VENUS MAG

It was near one of these towns, Panuco, that10 employees of a Canadian-owned silver and gold mine were abductedin late January. The bodies of five were located nearby and five more await identification.

Most residents of these towns have fled out of fear as two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have been locked in battle since September 2024, said Fermín Labrador, a 68-year-old from the nearby village of Chirimoyos. Others, he said, were "invited" to leave.

The abduction of the mine workers under still unclear circumstances has raised fears locally and more widely generated questions about the security improvements touted by President Claudia Sheinbaum. She signaled hermore aggressive stance toward drug cartelsin Sinaloa with captures and drug seizures after she took office in late 2024. It has been one year since shesent 10,000 National Guard troopsto the northern border to try to head off U.S. tariffs over the cartels' fentanyl trafficking, much of which comes from Sinaloa.

In January, Sheinbaum held up a sharpdecline in homicide rateslast year as evidence that her security strategy was working.

"What these kinds of episodes do is demolish the federal government's narrative that insists that little by little they are getting control of the situation," said security analyst David Saucedo. He said Sheinbaum had tried to "manage the conflict" while the Sinaloa Cartel's internal war spread and split the state by obliging people "to take a side with one of the two groups."

Fleeting security

The mine workers' disappearance in late January brought more troops into the mountains as they searched by air and on the ground for signs of them.

Mexico's Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch came to coordinate the operation. Several arrests were made and from information gleaned from suspects, authorities found the clandestine graves.

But the increased security presence has not brought peace of mind to residents.

Roque Vargas, a human rights activist for people displaced by violence in the area, said that "all of the hubbub has scattered the organized crime guys" but he worries they could return. He and others are also concerned about being mistaken for bad guys and attacked by security forces when they leave their town, because it has happened elsewhere in the state.

"We've practically been abandoned," he said.

Cartel infighting triggered violence

Sheinbaum took office in October 2024,when Sinaloa was entering a new spiral of violence following the abduction of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada by a son of former cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Zambada was handed over to U.S. authorities and his faction of the cartel went to war with the faction led by Guzmán's sons.

Initially, residents of the state capital, Culiacan, were caught in the crossfire, but the conflict eventually extended statewide. U.S. President Donald Trump took office last year and designated the Sinaloa Cartel, among others, a foreign terrorist organization, upping the pressure on Sheinbaum's administration to get tough with the cartels.

By last April, Vizsla Silver Corp., the Vancouver, Canada-based mine owner, announced it was halting activities at the mine because of security concerns in the area. The pause lasted a month.

García Harfuch said this month that the suspects arrested were part of the Sinaloa Cartel faction loyal to Guzmán's sons, known as "los Chapitos," and had mistaken the workers for belonging to the other faction. There has not been an explanation for how the confusion could have occurred since Vizsla said the workers were taken from their site.

Mines and crime

Mines, along with other businesses like avocado groves and pipelines carrying gasoline, have long attracted organized crime's attention in Mexico as a source of extortion payments or to steal the extracted material.

Saucedo, who has researched cases in Guanajuato, Sinaloa and Sonora, said he has also seen cases where mines take advantage of armed groups to control mine opponents.

The Mexican government has said it has no reports that Vizsla was extorted. Sheinbaum said that her administration would talk with all mining companies in Mexico "to offer the support they require."

Vizsla did not respond to questions emailed by The Associated Press, but has said in statements that its focus is on finding the remaining workers and supporting the affected families. Relatives of one of the workers declined to comment.

Search for the missing

In the community of El Verde, in the foothills that rise between the ocean and the mountains, Marisela Carrizales stood beside banners bearing the photographs of missing people. The road leading to a site where clandestine graves were discovered was blocked by a police car. The surrounding town was silent.

"I'm here waiting for answers," said Carrizales, who belongs to one of the many search collectives that have spread all over Mexico to look for the missing. She has been looking for her son, Alejandro, for 5 ½ years and had come to El Verde with more than 20 others also looking for missing relatives to monitor authorities' work and demand that they help them look in other places, too. "We have information that there are a lot more graves here … we have to come to look for them."

