WASHINGTON (AP) — Schools and colleges across the U.S. face a Friday deadline to end diversity programs or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes. Many believe they’re on solid legal ground, and they know it would be all but unprecedented — and extremely time-consuming — for the government to cut off funding.

State officials in Washington and California urged schools not to make changes, saying it doesn’t change federal law and doesn’t require any action. New York City schools have taken the same approach and said district policies and curriculum have not changed.

Leaders of some colleges shrugged the memo off entirely. Antioch University ‘s chief said “most of higher education” won’t comply with the memo unless federal law is changed. Western Michigan University’s president told his campus to “please proceed as usual.”

A memo issued Feb. 14 by President Donald Trump’s administration, formally known as a Dear Colleague Letter, gave schools two weeks to halt any practice that treats people differently because of their race.

On Thursday, the department launched a new “End DEI” portal inviting students, parents and others to report discrimination based on race or sex in public schools. The department said it will use submissions to identify investigation targets.

Opponents say the memo is an overreach meant to have a chilling effect. The guidance appears to forbid everything from classroom lessons on racism to colleges’ efforts to recruit in diverse areas, and even voluntary student groups like Black student unions.

Education organizations have been urging a measured approach, warning institutions not to make any hasty cuts that would be difficult to undo. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, is telling colleges that if they were in compliance with federal law before the memo, they still are.

“There’s nothing to act on until we see the administration or its agencies try to stop something,” Mitchell said. “And then we’ll have the argument.”

Investigations rarely come close to cutting schools’ federal funding

A loss of federal money would be devastating for schools and colleges, but imposing that penalty would not be quick or simple.

The Education Department office that conducts civil rights investigations had fewer than 600 employees last year — before the Trump administration began cutting staff — while the U.S. has more than 18,000 school districts and 6,000 colleges.

Even when a school or state faces an investigation, it can take years to terminate funding. Under former President Joe Biden, the Education Department tried to pull federal money from Michigan’s education agency after finding it violated the rights of students with disabilities. The investigation began in 2022 and is still tied up in federal court.

“I hope very much that schools charged with providing inclusive, equal education to every student in their school community will stand for that principle,” said Catherine Lhamon, who led the department’s Office for Civil Rights under Biden.

Still, some education leaders say resistance is too risky. At the University of Cincinnati, President Neville G. Pinto said officials are evaluating jobs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and removing DEI references from school websites.

“Given this new landscape, Ohio public and federally supported institutions like ours have little choice but to follow the laws that govern us,” Pinto wrote.

Tony Frank, chancellor of the Colorado State University system, wrote in a campus letter that he weighed taking a stand against the department. But he advised the system’s campuses to comply, saying there’s too much at stake for students and staff. “If we gamble here and are wrong, someone else will pay the price,” he wrote.

New guidance brings a shift in interpretation of nondiscrimination laws

In many Republican-led states, education chiefs applauded the memo.

“We never felt it was appropriate to use race in making these types of decisions in the first case, so I do not foresee any interruptions in our day-to-day business,” Alabama’s state superintendent, Eric G. Mackey, said in a statement released by the Trump administration.

The memo said schools have promoted DEI efforts often at the expense of white and Asian American students.

It doesn’t carry the weight of law but explains how the new administration will interpret nondiscrimination laws. It dramatically expands a 2023 Supreme Court decision barring the use of race in college admissions to all aspects of education — including, hiring, promotion, scholarships, housing, graduation ceremonies and campus life.

The guidance is being challenged in court by the American Federation of Teachers, which said the memo violates free speech laws.

Some districts already have struck language about equity goals from their websites. While some school leaders are keeping quiet out of fear of being targeted, many also are still struggling to grasp the memo’s implications.

“We are looking to our attorney general for guidance because it’s very confusing,” said Christine Tucci Osorio, superintendent of the North St. Paul School District in Minnesota. When a teacher asked if their school could still mark African American History Month, she assured them they could.

Despite concerns that schools would rush to comply, it appears “cooler heads are largely prevailing,” said Liz King, senior director for the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

“Once a school sends the message that they are not going to stand up for a member, a community within their school, that is broken trust, that is a lost relationship,” King said.

Like no president before him, Trump wields funding threat to support his agenda

Trump has vowed to use education funding as political leverage on several fronts, threatening cuts for schools that do not get in line with his agenda on topics including transgender girls’ participation in girls’ sports and instruction related to race.

Usually, civil rights investigations by the Education Department take at least six months and often much longer. If a school is found in violation of federal law, department policy offers a chance to come into compliance and sign a resolution — typically a 90-day process.

