Defense rests without ex-President Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers have rested their defense without the ex-president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial. The jury was sent home Tuesday until May 28, when closing arguments are expected. Trump did not stop to speak as he left the courthouse and ignored a question about why he wasn’t testifying. The first former American president to be tried criminally had previously said he wanted to take the witness stand to defend himself. Prosecutors have accused the Republican ex-president of a scheme to bury negative stories to fend off damage to his 2016 campaign and falsifying internal business records to cover it up. Trump denies wrongdoing.
Israel tries to contain the fallout after some allies support ICC prosecutor’s request for warrants
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is seeking to contain the fallout from a request by the chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. The move was supported by three European countries, including key ally France. Belgium, Slovenia and France each said Monday they backed the decision by International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. While no one faces imminent arrest, the announcement deepens Israel’s global isolation at a time when it is facing growing criticism from even its closest allies over the war in Gaza.
Mourners begin days of funerals for Iran’s president and others killed in helicopter crash
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Mourners began gathering Tuesday for days of funerals and processions for Iran’s late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash. For Iran’s Shiite theocracy, mass demonstrations have been crucial since millions thronged the streets of Tehran to welcome Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. Whether President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others draw large crowds remains in question, particularly as Raisi died in a helicopter crash, won his office in the lowest-turnout election in the country’s history and presided over crackdowns on all dissent. Prosecutors have warned people over celebrating his death and a heavy security force presence has been seen on the streets of Tehran since the crash.
Election deniers moving closer to GOP mainstream, report shows, as Trump allies fill Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Donald Trump makes a comeback bid to return to power, Republicans in Congress have become even more likely to cast doubts on President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. A new report from States United Action, a group that targets election deniers, says nearly one-third of the lawmakers in Congress supported in some way Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 presidential results. Several more are running for election this year to the House and Senate. Lizzie Ulmer of States United Action says the public should have a “real healthy dose of concern.” It’s not happening just in Congress. Prominent election deniers also now run the Republican National Committee.
Trump or Biden? Either way, US seems poised to preserve heavy tariffs on imports
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Donald Trump agree on essentially nothing, from taxes and climate change to immigration and regulation. Yet on trade policy, the two presumptive presidential nominees have embraced surprisingly similar approaches. Which means that whether Biden or Trump wins the presidency, the United States seems poised to maintain a protectionist trade policy — a policy that experts say could feed inflation pressures. The protectionist tilt of the two presidential contenders reflects the widespread view that opening the nation to more imports — especially from China — wiped out American manufacturing jobs and shuttered factories. It’s an especially potent political topic in the Midwestern industrial states that will likely decide who wins the White House.
British man may have suffered fatal heart attack when turbulence hit Singapore Airlines flight
BANGKOK (AP) — Singapore Airlines says one of its flights has hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean and descended 6,000 feet or around 1,800 meters in a span of about three minutes. A British man died and more than two dozen other passengers were injured. The flight was then diverted and landed in stormy weather in Bangkok. Authorities said Tuesday that the 73-year-old British man may have suffered a heart attack. But that hasn’t been confirmed. His name wasn’t immediately released. The Boeing 777 flight from London’s Heathrow airport to Singapore had 211 passengers and 18 crew members aboard. It landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Police break up pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Police have broken up a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Michigan less than a week after demonstrators showed up at the home of a school official and placed fake body bags on her lawn. Before dawn Tuesday, officers wearing helmets with face shields cleared the Diag, known for decades as a historic site for campus protests. Video posted online shows police forcing protesters to retreat by spraying what appears to be an irritant. Protesters want the school’s endowment to stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. The university insists it has no direct investments. Drexel University in Philadelphia is also threatening to clear an encampment on campus.
Macron is making a surprise trip to New Caledonia amid deadly unrest and indigenous frustration
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is making a surprise trip to New Caledonia, the French Pacific territory that has been gripped by days of deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence. Six people have been killed, including two gendarmes, and hundreds of others injured in New Caledonia during armed clashes, looting and arson, raising new questions about Macron’s handling of France’s colonial legacy. There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who seek independence for the archipelago of 270,000 people, and descendants of colonizers and others who want to remain part of France.
Indian voters dissect Modi’s politics while traversing the country by train
ABOARD THE THIRUKKURAL EXPRESS, India (AP) — The Associated Press rode one of the longest trains in India — 1,800 miles from New Delhi to Kanyakumari — to interview voters about an election that will be decided in June. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to win and reappoint Prime Minister Narendra Modi — the leader for the past decade — for another five years. A man who runs a food stall said Modi isn’t doing enough for the poor. A Muslim man said Modi’s Hindu-centric policies are hurtful and divisive. But many passengers said they supported Modi, and credited him with improving India’s economy and its global image.
Seoul AI summit opens with companies including Google, Meta, OpenAI pledging to develop AI safely
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The world’s leading artificial intelligence companies pledged at the start of a mini summit on AI to develop the technology safely, including pulling the plug if they can’t rein in the most extreme risks. Some 16 AI companies made voluntary committments to AI safety as the talks got underway. World leaders are expected to hammer out further agreements on artificial intelligence when they gather virtually Tuesday to discuss AI’s potential risks but also ways to promote its benefits and innovation. The two-day AI Seoul Summit co-hosted by the South Korean and U.K. governments is a follow-up to November’s AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
