HOT POINT

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — At least five people have died in clashes between supporters of Yemen's main separatist group and local security forces, with more than two dozen others injured, officials and separatists said on Wednesday.

Eshraq al-Maqtari, the newly appointed legal affairs minister inYemen's internationally recognized government, wrote on X that the Shabwa governorate has experienced "painful events."

The clashes erupted when supporters of Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council stormed the governorate's local administrative authority building in the city of Ataq, during which an attempt was made to take down the Yemeni flag, eyewitnesses Khaled al-Merfedi and Salem Lahtal told The Associated Press.

They said local security forces quickly regained control of the building, secured it, and deployed throughout the surrounding area.

"Hope rests on the leaders, elites, youth, and women of Shabwa to resolve this tension, in which the only losers are the lives, safety, and security of its citizens. The interests of Shabwa must be prioritized above all narrow interests," al-Maqtari said.

The STC branch in Shabwa confirmed in a statement the deaths of the five protesters.

Shabwa is currently under the control of thePresidential Leadership Council, headed by Rashad al-Alimi. Forces allied with the council reportedly intervened and fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.

In December, the STC madeadvances in Hadramout and al-Mahra governorates, pushing out the Saudi-aligned National Shield Forces and forcing simmering tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi into the open. Deadly clashes in the country's south erupted and the separatist groupannounced its dissolutionin the weeks that followed, butprotestscontinued in support of the STC, withcalls for an independent south.

Yemen has been mired for more than a decade in a civil war that involves a complex interplay of sectarian and tribal grievances and the involvement of regional powers. The STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, is wanted for treason and has fled to Abu Dhabi.

"Masked members of the security and military forces opened fire on the demonstrators," the STC branch in Shabwa said in the statement.

It added: "As the mass march moved toward the al-Fakhama Hotel … the security and military forces began firing directly at the protesters using light and medium weapons, resulting in deaths and injuries."

The STC accused forces affiliated with Shabwa's local administration of storming the designated protest site, dismantling the stage, and surrounding the area with armored vehicles and troops, creating what it described as a scene "more akin to a battlefield."

Last week, al-Alimi,announced a new 35-member Cabinetchaired byPrime Minister Shae'a al-Zandani, who also serves as foreign minister. It included only two women: Afrah al-Zouba, minister of planning and international cooperation, and Ahd Jaasous, state minister for women's affairs.

Major US cities overall experienced a steep drop in violent crime last year, according to astatistical analysisreleased by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

The analysis reflects an overall downward trend in recent years, after violent crime spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to year-end statistics compiled by the FBI through 2024.

The most recentMajor Cities Chiefs Associationsurvey, which was made up of statistics compiled from 67 of 68 responding law enforcement agencies and released earlier in February, shows homicides were down just over 19% last year. The report also showed that robbery was down almost 20%, rape was down almost 9% and aggravated assault was down almost 10% last year compared to 2024, the statistics show.

The report is just the latest crime statistical analysis that shows declines in violent crimes in 2025. It joins areport from the Council on Criminal Justicethat was released in January that also showed steep declines in homicides and other crimes.

The think tank zoomed in on year-end crime statistics from 40 large cities and found that homicides dropped 21% last year when compared to 2024, the largest single-year decline on record. They also project that when the FBI puts out their year-end statistics, the homicide rate will likely be the lowest it's been nationally since 1900.

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Homicides dropped steeply in Chicago, from 587 in 2024 to 417 last year, the data shows. Columbus, Ohio, saw dramatic drops in every category, including rapes, down to 678 last year from 1,116 in 2024. Houston saw a drop in aggravated assault, from 18,590 in 2024 down to 15,378 last year, according to the report. Robberies were down in Los Angeles, from 8,593 in 2024 to 7,278 last year, the records show.

