By TIA GOLDENBERG

JERUSALEM (AP) — When the U.S. and Iran met for nuclear talks a decade ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed against an emerging deal from the world’s most public stages, including in a fiery speech to Congress seen as a direct challenge to the Obama administration as it was wrapping up the talks.

Now, as the sides sit down to discuss a new deal, Netanyahu has fallen silent.

Netanyahu sees an Iran with nuclear weapons as an existential threat to Israel, and he is just as wary of any new U.S. agreement with its archenemy that may not meet his standards. Yet he finds himself shackled with Donald Trump in the White House.

Netanyahu is unwilling to publicly criticize a president who has shown broad support for Israel, whom he deems to be Israel’s greatest friend, and who doesn’t take well to criticism.

He “can’t do anything that goes against Trump. He’s paralyzed,” said Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank.

Israel is in a position of power against Iran after a series of strategic achievements over the past 18 months in the wars that have shaken the Middle East. It thrashed Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, and directly attacked Iran last year, neutralizing some of its key air defenses. Experts say Israel now has a window of opportunity for what could be an effective strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, with possibly less regional blowback.

Yet Israel’s leader was recently unable to galvanize Trump to prioritize a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities — which would likely hinge on U.S. military assistance to be successful. With the U.S. negotiating with Iran, Israel has little legitimacy to pursue a military option on its own.

“Netanyahu is trapped,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. “He was banking on Israel’s position relative to Iran to improve under Trump. In practice, it’s the opposite.”

Netanyahu hoped for alignment with Trump on Iran

Netanyahu and his nationalist supporters hoped Trump’s return to the White House would be advantageous because of his history of support for Israel. They thought that, under Trump, the U.S. might back a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

But Trump’s approach to Iran — as well as on other issues, such as tariffs — has shown the relationship is more complicated, and that Trump’s interests don’t entirely align with Netanyahu’s.

Netanyahu has long accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapon and went on a global campaign against the Obama deal. He painted the nuclear program as an existential threat to Israel and the world, and said the agreement was too weak to contain it. Israel remains the Mideast’s only nuclear-armed state, an advantage it would like to keep.

With Netanyahu’s strong encouragement, Trump backed out of the deal struck by Obama. And since returning to the White House, Trump has given Israel free rein in its war against Hamas in Gaza, been soft on the worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory and launched strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked Israel since the start of the war. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

But now that the U.S. has returned to the negotiating table with Iran, Netanyahu would risk jeopardizing his good ties with the president if he were to publicly oppose one of his administration’s key foreign policy initiatives.

The last time Netanyahu crossed the temperamental Trump was when he congratulated Joe Biden for his election win in 2020. Trump was apparently offended by the perceived disloyalty, and their ties went into deep freeze.

Israel is communicating to Washington its priorities for any deal. As part of that, it understood that should Israel choose to carry out a strike on Iran, it would likely be doing so alone — so long as negotiations were underway, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

Netanyahu is hoping for a strict deal on Iran’s nuclear program

In a speech in Jerusalem this week, Netanyahu said he had discussed his terms for a deal with Trump. He explained that it would need to dismantle all the infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear program and that it should work to prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering a bomb.

Related Articles

How long was the longest conclave? Facts about the secret voting to elect a pope

Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organizers say, in latest confrontation over assistance

A US-led effort to end the war in Ukraine looks favorable to Russia, but mixed signals emerge

TikTok fined $600 million for China data transfers that broke EU privacy rules

Russell Brand granted conditional bail after appearing in London court on rape and assault charges

“I said to President Trump that I hope that this is what the negotiators will do. We’re in close contact with the United States. But I said one way or the other – Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” he said.

Netanyahu has said he would favor a strict diplomatic agreement similar to Libya’s deal in 2003 to destroy its nuclear facilities and allow inspectors unfettered access. However, it is not clear if Trump will set such strict conditions — and Iran has rejected giving up its right to enrich.

The Trump-led talks with Iran began earlier this month and have advanced to expert discussions over how to rein in Iran’s nuclear program and prevent it from being able to obtain atomic weapons, should it choose to pursue them. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, though some officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb.

While Trump has said a military option remains on the table, and has moved military assets to the region, he says he prefers a diplomatic solution. Planned talks between Iran and the United States this weekend were postponed on Thursday.

Netanyahu will also struggle to criticize a deal once one is clinched

Since Trump scrapped the Obama-era agreement in 2018, Iran has ramped up its nuclear enrichment and increased its uranium stockpile.

Netanyahu’s 2015 speech to Congress against Obama’s deal — at the invitation of Republicans — was made without consulting the White House. Obama did not attend.

