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Judge rules against Trump

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 8:14 pm | Story: 546585

A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.

The decision is a setback for President Donald Trump, who has argued the requirement is needed to restore public confidence in elections. But the judge allowed other parts of Trump's sweeping executive order on U.S. elections to go forward for now, including a directive to tighten mail ballot deadlines around the country.

Trump's March executive order overhauling how U.S. elections are run prompted swift lawsuits from the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the Democratic National Committee and others, who called it unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with voting rights groups and Democrats, saying that the Constitution gives the power to regulate federal elections to states and Congress — not the president. She noted federal lawmakers are currently working on their own legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote.

In a 120-page decision on Thursday, she said the plaintiffs had proven that the proof-of-citizenship requirement would cause their clients irreparable harm and go against the public interest, while the government had offered “almost no defense of the President’s order on the merits.”

Accordingly, she granted a preliminary injunction to stop the citizenship requirement from moving forward while the lawsuit plays out.

The judge also blocked part of the Republican president’s order requiring public assistance enrollees to have their citizenship assessed before getting access to the federal voter registration form.

But she denied other requests from a group of Democratic plaintiffs, including refusing to block Trump's order to require all mailed ballots to be received by Election Day nationwide. She also did not touch Trump's order to open certain databases to billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to allow it to review state voter lists to search for noncitizens. The judge said those arguments brought by Democrats were either premature or should be brought by states instead.

The plaintiffs had argued Trump's proof-of-citizenship requirement violated the Constitution’s so-called Elections Clause, which gives states and Congress the authority to determine how elections are run.

They also argued that Trump’s order asserts power that he does not have over an independent agency. That agency, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, sets voluntary voting system guidelines and maintains the federal voter registration form.

During an April 17 hearing, attorneys for the plaintiffs had said requiring proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form would complicate their clients’ voter registration drives at grocery stores and other public places.

Aria Branch, counsel for the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic plaintiffs, also argued the executive order’s effort to tighten mail ballot deadlines would irreparably harm her clients by forcing them to reallocate resources to help voters navigate the changes.

“That’s time, money and organizational resources and strategy that can’t be recouped,” she said.

Michael Gates, counsel for the Trump administration, said in the hearing a preliminary injunction wasn’t warranted because the order hadn’t been implemented and a citizenship requirement would not be on the federal voter registration form for many months.

Roman Palomares, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a nonpartisan plaintiff, said Thursday the judge's decision was a “victory for voters.”

“Efforts to silence the voice and votes of the U.S. electorate must not stand because our democracy depends on all voters feeling confident that they can vote freely and that their vote will be counted accurately,” he said in a statement.

Representing the Democratic plaintiffs, Branch said in a Thursday statement that “this fight is far from over” but called the ruling a “victory for democracy and the rule of law over presidential overreach."

The chairs of the DNC, Democratic Governors Association and Democratic committees in Congress said if the judge hadn't ruled in their favor on citizenship proof, “Americans across the country — including married women who changed their last name and low-income individuals — could have been unable to register to vote.”

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said it was disappointed by the ruling.

“Few things are more sacred to a free society or more essential to democracy than the protection of its election systems,” said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Donald Palmer, chair of the EAC, a defendant in the case, said his office was still reviewing the ruling and opinion “but we will comply with the Judge's decision.”

The judge's decision comes as state and local election officials from across the country are meeting to consider the implications of Trump’s executive order on their work.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Standards Board, which was holding a public hearing in North Carolina on Thursday, is a bipartisan advisory group of election officials from every state that meets annually.

Meanwhile, other lawsuits against Trump’s order are still pending.

In early April, 19 Democratic attorneys general asked the court to reject Trump’s executive order. Washington and Oregon, which both hold all-mail elections, followed with their own lawsuit against the order.

The U.S. differs from many other countries in that it does not hold national elections run by the federal government. Instead, elections are decentralized — overseen by the states and run by thousands of local jurisdictions.

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Executive's torture chamber

Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 8:13 pm | Story: 546584

A private equity executive turned his New York City apartment into a torture chamber of “grotesque sexual violence," Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday. He is accused of raping six women over five months in a depraved rampage in which he allegedly punched, waterboarded and shocked victims with a cattle prod and kept recordings of the assaults as trophies.

