Some journalists at Voice of America charged in a lawsuit Monday that the Trump administration while largely shutting down the government-run outlet that provides news around the world has turned what remains into a voice for propaganda.

The lawsuit alleges that VOA transmissions to populations in Iran, China, North Korea and to Kurdish populations are not being run as objective news sources, as required by law. Instead, they parrot White House talking points and suppress news that the administration wishes to downplay, according to the lawsuit, filed Monday with the U.S. District Court in Washington.

In response, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which runs the Voice of America, said that taxpayer money must support broadcasting that reflects U.S. policy and the interests of the American people.

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The latest dispute reflects differing views between journalists and President Donald Trump's administration, which has promoted friendly outlets that rarely offer more than gentle questioning most notably at the Pentagon.

A federal judge last week ordered hundreds of VOA journalists who had been placed on paid leave for the past year to be put back to work, saying Trump's pick to run the USAGM, Kari Lake, exceeded her authority. The administration is appealing that ruling.

Voice of America, which has beamed its broadcasts across the world since World War II, was designed to showcase freedom of the press to countries where there is no such tradition. But instead of operating that way, VOA journalists Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong Hyuk Lee and Ksenia Turkova say Trump loyalists have been put in place to direct what is reported on the few VOA transmissions that remain.

For example, coverage of the Iran war sent into that country has not included any news of death tolls from U.S. air strikes or the perspectives of political and world leaders outside of the administration, while the bombing of an elementary school was "barely mentioned," the lawsuit said. The Lake-appointed official overseeing Persian, Kurdish and Afghan services has said all guest appearances on broadcasts must be approved by him, it said.

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"Through VOA's journalism, those living in authoritarian societies get a taste of democracy," the plaintiffs said in a statement. "Without editorial integrity, VOA will be no different than government mouthpieces our audiences already hear in their own country."

The administration has questioned whether taxpayers should foot the bill for transmission of opinions that go against American interests. Lake, in congressional testimony last year, suggested the traditional firewall between the government and journalists at agencies like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty be eliminated. "We should be able to have control over what kind of content goes out," she said. "It should be in alignment with our foreign policy."

The Agency for Global Media "is responsible for oversight of its networks, including Voice of America, and for ensuring compliance with the VOA charter, which requires authoritative, accurate journalism that is reflective of and clearly presents U.S. policies," the agency said in a statement Monday.

The VOA journalists were supported in their lawsuit Monday by the organizations PEN America and Reporters Without Borders.

A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, the latest effort by President Donald Trump's administration to recognize the controversial explorer.

The statue is a replica of one that was tossed into Baltimore's harbor in 2020 during Trump's first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.

Trump endorses a traditional view of Columbus as a leader of the 1492 mission seen as the unofficial beginning of European colonization in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political order. But in recent years, Columbus also has been recognized as a primary example of Western Europe's conquest of the New World, its resources and its native people.

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"In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he's honored as such for generations to come," the White House posted on X.

"We are delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected," said John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organizations United, which owns the statue and agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.

The statue, made mostly of marble, was created by Will Hemsley, a sculptor based in Centreville on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The original statue was toppled by protesters on July 4, 2020, and thrown into Baltimore's Inner Harbor after anger boiled over following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. It was one of many statues of Columbus that were vandalized around the same time, with protesters saying the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

In recent years, some people, institutions and government entities have displaced Columbus Day with recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. President Joe Biden in 2021 became the first U.S. president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day with a proclamation.

Trump dismisses the shift on Columbus as "left-wing arsonists" bending history and twisting Americans' collective memory. "I'm bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.," he declared last April. Echoing his 2024 campaign rhetoric, he complained that "Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much."

WNBA players unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement on Monday with more than 90% participating in voting over the weekend.

The seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a landmark labor deal for the WNBA and its players.

This transformational CBA delivers consequential economic progress and expanded benefits that support players on and off the court, the union said in a statement. "It builds a stronger foundation for todays players, the next generation, and those who helped build the WNBA. It affirms the strength of our union and the power of our collective voice.

"Now it is time to get back to the game and the fans we love, competing at the highest level, and showing exactly what this league can be.

Once the WNBA Board of Governors approves the CBA, it will become official. Then there will be a sprint to the start of the regular season on May 8.

First up is an expansion draft for the two new teams Toronto and Portland. Rules regarding who the current teams will be able to protect and how the draft will work are still being figured out. The draft is expected to take place right around the Final Four.

Next up would be free agency. More than 80% of the league are free agents this year as players had signed deals that were going to expire last year. There are only two veteran players that arent under rookie contracts who are signed for this season.

The college draft is scheduled for April 13 in New York.

Teams are expected to start training camp on April 19 and will have little time to get prepared for the regular season.

Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire early Monday morning in London, in what British police are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

Though it has not been classified as a terrorist incident, counter-terror officers have been put in charge of the investigation. No one was injured.

Religious and political leaders condemned what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a horrific" antisemitic attack.

Antisemitism has no place in our society and its really important that we all stand together at a moment like this, he said.

RELATED STORY | Authorities track a surge in antisemitic attacks worldwide

Officers were called to Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, after receiving reports of a fire, the Metropolitan Police force said.

Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Multiple oxygen cylinders on the vehicles exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.

What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulance before flames erupted around the vehicle. Police said they are looking for three suspects but no arrests have been made yet.

Mark Reisner, who lives in the neighborhood, heard loud explosions and arrived at the scene just as the third ambulance was blowing up, he told Sky News.

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A very loud explosion, you sort of felt it go through your guts, he said, adding, it's just left us all reeling with confusion and shock.

The attack spread fear and alarm through Britains Jewish community, which feels increasingly vulnerable.

Shomrim, a nonprofit organization which operates a neighborhood watch in the area, condemned the attack on the social network X as a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community.

