'A top person': Who is the US dealing with in Iran?

A US federal judge on Thursday suspended sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump's administration on Anthropic, saying the measures likely violated the law in blacklisting the AI powerhouse for expressing unease about the Pentagon's use of its technology.

In the northern district of California, Judge Rita Lin granted Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction in its suit against the government, freezing a presidential order that barred all federal agencies from using Anthropic technology.

The ruling also suspends a Pentagon designation of Anthropic, the creator of the Claude AI model, as a national security supply chain risk -- a label typically reserved for organizations from unfriendly foreign countries.

The designation not only blocks use of the company's technology by the Pentagon, but also requires all defense vendors and contractors to certify that they do not use Anthropic's models in their work with the department.

The dispute erupted last month after Anthropic infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth by insisting its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

Hegseth said on X that Anthropic had "delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon."

The tech sector has largely supported Anthropic in the wake of the punitive measures, which were suspended for seven days by Thursday's ruling to allow the government ample time to file an emergency appeal in the short term.

At a hearing earlier this week, Lin said she was concerned that the government was "trying to punish Anthropic...for criticizing the government's contracting position in the press" -- which would be a violation of the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

In her ruling, she said the government's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was "likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious."

"Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the US for expressing disagreement with the government," she wrote.

Lin also cited other "serious procedural problems with the government's actions" as reasons for issuing the injunction.

bl/sst/msp

Italy will face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place at the 2026 World Cup after beating Northern Ireland 2-0 on Thursday, as Wales and the Republic of Ireland suffered agonising penalty shootout defeats in their qualifying play-off semi-finals.

Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean struck second-half goals in Bergamo to keep four-time World Cup winners Italy on track to end a 12-year absence from the tournament.

Italy missed the last two editions in Russia and Qatar but Tonali's powerful drive and an excellent finish from Kean nudged Gennaro Gattuso's team a step closer to a return to international football's biggest stage.

"We had to work hard because it was not easy tonight," said Gattuso.

"We knew this game would be tough, all we can do now is try to recharge the batteries."

Italy will take on Bosnia in Zenica next Tuesday. A late header from 40-year-old Edin Dzeko cancelled out Dan James' superb opener for Wales and forced extra time in Cardiff, where Bosnia scraped through 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"We're lost for words. We prepared as well as we could have and I thought we played well," Wales captain Ethan Ampadu told the BBC.

"We can hold our heads up high because we fought for everything, sometimes in life things don't go your way."

Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick in Sweden's 3-1 win over Ukraine.

Arsenal striker Gyokeres netted his first goals of the qualifying campaign to lead Sweden to the brink of the finals, despite a dismal group stage in which they picked up just two points in six matches.

Sweden got another chance as a result of their UEFA Nations League performances and Gyokeres turned in from close range early on against Ukraine, unable to play at home because of the war with Russia and instead having to move the tie to neutral ground in Valencia, Spain.

Gyokeres tucked away his second six minutes after the break and converted a penalty to complete his treble and seal victory for Graham Potter's team, with Matvii Ponomarenko grabbing a late consolation for Ukraine.

- Lewandowski inspires Poland comeback -

Sweden will play Poland in Stockholm for one of four remaining European tickets to the World Cup.

Robert Lewandowski helped Poland come from behind to scrape past Albania 2-1 after Arber Hoxha gave the visitors the lead in Warsaw.

Lewandowski headed in from a corner to bring Poland level with his 89th goal for his country before Piotr Zielinski grabbed the winner.

Czech Republic goalkeeper Matej Kovar saved two penalties in a shootout to steer his team past Ireland in Prague.

Ireland looked well placed for a first trip to the World Cup since 2002 as Troy Parrott's penalty and own goal by Kovar put them 2-0 ahead.

Patrik Schick pulled a goal back from the spot and Ladislav Krejci powered in a header on 86 minutes to level at 2-2 and send the semi-final to extra time.

Finn Azaz and Alan Browne both missed in the shootout as the Czechs lined up a showdown at home to a rampant Denmark.

"Just pain. We all feel pain. When you go this far it's a flip of a coin. Just pain we feel being that close," Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson told RTE.

The Danes eased to a 4-0 victory over North Macedonia in Copenhagen with all the goals coming in the second half. Mikkel Damsgaard broke the deadlock and Gustav Isaksen scored twice in as many minutes before Christian Norgaard added a fourth.

