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RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel asked a court Thursday to revoke the citizenship of two men convicted of terrorism offenses, in what appears to be the first test ofa lawallowing the deportation of Palestinian citizens convicted of certain violent crimes.

Court documents filed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday argue that the severity of the crimes, along with payments those found guilty allegedly received from aPalestinian Authority fund, justify revoking citizenship and expelling the individuals convicted of violent attacks.

Roughly one in five Israeli citizens is Palestinian. When the law passed, critics said it was one instance in which Israel's legal system treats Jewish and Palestinian citizens differently. Rights groups argued that basing a deportation law on Palestinian Authority payments effectively limited its application on the basis of race and excluded Jewish Israelis — including settlersconvictedofattacksagainst Palestinians— from the threat of having their citizenship revoked.

Netanyahu has long argued the fund in questionrewards violence, including attacks on civilians. Palestinian officials, however, have defended it as a safety net for the broad cross‑section of society with family members in Israeli detention. They have dismissed Netanyahu's focus on the relatively small share of beneficiaries involved in such attacks.

Citizenship revocation law faces first test

Netanyahu in a statement this week said proceedings were launched against two men with more such cases were on their way. One of the court filings seen by The Associated Press details the request against Mohamad Hamad, who the state's request says was convicted of "offenses that constitute an act of terrorism and receiving funds in connection with terrorism."

It alleges Hamad, a 48-year‑old citizen from east Jerusalem, received payment after he was sentenced in 2002 on charges that included shootings and weapons trafficking. He went on to serve more than two decades in prison before his release.

The 2023 law applies to citizens or permanent residents convicted of "committing an act that constitutes a breach of loyalty to the State of Israel," including terrorism.

Hassan Jabareen, the general director of Israel's Adalah legal center, called steps taken to apply it this week "a cynical propaganda move" by Netanyahu. He said revoking citizenship violated the most basic principles of the rule of law, including by acting against individuals who completed prison sentences.

"The Israeli government is attempting to strip individuals of the very foundation through which all rights are protected, their nationality," he said on Thursday.

If the court moves ahead, it would make Israel one of the few nations — includingBahrain— to revoke citizenship of people born with the status in their country. Countries such as theUnited KingdomandFrancehave stripped dual or naturalized citizens of their citizenships over terrorism convictions, but international conventions generally bar states from taking away someone's nationality if it would leave them stateless.

The Palestinian Authority payments, Israel argues, create a sufficient link to justify revoking citizenship and deporting such citizens to the West Bank or Gaza.

The request does not say to where the citizens will be deported.

__ Melzer reported form Nahariya, Israel

The woman behind a popular California bald eagle camera that monitorsJackie and Shadowhas died, a nonprofit that works to preserve their habitat announced.

Sandy Steers was the executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, an environmental-education nonprofit organization well known for their live camera and social media posts of the eagle couple. Their mission is to protect and preserve the amazing natural local surroundings through environmental education and advocacy.

Big Bear Valley is part of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 95 miles from Los Angeles.

"It is with heavy hearts and great sadness to let our Friends of Big Bear Valley eagle family know that Sandy Steers passed away on the evening of Feb. 11, 2026," the group said in a Facebook post the same day.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, the group described Steers as "kind, caring, calming and healing.

"People love her and she is missed dearly. Our team is heartbroken."

Steers died from cancer, the organization said. She'd beaten cancer 30 years ago, but was diagnosed with it again later in life.

She had served as the organization's executive director for roughly 25 years.

The Daily Press, part of the USA TODAY Network,also shared news of her passing.

Sandy Steers' legacy

"Sandy Steers truly exemplifies the spirit of the outdoors through her efforts to conserve the natural environment while helping to enhance and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation in California," Barbara Steinberg, a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of California, wrote in 2023, whilenominatingSteers for Outdoor Californian of the Year.

"Her efforts to preserve nesting sites for Big Bear Lake bald eagles and open space in the region including helping to save a rare pebble plain and a threatened paintbrush flower which is listed on the federal and the state endangered list, and only exists in Big Bear Valley."

The nomination added that Steers had established eco-tourism in the Valley, helping people understand that they can support the local economy by promoting and protecting the natural surroundings rather than destroying them for commercial gain.

The group also puts together educational programs for classrooms that teach children about wildlife and nature.

Steers began the Jackie and Shadow camera for the U.S. Forest Service. The first camera was installed in 2015, Friends of Big Bear Valley told USA TODAY. Steers had loved Jackie since the bird was a chick and wanted to know what was happening inside her nest.

"Her vision was to share it with others as a public benefit, free for all to see and connect with nature," the organization said. "She told amazing stories that helped people understand what was happening and relate to the trials, tribulations and successes felt by Jackie and Shadow in their daily lives."