The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israels ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza, according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.

In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death. Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.

Last week two men in London were charged with carrying out hostile surveillance last year of the U.K.s Jewish community on behalf of Iran.

Some members of the community criticize Starmer's Labour Party government for failing to prevent pro-Palestinian demonstrations from tipping into anti-Jewish speech and acts.

Peter Zinkin, a Conservative politician who represents Golders Green on the local council, said the community felt distress and anger.

Burning ambulances in the middle of the night is a disgrace, he said. And you have to ask yourself, why did it happen? And the reason Im afraid that it happened is that the government and the media, particularly certain parts of the media, have validated antisemitism on a countrywide scale.

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, the head of the Anglican Church, said such acts of violence, hatred and intimidation have no place in our society.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called it a sickening assault.

At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation, he wrote on X.

Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known for his role as a loveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. He was 54.

Brendon's family announced the death in a statement posted on his social media accounts Friday. They said he died in his sleep of natural causes, but did not say where or when it happened.

Brandon played Xander Harris, a close friend of lead character Buffy, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer that ran from 1997 to 2003. The supernatural series, which started on the WB network and then moved to UPN, was about vampire slayers, led by the teenager Buffy, who battled a wide range of demons, werewolves and other dark forces while also navigating life in high school.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, based on the movie of the same name, never received many awards, but it has been cited by many critics as being one of the most influential shows in TV history.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy on the show, posted a photo of herself with Brendon on Instagram on Saturday.

I saw you Nicky, she wrote. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.

Brendon also appeared on the TV show Criminal Minds" between 2007 and 2014 and alongside Bradley Cooper in the Fox sitcom Kitchen Confidential, an adaptation of Anthony Bourdains memoir, that aired for just one season in 2005.

Brendon was in the films Redwood in 2017, The Nanny in 2018 and Christmas Slasher" in 2024.

Brendon also wrote several issues of the Buffy comic book series.

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While Brendon was best known as an actor, his family said in their statement that in recent years he found his passion in painting and art.

He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create, the statement said. Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.

Brendon announced in 2023 that he had suffered a heart attack. He also underwent two spinal surgeries for a rare nerve compression condition called cauda equina syndrome that can lead to pain and weakness in the lower body.

Brendon also openly talked about his battle with depression and appeared on two 2015 episodes of Dr. Phil to discuss his struggles with alcohol and mental health and a string of arrests for public intoxication, vandalism and domestic violence.

His family said that while Brendon had struggled in the past, he was on medication and treatment to manage his diagnosis and was optimistic about the future.

Justin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after he was pulled over in New Yorks Hamptons in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to video footage released Friday.

The pop star tells officers at one point, these are like really hard tests.

The footage, which runs roughly eight hours, includes Timberlakes initial stop after Sag Harbor police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol that June.

The NSYNC singer-turned-solo artist and actor tells officers he had consumed one martini and had been following friends home in the former whaling village, which is among the affluent beach towns of the Hamptons, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.

When an officer asks why he is in town, Timberlake says, Im on a world tour.

Doing what? the officer asks.

Hard to explain, Timberlake says.

After stammering a bit, he says World tour. Im Justin Timberlake.

The officer eventually responds: You are Justin Timberlake? Do you have a license with you?

Timberlake, who ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, is asked by officers to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line on the road and lift one leg. At times he seems flustered listening to the instructions. He apologizes to officers and tells them his heart is racing.

Im a little nervous, Timberlake says at one point.

In the back seat of the police car, he asks: Why are you arresting me?

RELATED STORY | Justin Timberlake doesnt want you to see his DWI arrest video

Back at the police station, Timberlake is informed he will be held overnight, to which he says, Im going to be here all night? You guys are wild, man.

He asks the officer to keep the light on in the cell as they lock the door.

The release by Sag Harbor Police comes after the village and Timberlakes lawyers agreed to disclose a redacted version of the footage. The Associated Press was among several media outlets that filed a records request seeking the release of the video.

Timberlake's lawyers had sued to block the release of the video, arguing it would devastate Timberlakes privacy by revealing intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details. They also said it would cause severe and irreparable harm to his reputation by subjecting him to public ridicule and harassment.

But in a joint filing with the village Friday, Timberlake's lawyers acknowledged the video does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under the state's public information law and agreed to its release.

Timberlake's lawyers and representatives didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

Sag Harbor officials, in a statement provided by the village's lawyer, Vincent Toomey, said they are pleased the matter was resolved and they were able to comply with state public records law.

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From the beginning of this matter, after Mr. Timberlakes arrest, the Village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the Freedom of Information Law, the statement reads. As would be true in any case involving records or video footage from our Police Department, such material is reviewed and redacted to address public and officer safety concerns as well as personal privacy considerations.

Timberlake pleaded guilty to impaired driving in September 2024.

The Tennessee native agreed to give a public safety announcement against the perils of drunken driving as part of the plea deal that knocked down his initial misdemeanor charge to a noncriminal traffic violation.

He was also sentenced to a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension of his license.

The NCAA filed a complaint in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to stop online sportsbook DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.

The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and requests that DraftKings stop using terms including March Madness, Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen" or variations of them in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.

The NCAA said in the complaint its trademarks are used to identify, brand, advertise and distinguish the tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.

RELATED STORY | 14,000 perfect brackets survive first day of NCAA tournament

On the eve of the Tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAAs iconic NCAA Basketball Marks, including confusingly similar variations thereof, to trade on and usurp the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust embodied in those Marks at the precise moment of peak public attention, the complaint said.

Screenshots of DraftKings wagering platforms were included in exhibits attached to the complaint.

DraftKingss unlawful use quickly proliferated across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, embedding the marks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics, and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association with or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continuously capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA, the complaint said.

DraftKings said in a statement that it is not engaging in trademark infringement.