Only if a school refuses to comply can the department move to revoke federal money. That can be done in the Education Department through a court-like process decided by an administrative law judge. If the judge decides the penalty is justified, the school can appeal it to the education secretary and, after that, challenge it in court.

Instead of handling it internally, the department can also refer cases to the Justice Department for prosecution. That route is no faster.

The last time the Education Department was granted approval to cut federal funding was in 1992, against the Capistrano Unified School District in California, which was found to have retaliated against a teacher for filing sex discrimination complaints.

Before the penalty was carried out, the district reinstated the teacher and effectively ended the case. It never lost any money.

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Gecker reported from San Francisco, and Mumphrey from Phoenix.

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China.

In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said illicit drugs such as fentanyl are being smuggled into the United States at “unacceptable levels” and that import taxes would force other countries to crack down on the trafficking.

“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” the Republican president wrote. “China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date.”

The prospect of escalating tariffs has already thrown the global economy into turmoil, with consumers expressing fears about inflation worsening and the auto sector possibly suffering if America’s two largest trading partners in Canada and Mexico are hit with taxes. But Trump has also at times engaged in aggressive posturing only to give last-minute reprieves, previously agreeing to a 30-day suspension of the Canada and Mexico tariffs that were initially supposed to start in February.

Trump intends to put 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, with a lower 10% tax on Canadian energy products such as oil and electricity. The move, ostensibly about drug trafficking and immigration, led Mexico and Canada to respond by emphasizing their existing efforts to address these issues. Canada created a fentanyl czar, and Mexico sent 10,000 members of its National Guard to its border with the United States.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that she hoped to speak with Trump after the Cabinet-level meetings occurring in Washington this week. Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente was scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday afternoon.

Trump, “as you know, has his way of communicating,” Sheinbaum said. But she said that her government would stay “cool-headed” and optimistic about an agreement coming together to avoid the tariffs.

“I hope we are able to reach an agreement and on March 4 we can announce something else,” she said.

She said Mexico’s security chiefs were discussing intelligence sharing with their American counterparts that would allow for important arrests in the U.S. On the economic front, she said Mexico’s goal is to protect the free trade pact that was negotiated during the first Trump administration between Mexico and the United States. That 2020 deal, which included Canada, was an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement from 1994.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country has invested more than 1 billion Canadian dollars to improve border security, adding that his government’s ministers and officials are also in Washington this week.

“There is no emergency for the United States at the border with Canada when it comes to fentanyl, and that is exactly what we are demonstrating at this time,” Trudeau said in Montreal. “If the United States goes ahead and imposes tariffs, we already shared the details of our plan. We have $30 billion worth of U.S. products that will be subject to tariffs. And $125 billion of tariffs that will be applied three weeks later. But we don’t want to be in that position.”

Trump did impose a 10% tariff on China for its role in the manufacturing of chemicals used to make fentanyl, and that tax would now be doubled, according to his social media post.

On Thursday, China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao wrote to Jamieson Greer, the newly confirmed U.S. trade representative, that differences on trade should be resolved through dialogues and negotiations.

The 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada would amount to a total tax increase on the U.S. public of somewhere between $120 billion to $225 billion annually, according to Jacob Jensen, a trade policy analyst at the American Action Forum, a center-right think tank. The additional China tariffs could cost consumers up to $25 billion.

The potential for higher prices and slower growth could create political blowback for Trump, who promised voters in last year’s presidential election that he could quickly lower the inflation rate, which jumped during Democratic President Joe Biden’s term. But Trump also campaigned on imposing broad tariffs, which he plans to launch on April 2 by resetting them to match the taxes that he determines are charged by other countries on American goods.

“The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect,” Trump said as part of his new social media post.

In an interview with News Nation, Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said progress by Mexico and Canada on fentanyl “was not as impressive as the president had hoped.” There are significant differences between Canada and Mexico on the scale of drug smuggling. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds (19.5 kilograms) of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last budget year, compared with 21,100 pounds (9,570 kilograms) at the Mexican border.

Hassett stressed that the reciprocal tariffs would be in addition to the ones being placed on Canada and Mexico.

Trump indicated Wednesday that European countries would also face a 25% tariff as part of his reciprocal tariffs. He also wants separate tariffs on autos, computer chips and pharmaceutical drugs that would be levied in addition to the reciprocal tariffs.

The president already announced that he’s removing the exemptions on his 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs, in addition to planning taxes on copper imports.

The prospect of a broader trade conflict should other nations follow through with their own retaliatory tariffs is already spooking U.S. consumers, potentially undermining Trump’s promise to unleash stronger economic growth.