Ryan Hemphill, who remains jailed after his arrest last month, pleaded not guilty to a 116-count indictment charging him with predatory sexual assault and other crimes dating to last October. The 43-year-old, who is also a lawyer, threatened to have victims arrested or disappeared in a bid to keep them silent, prosecutors said.

“The defendant told these survivors that he was untouchable,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “The indictment makes clear that he was wrong.”

Hemphill sat quietly in a khaki jail suit, his cuffed hands clutching a cross behind his back, as a prosecutor described his alleged crimes in gruesome detail.

If convicted, Hemphill could spend the rest of his life in prison. He was previously acquitted in 2015 of choking and holding a knife to his ex-girlfriend’s throat after testifying that he enjoyed strangling her during sex.

“We have reason to believe these six victims are only the tip of the iceberg,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer told Judge Ann E. Scherzer.

Hemphill’s apartment, near the Empire State Building, was outfitted with numerous surveillance cameras, and investigators have recovered images showing dozens, if not hundreds, of other women, many of them naked and blindfolded, Curzer said.

Investigators also found hundreds of bullets and high-capacity magazines, and a large amount of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and fentanyl, prosecutors said.

Hemphill met the six women through websites, including some that specialize in “sugar daddy” arrangements for women seeking wealthy romantic partners, Curzer said.

He told the women he was into role play and dominance and offered them large sums of money in exchange for sex and companionship, though he ended up not paying some of the women or giving them fake cash instead, Curzer said.

As Hemphill got to know the women, he convinced them to confide their past sexual traumas, which he then deliberately reenacted as he assaulted them, Curzer said. He took advantage of some victims' inexperience, the prosecutor said, or crossed boundaries that victims had clearly articulated.

Hemphill is accused of tricking victims into ingesting substances that rendered them unable to fight back, using handcuffs and other restraints on them, wrapping their heads and faces with duct tape, slapping and punching them, and torturing them with a cattle prod and shock collar.

Hemphill kept one victim shackled to a bed for hours while she begged him to let her go, Curzer said.

Hemphill’s alleged conduct is “truly shocking to the conscience,” and he “has made clear that he has no regard for the law or the courts,” Curzer said.

To keep women quiet, Hemphill boasted about connections to law enforcement and organized crime, prosecutors said, and claimed that because the women had accepted offers of money, it was them who would be arrested.

Hemphill is charged with bribing a witness and, according to prosecutors, drew up a contract in which he agreed to pay a woman $2,000 in exchange for dropping a complaint she filed with police. He is also accused of forcing some victims to record videos in which they stated that they had consented to being abused.

“The power imbalance in his predatory acts could not be more clear,” Bragg told reporters. “He wielded his law degree and money as both sword and shield, coercing and silencing survivors.”

The arraignment happened down the hall from disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial.

Scherzer ordered Hemphill to remain jailed without bail after prosecutors raised concerns that his predicament, combined with his wealth and connections — including a history of philanthropy and family real estate holdings — could give him the means and incentive to flee the country.

Hemphill’s lawyer, a public defender assigned to represent him at least through his arraignment, had urged Scherzer to move him to a rehabilitation facility to deal with substance abuse issues.

Scherzer ruled that, given the fact pattern laid out by prosecutors, “including efforts to dissuade by force and threats to witnesses from testifying against him,” jailing him was the only way to ensure Hemphill would return to court.

Hemphill’s alleged behavior, the judge said, “shows his extent to which he’s willing to go to protect himself from facing these charges."

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Trump pardons politician

Rio Yamat, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 6:22 pm | Story: 546559

President Donald Trump has pardoned a Nevada Republican politician who was awaiting sentencing on federal charges that she used money meant for a statue honoring a slain police officer for personal costs, including plastic surgery.

Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman and state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for state treasurer, was found guilty in October of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was out of custody ahead of her sentencing, which had been scheduled for next month.

In a lengthy statement Thursday on Facebook, the loyal Trump supporter expressed gratitude to the president while also accusing the U.S. government and “select media outlets” of a broad, decade-long conspiracy to “target and dismantle" her life.