DraftKings does not use the term March Madness as a trademark, but rather uses it in plain text and as a fair use in the same manner that other tournaments are displayed, such as the NIT, in order to accurately identify the different tournaments and their respective games, DraftKings said. "This is protected speech under the First Amendment and is not a violation of any brands trademark. We are confident that the courts will deny this request for an injunction.

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The NCAA said it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sportsbook sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro-bets. The NCAA noted it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and improper influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.

"Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans and, critically, college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or endorsed DraftKings gambling platform, the NCAA said in a statement.

During her first year of college, Elisabeth Bradley was inspired to try weightlifting after she followed a woman tracking her fitness transformation on social media, one barbell at a time.

Then, Bradley found herself to be the only woman in the weight room at San Diego State University.

I felt like I stuck out a lot, and I just thought, OK, Im gonna look dumb, she says. Intimidated by a room full of grunting, muscular men, she moved over to the cardio area, mirroring countless women who, for various reasons, avoid the free weights and machines.

But with research mounting on the benefits of resistance training, experts say a few things need to change at the gym to make it more enticing to women.

Michelle Segar, a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan who studies exercise habits, said that making the environment more palatable and familiarizing women better with weights will lead more to use them. More representation will in turn get more women to continue.

Why women should lift weights

The National Institutes of Health recommends that everyone men and women do resistance training at least twice a week. That includes all kinds of activities that require physical force, such as weight machines, resistance bands, or body-weight exercises like pushups and squats.

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Resistance training has been found to help prevent heart disease, improve long-term mobility and lower blood pressure, said Brad Schoenfeld, professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York City. Some research suggests that women may even benefit more than men from weight training because it staves off osteoporosis and age-related muscle loss, which women are more susceptible to, he said.

The bottom line is, resistance training is a cure for all sorts of issues, Schoenfeld said.

Why many women dont want to

Daisy Arauza, a 30-year-old mother of two in Menifee, California, does some Pilates and cardio-based exercise at home using videos and online tutorials, and would like to invest in a gym membership to help with strength and weight management.

But she lacks confidence, she said, and doesn't know enough yet about weights and gym etiquette.

I have a lot of self-consciousness because of how my body looks right now. When you think of the gym, you think about people that are already more fit. And so it feels like I have to make myself fit into this mold before I can feel comfortable being in a gym setting working out in front of other people, she said.

Theres also still a stigma about women lifting weights, Bradley said. Told for years that being skinny is the ultimate goal, some falsely believe strength training will make them look bulky.

Schoenfeld said few women need to worry about building too much muscle because its hard for anyone to gain a significant amount especially women, who have lower levels of the muscle-building hormone testosterone. And its easy to reduce training intensity if you dont like the results, he said: Its very, very easy to lose muscle.

What gyms and women can do about it

Months after her initial bad impression, Bradley shared her strength-training goals with a male weightlifter in her dorm, who showed her the bodybuilding ropes. The boost inspired her to found Girl Gains, a female weightlifting club that now has dozens of chapters at colleges across the country.

Other things get shoved down our throats, like Pilates and cardio and yoga, but they complement each other, Bradley said. Being stronger in the gym is going to help you progress in Pilates. Having muscle is going to help make you a faster, better runner.

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Women embarking on strength training should do so with an empowering and realistic message, advocates say.

Complementary introductory training sessions can help, but a cursory introduction from a trainer in a revealing outfit wont, said Segar.

Most women have tried to achieve the perfect body for decades, and it only leads to a sense of failure, she said. Instead of focusing on how the exercise makes them feel, they're thinking about how theyre being perceived.

Women who find community in the weight room work together on their own targets, getting stronger and pushing themselves, Bradley said. One of the things we always say is, The gains look good on you.

Women's gyms and child care

Some women find they can focus better on their workout when men aren't around.

At the women-only Goddess Gym in Peterborough, England, Charlie Sturgeon said she's happier than she was in mixed-sex gyms where she had "some quite weird experiences where people would just stare, pull faces, make comments. And here, with being women only, it just feels like theres a sense of community.

Some gyms try to make women more comfortable by offering day care on site.

Michelle Kozak of Phoenix, who has two young children, canceled her membership when her gym stopped offering child care.

And she isn't comfortable with hard-core gym culture.

I dont want to make the gym my entire personality," she said. "I just want to have some time to prioritize being healthy.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said attacks against Iran will increase significantly in the coming week. Katz spoke Saturday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering winding down military operations in the Mideast even as the United States announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region and Iran threatened to attack tourist sites worldwide.

The mixed U.S. messages came after another climb in oil prices plunged the U.S. stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement that it will lift sanctions on Iranian oil loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices.

The war, meanwhile, has shown no signs of abating.

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Iran said its Natanz nuclear facility was hit in an airstrike Saturday but that there has been no radiation leakage. Israel said Iran continued to fire missiles at it early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the countrys eastern region, which is home to major oil installations. The defense ministry said there were no injuries or damage.

The death toll has risen to more than 1,300 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members in the region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.

Britain condemns Iran's reckless attacks on Diego Garcia air base

Britain has condemned Irans reckless attacks after its military fired missiles at the U.K.-U.S. air base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

U.K. officials have not given details of the attempted strike, which was unsuccessful. Its unclear how close the missiles came to the base, which is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran.

The Ministry of Defense said Saturday that Irans lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies.

RELATED STORY | Trump, Iranian leader project strength as war nears 3-week mark

Britain has not participated in U.S-Israeli attacks on Iran, but has allowed American bombers to use U.K. bases to attack Irans missile sites.

On Friday, the British government said U.S. bombers can also use U.K. bases, including Diego Garcia, in operations to prevent Iran attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran targeted the base before that U.K. statement.

