The US dominated figure skating's world championships. It may face the Russians at the Olympics

BOSTON (AP) — It's hard to imagine a better world championships for the American figure skating team, which captured gold in three of the four disciplines over the weekend for the first time in its history, and will take all of that momentum into an Olympic year.

But there is an old rival potentially returning to the mix that wasn't at worlds: the Russians.

The country that has dominated Olympic figure skating over the past three-plus decades has been banned from competing in any international events since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Its best skaters have been forced to defect to other countries or, for those unwilling to do so, compete in a series of domestic events far outside of the global spotlight.

But late last year, the International Skating Union announced that it had developed a strict procedure whereby a small number of Russian athletes could qualify for the Milano-Cortina Games in February. The plan created at the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee involves Russia nominating a single athlete or pair in each of the disciplines to compete in a qualifying event in Beijing later this year, provided they go through a rigorous background check.

The athletes would compete as neutral athletes, much like a small number did at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and only if they have no ties to the Russian or Belarusian military and have not publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine.

“The ISU has maintained its condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine,” the organization said in a statement.

The plan was greeted by athletes at the world championships this week with a mixture of confusion and disappointment, support and rejection. But most athletes that discussed the situation with The Associated Press said they simply didn't care.

They have competed against Russians in every other Olympics. They would be fine with doing it again.

“It's something we've grown accustomed to being in my four Olympics, and hopefully heading to a fifth,” said Evan Bates, who along with his partner, Madison Chock, won their third consecutive ice dance championship on Saturday night.

The last couple to accomplish that feat? Russians Oksana Grischuk and Evgeni Platov, who won four in a row from 1994-97.

“It's something completely out of our control. We can never control who is going to be let in, and what the political ramifications are,” Bates continued. “It's outside our control, and the more we focus on it, it distracts from where our focus needs to be.”

This isn't the first time that Chock and Bates have been through some uncertainty when it comes to the Russian team.

They were part of the American squad that initially earned a silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Games. But when Russian star Kamila Valieva was disqualified for a doping violation after a protracted investigation, the U.S. was elevated to gold, and Chock and Bates finally received their medals alongside their teammates at the Paris Games last summer.

Along with its gold medal Saturday night, the U.S. also stood atop the worlds podium with Alysa Liu, who broke a nearly two-decade drought for American women, and in the men's competition with Ilia Malinin, who won a second straight title by more than 30 points to stamp himself as the overwhelming favorite for the Winter Games.

Asked whether she thought the Russians should be at worlds, Liu replied simply: “I don't know. Do you?”

It's difficult to predict which Russians will attempt to qualify for Milano-Cortina — the ISU received a list of candidates to vet by its Feb. 28 deadline — but whoever clears the threshold likely will contend in two events in particular: women and pairs.

Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova gave Russia gold and silver for the second consecutive Winter Games in Beijing, and a Russian has stood atop the podium in the women's event for the past three Olympics. And in pairs, Russians have taken gold in five of the past eight Olympics, and its skaters took silver and bronze at the Beijing Games.

The U.S. has not had a women's Olympic champion since Sarah Hughes in 2002. It has never won in pairs.

Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia would try to ensure the participation of its athletes at the Winter Games, according to Russian news agency Tass. The statement came before the election of Kirsty Coventry as the new IOC president, and with her arrival came new hope for Russia that it could be allowed back into the Olympics.

Already, it appears Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to make inroads, offering the former swimmer his “sincere congratulations” on her win. Putin said in a statement issued by the Kremlin, “The results of the vote convincingly attest to your high authority in the sporting world and the recognition of your outstanding personal achievements.”

“We will defend the interests of our athletes and our Olympic team,” said Peskov, when asked recently about Russia's potential involvement in the Milano-Cortina Games. “Settling this issue will require additional time and effort.”

That time and effort is for others to expend, though. For skaters, the focus is on preparing themselves for an Olympic year.

