Hawaii braces for long upheaval as erupting Kilauea boils

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow.

Lava spurted from volcanic vents, toxic gas filled the air and strong earthquakes — including a magnitude 6.9 temblor on Friday — rocked an already jittery population. The trifecta of natural threats forced the evacuation of more than 1,700 people from communities near the lava and prompted the closure of parks, college campuses and a section of the main road through the area on the Big Island's southern tip.

Five structures have burned and thousands of customers briefly lost power from one of the larger quakes.

Tesha "Mirah" Montoya, 45, said toxic fumes escaping from the lava vents weren't enough to make her family evacuate, but the tipping point were the earthquakes.

"I felt like the whole side of our hill was going to explode," she said. "The earthquake was what made us start running and start throwing guinea pigs and bunnies in the car."

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APNewsBreak: Mueller team questions Trump friend Tom Barrack

WASHINGTON (AP) — Investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller have interviewed one of President Donald Trump's closest friends and confidants, California real estate investor Tom Barrack, The Associated Press has learned.

Barrack was interviewed as part of the federal investigation of possible co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The specific topics covered in questions from Mueller's team were not immediately clear.

One of the people who spoke to AP said the questioning focused entirely on two officials from Trump's campaign who have been indicted by Mueller: Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort's longtime deputy, Rick Gates. Gates agreed to plead guilty to federal conspiracy and false-statement charges in February and began co-operating with investigators.

This person said Barrack was interviewed "months ago" and was asked a few questions about Gates' work on Trump's inaugural committee, which Barrack chaired, and but there were no questions about the money raised by that committee.

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AP review: More than 30 mishaps from armed adults at schools

They are the "good guys with guns" the National Rifle Association says are needed to protect students from shooters: a school police officer, a teacher who moonlights in law enforcement, a veteran sheriff.

Yet in a span of 48 hours in March, the three were responsible for gun safety lapses that put students in danger.

The school police officer accidentally fired his gun in his Virginia office, sending a bullet through a wall into a middle school classroom. The teacher was demonstrating firearm safety in California when he mistakenly put a round in the ceiling, injuring three students who were hit by falling debris. And the sheriff left a loaded service weapon in a locker room at a Michigan middle school, where a sixth-grader found it.

All told, an Associated Press review of news reports collected by the non-profit Gun Violence Archive revealed more than 30 publicly reported mishaps since 2014 involving firearms brought onto school grounds by law enforcement officers or educators. Guns went off by mistake, were fired by curious or unruly students, and were left unattended in bathrooms and other locations.

"If this can happen with a highly trained police officer, why would we give teachers guns?" interim superintendent Lois Berlin of the Alexandria, Virginia, school system asked after the incident involving the officer whose accidental discharge put a bullet through a wall at George Washington Middle School. He was placed on leave and is under investigation.

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Justify wins sloppy Kentucky Derby, Baffert gets 5th title

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — If you want to bust a racing curse, call Bob Baffert.

The white-haired trainer smashed a jinx that stood for 136 years when Justify splashed through the slop to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths on Saturday.

Not since Apollo in 1882 had a colt won the roses without racing as a 2-year-old.

Now, Baffert is in position to make another run at the Triple Crown. Three years ago, he trained American Pharoah to the sport's first sweep of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 37 years and just the 12th ever.

Records and streaks are made to be a broken and Baffert is certainly on a tear.

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First days at home: William, Kate share Prince Louis photos

LONDON (AP) — Two pictures have been released documenting the early days of Britain's newest prince — and one shows Prince Louis being cuddled by three-year-old big sister Princess Charlotte.

One of the photos was snapped when Louis was just three days old. He was born April 23 and went home the same day.

The two snapshots were released by Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and were taken by Kate at their home in Kensington Palace. Big brother Prince George, 4, is not in the photos.

A palace statement said Sunday that William and the duchess are "very pleased" to share the photos.

It said the royal couple want to thank the public for "all of the kind messages" received since Louis' birth.

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US firms, debt could be China's targets if US plays hardball

BEIJING (AP) — In a looming trade war between the world's two largest economies, American companies in China may have a bull's-eye on their backs.

The Trump administration is pushing China to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $200 billion by the end of 2020 and give up policies that favour domestic companies — the core of Beijing's state-led economic model.

