A street vendor pushes a cart of fresh fruit in Bangkok, where tighter controls on vendors threaten livelihoods and the street food culture that defines the Thai capital

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Education has opened a Title IX investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District over sexual misconduct allegations.

The department contends the district is reassigning teachers accused of such misconduct to other schools, instead of removing from their position. But the district told The Center Square Wednesday that "reassignment" means sending the teachers home during the investigations.

The Department of Education declined to answer The Center Square's questions about its investigations, but it did say in a press release that LAUSD “appears to be protecting sexual predators at the expense of its students.”

The department went on to say its Office for Civil Rights is looking into LAUSD for policies that “appear to automatically reassign teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students” to another school.

The teachers were reassigned instead of being fired or suspended during an investigation, the department said. 

According to the department, the sexual misconduct included engaging in exploitative “romantic relationships" with students.

The department said OCR will determine whether LAUSD’s handling of alleged sexual harassment, including sexual assault, by district teachers, administrators or staff violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

The Department of Education also said LAUSD’s policy was “cemented in an agreement with the teachers’ union that appears to guarantee teachers will be reassigned and not terminated or immediately removed” from roles while officials investigate allegations of things such as “sexual harassment of a student, behavior with a student that is motivated by sexual interest, maintaining a sexual or romantic relationship with a student or other minor, creating, selling, or using child pornography, unnecessary physical contact with a student, and failure to report suspected child abuse.”

The Center Square reached out to LAUSD for comment and was told by a spokesperson who declined to give a name for publication that the district sends teachers being investigated home and does not assign them to another school site. The spokesperson noted the district takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment with the utmost seriousness. 

“Commentary is circulating insinuating that the District assigns those being investigated for sexual misconduct to other school sites,” said the LAUSD spokesperson. “This is not true.”

According to the LAUSD spokesperson, confusion seems to be over the term "reassignment."

“Reassignment typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” said the LAUSD spokesperson. “Decisions about reassignment are guided first and foremost by the safety of students, staff, and the workplace.”

After an investigation concludes, the LAUSD spokesperson, “appropriate measures or discipline may be taken, including termination of employment if warranted.”

Lance Izumi, senior director of the Center for Education at Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute, has questions about that clarification.

“Why would the federal government initiate this type of action against LAUSD if it were over a simple misinterpretation?” Izumi told The Center Square. “That seems to me that, you know, that could have been resolved, you know, in a few minutes as opposed to, you know, going to this point about an investigation.”

Karen Frost is chair of the Los Angeles County Moms for Liberty chapter.

Frost, who attended LAUSD schools, said this news saddens her, but added the district has been “a project in decay and decline and disenfranchisement” for decades.

“They have made it their mission, really, to just alienate themselves from parents and student success,” Frost told The Center Square. “I think 22% of eighth graders within the LAUSD are reading at grade level, so they’re not student-focused or family-focused.”

In March, the Los Angeles School Board borrowed $250 million to settle claims of sexual abuse. That was in addition to the $500 million that the LAUSD Board of Education approved for borrowing in 2025.

Pointing to that news, Frost, whose children don't attend the district's schools, said LAUSD clearly has a problem.

“The superintendent is under investigation,” said Frost, referring to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho being placed on paid leave during an FBI investigation.

“The whole thing is just a mess, and I, for one, am very glad that the feds are looking into the school district, and the students in the LAUSD deserve better," Frost  told The Center Square.

Frost recommended parents talk to their kids about what is going on at their school.

Izumi agreed, adding that this is not just a LAUSD or a California problem, but a nationwide problem.

“One in 10 kids is targeted for grooming at some point in their K-12 education,” said Izumi. “That comes from the U.S. Department of Education, so people should be concerned about this across the country.”

Izumi said there are highly publicized cases of teachers in other locations, for example, having sexual relations with students. Those make headlines, but Izumi wonders how many cases are not investigated or reported.

“And how many of those things just go on year after year, with kids being victimized by adults in the system?” said Izumi.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez was handed a six-game suspension and given an undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball on Wednesday for intentionally throwing a pitch at Boston Red Sox star Trevor Story.

