News - Friday, March 14, 2025

As the dust settled at the end of Chattanooga Burger Week in 2024, a hamburger packed with Crab Rangoon filling, wonton strips and sweet chili sauce emerged as the people’s choice for the best hamburger in the city.

It seemed like a definitive statement: The classic burger is a relic, and the future belongs to gourmet chefs and nouveau foodies who value invention above convention.

“My Favorite Thing” is a regular feature in which Chattanoogans from all walks of life write about the one thing they enjoy the most in the Scenic City. Installments unearth hidden gems, offer fresh perspectives of local mainstays and reveal the rich diversity of Chattanooga.

The sounds of spring are heralding the end of winter in Chattanooga. The singing of birds in parks, the growl of lawn mowers in the suburbs and the crack of a bat connecting with a softball at Frost Stadium, where the Lady Mocs are putting together another winning season.

This event for the deaf and hearing-impaired community will take place March 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and feature American Sign Language interpreters for keeper chats and animal meet and greets, educational booths, opportunities to learn ASL and giveaways. Zookeepers will host presentations with snow leopards, chimpanzees, sloths and other species and bring out a variety of ambassador animals for up-close encounters. Knoxville Center of the Deaf, Disability Rights TN, Sorenson Communications, Family Voices of Tennessee, Sign Language Studios and Tennessee Schools for the Deaf will be present. Purchase of general admission required.

The Morning Pointe Foundation has launched three new scholarships for TCAT students at Chattanooga State Community College: a culinary scholarship of $1,000 each year for three years, a physical therapist assistant scholarship of $1,500 each year for three years, and a practical nursing scholarship of $1,500 each year for three years.

With spring storms and unpredictable weather ahead, now is the time for Chattanooga homeowners to focus on weatherproofing. Whether it’s heavy rains, strong winds or fluctuating temperatures, protecting your home can help to prevent costly repairs and improve energy efficiency.

The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center will host a grand opening of the “Captain Larry L. Taylor Exhibit” at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The exhibit honors Taylor, a Chattanooga native and Vietnam War hero who received the Medal of Honor in 2023 for his heroic actions in a helicopter rescue mission during the Battle of Khe Sanh.

If you’re just beginning your career, what are your financial priorities?

 You might have student loans to deal with. And you may even be thinking about saving for a down payment on a house. These are certainly significant issues, and yet, you shouldn’t ignore your long-term goals, such as retirement, which is why you might want to get started as an investor.

Dear Speaker Johnson: I would like to apply for a job as a professional protester, and am asking for your assistance in securing such employment in the near future.

Your recent comments advising Republican members of Congress to avoid public meetings with their constituents inspired this request. Some members who have attended such events have faced harsh criticism for various budget slashings proposed in furtherance of King Donald’s scorched-earth agenda. Slashings that they are finding uncomfortable to defend.

Car shoppers considering buying an electric vehicle in 2025 will have more factors to consider than buyers in previous years. Most of it is good news.

For example, automakers are continuing to introduce new EVs and improve their current models. Expanded charging options and very attractive used EV prices are also hot topics for this year.

Peek-a-boo. Yep, somebody sees you there. You can’t hide, you’re too big to slink away unnoticed, and there’s no boy wizard to make you invisible.

For your entire life, you’ve left trails behind wherever you go, footprints and evidence of your presence and behavior. Just thinking about that might feel weird, but once you’ve read “On Privacy” by Lawrence Cappello it might seem exactly right.

The Federal Trade Commission has walked back comments that a lack of resources is interfering with the agency's ability to be ready for a September trial over Amazon's Prime program.

Jonathan Cohen, a lawyer for the FTC, had asked a federal judge during a hearing on Wednesday to delay the trail and relax deadlines in the case, citing budgetary and staffing shortfalls.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials are asking retailers to pull a small number of acne creams from their store shelves after government testing found they contain slightly elevated levels of a chemical associated with cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration said several lots of six products containing benzoyl peroxide are being recalled, including Walgreens Acne Control Cleanser, Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment. The full list and lot numbers was posted online Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.

