Here are the AP's top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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Here are the AP's top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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NATIONAL
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Illinois voters pick a new generation of Democrats for House, Senate after near-record retirements
SUMMARY: Illinois voters are deciding primaries for six open U.S. House and Senate seats that will spur a new generation of leadership in the state’s heavily Democratic congressional delegation. The retirement of Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin has triggered a competitive campaign to replace him. Among the candidates in Tuesday's Democratic primary are two sitting House members and the lieutenant governor. Furious fundraising and sharp elbows have marked the race. It is also a test of the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. House retirements have led to open seats across the Chicago area. The stakes are high with most primary winners in the Democratic stronghold expected to win in November.
WORDS: 1063 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:00 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSElectionIllinoisstLdWritethru/f9432112c459e87fdbfea0bdbcd4e492/text___
Some flight cancellations and delays continue after US storms dump snow in the Midwest and head east
SUMMARY: Hundreds of flights are canceled or delayed one day after powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and disrupted thousands of others. The flight-tracking site FlightAware says nearly 900 flights scheduled to fly into, out of or within the U.S. have been called off as of early Tuesday, It says nearly 1,800 have been delayed. Travelers have been facing additional jams at airport security checkpoints as a partial government shutdown strains screener staffing. The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in part because the shutdown that began Feb. 14 has pressured staffing at some security checkpoints.
WORDS: 832 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:11 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTravelDelaysndLdWritethru/f485f93852f31ab2fbd0513a117c7e20/text___
A Utah woman who wrote a book on grief after husband's death found guilty of murdering him
SUMMARY: A Utah woman has been convicted of aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl and then self-publishing a children’s book about coping with grief. Jurors on Monday also found Kouri Richins guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after the death of Eric Richins in March 2022 at their home outside the ski town of Park City. Prosecutors say Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that he drank. After her husband’s death, Richins self-published a children’s book about grief to help her sons and other kids cope with the loss of a parent.
WORDS: 1056 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 4:24 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSKouriRichinsMurderTrialthLdWritethru/6c84063dd55f602b923dfbba59eaa12c/text___
Winds, blizzards and triple-digit heat put over half of the US in the path of extreme weather
SUMMARY: Extreme weather conditions from coast to coast put more than half the U.S. in the path of rough conditions. Airport delays and cancellations piled up Monday in some of the nation’s largest airports, with more than 4,700 canceled across the U.S. Many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic states, where high winds were in the forecast. Blizzards buried parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota while torrential rains flooded homes and washed out roads in Hawaii. California and Arizona are dealing with unusually high temperatures for this time of year that are likely stretch throughout the rest of the week. Phoenix is expected to have five straight days of triple digit temperatures this week.
WORDS: 808 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 4:05 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSSevereWeatherthLdWritethru/a8bbd037aba99aaf0cc930e91fdb72ca/text___
Last protester in immigration detention after Trump’s campus crackdown has been released
SUMMARY: A Palestinian woman who was the last person still in immigration detention after the Trump administration’s 2025 crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists has been released. Leqaa Kordia is a 33-year-old from the West Bank who has lived in New Jersey since 2016. She had been held in a U.S. immigration detention center in Texas since last March. Kordia was among roughly 100 people arrested outside Columbia University during protests at the school in 2024. She had twice been ordered released on bond by an immigration judge but the government has challenged those rulings. She was freed Monday after a judge earlier ordered her released on bond.
WORDS: 805 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 9:50 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSCampusProtestsImmigrationArrestthLdWritethru/ec045939c3c4f637a9612da0842fd4ee/text___
3,800 workers strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in the US
SUMMARY: About 3,800 workers for the world’s largest meatpacking company began striking Monday. If they don’t get a new contract soon, already costly beef could become even more expensive for U.S. consumers. The walkout at the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, Colorado, comes after the union said 99% of the workers voted to authorize the strike, seeking higher wages and better health care. Swift Beef owner JBS USA says it complies with labor and employment laws and any employee who doesn’t strike will have work and be paid. Union officials say the company's offer of 2% wage hikes is less than inflation. The company says its offer is fair.
WORDS: 983 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 4:11 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSMeatpackingPlantStrikethLdWritethru/02e9d57762af09a609b34d8e577f0c37/text___
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump is pushing back against claims by the director of the National Counterterrorism Center about the motivations for the Iran war. In announcing his resignation Tuesday, Joe Kent's claimed Iran “posed no imminent threat" to the U.S. Trump says Iran is a “tremendous threat." Kent also said it was clear the U.S. started the war “due to pressure from Israel.” The Republican president previously has denied Israel forced the U.S. to act. Kent is a former Washington state political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
WORDS: 1275 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 1:49 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSIranUSTrumpResignationthLdWritethru/e2e17a76d79617a68370f076c0291208/text___
Trump postpones his China trip to focus on the war in Iran
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump is delaying a diplomatic trip to China that was planned for months but began to unravel as he pressured Beijing and other world powers to form a military coalition to protect the vital Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Tuesday while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office that he would be going to China in five or six weeks’ time instead of at the end of the month. Trump’s visit to China is seen as an opportunity to build on a fragile trade truce between the two superpowers, but it became tangled in his effort to find an endgame to his war in Iran.
