By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, ERIC TUCKER and JILL COLVIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is “innocent” and did not break the law, a lawyer for the former president told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday as the landmark hush money trial moved closer to its conclusion. The arguments, expected to last
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Closing arguments in Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial have begun, giving prosecutors and defense lawyers one final opportunity to convince the jury of their respective cases before deliberations begin. Arguments are expected to last all day Tuesday with jury deliberations starting as early as Wednesday. Prosecutors say the former president
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place lawyer Michael Avenatti’s conviction for plotting to extort up to $25 million from Nike. The justices did not comment in rejecting an appeal from Avenatti, who rose to fame representing porn actor Stormy Daniels in litigation against former President Donald Trump. The timing of
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place lawyer Michael Avenatti’s conviction for plotting to extort up to $25 million from Nike. The justices did not comment in rejecting an appeal from Avenatti, who rose to fame representing porn actor Stormy Daniels in litigation against former President Donald Trump. The timing of
Continue ReadingBy NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. The ruckus that ensued underscored how the church’s official teaching about homosexuality often bumps up against the unacknowledged reality that
Continue ReadingBy John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined an appeal from disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti, who argued that his extortion conviction was based on a vague anti-corruption law that shouldn’t apply to lawyers making settlement demands. Best known for representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Avenatti was sentenced to a 30-month
Continue ReadingWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister says the NATO nation should not exclude the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and should keep Russian President Vladimir Putin in suspense over whether such a decision would ever be made. Radek Sikorski made the comments in an interview published Tuesday in the Gazeta Wyborcza daily. The
Continue ReadingLAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s former premier Nawaz Sharif has been re-elected president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party. He last held the position in 2017, when he was ousted from power amid corruption allegations. The PML-N came into power with the Feb. 8 elections that Sharif’s key rival, former premier Imran Khan, alleged
Continue ReadingBy STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is listless on Tuesday, coming back from a three-day weekend, and is drifting near its record heights. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in early trading, just below its record set a week ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 115 points,
Continue ReadingBy SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Supporters of former President Donald Trump who are trying to force a recall election targeting Wisconsin’s top elected Republican say they have enough signatures after their first effort came up short. They’re targeting Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the longest-serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin history, after he
Continue ReadingBy MIKE SILVERMAN Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An uneasy orchestral prelude sets the mood: muffled percussion, brooding woodwinds, anguished strings. The curtain rises and the first voices we hear are of two young men cowering in the shadows. “I … I … I can’t ….go to work,” one stammers in German. “I can’t
Continue ReadingBEVERLY, Mass. (AP) — The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a “Jaws”-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ+ people and diversity. The venue, The Cabot in the community of Beverly, issued an apology after
Continue ReadingBy Christopher Lamb and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN (CNN) — Pope Francis has apologized for using an anti-gay slur during a meeting with bishops. The 87-year-old pontiff reportedly made the homophobic remark in a closed-door meeting last week as he told Italian bishops that gay men shouldn’t be allowed to train for the priesthood. “The Pope
Continue ReadingBy NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar term about gays to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis’ comments, which were delivered behind closed doors to
Continue ReadingTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A former head of the Dutch spy agency and counterterrorism office is tipped to become the Netherlands’ next prime minister, leading a four-party coalition led by Geert Wilders’ hard-right Party for Freedom. Dick Schoof is a former head of the General Intelligence and Security Service and currently the top civil
Continue ReadingCNN By Brad Lendon and Nectar Gan, CNN (CNN) — It looks like something out of the dystopian show “Black Mirror,” but it’s just the latest adaptation of robotics for the modern battlefield. During recent military drills with Cambodia, China’s military showed off a robot dog with an automatic rifle mounted on its back, essentially
Continue ReadingBy JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile attack has damaged a ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. A private security firm says radio traffic suggested the vessel took on water after being struck. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack Tuesday, but suspicion immediately
Continue ReadingBy WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says an initial investigation into a strike that sparked a deadly weekend fire in a tent camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah has found the blaze was caused by a secondary explosion. A military official, speaking
Continue ReadingCHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police fatally shot a stabbing suspect and wounded the person he was trying to stab after the suspect refused to drop his weapon. Police say officers were patrolling late Monday when they saw a male attempting to stab a male in the street and ordered the suspect to drop his weapon.
Continue ReadingBy SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE Associated Press TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgian lawmakers are debating a motion to override a presidential veto of the “foreign agents” legislation that has fueled Western concerns and sparked massive protests for weeks. The legislature controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party on Tuesday considered dismissing President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto of the
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