The European import tax, which was unveiled in response to steel and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go into effect on April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to place on the EU.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale inflation decelerated last month, suggesting that price pressures are easing for now. But the progress may not last as President Trump intensifies his trade wars.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — was unchanged from January after rising 0.6% the month before. Compared to a year earlier, producer prices were up 3.2%, down from a year-over-year gain of 3.7% in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day before a shutdown deadline, Senate Democrats are mounting a last-ditch protest over a Republican-led government funding bill that already passed the House but failed to slap any limits on President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to gut federal operations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out.

In emergency applications filed at the high court on Thursday, the administration asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington that blocked the order President Donald Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There sat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's top health official, at a Steak 'n Shake with Fox News host Sean Hannity, raving about the fries.

"Steak 'n Shake has been great, we're very grateful for them," Kennedy said, in between nibbles of fries that the Midwestern franchise recently announced would be cooked in beef tallow instead of common cooking oils that Kennedy says are bad for Americans' diet.

WASHINGTON (AP) — State officials are warning Americans not to respond to a surge of scam road toll collection texts.

The texts impersonating state road toll collection agencies attempt to get phone users to reveal financial information, such as credit or debit cards or bank accounts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.

The European import tax, which was unveiled in response to steel and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go into effect on April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to place on the EU.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's sell-off hit a new low Thursday after President Donald Trump's escalating trade war dragged the S&P 500 more than 10% below its record, which was set just last month.

A 10% drop is a big enough deal that professional investors have a name for it — a "correction" — and the S&P 500's 1.4% slide on Thursday sent the index to its first since 2023. The losses came after Trump upped the stakes in his trade war by threatening huge taxes on European wines and alcohol. Not even a double-shot of good news on the U.S. economy could stop the bleeding.

NEW YORK (AP) — Discount carrier Spirit Airlines has emerged from bankruptcy protection.

The budget airline — known for its no-frills, low-cost flights on a fleet of yellow planes — said Wednesday that its parent, Spirit Aviation Holdings, exited Chapter 11 after finalizing debt restructuring. The reorganization plan, which received the court greenlight last month, aims to bring the carrier back to profitability and boost resources to compete with rivals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte laid on the praise for President Donald Trump on Thursday as the two met in the Oval Office at a time when the president's comments have raised doubts about his commitment to the transatlantic alliance and its mutual defense treaty.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service's acting chief counsel, William Paul, has been removed from his role at the agency and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsel's office who is deemed supportive of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to speak publicly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. authorities have removed immigrants from detention facilities at the Guantanamo Bay naval base as a federal court in Washington weighs a challenge by civil rights advocates to holding immigrants at the offshore military station.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government's steward of funding for public broadcasting stations sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its pause in grant payments for upgrading the nation's emergency alert system.

The nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting's federal lawsuit says a recent hold on grant funds for modernizing the alert system hampers the ability of federal, state and local authorities to issue real-time emergency alerts.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration's recent changes to student loans are causing frustration and confusion for some borrowers.

In response to a February court ruling that blocked some Biden-era programs, the Education Department has taken down online and paper applications for income-driven repayment plans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump's campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's volatile tariff threats are unleashing historic jumps in public anxiety, with the potential to undermine his pledges to strengthen a U.S. economy that is increasingly weakened.

The University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment tumbled 10.5% on a monthly basis in March and plunged 27.1% over the past year. The preliminary report released Friday shows that consumers' expectations of annual inflation climbed to 3.9% from 3.5%, the largest monthly jump since 1993.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump's blunt-force use of tariffs has forged a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky's top leaders — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul — in lamenting brewing trade wars that could stagger the bourbon sector.

NEW YORK (AP) — Trade war turmoil is weighing heavily on financial markets in Canada.

Canada's main stock index has been tumbling along with U.S. indexes since President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with his North American neighbors. Mexico's main stock index has remained relatively steady following measures from the Mexican government to stabilize financial markets.

LONDON (AP) — The British economy unexpectedly shrank during January, piling pressure on Treasury chief Rachel Reeves before a key statement about the state of the public finances later this month.

The United States is suddenly looking less bubbly for European wines.

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned 50% tariff on American whiskey. Wine sellers and importers said a tariff of that size would essentially shut down the European wine business in the U.S.

LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad's 20-acre (8-hectare) grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk met this week with the leader of the National Security Agency, suggesting the nation's spy services won't escape the billionaire's scrutiny as he looks to slash spending and personnel across the federal government.

Musk met Wednesday with Gen. Timothy Haugh, who directs the NSA as well as U.S. Cyber Command, which coordinates the Pentagon's cybersecurity work, the NSA said Friday. In a statement, the NSA said the meeting was intended to ensure both organizations are "aligned" with the new administration's priorities.

LA MALBAIE, Quebec (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies on Friday were wrapping up their final day of talks that have been overshadowed by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade and foreign policies as well as his repeated taunts toward host Canada.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate finds itself on Friday in a familiar position, working to avoid a partial government shutdown with just hours to spare as Democrats confront two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer relented Thursday rather than risk a government shutdown, announcing he's ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill that has fiercely divided Democrats under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate was preparing Friday to give final approval to a bill that could result in harsher prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers as both Republicans and Democrats seek to show they can act to rein in distribution of the deadly drug.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to visit the Justice Department on Friday to rally support for his administration's tough-on-crime agenda, an appearance expected to double as a victory lap after he emerged legally and politically unscathed from two federal prosecutions that were dismissed after his election win last fall.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services presents a "monumental opportunity" to make the country healthier, Dr. Mehmet Oz told senators Friday at his confirmation hearing.

President Donald Trump's pick for CMS administrator told the Senate Finance Committee that America is struggling with soaring health care costs and higher obesity rates than other countries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, a champion of environmental protections and progressive ideals who took on principled but often futile causes during a two-decade career in Congress, died Thursday.

Grijalva, who was 77, had risen to chair the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee during his 12 terms representing southern Arizona, a powerful perch he used to shape the nation's environmental policies. He was known for reliably going to bat for immigrants and Native American tribes, and for the bolo tie he wore at home in Tucson and in the Capitol in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to cut 10,000 workers and billions of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service budget and he'll do that working with Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency, according to a letter sent to members of Congress on Thursday.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and all signs point toward the team using that selection on a quarterback.

The Titans announced Friday that they had agreed to a contract with 32-year-old journeyman Brandon Allen, who spent last season backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco. The quarterback, a sixth-round pick in 2016 out of Arkansas, has played for Denver, Cincinnati and the 49ers. Terms were not announced.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge refused Friday to block the destruction of classified documents as part of the building cleanout at the U.S. Agency for International Development, finding that records slated for shredding or burning are old or no longer needed.

The government agency that runs the Voice of America has moved to terminate contracts with The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and told its journalists Friday to stop using material from the wire services.

Kari Lake, the former broadcaster turned Republican politician who was selected by President Donald Trump to run VOA, estimated the move would save $53 million.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied to their best day since the election, but not by enough to keep Wall Street from a fourth straight losing week. The S&P 500 rose 2.1% Friday, a day after closing more than 10% below its record for its first "correction" since 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2.6%. Ulta Beauty helped lead the market after the beauty products retailer reported stronger profit for its latest quarter than analysts expected. Worries have been rising that U.S. consumers may cut back on their spending because of uncertainty around tariffs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid widespread economic turmoil, the price of gold has soared to levels never seen before.

Gold futures surpassed the $3,000 per troy ounce for the first time this week. The price to buy gold on the spot market in New York is following closely behind.

LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad's 20-acre (8-hectare) grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic Party was fracturing Friday as a torrent of frustration and anger was unleashed at Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, who faced what they saw as an awful choice: shut the government down or consent to a Republican funding bill that allows President Donald Trump to continue slashing the federal government.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approached a key test vote Friday afternoon as lawmakers worked to avoid a partial government shutdown, with Democrats confronting two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue.

LA MALBAIE, Quebec (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies agreed Friday on a joint statement expressing support for Ukraine and a U.S. ceasefire proposal in the three-year-old war even as President Donald Trump's trade policies and taunts toward host Canada overshadowed the talks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Friday passed a bill that would result in more prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers as both Republicans and Democrats seek to show they can act to rein in distribution of the deadly drug.

