Author: PolitCens

WASHINGTON — The U.S., U.K. and Australia on Tuesday sanctioned a Russian web-hosting services provider and two Russian men who administer the service in support of Russian ransomware syndicate LockBit.  

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and its U.K. and Australian counterparts sanctioned Zservers, a Russia-based bulletproof hosting services provider — which is a web-hosting service that ignores or evades law enforcement requests — and two Russian nationals serving as Zservers operators.  

Treasury alleges that Zservers provided LockBit access to specialized servers designed to resist law enforcement actions. LockBit ransomware attacks have extracted more than $120 million from thousands of victims around the world.  

LockBit has operated since 2019, and is the most deployed ransomware variant across the world and continues to be prolific, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.  

The Treasury Department’s Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, said Tuesday’s action “underscores our collective resolve to disrupt all aspects of this criminal ecosystem, wherever located, to protect our national security.” 

LockBit has been linked to attacks on airplane manufacturer Boeing, the November 2023 attack against the Industrial Commercial Bank of China, the U.K.’s Royal Mail, Britain’s National Health Service, and international law firm Allen and Overy.  

Ransomware is the costliest and most disruptive form of cybercrime, crippling local governments, court systems, hospitals and schools as well as businesses. It is difficult to combat as most gangs are based in former Soviet states and out of reach of Western justice.  

Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman, said Tuesday’s sanctions “underscore the United States’ commitment, along with our international partners, to combating cybercrime and degrading the networks that enable cyber criminals to target our citizens.” 
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Paris — U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Europeans on Tuesday their “massive” regulations on artificial intelligence could strangle the technology, and rejected content moderation as “authoritarian censorship.”

The mood on AI has shifted as the technology takes root, from one of concerns around safety to geopolitical competition, as countries jockey to nurture the next big AI giant.

Vance, setting out the Trump administration’s America First agenda, said the United States intended to remain the dominant force in AI and strongly opposed the European Union’s far tougher regulatory approach.

“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” Vance told an AI summit of CEOs and heads of state in Paris.

“We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship,” he added.

Vance criticized the “massive regulations” created by the EU’s Digital Services Act, as well as Europe’s online privacy rules, known by the acronym GDPR, which he said meant endless legal compliance costs for smaller firms.

“Of course, we want to ensure the internet is a safe place, but it is one thing to prevent a predator from preying on a child on the internet, and it is something quite different to prevent a grown man or woman from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation,” he said.

European lawmakers last year approved the bloc’s AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology.

Vance is leading the American delegation at the Paris summit.

Vance also appeared to take aim at China at a delicate moment for the U.S. technology sector.

Last month, Chinese startup DeepSeek freely distributed a powerful AI reasoning model that some said challenged U.S. technology leadership. It sent shares of American chip designer Nvidia down 17%.

“From CCTV to 5G equipment, we’re all familiar with cheap tech in the marketplace that’s been heavily subsidized and exported by authoritarian regimes,” Vance said.

But he said that “partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure. Should a deal seem too good to be true? Just remember the old adage that we learned in Silicon Valley: if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.”

Vance did not mention DeepSeek by name. There has been no evidence of information being able to surreptitiously flow through the startup’s technology to China’s government, and the underlying code is freely available to use and view. However, some government organizations have reportedly banned DeepSeek’s use.

Speaking after Vance, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he was fully in favor of trimming red tape, but he stressed that regulation was still needed to ensure trust in AI, or people would end up rejecting it. “We need a trustworthy AI,” he said.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also said the EU would cut red tape and invest more in AI.

In a bilateral meeting, Vance and von der Leyen were also likely to discuss Trump’s substantial increase of tariffs on steel.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was expected to address the summit on Tuesday. A consortium led by Musk said on Monday it had offered $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit controlling OpenAI.

Altman promptly posted on X: “no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

The technology world has closely watched whether the Trump administration will ease recent antitrust enforcement that had seen the U.S. sue or investigate the industry’s biggest players.

Vance said the U.S. would champion American AI — which big players develop — he also said: “Our laws will keep Big Tech, little tech, and all other developers on a level playing field.”
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New Delhi — As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to the United States for a two-day visit starting Wednesday, officials in New Delhi expressed optimism that the visit will herald a renewed and substantive partnership. However analysts said there will be contentious issues to navigate on trade and immigration, which are among U.S. President Donald Trump’s top priorities.

Underlining that Modi will be meeting Trump within weeks of his taking office, Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri said India-U.S. ties are solid and that “this has been one of our strongest international partnerships.”

Modi will reach Washington after visiting France, where he is attending a global conference on artificial intelligence.

Trade is important for both countries and India has taken steps to demonstrate that it is ready to address concerns of Trump, who has named India among countries that are “very big tariff abusers.” In a phone conversation with Modi last month, Trump called for moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship.

His top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, repeated such concerns on Monday. “India has enormously high” tariffs that lock out imports, he said in an interview with CNBC.

New Delhi, which wants to avoid trade tensions with the U.S., announced earlier this month that it will lower import duties on some items that will benefit American exports such as high-end motorcycles and cars.

It also may offer other concessions that could help American goods gain market access to India and boost energy imports from the U.S., say analysts.