Israel says attacks on Iran will be ramped up, war will continue

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said attacks against Iran will increase significantly in the coming week.

Katz spoke Saturday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering winding down military operations in the Mideast.

This week, the intensity of the attacks that the IDF and the U.S. military will carry out against the Iranian terrorist regime and against the infrastructures on which it relies will increase significantly, Katz said in a video statement.

UN Atomic agency says no reported increase in radiation levels at Natanz nuclear facility

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a social media post Saturday that Iran has informed it of the attack on its Natanz nuclear facility.

The IAEA said it was looking into the report, adding that no increase in off-site radiation levels reported.

Russia says it remains Iran's loyal friend and reliable partner

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message Saturday congratulating Iranians on the new year festival Nowruz that he wished them to overcome these severe trials with dignity. The Kremlin press service also quoted Putin as sayin that Moscow remains Tehrans loyal friend and reliable partner.

Lately, Priscilla Brown has had to choose between properly managing her Type 2 diabetes and affording other necessities, like gas in her car. Some days, she takes half or a third of her prescribed insulin dose just to stretch it out longer.

Sometimes I dont even take my medicine, said the 48-year-old truck dispatcher in Orlando, Florida. Its so much with insurance, its crazy.

About 8 in 10 Americans, like Brown, who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage say their health care costs are higher this year, including about half who say their costs are a lot higher, according to a new survey from the health care research nonprofit KFF. A main reason for increased costs was the Dec. 31 expiration of enhanced tax credits that had offset premiums for most enrollees.

For Brown and others, those spiking costs are having real impacts on daily life. Of the 1,117 Americans surveyed who had ACA marketplace coverage in 2025, including those who dropped coverage or changed plans, about 55% said theyre planning to deal with health care costs by cutting spending on food and other basic household needs.

Democrats in Congress last year had fought to keep the COVID-era subsidies but faced pushback from Republican leadership. In January, momentum toward a bipartisan compromise fell apart leaving some 23 million ACA enrollees without relief as they faced higher premiums or made tough decisions to disenroll or downgrade plans.

The new poll, which was conducted in February and March and followed up with respondents from a survey conducted last year to learn how they're grappling with health insurance now, offers a glimpse at how Congress' unresolved fight continues to strain regular Americans even as many federal lawmakers have, at least for the moment, turned to other priorities.

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Many ACA enrollees are anxious about medical costs

Last year, Brown paid zero dollars toward her health insurance premiums. This year, her new plan costs $17 a month and has a higher deductible.

Brown said she learned this week that her new refill of medicine was going to cost more than $150 and almost passed out. She filled her car with only half the gas she needed, knowing shed need money for the medications.

Anxieties about unexpected medical costs are acute, the poll shows. About three-quarters of people who had ACA insurance last year now say they are very or somewhat worried about paying for emergency care or hospitalization, while about half said the same about routine medical visits or prescription drugs.

Some enrollees switch to lower-tier plans, while others drop coverage entirely

Most of last year's enrollees, about 7 in 10, stayed on ACA health insurance but that includes about 3 in 10 who changed plans within the marketplace. Meanwhile, about 2 in 10 became eligible for coverage through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid or purchased insurance outside of the ACA marketplace, which tends to be less comprehensive.

About 1 in 10 of last years enrollees said they dropped coverage altogether and are now uninsured, the poll shows.

Eric LeVasseur, a 63-year-old software developer in Seal Beach, California, was part of that group. He said when he saw his mid-tier, silver-level plan was going to nearly triple to $1,200 per month, it was not something my budget could absorb.

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Many enrollees blame health insurance companies and politicians

About 7 in 10 returning ACA enrollees facing higher costs say they blame health insurance companies a lot," while just over half put a lot of blame on Republican lawmakers, President Donald Trump and pharmaceutical companies. About one-third blamed Democrats in Congress or hospitals a lot, while about 1 in 10 placed this level of blame on doctors or employers.

Respondents who identified with a political party and saw costs rise overwhelmingly blamed the opposing partys lawmakers a lot."

James Mako, an engineer in Boca Raton, Florida, and a political independent, said he blames the Republican Party. His $500-per-month premiums were poised to double this year for his silver-level ACA health plan. So, he downgraded to a bronze-level plan with a higher deductible.

Mako said hes not convinced by the ideas Republicans have floated to fix the problem, like funneling money into health savings accounts.

I think theyre just sales gimmicks, he said. The subsidies should be back.

Thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu were told to evacuate their homes early Friday morning as flooding from heavy rains intensified and water levels rose behind a 120-year-old dam.

Emergency sirens blared along Oahus famed North Shore, where rising waters damaged some homes and vehicles. Honolulu officials issued a LEAVE NOW evacuation order at 5:35 a.m. Friday for Waialua and Haleiwa: Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.

Officials have been watching dam levels since a storm last week dumped heavy rain across the state, which led to catastrophic flooding that washed away roads and homes. After the worst of it, a similar but weaker storm was forecast to bring more rain through this weekend.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a social media post that the Hawaii National Guard has been activated to respond to the flooding. The storm of course is very severe right now, particularly on the northern part of Oahu, he said, describing chest-high flood waters. Its going to be a very touch-and-go day.

As she prepared to evacuate to a friends home on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the aging dam is a concern every time it rains.

Just pray for us, she said. We understand theres more rain coming.

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Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the evacuation order covers more than 4,000 people, though the number could be higher.

Officials issued a warning for the dam during heavy rain last week, but the water level receded as rain subsided.

The water is actively running over the spillway right now, she said.

The state regulates 132 dams across Hawaii, most of them built as part of irrigation systems for the sugar cane industry, according to a 2019 infrastructure report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In 2006, seven people were killed when the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and water rushed downhill.

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A federal arts commission on Thursday approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing President Donald Trump's image to help celebrate America's 250th birthday on July 4.

