AP-Newswatch

Israeli military says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says it has mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip. The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, says Israeli troops found the hostages Friday and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned. The deaths occurred in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days. He said the army expressed “deep sorrow” and was investigating.

With Iowa’s caucuses a month away, Trump urges voters to hand him not just a victory, but a blowout

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump is pushing his supporters to deliver a blowout win in next month’s Iowa caucuses. A myriad of well-qualified GOP challengers has struggled to gain traction despite crisscrossing the state over the last year. Rival campaigns have spent more than $70 million in Iowa on advertising. And unlike his first time in the caucuses, Trump’s campaign is now run by Iowa veterans who are not just locking in caucus commitments but building a formidable organization to try to lock in his lead. His dominance reflects what one strategist called his “quasi-incumbent” status and his continued support in the GOP base.

US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has experienced a 12% increase in homelessness, to its highest reported level. Federal officials Friday said soaring rents and a winding down of coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans. Numbers in the January count were up across the board compared with January 2022. About 653,000 people were homeless, the most since the country began using the yearly point-in-time survey in 2007. Homelessness among individuals rose 11%, among veterans 7% and among families with children 15.5%. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge says the data shows an “urgent need” for support of proven ways to prevent homelessness.

A year of war: 2023 sees worst-ever Israel-Hamas combat as Russian attacks on Ukraine grind on

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — From the Israel-Hamas war to Russia’s grinding battles against Ukraine, 2023 has shown the dangers of armed conflicts breaking out into region-wide combat. But behind their long shadows, the world faces strife in countries stretching both the globe and the alphabet from Afghanistan all the way to Yemen. Coups and violence across Africa upended life in nations there. Myanmar in Southeast Asia faces what some experts describe as a slow-burning civil war. And drug-trade-fueled violence continues in Central and South America. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan remain suspicious of each other. North Korea’s atomic arsenal continues to grow. And Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

One fourth of United Methodist churches in US have left in schism over LGBTQ ban. What happens now?

United Methodist churches had a five-year window to leave the denomination over disputes involving its bans on same-sex marriage and ordaining LGBTQ persons. That window closes Dec. 31, but results are in. One quarter of all United Methodist congregations in the U.S. have received permission to leave. That’s more than 5,000 this year and more than 7,000 since 2019. The vast major are conservative-leaning churches responding to what they see as the United Methodists’ failure to enforce longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and the ordaining of openly LGBTQ persons. Many are joining the new, more conservative Global Methodist Church.

Georgia election workers’ defamation case against Giuliani opens second day of damages deliberations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jurors have begun their second day of deliberations to decide how much Rudy Giuliani must pay two former Georgia election workers for spreading lies about them after the 2020 election. Giuliani’s lies about the election Donald Trump lost led to a barrage of racist threats and upended the workers’ lives. The jurors considered the case for more than three hours Thursday after a three-day trial in in Washington’s federal courthouse and returned Friday. Giuliani has already been found liable of defamation. The jurors are considering only how much the Republican ex-New York mayor will pay in damages. The two women are seeking tens of millions of dollars. Giuliani’s lawyer argued for a lower amount.

Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher in Virginia gets 2 years in prison for child neglect

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia has been sentenced to two years in prison for felony child neglect. Friday’s punishment for Deja Taylor comes nearly a year after her son used her handgun to critically wound teacher Abby Zwerner. The classroom shooting shocked the nation and roiled the military shipbuilding city of Newport News. Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest. She has since undergone multiple surgeries and frequent psychological counseling. Taylor’s son told authorities he took the gun from his mother’s purse on top of a dresser.

Declared missing as a child, British teenager lives off-grid for 6 years, then pops up in France

LE PECQ, France (AP) — British and French authorities have confirmed that a teenager found wandering on a road in the rain at night in southwestern France is Alex Batty, who disappeared six years ago. Batty was 11 when his mother and grandfather took him on what was meant to be a two-week family holiday in Spain. Instead, it turned out to be a six-year odyssey through Morocco, Spain and southwest France, living an off-the-grid life. This week, now aged 17, he decided to go his own way. A French prosecutor said on Friday that the mother may have gone on to Finland without him and and that his grandfather appears to have died.

‘Reacher’ star Alan Ritchson talks season two of hit show and how ‘Amazon took a risk’ on him

The wandering Jack Reacher, created by novelist Lee Child, returns in a second season of “Reacher” on Prime Video. Alan Ritchson stars as the former Army intelligence officer who prefers to travel America with just a toothbrush, never staying in one place long enough to form attachments. In season two, debuting Friday, we see Reacher in a new environment, encountering a new set of problems and interacting with new people. Ritchson jokes that portraying a loner can be tough but it’s the changes around him that make for compelling TV. He says he knows Amazon took a risk casting him. It’s paid off — the series has already been renewed for a third season.

Chargers fire coach Brandon Staley, general manager Tom Telesco in midst of disappointing season

Coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco have been fired by the Los Angeles Chargers after one of the worst losses in franchise history. The Chargers made the playoffs last season but are one of this year’s biggest disappointments at 5-9, with losses in five of their last six games. They dropped into last place in the AFC West after Thursday night’s 63-21 loss at Las Vegas. It was the most points allowed in franchise history and the 42-point margin was the third-worst. Staley had an overall record of 24-25. He is the third NFL coach to be fired this season. Telesco had been the general manager since 2013.