Kosovo are on the brink of a first appearance at any major tournament following a wild 4-3 win away to Slovakia.

Slovakia twice led in Bratislava through goals from Martin Valjent and Lukas Haraslin, but Kosovo fought back with efforts from Veldin Hodza and Fisnik Asllani.

Kosovo, who were only admitted to UEFA and FIFA competitions a decade ago, then went in front courtesy of Florent Muslija and got another goal from Kreshnik Hajrizi.

David Strelec's stoppage-time strike wasn't enough to deny Kosovo, who will host Turkey for the right to go to the World Cup.

Ferdi Kadioglu scored a second-half winner for Turkey in a 1-0 victory over Romania in their play-off semi-final in Istanbul.

Turkey, quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, are bidding to reach the showpiece tournament for the first time since finishing third in South Korea and Japan 24 years ago.

mw/as

Bolivia produced a second-half fightback to shatter Suriname's unlikely dream of World Cup qualification with a 2-1 victory in their FIFA playoff game in Mexico on Thursday.

A 79th-minute penalty from Santos striker Miguel Terceros following an equalizer from teenage substitute Moises Paniagua fired Bolivia into a winner-take-all final playoff against Iraq next Tuesday.

Suriname, who had been bidding to become the lowest ranked team in history to qualify for the World Cup, had taken the lead in the 48th minute when Liam van Gelderen bundled home a close-range finish at the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey.

That goal looked like being enough to secure victory for the former Dutch colony, who are ranked 123rd in the world and are made up mostly of players from the Netherlands of Surinamese descent.

But Bolivia, who are chasing their first World Cup appearance since the 1994 finals in the USA, began to dominate as the second half drew on, and were thrown a lifeline when the 18-year-old Paniagua's low shot made it 1-1 after 72 minutes.

Six minutes later, an adventurous burst down the right flank from Bolivia fullback Diego Medina sowed panic in the Suriname defense.

Medina's low cross found substitute Juan Sinforiano Godoy who was tripped by Suriname defender Myenty Abena.

Australian referee Alireza Faghani pointed to the spot and after a brief delay, Terceros stepped up to drill in the spot kick and make it 2-1.

Bolivia now face Iraq next Tuesday with the winner advancing to the World Cup's Group I alongside France, Noway and Senegal at this year's finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

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Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes was sent to the exit after two-thirds of an inning while other pitchers and new technology created a historic Thursday of Major League Baseball season openers.

The New York Mets sent Pirates star Skenes packing early in an 11-7 home victory.

Most clubs began their 2026 campaign on Thursday, with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers starting their quest for a World Series three-peat at home later against Arizona.

Pittsburgh's Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Skenes boasted an earned-run average of 1.97 -- the lowest for any Pirates starter since 1920 -- last year.

But the 23-year-old right-hander was blasted off the mound by the Mets in the shortest outing of his career.

Brett Baty's three-run triple powered a five-run first inning for the host Mets. A Marcus Semien single scored Baty and Skenes was pulled.

MLB history was made in the third inning at Citi Field when the first successful Automated Ball-Strike challenge in a Major League game was made by Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez.

Alvarez challenged a full-count fastball thrown by Freddy Peralta to Oneil Cruz and called a ball on the outside edge of the strike zone. The call was overturned by the new "robot umpire" system for strike three and the second out of the inning.

Francisco Lindor walked and scored three times, Juan Soto had two hits and a walk and Luis Robert added two hits and drove in two runs for the Mets.

Milwaukee pitcher Jacob Misiorowski surrendered a leadoff homer to the visiting Chicago White Sox, then the 23-year-old right-hander struck out 11 batters over the first five innings to set a Brewers opening-day record for strikeouts, eclipsing the mark of eight set by Ben Sheets the day before Misiorowski was born in 2002.

He is the youngest pitcher with 10 or more strikeouts on an MLB opening day since Seattle's Félix Hernández in 2007 at age 20.

Misiorowski's effort helped the Brewers beat the White Sox 14-2.

Japan's Munetaka Murakami blasted his first MLB homer in the ninth for the White Sox.

Homers by Joey Wiemer, Jacob Young and Brady House powered the Washington Nationals to a 10-4 triumph at the Chicago Cubs.

Colton Cowser's sacrifice fly and Blaze Alexander's single each drove in a run in the seventh inning to lift host Baltimore over Minnesota 2-1.

