Norway, Ireland and Spain say they will recognize a Palestinian state, deepening Israel’s isolation
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Norway, Ireland and Spain say they will recognize a Palestinian state. That’s a historic but largely symbolic move that further deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel immediately denounced Wednesday’s decisions and recalled its ambassadors to the three countries. Palestinians welcomed the announcements as an affirmation of their decades-long quest for statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel seized those territories in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls them.
Iran’s supreme leader and proxy militias pray for late president and others dead in helicopter crash
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader and representatives of allied militia groups prayed over the coffins of the country’s late president, foreign minister and other officials killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week. Hundreds of thousands of people later on Wednesday followed a procession honoring them down Tehran’s main boulevard. But the funeral service for President Ebrahim Raisi and others saw a turnout that onlookers described as noticeably lower than the 2020 procession honoring a Revolutionary Guard general slain in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.
Tornado kills multiple people in Iowa as powerful storms again tear through Midwest
GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Multiple people were killed when a tornado tore through a small Iowa town and left a wide swath of obliterated homes, crumpled cars and splintered trees. The tornado destroyed much of the town of Greenfield. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla says at least a dozen people were injured amid widespread devastation in Greenfield. And outside the town, massive wind turbines were buckled and twisted to the ground by the howling winds. Tuesday saw multiple tornadoes, giant hail and heavy rain in several states.
The storms moved eastward to pummel parts of Illinois and Wisconsin, knocking out power to tens of thousands of customers in the two states.
Judge in the Florida Trump classified documents case will hear more arguments on dismissing charges
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors and defense lawyers in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump are due in court in Florida for the first time since the judge indefinitely postponed the trial earlier this month. The case had been set for trial May 20, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon cited numerous unresolved issues as a basis for canceling the trial date. Cannon is scheduled Wednesday to hear arguments on a Trump request to dismiss the indictment on grounds it fails to clearly articulate a crime and instead amounts to “a personal and political attack” against the Republican ex-president. Prosecutors on special counsel Jack Smith’s team will argue against that request.
GOP candidate for NC governor blasts public spending as his family nonprofit rakes in taxpayer funds
WASHINGTON (AP) — In his bid to become North Carolina’s first Black governor, Republican Mark Robinson assails government safety net spending as a “plantation of welfare and victimhood” that’s mired Black people in “dependency” and poverty. But the lieutenant governor’s political rise wouldn’t have been possible without it. Robinson’s household has relied on income from Balanced Nutrition, a nonprofit founded by his wife that administers a free lunch program for children. Balanced Nutrition is funded entirely by taxpayers. Tax filings and state documents show Balanced Nutrition has collected $7 million in government funding since 2017 while paying out $830,000 in salaries to Robinson, his wife and four relatives. A campaign spokesman defends Balance Nutrition’s work.
Hunter Biden seeks a delay in his federal tax trial set to begin in Los Angeles next month
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hunter Biden’s lawyers are pressing a judge to delay his federal tax trial set to begin next month in Los Angeles. President Joe Biden’s son is seeking to push the June 20 trial date back until at least September. Hunter Biden’s lawyers have noted he’s also scheduled to stand trial in Delaware beginning June 3 on federal firearms charges. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to both indictments, which his lawyers have claimed are politically motivated. A district court judge will hear arguments Wednesday on the delay request. Prosecutors oppose Hunter Biden’s delay request and say he “is not above the rule of law and should be treated like any other defendant.”
Daily marijuana use outpaces daily drinking in the US, a new study says
New research suggests that daily and near-daily marijuana use is now more common than similar levels of high-frequency alcohol consumption in the United States. The research was published Wednesday in the journal Addiction. It’s based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a highly regarded source of estimates of tobacco, alcohol and drug use. High-frequency marijuana use overtook high-frequency drinking for the first time in 2022. Other research shows that high-frequency users are more likely to become addicted to marijuana and more likely to develop cannabis-associated psychosis, a severe condition where a person loses touch with reality.
Average US vehicle age hits record 12.6 years as high prices force people to keep them longer
DETROIT (AP) — Cars, trucks and SUVs in the U.S. keep getting older. A study published Wednesday says U.S. vehicles hit a record average age of 12.6 years in 2024 as people hang on to their rides largely because new ones cost so much. S&P Global Mobility, which tracks state vehicle registration data nationwide, says the average vehicle age grew about two months from last year’s record. But the growth in age is starting to slow as new vehicle sales recover from pandemic-related shortages of parts, including computer chips. The average age increased by three months in 2023. Still, with an average U.S. new-vehicle selling price of just over $45,000 last month, many can’t afford to buy new.
Stenhouse fined $75,000 by NASCAR, Busch avoids penalty for post All-Star race fight
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been fined $75,000 by NASCAR for fighting with Kyle Busch after the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Stenhouse’s father, who joined the fracas, was suspended indefinitely. Busch was not penalized for his action in the Sunday night race. The two tangled on the first lap and then Busch seemed to deliberately wreck Stenhouse on the second lap. Stenhouse parked his damaged Chevrolet in Busch’s pit stall, where it had to be towed away by NASCAR.
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