AP-Newswatch

Manhattan DA asks judge for a gag order in Trump’s hush-money case ahead of next month’s trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s New York hush-money criminal case asked a judge Monday to impose a gag order on the former president, citing what they called his “long history of making public and inflammatory remarks” about people involved in his legal cases. The Manhattan district attorney’s office asked that Trump be barred from making or directing others to make public statements about potential witnesses, prospective jurors and members of the prosecution team and their families other than District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Jury selection in the case is scheduled to begin March 25. The judge, Juan Manuel Merchan, didn’t immediately rule. Messages seeking comment were left with Trump’s lawyers.

Wild weather’s coming: West readies for snow as Midwest gets a taste of summer

BOSTON (AP) — A strong winter storm is expected to dump heavy mountain snow in parts of West while much of the Midwest will be basking in unseasonable warm conditions. The National Weather Service says the winter storm will move across the Pacific Northwest Monday into Tuesday, creating near-blizzard conditions in some places with one to two inches of snow an hour over the Oregon Cascades and Northern Rockies Monday before moving into the Great Basin and Central Rockies Tuesday. Warmer conditions that hit the Plains over the weekend will continue Monday, with some cities toying with record temperatures.

What would a new Palestinian government in the West Bank mean for the war in Gaza?

The Palestinian Authority’s prime minister has announced his government’s resignation. It’s seen as the first step in a reform process urged by the United States as part of its latest ambitious plans to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it will do little to address the PA’s longstanding lack of legitimacy among its own people or its strained relations with Israel. Both pose major obstacles to U.S. plans for the PA, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to govern postwar Gaza ahead of eventual statehood for the territories. Here’s a look at the government shakeup and what it means for the Israel-Hamas war.

Biden and Trump are making dueling trips to the Mexico border in Texas on Thursday, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will make dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Thursday following the failed border deal that was opposed by the Republican front-runner. That’s according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and people familiar with both men’s plans. Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, an area that often sees large numbers of border crossings. Trump, meanwhile, heads to Eagle Pass, Texas, about 325 miles or 520 kilometers away from Brownsville, another hotspot. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been announced.

Supreme Court wrestles with GOP-led states’ efforts to regulate social media platforms

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has wrestled with state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital age. In nearly four hours of arguments Monday, several justices questioned aspects of laws adopted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas in 2021. But they seemed wary of a broad ruling, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett warning of “land mines” she and her colleagues need to avoid in resolving the two cases. Both laws take aim at perceived bias against conservative viewpoints on social media sites.

Don Henley tells court he never gave away drafts of Eagles lyrics

NEW YORK (AP) — Don Henley says he never gave away his handwritten pages of draft lyrics to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits. Testifying Monday in a New York courtroom, the Eagles’ singer and drummer called the pages “very personal. Henley’s testimony at the criminal trial of three three collectibles experts also delved into an ugly but unrelated episode in his life, his 1980 arrest. The Grammy-winning Henley is prosecutors’ star witness. He says the handwritten lyrics-in-the-making were stolen decades ago from one of his Southern California properties. The defendants bought them years later through a writer who had worked with the Eagles. The defense maintains that Henley willingly gave them to the scribe.

Hungary’s parliament ratifies Sweden’s NATO bid, clearing the final obstacle to membership

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s parliament has ratified Sweden’s bid to join NATO, ending more than 18 months of delays that frustrated the alliance as it sought to expand in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Hungary’s government submitted the protocols for approving Sweden’s entry into NATO in 2022, but the matter had stalled in parliament over opposition by governing party lawmakers. Unanimous support among all NATO members is required to admit new countries, and Hungary is the last of its 31 members to give its backing. But the Monday vote cleared Sweden’s final hurdle after it first applied to join the alliance in May 2022.

US airman dies after setting himself ablaze outside Israeli Embassy in Israel-Hamas war protest

WASHINGTON (AP) — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.” The Metropolitan Police Department says 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries. A person familiar with the matter said Bushnell walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, set his phone down and then doused himself in accelerant and ignited the flames. Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law in the Israel-Hamas war.

Actor Gérard Depardieu faces another sexual assault complaint as #MeToo echoes through French cinema

PARIS (AP) — French actor Gérard Depardieu faces another complaint of sexual assault, this time from a movie decorator who alleges he groped her during filming in 2021. A lawyer says the complaint to the Paris prosecutor’s office accuses the 75-year-old Depardieu of sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults. Two lawyers for Depardieu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The latest accusations came after French actor Judith Godrèche called on France’s film industry to “face the truth” on sexual violence and physical abuse during a live broadcast Friday of the Cesar Awards ceremony, France’s version of the Oscars. Depardieu denies wrongdoing.

Sideways moon landing cuts mission short, private US lunar lander will stop working Tuesday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday that sunlight will likely stop shining on the solar panels Tuesday morning. That’s two to three days short of the week or so that NASA and other customers had been counting on. Last Thursday, the lander became the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years. Photos from a NASA satellite around the moon show it landed within a mile of its target.