AP sources: Judge rules Pence must testify before grand jury
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that former Vice President Mike Pence will have to testify before a grand jury in the Justice Department's investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
AP sources: No more action from Trump grand jury this week
March 28, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The Manhattan grand jury that has been hearing testimony about hush money paid on Donald Trump’s behalf will not take up that inquiry again this week, meaning any potential vote on an indictment won’t happen until next week at the earliest, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Biden: GOP policies would surrender tech economy to China
March 28, 2023 GMTDURHAM, North Carolina (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Republicans' ideas for cutting the budget could undermine U.S. manufacturing and help China dominate the world economy.
McConnell opposes as Senate nears repeal of Iraq war powers
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he opposes repeal of the 2002 and 1991 authorizations of force against Iraq, arguing that that authority “bears directly on the threats we face today in Iraq and Syria from Iran-backed terrorists.”
Harris, in Africa, confronts painful past, envisions future
March 28, 2023 GMTCAPE COAST, Ghana (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday stepped through the black doors of a colonial-era seaside fort and down into the dungeons, touring a site where millions of enslaved Africans were held captive before they were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas.
US, Russia stop sharing nuke data under faltering New START
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia have stopped sharing biannual nuclear weapons data under the faltering New START treaty, the last arms control pact between the two countries, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
DeSantis team welcomes contrast with Trump ‘chaos’ candidacy
March 27, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Jim McKee is standing at the end of a line that snakes through five aisles of fiction inside the Books-A-Million store in Florida’s capital city.
He is smiling because in a matter of minutes, the book he’s holding will be signed by its author, Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor who McKee believes should be the nation’s next president.
Debt ceiling impasse: McCarthy presses Biden to negotiate
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Tuesday he's increasingly concerned about President Joe Biden's unwillingness to negotiate on lifting the nation's borrowing authority, saying in a letter to the president that the White House position could "hold dire ramifications for the entire nation.”
House GOP to subpoena Blinken over Afghanistan dissent cable
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans plan to deliver a subpoena to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday for classified cables related to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, marking an unprecedented effort to force the release of sensitive documents to Congress.
What is the filibuster, and why does it matter in Nebraska?
March 28, 2023 GMTLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A group of lawmakers is continuing this week to filibuster all bills that come before the Nebraska Legislature — even the ones they support — in protest over a bill that would ban gender-affirming treatments for minors.
N.C. board removes election officials who refused to certify
March 28, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s state elections board on Tuesday removed two local election officials who had refused to certify their county's 2022 results after officials determined they violated state law.
Feds offer $20K rewards in search for ex-Maryland official
March 28, 2023 GMTBALTIMORE (AP) — Federal authorities offered rewards of up to $20,000 Tuesday as their search continues for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s ex-chief of staff, two weeks after he failed to appear for trial on corruption charges.
40 killed in fire at immigration detention center in Mexico
March 28, 2023 GMTCIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — After migrants in northern Mexico placed mattresses against the bars of their detention cell and set them on fire, guards quickly walked away and made no apparent attempt to release the men before smoke filled the room and killed at least 40, surveillance video showed Tuesday.
Another effort to make NC sheriffs aid ICE approved by House
March 28, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's sheriffs would be required to help federal agents who are interested in picking up jail inmates they believe are in the country illegally in legislation approved by the state House on Tuesday.
Man accused of stabbing Senate staffer after prison release
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Senate staffer remained hospitalized Tuesday after police say he was attacked leaving a restaurant in Washington this weekend by a man who had been released from federal prison a day earlier.
Arkansas sues TikTok, Meta over privacy, child safety claims
March 28, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The state of Arkansas sued TikTok and Facebook parent Meta on Tuesday, claiming the social media companies were misleading consumers about the safety of children on their platforms and protections of users' private data.
