AP News Summary at 11:15 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners — including a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others. Trump placed the elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the United States, while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries. The president used aggressive rhetoric to describe a global trade system that the United States helped to build after World War II, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by other nations. The action kickstarts what could be a painful transition for many Americans, who could find middle-class essentials such as housing, autos and clothing more costly.

The world reacts with caution to US 'reciprocal' tariffs against dozens of nations

BANGKOK (AP) — The reciprocal tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump have initially drawn measured reactions from key trading partners, highlighting the lack of appetite for a full-fledged trade war. Trump presented the import taxes, ranging from 10% to 49%, in the simplest terms: the U.S. would do to its trading partners what he said they had been doing to the U.S. for decades. The president says it will draw factories and jobs back to the United States. Financial markets were jolted, with U.S. stock futures down by as much as 3% and Tokyo's market leading losses in Asia. Oil prices sank more than $2 a barrel and the price of bitcoin dropped 4.4%.

Tornadoes damage homes and power lines as storms wallop Midwest and South

Tornadoes have struck parts of the South and Midwest, knocking down power lines and trees, ripping roofs off of homes and shooting debris thousands of feet into the air, prompting at least one tornado emergency in Arkansas. Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were posted in several states as violent storms hit the region Wednesday. Forecasters say it is the opening act for a week of wild weather as daytime heating combines with an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming in from the Gulf.

Netanyahu says Israel will establish a new security corridor across Gaza to pressure Hamas

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip. He suggested in an announcement Wednesday that the corridor would cut off the southern city of Rafah, which Israel has ordered evacuated, from the rest of the territory. The announcement came after Netanhayu's defense minister said Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and add them to its so-called security zones. In other developments, Palestinian health officials said a wave of Israeli strikes killed more than 40 people. Israel has vowed to escalate the nearly 18-month war with Hamas until the militant group returns dozens of remaining hostages, disarms and leaves the territory.

Musk could be headed for a Washington exit after turbulent times at Trump's DOGE

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have recently suggested that the billionaire entrepreneur's time in the administration might be running out. Musk says he could be done with his work at the Department of Government Efficiency in the near future. Trump has told reporters that Musk will go back to running his companies and that DOGE “will end” at some point. All of that talk came before Musk faced a setback on Tuesday in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a closely contested state Supreme Court candidate. DOGE was never supposed to become a permanent fixture in Washington. But it could be reaching a conclusion faster than anticipated.

Amazon's last-minute bid for TikTok comes as a US ban on the platform is set to take effect Saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon has put in a bid to purchase TikTok. A Trump administration confirmed the eleventh-hour pitch as a U.S. ban on the platform is set to go into effect Saturday. The official wasn't authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official says the offer came in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The existence of an Amazon bid surfaced as Trump was scheduled on Wednesday to meet with senior officials to discuss the coming deadline for a TikTok sale.

Myanmar's military declares a ceasefire to ease quake relief as deaths pass 3,000

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military has declared a temporary ceasefire in the country’s civil war to facilitate relief efforts following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 3,000 people. The announcement by the military’s high command was reported late Wednesday on state television MRTV, which said the truce would run until April 22 and was aimed at showing compassion for people affected by Friday’s quake. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule. MRTV also announced that the death toll had risen to 3,003, with 4,515 injured.

Judge dismisses corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case. Judge Dale E. Ho on Wednesday granted the Justice Department’s extraordinary request to set aside criminal charges so the mayor could aid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. But the judge denied prosecutors the ability to potentially bring the criminal case back after the mayoral election. The order to dismiss the case “with prejudice” spares Adams from having to govern in a way that pleases Trump or potentially risk having the charges revived. The Justice Department’s push to end the case caused a rift between its leadership in Washington and prosecutors in New York. Adams had pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges.

Shingles is awful, but here's another reason to get vaccinated: It may fight dementia

WASHINGTON (AP) — A vaccination to prevent horribly painful shingles may offer an extra benefit: New research suggests it might lower the risk of dementia, too. There have long been hints that certain viruses increase risk for later-in-life dementia, including the virus that causes chickenpox. That virus never leaves the body, hiding in nerves to erupt later when the immune system wanes from illness or age — what's called shingles. The new study tracked seniors in Wales and found shingles vaccination cut their risk of developing dementia over the next seven years by 20%. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Val Kilmer, 'Top Gun' and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Val Kilmer has died at age 65. The versatile actor played flying ace Iceman opposite Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” Batman in “Batman Forever” and singer Jim Morrison in the biopic “The Doors.” Kilmer's daughter says he died Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. The Los Angeles-born Kilmer studied acting at the elite Juilliard School and had his big break in the 1984 spy spoof “Top Secret.” He was sometimes regarded as a difficult presence on film sets but said in his memoir that he always put the art first.