By JOSH FUNK and MARK VANCLEAVE, Associated Press

RANDOLPH, Minn. (AP) — When Donald Trump promised new tariffs while running for president, Gene Stehly worried that trade disputes would jeopardize his international sales of corn, soybeans and wheat.

A little more than a year later, Stehly said his fears have become a reality, and Trump’s latest promise of federal assistance is insufficient to cover farmers’ losses.

“Maybe this will all come out to be better at the end, but I can tell you right now, it certainly isn’t the case at the moment,” Stehly said.

Trump announced Monday that his Republican administration would distribute $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers, who have suffered from persistently low commodity prices, rising costs and declining sales after China cut off all agricultural purchases from America during the trade war.

While rural areas remain conservative bastions, farmers’ patience with Washington is wearing thin. Several of them described the government bailout, an echo of similar policies during Trump’s first term, as a welcome stopgap but one that won’t solve the agricultural industry’s problems.

“It’s a bridge. It’s not the ultimate solution we’re looking for,” said Charlie Radman, a fourth-generation farmer who grows corn and soybeans on the land his family has owned near Randolph, Minnesota, since 1899. “What we really want to have is a little more certainty and not have to rely on these ad hoc payments.”

Farmers caught up in trade war

American soybean and sorghum farmers typically export at least half of their crops. They were hit the hardest by Trump’s trade dispute with China, the world’s largest buyer of soybeans that has increasingly relied on harvests from Brazil and other South American nations.

Trump and his Cabinet have boasted about the deal he struck with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October. But Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, said this week that “agriculture trade cooperation between China and the United States is proceeding in an orderly manner” without giving specifics.

So far, China has bought only about a quarter of the 12 million metric tons of soybeans that U.S. officials said would be purchased before the end of February, raising doubts on whether Beijing would follow through on that pledge or commitments to buy 25 million metric tons annually in the next three years. China hasn’t confirmed those numbers.

“In general, I don’t trust their motives and integrity of their promises,” said Bryant Kagay, who farms in northwest Missouri.

Even if China does buy the agreed amount of American soybeans, that would only bring U.S. farmers near to the amount they were selling every year before Trump took office.

That’s a big part of why Minnesota farmer Glen Groth said he’d “like to see the administration focus more on opening up markets outside of China.” In addition to finding other international buyers, agriculture groups are pushing to expand domestic uses like biodiesel, ethanol, aviation fuel and animal feed.

Dan Keitzer, a soybean and corn farmer in southeast Iowa, said recent bumper crops and technological advancements that produce bigger harvests means that the industry needs more customers.

“I think most farmers would tell you that they don’t want to go to the mailbox and get a check from the government. That’s not why we farm,” he said. “We need more demand for our product.”

Aid is considered a Band-Aid

Trump has placated farmers with money before. During his first term, he provided $22 billion in 2019 to help cushion them from trade disputes with China. There was $46 billion in 2020, an expanded number that reflected financial challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $12 billion that he announced this week won’t quell farmers’ fears about the future. They’re already ordering supplies for next year’s crops and meeting with their bankers to discuss the loans they will need. But they’re trying to stay optimistic that crop prices will improve if they find more buyers.

The aid payments will be capped at $155,000 per farmer or entity, and only farms that make less than $900,000 in adjusted gross income will be eligible. But during the first Trump administration a number of large farms found ways around the payment limits and collected millions.

Farmers would like to see Trump aggressively tackle concerns about higher costs that are eating into their bottom line.

Trump signed an executive order over the weekend directing the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to investigate anti-competitive practices anywhere in the food supply chain, starting with the fertilizer, seed and equipment that farmers rely on and continuing to deal with meat packing companies and grocers who help determine what price consumers pay.

Tregg Cronin, who farms and ranches with his family in central South Dakota, said he’s grateful for the president’s acknowledgment that farmers are “caught in the middle” of the trade war.

But he said that any checks that farmers receive from the government will likely “get turned around and sent right out the door.”

Funk reported from Omaha, Neb. Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.

If you’ve tried flying with seven swans a-swimming and six geese a-laying during the holidays, you know how Grinch-like the airlines get by Day 7 of Christmas. And TSA? It turns downright frosty by the top of the second week. Limiting eight maids a-milking to just 3.4 ounces doesn’t make anyone happy — least of all the cows with swollen udders.

In an effort to bring sanity to the act of giving true loves gifts that travel better than two turtle doves and three French hens, we’ve rounded up some favorite on-the-go goods for a holiday shopping guide. It’s not the whole sleigh, but it’ll get your gift-giving gears in motion.

And to all the Scrooges out there, kindly curb your cynicism: Aside from receiving samples and trials for review, we receive no compensation from these companies. Our holiday wish is simple — to take the guesswork out of shopping for the travelers in your life. Or go ahead and gift yourself. Whoever these 12 portable picks are for, each is sure to shine under the Christmas tree, beside the menorah or wherever thoughtful presents are exchanged.

Don we now, our tray apparel: TripTrays makes placemat-sized table covers that are a first-class upgrade for passengers who don’t quite trust that planes are cleaned between flights. Once at cruising altitude, simply whip out your tray table and lay the 100% cotton, machine-washable mat on top. It’s a more sanitary and elegant way to eat and drink in the air, and what traveler in your life wouldn’t love a gift that does that? Plus, the non-skid backing helps keep devices in place during turbulence. Made in Sacramento, TripTrays (triptrays.com) come in 27 designs, each priced at $25.

Sleep in heavenly peace: The Manta Pro Sleep Mask won’t block airplane noise (that’s where Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 shine), but for visual serenity, it delivers a 100% blackout seal with zero pressure on eyelids or lashes. Even side sleepers will find it comfortable — ideal for those curled up in a window seat. The premium version runs $85, but the benefits are priceless for us in-flight insomniacs. If your holiday budget is tight, Manta (mantasleep.com) offers a $39 alternative that’s not quite as plush.

Walking in a tourist wonderland: GPS is a travel godsend, but VoiceMap (voicemap.me) goes further by acting as a professional tour guide with storytelling, literal step-by-step directions and friendly course correction if you stray. Just pop in your earbuds, tap start and let the app guide you on walks, bike rides, drives, even boat tours. With nearly 2,000 tours across 600 destinations, there’s something for every traveler. VoiceMap’s one walking tour in Knoxville, Tenn., had this visitor ambling through downtown for 75 minutes, stopping at such key historical sites as the 1790s home of territorial governor William Blount, who was a symbol of the city’s early political roots, along with the majestic, century-old Tennessee Theatre and the iconic Sunsphere tower. Gift vouchers range from $25 for three tours to $100 for 20.

Ow Christmas tree, ow Christmas tree: Owies aren’t fun anywhere, but they’re a real pain while on holiday. A well-stocked, up-to-date first-aid kit can be a lifesaver. KeepGoing First Aid (keepgoingfirstaid.com) offers a full line of travel-ready kits in multiple sizes and styles, including a collection for kids. Each compact pouch is water- and stain-resistant, and refillable when supplies run low or expire. The carry-on-friendly KeepGoing First Aid Go-Kit ($42) is a bestseller, packing 130 essentials into a creatively designed and tidy case.