- McGonigle's big debut -

Detroit's Kevin McGonigle hit a two-run double down the right-field line on the first pitch he saw in his MLB career to help the Tigers win 8-2 at San Diego.

McGonigle was only the second Tiger, after Billy Bean in 1987, and 25th MLB player ever with four hits in his MLB debut.

Detroit's Tarik Skubal, a 29-year-old left-hander chasing his third consecutive American League Cy Young Award, struck out six and allowed only three hits in six innings for the victory.

Boston left-hander Garrett Crochet struck out eight and allowed only three hits in six scoreless innings as the Red Sox won 3-0 at Cincinnati.

Kyle Schwarber smacked a two-run homer in the first inning and Alec Bohm added a three-run homer in the fifth in Philadelphia's 5-3 home victory over Texas.

Jose Soriano struck out seven batters and allowed only two hits in six shutout innings as the Los Angeles Angels opened the season with a 3-0 victory at Houston.

Alec Burleson's two-run homer capped an eight-run sixth inning and made the difference in a 9-7 St. Louis home victory over Tampa Bay.

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US paper currency will soon bear Donald Trump's signature, the Treasury Department announced Thursday, in a move that would be a first for a sitting American president and coincide with the country's 250th anniversary.

Historically, the signatures on dollar bills belong to those of the Treasurer of the United States and the secretary of the Treasury. But the upcoming new bills will feature those of Trump and current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

"Under President Trump's leadership, we are on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability," Bessent said in a statement announcing the decision.

"There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than US dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial," he added.

The move would be the latest effort by Trump to circumvent longstanding practice and put his mark on American currency.

Last week, an advisory commission hand-picked by Trump approved the design of a commemorative gold coin featuring his image -- also intended to mark the 250th anniversary of the July 4, 1776 founding of the United States.

One side of it shows a glaring Trump standing with his fists bunched on a desk, and the other features an eagle perched with wings spread on what appears to be a bell.

The coin does not have a monetary value and its sale price has not been disclosed, but similar commemorative coins sold by the US Mint can cost more than $1,000.

The move to put Trump's countenance on a coin -- which runs counter to federal law that says no living president may appear on US currency -- has been criticized by his Democratic opponents.

But Trump has pressed ahead with other deeply controversial designs as well, including one bearing Trump's face on a $1 coin that would be temporarily added to circulating currency, and which would also celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.

mlm/sst

(The Center Square) – The Thomas More Society has issued a demand letter to the Westwood Regional School District Board of Education in New Jersey, calling for the repeal of its gender policy and arguing it violates constitutional protections.

The letter, sent on behalf of a parent with a child, challenges the district's Transgender Guidance Policy 5756, which requires school staff to use a student's asserted name and pronouns without mandatory parental notification. The law firm called the policy a “flagrant illegality.”

If the district does not comply, the Thomas More Society said it will seek an injunction similar to the one it obtained against California in Mirabelli v. Bonta.

“No school district has a right to secretly ‘transition’ children to another gender,” Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel at Thomas More Society, said. “Parents send their children to school every day trusting that the district is in partnership with them, not working around them. Policy 5756 destroys that trust.”

District officials confirmed it received the demand letter but declined to comment further.

“Our Board members received the letter, and we have shared it with our district counsel,” Superintendent Patrick McQueeney said in an email to The Center Square.

The Thomas More Society has given the board 20 days from March 25 to rescind the policy and ensure compliance with federal law or face potential federal litigation.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Mirabelli v Bonta that California school policies violated the constitutional protections given to parents. 

The decision vacated a stay issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that blocked enforcement of a lower district court injunction.

The case challenged guidance critics described as “gender secrecy” policies, which allowed school officials to withhold information from parents regarding a student’s change in name or other gender-related identity. 

After the court’s ruling, Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, told The Center Square that this ruling has implications beyond California, arguing that similar policies nationwide are unconstitutional.

The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta said it is continuing to pursue modifications to the injunction.

“We filed our motion with the Ninth Circuit to ensure that the injunction that is now in place is consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision,” the office told The Center Square. “That decision made clear that states can limit disclosures where abuse would result.”

Bonta’s office added that after the 9th Circuit denied its request, it filed a motion on March 19 in district court seeking to modify the injunction.

