the appeals court ruling and has previously indicated a desire to release the records in the interest of full transparency. Barry Krischer, who was the state attorney for Palm Beach County during Epstein’s grand jury inquiry, retired in 2009.

Epstein was 66 when he killed himself in a New York City federal jail cell in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors had accused him of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars for massages at his homes in Florida and New York, where he then molested them.

“What was going on in Florida was only a fraction of what was happening,” DeSantis said. “This was a massive, massive operation here that was targeting these very, very young girls and to not have justice on this is something that has been a big black spot on our justice system.”

Florida’s treatment of Epstein came under scrutiny in 2018 following a series of Miami Herald articles. They detailed the disagreements that surfaced beginning in 2005 among law enforcement officials after teenage girls and young women told Palm Beach police investigators that Epstein had sexually assaulted them. They had agreed to give him massages while semi-nude or fully nude in exchange for money, but they said he would then molest them without their consent.

Palm Beach police, meanwhile, took their evidence to federal prosecutors, who threatened to bring charges until the agreement was reached in June 2008.

While in Palm Beach sheriff’s custody, Epstein was allowed to stay in an isolated cell at the county’s minimum-security stockade, where he roamed freely and watched television. State investigators said in a 2021 report that isolating him was a prudent decision, saying it was made to protect Epstein from other inmates and to prevent him from using his wealth to become “king of the dorms.”

Epstein was also soon allowed into the county’s work-release program. During that time, he was taken to his office, where he claimed to be running his financial consulting business and his foundation. By the time of his release, he was spending six days a week and 18 hours a day at his office. He was required to wear an ankle monitor and hire two deputies to oversee his whereabouts from the lobby, but they were not in his office with him.

A woman who was then 17 and another woman, who was then an adult, have said they were trafficked to Epstein’s office during that time to have paid sex with him.

Epstein’s former girlfriend, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2021 of luring girls to his homes to be molested.

“We have had no closure whatsoever on what has happened with these crimes. Epstein was charged for his crimes in 2006 and we are finally going to learn why,” Epstein accused Jena-Lisa Jones said at the Thursday news conference with DeSantis. “We have been left in the dark for so long with no answers to what is going on and why things played out the way that they did.”

That’s the simple message that Londonderry, New Hampshire, police shared on their Facebook page on Wednesday after an SUV tipped over on its side in a Dunkin’ drive-thru lane.

No one was injured in the Wednesday morning crash at the All Town gas station, the department said.

The Londonderry Fire Department told The Eagle-Tribune that the incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. The driver was checked out at the scene but did not require medical attention.

Commenters (over 200 in all) had a field day with the photos, cracking jokes at the driver’s expense.

“The drive thru is not big enough,” Carlos Gomez remarked.

“They must have taken it too hard on the corner!” said Nikki Jarek.

Others wondered how the bizarre accident could have even happened in such tight quarters.

“How the heck?” said Jackie Keating.

“yikes, how on earth did they manage that?” added Johanne Petterson Tournas.

“SOmeone had to have seen this happen that can fill us in… I can’t tink of any way this happened,” said Joelene Arnold.

Commenter Tamara Jo said she thinks she spotted the culprit, a yellow post sticking out of the ground that it appears the vehicle might have run into, forcing the car onto its side.

It appears she was correct, as firefighters told The Eagle-Tribune that the SUV apparently drove up onto a concrete-filled metal pipe and tipped over.

For everyone else who needed their caffeine fix on Wednesday, service at the Dunkin’ drive-thru was only temporarily disrupted while the vehicle was removed.

A gigantic wealth transfer over roughly the next decade will likely make millennials “the richest generation in history,” according to a report from global real estate consultancy Knight Frank.

The annual Wealth Report, which will be released publicly in its detailed format next week, examines the latest trends in property and economics across the globe.

It found that, over the next 20 years, the so-called silent generation — those typically born from 1928 to 1945 — and baby boomers — born between 1946 and 1964 — will “hand over the reins” to those born from 1981 to 1996 when they pass on their property- and equity-rich assets.

In the U.S. alone, Knight Frank said the shift would see $90 trillion of assets move between generations, “making affluent millennials the richest generation in history.”

It comes at a time when research has shown that many millennials and Gen Z adults are having a tough time hitting the same milestones as those from previous generations — let alone finding room in their budgets to invest. Gen Z is generally defined as people born between 1996 and 2012.

Soaring rents, rising inflation and student debt have contributed to millennials’ struggles to purchase their own homes or build up their savings. For several years, however, these conditions have fueled a narrative that millennials are lazy, avocado toast consumers that waste money on expensive coffee.

Liam Bailey, global head of research at Knight Frank, said that the wealth transfer is taking place amid “seismic changes” in how the assets are put to use.

Climate change, for example, is one area where there are clear generational differences in investment priorities.

“Millennials appear to have got the message when it comes to cutting consumption – 80% of male and 79% of female respondents say they are trying to shrink their carbon footprints,” Bailey said.

In contrast, just 59% of male boomers were found to be trying to reduce their impact, significantly below their female peers, at 67%.

Thursday is officially leap day. For some, its birthdate, or a day for special deals and freebies. But for others, its all about the science and math behind the number of days it takes Earth to orbit around the sun.

Here’s a breakdown of what leap year is, how it impacts seasons, and the science behind why it matters.

What is a leap year?

A leap year means there’s an extra day in the calendar.

“A calendar year is typically 365 days long,” an article from Smithsonian Magazine titled “The Science of Leap Year” reads. “These so called ‘common years’ loosely define the number of days it takes the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun. But 365 is actually a rounded number. It takes Earth 365.242190 days to orbit the Sun, or 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds.”

What would happen if we didn’t have leap years?

That extra time known as a “sidereal” year must be accounted for somehow, the magazine says. Otherwise, seasons could be impacted.

“If we didn’t account for this extra time, the seasons would begin to drift,” the article goes on to say. “This would be annoying if not devastating, because over a period of about 700 years our summers, which we’ve come to expect in June in the northern hemisphere, would begin to occur in December.”

Younas Khan, a physics instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said eventually, Christmas could wind up at a different time entirely if we did away with leap years.

“Without the leap years, after a few hundred years we will have summer in November,” said Younas Khan, a physics instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Christmas will be in summer. There will be no snow. There will be no feeling of Christmas.”

Why is February 29 a leap day?

During a leap year, the month of February has an extra day added to it. So this year, there will be 29 days in February, rather than 28. That 29th day is also referred to as a “leap day.”

