Guatemalan man pleads guilty in federal court after truck crash in Mexico killed over 50 migrants
LAREDO, Texas (AP) — U.S. authorities say a Guatemalan man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony offense stemming from the crash of human smugglers' truck in Mexico that killed more than 50 migrants in 2021. Authorities say that 42-year-old Daniel Zavala Ramos pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas, and acknowledged his involvement in trying to smuggle migrants from Guatemala via Mexico to the U.S. He faces a possible life sentence. Authorities said at least 160 migrants were packed into the truck when it overturned in southern Mexico in December 2021, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 100 others. Five other Guatemalans also are charged.
At least 182 killed as Israel strikes central Beirut after saying Iran truce doesn't apply there
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s health ministry says that Israeli strikes during the day killed 182 people, the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel launched a barrage of strikes in central Beirut and elsewhere in the country on Wednesday as a shaky ceasefire took effect between the U.S. and Iran. Iranian officials have maintained that the deal was supposed to include Lebanon, while Israel and the U.S. have insisted that it does not. The ministry says that another 890 people were wounded in the strikes. Altogether, 1,739 people have been killed and 5,873 wounded in Lebanon in just over five weeks since the outbreak of the war.
Oil plunges below $95 as the Dow surges 1,300 in a worldwide rally following a ceasefire with Iran
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices plunged below $95 per barrel, and stock markets surged worldwide after President Donald Trump pulled back from his threat of devastating attacks against Iran. The S&P 500 leaped 2.5% Wednesday after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,325 points, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.8%. To be sure, stock prices are still below where they were before the war. And oil prices are still higher because the threat remains that the war could continue. Prices for both stocks and oil pared big moves as trading progressed Wednesday.
Trump complains NATO 'wasn't there when we needed them' after talks with alliance leader Rutte
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump repeated his complaint about NATO after a private meeting with the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday. Trump has been angry with the military alliance because member countries ignored his call to help reopen a vital shipping waterway during the war with Iran. Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, sending gas prices soaring. Trump had suggested the U.S. may consider leaving the trans-Atlantic alliance over the issue. Rutte — who has a good working relationship with Trump — had been expected to try to smooth things over. But afterward, Trump issued an all-caps social media post saying, “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM.”
How Trump went from threatening Iran's annihilation to agreeing to a 2-week ceasefire with Tehran
WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the course of a single day, President Donald Trump went from threatening Iran with “annihilation” to proclaiming that Iran's leadership had presented a “workable” plan that led him to agree to a two-week ceasefire. Trump says he expects this to pave the way to end the nearly six-week war with Iran. Trump's shift came as intermediaries led by Pakistan worked to head off a further escalation. Even China quietly pulled strings to urge Iran to find a path toward a ceasefire. Trump was meeting Wednesday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, with the Strait of Hormuz expected to be a focus.
Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to murder charges and admits he killed 8 women in the Gilgo Beach case
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A Long Island architect has pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Rex Heuermann entered the pleas on Wednesday in a courtroom packed with reporters, police and victims’ relatives. His decision brings finality to a case that bedeviled investigators, tantalized the public and spawned true-crime documentaries, podcasts and a Hollywood movie. Authorities say Heuermann killed the women over a 17-year span. Many of them were sex workers whose deaths received little attention until their remains were found buried together along an isolated beach highway. Heuermann faces life in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.
California Supreme Court orders GOP sheriff to pause election probe and preserve seized ballots
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Supreme Court has ordered a Republican county sheriff who seized more than half a million 2025 election ballots to pause his probe into election fraud allegations while the judges review the legal challenge against it. The Wednesday order came after California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, last month asked the court to step in. A voting rights group is also challenging the ballot seizure. The dispute started earlier this year and escalated last month when Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized 1,000 boxes of election materials to investigate a complaint from a local citizens group about the ballot count from a November 2025 special election on redistricting.
'Climate change is kicking our butts.' March smashes heat records for continental US
WASHINGTON (AP) — March has been the hottest month on record for the continental United States in 132 years, according to federal weather data. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that March’s average temperature was 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 9.35 degrees above the 20th-century norm. This surpasses the previous record set in March 2012. Climate Central meteorologist Shel Winkley highlights the unprecedented nature of this heat, noting the sheer volume of records broken. More than 19,800 daily temperature records were shattered, and 2,200 places set monthly highs. Experts predict that a brewing El Nino could intensify global warmth.
Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife convicted of attempted manslaughter
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii doctor who was accused of trying to kill his wife on a cliffside hike has been convicted of attempted manslaughter. Jurors reached their verdict against 47-year-old Gerhardt Konig Wednesday. He had been charged with attempted murder but was convicted on the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter based on extreme mental or emotional disturbance. It carries up to 20 years in prison. Konig's attorney says he planned to appeal. Prosecutors argued Konig tried to kill Arielle Konig during a weekend trip to Honolulu for her birthday in March 2025. Konig testified he had hit his wife back in self-defense.
Eight states, three time zones and a ton of history: Take a trip down Route 66 as it turns 100
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Route 66 turns 100 this year, making the legendary road ripe for an American road trip. Travelers can chase neon signs, classic diners and quirky roadside stops. Crossing eight states and three time zones, the journey mixes restored landmarks with faded reminders of boom-and-bust towns. In Illinois, diners like the Cozy Dog keep old recipes alive. In Missouri, the Chain of Rocks Bridge bends across the Mississippi River. Oklahoma highlights the safe stops that existed for Black motorists during segregation. Out West, Native American tribes share their own stories. The drive ends with the final payoff — a party atmosphere at the Santa Monica Pier.