“Our Olympic experiences, there’s been Russians at every Olympics so far, and looking to the next, should they be there, that will make the Olympic Games feel like there’s no caveat,” Bates said. “And if we can execute our plan and fulfill the goals we set for ourselves and stand atop the podium, we won’t worry about the rest of the field. We’ll just focus on the skating and the training and the preparation and enjoying what could be our last Olympic experience.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Ilia Malinin, of the United States, celebrates during a medal ceremony for men's free skating at the figure skating world championships, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Alysa Liu of the United States performs during the women's short program at the figure skating world championships, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Gold medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States, celebrate during a medal ceremony for ice dancing at the figure skating world championships, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

From left, silver medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, of Canada; gold medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States; and bronze medalists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, of Great Britain, pose for a photos during a medal ceremony for ice dancing at the figure skating world championships, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Gold medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States, pose for a photos during a medal ceremony for ice dancing at the figure skating world championships, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A coalition of state attorneys general sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds that go toward COVID-19 initiatives and various public health projects across the country. Attorneys general from 23 states filed the suit in federal court in Rhode Island.

Here's the latest:

The White House is asserting that the man with protected legal status who was mistakenly sent to an El Salvador prison was a member of the MS-13 gang and alleged he’d been involved in human trafficking.

Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, acknowledged an “administrative error” in efforts to remove Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia from the U.S.

“The administration maintains the position that this individual, who was deported to El Salvador and will not be returning to our country, was a member of the brutal and vicious MS-13 gang,” Leavitt told reporters at a Tuesday briefing.

Leavitt claimed “credible intelligence” showed he was involved in human trafficking and that he was a leader of the notorious MS-13 gang.

“Foreign terrorists do not have legal protections in the United States of America anymore,” Leavitt said.

With Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” of tariff implementation fast approaching, Senate Democrats are putting Republican support for some of those plans to the test by forcing a vote to nullify the emergency declaration that underpins the tariffs on Canada.

Republicans have watched with some unease as the president’s attempts to remake global trade have sent the stock market downward, but they have so far stood by Trump’s on-again-off-again threats to levy taxes on imported goods.

Even as the resolution from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia offered them a potential off-ramp to the tariffs levied on Canadian imports, Republican leaders were trying to keep senators in line by focusing on fentanyl that comes into the U.S. over its northern border. It was yet another example of how Trump is not only reorienting global economics, but upending his party’s longtime support for ideas like free trade.

▶ Read more about the Senate vote on tariffs

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, pressed retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine on whether he would follow orders from the president to use the military in domestic matters like law enforcement.

Duckworth accused Trump of engaging in “threat inflation” of domestic protests to justify military involvement on issues like protests, immigration or free speech.

“I think there’s strong systems in place, legal systems in place, that prevent any missteps there,” said Caine.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, asked Caine whether he would push back on an order by Trump “to use the military in a way that was unconstitutional.” She argued that Trump had made such orders during his first term and promised to do so during his reelection campaign.

“I will senator. I don’t expect that to happen, but I will,” Caine said.

Booker, who’s 55, started speaking Monday evening and hasn’t left the Senate floor since. As it rolled into Tuesday afternoon, Booker’s performance is currently the sixth longest in Senate history.

The record for the longest individual speech belongs to Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Only one other sitting senators has spoken for longer than Booker. In 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas, held the floor for 21 hours and 19 minutes to contest the Affordable Care Act.

The agency is losing more than 1,000 employees.

NIOSH is based in Cincinnati but also has people in Pittsburgh; Spokane and Morgantown, West Virginia.

Micah Niemeier-Walsh, vice president of the union local representing NIOSH employees in Cincinnati, said the union had heard reports that around 850 of the center’s employees are receiving notices, including the center’s director.

The cuts are hitting mining safety research, work on developing personal protective technology, a firefighter cancer registry, and a lab that’s key in the certification of respirators for industry. Niemeier-Walsh called the cuts “a very pointed attack on workers in this country.”

Booker, 55, was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to northern New Jersey when he was a boy. He’s spoken about growing up in a Black family in a predominantly white neighborhood and how his parents faced opposition when they tried to buy a house.

He played football in college at Stanford University before attending Yale Law School and then worked as an attorney in nonprofits, giving legal aid to poorer families. Elected to the Newark City Council and then as mayor of the state’s biggest city, he served there until 2013.

His time in office coincided with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million donation to the city’s public schools, a boon that burnished his status as a Democratic rising star at the time.

Booker also ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2020.

▶ Read more about Sen. Cory Booker

In a Tuesday post on his social media platform, Trump said the pair discussed U.S. military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, as well as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and “possible solutions” to the conflict, as well as “military preparedness.”

The Tuesday sanctions were against a network of six firms and two people based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and China who are allegedly responsible for procuring drone components on behalf of Iranian drone manufacturers.

They mark the second round of sanctions targeting Iranian weapons proliferators since President Trump signed an executive order in February imposing a “restoring maximum pressure” campaign on Iran meant to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Treasury will continue to target Iranian drones “missiles, and conventional weapons that often end up in the hands of destabilizing actors, including terrorist proxies.”

After previously saying Mexico would seek “preferential treatment” with Trump and his tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shifted her tone Tuesday to note the tariffs set to go into effect on Wednesday weren’t targeting Mexico.

“What they’re going to announce on April 2 isn’t against Mexico, it’s not against Canada. It’s a policy of the United States to the entire world,” Sheinbaum said in her morning news briefing.

That said, if tariffs go into effect, Mexico would be dealt a particularly hard blow, as much of its economy is intertwined with the U.S., especially the auto sector.

While other leaders have butted heads with Trump, Sheinbaum has assumed a less confrontational approach, following through on U.S. demands in the hope that doing so will offset the bulk of American populist’s threats.

“You have to trust the president’s instincts on the economy,” Johnson said.

He said he expects the tariffs to go forward as Trump promised.

“We’ll see how it all develops,” he said. “It may be rocky in the beginning. But I think that this will make sense for Americans and help all Americans.”

“There’s a constitutional path. You have to amend the constitution to do this, and that’s a high bar,” said Johnson, a lawyer who specialized in constitutional issues.

“I think he recognizes the constitutional limitations,” he said.

The Republican speaker says Trump has joked with him about the idea. He said he takes the president “at his word.”

Tuesday’s special elections for two Florida congressional seats in heavily pro-Trump districts have become an unexpected source of concern for national Republicans as Democrats have poured millions in fundraising into the races.

Both seats opened when Trump chose their representatives for jobs in his second administration. Matt Gaetz was briefly nominated to be Trump’s attorney general before withdrawing, while Mike Waltz became national security adviser.

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, running for Waltz’s seat, and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, running to replace Gaetz, are widely expected to hold the seats in their reliably conservative districts, which would give Republicans a 220 to 213 advantage over Democrats in the U.S. House.

But both have been outraised by their Democratic counterparts, and Republicans in Florida and Washington have begun trying to distance themselves from any potential underperformance.

▶ Read more about Florida’s special elections

As a biting spring wind whipped around them, staffers waited for as long as an hour outside the health department’s Washington offices to get scanned into the building.

As many as 10,000 workers are expected to lose their jobs Tuesday and some are finding out as they try to enter the building that they no longer have jobs. Laid off staffers are being asked to immediately turn in their badges and cellphones at the door.

One staffer waiting in line loudly joked: “Is this an April Fool’s joke?”

During retired Lt. Gen. John Caine’s confirmation hearing for joint chiefs chairman, Sen. Jack Reed asked him whether top uniformed military leaders should have participated in a controversial Signal chat in which U.S. officials discussed battle plans.

“From what I understand of that chat, it was a partisan political chat and so the joint force should not have been represented in there,” Caine said.

Caine declined to comment on whether senior U.S. officials, including the vice president, defense secretary, secretary of state and national security advisor, should have discussed battle plans on an unclassified, commercial application.

“What I will say is we should always preserve the element of surprise,” Caine said. He noted that the Senate Armed Services Committee had requested an inquiry into the matter.