When are leap years, and why don’t they happen every four years exactly?

Leap years happen almost every four years. That means 2024 and 2028 will both be leap years.

But still, there are some exceptions to the once-every-four-years rules.

“Some simple math will show that over four years the difference between the calendar years and the sidereal year is not exactly 24 hours,” the article goes on to say. “Instead, it’s 23.262222 hours.”

holidays Feb 25

Have a look at the whos, whats and whens of leap year through time

If we added a “leap day” every four years, we’d actually make the calendar longer by over 44 minutes, Smithsonian said.

“Over time, these extra 44+ minutes would also cause the seasons to drift in our calendar,” the article goes on to say. “For this reason, not every four years is a leap year.”

How do you calculate a leap year?

The rule is that if the year is divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400, leap year is skipped, the magazine says.

“The year 2000 was a leap year, for example, but the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not,” the article states. “The next time a leap year will be skipped is the year 2100.”

Why is it called a ‘leap year’?

A typical year is 52 weeks and one day long. “That means, if your birthday were to occur on a Monday one year, the next year it should occur on a Tuesday.”

But, an extra day during a leap year means your birthday now “leaps” over a day, Smithsonian said.

What if you are born during a leap year?

It’s not that those birthdays are celebrated only every four years. Rather, those born on a leap day typically celebrate on March 1, the magazine said.

According to the Almanac, people born on a leap day during a leap year are known as “leaplings.” Some cultures see the birthday as a sign of good luck.

From a paperwork perspective though, it can be a pain.

Some governments and others requiring forms to be filled out and birthdays to be stated stepped in to declare what date was used by leaplings for such things as drivers licenses, whether Feb. 28 or March 1.

Technology has made it far easier for leap babies to jot down their Feb. 29 milestones, though there can be glitches in terms of health systems, insurance policies and with other businesses and organization that don’t have that date built in.

There are about 5 million people worldwide who share the leap birthday out of about 8 billion people on the planet. Shelley Dean, 23, in Seattle, Washington, chooses a rosy attitude about being a leapling. Growing up, she had normal birthday parties each year, but an extra special one when leap years rolled around. Since, as an adult, she marks that non-leap period between Feb. 28 and March 1 with a low-key “whew.”

This year is different.

“It will be the first birthday that I’m going to celebrate with my family in eight years, which is super exciting, because the last leap day I was on the other side of the country in New York for college,” she said. “It’s a very big year.”

On Thursday, restaurants and businesses nationwide will be celebrating the every-four-year phenomenon that adds a 29th day to February with discounts for leap day babies and regular customers alike.

Whether you’re looking to save on your next meal or your next vacation, you won’t want to skip over these leap day deals.

Food

Applebee’s

Applebee’s in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Georgia are offering a promotion for anyone born on Leap Day — any food item today will receive kid’s meal pricing.

Anthony’s

If you have a leap day birthday, you can get 20% off your birthday meal at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings on Feb. 29. Valid for dine-in only and guests must show ID to receive the maximum discount of $20 off.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse signature dessert — Pizookies — are just $2.29 all day long on Feb. 29 with a $10 minimum purchase while dining in.

BurgerFi

On Feb. 29, BurgerFi will give leap day babies 20% off their entire purchase.

Burger King

On Feb. 29, members of Burger King’s Royal Perks rewards program can score four times the points (aka Crowns) on up to three orders that are placed online or in-app. The offer is valid at participating Burger King restaurants.

Chuck E. Cheese

Children under 52 inches tall who visit fun centers with Chuck E. Cheese Trampoline Zones can get free All-Day Jump Passes for maximum fun.

Chipotle

No worries about guac being extra. Chipotle rewards members can get free guacamole on Feb. 29 when they place an order in the chain’s app or website and use the code EXTRA24.

Dog Haus

Dog Haus app and loyalty users can get four times the points on every purchase on Feb. 29.

Duck Donuts

Get a cinnamon sugar donut and medium hot coffee or cold brew combo for just $2.29 on Feb. 29.

Hardee’s

Hardee’s customers can get 29% off their app or online order on Feb. 29. There’s a minimum $1 purchase (before taxes, fees, etc.) and a maximum $29 discount. The offer is limited to one per registered user per order and is available at participating restaurants. It can’t be combined with other offers and isn’t available in-restaurant or with third-party vendors or delivery partners.

Hickory Tavern

Buy a $50 gift card for $29 at Hickory Tavern on Feb. 29. In-store only.

Hungry Howie’s

Between Feb. 26 and 29, Hungry Howie’s customers can get a large pizza for 29 cents with the purchase of another on takeout orders.

Insomnia Cookies

Between Feb. 26 and March 3, Insomnia Cookies customers can get one free classic cookie when they purchase any pack of six or dozen cookies.

If you have a leap day birthday, you’ll get six free classic cookies in-store on Feb. 29 when you show your ID.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice rewards members can order small Gelati and Ices for just $0.96 on Feb. 29 at all locations.

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme customers can score an Original Glazed dozen for just $2.29 with the purchase of a regularly priced dozen for one day only on Feb. 29.

If you have a leap day birthday, you can also get a free original glazed dozen (no purchase required) when you show an ID.

Science Jan 2

What is a leap year and why do we have them?

Food & Drink Feb 27

Wendy's new ‘dynamic pricing' system won't raise prices at peak times, spokesperson says

Krystal

Krystal customers who make any purchase online on Feb. 29 using the code LEAPDAY will receive a free Krystal.

La Madeleine

La Madeleine customers can take advantage of a BOGO offer on the bakery’s oatmeal raisin and chocolate chunk cookies in-store on Feb. 29.

Legal Sea Foods

Get 2 lobsters for $29 on Feb. 29. Plus, enroll with Legal Net Rewards on Feb. 29 and receive 229 bonus points worth over $10 in reward value.

Long John Silver’s

Long John Silver’s has a leap day offer valid between Feb. 26 — 29. The online exclusive gives customers a free piece of fish or chicken with an order of $5 or more.

Marco’s Pizza

Between Feb. 26 and March 3, Marco’s Pizza customers can get 29% off all menu-price pizzas at participating locations using the code LEAP29 while ordering online and in the Marco’s app.

Milk Bar

Leap Day babies can get a free full-sized birthday cake in-store on Feb. 29. Must show government ID to redeem.

McDonald’s

Check the app for a Double Cheeseburger deal at participating locations on Feb. 29.

Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company rewards members will get 29% off orders of $29 or more on Feb. 29.

