Trump officials texted war plans to a group chat in a secure app that included a journalist
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic. This was reported by the magazine in a story posted online Monday. The National Security Council said the text chain “appears to be authentic.” Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said the material in the text chain “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” Just two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack on March 15, the U.S. began launching a series of airstrikes.
Trump administration invokes state secrets privilege in case over deportations under wartime law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has invoked a “state secrets privilege” and refused to give a federal judge any additional information about the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador — a case that has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension with the federal courts. The declaration comes as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg weighs whether the government defied his order to turn around planes carrying migrants after he blocked deportations of people alleged to be gang members without due process. Government attorneys also asked an appeals court Monday to lift the order and allow deportations to continue, a push that appeared to divide the judges.
UN to reduce staff in Gaza, blaming Israel for a strike that killed its employee
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The United Nations has said it will “reduce its footprint” in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli tank strike hit one of its compounds last week, killing one staffer and wounding five others. Israel has denied it was behind the March 19 explosion at the U.N. guesthouse in central Gaza. In a statement Monday, U.N. Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that “based on the information currently available,” the strikes on the site “were caused by an Israeli tank.” He said the U.N. “has made taken the difficult decision to reduce the Organization’s footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar.” He said the U.N. “is not leaving Gaza” but did not give details on the impact of the decision.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to halt judge’s order to rehire probationary federal workers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to halt a ruling ordering the rehiring of thousands of federal workers let go in mass firings across several agencies. In an emergency appeal filed Monday, the Republican administration argued the ruling should be put on hold because the judge didn’t have the authority to order some 16,000 probationary employees be hired back. The order came from U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, who found the firings didn’t follow federal law. The judge required immediate offers of reinstatement be sent. The agencies are the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury.
Body camera footage is released showing scene outside Gene Hackman’s home
ALBUQUERQE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have released body camera footage from outside the home of Gene Hackman, where the actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in late February. The footage shows deputies talking with the two workers who called authorities after seeing someone lying on the floor inside the home. The deputies initially indicated they were concerned about the possibility of a gas leak. But there were no leaks. Medical investigators later confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s about a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome took the life of his wife.
You’re an American in another land? Prepare to talk about the why and how of Trump 2.0
LONDON (AP) — Answering for America has become an increasingly delicate experience under Trump 2.0, a dozen U.S. citizens in other countries tell The Associated Press in recent weeks. That’s because President Donald Trump has antagonized Canada, Denmark, Mexico and Europe with tariffs and threats, jolting what one American expat says had been a “romaticized” image of the U.S. Republican and Democratic expats alike say that the moment they are revealed to be American changes the conversation, And what comes after that is sometimes awkward, often involves euphemisms — but almost always is a reference to Trump’s America in 2025.
US holds separate talks with Russians after meeting Ukrainians to discuss a potential ceasefire
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. negotiators are working with Russian representatives on a proposed partial ceasefire in Ukraine. Monday’s meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, came a day after the U.S. held separate talks with the Ukrainian team. Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of undermining efforts to reach a pause in the 3-year-old war. Both countries agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with their leaders. A major sticking point is what targets would be off-limits to strike. While the White House said “energy and infrastructure” would be covered, the Kremlin declared the agreement referred more narrowly to “energy infrastructure.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants to see railways and ports protected.
Firefighters in the Carolinas battle multiple wildfires as New Jersey crews contain a forest blaze
Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.
USC star JuJu Watkins carried off floor with knee injury against Mississippi State in March Madness
LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins was carried off the floor in the first quarter of top-seeded USC’s game against Mississippi State in the women’s NCAA Tournament. Watkins was driving to the basket when she went down between two Bulldogs defenders with 4:43 remaining. She grabbed her right knee with a pained expression on her face. The crowd in Galen Center went silent as coach Lindsay Gottlieb and two other USC staffers attended to Watkins, a 6-foot-2 sophomore who averages 24.6 points and is one of the biggest stars in the women’s game. She was carried off the court by multiple people. USC said she was being evaluated and would not return to the game.
Do you eat a meal in 20 minutes or less? It might be time to slow down
LONDON (AP) — Experts tend to focus on the kinds of foods you can eat to improve your health. But the speed at which you devour your dinner matters just as much. Scientists say you’re eating too fast if you typically finish a regular-sized meal in less than 20 minutes. That means you could have a higher risk of obesity, swallow more air that leads to bloating or have unchewed pieces of food lodged in your esophagus. Experts recommend slowing down by putting down your phone, turning off the TV and focusing on the meal itself.