“New Delhi thought it would take a first step and try to resolve differences on trade. But, certainly, as a great negotiator and bargainer, he [Trump] will ask for more,” said Chintamani Mahapatra, founder of the Kalinga School of Indo Pacific Studies. “India also bargains very well. So, somehow, we will try to make a compromise that will benefit both.”

For India, the stakes are high — the U.S. is its largest trading partner. Bilateral trade between the two countries was $118 billion, with a surplus of about $32 billion in India’s favor in 2023.

India has not been impacted so far by Trump’s tariff impositions — the latest 25 percent tariffs he imposed on steel and aluminum imports will have merely a marginal impact on India, as New Delhi is a small exporter of steel to the U.S., according to Indian officials.

Strengthening security and defense ties with the U.S., Indian officials say will also be discussed in Washington. According to analysts that could include potential purchases of weapon systems and technology. In the recent phone conversation with Modi, President Trump had called on Modi to increase procurement of American-made security equipment.

India, the world’s largest spender on military equipment, needs a range of weapons systems to modernize its military. As it diversifies its purchases from its traditional weapons supplier, Russia, India has been purchasing more arms from countries like France, Israel and the United States.

“The U.S. is a little concerned that it is losing out on the India [security] buys, so it has stepped up pressure to sell India a lot more defense equipment than India has bought in the last few years,” according to Rahul Bedi, defense analyst in New Delhi. “There is likely to be initiatives on transport aircraft, surveillance aircraft for the navy, and possibly even fighter aircraft, as well as a lot of technology transfers for aircraft engines, infantry combat vehicles.”

Immigration is another issue of concern to both countries. Although India has cooperated with the U.S. and said it is ready to take back undocumented migrants, reports of 104 undocumented Indians being shackled for 40 hours while being brought back to India on a military plane last week from the U.S. led to an uproar and protests by opposition parties.

Indian officials have said that New Delhi will call for better treatment during future deportations.

At the same time, India’s top priority during discussions will be to protect legal channels of immigration for skilled Indian workers and students heading to American universities. Indians are the largest beneficiaries of H1B visas, which allow U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals in specialized fields, such as technology.

“People-to-people relationships constitute the bedrock of our deepening ties with the United States,” Indian foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told lawmakers, while responding to concerns about the transport and treatment of the deportees.

In a statement before leaving New Delhi, Modi called his upcoming meeting with Trump an opportunity to build upon the successes of their collaboration in Trump’s first term.

Mutual concerns about an assertive China are likely to keep the two countries aligned, according to analysts. Along with the U.S., Australia and Japan, India is a partner in the Quad, a strategic security grouping focused on the Indo-Pacific. Analysts point out that the two countries have convergence on geostrategic issues.

“It was president Trump in his first term, who dusted off the Quad, which was in a dormant state for about ten years, and he was solely responsible for reviving it,” said Mahapatra. “This is an area where both the countries have a lot of things in common for maintaining peace, stability and contributing to the growth story in the Indo-Pacific region.”
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One person was killed and others were injured when a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil collided with another jet Monday afternoon at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, authorities said.

Neil’s jet was landing at the airport when it veered off the runway and collided with another parked plane, Neil’s representative Worrick Robinson, IV, said in a statement. There were two pilots and two passengers on Neil’s plane, but he was not among them.

“Mr. Neil’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today,” Robinson said.

The arriving jet veered off the runway and collided with the Gulfstream 200 jet that was parked, according to Kelli Kuester, aviation planning and outreach coordinator at the Scottsdale Airport. It appeared that the primary landing gear of the arriving jet failed, resulting in the collision, she said.

Kuester said four people were on the arriving jet, which had come from Austin, Texas, and one person was in the parked plane.

Two people injured in the collision were taken to trauma centers and one was in stable condition at a hospital, Scottsdale Fire Department Capt. Dave Folio said. He said they were working to recover the body of the person killed in the collision.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody involved in this,” Folio said.

The runway has been closed and will remain closed “for the foreseeable future,” Kuester said.

Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky said in a statement that she is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with the airport, police and federal agencies.

“On behalf of the city of Scottsdale, we offer our deepest condolences to those involved in the accident and for those who have been taken to our trauma center for treatment,” she said. “We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers.”

The airport is a popular hub for jets coming in and out of the Phoenix area, especially during big sports weekends like the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament, which attracts huge crowds just a few miles away.

The Scottsdale collision comes after three major U.S. aviation disasters in the past two weeks. 

A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation’s capital on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground. And last week a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome, killing all 10 people on board.
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A wintry mess was bearing down on mid-Atlantic states Tuesday with forecasts of significant snow and ice accumulations prompting warnings of potential power outages.

The National Weather Service said travel would become treacherous Tuesday through early Wednesday in much of Virginia and West Virginia.

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, allowing state agencies to assist local governments. Schools and government offices throughout Virginia were set to be closed Tuesday.

The heaviest snow, up to 25.4 centimeters, was forecast in portions of northern and central Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Ice accumulations could range from a glaze in Kentucky and West Virginia to 1.3 centimeters in the Roanoke Valley of southwest Virginia, the weather service said. Power outages and tree damage were likely in places with heavy ice buildups.

“Did you think winter was over? Think again!” the weather service’s office in Blacksburg, Virginia, said in a post on the social media platform X.

