By ANDREW DeMILLO

A history of aerobiology would normally be a book that would have little interest beyond the science community. But in “Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breath,” Carl Zimmer transforms the topic into something that reads like a combination of detective and horror stories.

Zimmer creates a highly relevant and gripping history of the study of the air that spans from Louis Pasteur holding a glass globe on a glacier to scientists racing to fight COVID-19 during the pandemic.

The book shows what a vital role the science of airborne life has played in the fight against COVID, influenza and other diseases. Zimmer also introduces readers to figures little known to the mass public who have played a role in the field’s evolution.

They include William Firth Wells, a pioneer in aerobiology whose work was crucial in understanding how airborne diseases spread, especially during the pandemic.

Zimmer’s book also shows how the work of Wells and other scientists was distorted into something that was used as the basis of biological weapons.

Using the outbreak among a Washington state choir, Zimmer chillingly describes how COVID-19 spread through the air and the frustrating rifts among health officials during the pandemic about addressing to the public that the virus was airborne.

As Zimmer puts it, the pandemic “made the ocean of gases surrounding us visible.” His book is a key guide for understanding that ocean.

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

By MIKE STOBBE

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency is inviting about 180 employees back to work, about two weeks after laying them off.

Emails went out Tuesday to some Centers for Disease Control and Prevention probationary employees who got termination notices last month, according to current and former CDC employees.

A message seen by the AP was sent with the subject line, “Read this e-mail immediately.” It said that “after further review and consideration,” a Feb. 15 termination notice has been rescinded and the employee was cleared to return to work on Wednesday. “You should return to duty under your previous work schedule. We apologize for any disruption that this may have caused,” it said.

About 180 people received reinstatement emails, according to two federal health officials who were briefed on the tally but were not authorized to discuss it and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It’s not clear how many of them returned to work Wednesday. And it’s also unclear whether the employees would be spared from further widespread job cuts that are expected soon across government agencies.

The CDC is the latest federal agency trying to coax back workers soon after they were dismissed as part of President Donald Trump’s and billionaire Elon Musk’s cost-cutting purge. Similar reversals have been made among employees responsible for medical device oversight, food safety, bird flu response, nuclear weapons and national parks.

The Atlanta-based CDC is charged with protecting Americans from outbreaks and other public health threats. Before the job cuts, the agency had about 13,000 employees.

Last month, Trump administration officials told the CDC that nearly 1,300 of the agency’s probationary employees would be let go. That tally quickly changed, as the number who actually got termination notices turned out to be 700 to 750.

With 180 more people now being told they can return, the actual number of CDC employees terminated so far would seem to stand somewhere around 550. But federal health officials haven’t confirmed any specifics.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month pledged “ radical transparency ” at the department, but HHS officials have not provided detail about CDC staff changes and did not respond to emailed requests on Tuesday and Wednesday. An agency spokesman, Andrew Nixon, previously told the AP only that CDC had more full-time employees after the job cuts than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those who received reinstatement emails included outbreak responders in two fellowship programs — a two-year training that prepares recent graduates to enter the public health workforce through field experience and a laboratory program that brings in doctorate-holding professionals.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock celebrated the reinstatements, but said it’s not enough.

“Today’s announcement is a welcome relief, but until all fired CDC employees are restored, our country’s public health and national security will continue to be at risk,” Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

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

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MICHAEL CASEY

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from drastically cutting medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and cost jobs.

The new National Institutes of Health policy would strip research groups of hundreds of millions of dollars to cover so-called indirect expenses of studying Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses — anything from clinical trials of new treatments to basic lab research that is the foundation for discoveries.

Separate lawsuits filed by a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions nationwide sued to stop the cuts, saying they would cause “irreparable harm.”

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston had temporarily blocked the cuts last month. Wednesday, she filed a preliminary injunction that puts the cuts on hold for longer, while the suits proceed.

The NIH, the main funder of biomedical research, awarded about $35 billion in grants to research groups last year. The total is divided into “direct” costs – covering researchers’ salaries and laboratory supplies – and “indirect” costs, the administrative and facility costs needed to support that work.

The Trump administration had dismissed those expenses as “overhead,” but universities and hospitals argue they’re far more critical. They can include such things as electricity to operate sophisticated machinery, hazardous waste disposal, staff who ensure researchers follow safety rules and janitorial workers.

Under prior policy, the government negotiated those rates with institutions. As an example, an institution with a 50% indirect cost rate would get another $50,000 to cover indirect expenses for a $100,000 project. The NIH’s new policy would cap indirect costs at a flat rate of 15% instead, calculated to save the agency $4 billion a year.

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

By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging in the terrorist group.

Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha come as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance. It’s the first known direct engagement between the U.S. and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.

Leavitt declined to provide detail on the the substance of talks. Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries have served as mediators with Hamas for the U.S. and Israel since the group launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war.

“Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president … believes is a good-faith effort to do what’s right for the American people,” she said.

Leavitt added that Israel has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials, but noted that there are “American lives at stake.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas.”

Israeli officials say about 24 living hostages — including Edan Alexander, an American citizen — as well as the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza.

Adam Boehler, Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, led the direct talks with Hamas. Boehler, founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm, was a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords team during Trump’s first term that strove to win broader recognition of Israel in the Arab world.

The talks, which took place last month, focused mainly on the release of American hostages, and a potential end of the war without Hamas in power in Gaza, according to a Hamas official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that no progress was made but “the step itself is promising” and more talks are expected. Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped arrange the talks.

The direct engagement comes as continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains uncertain. President Donald Trump has signaled that he has no intentions of pushing Netanyahu away from a return to combat if Hamas doesn’t agree to terms of a new ceasefire proposal, which the Israelis have billed as being drafted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase.

