AP-Newswatch

At least 6 Kurdish fighters are killed in a drone attack on a Syrian base housing US troops

BEIRUT (AP) — A drone attack on a base housing U.S. troops in eastern Syria killed six allied Kurdish fighters late Sunday. The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Monday the attack hit a training ground at al-Omar base in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour, where the forces’ commando units are trained. No casualties were reported among U.S. troops. An umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias, dubbed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, released a video claiming responsibility for the attack and showing them launching a drone from an unspecified location. In late January, a drone attack by the umbrella group killed three U.S. troops and wounded dozens more at a desert base in Jordan.

Blinken returns to Mideast in push for hostage deal and postwar plan for Gaza, but obstacles loom

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince at the start of his fifth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. He hopes to press ahead with a potential cease-fire deal and postwar planning while tamping down regional tensions. But on on all three fronts he faces major challenges. Hamas and Israel are publicly at odds over key elements of a potential truce. Israel has dismissed U.S. calls for a path to a Palestinian state, and Iran’s militant allies in the region have shown little sign of being deterred by U.S. strikes.

King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer, will halt public duties as he undergoes treatment

LONDON (AP) — Buckingham Palace says that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment. The palace said Monday the cancer is not related to the king’s recent treatment for a benign prostate condition. It did not say what form of cancer the 75-year-old monarch has. It says Charles “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.” The palace said “a separate issue of concern was noted” during Charles’ treatment for an enlarged prostate last month. He is being treated as an outpatient and will continue to undertake paperwork and other business as head of state.

Historic storm sends debris through LA’s Hollywood Hills and leaves 1.1 million without power

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A storm of historic proportions has unleashed record levels of rain over parts of Los Angeles, endangering the city’s large homeless population, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes and knocking out power for more than a million people in California. About 1.4 million people in the Los Angeles area were under a flash flood warning Monday morning. The storm was the second one fueled by an atmospheric river to hit the state over the span of days. The National Weather service says a record 4.1 inches of rain fell Sunday in downtown Los Angeles, almost double the amount from 1927.

Justice Department proposes major changes to address disparities in state crime victim funds

The Justice Department has proposed changes to rules governing state-run programs that provide financial assistance to violent crime victims in order to address racial disparities and curb the number of subjective denials of compensation. The Monday proposal from the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime is a major overhaul to how states across the U.S. currently handle victims compensation claims and comes less than a year after an Associated Press investigation exposed that Black victims were disproportionately denied in many states — often for subjective reasons rooted in implicit biases that are felt across the criminal justice system.

With a single word — ‘lover’ — Trump employs familiar playbook in tweaking his investigators

WASHINGTON (AP) — During years of scrutiny from prosecutors, Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to deflect attention from himself by making the personal lives of investigators ripe for derision and ridicule. He’s jumped on allegations of affairs and repeatedly leveled claims of bias against agents, prosecutors and judges. He’s also been quick to exploit the sometimes questionable decision-making, or occasional protocol breaches, by officials investigating him as a means to discredit entire inquiries. The latest example came in Georgia, where he has mocked Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis amid revelations that she had a personal relationship with an outside lawyer hired to help lead the case against Trump and 18 others with plotting to subvert Georgia’s 2020 election.

Family of Black girls handcuffed by Colorado police, held at gunpoint reach $1.9 million settlement

DENVER (AP) — A Black woman and a group of young girls who were wrongfully forced out of their car, held at gunpoint and handcuffed by police in suburban Denver in 2020 have reached a $1.9 million legal settlement. A lawyer for Brittney Gilliam announced the deal with the city of Aurora. Lawyer David Lane confirmed the settlement Monday arising from a confrontation that began when police mistakenly believed the car she was driving was stolen. The scene of Gilliam and the girls lying facedown in a parking lot caused outrage following racial injustice protests around the country. The settlement marks the latest Aurora has had to pay over police misconduct. A city spokesperson had no immediate comment. Aurora settled with Elijah McClain’s family in 2021.

1st Russians are fined or jailed over rainbow-colored items after LGBTQ+ ‘movement’ is outlawed

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian media and rights groups say the first publicly known cases have emerged of Russian authorities penalizing people under a court ruling that outlawed LGBTQ+ activism as extremism. At least three people who displayed rainbow-colored items have received jail time or fines. Last year’s Supreme Court ruling was part of a crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in the increasingly conservative country where “traditional family values” have become a cornerstone of President Vladimir Putin’s 24-year rule.

Jury gets manslaughter case against Michigan school shooter’s mother

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury has begun deliberations in an unusual trial against a school shooter’s mother. Jennifer Crumbley is charged with involuntary manslaughter. She’s accused of contributing to the deaths of four students in 2021. Prosecutors say she was grossly negligent when she failed to tell Oxford High School that the family had guns, including a new one that was later used by her son. The school was concerned about violent images and desperate phrases written on a math assignment. But Ethan Crumbley was allowed to stay in school. Prosecutors also say the boy’s parents ignored his mental health.

The NFL long had shunned Las Vegas. Now the city will host the league’s biggest game

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NFL will hold the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday after decades of shunning the city. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers. Las Vegas now has a strong relationship with the NFL after the Raiders moved from Oakland and the U.S. Supreme Court opened legalized sports betting nationwide. The NFL also has placed its draft and two Pro Bowls in Las Vegas.