By MARK KENNEDY

NEW YORK (AP) — You can’t keep Stanley Tucci from his beloved Italy just like you can’t keep cheese from lasagna.

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The Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actor is once again elegantly roaming through the land of his heritage in National Geographic’s new food-travel series “Tucci in Italy,” less than three years after a similar show was axed.

“I think that visually it’s more interesting this time around, and I think that we try to go more in depth into the stories as much as you can, given the format,” he says.

Tucci goes from a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Milan where the staff grow their own vegetables — “Stop it!” he half-heartedly begs a chef adding salmon eggs to a pesto risotto — to cooking fish for anglers on the banks of the Sarca River.

“I’m exploring the complex connections between the land, the people and the food they eat in order to discover the essence of each region in the country I love – Italy,” the “Conclave” and “The Devil Wears Prada” star tells viewers in each installment.

‘The people are great’

Each episode of the first season of “Tucci in Italy” explores a different region — from Tuscany to Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy, Abruzzo and Lazio. It was shot over six months, from January to July in 2024.

“It’s a lot of planning, it is a lot logistics. But ultimately, once you get to where you’re supposed to be, which isn’t always easy in Italy, especially in the mountainous areas, it’s great,” says Tucci. “The people are great, extraordinary.”

In Tuscany, the cradle of the Renaissance, Tucci eats lampredotto, a sandwich made with the cow’s fourth stomach, and a beef tongue stew. In the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige, he skis and munches on beef goulash and polenta near the Austrian border.

FILE – This image released by National Geographic shows Stanley Tucci in a scene from his series “Tucci in Italy.” (Matt Holyoak/National Geographic via AP)

National Geographic greenlit Tucci’s new docuseries a year after CNN canceled his “Searching for Italy” despite winning Emmys for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.

Much of the same production staff and crew transferred over with Tucci to his new TV home, and they embraced the use of the latest drones, giving the series a sweep and majesty.

Executive producer Lottie Birmingham, who worked on “Searching for Italy” and jumped aboard “Tucci in Italy,” says the new series pushes viewers into new parts of the European nation.

“I think before we did focus quite a lot on the major cities, whereas this time we’ve kind of gone out into the wider regions,” she says. “In Lazio, for example, we haven’t just focused on Rome or in Tuscany we haven’t just focused on Florence.”

Deeper issues under the surface

The series also stops to look at some of the social issues roiling Italy, like immigration and gay rights. Tucci and his team spotlight Punjabi migrants, particularly Sikhs, who have a significant presence in the nation’s dairy industry, and the impact that Ethiopian immigrants have had despite facing racism and being treated as “other.”

This image released by National Geographic shows Gurpreeet Singh fitting milking attire onto one of his cows at his dairy farm near Cremona in Italy, in a scene from the series “Tucci in Italy.” (National Geographic via AP)

“Every country does it, and it’s never a helpful thing,” says Tucci. “And after people assimilate, then they often find others to become ‘others.’ So it’s just this sort of weird, vicious circle.”

The new series — produced by Salt Productions and BBC Studios — in many ways is more true to Tucci’s initial vision, which was to look carefully at trends below the surface of what appears to be a happy, sun-blasted land.

“The original idea of the show that I had almost 20 years ago, at this point, was to show the diversity of Italy. But also to, in a weird way, dispel the myth that it’s sunny all the time and everybody’s eating pizza and pasta and everybody is happy and smiling all the time. Yeah, that exists, but that’s not everything.”

It was Tucci who suggested a stop in Lombardy after reading an article about a gay couple who haven’t been able to legally adopt their baby boy since the government doesn’t recognize adoptions by same-sex couples.

“There’s a darker side, as there are with every country,” says Birmingham. “Italians are so focused on food and family, but what does family mean? That was what we wanted to look at in that story.”