It was here in the first week of February that authorities found a clandestine grave and then more in the days that followed. The Attorney General's office said 10 bodies were found in one location, five of which have been identified as the missing mine workers. But the Sinaloa state prosecutor's office also said additional remains were found in four other grave sites around the community.

There are many missing. In Mazatlan, a Mexican tourist was taken from a bar in October. In January, a businessman disappeared. In February, six other Mexican tourists were abducted from a ritzy part of the resort city. A woman and a girl who were part of that group were later found alive outside the city, but the men who were with them have not appeared.

While the government has strengthened security in Mazatlan ahead of carnival celebrations, back in the mountains, teachers, doctors or even buses are not coming to many of the communities out of fear, Vargas said.

Labrador, the man from Chirimoyos, said that when he is lucky, he borrows a friend's motorcycle to go to his job in a highway toll booth. When he can't borrow it, he has to walk more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) through the mountains, because the person in charge of local public transportation disappeared in December.

Verza reported from Mexico City.

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, Feb 15 - The U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense on Sunday for the first time transported a small nuclear reactor on a cargo plane from California to Utah to ‌demonstrate the potential to quickly deploy nuclear power for military and civilian use.

The agencies partnered with California-based Valar Atomics to ‌fly one of the company's Ward microreactors on a C-17 aircraft — without nuclear fuel — to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Under ​Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey were on the C-17 flight with the reactor and its components, and hailed the event as a breakthrough for U.S. nuclear energy and military logistics.

"This gets us closer to deploy nuclear power when and where it is needed to give our nation's warfighters the tools to win in battle," Duffey said.

President Donald Trump's administration sees small nuclear reactors as one ‌of several ways to expand U.S. energy production. Trump ⁠last May issued four executive orders aimed at boosting domestic nuclear deployment to meet growing demand for energy for national security and competitive AI advancements.

The Energy Department in December issued two grants to help ⁠accelerate development of small modular reactors.

Proponents of microreactors also have touted them as energy sources that can be sent to far-flung and remote places, offering an alternative to diesel generators which require frequent deliveries of fuel. But skeptics have argued that the industry has not proven that small ​nuclear reactors ​can generate power for a reasonable price.

"There is no business case for ​microreactors, which — even if they work as designed — will ‌produce electricity at a far higher cost than large nuclear reactors, not to mention renewables like wind or solar," said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The Energy Department plans to have three microreactors reach "criticality" — when a nuclear reaction can sustain itself — by July 4, Wright said.

The microreactor in Sunday's event, a little larger than a minivan, can generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes, according to Valar CEO Isaiah Taylor. It will start operating in July ‌at 100 kilowatts and peak at 250 kilowatts this year before ramping up ​to full capacity, he said.

Valar hopes to start selling power on a test ​basis in 2027 and become fully commercial in 2028. ​Although private industry funds its own development of nuclear technology, it also needs the federal government "doing some ‌enabling actions to allow fuel fabrication here and uranium ​enrichment here," he said.

Fuel for Valar's ​reactor will be transported from the Nevada National Security site to the San Rafael facility, Wright told reporters.

However, even small generators result in a significant amount of radioactive waste, Lyman said. Other experts have said designers are not compelled to ​consider waste at inception, beyond a plan for ‌how it will be managed.

Although disposal of nuclear waste remains an unresolved issue, the Energy Department is in talks ​with a few states, including Utah, to host sites that could reprocess fuel or handle permanent disposal, Wright ​said.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sergio Non and Lincoln Feast.)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Credit - Michael Probst—Associated Press

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States wants to "revitalize" its relationship with Europe in a key foreign policy speech to the continent's leaders on Saturday.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Rubio said the U.S. and Europe shared a centuries-old history and "belong together," a message that some European leaders viewed as an olive branch after anantagonistic appearance by Vice President J.D. Vanceat the same forum the previous year.

"We want Europe to be strong," Rubio said, adding that the two world wars of the 20th century serve as a reminder that "our destiny is and always will be intertwined with yours."

Read more:How Europe Has Turned Against U.S.

His speech comes at a time whenU.S.-European relationshave been strainedby President Donald Trump'saggressive efforts to annex Greenland, his Administration's ongoing trade war with most European allies, and a years-long divide over the future of NATO and European security.