O learn, all ye faithful: The ReadBright Take Home Backpack is a smart holiday gift for parents invested in early literacy — and for children eager to catch up or get ahead. Geared for kindergarten through second grade, each ReadBright (readbright.com) toolkit supports reading fluency with phonics-based books, practice drills and progress tracking. The Level 1 set sent for review is excellent (my first-grade teacher-wife agrees), focusing on short vowels, digraphs and blends — essential building blocks for young readers. Inside are 19 decodable books with colorful illustrations and engaging plots that reinforce phonics and high-frequency words. The stories follow a cumulative learning path to build confidence. Also included: a homework book with fluency cards and activity sheets, plus a progress chart that turns reading into a celebration. Kids can color, sticker and smiley-face their way through each book, tracking milestones and momentum. Priced from $50 to $100, depending on level, these travel-friendly kits give the gift of literacy long after the holidays.

Say “bah humbug” to passport panic: Just over half of Americans now hold valid passports — a sharp rise from 30% in 2008 thanks to increased international travel and the rise of passport expediting services. One standout is ItsEasy.com, whose mobile app made passport renewal refreshingly painless for this citizen who in the past had used a brick-and-mortar agency that charged half a grand for their services. With ItsEasy.com (itseasy.com), clear instructions simplified even the trickiest parts, like taking an acceptable photo at home and paying the correct fees. Went rush, too, with no hiccups. Fees start at $40, and while there’s no process to surprise someone else with this service, when dealing with bureaucracy, convenience is a gift you should give yourself.

Deck the halls and head: Sure, Santa’s got his signature red cap, but when he’s catching rays on his annual after-Christmas vacation in the Southern Hemisphere, he swaps it out for a handcrafted, high-performance hat with strong built-in sun protection. Hemlock Hat Company (hemlockhatco.com), based in Carlsbad, makes one that puts the “fun” in functional. Available in over 30 cool styles, the Hemlock UPF 50+ Lifeguard Straw Hat ($45) is lightweight, breathable and durable, and features a uniquely designed under-brim that shows off one’s personality and fashionably shields the face, ears and neck.

Dashing through the sew: For the traveler who appreciates the journey as much as the destination, on-the-go kits sold at Needlepoint.com (needlepoint.com) make thoughtful gifts that make even more gifts. The website’s stock of travel-related products include a Hawaii-inspired travel coaster that brings island vibes to your stitching. Another fine choice among the massive selection of designs for all skill levels and budgets is the collection of destination-themed luggage tags ($48). Just beware — in a classic situation of beauty and the beast, once attached, these colorful crafts are at the mercy of suitcase-sadistic baggage handlers.

Ho ho ho gyro: Playing Powerball has weak odds, but using Powerball is all about strength. And, yes, we’re talking about two very different things. The non-lottery Powerball (mydfx.com)  is a gyro exerciser — a dynamic spinning handheld tool that after three to five minutes on an airplane, in a hotel or wherever, provides a solid workout geared to tone forearms and boost wrist endurance. They start at $35, but for splurging Santas, there’s the top-of-the-line DFX Powerball Iron Forearm Muscle Builder that costs $140. This model, engineered for athletes and advanced users, is capable of spinning up to 16,000 RPM, generating 50 to 60 pounds of dynamic gyroscopic resistance. The metallic protective case makes for an even more impressive gift.

Nutty and nice: When it comes to protein-packed pistachios, the only brand to crack this list is Nichols Farms, located in the San Joaquin Valley, which produces over 99% of U.S. pistachios. Let me shell out some reasons why they make great gifts. Nichols Farms (nicholsfarms.com) grows its pistachios sustainably and roasts them without oils — no added fat, just 6 grams of protein per serving. Their flavors let the nut shine, from such organic no-shell picks as habanero lime, rosemary garlic, hot honey and maple butter to nonorganic standouts that include jalapeño lime and garlic garden herbs. The cocoa cookie flavor? Think nutty Cocoa Puffs. Purists will appreciate the shelled and unshelled sea-salted classics. Gift sets start at $40.

Jingle all the whey: You don’t need to be as wise as the Magi to know that protein bars can be messy. If it’s not crumbs all over the place, it’s melted chocolate left on the wrapper and possibly your face. But they are smart to bring on a trip and make great stocking stuffers. CirC (circbites.com) offers a tasty and healthy solution: five poppable, protein-packed bites in a resealable tray, perfect for on-the-go lifestyles. Each tray of Protein Bites delivers 18 grams of whey protein for muscle and metabolism. The peanut butter-banana flavor is awesome. So is the chocolate mint from CirC’s Energy Bites line that contains 10 grams of balanced nutrition for sustained energy per serving. A giftable 12-pack costs around $40.

Comfort and joy: One of the quiet indignities of travel is surrendering your bathroom routine to unfamiliar plumbing and paper-thin toilet rolls. Enter Pristine Cleansing Sprays (pristinesprays.com), which is in the business business to relieve some of this discomfort with a spritz of grace. They make the travel-size Pristine Toilet Paper Spray (from $7) that turns ordinary bathroom tissue into a flushable wet wipe — scented or fragrance-free — offering a touch of your own abode in a foreign commode. Plant-based and TSA-friendly, this pocket-sized present restores dignity to the most basic necessity.

 

By DAVID KLEPPER, BEN FINLEY and STEPHEN GROVES, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators for the first time are questioning military leaders over President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in American cities, an extraordinary move by the White House that has led to legal challenges as well as questions about states’ rights and the use of the military on U.S. soil.

Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was expected to feature tough questioning of Pentagon officials over the legality of the deployments, which in some places were done over the objections of mayors and governors, and a robust defense of the policy by Trump’s Republican allies.

It was the highest level of scrutiny, outside a courtroom, of Trump’s use of the National Guard since the deployments began and came one day after the president faced another legal setback over his use of troops to support federal law enforcement, protect federal facilities and combat crime.

For Republicans, the hearing was a chance to defend Trump’s move to take on crime that they say Democratic mayors and governors have done too little to address.

“In recent years, violent crime, rioting, drug trafficking and heinous gang activity have steadily escalated,” said Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the committee chairman. The deployments, he said, are “not only appropriate, but essential.”

Military leaders highlighted the duties that National Guard units have carried out. The personnel are trained in community policing, they said, and are prohibited from using force unless in self-defense. Since the deployments began, only one civilian has been detained by National Guard personnel, according to Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command.

“They can very quickly be trained to conduct any mission that we task of them,” Guillot said.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said Wednesday she had threatened to hold up the annual defense bill if the Republican leadership continued to block the hearing, which she said was long overdue.

“Donald Trump is illegally deploying our nation’s service members under misleading if not false pretexts,” Duckworth told The Associated Press.

Duckworth, a combat veteran who served in the Illinois National Guard, said domestic deployments traditionally have involved responding to major floods and tornadoes, not assisting immigration agents who are detaining people in aggressive raids.

