Trump says he'll sign order to pay TSA agents as Senate works into the night on funding deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration workers. The Senate is working late into the night to resolve the 41-day funding impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks. Trump announced his decision in a social media post saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.” The White House and senators appear to be narrowing in on a endgame before TSA workers miss another paycheck Friday. Democrats have been refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security as they demand changes to rein in Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.
Iran and the US harden their positions over talks to end the nearly month-old war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States appear to be at an impasse. The two countries are hardening their positions over ceasefire talks and setting the stage for more potential escalation in the Middle East war as thousands more U.S. troops draw closer to the region. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Thursday extended his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, and Tehran tightened its grip on the strait. Israel poured more troops into southern Lebanon to fight the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Sirens over Israel warned of barrages of incoming Iranian missiles, and Gulf nations worked to intercept fire.
Wall Street falls to its worst drop since the Iran war as the Nasdaq sinks 10% below its record
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks had their worst day since the war with Iran started, as doubt took over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the conflict. The S&P 500 fell 1.7% Thursday. The index is back on track for a fifth straight losing week, which would be the longest such losing streak in nearly four years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4%. They’re the latest flip-flops for financial markets this week after Iran rejected a U.S. offer for a ceasefire. Oil prices rose more than 4%, and Treasury yields climbed in the bond market.
Judge weighs whether Venezuela can pay Maduro's legal costs in US drug trafficking case
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. judge has pressed the Trump administration about its basis for barring Venezuela’s government from paying former President Nicolás Maduro’s legal fees in his drug trafficking case. Maduro and Cilia Flores, his wife and co-defendant, were in a New York federal court Thursday for the first time since January. Maduro's lawyers argued that the U.S. is violating the deposed leader’s constitutional rights by blocking Venezuelan government money from being used for the couple’s legal costs. The U.S. government hasn’t let the funds flow because of sanctions against the South American country. The judge didn’t issue a ruling, however, nor say when he will.
LaGuardia Airport runway reopens, days after crash on tarmac killed 2 Canadian pilots
NEW YORK (AP) — The runway where a plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing the two pilots and injuring several others, has reopened. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the tarmac resumed operations at around 10 a.m. Thursday after the runway and its associated infrastructure were repaired and inspected. The destroyed Air Canada plane and the fire truck were towed from the crash site late Wednesday. The crash happened late Sunday night as the jet arriving from Montreal struck an airport fire truck responding to a separate incident aboard another plane.
FACT FOCUS: Only some driver's licenses usable for voter registration under the SAVE America Act
Posts circulating on social media claim driver’s licenses could not be used for voter registration in federal elections under the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering. But this is missing context. Driver’s licenses that indicate citizenship, such as an enhanced license, could be used for voter registration in a limited number of states if the SAVE America Act passes. However, those without such a license or who live in states or territories that don’t issue them would need to provide additional documentation.
California renames César Chavez Day following sexual abuse allegations
SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill to rename César Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day following sexual abuse allegations against the Latino labor icon. State lawmakers approved the legislation earlier in the day. The state has honored Chavez with a state holiday on his birthday, March 31, for years. The swift change comes after allegations Chavez abused girls and women, including fellow labor icon Dolores Huerta. The two led a landmark farmworker labor movement in California’s agricultural heartland in the 1960s and 1970s. Chavez’s name is on scores of monuments, schools and streets around California and the country.
Brother and sister are charged after an explosive device was found outside a Florida Air Force base
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A brother and sister have been charged after an explosive device was found outside a gate at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe says Alen Zheng fled to China with his sister Ann Mary Zheng, who was arrested upon her return to Florida. Alen Zheng is charged with trying to damage government property while unlawfully making and possessing an improvised explosive device. Ann Mary Zheng is charged with witness tampering and being an accessory after the fact by allegedly selling the car he was driving. Kehoe said their mother has been detained pending deportation for overstaying her visa.
Dash Crofts of Seals & Crofts, known for hits 'Summer Breeze' and 'Diamond Girl,' dies at 87
NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Darrell “Dash” Crofts, who teamed with childhood friend Jim Seals for such 1970s soft-rock hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer,” has died at 87. Seals & Crofts were native Texans who had known each other since high school and had played together in various groups before becoming a duo in the late 1960s. They were part of a wave of million-selling soft-rock bands that included America, Bread and the Carpenters. “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Closer to You” all reached the Top 10, while their other popular singles included “I’ll Play for You” and “Hummingbird.”
Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events by new IOC policy
GENEVA (AP) — Transgender women athletes are now excluded from the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy It aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on women's sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The International Olympic Committee says “eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.” Eligibility will be determined by "a one‑time SRY gene screening.” It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level.
