A quadruple amputee professional cornhole player acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a passenger in his Tesla during a heated argument, his attorney said Wednesday.

Dayton James Webber, 27, appeared in Charles County District Court via videoconference for the bail review Wednesday, where Judge Patrick Devine noted that he left Maryland after the March 22 shooting of 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells and ordered Webber to remain jailed without bail.

Webber, who was extradited from Virginia and is charged with first- and second-degree murder, hasn't entered a plea yet and is due in court for a May 6 preliminary hearing. He also faces assault and firearm charges.

Defense attorney Andrew Jezic told the court that Webber acted in self-defense and that he anticipates "a lengthy trial" to prove it.

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After the hearing, Jezic told reporters that his client was "terrified."

"The truth here is that he would have been a murder victim if he had not acted immediately in defense of his life," Jezic said.

Family members of Webber declined to comment after the hearing.

Webber, whose arms and legs were amputated when he was 10 months old to save his life after he contracted a serious blood infection, is accused of shooting Wells, of Waldorf, twice in the head during an argument, according to police charging documents.

Karen Piper Mitchell, a deputy state's attorney, said witnesses in the car told authorities the argument was over a gun that a friend of Wells had stolen from Webber, and that Webber was upset Wells was still friends with the thief.

She said Webber and Wells had a history of arguing, including a 2024 incident in which Webber ordered Wells to leave his home. While Wells was leaving, Mitchell said Webber fired a shot from a second floor window. Jezic said Webber fired into the air.

In arguing that Webber should remain in custody, Mitchell noted that he drove to Virginia after the shooting and owns firearms.

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Authorities haven't publicly addressed whether the vehicle's cameras captured any of what happened or whether self-driving functionality was in use in the Tesla when the shooting occurred.

According to the charging documents, Webber pulled over after the shooting in La Plata, Maryland, and asked two backseat passengers to help pull the victim out, but they refused, got out of the car and flagged down police officers.

Webber fled with the victim still in the car, the Charles County sheriff's office said. Two hours later, a resident in Charlotte Hall, about 10 miles (16-kilometer) away, found Wells' body in a yard along a road and notified officers.

Detectives tracked down Webber's car in Charlottesville, Virginia, and found Webber at a hospital where he was "seeking treatment for a medical issue," the sheriff's office said.

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Webber was featured by ESPN in 2023 in a story of inspiration, noting he rode dirt bikes, wrestled and played football before becoming a professional cornhole player. The same year, he wrote an essay for the "Today" show about how he became a professional competitor. He said he learned to grab the bean bag by the corners and throw it using his amputated arms.

A YouTube video posted two years ago shows Webber loading and firing a handgun.

Democrats sued Wednesday to block President Donald Trump's latest executive order restricting mail voting, arguing that the U.S. Constitution empowers states and Congress, not the president, to determine who is eligible to vote by mail.

The lawsuit marks the second round of battles over the president's power to control elections. Trump's opponents handily won the first round last year, blocking his initial executive order intended to reshape election procedures by convincing multiple federal judges that it was likely unconstitutional.

Trump on Tuesday announced that his administration would compile lists of who is eligible to vote in states and that the U.S. Postal Service would only mail ballots to those who met that criteria. Critics note that there's little time to comb through voter rolls before ballots start going out for this fall's elections, in some places as soon as September, and question whether the administration's list would be reliable.

RELATED STORY | Trump signs executive order tightening mail-in voting rules

The lawsuit was filed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic National Committee and other party organizations working on campaigns for the House, Senate and governor offices around the country. Trump is one of the defendants, along with top administration officials.

"We will see him in court and we will beat him again," Schumer said in a statement.

Democrats said Trump was attempting to strike at the heart of America's democratic machinery.

President Trump has tried again and again to rewrite election rules for his own perceived partisan advantage, their lawsuit said. It adds that our Constitutions Framers anticipated this kind of desire for absolute power, dispersing the power to control elections to individual states and Congress.

Mail voting has existed for more than a century and had steadily been increasing in popularity in both Democratic and Republican states until 2020. Then Trump decided to target the method, levying baseless claims of mass fraud. As a result, it's become less popular among Republicans and more among Democrats, giving Trump additional incentive to throttle it before midterm elections that will determine whether his party continues to control Congress.

Trump himself often votes by mail, as recently as in a special election in Florida last month.

Since he returned to office, Trump has tried to interfere in state-run elections, citing often-disproven falsehoods about how fraud cost him the presidency in 2020. Repeated investigations, including ones by Republicans, showed no significant fraud in the 2020 vote.

RELATED STORY | 'Because I'm president': Trump defends casting mailin ballot ahead of election

Nonetheless, Trump has called for his administration to take over voting in Democratic areas, launched a probe of the 2020 vote fueled by election conspiracy theories and unsuccessfully pushed Congress to pass a law that would create new hurdles on voting, including a requirement that people provide in-person, documentary proof of citizenship when registering. That bill has stalled in the U.S. Senate over Democratic opposition.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday rescinded a rule that DHS expenditures over $100,000 be personally approved by his office, ending a widely criticized policy implemented by his predecessor Kristi Noem that critics said put a particular burden on the Federal Emergency Management Agency s work aiding disaster response and recovery.

The decision marks the first major action by the new Homeland Security leader, sworn in last week, to change a policy implemented by Noem, whom President Donald Trump fired in March.

Mullin's move is expected to ease a spending bottleneck that lawmakers and states said delayed disaster response and recovery funds, though those impacts are unlikely to be widely felt until after the end of the DHS shutdown, now in its 46th day.

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A DHS spokesperson confirmed that Mullin rescinded the rule Wednesday, telling The Associated Press the secretary re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently. CBS News first reported Mullin's decision.

The spokesperson said Mullins action will streamline the contracting process and allocate aid more efficiently.

The International Association of Emergency Managers praised Mullins decision. We appreciate Secretary Mullins common-sense approach to this matter, and we look forward to working with him, said Josh Morton, president of IAEM-USA.

Noem issued a directive last June requiring that she personally approve any Department of Homeland Security expenditure over $100,000. Critics said the rule undermined FEMA in particular, an agency that routinely issues contracts and reimbursements well over that amount in its work preparing for and responding to natural and manmade disasters across the U.S.