Duckworth said she had questions for the military about how Trump’s deployments are affecting readiness, training and costs. She also wanted to know whether Guard members would have legal protections if an immigration agent wrongfully harmed a civilian.

The hearing comes two weeks after two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington were shot just blocks from the White House in what the city’s mayor described as a targeted attack. Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died a day after the Nov. 26 shooting, and her funeral took place Tuesday. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is hospitalized in Washington.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in California on Wednesday ruled that the administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted a preliminary injunction sought by California officials, but also put the decision on hold until Monday. The White House said it plans to appeal.

Trump called up more than 4,000 California National Guard troops in June without Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval to further the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

The move was the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor and marked a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to carry out its mass deportation policy. The troops were stationed outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles where protesters gathered and were later sent on the streets to protect immigration officers as they made arrests.

The number had dropped to several hundred by late October. The 100 or so California troops that remain in Los Angeles are guarding federal buildings or staying at a nearby base and are not on the streets with immigration enforcement officers, according to U.S. Northern Command.

Trump also had announced National Guard members would be sent to Illinois, Oregon, Louisiana and Tennessee. Other judges have blocked or limited the deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, while Guard members have not yet been sent to New Orleans.

Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

By JESSICA DAMIANO

I’ve planted the potted mums in the garden and packed away the scarecrows — now it’s time to deck the halls.

That means filling vacant pots with evergreen branches foraged from my trees and shrubs, hanging cedar swags on the porch and placing a wreath on the door.

They’ll look great at first, of course, but that threatens to change as December marches on. And since nothing says “The Addams Family” like a house adorned with crispy spruce boughs, my challenge will be to keep them fresh for as long as possible.

The best way to do that would be to treat them like produce. After all, both evergreen stems and vegetables are clipped from a plant, at which time their countdown clocks start ticking.

The secret to longevity for both is moisture. Just as supermarkets use misters to keep produce fresh, we can keep holiday greenery fresh longer with water.

How to cut them

If harvesting stems from your garden, cut them in the morning, when they are the most hydrated and the least stressed. Make cuts at a 45-degree angle, which will provide a larger surface through which water can enter.

If bringing them home from the store, clip the end of each stem in the same manner. The fresh cut will remove the dried-out layer of tissue that would otherwise block water absorption.

How and where to soak them

Whether purchased or harvested, immediately place the cut ends of your branches into a bucket of room-temperature water and set it outdoors in a shady spot. Allow them to soak for at least 2 hours (24 would be ideal) until you are ready to use them.

How to arrange them indoors and out

When arranging branches in vacated plant containers outdoors, moisten the soil first, then insert the freshly cut ends. Check moisture levels between freeze-thaw cycles and amend, if needed.

Wreaths and garland used outdoors are exposed to drying winter winds, which hasten dehydration. Combat that with a light misting two or three times a week. But be careful not to overdo it, as that would encourage mold.

In the South, heat and sunlight can quickly turn greenery brown, so place wreaths, garlands and pots in the shadiest available spot. When making container arrangements, push stems deeply into moistened soil and water every day or two in the morning or evening, when the sun is at its weakest.

Keeping indoor greenery fresh is even more of a challenge. Inserting branches into moistened floral foam helps. Water as needed to keep the foam moist. And display all evergreen decorations away from radiators, forced-air heating vents, fireplaces and drafts.

Will these tips guarantee fresh greenery on New Year’s Day?

Not exactly. Even with the best care, two important factors remain out of our control: the weather and the age of the branches at the time of purchase. But keeping them moist and shaded will ensure they stay fresh for as long as possible.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

Kronk Gym is back.  The legendary home of the late Emanuel Steward, who trained a number of World Champions and Olympic medalists, has officially reopened in the historic Brewster Wheeler Recreation Center at 670 Wilkins St. The gym is now open for new members and has even introduced new Kronk-branded merch. The original Kronk Gym […]

The post Detroit’s storied Kronk Gym reopens in historic Brewster Wheeler Recreation Center appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.

Officials arrested a delivery driver earlier this month wanted in connection with a string of home invasions across multiple townships.

According to the St. Clair County Sheriffs Office, the suspect reportedly broke into more than six homes while on his delivery route starting on November 28.

Deonte King, 32 years old of Redford, was taken into custody after he was stopped in a white box truck not far from a reported home invasion in the area of Werner Road in Columbus Township.

King was arraigned on one count of home invasion first degree and five counts of home invasion second degree on December 9. The judge set a $200,000 cash/surety bond.

St. Clair County Sheriff Matt King is urging the community to keep doors and windows locked. If anyone notices anything suspicious, theyre asked to call 911.

Thank you to the road patrol deputies for detailing each incident, allowing for a thorough description of the suspect and vehicle to be compiled, allowing the detectives to connect the cases. With the help of local and federal agencies in the area, we were able to locate King and prevent further incidents, says Sheriff Mat King in a statement.

A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia today.

Judge Paula Xinis said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement held him without a legal removal order. Xinis has ordered the Trump administration to provide a status update on his release by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Abrego-Garcia has been in U.S. custody after being returned by officials in El Salvador. He was deported on March 15 as the U.S. sent three planes from the U.S. to El Salvador, purporting that those on the planes were members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs. The deportations came after President Donald Trump enacted the Alien Enemies Act regarding the invasion of the United States by the Tren de Aragua.

PREVIOUS REPORTING | Judge to rule on whether to release Abrego Garcia from federal custody 

Immediately upon Abrego Garcias return to the U.S. from El Salvador, he was charged with human smuggling and conspiracy charges in Tennessee allegations he denies. He remained in custody in Tennessee until ordered released by the judge overseeing that case in August and returned to Maryland.

Just days later, however, Abrego Garcia was re-arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers while appearing at a routine parole check-in appointment in Baltimore.

In August, it was revealed that the government offered to deport Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica a Spanish-speaking, Latin American nation but only if he agreed to plead guilty to the human smuggling charges he faces in Tennessee.

He refused, and ever since, the government has not included Costa Rica as an option for his removal.

"This inexplicable reluctance seemed at odds with continued detention for purposes of third-country removal," Xinis wrote in Thursday's order.

Originally from El Salvador, Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. without proper documentation in 2011. In 2019, after a lengthy legal process in the immigration court system, Abrego Garcias request for asylum was denied by an immigration judge. But he was issued an order of withholding of removal, a document that prevents his deportation to his home country because officials believed he faced a likelihood of torture or violence should he return there.

In my childhood home, we had a leg of lamb two Sundays a month. I loved those Sundays, as did my Shetland sheepdog who was the recipient of the leftover bone. Mom’s recipe was simple. The meat was topped with olive oil, salt and pepper prior to roasting.

This recipe takes it up a notch making it the perfect entrée for special occasion holiday entertaining. This approach studs the meat with little “bouquets” made of rosemary sprigs, slivered garlic and anchovies. Don’t be put off by the anchovies; they taste delicious, offering just-right saltiness. Plan ahead when making this version; it tastes best if it is seasoned 1 to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.

