By PHILIP MARCELO

MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) — New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump’s top education official said Friday.

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U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide.

The department’s civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the “Dutchmen” and the “Huguenots,” are still permitted.

McMahon described Massapequa’s chiefs mascot as an “incredible” representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium.

“The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,” the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment said.

McMahon said her department will give the state ten days to sign an agreement rescinding its Native American mascot ban and apologizing to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempted to “erase” their history.

JP O’Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon’s visit as “political theater” and said the school district was doing a “grave disservice” to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns.

“These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children,” he said in a statement.

Representatives from the Native American Guardians Association, who voiced support for keeping the chief mascot at Thursday’s event, also don’t speak on behalf of local Indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, said Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation.

“They’re Native Americans for hire,” he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. “They have no tribal authority.”

Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country’s oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery.

“These depictions are not tributes — they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance,” the organization said in a statement ahead of McMahon’s appearance.

Trump ordered the federal education department to launch an inquiry into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports.

Located about 40 miles east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots.

But its lawsuit challenging the state’s 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year.

State education officials gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding.

Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally who joined McMahon on the visit, echoed the sentiments of residents who support keeping the mascot. The Massapequa chief, he said, is meant to “honor” the town’s Native American heritage, not “denigrate” it.

“They’re trying to change our culture, and we’re not having it,” Blakeman said Thursday.

The town is named after the Massapequa, who were part of the broader Lenape, or Delaware, people who inhabited the woodlands of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada for thousands of years before being decimated by European colonization.

But indigenous residents on Long Island have called Massapequa’s mascot problematic as it depicts a Native American man wearing a headdress that was typically worn by tribes in the American Midwest, but not in the Northeast.

The cheery mascot also obscures Massapequa’s legacy of violence against Native Americans, which includes the site of a Native American massacre in the 1600s, Native American activists have said.

Massapequa, which is roughly 90% white, has long been a conservative bastion popular with New York City police and firefighters.

Trump visited the town last year to attend the wake of a New York City police officer and has made frequent visits to Long Island as it has shifted Republican.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Hollywood’s Baldwin brothers and the Long Island’s alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer are also among Massapequa High’s notable alums.

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

PBS filed suit Friday against President Donald Trump and other administration officials to block his order stripping federal funding from the 330-station public television system, three days after NPR did the same for its radio network.

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In its lawsuit, PBS relies on similar arguments, saying Trump was overstepping his authority and engaging in “viewpoint discrimination” because of his claim that PBS’ news coverage is biased against conservatives.

“PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms,” lawyer Z.W. Julius Chen wrote in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington. “But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS’s programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.”

It was the latest of many legal actions taken against the administration for its moves, including several by media organizations impacted by Trump’s orders.

Northern Minnesota PBS station joins in the lawsuit

PBS was joined as a plaintiff by one of its stations, Lakeland PBS, which serves rural areas in northern and central Minnesota. Trump’s order is an “existential threat” to the station, the lawsuit said.

A PBS spokesman said that “after careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television’s editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations.”

Through an executive order earlier this month, Trump told the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal agencies to stop funding the two systems. Through the corporation alone, PBS is receiving $325 million this year, most of which goes directly to individual stations.

The White House deputy press secretary, Harrison Fields, said the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers’ dime.

“Therefore, the President is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding to NPR and PBS,” Fields said. “The President was elected with a mandate to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and he will continue to use his lawful authority to achieve that objective.”

PBS, which makes much of the programming used by the stations, said it gets 22% of its revenue directly from the feds. Sixty-one percent of PBS’ budget is funded through individual station dues, and the stations raise the bulk of that money through the government.

Interrupting ‘a rich tapestry of programming’

Trump’s order “would have profound impacts on the ability of PBS and PBS member stations to provide a rich tapestry of programming to all Americans,” Chen wrote.

PBS said the U.S. Department of Education has canceled a $78 million grant to the system for educational programming, used to make children’s shows like “Sesame Street,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Reading Rainbow.”