The policy created an untenable situation for emergency managers, Morton said, and a bottleneck that also hindered mitigation and preparedness programs, putting Americans at increased risk from disasters.

A recently released report by Democratic members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found the approval rule had delayed at least 1,000 FEMA contracts, grants or disaster reimbursements by September.

RELATED STORY | Republican leaders in Congress say they'll pursue a path to ending the Homeland Security shutdown

The policy came under scrutiny after news reports linked it to unstaffed call centers and delays deploying FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams to Texas during deadly floods last July, and brought sharp rebuke from some state officials and lawmakers, especially Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whose state is still recovering from devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in 2024.

Youve failed at FEMA, Tillis told Noem at a Senate hearing the day before she was fired.

About $2.2 billion in recovery and mitigation dollars were in the DHS approval queue Wednesday, according to FEMA data seen by the AP.

Its got a great mission, and I think people at FEMA want to do their job, Mullin told lawmakers at his March confirmation hearing, sparking cautious hope that he would ease the tumult experienced at the agency under Noem.

Mullin said he would keep the agency adequately staffed after it lost over 2,400 employees last year, and said he was already considering nominees for a permanent FEMA administrator, which the agency still lacks.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of eliminating FEMA, saying as recently as Tuesday that the agency is very expensive and it really doesnt get the job done.

Michael Coen, FEMA chief of staff during the Obama and Biden administrations, said, Hopefully this a step toward transparency and stability between FEMA and states."

DHS is reviewing other policies across the agency, pausing the purchase of new warehouses for immigration detention this week as it reviews contracts signed under Noem.

Lifting the spending approval rule will not necessarily mean a rapid flow of FEMA reimbursements to states, tribes and territories, as the agency is still impacted by the DHS fund impasse, now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

While FEMA disaster response and recovery activities are paid out of a non-lapsing Disaster Relief Fund, that money is running low, a FEMA official warned lawmakers in a House hearing last week, with about $3.6 billion remaining. The DHS appropriations bill would add just over $26 billion to the fund.

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday signaled an agreement to end the shutdown could be reached in the coming days.

American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson often worked without formal assignments from editors and on a shoestring budget, taking shared taxis to lawless corners of Iraq where militia rule outweighs government control.

Kittleson, 49, had lived abroad for years, using Rome as her base for a time and building a respected journalism career across the Middle East. On Wednesday, she vanished after being forced into a car by two men at a busy Baghdad intersection, surveillance camera footage showed.

She is a great reporter and always wants to go to areas where no one wants to go, said Patrizio Nissirio, a former editor at Italian news agency ANSA, who has known Kittleson since 2011, when she worked as a translator for the agency.

I said to her, You dont need to be in a war zone to do good journalism, and she told me, I think my work is worth something when I am in those areas, Nissirio said.

RELATED STORY | US journalist abducted in Iraq; State Department says she was warned of threats

Friends and fellow journalists describe Kittleson as a determined, gutsy reporter who had spent over a decade reporting from Iraq, Syria and the wider Middle East for a variety of news outlets including Al-Monitor, a regional news site.

Deeply curious and self-directed, she often embedded herself in local communities, sometimes staying with families rather than in hotels.

Her independence meant she often worked alone, traveling long distances and carrying heavy belongings with her at all times, while operating without the backing of a larger news organization that might have offered some protection.

The Wisconsin native was kind and spiritual, friends say, and had embraced Islam.

She was a vegetarian, a lifestyle her close Iraqi friends said was often difficult to accommodate in meat-heavy Middle Eastern countries, and she was frequently teased for her backbreaking bags. She distrusted leaving them behind at the modest hotel in Baghdad where she stayed.

Three Iraqi friends and acquaintances of Kittleson spoke about her on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal from armed groups if they were publicly linked to her.

In her final conversations before the abduction, she asked colleagues and friends about transport routes between cities while continuing to seek access to do stories.

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Hours before she was kidnapped, Kittleson met a friend in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood and said she had received a warning: U.S. officials had told her a militia group intended to target her. She did not believe the threat was credible.

Kittleson had been stopped before by security forces and militias at checkpoints, Iraqi colleagues said, and had always managed to secure her release. They will not hurt me, she told her friend that afternoon before she was taken.

Instead, she spoke of mounting financial strain, saying she had no assignments while in Baghdad. She had long struggled financially, living a frugal existence.

As a freelancer, she often relied on the support of Iraqi journalists.

On March 9, Kittleson was in Syria, seeking to enter Iraq at the border crossing in al-Qaim. Border police gave her a visa, but she was soon stopped by Iraqi intelligence officers, who turned her back, citing kidnapping threats, according to three different accounts from people she called that day.

Kittleson then went to Jordan and entered Iraq from there with little issue.

She always complained of the treatment of freelance journalists, saying they are not paid enough. She was always trying to make ends meet and said she would sleep on any couch she could find, unlike the big foreign correspondents that sleep in fancy hotels, Nissirio said.

Her job has always been difficult, but she had a burning passion for it that I respect and appreciate.

Kittleson published her last story with Il Foglio on Monday, March 31. The story focused on the effect of the Iran war on Iraqs Kurdish region.

Tiger Woods said hell step away and seek treatment on Tuesday, days after his vehicle crashed in Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery, he said in a post on the social media platform X.

Woods pleaded not guilty in his driving under the influence case in Florida on Tuesday, hours after a sheriffs report said he had pain pills in his pocket and showed signs of impairment at a crash last week.

The online court docket for Martin County, Florida, showed Woods entered a written plea of not guilty and planned to waive his appearance during an arraignment hearing next month.

Woods eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his pupils dilated and he had opioid pills on him when interviewed at the scene of the crash, according to the arrest report released by the Martin County Sheriffs Office.

Woods movements were slow and lethargic, he was sweating as he talked to deputies and told them he had taken prescription medication earlier in the morning, according to the report. Woods told deputies he had been looking at his phone and fiddling with the radio before he clipped a truck in front of him, the report said.

Deputies found two white pills, which were identified as the opioid hydrocodone used to treat pain, in his pocket, the report said.

