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By STELLA MARTANY

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The United States inaugurated a massive new consulate compound Wednesday in Irbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region.

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The move highlighted Washington’s diplomatic and strategic engagement in the Kurdish region, particularly as the U.S. moves troops that had been stationed elsewhere in Iraq as part of a mission against the Islamic State group, under an agreement with the central government in Baghdad.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas joined Kurdish leaders for the inauguration of the sprawling complex — planned as the largest U.S. consulate in the world — built on a 206,000-square-meter (50-acre) site along the Irbil–Shaqlawa highway at a cost of $796 million.

“America’s investment in this new consulate provides a secure platform to advance the interests of the United States,” Rigas said. “It demonstrates the value that a sovereign, secure and prosperous Iraq, in mutually beneficial partnership with the United States can deliver for its own people and for America.”

The opening comes amid ongoing challenges in Iraq, including regional tensions and attacks on energy infrastructure. A drone strike last week on the Kormor natural gas field caused widespread power outages.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Rigas appeared to cast blame on Iraq’s politically powerful Iran-backed militias.

He urged both Baghdad and Irbil to “disempower and dismantle Iran-aligned militias that continue to engage in violent and destabilizing activities and only serve to harm Iraqi sovereignty.”

Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani referred to the consulate as a “clear political message regarding the importance of Irbil and the Kurdistan region.”

He said the facility underscores the deep partnership between the U.S. and the Kurdish authorities and will serve as a hub for diplomatic, economic and security cooperation.

Follow AP’s Middle East coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/middle-east

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and LAURA UNGAR

WASHINGTON (AP) — A dozen prior leaders of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — appointed by Republicans and Democrats alike — issued a scathing denunciation of new FDA assertions casting doubt on vaccine safety.

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The former officials say the agency’s plans to revamp how life-saving vaccines for flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases are handled — outlined in an internal FDA memo last week — would “disadvantage the people the FDA exists to protect, including millions of Americans at high risk from serious infections.”

“The proposed new directives are not small adjustments or coherent policy updates. They represent a major shift in the FDA’s understanding of its job,” the officials, former FDA commissioners and acting commissioners, wrote Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The internal memo by FDA vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad hasn’t been publicly released but a source familiar with the document confirmed its authenticity. The document claimed — without providing evidence — that COVID-19 vaccines caused 10 children’s deaths. It went on to outline planned agency changes in handling those and certain other vaccines, and said that FDA staff who disagreed should resign.

FILE – In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Vinay Prasad smiles for a portrait. (U.S. FDA via AP)

Among Prasad’s plans were revising how yearly flu shot updates are handled and focusing more on “the benefits and harms of giving multiple vaccines at the same time.” A common message of vaccine skeptics is that too many shots may overwhelm kids’ immune systems or that ingredients may build up to cause harm — although scientists say repeated research into those claims has turned up no concerns.

On Wednesday, the former FDA leaders wrote that Prasad’s claim about child deaths related to COVID-19 vaccines had been reported to a surveillance system that doesn’t contain medical records or other information sufficient to prove a link — and that government scientists had carefully combed through those reports in previous years, reaching different conclusions. They also noted that “substantial evidence” shows COVID-19 vaccines reduce children’s risk of severe disease and hospitalization.

But the bigger picture, the former FDA leaders argued, is that the new proposals would reject long-standing science about how to evaluate vaccines being updated to better match virus strains, slow innovation to replace older vaccines with newer, potentially better ones, and make the process less transparent to the public.

An administration spokesman didn’t immediately comment.

Many doctors and public health experts also have expressed alarm about the memo.

“Vaccines save lives, period,” Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement. “It is a sad day when FDA creates confusion and mistrust without supplying evidence, spreading propaganda that makes lifesaving vaccines harder to access and that creates additional confusion and mistrust for the public.”

The FDA’s planned vaccine changes come at a time when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who helped lead the anti-vaccine movement for years — is seeking to broadly remake federal policies on vaccines.

FILE – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

Kennedy already ousted a committee that advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine recommendation and replaced it with handpicked members. And in August, he fired Susan Monarez 29 days into her tenure as CDC chief over vaccine policy disagreements. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee will meet Thursday and Friday to discuss h epatitis B vaccinations in newborns and other vaccine topics.

Ungar reported from Louisville, Kentucky. Associated Press writer Ali Swenson contributed to this report.

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

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — One of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell ‘s most vocal accusers urged judges on Wednesday to grant the Justice Department’s request to unseal records from their federal sex trafficking cases, saying “only transparency is likely to lead to justice.”

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Annie Farmer weighed in through her lawyer, Sigrid S. McCawley, after the judges asked for input from victims before ruling on whether the records should be made public under a new law requiring the government to open its files on the late financier and his longtime confidante, who sexually abused young women and girls for decades.

Farmer and other victims fought for the passage of the law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Signed last month by President Donald Trump, it compels the Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors to release by Dec. 19 the vast troves of material they’ve amassed during investigations into Epstein.

The Justice Department last week asked Manhattan federal Judges Richard M. Berman and Paul A. Engelmayer to lift secrecy orders on grand jury transcripts and other material from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case and a wide range of records from Maxwell’s 2021 case, including search warrants, financial records and notes from interviews with victims.

“Nothing in these proceedings should stand in the way of their victory or provide a backdoor avenue to continue to cover up history’s most notorious sex-trafficking operation,” McCawley wrote in a letter to the judges.

The attorney was critical of the government for failing to prosecute anyone else in Epstein and Maxwell’s orbit.

She asked the judges to ensure that the orders they issue do not preclude the Justice Department from releasing other Epstein-related materials, adding that Farmer “is wary” that any denial could be used “as a pretext or excuse” to withhold information.

Epstein, a millionaire money manager known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite, killed himself in jail a month after his 2019 arrest.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 by a federal jury of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of Epstein’s underage victims and participating in some of the abuse. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

In a court filing Wednesday, Maxwell’s lawyer again said that she is preparing a habeas petition in a bid to overturn her conviction. The lawyer, David Markus, first mentioned the habeas petition in court papers in August as she fought the Justice Department’s initial bid to have her case records unsealed. The Supreme Court in October declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal.

Markus said in Wednesday’s filing that while Maxwell now “does not take a position” in the wake of the transparency act’s passage, doing so “would create undue prejudice so severe that it would foreclose the possibility of a fair retrial” if her habeas petition succeeds.

The records, Markus said, “contain untested and unproven allegations.”

Engelmayer, who’s weighing whether to release records from Maxwell’s case, gave her and victims until Wednesday to respond to the Justice Department’s unsealing request. The government must respond to their filings by Dec. 10. The judge said he will rule “promptly thereafter.”

Berman, who presided over the Epstein case, ordered victims and Epstein’s estate to respond by Wednesday and gave the government until Dec. 8 to reply to those submissions. Berman said he would make his “best efforts to resolve this motion promptly.”

