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  • A Chief Judge Warns Minnesota’s Top Prosecutor and ICE: Obey Court Orders or Face Contempt

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    ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The chief federal judge for Minnesota issued a stern warning Thursday to the chief federal prosecutor for the state, as well as to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, warning them that they must comply with court orders or they risk criminal contempt charges.

    Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush and is seen as a conservative, took issue with an email he received Feb. 9 from U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, in which the prosecutor accused the judge of overstating the extent of ICE’s noncompliance with court orders arising from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota.

    His order filed Thursday was just the latest in a series of critical and sometimes scathing statements and rulings by federal judges in Minnesota and elsewhere across the country against how the Trump administration has attempted to conduct mass deportations of immigrants, often citing violations of due process and standards for humane treatment.

    In a filing by a different judge Thursday, Rosen, the head of his civil division and ICE representatives were ordered to appear for a contempt hearing Tuesday over failures to comply with court orders for the return of detainees’ property.

    Schiltz had previously described ICE as a serial violator of court orders related to the enforcement surge. In a Jan. 28 order, he expressed “grave concerns” after federal judges in Minnesota identified 96 orders that ICE had violated in 74 cases. In Thursday’s order, Schiltz said the government’s response “was not to do a better job complying with court orders, but instead to attack the Court.”

    Rosen told Schiltz his office’s own review of a “statistically strong sample” of 12 of those 74 cases found a high compliance rate, and complained that the tally by the judges “was far beyond the pale of accuracy for an order that would be wielded so publicly and so sharply. The lawyers in my civil division didn’t deserve it.”

    Schiltz wrote in a new order that he filed Thursday that he then asked his judges and law clerks to review the numbers. While he said they discovered some mistakes, which cut both ways, they concluded that ICE violated 97 orders in 66 of the cases referred to in his earlier order.

    “Increasingly, this Court has had to resort to using the threat of civil contempt to force ICE to comply with orders,” he wrote. “The Court is not aware of another occasion in the history of the United States in which a federal court has had to threaten contempt — again and again and again — to force the United States government to comply with court orders.”

    The chief judge also attached a list that documented 113 additional order violations in 77 additional cases, mostly since the original tally.

    “The judges of this District have been extraordinarily patient with the government attorneys, recognizing that they have been put in an impossible position by Rosen and his superiors in the Department of Justice,” Schiltz wrote, noting the wave of resignations that has left Rosen’s office shorthanded. “What those attorneys ‘didn’t deserve’ was the Administration sending 3000 ICE agents to Minnesota to detain people without making any provision for handling the hundreds of lawsuits that were sure to follow.”

    Neither Rosen nor ICE officials immediately responded to a request for comment.

    Rosen acknowledged at a news conference Wednesday — his first since taking office in October — that his staff of prosecutors has fallen dramatically. He bristled when it was pointed out that at least two criminal cases have been dropped in recent days due in part to the losses. Rosen said the office had 64 assistant U.S. attorneys on the last day of his predecessor’s term; 47 as of Rosen’s first day; and was now down to 36. But he also insisted he was hiring new prosecutors at a “good clip” and that his office still has the capacity to prosecute major crimes.

    The chief judge ended with a blunt warning:

    “This Court will continue to do whatever is required to protect the rule of law, including, if necessary, moving to the use of criminal contempt,” he wrote. “One way or another, ICE will comply with this Court’s orders.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Buffalo Probes Death of a Nearly Blind Myanmar Refugee Dropped at a Doughnut Shop

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    A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who disappeared after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Buffalo doughnut shop was found dead five days later, prompting a police investigation and complaints from city officials that he’d been abandoned without care for his safety.

    Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was detained by Border Patrol agents on Feb. 19 after his release from a county jail, but was let go that same day after federal authorities determined he wasn’t eligible for deportation.

    The agents brought him to a Tim Hortons restaurant north of Buffalo’s downtown and dropped him there, authorities and advocates said. His family, which had initially expected him to walk out of jail, began searching for him after being informed of the drop-off and reported him missing.

    Shah Alam was found dead Tuesday night near the downtown sports arena where the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres play. It was unclear how he got there from the Tim Hortons, several miles away, or when he died.

    The county medical examiner determined the cause of death was “health related in nature” and ruled out exposure or homicide, according to the Buffalo Police Department. Detectives were investigating the events leading up to his death, first reported by the Investigative Post.

    Buffalo’s mayor, a Democrat, blamed the death at least partly on a “dereliction of duty” by federal agents, saying they shouldn’t have left him alone, miles from his home.

    “A vulnerable man — nearly blind and unable to speak English — was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location. That decision from U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane,” Mayor Sean Ryan said in a statement posted online.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection defended its actions in a prepared statement.

    “Border Patrol agents offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station,” according to the statement. “He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance.”

    During the days Shah Alam was missing, temperatures in Buffalo fell below freezing and light snow fell.

    Shah Alam arrived in the United States with his wife and two of his children in December 2024 in search of opportunity for his family, said Imran Fazal, who knows the family and founded of the Rohingya Empowerment Community. He had worked in construction for many years previously in Malaysia.

    Buffalo police arrested Shah Alam a year ago after an incident that resulted in minor injuries to two officers. He was initially indicted on charges of assault, burglary and criminal mischief, according to Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane.

    Fazal said the arrest was a misunderstanding based on the language barrier and cultural differences, and that Shah Alam had been taking shelter from the snow near a house at the time. Shah Alam ultimately pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to misdemeanor charges of trespassing and possession of a weapon and was scheduled to be sentenced in March.

    Keane, the district attorney, said he had offered Fazal a reduced plea “in the interest of justice.” One factor in the decision was avoiding the mandatory deportation that would result from a felony conviction, he said.

    Fazal said the family was able to post bail and went to the county jail Thursday expecting Shah Alam to be released.

    “The family was waiting in the waiting room,” Fazal said. “They were thinking he was just coming out.”

    But since federal Border Patrol had lodged an immigration detainer after his arrest, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office followed standard practice and informed the federal agency about his pending release. The Border Patrol arrived at the jail before the release was finalized, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

    Shah Alam’s family searched for him after his attorney was notified about the Thursday night drop off at a Tim Hortons, but could not locate him, said Fazal.

    “He should not be dropped off in a location where he doesn’t know anybody,” Fazal said. “He doesn’t speak English.”

    Fazal called it “a complete failure of the system.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Trump Administration Ends Protections for Rare Dancing Prairie Bird

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    FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A ground-dwelling bird known for elaborate mating dances on the southern Great Plains will no longer be federally protected after the Trump administration agreed with arguments by three states and the beef and petroleum industries that the species was listed improperly.

    Thursday’s delisting by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formalized a recent court ruling that acknowledged the federal agency has now sided with opponents of federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken.

    The ruling by a federal judge in Midland, Texas, in effect ended Endangered Species Act protections for the bird last summer. The protections required the energy industry and ranchers to take steps to avoid disrupting the birds’ habitat and especially their mating areas, called leks.

    The crow-sized birds once numbered in the millions. Habitat loss from energy and agriculture development has shrunk their population to about 30,000 across parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

    Wildlife watchers delight in the male birds’ spring dances and their warbling, clucking and stomping ruckus to attract mates. Native American tribes mimic the flamboyant displays — also a behavior of the more common greater prairie chicken — in some of their dances.

    The lesser prairie chicken has been federally protected twice in recent years. In 2015, a federal judge in U.S. District Court in Midland reversed the bird’s listing as a threatened species the year before, siding with petroleum developers who argued that sufficient protections were already in place.

    In 2022, President Joe Biden’s administration listed the lesser prairie chicken as threatened in the northern part of its range in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and as endangered in a “distinct population segment” to the south in New Mexico and Texas.

    The listing prompted a lawsuit filed by Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas and groups including the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

    After President Donald Trump took office last year, the Fish and Wildlife Service reevaluated the bird and agreed with the states and groups that it lacked justification to classify the lesser prairie chicken into two distinctly different populations.

    Last August, another judge in U.S. District Court in Midland granted a Fish and Wildlife Service motion to reverse its Biden-era listings for the lesser prairie chicken.

    “Fish and Wildlife’s concession points to serious error at the very foundation of its rule,” District Judge David Counts wrote in his Aug. 12 ruling praised by Texas officials.

    Texas oil and gas regulatory officials including Texas Railroad Commission spokesperson Bryce Dubee and Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham welcomed the delisting.

    “It will ensure American oil and gas production in the Permian Basin remains robust and our economy steadfast,” Buckingham said in an emailed statement.

    Environmentalists vowed to fight on in court.

    “It’s shameful that the Trump administration sees fit to sacrifice these magnificent birds for oil and gas industry profit,” Jason Rylander, legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, said in a statement. “Lesser prairie chickens may be lost forever without Endangered Species Act protections.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Fire at an Ohio Farm Complex Kills About 6,000 Hogs and Smoke Is Visible for Miles

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    LONDON, Ohio (AP) — A fire at an Ohio hog farm complex has killed about 6,000 of the animals, an official said.

    A large column of smoke could be seen in the distance on Wednesday from Fine Oak Farms in London, Chief Brian Bennington of the Central Townships Joint Fire District said in a statement.

    Two of five large agricultural buildings were “heavily involved in fire” as firefighters arrived, Bennington said. Multiple fire departments were called to help. The complex housed about 7,500 hogs, he said.

    Firefighters faced sustained winds of about 20 mph (32 kph), with gusts reaching up to 35 mph (56 kph), which accelerated the fire’s spread, Bennington said. Extensive water shuttle operations were needed due to limited water supply in the rural area, he said. It took five hours to bring the fire under control.

    No people were hurt. The Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause and origin of the fire. Bennington said there is no suspicion of arson at this time.

    The farm is in Madison County, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Columbus.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Most Americans See Iran as an Enemy but Doubt Trump’s Judgment on Military Force, AP-NORC Poll Finds

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — As the U.S. and Iran head into their next round of nuclear talks in Geneva, a new AP-NORC poll finds that many U.S. adults continue to view Iran’s nuclear program as a threat — but they also don’t have high trust in President Donald Trump’s judgment on the use of military force abroad.

    About half of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a direct threat to the United States, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 3 in 10 are “moderately” concerned and only about 2 in 10 are “not very” concerned or “not concerned at all.”

    The survey was conducted Feb. 19-23, as military tensions built in the Middle East between the United States and Iran. The U.S. is seeking a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says it is not pursuing weapons and has so far resisted demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

    Most Americans, 61%, say Iran is an “enemy” of the U.S., which is up slightly from a Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll conducted in September 2023. But their confidence in the president’s judgment when it comes to relationships with adversaries and the use of military force abroad is low, the new poll shows, with only about 3 in 10 Americans saying they have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” trust in Trump.

    Even some Republicans — particularly younger Republicans — have reservations about Trump’s ability to make the right choices on these high-stakes issues.


    Most US adults have concerns about Trump’s judgment on military force

    The Trump administration this year has held two rounds of nuclear talks with Iran under Omani mediation, with a third round scheduled to begin Thursday. Similar talks last year between the U.S. and Iran about Iran’s nuclear program broke down after Israel launched what became the 12-day war in June.

    “We are in negotiations with them,” Trump said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, which took place after the poll was conducted. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon.”

    Americans have significant reservations about Trump’s judgment on foreign conflicts, the AP-NORC poll shows. Only about 3 in 10 of U.S. adults have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in Trump’s judgment on the use of military force, relationships with U.S. adversaries or the use of nuclear weapons. More than half trust him “only a little” or “not at all.”

    On each measure, Republicans are more likely than Democrats and Independents to trust that the president will make the right decisions. About 6 in 10 Republicans have a high level of trust in Trump, while roughly 9 in 10 Democrats have a low level of trust in him.

    But some Republicans’ confidence is more qualified. Younger Republicans — those under 45 — are less likely than older Republicans to say they trust Trump “a great deal” or “quite a bit” on his use of military force. About half of younger Republicans say this, compared to about two-thirds of older Republicans.