When asked by a deputy if he took any prescription medications, Woods said, I take a few.

RELATED NEWS | Tiger Woods released on bail hours after DUI arrest, rollover crash in Florida

Woods defense attorney, Douglas Duncan, didnt respond to an email and phone call after the plea was entered on Tuesday.

Woods agent at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, has not responded to multiple messages seeking comment.

The golfer was traveling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island when his Land Rover clipped the truck and rolled onto its side, according to the sheriff's office, which noted Woods showed signs of impairment.

The truck had $5,000 in damage, according to the report.

The truck driver and another person helped Woods out of his vehicle, with the golfer needing to climb out from the passenger side. Neither Woods nor the truck driver were injured.

During a field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. The golfer explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 leg operations and that his ankle seizes up while walking. Woods, who was hiccupping during the questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to instruct him several times to keep his head straight, the report said.

Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle, the deputy wrote after the tests.

RELATED NEWS | Deputies say they found 2 hydrocodone pills on Tiger Woods following crash

Woods, 50, is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.

But his injuries kept him from accomplishing more, including those suffered in a 2021 car crash that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation.

At this latest crash, Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.

No one from Woods camp or the PGA Tour -- he is on the board and is chairman of the committee reshaping the competition model -- have commented since his arrest.

Woods, who has been involved in many crashes over the years, is charged with driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He is scheduled for arraignment April 23.

Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing a law enforcement officers request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.

The expansion Denver Summit's match against the Washington Spirit on Saturday broke the National Women's Soccer League record for attendance with its announced crowd of 63,004.

Fans at the Denver Broncos' home stadium broke the previous NWSL record of 40,091 who attended Bay FC's match against the Spirit last season at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

In 2024, the Chicago Stars drew 35,038 to a game against Bay FC that was played at Wrigley Field, home to the Cubs.

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This is a big deal, and its very important," fan Karmryn Eversole said. "And I think its a huge milestone for womens sports to prove that we want more womens courts. And this is what we want, and were here supporting it, and we want to show it.

The match was the Summit's first at home in Colorado. The team played its first three on the road, going 1-1-1. The game against the Spirit on Saturday ended in a scoreless draw.

Denver was awarded the 16th NWSL franchise in January 2025 for a reported expansion fee of $110 million. The Summit started play this season along with the Boston Legacy.

I mean, I think it means everything, fan Nicole DeLue said. If you look at the amount of Denver womens players that have gone to the World Cup, made the national team. Weve always been a strong feeder. So to finally have a home base here is just incredible.

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After the opener at Mile High, the Summit will play home games at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, home of the Colorado Rapids in MLS. In July, the team will move to the temporary 12,000-seat Centennial Stadium while a women's soccer stadium is built in downtown Denver.

The Summit announced earlier this week they had closed on land at Santa Fe Yards for the future stadium, which the club hopes will be complete by the 2028 season.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday rejected claims that God justifies war and prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peters Square.

With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entering its second month and Russias ongoing campaign in Ukraine, Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday homily to insist that God is the king of peace who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.

Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war, Leo said. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.

Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials, especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.

RELATED STORY | Pope Leo suggests Christian leaders who start wars should go to confession

Russia's Orthodox Church, too, has justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a holy war against a Western world it considers has fallen into evil.

Palm Sunday marks Jesus triumphant entrance into Jerusalem in the time leading up to his crucifixion, which Christians observe on Good Friday, and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

In a special blessing at the end of Mass, Leo said he was praying especially for Christians in the Middle East who are suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict. In many cases, they cannot live fully the rites of these holy days.

Earlier Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate said Jerusalem police prevented the Catholic churchs top leadership from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was the first time in centuries church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, the Patriarchate said.

Leo said that during Holy Week, Christians cannot forget how many people around the world are suffering as Christ did. Their trials appeal to the conscience of all. Let us raise our prayers to the Prince of Peace so that he may support people wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace, Leo said.

A Holy Week that recalls Pope Francis' suffering

When Holy Week opened last year, Pope Francis was still recovering at the Vatican after a five-week hospital stay for double pneumonia. He had delegated the liturgical celebrations to others, but rallied on Easter Sunday to greet the faithful from the loggia of St. Peters Square. Most poignantly, he then made what became his final popemobile loop around the piazza.

Francis died the following morning, Easter Monday, after suffering a stroke. His nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, later told Vatican Media that Francis had told him: Thank you for bringing me back to the square for the final salute.

Leo is due to preside over this weeks liturgical appointments and is returning to tradition with the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony that commemorates Jesus Last Supper with his disciples.

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During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual by traveling to Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of people most on societys margins. His aim was to drive home the rituals message of service and humility, and he would frequently muse during his Holy Thursday homilies Why them and not me?

Francis gesture had been praised as a tangible evidence of his belief that the church must go to the peripheries to find those most in need of Gods love and mercy. But some critics bristled at the annual outings, especially since Francis would also wash the feet of Muslims and people of other faiths.

Leo restores Holy Week foot-washing tradition

Leo, historys first U.S.-born pope, is returning the Holy Thursday foot-washing tradition to the basilica of St. John Lateran, where popes performed it for decades. The Vatican hasnt yet said who will participate, though Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II normally washed the feet of 12 priests.

On Friday, Leo is due to preside over the Good Friday procession at Romes Colosseum commemorating Christs Passion and crucifixion. Saturday brings the late night Easter Vigil, during which Leo will baptize new Catholics, followed a few hours later by Easter Sunday when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus.

Leo will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peters Square and then deliver his Easter blessing from the loggia of the basilica.

Top diplomats from key regional powers gathered in Pakistan on Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East, but there were few signs of progress as Israel and the U.S. kept up strikes on Iran, and Tehran responded by firing missiles and drones across the region.

Pakistan said foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt were participating in the talks in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held extensive discussions on regional hostilities.

More than 3,000 people have been killed throughout the monthlong war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering Iran's attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states.

RELATED STORY | War spreads across Middle East as Iran, Houthis target Israel and US forces

The U.S. and Israel were not participating in the Islamabad talks. Irans parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks as a cover while the U.S. dispatches additional troops to the Middle East. He warned against any ground invasion and said Iran was ready to set American troops on fire and punish U.S. regional allies, according to Iranian state media.