The White House confirmed Fiore had been pardoned but did not comment on the president’s decision.

The pardon, issued Wednesday, comes less than a week after Fiore lost a bid for a new trial. She had been facing the possibility of decades in prison.

Federal prosecutors said at trial that Fiore, 54, had raised more than $70,000 for the statue of a Las Vegas police officer who was fatally shot in 2014 in the line of duty, but had instead spent some of it on cosmetic surgery, rent and her daughter’s wedding.

“Michele Fiore used a tragedy to line her pockets,” federal prosecutor Dahoud Askar said.

FBI agents in 2021 subpoenaed records and searched Fiore’s home in Las Vegas in connection with her campaign spending.

In a statement, Nevada Democratic Party Executive Director Hilary Barrett called the pardon “reckless” and a “slap in the face” to law enforcement officers.

Fiore, who does not have a law degree, was appointed as a judge in deep-red Nye County in 2022 shortly after she lost her campaign for state treasurer.

She was elected last June to complete the unexpired term of a judge who died but had been suspended without pay amid her legal troubles. Pahrump is an hour’s drive west of Las Vegas.

In her statement Thursday, Fiore also said she plans to return to the bench next week.

Nye County said it is awaiting an update on Fiore's current suspension from the state Commission on Judicial Discipline, which told The Associated Press in an email that it was aware that Fiore had been pardoned but that it didn't have further comment on her situation.

AP also sent an email seeking comment from Fiore's lawyer.

Fiore served in the state Legislature from 2012 to 2016. She was a Las Vegas councilwoman from 2017 to 2022.

While serving as a state lawmaker, Fiore gained national attention for her support of rancher Cliven Bundy and his family during armed standoffs between militiamen and federal law enforcement officers in Bunkerville, Nevada, in 2014 and Malheur, Oregon, in 2016.

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China denies U.S. talks

Huizhong Wu, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 11:34 am | Story: 546454

China on Thursday denied any suggestion that it was in active negotiations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs, saying that any notion of progress in the matter was as groundless as “trying to catch the wind.”

China’s comments come after Trump said Tuesday that things were going “fine with China” and that the final tariff rate on Chinese exports would come down “substantially” from the current 145%.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said during a daily briefing on Thursday that, “For all I know, China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal.”

“China’s position is consistent and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,” Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said.

“Any claims about the progress of China-U.S. trade negotiations are groundless as trying to catch the wind and have no factual basis," the spokesman said.

Trump had told reporters earlier in the week that "everything’s active” when asked if he was engaging with China, although his treasury secretary had said there were no formal negotiations.

Asked Thursday about China denying there were any conversations ongoing with the U.S., Trump said “They had a meeting this morning,” before adding, “it doesn’t matter who they is.”

The U.S. president has expressed interest in a way to climb down from his massive retaliatory tariffs on Chinese imports to the U.S. There are mounting business and consumer concerns that the taxes will drive up inflation and potentially send the economy into a recession.

Trump had put 145% tariffs on imports from China, while China hit back with 125% tariffs on U.S. products. While Trump has given other countries a 90-day pause on the tariffs, as their leaders pledged to negotiate with the U.S., China remained the exception. Instead, Beijing raised its own tariffs and deployed other economic measures in response while vowing to “fight to the end.” For example, China restricted exports of rare earth minerals and raised multiple cases against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization.

China also made it clear that talks should involve the cancellation of all tariffs it currently faces.

“The unilateral tariff increase measures were initiated by the United States. If the United States really wants to solve the problem, it should face up to the rational voices of the international community and all parties at home, completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, and find ways to resolve differences through equal dialogue,” said He, the Commerce Ministry spokesman.

Despite the economic measures leveled against China, Trump said Tuesday that he would be “very nice” and not play hardball with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together,” Trump said.

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Canada caught in trade war

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 10:11 am | Story: 546441

Pulling Canada into his trade war with China, U.S. President Donald Trump claims Chinese fentanyl continues to "pour" across both borders.

Trump complained on social media today about Chinese airlines refusing to accept Boeing planes to protest his administration's massive tariffs on China.

