By MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says its destruction of 500 metric tons of emergency food aid that was stored in a warehouse in the Middle East was required because it had expired and that the move will not affect the distribution of similar assistance moving forward.

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The high energy biscuits — used primarily to provide immediate nutritional needs for children in crisis situations — had been stored in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to respond to emergencies and could no longer be safely sent to potential recipients, so it was destroyed, department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday.

The issue, first reported by The Atlantic, has been raised repeatedly in congressional hearings this week, with Democratic lawmakers accusing the Trump administration of creating a crisis and ignoring urgent humanitarian needs by suspending most foreign assistance in its first month in office.

The administration already has dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, the nation’s main agency for distributing food aid abroad, and is currently trying to rescind billions of dollars in foreign assistance. It comes as 319 million people around the world are facing acute hunger, and people in places like Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali and Haiti are teetering on the brink of starvation, according to the U.N. World Food Program.

Bruce said the amount destroyed was less than 1% of the 1 million metric tons of food assistance that the United States supplies each year and suggested that the destroyed stockpile would be replaced. But she could not say if the Trump administration would continue to provide the 1 million metric tons going forward.

“If something is expired, we will destroy it,” Bruce said, brushing aside appeals for the administration to either distribute the assistance itself or give it to aid agencies who could do so. “It’s a matter of whether or not it’s safe to distribute.”

Bruce said destroying expired stockpiled food — which is generally stored in warehouses near regions or countries at risk for drought, famine and other disasters — are not unprecedented and have occurred under previous administrations that have not pursued draconian cuts in foreign assistance.

The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jeanne Shaheen, asked Deputy Secretary of State for Management Michael Rigas on Wednesday about the destruction of the food.

The New Hampshire senator secured a commitment from Rigas to produce an inventory of current food aid stockpiles and a pledge from the administration to try to distribute warehoused assistance before it expires.

“If the State Department doesn’t have the officials to distribute it, let’s give it to other aid organizations so that they can distribute it, so it’s not going to waste and that people are getting the benefit of not only what American taxpayers pay for, but the people who are truly desperate,” Shaheen said.

She noted there are stocks of cooking oil sitting in a Houston port and food aid stored in Djibouti that may soon expire.

Rigas said the administration’s intention was not to deliberately allow food aid to expire and go to waste.

A 13-year-old Amur Tiger and mother to six cubs was euthanized last week, the Minnesota Zoo announced Thursday.

Sundari, also known as “Dari,” was euthanized due to mesothelioma, an aggressive and incurable form of cancer, the zoo said in a release. She passed peacefully and under expert care.

Born in 2012 at the Apple Valley zoo, Dari gave birth to six cubs: Vera, Brosno, Vostok, Yana, and last spring welcomed Amaliya and Andrei.

In May 2024, two Amur tiger cubs, Andrei (male) and Amaliya (female) were born at the Minnesota Zoo to Dari, fathered by Luka. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Zoo)

“Dari was more than a tiger — she was a powerful ambassador for her species,” said Minnesota Zoo Director John Frawley, in the release. “Her legacy lives on in her cubs and in the hearts she touched.”

An endangered species due to poaching, Amur Tigers hovered near the brink of extinction around the 1930s with an estimated population between 20 and 30, according to the zoo.

Since opening in 1978, 46 Amur tiger cubs have been born at the Minnesota Zoo. Of the 46 cubs, 21 have gone on to produce litters of their own, resulting in another 86 cubs to bolster the population, per the release.

The Minnesota Zoo is also active in several Species Survival Plans, including tigers and Japanese and lion-tailed macaques, that serve as a “genetic insurance policy” against extinction by coordinating with experts to guide breeding decisions and animal transfers.

“Through her life, Dari gave the SSP program what it needed most — consistency, maternal excellence and critical genetic contribution. She nurtured her cubs with extraordinary love and helped guide a new generation of care for tiger mothers,” said Trista Fischer, Minnesota Zoo zoologist and coordinator of the Amur Tiger Species Survival Plan, in the release.

To honor Dari, well wishers are invited to support the Tiger Conservation Fund, donate to the Minnesota Zoo Foundation or visit Dari’s offspring at the Minnesota Zoo, located at 13000 Zoo Boulevard in Apple Valley.

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By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maryland man was arrested Thursday on charges that he made threatening calls to the Georgia offices of Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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Seth Jason, 64, repeatedly threatened to assault and kill Greene and her family during several calls to her district offices in between October 2023 and January 2025, according to his four-count indictment. Jason also threatened Greene’s staff members and their families, authorities said.

Jason worked for Voice of America and made threatening calls using phone lines connected to studios and control rooms at the news agency’s headquarters in Washington, according to U.S. Capitol Police.

Jason, of Edgewater, Maryland, also volunteered as a reserve officer for the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland. The department said in a statement that Jason had served as a volunteer since 2016.