For Minnesota residents, the order threatens the “Lakeland Learns” education program and “Lakeland News,” described in the lawsuit as the only television program in the region providing local news, weather and sports.

Besides Trump, the lawsuit names other administration officials as defendants, including Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. PBS says its technology is used as a backup for the nationwide wireless emergency alert system.

The administration has fought with several media organizations. Government-run news services like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are struggling for their lives, The Associated Press has battled with the White House over press access and the Federal Communications Commission is investigating television news divisions.

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

Bob Casey was on a train bound for Washington, D.C., when he got a call that stopped him in his tracks.

“It was just two words,” the former senator remembers. “It’s cancer.”

Casey, serving his third term in the U.S. Senate, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2022. He was 62 and had no symptoms of disease. The cancer was caught by a routine blood test that revealed elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen.

Former Sen. Bob Casey and wife Terese greet neighborhood resident Molly Kankiewicz while taking a walk in Scranton’s Hill section Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Casey was shaken by the diagnosis, but knew the cancer was manageable and detected early. He had decisions to make and time to make them.

“I can’t imagine hearing those two words, ‘It’s cancer,’ and having it be the kind of cancer which is not manageable,” Casey said in a recent interview. “It hits you really hard, but I also had a general sense that this was more manageable, so it wasn’t as devastating as it would have been if it were some other kind of cancer. But even with that, it still hits you hard.”

Casey had successful surgery in 2023 and has remained healthy since, an example of advances in testing and treatment that have dramatically improved survival rates for the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. Only lung cancer is more lethal. About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Former Sen. Bob Casey smiles in the living room of his Scranton home Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed last month with aggressive prostate cancer that spread to his bones. Prostate cancers are graded using what’s known as a Gleason score. Scores range from 6 to 10. Biden’s score is 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive types. It can be treated, but not cured.

Casey said he sent Biden, 82, a message of support, but hasn’t spoken to his old friend and political ally since the diagnosis.

“I reached out just to say, ‘You’re not alone,’ and to tell him that we’re thinking of him,” he said. “I did see him right before he left (the White House) in January. I really haven’t been in touch with him since, but (the diagnosis) is a hell of a thing after all he’s been through.”

Joined by Allentown firefighters and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, President Joe Biden addresses the media Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, at Mack South Fire Station in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Casey, 65, credits the support and advocacy of Terese Casey, his wife of 40 years and a key partner in his treatment and recovery.

“She jumped right in helping me research it, and we interviewed a group of surgeons,” he said. “Technically, I had three options — just let it go and see what happens; No. 2 was to get radiation; and No. 3 was to have surgery. I chose a prostatectomy, where you just get it out. I was really fortunate. I had a good doctor and got a good result.”

Choosing the right doctor and treatment plan are key not only to survival, but quality of life, said Don Ezrin, a three-time cancer survivor who until recently chaired the Northeast Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Survivors Support Group. The group no longer meets in person, but maintains a vibrant presence on Facebook, one of many regional pages for cancer survivors on the platform.

A Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, Ezrin learned he was at risk during his discharge physical. His doctor told him his prostate was enlarged.

“I really remember the doctor with his rubber glove going, ‘What is this? That’s a bit enlarged,’” Ezrin said. “So I was watching it thoroughly, and the minute it raised its ugly head, we proceeded to do something.”

Ezrin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002. He opted for intensity modulated radiation therapy, which was not widely available in Northeast Pennsylvania at the time. His cancer has been under control for 20 years, which he credits in part to choosing the right treatment.

“You’ve got to understand that each medical professional is very similar to a car salesman,” the 78-year-old retiree said. “They want to sell what they practice, and if you start asking questions and they’re not in that field, they’re going to shut you down real quick, which was the reason for starting the group.”

Every treatment — whether surgery, radiation or hormone therapy — comes with side effects, Ezrin said. When he was diagnosed, his wife, Lisa, was 40. Ezrin was 57, and leery of the sexual side effects of some treatment options.

