Hunter Biden’s lawyers rest their defense in his trial on federal gun charges
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden’s lawyers have rested their defense case in the criminal trial of the president’s son, who’s accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun in 2018. The defense rested without calling Hunter Biden to the witness stand. Defendants aren’t required to testify at their trials and are often advised by their lawyers not to do so because it can open them up to grilling by prosecutors on cross-examination. Hunter Biden is charged with three felonies stemming from the October 2018 purchase of a gun he had for about 11 days. Prosecutors say he lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
The far right’s election gains rattle EU’s traditional powers, leading Macron to call snap polls
BRUSSELS (AP) — Far-right parties rattled the traditional powers in the European Union with major gains in parliamentary seats, dealing an especially humiliating defeat to French President Emmanuel Macron, who called snap legislative elections. Some ballots in the vote for the European Parliament were still being counted Monday, but the outcome showed the 27-nation bloc’s parliament membership has clearly shifted to the right. The Christian Democrats of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remained by far the biggest group and de facto brokers of the ever-expanding powers of the legislature. But the surge by nationalist and populist parties will make it much harder for the assembly to approve legislation on issues ranging from climate change to agriculture policy.
The main takeaways after the far right rocks European politics, sparking a snap election in France
BRUSSELS (AP) — A four-day election has shaken the European Union’s parliament to its foundations. Hard right parties rocked ruling parties in France and Germany, the EU’s main driving forces. France faces snap national elections in just three weeks. The party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which has neo-fascist roots, won more than 28% of the national vote for the EU assembly, which would make it a key player in forming future alliances. Still, the center has held. Pro-European parties remain the biggest in the 27-nation bloc’s assembly. But it will be harder to pass laws and do business there for the next five years. Environmentalist Greens and pro-business liberal groups suffered heavy defeats.
Blinken returns to Mideast as Israel-Hamas cease-fire proposal hangs in balance after hostage rescue
CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to the Middle East as a proposed Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal hangs in the balance following the dramatic rescue of four Israeli hostages in Gaza. With no firm response yet from Hamas or Israel to the proposal they received 10 days ago, Blinken on Monday started his eighth urgent diplomatic mission to the region since the conflict began in October. He has already met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo and will now travel to Israel, Jordan and Qatar. While he and other U.S. officials have praised the hostage rescue, the operation resulted in the deaths of a large number of civilians and may complicate the cease-fire push.
What does Israel’s rescue of 4 captives, and the killing of 274 Palestinians, mean for truce talks?
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s dramatic rescue of four hostages from inside the Gaza Strip, in an operation that health officials say killed 274 Palestinians, comes at a sensitive time in the 8-month-old war. Israel and Hamas are weighing an American-backed proposal for a cease-fire and the release of the remaining captives. Both sides face renewed pressure to make a deal: For Israel, the complex rescue is unlikely to be replicated on a scale needed to bring back scores of remaining hostages. Hamas now has four fewer bargaining chips. But they could also dig in, as they repeatedly have over months of indirect negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Centrist Benny Gantz is quitting Israel’s war Cabinet, citing frustrations with Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (AP) — Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-man war Cabinet, has announced his resignation, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of mismanaging the war effort and putting his own “political survival” over the country’s security needs. The move does not immediately pose a threat to Netanyahu, who still controls a majority coalition in parliament. But he becomes more heavily reliant on far-right allies who oppose the latest U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal and want to press ahead with the war. Gantz joined Netanyahu’s government shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. His presence boosted Israel’s credibility with its international partners. Gantz had previously said he would leave the government by June 8 if Netanyahu didn’t formulate a plan for postwar Gaza.
Trump to make taped remarks to a Christian group that calls for abortion to be ‘eradicated entirely’
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donald Trump will make a virtual appearance before a Christian group that calls for abortion to be “eradicated entirely,” as the Republican front-runner has repeatedly taken credit for the overturning of national abortion rights but said he wants to leave the issue to the states. The former president pre-recorded a video that will be shown at an event Monday put on by The Danbury Institute, which is meeting in Indianapolis. The organization says on its website that it “will not rest” until abortion “is eradicated entirely.” Trump has said he’s proud of appointing Supreme Court justices who played a role in overturning Roe v. Wade and that it’s “a beautiful thing” to watch the states decide the issue.
Nevada has a plan to expand electronic voting. That concerns election security experts
SCHURZ, Nevada (AP) — Voting on reservations across the country has historically been exceedingly difficult, with tribal voters sometimes having to travel long distances to their polling place or facing barriers because they don’t have a physical address. In Nevada, the state has now granted tribes a new right that advocates hope will greatly expand voting access — the ability to cast ballots electronically. But what some see as a small measure of justice to equalize voting rights for a people long disenfranchised raises security concerns for others, with potential implications far beyond Nevada’s 28 tribal communities.
Apple expected to enter AI race with ambitions to overtake the early leaders
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference on Monday is expected to herald the company’s move into generative artificial intelligence, marking its late arrival to a technological frontier that’s expected to be as revolutionary as the invention of the iPhone. The widely anticipated display of AI to be embedded on the iPhone a will be the marquee moment at an event that previews the next version of software that powers the company’s hardware lineup. And Apple’s next generation of software is expected to be packed with an array of AI designed spruce up its virtual assistant Siri and make many other tasks a more satisfying and perhaps even revelatory experience.
What’s the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage, and why is it significant for Muslims?
Once a year, Muslims coming to Saudi Arabia unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam. As they fulfill a religious obligation, they immerse themselves in what can be a profound spiritual experience of a lifetime and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. For the pilgrims, Hajj is also seen as an opportunity to grow closer to God and to walk in the footsteps of prophets. Hajj unites Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and economic classes in performing rituals together.
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