Judge in Trump's hush money trial threatened to remove witness from court for behavior on stand
NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump’s hush money trial cleared the courtroom of reporters and then threatened to remove the defense’s witness from the trial because of his behavior on the stand, a court transcript shows. Judge Juan M. Merchan told Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor, on Monday that his conduct was “contemptuous right now.” Costello aggravated Merchan repeatedly in his testimony by making comments under his breath and continuing to speak after objections were sustained — a signal to witnesses to stop talking. The exchange came toward the end of a heated day that included the prosecution’s star witness admitting to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Trump’s company.
War crimes prosecutor seeks arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court on Monday accused Netanyahu, his defense minister, and three Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The announcement was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. Hamas also rejected the accusations. A panel of judges will consider the prosecutor’s evidence and decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed.
What is the ICC and why it is considering arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court could soon issue arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas more than seven months into their war. ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said Monday that he is seeking warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and three Hamas leaders. Khan said that they are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The ICC was established in 2002 as the permanent court of last resort to tackle impunity for war crimes, genocide and other grave crimes when states don’t prosecute those responsible.
What's next for Iran's government after death of its president in helicopter crash?
JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’s ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Ebrahim Raisi was seen as a prime candidate to succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader. His death Sunday in a helicopter crash makes it more likely that the job could eventually go to Khamenei’s son. A hereditary succession would pose a potential crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic, which was established as an alternative to monarchy but which many Iranians already see as a corrupt and dictatorial regime.
Australia and New Zealand sending planes to evacuate nationals from New Caledonia's unrest
SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian and New Zealand governments say they are sending planes to evacuate their nationals from violence-wracked New Caledonia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed on Tuesday that Australia had received clearance for two flights to evacuate citizens and other tourists from New Caledonia amid violent unrest that has beset the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. New Zealand also announced it is sending a plane Tuesday to evacuate its nationals from Noumea, the Pacific island’s capital, in the first in a series of proposed flights to bring its citizens home.
Judge blocks Biden administration from enforcing new gun sales background check rule in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new rule in Texas that would require firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores. The decision by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk came before the rule had been set to take effect Monday. The order also prevents the federal government from enforcing the rule against several gun-rights groups, including Gun Owners of America. The requirement is the Biden administration’s latest effort to curtail gun violence. It aims to close a loophole that has allowed unlicensed dealers to sell tens of thousands of guns every year without checking that the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm.
Top US drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions
The Biden administration’s push to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug is going forward without the support of the nation’s premier narcotics agency. Newly released government records show the Drug Enforcement Administration requested more information on supporting science to reclassify marijuana but the Justice Department decided to move ahead without the drug agency’s signoff. Longtime observers of the DEA say politics may be at play, contending the Justice Department is moving forward because President Joe Biden wants to use the pot issue to woo voters in his re-election campaign. The White House has said Biden pledged in 2020 to ease restrictions on marijuana.
Corn, millet and ... rooftop solar? Farm family’s newest crop shows China’s solar ascendancy
JINAN, China (AP) — China is the runaway leader in supplying the world with the hardware to gather solar power. Now it's installing it at home at such a clip that the country's grid is getting more than it can use in some places. That's true in Shandong province, where Shi Mei and her husband decided a few years ago to supplement their farm income by buying a solar setup for their roof. Now they harvest the equivalent of $10,000 per year for the electricity that gets fed to the grid. Shi says “When the sun comes out, you make money.” Analysts and solar companies say the future will remain bright if China can quickly adapt to the oversupply.
US says cyberattacks against water supplies are rising, and utilities need to do more to stop them
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency warns that cyberattacks against water utilities around the U.S. are becoming more frequent and more severe. The agency on Monday issued an alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation's drinking water. The EPA said about 70% of utilities inspected by federal officials over the past year violated standards meant to protect cyberattacks. They cited basic errors such as failing to change default passwords or cut off system access to former employees. The EPA says nations including Russia, China and Iran are actively seeking the ability to disable critical U.S. infrastructure. Many water systems have modest staffing and resources to harden themselves against attacks.
Scarlett Johansson says a ChatGPT voice is 'eerily similar' to hers and OpenAI is halting its use
NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices that “Her” actor Scarlett Johansson says sounds “eerily similar" to her own. OpenAI said Monday that it is “working to pause” Sky — the name of one of five voices that ChatGPT users can chose to speak with. The company added it had “heard questions” about how it selects the lifelike audio options available for its flagship artificial intelligence chatbot. Among those raising questions was Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film “Her.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the voice actor behind Sky was cast “before any outreach to Ms. Johansson," but apologized for not communicating better.
'; var element = document.getElementById("sub_message"); element.appendChild(subMessage); console.log("Code Loaded!"); } else { var subMessage = document.createElement('div'); subMessage.id = 'sub-message-top'; subMessage.class = 'panel panel-default'; subMessage.style.backgroundColor = '#eee'; subMessage.style.borderRadius = '5px'; subMessage.style.padding = '10px'; subMessage.style.marginTop = '25px'; subMessage.style.marginBottom = '25px'; subMessage.innerHTML = '
Support local journalism.
Subscribe Today'; var element = document.getElementById("sub_message"); element.appendChild(subMessage); console.log("Code Loaded!"); }}
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