Papa Murphy’s

Papa Murphy’s is offering customers 29% off with a $20 online purchase using the code LEAP24 on Feb. 29.

Perdue Farms

When you spend $99 or more on Perdue Farms’ website on Feb. 29 you can get 29% off your order. The offer is valid through Feb. 29 using the code LEAP29.

Pincho

Pincho customers can score a free order of fries with the purchase of any burger on Feb. 29.

Potbelly

Potbelly Perks members can get a free cookie with the purchase of an entrée on Feb. 29 in restaurants or on the Potbelly app/website.

Shipley Do-Nuts

Shipley Do-Nuts loyalty members will get 500 extra points when they place an order on Feb. 29.

Starbucks

Select accounts will have a BOGO leap year deal – Free handcrafted drink when you buy one, or get a handcrafted drink for $3. The offers are valid until March 3, 2024.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell Rewards Members can get a Crunchwrap for $2.29 on Feb. 29 when ordering through the app.

Taziki’s Mediterranean Café

If you have a leap day birthday, you can get a free dessert (a pack of cookies, a piece of baklava or a piece of baklava cheesecake) while dining in at Taziki’s on Feb. 29.

The Greene Turtle

The Greene Turtle is offering up 29-cent wings (any flavor) and $2.29 domestic pints all day on Feb. 29 while customers dine in at select locations. The deal can’t be combined with other offers and there’s a limit of 20 wings per customer.

Tiff’s Treats

If you were born on Feb. 29 and live in a Tiff’s Treats delivery zone, you can enter for the chance to be randomly selected for a gift card from the cookie delivery service.

Tiff’s Treats will also have a buy one, get one free double dozen deal online and on the company’s website in delivery zones for all customers on Feb. 29 using the code LEAPDAY.

Yogurtland

Yogurtland rewards members can score triple points when they make any food or beverage purchase in-store or online on Feb. 29. The offer excludes third-party delivery orders, gift cards and merchandise purchases.

Wendy’s

Wendy’s is serving up free Cinnabon Pull-Aparts on Feb. 29, during breakfast hours. To score the deal, you can order in the restaurant, online or in the Wendy’s app. Customers are limited to one offer per transaction at the drive-thru or in-restaurant and can’t take advantage of the offer via third-party apps.

Wings and Rings

On leap day, Wings and Rings customers can get five bonus wings free with the purchase of 10 wings. The offer is available for in-store and takeout orders at participating locations and is limited to two per customer.

Zaxby’s

When Zaxby’s rewards members spend $5 or more at participating locations on Feb. 29, they’ll get a free funnel cake. Customers can redeem the offer online or in the restaurant’s app while supplies last.

Travel

Circle K

During a three-hour period on Thursday, Feb. 29 — California residents can get 40 cents off per gallon of fuel from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. PT at select Circle K locations.

Great Wolf Lodge

Great Wolf Lodge is offering a one-day-only sale. Book a stay for $29 per person per night for groups of 3 or greater. The deal is good for standard suites on stays from Feb. 29 to June 13. 

Must book on Feb. 29 using the code LEAP.

PLAY

Icelandic airline, PLAY, announced a leap day deal with $99 flights to Iceland and $129 flights to Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, Berlin and Dublin.

PLAY’s leap day deal includes the airline’s Basic Bundle, a budget travel option with a small personal item included in their discounted fare. The deal runs today through March 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Staples

If you plan on doing some international travel, you’re going to need a passport. Luckily, Staples is offering free passport photos to 29,000 people.

To redeem the offer you’ll need to join Staples’ Easy Rewards Program and download the app. Log in on Feb. 29 to see the free passport photo offer right in the app. In addition, you can also earn 29x points when you spend $29 or more in-store or online.

Entertainment

Build a Bear Workshop

Anyone at any age celebrating a Leap Day birthday can get a Build a Birthday Treat Bear for the special price of $4.

Available in-store only on Feb. 29.

The Strat Hotel

If your birthday is on leap day, the Strat Hotel in Las Vegas is offering a complimentary SkyJump on Feb. 29. Additionally, all SkyJumpers on leap day will receive a free shot of liquid courage at 108 DRINKS. 

An earlier version of this article incorrectly included The Habit Burger Grill, whose deal expired Feb. 28.

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The violence was quickly condemned by Arab countries, and U.S. President Joe Biden expressed concern it would add to the difficulty of negotiating a cease-fire in the nearly five-month conflict.

The Gaza City area was among the first targets of Israel’s air, sea and ground offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

While many Palestinians fled the invasion in the north of the enclave, a few hundred thousand are believed to remain in the largely devastated and isolated region. Trucks carrying food reached northern Gaza this week, the first major aid delivery there in a month, officials said.

Aid groups say it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies in most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order, with crowds of desperate people overwhelming aid convoys. The U.N. says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians face starvation; around 80% have fled their homes.

Israeli officials acknowledged their troops opened fire on the Gaza City crowd Thursday, saying they did so after the crowd approached in a threatening way. The officials insisted on anonymity to give details about what happened, after the Israeli military said in a statement that “dozens were killed and injured from pushing, trampling and being run over by the trucks.”

Israel-Hamas War Feb 27

Biden says Israel is willing to halt war during Ramadan if a hostage deal is reached

Israel-Hamas War Feb 26

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of blocking aid to Palestinians in violation of a UN court order

Kamel Abu Nahel, who was being treated for a gunshot wound at Shifa Hospital, said he and others went to the distribution point in the middle of the night because they heard there would be a delivery of food. “We’ve been eating animal feed for two months,” he said.

He said Israeli troops opened fire on the crowd as people pulled boxes of flour and canned goods off the trucks, causing them to scatter, with some hiding under cars. After the shooting stopped, people went back to the trucks, and the soldiers opened fire again. He was shot in the leg and fell over, and then a truck ran over his leg as it sped off, he said.

At least 112 people were killed, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said. The Health Ministry described it as a “massacre.”

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan accused Israel of targeting civilians in the incident. In separate statements, they called for increased safe passages for humanitarian aid. They also urged the international community to take decisive action to pressure Israel to abide by international law and to reach an agreement for an immediate cease-fire.

The increasing alarm over hunger across Gaza has fueled international calls for a cease-fire, and the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are working to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas for a pause in fighting and the release of some of the hostages Hamas took during its Oct. 7 attack.

Mediators hope to reach an agreement before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts around March 10. But so far, Israel and Hamas have remained far apart in public on their demands.

Biden had earlier expressed hope that a deal would be done by Monday. He said Thursday that looked unlikely.

