US judge presses Trump administration on its refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge says she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison last month. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to return him. But the administration has so far refused. It claims he's in the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia's attorneys deny the allegations and say he was never charged with a crime. The president of El Salvador also said he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”
Harvard's challenge to Trump administration could test limits of government power
On one side is Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, with a brand so powerful that its name is synonymous with prestige. On the other side is the Trump administration, determined to go further than any other White House to reshape American higher education. Both sides are digging in for a clash that could test the limits of the government’s power and the independence that has made U.S. universities a destination for scholars around the world. On Monday, Harvard became the first university to openly defy the Trump administration as it demands sweeping changes to limit activism on campus.
As Trump considers auto tariffs pause, parts exemptions could be key for US industry
DETROIT (AP) — President Donald Trump is considering a delay of auto tariffs. A temporary pause won’t be enough for automakers to adjust their vast global supply chains but exemptions on parts could be key to the industry. It may also give car buyers a little more time to decide before vehicle prices are expected to rise significantly.
China's economy grows at a 5.4% annual pace in Jan-March quarter
BANGKOK (AP) — China has reported that its economy expanded at a 5.4% annual pace in January-March, supported by strong exports ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s rapid increases in tariffs on Chinese exports. Analysts are forecasting that the world’s second largest economy will slow significantly in coming months, however, as tariffs as high as 145% on U.S. imports from China take effect. Exports were a strong factor in China’s ability to attain a 5% annual growth rate in 2024 and the official target for this year remains at about 5%. Beijing has hit back at the U.S. with 125% tariffs on American exports, while also stressing its determination to keep its own markets open to trade and investment.
In the Ukrainian city of Sumy, life goes on despite the constant threat of attack
SUMY, Ukraine (AP) — The humdrum of daily life in Sumy belies the constant threat of death its people have lived with since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago. Days after Russia targeted the city’s center in back-to-back missile strikes, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100 others in the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians this year, life had mostly returned to its wartime normal. People hanging out in front of their apartment block Tuesday paused to look up only when hearing the buzzing of attack drones and familiar thud of Ukrainian air defenses before resuming their gossiping. The deadly attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities in recent weeks has cast a shadow over the ceasefire talks being brokered by the United States.
Israeli airstrike hits hospital entrance in Gaza, killing medic and wounding 9 other people
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike has struck the northern gate of a field hospital in the Gaza Strip, killing a medic and wounding nine other people. The strike hit the Kuwaiti Field Hospital, in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands have sought shelter in sprawling tent camps. A hospital spokesman said the wounded were all patients and medics. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has struck hospitals on several occasions during the 18-month war, accusing Hamas militants of hiding out in them or using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations.
What to know about Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the arson at his official residence
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A family member says the man charged with setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion has struggled with mental illness. Dan Balmer says Tuesday that his 38-year-old brother, Cody Balmer, has been treated twice at a psychiatric hospital in recent years. His comments came a day after Cody Balmer told a judge he did not suffer from any mental illness. The fire left significant damage and forced Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building early Sunday during the Jewish holiday of Passover. No injuries were reported, but authorities were still working to determine a possible motive, including whether it had anything to do with Shapiro’s politics or religious beliefs.
The White House is starting a new media policy that restricts wire services' access to the president
The White House has put forward a new media policy that sharply curtails access to Donald Trump by the news agencies that serve media outlets around the world. It was the latest attempt by the administration to control press coverage. The move would block the AP and other wire services that serve billions of readers. It comes after a judge ruled the White House had violated the organization’s free speech by banning it because it disagreed with the outlet’s decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The White House also said it will ultimately give press secretary Karoline Leavitt the final say over who gets to question her boss.
Wink Martindale, the genial game show host and an early TV interviewer of Elvis Presley, dies at 91
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wink Martindale, the genial host of such hit game shows as “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough,” has died. He was 91. Martindale began his career in radio and was did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young Elvis Presley before scoring hits as a game show host. “Gambit” started in 1976 but within a few short years was overtaken by “Wheel of Fortune” and other shows, but he bounced back in 1978 with “Tic-Tac-Dough,” which aired until 1985. Publicist Brian Mayes says Martindale died Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage after battling lymphoma for a year.
Pupy the elephant heads to a vast Brazilian sanctuary after 30 years in an Argentine zoo
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An unusual convoy is nearing Argentina’s lush border with Brazil, after snaking through traffic-snarled roads for hours. Inside a specialized iron crate strapped to a truck and flanked by vans full of caretakers and veterinarians is an African elephant, named Pupy. After spending more than 30 years captive in a Buenos Aires zoo-turned-nature preserve, Pupy is now on long journey from a trendy neighborhood of Argentina’s capital to the Amazon rainforest of Mato Grosso state in Brazil. She is expected to arrive at her new home at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, the first refuge for elephants in Latin America, later this week.