内容摘要：Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Mackenzie McDonald of the U.S. during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Mackenzie McDonald of the U.S. during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Backed by $25 million in funding from the, or USAID, over five years, the project has now shut down following the Trump administration’s decision to

“The joy I felt when I was selected for this project has been replaced by sadness,” said Doumbia in Mali’s capital, Bamako.She had hoped to take advantage of the empowerment program to train as a pastry chef.”I don’t have any hope of realizing my dream (again),” Doumbia said.

Doumbia is among thousands of people who now find themselves strandeda country ravaged by high poverty and insecurity levels and where 70% of the population of at least 22 million people haven’t had the opportunity to learn to read and write, according to Sylla Fatoumata Cissé, director of a government agency focusing on nonformal education and national languages in Mali.

The USAID funding cut also came at a time when Mali’s other development partners in Europe have withdrawn their support in the aftermath of the 2021 coup, which brought the current junta leader, Assimi Goita, to power.

For many, the literacy project was the only path to literacy and empowerment.“We’d say, ‘Do it for Dave.’ ”

Associated Press writers Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed.INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Natalie Grant, a nine-time Grammy nominee and five-time GMA Dove Awards Female Vocalist of the Year, will perform the national anthem Sunday before the Indianapolis 500.

“Natalie’s emotional and stirring rendition of the national anthem in front of the grandstand sellout crowd will be an unforgettable moment during pre-race ceremonies for the Indy 500,” IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said Wednesday. “The national anthem pays honor to the country we love and gets us one step closer to the final, dramatic and electric moments leading up to the start of the Indianapolis 500.”Grant’s most recent project “Seasons” debuted at #1 on the Christian Billboard charts and featured cross-genre collaborations that included Mary Mary, CeCe Winans, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Jonathan McReynolds and others. Her single “Step By Step” — a Whitney Houston cover featuring Dolly Parton — went Top 10 at Mainstream AC Radio.