LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of U.S. first lady Melania Trump that was sawed off and carried away from her hometown.
The life-size sculpture was unveiled in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Melanija Knavs was born in 1970. It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year.
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FILE - First lady Melania Trump attends an event unveiling a U.S. Postal Service Stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, May 8, 2025, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Ankles of sawed off and taken away bronze statue which represented Melania Trump remain on the tree stump where it was placed in 2020, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, Friday, May 16, 2025, near Melania Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
Ankles of sawed off and taken away bronze statue which represented Melania Trump remain on the tree stump where it was placed in 2020, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, Friday, May 16, 2025, near Melania Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
This Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 photo shows the bronze statue representing Melania Trump that was sawed off and taken away, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, near Malenia Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Ankles of sawed off and taken away bronze statue which represented Melania Trump remain on the tree stump where it was placed in 2020, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, Friday, May 16, 2025, near Melania Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
FILE -A bronze sculpture representing Melania Trump stands on a bank of the Sava river in the village of Rozno, near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
Police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus said Friday that the police were informed about the theft of the statue on Tuesday. She said police were working to track down those responsible.
According to Slovenian media reports, the bronze replica was sawed off at the ankles and removed.
Franja Kranjc, who works at a bakery in Sevnica that sells cakes with Melania Trump's name in support of the first lady, said the stolen statue won't be missed.
“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA," he said. "So I think its OK that it's removed.”
The original wooden statue was torched in July 2020. The rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a linden tree, showing her in a pale blue dress like the one she wore at Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2017. The replica bronze statue has no obvious resemblance with the first lady.
FILE - First lady Melania Trump attends an event unveiling a U.S. Postal Service Stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, May 8, 2025, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Ankles of sawed off and taken away bronze statue which represented Melania Trump remain on the tree stump where it was placed in 2020, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, Friday, May 16, 2025, near Melania Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
Ankles of sawed off and taken away bronze statue which represented Melania Trump remain on the tree stump where it was placed in 2020, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, Friday, May 16, 2025, near Melania Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
This Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 photo shows the bronze statue representing Melania Trump that was sawed off and taken away, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, near Malenia Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Ankles of sawed off and taken away bronze statue which represented Melania Trump remain on the tree stump where it was placed in 2020, in the village of Rozno, Slovenia, Friday, May 16, 2025, near Melania Trump's hometown of Sevnica. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
FILE -A bronze sculpture representing Melania Trump stands on a bank of the Sava river in the village of Rozno, near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.
The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.
“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”
The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.
The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.
“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”
New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.
"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.
The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.
The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.
Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.
The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.
Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.
Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”
“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.
State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”
The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.
It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