While it's nearly impossible to zero in on any one reason for why murders and other violent crime has dropped nationally in 2025, analysts point to a combination of renewed precision policing tactics that have coupled with advancements in technology, along with preventative measures, such as violence interrupters and the court system getting through backlogs from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the overall downward trend in homicides and other violent crimes, not all cities were down, according to the statistics from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, made up of police executives who represent the largest cities in the US and Canada.

Boston saw more homicides last year, with 31, up from 24 in 2024. El Paso, Texas, also showed an increase of 30 homicides last year, up from 24 the previous year. Fort Worth, Texas, was up from 75 homicides in 2024 to 81 last year. Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, also saw a jump, from 11 homicides in 2024 to 26 last year, the data shows.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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A group of Buddhist monks, a day after completing a108-day Walk for Peacefrom Texas to Washington, walked to Capitol Hill on Wednesday before heading to the Lincoln Memorial to conclude their journey.

Buddhist Monks Peace Walk Washington

The 19 monks and their dog, Aloka, walked 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) across several Southern states — sometimes in frigid conditions — drawing large crowds in churchyards, city halls and town squares. The group, with itsmessage of peace, has captured hearts across the nation and globe, earning it millions of online followers.

On Wednesday morning, themonks walked single file, followed by about 100 other monks and nuns who had joined them in Washington. Behind them was a sea of people showing peace signs and marching silently. More than 21,000 people followed the livestream online from around the globe, posting messages in Spanish, Hindi, Thai and Sinhalese.

Crowds cheered and thanked the monks from sidewalks as they walked from George Washington University, where they stopped for the night, to Capitol Hill. Later in the day, they were expected to address a large crowd at the Lincoln Memorial and formally conclude the peace walk. The Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, who has led the group, will also lead a loving-kindness meditation session at George Washington University.

Pannakara walked barefoot on Wednesday as he waved and smiled at crowds. Several people, including young children, handed flowers to the monks.

On Tuesday, the monks made stops at American University and the Washington National Cathedral for an interfaith conversation where thousands thronged to hear Pannakara speak.

The monk urged those gathered to practice mindfulness every day and cultivate peace in their hearts. He asked them to wake up every morning and intentionally write on a piece of paper the words: Today is going to be my peaceful day.

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The monks' trek has had its perils. In November, outside Houston, the group was walking on the side of a highway when their escort vehicle was hit by a truck.Two monks were injured; Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan had his leg amputated. Phommasan, abbot of a temple in Snellville, Georgia, rejoined the monks near Washington and entered American University's arena in a wheelchair and joined the group on their walk to the Capitol.

Peace walks are a cherished tradition in Theravada Buddhism. Some of the monks have walked barefoot or in socks during parts of the journey to feel the ground directly and help them be present in the moment.

The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha that focuses on breath and the mind-body connection. Pannakara's peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.

Their return trip should be less arduous. After an appearance at the Maryland State House, a bus will take them back to Texas, where they expect to arrive in downtown Fort Worth early on Saturday.

From there, the monks will walk together again, traversing 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) to the temple where their trip began.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP'scollaborationwith The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

By Jan Wolfe

Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Trump administration's imminent repeal of an Obama-era scientific finding that greenhouse gases pose a public health threat could open up a new pathway for filing lawsuits against power-plant operators and other companies.

Legal experts said the policy reversal could lead ‌to a surge in lawsuits known as "public nuisance" actions, a pathway that had been blocked following a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that regulation of ‌greenhouse gas emissions should be left in the hands of the Environmental Protection Agency instead of the courts.

Now that the EPA is abandoning that regulatory effort, the legal shield created by the 2011 ​decision will likely unravel, legal experts said.

"This may be another classic case where overreach by the Trump administration comes back to bite it," said Robert Percival, a University of Maryland environmental law professor.

The Environmental Protection Agency is set this week to repeal a 2009 scientific determination known as the endangerment finding, which has been the foundation for federal climate regulations. The endangerment finding is what led the EPA to take action under the Clean Air Act of 1963 to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, ‌methane, and four other heat-trapping air pollutants from vehicles, power ⁠plants and other industries.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has called the rescission of the endangerment finding "the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States."