Appalachian Power, which serves 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said it has requested 700 additional workers from neighboring utilities to assist with problems by Tuesday morning.

In northern Virginia, the National Park Service closed a portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a narrow highway that winds its way through woods along the Potomac River. The parkway connects multiple small national park sites and has historically been a trouble spot during winter storms for abandoned cars that created a slalom course for snowplows and other vehicles.

Winter storm warnings extended from Kentucky to southern New Jersey, and a flood watch was posted for a wide swath of Kentucky, Tennessee, southwest Virginia and northern Georgia. The snow-and-ice mix was expected to become all rain as temperatures climb by Wednesday afternoon.

A separate storm system is set to bring heavy snow from Kansas and Missouri to the Great Lakes on Wednesday, the weather service said.

Dangerous cold was forecast Tuesday from an Arctic air mass stretching from Portland, Oregon, to the Great Lakes.

The temperature was expected to bottom out Tuesday morning at minus 36 degrees Celsius in Butte, Montana, where over the past two winters at least five people died due to cold exposure, said Brayton Erickson, executive director of the Butte Rescue Mission. Advocates for the homeless in the city of about 35,000 planned to be out on the streets distributing sleeping bags, jackets, mittens and other cold weather gear to anyone who needs them, Erickson said.

“When it gets this cold, we kind of pull out all the stops,” he said. “Having all those resources available literally can save their life or keep them from frostbite.”

 
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White House — President Donald Trump on Monday fired another volley in his ongoing trade war, announcing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and canceling exemptions and duty-free quotas for major suppliers.

“It’s a big deal,” Trump said, the thick black marker in his right hand hovering over the executive order. 

“This is the beginning of making America rich again,” he said, dragging his distinctive jagged signature over the paper.

Billionaire financier Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to lead the Commerce Department, watched from over Trump’s left shoulder in the Oval Office. Trump’s trade adviser said this move will help domestic producers and support U.S. economic and national security. Lutnick spoke of the 120,000 jobs this could bring back. 

“You are the president who is standing up for the American steelworker, and I am just tremendously impressed and delighted to stand next to you,” Lutnick said.

The nuts and bolts

Trump’s proclamations raised the rate on aluminum imports to 25% from the previous 10% that he imposed in 2018 to aid the struggling sector. And he restored a 25% tariff on millions of tons of steel and aluminum imports. 

Trump’s actions also will impose a new North American standard requiring steel imports to be “melted and poured” and aluminum to be “smelted and cast” in the region to curb imports of minimally processed Chinese steel.

The order also targets downstream steel products that use imported steel for tariffs. 

Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro, said the measures would help U.S. steel and aluminum producers and shore up America’s economic and national security. 

“The steel and aluminum tariffs 2.0 will put an end to foreign dumping, boost domestic production and secure our steel and aluminum industries as the backbone and pillar industries of America’s economic and national security,” he told reporters. 

“This isn’t just about trade. It’s about ensuring that America never has to rely on foreign nations for critical industries like steel and aluminum,” Navarro said.

What now?

Trump first broached the steel and aluminum action Sunday — and the move drew instant pushback in what is unfolding as a tit-for-tat exchange.

Earlier Monday, Beijing enacted additional tariffs on U.S. goods as a countermeasure to Trump’s earlier 10% hike on Chinese goods.

“There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars,” said Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “They harm the interests of the people of both countries. What is needed now is not unilateral tariff increases but equal dialogue and consultation based on mutual respect. We urge the U.S. to correct its wrong practices and stop politicizing and instrumentalizing economic and trade issues.”

Most economists believe tariffs raise consumer prices. Scholars of supply chains and logistics say Trump’s move also raises major global policy questions.

“It’s not clear whether this is a negotiating strategy, whether this is going to be permanent,” said Professor Sunderesh Heragu of Oklahoma State University. “Is this only restricted to Canada, Mexico and China as it is now, or is it going to expand to the European Union, for example, or even the BRICS countries, of which, you know, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and 12 or 14 other countries, are part of?” 

He said these concerns may prompt countries to realign their trade relationships, which will likely alarm producers.

“It clearly causes a lot of confusion, and you know, businesses, again, hate uncertainty,” Heragu said. “So, they’re going to put everything on pause. That means, you know, there could be a decrease in production activity, while at the same time, the tariffs could have inflationary effects.”

Some in the automotive industry in Detroit, the U.S.’ “Motor City,” echoed that concern.

“Sudden tariffs to a system — there isn’t a lot of good that comes out of that,” said Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MichAuto and vice president of automotive and mobility initiatives at the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Studies attempting to understand the impact of these moves yield mixed pictures. The Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation estimates that the tariffs will generate around $100 billion each year in federal tax revenue. 

Another analysis shows they could “impose significant costs on the broader economy: disrupting supply chains, raising costs for businesses, eliminating hundreds of thousands of jobs and ultimately driving up consumer prices.”

Some information for this article came from Reuters.

 
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Hamas officials accused Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement Monday and threatened to delay releasing more hostages, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to say “all hell is going to break out” if all the remaining hostages are not turned over by Saturday.

The next exchange was set for Saturday, with three more Israelis set to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel.

A spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement the militants remain committed to the ceasefire terms “as long as the occupation adheres to them.”