My local supermarket rarely carries leg of lamb. I guess it is because it is so darn expensive. Markets such as Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Gelson’s have them. I tested the recipe using a smaller bone-in leg, one that weighed in at a little less than 4 pounds. I used 2/3 of the amount of garlic, anchovy, rosemary and salt, and reduced the roasting time by about 25 minutes (roasting it only 48 minutes after turning the oven temperature down).

Yes, my guests will get smaller servings, but I will make up for it by providing loads of vegetables.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy, Rosemary, Garlic and Piment d’Espelette

Yield: 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole bone-in leg of lamb, 7 to 8 pounds, preferably with hip bone removed, with 1/8-inch layer of fat, see cook’s notes
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled, cut into thin slivers
• 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 20 little pieces
• 4 leafy sprigs rosemary, cut into twenty pieces
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons piment d’Espelette, see cook’s notes
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

Cook’s notes: My local supermarket rarely carries legs of lamb. I guess it is because it is so darn expensive. Markets such as Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Gelson’s have them. I tested the recipe using a smaller bone-in leg for this recipe, one that is severed at the knee, weighing only a little less than 4 pounds. I use 2/3 of the amount of garlic, anchovy, rosemary and salt, and reduced the roasting time by about 25 minutes (roasting it only 48 minutes after turning the oven temperature down). Yes, my guests will get smaller servings, but I make up for it by providing loads of vegetables.

Piment d’Espelette is a brick-red powder made from chilies from the town of Espelette in the Basque region of France. It is milder than cayenne; its light heat is nuanced with sweetness. It is available at Savory Spice Shop in Corona del Mar (928 Avocado Ave.), or from several sources online. If you prefer, substitute hot paprika (not smoked paprika).

DIRECTIONS

1. Using the tip of a paring knife, make 20 small holes on all sides of lamb. Stuff each hole with a sliVer of garlic, a bit of anchovy and a small sprig of rosemary, leaving the tips of the rosemary sticking out. (It may help to gather the seasonings into a little “bouquet” and use the point of the knife to tuck a “bouquet” into each hole.) Season surface with salt and piment d’Espelette. Set in a large baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered or loosely covered, for 1 to 2 days. Let lamb come to room temperature for about 2 hours before roasting.

2. Arrange oven rack in the lower third of oven and heat to 450 degrees (425 degrees convection).

3. Roasting: Rub surface with olive oil. Place lamb with the rounder, meatier side up in roasting pan just large enough to accommodate it (it’s fine if the top of the shank rests on the edge of the roasting pan.) Roast 25 minutes and then pour wine over lamb. Lower temperature to 325 degrees (300 degrees convection). Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the leg reaches 120 to 125 degrees for rare, about 1 hour from the time you lowered the oven heat; or 130 to 135 degrees for medium rare, about 1 1/4 hours.

4. Remove lamb to carving board, preferably one with a trough, to rest for 20 to 35 minutes. Tilt roasting pan and spoon off as much of the clear fat as you can. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the pan drippings (if they are too stuck to the pan to scrape up, add 1/4 cup water to dissolve them). Set aside the pan drippings to drizzle over the carved lamb. Carve and serve drizzled with the pan drippings, or layer the slices in the roasting pan so they soak up the pan juices and serve family style (I really like this soak-in-the-pan approach), from the roasting pan.

Source: Adapted from “All About Roasting” by Molly Stevens (W.W. Norton, $35)

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes began ice-breaking operations in the Great Lakes on Wednesday for the winter shipping season.

Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter SPAR will manage the ice-breaking needs of Western Lake Superior, specifically Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.

It's being called Operation Taconite and is the largest domestic icebreaking operation, the Coast Guard said. It encompasses Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, the St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac and the Georgian Bay.

Those areas are critical to the shipping industry, and icebreaking operations will expand as ice coverage grows. The Soo Locks close in mid-January for annual winter maintenance before reopening in late March.

According to the Coast Guard, some commercial waterways may close after consideration is given to the protection of the marine environment, the need for cross-channel traffic like ferries, or those wo use naturally-formed ice bridges for transportation.

"The Coast Guard recommends all recreational ice users plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice and stay clear from shipping channels," the Coast Guard said.

By Stephanie Armour, Amanda Seitz, KFF Health News

Maddy Olcott plans to start a career once she graduates from college. But the junior at the State University of New York-Purchase College is so far not planning to start a family — even with the Trump administration dangling inducements like thousand-dollar “baby bonuses” or cheaper infertility drugs.

“Our country wants us to be birthing machines, but they’re cutting what resources there already are,” said Olcott, 20. “And a $1,000 baby bonus? It’s low-key like, what, bro? That wouldn’t even cover my month’s rent.”

The Trump administration wants Americans to have more babies, and the federal government is debuting policy initiatives to reverse the falling U.S. fertility rate. In mid-October, the White House unveiled a plan to increase access to in vitro fertilization treatment. President Donald Trump has heralded such initiatives, calling himself “the fertilization president.”

But reproductive rights groups and other advocacy organizations say these efforts to buttress the birth rate don’t make up for broader administration priorities aimed at cutting federal programs such as Medicaid, its related Children’s Health Insurance Program, and other initiatives that support women and children. The pro-family focus, they say, isn’t just about boosting procreation. Instead, they say, it’s being weaponized to push a conservative agenda that threatens women’s health, reproductive rights, and labor force participation.

Some predict these efforts could deter parenthood and lead to increases in maternal mortality.

“The religious right wants more white Christian babies and is trying to curtail women’s reproductive freedom in order to achieve that aim,” said Marian Starkey, a spokesperson for Population Connection, a nonprofit that promotes population stabilization through increased access to birth control and abortion. “The real danger is the constant whittling down of reproductive rights.”

The White House did not respond to repeated interview requests.

A slate of federal programs that have long helped women and children are also being targeted by Trump and Cabinet members who say they champion pronatalist policies.

Medicaid work requirements, for instance, put in place by the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a budget law enacted in July, will lead to extra paperwork and other requirements that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will cause millions of eligible enrollees to lose coverage. Medicaid covers more than 4 in 10 births in the U.S.

The measure also cuts federal funding for a national program that provides monthly food benefits. Almost 40% of recipients in fiscal 2023 were children.

GOP spending cuts and staffing freezes have hampered Head Start, a federal education program that provides day care and preschool for young, low-income children, even as U.S. adults implore the government to curtail ballooning child care costs.

And the GOP halted Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood of America for one year because it provides abortion services, forcing roughly 50 clinics around the country to close since the beginning of 2025. Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of women’s health services, from wellness exams to breast cancer screenings and initial prenatal care.

Groups that advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights say the actions by the administration and congressional Republicans to attack these programs are making it harder for families to get the support and medical care they need.

“There is a lot of rhetoric about who is worthy of public assistance, and to many policymakers, it’s not the single mother,” said Allyson Crays, a public health law and policy analyst at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.

The pronatalist perspective generally supports government intervention to encourage procreation and is rooted in a belief that modern culture has failed to celebrate the nuclear family. The movement’s supporters also say policies to encourage childbearing are an economic necessity.