Valdez triggered a bench-clearing skirmish and was ejected on Tuesday after plunking Story with a 94mph fastball in the fourth inning of the Tigers' 10-3 drubbing by Boston.

MLB senior vice-president of on-field operations Michael Hill announced Valdez's punishment in a brief statement.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was given a one-game suspension and also fined for Valdez's actions.

Speaking after the game on Tuesday, Dominican left-hander Valdez, who had just given up back-to-back home runs before the incident, denied hitting Story on purpose.

"It was not on purpose," Valdez told US media through an interpreter. 

"It might've looked like that but it wasn't. I was trying to throw a strike after two consecutive home runs, and the pitch just came out of my hand."

However Valdez received scant backing from his own manager Hinch, who admitted the incident had left a sour taste.

"We play a really good brand of baseball here," Hinch said. "That doesn't feel like it. That's not judging intent. I have no idea.

"But when you go out on the field and end up in those confrontations, you usually feel like you're in your right.

"It didn't feel good being out there."

The Tigers, who have reached the playoffs for the past two seasons under Hinch, are leading the American League Central division despite making a lackluster 18-19 start to the season.

rcw/bb

(The Center Square) - Advocates warned the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act could create affordability concerns, and reduce competition in the marketplace.

In March, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bill designed to increase American housing supply and lower home prices.

The bill would set limits on large institutional investors from owning more than 349 homes. It would also include a government pilot program to finance home repairs and lift the 15% cap on banks’ private investments in affordable housing to 20%.

Joel Griffith, a senior fellow at the Advancing American Freedom Foundation, said the legislation will restrict private investment in new housing and lead to a larger affordability issue in the market. He argued that home prices are rising because of government subsidies for owners.

“The primary driver of all that are all of the government subsidies toward this sector of the economy,” Griffith said. “You’ve seen more money in people’s pockets directed to housing because the government has decided this is a sector we want people to park money in.”

The bill would require large institutional investors – including investment funds and corporations – to sell newly constructed single family homes within seven years of acquisition. Griffith said these policies could prevent families who move around often from owning a home.

“If you can’t afford to buy a home or if you are a family that moves every few years, well, D.C., has decided you need to live in an apartment,” Griffith said. “The free market is actually giving families an alternative. You don’t have to live in an apartment if you can’t afford to buy a home.”

Griffith also warned that the legislation would standardize housing restrictions across the country. He said more relaxed zoning laws in Texas could be replaced by strict environmental requirements in California.

The ROAD to Housing Act would also allow families in public housing to use their rental payments as a down payment on a home.

“This is an improper use of government power; you’re not entitled to a downpayment from your fellow taxpayers,” Griffith said. “If you’re going to now provide potentially millions of people with money to put down on a starter home, that is going to increase demand pressures in that part of the market.”

Supporters of the bill said the federal government needs to have a standardized program to address rising housing costs and increase availability of affordable housing. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon applauded the effort.

“Governors welcome alignment at the federal level with the approach they have long championed and stand ready to be partners in implementation,” Evers and Gordon wrote. “America cannot achieve economic competitiveness, workforce mobility or intergenerational opportunity without adequate, affordable housing. Governors have built the case, and we welcome Congress answering the call.”

Griffith called for an end to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on housing construction materials and called on Congress to enact protections that privatize the United States’ housing market. He said tariffs have added $10,000 to construction costs per home.

“Diminish the role of government-sponsored enterprises in the residential housing space and prohibit the Federal Reserve from purchasing additional mortgage-backed securities,” Griffith said.

Holders Paris Saint-Germain set up a Champions League final against Arsenal after a 1-1 second-leg draw at Bayern Munich secured a 6-5 aggregate victory on Wednesday.

PSG exploded on the counter less than three minutes in and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele put Luis Enrique's visitors ahead on the night and two goals up in the tie.

PSG largely succeeded in subduing Bayern's attacking threat, despite Harry Kane's stoppage-time goal.

"It was an exceptional match, another magical night in Munich against a great team," PSG forward Desire Doue told Canal Plus.