The vote by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members are supporters of the Republican president and were appointed by him earlier this year, was without objection. It clears the way for the U.S. Mint to begin production on the coin, whose size and denomination are still under discussion.

"As we approach our 250th birthday, we are thrilled to prepare coins that represent the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, and there is no profile more emblematic for the front of such coins than that of our serving President, Donald J. Trump," U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement.

The unprecedented move marks yet another example of Trump and his allies circumventing conventional past presidential practices and even the law to get what he wants. It's the latest instance of Trump putting his name and likeness in the historical archive, following his renaming of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships, among other tributes.

RELATED STORY | Coins marking America's 250th birthday unveiled without designs for Trump, civil rights or suffrage

Federal law says no living president can appear on U.S. currency. But Megan Sullivan, the acting chief of the Office of Design Management at the Mint, said the Treasury secretary has authority to authorize the minting and issuance of new 24-karat gold coins, which Scott Bessent has used to get around that prohibition and put Trump on a coin.

She presented the coin's final design at the commission's March meeting on Thursday and said Trump had approved it.

"It is my understanding that the secretary of the Treasury presented this design, as well as others, to the president and these were his selection," Sullivan said.

The White House and the Mint did not immediately respond to electronic and telephone requests for comment.

The front of the coin features an image of Trump in a suit and tie and with a stern look on his face. His fists rest on top of what is supposed to be a desk as he leans forward. Lettering on the top half of the coin spells "LIBERTY" in a slight arc. Directly underneath that are the dates 1776-2026. The words "IN GOD WE TRUST" are at the bottom, with seven stars on one side of the coin and six stars on the other side.

The reverse side depicts a bald eagle midflight with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" on the right side and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" on the left side.

"I know it's a very strong and a very tough image of him, and I think it's fitting to have a current sitting president who's presiding over the country over the 250th year on a commemorative coin for said year," said Commissioner Chamberlain Harris, a top White House aide to Trump.

The coin will be part of a "very limited production run," Sullivan said, but the number has not been determined. The size and denomination of the coin also have not yet been decided, she said. Some commissioners noted Trump's fondness for big things as they advocated for the largest size coin.

The Mint, which is part of the Treasury Department, has looked at a size for the Trump coin that is larger than its 1-ounce (28-gram) gold coin, which is about 1.3 inches (3.3 centimeters) in diameter, Sullivan said.

RELATED STORY | Trump $1 coin proposed for Americas 250th anniversary

Its largest coin is 3 inches (7.6 centimeters), "so we're looking somewhere in there," she said.

"I think the president likes big things," said Commissioner James McCrery II, who was the architect on Trump's design proposal for a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom addition to the White House. The fine arts commission approved that proposal at its February meeting.

Harris told McCrery she agreed with him. She works in the White House as a special assistant to the president and deputy director of the Oval Office.

"I think the larger the better. The largest of that circulation, I think, would be his preference," Harris said, speaking of Trump.

The U.S. military is deploying three more warships and roughly 2,500 more Marines to the Middle East, an official said. One U.S. official confirmed Friday that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships, along with roughly 2,500 Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, have deployed from their home port of San Diego and are bound for the Middle East.

Two other U.S. officials confirmed that the ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

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With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained since the war began Feb. 28 or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran has showed it is still capable of attacks that are choking off oil supplies and denting the global economy, raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.

The U.S. and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising that topples Irans leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs. There have been no public signs of any such uprising and no end in sight to the war.

Protestant and Catholic clergy are asking a federal judge to order that they be allowed to minister to immigrants in a holding facility at the headquarters of the Trump administration's enforcement surge in Minnesota.

U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell will hear Friday from attorneys for Minnesota branches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and a Catholic priest. They're suing for an injunction requiring Department of Homeland Security officials to allow prompt in-person pastoral visits to all detainees at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, the site of frequent protests over roughly the 3,000 federal officers who had surged into the state at the height of the crackdown.

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The Minnesota lawsuit alleges the Whipple building, named for Minnesotas first Episcopal bishop, a 19th-century advocate for human rights, now stands in stark contrast to its namesakes legacy. It says the building has become the epicenter of systematic deprivation of fundamental constitutional and legal rights by the federal government.

Government attorneys plan to argue the request is at least partly moot because Operation Metro Surge officially ended on Feb. 12. They also say the number of new detentions has since subsided, so temporary restrictions on visitors have been eased, and clergy visits have been allowed for over two weeks. In a recent filing, they said staff members weren't in a good position previously to allow visitation because the Whipple building had been both a hub of heightened ICE operations and the symbolic center of community unrest.

Catholic and Episcopal bishops in Minnesota, other Christian and Jewish clergy, and the Minnesota Council of Churches are also supporting the request.

Clergy across the country have been pushing for more access to immigration detention facilities, especially during the holy seasons of Lent and Ramadan. Its a longstanding practice for faith leaders to minister to detainees. but it has become far more contentious amid the current immigration crackdown.

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It took a similar lawsuit for two Catholic priests and a nun to gain entry into an ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview on Ash Wednesday last month. And Muslim and Christian clergy in Texas have struggled to get into large Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities there.

The Minnesota lawsuit alleges that ICE unconstitutionally obstructed faith leaders from offering prayer, pastoral guidance, sacramental ministry, and spiritual comfort to detainees in moments of profound fear, isolation, and despair.

Case filings list several instances in which clergy went to Whipple to minister to detainees but were refused access, including on Ash Wednesday, a solemn day in many Christian traditions in which clergy place ashes on worshippers' foreheads in the sign of the cross.