    Many view Iran’s nuclear program as a threat

    The new finding that 48% of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a direct threat to their country is in line with an AP-NORC poll conducted in July 2025, indicating that even with recent escalations between the two countries, Americans have not changed their views.

    Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. The U.N. nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — had said Iran was the only country in the world to enrich to that level that wasn’t armed with the bomb.

    Iran has been refusing requests by the IAEA to inspect the sites bombed in the June war, raising the concerns of nonproliferation experts.

    Worries about Iran’s nuclear program cross party lines in the U.S., though Republicans are currently more concerned. Most Republicans — 56% — say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, compared to 44% of Democrats.


    Younger Americans are less worried about Iran

    Americans generally hold a negative view of Iran, but the view is sharper among older Americans.

    About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Iran is an “enemy” of the United States, up slightly from 53% from the Pearson/AP-NORC poll from 2023. Roughly 3 in 10 say the countries are “not friendly, but not enemies,” and only about 1 in 10 Americans consider Iran a country that is “friendly” or “close allies.”

    At the same time, only about half of U.S. adults under 45 say Iran is an enemy, compared to about 7 in 10 Americans ages 45 and older. There is also a wide generational divide in concern about Iran’s nuclear program, with only about one-third of Americans under 45 saying they are highly concerned, compared to about 6 in 10 older Americans.

    Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have existed for decades, which may help explain why older Americans are more concerned. Nuclear talks had been deadlocked for years after Trump’s decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

    Liechtenstein reported from Vienna. AP reporter Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.

    The AP-NORC poll of 1,133 adults was conducted Feb. 19-23 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Golden Knights Sit 5 From Olympic Gold-Medal Game in NHL Return Against Kings

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights were without five players from the Olympic gold medal-game Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL’s return from a three-week break.

    Having already ruled out center Jack Eichel and defenseman Noah Hanifin from the champion United States, the Golden Knights traveled without Canadian forwards Mark Stone and Mitch Marner and defenseman Shea Theodore.

    “Well, it’s a challenge to the group, and it’s an opportunity for others, so we still got 20 NHL players in our lineup,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Obviously, less room for error when you’re missing some real difference-makers.”

    The United States beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in Milan on Sunday. Eichel, Stone and Marner are Vegas’ top three point producers, Theodore and Hanifin lead Vegas defensemen in ice time and points.

    Eichel and Hanifin will join up with the Golden Knights in Washington and are expected to play against the Capitals on Friday night. Cassidy expressed optimism Stone, Marner and Theodore will make the trip from Las Vegas to the East Coast and also be available Friday.

    Vegas does have reinforcements coming into the lineup with forwards Brandon Saad (undisclosed) and Colton Sissions (upper body) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (upper body) all having been activated off injured reserve Tuesday.

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  • Lawyers Say Pennsylvania Student Protesters Did Not Know a Man Who Joined Scrum Was the Police Chief

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    PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers for student protesters detained in Pennsylvania for four days after a scuffle with police say their clients had no idea the stocky older man in street clothes who joined the fray and put his arm around a 15-year-old girl’s neck was the local police chief.

    The attorneys said the students from Quakertown Community High School who were demonstrating against immigration enforcement policies acted in self-defense and will fight the charges. They include a simple assault charge elevated to aggravated assault, a felony, because the alleged victim is Police Chief Scott McElree.

    “He charged from his vehicle into the middle of this group of kids,” defense lawyer Donald Souders said Wednesday. “Many of the kids jumped in, in an attempt to defend her. They assumed that this was a counterprotester.”

    The 72-year-old McElree, the attorneys said, arrived in an unmarked car, had no badge or hat or uniform on, and never identified himself. Videos posted to social media showed the tussle between students and officers.

    McElree, who also serves as the Philadelphia suburb’s borough manager, did not return messages left Tuesday and Wednesday at his home and office.

    “My client was directly choked by the chief. It was alleged that she had struck him, which she did not,” said lawyer Timothy Prendergast, who represents the petite 15-year-old girl. “They are innocent. They were exercising their First Amendment rights. The chief did not like that and acted outside of his authority.”

    Prendergast’s client and at least two others were released Tuesday, some on home confinement with ankle monitors. It was not immediately clear if the other two remained in custody Wednesday. The lawyers did not identify their clients, and juvenile court records are not public.

    Some residents have called for McElree to resign. Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan opened an investigation, while also prosecuting the teens in juvenile court. The defense lawyers questioned whether he could remain impartial in both roles.

    Souders represents a 16-year-old boy who, he said, had his eyeglasses broken as he was knocked into a large planter by a uniformed officer during the scrum. The boy spent the weekend in custody trying to get glass particles out of his eye, and was seen there by a nurse before his father took him to a hospital Tuesday after his release, Souders said.

    High school administrators had met with the student protesters about the planned walkout, but then withdrew permission on Friday morning out of safety concerns, the acting superintendent said in a statement.

    Many in the group are students of color, and some are the children of immigrants, their lawyers said. Both Quakertown, with about 9,300 residents, and the high school, with about 1,650 students, are predominantly white.

    According to defense lawyers, the students were taunted along the route by another group of students yelling insults, including racial epithets, at them.

    “Throughout the protest, the police were following from a distance,” Souders said. “Probably in hindsight, they should have interceded between the protesters and counterprotesters. They were saying really awful things to get the kids riled up.”

    His client, a high school junior who works two restaurant jobs, was released on home confinement with an ankle monitor, he said. He can leave home for school, work, church and other approved activities.

    As juveniles, the teens have a right to an adjudication hearing within 30 days — or 10 days if they are in custody. However, the lawyers expect to seek more time to gather video and other evidence in the case.

    “This was an abomination of (police) escalation when it should have been a teaching moment for de-escalation,” said lawyer Ettore “Ed” Angelo, who represents another 15-year-old girl charged and released in the case.

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  • Federal Judge in Texas Allows Lawsuit Against California Attorney General Over ExxonMobil Remarks

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    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has ruled that ExxonMobil can bring a defamation lawsuit against California’s attorney general over comments about the company’s plastic recycling efforts.

    U.S. District Judge Michael J. Truncale in the Eastern District of Texas said in a ruling earlier this month that California Attorney General Rob Bonta cannot claim official immunity in regards to several statements he made, including one in a campaign email sent to Texas residents.

    Bonta sued Exxon in September 2024, saying that the oil giant encouraged consumers to purchase plastics products with the promise that the products would be recycled. He said less than 5% of plastic is recycled into another plastic product, and that recycling processes touted by Exxon don’t work. Exxon said the problem is with California’s recycling system.

    Exxon later sued Bonta in his individual capacity and environmental groups for defamation, saying that the comments harmed current and future business contracts. The lawsuit was filed in Texas, near its principal place of business.

    Truncale dismissed the lawsuit against the environmental groups but allowed it to proceed against Bonta.

    The judge pointed to a campaign email Bonta sent to Texas residents saying that only 5% is recycled and the rest ends up in the environment and in our bodies: “Exxon Mobil knew, and Exxon Mobil lied.” Bonta, a Democrat, argued he was simply updating email recipients on his office’s activities.

    But Truncale said a campaign contribution link on the email turned the communication into a campaign activity not protected by immunity in Bonta’s official capacity as attorney general.

    “Here, the contribution request betrays the email’s true nature: a campaign promotion. Campaigning is not within Bonta’s scope of employment,” the judge wrote.

    Bonta’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    ExxonMobil said in a statement that the “campaign of lies designed to derail our advanced recycling business must stop.”

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  • Cal Raleigh Not Focused on Trying for Another 60-Homer Season in Seattle

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    PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Cal Raleigh has already gone deep this spring, yet the switch-hitting Seattle Mariners catcher isn’t focused on trying to hit 60 home runs again this season.

    Raleigh, who had an MLB-leading 60 homers last year, hit a 427-foot homer against the Chicago White Sox in an exhibition game Tuesday. His first spring homer came in his third game.

    “I think the elephant in the room is 60 home runs. That’s not something I’m setting out to do,” Raleigh told Seattle Sports this week. “To me, I’m just trying to be as consistent as possible, trying to do what I did last year.”

    His 60 homers last season were the most for a player who was primarily a catcher, having started 119 games behind the plate and another 38 at designated hitter. The 29-year-old Raleigh, nicknamed “Big Dumper,” also had a career-high 125 RBIs and finished second in the American League MVP voting behind New York Yankees slugger and third-time winner Aaron Judge.

    Judge and Raleigh are both set to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which begins pool play next week. Judge set the AL record with 62 home runs in 2022.

    They are among only seven players with a 60-homer season, and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are the only ones to do so in consecutive seasons (1998 and 1999). McGwire and Sosa are the only players with multiple 60-homer seasons, and Sosa had a third in 2001.

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  • Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Placed on Injured Reserve After Getting Hurt at the Olympics

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    The club placed its longtime captain on injured reserve on Wednesday. The move comes after Crosby sustained a lower-body injury during the Olympic hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Games.

    Crosby will have to miss at least a week, though it’s likely he will be out for considerably longer.

    The injury comes with the surprising Penguins in second place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh is looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

    Crosby has been his usually productive self this season. He leads the Penguins in goals (27), assists (32) and points (59) and is on pace to extend his NHL record of averaging at least a point a game to 21 years and counting.

    The injury comes at a busy time for Pittsburgh, which opens the post-Olympic break at home against New Jersey on Thursday. The matchup with the Devils is the first of 13 games in a 24-day stretch for the Penguins.

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  • NASA moves its Artemis II moon rocket off the launch pad for more repairs

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    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA moved its grounded Artemis moon rocket from the launch pad back to its hangar Wednesday for more repairs.

    The slow-motion trek at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center was expected to take all day. The 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket had spent a month at the pad ready for potential liftoff, but encountered a series of problems serious enough to require a return to the Vehicle Assembly Building, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away.

    Managers ordered the rollback over the weekend after the rocket’s helium pressurization system malfunctioned. Already delayed a month by hydrogen fuel leaks, the launch team had been targeting March for astronauts’ first trip to the moon in decades. But now the Artemis II lunar fly-around by a U.S.-Canadian crew is off until at least April.

    All four astronauts were at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday night for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address as invited guests, since the flight delay means they no longer need to quarantine.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Luke Grimes Returns as Fan Favorite Kayce Dutton in New ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff, ‘Marshals’

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    In the hit show’s fifth and final season in 2024, Dutton rode off into the proverbial sunset at peace, building a new life ranching on his own terms with his wife and son.

    “I thought, ‘This is it,’” says Grimes. “I love the way this ends for him. He kind of got what he always wanted, which is just a simple life.”

    Luckily for fans — somewhat less so for Dutton — that simple life is upended as Grimes once more slips into the role for the prime-time spinoff “Marshals,” which premieres Sunday on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

    In an artful piece of writing, showrunner Spencer Hudnut takes Dutton from a neo-Western family drama to a Western law enforcement procedural, giving him a badge and having him join a band of U.S. Marshals in Montana.

    “We wanted to make it feel organic and we wanted there to be enough of the sort of ethos of ‘Yellowstone’ in there that the original fans could have something to hold on to getting into the show, but then have it have somewhere to go that felt like its own thing,” says Grimes.

    During the pilot, Dutton meets with an old comrade from his days as a Navy SEAL who gradually recruits him into their four-person Marshal team.

    “May look like God’s country but the devil’s running free out here,” Dutton’s friend tells him. “I’m guessing you got your own demons to conquer, and I could sure use another door-kicker.”

    “Marshals” allows the show’s creators to explore the military backstory of Dutton, a combat veteran with Special Forces skills. In the first episode, viewers will see Dutton smartly unlock a cellphone with a dead man’s eyes, a talent that wasn’t exploited on the Taylor Sheridan-led “Yellowstone.”

    “We barely scratched the surface of that,” says Grimes. “In a way, it was kind of a blessing because we have all that stuff to explore now without it feeling like we just made some stuff up.”

    Grimes says Dutton looks beyond the ranching life to take the job as a U.S. Marshal as a way to come out of his shell, help people and recover from personal tragedy.

    “Clearly he’s making an effort to do something different here and change his life and change his son’s life at the same time,” says Grimes. “Because whatever dream that he had is over now, he’s never getting it back.”


    A non-traditional procedural

    The series also stars Logan Marshall-Green, Arielle Kebbel, Ash Santos and Tatanka Means, as well as familiar faces from “Yellowstone,” including Gil Birmingham, Moses Brings Plenty and Brecken Merrill as Dutton’s son.

    Hudnut says the show has twists and turns each week but isn’t a regular crime-of-the-week show: “CBS really wanted this to be a non-traditional procedural, which really allowed us to lean heavily into character.”

    “Marshals” joins a slate of potential future “Yellowstone” spinoffs, including “6666,” “1944” and “The Madison.” Three other “Yellowstone” spinoffs — including “1883,” “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” and “1923” — have already debuted.

    Grimes gets to spend more time inside the mind of fan favorite Kayce Dutton, a watcher and a protector who only speaks when absolutely necessary and, when he does, only speaks the truth.

    The actor says creating Dutton’s persona reflects what Grimes liked watching while growing up, namely actors who told a story without overdoing it, with still excellence, like Paul Newman.

    “He could sort of just sit there and have a flicker in his eye and you knew what he was saying,” Grimes says. “I just was always drawn to those kinds of actors who could do a lot with a little. And so, maybe, that’s just me trying to sort of emulate my heroes in a way.”

    “Marshals” promises plenty of action each week, with the team battling gangs, drug cartels, race warriors, human traffickers and polluters, among others. The pilot kicks off with a bombing.

    “This show is some good people going after the bad people. And if you like that sort of thing, it’ll be right up your alley,” Grimes says.

    The series also marks both Grime’s rise to lead a prime-time TV network show for the first time and also his debut as a producer. He jokes that he’s a little closer to how the sausage is made.

    “I’ve been working professionally as an actor since I was 20 and I’m 42 now, so it’s been 22 years,” he says. “I’ve had plenty of time to think about if I ever do get the opportunity to be No. 1 on the call sheet of something that’s a big investment for some company, then I’ll know how to handle it, not only learning my craft, but by watching professionals be professional.”

    Grimes, a new father, also has an album coming out in April, but won’t be able to tour this year due to his commitments. Fans can hear one of his new songs playing over the emotional final scene of the pilot.

    Hudnut says he’s proud to extend the “Yellowstone” legacy, which has attracted Old West lovers, whether they’re urban dwellers or rugged, outdoor types.

    “Really, at its heart, it’s a show about family. It’s a show about legacy,” he says. “There’s something in there that we can all relate to, whether it’s being the father or being the son or being a sibling.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Residents Want Local Governments to End Contracts That Let ICE Train on Their Gun Ranges

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    ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers training at a local gun range largely went unnoticed by residents of one Southern California city for more than a decade, until President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the recent fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents.

    The arrangement in Escondido, a city of about 150,000 people north of San Diego surrounded by farms and horse ranches, has sparked weeks of demonstrations. Residents are demanding that the city stop allowing ICE agents to train at the local police department range, reflecting growing discontent across the country with the administration’s immigration actions.

    “We don’t want ICE anywhere near Escondido or fraternizing with the police,” said Richard Garner, 71, while rallying against the deal outside the city’s police station.

    A majority of Americans in recent polls have said Trump has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents into American cities. Beyond the mass street demonstrations in Minneapolis, people in communities from New York to California are objecting to longstanding contracts between ICE and local governments for services ranging from the use of training facilities to parking spaces. The agency has also angered local communities caught off guard by ICE’s plans to occupy giant warehouses, some that could house as many as 10,000 immigration detainees.

    Amid the debate, funding for the Department of Homeland Security has been put on hold. Democrats are saying they will not help approve more money until new limits are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good last month in Minneapolis.

    Escondido’s City Council is scheduled to discuss the contract with ICE at a meeting Wednesday.

    Unlike many California cities, Escondido had an especially close alliance with ICE in the past that allowed immigration officers to work at police headquarters and coordinate on vehicle stops. That partnership ended after California passed a law in 2017 limiting such collaboration with immigration officials.

    Protesters in Escondido said they were unaware of the contract allowing ICE to train at the gun range in the city’s hillsides until advocates found the agreement online. They said they fear word of the deal will make immigrants afraid to report crimes to local police, weakening public safety in a city where Latinos make up about half the population.

    Some say they don’t want to give ICE agents a reason to come to their community or lend support to an agency they don’t trust will follow U.S. laws. The concern is high, both among immigrants and U.S. citizens who worry about masked federal immigration agents ′ use of deadly force.

    Police Capt. Erik Witholt said Escondido provides the space under a deal signed by ICE in 2024 and renewed this year, though ICE has been training at the outdoor range off a winding road outside Escondido’s downtown for more than a decade.

    The city will receive $22,500 a year for up to three years under the agreement involving the San Diego branch of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, which investigates crimes including human trafficking and drug smuggling.

    “We don’t train with them. We don’t train them,” Witholt said, adding 22 agencies use the site and each brings its own range master, targets and ammunition.

    The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not comment on the backlash and would not confirm locations where its officers train, citing security concerns.

    But several of those locations have been brought to light as communities demand an end to such agreements.


    Debates in other communities

    In Cottage Grove, Minnesota, 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Minneapolis, Ruth Jones and other residents have been asking the community to end its contract allowing ICE to use its regional training center. But Mayor Myron Bailey said the center was built with state bond funding and is rented out to some 60 law enforcement agencies and other groups, including ICE.

    “Contractually we cannot discriminate against any public agency,” Bailey said in a statement.

    In Islip, New York, community members urged local officials last year to rescind a longstanding contract to use a rifle range for training, but the local government also kept the deal.

    Hartford, Connecticut, has moved to end a contract for ICE employees to use a city-owned parking lot.

    Not everyone in Escondido is opposed to the city’s contract with ICE. Luke Beckwith, 26, said he feels access to the site should be left up to police.

    “I personally don’t care,” Beckwith said. “It’s bringing revenue to the city.”

