The company is asking federal courts to reverse a Pentagon order designating the San Francisco company as a “supply chain risk” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology.

It filed two lawsuits on Monday. One in a California federal court and the other in a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.

Last week, the Pentagon formally designated the tech company as a supply chain risk over a public dispute over how it’s chatbot Claude could be used in warfare.

“These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech. No federal statute authorizes the actions taken here. Anthropic turns to the judiciary as a last resort to vindicate its rights and halt the Executive’s unlawful campaign of retaliation,” the lawsuit said.

TheDepartment of Defense declined to comment to The Associated Press, citing its longstanding policy of not commenting on ongoing litigation.

Anthropic, whose CEO and co-founder is Dario Amodei, said in a statement Monday that “seeking judicial review does not change our longstanding commitment to harnessing AI to protect our national security, but this is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners.”

The company said it wanted to restrict its tech from being used for two things:

• Mass surveillance of Americans.
• Fully autonomous weapons.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials were adamant that Anthropic accepts “all lawful uses” of Claude, later threatening punishment if the company did not comply.

The “supply chain risk” designation effectively cuts off the company’s defense work and uses an authority designed to prevent foreign adversaries from hurting national security systems. It is the first time the government is known to have used the designation against an American company, the AP reported.

In the wake of the national security debate, President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social that he would order all federal agencies to stop using Claude, giving the Pentagon six months to phase out the product.

“We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!” Trump wrote.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, previously posted on social media the military “has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.”

He said the Pentagon wants to “use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes.”

The lawsuit also named other federal agencies, including the Treasury Department and State Department, which also ordered employees to stop using Anthropic’s tech.

Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Have a news tip? Contact Caitlyn Frolo at cmfrolo@sbgtv.com.

“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, asking the prime minister to give asylum. “The U.S. will take them if you won’t.”

Iranian state media referred to the athletes as “wartime traitors” for not singing the national anthem during a tournament in Australia last week.

“For you to go there and not sing the national anthem; this is the pinnacle of dishonour and lack of patriotism. Both the people and the officials should treat these individuals as wartime traitors, not as if they just had a protest or performed a symbolic act,” Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, a security presenter on state television, said.

FIFPRO Asia/Oceania, the continental division of the world players’ union, announced on Friday that they had written to the Asian Football Confederation and world governing body FIFA requesting “the safety and wellbeing of Iran’s Women’s National Team players.”

“In addition to the dangerous situation the players would face if they return to Iran following the tournament, FIFPRO Asia/Oceania is deeply concerned by reports that Iranian state television has publicly attacked the members of the team for remaining silent during the national anthem before their opening match,” the statement read.

Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the deposed Iranian shah, praised the women’s actions and said they had engaged in a “brave act of civil disobedience” and warned of “dire consequences” if they returned home.

“I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support,” Pahlavi wrote on X.

The team left Iran for the tournament a few days before the U.S.-Israeli strikes began on Feb. 28.

Have a news tip? Contact Alexx Altman-Devilbiss at aaltman-devilbiss@sbgtv.com.

NEW YORK (AP) — Uber launched a feature Monday to allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its riding-hailing platform.

The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite an ongoing class action lawsuit against the policy in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue that it is discriminatory against men. Rival ride-hailing company Lyft is also facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar offering that it introduced nationwide in 2024.

The feature, announced in a blog post, allows women to request a female driver through an option on the app called “Women Drivers.” Passengers can opt for another ride if the wait for a woman is too long, and they can also reserve a trip with a woman driver in advance. A third option allows female users to set a preference for a woman driver in their app settings, which would increase the chances of being matched with a female driver, though it would not guarantee it. Uber is also allowing its teen account users to request women drivers.

Uber’s women drivers can set the app’s preferences to request trips with female riders, and they can turn off that preference at anytime.

Uber, based in San Francisco, says about one-fifth of its drivers in the U.S. are women, thought the ratio varies by city.