As the two sides exchange threats of tariff hikes, their lopsided trade balance means China will run out of imports for retaliation before President Donald Trump does.

But Beijing has other ways to inflict pain. Chief among those is harassing American companies that make autos, operate restaurant chains, sell computer software and do other business in China's heavily regulated economy.

Other possible options include selling U.S. government debt or disrupting diplomatic efforts over North Korea, but those would damage Beijing's own interests.

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Trump promotes 'America First' in Ohio ahead of primaries

CLEVELAND (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday "we want to make everything here" as he promoted his "America First" agenda during an appearance in Cleveland, days before the state's primary election.

Trump spent several hours in Ohio meeting with supporters and participating in a roundtable designed to highlight the benefits of the new Republican tax law. Striking a celebratory tone, Trump listed his poll numbers and recounted the successes of his first year in office. He also looked ahead to his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

"We have the time and place all finished," Trump said, but he wouldn't predict the outcome of the talks, saying, "we'll see what happens."

Trump criticized U.S. immigration policy, saying people entering the U.S. illegally are taking advantage of "catch-and-release" practices and don't show up for their immigration court dates. He said: "We may have to close up our country to get this straight."

He also said U.S. protectionist trade policies and his more isolationist policies would benefit Americans. Trump pledged a strong stand on trade to achieve "a level playing field," saying that "other countries, they put themselves first. ... The fact is we want to be first."

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Doctors reject Trump's 'war zone' comments on London crime

LONDON (AP) — Some British doctors and legislators reacted angrily Saturday to President Donald Trump's pro-gun comments at an NRA convention comparing a London hospital to a war zone because of knife crime.

Trump's provocative comments are expected to increase concerns about his planned first presidential visit to Britain on July 13.

Dr. Martin Griffiths, a surgeon at the Royal London Hospital, tweeted that he would be "happy to invite Mr. Trump" to visit his hospital and meet with London's mayor and police chief to learn how the city has reduced violent crime.

Dr. Karim Brohi, another Royal London surgeon, said Trump's position makes no sense.

"There is more we can all do to combat this violence, but to suggest guns are part of the solution is ridiculous," Brohi tweeted. "Gunshot wounds are at least twice as lethal as knife injuries and more difficult to repair."

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Early GOP primaries shaping up as rightward march with Trump

As primary season kicks into high gear, Republicans are engaged in nomination fights that are pulling the party to the right, leaving some leaders worried their candidates will be out of a step with the broader electorate in November.

Primaries in four states on Tuesday, all in places Donald Trump carried in 2016, showcase races in which GOP candidates are jockeying to be seen as the most conservative, the most anti-Washington and the most loyal to the president. It's evidence of the onetime outsider's deepening imprint on the Republican Party he commandeered less than two years ago.

In Indiana, Republicans will pick from among three Senate candidates who have spent much of the race praising Trump and bashing each other. In West Virginia, a former federal convict and coal baron has taken aim at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., with racially charged accusations of corruption.

In Ohio, Republicans are certain to nominate someone more conservative than outgoing GOP Gov. John Kasich, a 2016 presidential candidate, moderate and frequent Trump critic. Even Kasich's former running mate, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, has pledged to unwind some of Kasich's centrist policies, including the expansion of the Medicaid government insurance program following Democrats' 2010 health insurance overhaul.

With Trump's job approval hanging around 40 per cent and the GOP-run Congress less than half that, the abandonment of the middle has some Republicans raising alarms.

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Nearly 1600 reported arrested in Russian anti-Putin protests

MOSCOW (AP) — Russians angered by the impending inauguration of Vladimir Putin to a new term as president protested Saturday in scores of cities across the country — and police responded by reportedly arresting nearly 1,600 of them.

Among those arrested was protest organizer Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who is Putin's most prominent foe. Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs and carried the thrashing activist from Moscow's Pushkin Square, where thousands were gathered for an unauthorized protest.

Police also used batons against protesters who chanted "Putin is a thief!" and "Russia will be free!"

Demonstrations under the slogan "He is not our czar" took place throughout the country, from Yakutsk in the far northeast to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad on the fringes of Europe.

The protests demonstrated that Navalny's opposition, although considered beleaguered by Russian officials and largely ignored by state-controlled television, has sizeable support in much of the country.

News from © The Associated Press, 2018