Garbage bag hack makes taking out the trash nearly effortless: ‘That video changed my life for the better’

Associated Press
Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you
In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine's Day in the United States come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles. Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, to Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada.
Associated Press
Corruption survey gives many nations worst scores in over a decade. South Sudan slides to the bottom
Many countries had their worst showing in more than a decade in an index released Tuesday that serves as a barometer of public sector corruption worldwide, from leading powers such as the United States and France to authoritarian nations such as Russia and Venezuela. Transparency International, which compiles the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, found that 47 countries out of the 180 it surveyed had their lowest score last year since it started using its current methodology for its global ranking in 2012. It said of its 2024 survey that “global corruption levels remain alarmingly high, with efforts to reduce them faltering.”
Associated Press
Why are Ukraine's minerals key to keeping US military aid flowing?
Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology. Trump said he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv’s hand in future negotiations with Moscow. “We really have this big potential in the territory which we control,” Andrii Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.
Associated Press
A Hamas delay in Gaza's next hostage release brings fear on all sides for ceasefire
The Hamas announcement that it will delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from Gaza has threatened a fragile truce that’s seen as having the potential to wind down 16 months of war. It has brought new dismay for Israelis who watched the latest Hamas handover of hostages in growing horror over the weekend as the three emaciated men came into sight. Of the hostages yet to be released from Gaza under this phase of the ceasefire, Israel has said eight are dead.
Associated Press
Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are targeted for alleged war crimes in Gaza
An Israeli army reservist's dream vacation in Brazil ended abruptly last month over an accusation that he committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Yuval Vagdani woke up on Jan. 4 to a flurry of missed calls from family members and Israel's Foreign Ministry with an urgent warning: A pro-Palestinian legal group had convinced a federal judge in Brazil to open a war crimes investigation for his alleged participation in the demolition of civilian homes in Gaza.
NBC News
Judge finds Trump administration violated court order halting funding freeze
A federal judge in Rhode Island on Monday said that the Trump administration had violated his order halting a sweeping federal funding freeze and ordered the government to “immediately restore frozen funding.”
Associated Press
Haitian migrants share harrowing stories of abuse as Dominican Republic ramps up deportations
A crowd of 500 descended from dusty trucks on a recent morning and shuffled through a tiny gap in a border gate separating Haiti from the Dominican Republic. Under a broiling sun, the migrants recounted what they said were mounting abuses by Dominican officials after President Luis Abinader ordered them in October to start deporting at least 10,000 immigrants a week under a harsh new policy widely criticized by civil organizations. “They broke down my door at 4 in the morning,” said Odelyn St. Fleur, who had worked as a mason in the Dominican Republic for two decades.
Associated Press
Iran loosens import restrictions on foreign cars and iPhones, trying to mask its economic woes
All architecture student Amirhossein Azizi wanted for his 19th birthday was the latest iPhone — and for Iran's cash-strapped theocracy, it was just the gift they needed as well. An additional 450 million rials ($530) is required for import fees and registration on government-managed mobile phone networks. The purchase is only possible after Iran lifted import bans on expensive goods like foreign cars and new iPhones, yielding to public demand for the products while also trying to mask the dire straits of its economy.
Associated Press
Testimony in trial of man accused of trying to kill Salman Rushdie heads into 2nd day
Testimony is set to continue Tuesday in the trial of the man charged with stabbing famed author Salman Rushdie in a frenzied knife attack on a western New York stage. Jurors in the trial of Hadi Matar, 27, on Monday heard from staffers at the arts institution where Rushdie was set to give a speech in August 2022, when authorities say the Fairview, New Jersey man attacked the author on stage and stabbed him more than a dozen times. Rushdie himself is expected to testify during the trial.
Associated Press
How Elon Musk's crusade against government could benefit Tesla
Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches could vanish within weeks or months. On the potential chopping block: crash investigations into Tesla’s partially automated vehicles; a Justice Department criminal probe examining whether Musk and Tesla have overstated their cars’ self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Tesla’s Autopilot.
