Angry protesters from New York to Alaska assail Trump and Musk in 'Hands Off!' rallies

Thousands of demonstrators from New York to Alaska protested against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Protesters criticized the administration’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues. More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations were planned in all 50 states Saturday by more than 150 groups. Thousands gathered at the National Mall  in Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and other locations. In Florida, people rallied near a golf course where Trump spent the morning. Asked about the demonstrations, the White House said in a statement that Trump will always protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Trump goes all in with bet that the heavy price of tariffs will pay off for Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's new tariffs mark an all-in bet that his economic vision will pay off for Americans. It's the realization of his decades of advocacy for a protectionist foreign policy and the belief that free trade was forcing the United States into decline. The early reviews have given Democrats some hope for a turnaround for their party. Democratic activists participated in rallies across the country Saturday to protest Trump's policies. A leader of one of the many organizing groups says “the winds are changing.” Trump has promised that the taxes on imports will bring about a domestic manufacturing renaissance and help fund an extension of his 2017 tax cuts.

Phone footage appears to contradict Israel's account in troops' killing of 15 Palestinian medics

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A video on the phone of one of 15 Palestinian medics killed by Israeli forces in Gaza shows that their emergency vehicles had their lights and sirens flashing when they came under a barrage of gunfire from troops. The gunfire lasted more than five minutes. The footage seems to contradict Israel's account that the vehicles did not have lights on and were acting suspiciously. Palestinian officials circulated the video to members of the U.N. Security Council. Israel's military says the incident is under thorough investigation. Troops bulldozed over the bodies along with their mangled vehicles, burying them in a mass grave.

Yemen's Houthi rebels say US airstrikes kill 2 as Trump's bombing video suggests higher death toll

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected U.S. airstrikes have killed at least two people overnight in a stronghold of Yemen’s Houthi rebels. That's according to reports by the Houthis on Sunday. The strikes in Saada wounded four others. Footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showing a strike collapsing what appeared to be a two-story building. The Iranian-backed Houthis aired no footage from inside the building, which they described as a solar power shop. The intense campaign of airstrikes in Yemen under U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly killed at least 69 people. A bombing video posted online by Trump suggests casualties in the campaign may be higher than the rebels acknowledge.

At least 16 dead in flooding and tornadoes as storms slash from Texas to Ohio

DYERSBURG, Tennessee. (AP) — Another round of torrential rain and flash flooding has come for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned some deadly tornadoes. Heavy rains have pounded the central U.S., rapidly swelling waterways and prompting flash flood emergencies in places from Texas to Ohio. At least 16 people have been killed. Forecasters warn that rivers in some places would continue to rise for days. These storms are hitting as weather service offices are short-staffed due to Trump administration cuts.

Zelenskyy meets European military leaders to plan for a peacekeeping force

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met British Adm. Antony Radakin and French Gen. Thierry Burkhard in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the potential deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force to Ukraine. The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 18, including nine children. The regional governor says a further 72 people were wounded in Friday’s attack, the youngest a 3-month-old. About half of them remain hospitalized, including two children in critical condition and 17 people in serious condition. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike on a military meeting.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are still held by Russia with uncertain hope of release

In its 3-year-old war, Russia has detained what human rights activists say are thousands of Ukrainian civilians and has charged them with various crimes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that releasing them and the prisoners of war will be an important step toward ending the war. It doesn’t, however, appear high on the agenda of talks the U.S. has begun with Russia and Ukraine. One human rights activist says that while politicians discuss rare-earth minerals, territorial concessions and geopolitical interests, they’re not talking about people. It’s unknown how many Ukrainian civilians are in custody, both in occupied regions and inside Russia. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets estimates it at over 20,000.

UN urges relief efforts in Myanmar as earthquake death toll rises

BANGKOK (AP) — The confirmed death toll from last week’s massive earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 3,455, as U.N. agencies and foreign aid donors ramp up their emergency relief efforts. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit a wide swath of the country on March 28, causing significant damage to six regions and states including the capital Naypyitaw. The quake also worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis triggered by the country’s civil war that has internally displaced more than 3 million people and left nearly 20 million in need, according to the United Nations.

Foreign journalists at US-backed media fear being sent to repressive homelands after Trump's cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reporters and human rights groups say the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media have put dozens of journalists at risk, especially those who defied authoritarian regimes to help fulfill the U.S. mission of delivering uncensored news to parts of the world under repressive rule. With their U.S. status dependent on their employment, they could be forced to leave and face persecution in their homelands if the U.S.-backed networks should fold. Eleven journalists associated with networks funded by the U.S. Agency for Global Media are in jail in countries overseas. Reporters Without Borders says at least 84 USAGM journalists in the U.S. on work visas now face deportation.

Houston rallies to beat Duke 70-67 in the Final Four and advance to face Florida for the NCAA title

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Houston’s suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four. Duke made a grand total of one field goal over the last 10:30 of this game. The second-to-last attempt was a step-back jumper in the lane by Flagg that J’Wan Roberts disrupted. The last was a desperation heave by Tyrese Proctor that caught nothing at the buzzer. The Cougars, who never won a title, not even in the days of Phi Slama Jamma, will play Florida on Monday night for the championship.