Lawyers for Epstein’s estate said in a letter to Berman on Wednesday that the estate takes no position on the Justice Department’s unsealing request. The lawyers noted that the government had committed to making appropriate redactions of personal identifying information for victims.

Last week, a lawyer for some victims complained that the House Oversight Committee had failed to redact, or black out, some of their names from tens of thousands pages of Epstein-related documents it has released in recent months.

Transparency “CANNOT come at the expense of the privacy, safety, and protection of sexual abuse and sex trafficking victims, especially these survivors who have already suffered repeatedly,” lawyer Brad Edwards wrote.

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH

A former suburban St. Louis police officer admitted that over several months last year, he pulled over 20 women’s vehicles and searched their phones for nude photos and videos.

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In a deal with federal prosecutors entered Tuesday, former Florissant Officer Julian Alcala pleaded guilty to 20 counts of willfully depriving someone of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a felony obstruction count.

The count he pleaded guilty to is punishable by up to a year in prison. Alcala, 30, remains free on bond pending his March 11 sentencing.

According to the plea deal, Alcala pulled over a woman in February 2024 and took her cellphone to his vehicle, saying he needed to do so to confirm her insurance information. Instead he found a video of the woman engaged in sexual activity on her phone and texted it to his own phone. He also found a nude photo of the woman and used his phone to take a picture of the image.

Over the next three months, he took 19 other women’s phones back to his vehicle during traffic stops, purportedly to confirm their insurance or vehicle registration, the plea deal states. He then looked for nude images and took photos of ones he found.

He was caught after the first victim looked in her deleted texts and learned that the video of her engaged in sexual activity had been sent to an unknown number. She called the FBI, which traced the number to Alcala. The FBI then executed a search warrant and found the other nude photos, according to the plea agreement.

Alcala’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, didn’t immediately respond to a Tuesday email seeking comment.

By PETER SMITH and JULIE CARR SMYTH

A former missionary with an Ohio-based ministry has been indicted on federal charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with four different minors in Haiti over multiple years.

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Jeriah Mast, 44, of Millersburg, Ohio, was indicted for alleged actions during his multiple visits to Haiti between 2002 and 2019. Mast — who according to authorities admitted to abusing about 30 victims in Haiti and more in Ohio — worked for part of that time for the Millersburg-based Christian Aid Ministries, which coordinates missionary activities for Amish, conservative Mennonite and related groups.

It marks the second court case against Mast, who was sentenced in Holmes County court in 2019 to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two minors in Ohio.

Mast received an early judicial release in October after serving just under six years, according to Ohio’s inmate database. As a condition of his release, he was placed on three years’ supervised probation and required to complete an intensive supervision program, including sex-offender specific programming.

Court records indicate that presiding retired Judge Edward Emmett O’Farrell of Tuscarawas County granted Mast’s release based on “an exemplary record” behind bars and “most importantly, the Defendant’s stated and demonstrated remorse for the crimes he committed, and the emotional and psychological pain and suffering he inflicted upon the child victims and their families in this case.”

Mast was arrested on the federal charges on Nov. 5 and formally indicted on Tuesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Cleveland.

“Crimes against children, like those mentioned in these allegations, are reprehensible,” U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement. “Such appalling and morally corrupt behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We commend the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, whose thorough work led to these federal charges being filed today.”

The charges are based on a U.S. law that prohibits citizens from “traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in any illicit sexual conduct with another person,” according to court filings.

The court docket indicates Mast is represented by a public defender, who did not immediately return email and phone messages seeking comment late Wednesday.

The Mast scandal came into public view in 2019 after he abruptly returned home from Haiti. In a subsequent interview with Holmes County authorities, he admitted to molesting about 30 children in Haiti between about 2003 and 2019, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court by Special Agent Jason M. Guyton of Homeland Security Investigations. Details of his admission indicate many if not all of the reported victims were boys.

The federal charges accuse Mast of abusing four different minors in 2004, 2007 and 2011. One was a 13-year-old boy Mast met through his missionary work and allegedly molested in a tent, according to the criminal complaint.

The case was among those that drew attention to issues of sexual abuse in Amish and related, plain-dressing church communities such as conservative Mennonites and the Charity churches that Mast belonged to. Advocates have said victims have been pressured to forgive abusers and not to seek prosecution outside the disciplines of the largely closed religious communities.

Holmes County, where Christian Aid Ministries is based, is the hub of one of the nation’s largest Amish settlements. In 2019, CAM placed two of its managers on leave amid revelations that they knew as early as 2013 that Mast had confessed to sexual activity with young men, yet kept him on the job.

A CAM spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday.

CAM’s work in Haiti came into the spotlight in 2021 when 17 missionaries and their children were kidnapped by a gang. They went free later that year, some ransomed by a third party, CAM acknowledged. CAM said most of the rest escaped.

On Wednesday, Joly Germine, alleged to be the founder and leader of the gang, was sentenced in federal court in Washington to life in prison for orchestrating the kidnapping.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

St. Thomas Aquinas, ranked nationally No. 11 by MaxPreps, and No. 21 Chaminade-Madonna will try to take the easier road to the FHSAA state championship games next weekend at Pit Bull Stadium on the campus of FIU, as they have home semifinal games.

Six-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas (5A) and four-time defending state (1A) champ Chaminade-Madonna both rolled to regional final victories, as did defending champ West Boca (6A) and also Cardinal Newman (1A).

Defending Class 4A state champion American Heritage rallied to defeat Archbishop McCarthy 25-20 while the other two winners — West Broward and Cardinal Gibbons — both won by three points.

I was 8-1 last week in running my overall record to 176-33 (84.2%) for the year.

5A

Riverdale (12-1) at No. 11 St. Thomas Aquinas (12-1) (Friday, 7:30 p.m.): In a battle of the Raiders, Riverdale comes in on an eight-game winning streak following a 28-26 win over Manatee to reach the state semifinal for the first time in school history. Senior quarterback Theodis Harris ran for two TDs in their recent win, but departed with a concussion, so his status is up in the air. Senior Lovensky Blanchard leads the team on the ground with 1,385 yards and 21 TDs. The six-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders have won 12 straight games since opening the year with a 26-23 loss to California Mater Dei. Senior QB Mason Mallory accounted for all four scores in last week’s win over McArthur, which was the 34th consecutive playoff win during their streak. St. Thomas Aquinas 24, Riverdale 7.

6A

West Boca Raton (11-2) at No. 70 Seffner Armwood (13-0) (Friday, 7 p.m.): The host Hawks have won 35 of their past 38 games and have outscored the opposition 577-58 this season. Armwood has pitched three straight shutouts, and seven in their past eight games, as eight players have double-digit tackles for losses, led by junior linebacker Theo Wilson (86 tackles, 32 TFLs, 12 sacks). West Boca junior quarterback Trey Moran accounted for three TDs as the 6A defending state champion Bulls thumped Mitchell 41-3 for their fifth straight win. West Boca senior and UM commit Javian Mallory enters the game averaging 101.3 yards per game. Armwood 20, West Boca 16.

