AP-Newswatch

Trump names Interior-designee Doug Burgum to head new White House council on energy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Friday that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department, will also head a newly created National Energy Council that will seek to establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world. Trump said Burgum will oversee a panel that crosses all executive-branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation. Earlier Friday, Trump said Steven Cheung will serve as his White House communications director and Sergio Gor will run the personnel office. Both positions could be influential in the new administration.

Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a resounding election victory, President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans say they have a mandate to govern. But it’s opening an uneasy political question: Will there be any room for dissent in the U.S. Congress? Trump is laying down a gauntlet even before taking office. He is challenging the Senate to dare defy him over the nominations of Matt Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other controversial choices for his administration. He even suggests Congress simply go on recess to allow his nominees to be installed without votes. It’s forcing Congress to decide how far it will go in confronting Trump and opposing his wishes.

Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo that’s associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration, saying he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest. This week, however, a fellow Guard member, who was the unit’s security manager and on an anti-terrorism team, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.”

Trial begins for the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A prosecutor says the man on trial in the killing of nursing student Laken Riley “went hunting for females” on the University of Georgia campus that February day. Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge Tuesday at the outset of Jose Ibarra’s trial that the Venezuelan man encountered Riley while she was out for a run and killed her when “she refused to be his rape victim.” Her body was found on the campus. Ibarra’s attorney, Dustin Kirby, called the evidence in the case graphic and disturbing, but he said none of it proves that Ibarra killed Riley. Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally two years ago, and the case helped fan the immigration debate during this year’s presidential race.

Texas high court says execution in ‘shaken baby syndrome’ case can’t be halted by lawmaker subpoena

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court ruled that a legislative subpoena cannot be used to stop an execution, putting a decisive end to a legal battle that halted the scheduled execution of Robert Roberson last month. Roberson was sentenced to death in 2003 for killing his 2-year-old daughter. Prosecutors maintained she was a victim of shaken baby syndrome. Roberson was scheduled to die by lethal injection on Oct. 17 when lawmakers, in a last-ditch effort, issued a subpoena to have him testify at the Texas Capitol days after his planned execution. Roberson has gained bipartisan support from lawmakers and medical experts who say he was convicted on faulty evidence.

The far side of the moon once had erupting volcanoes too

NEW YORK (AP) — New research confirms volcanoes were erupting on the far side of the moon billions of years ago. Researchers analyzed lunar soil brought back by China’s Chang’e-spacecraft and found fragments of volcanic rock that were about 2.8 billion years old. The oldest dated back to 4.2 billion years. Previous studies have suggested the moon’s far side might have a volcanic past, but this new work confirms it with moon rocks. Chang’e-6 returned to Earth earlier this year with rock and soil samples. It was the first mission to collect samples from the moon’s far side. The findings were published Friday in the journals Nature and Science.

Lebanon’s prime minister asks Iran to help secure a cease-fire in Israel-Hezbollah war

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, asked Iran to help secure a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah. He appeared to be urging it to press the militant group, a close ally of Iran, to agree to a deal that could require it to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border. Mikati made the comments in talks with Ali Larijani, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. According to Lebanese media, the U.S. gave Lebanese officials a draft of a proposed cease-fire deal based on a 2009 resolution that would, among other things, require Hezbollah to withdraw from a large border area.

Hundreds of hospitality workers are on strike at a casino near the Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hundreds of Las Vegas hotel workers have gone on strike at a casino near the Strip. It’s the first open-ended strike in 22 years for the Culinary Workers Union, which represents 60,000 hospitality workers across Nevada. That includes the 700 who went on strike Friday morning at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The strike comes after a bitter and highly publicized fight for a new contract that started over a year ago. Housekeepers, cocktail waitresses, porters, bellmen and more were on the picket line Friday. The union says it’s trying to win the same pay raises and benefits that it’s gotten for the rest of its Las Vegas members since last November.

The daughters of Malcolm X sue the CIA, FBI and NYPD over the civil rights leader’s assassination

NEW YORK (AP) — Three daughters of Malcolm X are accusing multiple law enforcement agencies in a $100 million lawsuit of playing roles in the 1965 assassination of the civil rights leader. The CIA, FBI, the New York Police Department and others were named in the lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan federal court. The daughters — along with the Malcolm X estate — claim in the lawsuit that the agencies were aware of and were involved in the assassination plot and failed to stop the killing. For decades, More questions than answers have arisen over who was to blame for the death. The FBI declined to comment and the other law enforcement agencies did not immediately respond to interview requests.

Jake Paul, Mike Tyson set for fight between influencer-turned-boxer and retired giant of the sport

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mike Tyson is set for his first sanctioned fight since 2005 as the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion takes on much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Texas. The eight-round bout Friday night at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys will be streamed on Netflix. Texas regulators sanctioned the bout with limited rounds at just two minutes per round and heavier gloves. Tyson retired with a 50-6 record and 44 knockouts after losing to Kevin McBride. The 27-year-old Paul debuted as a pro boxer about four years ago and is 10-1 fighting mostly mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers.