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.

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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.

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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.

By PHILIP MARCELO

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos “remains unrepentant” as he faces years in federal prison for fraud and identity theft, federal prosecutors say, citing a tirade of his social media posts in recent days.

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Prosecutors, in a legal filing Thursday, bolstered their arguments for a stiff sentence, saying the 36-year-old New York Republican has disparaged the U.S. Department of Justice as a “cabal of pedophiles” and cast himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach in multiple posts on the social platform X.

“This conduct is antithetical to the ‘genuine remorse’ claimed by Santos’s attorneys,” prosecutors wrote. “His actions speak louder than any words, and they cry out for a significant carceral sentence in this case.”

Lawyers for Santos didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The social media blitz started April 4 after prosecutors and Santos’ lawyers submitted their sentencing memos to a judge for consideration during his April 25 sentencing in Long Island federal court.

“No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit,” Santos wrote in one post.

In another exchange on X, he denied using campaign contributions to buy luxury goods from Hermès, which prosecutors note is conduct specifically mentioned in court documents.

“Even at this late stage, he simply refuses to fully own up to his actions,” they wrote in their Thursday filing, which included screenshots of the social media posts.

Prosecutors are seeking a seven year prison sentence for Santos, saying his “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the country’s election system.

They’ve also suggested he has a “high likelihood of reoffending” given he has not forfeited any of his ill-gotten gains or repaid any of the victims.

Santos’ lawyers, meanwhile, have sought a two-year prison term, which is the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft.

The lawyers argue that Santos has no prior criminal record and that such a sentence is in line with those handed to former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and other political figures who faced similar financial crimes.

Santos admitted in August that he duped voters, deceived donors and stole the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his own family members, to make donations to his congressional campaign.

As part of the plea deal, he agreed to pay nearly $375,000 in restitution and $205,000 in forfeiture.

Santos was elected in 2022 to represent parts of Queens and Long Island, but served barely a year in office before he was ousted by his House colleagues — the sixth ever in the chamber’s history.

The once-rising Republican’s political demise came after it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story, leading to questions about how the political unknown had funded his winning campaign.

Santos cast himself as a wealthy businessman who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held a valuable real estate portfolio when in reality he was struggling financially and even faced eviction.

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione was indicted Thursday on a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a necessary step for prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

The indictment returned by a grand jury in Manhattan federal court also charges Mangione with two counts of stalking and a firearms count.

It was not immediately clear when the 26-year-old Mangione will be arraigned. A message seeking comment was left for a spokesperson for his lawyers.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, also faces separate state murder charges. He’s accused of shooting Thompson, 50, in the back outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this month that she had directed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to seek the death penalty, following through on the president’s campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment.

It’s the first death penalty case sought by the Justice Department since President Donald Trump returned to office in January with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration.

The killing and ensuing five-day manhunt leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers hastily switching to remote work or online shareholder meetings.

It also galvanized health insurance critics — some of whom have rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.