Rubio argued that the U.S. still cares deeply about Europe's future and suggested disagreements stem from "profound concern" for the continent, which he described as the birthplace of a common civilization. He said the U.S. intends to work with the Europeans, not against them.

"We are connected not just economically, not just militarily. We are connected spiritually, and we are connected culturally," he added.

Here's what we learned from the speech:

A change in tone

Rubio's speech marked a dramatic shift in tone from the United States' contribution to last year's conference, delivered by Vice President Vance, who rebuked European leaders for marginalizing far-right parties and accused them of curbing free speech.

While his remarks were met with silence, Rubio's speech drew bursts of applause and laughter.

The Secretary of State offered a conciliatory message, saying the U.S., under Trump, seeks to lead a global "renewal and restoration."

Rubio said the "euphoria" that followed the West's Cold War victory gave rise to a "dangerous delusion that we had entered 'the end of history,' that every nation would now be a liberal democracy, that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood ... and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world."

"We made these mistakes together, and now together we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild," Rubio said.

"This is why we Americans may sometimes come off as a little direct and urgent in our counsel," he said. "This is why President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe."

Despite the softer tone, Rubio shared much of Vance's criticism of Europe over migration.

Rubio warned of the dangers of "mass migration" and "civilizational erasure," and pointed to what he described as the weakening of post-World War II institutions such as the United Nations, which he said require sweeping reform.

"We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West's managed decline," he said.

Trump has floated both Rubio and Vance as potential 2028 presidential frontrunners, so their contrasting speeches will likely be dissected by European leaders over the next few years for clues about where the U.S. will be heading if Republicans win.

U.N. needs reform

Rubio said the United Nations "still has tremendous potential," but argued that on today's most pressing issues, "it has no answers and has played virtually no role." Instead, he praised American leadership for "problem-solving."

"The U.N. could not solve the war in Gaza; it has not solved the war in Ukraine," Rubiosaid.

His comments come as Trump's Board of Peace, which some view as a potential rival to the U.N., is set to hold its first meeting on Feb. 19, in Washington, D.C.

The Board of Peace is designed to oversee Gaza's redevelopment and resolve global conflicts. The inaugural meeting aims to raise funds for Gaza's reconstruction and convene international leaders from the 27 countries that signed the charter.

The United Arab Emirates and the United States have already pledged$1 billionto Trump's Board of Peace, according to two officials close to the board's funding matters.

Speaking immediately after Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a contrasting tone.

"The main reason for the inadequacy of the current international system is not the United Nations itself, but the fact that some countries magnify differences, pursue national priorities ... and even revive the Cold War mentality," hesaid. "All these have undermined the basis of trust, worsened the atmosphere of cooperation, and made the operation of international mechanisms difficult."

Despite Ukraine's fate looming over this year's conference, Rubio made little mention of Russia's full-scale invasion, citing it only as an example of the United Nations' shortcomings.

"It has not solved the war in Ukraine. It took American leadership and partnership with many of the countries here today just to bring the two sides to the table in search of a still elusive peace," he said.

The war remains a major concern for Europe as the Trump administration increases pressure on Ukraine to make concessions for a peace deal with Russia. Ukrainian officials recently said American negotiators had called for Ukraine to hold elections by May 15, a deadline seen as unlikely while the war continues.

Speaking later at the conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said his country would hold elections only after a cease-fire. Zelensky, who has been president since 2019, noted that elections have not been held since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and stressed that Ukraine needed strong security guarantees before agreeing to any end to the war.

"We hope President Trump hears us," he said.

European reaction

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "very much reassured by the speech of the secretary of state," calling him a "good friend" and a "strong ally."

Upon taking the stage after Rubio's speech, she started with a simplemessage: "Europe must become more independent – there is no other choice."

"The European way of life – our democratic foundation and the trust of our citizens – is being challenged in new ways. On everything from territories to tariffs or tech regulations," she said, appearing to reference the U.S., but also citing Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

This independence must be wide-ranging and cover areas including "Defence and energy. Economy and trade. Raw materials and digital tech," she said.

"Some may say the word 'independence' runs counter to our transatlantic bond. But the opposite is true. An independent Europe is a strong Europe. And a strong Europe makes for a stronger transatlantic alliance," she also said.