“I was not ready to give up what I call ‘the finer things of life,’ which is what can happen if you choose the wrong therapy to treat prostate cancer,” Ezrin said. “A lot of the drugs that are out there today can rob you of the desire to want to do anything other than just exist.

“I’ve seen guys bounce back immediately and I’ve seen guys just fall apart. The bottom line is you’ve got to get educated on what you’re up against and then make the best choice for you, your family and your financial situation.”

Casey echoed Ezrin’s call to research options widely before making treatment decisions. Seeking the support and counsel of survivors is also important, he said. Shortly after he announced his diagnosis, other members of Congress reached out with advice and support.

“That was a big help, and again, I was very fortunate to have good doctors and a good result,” he said. “And the recovery was pretty fast. I think I was back voting in the Senate on day 12.”

Casey was defeated in the November election and exited the Senate in January. His win over prostate cancer gives him more time to spend with his two grandchildren. Another is due in June.

“On Jan. 3, the first day of the new Congress, I purposely got in my car and drove to their house to be with them,” Casey said. “I’ve been really lucky. I had a great run and had a lot of years in government and now I’ve got to do something else. I’m still working on that, still trying to figure that out, but I’ve been fortunate.”

The former president’s diagnosis and treatment going forward should serve as a reminder to men of a certain age to get tested regularly, Casey said.

“Whenever these things happen to someone who’s prominent, it obviously brings a lot of attention to the topic,” he said. “It’s a powerful reminder for men to get the test, especially when you’re in your 40s and 50s. It’s important and it’s so simple. You get a blood test. Treatment has come a long way over the past 25 or so years. What used to be a death sentence no longer is.”

A man with a history of gun convictions was charged Friday with attempted murder, accused of opening fire in Maplewood while two juveniles cowered in fear nearby.

Officers responded to an apartment building parking lot at Larpenteur Avenue and McMenemy Street about 5:55 p.m. on April 16. A child had just exited a bus and was waiting to be buzzed into an apartment building when the shooting happened.

Surveillance video showed a Chevrolet Malibu entered the lot and drove past a gold vehicle. The shooter got out of the Chevrolet, pulled out a handgun and fired three volleys at the other vehicle. Police found 18 spent casings in the parking lot.

“The volleys were in rapid succession and the video’s audio suggests that there was a trigger activator on the handgun making it fully automatic,” the complaint said. Video also showed the child from the bus and another juvenile were in fear as they tried to get into the building.

A passenger from the gold sedan got into the driver’s seat, drove to Regions Hospital and dropped off a 22-year-old man. The man was treated for gunshot wounds to his left shoulder and left leg. He did not want to talk to police, the complaint said.

After law enforcement identified the license plate on the Chevrolet, police pulled over the vehicle on April 22 in Minneapolis. They found Muhnee Jaleel Bailey, 24, of St. Paul, was driving.

Bailey was on release from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to a halfway house in Minneapolis, according to the complaint. He pleaded guilty in March 2023 to a federal charge of possession of a firearm as felon.

On the day of the shooting, Bailey returned to the house wearing clothes that matched the shooter’s, the complaint said of surveillance footage. He was wearing a sweatshirt that said, “In Glock We Trust.”

Police learned that Bailey and a woman resided in St. Paul, and they carried out a search warrant at the residence on Aurora Avenue near Central Village Park.

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Officers found a Glock with an extended magazine, another Glock in a backpack, a pistol without a serial number and ammunition in the basement room where Bailey and the woman stayed.

The woman told police that she has a permit to carry and owns a handgun; she said she wasn’t aware of other firearms in the bedroom.

Police arrested Bailey on Wednesday. The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged him with second-degree intentional attempted murder (not premediated), drive-by shooting and four counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited due to a conviction for a crime of violence.

In addition to the federal case, Bailey has been convicted of possession of a pistol without a permit, possession of a trigger activator, drive-by shooting and fleeing police in a vehicle, the complaint said.