Two California Uber drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber in November, arguing that its Women Preferences feature violates California’s Unruh Act, which prohibits sex discrimination by business enterprises. The lawsuit charges that the feature gives its minority female drivers access to the entire pool of passengers, while leaving its majority male drivers to compete for a smaller pool of passengers. The lawsuit also argues that Uber’s policy “reinforces the gender stereotype that men are more dangerous than women.”

Uber filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case, citing an agreement the plaintiffs signed when joining the app as drivers. In the motion, Uber disputed that its new feature violates the Unruh Act, saying it “serves a strong and recognized public policy interest in enhancing safety.”

“This feature is a common sense solution to a long-standing request from both women Drivers and Riders who told Uber they would feel more comfortable and safer if they could choose to ride with another woman,” the company said in the court filing.

Two Lyft drivers have filed a similar lawsuit against that company against its “Women+Connect” feature, which allows women and nonbinary riders to match with drivers of the same identification.

Uber piloted the “Women Preferences” feature in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Detroit last summer and expanded it to 26 U.S. cities in November. The company first launched a version of the feature in Saudi Arabia in 2019 following the country’s landmark law granting women the right to drive. It now offers similar options in 40 other countries, including Canada and Mexico.

Both Uber and Lyft have for years faced criticism over their safety records, including thousands of reports of sexual assaults from both passengers and drivers. In February, federal jury found Uber to be legally responsible in a 2023 case of sexual assault and the company was ordered to pay $8.5 million to an Arizona woman who said she was raped by one of its drivers.

Uber maintains that because its drivers are contractors and not employees, it’s not liable for their misconduct. But Uber says has taken multiple steps in efforts to improve safety, including teaming up with Lyft in 2021 to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints over sexual assault and other crimes.

Uber says sexual assault reports have decreased over the years. According to reports from Uber, 5,981 incidents of sexual assault were reported in U.S. rides between 2017 and 2018 — compared to 2,717 between 2021 and 2022 (the latest years with data available), which the platform says represented 0.0001% of total trips nationwide.

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. 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.

MIAMI (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in the U.S. federal trial of four men charged in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Haiti’s former leader, plus related charges. They face possible life sentences. They all pleaded not guilty.

Christian Sanon was set to go on trial, but his attorney confirmed Monday that Sanon’s case was severed from the others because of medical reasons. A separate trial for Sanon will be scheduled for a later date.

The trial against all five defendants was previously set for last year, but U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra in Miami agreed to delay the case because of discovery challenges and the large volume of evidence.

Five others have already pleaded guilty in the conspiracy and are serving life sentences. A sixth person, who officials believe didn’t know about the assassination plot, was sentenced to nine years behind bars after pleading guilty to providing body armor to the conspirators.

Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, attacked his home near Port-au-Prince, officials said. Moïse’s wife, Martine, was wounded during the attack and flown to the U.S. for emergency treatment.

According to court documents, South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing.

Ortiz and Intriago were principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, collectively known as CTU, and Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both companies were based in South Florida.

Sanon is a dual Haitian-American citizen who investigators say was initially favored by the conspirators to replace Moïse. Solages was a CTU representative in Haiti who coordinated with Sanon and others, officials said.

The conspirators met in South Florida in April 2021 and agreed that, once in power, Sanon would award contracts to CTU for infrastructure projects, security forces and military equipment, investigators said. Worldwide Capital agreed to help finance the coup, extending a $175,000 line of credit to CTU and sending money to co-conspirators in Haiti to purchase ammunition, officials said.

CTU initially retained about 20 Colombian nationals with military training to provide security for Sanon. But by June 2021, the conspirators realized Sanon had neither the constitutional qualifications nor sufficient popular support to become president. They then backed Wendelle Coq Thélot, a former Haitian Superior Court judge. She died in January 2025 while still a fugitive.

Besides the 11 people arrested and prosecuted in the U.S., another 20, including 17 Colombian soldiers and three Haitian officials, face charges in Haiti. Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said, per Fox 5 Atlanta, the teenagers visited the home of North Hall High School teacher, 40-year-old Jason Hughes, on Friday night, where they attempted to “roll” the trees in the yard with toilet paper. North Hall is in Gainesville, about 55 miles northeast of Atlanta.