    Edgar, who is from Mexico and asked that his last name be withheld over deportation fears, said barring ICE from the city’s gun range will not remove the threat for immigrants like himself.

    “If they want to come, they will come,” he said.

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  • Rubio Flies Into the Caribbean for Talks With Leaders Unsettled by Trump Policies

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    Secretary of State Marco Rubio flies into the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday for talks with regional leaders who, like others around the world, are unsettled and uncertain about Trump administration policies.

    During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump called Maduro’s capture “an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States. And it also opens up a bright new beginning for the people of Venezuela.”

    Trump said his administration is “restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism and foreign interference.”

    Godwin Friday, newly elected prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, echoed the fears of many European leaders when he said the Caribbean is “challenged from inside and out. International rules and practices that we have become used to over the years have changed in troubling ways.”


    Caribbean leaders point to shifting global order

    During Tuesday’s opening ceremony, Terrance Drew, prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and CARICOM chair, said the region “stands at a decisive hour.”

    “The global order is shifting,” he said. “Supply chains remain uncertain, energy markets fluctuate and climate shocks intensify.”

    Like other leaders, Drew spoke about changing geopolitics and said the humanitarian situation in Cuba must be addressed and taken seriously, something also stressed by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

    “It must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba,” Holness warned. “It will affect migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.”

    Holness said Jamaica “stands firmly for democracy” and that his country also “supports constructive dialogue between Cuba and the U.S. aimed at de-escalation, reform and stability.”

    Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell told The Associated Press on Tuesday ahead of the summit that he doesn’t know if individual topics will come up in talks with Rubio but said he expects a full discussion on the nature of the relationship with the U.S.

    “It is about mutual respect and a rules-based order,” he said. “Those are some of the things we would expect from the meeting, and we are also available for any private dialogue with Mr. Rubio.”

    The State Department has not said which officials Rubio will meet with Wednesday but that he intends to discuss ways to promote regional security and stability, trade and economic growth in group and bilateral meetings.

    Caribbean leaders also are expected to talk about other issues like security, reparations, climate change and financing, and a single market economy.


    US policy in the Caribbean

    The U.S. also has killed at least 151 people in strikes targeting small boats accused of smuggling drugs since early September. The latest attack Monday killed three people in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. has not provided evidence that the targeted boats are ferrying drugs.

    Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister, has previously praised the attacks. Tuesday was no exception as she thanked Trump, Rubio and the U.S. military “for standing firm against narcotrafficking” and for their cooperation in national security matters.

    “The crime is so bad, I cannot depend on just my military, my protective services,” she said.

    Cuba’s situation also is expected to dominate talks at CARICOM’s summit.

    Cuba’s U.N. resident coordinator Francisco Pichón told AP on Monday that the U.S. oil embargo is preventing humanitarian aid from reaching those still struggling to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba in late October as a Category 3 storm.

    He noted that the energy blockade and fuel shortages “affect the entire logistics chain involved in being able to work in Cuba at this time, anywhere in the country.”

    Lee reported from Washington, and Coto from San José, Costa Rica. Associated Press reporters Bert Wilkinson in Georgetown, Guyana, and Andrea Rodríguez in Havana contributed to this report.

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  • Jets Plan to Use a Tag on Hall, While Futures for Walker and Montgomery Remain Uncertain

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    INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The New York Jets don’t plan to let running back Breece Hall hit the open market at the start of the league year, while the futures of other top running backs such as Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and David Montgomery remain more in flux.

    Jets general manager Darren Mougey said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that the team plans to use either the franchise tag or the transition tag on Hall before the deadline on March 3.

    Hall would be guaranteed a salary of about $14.5 million next season with the franchise tag and about $11.7 million with the transition tag. Another team could sign Hall to an offer sheet with the Jets having five days to match the offer or receive two first-round picks as compensation with a franchise tag or no compensation with a transition tag.

    “The tags are an option,” Mougey said. “Ideally we find a way to get a deal done to keep Breece around. I think I’ve said that for the last year since I got here. Breece is a good player, we want to find a way to keep him around. We’ve been going through that process and are still doing so and we have a week to find out if we can’t get to an agreement, which way we’ll go.”

    Hall was drafted in the second round in 2022. He rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards last season for New York and ranks 12th in the NFL with 2,935 yards rushing the past three seasons.

    Only one running back in the NFL is scheduled to make at least $14 million in cash next season with 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley set to be paid $16.75 million from the Philadelphia Eagles.

    Walker’s status is more uncertain after he capped his fourth season in the NFL by winning Super Bowl MVP for Seattle when he rushed for 135 yards in the win earlier this month over New England.

    Walker is coming off the second 1,000-yard rushing season of his career and averaged 104.3 yards per game rushing in the playoffs when he showed he could carry a heavy load after Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending knee injury in the divisional round.

    General manager John Schneider declined on Tuesday to answer whether the team would use a tag to keep Walker locked up for 2026.

    “We’d love to have Ken back, we’d love to have everybody back,” Schneider said. “But he knows this better than anybody, it’s about our 70, our collective, and what it’s going to look like. And we’ll have those meetings down here. We’ll start, you know, talking to all the agents and, yeah, we’ll have a better feel of where we’re going to go toward the end of the week. But, obviously, we’d love that (having Walker back). When you get something special like that, let’s run it back.”

    Montgomery is still under contract in Detroit through the 2027 season and is owed about $6 million in 2026, but could be on the trade market as Jahmyr Gibbs has emerged as the featured back for the Lions.

    Montgomery, who turns 29 in June, is coming off career lows of 158 carries for 716 yards last season as Detroit’s offense revolved more around Gibbs, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

    Montgomery had rushed for 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns his first two seasons with the Lions as the team’s starter but came off the bench in all 17 games last season.

    “I’ve been in touch with David’s agent, his representation,” Lions GM Brad Holmes said. “We love David. He’s a great player. We’d love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rear view and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be in a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’re just trying to see how it goes.”

