List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

A dispute between two groups of people escalated into a shooting that injured nine innocent bystanders on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida – and now authorities are searching for three possible suspects. The Hollywood Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have asked for the public’s help in identifying three people who are suspected of being involved in the Memorial Day mass shooting that left four children and five adults injured. On Monday (29 May) evening, the two groups engaged in gunfire on the busy boardwalk during the holiday weekend. Footage from the boardwalk showed frantic beachgoers running for their lives and seeking cover from the gunfire. Audio recordings revealed bystanders making panicked calls to 911. Children between the ages of one and 17, as well as adults ranging from 25 to 65, were injured in the melee. As of Tuesday evening, six people remained in stable condition in the hospital while three had been discharged. Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy called the shooting “completely unacceptable”, adding that the shooters were reckless with their firearms. After the shooting, authorities detained several people in connection to the shooting and recovered five handguns, two of which were reported stolen from the Miami area and Texas, after the shooting. Two people, Morgan Deslouches and Keshawn Stewart, were arrested for firearm-related charges. Neither person was suspected of being a shooter in the incident, according to police. Mr Deslouches, 18, was arrested and charged with grand theft of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm and removing serial numbers from a firearm, according to the Associated Press. He is being held on $20,000 bail. Mr Stewart, 18, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm. He is being held on $15,000 bail. Hollywood Police are still searching for the three other suspects and have released images of the suspects via video surveillance. One of the suspects was last seen wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt and black shorts. Another was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt, black joggers and sandals. The other was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and carrying a black backpack. As of now, police have not identified the three possible suspects. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the department at 954.764.4357 or email hollywoodpdtips@hollywoodfl.org. Information can also be provided to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954.493.8477 or BrowardCrimeStoppers.org. Read More A sunny Memorial Day at the beach upended by gunfire: What we know about the shooting in Hollywood, Florida Dramatic 911 calls capture chaos of mass shooting on Hollywood beach boardwalk in Florida FBI seeking photos, videos to identify suspects in Florida Memorial Day beach shooting

The White House on Wednesday strongly denied that the US government posed any threat to an ex-Senate staffer who has claimed President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in a Senate office building hallway in the 1990s. The former staffer, Tara Reade, announced on Tuesday that she has moved to Russia, where she said during an interview with the state-owned Sputnik News website that she feels “surrounded by protection and safety” there. Asked about her claims in light of her announcement that she has moved to Russia and is seeking citizenship there, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby replied: “We'd be loath to comment on the on the musings of a potential Russian citizen.” Pressed further on whether the White House believes her allegations against Mr Biden could have been movtivated by an affinity for Russia, Mr Kirby said he “could not get inside her head and speak for her motivations and intentions”. But he did specifically address Ms Reade’s claim that she has moved to Russia because the US government was a risk to her life, calling those allegations “absolutely false” and “baseless”. “There’s nothing to that,” he added. Ms Reade, who worked for Mr Biden during a brief period in 1993, accused the then-former vice president of touching her inappropriately in 2019, when Mr Biden was contemplating entry into the 2020 presidential election. In mid-2020, when he was poised to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, she claimed he’d sexually assaulted her in a heavily-trafficked hallway in the Russell Senate Office Building. Mr Biden has strenuously denied the allegations. The former Senate staffer’s credibility took a hit after news outlets began scrutinizing her background after she made the assault allegations against Mr Biden. A university she attended, Antioch University, disputed her claim to have earned a Bachelor’s degree while studying there, and former associates came forward to recount instances in which they’d felt she’d been dishonest or deceitful in her dealings with them. A well known attorney, Douglas Wigdor, terminated an attorney-client relationship with her in May 2020 after it was revealed that she had not earned a degree from Antioch as she’d claimed publicly. Read More Tara Reade, who accused Biden of sexual assault, says she has ‘defected’ to Russia at event with Kremlin spy

