AP-Newswatch

One attack, two interpretations: Biden and Trump both make the Jan. 6 riot a political rallying cry

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump plans to spend the third anniversary of the Capitol riot by campaigning in Iowa as he tries win back the White House. The former Republican president has two events planned for Saturday in the leadoff voting state Iowa as he marks the anniversary of what he has called “a beautiful day.” President Joe Biden will be at a site near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, on Friday where he’s expected to press his case that Trump and top supporters of his “Make America Great Again” movement are threats to American democracy. Biden’s visit has been moved up from Saturday due to weather concerns. The Capitol riot is increasingly viewed differently along partisan lines.

Bombings hit event for Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a shadowy figure slain in 2020 US drone strike

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — For Iranians backing the country’s theocracy, Gen. Qassem Soleimani represented a popular figure of national resilience in the face of four decades of U.S. pressure. For the U.S. and Israel, he was a shadowy figure in command of Iran’s proxy forces, responsible for fighters in Syria backing President Bashar Assad and for the deaths of American troops in Iraq. A U.S. drone strike killed Soleimani and others as they traveled from Baghdad’s international airport on Jan. 3, 2020. His name again drew international attention on Wednesday, as two bombings targeting a commemoration marking the fourth anniversary of his slaying killed at least 84 people and wounded 284 others.

Multiple people have been shot at a high school in Perry, Iowa, police say

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — Police in Perry, Iowa, say multiple people were shot at the city’s high school, on students’ first day back in classes after their annual winter break. A spokesperson said two gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to a hospital in the state capital of Des Moines, about 40 miles southeast of Perry. In Perry, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante says an active shooter was reported at Perry High School before school started on Thursday and officers responded about seven minutes later. Infante says multiple people were injured, but couldn’t confirm how many or their conditions. The shooting occurred in the backdrop of the Iowa caucuses and not far from where Republican candidates were campaigning.

Israel’s Mossad chief vows to hunt down Hamas members a day after senior figure killed in strike

JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief of Israel’s Mossad has vowed the intelligence agency will hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are. David Barnea spoke a day after the deputy head of the Palestinian militant group was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Beirut. Israel has refused to comment on reports it carried out the killing, but Barnea’s comments appeared to be the strongest indication yet it was behind the blast. Israel was on high alert Wednesday for an escalation with Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia after the strike in the Lebanese capital killed Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago.

Trump’s lawyers want special counsel Jack Smith held in contempt in 2020 election interference case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers are pressing to have special counsel Jack Smith’s team held in contempt. The Republican former president’s lawyers said Thursday prosecutors have taken steps to advance the 2020 election interference case against him in violation of a judge’s order that put the case on hold. The attorneys told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., she should consider holding Smith and two of his prosecutors in contempt. A spokesman for Smith has declined to comment. Prosecutors have acknowledged the deadlines in the case are on hold pending an appeal. But prosecutors say they’d continue meeting the deadlines to ensure the prompt resumption of the case once it’s returned to the court.

Iran suspects suicide bombers launched attack killing 84 as purported Islamic State claim circulates

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A claim of responsibility for the bombings in Iran that killed at least 84 people has circulated among jihadists online, with the attack being attributed to the Islamic State group. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim Thursday, which bore some similarities to others made by the extremist group. However, other details in the statement clashed with those previously made by the militants. The attack Wednesday in Kerman, Iran, at a commemoration for the slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani also wounded at least 248 people. Iranian officials believe suicide bombers likely carried out the attack.

Jeffrey Epstein documents: Here’s what we know so far

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of previously sealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein were made public late Wednesday, as a court releases more details of a years-old lawsuit connected to the late financier. They’re likely to disappoint sleuths online, where the plan to release documents prompted rumors of a list of “clients” or “co-conspirators.” In fact, the judge who made the call wrote in December that she was ordering the records released because much of the information within them is already public. The first 40 documents, of an expected 250 ordered unsealed, largely mention figures whose names were already known, including high-profile friends of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken publicly.

Vatican says no heresy in allowing blessings for same-sex couples after pushback by some bishops

ROME (AP) — The Vatican is insisting there is nothing heretical in the recent move by Pope Francis to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. In a five-page statement, the Holy See’s office to safeguard doctrinal orthodoxy expressed understanding that some bishops’ conferences in the world need more time for “pastoral reflection” on the pontiff’s formal approval for such blessings. But the Vatican says there is no basis to consider the approval as doctrinally heretical. Still, the statement acknowledged that in some countries where homosexuality can be punished with imprisonment or death, such blessings could be “imprudent.” Some bishops in Africa, Poland and elsewhere have said they wouldn’t implement the blessings policy.

The key question about fiery crash at Tokyo airport: Did one or both planes have OK to use runway?

Passengers on Japan Airlines Flight 516 were buckled up as their pilot made a final approach to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. About two minutes later, the Airbus A350 was on the ground but engulfed in an orange fireball. The airliner had collided with a much smaller coast guard plane that had received permission to approach the same runway but not takeoff clearance, according to a transcript of traffic control communications from the minutes before Tuesday’s crash. The big question to have emerged in the investigation so far is why the Bombardier Dash-8 already had entered the runway by the time the airliner came in.

Microsoft’s new AI key is first big change to keyboards in decades

Starting this month, some new personal computers that run Microsoft’s Windows operating system will have a special “Copilot key” that launches the software giant’s AI chatbot. Getting third-party computer manufacturers to add an AI button to laptops is the latest move by Microsoft to capitalize on its close partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and make itself a gateway for applications of generative AI technology.