A Declining Birth Rate

The national birth rate has largely been on a downward trajectory since 2007, with the number of births declining by an average 2% per year from 2015 through 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although the rate has fluctuated since.

The concepts that shape the movement can be found in Project 2025, a political initiative led by the conservative Heritage Foundation that has seen many of its proposals adopted by Trump. The document asserts that children fare best in a “heterosexual, intact marriage.”

“Married men and women are the ideal, natural family structure because all children have a right to be raised by the men and women who conceived them,” it says.

Project 2025 also includes many proposals that critics say aren’t friendly toward women’s health. For instance, it calls for eliminating access to mifepristone, a drug commonly used in abortions as well as in the management of miscarriages, and encourages states to block Planned Parenthood facilities from receiving Medicaid funding.

The “more babies” mantra is being embraced at the highest levels of the federal government.

“I can’t remember any other administration being so tied to the pronatalist movement,” said Brian Dixon, Population Connection’s senior vice president for government and political affairs.

Just days after he was sworn in, Vice President JD Vance declared, “I want more babies in the United States of America.” He has also criticized the decision-making of women and men who opt not to start families.

The White House in October did announce a discount on certain drugs used in IVF treatments through TrumpRx, a yet-to-debut government website that aims to connect consumers with lower-priced drugs. Mehmet Oz, who heads Medicare and Medicaid, heralded a possible future of “Trump babies,” resulting from the lower-priced infertility drugs.

The administration also announced it would encourage employers to move to a new model for offering fertility benefits as a stand-alone option in which employees can enroll. But that is far from Trump’s earlier pledge to make infertility treatments free and may not be enough to overcome other long-term financial worries that often guide decisions about whether to have children.

Angel Albring, a mother of six, says her dream of having a big family always hinged on her ability to work and avoid child care costs. Her career as a freelance writer enabled her to do so while still contributing to the family’s income, working during nap times and at night, while the rest of her household slept.

“The whole thing of ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’ never applied to me,” Albring said.

Some of her friends, though, aren’t so fortunate. They fear they cannot afford children because of climbing costs for day care, groceries, and housing, she said.

Delivering on ‘Baby Bonuses’?

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has advanced another policy aimed at giving children a future financial boost.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act establishes a tax-advantaged “Trump account” seeded with $1,000 in federal funds — often called a “baby bonus” — on behalf of every eligible American child. The initial deposits are scheduled to start in 2026 with the federal government automatically opening an account for children born after Dec. 31, 2024, and before Jan. 1, 2029.

Parents could contribute up to $5,000 a year initially to the account, with employers able to annually contribute up to $2,500 of that amount. The accounts reportedly would be vehicles for long-term savings. Details are still being ironed out, but funds could not be withdrawn before the child turns 18. After that, the accounts would likely become traditional IRAs.

On Tuesday, billionaires Michael and Susan Dell of Dell computer fame said they would give $250 to 25 million children age 10 and under in the U.S. The donations will be aimed at encouraging participation in the Trump accounts.

Pronatalism extends to other parts of the federal government, too.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has nine children, instructed his department to prioritize federal funds for communities with high marriage and birth rates, though it has not yet announced any projects directly related to the initiative. For a time, the administration considered bestowing national medals on mothers with six or more children.

Except there’s one hitch: Data suggests the policies and programs the Trump administration has proposed won’t necessarily work.

Other countries have offered more robust programs to encourage childbearing and ease parenting but haven’t seen their birth rates go up, noted Michael Geruso, an economist for the University of Texas-Austin who hopes to see the global population increase. Israel, for example, has offered free IVF treatment for roughly three decades, yet its birth rates have stayed statistically stagnant, at just under three children for every woman, he said.

France and Sweden have extensive social safety-net programs to support families, including paid time off and paid paternity and maternity leave, and subsidized child care and health care, but their fertility rates are also falling, said Peggy O’Donnell Heffington, a University of Chicago assistant senior instructional professor in the history department who wrote a book on non-motherhood.

“Nobody yet knows how to avoid depopulation,” Geruso said.

Some point to a different solution to reverse the United States’ declining population: boost immigration to ensure a younger labor force and stronger tax base. The Trump administration, however, is doing the opposite — revoking visas and creating an environment in which immigrants who are in the U.S. legally feel increasingly uncomfortable because of heavy-handed policies, analysts say.

The country’s immigrant population this year fell for the first time since the 1960s, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

Meanwhile, to critics of the administration, the focus on encouraging childbirth allows the Trump administration and Republicans to sound as if they support families.

“You’re not seeing policies that support families with children,” said Amy Matsui, vice president of income security and child care at the National Women’s Law Center, a nonprofit focused on gender rights. “It’s a white, heterosexual, fundamentalist Christian, two-parent marriage that’s being held up.”

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A 39-year-old man is facing criminal charges for allegedly killing his mother who was found dead in her bed at the home they shared in Holly.

James Robert Hall is accused of strangling and suffocating Kristine Lynn Hall, 59, inside a residence on Ash Street late last month. A man who identified himself as Kristine Hall’s brother reportedly located her body when he went to the home to check on her on Nov. 25. According to Holly police, the brother said the victim allowed her son to move in with her several months ago, was afraid of him and slept with her bedroom door locked.

James Hall allegedly fled the home after stealing his mother’s car, jewelry and cash from the home, then reportedly called his father and admitted to the murder, police said. He was subsequently arrested in Kalamazoo and also allegedly admitted to police there that he had killed his mother.

James Hall was arraigned Dec. 10 in 52-2 District Court on charges of first-degree homicide, unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle and larceny in a building. He’s held in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond.

When he was still in custody in the Kalamazoo jail, Holly police investigators interviewed him and he reportedly again confessed to the murder. As stated in a news release from the Holly Police Department, James Hall told them that on Nov. 24 his mother called him into her bedroom and “began scolding him for his life choices and for not amounting to anything, which he said she was always telling him. Hall stated that he became tired of hearing it, climbed on top of her, and used a pillow to smother her to death.”

His arrest came after a party store clerk in Kalamazoo called police because he was overheard on a phone call stating he was thinking of killing himself, Holly police said. Kalamazoo officers located James Hall  in his mother’s stolen vehicle in the store’s parking lot.

As further reported by police, James Hall had rented a room in Kalamazoo and had been using the stolen money at a local casino prior to his arrest.

He was arraigned Nov. 26 in 52-2 District Court on an outstanding warrant for breaking and entering, and held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $100,000. Arraignment on the charges related to the slaying happened two weeks later.

“James Hall was angry his mother was parenting him…so he killed her,” Holly Police Chief Jerry Narsh stated in the news release.. He took the life that gave him life. Then he took her money, her jewelry and her vehicle because he was challenged on his life choices. Then he went to a casino.”

Hall’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 23 for a probable cause conference before 52-2 District Judge Joseph Fabrizio. A preliminary exam is scheduled for a week later.

By Luke Ramseth, The Detroit News

New car prices didn’t spike after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs in the spring, as some experts and dealers projected.

But prices on many models are now pushing notably higher — and analysts said carmakers recouping Trump’s higher import costs is a key factor.

