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AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT

Original Publication Date April 06, 2019 - 9:06 PM

Homeland Security Sec. Nielsen resigns amid border turmoil

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned on Sunday amid President Donald Trump's growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border.

Trump announced on Sunday in a tweet that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department. McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well-respected by members of Congress and within the administration. The decision to name a top immigration officer to the post reflects Trump's priority for the sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside," Nielsen wrote in her resignation letter. "I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse."

Though Trump aides were eyeing a staff shake-up at Homeland Security and had already withdrawn the nomination for another key immigration post, the development Sunday was unexpected.

Nielsen travelled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday with Trump to participate in a roundtable with border officers and local law enforcement. There she echoed Trump's comments on the situation at the border, though she ducked out of the room without explanation for some time while Trump spoke. As they toured a section of newly rebuilt barriers, Nielsen was at Trump's side, introducing him to local officials. She returned to Washington afterward on a Coast Guard Gulfstream, as Trump continued on a fundraising trip to California and Nevada.

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Chief of staff says Dems will 'never' see Trump tax returns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats will "never" see President Donald Trump's tax returns, said White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Sunday, as a new front opened in the confrontation between the administration and Congress.

Mulvaney accused Democrats of engaging in a "political stunt" and wanting "attention" after the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Richard Neal, asked the IRS to provide six years of Trump's personal tax returns and the returns for some of his businesses.

"That is not going to happen and they know it," Mulvaney told "Fox News Sunday." Asked whether he believe Democrats would ever view the president's returns, Mulvaney replied: "Oh no, never. Nor should they."

Last week, Massachusetts Democrat Neal, one of only three congressional officials authorized to request tax returns, requested Trump's personal and business returns in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig. He asked for returns covering 2013 through 2018. He also asked for the documents in seven days, setting an April 10 deadline.

An obscure 1924 statute includes no exceptions to Neal's authority to ask the Treasury Department for returns and says the department "shall furnish" them when requested. It does require that the review of an individual's return be conducted by members of Congress in "closed executive session" if the returns are provided without the taxpayer's consent.

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US to designate Iran Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is preparing to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization," an unprecedented move against a national armed force that could have widespread implications for U.S. personnel and policy in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Officials informed of the step said an announcement was expected Monday, after a monthslong escalation in the administration's rhetoric against Iran, its support for militia groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, as well as anti-Israel groups in the region and beyond.

It would be the first such designation by any American administration of an entire foreign government entity, although portions of the Guard, notably its elite Quds Force, have been targeted previously by the United States.

Two U.S. officials and a congressional aide confirmed the planned move. They were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, seemed to anticipate the designation, saying in a tweet Sunday aimed at President Donald Trump that Trump "should know better than to be conned into another US disaster."

The designation, planning for which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes with sanctions, including freezes on assets the Guard may have in U.S. jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with it or providing material support for its activities.

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Smoking pot vs. tobacco: What science says about lighting up

NEW YORK (AP) — As more states make it legal to smoke marijuana, some government officials, researchers and others worry what that might mean for one of the country's biggest public health successes : curbing cigarette smoking.

Though there are notable differences in health research findings on tobacco and marijuana, the juxtaposition strikes some as jarring after generations of Americans have gotten the message that smoking endangers their health.

"We're trying to stop people from smoking all kinds of things. Why do you want to legalize marijuana?" a New York City councilman, Republican Peter Koo, asked at a recent city hearing about the state's potential legalization of so-called recreational pot use.

Marijuana advocates say there's no comparison between joints and tobacco cigarettes. A sweeping federal assessment of marijuana research found the lung-health risks of smoking weed appear "relatively small" and "far lower than those of smoking tobacco," the top cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Unlike for cigarettes, there's evidence of certain health benefits from marijuana, such as easing chronic pain. And marijuana can be used without smoking it. Most states now have legal medical pot programs; 10 states and the District of Columbia have approved recreational use.

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump's bad-guy talk belies migrants' reality

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump talks about the masses of Central Americans trying to get into the U.S., he describes a horde of beefy men with ill intent, "some of the roughest people you've ever seen," and mocks them for acting like frightened babies so soft-hearted Americans will take them in.

Figures from his own administration tell a different story: Those coming are increasingly families and children. Among them are thousands who get a chance for a life in America because they make a compelling case that they risk persecution in their home countries.

Lately, Trump has settled on the bad-dude image of a martial-arts fighter to be the face of those migrants. "How stupid can we be to put up with this?" Trump marveled in a speech to a Jewish Republican group Saturday. "The asylum program is a scam." That apocryphal fighter has been showing up repeatedly lately in Trump's rhetoric of disdain.

