Nation and world news in brief for Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Supreme Court extends block on Texas law that would allow police to arrest migrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has extended its block, for now, on a Texas law that would give police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S. while the legal battle it sparked over immigration authority plays out. Opponents have called the law, known as Senate Bill 4, the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since an Arizona law more than a decade ago, portions of which were struck down by the Supreme Court. The Texas Attorney General has said the state’s law mirrored federal law and “was adopted to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which hurts Texans more than anyone else.”

EPA bans asbestos, a deadly carcinogen still in use decades after a partial ban was enacted

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a deadly carcinogen still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads and other products. The final rule marks a major expansion of EPA regulation under a landmark 2016 law that overhauled regulations governing tens of thousands of toxic chemicals in everyday products, from household cleaners to clothing and furniture. The new rule would ban chrysotile asbestos, the only ongoing use of asbestos in the United States. The substance is found in products such as brake linings and gaskets and is used to manufacture chlorine bleach and sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda. Asbestos exposure is linked to 40,000 U.S. deaths each year.

Trump seeks to appeal decision not to disqualify district attorney from Georgia election case

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and other defendants in Georgia’s election interference case are seeking to appeal a judge’s ruling not to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from their prosecution. Attorneys for Trump, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and six other defendants said in a court filing Monday the resignation of the special prosecutor with whom Willis had a romantic relationship is not enough to correct the appearance of impropriety the judge found. The filing asks Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to grant a certificate that would allow his decision to be reviewed by the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Gangs unleash new attacks on upscale areas in Haiti’s capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gangs have attacked two upscale neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital in a rampage that left at least a dozen people dead in surrounding areas. Gunmen looted homes in the communities of Laboule and Thomassin before sunrise on Monday. They forced residents to flee as some called radio stations pleading for police. The neighborhoods had remained largely peaceful despite a surge in violent gang attacks across Port-au-Prince that began on Feb. 29. An Associated Press photographer saw the bodies of at least 12 men strewn on the streets of Pétionville, located just below the mountainous communities of Laboule and Thomassin.

Movie armorer challenges conviction in fatal shooting of cinematographer

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A movie set armorer is challenging her involuntary manslaughter conviction in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust.” In court records released Monday, defense attorneys for “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed requested a new trial and urged a judge to release the defendant from jail as deliberations proceed. Gutierrez-Reed was convicted earlier this month by a jury in the shooting on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, during a rehearsal in October 2021. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge with trial set for July.

Gambia lawmakers refer the debate on female genital cutting to more committee discussions

SERREKUNDA, Gambia (AP) — An attempt to repeal a 2015 ban on female genital cutting in Gambia has been sent for further committee discussions by lawmakers. Gambian activists fear the passage of the bill would overturn years of work to better protect girls and women. The legislation was referred to a national committee for further discussion and could return to a vote in the weeks and months ahead. Activists in the largely Muslim country had warned that lifting the ban would hurt years of work against a procedure often performed on girls under age 5 in the mistaken belief that it would control their sexuality.

‘Access Hollywood’ tape won’t be played at Trump’s hush-money criminal trial, judge rules

NEW YORK (AP) — The infamous “Access Hollywood” video in which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women sexually without asking permission will not be shown to jurors at the former president’s hush-money criminal trial. Judge Juan M. Merchan ruled Monday that prosecutors can still question witnesses about the tape, which was made public in the final weeks of Trump’s 2016 White House campaign. But the judge said “it is not necessary that the tape itself be introduced into evidence or that it be played for the jury.” Merchan issued rulings on the “Access Hollywood” tape and other issues even after deciding last Friday to postpone the trial until at least mid-April.

Astronaut Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, dies at age 93

WASHINGTON (AP) — The NASA astronaut who commanded the dress rehearsal mission for the 1969 moon landing has died. Thomas Stafford died Monday in a Florida hospital. He was 93. Before Apollo 10, Stafford also took part in the first rendezvous of two U.S. spacecraft in 1965. A decade later, he because the first American to shake hands with a Soviet citizen in space when an Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soyuz craft. Later, Stafford was the go-to guy for NASA when it sought independent advice on everything from human Mars missions to returning to flight after the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident.