AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EST
With flattery and frank talk, Starmer urges Trump not to abandon Ukraine in press to end Russian war
WASHINGTON (AP) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer used a visit to Washington on Thursday to press President Donald Trump not to abandon Ukraine as he looks to find a quick endgame to Russia's bloody invasion of its neighbor.
With a mix of flattery and frank talk, the center-left Starmer made the case to the Republican president to remain cautious as he goes about ending the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. The British premier started the visit by delivering an invitation from King Charles III to come to Scotland for a "historic" state visit - noting it was an "unprecedented" honor since Trump already had been given the royal treatment by Queen Elizabeth II during his first term.
"You´ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal - a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world," Starmer told Trump. "That is the prize. But we have to get it right."
Trump said that talks to end the grinding war are "very well advanced" but also cautioned that there is only a narrow window to get a deal done.
"If it doesn´t happen quickly, it may not happen at all," Trump warned.
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Judge finds mass firings of federal probationary workers were likely unlawful
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration´s massive dismantling of the federal workforce.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including at the Department of Defense.
"OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe," to hire or fire any employees but its own, Alsup said.
The complaint filed by five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations is among multiple lawsuits pushing back on the administration´s efforts to shrink a workforce that Trump has called bloated and sloppy. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and his administration is now aiming at career officials with civil service protection.
Lawyers for the government agree that the office has no authority to hire or fire employees in other agencies.
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Israel and Hamas have begun negotiating next phase of Gaza ceasefire, Egypt says
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) - Negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire began Thursday, Egypt said, averting a collapse ahead of Saturday's expiration of the agreement's first phase.
Officials from Israel, Qatar and the United States started "intensive discussions" on the ceasefire's second phase in Cairo, Egypt`s state information service said.
"The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region," its statement said.
Phase 2 talks are meant to negotiate an end to the war, including the return of all remaining hostages in Gaza who are alive, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the territory. Return of remaining deceased hostages would happen in Phase 3.
According to Israel, there are 59 remaining hostages - 24 of whom are still believed to be alive.
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Israel's army admits failures on Oct. 7. Its probe of the attack could put pressure on Netanyahu
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - An investigation by the Israeli military has determined that Hamas was able to carry out the deadliest attack in Israeli history on Oct. 7, 2023, because the much more powerful Israeli army misjudged the militant group´s intentions and underestimated its capabilities.
The findings, released Thursday, could pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a widely demanded broader inquiry to examine the political decision-making that preceded the attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Many Israelis believe the mistakes of Oct. 7 extend beyond the military, and they blame Netanyahu for what they view as a failed strategy of deterrence and containment in the years leading up to the attack. That strategy included allowing Qatar to send suitcases of cash into Gaza and sidelining Hamas' rival, the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
The prime minister has not taken responsibility, saying he will answer tough questions only after the war, which has been paused for nearly six weeks by a tenuous ceasefire. Despite public pressure, including from the families of the roughly 1,200 people killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the 251 taken as hostages into Gaza, Netanyahu has resisted calls for a commission of inquiry.
The military's main findings were that the region´s most powerful and sophisticated military misread Hamas´ intentions, underestimated its capabilities and was wholly unprepared for the surprise attack by thousands of heavily armed militants in the early morning hours of a major Jewish holiday.
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Trump plans tariffs on Mexico and Canada for Tuesday, while doubling existing 10% tariffs on China
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said illicit drugs such as fentanyl are being smuggled into the United States at "unacceptable levels" and that import taxes would force other countries to crack down on the trafficking.
"We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled," the Republican president wrote. "China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date."
The prospect of escalating tariffs has already thrown the global economy into turmoil, with consumers expressing fears about inflation worsening and the auto sector and other domestic manufacturers suffering if Trump raises import taxes. But Trump has also at times engaged in aggressive posturing only to give last-minute reprieves, previously agreeing to a 30-day suspension of the Canada and Mexico tariffs that were initially supposed to start in February.
The threat of tariffs frightened the stock market with the S&P 500 index falling 1.6% on Thursday. The S&P 500 is now just 1.4% higher than it was after Trump won the election in November, giving up almost all of the gains that the president once cited as evidence of an economic revival.
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Gene Hackman was more than an everyman: An Appreciation
NEW YORK (AP) - One of the greatest American actors of the 20th century was voted "least likely to succeed" by his first theater school, wasn´t a star until he was 40 and possessed a face he once described as "your everyday mineworker."
Gene Hackman, a 6-foot-2 ex-Marine from Danville, Illinois, and a self-described "big lummox kind of person," was as hard to define an actor as he was an unlikely star. "Everyman" was the most common label for Hackman, but even that seems to fall short for a performer capable of such volcanic intensity, such danger.
"He´s one of the ones who are willing to plunge their arm into the fire as far as it can go,´´ said Arthur Penn, who directed him in three films, including the one that earned Hackman his first Oscar nomination, "Bonnie and Clyde."
Hackman was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, authorities said Thursday. He was 95.
Hackman´s death, mourned across the film industry, renewed an old conundrum: How do you describe Gene Hackman? It was never one, easy-to-pinpoint thing that epitomized the actor. It was the totality of his live-wire screen presence. His characters were so real, you could have sworn they walked in right off the street.
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What to know about the Tate brothers, social media influencers who face trafficking charges
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A travel ban was lifted on influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are both charged with human trafficking in Romania, and they are headed to the United States, officials said Thursday.
The brothers are avid supporters of President Donald Trump and have millions of online followers. It wasn't clear under what conditions the Tates were allowed to leave Romania, or where in the United States they were headed.
Here are some things to know about the Tate Brothers:
Andrew Tate, 38, and Tristan Tate, 36 are dual U.S.-British citizens.
Andrew Tate is a former professional kickboxer and self-described misogynist who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X. He also runs an online academy where he says he teaches young men how to get rich and attract women. Tristan Tate is also a former kickboxer.
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Mexico sends drug lord Caro Quintero and 28 others to the US as officials meet with Trump team
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico has sent 29 drug cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the United States as the Trump administration turns up the pressure on drug trafficking organizations.
The unprecedented show of security cooperation comes as top Mexican officials are in Washington trying to head off the Trump administration's threat of imposing 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports starting Tuesday.
Those sent to the U.S. Thursday were brought from prisons across Mexico to board planes at an airport north of Mexico City that took them to eight U.S. cities, according to the Mexican government.
Among them were members of five of the six Mexican organized crime groups designated earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration as "foreign terrorist organizations."
Besides Caro Quintero were cartel leaders, security chiefs from both factions of the Sinaloa cartel, cartel finance operatives and a man wanted in connection with the killing of a North Carolina sheriff´s deputy in 2022.
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Iowa gives final approval to a bill removing gender identity protections despite protests
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa lawmakers became the first in the nation to approve legislation removing gender identity protections from the state´s civil rights code Thursday, despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.
The measure raced through the legislative process after first being introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, on party lines, followed by the House less than an hour later. Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.
The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state´s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and "shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role."
The measure would be the first legislative action in the U.S. to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, said Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.
The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed earlier policies banning sports participation and public bathroom access for transgender students. A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to comment on whether she would sign the bill. If she does, it will go into effect on July 1.
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Vatican says Pope Francis continues to improve but his prognosis remains guarded
ROME (AP) - Pope Francis continued to improve from double pneumonia Thursday, the Vatican said, working from his hospital room and going to his private chapel to pray, though doctors said he needs more days of "clinical stability" before they revise their guarded prognosis.
The 88-year-old pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was able to begin alternating high-flow supplemental oxygen, delivered by a nasal tube, with a mask in a sign of his improved respiratory condition, the Vatican said in a late update.
For the second day in a row, doctors avoided saying Francis was in critical condition. But they said that given the complexity of his lung infection, "further days of clinical stability are needed" before they revise their prognosis and decide he is out of danger.
Francis has been in Rome´s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened.
He has shown steady, albeit slight improvements since a respiratory crisis and kidney trouble over the weekend sparked fears for his life. The improvements, as he nears the two-week mark on Friday, beat back speculation of an imminent death, resignation or conclave and signaled that he was still very much in charge.