West Broward (11-2) at Gainesville Buchholz (12-1) (Friday, 7:30 p.m.): We have another game featuring the same mascots: the Bobcats. Senior DL Jayson Farfan led West Broward with  three of the team’s six sacks last week, while sophomore linebacker Tyler Tindel had 18 tackles, a sack and defended a pass as West Broward rallied from a 14-point first-quarter deficit to knock off the region’s top seed, Miami Southridge. Buchholz has won 11 in a row, thanks in part to senior Justin Williams (64 receptions for 1,059 yards, 12 scores; 492 rushing yards, 9 TDs). West Broward, playing in their first state semifinal, has won 11 games in a row since losing the first two games of the year. Gainesville Buchholz 21, West Broward 17.

4A

American Heritage (7-5) at Choctawhatchee (12-1) (Friday, 7 p.m.): The defending 4A state champion Patriots rallied to defeat host Archbishop McCarthy 25-20 as backup running back TJ Mullen ran for 158 yards and a TD, filling in for senior Jonathan Bueno, who left in the first quarter with an injury. Mullen, who started the season as a defensive back, might be called on again with Bueno’s status uncertain. It was the Patriots’ third straight win. The host Indians, who won their lone state championship in 1990 (Class 5A), are also riding a three-game win streak, and last reached the final four in 2014. Choctawhatchee 21, American Heritage 20.

2A

Cardinal Gibbons (10-3) at Jacksonville Bolles (12-1) (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.): The host Bulldogs steamrolled Pensacola Catholic 44-10 behind senior QB Jaden Weatherly (1,860 passing yards, 22 TDs; 271 yards rushing, 6 TDs) and crushed visiting Pensacola Catholic 44-10. It’s the sixth state semifinal appearance in seven seasons for Bulldogs coach Matt Tobin. They have won 11 state titles (the last coming in 2011), which is second in the state to St. Thomas Aquinas and their 16. Cardinal Gibbons handed its coach Matt DuBuc his 100th career victory with a 20-17 win over previously undefeated Miami Immaculata La Salle (12-1) in the regional final. The Chiefs ran for 294 yards as they reached the state semifinals for the first time since 2021, when they won the second of back-to-back state titles. Jacksonville Bolles 17, Cardinal Gibbons 16.

1A

Tampa Carrollwood Day (12-0) at Cardinal Newman (10-3) (Friday, 7:30 p.m.): Cardinal Newman is hoping to win the first state semifinal in school history. Last season, the Crusaders fell 22-21 in double-OT on a 2-point conversion by Clearwater Central Catholic in their state semifinal debut. Cardinal Newman senior RB Phoenix Donghia (1,068 rushing yards, 22 TDs) and senior LB Adam Balogoun-Ali (101 tackles, 15 TFL, 2 sacks per game) lead the way. Carrollwood Day averages 44 points and 484 yards per game, led by sophomore running back Kameron Battle (2,021 yards rushing, 21 scores; 334 receiving yards, 6 TDs). Carrollwood Day 31, Cardinal Newman 27.

Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy (9-4) at No. 21 Chaminade-Madonna (10-2) (Friday, 7:30 p.m.): Chaminade-Madonna faces a familiar foe if it wants to reach its 10th consecutive state final appearance. The Lions topped the Conquerors 35-6 in last year’s state semifinals after Trinity Christian had won the previous two meetings in 2020 and 2016, en route to winning 3A state championships in both years. Chaminade-Madonna has won seven state championships in the past nine years. Trinity Christian Academy is no stranger to winning champions either having won nine in the school’s history, the last one coming in 2021, when they won the 2A title. Chaminade-Madonna 28, Trinity Christian 7.

Inaugural Florida Invitational Tournament

7A-4A South Division Championship game

Cantonment Tate (10-3) vs. Dr. Joaquin Garcia (10-3) (Thursday, 7 p.m.) at The Villages Charter School stadium near Orlando: The Aggies, from just north of Pensacola, have a young team with just 19 seniors on its 57-player roster. This game should be a contrast of styles, as Tate relies on a potent running game, averaging 186.3 yards on the ground per game, thanks in part to sophomore Tanner Clark’s 114.2 yards per game. Since a knee injury sidelined starting sophomore quarterback Miles Delarosa in September, Tate has gone the quarterback-by-committee route, finally settling on Clark, who has run for 1,500 yards and accounted for 18 TDs. Dr. Joaquin Garcia, winners of five in a row, is led by senior QB Caleb Butler (2,131 yards passing, 24 TDs; 275 rushing yards, 6 TDs).

Dr. Joaquin Garcia coach Brandon Walker, whose team finished 1-9 in his first year and has reached the postseason the past two years, said there was a level of disappointment when they didn’t make the main FHSAA playoffs, but that was erased when they got the No. 1 seed in the south bracket of the FIT.

“We have come a long way in the three years that we have been open as a school,” Walker said. “I am super proud of our players, coaches, and school for all of the hard work it has taken to get to where we are. We are nowhere near where we want to be, but our program has taken steps every year, and we will continue to climb the ladder. Tate has a good football team, and it’s going to take a great effort on our part to get the victory.”

OXFORD, Miss. — Shelton Henderson scored 18 points, Tru Washington added 17, and Miami defeated Mississippi 75-66 in an ACC/SEC Challenge game on Tuesday night.

The Hurricanes (7-2) shot 49% from the field and 44% from deep, and led for all but four minutes of the game. Miami led by as many as 19 points early in the second half.

Henderson grabbed nine rebounds and had five assists, pacing the Hurricanes in both categories. Malik Reneau scored 15 points (7-for-12 shooting) and had six rebounds.

Miami rode an extended 18-5 run to end the half up 42-26. They surrendered a 9-0 run to Ole Miss that made it a single-digit game, but held off the comeback attempt for a comfortable win.

Travis Perry and Patton Pinkins each scored 11 points to pace the Rebels (5-3). Malik Dia had nine rebounds and nine points, shooting 2 of 10 from the field. The Rebels were held to 35% shooting.

Up next

Miami hosts Southern Miss on Saturday.

By TIM REYNOLDS

SUNRISE — Troy Stecher and Scott Laughton both got their first goals of the season, Dakota Joshua added a goal and an assist, and the Toronto Maple Leafs topped the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Bobby McMann had two assists for the Leafs, who have won three of their last four, and John Tavares added an empty-netter with 18.6 seconds left.

Sam Reinhart got his 14th of the season, a short-handed score in the second period for Florida. But Laughton scored with 7:42 left to restore the two-goal edge for the Leafs.