“Anne Arundel County Reserve Officers are unarmed and have no police authority. Mr. Jason is no longer affiliated with the Anne Arundel County Police Department,” the statement said.

A lawyer for Jason did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

A grand jury indicted Jason on charges of influencing a federal official by threat, influencing a federal official by threatening a family member, interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure and anonymous telecommunications harassment.

Jason was expected to make his initial court appearance in Washington on Thursday.

“No one should have to live their life looking over their shoulder every day and wondering if those threats are about to be fulfilled and about to come true,” acting U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a news conference.

Pirro read aloud some of the statements that Jason is accused of making during the calls to Greene’s offices.

“I am looking forward to your book signing. We are all armed and ready to take care of you,” Jason said, according to Pirro.

Threats against members of Congress and other public officials have surged as the nation’s political landscape has become increasingly divisive.

During the news conference, Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan alluded to the June 14 shootings in Minnesota by a man charged with killing the Democratic leader in the state House and her husband after wounding another lawmaker and his wife.

“This has got to stop,” Sullivan said. “This has changed since Minnesota. We are going to work very, very hard to hold you accountable if you make these threats.”

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — An emotional Sen. Nicole Mitchell testified about her troubled relationship with her stepmother as she took the stand Thursday in her burglary trial.

Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, takes the stand in her burglary trial.

Mitchell was charged with two felony burglary counts after she was arrested in her stepmother’s house in the early hours of April 22, 2024. On Thursday she told the jury about her relationship with her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, in the years before and after the death of her father and Carol Mitchell’s husband, Rod Mitchell.

Growing up, Carol Mitchell was another mother to Nicole Mitchell, she testified. Her biological mother had been a busy single mother.

“I mean, she was one of my parents,” Nicole Mitchell said.

Nicole Mitchell, a DFL lawmaker from Woodbury, was charged with first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools. If found guilty, Mitchell could face prison time. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutor Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald argues Nicole Mitchell entered Carol Mitchell’s house with the intent to steal. The defense counters that she entered the house to check on her stepmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Earlier this week, investigators testified, the prosecution showed body camera footage from Nicole Mitchell’s arrest and the resulting investigation. The jury also heard from friends and relatives of Carol Mitchell who testified about Carol Mitchell’s fear of Nicole Mitchell. One of Nicole Mitchell’s aunts testified that Carol Mitchell’s communications became increasingly paranoid in the months following Rod Mitchell’s death.

Mitchell: Signs of Alzheimer’s disease

In her testimony Thursday, Nicole Mitchell said she first noticed signs of Alzheimer’s in her stepmother in 2020, when Carol Mitchell did not recall a conversation that had just happened. She said Carol Mitchell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022. Mitchell recounted experiences with other relatives who had the disease.

After Rod Mitchell’s death, in March 2023, some of Nicole Mitchell’s aunts stepped in to help Carol Mitchell, Nicole Mitchell said. At the same time, Carol Mitchell grew closer with family members on the other side of the family, with whom she had historically had rifts.

“She started cycling through people that she trusted,” Nicole Mitchell said.

As Rod Mitchell’s child, Nicole Mitchell’s name was on probate court papers as Carol Mitchell sorted out Rod Mitchell’s affairs. Nicole Mitchell said Carol Mitchell seemed paranoid that her name was on the documents.

One of Nicole Mitchell’s attorneys, Dane DeKrey, showed texts between Carol Mitchell and Nicole Mitchell from June 2023 in which each party was friendly with the other. Nicole Mitchell cried as she read the messages.

Rift in relationship

Nicole Mitchell recounted another text conversation with Carol Mitchell in March 2024. DeKrey showed the text messages, which regarded a scheduling conflict between Nicole Mitchell and Carol Mitchell for the interment of Rod Mitchell’s ashes.

The conversation showed Rod Mitchell’s interment was scheduled for a day when Nicole Mitchell could not be present because of legislative duties. In the texts, Carol Mitchell said the funeral home picked the date. Nicole Mitchell testified that she called the funeral home to confirm Carol Mitchell set the date and that other dates were available.

In the texts, Carol Mitchell accused Nicole Mitchell of always treating her with disdain, while Nicole Mitchell accused Carol Mitchell of treating her with annoyance.

Text messages showed Carol Mitchell declined to change the date, citing other people’s schedules. Carol Mitchell texted that she would mail a small fishing bobber-shaped container of ashes to Nicole Mitchell. Nicole Mitchell said she never contacted Carol Mitchell again after the exchange.

“I was feeling so emotionally beat up by that point,” said a tearful Nicole Mitchell.

Charges against the state senator were a point of contention in a divided Senate chamber during the past two legislative sessions. DFL leaders barred her from participating in committee assignments or party caucus meetings. Senate Republicans called for her resignation and unsuccessfully tried to oust her.

The felony burglary charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of at least six months in jail or a county workhouse, and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine. Felony possession of burglary tools carries a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

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