AP-Newswatch

Video appears to show the Israeli army shot 3 Palestinians, killing 1, without provocation

BEIT RIMA, West Bank (AP) — Security camera video from a West Bank village shows a young man standing in a central square when he is suddenly shot and drops to the ground. Seconds later, two others rushing to his aid are also hit, killing a 17-year-old, just before an Israeli military jeep arrives. An Associated Press review of the video and interviews with the two wounded men indicate that Israeli soldiers opened fire on the three although they did not appear to pose a threat. Last week’s fatal shooting is the latest in a series of events in which Israeli soldiers appear to fire on Palestinians without provocation.

Judge rescinds permission for Trump to give his own closing argument at his civil fraud trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump won’t make his own closing argument in his New York civil business fraud trial. Judge Arthur Engoron rescinded permission for it on Wednesday after Trump’s lawyers objected to the judge’s insistence that the former president would stick to “relevant” matters. Closing arguments are set for Thursday in the trial, which could cost Trump hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and strip him of his ability to do business in New York. His lawyers had signaled Thursday that he planned to take the extraordinary step of delivering a summation personally, in addition to arguments from his legal team.

Hunter Biden makes surprise visit to Capitol Hill as GOP takes a first step to hold him in contempt

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has stirred a political frenzy by showing up in the front row at a House Oversight Committee hearing as Republicans are taking the first step toward holding him in contempt of Congress. The House Oversight and Judiciary committees will each vote Wednesday on contempt resolutions against President Joe Biden’s son for defying a congressional subpoena. Republicans subpoenaed Hunter Biden to testify behind closed doors in December, but he refused to comply, insisting he will only testify in public. If the committees approve the contempt resolutions as expected, they would go to the full House for consideration. If the full House holds Hunter Biden in contempt, it will be up to the Department of Justice to decide whether to prosecute.

A one-on-one debate between Haley and DeSantis could help decide the Republican alternative to Trump

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will be alone on the debate stage for the first time. Haley and DeSantis have spent much of the Republican presidential primary flanked by lower-polling rivals. The stakes are high for the former U.N. ambassador and the Florida governor on Wednesday. The moment is especially important for Haley, a politician long known for her disciplined approach to messaging. Haley’s reputation has been tested recently after a series of gaffes. Haley failed to mention slavery as the root cause of the Civil War and quipped that New Hampshire voters will have a chance to “correct” the results that emerge from Iowa.

Secrecy surrounding the defense secretary’s hospitalization has put the White House on the defensive

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is facing criticism and credibility questions after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization was kept secret for days — even from the White House. The prolonged focus on a senior official’s medical secrecy is also shedding an unwelcome spotlight on Biden’s own health as the oldest president in history seeks another term. The questions over transparency and health have put the White House on the defensive for days as the election year opens. The Democratic administration had pledged to restore truth and transparency to the federal government. Austin was still hospitalized on Wednesday. The Pentagon says the 70-year-old Austin has prostate cancer.

Searches underway following avalanche at California ski resort near Lake Tahoe

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Search teams have been deployed following an avalanche at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe. The avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Palisades Tahoe. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was missing or injured. The avalanche happened just 30 minutes after the resort opened on steep slopes under the KT-22 lift, which serves “black diamond” runs for expert skiers and snowboarders. Palisades is on the western side of Lake Tahoe. A spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff says there are “no confirmed reports” of people trapped but search teams are assessing the area. The resort was host site for the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Federal judge says Alabama can conduct nation’s 1st execution with nitrogen gas; appeal planned

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge says Alabama can carry out the nation’s first execution using nitrogen gas later this month. U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker refused Wednesday to block the scheduled Jan. 25 execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith by nitrogen hypoxia. Alabama says it plans to replace the 58-year-old inmate’s breathing air with nitrogen gas, quickly rendering him unconscious and killing him within minutes. Smith’s attorneys say they will appeal. The judge rejected Smith’s arguments that the execution method violates a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Smith and another man were convicted of a 1988 murder-for-hire of a preacher’s wife that rocked north Alabama. The other man was executed in 2010.

Ancient human DNA hints at why multiple sclerosis affects so many northern Europeans today

WASHINGTON (AP) — Northern Europeans more prone to multiple sclerosis than other ancestries and now a study of ancient DNA hints at why. It seems to be a genetic legacy of horseback-riding cattle herders who swept into the region about 5,000 years ago. The findings come from a huge project to compare modern DNA with that culled from ancient humans’ teeth and bones. Scientists found a Bronze Age people called the Yamnaya carried gene variants that may have protected them from animal diseases but that today are known to increase MS risk. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Pete Carroll is out as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks after 14 seasons

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Pete Carroll is out after 14 seasons as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, responsible for two NFC championships and the only Super Bowl title in franchise history during his long tenure. The 72-year old coach is moving into an advisory role with the organization, according to a statement from owner Jody Allen on Wednesday. Seattle closed the regular season with a 21-20 win at Arizona on Sunday. The Seahawks entered the final two weeks of the regular season with the chance at reaching the playoffs for the 11th time with Carroll in charge, but a Week 17 loss to Pittsburgh left Seattle in need of help it didn’t get to close out the season.

SAG Awards nominate ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ snub DiCaprio

NEW YORK (AP) — The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards heaped nominations on “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” and “American Fiction,” while snubbing Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor. The nominees for the guild’s top award, best ensemble are: “American Fiction,” “Barbie,” The Color Purple,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer.” Most notably left out of that group was Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” which on Sunday won best comedy-musical at the Golden Globes. The SAG Awards are closely watched as an Oscar bellwether. They will take place Feb. 24 and be streamed live on Netflix.