“Hope springs eternal,” Biden told reporters. “I was on the telephone with people from the region. Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful.”

When asked if the bloodshed in Gaza City on Thursday would complicate those efforts, he said, “I know it will.”

In a statement condemning Thursday’s attack, Hamas said it would not allow the negotiations “to be a cover for the enemy to continue its crimes.”

Medics arriving at the scene of the bloodshed Thursday found “dozens or hundreds” lying on the ground, according to Fares Afana, the head of the ambulance service at Kamal Adwan Hospital. He said there were not enough ambulances to collect all the dead and wounded and that some were being brought to hospitals in donkey carts.

Another man in the crowd — who gave only his first name, Ahmad, as he was being treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds to the arm and leg — said he waited for two hours before someone with a horse-drawn cart had room to take him to Shifa.

The violence came more than a month after witnesses and health officials in Gaza accused Israeli troops of firing on a previous aid distribution in Gaza City, killing at least 20 people.

Dr. Mohammed Salha, the acting director of the Al-Awda Hospital, said the facility received 161 wounded patients, most of whom appeared to have been shot. He said the hospital can perform only the most essential surgeries because it is running out of fuel to power emergency generators.

The Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war has climbed to 30,035, with another 70,457 wounded. The agency does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza, maintains detailed records of casualties. Its counts from previous wars have largely matched those of the U.N., independent experts and even Israel’s own tallies.

The Hamas attack into southern Israel that ignited the war killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the militants seized around 250 hostages. Hamas and other militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of about 30 more, after releasing most of the other captives during a November cease-fire.

Violence has also surged across the West Bank since Oct. 7. An attacker shot and killed two Israelis at a gas station in the settlement of Eli on Thursday, according to the Israeli military. The attacker was killed, the military said.

Meanwhile, U.N. officials have warned of further mass casualties if Israel follows through on vows to attack the southernmost city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has taken refuge. They also say a Rafah offensive could decimate what remains of aid operations.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are believed to remain in northern Gaza despite Israeli orders to evacuate the area in October, and many have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive. The U.N. says 1 in 6 children under 2 in the north suffer from acute malnutrition and wasting.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, said around 50 aid trucks entered northern Gaza this week. It was unclear who delivered the aid. Some countries have resorted to airdrops in recent days.

The World Food Program said earlier this month that it was pausing deliveries to the north because of the growing chaos, after desperate Palestinians emptied a convoy while it was en route.

Since launching its assault on Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies, except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt at the Rafah crossing and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing. Despite international calls to allow in more aid, the number of supply trucks is far less than the 500 that came in daily before the war.

___

Chehayeb reported from Beirut and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Roy Goodman, 40, was arraigned Wednesday in 36th District Court, the Wayne County prosecutor’s office said.

A not guilty plea was entered by the court, according to court records.

Goodman’s wife, Trevina Goodman, 38, was expected to be arraigned at a later date, the prosecutor’s office said.

The dogs are alleged to have attacked Harold Phillips on Jan. 29 after escaping through an unsecured front gate of a westside home. Phillips died Feb. 2 at a hospital.

The dogs were euthanized following the attack.

Phillips, a father of six, was walking home from a bus stop when he was attacked, his wife, Shauntaye Phillips, has said.

Roy Goodman was given a $25,000 bond Wednesday. His probable cause conference has been scheduled for March 6, followed by a March 13 preliminary hearing.

Court records did not list defense attorneys for Roy or Trevina Goodman.

A naked woman armed with a medieval-looking bat got into a fight with another woman on the boardwalk at Venice Beach, California, as onlookers watched and recorded the bizarre altercation.

Video obtained by NBC Los Angeles shows the two women – one of them in the nude – swinging at each other with what appeared to be a spiked club and a bat. The shocking incident, which occurred in broad daylight on Monday, wasn’t out of the ordinary for locals who say many in the community suffer from mental health issues.

Phil Bourque, who works at a nearby store, captured footage of the unusual fight.

“Like, they were fighting and then people were gathering around watching,” he said of the crowd. “I mean, entertaining, that’s all I can say.”

At some point during the fight, the clothed woman threw her weapon, giving her nude opponent the chance to scoop it up and swing both of them in the air before strutting down the boardwalk.

“It looks like she was kind of winning,” Joe Ayala said of the unclothed woman.

Ayala said he’d seen the naked woman before drinking nearby and riding a bicycle along the beach. According to Ayala, it isn’t unusual to see that woman in the nude.

“You have to remember that a lot of the people that are homeless out here, 85% of them have a mental issue or some kind of trauma that has pushed them to like where their limits get exceeded,” he said. “Somebody should have helped. Somebody should have stepped it, but a lot of people were probably freaked out by a naked woman fighting.”

Although the daytime duel caught the attention of several spectators, no one called the police. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said the crimes seen in the video are assault with a deadly weapon and indecent exposure. However, no report was filed with the department.

“It’s tremendously exciting in that we would have virtually limitless power,” said Carl Bass, chairman of the company Alpha Ring, which is working to capture the power of fusion through miniature nuclear reactors.  “It will happen in our lifetime – really, the question for me is just the scale at which it happens.”

Tech companies race to harness nuclear fusion

Globally, over 40 companies – including several in California – are now experimenting with more than 20 different methods to harness what is believed to be a cleaner and potentially cheaper energy alternative in nuclear fusion.  The race to harness fusion comes as fossil fuels, including oil, coal, and gas, continue to drive climate change with the pollution they emit. 

“We really can produce energy at a fraction of the cost with almost none of the problems of the current energy infrastructure,” Bass said.  “You could imagine a small reactor in a vehicle, certainly in a boat or a ship – almost everywhere where we need to use either heat or electricity, we could produce it differently and much more cleanly.”

climate change Jan 26

Flooding becoming worse, more frequent because of climate change

Alpha Ring’s method, considered by industry leaders to be unconventional, is known as “electron-catalyzed fusion.” The process relies on what the company describes as “miniaturized” nuclear reactors, which are designed to be small enough to fit on a tabletop, but large enough to power entire communities.

“It’s a very complicated technology,” said Steve Hwang, chief operating officer for Alpha Ring, who oversees the company’s laboratories in Monterey, Los Angeles, and Taipei.  “If we can produce abundant energy, that’s how we’re going to change the world.”

Can nuclear fusion ever be commercially viable?

Despite the benefits, one major complication remains – no one has ever been able to turn nuclear fusion into a viable and sustainable energy source.  The only place fusion occurs regularly is among the stars – powering, most famously, the sun. 