3 dead, 13 missing in Caribbean sinking; 14 Africans saved
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — At least 14 people from the African nation of Cameroon were rescued from waters in the eastern Caribbean early Tuesday after their boat capsized, but three people were dead and 13 others missing, authorities in St.
Deadly fire highlights immigration pressures on Mexico
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — The fire that killed at least 40 people at an immigration detention center in Mexico happened as Western hemisphere countries face pressure to address the extraordinary number of people fleeing their homes.
Pakistan says it will skip US democracy summit amid turmoil
March 28, 2023 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan announced Tuesday it will not participate in this week's U.S.-led Summit for Democracy, a move seen in part as an effort by the impoverished Islamic nation to assuage longtime ally China, which was not invited.
MI5 hikes Northern Ireland terror threat level to ‘severe’
March 28, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — The U.K.’s MI5 intelligence service on Tuesday raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland’ to “severe” amid an increase in activity by dissident Irish republican militants.
Charleston church attack survivors push for hate crime bill
March 28, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Two survivors of a 2015 racist massacre that killed nine of their friends at a Charleston church told a group of state senators Tuesday that South Carolina's lack of a hate crimes law is an insult to what they suffered through at their Bible study.
After school shooting, Tenn. gun laws likely to remain lax
March 28, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — As Nashville residents reeled from a fatal grade school shooting that left six dead, a federal judge quietly cleared the way to drop the minimum age for Tennesseans to carry handguns publicly without a permit to 18 — just two years after a new law set the age at 21.
Military members file claims for fuel in Hawaii Navy water
March 28, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A Navy sailor, an Army colonel and an Army major are the first active-duty military members taking the initial step toward suing the U.S. government over jet fuel that contaminated drinking water in Hawaii.
Michigan attorney general says income tax cut is temporary
March 28, 2023 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Tuesday that an income tax rate reduction expected to be triggered for the 2023 tax year by the state's high revenues will be temporary and will revert back to the normal rate the following year.
EPA cites 2 oil and gas firms over Permian Basin pollution
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Two Texas companies have resolved Clean Air Act violations with the Environmental Protection Agency by agreeing to reduce emissions of planet-warming methane and other harmful pollutants wafting from the nation's largest oil and gas producing region.
Israel’s Netanyahu may have tough time saving judicial plan
March 28, 2023 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put his contentious judicial overhaul plan on hold this week, he vowed to pass the package through parliament “one way or another.” But he may have a hard time keeping that promise.
Israel’s Netanyahu: Mossad helped Greece uncover terror plot
March 28, 2023 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Tuesday said his country's intelligence agency Mossad helped Greece prevent a terrorist attack planned against at least one Jewish site in Athens.
Seattle, feds seek to end most oversight of city’s police
March 28, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and Seattle officials asked a judge Tuesday to end most federal oversight of the city’s police department, saying its sustained, decade-long reform efforts are a model for other cities whose law enforcement agencies face federal civil rights investigations.
French court refuses to extradite Italian former militants
March 28, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — France’s highest court ruled Tuesday against extraditing 10 former far-left militants who were convicted of attacks in Italy carried out in the 1970s and 1980s.
The two women and eight men fled Italy after their convictions and before they could be sent to prison.
German governing parties agree on energy, climate measures
March 28, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany’s three ruling parties announced Tuesday that they have an agreement on a series of energy and climate policies following weeks of infighting that threatened to paralyze the government.
US Supreme Court won’t review GOP’s Kansas congressional map
March 28, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court won't review a congressional redistricting law enacted by the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature that some voters and Democrats saw as political gerrymandering.
IOC details advice to let Russia, Belarus athletes return
March 28, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Some Russian athletes can soon return to international sports, although their status for next year's Paris Olympics is still up in the air.
The International Olympic Committee recommended Tuesday that individual athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to return to competition under a neutral status as long as they have no military links.