The Conference Board reported on Tuesday that its consumer confidence index had dropped 7 points to a reading of 98.3. It was the largest monthly decline since August 2021, when inflationary pressures began to reverberate across the United States as the economy recovered from the coronavirus pandemic. Average 12-month inflation expectations jumped from 5.2% to 6% in February, the Conference Board noted.

“There was a sharp increase in the mentions of trade and tariffs, back to a level unseen since 2019,” said Stephanie Guichard, a senior economist at the Conference Board. “Most notably, comments on the current administration and its policies dominated the responses.”

The S&P 500 stock index has also fallen over the past month, reversing some of the gains that followed Trump’s November presidential victory, which prompted investors to assume income tax cuts and less regulation would help increase growth.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home, according to investigators.

Hackman, 95, was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.

Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds.

The New Mexico Gas Co. tested the gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant. At the time, it didn’t find any signs of problems and the Fire Department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning. A sheriff’s detective wrote that there were no obvious signs of a gas leak, but he noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide might not show signs of poisoning.

The gruff-but-beloved Hackman was among the best actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa in June 1993. (AP Photo, File)(AP)

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss,” his daughters and granddaughter said in a statement Thursday.

Worker found bodies of Hackman and his wife

A maintenance worker reported that the home’s front door was open when he arrived to do routine work on Wednesday, and he called police after finding the bodies, investigators said. He and another worker said they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks earlier.

Hackman appeared to have fallen, a deputy observed. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, gray sweatpants and slippers. A pair of sunglasses and a cane were nearby.

A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Two healthy dogs were found on the property — one inside and one outside.

The Associated Press left email and phone messages Thursday for sheriff’s officials seeking more details. A spokesperson for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which runs the state’s medical examiner operations, declined to comment on whether the cause and manner of deaths had been determined.

Actor known for his versatility

Hackman routinely showed up on Hollywood list of greatest American actors of the 20th century. He could play virtually any kind of role, from comic book villain Lex Luthor in “Superman” to a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.”

Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for “The French Connection” in 1972 and “Unforgiven” two decades later. His death comes just four days before this year’s ceremony.

Tributes quickly poured in from Hollywood.

“There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much,” actor-director Clint Eastwood, Hackman’s “Unforgiven” co-star, said in a statement.

Hackman and Arakawa settled in Santa Fe

Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s, the New York Times reported in 1989. They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade relocated to Santa Fe.

Their Southwestern-style ranch on Old Sunset Trail sits on a hill in a gated community with views of the Rocky Mountains. The sprawling four-bedroom home on six acres was built in 1997 and had an estimated market value of a little over $4 million, according to Santa Fe County property tax records.

Hackman and his wife also owned a more modest home next door.

Hackman also co-wrote three novels, starting with the swashbuckler, “Wake of the Perdido Star,” with Daniel Lenihan in 1999, according to publisher Simon & Schuster. He then penned two by himself, concluding with “Pursuit” in 2013, about a female police officer on the tail of a predator.

In his first couple decades in New Mexico, Hackman was often seen around the historic state capital, known as an artist enclave, tourism destination and retreat for celebrities.

He served as a board member of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in the 1990s, according to the local paper, The New Mexican.

Hackman’s later years

In recent years, he was far less visible, though even the most mundane outings caught the attention of the press. The Independent wrote about him attending a show at a performing arts center in 2018. The New York Post reported on him pumping gas, doing yard work and getting a chicken sandwich at Wendy’s in 2023.

Aside from appearances at awards shows, he was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit and retired from acting about 20 years ago. His was the rare Hollywood retirement that actually lasted.

Hackman had three children from a previous marriage. He and Arakawa had no children together but were known for having German shepherds.

Hackman told the film magazine Empire in 2009 that he and Arakawa liked to watch DVDs she rented.

“We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” he said.

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This story was updated to correct Arakawa’s age. Authorities initially listed her as 63 years old, but records show she was 65. It was also corrected to show that Hackman spoke to Empire magazine in 2009, not 2020.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania hiker had followed his dog off a mountain trail this week when he glanced toward a deep coal pit below and saw a tail move near a pile of rocks.

Collin Leiby, an avid hiker and wedding photographer, locked eyes with the animal and knew it was Freddy, a 6-month-old golden retriever whose disappearance had sparked a weeklong search in Pottsville, a community in eastern Pennsylvania’s historic coal country. Leiby had been on alert for the missing dog and finally found him Monday on Sharp Mountain, about 10 feet down the coal pit, too weary to make his way out.

