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Trump grand jury poised to take pre-planned hiatus from case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money paid on Donald Trump’s behalf is scheduled to consider other matters next week before taking a previously scheduled two-week hiatus, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. That means a vote on whether or not to indict the former president likely wouldn’t come until late April at the earliest.The break, which was scheduled in advance when the panel was convened in January, coincides with Passover, Easter and spring break for the New York City public school system.The person who confirmed the grand jury’s schedule was not authorized to speak publicly about secretive grand jury proceedings and did so on condition of anonymity. A message left with the district attorney’s office was not immediately returned.The grand jury has been meeting regularly Monday and Wednesday afternoons. It met Monday and a longtime Trump friend and potential key witness in the investigation was seen leaving the building where th...

NC State’s Terquavion Smith to enter NBA draft after 2 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State sophomore guard Terquavion Smith says he’s entering the NBA draft.Smith announced his decision in a social-media post, saying he was eager to pursue “a lifelong dream of mine.” “I’m ready to give it my all and make my mark at the next level,” he said.The 6-foot-4 guard was a first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick for The Associated Press after averaging a team-best 17.9 points, which was second in the ACC. He also made 187 3-pointers over his two seasons.Smith is considered a first-round draft prospect and had worked out at the NBA combine last year. His return last season helped the Wolfpack return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 before falling to Creighton in the first round.___AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 Source

Latest storm piles more snow on California mountains

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A cold low pressure system spinning off the coast of California sent bands of rain and snow across the state Wednesday, making travel difficult and adding to an epic mountain snowpack.Forecasters said the storm was not as strong as the systems that pounded the state all winter, but that chains were required for vehicles on highways through the Sierra Nevada. A section of U.S. 395 on the eastern side of the range was closed due to snowfall.The Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the Eastern Sierra declared its snowiest season on record after 28 inches (70 centimeters) of snow since Tuesday afternoon pushed season snowfall totals to 695 inches (17.6 meters) at its main lodge and 870 inches (22.1 meters) at the summit of the 11,053-foot (3,369-meter) peak. “It’s deep out there,” the resort wrote on its website.Another foot (30 cm) or more of snow fell at resorts around Lake Tahoe, including 14 inches (35 cm) at Palisades south of Truckee. That resort is now within 1...

US backs international court for Russia’s war in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is offering support for the creation of an international court to prosecute alleged crimes of aggression by Russia against Ukraine. In comments this week, senior U.S. officials said the administration believes that would be the best way to hold Russia accountable for its year-old invasion. However, they also acknowledge that the prospects for a court to actually take custody of any Russian official for trial are slim.“The United States supports the development of a special tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine in the form of an internationalized court that is rooted in Ukraine’s judicial system, with international elements,” the State Department said in comments emailed to reporters.The officials said they envision a hybrid tribunal based on the Ukrainian justice system but with international components — similar to previous ad hoc war crimes courts set up for Cambodia, Chad, the Central African Republic and Bosnia — and likel...

Permit to buy handgun no longer required in North Carolina

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina residents can now buy a handgun without getting a permit from a local sheriff, after the Republican-controlled legislature on Wednesday overrode the Democratic governor’s veto — a first since 2018.The House voted 71-46 to enact the bill, which eliminates the longstanding permit system requiring sheriffs to perform character evaluations and criminal history checks of pistol applicants. The Senate overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto in a party-line vote on Tuesday.The permit repeal takes effect immediately. Cooper and Democratic lawmakers warned it allows a greater number of dangerous people to obtain weapons through private sales, which do not require a background check, and limits law enforcement’s ability to prevent them from committing violent crimes. Those who purchase pistols from a gun store or a federally licensed dealer are still subject to a national background check, and concealed weapons permits are still required.Bill supporters say the she...

UN atomic chief pursues Ukraine nuclear plant security deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s atomic energy watchdog returned Wednesday to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest atomic power generator, and said he has narrowed months-long negotiations to establish security to the plant itself, rather than the surrounding area.International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has struggled to reach an agreement with Russian and Ukrainian authorities to secure the plant, which has been hit several times during the Ukraine war — though there have been no reported hits to the reactors. The facility has also suffered repeated losses of external power needed to cool its six shut-down reactors. Grossi crossed the war’s front lines for a second time to reach the plant, which is located in a partially Russian-occupied part of Ukraine where combat has intensified. The IAEA, based in Vienna, Austria, has been rotating inspection teams at the plant for months. Grossi told The Associat...

Duke’s Dariq Whitehead entering NBA draft after one season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead is entering the NBA draft.The 6-foot-7 wing announced his decision Wednesday. He averaged 8.3 points and shot a team-best 42.4% from 3-point range in 28 games.Whitehead missed the first four games while recovering from an offseason foot injury, then missed another four games during the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a sprain to his lower left leg. Those impacted his ability to develop over the course of the season.In a statement from the school, coach Jon Scheyer says Whitehead is “just scratching the surface on who he’s going to be” and supports Whitehead’s decision.Whitehead scored 16 points in a win against eventual Final Four team Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, then had four steals in the title-game win against Virginia. He had 13 points off the bench in a career-best 33 minutes in the second-round NCAA loss to Tennessee.___AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madn...

Brea Beal’s defense helps lift South Carolina to Final Four

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Brea Beal is not just South Carolina’s X factor in one of the country’s best defenses but also a four-year lesson in sacrifice and reinvention that may add a second straight NCAA title to her resume.Beal is generally third when most think of the landmark recruiting class from 2019 led by heralded All-American Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke. But she could have the most critical role at the Final Four, most likely checking Iowa’s All-American Caitlin Clark in the national semifinals.The Gamecocks (36-0) face the Hawkeyes (30-6) in the second game in Dallas on Friday night, with the winner playing LSU or Virginia Tech for the national title on Sunday.Beal, who has started 136 of 137 games in her four seasons, and her senior teammates have racked up championships in their time. They have won three Southeastern Conference Tournament titles, have been to three straight Final Fours and are chasing their second NCAA crown.Beal takes on the opponent’...

US to play Mexico in Nations League semis on June 15

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The defending champion United States will play Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League on June 15 at Las Vegas.The winner advances to the final against Canada or Panama on June 18, also in Las Vegas, the regional governing body said Wednesday. The semifinal match kicks off at 10 p.m. EDT, following the Canada-Panama match.No. 13 U.S. also plays 15th-ranked Mexico in an exhibition om April 19 at Glendale, Arizona. That match is not on a FIFA fixture date and neither team figures to have most of its Europe-based players.The U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 at Cincinnati and drew 0-0 at Mexico City during World Cup qualifying. The Americans defeated El Tri 3-2 in extra time in the 2021 Nations League final at Denver and won 1-0 in that year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final at Las Vegas.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Senate votes to repeal Iraq War approval many see as mistake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the resolution that gave a green light for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a bipartisan effort to return a basic war power to Congress 20 years after an authorization many now view as a mistake.Iraqi deaths are estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and nearly 5,000 U.S. troops were killed in the war after President George W. Bush’s administration falsely claimed that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. “This body rushed into a war” that had massive consequences, said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat who has pushed for years to repeal the powers. Senators voted 66-30 to repeal the 2002 measure and also the 1991 authorization that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War. If passed by the House, the repeal would not be expected to affect any current military deployments. But lawmakers in both parties are increasingly seeking to claw back congressional powers they have given the White House over U.S. military ...