The talks between U.S. and Hamas officials were first reported earlier Wednesday by the news site Axios.

Magdy reported from Cairo.

By BEN FINLEY and STEPHEN GROVES

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Stephen Watson served in the Marines for 22 years and receives care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for a traumatic brain injury. He supports President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk’s cost-cutting program — even if it affects the VA.

“We’re no better because we’re veterans,” said Watson, 68, of Jesup, Georgia. “We all need to take a step back and realize that everybody’s gonna have to take a little bit on the chin to get these budget matters under control.”

Gregg Bafundo served during the first Gulf War and has nerve damage to his feet from carrying loads of weight as a Marine mortarman. He says he may need to turn to the VA for care after being fired as a wilderness ranger and firefighter through the layoffs at the U.S. Forest Service.

“They’re going to put guys like me and my fellow Marines that rely on the VA in the ground,” said Bafundo, 53, who lives in Tonasket, Washington.

The Trump administration’s move to end hundreds of VA contracts — initially paused after public outcry — and ongoing layoffs are affecting the nation’s veterans, a critical and politically influential constituency. More than 9 million veterans get physical and mental health care from the VA, which is now being examined by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The VA manages a $350 billion-plus budget and oversees nearly 200 medical centers and hospitals. Veterans have shown up at town hall-style meetings with Republican lawmakers to voice their anger, and groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars are mobilizing against cuts.

The department is considering a reorganization that could include cutting 80,000 jobs, according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Veterans were much likelier to support Trump, a Republican, than Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, in November’s presidential election, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted in all 50 states. Nearly 6 in 10 voters who are veterans backed Trump, while about 4 in 10 voted for Harris.

Joy Ilem, national legislative director for the nonpartisan group Disabled American Veterans, said her group was studying how the ongoing cuts might affect care.

“You could lose trust among the veteran population over some of these things that have happened and the way that they’ve happened,” Ilem warned. “And we do fear damage to the recruitment and retention of hiring the best and brightest to serve veterans.”

The White House said last week that it wants to slash $2 billion worth of VA contracts, which would affect anything from cancer care to the ability to assess toxic exposure. The department quickly paused the cuts following concerns about the impact on critical health services.

VA Secretary Doug Collins told Fox News Channel this week that the effort was focused on “finding deficiencies.”

“Anything that we’re doing is designed and will not cut veterans’ health or veterans’ benefits that they’ve earned,” he said.

In a Tuesday statement to The Associated Press, VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz said the agency “is putting Veterans at the center of everything the department does.”

“Every dollar we spend on wasteful contracts, non-mission-critical or duplicative activities is one less dollar we can spend on Veterans, and given that choice, we will always side with the Veteran,” Kasperowicz wrote.

Republicans have pointed out that the VA has rehired employees who were let go during an initial round of layoffs in February, such as those working for a crisis hotline. However, during a subsequent round of layoffs, the VA cut 15 other employees who were in jobs supporting the crisis line, including a trainer for the phone responders, according to congressional staff who are tracking the cuts.

The VA has long faced calls for reform

The VA has been plagued for years by allegations of poor medical care and excessively long wait times. Investigators a decade ago uncovered widespread problems in how VA hospitals were scheduling appointments after allegations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the department’s Phoenix hospital. A group of employees accused the department of retaliating against potential whistleblowers. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, eventually put into place a program allowing veterans to go outside the VA system to seek medical care. The Choice Program was extended by Trump during his first term.

Richard Lamb, who was shot down twice in Vietnam as an Army helicopter crew chief, said the department should be “cut to the bone.”

Lamb, 74, said he broke vertebrae each time his helicopter was shot down. Decades passed, he said, before a VA doctor acknowledged he had compression fractures. Lamb later had a private doctor perform surgery on his back after he said the VA wouldn’t perform the procedure.

“I’d be happy to see VA, not torn down, but cleaned up, cleaned out and recast,” said Lamb, who lives in Waco, Texas. “The VA is supposed to be a wonderful thing for veterans. It’s not. It sucks.”

Daniel Ragsdale Combs, a Navy veteran with a traumatic brain injury, strongly disagrees.

Ragsdale Combs, 45, suffered his injury while running to respond to an order on an aircraft carrier and striking his head above a hatchway. He receives group therapy for mental illness brought on by the injury but says he had heard those sessions might be canceled or reduced due to staffing shortages.

“I’m deeply concerned because the VA has been nothing but great to me,” said Ragsdale Combs, who lives in Mesa, Arizona. “I’m angry, upset and frustrated.”

Lucy Wong relies on a team of VA doctors in the Phoenix area to treat her scleroderma, an autoimmune condition that attacks connective tissue. She said she developed the disease as a medical technician in the Navy in the 1980s, working with toxic chemicals and enduring extreme stress.

Driving is difficult. She worries that the VA will cut Uber rides to her medical appointments, among other things.

“I ask if Trump is cutting anything back here, and the reply is, ‘Not yet,’” Wong said.

Josh Ghering, a former Marine from Parsons, Kansas, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he had to fly to San Antonio for an appointment with a neurologist before he was medically retired for back issues, including herniated discs. He questioned why he couldn’t get the same appointment closer to home.

“I think they’re headed in the right direction,” Ghering, 42, said of DOGE. “But they’re going to have to be more thorough with what it is they’re doing, to make sure they’re not cutting jobs that are needed.”

Will service members be expected to accept VA cuts?

The nation’s service members have never been a political monolith — and the same holds true for their views on the VA. But the split between two Marines on opposite sides of the country raises a question not just about DOGE but about America’s military: Who is expected to sacrifice?

