AP-Newswatch

Prospective jurors in Hunter Biden’s firearms case questioned on gun rights, addiction, politics

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The judge in Hunter Biden’s federal firearms case is seating 16 jurors, including four alternates. Prospective jurors are being questioned on their thoughts about gun rights and addiction. The president’s son has been charged with lying on federal gun purchase forms when he said he wasn’t a drug addict. He has pleaded not guilty and argues he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. Prospective jurors are being asked about their knowledge of the case, their thoughts about gun ownership and whether they or anyone close to them have struggled with substance abuse or addiction or ever owned a gun.

Biden says Hamas is sufficiently depleted. Israel leaders disagree, casting doubts over cease-fire

JERUSALEM (AP) — President Joe Biden has called for a quick cease-fire and end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, saying the militant group is no longer capable of launching an attack on Israel like the one on Oct. 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right ministers disagree, saying that destroying Hamas will require continued Israeli military operations in the strip. These differing visions of what it looks like to destroy Hamas have raised questions about a new cease-fire effort and threaten to exacerbate already-strained tensions between the close allies.

Proposed Gaza cease-fire puts Netanyahu at a crossroads that could shape his legacy

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden has placed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a crossroads. Either path would likely reshape the legacy of Israel’s longest-serving and deeply divisive leader. The proposal offers the possibility of ending the war and returning scores of hostages held by Hamas. But it would also likely shatter Netanyahu’s governing coalition, potentially sending him into the opposition. The full withdrawal of Israeli forces called for in the proposal could allow Hamas to claim victory and reconstitute itself. Rejection of the deal, on the other hand, could deepen Israel’s international isolation, worsen ties with the United States and expose Netanyahu to accusations of having abandoned the hostages.

Louisiana lawmakers approve surgical castration option for those guilty of sex crimes against kids

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would allow judges the option to order someone to undergo surgical castration when the person is convicted of a sex crime against a child younger than 13. Several states, including Louisiana, currently can order such criminals to receive chemical castration, which uses medications that block testosterone production in order to decrease sex drive. However, surgical castration is a more invasive procedure. The bill approved Monday now heads to the desk of conservative Gov. Jeff Landry. The sponsor of the bill hopes the legislation will serve as a deterrent to such crimes against children.

More women made the list of top paid CEOs in 2023, but their numbers are still small compared to men

More women are reaching the top ranks of the corporate suite of S&P 500 companies, but their numbers are still miniscule compared to their male counterparts. The AP’s and Equilar’s compensation study included pay data for 341 CEOs at S&P 500 companies who have served at least two fiscal years at their companies, which filed proxy statements between Jan. 1 and April 30. Of these, 25 were women. That’s the most women making the list since Equilar and AP started doing the study in 2011. But the numbers haven’t budged that much. The second highest tally was 21 in 2017.

Mexico awakes with joy, fear, market jitters to first woman elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s first female president held out an olive branch to the more than one-third of Mexicans who didn’t vote for her, but she faces a market meltdown and a tough path toward reconciling a country left deeply divided by outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor, said “our duty will always be to look out for each and every Mexican, without distinctions.” Long-delayed initial vote counts gave her a crushing margin of victory, higher even than the one López Obrador won in 2018. With about 78% of votes counted, Sheinbaum was getting about 59% of votes, about twice as many as her nearest competitor Xóchitl Gálvez, who got around 28%.

As pharmacies shutter, some Western states, Black and Latino communities are left behind

Urban and rural communities have come to depend on pharmacies as a trusted care option and a place for advice. But CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and independent pharmacies all are pulling back after waves of growth before the pandemic. An Associated Press analysis of state pharmacy licenses, data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and the American Community Survey shows urban neighborhoods that are majority Black and Latino have fewer pharmacies per capita than white majority neighborhoods. The AP’s analysis also found Alaska, Oregon and New Mexico were among states with the fewest retail pharmacies per capita.

How AP covered the D-Day landings and lost photographer Bede Irvin in the battle for Normandy

NEW YORK (AP) — On D-Day, The Associated Press had reporters, artists and photographers in the air, on the choppy waters of the English Channel, in London, and at English departure ports and airfields covering the Allied assault in Normandy. As men on either side of him were killed, AP correspondent Roger Greene waded ashore on June 6, 1944. Sheltering with his typewriter in a bomb crater, Greene pounded out the first AP report from the beachhead. He wrote: ““Hitler’s Atlantic Wall cracked in the first hour under tempestuous Allied assault.” The dead in the ensuing Battle of Normandy included AP photographer Bede Irvin, killed as he was photographing an Allied bombardment.

Kylian Mbappé finally joins Real Madrid in a union of soccer’s top player and club

MADRID (AP) — Kylian Mbappé is finally a Real Madrid player. Real Madrid says it reached a deal with the France star for the next five seasons to bring together one of soccer’s top talents and its most successful club. The announcement comes after years of flirtation by Madrid with the player who inherited the status of the best in the game from Lionel Messi. The 25-year-old forward joins a Madrid team that is already loaded with talent and still celebrating its record-extending 15th European Cup title.