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NEW YORK (AP) — Days before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump attempted to navigate the fallout of his flap with a civil rights leader and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while also losing a member of his incoming administration to accusations of plagiarism.

Trump on Monday met with one of King's sons on the holiday marking the life of the slain American icon just days after the president-elect attacked Rep. John Lewis on Twitter. Lewis and the elder King were among the Big Six leaders of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Trump accused Lewis, D-Ga., for being "all talk" after Lewis questioned the legitimacy of Trump's election. The president-elect also advised the veteran congressman to pay more attention to his "crime ridden" Atlanta-area district. Trump's comments drew widespread criticism and have done little to reassure those uneasy about the transition from the nation's first black president to a president-elect still struggling to connect with most nonwhite voters.

Martin Luther King III downplayed the slight, saying that "in the heat of emotion a lot of things get said on both sides." King, who said he pressed Trump on the need for voting reform to increase participation, deemed the meeting "constructive." King said that while he disagreed with the president-elect's comments, he believed "at some point in this nation we've got to move forward."

"He said that he is going to represent all Americans. He said that over and over again," King told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower after the nearly hourlong meeting. "I believe that's his intent, but I think we also have to consistently engage with pressure, public pressure. It doesn't happen automatically."

Trump, who struggled for support from minority voters on Election Day, briefly joined King in the lobby but ignored reporters' shouted questions about his comments about Lewis.

Lewis had suggested that Trump's November victory was delegitimized due to Russian interference and said he would boycott Friday's Inauguration. More than two dozen Democratic members of Congress have said they will sit out the Trump ceremony. Among them is Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, who said Monday that "this president 'semi-elect' does not deserve to be president of the United States. He has not exhibited the characteristics or the values that we hold dear."

The Martin Luther King holiday is meant to honor community service and volunteerism, and many Americans, including President Barack Obama, spend part of the day doing a service project of some kind. Trump, who cancelled a planned trip to Washington, spent the day inside the Manhattan skyscraper that bears his name.

Meanwhile, conservative media commentator Monica Crowley will not be joining the Trump administration following accusations of plagiarism, according to a transition official.

Crowley, a frequent on-air presence at Fox News Channel, had been slated to join Trump's National Security Council as a director of strategic communications. On Monday, she withdrew her name from consideration after CNN reported last week that several passages in a 2012 book Crowley wrote were plagiarized. Publisher HarperCollins then pulled the book.

Crowley's retreat was first reported by The Washington Times. The transition official confirmed the decision on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Trump has continued to lash out at his critics in the intelligence community and questioned whether the CIA director himself was "the leaker of fake news" in a Sunday night tweet.

The extraordinary criticism from the incoming president came hours after CIA chief John Brennan charged that Trump lacks a full understanding of the threat Moscow poses to the United States, delivering a public lecture to the president-elect that further highlighted the bitter state of Trump's relations with American intelligence agencies.

"Now that he's going to have an opportunity to do something for our national security as opposed to talking and tweeting, he's going to have tremendous responsibility to make sure that U.S. and national security interests are protected," Brennan said on "Fox News Sunday," warning that the president-elect's impulsivity could be dangerous.

In more than one venue Monday, speakers and attendees expressed reservations about President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration, some even raising the specter of the Ku Klux Klan.

"When men no better than Klansmen dressed in suits are being sworn in to office, we cannot be silent," said Opal Tometi, a Black Lives Matter co-founder, told a crowd in Brooklyn.

King's daughter offered a less direct message, encouraging 2,000 people at her father's Atlanta church to work for his vision of love and justice "no matter who is in the White House."

Bernice King spoke at Ebenezer Baptist hours before her brother, Martin Luther King III, met privately with the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York. The younger King described the meeting as "productive."

Trump won fewer than 1 out of 10 black voters in November after a campaign of racially charged rhetoric, and tensions have flared anew with his recent criticism of civil rights icon John Lewis, whom the president-elect called "all talk" and "no action."

Bernice King avoided a detailed critique of Trump, but said the nation has a choice between "chaos and community," a dichotomy her father preached about. "At the end of the day, the Donald Trumps come and go," she said, later adding, "We still have to find a way to create ... the beloved community."

The current Ebenezer pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, did not call Trump by name, but praised his predecessor. "Thank you, Barack Obama," he said. "I'm sad to see you go."