Watson, the former Marine in Georgia, sustained various injuries while serving, including a traumatic brain injury when a cable snapped and a crate fell on him. He said he’s willing to accept fewer visits to his VA doctor and forgo other conveniences as a matter of service to the country.

“Many veterans who voted for Trump understood this was going to be his policy and are now screaming bloody murder because the axe is going to fall upon the VA,” Watson said. “And to me, that’s just a little bit self-centered.”

Bafundo, the Marine in Washington state, pushed back against the idea that all Americans are making a sacrifice when, as he sees it, it’s really falling back “on the little guy.”

America’s billionaires won’t be shouldering any of the burden, he argued, while Musk, who’s the world’s richest person, and others pay little, if any, taxes.

“If we’re going to sacrifice, the wealthy need to sacrifice, too,” he said. “And, frankly, they don’t.”

This story has been corrected to show that decades passed before a VA doctor acknowledged Lamb’s compression fractures. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that a private doctor discovered the injury.

Groves reported from Washington.

President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers, amid fears that the trade war could harm U.S. manufacturers.

The announcement comes after Trump spoke with leaders of the big 3 automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis on Wednesday. Trump also said he told the automaker chief executives that they should move production to the U.S from Canada and Mexico, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Related Video: Interview with economics professor on potential impact of tariffs Extended interview: Oakland University Economics Professor Michael Greiner weighs in on potential impact of tariffs

We spoke with the big three auto dealers, Trump said in a statement read by his spokesperson. We are going to give a one month exemption on any autos coming through USMCA, referencing the North American free trade agreement he renegotiated in his first term."

Trump's press secretary said the president is open to hearing about additional exemptions but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not willing to lift Canadas retaliatory tariffs if Trump leaves any tariffs on Canada, a senior government official told The Associated Press. The official confirmed the stance on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Both countries will continue to be in contact today, Trudeaus office said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier told The Associated Press the auto sector in the U.S. and Canada would last approximately 10 days before they start shutting down the assembly lines in the U.S. and in Ontario.

People are going to lose their jobs, he said.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick earlier said there might be carveouts coming to the 25% tariffs placed on Canada and Mexico.

But, Trump's tariffs have stirred up bad blood among allies who see his aggression on trade as misguided, with Canada suggesting it will reject any offer to water down the day-old tariffs. The trade war is not necessarily a brief skirmish as the White House maintains that even harsher taxes on imports are coming in April, even as businesses and consumers worry that rising costs will crush economic growth, worsen inflation and result in layoffs.

Still, the administration is grappling with the fallout of tariff that could create serious blowback for his political mandate to lower prices. Trump has acknowledged that his tariffs could cause some financial pain, yet he has repeatedly said the tariffs will lead to more domestic investment and factory work.

In a Wednesday interview with Bloomberg Television, Lutnick said that Trump would update his tariff plans with an afternoon announcement, possibly sparing sectors such as autos from the import taxes.

On April 2, Trump plans to announce what he calls reciprocal tariffs to match the tariffs, taxes and subsidies provided by other countries. That could dramatically increase the tariff rates charged globally while maintaining the risk of a broader tariff.

Lutnick said he would talk on Wednesday morning with Trump about the possible options regarding Canada and Mexico, saying that both countries are working to address the U.S. president's concerns about drug trafficking. Lutnick said to expect Trump to announce his decision Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Trump put 25% taxes on imports from Mexico and Canada, taxing Canadian energy products such as oil and electricity at a lower 10% rate. The president also doubled the 10% tariff he placed on China to 20%. The administration has said the tariffs are about stopping the smuggling of drugs such as fentanyl, but Trump also suggested that the tariffs are about getting rid of persistent U.S. trade deficits.

The taxes almost immediately triggered retaliatory measures by Canada and China, with Mexico planning to announce its response on Sunday. The U.S. stock market has given up all of the gains since Trump's victory in last year's presidential election and consumers are already exhausted by inflation and worried the costs of the tax hike would lead to higher prices. Those concerns may have prompted Lutnick to signal a possible retreat in a Tuesday afternoon interview with the Fox Business Network.

The U.S. president tried to play down the possible economic harm as a little disturbance, as the administration has suggested that the estimates of higher inflation and slower growth in most outside economic forecasts are overblown.

It may be a little bit of an adjustment period, he said after claiming that farmers would benefit from reciprocal tariffs on countries that have tariffs on U.S. exports. You have to bear with me again and this will be even better.

Trump also said in his speech that he spoke on Tuesday with all three, the top people at the major U.S. automakers and they're so excited. The big three automakers are General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler and Jeep. The domestic auto sector would be especially vulnerable to tariffs as it depends on Mexico and Canada as part of its supply chains.

Trudeau said on Tuesday that his country would plaster tariffs on over $100 billion (U.S. dollars) of American goods over the course of 21 days, stressing that the United States had abandoned a long-standing friendship.

Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense, Trudeau said on Tuesday.

Mexico indicated it would announce its own countermeasures on Sunday.

Beijing responded with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports. It also expanded the number of U.S. companies subject to export controls and other restrictions by about two dozen.

If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, were ready to fight till the end, Chinas embassy to the United States posted on X on Tuesday night.

In response to China, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News Channels Fox & Friends that the United States is prepared for war against the world's second largest economy.

Those who long for peace must prepare for war, Hegseth said Wednesday morning. "If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong."

Leavitt is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First- and Fifth-amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

___

Gillies reported from Toronto.

The post FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by Trump during his address to Congress appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s pick as NATO ambassador reassured senators at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s commitment to the military alliance was “ironclad.”