"These are the kinds of matches we've dreamt of playing since we were little. Now, we're going to enjoy this as a team."

On their return to Munich's Allianz Arena, the scene of their greatest triumph against Inter Milan in last year's final, PSG once again emphasised their excellence in a competition they coveted without success for so long.

The French giants will be favourites to lift the trophy for a second successive season when they face Premier League leaders Arsenal on May 30 in Budapest.

They are hoping to become only the second back-to-back winners since 1990, after Real Madrid.

Bayern were angered by some first-half refereeing decisions but lacked the potency they showed in their 5-4 first-leg loss in Paris.

The six-time European champions have still not reached the final since beating PSG in the 2020 showpiece in Lisbon.

"I don't have the ability to be disappointed for long," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. "Of course, in the end we lost two very, very tight games against a very good opponent."

Both sides were playing their 52nd match of the season in all competitions -- not even counting last summer's Club World Cup -- but only the hosts looked weary.

So dangerous in the first leg, Bayern were surprisingly stodgy, with Michael Olise in particular having an off night.

In the midst of a record-breaking season, Bayern's fourth defeat in all competitions will sting for a club set to wonder what might have been.

- Dembele strikes early -

With Bayern already Bundesliga champions and PSG also on track for the Ligue 1 title, both sides heavily rotated their line-ups in the weekend's league fixtures.

But both teams only made one change to their starting XIs compared to last week's spectacle in Paris. Only PSG's was forced, with Fabian Ruiz in for the injured Achraf Hakimi.

The high-octane first leg was widely lauded as among the best matches in the competition's history and Wednesday's game offered more of the same early.

Ruiz, starting his first European match since January, set Khvicha Kvaratskhelia down the left flank with an excellent through ball.

The Georgian latched onto the pass, blazed past his marker before cutting back for the perfectly placed Dembele to slam home. 

Bayern conceded after just 36 seconds against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and fought back to win but seemed stunned by the early goal this time around.

Olise, Kane and Joshua Kimmich all mislaid passes in the opening half-hour, ending promising attacks.

Bayern surrounded referee Joao Pinheiro claiming a penalty on the half-hour mark when Vitinha's clearance hit Joao Neves's outstretched arm in the box, but their appeals were waved away.

The home players had already been left incensed when PSG full-back Nuno Mendes was not shown a second yellow card for handball.

PSG went inches from scoring a second but Manuel Neuer tipped a close-range Neves header just wide of the post.

The home team rediscovered their rhythm just before the break, with Jamal Musiala forcing an excellent low save from PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and blasting over the bar.

PSG showed a more measured side to their game in the second half, sitting back to absorb Bayern pressure while never losing their own threat on the counter.

Neuer made fine saves from Kvaratskhelia and Doue to keep Bayern in the tie.

The Bavarians dominated possession and territory but could not break through until Kane scored for a seventh straight Champions League match in stoppage time.

There was time for the restart, but it was too little, too late for the hosts.

dwi/jc

AI startup Anthropic announced Wednesday it has agreed to a major computing partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX, securing access to a vast data center as the Claude maker scrambles to keep pace with surging demand for its AI services.

Under the deal, Anthropic will use all of the compute capacity at SpaceX's Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, Tennessee -- a facility originally built to power Musk's rival AI venture, xAI.

The agreement gives Anthropic access to more than 300 megawatts of capacity, backed by over 220,000 Nvidia AI chips, within one month.

The company said the additional capacity would directly benefit subscribers to its Claude Pro and Claude Max plans.

Anthropic also announced it was immediately letting users do more with its technology. 

The company said it was doubling the amount of Claude Code -- an AI-powered coding assistant that can write, edit, and debug software -- that paying subscribers can use in a five-hour window and eliminating restrictions that had previously cut access during busy periods.

The SpaceX deal marks a surprising partnership between two companies whose leaders have been publicly at odds.

Musk wrote in February that Anthropic "hates Western Civilization" and questioned whether there was a "more hypocritical company than Anthropic." 

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has rankled Musk and other Silicon Valley insiders with his public warnings about the dangers of AI.

