AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EST

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives.

The order capped the most chaotic day for the U.S. government since Trump returned to office, with uncertainty over a crucial financial lifeline causing panic and confusion among states, schools and organizations that rely on trillions of dollars from Washington.

U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect. The administrative stay, prompted by a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal money, lasts until Monday afternoon. Another court hearing is scheduled that morning to consider the issue.

The White House did not immediately comment on the order, which leaves unresolved a potential constitutional clash over control of taxpayer money. Democrats who have struggled to gain a foothold during Trump’s second term unleashed on the Republican president, describing his actions as capricious and illegal.

Administration officials said the decision to halt loans and grants was necessary to ensure that spending complies with Trump’s recent blitz of executive orders. The Republican president wants to increase fossil fuel production, remove protections for transgender people and end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

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Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country.

“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” the order says.

The order directs that federally-run insurance programs, including TRICARE for military families and Medicaid, exclude coverage for such care and calls on the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice.

Medicaid programs in some states cover gender-affirming care. The new order suggests that the practice could end, and targets hospitals and universities that receive federal money and provide the care.

The language in the executive order — using words such as “maiming,” “sterilizing” and “mutilation” — contradicts what is typical for gender-affirming care in the United States. It also labels guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health as “junk science.”

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Head Start and Medicaid providers hit glitches as Trump freezes federal money

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump paused federal grants and loans in a far-reaching directive, early childhood education centers and states discovered Tuesday they could no longer access money they rely on to provide care for some of the nation’s neediest families and children.

Across the country, staff trying to access Medicaid and Head Start funding through payment websites Tuesday morning were locked out, leaving some scrambling to figure out how they would cover payroll and pay vendors and rent. But the White House said hours later that funding for those programs should not have been affected by the freeze. By late Tuesday, some states and Head Start providers reported their access to the sites had been restored.

The confusion left some Head Start centers weighing whether to close. Early Flowers Learning, which operates 17 Head Start preschools with 600 students in southwestern Michigan, announced it would not open its doors on Wednesday because it could not pay staff — only to learn that website access had been restored.

“I worry about them, you know, certainly trying to hold it together right now, thinking about some of the children that we serve who might not have access to breakfast and lunch if they don’t have a place to go,” said Chanda Hillman said, executive director of Early Flowers Learning.

The funding freeze was temporarily halted by a federal judge late Tuesday, but the disruption showed how reliant programs serving the most vulnerable Americans are on the federal government. The White House would not elaborate on the cause of the outages — and whether they were connected to the directive.

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Six active duty service members file first lawsuit challenging Trump’s transgender troop ban

WASHINGTON (AP) — Six transgender active duty service members and two former service members who seek re-enlistment on Tuesday filed the first lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that calls for revising policy on transgender troops and probably sets the stage for banning them in the armed forces.

Trump’s order, signed Monday, claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle” and is harmful to military readiness. It requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to issue a revised policy.

Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, one of the six active duty plaintiffs, said in a statement accompanying the lawsuit: “There’s nothing about being transgender that makes me better or worse than any other soldier I serve alongside. We are all here because we are committed to our country, and we are passionate, willing, and able to serve effectively.”

The six plaintiffs include a Sailor of the Year honoree, a Bronze Star recipient and several who were awarded meritorious service medals.

“I’ve spent more than half my life in the Army, including combat in Afghanistan,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Kate Cole. “Removing qualified transgender soldiers like me means an exodus of experienced personnel.”

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New Homeland Security secretary joins federal agents to tout immigrant arrests in NYC

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal agents Tuesday in New York City to announce the arrests of immigrants wanted on criminal charges, including a man accused of kidnapping who was seen on a viral video entering a Colorado apartment with reputed gang members.

Noem was the latest high-ranking official from President Donald Trump’s administration to tout the president’s ramped-up immigration enforcement in a city where arrests were being made. Border czar Tom Homan and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were in Chicago on Sunday as federal agents made arrests there.

“Arresting some criminal aliens this morning in NYC — thank you to the brave officers involved,” Noem posted on X. “Criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges is now in custody — thanks to @ICE. Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets.”

An operation in the Bronx early Tuesday snared Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, who authorities said was part of a group of men, including members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, who entered an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, last summer and were recorded on a widely viewed video.

The charges were brought by local authorities in Colorado. It was not immediately clear what would happen next for Zambrano-Pacheco. Two other men who police said were in the video were arrested in New York in November. They are still in ICE custody.

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Several people are feared dead in a stampede at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in India

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Several people were feared dead and many more injured in a stampede early Wednesday as tens of thousands of Hindus rushed to take a holy bath in the river at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in northern India ‘s Prayagraj city, local media reported.

