Newswatch

Suspect in arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence being treated at hospital, police say

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man who authorities say scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a fire is being treated at a hospital after an unrelated medical event. Authorities say Cody Balmer had planned to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a small sledgehammer early Sunday. A police affidavit released Monday says Balmer of Harrisburg “admitted to harboring hatred” toward Shapiro. The fire left significant damage and forced Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building early Sunday. Balmer’s mother tells The Associated Press she tried to get him mental health treatment recently, but “nobody would help.”

What to know about Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the alleged arson at his official residence

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man is facing charges after authorities say he broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion in the middle of the night, set a fire that left significant damage and forced Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building during the Jewish holiday of Passover. Firefighters extinguished the fire early Sunday. No injuries were reported. Authorities have identified the suspect as 38-year-old Cody Balmer of Harrisburg, and say he was arrested later in the day. Court documents released Monday say Balmer planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney. Authorities are investigating how the break-in occurred and the motive for it.

El Salvador President Bukele says he won’t be releasing Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the US

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s top advisers and Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, say that they had no basis for the small Central American nation to return a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month. Trump administration officials emphasized that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and that U.S. has no say in his future. And Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said “of course I’m not going to” release him back to U.S. soil.

US stocks edge higher 

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising worldwide. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% Monday, though trading is still shaky, and it gave back most of its bigger, early gain of 1.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 154 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Apple and other technology stocks rose. Perhaps more importantly for Wall Street, the bond market showed signals of increasing calm. Treasury yields eased.

Russia claims its deadly attack on Ukraine’s Sumy targeted military forces as condemnation grows

BRUSSELS (AP) — Russia claims that its deadly missile attack on Ukraine’s city of Sumy that killed and wounded scores on Sunday had targeted a gathering of Ukrainian troops. Children were among the dead. European leaders on Monday condemned the attack as a war crime. There were calls for more sanctions on Russia. A Kremlin spokesman says Russia’s military only strikes military targets. Russia’s Defense Ministry asserts that the strike targeted a gathering of senior military officers. Ukraine has called for a global response to the attack. Poland holds the European Union’s rotating presidency and says Russia is mocking ceasefire efforts.

Next Iran-US nuclear talks will be held in Rome, AP source says

ROME (AP) — Talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program appear ready to leave the Middle East and an Italian source says the next round would take place in Rome. A source in the Italian government confirmed that the talks would take place in Rome on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani separately told journalists in Osaka, Japan, on Monday that the Italian government has given its OK to host the talks.

Majority Leader John Thune’s ‘old-fashioned’ approach to the Senate has kept Trump on board so far

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has produced the quickest top-level Cabinet confirmation process in the last 20 years under new Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. At the outset, it wasn’t clear that would be the case. President Donald Trump was making demands the new Senate leader be ready to put the chamber into recess so he could skip over the Senate confirmation process. Thune has been successful in showing the Republican president the confirmation process can work. But the decision to push forward on even the most unconventional Cabinet nominees has come at a cost. Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly says the damage Trump is doing to America’s international reputation isn’t something it easily recovers from.

Hungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ public events, seen as a major blow to rights

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s parliament has passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities. The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any fundamental right other than the right to life. The amendment was proposed by the ruling coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.

Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez

Blue Origin has launched Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez into space with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King. The New Shepard rocket blasted off Monday from West Texas. Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, invited the others along for the 10-minute, fully automated ride. Besides Sanchez, Perry and King, the crew included a film producer, a former NASA engineer who started her own companies to promote science education, and a scientist who now advocates for sexual violence survivors. Moved by the views of Earth below, Perry couldn’t resist singing “What a Wonderful World” in space.