Amodei has also clashed with the Trump administration after the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply chain risk earlier this year, a move Anthropic said amounted to unconstitutional retaliation for the company's advocacy on AI safety.

But on Wednesday Musk changed his tone, writing on X that he had spent time with senior Anthropic staff over the past week and was "impressed."

"Everyone I met was highly competent and cared a great deal about doing the right thing," he wrote.

In a separate post, Musk said he was "dissolving" xAI as a standalone company. "It will just be SpaceXAI, the AI products from SpaceX," he added, without elaborating.

SpaceX merged with xAI earlier this year in a deal valuing the two companies at $1.25 trillion. The company is widely expected to pursue an IPO this year that could be among the largest in corporate history.

The Colossus facility in Memphis has been a source of controversy.

xAI installed dozens of natural gas-burning turbines to power the site, claiming no federal permit was required because they were only for temporary use -- a move that drew persistent protests from civil rights groups who said it worsened air pollution in the Memphis area.

The SpaceX pact is the latest in a string of major compute agreements Anthropic has announced in recent months as the company looks to secure the computing power needed to meet its growing needs. 

These include megadeals with Amazon, Google and Broadcom, Microsoft and Nvidia, and an infrastructure investment with Fluidstack.

- AI battle -

The announcement comes as Anthropic and OpenAI -- crosstown rivals in San Francisco -- are locked in a direct battle to equip businesses with AI agents: semi-autonomous assistants capable of writing code, analyzing large volumes of documents, or processing medical records, whose adoption is accelerating rapidly.

On Tuesday, Anthropic unveiled 10 AI agents tailored specifically for banks, insurers, and asset managers -- tools capable of drafting sales presentations, conducting regulatory checks, and analyzing financial statements.

OpenAI, meanwhile, announced a partnership Tuesday with global auditing giant PwC to support its financial operations.

But the race to deploy AI agents is running headlong into a scramble for the chips and energy needed to power them.

Data center construction in the United States, despite moving at an accelerated pace, has struggled to keep up. 

And the energy-hungry projects, blamed for driving up household electricity bills, are drawing growing opposition from American citizens -- an issue that could weigh on November's midterm elections.

bl/arp/md

(The Center Square) – The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is targeting multiple seats in Congress to take back the Democratic majority in November. 

Its “2026 Red to Blue” program’s goal is to flip 18 seats in 12 states in November.

Republicans hold a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives of just three seats. Current polls indicate Republicans are likely to lose the midterm elections. Historically, the political party in the White House loses seats in Congress during midterm elections. In 2010, when Barack Obama was president, Democrats lost 63 seats in the House and six seats in the U.S. Senate. In President Donald Trump’s first term, in 2018, Republicans lost 40 seats in the House and gained two in the U.S. Senate, the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara notes.

The DCCC, the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, says its “Red to Blue” program is “highly competitive and battle-tested,” designed to arm “top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support to help them continue to develop strong campaigns.”

The candidates it supports are extremists, “far-left,” “radical,” “out of touch” “hate farmers,” and are elitists, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the DCCC counterpart, argues, among other claims.

The DCCC’s greatest Red to Blue targets are four Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania: U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA 1), Ryan Mackenzie (PA 7), Rob Bresnahan Jr. (PA 8) and Scott Perry (PA 10). 

In response to the DCCC’s backing Democrat Bob Harvie in PA 1, NRCC Spokesman Reilly Richardson said, “Corrupt Bob Harvie, the subject of an FBI investigation, has spent his time in office raising taxes and abusing taxpayer-funded resources. Corrupt Harvie’s record is uniquely disqualifying and his candidacy is dead on arrival.” 

The DCCC is also targeting three seats in Arizona. One is AZ 1, where multiple candidates are running in a Democrat July 21 primary. In response to the DCCC’s pick, Marlene Woods, NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen said, “D.C. Democrats meddling in a primary to boost Marlene Woods, who is currently trailing the Democrat primary by 21 points, showed how panicked Democrats are about losing the 1st district. Marlene Woods promised to vote ‘100%‘ for their liberal tax-hiking, job-killing agenda, showing she’s deeply out of step with Arizonans.”