President Trump has told a story about retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine saying he wore one of the hats when the two met some years ago.

When asked about the story during the Senate Armed Services hearing on his confirmation, Caine said, “For 34 years, I’ve upheld my oath of office and my commitment to my commission. And I have never worn any political merchandise.”

He added that he thinks Trump must have been “talking about somebody else.”

A coalition of state attorneys general sued the administration Tuesday over its decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds that go toward COVID-19 initiatives and various public health projects across the country.

Officials from 23 states filed the suit in federal court in Rhode Island. They include New York Attorney General Letitia James, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as well as attorneys general California, Minnesota, North Carolina, Wisconsin and New York , as well as the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit argues the “sudden and reckless cuts violate federal law, jeopardize public health, and will have devastating consequences for communities nationwide.”

The lawsuit asks the court to immediately stop the Trump administration from rescinding the money, which was allocated by Congress during the pandemic and mostly used for COVID-related efforts such as testing and vaccination. The money also went to addiction and mental health programs.

Federal health officials announced the decision to claw back the money a week ago.

The New Jersey senator has been speaking through the night to protest President Trump’s agenda.

Booker’s speech is now among the longest marathon-speaking performances in Senate history. Only eight others have held the Senate floor for longer.

Booker is visibly exhausted as he continues his speech.

The Tuesday layoffs, coming on new director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s first day, are part of a larger effort by the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reduce the size of the Health and Human Services department by about 25%.

At the NIH, the cuts included at least four directors of the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers who were put on administrative leave, and nearly entire communications staffs were terminated, according to an agency senior leader, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution.

An email viewed by The Associated Press shows some senior-level employees of the Bethesda, Maryland, campus who were placed on leave were offered a possible transfer to the Indian Health Service in locations including Alaska and given until end of Wednesday to respond.

— Lauran Neegaard

President Trump’s nominee to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine told senators Tuesday he understands he’s an unknown and unconventional nominee — but the nation is facing unconventional and unprecedented threats, and he’s ready to serve in its defense.

“I realize for many Americans I am an unknown leader,” Caine said in his opening remarks. He spoke of serving under presidents of both parties and of his wide span of experience, which also included service in the National Guard, the private sector and the CIA.

The complaint filed Tuesday in federal district court in Washington is the third major legal challenge to the order in two days after national Democrats and a pair of nonprofits filed two other lawsuits Monday.

The suit brought by the Brennan Center for Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union and others argues Trump’s call for a proof-of-citizenship requirement to register to vote violates the U.S. Constitution.

Other legal experts have raised similar concerns, since the Constitution’s so-called “Elections Clause” gives states and Congress the power to regulate federal elections.

Republicans have argued a proof-of-citizenship requirement will help secure elections against illegal noncitizen voting, which research shows is rare. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Seven years ago, when a joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico was awarded the 2026 World Cup, rifts created by tariffs — yes, back then, too! — and a proposed border wall were glossed over because of the neighbors’ longstanding political and economic alliances.

“The unity of the three nations″ was the overriding theme articulated by Carlos Cordeiro, then-president of the U.S. Soccer Federation. “A powerful message,” he called it.

Well, here we are now, with the soccer showcase arriving in North America in about 15 months, and Trump back in office — inciting trade wars between the neighbors, not to mention across the globe, by levying tariffs that come, then go, then return, with more promised, including what the Republican calls “ reciprocal tariffs ” starting Wednesday.

▶ Read more about tariffs and the US-Canada-Mexico joint World Cup

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to meet with congressional Republicans again Tuesday afternoon as they edge closer to agreement on a budget framework for Trump’s tax breaks.

Senate GOP Leader John Thune is hoping to launch votes on the package this week. But differences remain, particularly over GOP spending cuts.

Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.5% before the bell Tuesday morning, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%. Nasdaq futures also headed 0.5% lower.

Gold rose to over $3,170.00 per ounce early Tuesday before falling back slightly. Gold is hitting all-time highs as investors seek a save place to park their money with markets destabilized by Trump’s tariff threats.

