Trump hush money trial enters new phase after defense rests without testimony from former president
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money trial has moved into a new phase, drawing closer to the moment when the jury will begin deciding his fate. Testimony concluded Tuesday, and the former president did not take the witness stand in his own defense. The jury was sent home for a week, until May 28, when closing arguments are expected. But the attorneys returned to the courtroom to debate how the judge will instruct jurors on deliberations. The two sides haggled over word choices, legal phrases and how to describe various campaign-related issues. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records.
Biden, Trump win Kentucky primaries as presidential nominating season nears its end
The presidential primaries that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have already clinched are moving closer to their end. Biden and Trump won primaries in Kentucky Tuesday, and voters in Oregon also had their chance to weigh in. The symbolic decisions provide a few more delegates to the national conventions and a gut check on where the Democratic and Republican bases stand toward their standard-bearers as the presidential nominating season nears its end. Even after they secured the nominations and their rivals dropped out, Biden and Trump have continued facing dissent from within their own parties. After Tuesday, eight presidential nominating contests will remain.
UN halts all food distribution in Rafah after running out of supplies in the southern Gaza city
CAIRO (AP) — The United Nations says it has suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity. It also said no aid trucks entered via a pier set up by the U.S. for sea deliveries for the past two days. The U.N. has not specified how many people remain in Rafah after the Israeli military launched an intensified assault there on May 6, but they appear to number several hundred thousand. Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the U.N’s World Food Program, warned that “humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse.” She said that if food and other supplies don’t resume entering Gaza in “in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread.”
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.
Storms spin up tornadoes in Iowa that cause injuries, topple wind turbines
GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Powerful storms that rolled through the Midwest spun up multiple tornadoes, including a fierce twister that smashed through a small Iowa town. It carved a bleak landscape in the town of Greenfield of destroyed homes and businesses, toppled trees, smashed cars and widely strewn debris, and it caused an unknown number of injuries Tuesday. An Iowa State Patrol spokesman says multiple people were injured in Greenfield, a town of about 2,000 around 55 miles southwest of Des Moines. The storms had pummeled much of Nebraska earlier, and in Iowa they spawned tornadoes that toppled several 250-foot wind turbines.
DOJ adds Oklahoma to the list of states it’s suing to block their immigration laws
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Oklahoma over a new state law that seeks to impose criminal penalties on those living in the state illegally. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Oklahoma City. It names Gov. Kevin Stitt and state Attorney General Gentner Drummond as defendants. Oklahoma is among several GOP-led states jockeying to push deeper into immigration enforcement. Similar laws in Texas and Iowa already are facing legal challenges, and other GOP-led states have passed measures seeking to crack down on migrants. Oklahoma’s law would impose penalties of up to two years in state prison. It is set to take effect July 1.
Ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to felony charges in Arizona election interference case
PHOENIX (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges stemming from his role in an effort to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Arizona to Joe Biden. Giuliani appeared remotely for the arraignment that was held in a Phoenix courtroom. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 17, about three weeks before the U.S. election. His plea follows a not guilty plea by former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward for the same charges. Ward and nine other people were arraigned in a Phoenix courtroom on conspiracy, forgery and fraud charges. The Tuesday arraignments were the second held in the case.
Israel’s block of AP transmission shows how ambiguity in law could restrict war coverage
NEW YORK (AP) — The shutdown and seizure by Israel of an Associated Press video camera that provided a live glimpse into Gaza raised concerns about how a new media law could be used to restrict war coverage. Israel returned AP’s equipment as international pressure mounted, but it didn’t ease concerns about its media policies. The Israeli government said AP was violating a law that bans the satellite network Al Jazeera. It’s the latest move by Israel during its war with Hamas that has alarmed media experts. After widespread condemnation, including a call by the Biden administration on Israel to back off, authorities would later return AP’s equipment.
What is in-flight turbulence, and when does it become dangerous for passengers and crews?
NEW YORK (AP) — The death of a British man and injuries impacting dozens of other people aboard a Singapore Airlines flight have highlighted the potential dangers of flying through extreme turbulence. The exact cause of the man’s death is under investigation. Based on witness accounts and the number of injuries, experts pointed Tuesday to the significant safety hazards that in-flight turbulence poses to airline passengers and crews. While fatalities are rare, injuries have piled up over the years. Some meteorologists and aviation analysts note that reports of turbulence encounters also have increased and point to the effects of climate change on flying conditions as a possible reason. They advise passengers to keep seat belts fastened in the air.
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.
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