Tucci’s special touch

Tucci is part of a crowded field of celeb travel hosts, which includes Rainn Wilson, Eugene Levy, Zac Efron, José Andrés, Chris Hemsworth, Will Smith, Macaulay Culkin and Ewan McGregor. Birmingham believes her host has something special to offer.

“I think he’s particularly good at putting people at ease,” she says. “He is genuinely interested, and it is a real passion for him. He’s not hosting this series just to host it. He loves Italy more than any of us, and I think that’s really apparent.”

This image released by National Geographic shows Stanley Tucci, left, preparing a dish for anglers on the banks of the Sarca River during a visit to Italy’s northernmost region, during the filming of his series “Tucci in Italy.” (Matt Holyoak/National Geographic via AP)

One of the series’ highlights is when Tucci visits Siena, a city in central Italy’s Tuscany region, and watches its medieval-era horse race run around the Piazza del Campo. Afterward, each city ward hosts a dinner party in the streets where thousands sing and toast their neighborhood.

“I didn’t know about that and I just think it’s incredible,” says Tucci, who first visited Siena when he was about 12. “Italy was a very different place and yet still is very much the same.”

It’s that push and pull of modernity and tradition that the show highlights, like a restaurant in Florence that caused a stir when traditional regional delicacies were done with Japanese styles and ingredients.

Tucci found the food delicious and worried that Italians must embrace change. “They maintain their traditions, they maintain the quality. But it also stops them from growing,” says Tucci. “There’s no reason why you can’t have both.”

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREAKING, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tax breaks tallying more than $5 trillion — but also sizable reductions in Medicaid health care, food stamps for older Americans and green energy strategies to fight climate change — are all up for debate Tuesday as the House Republicans launch marathon public hearings on their “big, beautiful bill.”

It’s a long day and night ahead. Republicans are working to push President Donald Trump’s signature legislative package through a gauntlet of committee hearings over mounting opposition from Democrats, advocacy groups and even some wary Republicans themselves.

Trump, speaking at an forum in the Middle East, struck an ambitious chord, saying Congress was “on the verge of passing the largest tax cut and regulation cut in American history.”

“If we get that, that will be like a rocket ship for our country,” Trump said in Saudi Arabia.

But to be sure, there are many more steps before the package becomes law.

It’s the biggest political and legislative debate for the Republicans leading Congress since Trump’s first term, setting up a career-defining clash over the nation’s priorities — some $5 trillion in tax breaks, including the president’s promises for no taxes on tips, Social Security income and car loan interest, offset by $1.9 trillion in tax savings largely from green energy rollbacks, for a net tally of $3.7 trillion in taxes, according to the most recent estimates.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of “jamming another GOP tax scam” that benefits the wealthy at the expense of programs and services used by Americans.

“It is an egregious and outrageous bill,” Jeffries said.

At its core, the goal for GOP lawmakers is to extend — and enhance — tax cuts approved in 2017.

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Additionally, the Republicans are boosting spending on their GOP priorities, with $350 billion for Trump’s mass deportation plans and funding for the Pentagon.

At the same time, the Republicans are seeking to defray the lost tax revenue and avoid skyrocketing national deficits by with another GOP goal, which is scaling back federal spending with nearly $800 billion cuts to health care, $290 billion to food programs and billions in the Biden-eras green energy investments that millions of Americans rely on in states across the country.

And tucked in is a smattering of other provisions important to the White House — including one that would allow the Trump administration to yank the tax exempt status of groups it says support terrorists, sending a chill through civil society organizations who warn it’s a way to punish opponents.

Speaker Mike Johnson is determined to push the package through the House by Memorial Day, sending it to the Senate, where Republicans are working on their own version and approach.

With the slimmest majority in the House, Johnson has just a few votes to spare, and is running into resistance from his party, including lawmakers in the Senate, which also has thin GOP margins.

“In the current form, I can’t support it,” said Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, a deficit hawk who wants deeper spending reductions.