Hamas accused Israel of delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, although hundreds of thousands have returned. The group said Palestinians were targeted “with airstrikes and gunfire across various areas” and Israel has failed “to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid as agreed.”

However, a United Nations official said 12,600 humanitarian aid trucks have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began and the immediate threat of famine has dissipated.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said any delay by Hamas would be “a complete violation” of the ceasefire agreement. He placed the Israeli military on the highest level of alert.

In Washington Monday, Trump said he would propose canceling the ceasefire agreement if all the remaining hostages being held in Gaza were not released by 12 o’clock Saturday, but he did not specify whether that was noon or midnight, and he did not indicate a time zone. 

He also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take Palestinian refugees being relocated from Gaza.

Since the ceasefire took effect last month, Hamas has freed 21 hostages while Israel has released more than 730 prisoners.

Trump has proposed moving Palestinians living in Gaza to an unspecified location outside the territory. Under his plan for the enclave, they would have no right to return.

In an interview with Fox News released Monday, he called his plan for the narrow territory along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea a “real estate development for the future.”

“I would own it,” he said, adding that the 2.3 million Palestinians now living in war-ravaged Gaza would be moved to as many as six different sites outside Gaza under a plan that the Arab world, as well as U.S. allies and adversaries alike, have already rejected.

Trump, a billionaire New York real estate magnate before entering politics in 2015, did not say where the Palestinians would be relocated. But when asked by Fox anchor Bret Baier if they would be allowed to return home to Gaza, Trump said, “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing.”

“In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever — it’s not habitable,” Trump said of Gaza, decimated by 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

In the Fox interview, Trump said he would build “beautiful communities” for the Palestinians.

“Could be five, six, could be two. But we’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” Trump said.

On Sunday, Israeli troops withdrew from the Netzarim corridor, a narrow strip of land that bisects the territory. It allowed more Palestinians to return to the northern sector where they once lived, but much of the land has been leveled by fighting.

Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua said the withdrawal showed Hamas had “forced the enemy to submit to our demands” and that it thwarted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “Illusion of achieving total victory.”

Israeli officials did not disclose how many soldiers withdrew or to where. Troops currently remain along Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt and a full withdrawal is expected to be negotiated in a later stage of the initial 42-day ceasefire.

During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas is gradually releasing 33 Israeli hostages captured during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel in exchange for a pause in fighting, freedom for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The deal also stipulated that Israeli troops would pull back from populated areas of Gaza as well as the Netzarim corridor.

In the second phase, all remaining living hostages would be released in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a “sustainable calm.” But details are unclear and yet to be negotiated.

The war in Gaza was triggered by the shock October 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to local health authorities. Israel says the death toll includes 17,000 militants it has killed.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

 
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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA — The lowly penny, the forgotten mainstay of coin jars and car cupholders everywhere, may soon be no more.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday he’s ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin, whose buying power is long past its prime.

Advocates for ditching the penny cite its high production cost — currently almost 4 cents per penny, according to the U.S. Mint — and limited utility. Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel, which costs almost 14 cents to mint.

Trump’s surprise order comes after decades of unsuccessful efforts to pitch the penny.

“Only tradition explains our stubborn attachment to the penny. But sometimes traditions get ridiculous,” the Farmers’ Almanac said in its 1989 edition.

Here’s a look at some questions surrounding Trump’s order.

Can Trump really order the Treasury to stop minting pennies without Congress’ approval?

Yes, according to legal scholar Laurence H. Tribe, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard University.

U.S. code gives the Treasury Secretary the authority to mint and issue coins “in amounts the secretary decides are necessary to meet the needs of the United States.”

If Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent decides the amount necessary for the penny is zero, he’s within his legal rights, Tribe said.

“Unlike a lot of what the new administration has been doing pursuant to the flood of executive orders since January 20, this action seems to me entirely lawful and fully constitutional,” Tribe said, referring to the aggressive executive action Trump’s taken on other issues since taking office.

Congress, which dictates currency specifications like the size and metal content of coins, could make Trump’s order permanent through law. But past congressional efforts to ditch the penny have failed.

Pennies are mostly made of zinc, and the American zinc lobby has been a major opponent to suggestions that the penny be eliminated.

How many pennies are in circulation?

It depends on what you mean by circulation.

Pennies are the most popular coin made by the U.S. Mint, which reported making 3.2 billion of them last year. That’s more than half of all the new coins it made last year.

MIT Professor Jeff Gore, who founded Citizens to Retire the Penny, said coins are supposed to stay in circulation for about 30 years and that in the last three decades the U.S. Mint has made about 250 billion pennies.

But, he says, “because nobody wants to use pennies, they fall out of active circulation much faster than other coins.”

If pennies sit in drawer for a decade, Gore asks, “Does that qualify as being in circulation?”

Will Americans miss pennies?

Experience in other countries suggests no.

Canada started phasing out its penny a dozen years ago and urged store owners to round prices to the nearest nickel for cash transactions. Electronic purchases were still billed to the nearest cent. The move came after New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands and others dropped their lowest-denomination coins.

After dropping the penny or its equivalent, those countries have not looked back.

What comes next?