Power companies have generally favored President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda, but have expressed concern about the ⁠repeal of the endangerment finding triggering a wave of lawsuits.

The Edison Electric Institute, which represents publicly traded electric utilities, said in September that rescinding the endangerment finding comes with the "potential for increased litigation alleging common-law claims, regardless of the merits of those suits."

'NEW FRONT' OPENING

U.S. courts have long recognized a legal theory known as "public nuisance," which prohibits activities that ​unreasonably ​interfere with the health and safety of a community.

Public nuisance lawsuits are typically brought by ​state and local governments, and seek to make the party ‌responsible for the nuisance pay to abate, or fix, the condition.

The cases are hard to win, in part because of difficulties in proving direct causation between a specific defendant's emissions and particular climate harms. But legal experts have said they are one potential tool for environmental activists to hold greenhouse gas emitters liable for climate harms.

In a 2004 lawsuit, California and five other states alleged that big power companies had created a public nuisance by contributing to climate change. The defendants included American Electric Power and Xcel Energy .

The case eventually ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled against the six states in a unanimous 2011 ‌decision.

Writing for the court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said regulating greenhouse gases should be left ​to EPA under the Clean Air Act. That law and subsequent EPA actions like the endangerment ​finding, Ginsburg wrote, "displace the claims the plaintiffs seek to pursue."

That 2011 decision ​allowed power companies to escape public nuisance lawsuits filed in federal courts, though some cases brought in state court have survived.

The ‌policy reversal could give public nuisance cases a new lease ​on life, legal experts said.

"This has the ​potential to change the stakes of the game," said University of Pennsylvania law professor Sarah Light. "If the Clean Air Act no longer applies to greenhouse gas emissions, then there's no comprehensive statutory scheme in which Congress intended to displace nuisance claims, so they would likely be able to proceed ​in court."

Jenner & Block environmental lawyer Meghan Greenfield agreed that ‌a "new front" for lawsuits may be opening up.

"This is an area where things had been settled for the past 15 years, and, ​especially as the EPA steps out of this space for regulation, you can imagine others wanting to push those fronts ever harder," Greenfield ​said.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe in Washington; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Matthew Lewis)

Wednesday's Olympic schedule|Medal count|Chloe Kim shines

Morning! Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Here's what's breaking this morning:

• At least nine are dead following a shooting at a Canadian school.

• Who is Casey Wasserman and why is Chappell Roan cutting ties?

• Kid Rock denied lip-synching allegations.

Nicole Fallerthere, shoppinglast-minute Valentine's gifts. We have the news to know on Wednesday, from measles cases peaking in the U.S. to new insight into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. Plus: Outcry at a New York City monument.

Measles cases concern state officials

Measles casesare on the rise across the countrywith more than 500 cases reported in South Carolina, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is on course to lose its "measles elimination" status achieved in 2000 as a result of concerted vaccination campaigns.

Earlier this week, the California Department of Public Health saidcases were increasing across the state, all of which were among "individuals (who) were either unvaccinated or had an unknown history of vaccination." Meanwhile, D.C. health officialswarnedpeople who attended the National March for Life rally in Washington in January that they may have been exposed to measles.

In response to the rising cases, Dr. Mehmet Ozurged people to get the vaccine, saying "Take the vaccine, please. We have a solution for our problem."

Know thesymptomsof this vaccine-preventable disease to help reduce its spread.

More news to know now

• Hearing from ICE officials: The Trump administration's top immigration enforcers testified before Congress for the first time since two Americans died at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. The hearing came as Congress faced a Feb. 13 deadline to avert a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, with Democrats and Republicans deadlocked over potential reforms.

