Trending
GOP White House hopefuls move forward as Trump considers run
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Less than three months after former President Donald Trump left the White House, the race to succeed him atop the Republican Party is already beginning. Trump's former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has launched an aggressive schedule, visiting states that will play a pivotal role in the 2024 primaries, and he has signed a contract with Fox News Channel. Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president, has started a political advocacy group, finalized a book deal and later this month will give his first speech since leaving office in South Carolina. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been courting donors, including in Trump's backyard, with a prominent speaking slot before the former president at a GOP fundraising retreat dinner this month at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort where Trump now lives. Trump ended his presidency with such a firm grip on Republican voters that party leaders fretted he would freeze the field of potential 2024 candidates, delaying preparations as he teased another run. Instead, many Republicans with national ambitions are openly laying the groundwork for campaigns as Trump continues to mull his own plans. They're raising money, making hires and working to bolster their name recognition. The moves reflect both the fervor in the party to reclaim the White House and the reality that mounting a modern presidential campaign is a yearslong endeavor. "You build the ark before it rains," said Michael Steel, a Republican strategist who worked for Jeb Bush's presidential 2016 campaign, among others. "They're going to do the things they need to do if he decides not to run."
Some Jan. 6 defendants try to use journalism as riot defense
The Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January created a trove of self-incriminating evidence, thoroughly documenting their actions and words in videos and social media posts. Now some of the camera-toting people in the crowd are claiming they were only there to record history as journalists, not to join a deadly insurrection. It's unlikely that any of the self-proclaimed journalists can mount a viable defense on the First Amendment's free speech grounds, experts say. They face long odds if video captured them acting more like rioters than impartial observers. But as the internet has broadened and blurred the definition of a journalist, some appear intent on trying. At least eight defendants charged in the Jan. 6 riot have identified themselves as a journalist or a documentary filmmaker, including three people arrested this month, according to an Associated Press review of court records in nearly 400 federal cases. The insurrection led to the deaths of five people, including a police officer, and there were hundreds of injuries. Some rioters manhandled and menaced the reporters and photographers who are credentialed to cover Congress and were trying to cover the mayhem that day. A group of AP journalists had photographic equipment stolen and destroyed outside the building. One defendant, Shawn Witzemann, told authorities he was inside the Capitol during the riot as part of his work in livestreaming video at protests and has since argued that he was there as a journalist. That explanation did not sway the FBI. The plumber from Farmington, New Mexico, is charged with joining in demonstrating in the Capitol while Congress was certifying Joe Biden's electoral victory over Donald Trump.
Egypt says 11 killed in train crash north of Cairo
CAIRO (AP) -- A passenger train derailed Sunday north of Cairo, killing at least 11 people, Egyptian authorities said. It was the latest of several rail accidents to hit the country in recent years. Four train wagons ran off the railway at the city of Banha in Qalyubia province, just outside Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement. Videos on social media showed wagons overturned and passengers escaping to safety along the railway. The train was travelling to the Nile Delta city of Mansoura from the Egyptian capital, the statement said. The Health Ministry said in a statement that besides the dead, at least 98 people were injured, with most of them suffering from broken bones, cuts and bruises. At least 60 ambulances were sent to the scene and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals, the ministry added.
Suspect apprehended in fatal shooting at Wisconsin tavern
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) -- Authorities say they have apprehended a person in connection with a shooting at a busy tavern in southeastern Wisconsin early Sunday that left three men dead and three men injured. Kenosha County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. David Wright said the suspect is facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide, with additional criminal charges likely after further investigation. Authorities said earlier they weren't sure if there was more than one shooter. "There is no threat to the community at this time," Wright said in a release. He said no further information on the suspect would be released Sunday. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said earlier a suspect was asked to leave the Somers House Tavern in Kenosha County but returned and opened fire. Beth said shots were fired inside and outside the bar, which he described as "very busy" at the time. He said he believed at least one handgun was used. Kenosha is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Milwaukee, not far from the Wisconsin-Illinois border.
Alma Wahlberg, mother of Mark, Donnie Wahlberg, dies at 78
Alma Wahlberg, the mother of entertainers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg and a regular on their reality series "Wahlburgers," has died, her sons said on social media Sunday. She was 78. "My angel. Rest in peace," Mark Wahlberg tweeted. Donnie Wahlberg posted a longer tribute to his mother on his Instagram account. "It's time to rest peacefully, mom," Donnie Wahlberg wrote. "I love you, miss you, thank you and will celebrate you, today and always." No information was given about the cause, date or location of her death. Donnie Wahlberg often posted about his mother on his accounts and in July updated his fans on her health, writing that she "didn't remember much and was often confused but somehow she was still Alma."
After child dies, US regulator warns about Peloton treadmill
NEW YORK (AP) -- Safety regulators warned people with kids and pets Saturday to immediately stop using a treadmill made by Peloton after one child died and others were injured. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said children and at least one pet were pulled, pinned and entrapped under the rear roller of the Tread+ treadmill, leading to fractures, scrapes and the death of one child. he safety commission said in a news release and in emails that it knows of 39 "incidents" with the treadmill, involving "multiple" or "dozens" of children, but it did not specify a number of children. It said the majority of the incidents resulted in injuries, including the one death. The commission posted a video on its YouTube page of a child being pulled under the treadmill.
Of the 39 incidents, 23 involved children, according to New York-based Peloton Interactive Inc.; 15 included objects like medicine balls, and one included a pet, it said. Peloton said in a news release that the warning from the safety commission was "inaccurate and misleading." It said there's no reason to stop using the treadmill as long as children and pets are kept away from it at all times, it is turned off when not in use, and a safety key is removed. But the safety commission said that in at least one episode, a child was pulled under the treadmill while a parent was running on it, suggesting it can be dangerous to children even while a parent is present. If adults want to keep using the treadmill, the commission said, they should use it only in a locked room so children and pets can't come near it.
Navalny's team calls protests amid reports of failing health
MOSCOW (AP) -- Associates of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called Sunday for massive protests in the heart of Moscow and St. Petersburg on Wednesday, saying Navalny's health is deteriorating severely during a hunger strike. Leonid Volkov, a top strategist for Navalny, said the demonstrations were called with three days' notice because "his life hangs in the balance….We don't know how long he can hold on. But it is clear we do not have time." The 44-year-old Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most visible and persistent critic, started a hunger strike more than three weeks ago to protest prison authorities' refusal to allow him to be seen by a private doctor. He says he is suffering from severe back pain and loss of feeling in his legs, and that the medical care in prison inadequate; the Russian penitentiary service says he is getting appropriate care. Several doctors went Sunday to the prison colony about 60 miles east of Moscow where Navalny is serving time but were not allowed in to see him.
Police: Suspect on the run in fatal shooting of 3 in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A manhunt was underway Sunday for a former sheriff's deputy wanted in the fatal shooting of three people in Austin, Texas, as an official said it wasn't known if the suspect was still in the city. Interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said those who live near where the shooting happened late Sunday morning no longer had to shelter in place, but he said they should "remain vigilant." He said officials were transitioning the search for Stephen Broderick, 41, from that area to a "fugitive search." "The victims were all known to this suspect.," Chacon said. "At this point, we do not think this individual is out there targeting random people to shoot. That does not mean he is not dangerous." Earlier in the day, nearby residents had been asked to shelter in place and to call their neighbors to check on them. Chacon had said earlier that officials were concerned that Broderick "might possibly take a hostage and be himself sheltered somewhere waiting for us to leave.