AP-Newswatch

Trump’s social media company approved to go public, potentially netting former president billions

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is returning to the stock market. Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded shell company, approved a deal to merge with the former president’s media business in a Friday vote. That means Trump Media & Technology Group, whose flagship product is social networking site Truth Social, will soon begin trading on the Nasdaq stock market. The deal’s greenlight arrives at a time the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is facing his most costly legal battle to date: a $454 million judgment in a fraud lawsuit.

Russia and China veto US resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China have vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians. The vote on Friday in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention. Before the vote, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow supports an immediate cease-fire, but he questioned the language in the resolution and accused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of “misleading the international community” for “politicized” reasons.

Russia attacks Ukrainian electrical power facilities, including major hydroelectric plant

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has attacked electrical power facilities in much of Ukraine, including the country’s largest hydroelectric plant, causing widespread outages and killing at least five people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday more than 60 drones and about 90 rockets were used in the attack, which came a day after Russia launched 31 missiles in a single attack on the capital. It was the largest assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this year and one of the largest since the outbreak of the war, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Congress unveils $1.2 trillion plan to avert federal shutdown and bring budget fight to a close

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have introduced a $1.2 trillion spending package that sets the stage for avoiding a partial government shutdown for several key federal agencies this weekend. The bill unveiled Thursday comes nearly six months into the current budget year and would allow Congress to complete its work in funding the government through September. Democrats were able to swat back scores of policy mandates and some of the steeper budget cuts that House Republicans were seeking to impose on nondefense programs. Among the policy wins that House Speaker Mike Johnson is highlighting for Republicans is a nearly 24% increase in detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country.

Burkina Faso’s security forces are killing more civilians. Survivors detailed 1 village’s massacre

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Women slain with babies wrapped against their bodies. Lifeless children intertwined together. A 2-month-old face-up on the ground. The scenes were horrifying, but the 32-year-old farmer felt he had to photograph them, as proof of the carnage in his Burkina Faso village. He told The Associated Press that more than a dozen relatives were killed Nov. 5 when security forces attacked. He and two other survivors spoke on condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation. They said dozens more were killed that day. Their interviews and the man’s photos are rare firsthand accounts amid a stark increase in civilian killings by Burkina Faso’s security forces. The junta is struggling to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency, as it attacks citizens under the guise of counterterrorism.

April’s total solar eclipse promises to be the best yet for experiments

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — April’s total solar eclipse promises to be a scientific bonanza, thanks to new spacecraft _ and cosmic chance. The moon will be extra close to Earth, providing a long and intense period of darkness. Plus the sun should be more active with the potential for bursts of plasma. Then there’s totality’s densely populated corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada. Put all this together, and scientists are anticipating a windfall of learning on April 8. The U.S. won’t see another total solar eclipse on this scale until 2045, so NASA and everyone else is pulling out all the stops.

Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring

Allergy season in the U.S. is starting sooner than experts expected. Experts say climate change is leading trees and grasses to pollinate longer and more intensely. That means more days of stuffy noses and itchy eyes for more than 80 million Americans. People can manage most symptoms by using over-the-counter medicines and knowing pollen levels. But if that doesn’t work, experts suggest seeing a doctor who can determine what specific pollen you’re allergic to.

More than 100 iconic cherry trees in Washington are being cut down. So long, Stumpy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The sun is setting on Stumpy, the gnarled old cherry tree that has become a social media phenom. This year’s cherry blossom festivities in Washington will be the last for Stumpy and more than 100 other cherry trees that will be cut down as part of a multiyear restoration of their Tidal Basin home. Starting in early summer, crews will begin working to replace the crumbling seawall around the Tidal Basin, the area around the Jefferson Memorial with the highest concentration of cherry trees. When the project is done, 277 cherry trees will be planted as replacements.

Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter blurs lines between reality, performance and research with ‘Saved!’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The bones that embody an album can take many shapes. They may tell a story, follow a genre or provide a soundtrack to a film. But thanks to Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter’s interest in religion, her skills as a musician and classically trained vocalist and her education in art, literature and linguistics, she found herself in a unique position to embark on a kind of anthropological experiment through her latest album, “Saved!,” which explores a fictionalized conversion to Pentecostalism.

Kentucky’s loss to unheralded Oakland crushes millions of March Madness brackets

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kentucky’s 80-76 loss to Oakland didn’t just end a bunch of perfect brackets. It all but ruined many when it comes to the big picture. The third-seeded Wildcats were picked in 95% of brackets in the ESPN Tournament Challenge to beat No. 14 seed Oakland. What’s more, 74.21% had Kentucky making the Sweet 16, 28.84% the Final Four and 6.5% winning the national championship. By the end of the day, only 1,845 of more than 22 million brackets on ESPN’s website were perfect.