The bill passed the Senate on an 84-16 vote, with all the nay votes from Democrats. It next heads to the House, where a similar version of the bill has already passed with significant Democratic support, showing many in the party are eager to clamp down on fentanyl distribution following an election in which Republican Donald Trump harped on the problem. House Republicans passed a similar bill in 2023 with dozens of Democrats joining in support, but it languished in the Democratic-held Senate.

Lipscomb forward Jacob Ognacevic remembers growing up in Sheboygan and cheering for his home-state team as Wisconsin made back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015.

"Sam Dekker was from my hometown and went to the high school I went to," Ognacevic recalled of the Badgers forward on those teams. "Just watching a hometown guy play on that stage was really cool to see."

UC San Diego coach Eric Olen knew that his team would be good this season.

This good? Maybe not quite.

The Tritons were playing Division II ball just five years ago, when the pandemic shut down its tournament and may have kept his team from winning a national championship. The school began the transition to Division I the following year, and in its first season of NCAA Tournament eligibility, the Tritons punched their ticket by winning the Big West Tournament title.

Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament and headed to the South Region, where coach Bruce Pearl and the Tigers will be trying to seek a little bit of retribution after a first-round ouster at the hands of Yale last season.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Todd Golden knows exactly what he expects out of his fourth-ranked Florida Gators.

"We have a chance to win a national championship," Golden said as his Gators accepted the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship trophy Sunday.

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Sam Surridge and Ahmed Qasem had first-half goals, Hany Mukhtar scored on a late penalty kick and Nashville handed the Philadelphia Union their first loss of the season with a 3-1 victory on Sunday.

Nashville (2-1-1) grabbed the lead in the 15th minute when Sam Surridge took a pass from defender Walker Zimmerman and scored. It was the first goal for Surridge after he scored 12 times last year — his first full season. It was the first assist for Zimmerman and his seventh in six seasons with the club.

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on Monday in a pipeline company's lawsuit against Greenpeace, a case the environmental advocacy group said could have consequences for free speech and protest rights and threaten the organization's future.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge barred the Trump administration Saturday from carrying out deportations under a sweeping 18th century law that the president invoked hours earlier to speed removal of Venezuelan gang members from the United States.

The next time you're due for a medical exam you may get a call from someone like Ana: a friendly voice that can help you prepare for your appointment and answer any pressing questions you might have.

With her calm, warm demeanor, Ana has been trained to put patients at ease — like many nurses across the U.S. But unlike them, she is also available to chat 24-7, in multiple languages, from Hindi to Haitian Creole.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive.

Changes at the Education Department are likely to make the process even more difficult, advocates for kids with disabilities say.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The videos roll through TikTok in 30-second flashes.

Migrants trek in camouflage through dry desert terrain. Dune buggies roar up to the United States-Mexico border barrier. Families with young children pass through gaps in the wall. Helicopters, planes, yachts, tunnels and jet skis stand by for potential customers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. shoppers stepped up their spending just a bit in February after a sharp pullback the previous month, signaling that Americans are shopping more cautiously as concerns about the direction of the economy mount.

Retail sales rose just 0.2% in February, a small rebound after a sharp drop of 1.2% in January, the Commerce Department said Monday. Sales rose at grocery stores, home and garden stores, and online retailers. Sales fell at auto dealers, restaurants, and electronics stores.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Federal Reserve officials last met in late January, things looked pretty good: Hiring was solid. The economy had just grown at a solid pace in last year's final quarter. And inflation, while stubborn, had fallen sharply from its peak more than two years ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is postponing several planned events this week to promote his new book, " Antisemitism in America: A Warning," after some liberal groups had planned to stage protests.

The cancellations of events in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and other cities came amid widespread criticism from the party's liberal base over Schumer's vote to move forward with Republican spending legislation last week. Risa Heller, a representative for Schumer's book, said that the tour would be rescheduled "due to security concerns."

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a possible pivot point in efforts to end the war in Ukraine and an opportunity for Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration will pay El Salvador $6 million to imprison for one year about 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, in one of the first instances of the Central American country taking migrants from the United States.