On Tuesday, three House committees will gavel into session for what is expected to be marathon hearings on the three largest components of the package — the Ways & Means tax writing committee; the Energy & Commerce Committee that handles health care and energy policy; and later in the evening, the Agriculture Committee that has proposed the food stamps cuts.

Advocacy groups are protesting the cuts and Democrats, as the minority party in Congress unable to stop the bill, are planning to use the procedural tools available in to slow down the process.

The lawmakers are racing for a July 4 deadline to have the whole package sent to Trump’s desk in time to also avoid a dangerous debt default. The Treasury Secretary has said federal tax revenues are running short and Congress needs to raise the spending limit to keep paying the bills.

The package includes a $4 trillion boost to nation’s now $36 trillion debt limit, enough to fund operations for several more years.

By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Triple-digit temperatures more commonly seen in the throes of summer and not in the spring were making an unwelcome visit to Texas and other parts of the southeastern United States this week, placing millions of Americans under extreme heat warnings.

“Definitely more like August this week than May,” Cameron Self, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in the Houston and Galveston area, said Tuesday.

A very strong ridge of high pressure over the south-central United States that is centered over the Gulf of Mexico will be responsible for the extreme heat.

For the next six to 10 days, much of south central and the southeastern United States will be warmer than normal, with the highest temperatures occurring over parts of Texas and Florida, Self said.

Some parts of southeast Texas could easily break daily record highs and some could come close to breaking their monthly record highs, Self said.

Areas like Houston that are closer to the Gulf of Mexico could have their temperatures “modified somewhat” because water temperatures are still cool enough, but parts of Texas farther west of the Gulf are going to see temperatures well over 100 degrees, Self said.

It’s not uncommon to get a day or two with temperatures around 94 or 95 degrees in May in Houston.

“But getting long stretches of temperatures well in the 90s that usually holds off till June,” Self said.

“There’s a chance that this could go into next week or longer,” Self said.

Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The order only carries authority within the U.S. Other countries and international institutions continue to use the name the Gulf of Mexico.

By Amanda Hernández, Stateline.org

For help, call 1-888-373-7888 or text *233733 for the 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline, a national, toll-free hotline.

States are moving to strengthen protections against human trafficking, but some advocates warn that federal funding cuts could undermine efforts to support survivors.

This year, lawmakers in several states have introduced bills to expand education, strengthen penalties and fund survivor support. But some victim service providers say these efforts might fall short, with millions of dollars in federal cuts threatening programs that help trafficking victims heal and rebuild their lives.

Human trafficking is the exploitation of people through force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of sex or labor. It often involves victims who lack control over their circumstances — whether due to threats, manipulation or economic dependency — and can occur in both illicit and legal industries, from commercial sex work to agriculture, domestic work and construction.

A poll released in March by the University of California, Irvine and the anti-trafficking nonprofit EverFree found that while nearly 99% of Americans view trafficking as a global and national issue, only about 80% believe it’s a problem in their own state — a gap that hinders local prevention efforts, experts say.

The poll, which was conducted in October, also found that just 19% of respondents ranked human trafficking as a top national concern.

“Because it’s such a dark, challenging issue, there’s a dissonance that happens where you don’t want to believe that [trafficking] happens in your community,” Kelsey Morgan, the CEO and co-founder of EverFree, said in an interview. “To admit or to acknowledge that it’s happening in your community requires action.”

Lawmakers across the country are considering or have already passed a range of bills this year aimed at curbing human trafficking and supporting survivors. Many approaches focus on prevention, education, tougher penalties and expanding support services.

In Michigan, a pair of new laws will allow certain hearsay statements from trafficking survivors to be admitted in court and permit relevant prior acts to be used as evidence in human trafficking cases. In March, Utah enacted a law that increases criminal penalties for sex and labor trafficking offenses. In Tennessee, a new law set to take effect next year requires tattoo artists to complete up to one hour of training on recognizing and reporting signs of trafficking.