"We know some in the administration have a harsher tone on these topics," she conceded, without naming Trump or Vance.

But not all Europeans were impressed by the softer approach.

"In substance, nothing changes, Europe now has to become more independent and assume more responsibility, also in the security and defense area," Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-ReisingertoldPOLITICO.

Similarly, although Democratic politicians in Munich acknowledged that Rubio's speech signaled a change in tone, they questioned whether it would alter the substance of the transatlantic relationship.

"He was clearly trying to escape the vituperative ghost of J.D. Vance in seeking to be calming and reassuring, but it was so lacking in substance and specificity that in the end, its impact will be very limited," Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said.

He added, "I don't think the speech was about turning the page [after Greenland], but just getting over the moment, yeah, has given no signs that he's backing down from the antagonism and hostility."

Sen. Thom Tillis, the top Republican on the Senate NATO Observer Group, praised Rubio's speech, saying it reinforced efforts to reassure allied leaders that NATO will endure.

"I thought it was great," Tillis said. "We all know that that speech would not have been delivered if the White House hadn't agreed with it. Yeah. So I think that's not only a message from Marco, but it's a message from the president."

A dose of reality

Despite Rubio's conciliatory message, his speech came a day after he skipped the "Berlin Format" meeting with European leaders on the war in Ukraine, a key point of contention between Europe and the Trump Administration.

At the same time, Trump continues to pressure Zelensky of Ukraine to accept a deal that could involve ceding significant portions of the country to Russia. Both European governments and Ukrainian officials have rejected such a proposal, arguing that it would not resolve the conflict but merely pause it, leaving the region's future uncertain.

"Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Zelenskysaidin a video address from Kyiv in December. He added that any decisions made without Ukraine "are at the same time decisions against peace" and called such measures "dead decisions; they will never work."

Praise for NATO

At the conference, Rubio praised NATO, citing instances when U.S. and NATO troops fought and died alongside one another.

"We have fought against each other, then reconciled, then fought and reconciled again. And we have bled and died side-by-side on battlefields from Kapyong to Kandahar," he added. "And I'm here today to make it clear that America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity, and that once again, we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends."

Rubio's comments stood in contrast to recent comments made by Trump about America's NATO allies. Since the turn of the year, Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO's willingness to support the U.S.

"I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM," he blasted on Truth Social on Jan. 7. "We will always be there for NATO, even if they won't be there for us."

In an interview with Fox in Davos, the President also asserted that while NATO allies sent troops to Afghanistan, they "stayed a little back, a little off the front lines."

Contact usatletters@time.com.

Ofelia Torres died on Friday at the age of 16 from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the soft tissue. She was diagnosed with cancer in December 2024.

Her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was arrested on Oct. 18, 2025, while she was home from the hospital spending time with her family. Ofelia posted avideoto Instagram following his arrest calling for his release and raising awareness about other families in similar positions.

Torres Maldonado was released from ICE detention about two weeks later on a $2,000 bond after a judge took his daughter's treatment into consideration during a hearing,NBC Chicagopreviously reported.

In the video, the teenager said her father was a hardworking immigrant who watched her brother while she stayed at the hospital for treatment.

"My dad, like many others, is a hardworking person who wakes up early in the morning and goes to work without complaining, thinking about his family," Ofelia says in the video. "I find it so unfair that hardworking immigrant families are being targeted just because they were not born here."

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The video featured pictures of Torres Maldonado and his family, as well as of Ofelia at the hospital.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In aprevious statement regarding the arrest of Ruben Torres Maldonado, the Department of Homeland Security wrote: "He's been charged multiple times with driving without insurance, driving without a valid license, and speeding. During his arrest he did not comply with instructions from the officers and attempted to flee in his vehicle and backed into a government vehicle."

Shortly before Ofelia's death, a Chicago judge ruled that her father was entitled to a cancellation of removal because his deportation would impact his U.S. citizen children negatively, according to a representative for the family. This ruling is expected to provide a pathway for Torres Maldonado to obtain permanent residence in the U.S. and citizenship, per the spokesperson.

Ofelia, who was a junior at Chicago's Lake View High School, was present for the hearing via Zoom three days before her death, according to the spokesperson.

"Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE's detention and threatened deportation of her father," said Kalman Resnick, Torres Maldonado's lawyer. "We mourn Ofelia's passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what's right to our last breaths."

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, died on Friday, Feb. 13, from stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, according to a statement from the family's spokesperson. Torres Hidalgo had been diagnosed with the rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer in December 2024.

The teenager was undergoing cancer treatment and had been home visiting her family for the weekend when her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was arrested in October 2025 at a Home Depot store in suburban Chicago, aGoFundMe pageset up for the family states. He was detained during the Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz," a major immigration enforcement campaign that brought a surge of federal agents to the Chicago area.

Following his arrest, Torres Hidalgo posteda video on social mediacalling for his release. She described her father as a hardworking immigrant who cared for her younger brother while she stayed at the hospital for treatment.

'What happened?':Bodycam contradicts DHS story of Border Patrol shooting Chicago woman

"My dad, like many other fathers, is a hard-working person who wakes up early in the morning and goes to work without complaining, thinking about his family," Torres Hidalgo said in the video. "I find it so unfair that hardworking immigrant families are being targeted just because they were not born here."

Torres Hidalgo "successfully fought for her father's freedom" and an immigration judge in Chicago ruled three days before her death that her father was conditionally entitled to receive "cancellation of removal" due to the hardships his deportation would cause his children, who are U.S. citizens, according to the family's spokesperson.

The ruling provides Torres Maldonado with a path to obtaining lawful permanent residence and eventual U.S. citizenship, the statement said. Torres Hidalgo was present via Zoom at her father's hearing last week.

"Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE's detention and threatened deportation of her father," Kalman Resnick, Torres Maldonado's attorney, said in a statement. "We mourn Ofelia's passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what's right to our last breaths."

Activists protest outside of an immigrant processing and detention center on Oct. 2, 2025 in Broadview, Ill.

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Chicago protests push back against increased federal immigration raids

'A steadfast, dedicated and truly inspiring life'

Torres Hidalgo was a junior at Lake View High School in Chicago, according to the family's attorney. Private funeral arrangements have been made.

The GoFundMe page, set up by Torres Hidalgo's in-home teacher Valerie Wadycki, initially asked for funds to assist with Torres Maldonado's legal fees and to help the family while he was being detained. In an update on Sunday, Feb. 15, Wadycki said the fundraiser was adjusted to help with Torres Hidalgo's funeral arrangements.

"I am deeply saddened to share with you that Ofelia Torres has passed away," the GoFundMe page states. "Thank you for your kindness in supporting this family during this difficult time. Thank you also for respecting their privacy as they mourn this tremendous loss."

Wadycki described Torres Hidalgo as "bright, curious, and thoughtful." Wadycki said she had been working with Ofelia as her in-home teacher while the teenager was being treated for cancer.

"Through my time working with Ofelia, I have grown close to her family and have learned what a dedicated mother and hard-working and loving father she has," Wadycki noted.

In astatement on Sunday, Feb. 15, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the teenager "led a steadfast, dedicated and truly inspiring life."

"Today I join Chicagoans across our city in mourning Ofelia Torres — a young woman who fought for her father and her family in the face of a cruel, targeted campaign through whichDonald Trumphas sought to strip from us the very humanity that defines our families and our communities," Johnson said.

Chicago immigration crackdown:Trump administration launches Operation Midway Blitz

Judge ruled Chicago teen's father was illegally detained

On Oct. 18, 2025, Torres Maldonado was leaving a Home Depot store in Niles, a village bordering Chicago's far northwest side, after getting supplies for his job, according to the GoFundMe page. As he was leaving, he was detained by federal agents.

"ICE agents called out to him by name. He attempted to ignore them and got in his car and locked the door," according to the GoFundMe page. "That is when one of the four ICE agents started smashing the passenger side of his car in an attempt to get in."

An ICE agent threatened Torres Maldonado with a gun, the GoFundMe page claims. Torres Maldonado then willingly exited the car and was arrested.

At the time, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security toldNBC Chicagothat Torres Maldonado had been "charged multiple times with driving without insurance, driving without a valid license, and speeding" and claimed he attempted to flee in his vehicle.

