Associated Press News Briefs

Israeli troops withdraw from Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest, after 2-week raid

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military has withdrawn from Gaza’s largest hospital after a two-week raid. The military said it killed some 200 militants and detained hundreds more. Palestinian residents said the troops left behind several bodies and a vast swath of destruction Monday. The military has described the raid on Shifa Hospital as a major battlefield victory in the nearly six-month war. But it came at a time of mounting frustration in Israel. Tens of thousands protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and demanded he do more to bring home dozens of hostages held in Gaza. The fighting showed that Hamas can still put up resistance even in one of the hardest-hit areas.

Trump’s immigration rhetoric makes inroads with some Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — In Donald Trump’s speeches and online posts, the Republican presidential candidate has ramped up anti-immigrant rhetoric and his messaging often relies on falsehoods about migration. But it’s resonating with many of his core supporters going back a decade, to when “build the wall” chants rang out at his campaign rallies. President Joe Biden portrays the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border as a policy dispute that Congress can fix. He criticizes Republicans in Washington for backing away from a border security deal after facing criticism from Trump. But Trump’s message appears to be resonating with key elements of the Democratic coalition that Biden will need to win over this November. That could be a concern for the Democratic president.

States move to shore up voting protections after courts erode federal safeguards

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A ruling that weakened a key part of the Voting Rights Act is spurring lawmakers in several states to enact state-level protections to plug gaps that the courts opened in the landmark federal law. Legislators in Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida are pursuing state voting rights acts, building on ones enacted by several other states, including New York and Connecticut. Democratic-led states have been taking matters into their own hands while national legislation to expand voting rights remains stalled in a divided Congress and Republican-led states impose new restrictions.

Test that kept thousands of Black people from getting kidney transplant is changing

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A racially biased test delayed Black patients from getting a kidney transplant and now more than 14,000 are part of a move to make amends. The U.S. transplant system ordered hospitals to quit using a test that made Black patients’ kidneys appear healthier than they really were. Next hospitals had to dig through years-old records to determine which patients should have been put on the transplant list sooner and give them credit for lost time. It’s part of a huge problem — formulas embedded in treatment guidelines, risk calculators and other medical decisions that put people of color at disadvantage.

Millions of Hyundai, Kia vehicles with a dangerous defect remain on the road

DETROIT (AP) — In September, Hyundai and Kia issued a recall of 3.4 million of its vehicles in the United States with an ominous warning: The vehicles should be parked outdoors and away from buildings because they risked catching fire, whether the engines were on or off. Six months later, most of those autos remain on the road — unrepaired — putting their owners, their families and potentially other people in danger of fires that could spread to garages, houses or other vehicles. Hyundai and Kia have acknowledged that there’s little hope of repairing most of the affected vehicles until June or later, roughly nine months after they announced the recalls.

Gunmen in Ecuador kill 9, injure 10 others in attack in coastal city as violence surges

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Police in Ecuador say gunmen have attacked a group of people in the coastal city of Guayaquil, killing nine and injuring 10 others. It was the latest in a string of violent incidents in the South American country. At around 7 p.m. local time on Saturday, armed men arrived in a vehicle in a southern neighborhood, where a group of people were practicing sports. The gunmen got out of the vehicle and proceeded to shoot people. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

In Taiwan, a group is battling fake news one conversation at a time — with a focus on seniors

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A group in Taiwan is focusing on seniors as it tries to combat fake news, one conversation at a time. Fake News Cleaner has hosted more than 500 events over six years. It has connected with college students, elementary-school children and seniors that are particularly vulnerable. And its representatives are filling up lecture halls as they become a key voice in the effort to rid Taiwan of disinformation. Their particular specialty is older citizens, who are susceptible to a constantly updating technological landscape. As one of the group’s co-founders says, they do it because “this entire society is being torn apart” by bad information.

Americans star on an Iraqi basketball team. Its owners include forces that attacked US troops

BAGHDAD (AP) — A pro basketball team in Iraq is owned by a paramilitary group, and some of its forces recently attacked U.S. troops. But this hostility toward Uncle Sam has its limits: The team is banking on a high-scoring American to help lead them to a championship. Like many former U.S. college basketball players, 27-year-old Uchenna Iroegbu of Sacramento has taken his talents abroad, excelling on teams in Nigeria and Qatar. Now he’s in Baghdad after signing with Hashed al-Shaabi — the Popular Mobilization Forces — just in time for the Iraqi Basketball Super League playoffs. From a basketball perspective, signing Iroegbu was a no-brainer; he led Qatar’s league in scoring. Politically, it’s a little more complicated.