Associated Press
Migrants stranded in Mexico try to restart life after Trump eliminates legal pathway to US
Margelis Rodriguez and her two children took selfies on their flight to Tijuana, showing off the T-shirts she had custom-made to mark what she expected to be her family's life-changing moment. The celebratory words now sting — driving home how close they came without making it and how precarious their lives are with their future more uncertain than ever, Rodriguez said while standing near the tent her family lives in at a shelter in Tijuana, a block from the towering wall marking the U.S. border. The family is among tens of thousands of people who had appointments into February, many of them left stranded in Mexican border cities after President Donald Trump took office.
Associated Press
Trump's education chief comes from the boardroom, not the classroom. Backers say that's her strength
Linda McMahon once described herself as an outsider stepping into the world of education, a business leader with an “inquiring mind” who would challenge the status quo and demand more for students. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he told McMahon closing the department would be a “disaster” for students nationwide.
Associated Press
America's kids are still behind in reading and math. These schools are defying the trend
Math is the subject sixth grader Harmoni Knight finds hardest, but that's changing. In-class tutors and “data chats” at her middle school in Compton, California, have made a dramatic difference, the 11-year-old said. Since the pandemic first shuttered American classrooms, schools have poured federal and local relief money into interventions like the ones in Harmoni's classroom, hoping to help students catch up academically following COVID-19 disruptions.
Associated Press
Trump will host Jordan's King Abdullah II as he escalates pressure on his Gaza resettlement plan
President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East. The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future releases of hostages and as Trump has called for Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend. Trump has proposed the U.S. take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighboring nations with no right of return.
Associated Press
What to know about proposals to ban abortion pills and punish women who seek abortion
Lawmakers in some states where abortion is already banned are seeking to explicitly bar abortion pills or take a step that most leading anti-abortion groups oppose: punish women who seek to end their pregnancies. And one scholar who follows abortion policy said that the bills can affect the debate even if they don't pick up momentum.
Associated Press
Villagers offer support for a critical lifeline in rural Alaska days after plane crash kills 10
The small, striped plane rolled to a stop on a snow-covered airstrip in a remote western Alaska village not far from where a crash just days earlier had killed all 10 people on board. It was an affecting scene, and it highlighted just how crucial air service is in rural Alaska communities like Golovin, an Inupiat Eskimo village of about 160 people just south of the Arctic Circle. “As with any other tragedy, our region comes together and our residents here in Golovin wanted to show Bering Air that we care and that we support them 100%,” said Irene Navarro, a lifetime resident.
AFP
Duterte's future in balance as Philippine election season kicks off
Campaigning began Tuesday in the Philippines for mid-term elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte. The vice president, whose alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos has imploded spectacularly, was impeached by the House of Representatives last week on charges of "violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes".
NBC News
Justice Department orders charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams dismissed
Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, a senior Justice Department official said Monday evening.
Reuters
Indonesia general to head state food procurement company, sparking concerns on military role
Indonesia's appointment of an army general to run the national food procurement company has raised concerns about the expansion of military roles under President Prabowo Subianto, with a rights activist saying it also violated military laws.Major General Novi Helmy Prasetya was named chief executive of Bulog, a powerful state logistics company in charge of government-controlled imports of rice and other important food staples, on the weekend, becoming the first active duty general in the role since the authoritarian regime of General Suharto. Under military laws, soldiers are allowed to fill civilian posts only at state institutions in sectors such as defence, security, intelligence and disaster response. "This is a threat to democracy and a violation towards the law," said Ardi Manto Adiputra, director of Indonesian rights group Imparsial, late on Monday.
AFP
US prosecutors ordered to drop New York mayor corruption case: reports
The US Justice Department on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams, US media reported, after his rapprochement with President Donald Trump.A man once touted as a future Democratic Party star, Adams has ramped up contact with associates of Republican US President Donald Trump in recent weeks.

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