By MOLLY QUELL

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are trying to live and work under the same U.S. financial and travel restrictions brought against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Osama bin Laden.

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Nine staff members, including six judges and the ICC’s chief prosecutor, have been sanctioned by U.S. President Donald Trump for pursuing investigations into officials from the U.S. and Israel, which aren’t among The Hague court’s 125 member states.

Typically reserved for autocrats, crime bosses and the like, the sanctions can be devastating. They prevent the ICC officials and their families from entering the United States, block their access to even basic financial services and extend to the minutiae of their everyday lives.

The court’s top prosecutor, British national Karim Khan, had his bank accounts closed and his U.S. visa revoked, and Microsoft even canceled his ICC email address. Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, who was named in the latest round of sanctions in August, immediately lost access to her credit cards, and Amazon’s Alexa stopped responding to her.

“Your whole world is restricted,” Prost told The Associated Press last week.

Prost had an inkling of what would happen when she made the list. Before joining the ICC in 2017, she worked on sanctions for the U.N. Security Council. She was targeted by the Trump administration for voting to allow the court’s investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan, including by American troops and intelligence operatives.

“I’ve worked all my life in criminal justice, and now I’m on a list with those implicated in terrorism and organized crime,” she said.

How the sanctions work

The sanctions have taken their toll on the court’s work across a broad array of investigations at a time when the institution is juggling ever more demands on its resources and a leadership crisis centered on Khan. Earlier this year, he stepped aside pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations.

How companies comply with sanctions can be unpredictable. Businesses and individuals risk substantial U.S. fines and prison time if they provide sanctioned people with “financial, material, or technological support,” forcing many to stop working with them.

The sanctions’ effects can be sweeping and even surprising.

Shortly after she was listed, Prost bought an e-book, “The Queen’s Necklace” by Antál Szerb, only to later find it had disappeared from her device.

“It’s the uncertainty,” she said. “They are small annoyances, but they accumulate.”

FILE – Presiding judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza prepares to rule on a request to release former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (Lina Selg/Pool Photo via AP, file)

Staff worry about their families

Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, a sanctioned Peruvian judge who was involved in the same Afghanistan decision as Prost, told the AP that the problems are “not only for me, but also for my daughters,” who can no longer attend work conferences in the U.S.

Deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan echoed her colleagues’ concerns, saying “You’re never quite sure when your card is not working somewhere, whether this is just a glitch or whether this is the sanction.”

Meanwhile the staffers, some of whom also face arrest warrants in Russia, are worried that Washington might sanction the entire ICC, rendering it unable to pay employees, provide financial assistance to protected witnesses or even keep the lights on.

The ICC was established in 2002 as the world’s permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. It only takes action when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute those crimes on their territory.

The court has no police force and relies on member states to execute arrest warrants, making it very unlikely that any U.S. or Israeli official would end up in the dock. But those wanted by the court, like Putin, can risk arrest when traveling abroad or after leaving office — the ICC took custody this year of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is accused of crimes against humanity for his deadly anti-drugs crackdowns.

FILE – Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan attends a hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool Photo via AP, file)

The Trump administration’s rationale

When explaining Trump’s executive order sanctioning the ICC in February, the White House said the move was in response to the “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

“The United States will not tolerate efforts to violate our sovereignty or to wrongfully subject U.S. or Israeli persons to the ICC’s unjust jurisdiction,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in response to questions from the AP.

There is little the staff can do to get the sanctions lifted. Sanctions imposed during the first Trump administration against the previous prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, weren’t removed until Joe Biden became president.

Ibáñez, a former prosecutor in Peru, vowed that the sanctions wouldn’t have any impact on her judicial activities in The Hague. “In my country, I prosecuted terrorists and drug lords. I will continue my work,” she said.

Prost, too, is defiant, saying the sanctioned staff “are absolutely undeterred and unfettered.”

By LORNE COOK

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, can’t prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.

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Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbor for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years.

EU Council President António Costa said European leaders had committed in October “to keep Russian assets immobilized until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment.”

It’s a key step that will allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years.

“Next step: securing Ukraine’s financial needs for 2026–27,” added Costa, who will chair the summit on Dec. 18.

The move also prevents the assets, estimated to total around 210 billion euros ($247 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.

A 28-point plan drafted by U.S. and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States. That plan, which surfaced last month, was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe – accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, “of systematically raping European law.”

The vast majority of the funds — around 193 billion euros ($225 billion) at the end of September — are held in Euroclear, a Belgian financial clearing house.

The money was frozen under sanctions that the EU imposed on Russia over the war it launched on Feb. 24, 2022, but these sanctions must be renewed every six months, and all 27 member countries must approve them for that to happen.

Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more support to Ukraine.

Friday’s decision, which is based on EU treaty rules allowing the bloc to protect its economic interests in certain emergency situations, prevents them from blocking the sanctions rollover and make it easier to use the assets.

Orbán said on social media that it means that “the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europe’s leaders are placing themselves above the rules.”

“The European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isn’t winnable,” he wrote. He said that Hungary “will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order.”

In a letter to Costa, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he would refuse to back any move that “would include covering Ukraine’s military expenses for the coming years.”

He warned “that the use of frozen Russian assets could directly jeopardize U.S. peace efforts, which directly count on the use of these resources for the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

But the commission argues that the war has imposed heavy costs by hiking energy prices and stunting economic growth in the EU, which has already provided nearly 200 billion euros ($235 billion) in support to Ukraine.