In his post, he says that fentanyl continues to flow into the U.S. from China through Mexico and Canada.

Trump last month slapped economywide tariffs on Canada, linking the duties to the flow of people and fentanyl across the United States' northern border. He partially paused the levies a few days later.

U.S. data shows a tiny amount of fentanyl is seized at the Canada-U.S. border and the RCMP says there is no evidence of large-scale movement of the drug from Canada into the United States.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week there have been "successes" at the Canada-U.S. border.

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Trump urges Putin to stop

Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 8:05 am | Story: 546414

President Donald Trump on Thursday offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July.

Trump’s frustration is growing as a U.S.-led effort to get a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has not made progress.

Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and accused him of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimea Peninsula as part of a possible deal.

Zelenskyy has repeated many times during the war that began when Russia invaded in February 2022 that recognizing occupied territory as Russia's is a red line for Ukraine. Zelenskyy noted Thursday that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Moscow's attacks had continued.

Trump’s criticism of Putin is notable because Trump has repeatedly said Russia, the aggressor in the conflict, is more willing than Ukraine to get a deal done.

“I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “So far it’s been harder, but that’s OK. It’s all right.”

In his dealings with Zelenskyy and Putin, Trump has focused on which leader has leverage. Putin has “the cards” and Zelenskyy does not, Trump has said repeatedly. At the same time, the new Republican administration has taken steps toward a more cooperative line with Putin, for whom Trump has long shown admiration.

Trump is set to meet later Thursday with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to discuss the war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and other issues.

Norway, a member of NATO and strong supporter of Ukraine, shares a roughly 123-mile (198-kilometer) border with Russia.

Gahr Støre said in a social media post Thursday that he would underscore during the talks that “close contact between Norway and the USA is crucial.”

“We must contribute to a lasting and just peace in Ukraine,” he said.

The White House announced Tuesday that Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would visit Moscow this week for a new round of talks with Putin about the war. It would be their fourth meeting since Trump took office in January.

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3 astronauts launched

Andy Wong, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 6:23 am | Story: 546406

China has launched three astronauts into space to replace the crew on the Chinese Tiangong space station, marking a further step in the country's ambitions for a crewed mission to the moon and explore Mars.

The Shenzhou 20 spaceship took off as planned atop China’s workhorse Long March 2F rocket at 5:17 p.m. local time (0917 GMT). It will reach the Tiangong about 6.5 hours later.

The rocket lifted off from the launch center in Jiuquan, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China. The spaceship will remain in space before returning the current crew.

The Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace,” space station has made China a major contender in space, especially since it was entirely Chinese-built after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. China's space program is controlled by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party.

The addition of mechanical arms to the three-module station has also raised concerns from some that China could use them to disable satellites or other space vehicles during a crisis.

Since first launching a man into space in 2003 — becoming only the third country to do so — China's space program has advanced at a steady pace. The space agency has also landed an explorer on Mars and a rover on the less-explored far side of the moon, and aims to put a person on the moon before 2030.

The Shenzhou, or “Celestial Vessel,” 20 mission will be commanded by Chen Dong, who is making his third flight. He will be accompanied by fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui and engineer Wang Jie, both making their maiden voyages, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Unlike previous crews, Shenzhou 20 is entirely male.

They will replace three astronauts currently on the Chinese space station. Like those before them, they will stay on board for roughly six months.

The space ship is due to be launched into space atop China's workhorse Long March 2F rocket at 5:17 p.m. local time (0917 GMT) and reach the Tiangong about 6.5 hours later.

The three-person crew was sent in October last year and they have been in space for 175 days. They are due to return on April 29 after a brief overlap with their replacements. The Tiangong, fully assembled in October 2022, can accommodate up to six people at a time.

While in space, the astronauts will conduct experiments in medical science and new technologies and perform space walks to carry out maintenance and install new equipment, the Manned Space Agency said.

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Overhauling elections

Christina A. Cassidy, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 6:22 am | Story: 546405

State and local election officials from across the country are meeting Thursday to consider President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks major changes to how elections are run, the first time those in charge of the nation's voting will formally gather to weigh in on its implications.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Standards Board, which is holding a public hearing in North Carolina, is a bipartisan advisory group of election officials from every state that meets annually.