Tennessee's dominance through the first month of the season has become so apparent that one of the most authoritative college baseball media outlets demoted an LSU team on a 15-game winning streak from No. 1 in its Top 25 and replaced the Tigers with the Volunteers on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday declined to force the Trump administration to immediately reimburse dozens of public broadcasting stations for upgrades to the nation's emergency alert system.

The nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency last Thursday, claiming the agency had unlawfully held up nearly $2 million in grant money for modernizing the alert system. The lawsuit says the delay in reimbursements is hampering the ability of federal, state and local authorities to issue real-time emergency alerts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says South Africa's ambassador to the United States, who was declared "persona non grata" last week, has until Friday to leave the country.

After Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was no longer welcome in the U.S. and posted his decision Friday on social media, South African embassy staff were summoned to the State Department and given a formal diplomatic note explaining the decision, department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

MANALAPAN, Fla. (AP) — The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins will play games in Stockholm on Nov. 14 and 16 as part of the NHL's Global Series.

The games at newly renovated Avicii Arena announced by the league Tuesday are set to be the 47th and 48th games it has hosted in Sweden and make it the 15th season with regular-season action outside North America.

Zakai Zeigler has one overriding goal for his final season with the Tennessee Volunteers, and that is making sure they accomplish something this program has never done.

Reach their first Final Four.

The Volunteers (27-7) have a lengthy NCAA Tournament history with this their 27th berth. They went five weeks during the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country and reached their fourth Southeastern Conference Tournament final in seven seasons. Now sights are set on finishing a very good season the best way possible.

Porter Moser spent three seasons in the Big 12 before shepherding Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, making the longtime coach uniquely suited to compare the erstwhile best conference in America to the current king of college hoops.

"The things is, there is no bottom," Moser explained. "That's what we felt in the Big 12 the last couple years. But the athleticism with the ages is the difference. The athleticism, in my opinion, I've never seen in any league in any era. The length, age, shooters, skill levels of the teams in the SEC this year — it's unbelievable. "

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary display of conflict between the executive and judiciary branches, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeaching federal judges shortly after President Donald Trump demanded the removal of a judge who ruled against his deportation plans.

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Greenpeace used malicious and deceptive tactics to disrupt the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline and keep it from going forward, an attorney for the company behind the project said Monday.

But attorneys for the environmental advocacy group said during their closing arguments that Greenpeace had little involvement with the 2016-17 protests that are central to the case.

BANGKOK (AP) — China's energy and auto giant BYD has announced an ultra fast EV charging system that it says is nearly as quick as a fill up at the pumps.

BYD, China's largest EV maker, said Monday that its flash-chargers can provide a full charge for its latest EVs within five to eight minutes, similar to the amount of time needed to fill a fuel tank. It plans to build more than 4,000 of the new charging stations across China.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bird flu has devastated poultry and dairy farms, and sent the price of eggs soaring in the United States since it was first detected in North America in late 2021.

But what has been the toll on wild birds? More than 170 species of North American wild birds – including ducks, geese, gulls, owls, eagles and others – have been infected with bird flu.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union's law enforcement agency cautioned Tuesday that artificial intelligence is turbocharging organized crime that is eroding the foundations of societies across the 27-nation bloc as it becomes intertwined with state-sponsored destabilization campaigns.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has struck a deal to buy cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion in what would be the biggest acquisition in the tech giant's 26-year history.

The proposed takeover announced Tuesday is part of Google's aggressive expansion into cloud computing during an artificial intelligence boom. The frenzied push into AI is driving demand for data centers and Google is going up against two other tech powerhouses, Microsoft and Amazon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun a highly anticipated call as the U.S. administration looks to persuade the Russian leader to sign-off on a 30-day ceasefire proposal as a possible pathway to end the war.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — With U.S. support for Ukraine in doubt, Kyiv's European allies are weighing whether to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian assets and use the money to compensate Ukraine, support its military and help rebuild shattered homes and towns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats on the House Judiciary and House Oversight committees have filed a lengthy Freedom of Information Act request questioning whether the Trump administration's DOGE Service is operating "outside the bounds of federal law," The Associated Press has learned.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of employees returned to the Food and Drug Administration's headquarters Monday to find overflowing parking lots, long security lines and makeshift office spaces without chairs and other basic supplies.

