DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — The two German teams in the Champions League quarterfinals are having very different Bundesliga seasons.
While Bayern Munich is eight points clear at the top and confirmed its domestic supremacy with a 5-0 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund is 10th and will likely need a big late-season surge to qualify for next season's Champions League.
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Bayern's goalkeeper Jonas Urbig holds the ball during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Frankfurt's Michy Batshuayi, center, celebrates with teammates Far's Chaibi, right and Nathaniel Brown after scoring a goal, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FC Union Berlin at Deutsche Bank Park, in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)
Leipzig's Xavi Simons, front, reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FSV Mainz 05 in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany greets fans prior the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Dortmund players celebrate after a goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Lille and Borussia Dortmund in Villeneuve-d'Ascq , Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Beating Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday eased some of the pressure on new coach Niko Kovac but Dortmund takes on Leipzig on Saturday with both teams desperate for a win.
— Dortmund's game against Leipzig on Saturday is a crucial test for Leipzig, too. Two wins from 10 Bundesliga games since the new year have seen Marco Rose's team slide to sixth.
— Bayern's Champions League exertions took their toll last week in a shock 3-2 home loss to Bochum. A trip to Union Berlin on Saturday is another tricky test, given Union surprised Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 last week.
— Leverkusen has lost three games in a row for the first time under coach Xabi Alonso. The injury-hit squad can turn things around with a win on Sunday over Stuttgart, itself on a four-game losing run.
— When Manuel Neuer hurt himself celebrating last week, it gave 21-year-old Jonas Urbig an opportunity as Bayern goalkeeper. The loss to Bochum last week was a rocky start but Urbig won praise for some solid saves against Leverkusen.
— Michy Batshuayi's first Bundesliga goal in seven years wasn't enough as Frankfurt lost to Union last week. Frankfurt could need more goals from the new signing to halt a slide since Omar Marmoush left for Manchester City. Frankfurt plays Bochum on Sunday.
— The pressure is on Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav after seven Bundesliga games without scoring. Undav was a star last season as Stuttgart finished second but now risks being dropped.
— Star attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz is a big absence for Leverkusen with an ankle ligament injury. Defender Mario Hermoso was sent for scans on his shoulder after the Bayern loss, while defender Edmond Tapsoba and midfielder Nathan Tella are doubtful to recover from injuries for Sunday.
— Joshua Kimmich looks set to extend his contract at Bayern after all after a contract offer was reportedly withdrawn last month in frustration at the long-running talks. Kimmich said on Tuesday he was looking forward to “getting the ball over the line.”
— Serbia defender Milos Veljkovic will leave Werder Bremen for Red Star Belgrade after nine years, Bremen said on Tuesday.
— Holstein Kiel captain Lewis Holtby is set to leave as a free agent.
“It's difficult and we aren't satisfied either. It's hard for us to get a result like this in the Bundesliga almost every week and play our best in the Champions League. We're trying everything to make it work in the Bundesliga too.” — Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi.
“I won't surf on a hype wave, no chance ... My focus is absolutely on the Union Berlin game on Saturday and nothing is won until it's won.” — Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bayern's goalkeeper Jonas Urbig holds the ball during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Frankfurt's Michy Batshuayi, center, celebrates with teammates Far's Chaibi, right and Nathaniel Brown after scoring a goal, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FC Union Berlin at Deutsche Bank Park, in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)
Leipzig's Xavi Simons, front, reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FSV Mainz 05 in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany greets fans prior the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Dortmund players celebrate after a goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Lille and Borussia Dortmund in Villeneuve-d'Ascq , Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Oil prices fell Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.
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That makes him the highest ranking U.S. official to visit the country following the U.S. military strike which captured former leader Nicolás Maduro.
Thursday’s meeting, first reported by The New York Times, was confirmed Friday by a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The official said the meeting in Caracas came at President Trump’s direction and was intended to demonstrate the U.S. desire for a better relationship with Venezuela. The official said Ratcliffe discussed potential economic collaboration with the U.S. and warned that Venezuela can never again allow the presence of American adversaries, including drug traffickers.
— David Klepper
As Attorney General Pam Bondi approaches her first year on the job, the firings of Justice Department attorneys have defined her turbulent tenure. The terminations and a larger voluntary exodus of lawyers have erased centuries of combined experience and left the department with fewer career employees to act as a bulwark for the rule of law at a time when President Trump, a Republican, is testing the limits of executive power by demanding prosecutions of his political enemies.
Interviews by The Associated Press of more than a half-dozen fired employees offer a snapshot of the toll throughout the department. The departures include lawyers who prosecuted violent attacks on police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, environmental, civil rights and ethics enforcers, counterterrorism prosecutors, immigration judges and attorneys who defend administration policies. They continued this week, when several prosecutors in Minnesota moved to resign amid turmoil over an investigation into the shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
▶ Read more about firings at the Justice Department
The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year.
The White House said its National Energy Dominance Council and the governors of several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, want to try to compel PJM Interconnection to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants.
The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday.
▶ Read more about the administration and AI-driven power shortages
The Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has brought heightened attention to a key drama that will play out at the central bank in the coming months: Will Powell leave the Fed when his term as chair ends, or will he take the unusual step of remaining a governor?
Powell’s term as Fed chair ends May 15, but because of the central bank’s complex structure, he has a separate term as one of seven members of its governing board that lasts until January 31, 2028. Historically, nearly all Fed chairs have stepped down from the board when they’re no longer chair. But Powell could be the first in nearly 50 years to stay on as a governor.
Many Fed-watchers believe the criminal investigation into Powell’s testimony about cost overruns for Fed building renovations was intended to intimidate him out of taking that step. If Powell stays on the board, it would deny the White House a chance to gain a majority, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to seize greater control over what has for decades been an institution largely insulated from day-to-day politics.
▶ Read more about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Trump on Thursday announced the outlines of a health care plan he wants Congress to take up as Republicans have faced increasing pressure to address rising health costs after lawmakers let subsidies expire.
The cornerstone is his proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit. Democrats have rejected the idea as a paltry substitute for the tax credits that had helped lower monthly premiums for many people.
Trump’s plan also focuses on lowering drug prices and requiring insurers to be more upfront with the public about costs, revenues, rejected claims and wait times for care.
Trump has long been dogged by his lack of a comprehensive health care plan as he and Republicans have sought to unwind former President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. Trump was thwarted during his first term in trying to repeal and replace the law.
▶ Read more about Trump’s health care plan
Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.
Donald Trump isn’t leaving it to future generations.
As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships.
That’s on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On Friday, he plans to attend a ceremony in Florida where local officials will dedicate a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
▶ Read more about Trump’s renaming efforts
Nearly a year into his second term, Trump’s work on the economy hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC survey.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a significant gap between the economic leadership Americans remembered from Trump’s first term and what they’ve gotten so far as he creates a stunning level of turmoil at home and abroad.
Just 16% of Republicans say Trump has helped “a lot” in addressing the cost of living, down from 49% in April 2024, when an AP-NORC poll asked Americans the same question about his first term.
At the same time, Republicans are overwhelmingly supportive of the president’s leadership on immigration — even if some don’t like his tactics.
There is little sign overall, though, that the Republican base is abandoning Trump. The vast majority of Republicans, about 8 in 10, approve of his job performance, compared with 4 in 10 for adults overall.
▶ Read more about the poll’s findings
Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Oil prices fell on Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.
▶ Read more about Trump and Iran
— Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Ben Finley
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to honor the 2025 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