That was just one of many instances in which Netanyahu was seen as cozying up to Republicans, driving a wedge in what has traditionally been bipartisan support for Israel. That, coupled with Netanyahu’s strained relationship with the Biden administration over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, has meant that Netanyahu can’t rely on Democratic allies to take up his cause.

Still, Netanyahu would struggle to find any Republicans willing to publicly confront the president on this issue. And he himself will struggle to criticize a deal if one is clinched; instead, he might send surrogates like his far-right allies to do so, said Gilboa of Bar-Ilan University.

But until then, Gilboa said, Netanyahu’s best hope is that the talks fail.

“That, for him, will be the best case scenario.”

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN, Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A 15-year-old Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism.

Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, who is autistic, executed a painting featuring a multi-colored ribbon — the symbol for autism — surrounded by emojis, covering 12,304 square meters. That’s a lot bigger than a typical soccer field, which is 7,140 square meters.

The massive painting is aimed at highlighting the spectrum disorder and challenges that people like him face amid stigma and limited resources in Nigeria.

“I felt fine. Happy. Just fine,” said Tagbo-Okeke, whose disorder limits his speech.

An aerial view of the canvas painting by Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, a 15-year-old autistic artist who won the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, on display at the Eagle Square on World Autism Day in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/David Durowaiye)

His artwork eclipsed that of Emad Salehi, the previous world record holder, who was nearly three times older at 42 when he set the record with a 9,652-square meter canvas.

The artwork, created in November 2024, was unveiled and officially recognized by the Guinness World Record organizers in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja during the World Autism Acceptance Day in April.

Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo Okeke, a 15 year-old autistic Nigerian, who set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest art canvas, is photographed with his parents in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Olamikan Gbemiga)

Nigeria’s art and culture minister Hannatu Musawa said Tagbo-Okeke’s artwork is “a beacon of hope and inspiration” for people with autism.

“We recognize the unique abilities and potential of individuals with autism and are dedicated to providing opportunities for them to thrive in the creative industries,” Musawa added.

‘Impossibility is a Myth’

Born in Canada before moving to Nigeria, Tagbo-Okeke’s upbringing has been challenging, his family said. His father told The Associated Press during a recent interview that there was often fear, confusion and sadness along the way.

“Not being able to communicate with your son or have regular activities you could have with any other child is quite depressing,” Tagbo Okeke said.

Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo Okeke, a 15 year-old autistic Nigerian, who set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest art canvas, is photograph during an interview in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Olamikan Gbemiga)

Many people on the spectrum face stigma and limited resources in Nigeria, but Tagbo-Okeke’s family was determined to give him the best support.

The young artist’s record-breaking attempt, accompanied by a campaign tagged “Impossibility is a Myth,” was widely celebrated among Nigerians, partly because of his young age.

“We felt an overwhelming sense of relief and pride, knowing the countless hours and months of effort he poured into breaking the record,” his mother Silvia said.

An aerial view of the canvas painting by Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, a 15-year-old autistic artist who won the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, on display at the Eagle Square on World Autism Day in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/David Durowaiye)

Many young people in Nigeria have attempted to break the Guinness World Record in recent years. At least seven Nigerians have broken world records in the past three years, including Hilda Baci, who won the longest cooking marathon and Tunde Onakoya, who played the longest chess marathon.

Early support is key

Kanyeyachukwu’s world record attempt also sought to raise funds for the Zeebah Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on providing support to those on the spectrum and their families.

Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, Centre, a 15 year-old autistic artist who won the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, attends the World Autism Day in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/David Durowaiye)

While there are no official records from within Nigeria, about 1 in 100 children worldwide is autistic, according to the World Health Organization.

Like in many other countries, autism is often not diagnosed in Nigeria until in older years.

The lack of reliable data on autism, adequate awareness and government support for the spectrum disorder are some of the biggest challenges autistic people face in Nigeria, said Stanley Effah, founder of the Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation.

An aerial view of the canvas painting by Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, a 15-year-old autistic artist who won the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, on display at the Eagle Square on World Autism Day in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/David Durowaiye)

Effah, whose child is autistic, said his foundation is planning to launch an annual musical concert featuring major artists as part of efforts to raise awareness about autism in Nigeria.

Access to stem cell therapy for autistic children should also be included under the Nigerian National Health Insurance plan as a way to improve their care, Effah said.

Kanyeyachukwu’s mother said more government support was key to provide those on the spectrum the care they need early on in life.

