AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EDT
Shouts of `Shame! Shame!´ erupt in Arizona House as fight over abortion ban engulfs lawmakers
PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Legislature devolved into shouts of "Shame! Shame!" on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the state's newly revived 1864 law that criminalizes abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman´s life is at risk.
The state Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for enforcement of the pre-statehood law. Arizona abortion providers vowed Wednesday to continue service until they're forced to stop, possibly within weeks.
State legislators convened as pressure mounted from Democrats and some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, for them to intervene.
House Democrats and at least one Republican tried to open discussion on a repeal of the 1864 abortion ban, which holds no exceptions for rape or incest. GOP leaders, who command the majority, cut it off twice and quickly adjourned for the week. Outraged Democrats erupted in finger-waving chants of "Shame! Shame!"
Republican state Rep. Teresa Martinez, of Casa Grande, said there was no reason to rush the debate. She accused Democrats of "screaming at us and engaging in extremist and insurrectionist behavior on the House floor." The GOP-led Senate briefly convened without debate on abortion.
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An Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills 3 sons and 4 grandchildren of Hamas' top leader
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Israeli aircraft killed three sons of Hamas´ top political leader in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate cease-fire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader's grandchildren were also killed.
Ismail Haniyeh ´s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in "the spirit of revenge and murder."
The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated cease-fire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far apart on key issues.
The slayings also come as Israel is under intensifying pressure - increasingly from its top ally, the U.S. - to change tack in the war, especially when it comes to humanitarian aid for desperate people in Gaza.
Haniyeh said Hamas would not cave to the pressure leveled by the strike on his family.
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Trump says Arizona's abortion ban goes too far while defending the overturning of Roe v. Wade
ATLANTA (AP) - Donald Trump said Wednesday that an Arizona law that criminalizes nearly all abortions goes too far and called on Arizona lawmakers to change it, while also defending the overturning of Roe v. Wade that cleared states to ban the procedure.
"It´ll be straightened out and as you know, it´s all about states´ rights," the former president told supporters and journalists after landing in Atlanta for a fundraiser. "It´ll be straightened out, and I´m sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason and that´ll be taken care of, I think, very quickly."
Though Trump has waffled on whether he supports abortion rights, he appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a federally guaranteed right to abortion. Now facing growing political backlash as Democrats notch victories around the nation by campaigning on abortion rights, Trump increasingly has been put on the defensive and urged Republicans to avoid supporting bans that are unpopular with many Americans.
Trump was asked Wednesday whether he would sign a national abortion ban if elected president again. According to video taken of his news conference, he shook his head in response and said "No."
Trump issued a video statement earlier this week declining to endorse a national abortion ban and saying he believes limits should be left to the states. His statement angered some religious conservatives and energized allies of President Joe Biden who see abortion rights as one of Trump´s weaknesses.
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Former Trump executive Allen Weisselberg sentenced to 5 months in jail for lying
NEW YORK (AP) - Allen Weisselberg, a retired executive in Donald Trump´s real estate empire, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in jail for lying under oath during his testimony in the civil fraud lawsuit brought against the former president by New York´s attorney general.
Weisselberg, 76, was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs following the sentencing, which lasted less than five minutes.
Asked if he wanted to address the court, Weisselberg, wearing a black windbreaker and a face mask, responded, "No, your honor."
It is Weisselberg´s second time behind bars. The former Trump Organization chief financial officer served 100 days last year for dodging taxes on $1.7 million in company perks, including a rent-free Manhattan apartment and luxury cars.
Now, he´s again trading life as a Florida retiree for a stay at New York City´s notorious Rikers Island jail complex, though he's also getting something in return.
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Water pouring out of rural Utah dam through 60-foot crack, putting nearby town at risk
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Workers hurriedly tried to shore up a rural Utah dam after a 60-foot (18-meter) crack opened and sent water pouring into a creek and endangering the 1,700 residents of a downstream town.
State and local officials don´t think the Panguitch Lake Dam is in imminent danger of breaking open but have told the residents to be prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen. Lowering the reservoir to below the affected area will take several days, said Everett Taylor, an assistant state engineer for dam safety with the Utah Division of Water Rights.
About 2 feet (61 centimeters) of water remained above the crack as of Wednesday evening and they had covered nearly 45 feet (nearly 14-meters) of the crack with boulders, he said.
An ice sheet on the reservoir was pushing up against the dam, causing the top to crack and tilt downstream, with water gushing through the opening, Taylor said. The ice sheet has now pulled away from the dam and the top of the dam has tilted back, he said.
"We have made cuts across that ice sheet so we can relieve the pressure against the dam," Taylor said.
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3 shot and 5 in custody after gunfire disrupts Philadelphia Eid event, police say
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A joyful celebration of the end of Ramadan devolved into panic Wednesday in Philadelphia after rival groups exchanged gunfire, leaving at least three people injured and hundreds of parents and children to flee in search of safety.