Trump’s order, which he announced in a social media post as he was departing New Orleans after watching the first half of the Super Bowl, was the latest in his administration’s rapid-fire efforts to cut government costs.

“Let’s rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time,” Trump wrote in his post, which was light on details about plans for a post-penny future.

After Canada stopped minting new pennies, it began recycling them for their “valuable” copper and zinc, according to a 2022 report from the Canadian Mint.
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Boston — A jury found a Boston man not guilty on Monday of U.S. charges that he acted as an unlawful agent of China’s government by supplying officials information about individuals, dissidents and groups in the local Chinese community. 

Litang Liang, 65, was acquitted in federal court of charges that he acted as an unregistered Chinese agent in a case brought in 2023 that U.S. authorities had portrayed as part of their commitment to counter efforts by China’s government ato silence its critics abroad. 

Liang, a China-born U.S. citizen, had denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. His lawyer during the trial called the charges “ridiculous” and called them an effort to chill the free speech of a local community activist who advocated for the “reunification” of democratically governed Taiwan with mainland China — a view in harmony with China’s leaders. 

“Justice has finally arrived,” Liang told reporters through a translator following the verdict. 

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, whose office pursued the case, said in a statement that while prosecutors “respect the jury’s decision, we are disappointed in (Monday’s) verdict.” 

Liang had worked at a hotel and for years had been an active member in his union as well as a community organizer and activist in the Chinese-American community in Boston, according to his lawyer, Derege Demissie. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Kistner told jurors on Friday during closing arguments in the case that China’s government sought out Liang because it “wanted someone already involved in the community who knew the people who were there.” 

Prosecutors said Liang from 2018 to 2022 provided Chinese officials with information on individuals and shared details about dissidents and groups with pro-Taiwan leanings. 

Prosecutors said that in 2018, after traveling to Beijing for meetings with an arm of the Chinese Communist Party, Liang founded the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China, which focused on promoting China’s goals with Taiwan. 

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future. 

Prosecutors said Liang, also at the direction of Chinese officials, in 2019 organized a counter-demonstration against pro-democracy protesters, and in 2022 provided an official with a Chinese agency, tasked with investigating political dissidents, information on two potential local recruits. 

Demissie in his closing argument to the jury countered that Liang made no secret of his activism and that his prosecution infringed on Liang’s right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. 

“This case would have meant nothing if it did not involve China,” Demissie said. “That’s what this is about. And it had the purpose of scaring people, and it achieved that purpose.”
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Mayville, New York — Lawyers began delivering opening statements Monday at the trial of the man charged with trying to fatally stab author Salman Rushdie in front of a lecture audience in western New York.  

Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker for the first time in more than two years.  

Rushdie, the Booker Prize-winning author, had been about to speak about keeping writers safe from harm in August 2022 when Matar ran toward him on the stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater. Matar stabbed Rushdie more than a dozen times in the neck, stomach, chest, hand and right eye, leaving him partially blind and with permanent damage to one hand. 

The Indian-born British-American author detailed the attack and his long, painful recovery in a memoir, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” released last year. Rushdie had worried for his safety since his 1989 novel “The Satanic Verses” was denounced as blasphemous by many Muslims and led to Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for his death.  

Rushdie spent years in hiding, but had traveled freely over the past quarter century after Iran announced it would not enforce the decree.  

The trial is taking place as the 36th anniversary of the fatwa — Feb. 14, 1989 — approaches.  

Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, is charged with attempted murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty.  

A jury was selected last week. Matar was in court throughout the three-day process, taking notes and consulting with his attorneys. He calmly said, “Free Palestine” while being led in to court Monday past members of the media taking photographs and video.  

Matar’s defense faced a challenging start after it was announced that his lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, was hospitalized with an undisclosed illness and would not attend the start of the trial.  

Judge David Foley refused a defense request to postpone opening statements, instead instructing an associate of Barone to deliver the defense’s opening statement in his place.

Once testimony is underway, the trial is expected to last a week to 10 days. Jurors will be shown video and photos from the day of the attack, which ended when onlookers rushed Matar and held him until police arrived.  

The event’s moderator, Henry Reese, co-founder of City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, was also wounded. Matar told investigators he traveled by bus to Chautauqua, about 120 kilometers south of Buffalo. He is believed to have slept in the grounds of the arts and academic retreat the night before the attack.  

Matar’s attorney has not indicated what his defense will be. In a separate indictment, federal authorities allege Matar was motivated by a terrorist organization’s endorsement of a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death.  

A later trial on the federal charges — terrorism transcending national boundaries, providing material support to terrorists and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization — will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.  

Rushdie has been one of the world’s most celebrated authors since the 1981 publication of “Midnight’s Children,” winner of the Booker Prize. His other works include the novels “Shame” and “Victory City,” which he had completed shortly before the 2022 stabbing, and the 2012 memoir “Joseph Anton,” in which he wrote about his time in hiding.

In the federal indictment, authorities allege Matar believed the edict was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the group’s then-leader, Hassan Nasrallah. 
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Concord, New Hampshire — A third federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally.  

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante in New Hampshire comes after two similar rulings by judges in Seattle and Maryland last week. A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union contends that Trump’s order violates the Constitution and “attempts to upend one of the most fundamental American constitutional values.”  