Israel announced waves of incoming strikes from Iran on Sunday and explosions could be heard throughout Tehran.

Mideast leaders try to break impasse at weekend talks

Egypts Badr Abdelatty, Turkeys Hakan Fidan and Saudi Arabias Prince Faisal Bin Farhan were in Islamabad as part of talks scheduled days after the U.S. offered Iran a 15-point action list" as a framework for a possible peace deal. Abdelatty said the meetings were aimed at opening a direct dialogue between the U.S. and Iran, which have largely communicated through mediators during the war.

Yet during the talks, Iran has eased some restrictions on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It agreed late Saturday to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged vessels to transit the critical passageway, Pakistani officials said, adding to the select few it has let through as Iran works to choke but not cut off the strait entirely.

The weekend provided little sign of the talks narrowing the disconnect between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. officials have insisted the war may be nearing an inflection point but Iranian leaders continue to publicly reject negotiations.

To the contrary, the United States has dispatched thousands of additional Marines and paratroopers to the region. And the Iran-backed Houthis, who govern parts of Yemen, announced their long-awaited entry into the war, launching missiles toward what they called sensitive Israeli military sites for the first time on Saturday.

Despite the deployments, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops as domestic opposition grows to expanding the war to a potential ground invasion, including among Republicans.

Yet Iranian officials have rejected the U.S. framework and in public dismissed the idea of negotiating under pressure. Still, Press TV, the English-language arm of Irans state broadcaster, reported last week that Tehran drafted its own five-point proposal, citing an anonymous official. The plan reportedly called for a halt to killing Iranian officials, guarantees against future attacks, reparations and Irans exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran threatens retaliatory strikes on Israeli and US universities

Iran on Sunday warned of additional escalation after Israeli airstrikes hit several universities, including ones that Israel claimed were used for nuclear research and development.

The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned in a statement that Iran would consider Israeli universities and branches of American universities in the region legitimate targets unless offered safety assurances for Iranian universities, state media reported.

American colleges including Georgetown, New York University and Northwestern have campuses in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 oclock Monday, March 30, in an official statement, the Guard said.

It also demanded the U.S. stop Israel from striking Iranian universities and research centers. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Saturday that dozens of universities and research centers have been hit, among them the Iran University of Science and Technology and Isfahan University of Technology.

Houthi involvement sparks concerns

Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on the rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television station on Saturday that they launched missiles toward sensitive Israeli military sites in the south.

The group which controls parts of Yemen launched repeated attacks aimed at Israel and Red Sea shipping during the height of the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli strikes on Yemen last year killed the rebel-run government's prime minister and top military general.

If the Houthis again increased attacks on commercial shipping, it would further push up oil prices and destabilize all of maritime security, said Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group. The impact would not be limited to the energy market.

Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is crucial for vessels heading to the Suez Canal through the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia has been routing millions of barrels of crude oil a day through it because the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.

RELATED STORY | Iranian strike wounds at least 10 US troops and damages planes at Saudi air base, official says

Houthi rebels attacked more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels, between November 2023 and January 2025. They have held Yemens capital, Sanaa, since 2014. Saudi Arabia launched a war against the Houthis on behalf of Yemens exiled government in 2015. They now have an uneasy ceasefire.

Death toll climbs

Iranian authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the Islamic Republic, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.

In Lebanon, where Israel has started an invasion in the south while targeting the Hezbollah militant group, officials said more than 1,100 people have been killed in the country since the start of the war.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

In Gulf states, 20 people have been killed. Four have been killed in the occupied West Bank.

With spring break in full swing, airline passengers continued to wait it out at major U.S. airports after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay Transportation Security Administration officers aimed at alleviating long security lines.

Trump's executive order on Friday instructed the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately, although it's unclear when the impact of that move will start to be felt at airports.

The signing came at a busy travel time of the year, with spring breaks at school districts and colleges and the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays.

RELATED STORY | TSA may now get paid, but Congress is still deadlocked on the root problem

Betty Mitchell arrived at Philadelphia International Airport at 12:30 a.m. Saturday for a 5 a.m. flight to visit family, but she said the airline desk did not open until 3 a.m. Once it did, there was a sudden influx of passengers to squeeze into the TSA screening lines.

All at once it became a mad house, Mitchell said.

She waited nearly three hours to get through.

It was crazy long lines, she said. Never have I seen it that long. If the airlines work with TSA in these trouble(d) times, maybe it would help the public.

Whats the current situation on the ground?

Some passengers with very early flights on Saturday reported having little problem getting through airport security lines. But that may have been an anomaly. Others at some of the busiest airports wrote on social media that security lines were growing exponentially longer by the hour.

We have not previously experienced checkpoint wait times similar to what we are seeing this morning, Baltimore-Washington International Airport said in a post Saturday on the social platform X. BWI officials recommended travelers arrive four hours before their scheduled departure time.

When will TSA employees be paid?

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said TSA personnel could get paid as soon as Monday, a relief for workers who have gone without pay since Feb. 14.

While that is welcome news to many, it remains to be seen whether that promise materializes on schedule and if it brings an immediate end to snaking lines at airports.

Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who runs a travel newsletter called Gate Access, said the staffing crisis wont improve significantly until officers are confident that they wont be subjected to more skipped paychecks.

RELATED STORY | Homan says ICE will help fill TSA shortages at airports as travel delays persist

If its only for a pay period, thats not enough to bring them back, Harmon-Marshall said. It has to be an extended pay for them to come back or want to stay there.

He estimates longer lines could linger for another week or two.

How soon will this help with airport delays?

Its hard to tell. Airports that had passengers standing in screening lines that clogged check-in areas or showing up far too early for their flights will need to decide whether to reopen checkpoints or expedite service lanes they closed or consolidated due to inadequate staffing.

A handful of airports experienced daily TSA officer call-out rates of 40%. Nationwide on Thursday, more than 11.8% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, the most so far, DHS said Friday.

Nearly 500 of the agency's nearly 50,000 officers have quit since the shutdown started, according to DHS.

How do I monitor wait times before my flight?

Check airport conditions early and often, including official websites and social media accounts where airports share timely updates and guidance, according to experts.