Florida has lost four of its last five, and four straight at home.

It was the first Florida-Toronto game since the second round of last season’s playoffs, a series where the Maple Leafs took the first two games and held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in Game 3 — before losing that game on a goal by Brad Marchand in overtime. Florida would roll to wins in Games 5 and 7 in Toronto, both by 6-1 scores, and went on to capture its second consecutive Stanley Cup.

But this Florida roster looked a whole lot different than the one last spring did.

The Panthers were again without their long-term injured players — Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Dmitry Kulikov, Eetu Luostarinen and Tomas Nosek among them — plus were without forward Carter Verhaeghe, who missed the game because he and his wife were expecting a baby.

It meant Florida added Jack Studnicka to its fourth line. Studnicka was making his Panthers debut and playing an NHL game for the first time since April 2024.

Up next

Panthers: Host Nashville on Thursday, the fourth game of a six-game homestand.

By AARON BEARD

DURHAM, N.C. — Isaiah Evans hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19.7 seconds left, and No. 4 Duke held on to beat No. 15 Florida 67-66 on Tuesday night in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

The slim sophomore was sitting at 0 for 7 from behind the arc when Florida’s Boogie Fland hit a 3 with 34.6 seconds left for a 66-64 lead, coming on a night the reigning national champions had trailed by 15. But Evans calmly sunk the shot that helped Duke (9-0) stay unbeaten in a thrilling finish.

Florida (5-3) had a final desperation possession down one with 1.4 seconds left, but Maliq Brown tipped Thomas Haugh’s heave at the inbounds point to run the final time off and send Cameron Indoor Stadium into an ear-ringing frenzy.

Star freshman Cameron Boozer scored 29 points for the Blue Devils. Evans had 13 points and a career-high five of Duke’s 11 blocks.

Haugh scored 24 points for the Gators, who trailed 36-24 at the break but absolutely worked Duke on the glass in the second half to climb back in it. Florida finished with a 44-33 rebounding advantage, including 20-11 on the offensive glass for the game while finishing with 13 second-chance points after halftime.

This marked the first time the Blue Devils had hosted a reigning national champion in nonconference play at Cameron Indoor Stadium since beating UCLA in February 1996, and this one came with the unusual sight of Duke wearing black uniforms at home tied to a fan blackout.

Up next

Florida: The Gators face No. 5 UConn next Tuesday in New York’s Madison Square Garden, a matchup of teams that have won the past three NCAA titles.

By SEAN MURPHY

The owners of an all-girls summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, where 25 campers and two teenage counselors died in catastrophic July 4 flooding, announced plans on Tuesday for new safety upgrades that will be in place when a portion of the camp opens next summer.

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Camp Mystic owners said in a letter to parents that they plan to exceed new camp safety laws that were passed by the Legislature and signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following the devastating floods that killed at least 136 people and washed away homes and vehicles.

“We are preparing for next summer at Camp Mystic Cypress Lake and we know that safety is of the utmost concern to all of you, as it is for us,” the Eastland family wrote in the letter to parents of Camp Mystic campers. “We thank the Heaven’s 27 families and our state leaders for passing legislation to help make camps safer, and it is our goal not only to be in compliance with the new camp safety laws, but to exceed their requirements.”

The children and counselors who died have become known as “Heaven’s 27.” Camp Mystic’s owners include the wife and other family members of Dick Eastland, who also died in the flooding.

The enhanced safety measures at the camp include four flood warning river monitors designed to provide early detection of high-water events, two-way radios in every cabin enabled with national weather alerts and high-capacity generators to maintain power in critical areas of the camp, including its office and dining hall.

“We recognize that returning to Camp Mystic carries both hope and heartache,” the Eastland family said in the letter. “For many of your daughters, this return is not simple, but it is a courageous step in their healing journey.”

The Eastland family announced in September that it planned to build a memorial for the girls who died in the flooding and to reopen Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a separate property that is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and that sustained no damage in the July 4 floods. That plan drew fierce criticism from some of the victims’ families, who said they were never consulted about Camp Mystic’s plans.

“To promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy — while one camper remains missing — is unthinkable,” CiCi and Will Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cile Steward died in the floods and whose body still has not been recovered, wrote to Camp Mystic officials when their reopening plan was first announced.

The families of several of the girls who died in the floods have sued Camp Mystic and the Eastlands in state court, alleging camp operators failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached.

Camp Mystic plans to offer six separate 10-day sessions in 2026, beginning May 30 and ending Aug. 9. They also plan to offer tours of the camp in April for enrolled campers, counselors and their parents.

BOSTON (AP) — Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers was banned for life Tuesday from an academic society in the latest fallout over recently released emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after the disgraced financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor.

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The American Economic Association, a nonprofit scholarly association dedicated to economic research, said it had accepted Summers’ resignation and banned him for life from “attending, speaking at, or otherwise participating” in its events.

“The AEA condemns Mr. Summers’ conduct, as reflected in publicly reported communications, as fundamentally inconsistent with its standards of professional integrity and with the trust placed in mentors within the economics profession,” the group said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Summers declined to comment.

The Epstein emails include messages in which Summers appeared to be getting advice from Epstein about pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman who viewed him as an “economic mentor.”

“im a pretty good wing man , no?” Epstein wrote on Nov. 30, 2018.

The next day, Summers told Epstein he had texted the woman, telling her he “had something brief to say to her.”

“Am I thanking her or being sorry re my being married. I think the former,” he wrote.

Summers’ wife, Elisa New, also emailed Epstein multiple times, including a 2015 message in which she thanked him for arranging financial support for a poetry project she directs.

After the emails came out last month, Summers went on leave from teaching at Harvard University and from his position as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. Other organizations that ended their affiliations with Summers include the Center for American Progress, the Center for Global Development and the Budget Lab at Yale University.

Epstein, who authorities say died by suicide in jail in 2019, was a convicted sex offender with vast connections to wealthy and powerful people, making him a fixture of outrage and conspiracy theories about wrongdoing among American elites.

Summers served as treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He was Harvard’s president for five years, from 2001 to 2006. When asked about the emails last week, Summers issued a statement saying he has “great regrets in my life” and that his association with Epstein was a “major error in judgement.”

By SEUNG MIN KIM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will embark on a reconstruction of Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.

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“We’re also going to rebuild Dulles airport because it’s not a good airport,” Trump said during a meeting of his Cabinet members at the White House. “It should be a great airport, and it’s not a good airport at all. It’s a terrible airport.”

Dulles is one of the three Washington-area airports and its quality is a hotly-debated topic among Washingtonians.

Trump, a former real estate mogul, said the Dulles building was “incorrectly designed.” He nonetheless praised Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect who designed the main terminal at Dulles.