The lawsuit called the restrictions in place at Whipple a violation of both the constitutional freedom of religion of clergy who feel compelled by their faith to serve detainees and the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

ICE's stated policy is that facilities that hold detainees for more than 72 hours are required to have a chaplain or religious services coordinator, as well as dedicated spaces for services. ICE says its policy also requires advance notice and background checks for clergy and faith volunteers.

But government attorneys and ICE officials contend the Whipple building is just a short-term holding facility, and that most held there are moved to other ICE facilities within 24 hours.

Tauria Rich, a senior local ICE official who oversees the facility, said in a filing this week that visitors are rare, and that any clergy requests would be back to being handled on a case-by-case basis. She said one clergy member had attempted to visit in early March, but left because no detainees were present. The visit would have been allowed if any detainees had been there, she said.

Its not just clergy whove struggled to get in. Three members of Congress from Minnesota were turned away when they tried to inspect the facility. Once they did get in, they reported poor conditions.

Access has also been an issue for attorneys. Homeland Security was ordered by a different federal judge last month to give new detainees at Whipple immediate access to counsel before they're taken elsewhere.

Iran threatened to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide and insisted it was still building missiles. Friday's show of defiance came nearly three weeks into U.S.-Israeli strikes that have killed a slew of Tehrans top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries.

Iran fired on Israel and energy sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states as many in the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also marking the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that is more subdued this year.

RELATED STORY | Netanyahu says Iran can no longer enrich uranium, as conflict continues through Gulf

With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained since the war began Feb. 28 or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran has showed it is still capable of attacks that are choking off oil supplies and denting the global economy, raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.

The U.S. and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising that topples Irans leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs. There have been no public signs of any such uprising, and its not clear what capabilities Iran retains or how the war might end.

Iran remains defiant despite weeks of attacks

Irans top military spokesman warned Friday that parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations worldwide wont be safe for Tehrans enemies.

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi made the threat as Iran continues to be hit by American and Israeli airstrikes. It renewed concerns that Iran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic in the war.

U.S. and Israeli leaders have said that weeks of strikes have decimated Irans military. Airstrikes have also killed its supreme leader, the head of its Supreme National Security Council and a raft of other top-ranking military and political leaders.

RELATED STORY | Pentagon asks for $200 billion to continue to fund Iran war

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Irans navy was sunk and its air force in tatters, while adding that its ability to produce ballistic missiles had been taken out. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard disputed the missile claim on Friday.

We are producing missiles even during war conditions, which is amazing, and there is no particular problem in stockpiling, spokesman Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini was quoted as saying in Irans state-run IRAN newspaper.

Naeini added that Iran had no intention of seeking a quick end to the war. These people expect the war to continue until the enemy is completely exhausted, he said.

A short time after the statement was released, Iranian state television said Naeini was killed in an airstrike.

The countrys new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei also released a rare statement, saying Irans enemies need to have their security taken away.

Khamenei hasnt been seen since he succeeded his father, the 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war.

Less than a week after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's global tariffs, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul listened as one of the plaintiffs in the case recounted the financial toll of the levies on his wine importing business.

This is a heavy tax and you have to pay it up front, Victor Schwartz, the owner of VOS Selections, told Hochul as they walked alongside bottles of wine he imports from 16 countries.

As Hochul seeks reelection this year, she says the impact of Trump's tariffs is a centerpiece of her message. She has pressed the administration to issue a $13.5 billion tariff refund to New Yorkers following the Supreme Court decision. And she released an ad this week criticizing her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman, for supporting the levies and attending the White House event where Trump unveiled them with a massive board listing the rate for each country.

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This is a lethal issue for Republicans this November, Hochul said in an interview. You can be sure we're going to make sure people know who did this to them.

She's not alone. Democrats running for governor across the country are making tariffs central to their pitch to voters. They're betting that in an election year dominated by issues ranging from immigration to the war in Iran, rising costs connected to the tariffs will be a motivating issue for many voters.

That picture of (Trump) with the tariff board is going to be front and center in every single one of our campaigns, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who is leading the Democratic Governors Association this year, said in an interview.

White House spokesman Kush Desai countered that what Democrats are really running against are President Trumps Most-Favored-Nations deals to slash prescription drug prices by up to 90 percent, trillions in investments to bring manufacturing back to America, and new trade deals that level the playing field for American workers.

All of these historic victories were possible because of tariffs.

This is a challenging election year for the GOP

Republicans are entering a challenging election year as they contend with voter anxiety around spiking prices an issue Trump pledged to fix during his 2024 campaign and the record of a president's party losing ground during the midterms.

Much of the focus has been on Congress, where Democrats are just a few seats shy of taking the House majority. But the party is also aiming to regain ground outside Washington as they hope to hold onto governorships in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin and eye GOP-held seats in Nevada, Georgia and Iowa.

In interviews this week, Democrats running in some of those states said tariffs and the broader issue of affordability will be at the forefront of their agenda.

In Nevada, state Attorney General Aaron Ford sued the administration over its initial round of tariffs and is suing again as Trump seeks to revive them. As he seeks the Democratic nomination to take on Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo, Ford called the tariffs illegal and blamed them for restaurant closures and fewer visitors to his tourism-dependent state.

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Tariffs are at the very top of the conversation because Nevadans every single day are feeling the impacts, Ford said.

In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is seeking reelection in a state Trump won by more than 5 percentage points in 2024 with a focus on costs. She criticized GOP Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, who are vying for the nomination to challenge her, for cheering on these reckless tariffs. Both lawmakers voted against a measure last month to end the national emergency Trump declared to impose tariffs on Canada.

Hobbs said the cost concern was about more than tariffs, noting Medicaid cuts, rising health costs and a spike in gas prices in the wake of the war in Iran.

Theyre being hit everywhere, she said.

