AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EST
Israeli defense chief resists pressure to halt Gaza offensive, says campaign will 'take time'
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Israel´s defense minister on Monday pushed back against international calls to wrap up the country´s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, saying the current phase of the operation against the Hamas militant group will "take time."
Yoav Gallant, a member of Israel´s three-man war cabinet, remained unswayed by a growing chorus of criticism over the widespread damage and heavy civilian death toll caused by the two-month military campaign. The U.N. secretary-general and leading Arab states have called for an immediate cease-fire. The United States has urged Israel to reduce civilian casualties, though it has provided unwavering diplomatic and military support.
Israel launched the campaign after Hamas militants stormed across its southern border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping about 240 others.
Two months of airstrikes, coupled with a fierce ground invasion, have resulted in the deaths of over 17,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory. They do not give a breakdown between civilians and combatants but say that roughly two-thirds of the dead have been women and minors. Nearly 85% of the territory´s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes.
In a briefing with The Associated Press, Gallant refused to commit to any firm deadlines, but he signaled that the current phase, characterized by heavy ground fighting backed up by air power, could stretch on for weeks and that further military activity could continue for months.
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Iraq scrambles to contain fighting between US troops and Iran-backed groups, fearing Gaza spillover
BAGHDAD (AP) - Dozens of attacks on U.S. military facilities by Iran-backed factions in Iraq over the past two months as the Israel-Hamas war has raged have forced Baghdad into a balancing act that's becoming more difficult by the day.
A rocket attack on the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Friday marked a further escalation as Iraqi officials scramble to contain the ripple effects of the latest Middle East war.
Iran holds considerable sway in Iraq and a coalition of Iran-backed groups brought Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to power in October 2022. At the same time, there are some 2,000 U.S. troops in Iraq under an agreement with Baghdad, mainly to counter the militant Islamic State group.
Baghdad also relies heavily on Washington´s sanctions waivers to buy electricity from Iran, and since the 2003 U.S. invasion, Iraq´s foreign currency reserves have been housed at the U.S. Federal Reserve, giving the Americans significant control over Iraq´s supply of dollars.
Al-Sudani´s predecessors also had to walk a delicate line between Tehran and Washington, but the Israel-Hamas war has considerably upped the stakes.
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Special counsel Jack Smith asks the Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecuted
WASHINGTON (AP) - Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.
Smith made his request for the court to act with unusual speed to prevent any delays that could push back the trial of the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner, currently set to begin March 4, until after next year´s presidential election.
Later Monday, the justices indicated they would decide quickly whether to hear the case, ordering Trump's lawyers to respond by Dec. 20. The court's brief order did not signal what it ultimately would do.
A federal judge ruled the case could go forward, but Trump said he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome. Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court, the usual next step in the process, and have the Supreme Court take up the matter directly.
"This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin," prosecutors wrote.
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Texas woman who sought court permission for abortion leaves state for the procedure, attorneys say
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A pregnant Texas woman who was seeking court permission for an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. could not wait any longer and went to another state, her attorneys said Monday.
The announcement came as Kate Cox, whose fetus has a fatal condition, was waiting for the Texas Supreme Court to rule whether she could legally receive an abortion. Her baby's diagnosis has low survival rates and her attorneys said continuing the pregnancy jeopardized both her health and ability to have more children.
"Her health is on the line. She´s been in and out of the emergency room and she couldn´t wait any longer," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which was representing Cox.
The organization did not disclose where Cox went. On Monday, she would have been 20 weeks and six days pregnant.
The court, which is made up of nine Republican justices, had given no timetable for a ruling. On Friday night, the court had paused a lower a judge's order that gave Cox permission for an abortion.
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Harvard faculty rallies to the aid of university president criticized for remarks on antisemitism
WASHINGTON (AP) - Hundreds of Harvard faculty members are urging the Ivy League university to keep its president, Claudine Gay, in command as she faces calls from some lawmakers and donors to step down over comments at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
A petition signed by more than 600 faculty members asks the school´s governing body to resist political pressures "that are at odds with Harvard´s commitment to academic freedom."
Only months into her leadership, Gay came under intense scrutiny following the hearing in which she and two of her peers struggled to answer questions about campus antisemitism. Their academic responses provoked a backlash from Republican opponents, along with alumni and donors who say the university leaders are failing to stand up for Jewish students on their campuses.
Liz Magill resigned as president of the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday amid criticism of her handling of the hearing. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican whose questions sparked the episode, saw it as the first domino: "One down. Two to go," she said on X, formerly Twitter.
The spotlight has turned to Gay, a scholar of politics and African American studies who became Harvard´s first Black president in July. In a letter to Harvard´s governing body, more than 70 mostly Republican members of Congress called for her resignation. Billionaire alumnus Bill Ackman also called for her ouster, saying Gay has done more damage to Harvard´s reputation than anyone in its history.
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Zelenskyy issues plea for support during Washington visit as Ukraine funding stalls in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy kicked off a quick visit to Washington on Monday, warning in a speech at a defense university that Russia may be fighting in Ukraine but its "real target is freedom" in America and around the world. He also issued a personal plea for Congress to break its deadlock and approve continued support for Ukraine.
His time in Washington, which will include meetings on Tuesday at the White House and with Congress, is part of a last-minute push by the Biden administration to convince lawmakers to pass a supplemental funding bill, as officials warn that the money for Ukraine is running out.
President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $61.4 billion for wartime funding for Ukraine as part of a $110 billion package that also includes money for Israel and other national security priorities. But the request is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. The U.S. has already provided Ukraine $111 billion for its fight against Russia´s 2022 invasion.
"If there´s anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it´s just (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his sick clique," Zelenskyy told an audience of military leaders and students at the National Defense University. "Ukrainians haven´t given up and won´t give up. We know what to do. And you can count on Ukraine. And we hope just as much to be able to count on you."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who introduced the Ukrainian president, said America's commitment to Ukraine is unshakeable and supporting the war is critical to ensuring the security of the U.S. and its allies.
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As COP28 nears finish, critics say proposal 'doesn't even come close' to what's needed on climate
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Negotiators from around the world haggled deep into the night to try to strike a deal to halt global warming at United Nations climate talks, with Western powers and vulnerable developing countries worried that a proposed text fell far short of goals to save the planet.
A new draft released Monday of what's known as the global stocktake - the part of talks that assesses where the world is at with its climate goals and how it can reach them - called for countries to reduce "consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner."
The release triggered a frenzy of fine-tuning by government envoys and rapid analysis by advocacy groups, just hours before the planned late morning finish to the talks on Tuesday - even though many observers expect the finale to run over time, as is common at the annual U.N. talks.
Bangladesh climate envoy Saber Chowdhury said a revised text would be presented Tuesday morning that takes into account the many comments from participants.
"It´ll be new. To what extent it´s improved remains to be seen," he said shortly after the session ended at around 2 a.m.
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Jurors in a Giuliani damages case hear the threats election workers got after his false claims
WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawyers for two Georgia election workers played audio recordings in a Washington courtroom Monday of graphic and racist threats the two women received after Rudy Giuliani falsely accused them of fraud while pushing Donald Trump´s baseless claims after the 2020 election.
The recordings were part of the opening statements in a federal case that will determine how much Giuliani might have to pay the women.
The former New York City mayor has already been found liable in the defamation lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, who endured threats and harassment after they became the target of a conspiracy theory spread by Trump and his allies. The only issue to be determined at the trial is the amount of damages, if any, Giuliani must pay.
The women´s lawyers estimated that reputational damages could reach $47 million, and suggested emotional and punitive damages on top of that could be "tens of millions."
Giuliani's lawyer said any award should be much less.
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Life in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine is grim. People are fleeing through a dangerous corridor
SUMY, Ukraine (AP) - Whenever 52-year-old Anna is agitated, she senses the chilling touch of a gun barrel between her brows - a haunting reminder of an encounter with a group of Russian soldiers on her street about a year ago.
On that day, amid tears and screams, the soldiers threatened to kill her and her husband, fired bullets on the ground between their feet and then dragged her brother-in-law to an unknown location, apparently furious that he couldn´t guide them to where they could find alcohol.
Two weeks later, Anna´s husband, who himself had been hospitalized previously because of heart problems, found his brother´s body in the forest, not far from the village where they lived, in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Two weeks after that, he died.
"His heart couldn't bear it," Anna said.
Alone and afraid, Anna sank into a depression.
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The AP All-America team is loaded with 5th- and 6th-year players, including LSU's Heisman-winning QB
Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU was one of seven players in either their fifth or sixth season of college football selected to The Associated Press All-America team announced Monday.
Daniels, a fifth-year quarterback, won the Heisman and AP player of the year honors last week after accounting for 50 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of offense this season.
He was joined in the backfield by Missouri's Cody Schrader, a sixth-year running back and former Division II player who leads the nation at 124.9 rushing yards per game.
The other sixth-year player of the AP first team was North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson, who won the Chuck Bednarik Award as national defensive player of the year.
Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, edge rushers Laiatu Latu from UCLA and Jalen Green from James Madison, and Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat were the other fifth-year players to make the first team.