“We’re going to turn that around and we’re going to make Dulles airport — serving Washington and Virginia, Maryland, etc. — we’re gonna make that into something really spectacular. We have an amazing plan for it.”

His motorcade took an unannounced drive through Dulles in early November. At the time, the White House said Trump wanted to take the detour to the airport to assess potential future projects.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy singled out the controversial “people movers” that ferry travelers in between concourses. One of the vehicles, which are also called “mobile lounges,” crashed in November.

Still, some experts questioned the substance of Trump’s Dulles remarks.

Sheldon H. Jacobson, an airport security and aviation infrastructure expert whose research contributed to the design of TSA PreCheck, called the president’s announcement a “head-scratcher,” noting it comes amid substantial modernization work already underway at Dulles, including a new 14-gate concourse set to open next year that will give passengers direct access to its AeroTrain system.

“I can think of a lot higher priorities right now,” he said, pointing to the long-needed updates to the nation’s aging air traffic control equipment. Trump said Tuesday that his administration was also working on modernizing the air traffic control system.

Jacobson said the airport’s continued reliance on people movers remains a “glaring weakness,” but added that “there are a lot of things actually in very good shape at Dulles right now,” including the AeroTrain.

“I’m not sure what he’s thinking,” Jacobson said of Trump. “His comments are non sequitur to the reality of this airport.”

The Transportation Department announced later Tuesday that it is inviting bids for a Dulles project that would build “completely new terminals and concourses” at the airport. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement that it will work with the Transportation Department to build upon the existing $7 billion plan to improve Dulles.

Associated Press writers Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Josh Funk in Omaha contributed to this report.

By JOSH FUNK

The Trump administration’s latest move to enforce standards for commercial truck drivers, by flagging nearly half of the driving schools as noncompliant, doesn’t figure to disrupt the industry, experts say. But the heavy scrutiny on immigrant drivers might.

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The bigger, more reputable schools were not included in the list and many of the schools that were appear to have already been idle, leading trucking industry officials to predict minimal turmoil. The self-certification process that has been in place since 2022 allowed questionable schools to gain recognition. Plus, these efforts to enforce training standards — and the previous moves to strengthen licensing particularly for immigrants — will take effect gradually over time as licenses come up for renewal and new drivers graduate from schools.

The fact that there are probably more drivers than needed right now in the midst of a 10% drop in shipments since 2022 because of the economic uncertainty also helps, although trucking companies still struggle to find enough well-qualified drivers with clean records.

Even before a truck driver that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people, the administration focused on making sure truck drivers meet English proficiency standards. The focus on immigrant drivers, who account for about 20% of all truckers, intensified after that August crash as the Transportation Department audited commercial driver’s license programs and Duffy proposed new restrictions that would severely limit which noncitizens could get a license to drive a semi or a bus.

A court put the new rules on hold. But Duffy threatened to withhold millions from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota after the audits found significant problems under the existing rules like commercial licenses being valid long after an immigrant truck driver’s work permit expired, That pressure prompted California to revoke 17,000 licenses.

Some immigrant drivers are afraid to go on the road

Trucking company owner Dave Atwal said that as a result many of his drivers at Diamond Transportation in Lodi, California, are “just afraid to go to some of these other states where they might get harassed.” Atwal has been able to assign some drivers to in-state routes, but he has lost more than 40 drivers who either walked away from the job or were unable to renew their licenses even though they have several years of safe driving on their records.

Dave Laut said he has had a hard time finding all the drivers he wants to have behind the wheels of his 300 or so trucks at FBT Inc. Immigrant drivers are bearing the brunt of the government enforcement, according to Laut who is Sikh like the driver in the Florida crash and the driver of another fatal crash in California this fall.

“A lot of (Sikhs) are quitting truck driving,” he said. “They feel people target them, and they feel insulted and they are quitting jobs. They are hardworking guys. They stand out more.”

Laut said his company underwent a Homeland Security audit of his drivers’ immigration statuses about two weeks ago. It passed that review, which many trucking firms in California are undergoing.

But Duffy’s announcement Monday that as many as 7,500 trucking programs could soon be decertified will threaten the ongoing effort to attract and train new drivers — particularly if any schools doing things the right way get caught up with schools not playing by the rules.

But many of the schools that would be forced out of business were already idle before the Transportation Department took action, so decertifying them may not have a dramatic impact. The vast majority of the schools at risk either failed to submit a required biannual report or hadn’t submitted any certificates verifying that a student had completed their course in the past year.

Trucking industry can likely absorb the changes

Logan Cooper, who arranges for trucks to deliver containers of imported goods from ports and rail yards for OEC Group, said “there’s some room to absorb this in the industry” but there will likely be some impact over time.

But Blair Robbins, who advises companies about their transportation needs as a partner with EisnerAmper, said that even if all these efforts do lead to higher rates, they would be increasing off the current lower shipping rates that are depressed because of the decline in the number of shipments in recent years. Robbins said he has seen estimates that only about 5% to 10% of the workforce might be affected, and that will happen gradually over time.

Tougher standards should mean safer drivers

Dane Rogers, CEO of Western Pacific Truck School in California and the national Commercial Vehicle Training Association, supports the federal government’s efforts to enforce the 2022 driver training standards. Rogers’ school, which trains hundreds of drivers every year, was not found out of compliance.

“We’ve been highlighting this for years,” Rogers said. “There’s so many truck schools that just pop up, and they don’t adhere to the rigorous standards set forth by either California or the FMCSA – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.”

Jeffery Burkhardt, who is chair of the national trucking schools group, said established schools don’t have any problem complying with the standards. Burkhardt is also is senior director of operations at Ancora, which provides CDL training at colleges, community colleges and companies.

“For the legitimate schools it’s not a problem. We welcome it. For the illegitimate schools, it’s a bad thing for them,” Burkhardt said.

Decertifying nearly half of all trucking schools could limit the number of new drivers and create monthslong waiting lists at the remaining schools. But Rogers and major trucking groups, including the American Trucking Association and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, think it is a good idea to ensure schools are meeting the standards to prepare drivers to handle 80,000-pound trucks on highways across the country.

“Do you want more truck drivers that are dangerous, or do you want less truck drivers that are more competent?” Rogers said. “I would go with the latter.”

But this may extend wait lists at trucking schools

Antonio Yates said classes at the 100 Placement Truck Driving School he works at in Detroit are already full for the next two to three months, and he expects the wait time will get worse if all these schools close. He said the number of immigrants willing to pay $5,000 to learn how to operate a semitrailer truck or $3,000 to learn to drive a bus has increased over the past year or so.

“They’re from all over, South America, Africa. They’re from everywhere,” said Yates, who added that most are paying for the training themselves.

Yates acknowledged that understanding the English language can be tough for some.

“If I can’t communicate with you, I can’t even train you properly,” he said. “We turn people away all of the time.”

