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Source: Canadian Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson on Friday, just before he was due to report to prison for a nearly 10-year sentence in a financial conspiracy case.

Watson was convicted last year in a closely watched case that showcased the implosion of an ambitious startup company.

The commutation was confirmed by a senior White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the decision and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Breon Peace, who was serving as the Brooklyn-based U.S. attorney at the time, said after the trial that the jury determined that “Watson was a con man who told lie upon lie upon lie to deceive investors into buying stock in his company.”

Ozy Media “collapsed under the weight of Watson’s dishonest schemes,” Peace said.

Trump has been aggressively using his presidential powers to commute sentences and pardon people who he believes were treated unfairly by the justice system.

Chris Megerian, The Associated Press

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WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says his government is looking at ways to recruit scientists and researchers from the United States.

Discussions continued Friday with provincial and territorial leaders and Prime Minister Mark Carney on addressing tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kinew says his government is aware of funding cuts under the Trump administration to universities and research institutions and plans to do more outreach about the matter.

The NDP government has been running ads in the U.S. to recruit nurses as the province tries to bolster health-care staffing numbers.

Kinew says the government is investing in research and post-secondary institutions and that if U.S. academics move to Manitoba, they would be free to conduct research in various areas.

Kinew did not provide specific details on what recruitment efforts could look like, including reserving resettlement funds for those who move, but says it’s on his government’s radar.

— With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Planned Parenthood on Thursday resumed surgical abortions in St. Louis, months after voters in November enshrined abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution.

The same day, the state health department effectively blocked medication abortions throughout Missouri.

The decision leaves abortion access in Missouri in a confusing state: surgical abortions are legal, but Planned Parenthood still cannot offer medication abortions.

Where are surgical abortions offered?

Planned Parenthood now offers surgical abortions in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains in February at a Kansas City area clinic performed the first abortion in the state since the fall of Roe v. Wade. A Columbia clinic restarted abortions earlier this month. The first abortion at the St. Louis center since 2022 occurred Thursday.

“We stand ready to welcome more patients to ensure they can get the care they need, when they need it,” Great Rivers President and CEO Margot Riphagen said in a statement.

A history of Missouri abortion laws

Missouri banned almost all abortions in 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The ban included exceptions in cases of emergencies, but not for rape or incest.

Voters in November responded by passing a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights.

While many believed the amendment would undo the ban, the measure left it up to judges to decide whether the state’s long list of laws and other regulations are now unconstitutional. A lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and other abortion-rights advocates to overturn most of the state’s abortion laws is set for trial in January 2026.

What about medication abortions?

Planned Parenthood currently cannot provide medication abortions in Missouri, but affiliates in February submitted complication plans to the state health department in order to begin offering medication abortions.

Complication plans detail what clinics will do in case of complications from abortions.

On March 13, the Department of Health and Senior Services filed emergency complication plan regulations to “protect Missourians’ access to safe and reliable care,” according to the rule.

“The rule will ensure that women can quickly and safely receive proper emergency care for abortion-related complications at a convenient location,” the regulation states.

The regulations took effect Thursday. That day, the health department notified Planned Parenthood that its complication plans do not comply with the new rules, without being more specific.

A spokesperson for the health department did not immediately return Associated Press requests for comment Friday.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains President and CEO Emily Wales said medication abortion is popular among patients, who might want a less-invasive abortion because of past abuse.

“We do have patients who’ve contacted us in the last few months who prefer medication abortion and who will choose to travel rather than exercise their right to abortion in Missouri because medication isn’t available to them,” Wales said.

Republicans push back

GOP Attorney General Andrew Bailey, whose office is defending Missouri’s abortion laws in court, in March ordered Planned Parenthood to not provide medication abortions because the health department has not approved its complication plans.

“This cease and desist letter ensures that basic health and safety standards are met,” Bailey said in a statement after issuing the order. “Given Planned Parenthood’s history, I will continue to ensure their compliance with state law.”

Planned Parenthood said it has no plans to provide medication abortions without proper permission.

“There was nothing to cease and desist,” Wales said.

Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature, which passed the near-total ban, is trying again to limit abortions.

A House committee next week is scheduled to advance a new constitutional amendment that would impose additional restrictions on abortion, GOP House Speaker Jon Patterson said.

Any proposed amendment would need to be approved by voters.

It’s unclear exactly how House lawmakers want to further regulation abortions. Patterson said the legislation is currently in negotiations.

Summer Ballentine, The Associated Press

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President Donald Trump’s FCC commissioner said Friday he’s opening an investigation into the Walt Disney Co. and its ABC television network to see whether they are “promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the probe in a letter to Disney CEO Robert Iger on Friday. The company said it was reviewing the letter and looking forward to answering the commission’s questions.