The commission, an independent federal agency, is at the center of Trump’s executive order. The March 25 order directs the commission to update the national voter registration form to include a proof-of-citizenship requirement, revise guidelines for voting systems and withhold federal money from any state that continues to accept ballots after Election Day.

Voting rights groups, the Democratic Party and Democratic officials in 21 states have sued, arguing that the Republican president is exceeding his authority under the Constitution and interfering with states’ power to set election rules. They want to block the commission from taking action to implement the executive order.

The Constitution says it's up to states to determine the “times, places and manner” of how elections are run, while Congress has the power to “make or alter” regulations for presidential and congressional elections. It does not grant the president any authority over how elections are administered.

Congress created the Election Assistance Commission after the 2000 presidential election, which included a contested outcome in Florida, to help states update their voting equipment.

Under the 2002 law, the commission was charged with distributing federal money for new voting equipment, creating voluntary guidelines for voting systems, establishing a federal testing and certification program for them, and overseeing the national voter registration form. It also has worked closely with the states to gather an array of data and share ideas on how to run elections more efficiently.

Trump, who continues to make false claims about the 2020 presidential election, instructed the commission to “take appropriate action” within 30 days to require documentary proof of citizenship on the national voter registration form. The order outlines acceptable documents as a U.S. passport, a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or official military ID that “indicates the applicant is a citizen,” or a government-issued photo ID accompanied by proof of citizenship.

The requirement has caused widespread concern that it will disenfranchise millions of voters who don’t have a passport or ready access to their birth certificate or other documents that will prove their citizenship. Similar laws at the state level have caused disruptions, including during town elections last month in New Hampshire and in Kansas, where a since overturned law ended up blocking the voter registrations of 31,000 people who were citizens and otherwise eligible to vote.

Trump's order also directed the Election Assistance Commission to “take all appropriate action to cease” federal money for any state that fails to use the form that includes the proof-of-citizenship requirement, though a handful of states are exempt under federal law from using the national form.

Some states would have to halt their practice of counting late-arriving mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. If they don't, Trump's executive order directs the commission to withhold election-related funding. Oregon and Washington have filed a separate lawsuit against the executive order, saying it would upend their elections because they rely entirely on mail voting.

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Attack grows tension

Aijaz Hussain, Sheikh Saaliq And Riazat Butt, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 6:18 am | Story: 546404

India and Pakistan cancelled visas for their nationals to each other’s countries and Islamabad warned New Delhi for suspending a water-sharing treaty Thursday after India blamed Pakistan for a deadly attack by gunmen that killed 26 people in disputed Kashmir.

Indian authorities said all visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be revoked with effect from Sunday, adding that all Pakistanis currently in India must leave before their visas expire based on the revised timeline. The country also announced other measures, including cutting the number of diplomatic staff, closing the only functional land border crossing between the countries and suspending a crucial water-sharing agreement.

In retaliation, Pakistan closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country.

Tuesday's attack was the worst assault in years targeting civilians in the restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.

The rare attack, which targeted mostly tourists, shocked and outraged Indians, prompting calls for action against their country's archenemy, Pakistan. The Indian government did not publicly produce any evidence but said the attack had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.

Pakistan’s National Security Committee condemned India’s “belligerent measures." It said that while Pakistan remained committed to peace, it would never allow anyone to “transgress its sovereignty, security, dignity and inalienable rights.”

Government ministers on both sides have hinted that the dispute could escalate to military action. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told local Dunya News TV channel that “any kinetic step by India will see a tit-to-tat kinetic response."

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh pledged Wednesday to “not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil” and hinted at the possibility of military strikes.

India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.

Domestic pressures on both sides

The killings have put pressure on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government to respond aggressively.

“India will identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers," Modi said at a public rally Thursday.

“We will pursue them to the ends of the earth,” he warned.

His government announced a series of diplomatic actions against Islamabad while hinting at plans for more punishment.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced Wednesday that a number of Pakistani diplomats were asked to leave New Delhi and Indian diplomats were recalled from Pakistan. Diplomatic missions in both countries will reduce their staff from 55 to 30 as of May 1, and the only functional land border crossing between them would be closed.