Associated Press writers Corey Williams, Audrey McAvoy and Sophie Austin contributed to this report.

A second man has been arrested in connection with a shooting outside of a Pembroke Pines sports bar in October that killed one man and injured another, the police department said Tuesday.

Two men had been shot multiple times just before 4 a.m. Oct. 19 in the parking lot of Rickey’s Sports Bar and Grill at 8389 Pines Blvd. One of the men was pronounced dead that morning at the hospital while the second man survived, Pembroke Pines Police previously said.

Richaun Erick McKnight, 21, and Clayton Hicks, 27, are facing charges in connection with the shooting. McKnight’s arrest was announced Tuesday evening; Hicks was arrested the day after the shooting.

Surveillance video showed the two victims had been in an argument in the parking lot with a man wearing a gray track suit, then walked back toward their red Dodge Journey that was parked nearby, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The man in the track suit walked after them, raised his arm and fired a gun toward them, surveillance video showed, according to the affidavit. A second man wearing black, later identified as Hicks, then came into view and also shot toward the two victims, whose names are redacted in the affidavit.

Hicks was then seen running and getting into a white BMW X3 before picking up the other shooter and driving away west on Pines Boulevard, the affidavit said. License plate reader data led detectives to identify Hicks as the owner of the BMW.

Detectives found Hicks’s BMW in Miami-Dade County later that day and surveilled him before pulling the car over for a tint violation, according to the affidavit. Hicks told a Pembroke Pines Police officer who questioned him during the stop that he had been at the sports bar that morning and shot 22 rounds.

Hicks told the detective he “just started shooting” at one of the victims “because he heard shooting,” according to the affidavit. Hicks at first told the officer he had been alone but once shown the surveillance video said he had taken a friend named “Larry” home. He denied knowing the second shooter.

Court records were not available Monday night in McKnight’s case.

Hicks faces one count of second-degree murder with a firearm and one count of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, court records show. He has pleaded not guilty.

McKnight as of Monday night is facing one count of second-degree murder with a firearm, the police department said in a news release. He was arrested in Fort Lauderdale in coordination with the FBI and Miami Police.

By BEN FINLEY and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military would have committed a crime if it killed the survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat, legal experts say.

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It doesn’t matter whether the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels as the Trump administration asserts. Such a fatal second strike would have violated peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict, the experts say.

“I can’t imagine anyone, no matter what the circumstance, believing it is appropriate to kill people who are clinging to a boat in the water,” said Michael Schmitt, a former Air Force lawyer and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College. “That is clearly unlawful.”

The White House confirmed Monday that a second strike was conducted in September against a vessel accused of trafficking drugs off the coast of Venezuela and insisted it was done “in self-defense” and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.

A news report about that attack spawned a new level of scrutiny from lawmakers and added to a growing debate about whether service members can refuse to follow illegal orders, which some Democratic lawmakers recently encouraged.

Here’s what to know about the strikes and laws of armed conflict:

What set off the debate

The Washington Post reported last week that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a spoken directive to “kill everybody” on a boat targeted on Sept. 2, the first vessel hit in what the Trump administration calls a counterdrug campaign that has grown to over 20 known strikes and more than 80 dead.

Two men survived that first attack, which killed nine others, and were clinging to the wreckage, the newspaper reported. The commander in charge, Adm. Frank Bradley, ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, killing the two men, the Post reported.

Hegseth called it “fake news” on social media, saying the boat strikes are “in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the administration “will look into” it but added that “I wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike.” He noted that Hegseth told him “he did not order the death of those two men.”

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Bradley had ordered the second strike and “was well within his authority to do so.” She denied that Hegseth said to leave no survivors.

The administration has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, similar to the war against al-Qaida following the Sept. 11 attacks.

What the law allows during armed conflict

A second strike killing survivors would have been illegal under any circumstance, armed conflict or not, Schmitt said.

He said the U.S. is not in a legitimate armed conflict with drug cartels, which would have to be committing high levels of violence against the country, not just trafficking drugs that kill Americans.

Even if it was, “it has been clear for well over a century that you may not declare what’s called ‘no quarter’ — take no survivors, kill everyone,” Schmitt said.

Whether an armed conflict is taking place likely would not be settled by an international body like the International Criminal Court, to which the U.S. is not a party, said Matthew Waxman, a Columbia University law professor who was a national security official in the George W. Bush administration.

The U.S., however, could face blowback from allies, which may decline to share information for military operations that are illegal under their own laws or international law, said Waxman, who served in the State and Defense departments and on the National Security Council under Bush.

America’s armed conflict against al-Qaida received support from the U.N. Security Council, NATO and U.S. allies, he said.

The legal threat posed to US military personnel

If the U.S. is not in an armed conflict, that means it violated international human rights law, which governs how countries treat individuals, Schmitt said.

“You can only use lethal force in circumstances where there is an imminent threat,” Schmitt said. “And that wasn’t the case.”

Brian Finucane, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group and a former State Department lawyer, agreed that the U.S. is not in an armed conflict with drug cartels.

“The term for a premeditated killing outside of armed conflict is murder,” Finucane said, adding that U.S. military personnel could be prosecuted in American courts.

“Murder on the high seas is a crime,” he said. “Conspiracy to commit murder outside of the United States is a crime. And under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Article 118 makes murder an offense.”

The Pentagon’s own manual on the laws of war describes a scenario similar to the Sept. 2 boat strike when discussing when service members should refuse to comply with unlawful orders.

“For example,” the manual says, “orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.”

What Congress has said about what comes next

Leaders of the Armed Services committees in both the House and Senate have opened investigations.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate’s committee, and its top Democrat, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, said the committee “will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

Concern about the second strike comes after a group of Democratic lawmakers — all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community — released a video calling on U.S. military members to defy “illegal orders.”

Among them was Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat and former Navy fighter pilot who has questioned the use of the military to attack the alleged drug boats. The Pentagon says it’s investigating Kelly over possible breaches of military law tied to the video.

Kelly said Monday that “if what seems to have happened, actually happened, I’m really concerned about our service members.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has defended the boat strikes as stopping the flow of narcotics into the U.S. and said to wait for the outcome of the reviews.

“Obviously, if there was a direction to take a second shot and kill people, that’s a violation of an ethical, moral or legal code. We need to get to the bottom of it,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican.

Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

By CORA LEWIS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Chain stores have Black Friday. Online marketplaces have Cyber Monday. For local businesses, it’s Small Business Saturday.

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In the last 20 years, more segments of the retail industry have vied for their own piece of the holiday shopping season. The travel trade has firmly joined the trend with another post-Thanksgiving sales push: Travel Tuesday.

On the same day as the nonprofit world’s Giving Tuesday, airlines, hotels, cruise ship companies, travel booking platforms and tour operators get in on the annual spirit to spend by promoting one-day deals. Consumer advocates say there are legitimate savings to be had but also chances to be misled by marketing that conveys a false sense of urgency.