“A tear came to my eye,” said Leiby, 33, who lives a few blocks from the dog’s home. “I started calling his name. He slowly got up and started walking toward us.”

Freddy made it partway up the icy side wall while Leiby reached down and grabbed him. He gave him water, clipped a spare leash on him and walked Freddy off the mountain alongside his dog, a pit bull mix named Bass.

“He was crying and jumping on me,” Leiby said. “He was like, ‘Get me home.’”

Pam and Joe Palko had pulled out all the stops since Freddy went missing on Feb. 17. They took to social media. They chased tips. They organized a posse of volunteers to distribute flyers in schools, churches and across town in Pottsville. They even hired a company that uses search dogs to track missing pets and another that flew thermal drones overhead.

That helped rule some places out. But there was still no sign of the 6-month-old puppy as the week wore on and temperatures dipped into the single digits in snow-covered Schuylkill County.

“It was excessively cold,” said Pam Palko, a financial planner and mother of three. “We knew we would never give up, but the more that time went on throughout the week, our hopes were getting smaller.”

They were chasing one of many false alarms at a nearby animal shelter just before dusk Monday when Joe Palko got an alert from their home security camera. A stranger was at the door with Freddy. Then their neighbor called. They raced home.

“He just was a little frantic, hungry and confused,” said the neighbor, Dr. Carolyn Canizaro-Orlowsky, a retired veterinarian. “When they showed up, he started wiggling.”

The Palkos, whose children are 17, 20 and 22, had been especially heartsick after losing a beloved 4-year-old dog last year to cancer. They had gotten Freddy not only for themselves but to give their other golden retriever, 2-year-old Harper, a new companion.

Freddy, who had weighed about 45 pounds, lost at least 10 pounds from the ordeal and is a little the worse for wear but otherwise healthy. The Palkos are grateful for that and for the community that went to such lengths to reunite them.

“There’s a big collective sigh of relief,” said Canizaro-Orlowsky. “It’s a neat lesson not to give up.”

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - An accident in Laredo has resulted in lane closures, causing traffic delays.

The Laredo Police Department is responding to an accident near 1701 N. Arkansas on Thursday, February 27.

All northbound lanes are closed. Drivers are asked to be careful and expect delays in the area. No other details are available at this time.

Police are working to clear the scene. Drivers are advised to use alternate routes.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Webb County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public to exercise caution when visiting Nuevo Laredo and Tamaulipas following the extradition of two high-ranking cartel members.

On February 27, 2025, two top members of the Zetas Cartel, Miguel Angel Trevino-Morales (Z-40) and Oscar Omar Trevino-Morales (Z-42), were brought from Mexico to the United States. Their extradition has led local authorities to warn people about possible risks when visiting Nuevo Laredo and nearby areas in Tamaulipas.

The Webb County Sheriff’s Office is advising extra caution due to the cartel’s history of violent responses to actions against its leaders. This follows a rise in violence in Nuevo Laredo on February 3, 2025, with gunfights breaking out in the city.

Sheriff Martin Cuellar assured the public that his office is ready with the right resources to protect the border but urged people to stay alert.

The sheriff’s office continues to monitor the situation and keep residents informed about safety precautions.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - With the Academy Awards just days away, KGNS anchor Mindy Casso sat down with TV Operations Manager Kristina Soliz to break down this year’s biggest Oscar contenders.

The Best Picture race appears to be a toss-up between Anora and Conclave. While Anora has gained momentum after winning multiple major awards, Conclave has become a crowd favorite, especially on social media.

“The Brutalist started strong but lost steam after its AI controversy,” Casso said. “Hollywood isn’t big on AI, and that may hurt its chances.”

For Best Actor, the debate continues between The Brutalist star Adrien Brody and A Complete Unknown actor Timothée Chalamet. Soliz leans toward Brody, who has won multiple international awards, while Casso believes the AI controversy could push voters toward Chalamet.

Best Actress could be a close call between Demi Moore for The Substance and Mikey Madison for Anora. “Demi Moore has won almost everything so far,” Soliz said. “She’s a favorite to win.”

Other likely winners include Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor (A Real Pain) and Zoe Saldaña for Best Supporting Actress. Conclave is the frontrunner for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Best Original Screenplay could go to A Real Pain or Anora.

Soliz predicts Anora’s Sean Baker will take Best Director. “He won the DGA, and that’s usually a strong indicator,” she said.

The Oscars air this Sunday on ABC at 6 p.m. Will Anora take it all, or will Conclave steal the spotlight? Stay tuned.