The U.S. commitment has been called into question by Trump’s scathing criticism of European allies and his eagerness to build ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Matt Whitaker, an acting attorney general in Trump’s first term, told senators that a key part of his mission would be to push the 32 NATO allies to meet Trump’s demand to increase their own defense spending

Trump sent chills through the alliance with his comment during the campaign that Russia should “do whatever the hell it wants” to NATO members that don’t meet military spending targets. He has played down the threat from Russia and threatened to end U.S. support for Ukraine as it fights off Russia’s invasion.

In the aftermath of Trump’s contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week at the White House, European NATO members have been scrambling to assess their defense arrangements, while insisting there is no thought of going it alone without the United States.

Whitaker evaded Democratic senators’ prodding for a more detailed discussion of Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Asked if he agreed that Russia started the war by invading Ukraine, Whitaker cited Vice President JD Vance’s statement that that was the case.

Whitaker, however, spoke positively of NATO. He was asked specifically about the U.S. commitment to the alliance and its bedrock Article 5, by which NATO countries pledge to treat an attack against one as an attack on them all.

“It will be ironclad,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

U.S. administrations have long complained about European allies and Canada relying too much on the United States in NATO. Trump has taken that further, questioning the value to the U.S. of being in the bloc.

NATO leaders say Trump’s criticism in his first term, and the Ukraine war, have led to a majority of NATO states meeting the alliance’s target of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on building up their militaries.

Trump recently upped that demand to 5% of GDP. Democratic lawmakers at Tuesday’s hearing noted the U.S. spends about 3.4% of its GDP on its military. NATO countries bordering Russia spend the biggest share, including Poland, at 4%.

Whitaker framed getting allies to meet Trump’s 5% goal as a primary mission for him at NATO.

“I have no concern that our European allies and Canada can do more and want to do more,” Whitaker said. “I fully expect they will do what’s necessary to continue to make NATO the strongest alliance ever in the history of the planet.”

By TAMMY WEBBER

President Donald Trump wants to increase logging in national forests and on public lands, including by bypassing endangered species protections.

To do that, the federal government would have to activate a seldom-used committee nicknamed the “God Squad” because it can approve federal projects even if it leads to extinction of a species otherwise protected by the Endangered Species Act.

But experts say there are strict procedural requirements — and no provision under law to proactively use the committee to bypass protections.

Here’s what to know:

What does Trump want?

The president on Saturday signed actions to increase domestic lumber production in national forests and other public lands, directing federal agencies to look for ways to bypass protections for endangered species.

Upon taking office in January, Trump declared a national energy emergency and directed the committee to convene at least quarterly to either consider exemptions or, if there are none, “to identify obstacles to domestic energy infrastructure” related to the Endangered Species Act or the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Endangered Species Act makes it illegal to harm or kill protected species and has led to restrictions on logging, mining and oil and gas development. The Marine Mammal Protection Act bans killing and harassment of marine mammals with some limited exceptions.

What is the God Squad?

Officially called the Endangered Species Committee, it was established in 1978 as a way to exempt projects from Endangered Species Act protections if a cost-benefit analysis concluded it was the only way to achieve net economic benefits in the national or regional interest.

In the case of logging, the analysis also should determine if the benefits of cutting trees outweigh the economic value of watershed and other protections provided by standing timber, said Patrick Parenteau, an emeritus professor at the Vermont Law and Graduate School who helped write criteria for the God Squad.

The seven-member committee is led by the secretary of the Interior and includes the secretaries of Agriculture and the Army, administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Affected states also would be represented with one vote total, meaning multiple states would each get a fraction of a vote.

Five votes are required for an exemption.

When can the God Squad be convened?

The secretary of the Interior can convene the committee only for a specific project and only if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service — after a required environmental review — concludes the project would jeopardize survival of a protected species, Parenteau said.

Otherwise, “there is no basis to convene the God Squad,” he said. “Contrary to what Trump has been talking about, you don’t convene this committee to grant exemptions prospectively. That is not legal. There’s no jurisdiction for the committee to even be convened to do that.”

What has the committee done in the past?

Only twice in its 47 years has the committee issued exemptions. The first allowed construction of a dam on a section of the Platte River considered critical habitat for whooping cranes. But a negotiated settlement won significant protections that led to overall ecosystem improvement and a rebounded crane population.

The second exemption, during the George H.W. Bush administration, was for logging in northern spotted owl habitat. But the Bureau of Land Management under President Bill Clinton withdrew the request after environmental groups sued, arguing that the committee’s decision was political and violated legal procedures.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street

Zuppa forte, also known as zuppa di soffritto, is an old-school Neapolitan dish made by slow-cooking meats with garlic and other aromatics, along with tomatoes and preserved chilies, until reduced and concentrated. The rich, spicy paste-like mixture can be spread on crusty bread, though it’s more commonly diluted and used as a soup base or pasta sauce.

Zuppa forte traditionally was made with odds and ends of meats, including offal, but in our cookbook, “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we use salty cured pancetta as a stand-in. For best flavor, purchase a chunk of pancetta, which contains a decent amount of fat, and cut it yourself. The type sold pre-diced is too lean and cooks up with a tough, leathery texture.

A combination of deeply browned tomato paste and canned whole tomatoes, blended until smooth and simmered in a skillet, yields a sauce with concentrated flavor. Don’t use canned tomato puree or canned crushed tomatoes, which have slightly tinny, metallic flavors that only become more pronounced in the finished sauce. The flavor of whole tomatoes, blended until smooth, is fresher and cleaner.

Instead of harder-to-source preserved chilies, we use Korean gochujang, which may seem out of place, but delivers a similar complex, fermented spiciness along with welcome notes of umami. But if you can find it, spicy, tangy Calabrian chili paste also works well. Fresh basil and dollops of ricotta complement the richness and intensity of the sauce.

Pasta with Spicy Tomato and Pancetta Sauce

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 14½-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (see headnote) or 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta (see headnote), chopped
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 sprig rosemary
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1 pound penne, ziti or rigatoni pasta
• ½ cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn
• Whole-milk ricotta cheese, to serve

Directions:

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. In a blender, puree the tomatoes with juices and gochujang until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds; set aside.

While the water heats, in a 12-inch skillet, combine the oil, pancetta, garlic, bay, tomato paste, rosemary and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium, stirring often, until the pancetta has rendered some of its fat and the tomato paste darkens and begins to stick to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the pureed tomato mixture and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer, uncovered and stirring often, until very thick and the fat separates, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the water reaches a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1½ cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. (If the sauce is done ahead of the pasta, remove the skillet from the heat.)

Scrape the sauce into the pot with the pasta and add ¾ cup of the reserved cooking water. Cook over medium, stirring and tossing often, until the sauce clings and the pasta is al dente, 2 to 4 minutes; add more reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the noodles if the mixture is very dry and sticky.

Off heat, remove and discard the bay and rosemary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then stir in the basil. Serve topped with dollops of ricotta.

For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap

By MIKE SCHNEIDER

The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday disbanded outside advisory committees of demographers, statisticians and advocacy group leaders who provided technical expertise to the statistical agency.

Members of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee and the 2030 Census Advisory Committee received notices Tuesday saying Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had determined the committees’ purposes “have been fulfilled,” according to emails shared with the Associated Press.

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund said in a news release that the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations also had been terminated.

Members of the advisory committees worked for free except for travel expenses and lodging for meetings.

The Commerce Department oversees the Census Bureau and is led by Lutnick, an appointee of President Donald Trump. An email seeking comment was sent Tuesday to the Commerce Department.

Members of the 2030 census advisory committee were appointed less than a year ago. Its chair, Arturo Vargas, said in an interview that he was “dumbfounded” by the decision to eliminate the committees.

“I think it’s a significant setback for the Census Bureau,” Vargas said. “When the bureau gets advice from external stakeholders, it’s able to correct course and perhaps even consider the unintended consequences of some of its plans when it receives important feedback from the community.”

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press Medical Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health.

Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack — which means daylight saving time can usher in sleep trouble for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.

There are ways to ease the adjustment, including getting more sunshine to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthful sleep.

When does daylight saving time start?

Daylight saving time begins Sunday at 2 a.m., an hour of sleep vanishing in most of the U.S. The ritual will reverse on Nov. 2 when clocks “fall back” as daylight saving time ends.

Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t make the spring switch, sticking to standard time year-round along with Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Worldwide, dozens of countries also observe daylight saving time, starting and ending at different dates.

Some people try to prepare for daylight saving time’s sleep jolt by going to bed a little earlier two or three nights ahead. With a third of American adults already not getting the recommended seven hours of nightly shuteye, catching up can be difficult.

What happens to your brain when it’s lighter later?

The brain has a master clock that is set by exposure to sunlight and darkness. This circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle that determines when we become sleepy and when we’re more alert. The patterns change with age, one reason that early-to-rise youngsters evolve into hard-to-wake teens.

Morning light resets the rhythm. By evening, levels of a hormone called melatonin begin to surge, triggering drowsiness. Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.

Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and numerous other problems. And that circadian clock affects more than sleep, also influencing things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and metabolism.

How does the time change affect your health?

Fatal car crashes temporarily jump the first few days after the spring time change, according to a study of U.S. traffic fatalities. The risk was highest in the morning, and researchers attributed it to sleep deprivation.

Then there’s the cardiac connection. The American Heart Association points to studies that suggest an uptick in heart attacks on the Monday after daylight saving time begins, and in strokes for two days afterward.

Doctors already know that heart attacks, especially severe ones, are a bit more common on Mondays generally — and in the morning, when blood is more clot-prone.

Researchers don’t know why the time change would add to that Monday connection but it’s possible the abrupt circadian disruption exacerbates factors such as high blood pressure in people already at risk.

How to prepare for daylight saving time

Gradually shift bedtimes about 15 or 20 minutes earlier for several nights before the time change, and rise earlier the next morning, too. Go outside for early morning sunshine that first week of daylight saving time, another way to help reset your body’s internal clock. Moving up daily routines, like dinner time or when you exercise, also may help cue your body to start adapting, sleep experts advise.

Afternoon naps and caffeine as well as evening light from phones and other electronic devices can make adjusting to an earlier bedtime even harder.

Will the U.S. ever eliminate the time change?

Every year there’s talk about ending the time change. In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump promised to eliminate daylight saving time. For the last several years, a bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent has stalled in Congress; it has been reintroduced this year.

But that’s the opposite of what some health groups recommend. The American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine agree it’s time to do away with time switches but say sticking with standard time year-round aligns better with the sun — and human biology — for more consistent sleep.

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

By Mark Thiessen

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The rugged Iditarod started Monday, but a dearth of snow forced the iconic dog sled race to start further north and added a new route that allows mushers to bypass barren land, lengthening by more than 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) an unforgiving journey often measured in grit and attrition.

The new course reroutes mushers and their dog teams around a difficult stretch of trail north of the Alaska Range, which is treacherous with snow and ice but mostly unpassable in dry conditions for sleds.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is usually billed as a 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race across Alaska. The route change means it’s now 1,128 miles (1,815 kilometers). Mushers began their trek to the finish line in Nome from Fairbanks, the fourth time this century the race has been forced north from the Anchorage area.