Clean Virginia offers endorsements, plans 8-figure spend
March 28, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Clean Virginia, the advocacy group formed to counter the influence of Dominion Energy at the state Capitol, rolled out 52 legislative endorsements Tuesday and announced plans to boost its spending by nearly $700,000, with more to come, to help those mostly Democratic candidates get elected.
Why does Russia want tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?
March 28, 2023 GMTRussian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that he intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus appears to be another attempt to raise the stakes in the conflict in Ukraine.
Montenegro’s president: EU’s neglect gave Russia a platform
March 28, 2023 GMTPODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro's pro-Western president criticized the European Union for allegedly allowing Russia to spread its influence in the Western Balkans, saying Tuesday that the volatile region has become a “platform” for anti-EU policies due to the bloc’s “negligence.”
DeSantis to visit Israel to speak at Jerusalem museum
March 28, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel to Jerusalem next month and speak at a museum event as Israel faces a spiraling domestic crisis, giving the potential 2024 presidential candidate a stage to tout his foreign policy credentials.
Georgia high court considers whether abortion law is void
March 28, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's highest court is considering whether the state's restrictive abortion law is void because it violated U.S.
US makes corporate transparency commitment with 20 nations
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen affirmed America’s commitment to enhancing corporate transparency along with more than 20 other countries participating in this week's Summit for Democracy.
US, New Mexico settle with oil company over emissions
March 28, 2023 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Texas oil company has reached a $6.2 million settlement with the federal government and the state of New Mexico to resolve air pollution violations.
State and federal environmental regulators announced the settlement with Matador Production Co. on Monday.
Lawmakers back Paris Olympic law despite surveillance fears
March 28, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — A proposed French law for the 2024 Paris Olympics that critics contend will open the door for privacy-busting video surveillance technology in France and elsewhere in Europe passed an important hurdle on Tuesday with lawmakers overwhelmingly voting for it.
Liberal outraises conservative in Wisconsin court race
March 28, 2023 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Democratic-funded candidate in Wisconsin's pivotal state Supreme Court contest has raised more than five times as much money as her Republican-backed opponent ahead of the April 4 election.
EU defends its Libya migrant work as UN points the finger
March 28, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday defended its work with migrants in Libya after U.N.-backed investigators accused the 27-nation bloc of abetting human rights abuses and other crimes in the largely lawless north African country.
Ukrainian president extends tour of war’s front-line areas
March 28, 2023 GMTOKHTYRKA, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president visited the Sumy region in northern Ukraine on Tuesday, continuing his tour over recent days of areas of the country that have felt the brunt of Russia’s full-scale invasion and as the stage increasingly looks set for a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Muslim leader for Scotland a sign of UK political diversity
March 28, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Humza Yousaf was confirmed as first minister of Scotland on Tuesday, becoming the first person of color to head the Scottish government, and the first Muslim national leader in any Western democracy.
Bill nears passage to ban outside election cash in Georgia
March 28, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's DeKalb County could keep its $2 million in private grant money to help run elections, under a bill nearing final passage. But the next Georgia local government official who accepts an outside election grant might end up a convicted felon.
Suu Kyi’s party ordered dissolved in military-ruled Myanmar
March 28, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The political party led by Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ordered dissolved by the military-appointed election commission on Tuesday because it failed to register for a planned general election, state television MRTV reported.
Wisconsin lawmakers approve settlement with factory farm
March 28, 2023 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature's finance committee approved a $215,000 deal Tuesday between the state Justice Department and a factory farm to settle pollution allegations.
IAEA head: Deal to protect Ukrainian nuclear plant ‘close’
March 28, 2023 GMTDNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — A deal to protect Europe's largest nuclear power plant from a catastrophic accident due to fighting in Ukraine could be “close,” the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday, but warned that intensified combat in the area has increased risks to the facility.
Amnesty: West’s ‘double standards’ fuel Mideast repression
March 28, 2023 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — A leading international rights group on Tuesday decried what it said were double standards by Western countries that have rallied behind a “robust response” to Russia's invasion of Ukraine but remain “lukewarm" on issues of human rights violations in the Middle East.
