Trump says he’s joining Bessent and Lutnick for trade negotiations with Japanese at the White House
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s joining some of his top economic advisers on Wednesday for negotiations at the White House over tariffs and trade with a top Japanese official who is traveling to Washington for the talks. The Republican president said in a post on his social media...
Russian glide bombs and artillery strike a Ukrainian city, killing 1
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian glide bombs and artillery struck a city in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding five others as Moscow forces continued daily attacks across the country. The city of Kherson was struck with glide bombs on Wednesday morning, and when rescue teams arrived at...
Pa. Gov. Shapiro was targeted for ‘what he wants to do to Palestinian people,’ warrant shows
The suspect in the arson attack at the Governor’s Residence targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because of his perceived stance on Palestine, according to a search warrant obtained by PennLive. The suspect, Cody Balmer, called 911 following the attack early Sunday, identified himself by name and told operators Shapiro needs...
U.K.’s top court says definition of a woman is based on biological sex and excludes transgender people
LONDON — The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a woman is someone born biologically female, excluding transgender people from the legal definition in a long-running dispute between a feminist group and the Scottish government. Several women’s groups that supported the appeal celebrated outside court and hailed it as a...
China’s economy grows at 5.4% annual pace in January-March quarter
BANGKOK — China’s economy expanded at a 5.4% annual pace in January-March, supported by strong exports ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s rapid increases in tariffs on Chinese exports, the government said Wednesday. Analysts are forecasting that the world’s second largest economy will slow significantly in coming months, however, as...
IRS agent who investigated Hunter Biden expected to be named IRS acting chief
CHICAGO — An IRS whistleblower who testified publicly about investigations into Hunter Biden’s taxes is expected to be promoted to IRS acting commissioner, two sources familiar with the plan tell The Associated Press. Gary Shapley, an IRS employee who testified to Congress as Republicans reviewed the business dealings of Joe...
Marjorie Taylor Greene laughs off protests to deliver pro-Trump message at Georgia town hall
ACWORTH, Ga. — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene came to a town hall in suburban Atlanta on Tuesday night to deliver a full-throated support of President Donald Trump, and she wasn’t letting the protesters faze her — not even the one who was wrestled to the ground by police and...
Wink Martindale, the genial game-show host and an early TV interviewer of Elvis Presley, dies at 91
LOS ANGELES — Wink Martindale, the genial host of such hit game shows as “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough” who also did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young Elvis Presley, has died. He was 91. Martindale died Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California, according to his...
White House threatens Colombia over regulations affecting U.S. auto exports
BOGOTA, Colombia — The White House is urging Colombia to halt the implementation of new auto safety regulations that could jeopardize American car exports to Colombia, as both nations prepare to discuss tariffs recently imposed on Colombian products including coffee, avocados, flowers and oil. In a letter to Colombia’s Ministry...
Pentagon senior adviser Dan Caldwell ousted during investigation into leaks
WASHINGTON — Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been placed on administrative leave and was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday, two defense officials said. The officials said Caldwell’s sudden downfall was tied to an investigation into unauthorized disclosure of department information....
Army and Air Force libraries are ordered to review books for DEI material
WASHINGTON — Army and Air Force libraries have been told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to new memos obtained by The Associated Press. The orders from service leaders come about two weeks after the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland,...
NATO chief reaffirms support for Ukraine during visit to port city of Odesa
ODESA, Ukraine — NATO’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering,” the alliance’s secretary-general said Tuesday, emphasizing that more than $22 billion in security assistance has already been pledged by NATO allies in the first three months of the year. Mark Rutte spoke on Tuesday in Ukraine’s port city of Odesa, where...
4 journalists accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism
MOSCOW — A Russian court on Tuesday convicted four journalists of extremism for working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and sentenced them to 5½ years in prison each. Antonina Favorskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger were found guilty of involvement with...
Another U.S. aircraft carrier in Mideast waters ahead of second round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A second U.S. aircraft carrier is operating in Mideast waters ahead of the next round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, satellite photos analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press showed. The operation of the USS Carl Vinson...
Ranchers cautiously optimistic Trump’s tariffs will boost demand for cattle
OMAHA, Neb. — Rancher Brett Kenzy hopes President Donald Trump’s tariffs will make imported beef expensive enough that Americans will turn to cattle raised at home for all their hamburgers and steaks. That might raise prices enough to give Kenzy and others the incentive they need to expand their herds...
Kim Kardashian will testify in a trial over a 2016 robbery that targeted her in Paris
PARIS — Kim Kardashian will testify in person at an upcoming trial over a 2016 heist in Paris in which armed robbers allegedly tied her up and locked her in a bathroom while they stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry, her lawyer said Tuesday. Ten suspects accused of armed...
Israeli airstrike hits hospital entrance in Gaza, killing medic and wounding 9
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the northern gate of a field hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing a medic and wounding nine other people, a spokesman for the hospital said. The strike hit the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of...
As dementia rates increase, experts warn hospital emergency rooms are underprepared
AURORA, Ill. — At her mother’s home in Illinois, Tracy Balhan flips through photos of her dad, Bill Speer. In one picture, he’s smiling in front of a bucket of sweating beers and wearing a blue T-shirt that reads, “Pops. The man. The myth. The legend.” Balhan’s father died last...
Buffalo teacher placed on leave after mistakingly giving students THC gummies
A New York teacher has been placed on administrative leave after giving her students edible THC gummies that she mistook for Sour Patch kids. The incident happened at William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence in Buffalo, N.Y., according to WKBW. The edibles were packaged to look like regular candy, police...
Man accused of trying to kill Gov. Shapiro lost his home, tried suicide, was melting down
There was a time in Cody Balmer’s life where, from the outside, you might say things were on an even keel. He was a married homeowner, working full-time as an auto mechanic at a well-regarded shop, and a fixture at his kid’s youth sports events. “Always seemed like a hardworking...
Xi makes a case for free trade, presenting China as a source of ‘stability and certainty’
BANGKOK — China’s Xi is making the case for free trade as he tours Southeast Asia this week, presenting China as a source of “stability and certainty.” On Monday, he was welcomed to Hanoi with pomp and ceremony by Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong. He arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital,...
Iranian supreme leader expresses endorsement of talks with U.S.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader said Tuesday that the first round of talks with the United States went “well,” in his first public comment on the negotiations, state television reported. The comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while couched, represented his endorsement of the talks so...
Japan’s chief trade negotiator to visit Washington for tariff talks this week
TOKYO — Japan’s chief trade negotiator will visit the United States this week for talks aimed at convincing U.S. President Donald Trump to remove tariff measures against the East Asian country, officials said Tuesday. Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa will be in Washington from Wednesday to Friday for talks with...
Officials work to uncover the motive for fire set at Pa. governor’s residence
HARRISBURG — Investigators worked Tuesday to uncover the motive behind an arson fire over the weekend at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion, the latest act of political violence in the U.S. They dug into Cody Balmer’s background after, authorities say, he scaled an iron security fence in the middle of...
South Korea to boost support of semiconductor industry in the face of Trump’s tariffs
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Tuesday it will expand its financial support package for its crucial semiconductor industry to about $23 billion in part of efforts to address uncertainties posed by the Trump administration’s tariff hikes. The package represents roughly a 26% increase from the nearly $18 billion...