In South Carolina, speakers at a state Capitol rally said minority voting power has never been more important and some attendees expressed unease about Trump joining forces with Republican congressional majorities.

"It's going to be different, that's for sure," said Diamond Moore, a Benedict College senior who came to the Capitol. "I'm going to give Trump a chance. But I'm also ready to march."

In New York, Martin Luther King III told reporters that Trump pledged to be a president for all Americans, but King III added "we also have to consistently engage with pressure, public pressure" because "it doesn't happen automatically."

Trump did not participate publicly in any Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama took part in a service project at a shelter in Washington.

Back in Atlanta, Sen. Bernie Sanders brought the Ebenezer assembly to its feet with his reminder that King was not just an advocate for racial equality, but a radical proponent for economic justice — a mission that put him at odds with the political establishment.

"If you think governors and senators and mayors were standing up and saying what a great man Dr. King was, read history, because you are sorely mistaken," roared Sanders, who invoked the same themes from his failed presidential campaign.

Sanders, who struggled to attract black voters in his Democratic primary fight with Hillary Clinton, recalled King opposing the Vietnam War as exploiting the poor. He also noted King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he'd gone to rally striking sanitation workers, white and black.

Activist priest Michael Pfleger, himself a self-described radical, built on Sanders' message with a 45-minute keynote message indicting the nation's social and economic order, which he said would get worse under Trump.The Chicago priest said "white hoods" of the Klan "have been replaced by three-piece suits." He bemoaned high incarceration rates, a "militarized, stop-and-frisk police state," profligate spending on war and a substandard education system.

Pfleger said many Americans too quickly dismiss violence in poor neighborhoods as the fault of those who live there, when the real culprit is a lack of opportunity and hope. "If you put two lions in a cage and you don't feed them," he said, "one will kill the other in the pursuit of survival."

Warnock, meanwhile, zeroed in on Trump for his treatment of Lewis, now a Georgia congressman who represents most of Atlanta.

Lewis angered Trump when he told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he views Trump as "illegitimate" because of alleged Russian interference in the campaign. Trump retorted on Twitter that Lewis is "all talk" and said his district is "falling apart" and "crime infested."Anybody who suggests that John Lewis is all talk and no action needs a lesson in American history," Warnock said, notably declining to say the president-elect's name.

As a young man, Lewis was arrested and beaten by authorities as he demonstrated for civil and voting rights for black Americans.

Lewis was in Miami at King Day events.

Some Republicans have defended Trump's criticism of Lewis, arguing it is inappropriate for a congressman to question an incoming president's legitimacy.

Clara Smith, an Atlanta resident who came Monday to Ebenezer, scoffed at any GOP indignation, remembering that Trump for years questioned whether Obama was a "natural born citizen" as the Constitution requires.

"He carried on with that knowing full well what he was doing" to the first black president, Smith, 66, said.

Elsewhere, residents in Memphis are honoring King with neighborhood clean-up events and a daylong celebration at the National Civil Rights Museum.Bicyclists in Detroit have marked the day by pedaling to sites connected to a historic visit King made to the city.

___AP

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The latest on the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos (all times local):

12:15 a.m.

Shakira is suggesting an antidote for violent conflict and divisive populism: Get more kids in pre-school.

The Colombian singer is using her distinctive voice to lobby the world's rich and powerful at the World Economic Forum in Davos for more spending on early childhood education.

Asked if she had a message for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, she urged solid education policies that instill "inclusiveness and tolerance" for future generations.

Recalling a childhood in Colombia marred by war, she said: "If we really want peace, we need to invest in education."

Shakira and actor Forest Whitaker were given special awards at Davos on Wednesday for their humanitarian work.Whitaker noted that his charity work in societies emerging from conflict requires coordination with governments of different stripes, and he stressed the importance of grassroots activity.

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7:45 p.m.

There's no chance that Klaus Schwab, the founder of the elite political and business gathering in Davos, will undersell the importance of the World Economic Forum.

Addressing delegates Monday in the Swiss ski resort, Schwab said this year's 47th WEF is taking place at an "extraordinary moment of history," when a "sometimes-disruptive transformation" partly related to technological advances is hitting businesses and societies.

