By TOM NOUVIAN and SYLVIE CORBET

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that historic injustice was imposed on Haiti when it was forced to pay a colossal indemnity to France in exchange for its independence 200 years ago.

Related Articles

Ukraine’s future is at the center of talks in Paris with Rubio, Witkoff and top European officials

Russia strikes Dnipro as Ukrainian officials seek security pledges in Paris

A recovering Pope Francis visits Rome prison to keep annual Holy Week appointment

UN nuclear watchdog says US-Iran talks at a ‘very crucial’ stage

Today in History: April 17, the Bay of Pigs Invasion

Macron also announced the creation of a joint French-Haitian historical commission to ‘’examine our shared past” and assess relations, but did not directly address longstanding Haitian demands for reparations.

France ″subjected the people of Haiti to a heavy financial indemnity, … This decision placed a price on the freedom of a young nation, which was thus confronted with the unjust force of history from its very inception,” Macron said in a statement.

It comes on the 200th anniversary of the April 17, 1825 document issued by King Charles X of France, which recognized Haiti’s independence after a slave revolt — but also imposed a 150 million gold francs debt as compensation for the loss of France’s colony and enslaved labor force.

Although the indemnity was later reduced to 90 million gold francs, the debt crippled the Caribbean nation, which continued to pay it off through French and American banks until 1947. Economists estimate it’s the equivalent of billions of dollars today.

Experts have said Haiti’s current situation can be traced back to its past. Gangs have flourished in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with a growing number of children becoming members as families struggle to find food.

Violence has surged since last year, with gangs that control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, attacking new communities daily in a bid to control even more territory. More than 5,600 people were reported killed last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless in recent years.

″Acknowledging the truth of history means refusing to forget or erase it,″ Macron said.

The new commission will be made up of historians from both countries, and will aim to propose recommendations to both governments, ’’so that they can learn from them and build a more peaceful future.″

Since taking office in 2017, Macron has already addressed France’s role in past colonial conflicts, including in Algeria, Cameroon, and Rwanda.

Over the years, French governments have acknowledged the historic wrong of slavery in Haiti and other former colonies but like other former colonial powers have resisted calls for reparations.

Danica Coto in San Juan contributed to this report.

By CHRISTINA LARSON

A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea by an international team of researchers steering a remotely operated submersible.

Related Articles

Astronomers detect a possible signature of life on a distant planet

Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say

Harvard stands to lose $2.2 billion in federal funding. Researchers fear science will suffer

A strong solar storm heads to Earth. Here’s what to know about northern lights

Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez

The sighting was announced Tuesday by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

The squid filmed was a juvenile about 1 foot in length at a depth of 1,968 feet in the South Atlantic Ocean. Full-grown adult colossal squids, which scientists have uncovered from the bellies of whales and seabirds, can reach lengths up to 23 feet — almost the size of a small fire truck.

The squid was spied last month near the South Sandwich Islands during an expedition to search for new sea life. Researchers waited to verify the species identification with other independent scientists before releasing the footage.

“I really love that we have seen a young colossal squid first. This animal is so beautiful,” said Kat Bolstad, a squid researcher at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, who helped confirm it.

Researchers are testing different cameras in hopes of catching an adult colossal squid, Bolstad said.

The young squid is almost entirely transparent, with thin arms. As adults, the squids lose this glassy appearance and become an opaque dark red or purple. When full grown, they are considered to be the world’s largest known invertebrates.

AP video journalist Mustakim Hasnath contributed to this report.

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

NEW YORK (AP) — About 429,000 portable power banks are under recall because they can overheat and potentially catch fire while charging phones, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Related Articles

Bremer Bank CEO to step down after merger with Old National

Judge strikes down an Ohio law limiting kids’ use of social media as unconstitutional

Minnesota gains 10,700 jobs in March, largest gain in a year

How ‘buy online, pick up in store’ supercharges credit card rewards

As demand for AI rises, so do power thirsty data centers

According to a Thursday notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Brooklyn, New York-based Casely is recalling some of its “Power Pods” after receiving 51 reports of the chargers’ lithium-ion battery overheating, expanding or catching fire during use — resulting in six minor burn injuries to date.

The now-recalled Casely Power Pods, which have a battery capacity of 5000mAh, can be identified by their model number: E33A. The wireless phone chargers were manufactured in China, Thursday’s notice notes, and sold on Amazon, getcasely.com and other websites between March 2022 and September 2024.