Today, America’s more than 50 nuclear power plants utilize nuclear fission, where atoms are split apart to produce massive amounts of energy, but the process can also emit harmful radiation.  Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, relies on atoms being fused together to create bursts of energy.  Fusion doesn’t emit carbon or radioactive waste, and the materials needed to create the reaction are plentiful and found all throughout the world. 

Unlocking the ability to harness nuclear fusion has largely remained a mystery, however, scientists believe we are the closest we have ever been to creating and sustaining that kind of power.

“Not a matter of if, but when,” said physicist John Edwards, who is a senior advisor at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Edwards previously served as director of the lab’s Inertial Confinement Fusion program for seven years, and was part of the team of government scientists that made history in Dec. 2022 after achieving what was hailed to be the first-ever nuclear fusion reaction inside a lab, where more energy was produced than what it took to jump start the reaction.

“That showed, in principle, you could actually light this fusion fuel in a controlled environment on the earth, and that’s the first step that you would need to take to be able to potentially produce this clean, limitless energy for the future.”

Nearly 200 lasers helped ignite first-ever fusion reaction inside a lab

The ignition was sparked by 192 lasers, which used its beams to create temperatures topping 180 million degrees – six times hotter than the center of the sun.  The Livermore lab was able to reproduce that success earlier this month, when it achieved a nuclear reaction for the fifth time in 14 months. 

While the milestones have proved to be monumental, the amount of energy produced has been far from substantial. Even the lab’s most successful fusion ignition only produced enough power to barely heat up two pots of coffee. In addition, the actual reaction only lasted less than a billionth of a second.  To be considered commercially viable, the process would need to generate about 100 times more energy, according to Edwards.  Plus, the frequency of reactions would have to increase exponentially – essentially running nonstop. 

During the lab’s most recent experiment on Feb. 12, the fusion reaction produced 5.2 units of energy, known as megajoules. That represented a net gain of energy when compared to the 2.2 megajoules the lasers “delivered” to spark the reaction, however, it took about 300 megajoules of power to energize the lasers enough to produce the ignition.

Edwards, whose current role at the lab now focuses on how to transform nuclear fusion into a long-term, viable energy source, believes it will require more than just the work of the federal government to dramatically increase efficiency in the process and truly transform fusion into a feasible energy option that can be utilized across the globe.

“If we want to do this relatively rapidly, it’s going to be critical that we will be partnering with the private sector,” Edwards said.  “It’s a consumer product, so without the private industry I don’t see how we get there.”

Private companies received $6 billion in investments last year to solve nuclear fusion dilemma

Last year alone, private companies centering on fusion saw an influx of $6.2 billion in investments – that was $1.4 billion more than the previous year, according to the Fusion Industry Association, which represents more than 100 companies activity experimenting on nuclear fusion or working to support the industry, including Mitsubishi Corp. and Google.

“This was something that was always done by governments,” said Andrew Holland, the association’s CEO.  “Now the private industry is coming in and saying we see a pathway to making money on this — and not in 30 years, but in the timeline of a normal venture capital fund, which is a 10 to 15-year fund.”

Holland believes “pilot plants” could begin to pop up over the next 15 years, which would be the first to introduce energy generated by nuclear fusion into the power grid, meaning the process could finally be used to create electricity for homes and businesses.

“Solving that problem would change life in a fundamental way,” said Ed Morse, a Berkeley Professor, engineer, and author on nuclear fusion. “It changes a lot of things.”

Morse, however, said he remains skeptical about tech companies touting scientific solutions to complicated problems that have remained unsolved for decades.

“If anything sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.  “Some of these concepts are really bad…others are passable.”

Alpha Ring vows to submit findings to independent researchers for review

Alpha Ring said its science has led to more than 15 nuclear reactions inside two of its labs.  The energy generated each time has generally only been enough to power a light bulb overnight, but the company says some of its reactions have lasted more than 19 hours – which represents a significant increase from the reaction time achieved at the nation’s premiere government lab in Livermore that measured less than a fraction of a second.

“The accomplishment of this is just such a big deal,” Bass said, who also acknowledged the skepticism he and his company face in asserting such a milestone.  “One of the important things when you make a claim like this, where many people will be skeptical, is that this will be able to be reproduced by others.”

To prove the company’s nuclear fusion reactions can, in fact, be reproduced, Alpha Ring plans to submit its findings to a slew of scientific journals for review. The company hopes independent researchers will eventually vouch for the technology and its ability to bring star power to Earth.

“This is a huge claim,” Bass said. “So they rightfully are going to take their time, be very skeptical, try to poke holes in it in every way they can because the accomplishment of this is just such a big deal.”

Immigration has emerged as a central issue in the 2024 presidential campaign, which is widely expected to be a Biden-Trump rematch, and each man is seeking to use the border problems to his own political advantage.

Their itineraries were remarkably similar: They arrived in Texas within a half-hour of one another. Each chose an optimal location from which to make his point, got a briefing on operations and issues, walked along the scrub brush by the Rio Grande and spoke directly to the public. Their remarks even overlapped in time for a bit.

But that’s where the parallels ended.

Biden sought to spotlight the necessity of a bipartisan border security bill that was tanked by Republicans on Trump’s orders, and flat-out asked the Republican frontrunner to join him in supporting a congressional push for more funding and tighter restrictions.

“Here’s what I would say to Mr. Trump,” Biden said. “Instead of playing politics with the issue, join me, or I’ll join you in telling the Congress to pass this bill. You know and I know it’s the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country’s ever seen.”

Biden went to the Rio Grande Valley city of Brownsville, which for nine years was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. The numbers have dropped in recent months, which officials credited in part to Mexico for stepping up its own border security. The visit was a nod to how the Biden administration views migration: as a regional and global issue, not just a U.S. problem.

The president walked along the Rio Grande and received a lengthy briefing from Homeland Security officials, who spoke bluntly about what they needed to do their jobs effectively — in short, more money to hire more officers along the border and for use across the asylum process to help clear out massive backlogs.

“I want the American people to know what we’re trying to get done,” Biden said. “We can’t afford not to do this.”

Trump simply blamed Biden.

He traveled to Eagle Pass, roughly 325 miles northwest of Brownsville, in the corridor that’s currently seeing the largest number of migrant crossings. He met with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas National Guard soldiers who have commandeered a local park and put up razor wire fencing at the river’s edge to keep migrants from crossing illegally. The park has become a Republican symbol of defiance against the federal government.