The FDA is the latest agency scrambling to meet the Trump administration's return-to-office mandate, part of a flurry of actions — including firings and buyouts — intended to radically shrink the federal workforce. Monday was the first day that all rank-and-file FDA staffers were required to report to offices, including the agency's 130-acre campus just outside Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, who promoted President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, has formed a "special unit" to investigate election offenses, according to an email sent to lawyers in his office on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Andrew Sullivan thinks of the people his organization has helped resettle in America, one particular story comes to mind: an Afghan man in a wheelchair who was shot through the neck by a member of the Taliban for helping the U.S. during its war in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development likely violated the Constitution and blocked billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from further cuts to the agency.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Justice Department attorney on Tuesday urged an appeals court to suspend judicial orders favoring two board members who were fired by President Donald Trump from their respective posts in the federal government.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit didn't immediately rule after hearing attorneys' arguments.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The pothole outside Timothy Taylor's home was so deep, he could hear the clunk of cars hitting it from inside his house.

The Portland, Oregon, resident could sympathize with those drivers: He knew to avoid his own neighborhood pothole, but another one damaged his car's suspension to the tune of $1,000.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research office and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees who help provide the scientific foundation for rules safeguarding human health and ecosystems from environmental pollutants.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union government ministers on Tuesday debated ways to keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet over the weekend.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War. Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two IRS whistleblowers who testified publicly about investigations into Hunter Biden's taxes have been promoted to new roles as senior advisers at the Treasury Department.

Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, two IRS employees who testified to Congress as Republicans reviewed the business dealings of Joe Biden's son, say they were retaliated against for cooperating in the investigations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal program designed to prevent targeted violence and terrorism in the United States has lost 20% of its staff after layoffs hit its probationary staffers.

The Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships was a redefined version of programs created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as a way to identify people who could pose new terrorism threats or carry out violence and prevent tragedies by getting them help. It has a mission enlisting parents, coaches, teachers and ministers to head off trouble before it starts by training them to look for signs of trouble in advance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the Defense Department, but fewer than 21,000 workers who took a voluntary resignation plan are leaving in the coming months, a senior defense official told reporters Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a lengthy call Tuesday to an immediate pause in strikes against energy and infrastructure targets in the Ukraine war, but the Russian leader stopped short of backing a broader 30-day pause in fighting that the U.S. administration is pressing for.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored two goals, Joel Hofer made 22 saves and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours each had a goal and an assist and Dylan Holloway had three assists for St. Louis, winners of three straight.

Kellie Harper has been hired as the new women's basketball coach at Missouri, where the former coach of SEC rival Tennessee will have the job of rebuilding a once-proud program that has not been to the NCAA Tournament in six years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is resisting a federal judge's demand for more information about flights that took deportees to to El Salvador, arguing on Wednesday that the court should end its "continued intrusions" into the authority of the executive branch.

The U.S. Institute of Peace and many of its board members have sued the Trump administration, seeking to prevent their removal and stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from taking over and accessing the building and systems of the independent nonprofit.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Hollywood writer-director was arrested Tuesday on charges that he swindled $11 million from Netflix for a sci-fi show that never aired, instead steering the cash toward cryptocurrency investments and a series of lavish purchases that included a fleet of Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from terminating $14 billion in grants awarded to three climate groups by the Biden administration, saying the government's "vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender people from military service on Tuesday, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for his sweeping agenda.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., ruled that Trump's order to exclude transgender troops from military service likely violates their constitutional rights. She was the second judge of the day to rule against the administration, and both rulings came within hours of an extraordinary conflict as Trump called for impeaching a third judge who temporarily blocked deportation flights, drawing a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Heavily redacted court filings released Tuesday shed no fresh light on the circumstances under which Prince Harry entered the United States, the latest development in a legal fight by a conservative group that is pushing to find out whether Harry lied about past drug use on his immigration forms.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest trend in treating hair loss may sound familiar — essentially, it's a repurposed drug first popularized in the 1990s.

Back then, TV viewers were inundated with ads for Rogaine, a sticky topical solution that could help treat thinning hair when applied to the scalp.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.