EU deal to move migrant children from Greece officially ends
March 28, 2023 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — A voluntary scheme by European Union member states to accept unaccompanied migrant children from Greece officially ended Tuesday, raising concern over delays still facing the bloc in hammering out a comprehensive new migration agreement.
US, UK sanction 6 Syria-linked amphetamine traffickers
March 28, 2023 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. and U.K. on Tuesday slapped sanctions on four Syrians and two Lebanese involved in manufacturing and trafficking the amphetamine drug Captagon, the two governments said. The six include cousins of Syrian President Bashar Assad and notorious Lebanese drug lynchpins.
UN says Afghan girls’ education activist arrested in Kabul
March 28, 2023 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — An Afghan rights activist who has campaigned for girls' education has been arrested in Kabul, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said Matiullah Wesa, founder and president of Pen Path — a local nongovernmental group that travels across Afghanistan with a mobile school and library — was arrested in the Afghan capital on Monday.
Georgia bill is latest GOP effort targeting prosecutors
March 28, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — A new Georgia commission to discipline and remove wayward prosecutors would be the latest move nationwide to ratchet up oversight on what Republicans see as “woke prosecutors” who aren't doing enough to fight crime.
Greek prime minister calls general election for May 21
March 28, 2023 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, called a May 21 general election Tuesday as his party’s long-standing lead in opinion polls has declined in the aftermath of the country’s worst train disaster.
China ambassador arrives in North Korea in sign of reopening
March 28, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday its new ambassador to North Korea has taken up his post, in a sign the North is reopening amid reports it has been suffering heavily from the COVID-19 pandemic and food shortages.
Russia says it test-fired anti-ship missiles in Sea of Japan
March 28, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Moscow test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, with two boats launching a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away.
Kim wants N. Korea to make more nuclear material for bombs
March 28, 2023 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for his nuclear scientists to increase production of weapons-grade material to make bombs to put on his increasing range of weapons.
Australian soldier charged over Afghan killing freed on bail
March 28, 2023 GMTSYDNEY (AP) — A former elite soldier charged with murder for allegedly killing an unarmed man in Afghanistan was released on bail Tuesday by a magistrate who concluded he would face danger from Muslim extremists in prison.
Idaho Senate passes ban on gender-affirming care for minors
March 28, 2023 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Senate on Monday voted 22-12 to pass a bill criminalizing gender-affirming healthcare for minors, one month after the state House passed similar legislation.
Georgia lawmakers: Localities must apply homeless camp bans
March 28, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers are telling cities and counties that they must enforce existing bans on public camping or sleeping by homeless people while saying local governments and hospitals can't dump homeless people in other counties without permission.
Butler pledges to lead Maryland State Police into “new era”
March 28, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Acting Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland Butler told lawmakers Monday he is committed to moving the agency “into a new era,” as some senators have questioned whether someone who has spent nearly three decades in the department is the right choice to lead reforms in an agency under a federal discrimination probe.
Christie: GOP needs someone who can quickly take down Trump
March 28, 2023 GMTMANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that Republicans need a candidate who can take out Donald Trump in a single, brutal swipe like the one Christie delivered to a different rival in 2016.
Voter abstention rises in Cuban National Assembly election
March 28, 2023 GMTHAVANA (AP) — Cuba's government reported Monday that abstention in National Assembly elections was 24.1%, a figure some analysts said reflects discontent with the island's economic crisis as well as a rise in apathy.
Fleming stars as `Nixon in China’ arrives at Paris Opera
March 27, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — After spending decades portraying generals' wives, a countess and a courtesan, Renée Fleming walked gingerly onto the stage of the Bastille Opera in a blond wig, red coat and black gloves to depict Pat Nixon, former first lady of the United States.