The annual Eid al-Fitr event, held outside a large mosque in the city's Parkside neighborhood, came to a sudden end when some 30 shots rang out at about 2:30 p.m., Philadelphia police said.
Five people were later taken into custody, including a 15-year-old boy who sustained leg and shoulder wounds when he was shot by police and was taken to the hospital by an officer, authorities said. Police said he was carrying a gun.
Additionally, one man was shot in the stomach and a juvenile victim had a wound to the hand, police said.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel confirmed at a news conference that a police vehicle responding to the 911 calls for help struck a 15-year-old girl who was fleeing the park. He said the child suffered a leg injury.
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New York appeals court rejects Donald Trump´s third request to delay Monday's hush money trial
NEW YORK (AP) - Donald Trump is now 0 for 3 in last-minute attempts to get a New York appeals court to delay his looming hush money criminal trial. An appeals court judge Wednesday swiftly rejected the latest salvo from the former president´s lawyers, who argued he should be on the campaign trail rather than "in a courtroom defending himself" starting next week.
Trump's lawyers had asked the state´s mid-level appeals court to halt the case indefinitely while they fight to remove the trial judge and challenge several of his pretrial rulings, which they argue have seriously hindered the presumptive Republican nominee's defense.
Justice Ellen Gesmer´s ruling, after a third straight day of emergency hearings on Trump´s delay requests, was yet another loss for Trump, who has tried repeatedly to get the trial postponed. Barring further court action, the ruling clears the way for jury selection to begin next Monday.
"We´re here for this stay because there are restrictions in place that cannot operate in a constitutional way in a trial environment," Trump lawyer Emil Bove argued at the hearing, which was held in a court basement lobby because the regular courtroom was in use.
"It´s an incredibly important trial. It´s a historic, unprecedented proceeding," Bove said, adding: "This can only be done once and it must be done right."
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Biden praises Prime Minister Kishida's leadership and Japan's growing international clout
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden praised Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's "bold" leadership on a series of global crises as he welcomed the Japanese leader to the White House on Wednesday for wide-ranging talks that touched on the delicate security situation in the Pacific, the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict and more.
Kishida´s official visit, which included a glitzy state dinner at the White House on Wednesday evening, completes the Democratic administration´s feting of the leaders of the Quad, the informal partnership among the U.S., Japan, Australia and India that the White House has focused on elevating since Biden took office. As administration officials put it, they saved the most pivotal relationship for last.
"The unbreakable alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world," Biden said as he welcomed Kishida to a pomp-filled arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn.
The visit also marks the realization of Japan´s transformation from a regional player to a global influencer - with senior Biden administration officials noting appreciatively there is little the U.S. does across the globe that Tokyo doesn´t support. They pointed to Japan´s eagerness to take a leading role in trying to bolster Ukraine against Russia´s invasion and with the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"The cooperation between our countries bound together by common values and commitment has become a global one with the scope and depth covering outer space and the deep sea," Kishida said. "Today the world faces more challenges and difficulties than ever before. Japan will join hands with our American friends and together we will lead the way in tackling the challenges of the Indo-Pacific region and the world, while tirelessly developing the relationship."
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Ukraine will be outgunned by Russia 10 to 1 in weeks without US help, top Europe general says
WASHINGTON (AP) - The top general for U.S. forces in Europe told Congress Wednesday that Ukraine will be outgunned 10 to one by Russia within a matter of weeks if Congress does not find a way to approve sending more ammunition and weapons to Kyiv soon.
The testimony from Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command, and Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, comes as Congress enters pivotal weeks for voting for aid for Ukraine, but there's no guarantee funding will be improved in time.
Ukraine has been rationing its munitions as Congress has delayed passing its $60 billion supplemental bill.
"They are now being outshot by the Russian side five to one. So the Russians fire five times as many artillery shells at the Ukrainians than the Ukrainians are able to fire back. That will immediately go to 10 to one in a matter of weeks," Cavoli said. "We´re not talking about months. We´re not talking hypothetically."
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has been trying to find a way forward for the bill that would fund new rounds of munitions production at U.S. firms to enable the Pentagon to then rush more munitions to Ukraine. Johnson is trying to bring it to the floor for a House vote, but he is facing concerns from members who cite domestic needs, including border security.
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Masters a reunion of the world's best players. But the numbers are shrinking
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - More than golf's first major championship of the year, the Masters represents unification. This is the first time since July at the British Open the best players regardless of their tours compete against each other - same course, same tournament, same television network.
"I believe everyone agrees there's excitement in the air this week," Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday. "The best players in the world are together once again."
Still unclear at Augusta National is for how much longer.
Saudi-funded LIV Golf has 13 players at the Masters, seven of them former champions who can play as long as they want. That's down from 18 a year ago. Only nine LIV players are assured of being back to Augusta National next year, depending on how they fare in the majors this year.
Ridley offered little hope the pathway for LIV to Augusta National was about to get wider.