Consumers in possession of these chargers, which came in a variety of colors and prints, are urged to stop using them immediately — and contact Casely for a free replacement.

Those eligible will receive a new “UL-Certified Power Pod,” an FAQ on Casely’s website notes. The company also says that all other battery packs not included in this recall remain safe to use.

“Casely is committed to its customers’ safety and, out of an abundance of caution, has taken proactive measures to remove potentially faulty products from circulation,” Casely wrote in its recall announcement. “If your Power Pod qualifies, we will replace it with a brand-new unit at no cost to you.”

To receive a free replacement, consumers will have to fill out a form online — and submit photos of the recalled charger they own, with the word “Recalled” and the date written on it in permanent marker. But the CPSC and Casely also stress that lithium-ion battery devices should not be thrown away in the trash or general recycling bins — instructing consumers to look up local guidance for disposal.

By JOCELYN GECKER

The Trump administration is asking Congress to eliminate funding for Head Start, a move that would cut early education for more than half a million of the nation’s neediest children and child care for their families.

Related Articles

Former Pentagon spokesman tied to online DEI purge was asked to resign, official says

University protests blast Trump’s attacks on funding, speech and international students

Can the IRS revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status?

Trump officials’ defiance over Abrego Garcia’s deportation is ‘shocking,’ appeals court says

Supreme Court keeps hold on Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship but sets May arguments

—

The proposal is tucked in a 64-page internal draft budget document obtained by The Associated Press that seeks deep cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start. It is still in a highly preliminary phase as the White House prepares to send Congress its budget request for the 2026 fiscal year.

It is not clear if the proposed cuts will be accepted by lawmakers. While Congress often ignores a president’s budget request, the proposed elimination of Head Start highlights the administration’s priorities as President Donald Trump seeks to overhaul education in the United States.

“The budget does not fund Head Start,” according to the draft. It says eliminating the program is consistent with the Trump administration’s “goals of returning control of education to the states and increasing parental control.”

“The federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations, and performance standards for any form of education,” the document says.

Spokespeople for Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has vowed to dismantle the Department of Education, has banned diversity initiatives at schools and has frozen funding at several elite universities in an attempt to force change at colleges that Republicans say have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.

The Head Start program had already been hit this year by layoffs and funding lags, along with a glitch this winter that briefly locked preschool providers out of their federal accounts. The private and public schools that run Head Start classrooms are deeply reliant on federal money, and this year’s funding problems have caused some preschools to close temporarily.

Those closures cut off child care for hundreds of thousands of low-income families, for whom a day without work is often a day without pay.

The National Head Start Association said it was “deeply alarmed” by the administration’s proposal to stop funding the six-decade-old program.

“It reflects a divestment in our future,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the NHSA, in a statement Thursday. “Eliminating funding for Head Start would be catastrophic. It would be a direct attack on our nation’s most at-risk children, their well-being, and their families.”

Head Start is more than just a preschool program, Vinci said. It provides meals and health screenings and helps level the playing field for children who might otherwise fall behind before starting kindergarten. Many Head Start children are in foster care or are homeless.

FILE – Family Educator Lisa Benson-Nuyen, addresses her students in a circle in the Northern Lights classroom at the Meadow Lakes CCS Early Learning, a Head Start center, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

A lag in funding to Head Start since January has caused some Head Start preschool classrooms to close. The federal government has distributed $1.6 billion for Head Start from Jan. 1 through Tuesday, compared with $2.55 billion issued during the same period last year, according to the office of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., which has been analyzing a federal database. Murray said the Trump administration had “slow-walked” funding appropriated by Congress.

“This administration believes we cannot afford to help families get preschool or help kids get basic health services, but we can afford trillions of dollars more in tax breaks for billionaires,” Murray said earlier this week. “It’s offensive and just plain wrong, and let me be clear: Democrats won’t let a proposal like this go anywhere in Congress.”

“But that doesn’t mean Head Start and so many other programs aren’t under grave threat — because Trump has proven he’ll ignore our laws and do whatever he can to break these programs on his own,” Murray said.

Head Start operates in all 50 states. Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on it when they work or go to school. Supporters say that underscores the importance of Head Start to the economy and at-risk children alike.

While Head Start has enjoyed bipartisan support since its creation under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, some Republicans have emphasized its shortcomings and criticized efforts to increase funding. And Project 2025, the policy blueprint created by the conservative Heritage Foundation, called for eliminating Head Start altogether.

AP Education Writers Cheyanne Mumphrey and Moriah Balingit contributed.

The Associated Press’ education 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.