Immigration Feb 25

First responders in a Texas town are struggling to cope with the trauma of recovering bodies from the Rio Grande

Texas-Mexico Border Feb 26

Biden, Trump to make dueling trips to the Texas-Mexico border on Thursday

“This is like a war,” Trump said.

Gazing out over the river, Trump raised his fist and waved and shouted to people on the Mexico side, who waved back. Then, he declared that migrants arriving to the border were criminals and some were terrorists, a dialed-up version of the accusations he often used during the 2016 campaign. This time, he’s started to harness rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue migrants are poisoning the blood of America.

“They’re being let into our country and it’s horrible,” Trump said. “It’s horrible.”

Trump also brought up the killing of a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia recently. The suspect is a Venezuelan migrant.

“Crooked Joe has the blood of countless innocent victims,” Trump said. “It’s so many stories to tell, so many horrible stories.”

Despite Trump’s claims, many studies have found immigrants are less drawn to violent crime than native-born citizens. One published by the National Academy of Sciences, based on Texas Department of Public Safety data from 2012 to 2018, reported native-born U.S. residents were more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes as people in the country illegally.

As the politicians traded barbs over who was to blame, migrants were still making the dangerous journey into the U.S. Trump stood on a concrete boat launch where a day earlier, a man had been pulled from the river, drowned, trying to cross. In Brownsville where Biden spoke, a group of migrants had crossed illegally overnight.

Across the border from Brownsville, in Matamoros, makeshift shelters dotted the ground for migrants who hope to come to the U.S.

“I come completely alone on this journey, I have been on this journey for about six months and the only important thing I have in my life are my mom, my little sister and nobody else,” Joseph Elián Gutierrez Castillo, a Nicaraguan migrant, said in Spanish. “With God’s favor everything will go well.”

The number of people who are illegally crossing the U.S. border has been rising for years, for reasons that include climate change, war and unrest in other nations, the economy, and cartels that see migration as a cash cow.

Migrants can ask for asylum whether they come illegally or through ports of entry; in some cases they are turned away because of current policies, but many families are allowed into the U.S., where they often wait years for a court date to determine whether they can stay.

The administration’s approach has been to pair crackdowns at the border with increasing legal pathways for migrants designed to steer people into arriving by plane with sponsors, not illegally on foot to the border. The numbers of migrants flowing across the U.S-Mexico border have far outpaced the capacity of an immigration system that has not been substantially updated in decades.

Arrests for illegal crossings fell by half in January, but there were record highs in December.

Since the president was last at the border a year ago, the debate over immigration in Washington has shifted further to the right, with Democrats increasingly eager to embrace border restrictions now that migrants are sleeping in police stations and airplane hangars in major U.S. cities.

During bipartisan talks on the deal that would have toughened access for migrants and funded enforcement and immigration court, Biden himself said he’d be willing to “shut down the border” right now, should the deal pass.

The talks looked promising for a while. But Trump, who didn’t want to give Biden a political win on one of his signature campaign issues, convinced Republicans to kill the deal. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared the deal dead on arrival.

Republicans claim Biden has the power he needs to fix the issue, but absent legislative action, any major policy changes are likely to be challenged or held up in court. Under Trump, too, new hardline policies were often held up in court.

Among voters, worries about the nation’s broken immigration system are rising on both sides of the political divide, which could be especially problematic for Biden.

According to an AP-NORC poll in January, the share of voters concerned about immigration rose to 35% from 27% last year. Fifty-five percent of Republicans say the government needs to focus on immigration in 2024, while 22% of Democrats listed immigration as a priority. That’s up from 45% and 14%, respectively, from December 2022.

Trump has laid out updated immigration proposals that would mark a dramatic escalation of the approach he used in office and that drew alarms from civil rights activists and numerous court challenges.

Some of those include reviving and expanding a travel ban, imposing “ideological screening” for migrants, terminating all work permits and cutting off funding for shelter and transportation for people who are in the country illegally.

Bunny World Foundation, an all-volunteer foster-based animal rescue that finds homes for hundreds of abandoned domestic rabbits each year, said they are struggling to single-handedly assist the L.A. Animal Services Department with re-homing the animals.

Lejla Hadzimuratovic, founder and president of BWF, called the situation a “nightmare.”

“I am extremely distraught having to witness yet another horrible backyard catastrophe,” Hadzimuratovic said in a statement. “This was your typical situation where things got out of hand due to ignorance of rabbits’ gestation period, which is 28 days.”

Hadzimuratovic added, “When will people learn that it only takes two unfixed rabbits to create a tragedy of mass proportions and impose a hefty financial burden on Los Angeles rescue organizations operating on a zero budget? It’s heartbreaking to see many painfully neglected and severely matted rabbits living in filth, exposed to hawks, owls, coyotes, raccoons, other wildlife, and harsh elements.”

On Feb. 20, an LAAS supervisor from the West Valley Animal Shelter in Chatsworth contacted BWF seeking assistance rescuing a large number of rabbits found on a private property in Granada Hills. The owner had called for assistance after the fast-breeding rabbits began to proliferate in his backyard.

Four days later, the BWF team visited the scene and reported babies, nursing mothers, juveniles and adult rabbits running across several yards.

“Once we arrived at the scene, we worked diligently to trap and sex as many rabbits as possible. The bunnies we encountered were mainly adults, with many pregnant and potentially nursing females,” said BWF adoption manager Jane Stonnington.

The organization trapped and sexed 50 rabbits that day and took them to the West Valley Animal Shelter. Most of the females were pregnant, BWF officials said.

Among other ailments, many of the rabbits were severely matted due to long-haired breeds, which can be extremely painful to rabbits. After the shelter staff processed the rabbits, BWF took the babies and placed them into temporary foster care.

The adult rabbits have been spread out between the city’s six animal shelters as animal control continues to visit the property and confiscate more rabbits.

On Tuesday, the West Valley Animal Shelter contacted the BWF again regarding further assistance with determining the gender of an additional 30 rabbits taken from the location by animal control officers.

LAAS and BWF are uncertain whether more births are on the way before female rabbits can be spayed, and any more pregnancies could threaten to increase the number of rabbits to upward of 300-plus, the said. The process may take weeks to resolve due to the mature system of underground burrows dug by the rabbits, with multiple litters quickly hiding underneath the house.

Before any hopes of adoption, each rabbit will need medical care, spaying/neutering, vaccination, deworming and professional grooming, Hadzimuratovic noted.

According to BWF, this situation comes at a challenging time when local shelters and parks will be overrun with bunnies who have nowhere to go after the spring breeding and post-Easter dumping season.