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  • European Officials Visit Ukraine to Show Support as Country Marks 4 Years of Russia’s All-Out War

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    KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than a dozen senior European officials arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday in a show of support on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine — a grim anniversary in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and put European leaders on edge about the scale of Moscow’s ambitions on the continent.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country has withstood the onslaught by Russia’s bigger and better equipped army, which over the past year of fighting captured just 0.79% of Ukraine’s territory, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

    “Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “not achieved his goals.”

    “He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war,” Zelenskyy also said.

    However, as the corrosive war of attrition enters its fifth year, a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end Europe’s biggest armed conflict since World War II appears no closer to finding compromises that might make a peace deal possible.

    Negotiations are stuck on what happens to the Donbas, eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland which Russian forces mostly occupy but have failed to seize completely, and the terms of a postwar security arrangement that Kyiv is demanding to deter any future Russian invasion.

    The number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides could reach 2 million by spring, with Russia sustaining the largest number of troop deaths for any major power in any conflict since World War II, a report last month from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated.

    European leaders see their countries’ own security at stake in Ukraine amid concerns about Putin’s wider goals and has demanded its leaders be consulted in the ongoing U.S.-brokered talks.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X that “for four years, every day and every night has been a nightmare for the Ukrainians — and not just for them, but for us all. Because war is back in Europe.”

    “We will only end it by being strong together, because the fate of Ukraine is our fate,” he added.

    The war has drawn in countries far beyond Ukraine, giving the conflict a global dimension, and threatened to worsen shortages, hunger and political instability in developing countries.

    While NATO countries have come to Ukraine’s aid, Russia has been helped by North Korea, which has sent troops and artillery shells; Iran, which has provided drone technology; and China, which the United States and analysts say has provided machine tools and chips.

    Among the European officials visiting Kyiv on Tuesday were the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as well as seven prime ministers and three foreign ministers.

    With Ukraine unable to sustain its fight against Russia without foreign help, NATO countries are now providing military help, purchasing American weapons after the Trump administration broke with earlier Washington policy and stopped giving arms to Kyiv.

    The European Union has also sent financial aid, but has sometimes met with reluctance from members Hungary and Slovakia.

    British Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said Russia’s war on Ukraine was “the most defining conflict” in decades.

    “I don’t think anyone of us would be able to guess (when the war started) the scale and size of what has taken place,” he said.

    The cost of rebuilding war-battered Ukraine would amount to almost $588 billion over the next decade, according to World Bank, the European Commission, the United Nations and the Ukrainian government.

    That is nearly three times the estimated nominal GDP of Ukraine for last year, they said in a report Monday.

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  • White Scores 23 as No. 14 Kansas Rebounds With 69-56 Win Over No. 5 Houston

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    LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Tre White scored a season-high 23 points and No. 14 Kansas bounced back from a surprising defeat with a 69-56 victory over No. 5 Houston on Monday night.

    Freshman star Darryn Peterson added 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 30 minutes for the Jayhawks (21-7, 11-4 Big 12), who fell six spots in this week’s AP Top 25 following an 84-68 loss at home Saturday to unranked Cincinnati.

    Bryson Tiller had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Kansas, which handed the scuffling Cougars (23-5, 11-4) their third consecutive defeat — all against top-15 opponents.

    Houston hadn’t dropped three straight games since 2017.

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  • Bediako Appeals NCAA Eligibility Decision to Alabama Supreme Court as Season Winds Down

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    TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Basketball center Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to let him play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide.

    The recent NBA G-League player on Monday filed an appeal of Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet’s recent decision that ended Bediako’s temporary playing status with the University of Alabama. While Bediako appeals the decision to the state Supreme Court, his lawyers asked Pruet to grant interim relief and allow him to return to play.

    Bediako spent two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament both years. He wasn’t selected in the 2023 NBA draft, but he played for the Motor City Cruise in the G League as recently as mid-January.

    He returned to Alabama this season and filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama’s request to allow him to return to collegiate competition. His lawyers argued that Bediako remains within his five-year college eligibility window. NCAA President Charlie Baker and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have opposed Bediako’s reinstatement.

    A judge, who later recused himself from the case, issued a temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play while the case moved forward. But Pruet on Feb. 9 ruled against Bediako, writing that the player “failed to demonstrate that he is entitled to the injunctive relief that he seeks.”

    On Monday, Bediako’s lawyers asked the judge to issue an interim order while the appeal is pending requiring the NCAA to reinstate Bediako as a student-athlete immediately eligible to compete in NCAA competition. They noted that the end of the season and collegiate tournaments are rapidly approaching, and it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will rule on the appeal before the season concludes.

    “Without interim injunctive relief, the whole purpose for Plaintiff’s appeal — the ability to play basketball for the University of Alabama for the remainder of play in 2026 — will be null,” lawyer David W. Holt wrote.

    Alabama’s regular season ends on March 7. The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place in mid-March, and the NCAA Tournament will be held from March 17 through April 6.

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  • EU Hits Pause on US Trade Deal as It Seeks Clarity Over Latest Trump Maneuver

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    FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Frustrated European officials pushed Monday for clarification on how U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of a 15% global tax on imports would affect the trade deal they struck with Trump this summer as EU legislators hit pause on the deal’s ratification until they get clarity.

    The European Parliament’s trade committee postponed a committee vote on ratification after Trump said he would impose the new tariff, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his use of an emergency powers law to set new import taxes. Trump then turned to another section of trade law to justify his imposition of the 15% global rate, which take effect Tuesday.

    The EU position is expressed in five words: “A deal is a deal,” said commission spokesman Olof Gill. “So now we are simply saying to the US, it is up to you to clearly show to us what path you are taking to honor the agreement.”

    The US-EU deal called for a 15% cap on tariffs on most European goods imports, while tariffs on US industrial goods would be lowered to zero. While the deal burdened consumers and businesses with a tariff increase from the previous average of 4.8%, it also gave businesses certainty so they could plan – a factor credited with helping Europe avoid a recession last year.

    Since the new 15% rate announced Saturday would be applied on top of the previous tariffs, it would break the agreed ceiling on tariffs, said Bernd Lange, chair of the parliament’s trade committee. Legislators postponed a committee vote on the agreement scheduled for Tuesday.

    Questions surrounded other trade deals done with individual countries including Brazil, India and Britain. For instance, Britain agreed a 10% maximum tariff with the US, while India settled on 18% and Vietnam accepted 20%. Although the Supreme Court decision did not directly affect bilateral deals, they were negotiated using threats of imposing the now-invalidated tariffs as leverage. However re-opening those deals could backfire because Trump has made clear he will pursue tariffs under other laws than the one the Supreme Court said he could not apply.

    US Trade Representative Jamison Greer said Sunday on US network CBS’ “Face the Nation” program that the administration had made clear to negotiating partners that Trump was intent on tariffs whether the Supreme Court ruled against him or not, that “whether we won or lost, there were going to be tariffs.”

    He said that the bilateral deals “are good deals, we expect to stand by them, we expect our partners to stand by them.”

    Moving from country-specific tariffs to the flat 15% global tariff “will have considerable implications elsewhere,” said Atakan Bakiskan, US economist at Berenberg bank. The new tariff means a reduced rate for some countries, for example Brazil, which faces a reduction of nearly 15 percentage points and China, which sees a reduction of nearly 10 percentage points.

    Under the law Trump relied on, these latest tariffs are in effect for only 150 days unless Congress votes to extend them. Trump could use that time to search for other legal provisions that would support his actions.

    While uncertainty hits European companies, it puts pressure on the U.S. economy as well, where consumers and companies pay the tariffs on goods purchased from abroad. “Uncertainty around trade policy appears here to stay – putting continued pressure on the US economy,” Bakiskan said.

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  • ‘Scrubs’ Revival Brings Back the Old Goofy Gang, but Now They’re, Gulp, in Charge

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Early in the first episode of the “Scrubs” revival, Dr. John Dorian jumps onto Dr. Christopher Turk for a piggyback ride down the corridor of Sacred Heart Hospital like nothing’s changed in over a decade. But a lot has.

    For one, Turk, now a father of four, suffers from sciatica, cutting the tomfoolery short as they tumble to the ground. And, two, Dorian needs reading glasses. Turns out plenty has changed in the 17 years since “Scrubs” last ended its run.

    “They’re still 12 years old every time they’re together, but they’re also still both leading very big, responsible adult lives,” says Bill Lawrence, the show’s creator who has returned for the revival. “It just felt like it was time to revisit the old gang.”

    “Scrubs” — whose first two episodes premiere back-to-back Wednesday on ABC and stream next day on Hulu — picks up with the same characters all these years later, but this time, in addition to some physical wear and tear, the one-time interns are the teachers to a group of rookie doctors.

    “We were new and we were scared as interns and scared in this new element of medicine and insecure and unsure of what we were doing,” says Sarah Chalke, who plays Dr. Elliot Reid. “So to get to come back, we really have grown and really become great leaders and great teachers.”


    Back to reality for “Scrubs”

    The revival retains Lawrence’s voice for “Scrubs” — pop culture-hyper-aware and surreal but always with sentiment. The cast admits the show became a little too cartoonish in later seasons, with an ostrich wearing a Kangol hat and J.D. stuffed into a backpack to sneak into a movie theater.

    “Bill Lawrence would be the first to say that what he really wanted to do was sort of ground it again and start back with the based-in-reality thing that we had in the first couple years of the show,” says Zach Braff, who plays Dr. Dorian. “We still have a mix of drama and comedy, but reset to based completely in reality.”

    One thing that had to change was Dr. Perry Cox, the head of medicine played by John C. McGinley with stone-faced rage and fiery contempt. Back in the old days, he could humiliate and berate his interns.

    That won’t fly in 2026: “I can’t work them crazy hours or even abuse them anymore,” Cox complains in the revival, calling the new interns “fragile little Christmas ornaments.” One of the new interns says to him: “You’re giving mean football coach vibes.”

    Lawrence in anticipation of the relaunch consulted medical residents to find out how hospitals and medicine had changed over the years and was told that administrators would have no patience with a brutal Cox in 2026.

    “All the residents we talked about told us that Dr. Cox would be fired immediately nowadays,” says Lawrence. He also added Vanessa Bayer to the cast, playing an HR officer quick to suggest sensitivity training.

    The first seven seasons of “Scrubs” originally aired on NBC, but after Season 7 — which was shortened due to a writers strike — the series moved to ABC for Season 8. A ninth season with J.D., Turk, and Cox was called “Scrubs: Med School.”

    Braff and Faison — real friends offscreen — kept the show in fans’ minds with a string of T-Mobile commercials and a podcast that explored the episodes, Fake Doctors, Real Friends.

    The end of Season 8 — the following season is not considered “Scrubs” cannon — had J.D. having all his fantasies come true — marrying Elliot, having children and keeping up his friendship with Turk, who is married to head nurse Carla. That neat bow had to be jettisoned for 2026.

    “We knew from the start that we couldn’t live in a world that all of his fantasies had come true,” says Lawrence. “Life throws you some blows and throws you to some victories. You drift from people you care about. Sometimes your world gets smaller. Sometimes things get harder and there still have to be mountains to overcome. So we really wanted to thematically show that journey of what the second stage of life looks like.”


    The central bromance of “Scrubs”

    Central to the success of “Scrubs” is the bromance between J.D. and Turk, which doesn’t end when the cameras are turned off. The revival arrives as the topic of male loneliness and friendship is being debated.

    “It’s a half hour comedy, but it takes head on the idea of the joy that you can still find in being silly and having love in your life that isn’t just your romantic love — the joy and love you have with your friends as a man in 2026,” says Braff.

    Faison adds: “I value my friendship. I don’t have many of them, but he’s the one friendship that I do have that I know I can count on, at least right now. Maybe in 10 years, he might change his mind on how he feels about me.”

    “We’ll see how you behave,” Braff jokes.

    Lawrence says he often writes about male friendships because he grew up in a family that wasn’t very demonstrative emotionally. His other current titles include “Shrinking” and “Ted Lasso,” which also explore bonding and mentoring.

    “I started very young writing about friendships and, maybe on some level, the wish fulfillment of how personal I truly hoped they could be,” he says. “I crave those friendships and I craved that mentorship so I maybe write about them too much.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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