• Person detained in Nancy Guthrie case. The development in the case came after four black-and-white images and videos were released online by FBI Director Kash Patel. The images show a masked and "armed" individual "appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance."

• Governors say "no thank you" to Trump dinner. The National Governors Association will not attend a meeting with President Donald Trump later this month after the White House excluded Democratic governors, chairman Kevin Stitt told members on Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

LGBTQ+ News

Supporters gather at Stonewall

Peoplegathered at the Stonewall National Monumentin New York City on Tuesday after the Trump administration had the National Park Serviceremovethe LGBTQ+ Pride flag from the site, which is considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Things to talk about

Where in America USA TODAY is eating

Looking for a memorable meal — whether close to home or on your next trip? USA TODAY's 2026Restaurants of the Yearlist highlights standout dining destinations across the country, from humble roadside gems to chef-driven hotspots earning national buzz.Chosen by USA TODAY Network food journalistswho know their local scenes best, the list celebrates places that offer not just great flavors but also heart, hospitality and a strong sense of community.

Before you go

• Anna Hathaway stunned at Ralph Lauren.

• The Oscars event where everyone wins.

• Go from flying anxiety to full-time flyer.

Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Measles, Nancy Guthrie, Canada shooting, ICE, Olympics, Stonewall: Daily Briefing

By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - European politicians need to provide more clarity on who should do what to boost the continent's defences, or risk wasting money ‌due to slow decision-making and overlapping projects, a leading figure representing Europe's defence companies ‌has said.

European countries have rushed to boost defence spending since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and U.S. President Donald Trump ​made clear they should expect less U.S. support through the NATO military alliance.

Alongside national governments and NATO – the long-dominant players in European defence policymaking and funding - EU bodies such as the European Commission and the European Defence Agency have become increasingly involved in the sector in recent years.

Many of their ‌initiatives seek to fill gaps in ⁠Europe's defences such as counter-drone systems, reduce reliance on the United States and encourage joint procurement of weapons.

"It's a bit of an alphabet soup of ⁠organisations that have a role," Camille Grand, secretary-general of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe, told Reuters in an interview.

"We don't have yet a clean governance for all of that, to ​define who ​does what and how decisions are taken," said ​Grand, speaking at the Brussels office of ‌his organisation, which represents more than 4,000 companies in 21 countries.

EU GETTING MORE INVOLVED IN DEFENCE SECTOR

Recent EU initiatives include Security Action for Europe, a 150 billion euro loan scheme for defence spending, the European Defence Industrial Programme to boost the sector and a Defence Readiness Roadmap to get the continent ready to defend itself by 2030.

"It all boils down to getting a little ‌more clarity on: How do we govern this necessary ​collective effort to deliver capabilities faster?" Grand said.

He highlighted air ​and missile defence as an area ​that would benefit from more clarity, as projects and initiatives from different bodies ‌have emerged to protect against missiles, drones ​and other threats.

Some European ​officials also see a need for greater coordination. European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has called for the establishment of European Security Council, which could include countries outside the EU ​such as Britain in some decisions.

But ‌EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has expressed scepticism about the idea. "I don't ​think another institution will actually make it easier," she told reporters in Brussels on ​Tuesday.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Let me see if I've got this straight, because I'm a little fuzzy on the particulars.

The most successfulFCS program in the modern era, and the third-largest oil producing state in the country havejoined FBS football.

To this I say: What took so long?

North Dakota State has joined the Mountain West Conference in football beginning this fall, and if you're looking for some quick analysis, here it is: onlyTexas and New Mexicoproduce more oil than North Dakota, the black gold that can change everything in college sports.

Hello, private NIL.

Hayes:One solution to FSU's $437M debt — win. Mike Norvell, you're up

On the move:10 transfers I can't stop thinking about for 2026

If there's one thing we've learned in this upside-down world of get yours, it's money talks and tradition walks.