Consider a recent analysis that found automakers are implementing more aggressive price increases on 2026 model-year vehicles compared to when 2025s were hitting dealership lots last year.

Cloud Theory, which tracks car inventory on dealer websites across the country, found the average marketed price increase on 2026 models was nearly $2,000, compared to an approximately $400 uptick during last year’s model year changeover. This year, 23 models have at least a $2,000 price hike; last year there were just nine.

“What I think is different this year is you have a lot of cost increases that are $1,000 or $1,500 or more, $2,000 or more,” said Rick Wainschel, Cloud Theory’s vice president of data and analytics, whose analysis looked at 2026 models with at least 2,000 vehicles in inventory.

“I think that’s a big change and a big shift that’s occurred, and it’s hard to point to any other catalyst for that (except for) tariff costs that the OEMs have had to absorb for the last eight months, and will likely have to absorb going forward,” he said.

Any increase comes on top of average car prices that were already hovering around $50,000. Pair that with stubbornly high interest rates, and the average monthly car payment is now $766, according to Edmunds.com Inc., up more than 3% from a year ago. A record share of subprime borrowers has been falling behind on their auto loans this fall.

Yet the huge car sticker price increases tied to tariffs — which analysts originally warned might tally anywhere from an extra $5,000 to $15,000 per vehicle — haven’t come to pass.

Among the reasons: competitive pressures between rival automakers, concern over blowback from Trump, large pre-tariff vehicle inventories that gave companies a lag time before pricing adjustments were needed, as well as policy adjustments that reduced the pain of the tariffs themselves.

Automakers opted to absorb many of the extra costs in the near term.

But if you’re shopping for a new car right now or plan to in the coming months, experts said it is likely tariffs will cost you in one way or another, even if it’s tough to discern exactly how. Automakers haven’t been eager to publicly disclose any connection between tariffs and their pricing adjustments.

Vehicle destination charges — those mandatory fees for transporting the car to the dealership — are rising, revealing one area where automakers “might be trying to make up a little bit of the costs,” said Erin Keating, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive Inc.

There are also signs of automakers pulling features out of certain models in a bid to trim costs while holding the same sticker price, a phenomenon known as shrinkflation. And then there are indications of carmakers offsetting their tariff costs with higher 2026 model-year MSRPs.

“Automakers really held their prices throughout the ’25 model year, and we’re starting to see a bit (of an impact) in ’26,” said Stephanie Brinley, an auto analyst with S&P Global Mobility. “But it’s being wrapped up in different ways, so it’s very difficult to suss out.”

Car companies often adjust pricing on new model-year vehicles, whether due to minor repackaging of features and trim levels, or full overhauls that include new technology and freshened sheet metal. Brinley said that means there’s no clear way for consumers to figure out where those extra tariff costs might’ve been tacked on.

Keating agrees the tariff impacts have been hard to pin down. Average car prices have been rising steadily much of this year — with September reaching an all-time high above $50,000 — but she said some of that uptick would have been expected anyway because of normal inflation.

The analyst now feels confident those initial shocking projections of price hikes in the 10% to 15% range aren’t going to happen: “The market just won’t bear it,” she said.

Automakers appear to be settling into their new normal under Trump. They’ve secured at least some tariff relief on parts and vehicles imported from certain countries, while simultaneously feeling the benefits of Trump’s moves to loosen federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards.

A September J.P. Morgan report estimated combined tariff costs on vehicles and parts will amount to $41 billion in the first year, rising to $45 billion in year two and $52 billion in year three.

The bank expects automakers and consumers to ultimately share the burden equally, which could lead to a 3% increase in new vehicle prices: “This will hit consumers hard,” the report said, “especially as many are already struggling to afford new vehicles.”

Wainschel, the Cloud Theory analyst, said average prices listed on dealer websites have only increased a few hundred dollars per vehicle since the tariffs took effect in early April. But that’s because automakers have pushed an increasing number of affordable models and trims into the market, which has helped hold the overall average price down.

If the current mix of vehicle types listed for sale was the same as it was back in April, Wainschel said, average prices would, in fact, look approximately $1,300 higher now: “So there are some things that are masking the increases that are taking place, the segment mix being a big part of it.”

Brendan Harrington, president of Autobahn Fort Worth in Texas, which sells Porsche, BMW, Mini, Volvo, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Land Rover brands, said big price hikes didn’t occur early on as companies fretted over losing market share.

But now, carmakers are beginning to make larger changes in response to tariffs, he said, including trimming back slower-selling models and increasing MSRPs where they can. He said Porsche and Land Rover are two examples of brands that have upped prices in response to tariffs.

And carmakers are also passing through higher destination charges, he said — increases that are adding $200 to $300 to the cost of a car. Tariffs also are contributing to steadily rising costs for Harrington’s parts and service departments.

“Until now, every OEM has really tried to hold the line,” he said. “But we are seeing prices now come up.”

(Detroit News Staff Writer Grant Schwab contributed.)

©2025 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Federal health officials on Wednesday expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to recalled ByHeart baby formula to include all illnesses reported since the company began production in March 2022.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said investigators cannot rule out the possibility that contamination might have affected all ByHeart formula products ever made.

The outbreak now includes at least 51 infants in 19 states. The new case definition includes any infant with botulism who was exposed to ByHeart formula at any time since the product's release, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent illness was reported on Dec. 1.

No deaths have been reported in the outbreak, which was announced Nov. 8.

Previously, health officials had said the outbreak included 39 suspected or confirmed cases of infant botulism reported in 18 states since August. That's when officials at California's Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program reported a rise in treatment of infants who had consumed ByHeart formula. Another 12 cases were identified with the expanded definition, including two that occurred in the original timeline and 10 that occurred from December 2023 through July 2025.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Thousands of blood pressure medication bottles recalled due to cross-contamination

ByHeart, a New York-based manufacturer of organic infant formula founded in 2016, recalled all its products sold in the U.S. on Nov. 11. The company, which accounts for about 1% of the U.S. infant formula market, had been selling about 200,000 cans of the product each month.

News that ByHeart products could have been contaminated for years was distressing to Andi Galindo, whose 5-week-old daughter, Rowan, was hospitalized in December 2023 with infant botulism after drinking the formula. Galindo, 36, of Redondo Beach, California, said she insisted on using ByHeart formula to supplement a low supply of breast milk because it was recommended by a lactation consultant as very natural, very gentle, very good for the babies."

That's a hard one, Galindo said. If there is proof that there were issues with their manufacturing and their plant all the way back from the beginning, that is a problem and they really need to be held accountable."

Amy Mazziotti, 43, of Burbank, California, said her then-5-month-old son, Hank, fell ill and was treated for botulism in March, weeks after he began drinking ByHeart. Being included in the investigation of the outbreak feels like a win for all of us, she said Wednesday.

Ive known in my gut from the beginning that ByHeart was the reason Hank got sick, and to see that these cases are now part of the investigation brings me to tears a mix of relief, gratitude and hope that the truth is finally being recognized, she said.

In a statement late Wednesday, ByHeart officials said the company is cooperating with federal officials to understand the full scope of related cases.