While they were there, Hughes came out of his house and approached the group, deputies said. The teens tried to flee in two separate vehicles, but, while walking toward the street, deputies say Hughes tripped into the road and was run over by one of the cars driven by 18-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace of Gainesville.

Deputies added that Wallace and the other teens tried to help Hughes until first responders could arrive, but Hughes died from his injuries.

Wallace is now charged with felony first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, as well as misdemeanor criminal trespass and littering on private property.

Elijah Tate Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque and Ariana Cruz, all 18 and from Gainesville, are also facing misdemeanor criminal trespass and littering on private property charges. They, allong with Wallace, were released on bond on Sunday.

Hughes was a math teacher at North Hall High School, as well as a golf coach, according to the school. His wife also taught at the school, according to reports.

“Our hearts are broken. Jason Hughes was a loving husband, a devoted father; a passionate teacher, mentor, and coach who was loved and respected by students and colleagues,” the school said in a statement. “He gave so much to so many in numerous ways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and family. We ask that the media and the public respect their privacy as they grieve.”

Hughes was also involved with the organization NG3, which means “Next Generation: Character, Community and Change,” according to reports. The organization offers character development, community service opportunities, and small-group mentoring in high schools, with the goal of impacting students through faith-based, relationally driven small-group mentoring, according to the NG3 website.

He was the North Hall High School NG3 director for almost eight years, according to the organization.

Two men were in custody after the incident unfolded on Saturday during a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” protest near the home of New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani. He was at home with his wife, Rama Duwaji, at the time of the incident. No one was injured.

Amir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi reportedly traveled from Pennsylvania in an attempt “to bring violence to New York City,” Mamdani said in a Monday morning news conference.

“They are suspected of coming here to commit an act of terrorism,” Mamdani said. “There is video of these two individuals throwing two devices towards the protest. The police department determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim or worse.”

Tisch said the improvised explosive devices were real and potentially lethal, containing explosive material including TATP (triacetone triperoxide), a volatile substance used in terrorist attacks. A third suspicious device was later found in a vehicle connected to the suspects, though it tested negative for explosives.

Authorities said there is currently no evidence linking the incident to overseas conflicts, including hostilities involving Iran. The suspects will face federal prosecution in Manhattan.

Mamdani praised the swift and courageous actions of NYPD officers, particularly Chief Aaron Edwards and Sergeant Luis Navarro, who ran toward the danger to protect civilians. The city remains in a heightened state of alert and has increased counterterrorism deployments.

No prior credible threats from the suspects had been identified before the incident, and authorities currently have no information suggesting additional suspects were involved. The investigation is ongoing.

In a social media post on Sunday, Tisch said the department’s bomb squad determined the object was an “improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.”

The same person who threw the device into the crowd received a second device from another counterprotester, which was dropped and did not appear to ignite, according to the commissioner.

Tisch said police were working with federal prosecutors and the FBI on the case. The FBI said agents with the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force were participating in the investigation.

“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,” Mamdani said in a Sunday statement on X. “Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.

“What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”

Have a news tip? Contact Alexx Altman-Devilbiss at aaltman-devilbiss@sbgtv.com.

Novo Nordisk is dismissing its patent infringement lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers, as the two companies have reached an agreement that will see Novo Nordisk’s branded weight loss medicines sold through the Hims platform.

Early last month Hims & Hers said that it was going to launch a cheaper, off-brand version of the weight-loss pill Wegovy, just weeks after drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched its highly anticipated reformulation of the blockbuster medication. At the time, Novo Nordisk vowed to sue Hims, calling the new product “an unapproved, inauthentic, and untested knockoff” of semaglutide, the chemical name for Wegovy.

But just two days later, Hims dropped its plan to offer the cheaper, off-brand version of Wegovy. That move came a day after the Food and Drug Administration threatened to restrict access to the ingredients needed to copy popular weight-loss medications.