A lack of snow in the Anchorage area also caused headaches for race organizers Saturday during the ceremonial start. The parade-like route in Anchorage usually has mushers taking a leisurely course over 11 miles (17.70 kilometers) of city streets and trails with an auction winner riding in their sled.

However, weeks of little-to-no new snowfall and warm temperatures in Alaska’s largest city forced organizers to shorten the ceremonial start to less than 2 miles (3.22 kilometers), run over snow that was trucked in to cover downtown city streets.

There are 33 mushers in this year’s race, tied with the 2023 race for smallest field ever. Among them are two former champions, Ryan Redington and three-time winner Mitch Seavey. Dane Baker, a first-time competitor from Royal Oak was also among the field.

Mushers and their dog teams will battle the worst of what wild Alaska can throw at them — from bad trails, mushing on frozen rivers and sea ice and possible encounters with wildlife with the winner expected in the old Gold Rush town of Nome on the Bering Sea coast in about 10 days.

This year the Iditarod will honor another famous mushing event, the 1925 Serum Run, in which sled dog teams saved Nome from a deadly diphtheria outbreak.

By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will stand before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday to give an accounting of his turbulent first weeks in office as a divided nation struggles to keep pace, with some Americans fearing for the country’s future while others are cheering him on.

It will be the latest milestone in Trump’s total takeover of the nation’s capital where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. With a tight grip on his party, Trump has been emboldened to take sweeping actions after overcoming impeachments and criminal prosecutions.

The White House said Trump’s theme would be the “renewal of the American dream,” and he was expected to lay out his achievements since returning to the White House, as well as appeal to Congress to provide more money to finance his aggressive immigration crackdown.

“It’s an opportunity for President Trump, as only he can, to lay out the last month of record-setting, record-breaking, unprecedented achievements and accomplishments,” said senior adviser Stephen Miller.

Democrats, many of whom stayed away from Trump’s inauguration in January, were largely brushing aside calls for boycotts as they struggle to come up with an effective counter to the president.

Instead, they chose to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California. They also invited guests who would be harmed by steep federal budget cuts to Medicaid and other programs.

“Rather than focusing on American families and kitchen table issues, President Trump’s first month in office has focused on tax cuts for billionaires, paid for by the very people he promised to help,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

Trump also planned to use his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion.

Trump was tightening the screws after his explosive Oval Office meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the U.S. leader tries to pressure the erstwhile American ally to embrace peace talks with its invader.

In the Middle East, negotiations to extend a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled, with Trump floating the permanent displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and a U.S. “takeover” of the territory, straining partnerships with countries in the region and undoing longtime American support for a two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The backdrop of Trump’s speech will also be new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbors and closest trading partners. A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect just after midnight Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater cooperation to tackle illicit fentanyl trafficking — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%.

The whole scene for Trump’s speech was a marked contrast to his final State of the Union address in his first term. Five years ago, Trump delivered his annual address just after the Senate had acquitted him during his first impeachment trial and before the COVID-19 pandemic had taken root across society. Tuesday’s address is not referred to as a State of the Union because he is still in the first year of his new term.

The president planned to use his high-profile moment to press his efforts to reshape the country’s approach to social issues, as he looks to continue to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the country and to roll back some public accommodations for transgender individuals.

Watching from the gallery will be first lady Melania Trump, who only Monday held her first solo public event since her husband returned to power. She pushed for passage of a bill to prevent revenge porn, and her guests in the chamber will include 15-year-old Elliston Berry, the victim of an explicit deepfake image sent to classmates.

The Democrats’ guests also include at least one government watchdog dismissed by Trump in his bid to emplace loyalists across positions of influence.

Republicans lawmakers, too, are trying to make a point with their invited guests.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said she would host Scott Root, father of the late Sarah Root, who died on the night of her 2016 college graduation in a vehicle crash involving an immigrant who was in the country without legal authority.

Outside Washington, the latest round of public protest against Trump and his administration also was unfolding Tuesday. Loosely coordinated groups planned demonstrations in all 50 states and the District of Colombia timed to Trump’s address.

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Darlene Superville in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

By JOSH BOAK, PAUL WISEMAN and ROB GILLIES, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect Tuesday, putting global markets on edge and setting up costly retaliations by the United States’ North American allies.

Starting just past midnight, imports from Canada and Mexico are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties.

The 10% tariff that Trump placed on Chinese imports in February was doubled to 20%, and Beijing retaliated Tuesday with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports. It also expanded the number of U.S. companies subject to export controls and other restrictions by about two dozen.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would slap tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods over the course of 21 days. Mexico didn’t immediately detail any retaliatory measures.

The U.S. president’s moves raised fears of higher inflation and the prospect of a trade war even as he promised the American public that taxes on imports are the easiest path to national prosperity. He has shown a willingness to buck the warnings of mainstream economists and put his own public approval on the line, believing that tariffs can fix what ails the country.

“It’s a very powerful weapon that politicians haven’t used because they were either dishonest, stupid or paid off in some other form,” Trump said Monday at the White House. “And now we’re using them.”

U.S. markets dropped sharply Monday after Trump said there was “no room left” for negotiations that could lower the tariffs. Shares in Europe and Asia were mostly lower Tuesday after they took effect.

The Canada and Mexico tariffs were supposed to begin in February, but Trump agreed to a 30-day suspension to negotiate further with the two largest U.S. trading partners. The stated reason for the tariffs is to address drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and both countries say they’ve made progress on those issues. But Trump has also said the tariffs will only come down if the U.S. trade imbalance closes, a process unlikely to be settled on a political timeline.