“People see ‘40 percent off’ and assume it’s a once-in-a-lifetime steal, without recognizing that the underlying price may have been inflated or that the same itinerary was cheaper last month.” Sally French, a travel expert at personal finance site NerdWallet, said.

She and other seasoned travelers advised consumers who want to see if they can save money by booking trips on Travel Tuesday to do research in advance and to pay especially close attention to the fine print attached to offers.

People hoping to score last-minute deals for Christmas or New Year’s should double-check for blackout dates or other restrictions, recommended Lindsay Schwimer, a consumer expert for the online travel site Hopper.

It’s also wise to to keep an eye out for nonrefundable fares, resort fees, double occupancy requirements or upgrade conditions that may be hidden within advertised discounts, according to French.

Shoppers should be wary of travel packages with extra transportation options or add-on offers, French said. Instead of lowering fares or room rates, some companies use statement credits, extra points, included amenities and bundled extras as a way to tempt potential customers, she said.

“Many travel brands want to keep sticker prices high to maintain an aura of luxury, but they still need to fill planes, ships and hotel rooms,” French said. “Add-on perks are their workaround.”

Consumers who are prepared rather than impulsive and on the lookout for the up-sell are in a much better position to identify authentic bargains, consumer experts stressed. Knowing what a specific trip would typically cost and comparison shopping can help expose offers based on inflated underlying costs and whether the same itinerary might have been cheaper at other times, they said.

“Compare prices, check your calendar and make sure the trip you’re booking is something you genuinely want, not something you bought because a countdown timer pressured you,” French said. “What gets glossed over is that the best deal might be not booking anything at all if it doesn’t align with your plans.”

Travel Tuesday came about based on existing industry trends. In 2017, Hopper analyzed historical pricing data and found that in each of the nine previous years, the biggest day for post-Thanksgiving travel discounts was the day after Cyber Monday.

The site named the day Travel Tuesday. The number of offers within that time-targeted window and the number of travelers looking for them has since expanded.

“Nearly three times as many trips were planned on Travel Tuesday last year compared to Black Friday,” Hopper’s Schwimer said. “We continue to see growth in the day, year over year, as more travel brands and categories offer deals.”

The event’s origin story is in line with the National Retail Federation coining Cyber Monday in 2005 as a response to the emerging e-commerce era. American Express came up with Small Business Saturday in 2010 to direct buyers and their dollars to smaller retailers, credit card fees and all.

A report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company last year noted that November and December tend to be slow months for travel bookings, making Travel Tuesday a “marketing moment” that could help boost revenue.

Hotel, cruise and and airline bookings by U.S. travelers increased significantly on Travel Tuesday 2023 compared with the two weeks before and after the day, the report’s authors wrote, citing data provided by the travel marketing platform Sojern.

While Travel Tuesday so far has been mostly confined to the United States and Canada, “European travel companies can anticipate the possibility that Travel Tuesday will become a growing phenomenon in their region, given that other shopping days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have spread beyond North America,” the report stated.

Vivek Pandya, lead insights analyst for Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending, said consumers have more tools than ever this holiday season to help them determine if deals hold up to scrutiny.

“Social journeys, influencers providing promo codes and values, and generative AI platforms taking all that in – the prices, the social conversation, the reviews – and giving guidance to the consumer, that’s a very different, dynamic kind of journey consumers are taking than they have in previous seasons,” Pandya said.

Both he and French emphasized that prices rise and fall based on multiple factors, and that the winter holidays are not the only major promotional period of the year.

“We now have dozens of consumer spending ‘holidays,’” French said. “Amazon alone keeps adding new versions of Prime Day. So if you don’t buy on Travel Tuesday, you haven’t missed your moment.”

The Associated Press receives support from the Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

In the wild, Florida’s manatees already face threats from cold stress, habitat loss, boat strikes and other human activities.

Now advocates worry about the potential peril that manatees may encounter from the Trump administration’s proposed changes to federal implementation of the Endangered Species Act. Environmentalists say the proposed rollbacks could threaten the lives of sea cows through further habitat degradation, pollution and the adverse effects of development.

“I’ve spent 50-some years trying to get [manatees] to a place where they’re going to be around and they’re going to be a part of a healthy, sustainable ecosystem,” said Pat Rose, executive director of Save the Manatee Club. “If these changes occur, it’s going to be a huge battle going forward.”

The Trump administration says the modifications — which would change how agencies manage species and habitat under the act, not the act itself — are aimed at curbing “regulatory overreach.”

One of the proposed revisions includes rescinding the “blanket rule” that affords animals and plants listed as threatened, such as the Florida manatee, the same strict protections automatically given to the more critically at-risk animals and plants on the Endangered Species List. Instead, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be tasked with making species-specific rules, a process that could be time and labor-intensive.

Another change will allow “consideration of economic impacts” when deciding whether to include an area as protected ‘critical habitat’ for a species, allowing for cost-benefit studies rather than solely focusing on science.

Earlier this year, FWS also proposed a rule change that would revise the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, in effect allowing modification or degradation of endangered species’ habitats that have historically been protected under the law.

“When you deregulate or when you chip away at the framework of this bedrock conservation law by undermining it piece by piece, trying to pull out critical pieces that make it successful, it puts species and their habitats back at risk,” said Katherine Sayler, southeast representative with Defenders of Wildlife.

A Florida manatee comes up for a breath near Hunter Spring during a tour with Crystal River Watersports in Crystal River on Nov. 19. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Florida manatees were first protected by Florida state law in 1893, but federal legislation — the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 — established the bedrock conservation laws that protect manatees to this day, which also includes protection of their habitat.

The Endangered Species Act has prevented the extinction of roughly 291 species since 1973 and has saved more than 99% of listed species under its protection, according to a 2019 study.

These safeguards helped Florida manatees to rebound from an estimated 1,267 manatees in 1991 to an estimated 8,350 to 11,730 manatees in the state based on 2021-2022 surveys. 

A Florida manatee swims through the clear water of Three Sisters Springs during a tour with Crystal River Watersports in Crystal River on Nov. 19. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Though the gentle giants have recovered substantially in recent decades, the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife says the proposed changes could diminish the gains of the Florida manatee and push them further towards endangered status.

From December 2020 to April 2022, manatees in the Indian River Lagoon experienced an “Unusual Mortality Event” (UME) due to a lack of forage. An overabundance of phosphorus and nitrogen in the estuary — the result of leaking septic tanks, wastewater spills, stormwater runoff and over-fertilization of lawns — caused algae blooms that choked out the natural seagrass that manatees rely upon to survive. The UME was tied to the death of more than 1,200 manatees.