The FDA permits specialty pharmacies and other companies to make compounded versions of brand name drugs when they are in short supply. And the booming demand for GLP-1 drugs in recent years prompted companies like Hims to jump into the multibillion-dollar market for the drugs, with many patients willing to pay cash.

In 2024, the FDA said that GLP-1 drugs were no longer in a shortage, which was expected to put an end to the compounding. But companies like Hims relied on an exception to keep selling their versions of the medications because the practice is still permitted when a prescription is customized for the patient.

As part of the deal the two companies reached that was announced on Monday, Hims will offer oral and injectable versions of Wegovy and Ozempic on its platform later this month. Hims will also stop advertising compounded GLP-1 drugs on its platform or in its marketing.

Novo Nordisk said in a statement that it is reserving the right to refile its lawsuit in the future.

Shares of Hims & Hers Health Inc. jumped more than 36% in Monday morning trading. Despite the bump, shares are still well off their 52-week high of about $70. U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk rose 1.8%.

The deal requires Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, to pay around $200 million in damages to participating states, Politico reported. It will also require Ticketmaster to open parts of its platform to rival companies and allow them to list tickets using its technology.

It will also put limits on long-term exclusivity contracts Ticketmaster has used to get venues locked into its system. Those agreements will be limited to four years and allow venues to set aside a portion of their tickets to competing platforms, according to Politico.

The DOJ and 40 states attorneys general sued Live Nation in 2024, accusing the entertainment giant of using its market share to stomp out competition and retaliate against promoters and venues that threatened its position. They argued Live Nation and Ticket Master’s massive share of the marketplace pushed prices higher for fans to see their favorite artists and teams, an allegation the company has denied.

Live Nation has said that artists and teams set prices and dictate how tickets are sold but it has faced bipartisan backlash in Washington and outrage from fans over struggles to get access to tickets and fees that pile on costs.

Have a news tip? Contact Austin Denean at atdenean@sbgtv.com or at x.com/austindenean.

Travelers complained of long waits Sunday — lasting hours in some cases — at security checkpoints at airports in Houston and New Orleans, which officials blamed on a government shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The estimated wait time at the standard security checkpoint at the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston early Sunday evening was at one point three hours, according to the Houston Airports website. The Hobby airport on social media Friday said it expected more travelers than normal due to spring break.

In a series of posts Sunday, the airport on X went from urging travelers to arrive early to asking them to arrive 3 to 4 hours before their flights to eventually asking them to arrive 4 to 5 hours early to allow extra time for screening, citing the partial government shutdown.

A statement from Houston Airports, which counts Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental Airport as part of its system, said the shutdown “can impact security operations day-to-day and shift-to-shift.” Wait times at checkpoints at George Bush Intercontinental Airport early Sunday evening were as brief as a few minutes.

Posts on X from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Sunday said a shortage of TSA agents at the security checkpoint was leading to “longer-than-average” lines. The airport urged travelers to arrive at least three hours before their flights and said wait times could last up to two hours. It warned similar delays could continue through the coming week.

It’s not immediately clear if the delays in Houston and New Orleans were happening at other airports around the country. Sunday’s longer-than-usual wait times came on top of flight delays in recent days in places like Atlanta due to weather.

Agents with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration are expected to work without pay during the ongoing shutdown of the department, which began Feb. 14. Democratic lawmakers have said DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America, a trade group for U.S. airlines, in a statement urged Congress and the Trump administration to act.

“We are in spring break travel season and expecting record numbers of people to take to the skies. Airlines have done their part to prepare; now Congress and the administration must act with urgency to reach a deal that reopens DHS and ends this shutdown,” he said. “America’s transportation security workforce is too important to be used as political leverage.”

Jessica Andersen Alexie and her two children, 10 and 13, were among the travelers caught in the long lines at Hobby in Houston as they tried to return home to New Orleans. They had been in Houston for the World Baseball Classic.