The tariffs may be short-lived if the U.S. economy suffers. But Trump could also impose more tariffs on the European Union, India, computer chips, autos and pharmaceutical drugs. The American president has injected a disorienting volatility into the world economy, leaving it off balance as people wonder what he’ll do next.

“It’s chaotic, especially compared to the way we saw tariffs rolled out in the first (Trump) administration,” said Michael House, co-chair of the international trade practice at the Perkins Coie law firm. “It’s unpredictable. We don’t know, in fact, what the president will do.’’

Democratic lawmakers were quick to criticize the tariffs, and even some Republican senators raised alarms.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she’s “very concerned” about the tariffs going into effect because of her state’s proximity to Canada.

“Maine and Canada’s economy are integrated,” Collins said, explaining that much of the state’s lobsters and blueberries are processed in Canada and then sent back to the U.S.

The world economy is now caught in the fog of what appears to be a trade war.

Even after Trump announced Monday that the tariffs were going forward, Canadian officials were still in touch with their U.S. counterparts.

“The dialogue will continue, but we are ready to respond,” Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said in Ottawa as he went into a special Cabinet meeting on U.S.-Canada relations. “There are still discussions taking place.”

Shortly after Blair spoke, Trudeau said Canada would impose 25% tariffs on $107 billion U.S. worth of American goods, starting with tariffs on $21 billion U.S. worth of goods immediately and on the remaining amount on American products in three weeks.

“Our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. trade action is withdrawn, and should U.S. tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures,” Trudeau said.

The White House would like to see a drop in seizures of fentanyl inside the United States, not just on the northern and southern borders. Administration officials say that seizures of fentanyl last month in everywhere from Louisiana to New Jersey had ties to foreign cartels.

Damon Pike, technical practice leader for customs and trade services at the tax and consulting firm BDO, suggested the responses of other countries could escalate trade tensions and possibly increase the economic pressure points.

“Canada has their list ready,” Pike said. “The EU has their list ready. It’s going to be tit for tat.’’

Tim Houston, the leader of Canada’s Atlantic coast province of Nova Scotia, said he would direct the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation to remove all U.S. alcohol from store shelves. Houston also said his government will limit access to provincial procurement for American businesses and double the cost for commercial vehicles from the United States on a tolled highway.

The Trump administration has suggested inflation will not be as bad as economists claim, saying tariffs can motivate foreign companies to open factories in the United States. On Monday, Trump announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the computer chipmaker, would be investing $100 billion in domestic production.

Still, it can take time to relocate factories spread across the world and train workers with the skills they need.

Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of The Toy Association, said the 20% tariffs on Chinese goods will be “crippling” for the toy industry, as nearly 80% of toys sold in the U.S. are made in China.

“There’s a sophistication of manufacturing, of the tooling,” he said. “There’s a lot of handcrafting that is part of these toys that a lot of people don’t understand … the face painting, the face masks, the hair weaving, the hair braiding, the cut and sew for plush to get it to look just so. All of that are very high hands, skilled labor that has been passed through generations in the supply chain that exists with China.”

For a president who has promised quick results, Ahearn added a note of caution about how quickly U.S. factories could match their Chinese rivals.

“That can’t be replicated overnight,” he said.

Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writers Anne D’Innocenzio in New York and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

Today is Tuesday, March 4, the 63rd day of 2025. There are 302 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for a second term of office. With the end of the Civil War in sight, and just six weeks before his assassination, Lincoln declared:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the fight as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Also on this date:

In 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into effect as the first Federal Congress met in New York.

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his first term as president; he was the last U.S. president to be inaugurated on this date. In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

In 1966, John Lennon of The Beatles was quoted in the London Evening Standard as saying, “We’re more popular than Jesus now,” a comment that caused an angry backlash in the United States.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation on the Iran-Contra affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had “deteriorated” into an arms-for-hostages deal.

In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that workplace sexual harassment laws are applicable when the offender and victim are of the same sex.

In 2015, the Justice Department cleared Darren Wilson, a white former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a Black 18-year-old, but also issued a scathing report calling for sweeping changes in city law enforcement practices, which it called discriminatory and unconstitutional.

In 2017, President Donald Trump wrote a series of Twitter posts accusing former President Barack Obama of tapping his telephones during the 2016 election; an Obama spokesman declared that the assertion was “simply false.”

Today’s birthdays:

• Film director Adrian Lyne is 84.
• Author James Ellroy is 77.
• Musician-producer Emilio Estefan is 72.
• Actor Catherine O’Hara is 71.
• Actor Mykelti (MY’-kul-tee) Williamson is 68.
• Actor Patricia Heaton is 67.
• Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., is 67.
• Actor Steven Weber is 64.
• Rock musician Jason Newsted is 62.
• Author Khaled Hosseini is 60.
• Author Dav Pilkey is 59.
• Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is 57.
• NBA forward Draymond Green is 35.

By DOUG FEINBERG
The Associated Press

Southern California has its best ranking in 39 years after moving up to No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday.

The Trojans won the Big Ten regular-season title Saturday, beating then-No. 2 UCLA for the second time this year. That victory vaulted USC up two spots for its highest appearance in the poll since the team was second on Jan. 5, 1986. USC garnered six first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel.

“A goal was to come here and bring USC back to what it was at one point,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a phone interview. “Recognition of our history and admiration of the history and its a neat feeling in the present moment.”

Texas remained the top choice after receiving the other 25 first-place ballots. The Longhorns beat Georgia, Mississippi State and Florida last week to wrap up a share of the SEC title with South Carolina.