Those willing to foster or adopt rabbits are asked to email info@bunnyworldfoundation.org, with “I will foster an LAAS bunny” in the subject line.

According to her, the iconic insulated cup saved her life when a stray bullet came through her house and ricocheted off the cup, which was sitting right in front of her.

The woman shared a video on TikTok in which she explained the incident. She said she and her fiancé were at home when they heard gunfire outside.

Moments later, a single bullet came through their house, but luckily, it hit the Stanley cup and ricocheted away from them.

The woman’s claim has since gone viral on social media, with many people expressing their disbelief and amazement at the story. Some have even called for the cup to be put on display in a museum or other public place.

While it may sound like an unbelievable tale, incidents like this are not unheard of. In fact, there have been several cases in which everyday objects have saved people’s lives from bullets.

In 2015, a college student in California claimed that his iPhone saved his life when a robber shot him. The bullet hit the phone and lodged in the metal casing, preventing it from causing any harm to the man.

Could the presence of lead in Stanley cups contribute to their durability?

Earlier this year, some social media users claimed that the insulated containers of Stanley Tumblers could pose risks of lead exposure. In response to this, the company explained that there is a little button on the bottom of the tumblers, and underneath that button, there is a material that contains a significant amount of lead.

According to a spokesperson, Stanley uses a bit of lead to melt it into the hole on the bottom of the tumbler. This process creates the vacuum insulation. The pellet seals the vacuum insulation of the product, and it is not accessible unless the stainless steel barrier comes off. Although it is possible to remove the barrier, it is considered a rare occurrence.

Of course, exercising caution and seeking immediate help in gunfire or other dangerous situations is always important. But stories like this serve as a reminder that sometimes, even the most unexpected things can make all the difference in life-or-death situations.

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The 13-year-old turned up at a Walmart in Deming on Tuesday after going missing the night before from his family’s home in Tucson. In hopes of identifying the young man, authorities in New Mexico posted a picture on social media seeking the public’s help.

New Mexico State Police said that within minutes, someone recognized the teen from an earlier post by the Tucson Police Department. They confirmed Wednesday that the teen had been reunited with his family and was safely back at home.

“Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible by sharing, commenting, and spreading the word,” New Mexico State Police said in a social media post.

The family shared their gratitude for police and the community on social media. They have no idea how the teen was able to get to Deming.

“My mom woke up, and he was no longer in the house. The front door was unlocked, and he was just gone,” the boy’s brother, Mikel Desmond, told Albuquerque television station KRQE.

The family contacted police, searched nearby areas and created a missing person flyer that they shared online. As the hours passed, Desmond said he started to lose hope of finding his brother. He said even if someone would have given the teen a phone and told him to call home, he wouldn’t be able to because he can’t communicate verbally.

It was Tuesday evening when the family got the call from authorities in New Mexico after the boy had been checked out at a local hospital.

Desmond said his brother had turned up at the Walmart, where he tried to buy food and drinks but didn’t have any money. The teen then reportedly went to hide in the bathroom and was later found by law enforcement.

“It’s amazing how fast news can spread through social media,” Desmond said. “And we never would have thought that we would have had so many people reach out and ask ways they can help.”

The family drove three hours each way to pick up the boy and bring him home.

Tucson police said they are investigating the boy’s travels.

Michael Joseph Foy, 33, threw the pole at police and struck officers with the hockey stick as a mob of rioters fought for control of an entrance to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Then he climbed through a broken window and walked around the building.

Foy, a Marine Corps veteran from Michigan, apologized to the officers whom he assaulted — and “to my country” — before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced him to three years and four months of imprisonment. He also thanked the judge for releasing him from pretrial custody in July 2021, allowing him to find a job and improve his mental health.

“You allowed me to build the life that I so desperately needed after I got out of the Marine Corps,” he told the judge before learning his sentence.

Chutkan oversees former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington, D.C. Her handling of the Jan. 6 riot cases is getting added scrutiny as she presides over Trump’s case in the same federal courthouse.

Trump’s trial was originally set to begin next month, but the case has been on hold while Trump appeals his claims of presidential immunity from prosecution. No new trial date has been set.

Chutkan is known for being one of the toughest punishers of Jan. 6 rioters. In Foy’s case, however, she imposed a punishment that was over four years shorter than the prison sentence that prosecutors recommended. She said she was sentencing Foy “with a heavy heart” because she has been impressed with the progress that he has made since his release from jail.

“I want you to build on that,” she said. “I think you can.”

But the judge said she had to punish Foy for the “horrific” violence that he engaged in during the Capitol attack.

“You took an oath to serve your country, and you knew better,” she said. “What you did there on January 6th was not serving your country.”

Chutkan convicted Foy of two felonies — assaulting a police officer and obstruction of an official proceeding — after a “stipulated bench trial,” which means the judge decided the case without a jury and based on facts that both sides agreed to before trial. Such trials allow defendants to maintain appeal rights that are waived by a guilty plea.

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of eight years and one month. Foy’s attorneys asked the judge to spare Foy from serving any more time behind bars beyond the five months that he spent in pretrial custody.

Chutkan described the prosecutors’ recommendation as “unreasonable” and far longer than the sentences handed down to rioters who engaged in similar acts of violence on Jan. 6. The judge said she hasn’t grown numb to the violence that she routinely sees captured on video and shown in her courtroom.

“I’m horrified every single time,” she said.

Foy traveled alone from his home in Wixom, Michigan, to attend Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6. He wore an American flag around his shoulders and carried a “TRUMP 2020” flag attached to a hockey stick.

Approaching the mouth of a tunnel on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, Foy picked up a sharpened metal pole and hurled it like a spear into the body of a police officer, who fell over.

Foy later swung his hockey stick at police officers, hitting them at least 11 times in 16 seconds. He knocked one of them backward and struck an injured officer who had already fallen down.

“While other rioters engaged in their own violent assaults with (pepper) spray, bare fists, gnarled sticks, stolen batons, and metal crutches, Foy’s violence was amongst the most vicious in the melee,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Beckwith wrote in a court filing.

Foy’s military background “made him more dangerous and effective” as he assaulted police, the prosecutor argued.

“That violence was a betrayal to the country he vowed to protect and it was directed at Americans who had made similar vows to serve their country and protect their nation’s Capital,” Beckwith wrote.

Foy served in the US. Marine Corps from 2015 until June 2020, working as a heavy equipment mechanic and attaining the rank of corporal before he was honorably discharged. He served as a supervisor on a North Carolina base.