Acknowledging a growing pessimism around the world, Schwab urged delegates to look to the future in a "self-confident way," to repair deficiencies in the capitalist system and to think in the long term.

Schwab also noted that one-third of those at this year's meeting are from the emerging world, including the largest-ever delegations from China and India.

The forum officially starts Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived Monday by train to a red carpet welcome.

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7:15 p.m.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says his "prayer" is that the incoming Trump administration will continue to support the fight against cancer, which kept Biden from running for president after it took the life of his son, Beau.

Biden was speaking Monday before the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos to promote his "Cancer Moonshot" initiative. He hailed bipartisan support in Congress for a bill that brought in $1.8 billion for additional research at the National Cancer Institute.

Biden said he had spoken with Vice President-elect Mike Pence about his willingness to work with the new Trump administration to help it be as "committed and enthusiastic as we are in the goal of ending cancer."He urged other countries to also invest in the fight against cancer and called for greater collaboration among researchers, health care providers and drug firms.

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6:30 p.m.

CEOs are increasingly confident about the near-term prospects of their companies despite an array of worries that includes mounting concerns over a lurch toward trade protectionism.

That's the finding from an annual survey of CEOs by global accounting and consulting firm PwC ahead of the World Economic Forum.

The survey found that 38 percent of CEOs are very confident about their company's growth prospects in the next 12 months, against 35 percent last year. Meanwhile, 29 percent of respondents believe global economic growth will pick up in 2017, up from 27 percent last year.

Bob Moritz, PwC's chairman, says one worry that has swelled over the past few months is protectionism. Fears that the era of globalization may go into reverse have been stoked by Britain's vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump's election as U.S. president.

PwC's survey was based on 1,379 interviews across 79 countries between Sept. 26 and Dec. 5, with the majority conducted online.

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5:45 p.m.

The chairman of global accounting and consulting firm PwC doubts that many companies will leave Britain after the country exits the European Union.

Speaking to The Associated Press in the Swiss ski resort of Davos ahead of Tuesday's official start to the World Economic Forum, Bob Moritz said he hadn't seen any institutions leave and that he doesn't expect them to do so "anytime soon."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The wife of the Orlando nightclub shooter, who was extensively questioned by federal agents in the days after the massacre, has been arrested by the FBI in connection with the attack, authorities said Monday.

Noor Salman was taken into custody Monday morning in the San Francisco Bay area and is facing charges in Florida including obstruction of justice. A Twitter post from the United States attorney's office in Orlando said Salman will make her initial court appearance Tuesday morning in Oakland, California.

Noor Salman moved to California after her husband, Omar Mateen, was killed in a shootout with SWAT team members during the June 12massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

FBI agents repeatedly questioned Salman in the aftermath of the shooting about whether she had advance knowledge of her husband's plans. Salman told The New York Times in an interview published last fall that she knew her husband had watched jihadist videos but that she was "unaware of everything" regarding his intent to shoot up the club. She also said he had physically abused her.

"Noor Salman had no foreknowledge nor could she predict what Omar Mateen intended to do that tragic night," her attorney, Linda Moreno, said in a statement.

"Noor has told her story of abuse at his hands. We believe it is misguided and wrong to prosecute her and that it dishonors the memories of the victims to punish an innocent person," Moreno said.

Mateen was the only shooter, and by the time a three-hour standoff with law enforcement had ended, 49 patrons were killed and another 53 people required hospitalization.

Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in a 911 call to emergency officials during the standoff. He also made a series of Facebook posts and searches before and during the attack.Salman, who grew up northeast of San Francisco, wed Mateen in 2011 after the two met online. They lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, at the time of the shooting. Last month, Salman filed a petition in a California court to change the name of the son she had with Mateen.

"We said from the beginning, we were going to look at every aspect of this, of every aspect of this shooter's life to determine not just why did he take these actions — but who else knew about them? Was anyone else involved?" Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in an MSNBC interview on Monday.

The Times first reported on the arrest.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina said in a statement that Salman was facing accusations of obstruction of justice and "aiding and abetting by providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization."

"Nothing can erase the pain we all feel about the senseless and brutal murders of 49 of our neighbors, friends, family members and loved ones," Mina said. "But today, there is some relief in knowing that someone will be held accountable for that horrific crime."Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he hoped the arrest "provides some comfort to the families who are mourning their loved ones," he added.

