Trump Doesn’t Know If He Backs Due Process Rights

May 5, 2025 5:10 am

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is circumspect about his duties to uphold due process rights laid out in the Constitution, saying in a new interview that he doesn’t know whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve that guarantee. He also says he doesn’t think military force would be needed to make Canada the “51st state.” And he’s downplaying the possibility that he’d look to run for a third term in the White House. The comments came in a wide-ranging and at time combative interview with Kristen Walker that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Israel Plans To Capture All Of Gaza Under New Plan

May 5, 2025 5:08 am

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Two Israeli officials says ministers have approved a plan to capture the entirety of the Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time. If carried out, the move would vastly expand Israel’s operations in the Palestinian territory and likely bring fierce international opposition. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing military plans. Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote Monday, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. The new plan would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, what would likely exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.

What’s In Trump’s Big Bill?

May 5, 2025 5:02 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is drafting President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up border security and deportation funds. But there’s still a lot of work to do, with “bumps in the road,” in the words of Republican Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The tax cuts portion is still a work in progress, as are the reductions in Medicaid and other mainstay government programs. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s goal is to pass the package out of his chamber by Memorial Day. Mostly, the Republicans in Congress have made progress on spending, adding some $350 billion to the Pentagon and Homeland Security.

New Group Launched To Highlight Rising Costs

May 5, 2025 4:58 am

NEW YORK (AP) — A bipartisan group of President Donald Trump’s critics is launching a new organization, dubbed the Cost Coalition, to highlight Trump’s struggle to control rising costs in the early months of his new presidency. The group expects to be active ahead of upcoming elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. That’s according to preliminary plans shared with The Associated Press ahead of a formal announcement. The Cost Coalition plans to push its message through a combination of paid advertising, social media, press interviews and on-the-ground events. Trump vowed to “end inflation” on Day 1 of his new presidency, but he’s launched a trade war that has pushed some costs higher and threatens to send the economy into recession.

Fan Who Fell At PNC Park Now Awake & Alert

May 5, 2025 4:55 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The fan who fell from a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates game is awake and alert. The organizer of a GoFundMe page for Kavan Markwood, the 20-year-old who slipped off a railing and onto the field during the seventh inning Wednesday, said Markwood is improving. Jennifer Phillips, who is organizing the fundraiser, says Markwood has made significant progress since being admitted to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition. The team’s internal investigation into the incident says Markwood did not purchase any alcohol, but that one of the people who attended the game with him did legally buy a handful of alcoholic beverages.

Security Report In Governor’s Fire Won’t Be Made Public

May 5, 2025 2:53 am

(WPXI) – A consultant paid to review security at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after it was firebombed by a late-night intruder said Friday that his team’s findings will not be made public.  Retired state police Col. Jeffrey Miller said in a statement that the “sensitive nature” of the findings he has given to Shapiro and state police “precludes their release to the public for obvious reasons.”  The dangerous breakdown in protection has raised questions about how the intruder was able to elude state police security as he climbed a 7-foot (2-meter) fence and smashed two windows, then crawled inside and ignited destructive fires with two gasoline-filled beer bottles.  “I am confident that if fully implemented, the key recommendations that we have made will prevent an attack of this nature from succeeding in the future,” Miller said. His San Diego-based security consulting firm is being paid more than $35,000 for the work.  Paula Knudsen Burke, the Pennsylvania lawyer with the nonprofit Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said portions of the report could be released even if the full report isn’t.  “It seems we’re spending taxpayer dollars to review taxpayer paid employees working in a taxpayer owned building,” Burke said. “It seems taxpayers should have some visibility into what their money is used for.”  A Harrisburg man, Cody Balmer, 38, has been charged with attempted homicide, arson and other offenses for the attack on the state-owned Harrisburg residence about 2 a.m. on Sunday, April 13. The fire caused an estimated millions of dollars in damage but no one was hurt.

Warren Buffett Announces Plan To Retire This Year

May 4, 2025 8:15 am

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett shocked an arena full of his shareholders by announcing that he wants to retire at the end of the year. Buffett said he will recommend to Berkshire Hathaway’s board that Greg Abel should become CEO at the end of the year. Previously the 94-year-old investor has always said he had no plans to retire. But Abel has been his designated successor for years, and Abel has already been managing all of Berkshire’s non-insurance businesses. He will now take on the responsibility for running Berkshire’s insurance businesses and investing its cash. Able said he was “humbled and honored to be part of Berkshire as we go forward.”  (Photo:  AP)

International Students In U.S. Reconsider Travel Plans

May 4, 2025 8:09 am

(AP) – International students in the U.S. are reconsidering their travel plans this summer after a wave of student status terminations and visa revocations. Even before students suddenly began losing permission to study in the U.S., some colleges were encouraging international students and faculty to postpone travel, citing government efforts to deport students involved in pro-Palestinian activism and worries of potential travel bans. As the scale of the status terminations emerged in recent weeks, more have cautioned against non-essential travel abroad for international students. University of California, Berkeley has issued an advisory saying upcoming international travel was risky due to “strict vetting and enforcement.”

Pope Leaves Behind Unfinished Business

May 4, 2025 8:08 am

VATICAN CITY (AP) — While Pope Francis accomplished a lot in his 12-year papacy, he left much unfinished business and many challenges for his successor — from the Vatican’s disastrous finances to the wars raging on multiple continents. When the conclave’s cardinals finish casting their ballots in the Sistine Chapel, the 267th pope will have to decide whether to continue with Francis’ policies, radically change them, or abandon them altogether. He also must choose what new projects will take precedence. Among the pressing issues are the role of women in the church, the division between traditionalists and progressives, what to do about clergy sex abuse and whether to LGBTQ+ Catholics.  (Photo:  AP)

Putin Doesn’t Want To Use Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine

May 4, 2025 8:04 am

(AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said there has been no need to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine and expressed hope that such a scenario will not arise. In a preview aired Sunday of a state TV interview, Putin said Russia has the strength to bring the conflict to a “logical conclusion.” His remarks come amid competing Russian and Ukrainian ceasefire proposals and continued fighting. Ukrainian officials said 11 people, including two children, were wounded in a Russian drone strike on Kyiv overnight. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 13 Ukrainian drones.