Related Articles

How long was the longest conclave? Facts about the secret voting to elect a pope

Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organizers say, in latest confrontation over assistance

A US-led effort to end the war in Ukraine looks favorable to Russia, but mixed signals emerge

TikTok fined $600 million for China data transfers that broke EU privacy rules

Russell Brand granted conditional bail after appearing in London court on rape and assault charges

Kanyeyachukwu was only diagnosed in Canada after years of failed attempts in Nigeria, the father said. The diagnosis paved the way to properly support him, including his love for drawing, discovered at the age of 4.

“We’ve done a lot of work with him,” he said. “Kanye can tidy his room, he can wash his clothes — all of this is because of early intervention. If left alone, he definitely would not be able to do these things.”

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

Fire officials in Woodbury on Friday morning were still trying to determine how and why Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter and human-rights activist, died in a house fire in Woodbury early Thursday morning.

Firefighters were called to the 9200 block of Pinehurst Road, near Interlachen Parkway, around 5:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a fire.

When crews arrived, they found the house in flames and were told by the homeowners that one person — identified as a woman in her 60s — was still possibly inside. Firefighters found Sobule’s body inside the home. Woodbury Public Safety said Thursday there were no immediate signs of foul play.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office said the investigation into the cause of death is pending toxicology results. It could take six to eight weeks for those results, a spokesman said Friday.

Sobule, 66, was in the Twin Cities to visit friends, record an episode of “The Brian Oake Show” podcast with the former Cities 97 and 89.3 The Current DJ and help prepare for a show, “Jill Sobule presents F*ck 7th Grade & More: A Pride Month Event!,” which was scheduled to be performed at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis on June 11.

She made history with her 1995 single “I Kissed a Girl” as the first openly gay-themed song ever to crack the Billboard Top 20. She also was known for the song “Supermodel,” which was featured in the 1995 movie “Clueless.”

“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” John Porter, her manager, said in a statement. “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”

Her booking agent, Craig Grossman, wrote that he was fortunate to know Sobule “beyond a professional relationship. No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond.”

Related Articles

Jill Sobule, singer-songwriter known for ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ dies in Woodbury fire

Singer Jill Sobule dies in Woodbury house fire

St. Paul police plan to encrypt dispatches, as have Minneapolis, other agencies

Apostle Supper Club across from the Xcel Energy Center to close

Slow down and look up: Extra law enforcement on MN roads starting Thursday

Sobule was scheduled to perform her show “Jill Sobule presents: Songs From F*ck 7th Grade & More” at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater in Denver tonight, according to a statement posted by her publicists. Instead, there will be “an informal gathering” hosted by Rob Bostwick, a host at 105.5 The Colorado Sound and a friend of Sobule’s. She was a native of Denver.

“Folks are encouraged to join their fellow Jill friends and fans to share a story or song,” according to the statement, which also noted that there will be a formal memorial celebrating Sobule’s “life and legacy” later this summer.

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Right after Sunday worship at St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, Juan Carlos Toapanta lay in a lounge chair set up by the altar, needles sticking out of his forehead, wrist and foot for an hourlong acupuncture session.

“Just like the Lord’s light helps emotionally, the body’s pain is treated as well,” said the Ecuadorian construction worker, who suffers from sciatica and has worshipped at the Minneapolis church for about five months. “Everything feels freed, emotionally.”

Founded by Swedish immigrants in the late 19th century, the church is now a predominantly Latino congregation. Like most other churches in the U.S. that serve migrants, it has expanded its humanitarian, financial, legal and pastoral ministries during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Guadalupe Gonzalez, foreground center, and two other practitioners perform Reiki treatments in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, where congregant Lizete Vega, left, helped organize wellness sessions as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

It has also added monthly well-being sessions — at no charge — with acupuncture, Reiki and cupping therapy to ease the stress that uncertainty and fear have sown among the migrant community — including people in the U.S. illegally and U.S.-born citizens in mixed-status families.

“We have to feel well to respond well, not with panic and fear, which leads to nothing good,” said Lizete Vega, who has spearheaded the well-being efforts as the church’s Latino outreach coordinator. “People here feel that they’re protected and can be cared for spiritually, emotionally and physically.”

Mental health and faith ministry collaborations increase

Faith leaders have increasingly found themselves called to help their congregations with mental health concerns, from chaplains in the U.S. Navy to pastors in the rural heartland.

Juan Carlos Toapanta receives an acupuncture treatment in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which recently added wellness sessions as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Some see the need to provide reassurance and well-being as a growing part of their ministry to migrants, even as revised federal immigration guidelines now provide more leeway for enforcement in or near houses of worship.