An agreement to raise the debt ceiling would expand the age bracket for eligibility for food assistance, adding a punitive and unnecessary barrier for poor Americans with only negligible savings for the federal government, advocacy groups have warned. Most Americans with low or no incomes who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) must comply with certain work requirements to be eligible to receive funds to help pay for groceries. But under a deal struck between President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, adults up to age 54 would be required to show proof of work. Republican lawmakers have pushed for years to expand those work requirements, but anti-poverty advocacy groups and progressives have argued that adding any such limitations to critical aid will only deepen hunger and poverty in the US, pointing to Congress’ own research showing that work requirements don’t appear to have any measurable effect on employment. “SNAP is a symptom of shortcomings in the economy,” Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research & Action Center, said in a statement. “Cutting off food for people unless they document sufficient hours of work does not improve their chances to secure family-sustaining wages, but does increase their food hardship.” In simple terms, a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling would allow the US Department of Treasury to continue borrowing money to pay the country’s bills. But Republican lawmakers have leveraged the often routine though critical vote process to advance their agenda, as the nation stares down an imminent deadline that risks putting the US in default. “While we all recognize the catastrophic impact of a default, we are deeply disappointed that this deal includes cuts that further harm people experiencing hunger and poverty,” said Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign. “As a whole, the punitive and ineffective SNAP changes included in this bill will save the US very little money,” she added. “They will also do nothing to remove barriers to make employment more attainable or available for those they impact. Nor are they based on evidence or experience. Instead, they are born from and rely on pervasive myths and misperceptions about SNAP and the people who benefit from the program and stand only to restrict food assistance for some Americans.” Republicans hold a fragile majority in the House of Representatives, where Mr McCarthy is relying on a slim margin of support from a far-right caucus that argues the cuts don’t go far enough. Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers – frustrated with the GOP’s “hostage crisis” process for negotiating a debt deal – strenuously object to stiffening work requirements and cuts to aid programs on which millions of Americans rely. Democratic US Rep Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, will not support the debt plan, pointing to members who are “deeply, deeply concerned” about the proposals and the way in which Republicans threatened to steer the US into default to get GOP concessions. On a call with reporters on 30 May, Ms Jayapal compared Republicans’ threats on the debt limit to the party’s attempts to undermine the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. “We cannot have these constitutional obligations, including the very clear mandate to pay the country’s debts, as well as of course to ratify an election of a president that was voted upon by the democratic process ... taken hostage,” she said. The Biden administration has touted some new proposals in the deal as a victory: Military veterans, young people who have aged out of foster care, and people experiencing homelessness would be exempt from the SNAP work requirements. But “burdensome reporting requirements and bureaucratic red tape leave little confidence that this will outweigh the harmful expansion of these requirements for others in this category,” Ms Davis said in a statement. The nation’s largest food assistance program supported more than 42 million people in February, according to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture. More than 65 per cent of SNAP recipients are in families with children, 36 per cent are in families with members who are older or disabled adults, and 41 per cent are in families that work, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. SNAP requires “able-bodied adults” without dependents to work or join job training programs for at least 80 hours a month to receive more than three months of benefits over three years. “SNAP’s primary objective is to help people put food on the table; any attempt to turn it into an employment program – particularly when extensive research shows that work requirements actually make it much harder, not easier, for people to find and keep jobs – runs contrary to the program’s mission and intent,” said Eric Mitchell, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger. “In a time when food insecurity is rising and food prices remain high, we should be expanding our nation’s social safety net, not restricting it,” he added. The maximum monthly SNAP benefit for an individual is $281, “which makes the 80-hour work program route effectively the same as a job that pays $3.51 per hour,” or less than half the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25, People Policy Project’s Matt Bruenig noted. Progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups have also lambasted the debt deal for tying the fate of federal programmes for some of the poorest Americans to a politically volatile debate. What happens for someone over 50 years old who is unable to work and is cut off from assistance? How can they navigate a difficult labour market rife with age discrimination? Anti-poverty advocates and critics of so-called “means-testing” structures around receiving government aid have argued that adding additional burdens for work requirements underscores their futility. “We shouldn’t be playing politics with programs that help Americans meet their basic needs,” Ms Davis said. Anti-hunger groups have also objected to other changes to other assistance programs for lower-income-earning Americans, including changes to a federal cash assistance program that House Republicans had previously threatened with drastic cuts. “Hungry people cannot wait – but now they will need to wait even longer,” Mr Garcia said. “Our leaders should be creating pathways to progress, not pulling out the rug from those trying to get back on their feet.” Read More Debt ceiling vote – live: AOC, Boebert and Gaetz join growing opposition as Biden-McCarthy deal faces full House vote today What’s in the cliffhanger deal struck by Biden and McCarthy to raise the debt limit? House Republican majority cut by one after shock resignation of congressman

Watch live as Hakim Jeffries, minority leader of the House of Representatives, and other Democrats hold a news conference ahead of a vote on the US debt ceiling on Wednesday evening (31 May). The House is due to vote on a bill to lift the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, a critical step to avoid a destabilising default that could come early next week without congressional action. Republicans control the House by a narrow 222-213 majority, meaning the bipartisan deal - agreed days ago - will need support from both Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Republicans and Joe Biden’s Democrats to pass. Mr McCarthy has predicted that the vote will succeed. “It’s going to become law,” he told reporters. Meanwhile, Mr Biden took to Twitter to outline what failure to pass the bill could mean for America. “Our bipartisan budget agreement prevents the worst possible crisis: a default for the first time in our nation’s history – an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost,” he wrote. Read More Biden and McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal expected to go to full House vote today – live Australian Parliament takes step toward holding a referendum on Indigenous Voice this year Why Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment fight isn't finished yet

Zimbabwe's national elections will take place on Aug. 23, the country's president announced Wednesday. The vote is expected to be another closely watched affair in a country with a history of violent and disputed elections. The announcement through a government gazette also set Oct. 2 for a presidential runoff vote if required. Opposition parties have already made allegations of violence and intimidation against their supporters in the buildup to the elections, and human rights groups have said President Emmerson Mnangagwa is silencing criticism. The southern African nation has only had two leaders since it gained independence from white minority rule in 1980. Robert Mugabe led Zimbabwe for 37 years until he was removed and replaced by Mnangagwa in a coup in 2017. Mnangagwa had served as a vice president under Mugabe. The last general election was held in 2018, nearly a year after the coup. Once a close ally of Mugabe, Mnangagwa, 80, has tried to present himself as a reformer despite accusations that he is even more repressive than the man he helped remove from power. Mnangagwa is expected to face a strong challenge from Nelson Chamisa, the 45-year-old leader of the main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change. Chamisa narrowly lost to Mnangagwa in 2018, with the Constitutional Court dismissing his claims of election rigging. Apart from the presidency, the election will also decide the composition of the 300-seat parliament and close to 2,000 local council positions. Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF ruling party and the government have denied allegations of violence and intimidation by ruling party activists and security forces. But rights groups have accused Mnangagwa’s government of intimidation and of suppressing any criticism and opposition amid a currency crisis and a sharp rise in food prices. Zimbabwe has faced severe economic problems for years and has been under U.S. sanctions for two decades over human rights abuses. Mugabe died in 2019. Chamisa said this week he is ready for the election, but has made allegations of voting roll irregularities. Compounding that, Chamisa said his party is at a disadvantage because Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF control state–run media and hold sway over the police, other security forces and the judiciary, which are used to clamp down on dissent. On Wednesday, Fadzayi Mahere, spokeswoman for the Citizens Coalition for Change, tweeted: “No govt that’s popular & knows it’s winning behaves like this. They’re terrified cause, like all of us, they know that ZANU PF can never win a free & fair election in Zimbabwe." "That’s why they’re trying to stitch & doctor