More than 1,300 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Over 800 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years.

The case involves 2-year-old Josiah Sanders, who was taken from his home by Child Protective Services more than 65 days ago.

Records show that last December, the boy’s pediatrician instructed his mother, Joslyn Sanders, who is in a wheelchair, to take her son to Josiah to Children’s Medical Center Dallas after his weight dropped and a rash became something that needed to be treated.

According to records, Sander objected to an antibiotic doctors wanted to give the boy, so she left against doctors’ advice saying she wanted to take him to his pediatrician.

During a court hearing Wednesday, the hospital’s pediatrician, Dr. Suzanne Dakil, testified Josiah’s skin was flaking off, parts of his body were swollen, and if he did not receive in-hospital care doctors were concerned he might die.

When Sanders left the hospital, doctors had to report it to CPS. A CPS worker then went to the family home in Corinth with police.

According to police, when officers refused to remove the child from the home because they did not see signs of abuse or neglect, the CPS worker took Josiah back to Children’s in Dallas, despite not having a court order. According to police, Sanders told the CPS worker she would take Josiah to Children’s in Plano.

After a two-month stay in the hospital, Children’s said Josiah has improved and he gained eight pounds after a feeding tube was placed through his nose.

A Children’s emergency room doctor testified all of this could have been avoided if Sanders had taken her son straight to another hospital and not home.

Josiah’s pediatrician says Sanders is a good mother with understandable concerns and that this happened because of a lack of communication between doctors.

The CPS investigator who took Josiah from his home has not yet testified. The hearing in Denton County court continues next week. More than ten people are set to testify.

“It’s very difficult given it’s been pushed back, and I would like my son to be returned to me as soon as possible,” Sanders said after the hearing Wednesday. “I’m keeping my faith in God and in my team as well that justice will be served and the truth will be brought to light.”

When asked about the hospital’s assertion that his health has improved in doctors’ care Sanders said, “Given that I was given that same opportunity, I would have had the same results with him. CPS rushed to judgment and didn’t allow me, or give me the opportunity to do that.”

Sanders’ son remains in the care of a woman known to the family.

The fast food chain found itself at the center of a controversy following recent comments made by new CEO Kirk Tanner.

During a mid-February conference call, Tanner informed investors and industry analysts of the company’s plans to launch digital menus at all of its U.S. company-run restaurants by the end of 2025. Tanner said Wendy’s would begin testing “more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and daypart offerings, along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling,” starting as early as next year.

Companies like Uber have used dynamic pricing, or surge pricing, to moderate use by customers during the busiest days of the year, or when drivers or cars are in short supply during the day. Prices rise and fall with demand using that business model.

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But fast food consumers weren’t exactly thrilled when they learned the model was potentially coming to Wendy’s.

Burger King even capitalized on the backlash its rival chain was getting online by announcing a “No urge to surge” promotion, where customers can get a free Whopper or Impossible Whopper with a purchase of $3. The promotion runs through Friday at participating locations and orders must be made on the BK App or BK.com.

AriZona Iced Tea, meanwhile, reminded everyone that their beverages have been the same price for decades.

Wendy’s has responded to the backlash by clarifying Tanner’s “dynamic pricing” comments.

In a statement released by the company Wednesday, Wendy’s specified that they have “no plans” to raise prices when demand is the highest at their restaurants, adding that any features they may test out “would be designed to benefit our customers and restaurant crew members.”

“We said these (digital) menu boards would give us more flexibility to change the display of featured items,” the statement read. “This was misconstrued in some media reports as an intent to raise prices when demand is highest at our restaurants. We have no plans to do that and would not raise prices when our customers are visiting us most.

“Any features we may test in the future would be designed to benefit our customers and restaurant crew members. Digital menu boards could allow us to change the menu offerings at different times of day and offer discounts and value offers to our customers more easily, particularly in the slower times of day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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The civil action was filed by Arnold and Judy Gachupin, guardians and grandparents of a student — only identified as N.S. — who allegedly suffered severed nerves and tendons from a May 2, 2022 sword fight at Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque.

The suit named Albuquerque Public Schools, Assistant Principal Manuel Alzaga and former chemistry teacher Loviata Mitchell as defendants.

Mitchell allegedly brought katana- and rapier-style swords to school that day, had students re-arrange desks to form a ring in the middle of class and had pairs of pupils square off, the lawsuit claimed.

After the first pair of dueling science students completed their two-minute bout, N.S. and classmate D.M. were allegedly called by Mitchell to fight.

“D.M. struck N.S. across her right forearm, wrist, and hand with the katana-style sword,” according to plaintiff’s attorney Jessica Hernandez. “N.S. suffered a large and deep laceration across her right hand and wrist that is inconsistent with a ‘prop’ sword.”

As soon as it became clear N.S., 16 at the time, was badly hurt, Mitchell allegedly screamed, “I’m in trouble!” and ordered students to delete any videos they shot of the fights.

The teacher did not immediately call 911 and it took 20 minutes for the girl’s grandfather, who is her guardian, to be notified, according to the lawsuit.

A school health assistant finally called 911 about 30 minutes after the wound and Albuquerque Fire Department EMS took the girl to an emergency room, Hernandez wrote.

The civil suit, filed last week in 2nd Judicial District Court, included graphic photographs of the girl’s bloody and deep wounds.

A school report on the incident, allegedly penned by the assistant principal Alzaga, described it as “a lesson on metal and melding” when “the student accidentally cut the other student with it,” the lawsuit said.

“In response to the report’s question, ‘Did the injury violate school rules?’ Mr. Alzaga checked a box indicating ‘No,'” the lawsuit added.

The girl has allegedly had to undergo surgeries, physical therapy and mental health counseling, stemming from the classroom sword fight. Basic tasks such as pressing buttons, fastening zippers and cooking are now daily challenges for the girl, her lawyer said.

“Despite this surgical repair of N.S.’s nerves and tendons, it was not possible to fully repair them, and they remain damaged,” according to Hernandez. “As a result, her wrist and hand are permanently injured. Those injuries cause her ongoing daily pain, as well as cause her to be unable to perform many basic daily tasks.”

A spokesperson for Albuquerque Public Schools on Wednesday declined comment on behalf of the district and assistant principal. She said they’re barred from commenting on pending litigation.

Mitchell was fired in July, 2022, the school representative said, but declined to reveal the cause of the termination.

Two publicly listed phone numbers for Mitchell were disconnected on Wednesday. She did not immediately respond to emails seeking her comment. 

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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