Indiana just won a national title. I still can't believe it, so I'm going to write it again: Indiana, lovable loser of Division I football for decades upon decades,found the perfect coachand won the whole thing.

And is now set up to take over the sport with an elite coach (Curt Cignetti), a billionaire booster (Mark Cuban) and the largest alumni base in college sports (800,000-strong).

Texas Tech, which never before won an outright major conference championship, won the Big 12 in 2025 with a school-record 12 wins. Only a quarterback playing with abroken legkeptthe billionaire-fueled― and black gold-infused ― Red Raiders from doing more damage in the College Football Playoff.

Duke, my god, Duke, won the ACC with a$4 million-a-year quarterback. And Steve Spurrier wasn't the coach.

Why in God's green earth would North Dakota State not attempt to move up to FBS?

TheBison— that's pronouncedBizon, everyone — aren't competing against the Power conference heavyweights, they're competing against the rest of the Group of 6 for the one CFP charity spot.

That immediately changes the calculus of it all.

You're not banging heads with established programs, you're playing — ready for this? — Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming.

I mean, really?

None of those nine teams would've won 10 of 15 FCS titles from 2011-2025. And more than likely, not more than one ― if that.

Four coaches (Craig Bohl,Chris Klieman, Matt Entz, Tim Polasek) won national titles at NDSU in that 15-year span, a line of succession that's almost unthinkable in this era of quick-change college football. The plan to win hasn't changed much from when Bohl built the beast, and Klieman perfected it.

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They recruit players to fit their culture and system, and then develop them to reach their ceiling. Since 2020, eight NDSU players have been selected in the NFL draft.

The 2025 national champion (that would be Indiana, everyone) had six.Six!

Vanderbilt had three, Duke had seven, and if you want me to continue this exercise in Power conference draft futility, we'll be here all damn day. Suffice to say, NDSU knows how to develop players.

Yet that point brings us to the intriguing intersection of culture and cash, the very thing that could dismantle what NDSU has worked so hard to build. Or make it even more dangerous.

Because if Polasek — an assistant for 10 years with the Bison before getting the job in 2024 and winning 26 of 29 games — can mold the valuable NDSU culture with a handful of impact starters from the transfer portal, this thing could get big. Quickly.

Again, you're not reinventing the wheel, you're giving the hard-driving 18-wheeler a little more horsepower and a refined suspension with a handful of talented transfers. How do you get those transfers?

If Texas Tech can do it, NDSU sure can. Lubbock is in the middle of nowhere; at least Fargo is across the river from Minnesota.

Also, the middle of nowhere, but you get the point.

Money changes everything. It breathes life into recruiting efforts, and extends the arm of possibility. It can turn a wildly underrated college town into a hotbed of FBS college football.

Just like it did in Lubbock. Just like it will do in Fargo.

It was only a matter of time before this inevitable happened. There was too much good going on at NDSU, and not enough challenge.

There's only so many times you can beat the brakes off everyone else, and still be satisfied to do it again the following season. Before the advent of NIL and free player movement, the climb to FBS made no sense for the team no one wanted to see on the nonconference body bag circuit.

NDSU has a 9-5 all-time record vs. FBS schools since beginning Division I play in 2004, including wins over Minnesota, Kansas State, Iowa and Iowa State. But think about this all-telling reality: the Bison have been playing FCS football for 21 years, and have been asked to play only 14 FBS guarantee games.

There was nothing to gain, and more than likely everything to lose for anyone playing NDSU. Now the FBS has to play them — at least, in the Mountain West.

If things progress how NDSU has envisioned, the Power conferences will have to deal with Bison cash in the transfer portal, and in a perfect, oil-driven private NIL world, on the biggest stage of all in the CFP.

The most successful FCS program of our time, and the third-largest oil production state in the country teaming up in the new private NIL world of college football.

What took so long?

Matt Hayesis the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at@MattHayesCFB.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NDSU football move to Mountain West fueled by oil money, private NIL