the voters’ roll but it won’t work. People want change.” Opposition parties had accused Mnangagwa of delaying announcing a date for the election that must take place before the end of August. Mnangagwa's announcement came a day after Zimbabwe's foreign ministry summoned the United States’ deputy ambassador over a series of tweets the embassy sent calling for a peaceful election. The ministry accused the embassy of “election-related social media posts bordering on activism and meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.” Deputy Ambassador Elaine French was called to a meeting with Zimbabwe foreign affairs acting permanent secretary Rofina Chikava on Tuesday following the posts on the U.S. Embassy's official Twitter account. The Zimbabwe foreign ministry said it had a particular issue with a May 26 tweet that called for Zimbabweans to “Register to vote and make sure your voice is heard.” Another tweet from the embassy said “Zimbabwe’s constitution grants citizens the right to choose their representatives in legitimate, credible, & peaceful elections.” The foreign ministry said the tweet urging people to register to vote was against diplomatic protocols. “We stand by our recent social media posts calling for peace during the election season," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Meg Riggs said in a statement. “Elections are a part of a functioning democracy.” ___ More AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Zimbabwe releases prisoners in amnesty, reducing overcrowding AOC warns Elon Musk is ‘testing waters’ to interfere in 2024 election Nevada Republican governor approves abortion protections in rare cross-party move

The Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial museum has denounced a political spot by Poland's ruling party that uses the theme of the Nazi German extermination camp to discourage participation in an upcoming anti-government march. The state-run museum attacked “instrumentalization of the tragedy” of the 1.1 million people who were murdered at the site during World War II, arguing that it is an insult to their memory. “It is a sad, painful and unacceptable manifestation of the moral and intellectual corruption of the public debate,” the state museum said. The 14-second video published Wednesday by the Law and Justice party shows images of the former death camp, including the notorious “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate, and the words: “Do you really want to walk under this slogan?” The reference is to a now-deleted tweet from journalist Tomasz Lis, who claimed that President Andrzej Duda and ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski deserve to go to prison. He published the tweet amid a heated debate over a law passed by the party lawmakers and signed by Duda that is viewed by the U.S., the European Union and many Polish critics as anti-democratic. “There will be a chamber for Duda and Kaczor,” the tweet said, using a nickname for Kaczynski. He used the Polish word ”komora,” which can be simply a dark cell or chamber but which many in Poland associate with the gas chambers used by Germans in mass murder during the war. Lis has since deleted the tweet and apologized. "It is obvious that I was thinking of a cell, but I should have foreseen that people of ill will would adopt an absurd interpretation. I hope that Mr. Duda and Mr. Kaczynski will pay for their crimes against democracy, but on a human level I wish them health and long life,” Lis said. “I never wished death on anyone.” President Duda weighed in with a tweet that implied criticism of the party that supports him. “The memory of the victims of German crimes in Auschwitz is sacred and inviolable; the tragedy of millions of victims cannot be used in political struggle; this is an unworthy act," he said. The purported aim of the new law is to create a commission to investigate Russian influences in Poland. But critics fear that it will be misused ahead of fall elections to target opponents, in particular opposition leader Donald Tusk. They say the commission could be used by the ruling party to eliminate its opponents from public life for a decade. The law was approved this week by Duda, to widespread criticism in Poland and by the EU and the United States. Critics in Poland have informally dubbed it “Lex Tusk,” and its passage has energized the political opposition. Tusk plans to lead a large anti-government march on Sunday in Warsaw, the capital. The march is to be held on the 34th anniversary of the first partly free elections in Poland after decades of communism, on June 4, 1989. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Poland's president approves law on Russia's influence that could target opposition Migrants with children stuck at Poland's border wall; activists say Belarus won't let them turn back Ukraine soccer league set for a title-deciding game in a remarkable, war-hit season

American Airlines Group on Wednesday raised its outlook for second-quarter profit as it expects to pay lesser for