What's happening with Jackie and Shadow this year?

Friends of Big Bear Valley shared on Jan. 30 in aFacebook postthat Jackie and Shadow had lost their eggs after a raven attack. The ordeal was caught on camera.

The pair might lay a 2nd clutch of eggs, the group said, since the eggs were laid early in the season.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Voice behind beloved Jackie and Shadow eagle cam dies

As the Pacific warms, there is a growing chance of neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions this spring, according to the latest update from NOAA Thursday morning, with a better than 50% chance of El Niño returning this autumn, including the peak of hurricane season.

We are nearing the peak of the current La Niña, solidly in the moderate category as far as La Niñas go. This area of colder water is circled in red on the map below.

La Niña occurs when the ocean's surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific reach a specific cooler-than-average temperature. El Niño is the warming of the same area of the Pacific and has a different set of weather effects around the planet.

(MORE:Climate Change Threatens The Winter Olympics' Future)

Neutral conditions are the state between El Niño and La Niña, meaning the water in the Pacific is neither warmer nor cooler than average. This condition will be reached after near-average temperatures are sustained for a multi-month period, and will be indicated by the disappearance of blue colors on the map below in the circled area.

Here's what this forecast means for the next few months:

Impacts

Spring impacts:Years that have shifted from moderately (and relatively) chilly in the Pacific to average have featured some predictable temperature tweaks stateside from March to April.

• Cooler-than-average temperatures from the Northern Rockies to the interior Northeast.

• Reliably warmer than average temperatures in the Southeast and in the Southwest.

By May and June, the signal becomes much more mixed using these analogs, but that's not surprising as the jet stream, and its influence over the Lower 48, typically weakens. One of the meteorological features that ENSO has its hands in is the jet stream. Warming conditions in the Pacific (i.e. a slide toward neutral conditions) could also muddy any connections with weather in the U.S.

Summer impacts?El Niño and La Niña usually have their biggest impacts on the weather in winter, when they've been in place for several months. But if El Niño can develop fast enough, it could at least subtly affect both temperatures and rainfall in the U.S. this summer.

El Niño summers tend to be cooler in the East and Rockies and wetter in the Southeast.

From a global perspective, the defining warmth of an El Niño will give this summer a push toward the top of the warmest years on record.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on ourPremium Pro experience.)

Quieter hurricane season ahead?In El Niño hurricane seasons, stronger shearing winds and sinking air often occur over at least the Caribbean Sea and some adjacent parts of the Atlantic Basin. This tends to limit the number and intensity of storms and hurricanes, especially if the El Niño is stronger.

El Niño isn't the only factor that can shape how a hurricane season goes. Bursts of dry air and sinking air or a lack of tropical waves are all other factors that can change how a season goes.

Forecast caveat you should know about:What lies beyond the springtime months is often highly uncertain.

That's because of what's known as aspring predictability barrier– a time of year when models struggle with accurate predictions.

Spring is a time when the ocean is more likely to be closer to average in the temperature department due to the shift out of the polarized summer and winter seasons in their respective hemispheres.

Winds across the equator are also often weaker during the spring because there's less temperature contrast in either hemisphere.

These factors make the signals that climatologists use to make forecasts more fuzzy, leading to a drop off in the accuracy of the forecasts.

Jonathan Belleshas been a digital meteorologist forweather.comfor 9 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Noah Gragson was caught red-handed by NASCAR.

Gragson was the first driver busted during Daytona 500 qualifying for violating the new rule that specifies drivers are banned for sticking their hands out the opening of the window during the qualifying run.

Gragson's time in the No. 4 Ford for Front Row Motorsports was thrown out Wednesday because he used his left hand in an attempt to deflect air and gain an advantage on the track.

"I completely forgot about that rule so that one's on me," Gragson said. "Yeah, I feel like an idiot for that."

The 27-year-old Gragson did not advance to the second round of qualifying and lost his chance to race for the pole. The starting order for Sunday's Daytona 500 will be determined by a pair of Thursday night qualifying races.

"I feel like the Daytona 500 is such a long race, you can kind of start wherever," Gragson said. "It is what it is. I feel like an idiot for that. I'm dumb for that."

On the other hand, most in NASCAR found it hilarious.

"This is the most Noah thing ever," NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote on social media. "Don't touch that stove, it's hot. Touches stove. Gets burnt. Says yes, it is hot."

Kyle Busch won the pole for the Daytona 500. Chase Briscoe, last year's pole-sitter, qualified second and got a good chuckle out of Gragson getting busted.

"He's my buddy, but I'm not surprised it was the guy that had it happen to him," Briscoe said. "I told my guys as soon as it happened, of all the people, I bet he didn't even remember it was a rule."

Teams believed that drivers could earn an aerodynamic advantage on superspeedways with the gesture before NASCAR made the call in the offseason to ban it.