A Florida manatee and calf float in Three Sisters Springs during a tour with Crystal River Watersports in Crystal River on Nov. 19. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

To date in 2025, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has counted nearly 600 manatee deaths, including 91 caused by watercraft and 130 perinatal deaths of manatee calves less than 5 feet in length. 

The fear among manatee advocates is that rolling back habitat protections could exacerbate the habitat loss that has dramatically accelerated in recent years.

Another proposed change would introduce a two-step process for designating critical habitat that favors currently occupied areas while creating a higher standard for designating unoccupied but potentially significant habitat. Yet another would weaken the requirements for interagency cooperation and consultations, opening the door for federal agencies to approve resource extraction and development projects without assessing future impact to threatened and endangered species or their habitats, according to Defenders of Wildlife.

“Projects may go forward without the level of attention to, ‘What are the effects on species’ habitats going to be?’ What you don’t measure, you can’t mitigate,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. “It’s just putting the blinders on to one of the five major drivers of extinction, which is habitat loss.”

A Florida manatee swims through the clear water of Three Sisters Springs during a tour with Crystal River Watersports in Crystal River on Nov. 19. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

The U.S. Department of the Interior said the changes are aimed at advancing “American energy independence” and improving “regulatory predictability,” according to a news release.

“These revisions end years of legal confusion and regulatory overreach, delivering certainty to states, tribes, landowners and businesses while ensuring conservation efforts remain grounded in sound science and common sense,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in the release.

A Florida manatee rests in Three Sisters Springs during a tour with Crystal River Watersports in Crystal River on Nov. 19. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Critics argue that the changes will favor industry interests and profit over actual species conservation goals.

“The question is, ‘Who benefits?’ Certainly not the species,” Davenport said. “That deregulatory agenda certainly favors the few over the many.”

Sayler said that manatees can help indicate what’s happening with Florida’s broader environment.

“They’re an umbrella species and a sentinel species. When manatees are doing well, so many other marine species benefit,” she said. “They also tell us when things are not quite right with an estuary, a watershed or a system.”

A Florida manatee rests in Three Sisters Springs during a tour with Crystal River Watersports in Crystal River on Nov. 19. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

There’s also more than sea cows at stake. When manatees benefit, so do economic, fishing and tourism interests. When the ecosystem suffers, so can humans.

“I think in Washington some have lost sight of the fact that we’re dependent on a healthy ecosystem,” said Elizabeth Fleming, senior Florida representative with Defenders of Wildlife. “We can’t thrive if we’re breathing polluted air, eating polluted food and drinking polluted water.” 

A public comment period is currently open through Dec. 22 for the public to weigh in on the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. Comments can be made by visiting federalregister.gov/agencies/fish-and-wildlife-service.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Due to a computer meltdown earlier this year, I had to rebuild my holiday greeting card address list.

When I asked my mother-in-law to share her list from that side of the family, I was flummoxed to find that she addresses her cards as “Mr. and Mrs. Husband’s Name” — e.g., John and Jane Smith would be addressed as “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith.”

While I know this used to be a correct form of address, I (married for 15 years and using my husband’s last name) find this sexist and would be somewhat insulted to be addressed as “Mrs. Husband’s Name.”

I imagine that in this day and age, there are quite a few other female friends and relatives that would feel likewise. There are so many other alternatives — the holiday cards may be addressed to “The Smiths,” “The Smith family,” “Mr. John and Mrs. Jane Smith,” for example.

Should I bring up the subject with my mother-in-law? I had not realized the issue previously because we live in the same town, and she typically gives us our cards in person rather than through the mail.

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GENTLE READER: When people want to insult their friends, Christmas cards are probably not their weapon of choice.

Or so Miss Manners would think. But you — and others, no doubt — think otherwise.

So here is an idea for an advance Christmas present for your mother-in-law: Offer to update her list by asking each of her friends how they wish to be addressed.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a young woman who has recently moved into a larger city. I am not comfortable interacting with strange men on the street who ask passersby for change or attention.

It seems that most of my peers respond to such requests by ignoring them, but I dislike the contempt expressed in ignoring anyone. I prefer to give a polite “No, thank you,” “I’m sorry, no” or “Excuse me, please,” and then move on.

Unfortunately, since these gentlemen are used to being ignored, my more polite evasions serve only to encourage them to continue these unwanted conversations.

I feel that if I give in and begin ignoring people on the street, I will be allowing the rudeness of others to force me into rudeness myself. However, I do not care to spend every day disengaging from conversations with very persistent strangers who see every tactic for evasion — except for silence — as encouragement.

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Any suggestions as to how to handle such tricky situations would be appreciated.

GENTLE READER: You are not supposed to be comfortable interacting with strange gentlemen on the street. Evidence that people are destitute and desperate should make you uncomfortable. And so should solvent strangers who have personal designs on you.

However, Miss Manners is reluctant to discourage you from responding initially with those polite phrases when they might serve to acknowledge the humanity of the unfortunate. That does not oblige you to continue with an exchange. Whether they are seeking your money or your acquaintance, you should react to aggressive behavior by moving away.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Here are the top stories for Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Get the weather forecast for today here.

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Today is Tuesday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2025. There are 29 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 2, 2015, a couple loyal to the Islamic State group opened fire at a holiday banquet for public employees in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and wounding 21 others before dying in a shootout with police.

Also on this date:

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in a coronation ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

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In 1823, President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing further European expansion or colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine effectively created separate spheres of influence for the Americans and Europe.

In 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid the previous October on Harpers Ferry in hopes of inciting a large-scale slave rebellion. His execution further exacerbated North-South tensions in the run-up to the American Civil War.

In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago. The experiment led by physicist Enrico Fermi marked the dawn of the Atomic Age.

In 1954, the U.S. Senate, voting 67-22, passed a resolution condemning Republican Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin, saying he had “acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.”

In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of Barney Clark, a retired dentist who lived 112 days with the device.

In 1993, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces while trying to flee across rooftops in Medellin (meh-deh-YEEN’).

In 2004, Typhoon Nanmadol lashed the Philippines, killing hundreds of people.

In 2016, a fire raced through an illegally converted warehouse in Oakland, California, during a dance party, killing 36 people.

In 2020, The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, in a step with potential impacts on the global medical marijuana industry.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Cathy Lee Crosby is 81.
• Film director Penelope Spheeris is 80.
• Author T. Coraghessan Boyle is 77.
• Actor Dan Butler is 71.
• Actor Steven Bauer is 69.
• Actor Lucy Liu is 57.
• Bassist Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) is 57.
• Rapper Treach (Naughty By Nature) is 55.
• Tennis Hall of Famer Monica Seles is 52.
• Singer Nelly Furtado is 47.
• Pop singer Britney Spears is 44.
• Actor-singer Jana Kramer is 42.
• Actor Yvonne Orji is 42.
• Actor Daniela Ruah is 42.
• NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 42.
• Actor Alfred Enoch is 37.
• Pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth is 34.