The gunman accused of murdering 11 in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 is now on trial in a federal courtroom in Pittsburgh. On 27 October 2018, Robert Bowers, then 46, entered the synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood armed with three handguns, an AR-15 rifle, and a trove of magazines and ammunition. Inside, he opened fire on congregants in what marks the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history. Eight men and three women – aged from 54 to 97 – died in the massacre. After numerous delays, the now-50-year-old is finally standing trial for more than 60 federal charges including obstruction of free exercise of religion resulting in death and hate crimes resulting in death. During opening arguments on Tuesday, Mr Bowers’ attorneys admitted that he was responsible for the massacre but claimed that he acted on “an irrational motive” and had “misguided intent”. Prosecutors meanwhile pointed out that, in the months leading up the shooting, the suspect was spewing bigoted and antisemitic vitriol online. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Read More Who is Robert Bowers: Alleged antisemite on trial for Tree of Life synagogue shooting Police say Robert Bowers had an ‘unthinkable’ thought – then carried out America’s deadliest antisemitic attack

Ron DeSantis gave his first 2024 campaign rally at an Iowa megachurch on Tuesday - attacking a predictable list of foes, including the federal government and its bureaucracy, Dr Fauci and Disney. “No excuses, I will get the job done,” the Florida governor told the audience at Eternity Church on 30 May 30, in Clive, Iowa as he warned Republicans that they faced a Democratic sweep in 2024 if they did not learn to win elections again. Earlier Mr DeSantis attacked his rival Donald Trump by saying “he’s taking the side of Disney in our fight down here in Florida. I’m standing for parents, I’m standing for children.” Meanwhile, Florida attorney Michael Sasso, chosen by Mr DeSantis to be part of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District – given responsibility for Walt Disney World’s special tax district in legislation passed in February – has resigned just three months after taking the job. This comes with Mr DeSantis facing three new lawsuits after he signed a new law just hours before announcing his presidential campaign last week making it harder to vote in the Sunshine State. Read More Culture wars, parenting and tiptoeing around Trump: Five takeaways from Ron DeSantis’s 2024 launch Ron DeSantis called out for ‘ignoring’ Hollywood beach shooting: ‘He doesn’t care’ DeSantis hits familiar targets of Fauci, Disney and ‘wokeism’ in first rally as 2024 candidate

Tara Reade, who accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, has defected to Russia. The former Senate aide appeared in a bombshell interview on Russian state TV on Tuesday alongside accused Kremlin spy Maria Butina and said she was feeling “at home” in Moscow. Ms Reade, 59, who worked in Mr Biden’s office decades ago, said she made the “very difficult” decision to move to the Russian capital because she no longer felt safe in the US. “I am still kind of in a daze a bit but I feel very good. I feel very surrounded by protection and safety,” she said. “And I just really so appreciate Maria [Butina] and everyone who’s been giving me that at a time when it’s been very difficult to know if I am safe or not.” “You have US and European citizens looking for safe haven here. And luckily, the Kremlin is accommodating. So we’re lucky,” she was quoted as saying by state-owned news agency Sputnik. Ms Reade previously accused Mr Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993 when she was a staff assistant and had called for him to drop out of the 2020 presidential race. She worked as Mr Biden’s aide in 1993. There have also been some media reports about inconsistencies in her allegations against Mr Biden. Ms Reade’s educational background had been called into question years ago. The president had previously denied the sexual assault allegations against him. “To my Russian brothers and sisters, I am sorry right now that American elites are choosing to have such an aggressive stance,” she said in the interview. “Just know that most American citizens do want to be friends and hope that we can have unity again.” “I am enjoying my time in Moscow, and I feel very at home,” she said. “I just didn’t want to walk home and walk into a cage or be killed, which is basically my two choices,” she added. She also said she took her time to decide for herself. “I’m not an impulsive person. I really take my time and sort of analyse data points. And from what I could see based on the cases and based on what was happening and sort of the push for them to not want me to testify, I felt that while [the 2024] election is gearing up and there’s so much at stake, I’m almost better off here and just being safe.” “My dream is to live in both places, but it may be that I only live in this place and that’s OK,” she added. In 2020, a high-profile lawyer of the #MeToo era, Douglas H Wigdor, had dropped Ms Reade as a client. Read More Ahead of House debt ceiling vote, Biden shores up Democrats and McCarthy scrambles for GOP support Debt limit agreement clears first hurdle despite Republican anger. Here’s what happens next UN court issuing appeal ruling in long-running trial of 2 Serbs accused of crimes in Balkan wars The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan. ————————— ONLY ON AP ————————— VICTIM COMPENSATION-REFORMS — Thousands of violent crime victims turn to compensation programs in every state for help with medical bills, relocation, funerals and other expenses. The programs disperse millions of