Republicans try to turn affordability concerns back on Democrats

Republicans largely reject the tariff criticism and are trying to turn the anxiety about affordability back on Democrats, especially in high-cost states where they already govern. Blakeman, for instance, said in a statement that Hochul is solely responsible for the affordability crisis in New York, with crushing electric bills, soaring insurance rates and the highest taxes in America.

In an interview, Schweikert argued that it was only a few years ago in a previous administration that the Democrats actually liked tariffs. So this seems to be if Trump's for it, they're against it.

Trump, for his part, hasnt given up on the tariffs. After calling the Supreme Courts decision unfortunate, his administration is scrambling to find ways to revive the levies. The president has already announced a 10% tariff using a different mechanism, a move thats facing legal challenges, and wants to further raise tariffs to 15%.

But Trumps prediction of a manufacturing renaissance that would result from companies making more products in the U.S. to avoid tariffs has not materialized. During the first year of his second term, 98,000 manufacturing jobs were lost. Revenue from tariffs is doing little to reduce the federal deficit, which is projected to climb over the next decade.

Polling suggests unease about the dramatic way Trump has imposed the levies. In January, before the Supreme Courts ruling, about 6 in 10 U.S. adults said Trump went too far in imposing new tariffs and using presidential power, an AP-NORC poll found.

A reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee who contends she was wrongly held in detention for more than two weeks was released Thursday after paying a bond recently allowed by a judge, her attorneys said.

Estefany Rodrguez Flrez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias who has done stories critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had been in ICE custody after her arrest on March 4 during a traffic stop. She was held in jail in Etowah County, Alabama, then in the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana.

We are grateful that Estefany is able to walk away with her freedom to be with her family as she continues to fight for her right to remain in her community and in the US," Mike Holley, an attorney for Rodrguez, said in a statement.

MORE ABOUT THE CASE | Nashville reporter detained by ICE could soon be released

Rodrguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the U.S. lawfully and has been living in the country for the past five years, according to court records filed by her lawyer. She has a valid work permit, and she has applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen. She had no criminal history, a steady employment record, ties to the community, and a 7-year-old daughter at home, her attorneys said.

In a wrongful detention court challenge aided by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Rodrguez's attorneys argue she was targeted because her reporting has been critical of ICE's practices under President Donald Trump's administration, saying her First Amendment rights and Fifth Amendment due process rights were violated.

The government has said there was no such violation for what was the agency's discretionary decision to begin removal proceedings and said First Amendment rights may not even be applicable to an illegal alien.

On Monday, an immigration judge in Louisiana set a $10,000 bond for her release.

Holley said they plan to continue with the wrongful detention case and are working for not only her full release, "but an order prohibiting ICE from mistreating her in a similar way in the future.

Rodrguez applied for asylum before her visa expired in September 2021, and she has remained in the country because she faced persecution in Colombia and because leaving the U.S. would mean abandoning her asylum application, her attorneys wrote. Her permit to work while awaiting an asylum interview was granted in February 2022.

Her attorneys say the arrest was an unlawful, warrantless seizure that violated the Fourth Amendment because authorities did not have a reason to think she was likely to escape before a warrant could be obtained. Attorneys representing the federal government say they had an arrest warrant, but her attorneys were skeptical of its validity. It was dated two days before the arrest, handwritten, crumpled, lacked her identification number and left the certificate of service section blank, they wrote. Another warrant was typed up and dated March 4.

Rodrguezs lawyer said in court documents that ICE had twice rescheduled a meeting with Rodrguez on her case, first because the office was closed during a winter storm and the second time because an agent couldnt find her appointment in the system.

A new meeting was then set for March 17.

Rodrguez was with her husband in a marked Nashville Noticias vehicle when it was surrounded by several other vehicles and she was taken to a detention center, the news outlet has said.

One of her attorneys, Joel Coxander, said it was more than 10 days before Rodrguez was allowed to speak with him.

Several press associations have put forth their own legal brief, warning of potential pitfalls from arresting reporters who are not U.S. citizens.

The predictable consequence of the arrest and detention of these individuals is to end that speech and to chill a vast amount of future speech, especially by non-citizen journalists fearful that hard-hitting reporting on sensitive topics could lead to their detention, according to the brief led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

After her arrest, Rodrguez was moved to a county jail in Etowah in Alabama. Following a day there, before she could be flown to Louisiana an officer asked if she had lice, and she was taken back to the jail. She was held in isolation for about five days, then forced to strip in a shower room where an officer poured a chemical liquid on her head that burned her eyes, the filing says.

She was then moved to Louisiana on March 12.

Spanish authorities have found the body of a missing college student from Illinois.

The body of 20-year-old James Jimmy Gracey was found Thursday evening in the water off a Barcelona beach, near where he was last seen outside a nightclub with his friends early Tuesday morning.

He never returned to the room he was renting with friends. Police recovered his phone soon after he went missing. Gracey was a student at the University of Alabama, and was visiting friends in Barcelona for a spring break trip.

Catalan police say that their investigation continues into the cause of death.

Regional Catalan police said Thursday they had found a body in the water at around 6 p.m. local time. Police told The Associated Press that the body was recovered off Barcelonas Somorrostro beach, near where Gracey was last reported seen.

Gracey, who was wearing a white shirt and dark pants and a chain with a gold rhinestone cross, never returned to the room he was renting with friends, according to family members who live in the suburb of Elmhurst, about 19 miles west of Chicago.

Beth Marren OReilly, who is Graceys aunt, said he and his friends arrived in Barcelona on Monday morning to visit a group of University of Alabama friends studying abroad there.

Local authorities notified Graceys parents that they had his phone. Originally, the family thought Gracey may have lost his phone or been pickpocketed, but when they reached out to his friends, they learned that Gracey wasnt with them as of early Tuesday morning.

You keep thinking that ... youre going to wake up from this and its a terrible nightmare, OReilly said. You know, you see people say this all the time. You never thought it could be our family. And here we are.