In California, lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish a “Survivor Support Fund” and criminalize loitering with the intent to purchase sex. The Oregon House passed legislation in April targeting illicit massage businesses by expanding enforcement authority and increasing criminal penalties and fines.

Other states are taking steps to raise awareness and improve accountability. The Florida and Montana legislatures passed bills mandating trafficking prevention education and training in schools. Both bills await action by governors.

A bill in Indiana would require gas stations, rest areas and welcome centers to display trafficking awareness posters, and mandate training for employees at food and lodging establishments. It passed in April and was sent to the governor.

Lawmakers in Florida and Georgia also have passed legislation that aims to strengthen criminal trafficking penalties, particularly in trafficking cases involving children or people with disabilities.

Minnesota is weighing several new proposals, including one to increase oversight of adult entertainment venues and massage parlors. The governor signed into law another measure that will require biennial legislative reports on the state’s child trafficking prevention efforts.

Funding to help victims recover

Some advocates say the legislation nationwide reflects growing awareness of trafficking’s scope — but caution that without consistent funding for victim services and a deeper public understanding of the issue, laws alone won’t be enough to support survivors or prevent trafficking.

In late April, the U.S. Department of Justice canceled 365 federal public safety grants — including some that supported anti-human trafficking programs — disrupting a wide range of services for crime victims, local police departments and correctional facilities.

Since then, the department has restored at least two of the canceled grants — one supporting a national crime victim hotline and another funding a national domestic violence network.

The cuts, which totaled $811 million, were administered through the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which awarded roughly $3 billion in competitive grants during the 2024 fiscal year, according to Reuters.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the cuts in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating that the department has cut “millions of dollars in wasteful grants.” She also signaled that additional cuts may be on the way.

Underreported to police

Human trafficking data in the United States is limited, but available figures suggest the problem is both widespread and underreported.

FBI data shows that in 2023, there were 2,584 reported trafficking incidents and 3,117 identified victims — a sharp increase from just 22 incidents in 2013, when the agency began tracking trafficking through its Uniform Crime Reporting system. The rise is largely attributed to more law enforcement agencies participating in the data collection system.

Separate data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which offers support to victims, identified 9,619 trafficking cases in 2023 — up from 5,551 in 2015. In 2023, the hotline received more than 30,000 tips, or “signals.”

Experts and advocates emphasize that both the hotline and the crime data capture only a fraction of trafficking incidents, given the hidden nature of the crime and the barriers victims face in reporting to police.

Although national data struggles to capture the full scope of trafficking, Minnesota is among the states that have taken extra steps to build their own data collection systems to better understand the issue and support victims.

Its efforts have drawn attention for state officials’ focus on both urban and rural communities, as well as on Native populations that often face barriers to accessing services.

Experts say it’s a common misconception that trafficking is primarily an urban issue — in reality, it can and does happen everywhere.

Still, some victims — including boys and men — may be overlooked.

“Sometimes for male youth, they are not identified as victims. They may show up in the criminal justice system as defendants or they may be adjudicated as juvenile delinquents,” said Caroline Palmer, the human trafficking prevention director at the Minnesota Department of Health. “There’s not really a close look at what might be happening in the background in terms of their victimization and trafficking exploitation.”

Palmer noted that while Minnesota offers programming for all genders, some male-identifying people may not feel comfortable with certain services, highlighting the need for more tailored support to meet everyone’s unique needs.

More than three-quarters of respondents to the UC Irvine-EverFree poll said being a woman greatly increases the risk of trafficking, but only 2% of respondents said the same about men — despite the fact that trafficking affects people of all genders.

Public perceptions about survivors were also influenced by the victim’s age: While 83% of respondents believe minors who are trafficked are always victims, only 61% say the same about adults — a gap that, advocates warn, can contribute to the criminalization of adult survivors.

Stateline reporter Amanda Hernández can be reached at ahernandez@stateline.org.

©2025 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.