By ALEXA ST. JOHN

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday.

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NOAA was granted permission to fill critical positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring in place through at least Oct. 15.

NOAA declined to comment further.

The planned hiring was first reported by CNN.

The Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation’s daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been cut, and NWS offices around the country have had a number of vacancies.

The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that is key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters.

Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency’s work.

Experts cautiously applauded the exemption for hirings as positive news.

“While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,” said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and NWS director.

The hirings are said to include the “mission-critical field positions” that the agency announced it would hire for in June “to further stabilize front line operations.” The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled.

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental 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.

Right-hander Taj Bradley became the second of the Minnesota Twins’ pitchers acquired at the MLB trade deadline to post a strong organizational debut.

Bradley — like Mick Abel last weekend — couldn’t push the St. Paul Saints to a victory. St. Paul lost 7-4 at home to Iowa on Wednesday.

But Bradley, who had plenty of major league experience with Tampa Bay and was traded for reliever Griffin Jax, allowed just one run in six innings. He gave up five hits and walked none, while striking out four. He faced the minimum through his first four innings.

However, the game was 1-1 when Bradley left after throwing 73 pitches, 47 for strikes. Brooklyn Park native John Klein then made his Triple-A debut and gave up six runs on five hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning.

Noah Cardenas hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.

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By MATTHEW PERRONE

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are warning doctors and patients about safety issues with two separate Boston Scientific heart devices recently linked to injuries and deaths.

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The Food and Drug Administration issued two alerts Wednesday about electrical problems tied to the company’s heart-zapping defibrillator systems and a separate issue with a heart implant used to reduce stroke risk.

The agency said some of the company’s Endotak Reliance defibrillator wires can become calcified, leading to failures in delivering life-saving shocks to the heart, according to the FDA.

Defibrillators are surgically placed in the upper chest, where they monitor irregular heartbeats and use electrical shocks to jolt the heart back to normal.

As of July 24, Boston Scientific has reported 386 serious injuries and 16 deaths associated with this issue, the agency said.

Ten of the deaths were judged to be due to the device failing to function properly, the company said in an email. Four were linked to attempts to surgically remove the devices from patients and two others were deemed unrelated to the implants.

Boston Scientific’s wires were distributed between 2002 and 2021 and are no longer available, the company noted in its letter to doctors. Some patients will need to have the devices replaced, though physicians should weigh the risks of the removal procedure.

In a separate notice, the FDA said Boston Scientific recently updated instructions for implanting its Watchman device, which closes a portion of the heart’s left atrium to reduce the risk of stroke.

In a letter to physicians, the company noted that there is an increased risk of blockages in the bloodstream depending on the level of anesthesia for patients undergoing the initial implantation procedure. Watchman is an alternative to long-term treatment with blood thinners for patients at increased risk of stroke.

As of July 30, the company has reported 120 serious injuries and 17 deaths related to the issue, the FDA said.

A company investigation concluded that the safety issue “is not associated with the design or manufacture of any component of the Watchman system.

Heart devices, including defibrillators and other implants, are Boston Scientific’s largest business, making up two-thirds of its $5 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter.

Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. fell nearly 1.8 percent Wednesday to close at $102.95 in trading.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

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The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty.

Elias Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. He was heard shouting “Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities have said.

Rodriguez had previously been charged with murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury. It means prosecutors will be tasked with proving Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged.

Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago ahead of the Capital Jewish Museum event with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, authorities have said in court papers.

Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said.

After the shooting, authorities say Rodriguez went inside the museum and stated that he “did it.”

“I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” he spontaneously said, according to court documents. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man as “courageous” and a “martyr.”