OReilly described him as a good Catholic boy from the Midwest and an amazing older brother to his four younger siblings. Along with his fraternity commitments, he is in the honors program at Alabama, she said.

Hes such an all-around good kid, OReilly said. And thats why were so worried. Its just, its not like him to not be in contact.

Friends still in the city have begun hanging missing person signs showing Gracey's photo and details of the last time he was seen.

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Barcelona is a popular tourist destination that brings in millions of foreign visitors each year. It is generally safe, especially compared with major U.S. cities, where tourists biggest worry are normally pickpockets.

Barcelonas beaches, located in walking distance of its center, are a main draw especially for young visitors. The area where Gracey went out is a stretch of beach with several restaurants and nightclubs that are frequented by locals and foreigners.

We are keeping Jimmy and his family at the forefront of our thoughts, and our staff are in direct communication with the family to offer every support and assistance possible," the University of Alabama said in a statement on Thursday.

Gracey is a member of the Theta Chi fraternity at the school, and the international organization said he holds two positions within the school's chapter.

Since learning of his disappearance, the International Fraternity has been in regular communication with federal lawmakers, the University of Alabama, and our chapter members, including those who remain in Barcelona searching tirelessly for Jimmy, CEO Michael Mayer said.

Iran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday, raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy.

The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel prices soaring and risked drawing Irans Arab neighbors directly into the conflict. Iran's targeting of energy production further stressed global supplies already under pressure because of its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the worlds oil is transported.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, Irans top leaders have been killed in airstrikes and the countrys military capabilities have been severely degraded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Thursday that Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles.

Still, Iran now led by the son of the supreme leader killed in the wars opening salvo remains capable of missile and drone attacks rattling its Gulf Arab neighbors and a global economy dependent on the energy they produce.

Underscoring the danger to ships in the region, a vessel was set ablaze off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and another damaged off Qatar. Efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz were also under pressure: An Iranian drone hit a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea, which the country had been hoping to use as an alternative exit route.

Brent crude oil, the international standard, briefly surged above $119 a barrel, up more than 60% since Israel and the United States started the war. The European benchmark for natural gas prices also rose sharply and has roughly doubled in the past month.

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Energy infrastructure is targeted around the Gulf

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE denounced the Iranian attacks. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called them a dangerous escalation.

But Iran showed no signs of backing down. Saudi Arabia said its SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu was hit. Saudi Arabia had begun pumping large volumes of oil west toward the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, said extensive damage was caused by Iranian missiles hitting the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility, where production had already been halted after earlier attacks. Damage to the facility could delay Qatar's ability to get supplies to the market even after the war ends.

Two oil refineries in Kuwait and gas operations in Abu Dhabi also were targeted by Iran, local authorities said.

In Israel, more than a half-dozen waves of Iranian attacks targeting large parts of the country sent millions of people to shelters. The strikes caused damage to buildings but no significant casualties were reported.

After the latest Iranian barrage, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said the electricity grid in northern Israel sustained some damage. He said crews had restored electricity to some areas and were working to restore it in others. Israeli media showed images of black smoke rising from an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa; Cohen said the refinery damage was minor.

RELATED NEWS | Pentagon asks for $200 billion to continue to fund Iran war

Hegseth says more Iranian leaders could be targeted

The Trump administration has cited various war objectives, including degrading Irans missile capabilities and its nuclear program. Killing senior leaders has also been a priority for the U.S. and Israel.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday implied that more leaders could be targeted, referring specifically to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij force, a powerful internal security unit whose leader was killed by Israel earlier this week.

The last job anyone in the world wants right now, senior leader for the IRGC or Basij, temp jobs, all of them, Hegseth said.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that U.S. forces continue to attack deeper into Iranian territory, with warplanes hunting Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz and helicopters striking Iranian drones. Caine said the U.S. military has also dropped 5,000-pound bombs on underground weapon-storage facilities.

Irans state TV, quoting a Revolutionary Guard statement, said the countrys air defense system hit an F-35 fighter jet. U.S. Central Command said an F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran. A spokesman for the command, Capt. Tim Hawkins, said the aircraft landed safely, the pilot was in stable condition and the incident was under investigation.

In a sign of the Iran war's rising price tag, the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds, a senior administration official said. The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information.

Among the Iranian energy facilities hit in recent days was the Bushehr nuclear power plant complex. There were no injuries and the plant suffered no damage, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Israel said Thursday it struck Iranian targets in the Caspian Sea for the first time. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the strikes hit dozens of targets, including ships, a shipyard and a command center.

Irans strikes were retaliation for Israeli attack on a critical gas field

Iran stepped up its attacks on Gulf energy facilities after Israel hit South Pars, the Iranian part of the worlds largest gas field, which is located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly with Qatar.

With some 80% of all power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, according to the International Energy Agency, the attack directly threatens the countrys electricity supplies. Natural gas is also used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.

Israels target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure, the New York-based Soufan Center said in a research note. It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.

Iran condemned the strike on South Pars, with President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of uncontrollable consequences that could engulf the entire world.

In Washington, President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again. But he warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatars energy infrastructure, the U.S. would retaliate and massively blow up the entirety of the field.

Asked later about the possibility of U.S. ground troops being deployed to Iran, Trump responded, No. Im not putting troops anywhere.

Death toll climbs in third week of war

More than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed during the war. Israeli strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon have displaced more than 1 million people roughly 20% of the population according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 1,000 people have been killed. Israel says it has killed more than 500 Hezbollah militants.

In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. Four people were also killed in the occupied West Bank overnight by an Iranian missile strike, according to officials.

At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.

Iran announced the execution of three men detained in Januarys nationwide protests, the first such sentences known to have been carried out, the judiciarys Mizan news agency reported.