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The Associated Press says that a new White House media policy violates a court order by giving the administration sole discretion over who gets to question President Donald Trump, and the news agency asked a federal judge on Wednesday to enforce that order. The swift move was in response to a policy issued late Tuesday by the White House, which suffered a courtroom loss last week over The Associated Press’ ability to cover Trump. The plans, the latest attempt by the new administration to control coverage of its activities, sharply curtail the access of three news agencies that serve billions of readers around the world. The AP filed Wednesday’s motion with U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, asking for relief given defendant’s refusal to obey his order last week. McFadden said the White House had violated the AP’s free speech by banning it from certain presidential events because Trump disagreed with the outlet’s decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Wednesday. Leavitt is a defendant in the AP’s lawsuit, along with White House chief of staff Susan Wiles and her deputy, Taylor Budowich. The AP’s lawsuit claimed that its First Amendment rights were violated by the White House blocking its reporters and photographers from covering Trump. McFadden ordered the administration to treat the AP as it does other news organizations. Reframing who gets access to the president for questions For many years, the independent White House Correspondents Association has run the pool for the limited space events, and each time it has included reporters from the wire services AP, Reuters and Bloomberg. One print reporter was also allowed, selected on a rotating basis from more than 30 news outlets. The White House now says it will lump the three wire services with print reporters for two slots meaning roughly three dozen reporters will rotate for two regular slots. Wire services typically report and write stories that are used by different media outlets around the world. Even with the rotation, the White House said Trumps press secretary shall retain day-to-day discretion to determine composition of the pool. The new policy says reporters will also be allowed in irrespective of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet. Seeing their own access cut back along with the AP’s, representatives from Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters also protested the new policy. For decades, the daily presence of the wire services in the press pool has ensured that investors and voters across the United States and around the world can rely on accurate real-time reporting on what the president says and does, said Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait. We deeply regret the decision to remove that permanent level of scrutiny and accountability. In a statement, the APs Lauren Easton said the outlet was deeply disappointed that rather than restore the APs access, the White House instead chose restrictions over all of the wire services. The wire services represent thousands of news organizations across the U.S. and the world over, said Easton, an AP spokeswoman. Our coverage is used by local newspapers and television stations in all 50 states to inform their communities. The administrations actions continue to disregard the fundamental American freedom to speak without government control or retaliation, Easton said Tuesday night. The WHCA said the administrations insistence on retaining control over who covers the president shows that it is unwilling to guarantee that it would not continue viewpoint discrimination. The government should not be able to control the independent media that covers it, said Eugene Daniels, the associations president. More access for Trump-friendly media Under Leavitt, the White House has given greater access to news outlets friendly to Trump. That was visible Tuesday, when the first reporter Leavitt addressed during a briefing asked two questions while also praising Trump policy. At Mondays Oval Office meeting, Trump bristled at questions from CNNs Kaitlan Collins about a man deported to an El Salvador prison, at one point accusing CNN of hating our country. He made it a point to contrast her questions with a non-pointed one from another reporter. Despite the occasional fireworks, Trump has made himself accessible to the media more than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. Cramped-quarters events, particularly in the Oval Office, are some of his favorite places to talk rendering the new access policy all the more impactful. The new policy advanced on Tuesday did not address access for photographers. At an earlier court hearing about the APs case, the outlets chief White House photographer, Evan Vucci, and correspondent Zeke Miller testified about how the ban has hurt the business of a news agency built to quickly get news and images to its customers. The dispute stems from APs decision not to follow the presidents executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico, although AP style does cite Trumps wish that it be called the Gulf of America. McFadden agreed with APs argument that the government cannot punish the news organization for what it says for exercising its right to free speech. The White House has argued that press access to the president is a privilege, not a right, that it should control much like it decides to whom Trump gives one-on-one interviews. In court papers filed last weekend, his lawyers signaled that even with McFaddens decision, the APs days of unchallenged access to open presidential events were over. No other news organization in the United States receives the level of guaranteed access previously bestowed upon the AP, the administration argued. The AP may have grown accustomed to its favored status, but the Constitution does not require that such status endure in perpetuity. The administration has appealed McFaddens ruling, and is scheduled to be in an appeals court on Thursday to argue that ruling should be put on hold until the merits of the case are fully decided, perhaps by the U.S. Supreme Court. The administration has not curtailed AP access to Leavitts briefings over the past two months. It has blocked access to events in the East Room to White House-credentialed AP reporters until Tuesday, when one was allowed into an event that involved the Navy football team. DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer
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A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea by an international team of researchers steering a remotely operated submersible. The sighting was announced Tuesday by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The squid filmed was a juvenile about 1 foot (30 centimeters) in length at a depth of 1,968 feet (600 meters) in the South Atlantic Ocean. Full-grown adult colossal squids, which scientists have uncovered from the bellies of whales and seabirds, can reach lengths up to 23 feet (7 meters) almost the size of a small fire truck. The squid was spied last month near the South Sandwich Islands during an expedition to search for new sea life. Researchers waited to verify the species identification with other independent scientists before releasing the footage. I really love that we have seen a young colossal squid first. This animal is so beautiful, said Kat Bolstad, a squid researcher at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, who helped confirm it. Researchers are testing different cameras in hopes of catching an adult colossal squid, Bolstad said. The young squid is almost entirely transparent, with thin arms. As adults, the squids lose this glassy appearance and become an opaque dark red or purple. When full grown, they are considered to be the world’s largest known invertebrates. Christina Larson, AP science writer AP video journalist Mustakim Hasnath contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Tesla‘s electric-vehicle registrations in California dropped 15.1% during the first quarter, industry data showed, signaling an accelerated decline and growing challenges for the Elon Musk-led automaker in its biggest U.S. market. In California, often viewed as a bellwether for EV trends, Tesla’s share has fallen to 43.9% from 55.5% a year earlier, while brands such as Honda, Ford and GM’s Chevrolet have grown their footprint, according to the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). Overall zero-emission vehicle sales in the state also rose 7.3% during the same period. “An aging product lineup and backlash against Musk’s political initiatives are likely key factors for the decline in Tesla BEV market share,” the industry body said. The company reported earlier this month its first-quarter sales globally fell 13% to the lowest in nearly three years, hurt by pushback against Musk, rising competition and as customers wait for a refresh of its bestselling Model Y. The billionaire’s leadership of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has sparked widespread protests across the United States, with activists demonstrating against his role in federal workforce cuts and the cancellation of contracts funding global humanitarian programs. Musk’s popularity has been declining among liberal voters, who have traditionally been more inclined to purchase electric vehicles, particularly in environmentally conscious markets such as California. California accounts for nearly a third of Tesla’s sales in the U.S., according to Reuters calculations based on data from Cox Automotive and the California New Car Dealers Association. The CNCDA also expects new vehicle registrations in the state to fall 2.3% from last year due to U.S. trade policies. Model Y snags While the Model Y remained the best-selling EV in the state, its sales plummeted about 30% in the first quarter, compared with a year earlier. Tesla said earlier this month that retooling production lines for the refreshed Model Y at four of its factories resulted in several weeks of lost production during the first quarter. Meanwhile, analysts attributed some of the drop in overall sales in the January-March period to customers waiting for cheaper versions of the refreshed Model Y crossover. Investors will be closely watching Tesla’s earnings report on Tuesday for indications of whether the company will maintain its annual growth forecast despite the challenging quarter. Akash Sriram, Reuters
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