The DCCC is also trying to unseat Republican incumbents U.S. Reps. Eli Crane in AZ 2 and Juan Ciscomani in AZ 6. 

It’s also hoping to flip two seats each in Iowa, Texas and Virginia. In Iowa, the DCCC is targeting incumbent Republicans U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in IA 1 and Zach Nunn in IA 3. 

In Texas, it’s targeting incumbent U.S. Rep.  Monica De La Cruz in Texas’ new CD 15 and hoping to win a new open seat in CD 35. After a new Texas redistricting law is in effect, voting patterns indicate both districts represent Hispanic Republican majorities. 

In Virginia, the DCCC is targeting Republican incumbents U.S. Reps. Robert Wittman in VA 1 and Jennifer Kiggans in VA 2. 

The Red to Blue campaign is also targeting one seat each in the California (CD 22), Colorado (CD 5), Maine (CD 2), Michigan (CD 4), North Carolina (CD 11), Tennessee (CD 5) and Wisconsin (CD 3). 

Overall, the DCCC is focusing on 44 districts in 23 states. Its Red to Blue campaign is part of it, noting that all 44 districts “are in play.” 

With three seats “standing between Democrats and reclaiming the House majority, we have an aggressive and disciplined strategy to get us above and beyond 218 seats,” it says. “With strong recruits, firm financial support, and a clear message, Democrats will flip these seats.”

Overall, the DCCC is targeting the most Republican incumbents in two states: four seats each in Florida and Pennsylvania. It’s also targeting three seats each in Arizona, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia. It’s also targeting two seats each in California, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. 

In California, the NRCC says Democrats Derek Tran and Dave Min “hate California farmers” because they “voted against bipartisan legislation that strengthens risk management, expands access to credit, lowers costs, and invests in farming communities.” 

The DCCC is also targeting one seat each in Alaska, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Tennessee.

According to a RealClear Polling Generic Congressional average of polls, the latest data shows Democrats beating Republicans in the House by 5.6% in November. Margins range from Democrats winning by three points in a Morning Consult poll to winning by 10 points in Emerson and Marquette polls, according to the data.

Holders Paris Saint-Germain set up a Champions League final against Arsenal after a 1-1 second-leg draw at Bayern Munich secured a 6-5 aggregate victory on Wednesday.

PSG exploded on the counter less than three minutes in and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele put Luis Enrique's visitors ahead on the night and two goals up in the tie.

PSG largely succeeded in subduing Bayern's attacking threat, despite Harry Kane's stoppage-time goal.

On their return to Munich's Allianz Arena, the scene of their greatest triumph against Inter Milan in last year's final, PSG once again emphasised their excellence in a competition they coveted without success for so long.

The French giants will be favourites to lift the trophy for a second successive season when they face Premier League leaders Arsenal on May 30 in Budapest.

The French giants are hoping to become only the second back-to-back winners since 1990, after Real Madrid.

Bayern were angered by some first-half refereeing decisions but were largely toothless in attack.

The six-time European champions have still not reached the final since beating PSG in the 2020 showpiece in Lisbon.

Both sides were playing their 52nd match of the season in all competitions -- not even counting last summer's Club World Cup -- but only the hosts looked weary.

So dangerous in the first leg, Bayern were surprisingly stodgy in attack, with Michael Olise in particular having an off night.

In the midst of a record-breaking season, Bayern's fourth defeat in all competitions will sting for a club set to wonder what might have been.

- Dembele scores early -

With Bayern already Bundesliga champions and PSG also on track for the Ligue 1 title, both sides heavily rotated their line-ups in the weekend's league fixtures.

But both teams only made one change to their starting XIs compared to last week's spectacle in Paris. Only PSG's was forced, with Fabian Ruiz in for the injured Achraf Hakimi.

The high-octane first leg, won 5-4 by PSG, was widely lauded as among the best matches in the competition's history and Wednesday's game offered more of the same early.

Ruiz, starting his first European match since January, set Khvicha Kvaratskhelia down the left flank with an excellent through ball.