“It was as if they were able to exhale a big breath,” the Rev. Hierald Osorto said of the 30 congregants who signed up for the first well-being session in March at St. Paul’s, where an outdoor mural features two traditional Swedish Dala horses between the Spanish words “sanación” (healing) and “resiliencia” (resilience).

The Rev. Hierald Osorto speaks to the congregation of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which holds wellness sessions after Sunday worship in the sanctuary as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

After last Sunday’s worship, the altar table and Easter lilies were moved to make room for seven acupuncture chairs, arranged in a circle facing the central cross. Three massage tables were set up in front of the pews for the Reiki treatment, where practitioners hold their hands on or near the body’s energy centers.

“To see this space be quite literally a place of healing, in the place where we talk about it right at the altar, it moved me to tears,” Osorto said.

Rising anxiety and confusion affect migrants’ mental health and well-being

Wellness practitioners and mental health clinicians say anxiety and depression among those they serve in migrant communities have spread and intensified this year.

Acupuncturist Kahlyn Keilty-Lucas starts a treatment at St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which holds wellness sessions after Sunday worship in the sanctuary as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Already, migrants often arrive with severe trauma from violence they fled in their home countries as well as attacks along cartel-controlled routes to and through the U.S. border.

Women in particular often suffer sexual violence on the journey. For many, the fear that they or someone in their families might be deported is revictimizing. That makes it imperative that “safe places” exist where they can focus on wellness, said Noeline Maldonado, executive director of The Healing Center, which helps domestic and sexual violence victims in Brooklyn, New York.

Juan Carlos Toapanta, foreground, and Martha Dominguez, background, receive acupuncture treatments in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which recently added wellness sessions as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Sessions that promote grounding and mindfulness are necessary to cope with the stress of both immediate crises as well as long-term unpredictability as immigration policies shift.

“Uncertainty is the biggest thing,” said Cheryl Aguilar, director of Hope Center for Wellness in the Washington, D.C., area, which has partnered with churches to provide mental health programs.

Being in community and cultivating hope is crucial because many people are responding to fear with rising anxiety, traumatic symptoms and isolation, all of which can have lasting consequences, Aguilar added.

“It’s nonstop work, nonstop fear,” said Sarah Howell, a clinical social worker in Houston with more than a decade of experience in migration-related trauma. “Every issue seems bigger.”

Martha Dominguez receives an acupuncture treatment in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which recently added wellness sessions as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Howell said many of her clients in Texas are realizing they can’t live in a state of constant alarm, and the respite that wellness programs can bring becomes essential.

Finding healing in houses of worship

“People feel hopeless, but they have to keep fighting,” said Guadalupe Gonzalez, one of the bilingual Reiki practitioners whose organization, Odigo Wellness, partnered with St. Paul’s in Minneapolis to offer the sessions.

Guadalupe Gonzalez performs a Reiki treatment as Limber Saliero, background right, undergoes an acupuncture session in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which recently added wellness programs as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

She said she had some doubts about offering these healing practices inside a church — a large space with light flooding in and people moving through.

“But the sanctuary has a very nice, very positive energy,” Gonzalez said. “As practitioners we feel a lot of emotions.”

Several congregants who attended last Sunday’s two-hour wellness session said they felt both the energy and the connection between these healing practices and faith.

Congregants of St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church receive acupuncture treatments in the sanctuary after worship during a wellness program the church started as part of its migrant ministry, in Minneapolis, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Martha Dominguez came bouncing down the altar steps after an acupuncture session. Grinning, she said she had never imagined a church would offer these kinds of “benefits.”

“Yes, it helps so much,” said the Mexican immigrant. “It takes the stress away from you.”

Limber Saliero, a roofer from Ecuador who has been worshipping at St. Paul’s for five years, said he had never heard of acupuncture but decided to try it.

“I felt like an energy that was flowing into me,” he said.

Related Articles

US wants to move Georgetown scholar’s deportation lawsuit to Texas. Judge appears skeptical

Homeland Security pushes back against criticism of immigration raid at Oklahoma home

Judge bars deportations of Venezuelans from South Texas under the Alien Enemies Act

Recent immigration arrests at courthouses around the country have advocates worried

ICE joins DeSantis in touting one-week record of arresting 1,120 people in the US illegally

Vanessa Arcos tried acupuncture with her sister and her father, while her mother got a Reiki treatment. The family started attending the church the week they arrived in Minnesota from their home state of Guerrero, Mexico, almost a decade ago.

Lying in the lounge chair next to a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Arcos said she overcame her fear of needles and found the treatment relaxing for both muscles and mind.

“It felt very peaceful, very safe,” Arcos said. “It’s important to do little things for yourself.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.