Trump team tries to project confidence and calm after his tariff moves rattled markets
ATLANTA (AP) — White House advisers and Cabinet members are trying to project confidence and calm as they defend President Donald Trump’s economic policies after another week of reeling markets that saw the Republican administration reverse course on some of its steepest tariffs. For his part, Trump took an aggressive stance on his social media platform Sunday, disputing the idea that he will exempt any products from his sweeping tariff plans. The Trump team pressed its case during appearances on the Sunday news shows. Their explanations and Trump’s comments together reflected shifting narratives from a president who, as a candidate, had promised an immediate economic boost and lower prices but now asks American businesses and consumers for patience.
Russian missiles hit Ukrainian city of Sumy during Palm Sunday celebrations, killing more than 30
SUMY, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles struck the heart of the Ukrainian city of Sumy as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday. Officials say the strike killed at least 34 people. It was the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week. Images from the scene on official channels showed lines of black body bags lying on the side of the road, while more bodies were seen wrapped in foil blankets among the debris. Video footage also showed fire crews fighting to extinguish the shells of burned-out cars among the rubble from damaged buildings. A further 117 people were wounded.
Israel intensifies strikes across Gaza on Palm Sunday and hits a hospital in the north
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — A new wave of Israeli strikes across Gaza has hit the last major hospital providing critical health care in the territory’s north. At least 21 people were killed Sunday including children. A pregnant woman was among survivors pulled from the rubble. Israel has vowed to expand its security presence in the small coastal strip. The predawn strike on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City was the latest of several attacks on the facility. The emergency room is badly damaged. Staffers said patients were evacuated after an Israeli warning and slept in the streets. A child patient died during the chaos.
Trump is ‘fully fit’ to serve as commander in chief, his doctor says after recent physical
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump’s doctor says the oldest man elected president is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief. The White House has released the results of Trump’s physical exam conducted on Friday. Trump is 78, and his physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, cited what he says is Trump’s “active lifestyle” and said it “continues to contribute significantly” to the Republican president’s well-being. Trump turns 79 on June 14. The results show Trump has dropped about 20 pounds since his last physical as president in 2020. He weighed 244 pounds then and is down to 224 pounds. The exam summary also noted that Trump previously had cataract surgery, as well as a colonoscopy in July 2024.
Trump goes with his gut and the world goes along for the ride
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump likes keeping people on edge waiting for his next move, and that’s been clear when it comes to his tariffs. After he reversed course on the tariffs and said he’d pursue negotiations, Trump had a simple explanation for how he’d make decisions in the coming weeks. The Republican president said he’d act “instinctively, more than anything else.” Trump has cast aside the traditional deliberative procedures for making decisions. Instead, he’s often going with his gut. The White House rejects criticism that Trump is overstepping his authority. International trade is the most recent example of Trump’s inclination to act unilaterally.
Police say they are investigating an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor’s residence
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Police evacuated Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family from the governor’s official residence after someone set fire to the building. That is according to authorities. The fire broke out overnight Saturday, on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which Shapiro and his family had celebrated at the residence. State Police said in a statement Sunday that the investigation was ongoing. Shapiro says he and his family woke up at about 2 a.m. to bangs on the door from police after the fire broke out. Firefighters extinguished the fire and no one was reported injured. Police say the fire caused significant damage and they are investigating.
Measles exploded in Texas after stagnant vaccine funding. New cuts threaten the same across the US
The measles outbreak in West Texas didn’t happen just by chance. Health officials say the easily preventable disease has ripped through communities sprawling across more than 20 Texas counties in part because health departments were starved of the funding needed to run vaccine programs. Immunization programs nationwide have been left brittle by years of stagnant funding by federal, state and local governments. In Texas and elsewhere, this helped set the stage for the measles outbreak and fueled its spread. Now cuts to federal funding threaten efforts to prevent more cases and outbreaks.
Schumer seeks to halt flights for New York helicopter company after deadly Hudson River crash
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on federal authorities to revoke the operating permits of the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River. Thursday’s crash killed a family of five visiting from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran. At a press conference Sunday, Schumer said the company, New York Helicopter Tours, should be required to halt all flights during the investigation. He also said the Federal Aviation Administration should ramp up safety inspections of other helicopter tour companies. Inquiries to New York Helicopter Tours were not returned.
Via porn, gore and ultra-violence, extremist groups are sinking hooks online into the very young
PARIS (AP) — Across Europe and further afield, counterterrorism agencies are grappling with a new generation of young people who are being radicalized online and consuming ultraviolent content produced by extremist groups and their supporters. Numbers of terror investigations involving children and teenagers are surging. And intelligence agencies are warning that radicalized minors can pose as much of a terror threat as adults. In France, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor says extremist propaganda is deliberately targeting young people. One case involved a boy aged just 12, who accumulated a vast library of decapitation and torture videos and how-to bomb-making guides.
Ecuador’s incumbent president and a leftist lawyer again vie for the top job in election runoff
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorians are voting in the country’s presidential election runoff, choosing between incumbent President Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González. Sunday’s voting is the second presidential runoff election in less than two years in the South American country, where voting is mandatory. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time, with more than 13 million people eligible to vote. Both candidates have promised voters solutions to the extortions, killings, kidnappings and other crimes that became part of everyday life as the country emerged from the pandemic. Analysts expect the result in Sunday’s election to have a very tight margin.