The new cases reported by CDC and FDA will help inform ByHearts investigation as we continue to seek the root cause of the contamination, the statement said.

Lab tests detected contamination

The FDA sent inspectors last month to ByHeart plants in Allerton, Iowa, and Portland, Oregon, where the formula is produced and packaged. The agency has released no results from those inspections.

The company previously reported that tests by an independent laboratory showed that 36 samples from three different lots contained the type of bacteria that can cause infant botulism.

We cannot rule out the risk that all ByHeart formula across all product lots may have been contaminated, the company wrote on its website last month.

Those results and discussions with the FDA led CDC officials to expand the outbreak, according to Dr. Jennifer Cope, a CDC scientist leading the investigation.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Half a million bottles of blood pressure drug recalled for high carcinogen levels

It looks like the contamination appeared to persist across all production runs, different lots, different raw material lots, Cope said. They couldn't isolate it to specific lots from a certain time period.

Inspection documents showed that ByHeart had a history of problems with contamination.

In 2022, the year ByHeart started making formula, the company recalled five batches of infant formula after a sample at a packaging plant tested positive for a different germ, cronobacter sakazakii. In 2023, the FDA sent a warning letter to the company detailing areas that still require corrective actions.

A ByHeart plant in Reading, Pennsylvania, was shut down in 2023 just before FDA inspectors found problems with mold, water leaks and insects, documents show.

Infant botulism is rare

Infant botulism is a rare disease that affects fewer than 200 babies in the U.S. each year. Its caused when infants ingest botulism bacteria that produce spores that germinate in the intestines, creating a toxin that affects the nervous system. Babies are vulnerable until about age 1 because their gut microbiomes are not mature enough to fight the toxin.

Baby formula has previously been linked to sporadic cases of illness, but no known outbreaks of infant botulism tied to powdered formula have previously been confirmed, according to research studies.

Symptoms can take up to 30 days to develop and can include constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, drooping eyelids and a flat facial expression. Babies may feel floppy and can have problems swallowing or breathing.

The sole treatment for infant botulism is known as BabyBIG, an IV medication made from the pooled blood plasma of adults immunized against botulism. Californias infant botulism program developed the product and is the sole source worldwide.

The antibodies provided by BabyBIG are likely most effective for about a month, although they may continue circulating in the child's system for several months, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, an expert in pediatric infectious disease at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.

The risk to the infant is ongoing and the family should not be using this formula after it was recalled, Nachman said in an email.

Families of several babies treated for botulism after drinking ByHeart formula have sued the company. Lawsuits filed in federal courts allege that the formula they fed their children was defective and ByHeart was negligent in selling it. They seek financial payment for medical bills, emotional distress and other harm.

By GISELA SALOMON, Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy split more than 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico border during his first term.

Border crossings sit at a record low nearly a year into his second administration and a new wave of immigration enforcement is dividing families inside the U.S.

Federal officials and their local law enforcement partners are detaining tens of thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants. Detainees are moved repeatedly, then deported, or held in poor conditions for weeks or months before asking to go home.

The federal government was holding an average of more than 66,000 people in November, the highest on record.

During the first Trump administration, families were forcibly separated at the border and authorities struggled to find children in a vast shelter system because government computer systems weren’t linked. Now parents inside the United States are being arrested by immigration authorities and separated from their families during prolonged detention. Or, they choose to have their children remain in the U.S. after an adult is deported, many after years or decades here.

The Trump administration and its anti-immigration backers see “unprecedented success” and Trump’s top border adviser Tom Homan told reporters in April that “we’re going to keep doing it, full speed ahead.”

Three families separated by migration enforcement in recent months told The Associated Press that their dreams of better, freer lives had clashed with Washington’s new immigration policy and their existence is anguished without knowing if they will see their loved ones again.

For them, migration marked the possible start of permanent separation between parents and children, the source of deep pain and uncertainty.

A family divided between Florida and Venezuela

Antonio Laverde left Venezuela for the U.S. in 2022 and crossed the border illegally, then requested asylum.

He got a work permit and a driver’s license and worked as an Uber driver in Miami, sharing homes with other immigrants so he could send money to relatives in Venezuela and Florida.

Laverde’s wife Jakelin Pasedo and their sons followed him from Venezuela to Miami in December 2024. Pasedo focused on caring for her sons while her husband earned enough to support the family. Pasedo and the kids got refugee status but Laverde, 39, never obtained it and as he left for work one early June morning, he was arrested by federal agents.

Pasedo says it was a case of mistaken identity by agents hunting for a suspect in their shared housing. In the end, she and her children, then 3 and 5, remember the agents cuffing Laverde at gunpoint.

“They got sick with fever, crying for their father, asking for him,” Pasedo said.

Laverde was held at Broward Transitional Center, a detention facility in Pompano Beach, Florida. In September, after three months detention, he asked to return to Venezuela.

Pasedo, 39, however, has no plans to go back. She fears she could be arrested or kidnapped for criticizing the socialist government and belonging to the political opposition.

She works cleaning offices and, despite all the obstacles, hopes to reunify with her husband someday in the U.S.

They followed the law

Yaoska’s husband was a political activist in Nicaragua, a country tight in the grasp of autocratic married co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.

She remembers her husband getting death threats and being beaten by police when he refused to participate in a pro-government march. Yaoska spoke on condition of anonymity and requested the same for her husband to protect him from the Nicaraguan government.

The couple fled Nicaragua for the U.S. with their 10-year-old son in 2022, crossing the border and getting immigration parole. Settling down in Miami, they applied for asylum and had a second son, who has U.S. citizenship. Yaoska is now five months pregnant with their third child.

In late August, Yaoska, 32, went to an appointment at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Her family accompanied her. Her husband, 35, was detained and failed his credible fear interview, according to a court document.

Yaoska was released under 24-hour supervision by a GPS watch that she cannot remove. Her husband was deported to Nicaragua after three months at the Krome Detention Center, the United States’ oldest immigration detention facility and one with a long history of abuse.

Yaoska now shares family news with her husband by phone. The children are struggling without their father, she said.

“It’s so hard to see my children like this. They arrested him right in front of them,” Yaoska said, her voice trembling.

They don’t want to eat and are often sick. The youngest wakes up at night asking for him.

“I’m afraid in Nicaragua,” she said. “But I’m scared here too.”

Yaoska said her work authorization is valid until 2028 but the future is frightening and uncertain.

“I’ve applied to several job agencies, but nobody calls me back,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”

He was detained by local police, then deported

Edgar left Guatemala more than two decades ago. Working construction, he started a family in South Florida with Amavilia, a fellow undocumented Guatemalan migrant.

The arrival of their son brought them joy.

“He was so happy with the baby — he loved him,” said Amavilia, 31. “He told me he was going to see him grow up and walk.”

But within a few days, Edgar was detained on a 2016 warrant for driving without a license in Homestead, the small agricultural city where he lived in South Florida.

She and her husband declined to provide their last names because they are worried about repercussion from U.S. immigration officials.

