Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close
ROME (AP) — President Donald Trump says he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine. Trump is expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. And his comments come only a day after saying Ukraine and Russia were “very close to a deal.” Trump said in a social media post Saturday as he flew back to the United States after Pope Francis’ funeral that “there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.” Trump said, “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along.”
Russia says it has fully reclaimed the Kursk region. Ukraine says it is still fighting there.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — All Ukrainian troops have been forced from parts of Russia’s Kursk region, which Moscow lost control of last year to a surprise Ukrainian incursion, Russia’s top general said in a Kremlin meeting Saturday. Russia’s General Staff chief, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, also confirmed that North Korean soldiers fought against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukrainian officials denied the claim and said their troops continue to fight in Kursk. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said three people were killed overnight by Russian attacks across Ukraine. The attacks came hours before U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Vatican City on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis.
Mighty and meek say farewell to Pope Francis during Vatican funeral and last popemobile ride
VATICAN CITY (AP) — World leaders and rank-and-file Catholic faithful have said farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral that highlighted his concern for people on the peripheries and reflected his wish to be remembered as a simple pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, prisoners and migrants welcomed Francis’ coffin at his final resting place in a basilica across town. According to Vatican estimates, some 250,000 people flocked to the funeral Mass at the Vatican and 150,000 more lined the motorcade route through downtown Rome to witness the first funeral procession for a pope in a century. They clapped and cheered “Papa Francesco” as his simple wooden coffin traveled aboard a modified popemobile to St. Mary Major Basilica.
A massive explosion at an Iranian port linked to missile fuel shipment kills 18, injures some 750
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A massive explosion and fire has rocked a port in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant. State media said the blast killed 18 people and injuring around 750 others. Helicopters and aircraft dumped water from the air on the raging fire through the night into Sunday morning at the Shahid Rajaei port. The explosion occurred just as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Iran and the US hold hours of expert talks in Oman over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press that the third round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program have ended. The person close to U.S. mediator Steve Witkoff spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks on Saturday. Iranian state television also acknowledged that they concluded. It follows the pattern of the two earlier rounds of talks in Muscat and Rome.
Protesters chant after arrest of judge accused of helping man evade immigration authorities
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Protesters are chanting and marching outside the FBI on Saturday after agents arrested a Milwaukee judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities. Friday's arrest escalates a clash between the Trump administration and local authorities over the president’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of escorting the man and his lawyer out of her courtroom through the jury door last week after learning that immigration authorities were seeking his arrest. The man was taken into custody outside the courthouse after agents chased him on foot. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says the Trump administration is using “dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a new deputy in a major step in naming a successor
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice president. It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor. The appointment Saturday of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president. But it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas. Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Only about half of Republicans say Trump has focused on the right priorities, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — An AP-NORC poll finds many Americans don't agree with President Trump’s aggressive efforts to quickly enact his agenda, and even Republicans aren't overwhelmingly convinced his attention has been in the right place. Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Trump has been mostly focusing on the wrong priorities as to say he's been focusing on the right ones. The findings suggest Democrats are even unhappier with the reality of the second Trump term than before he was sworn in. While about 7 in 10 Republicans say Trump has been at least a “good” president so far, only about half say he’s emphasized the right things.
Israeli airstrike kills 10 people, half of them children, as mediators try to restart a ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike has flattened a three-story home in Gaza City and killed 10 people. A hospital says half of the victims were children. Israel’s military says it struck a Hamas militant and the structure where he operated collapsed. Health officials in Gaza on Saturday said that Israeli strikes have killed at least 49 people in the past 24 hours. Hamas said that it sent a high-level delegation to Egypt to try and get the ceasefire back on track. The truce was shattered last month by Israeli bombardment. Israel has continued its nearly two-month blockade of Gaza even as aid groups warn that supplies are dwindling.
Boston celebrates 1965 Freedom Rally led by MLK as advocates urge continued fight against injustice
BOSTON (AP) — Sixty years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led a rally protesting housing discrimination and segregated schools in Boston, hundreds of people gathered at the same site to honor and reflect on the historic event. The rally was held Saturday at the Boston Common near the site of a 20-foot-high memorial to racial equity, which shows King embracing his wife, Coretta Scott King. King's eldest son, Martin Luther King III, gave a keynote speech, saying he never thought racism would still be around and on the rise like it is today. He urged people to increase efforts to create a more just and humane society.