India’s foreign ministry advised Indians citizens not to travel to Pakistan and asked those currently there to return.

India also suspended a landmark water-sharing treaty that has survived two wars between the countries, in 1965 and 1971, and a major border skirmish in 1999.

The Indus Water Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allows for sharing the waters of a river system that is a lifeline for both countries, particularly for Pakistan’s agriculture.

Pakistan has responded angrily that it has nothing to do with the attack and warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert flow of water would be considered an “act of war” and met with “full force across the complete spectrum” of Pakistan’s national power.

In Islamabad and other cities in Pakistan, dozens of demonstrators rallied against India’s suspension of the treaty, demanding their government retaliate.

Fears of escalation

Modi overturned the status quo in Kashmir in August 2019, when his government revoked the region's semi-autonomous status and brought it under direct federal control.

That deepened tensions in the region, but things with Pakistan held stable as the two countries in 2021 renewed a previous ceasefire agreement along their border, which has largely held despite militant attacks on Indian forces in the region.

Some experts say India may move beyond diplomatic sanctions as the country’s media and leaders from Modi’s ruling party call for military action.

Ashok Malik, a former policy advisor in India’s foreign ministry, said New Delhi’s response reflected a high degree of anger within the administration and India’s move on the Indus Water treaty “will impose costs on Pakistan’s economy.”

Malik added that Indian leaders view military options as viable.

"(India's) military strategists believe there is a space for kinetic conventional action under the nuclear umbrella. The space isn’t infinite, but it isn’t insignificant either,” he said.

Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said framing the Kashmir conflict as a security crisis of Pakistan’s creation, “which can be resolved only through harsh talk and actions,” brings political dividends to Modi’s government but could also leave it with few options in times of crises.

“The immense public pressure on the Modi government to retaliate strongly and militarily is self-created. Soon, there will be no options left unless New Delhi starts looking to address the roots of political unrest in Kashmir,” Donthi said.

Dismay in Kashmir

The killings shocked residents of Kashmir, where militants fighting against Indian rule have rarely targeted tourists and have mainly mounted their attacks against Indian forces.

In a rare show of public outrage, Kashmiris — many of whom have struggled under an intense crackdown by Indian forces and New Delhi's highhanded rule — took part in street protests and candle light marches in protest against the killings. Markets, private schools and businesses were shut Wednesday amid an uneasy calm as people worried that the attacks could drive away tourists and hurt the region’s economy.

Funerals of several of those killed were also held across some Indian cities.

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New Jersey smoke spreads

Bruce Shipkowski, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 6:15 am | Story: 546402

A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens was expected grow Thursday, with smoke affecting the air quality in the New York City area before rain arrives this week, authorities said.

Higher-than-normal pollution levels were expected Thursday in New York City, Rockland and Westchester counties, and in Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation advised Wednesday. The fire is roughly 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of New York City.

It said “going indoors may reduce exposure” to problems such as eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath.

The fire in the southern part of New Jersey has grown to more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) and could continue to burn for days, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened Wednesday evening.

“This is still a very active fire,” said New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”

The Ocean County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey also cautioned early Thursday about air quality, saying “smoke will continue to permeate the area.” It said emergency personnel will be on site for the next few days.

In New York, dry conditions across the state are resulting in a “high” fire danger rating in several regions including New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and portions of the North Country, the state air quality advisory said. The rest of the state is at a moderate or low level of fire danger.

Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in the last two decades, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers).

Acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency Wednesday and officials said they’ve contained about 50% of the wildfire.

Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, authorities said.

Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre (445,000-hectare) state and federally protected reserve about the size of the Grand Canyon lying halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. The region, with its quick-draining sandy soil, is in peak forest fire season. The trees are still developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.

The area had been under a severe drought until recently.

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Russian strike kills 9

Vasilisa Stepanenko And Samya Kullab, The Associated Press - Apr 24, 2025 / 6:12 am | Story: 546400

Russia attacked Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 70 in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since last July and just as peace efforts are coming to a head.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the attack he is cutting short his official trip to South Africa and returning home as the city reeled from the bombardment that kept residents on edge for about 11 hours. It appeared to be Russia's biggest attack on Kyiv in nine months, and Zelenskyy branded it as “one of (Russia's) most outrageous."

