Los Angeles School Workers Are on Strike, and Parents Say They Get It

Since Tuesday, Diana Cruz has juggled her stay-at-home job as an executive assistant with the care of her children after the Los Angeles school strike forced their classes to be canceled for three days. Parents like Cruz may be flustered by the strike, but few are angry with the strikers. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest, relies on tens of thousands of staff members who are struggling to keep up with rising costs in a state that lacks enough housing. Most of the families they serve are in the same boat, with 89% of the district’s households qualifying as economically disadvantaged, according to district data.

Appeals Court Orders Trump Lawyer to Hand Over Records in Documents Inquiry

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that M. Evan Corcoran, a lawyer representing former President Donald Trump in an inquiry into his handling of classified materials, had to return to a grand jury investigating the case to answer its questions and give prosecutors what are likely to be dozens of documents related to his legal work for Trump. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia came as a separate legal proceeding involving Trump — the Manhattan district attorney’s consideration of whether to seek an indictment of the former president on charges related to a hush-money payment to a porn actress — remained unresolved.

Denver Student Shoots 2 School Administrators and Flees, Police Say

A Denver high school student shot two school administrators Wednesday morning and then fled, authorities said. The shooting happened before 10 a.m. at East High School, when the administrators were patting down the student in an office area separate from other students and found a gun, according to the Denver Police Department. The student fired several shots, injuring both administrators. The two men were transported to an area hospital, where one was in critical condition and the other in serious and stable condition, Chief Ron Thomas of the Denver Police Department said. The suspect, who has not been caught, was identified by police as Austin Lyle, 17.

Fox Argues Top Executives Weren’t Involved in Voter Fraud Broadcasts

Fox Corp. executives had no direct involvement in what aired on the company’s cable news channels, and therefore their company should not be found liable in a $1.6 billion defamation case, lawyers for Fox argued Wednesday in a Delaware court. Dominion Voting Systems has accused Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp., of defaming the business. Dominion says Fox’s shows linked its voting machines to a conspiracy of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Erin Murphy, a lawyer for Fox Corp. and Fox News, said there was no evidence that corporate executives were involved in the shows. Fox has asked that Fox Corp. be dropped from the lawsuit.

U.S. Organ Transplant System, Troubled by Long Wait Times, Faces an Overhaul

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it would seek to break up the network that has run the nation’s organ transplant system as part of a broader modernization effort intended to shorten wait times, address racial inequities and reduce the number of patients who die while waiting. More than 100,000 people in the United States are awaiting organ transplants. Patients sometimes wait years for donated organs, and about 6,000 Americans a year die while waiting. The organ donation system has been run by the United Network for Organ Sharing, a national nonprofit that coordinates the work of transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations to match transplant candidates with donated organs.

Rising Rate of Drug Shortages Is Framed as a National Security Threat

An increase in shortages of inexpensive yet critical medications is forcing hospitals to make “horrible” choices and amounts to a national security threat, according to a report and testimony at a Senate homeland security hearing Wednesday. A report found that drug shortages increased by nearly 30% last year compared with 2021. They include common antibiotics, anesthetics and sterile fluids used to keep intravenous drug tubes clean. The problems were pegged to economic drivers, an opaque supply chain and the fact that as much as 80% to 90% of certain products are made overseas, said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

As Haiti’s Police Retreat, Gangs Take Over Much of the Capital

One by one, schools and hospitals have closed. Kidnappings are an everyday risk and gang warfare rages openly on the streets. But now, the chaos that has long consumed many parts of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, has spread: The national police, outgunned, outnumbered, underpaid and demoralized, have ceded control of most of the city to gangs. The spreading insecurity and the widespread collapse of law and order have led officials to take the astonishing step of telling residents that they should take their protection into their own hands and not count on the government.

Uganda Passes Strict Anti-Gay Bill That Imposes Death Penalty for Some

Lawmakers in Uganda have passed an anti-gay law that can bring punishments as severe as the death penalty — the culmination of a long-running campaign to criminalize homosexuality. The law, passed Tuesday, calls for a life sentence for anyone engaging in gay sex. Even trying to have same-sex relations would be met with a seven-year prison term. The death penalty would be applied to people convicted of “aggravated homosexuality,” a term defined as homosexual acts committed by anyone infected with HIV or involving children, disabled people or anyone drugged against their will. The bill will now go to President Yoweri Museveni, who has been an outspoken driver of anti-gay measures.

Macron Denounces Violent Protests, Warning Against ‘Excesses’

President Emmanuel Macron, addressing the French people for the first time since the tumultuous passing of a law that raises the retirement age to 64 from 62, denounced violent protests and said he would not tolerate their threat to the republic. Macron said he respected “the labor unions who defend their point of view.” But, alluding to the threat to democracy constituted by the assault of a mob on the U.S. Congress in 2021, he made clear that he would “not tolerate any violent excesses.” His tone was firm and unapologetic on the eve of another day of mass protests and strikes called for Thursday.

Zelenskyy Makes Morale-Boosting Trip to Bakhmut

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a rare and defiant trip near the front line Wednesday, personally thanking soldiers who have been fighting in the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which has become a potent symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Zelenskyy, who last visited Bakhmut publicly in December, has said that he and his generals are determined to hold on to the city in Ukraine’s Donbas region despite Russia’s efforts to encircle it. He argues that the monthslong fight is wearing down Moscow’s forces and resources. On this trip, he shook soldiers’ hands and thanked them for their bravery.

Ship Owned by U.S. Navy Tips Over at Edinburgh Port, Injuring Dozens

A research ship owned by the U.S. Navy toppled onto its side while at dock in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Wednesday, leaving dozens of people injured. The cause of the accident was under investigation, police said. At least 33 people were injured, with 21 of them taken to hospitals, according to the Scottish Ambulance Service. The 250-foot-long vessel, the Petrel, was bought by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen in 2016 and underwent extensive refitting to take part in expeditions to explore shipwrecks. Allen’s estate took control of the Petrel after he died in 2018, and the ship was sold last year to the Navy.

Prince William Makes Surprise Visit to Poland to Thank Troops

Prince William made an unannounced trip to Poland on Wednesday to “personally thank” British and Polish troops supporting Ukraine’s armed forces as part of a two-day visit intended to highlight Britain’s support for Ukraine. William arrived in Warsaw and then traveled to the southeastern city of Rzeszów, roughly 50 miles from Poland’s border, where he told troops that “everyone back home thoroughly supports you.” He also met with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, who called the visit a “great honor” and emphasized that British and Polish troops were working “side by side” to strengthen not just Poland’s security, but the security of NATO’s entire eastern flank.

By wire sources