Trump’s Republican administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore are not entitled to citizenship.  

The administration is appealing the Seattle judge’s block on Trump’s executive order.  

At the heart of the lawsuits in the three cases is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War and the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, which held that Scott, an enslaved man, wasn’t a citizen despite having lived in a state where slavery was outlawed.  

In 1898, in a case known as United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the U.S. Supreme Court found the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.  

The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli, or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas and Canada and Mexico are among them.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal court on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba as part of the president’s immigration crackdown.

In a legal filing earlier in the day, lawyers for the men said the detainees “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantanamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.”

It asked a U.S. District Court in New Mexico for a temporary restraining order blocking their transfer, adding that “the mere uncertainty the government has created surrounding the availability of legal process and counsel access is sufficient to authorize the modest injunction.”

During a brief hearing, Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales granted the temporary order, which was opposed by the government, said Jessica Vosburgh, an attorney for the three men.

“It’s short term. This will get revisited and further fleshed out in the weeks to come,” Vosburgh told The Associated Press.

A message seeking comment was left for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.

The filing came as part of a lawsuit on behalf of the three men filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, and Las Americas Immigrant Advisory Center.

The Tren de Aragua gang originated in a lawless prison in the central Venezuelan state of Aragua more than a decade ago and has expanded in recent years as millions of desperate Venezuelans fled President President Nicolás Maduro ‘s rule and migrated to other parts of Latin America or the U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last week that flights of detainees had landed at Guantanamo. Immigrant rights groups sent a letter Friday demanding access to people who have been sent there, saying the base should not be used as a “legal black hole.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that more than 8,000 people have been arrested in immigration enforcement actions since Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

Trump has vowed to deport millions of the estimated 11.7 million people in the U.S. illegally.
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The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chief in this year’s Super Bowl, defeating the reigning champions by a score of 40-22.

The Chiefs had been slightly favored to win the game, going into the American football showdown with hopes of winning their third consecutive National Football League title.

But the Eagles held the Chiefs scoreless until late in the third quarter. By that time, the Philadelphia team already had 34 points on the board at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named the game’s MVP.

President Donald Trump attended the matchup, the first sitting U.S. president to do so. Before the game, the president issued a press release stating that “football is America’s most popular sport—for good reason—it fosters a sense of national unity, bringing families, friends, and fans together and strengthening communities.”

“This annual tradition transcends our differences and personifies our shared patriotic values of family, faith, and freedom heroically defended by our military service members, law enforcement officers, and first responders,” he noted.

The Super Bowl was estimated to attract more than 120 million viewers, with 30-second advertisements costing a record $8 million. 

Before the kickoff, a ceremony honored those killed and wounded in a truck-ramming New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans on Bourbon Street, as well as first responders.
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Climate change is rapidly altering the Arctic region, creating environmental danger, economic opportunity and geopolitical tension as the world’s major powers scramble to control newly accessible shipping lanes and resource deposits.
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New Orleans, Louisiana — The Kansas City Chiefs aim for a historic hat-trick of Super Bowl titles on Sunday when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in front of a star-studded crowd in New Orleans headed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump will become the first sitting president ever to attend the NFL showpiece when he takes his seat among a sell-out crowd of around 74,000 fans at the Superdome for the biggest annual event in the American sporting calendar, which kicks off at 5:30pm local time (2330 GMT).

Pop superstar Taylor Swift will also be in the VIP seats to watch as her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his fellow Chiefs bid to become the first team in history to lift three consecutive Vince Lombardi Trophies.

Trump’s presence at the NFL showpiece will mean even tighter security than normal around an event which was already bolstered by a heavy police presence following a New Year’s Day attack which left 14 people dead and many more injured on the Big Easy’s famous Bourbon Street.

Trump has had a strained relationship with the NFL stretching back several decades, and triggered uproar during his first time in 2017 when he attacked the patriotism of players who kneeled during the playing of the U.S. national anthem in a protest against racial injustice.

Speaking in a pre-game interview aired on Fox News, Trump said his decision to attend this year’s Super Bowl was for the good of the country.

“I thought it would be a good thing for the country to have the President be at the game,” Trump told Fox.

“It’s an iconic day. It’s going to be a great game, two great teams, and let’s see what happens,” Trump added, revealing that he was tipping Kansas City for victory, citing the record of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is eyeing his fourth Super Bowl win.

“When a quarterback wins as much as he’s won, I have to go with Kansas City,” Trump said. “I have to go with Kansas City.”

Trump was due to fly into New Orleans from Florida, where he reportedly played a round of golf with Tiger Woods earlier Sunday. A schedule released by the White House said he is expected to leave the Superdome at around 8.05pm local time, well before the game reaches its conclusion.

Super Bowl fans on Sunday welcomed Trump’s attendance at the game.

“I think it is awesome, congratulations to him for being the first President to make it,” Bob Benderovich, a Philadelphia Eagles fan from Fort Myers, Florida, told AFP.

Chiefs favorites

As always, the Super Bowl crosses over into popular culture and the half-time show this year will feature hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, who had a clean sweep at last Sunday’s Grammys, winning in all five categories for which he received nominations.

Bookmakers and casinos meanwhile are taking odds on whether Chiefs star Kelce will propose to pop icon Swift after what might be his final game in the NFL.

For the more serious punters, the oddsmakers have the Chiefs as slight favorite for the game, a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago which the Chiefs won by three points.

They defended their title last year, beating the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas and putting them one win away from an unprecedented “three-peat.”

The 29-year-old Mahomes will become one of just four quarterbacks in National Football League history to have won more than three Super Bowls should he triumph again, having first led the Chiefs to Super Bowl glory in 2020.

But the Eagles have added serious offensive firepower since their defeat two years ago with mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts joined by the game-changing speed and power of running back Saquon Barkley.

The Chiefs put the finishing touches to their game preparations Saturday with a 30-minute walkthrough of a mock game.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid saluted his team’s attitude to training over the whole week since arriving in Louisiana.

“I thought the guys worked hard, they got done what they needed to get done,” Reid said.

The Eagles had a similarly relaxed final session before going to the Superdome on Saturday for a team photo.

Head coach Nick Sirianni said his Eagles were “hungry” and “ready to roll.”

“We’re ready for the challenge against a really good team,” Sirianni said.
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Washington — The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down an agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. 

Russell Vought, the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget, directed the CFPB, in a Saturday night email confirmed by The Associated Press, to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama pushed to include it in the 2010 financial reform legislation that followed the 2007-2008 financial crisis. 

The email also ordered the bureau to “cease all supervision and examination activity.” 

Since the CFPB is a creation of Congress, it would require a separate act of Congress to formally eliminate it. But the head of the agency has discretion over what enforcement actions to take, if any. 

Yet Elon Musk commented, “CFPB RIP” on social media site X on Friday. And the CFPB homepage on the Internet was down Sunday, replaced by a message reading “page not found.” 

Also late Saturday, Vought said in a social media post that the CFPB would not withdraw its next round of funding from the Federal Reserve, adding that its current reserves of $711.6 million are “excessive.” Congress directed the bureau to be funded by the Fed to insulate it from political pressures. 

“This spigot, long contributing to CFPB’s unaccountability, is now being turned off,” Vought said on X. 

The CFPB says that it has obtained nearly $20 billion in financial relief for U.S. consumers since its founding in the form of canceled debts, compensation, and reduced loans. Last month, the bureau sued Capital One for allegedly misleading consumers about its offerings for high-interest savings accounts — and “cheating” customers out of more than $2 billion in lost interest payments as a result. 

Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, an advocacy group, said, “that’s why Wall Street’s biggest banks and Trump’s billionaire allies hate the bureau: it’s an effective cop on the finance beat and has stood side-by-side with hundreds of millions of Americans — Republicans and Democrats — battling financial predators, scammers, and crooks.” 

The administration’s move against the CFPB also highlights the tensions between Trump’s more populist promises to lower costs for working-class families and his pledge to reduce government regulation. 

During the campaign, Trump said he would cap credit card interest rates at 10%, after they had soared to record levels above 20%, on average, as the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates in 2022 and 2023. The CFPB had started work on how that proposal would be implemented. 

The bureau can still take complaints, but it can’t conduct exams or pursue existing investigations, according to a person familiar with the agency who insisted on anonymity to discuss CFPB business. The memo is also interpreted as blocking it from communicating with companies it regulates, consumer advocates or other outside groups. 

Musk’s team would also have access to complaints, investigations and regulatory oversight data. The access raises uncomfortable questions if Musk’s company X launches a payments system as the CFPB has data on competitors such as Cash App, the person said. 

Vought’s email follows a similar directive from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Feb. 3 and is the latest move by the Trump administration to rapidly curtail the work of federal agencies that they have deemed excessive. 

Obama spearheaded the creation of the bureau in the wake of the 2007-2008 housing bubble and financial crisis, which was caused in part by fraudulent mortgage lending. It was the brainchild of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and has attracted lawsuits from large banks and financial industry trade associations. 

“Vought is giving big banks and giant corporations the green light to scam families,” Warren said. 

Last week, Warren called on Trump to work with the bureau to protect Americans from de-banking, the practice of banks shutting down customer accounts because they believe they pose financial, legal or reputational risks to the banks. 

Vought’s email said that President Donald Trump had made him acting director of the CFPB on Friday. Trump fired the previous director of the bureau, Rohit Chopra, on Feb. 1. Vought was an architect of Project 2025, a policy blueprint for the Trump White House that Trump tried to disavow during last year’s campaign. 

Under Chopra, the CFPB approved rules to cap overdraft fees by banks, limit junk fees, and has proposed restrictions on data brokers selling personal information such as Social Security numbers. 
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NEW YORK — Thinking about backyard chickens as egg prices soar? Think hard, especially in light of the bird flu outbreak.

Keeping home chickens as a pastime has continued to grow since the pandemic. But if eggs are the goal, remember that it takes planning and investment to raise the chickens and protect against bird flu. Costs might go well beyond the nationwide average of $4.15 a dozen that commercial eggs sold for in December.

“Anyone who’s done an ounce of research will very quickly understand that there are no free eggs, there are no inexpensive eggs in keeping chickens,” said Kathy Shea Mormino, a home chicken blogger and author who has about 50 of the birds at her Suffield, Connecticut, home.