Many airports on Saturday urged passengers to allow at least four hours for both domestic and international screenings.

Wait times can change quickly based on passenger volume and TSA staffing, according to an advisory posted Saturday morning on the website of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Wait times listed on the MyTSA mobile app may not be accurate because TSA isnt actively managing its sites during the shutdown. On third-party websites that track TSA lines, estimated wait times could be outdated during the shutdown if they rely on publicly available data, experts say.

A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Jill Biden accidentally shot himself in the leg at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday, authorities said.

Biden was not in the area when the agent was injured during a negligent discharge of his firearm Friday morning, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Associated Press. According to initial reports, the agent was traveling in an unmarked car when he accidentally discharged his gun shortly before 9 a.m., said Philadelphia Police Officer Tanya Little.

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Other law enforcement officers came to assist the injured agent, who was taken to a local hospital. He is being treated for his injuries and was in stable condition, Guglielmi said.

Airport operations were not affected, said Heather Redfern, public affairs manager for the city's Department of Aviation.

Organizers of Saturday's No Kings rallies across the country are predicting that the protests against the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration could add up to one of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history, with Minnesota taking center stage.

Organizers say more than 3,100 events have been registered in all 50 states, with more than 9 million people expected to participate.

And theyve designated the rally at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul as the national flagship event, in recognition of how the state where federal agents fatally shot two people who were monitoring Trump's immigration crackdown became an epicenter of resistance.

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Headlining that observance will be Bruce Springsteen, performing Streets of Minneapolis, which he wrote in response to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and in tribute to the thousands of Minnesotans who took to the streets over the winter. Springsteen's Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour, which has a No Kings theme, kicks off Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Minnesota organizers have told state officials they expect 100,000 people could converge on the Capitol grounds, where last Junes event drew an estimated 80,000 people.

The St. Paul rally will also feature singer Joan Baez, actor Jane Fonda, Sen. Bernie Sanders and a long list of other activists, labor leaders and elected officials.

The White House dismissed the nationwide protests as the product of leftist funding networks with little real public support.

The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

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Rallies are also planned in more than a dozen other countries, from Europe to Latin America to Australia, Ezra Levin, a co-executive director of Indivisible, a group spearheading the events, said in an interview. Countries with constitutional monarchies call the protests No Tyrants, he said.

For those unable to attend in person, another activist group, Stand Up For Science, is hosting a virtual and accessible event online.

On Saturday morning in Paris, several hundred people, mostly Americans living in France, along with French labor unions and human rights organizations, gathered at the Bastille.

I protest all of Trumps illegal, immoral, reckless, and feckless, endless wars, Ada Shen, the Paris No Kings organizer, said. It is clear he doesnt really have a plan. It is clearly that the abuse of power is the point. It is very clear that he is a strong man who is abusing the authority vested in him by the American people as our elected president.

National organizers told reporters in an online news conference Thursday that they expect Saturday's protests to be larger than the first two rounds of No Kings rallies, which they estimate drew more than 5 million people in June and more than 7 million in October.

This administrations actions are angering not just Democratic voters or folks in big blue city centers they are crossing a line for people in red and rural areas, in the suburbs, all over the country," said Leah Greenberg, the other co-executive director of Indivisible. "The defining story of this Saturdays mobilization is not just how many people are protesting, but where they are protesting,"

Two-thirds of the RSVPs have come from outside of major urban centers, Greenberg said, listing registration surges in conservative-leaning states like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, South Dakota and Louisiana, as well in competitive suburban areas of Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.

"Millions of us are rising up from all walks of life, from rural communities to big cities at No Kings, said Katie Bethell, executive director of MoveOn, another major organizer. And as we do so, we will send the loudest, clearest message yet that this country does not belong to kings, dictators, tyrants. It belongs to us.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile launch toward Israel early Saturday, their first since the war in the Middle East started. The Israeli military said it intercepted the projectile.

The war, now marking its one-month anniversary, erupted after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, which retaliated with strikes against Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. The conflict has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports and caused fuel prices to soar. Irans stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway, has also exacerbated the economic fallout of the war.

Israel struck Irans nuclear facilities hours after threatening to escalate and expand its campaign against Tehran on Friday. Iran vowed to retaliate and struck a base in Saudi Arabia, wounding more than a dozen U.S. service members and damaging planes.

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Before Saturdays attack, there appeared to be a breakthrough as Tehran agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the strait.

Houthi involvement could further complicate the war

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement aired Saturday morning on the rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television that the Houthis fired a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting what he described as sensitive Israeli military sites in southern Israel. The attack came hours after Saree signaled in a vague statement Friday that the rebels would join the war.

Sirens went off around Israels southern city of Beer Sheba and the area near Israels main nuclear research center as Iran and Hezbollah continued to fire on Israel overnight. Loud explosions also filled the air in Tel Aviv and Israels Fire and Rescue Service said it was responding to 11 different impact sites across the metro area.

Saturday's assault calls into question whether the Houthis will again target commercial shipping traveling through the Red Sea corridor, as they did during the Israel-Hamas war, upending traffic in the Red Sea through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the war. The rebels also fired drones at Israel.

The potential involvement of the Houthis in the war would also complicate the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the aircraft carrier that first went to port in Crete for repairs and on to Split, Croatia, where it arrived on Saturday. Sending the carrier back into the Red Sea could draw it into the same high tempo of attacks seen by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman in the 2025 American campaign against the Houthis.

The Houthis have held Yemens capital, Sanaa, since 2014, and so far had stayed out of the war as the rebels have had an uneasy ceasefire for years with Saudi Arabia, which launched a war against the group on behalf of Yemens exiled government in 2015.

More than two dozen US troops have been wounded in Iranian attacks on Saudi base in the past week, AP sources say

More than two dozen U.S. troops have been wounded in Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabias Prince Sultan Air Base in the past week, according to two people who have been briefed on the matter. Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base in the Friday attack that injured at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to the sources who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The base, about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, came under attack twice earlier in the week, including a strike that wounded 14 U.S. troops, according to the people briefed on the matter. The base is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force but is also used by U.S. troops.