Kylian Mbappe moved to within one goal of equalling France's all-time scoring record with the opener in a 2-1 win over Brazil as two of the leading World Cup contenders faced off in a glamour friendly in the United States on Thursday.

Mbappe ran through to beat goalkeeper Ederson with a delightful chipped finish to give France the lead just after the half-hour mark at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, home of NFL side the New England Patriots.

France, World Cup winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, had defender Dayot Upamecano sent off early in the second half but shrugged that off to double their lead courtesy of Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike on 65 minutes.

Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil did pull one back 12 minutes from time via a close-range finish by Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, but Les Bleus held on for a victory that will boost confidence two and a half months before the World Cup begins. They play Senegal, Norway and a play-off winner in the group stage.

The sight of captain Mbappe scoring in trademark lethal fashion is especially good news for coach Didier Deschamps, after the Real Madrid superstar returned from three weeks out with a knee injury just ahead of this international get-together.

The 27-year-old Mbappe has now scored 56 goals in 95 appearances for his country, leaving him just one goal away from equalling the France record of 57 goals held by the recently-retired Olivier Giroud.

Mbappe will have the chance to match, and perhaps surpass, that record when France play Colombia in the second friendly of this American tour, at the Northwest Stadium near Washington DC on Sunday.

There have been four encounters between these powerhouse nations at past World Cups, including the 1998 World Cup final won by France and the 2006 quarter-final in which Les Bleus also triumphed.

However, this was their first meeting of any sort since a friendly in Paris exactly 11 years ago, won 3-1 by Brazil.

The Brazilians go into this year's World Cup -- in which they will face Morocco, Scotland and Haiti in the group stage -- hoping the recent appointment as coach of the revered Ancelotti can make them serious contenders to claim a record-extending sixth title.

- Brazilian absences -

But this match will have reminded them of the standards required against the very best sides in the international game.

Brazil were admittedly missing a host of key players here, with goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defensive duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Eder Militao, midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and forwards Rodrygo and Estevao among those absent.

France, meanwhile, were without Arsenal centre-back William Saliba, but a fearsome attack included Mbappe, Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele, the reigning Ballon d'Or.

Dembele released Mbappe for the opener, and that separated the teams at the break.

Upamecano was sent off on 55 minutes after American referee Guido Gonzales upgraded a yellow card to red following a VAR review, ruling that the defender had denied Wesley a clear goal-scoring opportunity as he took down the full-back on the edge of the area.

Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, a late call-up to replace the injured Saliba, came on for Dembele to make his debut and bolster the French back line after that.

They then increased their lead as Olise supplied Ekitike in the area and the Liverpool striker clipped the ball beyond Ederson for his second international goal.

Mbappe and Ekitike were promptly removed, and Brazil were left with too much to do, even if Bremer converted from close range from Luiz Henrique's assist on 78 minutes to make it 2-1.

Ancelotti will now hope his team can bounce back when they take on Croatia in Orlando, Florida next Tuesday.

as/dmc

An oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico affecting hundreds of kilometers of coastline was caused by "illegal dumping" from a ship and exacerbated by seepage from natural sources, Mexican authorities said Thursday.

Large blotches of oil have been observed since early March along 600 kilometers (370 miles) of coast spanning three Mexican states, in what activists are calling an environmental disaster.

President Claudia Sheinbaum's government, which denies any "severe environmental damage" from the incident, says it has removed 128 tons of crude oil residue from the gulf.

Navy Secretary Raymundo Morales said state oil company Pemex had determined the oil came from "a ship that carried out illegal dumping" off the southern city of Coatzacoalcos, in Veracruz state.

Thirteen vessels were present in the area, and it was impossible to establish which was responsible, he said.

Seepage of naturally occurring fossil fuel from two sources contributed to the contamination, authorities said.

They added they had put marine barriers in place to limit the flow, and were investigating whether any oil rigs in the area had structural problems causing a leakage.

Mexico is the world's 11th-biggest oil producer, and the second-biggest in Latin America, after Brazil, according to Pemex figures.

bur/jhb/mlm

OpenAI has put plans for a sexually explicit chatbot on hold indefinitely, the company said Thursday, amid mounting concerns about the societal and reputational risks of releasing such a product.

The move, first reported by the Financial Times, comes as the artificial intelligence giant seeks to shed what executives have described as peripheral projects as it tries to maintain its lead in the AI market.