“You’re going to pay more, particularly in your first several years, in your setup and in your birds. And there’s a huge learning curve on how to care for animals that are really unusual pets,” said Mormino, who has kept chickens for 15 years and calls herself the Chicken Chick.

Costs vary wildly, from about $200 to $2,000 for a coop alone. Feeders and waterers range from about $8 to $50 or more, depending on the size and type.

Bird flu has forced farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, contributing (along with inflation) to the steep price of commercial eggs and resulting in some scantily stocked stores around the country. The scarcity and high prices are causing some to look for a backyard alternative.

“We’ve seen a real uptick in calls recently from people wanting to start their own backyard flocks. With the egg shortages at grocery stores, many are excited about the idea of raising chickens and taking steps toward sustainability,” said Matthew Aversa, a co-owner of Winding Branch Ranch, a nonprofit sanctuary and farm animal rescue outside San Antonio.

“We adopt out whole flocks. We’re receiving at least a dozen inquiries per week,” he said.

Kate Perz, the animal science coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, New York, said that unlike other pandemic pastimes, raising home chickens has only grown.

“It’s not always cost-effective,” she said. “You have to really look at how many eggs you’re eating and what the cost of those are versus what you would be spending.”

There are other reasons, of course, to keep chickens at home, not the least of which is the sheer joy of their presence. Mormino and other “chickeneers,” as she calls home enthusiasts, have a coop full of tips on how to get started.

Tend to legal matters

You may be ready to dive right in. Your town may not. Mormino, who wrote The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens, said the first thing to consider is whether chickens are right for you. After that, don’t assume your county, town or city will allow it.

Look up zoning and building codes yourself if you feel capable. Otherwise, consult an attorney who specializes in municipal law in your area.

Don’t rely on word of mouth or even a town worker to know the ins and outs. Is a building permit required to build a coop? Are roosters banned under noise ordinances? Sometimes, zoning codes are silent on the subject. Don’t assume that’s a green light. Many codes are “permissive use” regulations, Mormino said, essentially meaning that if the code doesn’t say you’re permitted, you’re not!

If chicken-keeping is allowed, is there a limit on how many birds? Are there restrictions on where a coop can be built in relation to neighboring property lines. Most homeowners associations have rules on animal keeping.

Mormino lives in a farming town and had a neighbor who kept three horses and a small flock of chickens, so she assumed they were legal. They weren’t. She called the town clerk’s office to ask whether a building permit was required to build a coop and was told it wasn’t. It was.

In the end, she successfully defended a lawsuit against her (she’s an attorney) and prevailed in a long battle to amend the law, legalizing backyard chickens in her town.

What about bird flu?

Bird flu is highly contagious. It spreads mostly by migrating waterfowl in their droppings. Chickens are far from immune if they spend any time free ranging or in a run without protection from wild fowl droppings.

“There’s a limited number of things that we can do because our birds live where wildlife live,” Mormino said. “People need to know if they have a bird or birds that die suddenly from some of the symptoms, they need to contact the USDA to get the postmortem exam and the birds tested for bird flu.”

Don’t bring sick birds into the house for care. That raises the risk of transmission to humans. Once the virus is confirmed, the entire flock needs to be euthanized, she and Perz said.

Symptoms of bird flu include: sudden death without any clinical signs; swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles or hocks; diarrhea; stumbling or falling down; decreased egg production and/or soft-shelled or misshapen eggs; and coughing and sneezing.

Don’t feed any wildlife in areas where your chickens dwell or roam. Wash hands thoroughly after tending to chickens and dedicate a pair of shoes or boots strictly for use around them.

“The biggest mistake backyard chickeneers make is to bring new chickens into their flock that have lived someplace else. That’s the fastest way to bring disease into your chicken yard,” Mormino said.

Consider your costs

Sarah Penny has turned her 7,000-square-foot home lot in Knoxville, Tennessee, into a beautiful garden and chicken home. She has nine birds and grows more than half the food she and her 13-year-old son eat.

She’s had chickens since 2021 and estimates her startup costs at about $2,500.

Monthly costs vary based on what chickens are fed and how coops are kept. Penny, for instance, uses the deep litter method and composts from her coop, meaning she’s not mucking out her coop more than twice a year.

“But the cost of starting with backyard chickens is definitely quite expensive. I don’t know if a lot of people know that,” Penny said.

Her coop alone, which her family built themselves, cost about $2,000. It had to be outfitted to keep predators out, including rats that tunnel under the ground.

Many people start with buying hatchlings, which just got more expensive to ship via the U.S. Postal Service due to new fees. Raising hatchlings requires a chick brooder involving a separate enclosure, heat lamp, feeders and other supplies.

Penny buys a bag of feed every two weeks for $15 to $20 a bag. There’s also the cost of calcium, such as oyster shells, and grit to aid digestion if chickens are not free-ranging or getting those elements in their feed.

She estimates her monthly costs at about $60, saving a bit by also feeding her chickens healthy human leftovers. She’s careful not to include foods that are toxic for chickens, including onions, potatoes and avocados.

It’s all worth it to Penny.

“We eat a lot of eggs,” she said. “We probably go through a dozen every two days. We bake a lot. We’re an ingredient household, so the majority of our food is cooked from scratch. Eggs are a main staple for our breakfast.”
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