US, Britain strike Yemen’s Houthis in a new wave, retaliating for attacks by Iran-backed militants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi sites in Yemen in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But Washington once more did not directly target Iran as it tries to find a balance between a forceful response and intensifying the conflict. The latest strikes against the Houthis were launched by U.S. warships and American and British fighter jets. They follow an air assault in Iraq and Syria on Friday that targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend.
Israel issues its most detailed warning yet to Hezbollah, while the war in Gaza marks 4 months
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military has issued its most detailed warning yet to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon that it would be “ready to attack immediately” if provoked. The military recounted its actions along the northern border during four months of war in Gaza and made a rare acknowledgement of dozens of airstrikes inside Syria against the militant group. Israel stresses that it doesn’t choose war as its first priority. The comments followed the defense minister’s warning that a cease-fire in Gaza against the militant group Hamas wouldn’t mean Israel wouldn’t attack its ally Hezbollah as needed. Efforts to close wide gaps between Israel and Hamas in pursuit of a cease-fire continued.
At least 46 reported dead in Chile as forest fires move into densely populated central areas
VIÑA DEL MAR, Chile (AP) — Chile’s president says intense forest fires burning around a densely populated area of central Chile have caused at least 46 deaths, and officials say at least 1,100 homes had been destroyed. In a nationally televised address, President Gabriel Boric warned Saturday evening that the death toll could worsen as four large fires burn in the region of Valparaiso, where firefighters have struggled to reach the most threatened neighborhoods. Boric is urging Chileans to cooperate with rescue workers and to heed any evacuation orders. Authorities have urged thousands of people in the Valpariaso region to evacuate their homes. Chile’s interior minister says 92 forest fires are burning in the center and south of the country, where temperatures have been unusually high this week.
House Republicans announce bill that provides more military aid to Israel but leaves out Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will move forward with a $17.6 billion package to provide military aid to Israel and replenish U.S. weapons. The bill leaves out more aid for Ukraine, underscoring the challenges facing supporters of a comprehensive national security package that would also include billions of dollars for immigration enforcement. The move gives Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans the chance to show support for Israel even though there is little chance the Senate would go along with the narrower effort. Meanwhile, text of a broader Senate compromise is expected to be released this weekend and a key test vote on that package will be held next week.
President Joe Biden wins South Carolina’s Democratic primary as he gears up for his reelection bid
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden has won South Carolina’s Democratic primary, notching a victory in the state that he pushed to lead the party’s nominating calendar. Biden on Saturday defeated the other Democrats on South Carolina’s ballot, including Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson. Black voters play an outsized role in South Carolina’s Democratic electorate, and Biden and other party leaders had recommended that the state lead off the party’s 2024 primary calendar. A big win in South Carolina helped revive Biden’s 2020 campaign and propel him to the nomination.
Can Trump be on the ballot? It’s the Supreme Court’s biggest election test since Bush v. Gore
WASHINGTON (AP) — A case with the potential to disrupt Donald Trump’s drive to return to the White House is putting the Supreme Court uncomfortably at the center of the 2024 presidential campaign. The justices will hear arguments Thursday in a Colorado case about whether the former president can be kicked off the state’s Republican primary ballot because of his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. At issue is a constitutional provision adopted after the Civil War to prevent former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from reclaiming power. The case is the court’s most direct involvement in a presidential election since Bush v. Gore, the decision a quarter-century ago that effectively delivered the 2000 election to Republican George W. Bush.
Penn Museum buries the bones of 19 Black Philadelphians, causing a dispute with community members
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — For decades, the University of Pennsylvania has held hundreds of skulls that were once used to promote white supremacy through racist scientific research. As part of a growing effort among museums to reevaluate the curation of human remains, the Ivy League school laid some of the remains to rest last week in a local historic Black cemetery. Officials held a memorial service for them Saturday. The university says it is trying to begin rectifying past wrongs. But some community members feel excluded from the process, illustrating the challenges that institutions face when it comes to addressing institutional racism.
South Dakota tribe bans governor from reservation over US-Mexico border remarks
The Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has banned Gov. Kristi Noem from the Pine Ridge Reservation, one of the largest in the U.S. This comes days after the Republican governor gave a speech about wanting to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help deter immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The tribe’s president also says he was “deeply offended” when Noem said a gang called the Ghost Dancers is murdering people on the Pine Ridge Reservation and is affiliated with border-crossing cartels. He says Ghost Dance is a sacred ceremony and was referenced with blatant disrespect.
Another ‘Pineapple Express’ storm is expected to wallop California
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another “Pineapple Express” storm is on its way to California, bringing with it the threat of dangerous flooding and mudslides. Californians spent Friday and Saturday preparing for what forecasters are saying could be the largest storm of the season, with the worst expected to hit Ventura and Santa Barbara counties on Sunday and Monday. Most of the state was under some sort of wind, surf or flood watch by Saturday afternoon. The storm marks the second time this week the state will be pummeled by an atmospheric river, a long band of moisture that forms over the Pacific. It’s called the “Pineapple Express” because its plume of moisture stretches back across the Pacific to near Hawaii.
Oklahoma’s oldest Native American school, Bacone College, is threatened by debts and disrepair
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s oldest Native American school is nearing the brink of closure as years of poor financial decisions, inconsistent leadership and disrepair threaten what was once a haven for Indigenous academics. There are no students learning this semester at Bacone College in Muskogee. Spring courses were suspended after a lawsuit last year crippled Bacone’s finances. Former employees say the problems have been mounting for years. The property the school sits on has been put up for sale twice to settle its debts, most recently in December. But both auctions were called off. Litigation is pending and it’s unclear what might happen next. The interim president says she is grateful for more time to try to save Bacone.