dollars each year, but The Associated Press found racial inequities and other barriers in how claims are denied in many states. By Claudia Lauer and Mike Catalini. SENT: 1,580 words, photos, video. With VICTIM COMPENSATION-REFORMS-TAKEAWAYS. ————————— TOP STORIES ————————— DEBT LIMIT — Hard-fought to the end, the debt ceiling and budget cuts package is heading toward a crucial U.S. House vote as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assemble a coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans to push it to passage over fierce blowback from conservatives and some progressive dissent. By Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves. SENT: 930 words, photos, videos. DEBT LIMIT-WORK RULES — A Republican attempt to expand work requirements for federal food aid in debt legislation moving through Congress would increase spending by $2.1 billion over 10 years — far from the cuts GOP lawmakers had envisioned. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. KOSOVO-SERBIA-TENSIONS — Troops from the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo placed metal fences and barbed wire barriers in a northern town following clashes with ethnic Serbs that left 30 international soldiers wounded. Hundreds of ethnic Serbs began gathering in front of the city hall in Zvecan in their efforts to take over the offices of one of the municipalities where ethnic Albanian mayors took up their posts last week. SENT: 220 words, photos. With BOSNIA-WAR CRIMES — U.N. court issuing appeal ruling in trial of two Serbs accused of crimes in Balkan wars. ELECTION 2024-DESANTIS — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis begins his first full day of presidential campaigning with a blitz through Iowa, trying to prioritize personally connecting with voters while proving he can handle the scrutiny of the national spotlight. By Thomas Beaumont and Will Weissert. SENT: 380 words, photos. UPCOMING: 700 words after 10 a.m. event in Sioux City. SUPREME COURT-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION — As an alternative to affirmative action, colleges from California to Florida have tried a range of strategies to achieve the diversity they say is essential to their campuses. But after years of experimentation — often prompted by state-level bans on considering race in admissions — there’s no clear solution. By Education Writer Collin Binkley. SENT: 1,240 words, photos. CHINA-ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE — China’s ruling Communist Party is calling for beefed-up national security measures, highlighting the risks posed by advances in artificial intelligence. Scientists and tech industry leaders recently issued a new warning about the perils that AI poses to humankind. SENT: 330 words, photo. ————————— MORE NEWS ————————— NEW ZEALAND-AIRLINE WEIGHING PASSENGERS — New Zealand airline is asking passengers to weigh in before their flights. SENT: 320 words, photos. MANSON FOLLOWER-PAROLE — Manson follower should be paroled, California appeals court rules. SENT: 790 words, photo. JAM MASTER JAY KILLING — Third man charged in 2002 shooting death of Jam Master Jay. SENT: 270 words, photo. WARHOL FORGERY SCHEME — Florida art dealer sentenced in Warhol forgery scheme. SENT: 180 words. GAZA-WATERMELON SALAD — Gaza’s Palestinians polarized by unorthodox watermelon delicacy. SENT: 520 words, photos. ————————— WASHINGTON ————————— CONGRESS-OVERSIGHT-BIDEN — The chairman of the House Oversight Committee said he is moving forward with holding FBI Director Chris Wray in contempt of Congress because the department has not turned over a bureau record that purports to relate to Biden and his family. SENT: 600 words, photos. ————————— NATIONAL ————————— CHILDREN REMOVED-LAWSUIT — A Massachusetts couple whose young children were taken by social workers and police in the middle of the night are suing, arguing they were unconstitutionally removed without a warrant or court order. SENT: 1,170 words, photo, video. FLORIDA BEACH SHOOTING — Police launched a search for three suspects they believe to be the gunmen who opened fire along a crowded Florida beachside promenade on Memorial Day, wounding a 1-year-old and eight others while sending people frantically running for cover. SENT: 610 words, photos, video. SCHOOL SHOOTING-FLORIDA DEPUTY — A former Florida sheriff's deputy is about to be tried on charges he failed to confront the gunman who murdered 17 at a Parkland high school five years ago. SENT: 390 words, photos. TRUMP-INDICTMENT — Ten months before Donald Trump is scheduled to stand trial in his historic New York City criminal case, Manhattan prosecutors are turning the former president’s words against him in a tug of war over precisely where he will be tried. SENT: 790 words, photo. BORDER PATROL-CHIEF — The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions. SENT: 590 words, photo. ABORTION PROTECTIONS-NEVADA — Nevada’s Joe Lombardo became one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers, adding the western swing state to the list of those passing new laws to solidify their status as safe havens for abortion patients. SENT: 590 words, photo. MISSING DOCTOR-MISSOURI — The body of a Missouri emergency room doctor who has been missing for more than a week has been found in northwest Arkansas, his brother told The Associated Press. SENT: 410 words, photos. BUILDING COLLAPSE-IOWA — Five residents of a six-story apartment building that partially collapsed Sunday in eastern Iowa remained unaccounted, and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, video. ————————— INTERNATIONAL ————————— VATICAN-MISSIONARY MONEY — Pope Francis has asked aides to get to the bottom of how at least $17 million was transferred from the Vatican’s U.S.