By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Courage is based in love, Melania Trump said Tuesday as she recognized eight women from around the world for bravery, including an Israeli citizen who was held captive by Hamas for nearly two months after the militant group’s deadly raid on her country in October 2023.

“These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world,” the first lady said during a ceremony at the State Department, which created the International Women of Courage Award. “Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing the love fuels the call for justice.”

The public appearance was her first in Washington since she sat in the gallery for President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on March 4. Tuesday marked her fifth time speaking at the awards ceremony; she participated every year during the president’s first term.

First lady Melania Trump speaks during the International Women of Courage award ceremony, Tuesday April 1, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Melania Trump defined courage as “a strength that is based in love,” and she sought parallels with the diverse group of honorees. She said that, in her own life, “I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times. Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles.”

Trump singled out recipient Georgiana Pascu, of Romania, as someone who exemplifies “love in action.” Pascu advocates for the rights of institutionalized children and adults with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities, the State Department said.

“Georgiana is a ‘watchdog’ who defends the dignity of Romanians whose voices cannot be heard,” Trump said, telling the audience that Pascu “fearlessly enters” facilities designated as “care centers,” often dropping in unannounced, to rescue people with disabilities “who are unwittingly held captive.”

“Thanks to Georgiana’s brave work, dozens of offenders have been charged with human trafficking, exploitation and even organized crime,” the first lady said.

First lady Melania Trump, left, is introduced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during the International Women of Courage award ceremony, Tuesday April 1, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Another honoree, Israeli lawyer Amit Soussana, has publicly described being sexually assaulted during the 55 days that Hamas kept her in Gaza after the attack. On Tuesday, she delivered a passionate plea for freedom for the hostages still held, saying, “My friends remain in the dark” after more than 540 days, ”still suffering, still waiting, still hoping.”

“Every single day that passes is another day of unimaginable suffering,” she said. “With every passing moment, their pain deepens, their hopes fades and their chances of survival diminish. I call on the world to act, to bring them home now, not tomorrow, not next week. Now.”

The other award recipients are:

Henriette Da, of Burkina Faso, a human rights advocate.
Major Velena Iga, of Papua New Guinea, an advocate for combatting violence against women and human trafficking.
Angelique Songco, of the Philippines, also known as “Mama Ranger,” because she leads a small team of rangers protecting Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park from illegal fishing and poaching.
Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit, of South Sunday, a women’s rights leader.
Namini Wijedasa, of Sri Lanka, an investigative journalist.
Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj, of Yemen, who works to bring international attention to the plight of thousands of abducted and forcibly detained Yemenis.

A group award named for Madeleine Albright, the late former secretary of state, went to female student leaders who protested against violent repression in Bangladesh in July and August of 2024.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, next to Angelique Songco, of the Philippines, left, who is also known as “Mama Ranger,” at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, and Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit, of South Sudan, a women’s rights leader, attends the International Women of Courage award ceremony, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Now in its 19th year, the International Women of Courage Award recognizes women from around the world who have shown “exceptional courage, strength and leadership, often at great personal risk and sacrifice.”

More than 200 women from over 90 countries have been recognized since the first awards in 2007.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration said Tuesday that it is investigating the root cause of website outages that have affected the “my Social Security” portal where recipients access their benefits.

Notably, individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income, including disabled seniors and low-income adults and children, have reported receiving a notice that said they were “not receiving benefits.” The agency said that notice was a mistake.

Roughly 7.4 million seniors, adults and children receive SSI benefits, according to an internal 2023 report. It is unclear how many people received the mistaken message on their portal.

In a statement, the agency acknowledged “a couple of recent incidents” that affected Social Security and said they are under investigation. The agency said that during the brief disruptions, which averaged about 20 minutes each, the Social Security Administration’s website remained operational, though some people may have had an issue signing in to their “my Social Security” account.

The website has crashed several times over the past few weeks. They come as the Social Security Administration, under the leadership of acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, conducts a major overhaul of operations in an effort to clamp down on alleged fraud, which President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency claim is widespread.

The changes include mass employee layoffs and staff reductions, new limits on recipients’ phone line access and the closure of offices around the country. They have sparked furor among lawmakers, advocacy groups and program recipients, who say the Trump administration is placing unnecessary barriers in front of an already vulnerable population.

