AP-Newswatch

Government shutdown at risk as Trump’s demands put Speaker Johnson in a bind

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government shutdown at risk, House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting to figure out how to meet President-elect Donald Trump’s sudden demands — and keep his own job. Trump said early Thursday that Johnson will “easily remain speaker” for the next Congress if he “acts decisively and tough” in coming up with a new plan to also increase the debt limit, a stunning request just before the Christmas holidays. It has put the beleaguered speaker in a bind. Johnson holed up in the Speaker’s office with colleagues trying to chart a path forward. Federal offices are being told to prepare to shutter operations ahead of Friday’s midnight deadline. Democrats say a deal is a deal, and Republicans should stick with their agreement.

Musk ascends as a political force beyond his wealth by tanking budget deal

Elon Musk’s role in taking down a bipartisan budget deal shows his ascendance as a political force. The social media warnings from the world’s wealthiest man preceded President-elect Donald Trump’s condemnation of the measure negotiated by GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson. That combination effectively killed the stopgap measure that was designed to prevent a partial shutdown of the federal government. It was the first major test of Musk’s influence since Trump was elected.

Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing faces new federal murder charges with his return to New York

NEW YORK (AP) — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO is back in New York to face new federal charges of murder and stalking, escalating the case after his earlier indictment on state charges. Luigi Mangione agreed to return to New York after a Thursday morning court appearance in Pennsylvania where he was arrested last week after five days on the run. He was expected in a Manhattan federal court in the afternoon. The federal complaint unsealed Thursday charges him with two counts of stalking and one count each of murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense. Murder by firearm could bring the possibility of the death penalty. Prosecutors have not said whether the will sek that.

Prosecutor Fani Willis is removed from the Georgia election case against Trump and others

ATLANTA (AP) — A state appeals court has removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others. It’s the latest legal victory for the president-elect in criminal cases that once threatened his career and freedom. The case against Trump and more than a dozen others had already been stalled for months over an appeal related to a romantic relationship Willis had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to lead the case. Willis’ office filed a notice of intent Thursday to ask the Georgia Supreme Court to review the decision.

Gisèle Pelicot thanks backers after her ex-husband and his co-defendants are convicted in rape trial

AVIGNON, France (AP) — Gisèle Pelicot said after 51 men were convicted in the drugging-and-rape trial that riveted France and turned her into an icon that the ordeal was “very difficult” and expressed support for other victims of sexual violence. Pelicot said Thursday that “we share the same fight.” They were her first words after the court in the southern French city of Avignon handed down prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years. Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and all but one co-defendant were convicted of sexually assaulting her over a period of nearly a decade after he’d knocked her unconscious by drugging her food and drink. The other co-defendant was convicted of drugging and raping his own wife with Dominique Pelicot’s help.

Putin boasts of gains in Ukraine at annual news conference meant to reinforce his authority

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin has boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the downfall of a key ally in Syria had dented Moscow’s prestige. The Russian leader sought to project strength and ease at his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday. As is typical, he used the tightly choreographed event to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware. He claimed that nearly three years of fighting in Ukraine has boosted Russia’s economy and military. He praised his troops’ gains there. Russian troops are making steady, if slow, advances in Ukraine. But the Kremlin has also suffered some embarrassing setbacks.

France’s Macron says tour of cyclone-devastated Mayotte is a day he won’t forget

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has traveled to the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Chido. An airport security agent told him as soon as he stepped of the plane that “Mayotte is demolished.” Macron went on a helicopter for an aerial appraisal of the damage. He then headed to the hospital in Mamoudzou, Mayotte’s capital, to meet with medical staff and patients. French authorities say at least 31 people have died and more than 1,500 people were injured, more than 200 critically. But it’s feared hundreds or even thousands of people have died after the strongest cyclone in nearly a century ripped through the French territory off the coast of Africa on Saturday.

Former Uvalde schools police chief loses bid to toss criminal charges related to 2022 shooting

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge has refused to throw out criminal charges accusing the former Uvalde schools police chief of endangering children in the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 Robb Elementary shooting. The ruling Thursday comes six months after an indictment accused Pete Arredondo of ignoring his active shooter response training and delaying the police response as nearly 400 officers waited more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman. Arredondo has pleaded not guilty. Arredondo says he was improperly charged and that the shooter was responsible for putting the victims in danger. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed.

Oklahoma man dies by lethal injection in the nation’s final execution of 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma man has been executed for killing a 10-year-old girl in a cannibalistic fantasy. Forty-five-year-old Kevin Ray Underwood was pronounced dead at 10:14 a.m. Thursday at the State Penitentiary in McAlester. It was the 25th and final U.S. execution of 2024. Underwood killed Jamie Rose Bolin in 2006. He admitted to luring Jamie into his apartment and beating her over the head with a cutting board before suffocating her to death. Underwood told investigators he nearly beheaded the girl in his bathtub before abandoning his plans to eat her.

California declared an emergency over bird flu. How serious is the situation?

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the outbreak of the virus, also known as Type A H5N1. It was detected for the first time in cattle in the U.S. in March. It has spread to more than 860 herds in 16 states, with at least 650 infected in California. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed again this week that the virus poses low risk to the general public.