The new administration has taken an aggressive posture toward the media on several fronts. Just this week, there were court hearings on the shutdown of Voice of America and the president’s dispute with The Associated Press over how the news agency refers to the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America.

Carr has pushed the Federal Communications Commission into an activist role since Trump appointed him as its leader. For example, the FCC currently has open investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News.

“For decades, Disney focused on churning out box office and programming successes,” Carr wrote to Iger. “But then something changed. Disney has now become embroiled in rounds of controversy surrounding its DEI policies.”

He said that while he has seen reports that Disney has rolled back some of its practices, “significant concerns remain.”

Last month, Axios reported that Disney had made some policy changes, including eliminating a website designed to highlight personalities and stories from underrepresented communities.

Disney also softened messages that appeared before showings of movies like “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan,” Axios said. Instead of warnings that the films include “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or culture,” the messages changed to “this program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”

Carr’s letter linked to an article by conservative activist Christopher Rufo describing Disney as “the wokest place on Earth.”

Some examples Carr cited go back several years, such as a one-time policy at Disney-owned ABC that at least 50 percent of characters in TV pilots be from underrepresented groups. The letter cites a statement by a Disney executive in 2021 that it rejected some TV pilots because they didn’t satisfy inclusion standards.

Trump has targeted all manner of DEI — standing for diversity, equity and inclusion — efforts across both public and private organizations.

“At my direction, the FCC has already taken action to end its own promotion of DEI,” Carr wrote. “I have been pleased to see that some regulated companies are already taking steps toward rooting out discriminatory DEI policies.”

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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social

David Bauder, The Associated Press


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AIRDRIE, Alta. — The Alberta government says it will spend $17 million to plan nine new urgent care centres across the province.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says the centres will be smaller than hospitals and designed to treat people with urgent but non-life-threatening medical needs, such as broken bones.

Alberta has six urgent care centres in operation and LaGrange says the new facilities would help reduce emergency room wait times in hospitals.

She says the funding is earmarked for cities across the province, including Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Airdrie and Lethbridge.

LaGrange says the locations were chosen based on demand in hospitals and expected population growth.

She says each centre will be publicly funded and operated by Alberta Health Services except for the one in Airdrie, which is to be run by a private contractor.

“I hope we can see the facility doors open as quickly as possible,” LaGrange said.

“It all depends on how quickly the planning can get done.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The race to fill a Texas congressional seat has candidates but no election date more than three weeks after Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death left a vacancy in a stronghold for Democrats, who are eager to cut into Republicans’ narrow U.S. House majority.

Turner, a former Houston mayor, died March 5 just weeks into his first term in Congress. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has the sole authority to call a special election but has not said when he might do so, drawing criticism from some Democrats who have accused him of trying to help protect the GOP’s margins.

The seat is one of four vacancies in Congress, including two in Florida, where voters next week will choose successors in special elections for a pair of GOP-held districts. Republicans currently hold 218 seats, while Democrats hold 213 seats.

“An announcement on a special election will be made at a later date,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said in an email, in response to whether the House majority is factoring into the governor’s decision-making.

Texas holds dates for local, state and special elections twice a year in May and November.

In 2021, Abbott called for a special election two weeks after Republican Rep. Ron Wright became the first member of Congress to die after contracting COVID-19 during the pandemic. Last year, Abbott called a special election for the vacant seat of Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee about two weeks after her death in July.

“This is very clearly playing political games. They know the U.S. majority in the House is on razor-thin margins,” said Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, leader of the state House Democratic Caucus.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he was pulling Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to the United Nations over concerns that it could threaten Republicans’ tight majority in the House, posting on his Truth Social platform that it was “essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress.”

His announcement reflects a growing concern among House Republicans who are fearful that the margins of their five-seat majority will tighten. Losing a few seats could jeopardize their control of the chamber and ability to carry out Trump’s sweeping agenda.

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards are two of the top candidates vying for the Texas seat. Menefee quickly acquired endorsements from former Democratic Reps. Colin Allred and Beto O’Rourke. Edwards, an attorney, ran for the sweat twice last year.

In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs called for a special election days after Rep. Raul Grijalva died on March 13.

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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Nadia Lathan, The Associated Press

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HALIFAX — Mi’kmaw chiefs in Nova Scotia say they are considering legal action against newly passed provincial legislation that opens the door to hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.

In a statement, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs says it is considering filing an injunction against the law that lifts a ban on uranium mining and exploration, and ends a moratorium on fracking.

The chiefs say the government is making decisions on unceded and traditional Mi’kmaq territory without properly consulting them.

They say they will continue to oppose hydraulic fracturing until their environmental concerns have been addressed.

