Hope Hicks, ex-Trump adviser, recounts fear in 2016 campaign over impact of 'Access Hollywood' tape
NEW YORK (AP) — Former longtime Donald Trump adviser Hope Hicks testified about how his 2016 presidential campaign became embroiled in a political firestorm over a tape in which he boasted about grabbing women sexually without their permission. The infamous “Access Hollywood” tape is central to the case. Prosecutors say it hastened his then-lawyer Michael Cohen’s hush money deal with porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Hicks testified Friday that after learning of the tape's existence, she knew it was a “damaging development.”
Striking deals to end campus protests, some colleges invite discussion of their investments
NEW YORK (AP) — Demonstrations have ceased at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters. The agreements this week have fended off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The negotiations at schools including Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amid the chaotic scenes playing out on campuses nationwide. More than 2,400 people have been arrested since April 17. Deals have included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel, a longtime U.S. ally. Protesters have also focused on university ties to the Israeli military as the war grinds on in Gaza.
Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges in connection with a federal probe into their ties with the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. The U.S. Department of Justice said the couple surrendered to authorities on Friday and were taken into custody. It said they made an initial appearance before a federal judge in Houston and were each released on $100,000 bond. Cuellar released a statement Friday denying any wrongdoing. According to the federal indictment, the couple accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico in exchange for advancing the interests of the country and the bank in the U.S.
An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — An experimental F-16 fighter jet has taken Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on a history-making flight controlled by artificial intelligence and not a human pilot. Kendall said he came out of Thursday's flight in California, witnessed by The Associated Press, confident enough in AI's capabilities that he would trust it to fire weapons. The flight is serving as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military is planning to use the technology to operate an unmanned fleet of 1,000 aircraft. Arms control experts and humanitarian groups are concerned that AI might one day be able to take lives autonomously and are seeking greater restrictions on its use.
Heavy rains over Texas have led to water rescues, school cancellations and evacuation orders
HOUSTON (AP) — Heavy storms have continued to slam the Houston area. Already dangerous flooding has widened as first responders launch numerous high-water rescues, including some from the roofs of flooded homes. The National Weather Service on Friday reported more than 11 inches of rain during the past 24 hours in the Houston suburb of Spring. The agency has issued a flood warning until Tuesday for the region. No injuries or deaths have been reported. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a mandatory evacuation order for people along a portion of the San Jacinto River in northern Harris County. She said Friday some in the area had been rescued from their rooftops.
United Methodist delegates repeal their church’s ban on its clergy celebrating same-sex marriages
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — United Methodist delegates have repealed their church’s longstanding ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy. The action marked the final major repeal of a half-century’s collection of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that were embedded in the laws and social teachings of the United Methodist Church. The 447-233 vote by the UMC’s General Conference came one day after delegates overwhelmingly voted to repeal a 52-year-old declaration that the practice of homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching” and two days after they repealed the denomination’s ban on LGBTQ clergy.
New Hampshire jury finds state liable for abuse at youth detention center and awards victim $38M
BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire jury has found the state liable for abuse at its youth detention center and has awarded $38 million to a former resident who says he was beaten and raped as a teen. But the state says its law requires reducing the amount to $475,000. David Meehan’s lawsuit against the state was the first of more than 1,100 to be filed and the first to go to trial. In the ruling on Friday jurors found the state’s negligence in hiring, training and supervising employees allowed his abuse. The state is prosecuting 11 former workers, including those who Meehan accused.
Canadian police make 3 arrests in Sikh separatist's slaying that sparked a spat with India
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian police say they arrested three suspects in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader last June that become the center of a diplomatic spat with India, and are investigating possible ties between the detainees and the Indian government. Police say the three suspects are Indian nationals in their 20s who were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday morning. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic feud with India in September when he said that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the slaying of Nijjar. India had accused Nijjar of links to terrorism, but angrily denied involvement in the slaying.
Google, Justice Department make final arguments about whether search engine is a monopoly
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government and Google are making their closing arguments in a high-stakes antitrust trial to a federal judge in Washington who must now decide whether the tech giant’s search engine constitutes an illegal monopoly. The Justice Department argued Friday that Google’s preeminence as an internet search engine is an illegal monopoly propped up by more than $20 billion spent each year by the tech giant to lock out competition. Google argues that its ubiquity flows from its superior product and its ability to deliver consumers the results that it’s looking for. A final ruling in the case is expected later this year.
Larry Demeritte is just the second Black trainer since 1951 to saddle a horse for the Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Larry Demeritte has run horses on Kentucky Derby day in the past, just never in the big race. The 74-year-old trainer says it was all practice for Saturday, when he will saddle West Saratoga in the Derby. The gray colt cost just $11,000 and is the pride of Demeritte’s 11-horse stable in Lexington, Kentucky. He’s just the second Black trainer since 1951 with a horse in the Derby, a race that was dominated in its early years by winning Black trainers. Demeritte was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and undergoes chemotherapy. He’s from the Bahamas, where his father was a trainer.