OpenAI told the newspaper it wanted to conduct long-term research into the effects of sexually explicit conversations and emotional attachments before making any product decision.

Asked for comment, an OpenAI spokesperson told AFP the company had "nothing further to add."

The explicit content feature, internally dubbed "Citron mode," had drawn pushback from both staff and investors, the FT reported.

Some employees questioned whether the product was compatible with OpenAI's stated mission of ensuring the technology benefits humanity, while investors raised concerns about the reputational risks relative to any commercial upside, according to the report.

OpenAI said last year it would relax restrictions on its ChatGPT chatbot, including allowing erotic content for verified adult users as part of what the company described as a principle to "treat adult users like adults."

The dropping of the plan comes the same week that OpenAI announced it was winding down its Sora video social media app, which has been accused of triggering a flood of low value-added AI content online.

The decisions come at a sensitive moment for the tech industry, with Meta and other social media companies facing a wave of lawsuits -- and regulations -- over the impact of their platforms on minors.

The US Federal Trade Commission has also launched an inquiry into several tech companies including OpenAI over how AI chatbots could negatively affect children and teenagers.

Elon Musk's rival AI venture xAI drew global condemnation last year after its Grok chatbot was used to generate fabricated sexual images of real people, including children.

OpenAI has also faced its own legal challenges from families of teenagers who say ChatGPT caused harm and even suicide among young people, prompting the company to introduce an age-verification system.

The company deployed a behavior-based age prediction technology that estimates whether a user is over or under 18 based on how they interact with ChatGPT.

arp/mlm

(The Center Square) – The California Senate unanimously passed a bill on Thursday that renames Cesar Chavez Day “Farmworkers Day.”

The vote follows the Assembly’s unanimous passage of the same bill on Monday. The legislation now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom to be signed. 

The Legislature moved to rename the day, originally in honor of late farm labor leader Cesar Chavez, after a New York Times investigation published this month found that there were multiple allegations of sexual abuse and assault by Chavez against women and girls for years.

Chavez, who was president of United Farm Workers, died in 1993.

“For generations, farmworkers have labored under a relentless sun,” Sen. Maria Durazo, D-Los Angeles, said on the Senate floor on Thursday. “They built one of the most consequential labor movements in all of American history, not because of any one person, but because of their collective strength, their sacrifice and their refusal to be invisible.”

The legislation renaming the holiday was Assembly Bill 2156. It was introduced by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara.

State lawmakers in California also signaled support for female farmworkers this week by announcing legislation that would give women in fields, farms and other agricultural labor settings access to menstrual products for free. Women at a press conference held in the California Capitol on Tuesday said female relatives who worked in the fields often had to suffer in silence on their menstrual cycles, working in jobs that required hard physical labor while enduring cramps and not making enough money to afford menstrual products.

“There were times when she had to use rags, paper or even pieces of her own clothing because she had no access to menstrual products,” Perla Sanchez, the daughter of a migrant worker, said of her mother’s experience on Tuesday. “She could not afford them. There were no stores nearby, and she was too ashamed to ask for help.”

The California Legislature joins other governments across the country in removing Cesar Chavez’s name from parks, schools, streets and days honoring the U.S. farmworker movement, according to previous reporting from The Center Square. The Phoenix City Council on Wednesday voted to rename Cesar Chavez Day “Farmworkers Day," while the city of Seattle took Chavez’s name off of one of its parks in the South Park neighborhood.

In addition, an Arizona Senate committee voted Wednesday to advance a bill repealing Cesar Chavez Day statewide. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors followed the lead of the city of Los Angeles and renamed the holiday "Farmworkers Day." Likewise, the Los Angeles Unified School District board approved a motion Tuesday to remove Chavez's name and likenesses from wherever it appears in the nation's second-largest school district. That included renaming two schools.

Cesar Chavez Day is March 31, prompting action across the country to respond to the allegations made by women in the farm labor movement who, according to The New York Times, were assaulted by Chavez from the time they were children. Dolores Huerta, the farm labor movement’s most prominent female leader, also said in The New York Times investigation that she was raped by Chavez.

“When we talk about honoring farmworkers, this is not about one person,” Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Lancaster and the daughter and granddaughter of farmworkers, said on the Senate floor on Thursday. “This is not about one narrative. It’s about honoring generations of sacrifice, resilience and hope. No one person owns this story.”