From his remarks Saturday:

TRUMP, on asylum seekers: "People that look like they should be fighting for the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). They read a little page given by lawyers that are all over the place," coaching them to say "I am very fearful for my life. I am very worried that I will be accosted if I'm sent back home." Trump then mocks immigration judges or other officials: "Oh, give him asylum. He's afraid. He's afraid." And he adds: "We don't love the fact that he's got tattoos on his face. That's not a good sign."

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American Airlines extends Max-caused cancellations to June 5

WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines is extending by over a month its cancellations of about 90 daily flights as the troubled 737 Max plane remains grounded by regulators.

American said Sunday it is extending the cancellations through June 5 from the earlier timeframe of April 24. The airline acknowledged in a statement that the prolonged cancellations could bring disruption for some travellers.

The Boeing-made Max jets have been grounded in the U.S. and elsewhere since mid-March, following two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Airlines that own them have been scrambling other planes to fill some Max flights while cancelling others.

American Airlines Group Inc., the largest U.S. airline by revenue, has 24 Max jets in its fleet. The Dallas-based airline said it is awaiting information from U.S. regulators, and will contact customers affected by the cancellations with available re-bookings.

Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said last week the company needs more time to finish changes in a flight-control system suspected of playing a role in the two crashes. That means airlines could be forced to park their Max jets longer than they expected.

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Hindu nationalism marches ahead in India's general elections

NEW DELHI (AP) — As she patrols for cow smugglers, Sadhvi Kamal, a Hindu holy woman in a saffron robe, rides in a white SUV with a sticker on the rear window displaying a cow framed by swords and rifles. The words in the sticker's logo say, "The cow is the mother of the world."

Kamal leads a vigilante force of thousands of volunteers, mostly young Hindu men. Such vigilante forces have emerged after several Indian states banned the slaughter of cows, sacred to Hindus, in recent years. Mobs have lynched three dozen Muslims, who traditionally run meat shops and slaughterhouses.

As India heads toward elections beginning this week, taking up arms for "mother cow" is part of a broader campaign to impose ancient Hindu religious values across a multicultural country. As with similar movements across the world, Hindu nationalism, once fringe, has now taken a central place in India's politics.

The movement is led by the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who grew up chanting slogans and practicing manoeuvrs at nationalist training camps. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party seek to retain power in the elections by promoting Hindutva — a Hindu way of life — instead of secular pluralism. A fresh mandate for Modi could embolden efforts to mould the world's largest democracy of 1.3 billion people into a stringently Hindu nation.

"I think what Modi has successfully done is just to normalize bigotry," said writer and historian Mukul Kesavan. "What we have already seen is a shift of the common sense of the republic way to the right."

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Baylor holds off Notre Dame 82-81 for women's title

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baylor lost a star player, then the rest of its 17-point lead. But the Lady Bears, led by the ever-poised Chloe Jackson, kept their composure.

Jackson drove for a tiebreaking layup with 3.9 seconds left, and that put the game into the hands of another tournament hero.

Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale missed the first of two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining, and Baylor held on for an 82-81 victory Sunday in the NCAA women's basketball championship game.

"They just kept doing what we've been taught to do, and that's guard people," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "We just beat the defending national champions. That team is so good, so talented. You're going to see those guys play at the next level. Wow."

Baylor was able to pull off the win without star forward Lauren Cox, who injured her knee in a frightening scene late in the third quarter. The Irish were able to rally from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to tie it at 78 in the fourth. Jackson then scored a jumper from the foul line, and Jessica Shepard countered with two free throws to tie it, setting up the exciting finish.

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Kacey Musgraves, Dan + Shay win big at ACM Awards

Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour" continued its winning streak: It won album of the year at the Grammys and repeated the win at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday.

Musgraves said she had "some of the greatest memories of my entire life" while recording the album. She also thanked her sister, who was sitting in the audience at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, for designing her album covers.

Musgraves' critically acclaimed "Golden Hour" won four Grammys, including album of the year and best country album. However, she didn't score a nomination for the top prize at the ACMs — entertainer of the year.

Instead, men make up the nominees exclusively for a second straight year with Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, who has held the title since 2015.

Musgraves was the sole female artist in the album of the year category.

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Wrestler Bret Hart tackled during WWE Hall of Fame speech

NEW YORK (AP) — Wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart was tackled by a spectator Saturday while he was giving a speech during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The attacker was promptly subdued by several people, including other wrestlers, who came to Hart's defence. Hart, 61, is OK.

The person ran toward the ring from the crowd, spectator Alan Fisher told The Associated Press.

"I couldn't believe that the security had missed him in the first place and the next thing you know there was Shane McMahon and Travis Brown on top of him the crowd was going crazy booing," Fisher said. "Everyone was cheering when one of the wrestlers punched him."

Several shocked onlookers posted footage of the tackle online. The induction event resumed, with Hart continuing his speech, after the fan was taken into custody.

News from © The Associated Press, 2019
The Associated Press

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