The Georgian latched onto the pass, blazed past his marker before cutting back for the perfectly placed Dembele to slam home. 

Bayern conceded after just 36 seconds against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and fought back to win but seemed stunned by the early goal this time around.

Olise, Kane and Joshua Kimmich all mislaid passes in the opening half-hour, ending promising attacks.

Bayern surrounded referee Joao Pinheiro claiming a penalty on the half-hour mark when Vitinha's clearance hit Joao Neves's outstretched arm in the box, but their appeals were waved away.

The home players had already been left incensed when PSG full-back Nuno Mendes was not shown a second yellow card for handball.

PSG went inches from scoring a second but Manuel Neuer tipped a close-range Neves header just wide of the post.

The home team rediscovered their rhythm just before the break, with Jamal Musiala forcing an excellent low save from PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and blasting over the bar.

PSG showed a more measured side to their game in the second half, sitting back to absorb Bayern pressure while never losing their own threat on the counter.

Neuer made fine second-half saves from Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue to keep Bayern in the tie.

The Bavarians dominated possession and territory but could not break through until Kane scored for a seventh straight Champions League match in stoppage time.

There was time for the restart, but it was too little, too late for the hosts.

dwi/jc

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has improved suicide risk screening and follow-up care among veterans in its system after a December 2024 federal watchdog report found staff were failing to complete required suicide risk checks for 40% or more of patients.

As of March 2026, 88% of veterans who received VA care in the prior 12 months had completed an annual suicide risk screen, up from 55% in fiscal year 2023, when VA's Office of Inspector General found the rate never exceeded 60% in any single month. The OIG attributed the failures to inadequate staff training, missing performance benchmarks and unclear accountability for who was responsible for fixing the problem.

Ninety-six percent of veterans identified as at risk completed a follow-up evaluation within 24 hours as of March 2026, up from 82% in fiscal year 2023. VA said both figures are records since tracking started in 2021.

The improvements come as veteran suicide remains a persistent crisis. In 2023, the veteran suicide rate was 35.2 per 100,000, up slightly from 34.7 per 100,000 in 2022 and about double the national rate of 14.1 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

VA spent $714 million on suicide prevention outreach programs in 2026, up from $556 million in 2025, according to the department's fiscal year 2027 budget request.

Jim Whaley, CEO of Mission Roll Call, a nonprofit veterans advocacy organization, told The Center Square in March that prevention spending has not moved the needle on outcomes.

"A lot of money has gone into suicide prevention, and it really hasn't worked," Whaley said.

VA's then-Under Secretary for Health accepted the OIG's six recommendations and submitted action plans in September 2024, under the Biden administration. The OIG acknowledged VA's progress on those recommendations in April 2026.

"VA care and benefits are key to reducing Veteran suicide, and under President Trump, the department is redoubling its efforts to reach those most at risk," VA Secretary Doug Collins said Wednesday.

Collins made a similar commitment in March, pledging for the first time to track the efficacy of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually on prevention programs.

"A serious effort to track the efficacy of the hundreds of millions the department spends per year in this area to ensure we have real solutions, not just rhetoric," he said at the time.

VA's suicide risk screening program requires all patients to get an annual screen. Veterans who screen positive must receive a comprehensive follow-up evaluation, typically the same day. The OIG's 2024 review found that while the program had been in place since 2018, required staff training did not include instruction on how to conduct screenings or evaluations. It also found that more than half of facility staff believed suicide risk screening was only the responsibility of dedicated suicide prevention teams, not all clinical staff.

More than 60% of veteran suicides involve people who were not in VA care in the two years before their death, according to VA.

Veterans in crisis can contact the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and pressing 1, chatting at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or texting 838255. 

(The Center Square) – A breakthrough deal may be on the horizon between the U.S. and Iran, according to President Donald Trump.

During a Wednesday afternoon news conference in the Oval Office, Trump indicated that Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon – a stipulation in a deal between Iran and the U.S.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t, and they’ve agreed to that, among other things,” Trump told reporters.