In Trump probe, key witness returns, no indictment vote yet
March 27, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A pivotal figure in the hush money payment investigation of Donald Trump returned on Monday to the building where a grand jury has been meeting for months, a repeat appearance suggesting his testimony could be key as prosecutors push toward potential criminal charges.
NJ takes over Paterson police after crisis worker’s shooting
March 27, 2023 GMTNew Jersey's attorney general said Monday that his office has taken control of the police department in the state's third-largest city, Paterson, less than a month after officers there fatally shot a well-known crisis intervention worker during a tense standoff.
Kansas high court signals continued abortion rights support
March 27, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ highest court signaled Monday that it still considers access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state constitution, as an attorney for the state argued that a decisive statewide vote last year affirming abortion rights “doesn't matter."
North Dakota to exempt military pay from income taxes
March 27, 2023 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill Monday that exempts military pay from state income taxes for active duty, National Guard and Reserve members.
Under this bill, North Dakota service members’ income taxes are estimated to drop by $4 million between 2023 and 2025, the governor's office said.
Indiana bill banning gender-affirming care sent to governor
March 27, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana House Republicans on Monday approved a bill that would ban all gender-affirming care for minors in the state, sending the measure to Indiana's Republican governor amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the U.S.
N. Carolina governor signs Medicaid expansion bill into law
March 27, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed a Medicaid expansion law that was a decade in the making and gives the Democrat a legacy-setting victory, although one significant hurdle remains before coverage can be implemented, thanks to a Republican-backed provision.
Panel exploring changes to state seal ready to resume work
March 27, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — The stalled effort to come up with alternatives to the Massachusetts state motto and seal, condemned as racist by many for its depiction of the state's Indigenous peoples, is regaining momentum.
Biden’s moves on Alaska drilling, TikTok test young voters
March 27, 2023 GMTTEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Recent moves by President Joe Biden to pressure TikTok over its Chinese ownership and approve oil drilling in an untapped area of Alaska are testing the loyalty of young voters, a group that’s largely been in his corner.
UN Security Council won’t probe Nord Stream blasts
March 27, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Monday declined a Russian request to investigate the blasts on the pipelines that move natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea.
DeSantis signs bill expanding school voucher program
March 27, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation to allow all K-12 students in the state to get taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, continuing a focus on education as he prepares to launch an expected Republican presidential campaign.
Supreme Court skeptical of man who offered adult adoptions
March 27, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed inclined Monday to rule against a man convicted of violating immigration law for offering adult adoptions he falsely claimed would lead to citizenship.
South Dakota gov’s veto of cryptocurrency regulations upheld
March 27, 2023 GMTSouth Dakota's House failed Monday to override Gov. Kristi Noem's recent veto of a bill that would have created government regulations for the use of cryptocurrency in the state.
The bill had passed smoothly throughout the legislature, and Noem's veto of last week was upheld on a 37-30 vote.
Zelenskyy, atomic agency chief discuss nuclear plant fears
March 27, 2023 GMTZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — The U.N.'s atomic energy chief warned during a meeting Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the perilous situation at Europe’s largest nuclear plant “isn’t getting any better” as relentless fighting in the area keeps the facility at risk of a disaster.
Key takeaways from AP’s report on China’s influence in Utah
March 27, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — China's global influence campaign has been surprisingly robust and successful in Utah, an investigation by The Associated Press has found.
Hungarian parliament approves Finland’s bid to join NATO
March 27, 2023 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s parliament on Monday approved Finland’s bid to join NATO, putting an end to months of delays and bringing the Nordic country one step closer to becoming a full member of the Western military alliance.
Harris pledges aid to Ghana amid security, economic concerns
March 27, 2023 GMTACCRA, Ghana (AP) — With fears of terrorism and Russian mercenaries rippling through West Africa, Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday opened her weeklong trip to the continent by vowing support for Ghana, a democratic pillar in the region that’s being squeezed by an economic crisis and security concerns.