Alexie said they arrived 3 hours early to find a long line and realized they would not make their flight. While in line, she checked rental cars to see if driving home might be an option but couldn’t find any available. She was able to rebook for a late-night flight and felt relieved to get through the CLEAR security line after about 3 1/2 hours.

When they finally sat down to eat, she decided to take another look at available flights, on the chance that others in line had to cancel and rearrange their plans, and found three seats on a flight that got her family home Sunday afternoon. When they landed at the New Orleans airport, the line extended out to the parking garage, she said.

“It was nuts,” she said. “It was crazy.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Two men who brought explosives to a protest outside New York City’s mayoral mansion said they were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, a court complaint said.

Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi are awaiting arraignment Monday on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.

Kayumi blurted out, as he was being arrested Saturday, that “ISIS” was the reason for his conduct, the complaint said. Balat, 18, later told authorities that he had pledged allegiance to the extremist group, and Kayumi, 19, asserted that he was affiliated with the Islamic State group, the complaint said.

Officers asked Balat whether he was aiming to accomplish something akin to the bombing of the Boston Marathon in 2013, when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and wounding hundreds more.

“No, even bigger,” Balat replied, according to the complaint.

The men’s attorneys were expected at court. Attempts to reach the suspects’ families were not immediately successful. The two men both have addresses in Pennsylvania, and Balat carried a Turkish government identification card along with his Pennsylvania driver’s license, according to the complaint.

An automated license plate reader captured the pair entering New York City from New Jersey less than an hour before the attack, according to the complaint.

Their vehicle — registered to one of Balat’s relatives — was discovered Sunday a few blocks from where they were arrested. A search of the car turned up a “hobby fuse” and a metal can, along with a written list of chemical ingredients and components that could be used to build explosives, the complaint said.

The homemade devices, which did not explode, were hurled Saturday during raucous counterprotests against an anti-Islamic demonstration led by Jake Lang, a far-right activist and critic of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and the first Muslim to hold the office. Mamdani and his wife weren’t at the house, called Gracie Mansion, at the time.

Speaking outside the residence Monday morning, Mamdani said Balat and Kayumi “traveled from Pennsylvania and attempted to bring violence to New York City.”

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there are no indications that the men’s alleged activities were connected to the ongoing war in Iran. She declined to say more about why authorities believe the suspects were motivated by the Islamic State group, a Sunni extremist group. Iran’s population is almost entirely Shiite, the other main religious community within Islam.

While Mamdani and Tisch briefed reporters Monday, Lang heckled from outside the Gracie Mansion gates.

Meanwhile, police searched a home in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Middletown Township, and a separate federal investigation was underway in nearby Newtown, local police said. Both inquiries were related to the incident outside New York’s mayoral residence, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, wrote in a social media post Sunday.

Lang’s sparsely attended protest Saturday drew a far larger group of counterdemonstrators, including one person who police say tossed a smoking object containing nuts, bolts, screws and a “hobby fuse” into the crowd.

The device extinguished itself steps from police officers, Tisch noted. The same person who threw it then dropped a second device that did not appear to ignite, the commissioner said.

The scene had grown chaotic even before the devices were thrown. Police said one person involved in the anti-Islam protest, Ian McGinnis, 21, was arrested after pepper-spraying counterprotesters. McGinnis, of Philadelphia, was released without bond after pleading not guilty Sunday to assault and aggravated harassment in a New York court, records show. A message seeking comment was left Monday for his attorney.

Three others were taken into custody but were released without charges.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Lang was charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes. He was later freed from prison as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency. Lang recently announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in Florida.

Earlier this year, he organized a rally in Minneapolis in support of Trump’s immigration crackdown, drawing an angry crowd of counterprotesters who quickly chased him away.

This story has been corrected to reflect that police are now identifying one of the suspects by the name Ibrahim Kayumi, instead of Ibrahim Nikks. The headlines have been corrected to show Tisch referred to the possibility of the suspects being inspired by rather than related to the Islamic State group.

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York and David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed.