By FATIMA HUSSEIN and PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner is facing calls to resign after he issued an order — which was quickly rescinded — that would have required Maine parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office rather than the hospital.

Newly unearthed emails show that the March 5 decision was made as political payback to Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, who has defied the Trump administration’s push to deny federal funding to the state over transgender athletes.

In the email addressed to the agency’s staff, acting commissioner Leland Dudek, said, “no money will go from the public trust to a petulant child.” Staff members warned that terminating the contracts would result in improper payments and the potential for identity theft.

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Dudek’s order initially drew widespread condemnation from medical organizations and public officials, who described it as unnecessary and punitive. The practice of allowing parents to register a newborn for a Social Security number at a hospital or other birthing site, called the Enumeration at Birth program, has been common for decades.

Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, one of two House members from Maine, said Dudek should resign immediately. She characterized Dudek’s actions as retaliation for Mills publicly opposing President Donald Trump.

“If a federal agency can be turned into a political hit squad at the whim of an acting appointee, what checks remain on executive power? Commissioner Dudek’s vindictive actions against Maine represent a fundamental betrayal of public trust that disqualifies him from public service,” Pingree said.

Mills said Wednesday that Social Security is being subjected to “rushed and reckless cuts” and needs leadership that treats it like a public trust. She said that is especially important in Maine, which has a high number of recipients.

“Social Security is not a scheme, as some have said, it’s a covenant between our government and its people. The Social Security Administration’s leadership must act in a manner that reflects this solemn obligation,” Mills said.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Dudek on Tuesday, calling for his immediate resignation and a request that he sit for an interview with the committee.

“The American people deserve answers about your activities and communications in the time between President Trump’s February 21, 2025, public threat to Governor Mills and your February 27, 2025, order to cancel the enumeration at birth and electronic death registration contracts with the state of Maine, and about your knowledge that cancelling these contracts would lead to increased waste, fraud, and abuse,” Connolly said in his letter.

Connolly, in a letter on Tuesday, said Democrats on the House oversight committee obtained internal emails from the Social Security Administration that he says shows Dudek cancelled the contracts to retaliate politically against Maine.

A representative from the Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Dudek on a March 18th call with reporters to preview the agency’s tighter identity-proofing measures, initially said the cancellation of the Maine contract happened “because I screwed up,” adding that he believed that the contract looked strange. “I made the wrong move there. I should always ask my staff for guidance first, before I cancel something. I’m new at this job.”

He added, “Well, I was upset at the governor’s treatment, and I indicated in email as such, but the actual fact of the matter was it looked like a strange contract.”

“I’m not interested in political retaliation. I’m interested in serving the public.”

Maine has been the subject of federal investigations since Gov. Mills sparked the ire of Trump at a meeting of governors at the White House in February. During the meeting, Trump threatened to pull federal funding from Maine if the state does not comply with his executive order barring transgender athletes from sports.

Mills responded: “We’ll see you in court.”

The Trump administration then opened investigations into whether Maine violated the Title IX antidiscrimination law by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. The Education Department issued a final warning on Monday that the state could face Justice Department enforcement soon if it doesn’t come into compliance soon.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins also said Wednesday that the department is pausing federal funds for some Maine educational programs because of Title IX noncompliance.

Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.

Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul announced Wednesday that it is the new owner of a Bandana Square building in the Energy Park area.

Previously the Best Western Plus Como Park Hotel, the storied building at 1010 W. Bandana Blvd. will be used to address growing community needs, provide emergency shelter, food, clothing, tutoring, job coaching and more, according to a news release from the nonprofit.

Gov. Tim Walz last fall awarded the nonprofit $6 million in emergency shelter funds, authorized by the American Rescue Plan State Fiscal Recovery Fund, which made the acquisition possible, per the release.

The building was purchased from Pacific Lodging LLC for $7.3 million, according to property records filed with the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

Plans for the new location include programming to foster economic stability and mobility, administrative operations and an expanded space for Project Home, a program that provides emergency shelter and rapid exit case management services for local families facing homelessness.

“The growth and impact of Project Home, which started as a mobile shelter hosted by our member faith communities, shows this strength in action,” said CEO Liliana Letran-Garcia, in the release. “This milestone enables Interfaith Action to write the next chapter of our story with ownership of a new home, providing shelter to even more unhoused families while continuing to strengthen our roots and relationships in the community.”

The nonprofit’s Department of Indian Work, which provides programs for emergency services, health services and youth enrichment, will continue at 3080 Centerville Road in Little Canada, according to the organization.

Originally founded in 1906 as the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, the organization rebranded in 2015 as Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul to suit its “expanded vision for more partnerships across multiple, diverse faith communities, while continuing to provide high impact social services,” according to a news release announcing the change.

Interfaith Action’s new residence was sold in 1996 for more than $2.4 million and again in 2007 for over $6 million, according to Ramsey County property records. A 2025 valuation notice for the property estimates the market value around $5.7 million.

The building originally was a Northern Pacific Railroad repair facility.

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By MEGAN JANETSKY, Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department revoked the visas of members of a Mexican band after they projected the face of a drug cartel boss onto a large screen during a performance in the western state of Jalisco over the weekend.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who was U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the first Trump administration, said late Tuesday on X that the work and tourism visas of members of Los Alegres del Barranco were revoked.

The visa revocations follow widespread outrage in Mexico over the concert as prosecutors in two states have launched investigations into the projected images, and a larger national reckoning over how to address the rise of a popular musical genre criticized for romanticizing drug cartels.

“I’m a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn’t mean that expression should be free of consequences,” Landau wrote on X. “The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.”

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The controversy broke out over the weekend when the face of Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera layered over flames was projected behind the band, originally hailing from Sinaloa, during the concert. Finger pointing ensued among the band, concert producers and the venue.

Oseguera is the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has been connected to a ranch authorities say was used to train cartel recruits and possibly dispose of bodies in Jalisco, where searchers found human bone fragments, heaps of clothing and shoes.

The Jalisco cartel is among other criminal groups in Mexico that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.

While the image was met by applause during the concert, Jalisco prosecutors quickly announced they were summoning the band to testify in an investigation into whether they were promoting violence, a crime which could result in a penalty of up to six months in prison. The state of Michoacan also announced an investigation into the Los Alegres del Barranco for projecting the same images during a concert in the city of Uruapan.

Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus said that the state would ban musical performances that glorify violence, adding that violators would “face monetary and criminal sanctions.”

“We know that outrage is not enough,” Lemus said. “Of course it’s possible to ban (the music).”

Since, a number of the band’s future shows have been cancelled, one town’s government saying that the show “didn’t have the municipal permissions needed” to carry out the performance.

Pavel Moreno, the band’s accordion player and back-up singer, didn’t respond to questions by fans asking if his visa had been revoked, simply thanking them for support and saying that “everything is fine.”

The band was scheduled to play in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 4. While the event hasn’t been publicly cancelled, ticket sales websites read: “No tickets available for now on our site” for that date.

The dispute coincides with a larger cultural debate in Mexico as artists like Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida and Natanael Cano usher in a global renaissance of Mexican regional music, by mixing classic ballads with trap music. In 2023, Peso Pluma beat Taylor Swift out as the most streamed artist on YouTube.

Many of the artists now topping the charts have come under fierce criticism because their lyrics often paint cartel leaders as Robin Hood-esque figures. Others say that the genre, known as “narco corridos”, expresses the harsh realities of many youths across Mexico.

A number of Mexican states have banned public performances of the music in recent years, the most recent being the state of Nayarit in February. Some of the bans have come as famed artists have received death threats from cartels, forcing a number of them to cancel their performances.

Others, including Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum, have sought a less aggressive approach to addressing the genre. Sheinbaum, who has come out against censoring the music, has suggested instead that the Mexican government push forward initiatives that promote Mexican regional music with more socially acceptable lyrics.

The Mexican leader did harden her language on the topic following the Los Alegres del Barranco concert. In her morning news briefing this week, Sheinbaum demanded an investigation into the concert, saying: “You can’t justify violence or criminal groups.”

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has named Charlene Bradley as the new director of its St. Paul operations.

Bradley, who was born and raised in St. Paul, spent almost 13 years with Target, first as a senior manager overseeing customer inquiries, community initiatives and guest relations and later as a director of operations. She previously spent eight years with Thomas Reuters, first as a senior team leader in customer service and later as a senior project manager, overseeing technology-driven efforts to boost business operations.

After leaving Target last summer, she launched CE Bradley Consulting last October. Bradley holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Capella University.

Charlene Bradley. (Courtesy of the Knight Foundation)

Since 2000, the Knight Foundation has invested more than $50 million in St. Paul, with a focus on downtown revitalization and local entrepreneurship, including $1 million in ReConnect Rondo, an effort to establish a highway lid over Interstate 94 in the Rondo neighborhood to host new housing and forge neighborhood connections.

The Knight Foundation also has supported the Great River Passage Conservancy’s efforts to better connect the Mississippi River to downtown, and the St. Paul Downtown Alliance’s efforts to establish a downtown development corporation.

Established in 1940 as an educational foundation, the Knight Foundation officially launched in 1950 with a focus on supporting communities where the Knight brothers published newspapers. The $2.4 billion foundation supports free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in the areas of media and democracy, and the overall success of the 26 cities and towns where it maintains a presence.

In the mid-1970s, Knight Newspapers merged with Ridder Publications to create Knight-Ridder Inc., a former publisher of the Pioneer Press.

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