The Bruins fell to fourth with UConn right in front of them. South Carolina, which won a coin flip to get the top seed in the SEC Tournament, was fifth. Notre Dame dropped three places to six after losing to Florida State last week.

North Carolina State and TCU were seventh and eighth. The Wolfpack shared the ACC regular season crown with Notre Dame while the Horned Frogs won their first Big 12 title after beating Baylor on Sunday.

LSU fell to ninth after the Tigers dropped both their games, losing to then-No. 20 Alabama in overtime and to Ole Miss. The Tigers also will be without star Flau’Jae Johnson for the SEC Tournament as she recovers from shin inflammation.

Oklahoma rounded out the top 10.

Michigan State slipped a notch to No. 24.

Ranked Rabbits

South Dakota State entered the poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 25. It’s the first time the Jackrabbits are ranked since the preseason poll in 2022. The team went 16-0 in conference play and have gone undefeated in the Summit League three straight years. The Jackrabbits have won 63 straight regular season conference games and are 81-1 dating back to the beginning of the 2020-21 season. The team’s only three losses this season came to Duke, Georgia Tech and Texas.

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference has seven ranked teams. The ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 each have five. The Big East has two and the Summit League one.

Games of the week

All four of the major conferences begin their tournaments this week with the championship games on Sunday.

By JOHN MARSHALL
The Associated Press

Auburn and Duke remain atop the AP Top 25. The rest of the poll was a big jumble.

Auburn was the unanimous pick at No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving all 61 votes from a media panel in the poll released on Monday. The Tigers held the top spot for the eighth straight week following lopsided wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 17 Kentucky.

Duke was No. 2 for the second straight week after blowing out Miami and Florida State despite playing without guard Tyrese Proctor due to a bone bruise in his left knee.

No. 3 Houston moved up a spot after beating Texas Tech and Cincinnati, while Tennessee climbed to No. 4 following Jahmai Mashack’s last-second 3-pointer from well beyond halfcourt to beat Alabama 79-76.

Florida rounded out the top five, dropping two places after losing to Georgia and beating Texas A&M.

No. 8 Michigan State joined Auburn and Duke as the only teams to have the same ranking as last week.

Rising Red Storm

St. John’s has pulled off quite the turnaround in its second season under coach Rick Pitino.

The Red Storm (26-4, 17-2Big East) have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but are pretty much a lock to end the drought after clinching their first Big East regular-season title in 40 years with Saturday’s 71-61 win over Seton Hall.

“We’re just getting started,” Pitino told the Madison Square Garden crowd after the win.

St. John’s also beat Butler last week and moved up a spot in this week’s poll to No. 6, its highest ranking reaching No. 5 in 1990-91.

In and out

No teams moved in or out of this week’s poll.

Rising and falling

No. 14 Louisville made the biggest move of the week, climbing five places following wins over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. No. 13 Maryland moved up three places after losing to Michigan State by three on Tre Holloman’s last-second heave from beyond midcourt and beating Penn State.

No. 22 Texas A&M had by far the biggest drop, losing 10 places after losing to Vanderbilt and Florida, stretching its losing streak to four straight.

Michigan fell from No. 15 to No. 17 following Sunday’s 20-point loss to Illinois.

Conference watch

The SEC continued its dominance with three of the top five and eight total in the Top 25 this week. The Big 12 has three teams in the top 10 and five ranked teams, while the Big Ten also had five teams in the poll. The ACC has three, the Big East two and the American and West Coast conferences have one ranked team apiece.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has, for the second time, reversed the renaming of a U.S. military base, saying that Fort Moore in Georgia should revert back to being called Fort Benning.

The move reflects an ongoing effort by the Pentagon to overturn the Biden administration’s 2023 decision to remove names that honored Confederate leaders, including for nine Army bases. But the drive to revert to the former names means finding service members with the same name as the Confederate leaders.

Previously, Fort Benning was named for Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning, a Confederate officer during the American Civil War who stridently opposed the abolition of slavery.

Now, Hegseth said, Fort Benning will be named in honor of Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross who served in France during World War I. According to the Pentagon, Benning was honored for heroic actions in October 1918, when he led troops through heavy fire after his platoon leader was killed by the enemy.

The renaming of bases is resulting in decisions that insult the military heroes whose names were selected in the 2023 process, including Lt. Gen. Harold Gregory Moore Jr. and his wife, Julia.

Moore is a revered military leader who earned the Distinguished Service Cross for valor and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang in the Vietnam War. And Julia Moore was key to the creation of teams that do in-person notifications of military casualties.

Hegseth last month signed an order restoring the name of a North Carolina base back to Fort Bragg, and warned that more changes were coming.

The North Carolina base had been renamed Fort Liberty in 2023. Its original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles, contributing to the Confederacy’s downfall.

Now, Bragg is named to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, who the Army said was a World War II hero who earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart for exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.

It’s not clear how much the renaming will cost, but the expense comes as the Trump administration is trying to find savings through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The Naming Commission in its August 2022 report estimated it would cost $4.9 million to rename Fort Benning as Fort Moore, but said there could be additional costs. It put the cost to rename Bragg at around $8 million. Updated costs were not available.

Hegseth said the original Bragg name is a legacy for troops who lived and served there and that it was a shame to change it. And he said he deliberately referred to Bragg and Fort Benning by those names as he entered the Pentagon on his first day in office.

“There’s a reason I said Bragg and Benning when I walked into the Pentagon on day one. But it’s not just Bragg and Benning,” he said. “There are a lot of other service members that have connections. And we’re going to do our best to restore it.”

The lower ranks of the new namesakes indicate the exhaustive research being done by Army and defense leaders to find service members with the same names who have also earned some type of award for their military action and bravery.