On Wednesday, the United States is set to begin what Trump calls “ reciprocal ” tariffs. Yet little is known about exactly who will be targeted and what the tariff scheme will be.

▶ Read more about the financial markets

A top European Union official warned the U.S. on Tuesday that the world’s biggest trade bloc “holds a lot of cards” when it comes to dealing with the Trump administration’s new tariffs and has a good plan to retaliate if forced to.

Trump has promised to roll out taxes on imports from other countries Wednesday. He says they will free the U.S. from reliance on foreign goods.

He’s vowed to impose “reciprocal” tariffs to match the duties that other countries charge on U.S. products, dubbing April 2 “Liberation Day.”

“Europe has not started this confrontation. We do not necessarily want to retaliate, but if it is necessary, we have a strong plan to retaliate and we will use it,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers.

▶ Read more about the European Union’s response to tariffs

The race, which will be decided Tuesday, broke records for spending and has become a proxy battle for the nation’s political fights, pitting a candidate backed by President Trump against a Democratic-aligned challenger.

Republicans including Trump and the world’s wealthiest person, Elon Musk, lined up behind Brad Schimel, a former state attorney general. Democrats like former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros backed Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge who led legal fights to protect union power and abortion rights and to oppose voter ID.

The first major election in the country since November is seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about Trump’s first months back in office and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers. Musk traveled to Wisconsin on Sunday to make a pitch for Schimel and personally hand out $1 million checks to two voters.

▶ Read more about the Wisconsin Supreme Court election

Booker took to the Senate floor Monday evening saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” He was still on the floor Tuesday morning more than 12 hours later.

“These are not normal times in our nation,” Booker said at the start of his speech. “And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.”

Booker railed against cuts to Social Security offices and spoke to concerns that broader cuts to the social safety net could be coming, though Republican lawmakers say the program won’t be touched.

▶ Read more about Sen. Cory Booker’s speech

At 12:30 p.m., President Trump and Vice President JD Vance will have lunch at the White House. At 3 p.m., Trump will sign executive orders. There will also be a press briefing held at noon today, according to the White House.

The Food and Drug Administration’s chief tobacco regulator has been removed from his post amid sweeping cuts at the agency and across the federal health workforce handed down Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter.

In an email to staff, FDA tobacco director Brian King said: “It is with a heavy heart and profound disappointment that I share I have been placed on administrative leave.”

King was removed from his position and offered reassignment to the Indian Health Service, according to a person familiar with the matter who did not have permission to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Dozens of staffers in FDA’s tobacco center also received notices of dismissal Tuesday morning, including the entire office responsible for enforcing tobacco regulations.

▶ Read more about the FDA’s chief tobacco regulator

— Matthew Perrone

Trump has repeatedly called April 2 “Liberation Day,” with promises to roll out a set of tariffs, or taxes on imports from other countries, that he says will free the U.S. from a reliance on foreign goods. To do this, Trump has said he’ll impose “reciprocal” tariffs to match the duties that other countries charge on U.S. products.

But a lot remains unknown about how these levies will actually be implemented. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump would unveil his plans on Wednesday, but maintained that the details are up to the president to announce.

Since taking office just months ago, Trump has proven to be aggressive with tariff threats, all while creating a sense of whiplash through on-again, off-again trade actions. And it’s possible that we’ll see more delays or confusion this week.

▶ Read more about Trump’s “Liberation Day”

Employees across the massive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began receiving notices of dismissal on Tuesday in a major overhaul expected to ultimately lay off up to 10,000 people.

The notices come just days after Trump moved to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights at HHS and other agencies throughout the government.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announced a plan last week to remake HHS, which, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, monitoring the safety of food and medicine, and administering health insurance programs for nearly half of the country.

The plan would consolidate agencies that oversee billions of dollars for addiction services and community health centers across the country under a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America.

The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff — 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers.

▶ Read more about the layoffs at HHS

President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - The Department of Health and Human Services building is seen in Washington, April 5, 2009.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)