AP National News

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon leaders have told Congress that the U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China. And they’re pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department’s proposed $842 billion budget, which would modernize the force in Asia and around the world. Defense Secretary

By HALELUYA HADERO and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content Thursday, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned. Shou Zi Chew’s rare public appearance

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Manhattan grand jury investigating Donald Trump over hush money payments is hearing testimony on other matters instead. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition to discuss a development that will seemingly further delay a vote

AYER, Mass. (AP) — Some freight train cars derailed in Massachusetts on Thursday but no hazardous materials were being hauled, a local fire department said. Video appeared to show Norfolk Southern engines hauling several railcars that had toppled off the tracks onto their sides. The train derailed around noon in the area of Sculley Road

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white kids in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released the new estimates of how common autism is. It estimates that 1 in

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature voted Thursday to advance a contentious bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, despite threats from two lawmakers that they would filibuster the rest of the session. The vote came on the third day of debate, in which lawmakers angrily accused

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is walking back his characterization of Russia’s war in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” following criticism from a number of fellow Republicans who expressed concern about the potential 2024 presidential candidate’s dismissive description of the conflict. In excerpts of an interview with

By HALELUYA HADERO AND FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content Thursday, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned. Shou Zi Chew’s testimony came at

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have endorsed a plan for sending Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia’s invasion forces. EU foreign and defense ministers approved the plan for a fast-track purchasing procedure earlier this

By MEAD GRUVER and AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Authorities say a woman accused of setting fire last year to a Wyoming abortion clinic that was under construction told investigators that she opposes abortion and was experiencing anxiety and nightmares over the facility opening. According to court documents, 22-year-old Lorna Roxanne

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press Perhaps you know Josh Segarra from his scene-stealing role as Lance on HBO Max’s “The Other Two,” or remember him as a crooked district attorney of Star City in the CW’s “Arrow,” or you caught him on Broadway when he originated the role of Emilio Estevez in “ On Your

By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press/Report for America COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Embattled South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom will resign next month after a $3.5 billion accounting error in the year-end financial report he oversaw. The state’s top accountant will leave the elected post he has held for 20 years on April 30, according to

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Police in Montenegro say they have arrested Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon, who is wanted in South Korea in connection with a $40 billion crash of the firm’s cryptocurrency. Montenegro’s interior minister said Thursday that authorities were awaiting official confirmation of the identity of a man who was arrested at the

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature was set to vote Thursday on a contentious bill that seeks to ban gender-affirming care for minors and led one lawmaker to stage a weekslong filibuster. The vote to advance the bill was expected on the third day of debate in which

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilda to the capital Pretoria, lauded the European country for its assistance to Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramaphosa emphasized the role played by Belgium in backing the World Health Organization’s mRNA technology transfer hub

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has come out of retirement to sign for Wrexham. The Welsh soccer team is owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The 39-year-old Foster last played for Watford before stepping away from the game last year. He signed a deal until the end

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rallying Thursday to recover almost all of their steep loss from a day before, when markets tumbled into the close. The S&P 500 was 1.6% higher in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 412 points, or 1.3%, at 32,442, as

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Thousands of bone fragments, which may include the remains of victims of Nazi crimes, were buried Thursday after they were found on a Berlin university campus where an institute for anthropology and eugenics was once located. Some 16,000 fragments were found on the campus of the Free

By ABBY SEWELL Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The International Monetary Fund has given a grim assessment of Lebanon’s prospects for getting out of its deepening financial crisis. An IMF delegation met with Lebanese officials on Thursday. Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, the head of the IMF mission, said at a news conference later that continued inaction

By KARL RITTER Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president has made his third visit in two days to areas that have felt the brunt of Russia’s invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a trip on Thursday to the southern Kherson region which was mostly retaken from the Kremlin’s forces. It came as a senior