AP-Newswatch

Judge to hear arguments on whether to dismiss Trump’s classified documents prosecution

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge is set to hear arguments on whether to dismiss the classified documents prosecution of Donald Trump. His lawyers say the former president was entitled under the Presidential Records Act to keep the sensitive documents with him when he left the White House and headed to Florida. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team, by contrast, says the files Trump is charged with possessing are presidential records, not personal ones, and that the statute does not apply to classified and top-secret documents like those kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. It’s unclear when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon might rule.

US lawmakers see TikTok as China’s tool, even as it distances itself from Beijing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Since its inception, TikTok has been intended only for non-Chinese markets, unavailable in mainland China. It pulled out of Hong Kong in 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law on the territory to curtail speech. And as data security concerns rose in the U.S., TikTok sought to reassure American lawmakers that U.S. data stays in the country and is inaccessible to ByteDance employees in Beijing. TikTok is following the same playbook as many other companies founded in China: To win customers and trust in Western countries, they play down their Chinese roots. But this may not be enough as a House bill requiring a cutoff from Chinese ownership sailed through the floor and is headed to the Senate.

Israel says it plans to direct Palestinians out of Rafah ahead of anticipated offensive

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military says it plans to direct many of the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost town of Rafah toward “humanitarian islands” in the center of the territory ahead of its planned offensive there. The fate of those in Rafah has been a major area of concern of Israel’s allies. Humanitarian groups have warned a Rafah offensive would be a catastrophe. Israel has said it is needed to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas. An Israeli military spokesman said Wednesday they plan to direct people from Rafah to “humanitarian islands” in central Gaza that would have food and shelter.

Families of hostages held in Gaza despair as Ramadan cease-fire deadline passes

JERUSALEM (AP) — With each passing day, the relatives of hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7 face a deepening despair. Their hopes were raised that a cease-fire deal was near to bring some of their loved ones home by the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that began Monday. But that informal deadline passed without any agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to achieve “total victory” in the war against Hamas now rings hollow for many hostages’ relatives. Families who have spent months protesting and calling for a deal feel dejected and unheard by Israel’s war cabinet. The Israeli government believes at least 34 of the 130 hostages still in Gaza are dead.

Russia says Ukraine has fired more missiles at a border region on the eve of election favoring Putin

Russian officials say Ukraine has fired at least eight missiles at the Belgorod border region, killing two people and wounding 12. Kyiv’s forces apparently are keeping up their efforts to disrupt Russian life and rattle the Kremlin on the eve of Russia’s presidential election, which is taking place amid a ruthless crackdown on dissent. It was not possible to independently verify Thursday’s report by Russian officials. The Ukrainian assaults on Russian territory in recent days have come as Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to persuade Russians to keep him in power against a backdrop of what he says are foreign threats to the country and as the Ukraine war stretches into its third year.

Election disinformation takes a big leap with AI being used to deceive worldwide

LONDON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide, making it easy for anyone with a smartphone to create fake – but convincing – content aimed at fooling voters. It’s a big leap from a few years ago, when creating phony photos or videos required teams of people with time and technical skill. Now, using free and low-cost generative artificial intelligence services from companies like Google and OpenAI, anyone can create high-quality “deepfakes” with a text prompt. A wave of AI deepfakes tied to elections in Europe and Asia has coursed through social media for months, serving as a warning for more than 50 countries heading to the polls this year.

Storm carrying massive ‘gorilla hail’ hits parts of Kansas and Missouri

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail have pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri and brought traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70. Meteorologists issued thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches Wednesday into Thursday. Alex Sosnowski of AccuWeather said some were calling it “gorilla hail” because of its potential to be so big. Descriptions of hail ranged from the size of golf balls and apples, to softballs and baseballs. There were three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Wabaunsee and Shawnee counties. The National Weather Service in Topeka said quarter-size hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph were expected across northern Kansas overnight until 6 a.m. on Thursday.

Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says he’s putting together investor group to buy TikTok

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he’s going to put together an investor group to buy TikTok, a day after the House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban the popular video app in the U.S. if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Mnuchin said he believes TikTok should be sold. “This should be owned by U.S. businesses. There’s no way that the Chinese would ever let a U.S. company own something like this in China,” Mnuchin said on the program.

What’s Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more

College students, rocket scientists and math enthusiasts around the world are celebrating Pi Day. The holiday is on Thursday, March 14 since 3/14 correlates to the first three digits of the infinite number. It’s also Albert Einstein’s birthday, making the pie eaten at Pi Day gatherings all the sweeter. Pi is a mathematical constant that expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is part of many formulas useful in physics, astronomy, engineering and other fields, dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and Babylon.

To Ohtani’s surgeon, a 103 mph fastball was a red flag, but his $700M deal shows trust in TJ surgery

CHICAGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani had his right elbow repaired by Dr. Neal ElAttrache for the second time in September. With the 50th anniversary of the first Tommy John surgery coming up this year, Ohtani and ElAttrache are at the center of what might be the procedure’s most compelling case study. The Dodgers are betting on a successful conclusion, too. They handed a record-breaking $700 million contract to the two-way star in free agency in December. ElAttrache says Ohtani’s new deal is indicative of the confidence the baseball world has in the surgery.