TRUMP CHARITY NEVER OK’D FOR DONATIONS

Donald Trump’s charitable foundation — which has been sustained for years by donors outside the Trump family — has never obtained the certification that New York requires before charities can solicit money from the public, according to the state attorney general’s office.

Under the laws in New York, where the Donald J. Trump Foundation is based, any charity that solicits more than $25,000 per year from the public must obtain a special kind of registration beforehand. Charities as large as Trump’s must submit to a rigorous annual audit that asks — among other things — whether the charity spent money for the personal benefit of its officers. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

U.N. warns of “merciless abyss” in Aleppo. Syrian

government forces continued their push into rebelheld districts of Aleppo on Thursday as international officials issued dire warnings of an ongoing humanitarian disaster in Syria’s largest city. The U.N.’s humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, told the Security Council that the conditions in eastern Aleppo, which is besieged and assaulted by all sides by government forces, had descended into the “merciless abyss of humanitarian catastrophe.”

Governor approves gender-neutral restrooms

B sacramento, calif.» Gov. Jerry Brown waded further into the national debate over transgender rights Thursday as he signed a bill requiring that all single-stall toilets in California be designated as gender-neutral.

The measure requires that businesses and governments post non-gender-specific signs on single-occupant restrooms by March 1.

Yosemite chief to retire

B fresno, calif.» The head of Yosemite National Park will retire after employees complained he created a hostile workplace by allowing bullying, harassment and misconduct — allegations that have been made in other national parks, officials said Thursday. Superintendent Don Neubacher announced his plan Wednesday in an e-mail to employees. He said administrators decided it was time for new leadership and offered to transfer him to Denver as a senior adviser.

Ex-CIA official to head new bureau for background checks B

washington» Charles Phalen Jr., former CIA security director, has been chosen to head the National Background Investigations Bureau, set up after last year’s massive government data breach at the Office of Personnel Management, officials said Thursday.