BERLIN (AP) — Questions are mounting in Canada and in Europe over whether big-ticket purchases of high-end U.S. weaponry, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, are still a wise strategic choice for Western countries worried about their investment in U.S. defense technology.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Tesla has been removed from participating in this week's Vancouver International Auto Show over safety concerns, the event's executive director said Tuesday.

Eric Nicholl said in a statement that the show asked the electric carmaker to withdraw because of a "primary concern" for the safety of workers, attendees and exhibitors.

LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Wednesday outlined the steps that Apple must take to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to work better with competing technologies.

It's the first time it has moved to compel a technology company to comply with the bloc's digital Digital Markets Act — a wide-ranging set of regulations designed to prevent Big Tech "gatekeeper" companies from cornering markets.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as the economy undergoes what may be wrenching changes, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to signal it could cut its key interest rate twice this year — the same forecast it issued in December.

Yet the reasons for those cuts may change dramatically, depending on how the economy fares.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Delaware is trying to protect its status as the corporate capital of the world amid fallout from a judge's rejection of billionaire Elon Musk 's landmark Tesla compensation package, although critics say fast-tracked legislation will tilt the playing field against investors, including pensioners and middle-class savers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump fired two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, intensifying efforts to exert his administration's control over independent agencies across the government.

Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said they'd been dismissed illegally and would sue to block Trump's order. They also said they consider themselves still part of the FTC, though whether they will still have access to their offices and logistical tools like email going forward was unclear.

NEWPORT, Vt. (AP) — Business owners from both sides of the U.S.-Canada border gathered Tuesday in Vermont to share how the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs have affected their industries.

President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and repeated comments that Canada should become the 51st state have infuriated Canadians, and many are boycotting American goods in response.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge who ruled against Donald Trump's deportation plans and is now facing calls for his impeachment is no stranger to politically fraught cases — including ones involving the president.

In his 14 years on the federal bench, James "Jeb" Boasberg has resolved secret grand jury disputes that arose during the special counsel investigations into Trump, oversaw improvements after the Trump-Russia investigation in how the Justice Department conducts national security surveillance and handled his share of sentencings for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have been sniping at each other in public since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer helped pass a Republican spending bill that prevented a government shutdown. But the divisions in their party hardly began there.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems to be in no hurry to address an issue that has irritated Republican and Democratic administrations alike: the ability of a single judge to block a nationwide policy.

Federal judges responding to a flurry of lawsuits have stopped or slowed one Trump administration action after another, from efforts to restrict birthright citizenship to freezes on domestic and international spending.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has suspended approximately $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over the participation of a transgender athlete in its swimming program, the White House said Wednesday.

The Ivy League school has been facing an Education Department investigation focusing on in its swimming program. That inquiry was announced last month immediately after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women's sports.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronted with huge cuts to its funding, Columbia University's leaders face a grim decision: They can yield to the Trump administration's demands over allegations of antisemitism — ceding extraordinary control to the federal government — or they can fight back, potentially risking even more debilitating cuts in an escalating clash.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of Social Security Administration offices across the country are slated to close this year due to actions taken by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency as part of the Trump administration's unprecedented effort to shrink the size of government.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday and signaled that it still expects to cut rates twice this year even as it sees inflation staying stubbornly elevated.

The Fed also now expects the economy to grow more slowly this year and next than it did three months ago, according to a set of quarterly economic projections also released Wednesday. It forecasts growth falling to just 1.7% in 2025, down from 2.8% last year, and 1.8% in 2026. Policymakers also expect inflation will pick up slightly, to 2.7% by the end of 2025 from its current level of 2.5%. Both are above the central bank's 2% target.

LODI, Calif. (AP) — Escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe are being closely watched in California's iconic wine industry, which is already struggling due to declining global wine consumption, rising costs and swings in weather.

Many fear tariffs will hike the costs of wine-making materials and dampen U.S. importers of European wines. The Wine Institute, which advocates for California wineries, said the tariffs will "hurt the broader wine sector including farmers, vintners, distributors, retailers and the millions of people working across the extended wine supply chain."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior official at Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is taking a leadership role at the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press, giving DOGE a top job at an agency that it has helped to dismantle.