Distressed families lined up outside a makeshift hospital inquiring about their missing relatives, rescuers were helping the injured and police tried to manage the crowds.

People’s belongings like clothes, blankets and backpacks were strewn around the scene of the stampede. It was not immediately clear what triggered the panic or how many people had been hurt. Some local news websites said 10 people had died.

Wednesday was a sacred day during the six-week festival, and authorities were expecting a record 100 million devotees to engage in a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. The ritualistic bathing’s main draw are thousands of ash-smeared Hindu ascetics who arrive in massive processions towards the confluence to take a holy dip in the waters.

The incident did not appear to have deterred millions of Hindu pilgrims who continued to throng the site even as police officials urged them over megaphones to keep away from the confluence.

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Trump invites Israel’s Netanyahu to meet with him at the White House next week

WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week as the first foreign leader to visit in Trump’s second term, Netanhayu and the White House said Tuesday.

The announcement came as the United States pressures Israel and Hamas to continue a ceasefire that has paused a devastating 15-month war in Gaza. Talks about the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which aims to end the war, begin next Monday.

The White House letter shared by Netanyahu’s office, dated Tuesday, said “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.”

The meeting on Feb. 4 is a chance for Netanyahu, under pressure at home, to remind the world of the support he has received from Trump over the years, and to defend Israel’s conduct of the war. Last year, the two men met face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years at Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago estate.

Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid, and Netanyahu is likely to encourage Trump not to hold up some weapons deliveries the way the Biden administration did, though it continued other deliveries and overall military support.

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DeepSeek’s new AI chatbot and ChatGPT answer sensitive questions about China differently

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese tech startup DeepSeek ’s new artificial intelligence chatbot has sparked discussions about the competition between China and the U.S. in AI development, with many users flocking to test the rival of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

DeepSeek’s AI assistant was the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone store on Tuesday afternoon and its launch made Wall Street tech superstars’ stocks tumble. Observers are eager to see whether the Chinese company has matched America’s leading AI companies at a fraction of the cost.

The chatbot’s ultimate impact on the AI industry is still unclear, but it appears to censor answers on sensitive Chinese topics, a practice commonly seen on China’s internet. In 2023, China issued regulations requiring companies to conduct a security review and obtain approvals before their products can be publicly launched.

Here are some answers The Associated Press received from DeepSeek’s new chatbot and ChatGPT:

For many Chinese, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful taunt of President Xi Jinping. Chinese censors in the past briefly banned social media searches for the bear in mainland China.

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Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni have this in common: Eagles fans wanted them fired

“Fire Andy” chants echoed throughout the stands in Philadelphia during Andy Reid’s final season coaching the Eagles in 2012.

Nick Sirianni heard many of those same fans yelling “Fire Nick” in Week 6.

Now, the two head coaches are facing off in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.

Reid found his greatest success after Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie fired him following a 4-12 season. It was one of the most amicable separations ever seen in professional sports.

Reid won more games (140) than any coach in franchise history, and led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six division titles and five NFC championship games in 14 seasons. But he couldn’t win the big one — Philadelphia lost to New England in the team’s lone Super Bowl appearance under Reid — and fans starving for a championship had run out of patience.

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Study says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely, more intense

WASHINGTON (AP) — Human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires, a scientific study found.

But the myriad of causes that go into the still smoldering fires are complex, so the level of global warming’s fingerprints on weeks of burning appears relatively small compared to previous studies of killer heat waves, floods and droughts by the international team at World Weather Attribution. Tuesday’s report, too rapid for peer-review yet, found global warming boosted the likelihood of high fire weather conditions in this month’s fires by 35% and its intensity by 6%.

Once-in-a-decade super strong Santa Ana winds, a dry autumn that followed two very wet years that caused rapid growth in flammable chapparal and grass, hot weather, dry air and vulnerable houses in fire-prone areas all were factors in the fast-moving fires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 29 people, study authors said. But the climate attribution team was only able to quantify issues that dealt with the fire weather index, which are the meteorological conditions that add up to fire danger.

The fire weather index — which includes measurements of past rainfall, humidity and wind speed — is where the team looked and found markers of climate change that they could quantify.

The team used observations of past weather and computer simulations that compared what happened this month to a what-if world without the 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Celsius) of human-caused climate change that Earth has had since industrial times. That allowed them to come up with a calculation for warming’s contribution to the disaster. It’s a method that the National Academy of Sciences says is valid. Even though these rapid studies aren’t yet peer-reviewed, nearly all of them are published later in peer-reviewed journals without significant changes, said World Weather Attribution co-lead scientist Friederike Otto.