Amavilia expected his release within 48 hours. Instead, Edgar, who declined to be interviewed, was turned over to immigration officials and moved to Krome.

“I fell into despair. I didn’t know what to do,” Amavilia said. “I can’t go.”

Edgar, 45, was deported to Guatemala on June 8.

After Edgar’s detention, Amavilia couldn’t pay the $950 rent for the two-bedroom apartment she shares with another immigrant. For the first three months, she received donations from immigration advocates.

Today, breastfeeding and caring for two children, she wakes up at 3 a.m. to cook lunches she sells for $10 each.

She walks with her son in a stroller to take her daughter to school, then spends afternoons selling homemade ice cream and chocolate-covered bananas door to door with her two children.

Amavilia crossed the border in September 2023 and did not seek asylum or any type of legal status. She said her daughter grows anxious around police. She urges her to stay calm, smile and walk with confidence.

“I’m afraid to go out, but I always go out entrusting myself to God,” she said. “Every time I return home, I feel happy and grateful.”

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A parent of a Kentucky State University student has been charged with murder in an on campus shooting that killed one student and critically injured another.

Jacob Lee Bard was at the school’s campus in Frankfort on Tuesday and fired shots at the victims at a residence hall, police said in a statement.

Investigators said the shooting was isolated, but they have not publicly shared details of the circumstances or a possible motive. The shooting killed 19-year-old De’Jon Fox of Indianapolis. A second student who was shot remains in critical condition, but his name has not been released, police said.

Bard, 48, was booked into jail on murder and first-degree assault charges. Police said Bard is from Evansville, Indiana, which is about 150 miles west of Frankfort.

Bard is being represented by a public defender at the Franklin County Department of Public Advocacy, which declined to talk about his case Wednesday.

University police officers were near the scene of the altercation that ended with the shooting and immediately arrested Bard, police said.

Investigators have watched video taken by others at the scene and surveillance footage.

Asked by reporters about alleged videos showing a fight involving Bard’s sons preceded the shooting or whether Bard might have come to campus to talk to administrators about his sons’ safety, Frankfort Assistant Police Chief Scott Tracy refused to say what may have led to the shooting.

“It’s really too early in the investigation right now to really give any details that led up to it. A lot of it would be speculation,” Tracy said Wednesday.

The shooting happened at Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall. It was the second shooting in four months near the student residence.

Someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle on Aug. 17, striking two people that the university said weren’t students. Frankfort police said one victim was treated for minor injuries and a second sustained serious injuries. The dorm and at least one vehicle were damaged by gunfire.

University President Koffi C. Akakpo said the school brought in more police officers after the first shooting and will evaluate whether more needs to be done to keep students safe once the investigation into the latest shooting is complete,

“The campus is a safe place,” Akakpo said at the news conference.

Kentucky State is a public historically Black university with about 2,200 students. Lawmakers authorized the school’s creation in 1886.

The school sits about 2 miles east of the Capitol building in Frankfort.

As artificial intelligence becomes part of daily life for millions of Americans, Time has named its 2025 Person of the Year: the Architects of AI.

The magazine cited leaders such as Jensen Huang, Elon Musk and Sam Altman among those considered for this years honor. Musk was previously named Time Person of the Year in 2021.

While the designation is generally seen as an honor, Time has named controversial figures in the past, including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Putin.

Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs explained the decision.

A LOOK BACK AT 2024 | Donald Trump named Time's Person of the Year for a second time

This was the year when artificial intelligences full potential roared into view, and when it became clear that there will be no turning back or opting out, Jacobs said. Whatever the question was, AI was the answer. We saw it accelerate medical research and productivity, and seem to make the impossible possible. It was hard to read or watch anything without being confronted with news about the rapid advancement of a technology and the people driving it.

In announcing its choice, Time described the sweeping influence these figures have had on society.

It is the story of how Huang and other tech titans grabbed the wheel of history, developing technology and making decisions that are reshaping the information landscape, the climate and our livelihoods, Time wrote. Racing both beside and against each other, they placed multibillion-dollar bets on one of the biggest physical infrastructure projects of all time. They reoriented government policy, altered geopolitical rivalries and brought robots into homes. AI emerged as arguably the most consequential tool in great-power competition since the advent of nuclear weapons.

RELATED STORY | Google plans to launch its first AI-powered glasses in 2026

Time has occasionally chosen groups rather than individuals. In 2018, it named The Guardians journalists who faced persecution for doing their work as its Person of the Year. The year before, those leading the #MeToo movement, activists who spoke out against sexual harassment and assault, received the honor.

Last years recipient was Donald Trump, marking the seventh consecutive time a president-elect was chosen.

OUR Credit Union announced that they were able to collect $4,000 and hundreds of new toys this month in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots initiative.

Its the first year OUR Credit Union has collected for Toys for Tots.

The credit union still has one more day of collection, with the final drop off event happening on Thursday, December 11, at the Shelby Township branch at 54870 Mound Road. The credit union is accepting new toys and monetary donations.

We were hopeful this fundraiser would be a success, but being that it was our first time, we didnt know what to expect. We are deeply appreciative of the remarkable generosity shown by our members, said Evita Beadle, Accounting Manager and Care Committee Co-Chair at OUR Credit Union, in a statement.

For more details about the drive, click here.

The FBI is conducting a raid at a home in Detroit on Thursday morning, the agency confirmed to 7 News Detroit.

The raid is happening at a home near Toledo St. & Morrell St. in Southwest Detroit. That's just off Junction Ave.

See the latest report in the video below

FBI conducting raid at home in Southwest Detroit

Our crews at the scene also see Detroit police officers and troopers from Michigan State Police.

We are working to confirm more information about the raid and will update this story as we learn more.

There is no indication that this raid is connected to several other raids in the area over the past few months. There was the Halloween raid in Dearborn for the alleged terror plot, another raid in mid November in Dearborn for a felonious assault case, and a raid in late November in Southfield.

The Senate is expected to reject legislation on Thursday that would extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for millions of Americans. The subsidies expire Jan. 1, meaning many people who buy health insurance on ACA marketplaces could face steep cost increases at the start of the year.

As the Democrats' plan is expected to fail, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that Senators will vote on a proposal from Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo.

RELATED STORY | Premium Pain: Why your health care monthly premium is going up & what you can do about it

The GOP-led "Health Care Freedom for Patients Act" proposes sending money directly to patients rather than insurance companies and lowering insurance premiums and health care costs. It also seeks to expand Health Savings Account (HSA) eligibility, which is intended to help Americans cover out-of-pocket costs.

However, one part of the proposal that is likely to draw criticism from Democratic lawmaker, is that it calls for ending taxpayer-funded abortion or transgender services. The Republican plan also calls for reducing Medicaid funding to states that provide health insurance coverage to migrants who are in the country illegally and requires states to verify citizenship or immigration status before providing Medicaid coverage.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | You can now check 2026 Obamacare plan prices but costs could still rise

Up to this point, the lack of Republican consensus on health care has lingered, posing a political challenge as the 2026 midterm elections approach and swing district Republicans brace for possible political fallout if those ACA tax subsidies expire.