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko announced that Friday would be an official day of mourning day in the capital.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 66 ballistic and cruise missiles, four plane-launched air-to-surface missiles, and 145 Shahed and decoy drones at Kyiv and four other regions of Ukraine. Rescue workers with flashlights scoured the charred rubble of partly collapsed homes as the blue lights of emergency vehicles lit up the dark city streets.

The attack came as weeks of peace negotiations appeared to be culminating without an agreement in sight and hours after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, accusing him of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimea Peninsula as part of a possible deal.

Zelenskyy says future of negotiations depends on Moscow

Zelenskyy has repeated many times during the more than three-year war that recognizing occupied territory as Russian is a red line for his country. He noted Thursday that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago, as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Russia’s attacks had continued.

He said in South Africa that the latest attack meant the future of negotiations “depends on Russia’s intention because it is in Moscow where they have to make a decision.”

While talks have been going on in recent weeks, Russia has hit the city of Sumy, killing more than 30 civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, battered Odesa with drones and blasted Zaporizhzhia with powerful glide bombs.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the attack underscored that the main obstacle to ending the war is Russia.

“While claiming to seek peace, Russia launched a deadly airstrike on Kyiv,” she wrote on social media. “This isn’t a pursuit of peace, it’s a mockery of it.”

Senior U.S. officials have warned that the Trump administration could soon give up its efforts to stop the war if the two sides don't compromise.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack showed Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to press his bigger army’s advantage on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where it currently holds the momentum.

“Putin demonstrates through his actions, not words, that he does not respect any peace efforts and only wants to continue the war,” Sybiha said on X. “Weakness and concessions will not stop his terror and aggression. Only strength and pressure will.”

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of its neighbor, Russian attacks haves killed some 13,000 civilians, including 618 children.

Kyiv residents spent the night in shelters

At least 42 people were hospitalized following the attack on residential suburbs of Kyiv, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

At a Kyiv residential building that was almost entirely destroyed, emergency workers removed rubble with their hands, rescuing a trapped woman who emerged from the wreckage covered in white dust and moaning in pain.

An elderly woman sat against a brick wall, face smeared with blood, her eyes fixed to the ground in shock as medics tended to her wounds.

Fires were reported in several residential buildings said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city military administration.

The attack, which began around 1 a.m., hit at least five neighborhoods in Kyiv.

Oksana Bilozir, a student, suffered a head injury in the attack. With blood seeping from her bandaged head, she said that she heard a loud explosion after the air alarm blared and began to grab her things to flee to a shelter when another blast caused her home’s walls to crumble and the lights to go off.

“I honestly don’t even know how this will all end, it’s very scary,” said Bilozir, referring to the war against Russia’s invasion. “I only believe that if we can stop them on the battlefield, then that’s it. No diplomacy works here.”

The attack kept many people awake all night long as multiple loud explosions reverberated around the city and flashes of light punctuated the sky. Families gathered in public air raid shelters, some of them bringing their pet cat and dog.

Zelenskyy returning from South Africa

Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that he would fly back to Kyiv after meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Ukrainian leader had hoped to recruit further South African support in efforts to end his country’s war with Russia, now in its fourth year.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the Kyiv attack was “yet another appalling violation of international humanitarian law.”

“Civilians must never be targets. This senseless use of force must stop,” it said in a statement.

Anastasiia Zhuravlova, 33, a mother of two, was sheltering in a basement after multiple blasts damaged her home. Her family was sleeping when the first explosion shattered their windows and sent kitchen appliances flying in the air. Shards of glass rained down on them as they rushed to take cover in the corridor.

“After that we came to the shelter because it was scary and dangerous at home,” she said.

In Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, the attack flattened a two-story residential building and heavily damaged nearby multi-story buildings. Rescue work continued through the morning.

At a nearby school-turned-relief center, children helped parents cover blown-out windows with plastic while others queued for government compensation. Many stood in blood-stained clothes, still shaken.

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