-based missionary fundraising coffers into an impact investing vehicle run by a priest. SENT: 1,720 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,240 words is also available. SOUTH SUDAN-DEMINING A COUNTRY — Many South Sudanese are returning to areas riddled with mines left from decades of conflict as they trickle back into the country after a peace deal was signed in 2018 to end a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions. SENT: 640 words, photos. KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea’s attempt to put the country’s first spy satellite into space failed in a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s push to boost his military capabilities as tensions with the United States and South Korea rise. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. JORDAN-ROYAL WEDDING-BRIDE AND GROOM — He’s heir to the Jordanian throne and a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. She’s a Saudi architect with an aristocratic pedigree of her own. Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Rajwa Alseif are to be married Thursday. SENT: 870 words, photos. BRAZIL-REGIONAL SUMMIT — The Brazilian president’s strong support of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader marred the unity at a South American summit that Brazil convened in hopes of reviving a bloc of the region’s 12 politically polarized countries. SENT: 980 words, photos. —————————— HEALTH/SCIENCE —————————— SPACEX-CREW FLIGHT — A private SpaceX flight carrying two Saudi astronauts and other passengers returned to Earth night after a nine-day trip to the International Space Station. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 210 words, photos, video. ————————— BUSINESS/ECONOMY ————————— CEO PAY — Pay packages for the men and women who run companies in the S&P 500 saw the smallest increase in eight years, according to a survey compiled for the AP by Equilar. By Business Writer Alexandra Olson. UPCOMING: 1,260 words, photos, graphics by 5 a.m. THERANOS-FRAUD-HOLMES-PRISON — Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes entered a Texas prison where she could spend the next 11 years for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that became a parable about greed and hubris in Silicon Valley. SENT: 910 words, photos, video. AMAZON PROTEST — Corporate workers in Amazon's Seattle headquarters will stage a walkout to protest the company's return-to-office mandate and to lobby for more accountability in the retail giant's climate change policies. SENT: 590 words, photos. FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets sank ahead of a vote by Congress on a deal to avert a government debt default, while a downturn in Chinese factory activity deepened, adding to signs global economic activity is weakening. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 530 words, photos. ————————— SPORTS ————————— JAPAN-FEMALE KNUCKLEBALLER — Japanese knuckleballer Eri Yoshida is taking her unusual pitch to an independent league in the United States. By Sports Writer Stephen Wade. SENT: 750 words, photos. ————————— HOW TO REACH US ————————— At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Masayo Yoshida (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide South Sudan struggles to clear mines after decades of war as people start returning home UN court issuing appeal ruling in long-running trial of 2 Serbs accused of crimes in Balkan wars Gaza Strip's Palestinians polarized by unorthodox watermelon delicacy

As the probe into whether former President Donald Trump or his advisers broke the law in their retention of documents including some potentially classified material from the White House nears its end, Mr Trump’s legal team is said to be fearing disloyalty. The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday that the former president’s attorneys supposedly worry that some among them may decide to start talking to the Department of Justice, becoming witnesses in the case, as the attention of the agency turns to the actions of the legal team themselves. The probe into Mr Trump’s handling of presidential records, including classified documents, exploded into the public eye last year when FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump’s home and resort in Florida. In addition, one of Mr Trump’s attorneys said he was “waved off” from searching the former president’s office for classified documents in the weeks before the FBI court-authorised search. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden was asked on Monday whether he would ever consider a pardon for the former president — as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would having announced his 2024 campaign for the presidency. Mr Biden laughed off the notion. Read More Donald Trump’s legal team and Manhattan prosecutors spar over where he will stand trial Trump White House official Peter Navarro to go on trial in September in Jan 6 contempt case Trump still dominates in first 2024 GOP poll since DeSantis announcement