Jurors in Trump’s hush money trial zero in on testimony of key witnesses as deliberations resume
NEW YORK (AP) — The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is to resume deliberations after asking to rehear potentially crucial testimony about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case. The 12-person jury met for about 4 1/2 hours of deliberations on Wednesday without reaching a verdict. They’ll return on Thursday. Besides asking to rehear testimony from a tabloid publisher and Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, the jury also requested to revisit at least part of the judge’s hourlong instructions that were meant to guide them on the law.
Israel says it’s taken control of key area of Gaza’s border with Egypt awash in smuggling tunnels
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military says it’s seized control of a strategic corridor that runs along the length of Gaza’s border with Egypt. The capture on Wednesday gives Israel control over a strip of land that it says is awash in smuggling tunnels that have bolstered the militant Hamas group. But it could complicate relations with Egypt, which has warned against an increase of Israeli troops in the area. The move comes as Israel has deepened its incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. A top Israeli official meanwhile warned that the war could stretch through the end of the year.
The US-built pier in Gaza broke apart. Here’s how we got here and what might be next
WASHINGTON (AP) — A string of security, logistical and weather problems has battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a U.S. military-built pier. Broken apart by strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational, the project faces criticism it hasn’t lived up to its initial billing or its $320 million price tag. U.S. officials say, however, that the pier is being repaired, then will be reinstalled and working again soon. Aid groups have mixed reactions, welcoming the aid yet calling the pier a distraction that takes pressure off Israel to open more land routes. The Biden administration has said from the start that the pier wasn’t meant to be a total solution.
14 pro-democracy activists convicted, 2 acquitted in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has convicted 14 pro-democracy activists in the city’s biggest national security case under a law imposed by Beijing that has all but wiped out public dissent. Those found guilty Thursday included former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting. But the judges acquitted two former district councilors Lee Yue-shun and Lawrence Lau. They were among 47 democracy advocates who were prosecuted in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary election. Prosecutors had accused them of attempting to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and topple the city’s leader by securing the legislative majority necessary to indiscriminately veto budgets.
To recuse or refuse? A look at Supreme Court justices’ decisions on whether to step aside in cases
WASHINGTON (AP) — In declining to step aside from two high-profile Supreme Court cases, Justice Samuel Alito has provided a rare window on the opaque process by which justices decide to recuse themselves. Alito faced calls from Democrats to step aside from two cases involving former President Donald Trump and Jan. 6 defendants because of the controversy over flags that flew over his homes. Alito said Wednesday that his wife was responsible for flying the flags, which were like those carried by rioters at the Capitol in January 2021. In letters to members of Congress, Alito wrote that his impartiality could not reasonably be questioned. The explanation is unlikely to satisfy Democratic critics, but they have little recourse.
A violent, polarized Mexico goes to the polls to choose between 2 women presidential candidates
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico goes into Sunday’s election deeply divided: friends and relatives no longer talk politics for fear of worsening unbridgeable divides. Drug cartels have divided the country into a patchwork quilt of warring fiefdoms. The atmosphere is literally heating up, amid a wave of unusual heat, drought, pollution and political violence. It’s unclear whether Mexico’s next president — both major-party candidates are female — will be able to rein in the underlying violence and polarization. Soledad Echagoyen, a Mexico City doctor who supports President AndrĂ©s Manuel LĂłpez Obrador’s Morena party, says she can no longer talk about politics with her colleagues, noting “there have been personal attacks already.”
Iran opens registration period for the presidential election after a helicopter crash killed Raisi
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has opened a five-day registration period for hopefuls wanting to run in the June 28 presidential election. The winner will replace the late Ebrahim Raisi who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month with seven others. The election comes as Iran grapples with the aftermath of the May 19 crash. There’s also heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S. and protests including those over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini that have swept the country. The 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei maintains final say over all matters of state. But presidents in the past have bent the Islamic Republic of Iran toward greater interaction or increased hostility with the West. The registration that began Thursday will run for five days.
A nurse honored for compassion is fired after referring to Gaza ‘genocide’ in speech
NEW YORK (AP) — A nurse was fired by a New York City hospital after she referred to Israel’s war in Gaza as “genocide” during a speech accepting an award. Hesen Jabr was being honored by NYU Langone Health for her compassion in caring for mothers who had lost babies when she drew a link between her work and the suffering of mothers in Gaza. Jabr said that Palestinian women are going through unimaginable losses “during the current genocide in Gaza,” She was fired the next time she reported for work. A spokesperson for NYU Langone said some of Jabr’s colleagues were upset by her comments.
At 100, this vet says the ‘greatest generation’ moniker fits ‘because we saved the world.’
HELEN, Ga. (AP) — Andy Negra Jr. proudly lays claim to being among the last of what is known as “The Greatest Generation.” The World War II veteran, who lives in Helen, Georgia, just turned 100. He was part of the 128th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 6th Armored Division. His unit landed on Utah Beach in Normandy on July 18, 1944. He later fought in the battle to retake the important French Port city of Brest. And he served during the Occupation of Germany. His plans for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion include a visit where he survived a strafing by German planes.
‘Star Trek’ actor George Takei is determined to keep telling his Japanese American story
TOKYO (AP) — The incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, including children, who were labeled enemies during World War II, has traumatized and galvanized the Japanese American community over the decades. For George Takei, who portrayed Hikaru Sulu aboard the USS Enterprise in the “Star Trek” franchise, it’s a story he is determined to keep telling at every opportunity. Takei has a new picture book out about his family’s wartime experience, called “My Lost Freedom.” He says he fears the lessons about the failure of American democracy still haven’t been fully learned, even among Japanese Americans, and especially in younger generations.
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