AP-Newswatch

Israel’s high court orders the army to draft ultra-Orthodox men, rattling Netanyahu’s government

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza. The court ruled Tuesday that in the absence of a law that distinguishes between Jewish seminary students and other draftees, Israel’s compulsory military service system applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizen. Under longstanding arrangements, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. These exemptions have long been a source of anger among the secular public, a divide that has widened during the eight-month-old war.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s plane leaves Bangkok on his way to a US court and later freedom

BANGKOK (AP) — A plane with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has departed Bangkok after refueling and he is on the way to Saipan to enter a plea deal with the U.S. government in Saipan. The agreement will free him and resolve the legal case over the publication of a trove of classified documents. The chartered flight from London that Assange’s wife, Stella, confirmed was carrying her husband left Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok on Tuesday evening. The official WikiLeaks account on X said Assange is heading toward Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific, where he’s scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Who is Julian Assange, the polarizing founder of the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks?

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Before he emerged as an eccentric internet publisher of state secrets, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was born in Townsville, Australia. He experienced an itinerant childhood and attended dozens of schools, becoming a computer hacker as a teenager. He was arrested in the 1990s for hacking a server in Melbourne and studied mathematics and physics at Australian universities. Assange went on to transform his radically anti-secrecy views into a document-leaking website that revealed U.S. and other countries’ military secrets. He spent seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and five in a British prison while he fought his extradition to the U.S.

Laugh (or cringe) at these history-making moments from presidential debates

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s debate prep time for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Their teams are no doubt looking back at how past memorable debate moments came together, for good or ill. Those signature moments may be well-rehearsed zingers or offhand reactions like a too-loud sigh or a glance at a wristwatch. Past debates demonstrate how the candidates’ words and body language can make them look especially relatable or hopelessly out-of-touch. They can also showcase candidates at the top of their policy game or provide an indication they’re out to sea. As one debate expert puts it, “Anything can happen.”

A trackside sensor didn’t catch burning rail bearing suspected in Ohio derailment in time, NTSB says

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Eastern Ohio residents will soon learn more about the fiery Norfolk Southern train wreck that derailed their lives when the National Transportation Safety Board holds another hearing in their hometown about last year’s disaster. The hearing on Tuesday is expected to disclose new findings from the investigation into the February 2023 derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania line. The agency has already said it believes the crash was caused by an overheated bearing on a railcar and that officials didn’t need to blow open five tank cars of vinyl chloride and burn the toxic chemical to prevent an explosion. The agency also will make recommendations for averting future derailments.

Kenya’s parliament burns as protesters object to new taxes. Clashes spread and bodies are counted

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Part of Kenya’s parliament building has been burned after thousands of protesters against a new finance bill entered and legislators fled. This is the most direct assault on the government in decades. Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the complex where police had opened fire, and medical workers are reporting five others killed. Clashes spread to other cities. The protesters wanted legislators to reject the bill imposing new taxes on a country with frustrations over the high cost of living. But lawmakers passed it. Protesters could be heard shouting, “We’re coming for every politician.” Kenya’s president hasn’t commented.

More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes under the gun safety law Biden signed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gun safety groups are praising President Joe Biden now that more than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes under the landmark gun safety legislation he signed two years ago Tuesday. A White House report obtained by The Associated Press on the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act shows some of the people charged are linked to organized crime rings and cartels. Biden’s Democratic reelection campaign believes gun control is a motivating issue for voters, particularly suburban college-educated women. The group Moms Demand Action urges Congress to prioritize gun safety laws. Biden signed the legislation following mass shootings including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.

Shot in 1.6 seconds: Video raises questions about how trooper avoided charges in Black man’s death

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Dash camera video and investigative documents are raising new questions about the fatal shooting of a Black motorist by a Georgia state trooper nearly four years ago. Trooper Jake Thompson was charged with murder after shooting Julian Lewis mere seconds after sending his car spinning into a ditch following a chase. He pursued Lewis in August 2020 over a broken taillight. Thompson ultimately avoided a trial because a grand jury declined to indict him. Authors of a new book shared the video with The Associated Press, which verified its authenticity and obtained additional records. Two use-of-force experts who reviewed the video said the shooting appeared unjustified. Thompson declined to comment through his attorney.

Closing arguments in Karen Read trial leave jurors to decide: Deadly romance or police corruption?

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — A defense lawyer told jurors in the murder trial of Karen Read that she’s the innocent victim of a frame job by her late boyfriend’s fellow police officers. But a prosecutor used Read’s own words against her, saying she was “seething in rage” moments after ramming him with her SUV. Attorney Alan Jackson said in closing arguments Tuesday that the lead investigator was close to the men who beat up John O’Keefe and then dumped him in the snow to die. He says that investigator “erected a tall blue wall” to protect the officers. But prosecutor Adam Lally played an angry voicemail Read left for O’Keefe, and emphasized that four witnesses heard her say “I hit him.”

More rain possible in deluged Midwest as flooding breaches levees in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Floodwaters have breached levees in western Iowa, creating dangerous conditions that prompted evacuations as the deluged Midwest faces another round of severe storms. The sheriff’s office in Monona County says the Little Sioux River breached levees in several areas Tuesday. Evacuation orders were issued and roads were closed in the area. No injuries were immediately reported. Iowa officials say they expect to close parts of two highways near Council Bluffs because of floodwaters. At least two deaths are being blamed on the storms. President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster for several counties in Iowa to free up federal aid.