"Sometimes you have a car that drives very easily, and you can do it easily and other times you have got your hands full and you can't do it," Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman said. "You always have an engineer telling you that you need to do it, exactly what position to put your hand in and all that. But I am glad that I can just keep two hands on the steering wheel for this one."

NASCAR suspended Gragson in 2023 and he parted ways with Legacy Motor Club liking an insensitive meme with a photo of George Floyd's face.

Gragson is winless in 111 career Cup races and will make his fifth Daytona 500 start.

"I don't care if I start last for this race," Gragson said. "I know that's probably not what people want to hear, but my best finish in Cup is third at Talladega and we qualified second-to-last. It's kind of crazy, but it is what it is here."

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Unrivaled's 1-on-1 tournamentwith its playground feel were on full display during the first round of action.

On Wednesday, 22 players went head-to-head in single-elimination games to see who would advance to the second round for a chance at the$300,000 prize pool. While there were several first-round upsets as the matchups unfolded, the most shocking game of the night was Mist guard Veronica Burton beating Breeze guard Courtney Williams, 11-0.

In just one minute and 23 seconds, Burton advanced, never giving Williams a chance to get the ball during the matchup's make-it-take-it style. A stunned Williams seemingly couldn't believe what happened.

"Wow Chat,"Williams said postame on X, "Not even getting the ball is crazyyyy."

Outside of the thrilling Williams-Burton matchup, threeNo.1 seeds, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckersand Kelsey Mitchell, all moved on. Top players like Rose's Chelsea Gray and Mist's Arike Ogunbowale also punched their tickets to the next round.

Ahead of the second round, No.1 seed Allisha Gray and her matchup partner Vinyl's Saniya Rivers have advanced after Rose's Kahleah Copper and Breeze's Rickea Jackson opted not to participate in the tournament. Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins, Laces guard Jordin Canada and forward Alyssa Thomas also declined.

Digggins and Canada's decisions not to play advanced Phantom guard Kelsey Plum to face Hive guard Natisha Hiedeman in the second round. Phantom center Aliyah Boston also moves on after Thomas' replacement, Laeticia Amihere, dropped out of the tournament on Wednesday.

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Here's an updated look at the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament bracket:

Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament first round results

Individual matchup winners are bolded.Results also include seed numbers in parentheses and the final score.

• (5) Veronica Burton vs (4) Courtney Williams; Final Score: 11-0

• (8) Rachel Banham vs (1) Kelsey Mitchell; Final Score: 12-3

• (5) Brittney Sykes vs (4) Arike Ogunbowale; Final Score:11-2

• (7) Natasha Cloud vs (2) Chelsea Gray; Final Score: 10-11

• (6) Aziaha James vs (3) Jackie Young; Final Score: 12-4

• (8) Kate Martin vs (1) Paige Bueckers; Final Score: 12-5

• (6) Sonia Citron vs (3) Marina Mabrey; Final Score: 12-10

• (7) Rae Burrell vs (2) Rhyne Howard; Final Score: 12-9

• (6) Shakira Austin vs (3) Dearica Hamby; Final Score: 12-10

• (7) Dominique Malonga vs (2) Aaliyah Edwards; Final Score: 11-8

• (8) Li Yueru vs (1) Breanna Stewart; Final Score: 11-6

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Unrivaled 1-on-1 bracket 2026: Burton blanks Williams, shocks fans

First place will be at stake in the Atlantic Coast Conference when No. 20 Clemson visits No. 4 Duke on Saturday afternoon at Durham, N.C.

Duke (22-2, 11-1 ACC) recovered from its last-second loss to rival North Carolina last weekend by winning 70-54 at Pitt on Tuesday night.

Clemson (20-5, 10-2) came back from last week's West Coast trip and lost 76-66 to visiting Virginia Tech on Wednesday night. That stopped the Tigers' four-game winning streak.

"A tall task," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of the matchup with Duke. "We're one of those teams that we need most of our guys to play well."

"We had a lot of guys, for the first time in a long time, not play well," Brownell continued about the Virginia Tech game. "... We've got to shake it off and get our attitude back in a good place and be ready to compete. We've got to make sure we're all on point and confident."

Clemson is 6-0 in ACC road games. Last season, the Tigers handed Duke its only ACC loss with a 77-71 decision at home.

Duke sputtered at times on offense in the Pitt game, but Isaiah Evans hit five 3-point shots on his way to 21 points. Cameron Boozer's 17 points and 10 rebounds gave him his 13th double-double.

The Blue Devils played without center Patrick Ngongba II, who was out with a wrist injury. With Ngongba not on the court, it puts more responsibility on Boozer in the lane, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.

Guard Caleb Foster picked up some of the rebounding slack, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds.