Attempts at diplomacy as US troops build up in the Mideast

The latest attacks happened after Trump claimed that talks on ending the war were going very well and that he had given Tehran until April 6 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran maintains that it has not engaged in any negotiations.

With the economic repercussions from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Irans chokehold on the strait.

Pakistan said Saturday Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send their top diplomats to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkeys Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egypts Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will arrive Sunday for a two-day visit to hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.

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Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for more than an hour, holding extensive discussions on regional hostilities and efforts aimed at end the war.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff has said Washington delivered a 15-point action list to Iran for a possible ceasefire, with a proposal to restrict Irans nuclear program and reopen the strait. Tehran rejected the proposal and presented its own five-point proposal that included reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.

Meanwhile, U.S. ships drew closer to the region carrying some 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions and airfields have been ordered to the Middle East.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops.

Death toll climbs

Iranian authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the Islamic Republic, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.

In Lebanon, where Israel has started an invasion in the south, officials said more than 1,100 people have been killed since the start of the war.

Meanwhile, at least 13 U.S. troops have been reported killed, while in Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

In the Gulf states, 20 people have been killed and four others in the occupied West Bank.

The U.N.s International Organization for Migration also said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, were damaged.

Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities

Israel focused its attacks Friday on sites in the heart of Tehran where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced, the military said. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in Western Iran, while witnesses in eastern Tehran reported a partial power outage following airstrikes.

Irans Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes did not cause casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said.

Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.

The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and the strike was a major blow to Iran's nuclear program. Tehran vowed to retaliate.

Possible breakthrough to allow aid and agricultural shipments through Hormuz

Iran agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following a request from the United Nations.

Ali Bahreini, the countrys ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, said Iran agreed to facilitate and expedite such movement.

The vital waterway usually handles a fifth of the worlds oil shipments and nearly a third of the worlds fertilizer trade. While markets and governments have largely focused on blocked supplies of oil and natural gas, the restriction of fertilizer ingredients and trade threatens farming and food security around the world.

At least 10 American service members were wounded in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base Friday, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the situation.

Two of the troops were seriously wounded, one of the officials said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

Officials said the attack on Prince Sultan Air Base involved an Iranian missile and unmanned drones. It damaged several U.S. refueling aircraft.

The confirmation, reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, comes after satellite imagery that appeared to show the damage to the aircraft appeared online.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died days after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the base.

U.S. Central Command said earlier in the day that more than 300 service members have been wounded in the conflict.

Also Friday, President Donald Trump said it will be time for Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize ties after the war in Iran wraps up.

Its now time, Trump said at a Miami event sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. Weve now taken them out, and they are out bigly. We got to get into the Abraham Accords.

Trump has been pressing Israel and Saudi Arabia, the two biggest powers in the Middle East, for years to normalize ties as part of his Abraham Accords efforts.

Significant headwinds remain, including Saudi Arabias insistence that there needs to be a credible path to a Palestinian state before it normalizes commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel.

Meanwhile the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said Tehran has agreed to facilitate and expedite humanitarian aid through the Strait of Hormuz, even as it endures strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Ali Bahreini said Tehran accepted a request from the U.N to let humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments move through the vital waterway, which usually handles a fifth of the worlds oil shipments and nearly a third of the worlds fertilizer trade.

The aid plan would be the first breakthrough at the shipping chokepoint after a month of war. While markets and governments have largely focused on blocked supplies of oil and natural gas, the restriction of fertilizer ingredients and trade threatens farming and food security around the world.

This measure reflects Irans continued commitment to supporting humanitarian efforts and ensuring that essential aid reaches those in need without delay, Bahreini said in a post on X. The U.N. earlier announced a task force to address the ripple effects the Iran war has had on aid delivery.

Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities

The announcement came just hours after Iranian state media said two nuclear facilities had come under attack. Israel, which had threatened to escalate and expand its campaign against Tehran, claimed responsibility, and Iran quickly threatened to retaliate.

Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X,

Irans Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes did not cause any casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said. The Arak plant has not been operational since Israel attacked it last June.

Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.

The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and that the strike was a major blow to Iran's nuclear program.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Iran would retaliate, IRNA reported. Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGCs Aerospace Force commander, posted on X that employees of companies tied to the U.S. and Israel should abandon their workplaces.

"This time, the equation will no longer be an eye for an eye, just wait, he said.

Late Friday, Israels military said Iran had launched missiles at the country. Sirens alerted people to seek shelter in and around the city of Beer Sheba and areas near Israels main nuclear research center, which were targeted by Iranian strikes that injured dozens last weekend.

US pushes diplomatic solution

Word of the attacks on Iran came after Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going very well and that he had given Tehran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran maintains it has not engaged in any negotiations.

With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran's chokehold on the strategic waterway.

A Gulf Arab bloc said Thursday that Iran has been exacting tolls from ships to ensure safe passage.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point action list to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. It proposes restricting Irans nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran rejected the U.S. offer and presented its own five-point proposal that included reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the vital strait.

Trump has said if Iran doesn't reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6, he will order the destruction of Irans energy plants.

Uncertainty surrounding the conflict prompted a further drop in U.S. stocks Friday. The S&P 500 sank 1.7% to close out its worst week since the Iran war started and its 5th losing week in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.1%. Meanwhile, crude oil prices continued to soar.

With U.S. gas prices approaching $4 a gallon, members of Congress have been pushing to suspend the federal gasoline tax, set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. Trump said he has thought about suspending it but suggested states should look at suspending their taxes on fuel.

Attacks appear to intensify early Saturday

Witnesses in eastern Tehran reported a partial power outage following airstrikes, and in Israel, loud explosions filled the air in Tel Aviv and emergency crews responded to nearly a dozen impact sites.

An Associated Press journalist heard loud explosions in Tel Aviv, and Israels Fire and Rescue Service said it was responding to 11 different impact sites across the metro area. A man in his 60s was pronounced dead late Friday after suffering severe injuries amid the strikes, emergency services said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz had earlier vowed that Iran will pay heavy, increasing prices for this war crime.

Israel focused its attacks Friday on sites in the heart of Tehran where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced, the military said. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in Western Iran.

Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry meanwhile said it shot down missiles and drones targeting the capital, Riyadh. In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said two people were killed.