TheChicago Sun-Timesreported that Torres Maldonado, a painter, entered the United States in 2003 and lived in Chicago with his partner of 20 years. A judge ruled on Oct. 24, 2025, that Torres Maldonado was unlawfully detained and he was later released on bond, according to the newspaper and NBC Chicago.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Chicago teenager whose father was detained by ICE in 2025 dies

The Israeli government has advanced the registration of territory in theoccupied West Bankas state land in a move that Palestinians have decried as "de facto annexation."

For the first time sinceIsrael occupied the territory in 1967,the government will create a mechanism to officially register large swaths of land under the state.

Israel's Foreign Ministry defended the move as an "administrative measure" which would "bring order" to land registration. But government ministers made clear the intent was to increase settlement and entrench Israel's grip on the land.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalal Smotrich said the land registry would continue "the settlement and governance revolution across all parts of our land" as he referenced Judea and Samaria, the biblical term for the West Bank. And Justice Minister Yariv Levin said Israel is "committed to strengthening its hold over all parts of our land, and this decision expresses that commitment."

The government's new measure will apply to what is known as Area C of the West Bank, about 60% of the territory and home to an estimated 180,000-300,000 Palestinians and to a settler population of at least 325,500, according to Israeli human rights group Btselem.

The Palestinian Presidency said the decision violated international law and amounted to "de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory." In a statement, the president's office warned that the move was a "declaration of the annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity."

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and subsequently began establishingJewish settlementsthere, which are considered illegal under international law, by the United Nations and by much of the international community. The UN also regards the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territory, which the Palestinians seek for a future state.

Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog, described the government's move as "a massive land grab in the West Bank … completely against the will of the people and contrary to Israel's best interests."

The Israeli government approved the measure despite US President Donald Trump's stated opposition to annexation of the West Bank.

"We warn President Trump - Netanyahu is deceiving you! You said you wouldn't allow annexation, but he's carrying it out right under your nose," Peace Now said, adding that the move would lead to the dispossession of thousands of Palestinians from their land.

"The process requires landowners to prove ownership in ways that are almost impossible for most Palestinians to do; if they fail, the land will be automatically registered as state land," Peace Now asserted.

This latest measure comes after Israel's securitycabinet approved a move last weekthat expanded Israeli rule and governance over the West Bank. The move drew international condemnation, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling it as a flagrant violation of international law and the European Union saying it is a "step in the wrong direction."

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NEED TO KNOW

• More than 20,000 peanut butter items have been recalled across 40 states by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• The U.S. federal agency has classified the recall as Class II

• Ventura Foods LLC, which initiated the recall, "found pieces of blue plastic in a filter," per the FDA

Thousands ofpeanut butteritems have been recalled across dozens of states by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The U.S. federal agency has classified the recall asClass II, which means use of or exposure to affected products "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

The recall was initiated on April 30, and the FDA assigned the Class II classification on Feb. 12. The agency has not listed an end date.

The recall covers various peanut butter products that were produced by Ventura Foods LLC. The company, which initiated the recall, "found pieces of blue plastic in a filter," per the FDA.

More than 20,000 single-serve peanut butter items and peanut butter-and-jelly combo packs are affected. Some were distributed by DYMA Brands, Inc., US Foods, Sysco Corporation, Gordon Food Service and Independent Marketing Alliance, among others, the FDA said.

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According to the FDA, the recalled peanut butter products were shipped to 40 states total: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

A spokesperson for Ventura Foods LLC said in a statement, perNewsweek, "Ten months ago, DYMA Brands initiated a voluntary recall on various single-use peanut butter products due to the potential presence of a foreign material (plastic)."

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"While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation and classification process is thorough and can take time to complete, that timeline did not impact our actions. At the time the recall was initiated ... we acted with urgency to remove all potentially impacted product from the marketplace. This includes urging our customers, their distributors and retailers to immediately review their inventory, segregate and stop the further sale and distribution of any products subject to the recall," the statement continued.

"Protecting consumers remains our top priority, and we will continue to act swiftly and transparently as the FDA review progresses," added the Ventura Foods LLC spokesperson.

The company did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, Feb. 15.

A full list of items affected by the recall, which the FDA will continue to update, can be foundhere.

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