The president said a deal with Iran is close, despite making the same claim multiple times since a ceasefire went into place April 7. However, Trump appears to acknowledge the Islamic Republic’s reluctance to reach a deal over the last month after several failed attempts to make a deal.

“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” Trump posted to Truth Social Wednesday morning.

While the president appeared to indicate Operation Epic Fury could continue, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a White House press briefing Tuesday that it was indeed over.

“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace,” Rubio told reporters.

The latest claim comes less than 24 hours after the president announced the pause of “Project Freedom,” a U.S. operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz safely. Trump implemented Project Freedom Monday morning.

The president cited “great progress” being made toward a deal with Iran.

“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon.

The president continues to defend a potential deal and the fragile ceasefire, despite Iran firing on U.S. naval vessels and attacks on commercial vessels.

Trump defended the talks after a reporter argued that Iran has been unwilling to submit, asking “what’s different about this moment now than in other where a deal has seemed close?”

The president responded, “Why do you say they refused to submit? You don’t know that. You don’t know what’s going on.”

The Trump administration has conceded the Iranian government is fractured, it is unclear if the fractured leadership would jointly agree to a proposed deal presented by the U.S.

Ruhi Cenet was surprised when cruise-ship life carried on as usual aboard the MV Hondius, even after the captain announced the first passenger's death.

The Turkish travel vlogger had boarded the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 to do a story about one of its stops, Tristan da Cunha, the remote archipelago in the South Atlantic.

It started out as an idyllic trip, with 59 crew attending to the 88 passengers -- most of them amateur birdwatchers aged 60 and up, Cenet, who is 35, told AFP in an interview.

But things turned strange the morning of April 12, when the ship's captain announced into a microphone that a passenger had died.

The 70-year-old Dutch man passed away the day before, the captain can be seen telling passengers in a video Cenet shot.

"I am told by the doctor that we are not infectious," the captain says in the footage -- little realising the ship's British doctor would himself be in serious condition weeks later.

"He said it was due to natural causes," Cenet recalled in an interview by video link.

"They didn't even consider the possibility of having such a contagious disease," he added.

"They didn't take the problem seriously enough."

- 'Worst-case scenario' -

Three of the ship's passengers have now died, including the first victim's wife and a German woman.

The World Health Organization says at least five others from the ship have definitely or probably been infected with hantavirus, a rare, potentially deadly respiratory disease.

Cenet said he was startled to see that "everyday life continued" on the ship after the captain's announcement.

His videos show elderly passengers mingling around the buffet table.

"We again kept eating all together... and we didn't wear any masks," he said.

To be safe, he and his cameraman decided to self-isolate, he told AFP.

"We didn't know there was a virus, but we just took precautions," he said.

A few days later, the ship anchored off Tristan da Cunha for the day.

Cenet remains haunted by that stop, fearing a "worst-case scenario", he said.

"I wish we did not land there after the first casualty, because along with us, there were a hundred more passengers, and they were interacting with the islanders," he said.

"This is one of my regrets, because the island is the most remote one, and they don't have enough medical centres, enough doctors."

- $10,000 trip -

Cenet disembarked from the ship on the British overseas territory of Saint Helena on April 24, along with about 20 other passengers.

The next day, he boarded a flight to South Africa.

It was the same one carrying the wife of the first victim.

She died the next day.

"She was in a wheelchair... Her head was down. Apparently the illness started getting to her," Cenet said.

He remembered how after her husband's death, many passengers on the ship had gathered around her to console her.

From South Africa, Cenet and his cameraman returned to Istanbul.

"When we got to Turkey, we were told that as long as we don't show any symptoms, at this point we don't have to be quarantined," he said.

"We are trying to isolate ourselves as much as we can."

The Hondius, which has been in quarantine off Cape Verde, left its anchorage there on Wednesday for Spain's Canary Islands.

An acquaintance still on board told Cenet the passengers were now isolated in their cabins and wearing masks.

But "I think these kind of ships should have some sort of a lab or necessary equipment" in case of outbreaks, said Cenet, adding that passengers had paid around $10,000 each for the cruise.

"I think these kind of amenities are needed," he said.

"One doctor wasn't enough."

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