Kuwait said its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port to the north, which is under construction as part of Chinas Belt and Road initiative, sustained material damage in attacks. It appeared to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in the Gulf Arab states has come under assault in the war. China has continued to purchase Iranian crude.

Diplomatic wrangling endures even as US sends more troops to the Mideast

Diplomats from several countries including Pakistan and Turkey have tried to organize a direct meeting between U.S. and Iranian envoys. Separately, G7 foreign ministers meeting in France formally asked for an immediate halt to attacks against populations and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, U.S. ships drew closer to the region carrying some 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions and airfields have been ordered to the Middle East.

Nevertheless, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. "can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops. Rubio, speaking to reporters following the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting Friday in France, said the new deployments are designed to ensure maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.

Israel deployed the 162nd Division into southern Lebanon to support efforts to protect its northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and uproot the militant group, the military said.

The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, are damaged.

If this war continues, we risk a far wider humanitarian disaster, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement. Millions could be forced to flee across borders, placing immense pressure on an already overstretched region.

Death toll climbs, primarily in Iran and Lebanon

Eighteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers were severely injured in Lebanon on Friday during an operational accident, the military said.

Authorities said more than 1,100 people have died in Lebanon and over 1,900 people have been killed in Iran.

At least 13 American troops have been killed and four people in the occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states have also died.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

Looking back, gubernatorial candidate Dean Roy says his political ambitions started in the eighth grade. And by that he means, last year.

After working as a legislative page at the Vermont Statehouse, the 14-year-old freshman at Stowe High School now has his sights set on the corner office. In November, he'll be the first candidate for governor under age 18 to appear on the state's general election ballot.

I don't expect necessarily to win, he said. What I do expect is to start the movement, and get more young people to come in behind me and say, Yeah, we also want to make change.

Another eighth-grader, Ethan Sonneborn, sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 but finished last in a four-way primary. Roy secured his spot in the general election by creating his own third party, the Freedom and Unity Party. Both were able to run because the state constitution sets no minimum age for gubernatorial candidates, requiring only that candidates have resided in the state for four years.

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I know it sounds crazy, a 14-year-old running for governor, but honestly, look at the people in charge right now, Roy said in a post on his campaigns Instagram page. Theyve been doing this forever and things still arent working.

Nearly all other states set minimum age requirements for governor, often 30 years old. In Kansas, lawmakers added a requirement that gubernatorial candidates be at least 25 years old in 2018 after six teenagers ran for office.

Peter Teachout, a professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School, has a different take than Roy on Vermont's constitution. He points to a section in the document referring to what qualifies someone to be entitled to the privileges of a voter, and that is that they must be 18 years of age. Even under Roy's interpretation, Teachout doesn't predict a win for the teenager.

In theory, a 4-year-old could run for governor. Should we be worried about it? No, he said. Vermonters can be a little cantankerous and provocative just for the fun of it, but it is not something they are likely to support in this context.

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But Roy's former history teacher, James Carpenter, said he thinks it's great that Roy is giving it his all. Though most 14-year-olds arent concerned with property taxes or health care, Carpenter describes Roy as an old soul with endless curiosity.

It just really shows what type of kid Dean is. Hes very earnest in what hes doing. Theres no gimmick behind this, he said. I think he blends that youthful optimism with some pragmatism that few kids have.

Roy, who said he doesn't identify with either major party, said housing is the most important issue facing the state. He's also thought about how he'd juggle school with a full-time job as governor, saying he'd consider online classes and would do his homework at night after work.

The current governor, Republican Phil Scott, applauds Roys interest in politics and public service but questions whether someone so young is ready for the responsibilities that come with running a state.

He believes its important for our youth to get involved, said press secretary Amanda Wheeler. But the Governor also believes that a teenager may not be best suited to serve in that role given the lack of experience and lived perspectives youth have at that point in their lives.

Roy disagrees that age has anything to do with whether a candidate is fit to run for office.

What Im aiming for is that these career politicians look at me and they say, Oh my God, he actually has a chance to disrupt things, he said. If I can get people to think that I am a threat to them, then I know thats been a success. Because what I want is to show them that the youth have a voice. Were gonna make change. The future is now.

Some journalists at Voice of America charged in a lawsuit Monday that the Trump administration while largely shutting down the government-run outlet that provides news around the world has turned what remains into a voice for propaganda.

The lawsuit alleges that VOA transmissions to populations in Iran, China, North Korea and to Kurdish populations are not being run as objective news sources, as required by law. Instead, they parrot White House talking points and suppress news that the administration wishes to downplay, according to the lawsuit, filed Monday with the U.S. District Court in Washington.

In response, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which runs the Voice of America, said that taxpayer money must support broadcasting that reflects U.S. policy and the interests of the American people.

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The latest dispute reflects differing views between journalists and President Donald Trump's administration, which has promoted friendly outlets that rarely offer more than gentle questioning most notably at the Pentagon.

A federal judge last week ordered hundreds of VOA journalists who had been placed on paid leave for the past year to be put back to work, saying Trump's pick to run the USAGM, Kari Lake, exceeded her authority. The administration is appealing that ruling.

Voice of America, which has beamed its broadcasts across the world since World War II, was designed to showcase freedom of the press to countries where there is no such tradition. But instead of operating that way, VOA journalists Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong Hyuk Lee and Ksenia Turkova say Trump loyalists have been put in place to direct what is reported on the few VOA transmissions that remain.

For example, coverage of the Iran war sent into that country has not included any news of death tolls from U.S. air strikes or the perspectives of political and world leaders outside of the administration, while the bombing of an elementary school was "barely mentioned," the lawsuit said. The Lake-appointed official overseeing Persian, Kurdish and Afghan services has said all guest appearances on broadcasts must be approved by him, it said.

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"Through VOA's journalism, those living in authoritarian societies get a taste of democracy," the plaintiffs said in a statement. "Without editorial integrity, VOA will be no different than government mouthpieces our audiences already hear in their own country."

The administration has questioned whether taxpayers should foot the bill for transmission of opinions that go against American interests. Lake, in congressional testimony last year, suggested the traditional firewall between the government and journalists at agencies like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty be eliminated. "We should be able to have control over what kind of content goes out," she said. "It should be in alignment with our foreign policy."