Belgium, where Euroclear is based, is opposed to the “reparations loan” plan. It says that the plan “entails consequential economic, financial and legal risks,” and has called on other EU countries to share the risk.

Russia’s Central Bank, meanwhile, said on Friday that it has filed a lawsuit in Moscow against Euroclear for damages it says were caused when Moscow was barred from managing the assets. Euroclear declined to comment.

In a separate statement, the Central Bank also described wider EU plans to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine as “illegal, contrary to international law,” arguing that they violated “the principles of sovereign immunity of assets.”

Karel Janicek in Prague, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

By LARRY LAGE and ED WHITE, AP Sports Writers

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore, who was abruptly fired this week as the University of Michigan football coach, was charged Friday with three crimes including home invasion and stalking a person he had dated, prosecutors said.

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Moore has spent two nights in jail following his firing and subsequent arrest Wednesday.

The 39-year-old coach who had led the Wolverines for two seasons was fired for what the school called an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Hours later, police arrested Moore after he was accused of assault in Pittsfield Township, a community near Ann Arbor.

Moore is accused of “unlawfully entering the dwelling of a victim with whom Mr. Moore had a dating relationship,” the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office said Friday.

Defense attorney Joe Simon had no comment before Moore’s initial appearance in court.

Michigan has not disclosed details of the alleged relationship but said an investigation found credible evidence against Moore, who is married with three young daughters. Athletic director Warde Manuel said the behavior was “a clear violation of university policy.”

Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.

Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.

Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to a Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach.

While the school seeks a new head coach, the Wolverines may lose players in the transfer portal this winter and donors who help fund revenue-sharing and NIL deals may hesitate to invest in the winningest program in college football history.

Taylor Heise has been a household name in American hockey for years.

The current Frost center won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as college hockey’s best player while at the University of Minnesota in 2022, later that year was named MVP of the IIHF World Championships and then was the first overall selection in the inaugural PWHL draft.

Heise has helped the Frost win each of the first two PWHL titles. Dating back to her high school days in Red Wing, Heise even claimed Ms. Hockey honors.

Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise (27) and Toronto Sceptres forward Daryl Watts (9) watch the puck fly past them in the first period of a PWHL game at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

But there is still one thing Heise has yet to do on the ice — play for Team USA in the Winter Olympics.

“Just the experience of being there would be legit,” Heise said. “I’ve watched the Olympics every year I can ever remember, I think, since I was like 6. Just watching, not caring what the sport was, just that there was USA on their emblem. It’s just special.”

The PWHL will be on a nearly month-long hiatus from Jan. 29-Feb. 25 to allow its players to participate in the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Heise was one of the last Team USA cuts prior to the Beijing Games in 2022.

While she remained stateside, her longtime teammate and roommate with the Frost and Gophers, Grace Zumwinkle, made the team that won a silver medal.

It was a tough time in their relationship, but it never caused a rift between the duo. Their bond on and off the ice has become unbreakable, no matter what’s thrown at them.

“I think she’s grown a ton from overcoming adversity, and I think coming short in 2022 was obviously a huge disappointment for her,” Zumwinkle said. “I think it’s a huge testament that we’ve both had to overcome injuries or adversity, and I think it’s always through those times you can see who you can rely on and trust.”

Some time after the Olympics in 2022, Zumwinkle wanted to create a more fun culture for the Gophers away from the ice and established “Team Fun.” Heise immediately joined her roommate’s new venture as a way to help balance out life when things weren’t going her way on the ice.

Heise said Zumwinkle “is someone that brings my energy up. And sometimes when I’m not feeling it, she always brings it up and always has a positive attitude.”

The tandem of Heise and Zumwinkle has kept ‘Team Fun’ going with the Frost, most recently following a TikTok trend calling their teammates to say ‘Good night’. A video of them making these calls was posted to the Frost’s social media channels on Thursday, showcasing how Team Fun brings the team together.

“I think you saw a variety of reactions and responses, but I think that what makes it fun and it’s always those memories that you remember more than highlight reel goals,” Zumwinkle said. “Yeah, it’s cool, but it’s those things that help with the chemistry you build off the ice.”

Frost coach Ken Klee said Heise and Zumwinkle are “fun personalities” and “great kids.”

“They come to the rink every day with a smile on their face,” Klee said. “Obviously, they’re talented players. They’re good teammates, good people, they like funny stuff, and kind of keep their teammates with their smiles, as well.”

Team Fun has also been a helpful balance for Heise as she continues to build on her dreams of making the Olympic roster and winning a third straight Walter Cup with the Frost. It can sometimes be challenging for athletes to find an equilibrium between the PWHL season and preparation for the Olympics, but Heise says the mentorship she’s received from Klee and John Wroblewski, head coach of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, helped strike that balance.

“It’s really stressful when the Olympics come. It’s once every four years, so competing for that, it’s where my mind is at all the time,” Heise said. “And I think when I’m here, I try to push that out. Just understand that when I’m here, I want to get better for over there, and when I’m there, I want to be getting better for this team.”

Barring any injuries, Heise is all but a guarantee to be on the Team USA roster — which will be finalized Jan. 5 — for the Olympics this February.

Team USA will practice with those on the preliminary roster who are present for the International Rival series this week. They will not practice again until the finalized roster is in Italy for the Olympics.

If and when the time comes, it will be a rewarding outcome for Heise to accomplish a dream she’s been chasing since she was six years old.

Of course, the real satisfaction will come if Team USA manages to bring home gold.

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