Most recently, the agency partially backtracked on a plan that would require all new and existing beneficiaries to travel to a Social Security field office to verify their identity.

The Social Security Administration said in March that people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income who are not able to use agency’s online portal can complete their claim over the phone instead of in person. Other SSA applicants will still be required to verify their identities at a field office. The changes begin April 14.

Additionally, a lawsuit challenging DOGE access is ongoing in federal court. On March 20, Maryland federal judge Ellen Lipton Hollander issued an order blocking DOGE access from Social Security’s troves of data and said the DOGE team “is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion.”

Roughly 72.5 million people, including retirees and children, receive Social Security benefits.

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell announced Monday night that he is considering a run for Minnesota governor, saying “nobody wants Tim Walz.”

Lindell teased the bid during a Monday evening, March 31, broadcast on LindellTV. The Mankato native is the founder of My Pillow and a public supporter of President Donald Trump. In recent years, Lindell has made headlines for claiming that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.

“I’m going to tell you right now, I’m considering running for governor in the state of Minnesota, because right now we have a voice that could be big …” Lindell said during the broadcast Monday. “I live here in Minnesota. Everywhere I go, nobody wants Tim Walz. They don’t … You would not want Walz, you would want anything but him. You know, that’s what I’m hearing all over the state of Minnesota.”

Gov. Walz’s office said on Feb. 26 that he’s mulling a third term as governor. The last Minnesota governor who served three terms was Democrat Rudy Perpich, who left office in 1991. Perpich’s terms were not consecutive.

There have not been any official bids announced for the 2026 Minnesota governor race. Minnesota Sen. Zach Duckworth, R-Lakeville, teased a bid for governor on X on Feb. 15.

“For those asking about the U.S. Senate Seat — I’m flattered & would love nothing more than to serve my country at a higher level, but I have four amazing reasons to stay close to home in Minnesota,” Duckworth wrote. “Someone told me the Governor’s residence has enough bedrooms for four kids though.”

Attorney General Keith Ellison endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate on Monday, ruling out a 2026 Senate bid from him but leaving him on the list of potential gubernatorial candidates.

Candidates who ran for statewide seats in 2022 and could enter the governor race — but have not confirmed their intentions — are former Republican state senator and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Scott Jenson, 2022 Republican candidate for attorney general Jim Schultz and 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls.

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Classic rock station KQRS is suggesting a format change is set to debut at 6 a.m. Thursday.

“We’re under construction,” reads a yellow and black graphic the station posted on social media. Last week, KQRS took all its DJs off the air and began running promo spots that say “92 KQRS Morning Show” host Steve Gorman will be back. Last month, the station laid off longtime morning co-host Brian Zepp.

Tuesday morning, the station started playing local rock band Soul Asylum’s 1992 hit “Somebody to Shove” on repeat.

A spokesperson for the station’s owner, Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

First launched in 1948, the station adopted a classic rock format in the ’70s. By the ’90s, KQRS was the most-listened-to station in the metro, fueled by the popularity of Tom Barnard as the main host of the “Morning Show.” Even Howard Stern, who entered the market in 1997, couldn’t beat Barnard’s ratings and departed after two years.

Those rating had dropped by the end of 2022, when Barnard announced he was leaving the station. The following month, KQRS hired Gorman as his replacement. A Michigan native who grew up in Maryland and Kentucky, Gorman rose to fame as the drummer for the Black Crowes. In 2011, he moved into sports radio. Eight years later, he launched the syndicated “Steve Gorman Rocks!” radio show, which KQRS was running from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. weeknights when they hired him.

“I understand what KQ is and has been,” Gorman told the Pioneer Press at the time. “I’ve been aware of it since the first time I came to Minneapolis on the Black Crowes tour in 1990. I love the city and it’s a great station. I was thrilled to get the call, it’s as close to a no brainer as I’ve ever had. … I have a lot of friends in Minneapolis, and the love people have for the area is something I’ve been hearing about for 30 years.”

On social media, some listeners have theorized that KQRS may shift from ’70s and ’80s mainstream rock to ’90s and beyond alternative rock, pointing to an increase of Green Day and Nirvana songs among warhorses like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

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