The Agency for Global Media "is responsible for oversight of its networks, including Voice of America, and for ensuring compliance with the VOA charter, which requires authoritative, accurate journalism that is reflective of and clearly presents U.S. policies," the agency said in a statement Monday.

The VOA journalists were supported in their lawsuit Monday by the organizations PEN America and Reporters Without Borders.

A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, the latest effort by President Donald Trump's administration to recognize the controversial explorer.

The statue is a replica of one that was tossed into Baltimore's harbor in 2020 during Trump's first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.

Trump endorses a traditional view of Columbus as a leader of the 1492 mission seen as the unofficial beginning of European colonization in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political order. But in recent years, Columbus also has been recognized as a primary example of Western Europe's conquest of the New World, its resources and its native people.

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"In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he's honored as such for generations to come," the White House posted on X.

"We are delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected," said John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organizations United, which owns the statue and agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.

The statue, made mostly of marble, was created by Will Hemsley, a sculptor based in Centreville on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The original statue was toppled by protesters on July 4, 2020, and thrown into Baltimore's Inner Harbor after anger boiled over following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. It was one of many statues of Columbus that were vandalized around the same time, with protesters saying the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

In recent years, some people, institutions and government entities have displaced Columbus Day with recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. President Joe Biden in 2021 became the first U.S. president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day with a proclamation.

Trump dismisses the shift on Columbus as "left-wing arsonists" bending history and twisting Americans' collective memory. "I'm bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.," he declared last April. Echoing his 2024 campaign rhetoric, he complained that "Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much."

WNBA players unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement on Monday with more than 90% participating in voting over the weekend.

The seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a landmark labor deal for the WNBA and its players.

This transformational CBA delivers consequential economic progress and expanded benefits that support players on and off the court, the union said in a statement. "It builds a stronger foundation for todays players, the next generation, and those who helped build the WNBA. It affirms the strength of our union and the power of our collective voice.

"Now it is time to get back to the game and the fans we love, competing at the highest level, and showing exactly what this league can be.

Once the WNBA Board of Governors approves the CBA, it will become official. Then there will be a sprint to the start of the regular season on May 8.

First up is an expansion draft for the two new teams Toronto and Portland. Rules regarding who the current teams will be able to protect and how the draft will work are still being figured out. The draft is expected to take place right around the Final Four.

Next up would be free agency. More than 80% of the league are free agents this year as players had signed deals that were going to expire last year. There are only two veteran players that arent under rookie contracts who are signed for this season.

The college draft is scheduled for April 13 in New York.

Teams are expected to start training camp on April 19 and will have little time to get prepared for the regular season.

Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire early Monday morning in London, in what British police are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

Though it has not been classified as a terrorist incident, counter-terror officers have been put in charge of the investigation. No one was injured.

Religious and political leaders condemned what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a horrific" antisemitic attack.

Antisemitism has no place in our society and its really important that we all stand together at a moment like this, he said.

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Officers were called to Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, after receiving reports of a fire, the Metropolitan Police force said.

Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Multiple oxygen cylinders on the vehicles exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.

What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulance before flames erupted around the vehicle. Police said they are looking for three suspects but no arrests have been made yet.

Mark Reisner, who lives in the neighborhood, heard loud explosions and arrived at the scene just as the third ambulance was blowing up, he told Sky News.

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A very loud explosion, you sort of felt it go through your guts, he said, adding, it's just left us all reeling with confusion and shock.

The attack spread fear and alarm through Britains Jewish community, which feels increasingly vulnerable.

Shomrim, a nonprofit organization which operates a neighborhood watch in the area, condemned the attack on the social network X as a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community.

The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israels ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza, according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.

In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death. Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.

Last week two men in London were charged with carrying out hostile surveillance last year of the U.K.s Jewish community on behalf of Iran.

Some members of the community criticize Starmer's Labour Party government for failing to prevent pro-Palestinian demonstrations from tipping into anti-Jewish speech and acts.

Peter Zinkin, a Conservative politician who represents Golders Green on the local council, said the community felt distress and anger.

Burning ambulances in the middle of the night is a disgrace, he said. And you have to ask yourself, why did it happen? And the reason Im afraid that it happened is that the government and the media, particularly certain parts of the media, have validated antisemitism on a countrywide scale.

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, the head of the Anglican Church, said such acts of violence, hatred and intimidation have no place in our society.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called it a sickening assault.

At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation, he wrote on X.

Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known for his role as a loveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. He was 54.

Brendon's family announced the death in a statement posted on his social media accounts Friday. They said he died in his sleep of natural causes, but did not say where or when it happened.

Brandon played Xander Harris, a close friend of lead character Buffy, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer that ran from 1997 to 2003. The supernatural series, which started on the WB network and then moved to UPN, was about vampire slayers, led by the teenager Buffy, who battled a wide range of demons, werewolves and other dark forces while also navigating life in high school.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, based on the movie of the same name, never received many awards, but it has been cited by many critics as being one of the most influential shows in TV history.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy on the show, posted a photo of herself with Brendon on Instagram on Saturday.

I saw you Nicky, she wrote. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.

Brendon also appeared on the TV show Criminal Minds" between 2007 and 2014 and alongside Bradley Cooper in the Fox sitcom Kitchen Confidential, an adaptation of Anthony Bourdains memoir, that aired for just one season in 2005.

Brendon was in the films Redwood in 2017, The Nanny in 2018 and Christmas Slasher" in 2024.

Brendon also wrote several issues of the Buffy comic book series.

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While Brendon was best known as an actor, his family said in their statement that in recent years he found his passion in painting and art.

He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create, the statement said. Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.

Brendon announced in 2023 that he had suffered a heart attack. He also underwent two spinal surgeries for a rare nerve compression condition called cauda equina syndrome that can lead to pain and weakness in the lower body.

Brendon also openly talked about his battle with depression and appeared on two 2015 episodes of Dr. Phil to discuss his struggles with alcohol and mental health and a string of arrests for public intoxication, vandalism and domestic violence.

His family said that while Brendon had struggled in the past, he was on medication and treatment to manage his diagnosis and was optimistic about the future.