Chief Michelle Glasgow says there has been no meaningful consultation with the province yet, despite a March 7 meeting with Premier Tim Houston and Leah Martin, minister responsible for L’nu affairs.

A statement from Houston’s office says there will be extensive consultation with all Nova Scotians and First Nations communities when projects are proposed.

“We have been clear that as we move forward we will not compromise the environment,” the statement said. “We are also proud Nova Scotians and, of course, care about protecting our water, air and land. Where projects are shown to be safe, they will move forward.”

The statement also said that technology has improved since Nova Scotia legislated its ban on the development of onshore natural gas.

Chief Terrance Paul, however, said, “If technology has changed, as Premier Houston claims, we invite him to share that evidence and data with the Mi’kmaq. Until then, we will continue to be against fracking in our territory.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump can fire two board members of independent agencies handling labor issues from their respective posts in the federal government.

A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed to lift orders blocking the Trump administration from removing Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris and National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox.

On March 4, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled that Trump illegally tried to fire Harris. Two days later, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that Trump did not have the authority to remove Wilcox.

The Justice Department asked the appellate court to suspend those orders while they appeal the decisions.

President Joe Biden nominated Harris to the merit systems board in 2021 and nominated Wilcox to a second five-year term as an NLRB member in 2023.

Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press

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VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says his government is walking back a key portion of its controversial tariff response law, admitting the proposed legislation “didn’t get the balance right.”

He says the legislation known as Bill 7 needs appropriate “safeguards” after a wave of criticism about potential overreach.

Eby says the government has emergency powers for natural disasters, and this bill was designed to give the government emergency powers to respond to disasters “created” by U.S. President Donald Trump.

But he says a key portion of the law is being “pulled,” which would originally have given the cabinet sweeping powers to make regulations to addressed challenges “arising from the actions of a foreign jurisdiction.”

The premier says stakeholders expressed a higher level of “anxiety” than he and Attorney General Niki Sharma anticipated.

The reversal comes on the same day Prime Minster Mark Carney briefed premiers on his conversation with U.S. President Trump, and Eby expressed his skepticism about Trump’s intentions, saying he varies from being insulting to complementary to Canada, depending on the day.

“And I think that what we’re going to see over the next four years, and this isn’t a great insight, this is common sense to British Columbians and Canadians, is any number of versions of the president,” he says.

The premier says his government will also reconsider the section of Bill 7 that set a two-year expiry clause.

“I understand the objection that the 24-month horizon was too long for people. It’s a legitimate concern that’s been raised, and it’s one that we’re looking at addressing in terms of other safeguards we can put in place,” Eby told a news conference.

However, Eby says he still believes the government needs to be able to respond swiftly to further “economic attacks” from the United States.

The bill came under fire from legal circles, the Opposition B.C. Conservatives, the BC Green Party and the BC Chamber of Commerce, which wrote to Eby and Sharma earlier this week calling Bill 7 a “step in the wrong direction for democratic institutions.”

Interim BC Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote criticized the bill for its “vague wording,” warning it “could allow for sweeping economic decisions without clear limits or transparency,” while the B.C. Conservatives called Bill 7 “the most undemocratic, power-grabbing legislation in history.”

“This bill would grant David Eby unprecedented powers to override provincial laws, regulations, and even personal privacy rights,” the B.C. Conservatives posted on X on March 20.

Party Leader John Rustad said the bill would give the “NDP government sweeping, almost unlimited powers with zero oversight.”

Sharma had previously defended the purpose of the legislation, saying it would allow the province to “move nimbly” in the face of Trump’s “random, erratic threats.”

“We need to make sure that we have ability to respond rapidly in a temporary way to protect our economy,” she said last week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press

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TORONTO — The number of public provincial employees in Ontario earning more than $100,000 a year has grown to more than 377,000, with the top spot again going to the CEO of Ontario Power Generation.

The so-called Sunshine List, the disclosure of public sector workers who were paid six figures or more, was released today and the list for 2024 grew by more than 70,000 names.

Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney says nearly half of the growth on the list was driven by the school board sector.

Ken Hartwick, who ended his tenure as OPG CEO at the end of 2024, had a salary of more than $2 million that year – more than double the second-highest paid employee, also an OPG executive.

Most of the highest-paid employees on the list are OPG executives, hospital presidents and presidents or CEOs of large agencies such as Ontario Health, the Ontario Public Service Pension Board and the Independent Electricity System Operator.

Number four on the list with a nearly $884,000 salary is Phil Verster, who resigned in December as president and CEO of provincial transit agency Metrolinx.

The $100,000 threshold for public sector salary disclosure came into effect in 1996 and with inflation, would be about $180,000 in 2024 dollars.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

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