___AP

Top US spy chiefs will testify in Congress Thursday on alleged Russian interference in the US election as President-elect Donald Trump continued to question intelligence that Moscow was behind the hacking of Democratic party computers.

The American public could get a better idea of the strength of the evidence on the alleged hacking as the Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing led by strong Russia critic John McCain, who on Wednesday called Moscow's actions to subvert the US presidential vote an "act of war."

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers are due to testify amid a heated rift between Trump and the intelligence bodies he will rely upon for crucial advice when he become president on January 20.

In tweets this week, Trump ridiculed the CIA and FBI conclusions, which are supported by outgoing President Barack Obama, that hackers working at the bidding of the Russian government stole embarrassing Democratic Party documents from the party's computers and leaked the via WikiLeaks to undermine the presidential campaign of Trump rival Hillary Clinton.Referring to a planned presentation to him by intelligence chiefs, Trump tweeted: "The 'Intelligence' briefing on so-called 'Russian hacking' was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!"

He then added to the insult by citing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his dismissal of the findings of multiple US agencies that Russia was behind the hacking.

"Julian Assange said 'a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta' - why was DNC so careless?" Trump said, referring to the thousands of emails and documents robbed from the computers of the Democratic National Committee and from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta.

- Intel agency shakeup looming? -Trump's taunts have boosted pressure on the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of National Intelligence to back up their claims last month that the Russian government was behind the hacking, intentionally divulging the documents via WikiLeaks to disrupt the election and help Trump.

The intelligence chiefs and Obama have pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying no such operation could go on in Moscow without the highest level of approval.

On December 29, Obama retaliated, expelling 35 Russian "intelligence operatives," placing sanctions on Russian government officials and intelligence services, and alleged hackers.

But the evidence made public by the agencies remains thin, allowing Trump, who has made clear he wants to improve fraught relations with Russia, to mount a challenge to the US intelligence establishment.

The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Trump is already working on a plan to restructure the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which Trump believes "has become bloated and politicized," the Journal reported, citing people official with the planning.The plan could also include revamping the CIA, cutting back its headquarters staff while boosting deployment of agents in the field, the Journal said.

- Trump rebuffed -

Trump will be briefed Friday by the heads of the CIA, FBI and DNI on the evidence behind their conclusion on Russia election interference. And a declassified version of a White House report on the case is expected to be released next week.

But he meanwhile rankled officials in both political parties and angered the intelligence community by his choice of Assange as a reference for his views.

In a radio interview Wednesday, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan branded Assange "a sycophant for Russia."

"He leaks, he steals data, and compromises national security."

Democratic Senator Mark Warner said Trump showed "frankly flabbergasting" disrespect for the intelligence officials.I think the most important thing the intelligence community can always do is speak truth to power," he told MSNBC.

"And it seems like perhaps the president-elect doesn't  want hear that truths  AFP,

The unit broke the $1,100 barrier on the Bitcoin Price Index, an average of major exchanges, to continue a dizzying rise that made it the best performing currency of 2016.

It has fluctuated wildly since it was created in 2009 and lost three quarters of its value when it plummeted from its previous BPI high of $1,165.89 in 2013.

And news of a major bitcoin theft by hackers in August sent its price plunging by more than 20 percent.

But analysts say its volatility will ease as volumes grow and point to a strengthening US dollar and tightening currency and capital controls, as well as the rise of the digital economy, as major factors.

The chaotic withdrawal of high value bills in India and restrictions on buying foreign currency in China as the yuan slides against the dollar have also stoked demand, analysts say.Exacerbating the rocketing demand is a tightening supply of fresh bitcoins.

The currency was always meant to have a finite number created, and more than three quarters of the planned 21 million bitcoins have already been 'mined'.

Encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers and then traded online or exchanged for goods and services.

Vinny Lingham, a bitcoin expert and CEO of US digital identity protection startup Civic, cited the strengthening dollar and uncertainty in emerging markets around US President-elect Donald Trump as boosting the currency's value. He has predicted bitcoin will be worth about $3,000 by the end of 2017.

"Bitcoin is reacting as a safe haven," he said.

Bitcoin now has a total market capitalisation of about $18 billion -- far more than other so-called "crypto-currencies" although a fraction of the value of other globally traded commodities.AFP