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"Whatever I could do to get boards and help the team out, helping the team win," Foster said.

The status of Ngongba could be crucial going into the matchup with Clemson. It was a game-day decision when it was determined he wouldn't play against Pitt.

"He got hurt in the Carolina game. He fell on his wrist," Scheyer said. "We were holding on hope on whether he could play (Tuesday). I think that was incredibly unrealistic. He wasn't close to being ready. ... It's hard to say (about Saturday)."

Scheyer mixed lineup combinations Tuesday, with Cayden Boozer and Darren Harris among those on the court to begin the second half.

"We were playing lineups anyway that we've never played before," Scheyer said. "It was about finding a lineup that we could have a spark and have that defense and competitiveness."

Clemson can be sturdy on the interior, so that could lead to problems for Duke if the Blue Devils aren't at full strength.

Yet Brownell said he doesn't mind going with a three-guard set-up, especially when Ace Buckner (16 points off the bench Wednesday) is rolling.

The Tigers will look for more offense from Dillon Hunter after he has managed a total of three points in the last three games combined. He's 1 of 10 from the field in those games.

"He's getting the ball in some decent spots," said Brownell, who praised the guard's impact on defense.

--Field Level Media

The Trump administration said Thursday it is ending its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Speaking at a news conference in the city, border czar Tom Homan said coordination with local law enforcement and success of immigration enforcement have contributed to the end of Operation Metro Surge.

"I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude," he said.

The announcement comes weeks after federal authorities shot and killed two U.S. citizens, sparking outrage around the nation and the world.

Homan said "a significant drawdown" will begin this week and will continue into next week. He said he will remain on the ground "for a little longer" to ensure a successful end to the operation.

On Nov. 29, the Trump administration began surging more than 3,000 immigration agents to Minneapolis, in what officials dubbed Operation Metro Surge. Homan said at a press conference last week that roughly 150 federal immigration agents were present in the city before the operation began. The city of roughly 400,000 people has a police force ofroughly 600 officers.

Homan, who is a former Obama staffer, said he is not removing all federal officers for safety reasons and that immigration enforcement will continue.

"If you're in this country illegally, you're not off the table," he said.

Immigration officers and agents have arrested 4,000 people since the operation began, the Department of Homeland Securitysaid last week. DHS did not provide a breakdown of how many of those had criminal charges. Federal authorities have arrested more than 200 people for impeding the work of law enforcement officers, Homan said Thursday.

Amid the crackdown, immigration authorities shot and killed two U.S. citizens — Renee Good, 37, a mother of young children, and Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at a local Veterans Affairs hospital — in separate confrontations.

"I don't want to see any more bloodshed," Homan said. "I pray every night for the safety or law enforcement personnel and the safety of those in the community, whether you're here legally or illegally I don't want to say anybody harmed."

Authorities had already announced a drawdown of the operation in the days following Pretti's killing. Customs and Border Protection's Greg Bovino was removed from his post as commander at large and returned to his former post in El Centro, California. Homan then arrived to take control of the operation.

Homan acknowledged those setbacks Thursday.

"As I said in my first press conference a couple weeks ago, President Trump didn't send me here because operation were being run and conducted perfectly," he said. "I came here to identify issues and implement solutions to improve our mission execution."

Homanannounced last weekthat the administration would send 700 agents home. He said the drawdown is partly a result ofcoordination between Minnesota county jails and federal immigration officials,making it easier for immigration authorities to apprehend targets.

Federal authorities alsoarrested and criminally charged several protesters last month for holding a demonstration during achurch service led by a pastor who is allegedly also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was also arrested for covering the event. Lemon's attorney said his client would plead not guilty to charges against him.

Homan insisted that ICE agents had not gone into churches or schools to make arrests. In the same breath, he emphasized that "those locations are not off the table."

He also said there would be "zero tolerance" for residents interfering with the work of immigration authorities.

"While the Trump administration supports everyone's first amendment right to freedom of speech and assembly and to petition, it has to be done lawfully and peacefully, because we will not tolerate unlawful actions committed by agitators, who are just causing havoc," he said. "This is not the way to express your disagreement or try to reform federal laws."

Instead, he said, those objecting to the administration's policies should write to their lawmakers.

Minneapolis Mayor Jaocb Frey, a Democrat,said in a series of posts on Xthat the operation "has been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses."

"They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation,"he said. "These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it's not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American."

New polling from the NBC News Decision Desk showsthat support for the the Trump administration's immigration policies has taken a significant hit since the killings occurred last month.

Forty-nine percent of adults strongly disapprove of how Trump has handled border security and immigration, up from 38% strong disapprovallast summerand 34%in April,according to the new poll.

Trump's overall approval rating has also declined slightly to 39% in the aftermath of the crackdown.