WORDS: 646 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:21 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSIranUSTrumpChinardLdWritethru/3ef73e58116cc0d89aab39ed15219bf6/text___
Republicans are launching a voting bill debate that could last days or even weeks
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump is issuing a warning to fellow Republicans as they launch an unprecedented effort to hold the Senate floor and talk for days about a voting bill they know can’t pass. Trump says he’ll “NEVER (EVER!)” endorse anyone who votes against the bill. Tuesday's GOP talkathon is an attempt to capture public attention on legislation requiring stricter voter registration rules. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has tried to navigate Trump’s insistence on the issue and Democrats’ united opposition. Trump has urged Thune to scrap the legislative filibuster or work around it to pass the bill. Thune says he doesn’t have the votes. Democrats say the bill would disenfranchise millions of voters.
WORDS: 980 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 11:03 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSCongressVotingBillndLdWritethru/dbed03cdb33350a49e351ae64676069c/text___
Trump's homeland security pick Mullin is poised to inherit a department beset by challenges
SUMMARY: Senator Markwayne Mullin has a tough path as he moves toward leading the Department of Homeland Security, with immigration fights, disaster anger and Iran threats piling up. If confirmed, he'll step in after Kristi Noem’s turbulent tenure. Mullin has been a member of Congress for 13 years. As DHS secretary, he is expected to align the department with President Donald Trump's priorities. Mullin backs aggressive immigration enforcement and supports cutting funds to places that resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Critics say raids have gone beyond promises to target serious criminals. He also faces a funding standoff with Democrats that has slowed airport screening. The Federal Emergency Management Agency faces backlash over delayed disaster aid.
WORDS: 1137 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:23 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSHomelandSecurityMullin/31793ccf13e914583b9ddad430349570/text___
What's in the voting bill that Republicans are pushing to the Senate floor
SUMMARY: Legislation that would require proof of U.S. citizenship for new voters has become a rallying cry for President Donald Trump. The Senate will take up the bill this week. It would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register and to present approved identification when they go to the polls, among other new rules. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections be U.S. citizens. But the legislation would lay out strict new requirements for voters to prove their status. The bill is not expected to pass the Senate because of unified Democratic opposition. But Trump is demanding that Republicans push ahead.
WORDS: 1036 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:05 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSCongressVotingBillExplainerndLdWritethru/d4acd3468c410a8842a0fe3e3b9cda57/text___
Supreme Court to hear arguments over push to end legal protections for migrants from Haiti, Syria
SUMMARY: The Supreme Court will hear arguments over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria. The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally for now. The court is expected to hear the case next month. The conservative-majority court has sided with the Trump administration on the issue before and allowed the end of similar legal protections for a total of 600,000 people from Venezuela while lawsuits play out, exposing them to potential deportation.
WORDS: 612 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 7:29 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSSupremeCourtMigrantProtectionsthLdWritethru/3b3f42bffff1ca2c3a4e8ec5fc9f1765/text___
Kennedy Center votes to shut down operations for 2 years and names a new president
SUMMARY: The Kennedy Center’s board of directors has voted to shut down operations for two years following this summer’s July 4 celebrations. The widely expected decision comes in the wake of numerous resignations and cancellations during President Donald Trump’s second term, although Trump himself has cited the need for repairs as a reason for the closure. The board also voted on Monday to install Matt Floca as CEO and executive director. He replaces Trump ally Richard Grenell, who oversaw far-reaching changes at the venue that prompted an outcry from many artists and exacerbated the operation’s financial challenges.
WORDS: 580 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 7:22 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpKennedyCenterndLdWritethru/afd7c714c53d8942a4b76b2684a20755/text___
Trump faces new pressure on mass deportations as Republicans weigh Homeland Security nominee
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump's decision to replace Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gives him an opportunity to reset his mass deportation agenda — or to double down on a campaign promise. The White House's political director encouraged Republican lawmakers to focus on immigration enforcement among criminals, a pivot from the mass deportations the president ran on. House Speaker Mike Johnson says the operations have created a “hiccup” for the party. But all indications are that Trump’s mass deportation operation is not stalling out but intensifying. Trump's nominee to take over the department, Markwayne Mullin, will face questions at a Senate confirmation hearing this week.
WORDS: 1093 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 11:03 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpMassDeportationsstLdWritethru/cce52a9f2009ef645ceffe4e44cb4def/text___
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has breast cancer but will keep working through treatment
SUMMARY: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer but plans to continue working through her treatment, retaining her place as one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides. The 68-year-old Wiles announced Monday she'd been diagnosed over the previous week. Wiles is the first woman to hold her position. Wiles sat alongside Trump at a meeting of the Kennedy Center board of trustees Monday. Trump describes Wiles as “one of the strongest people” he knows and says her prognosis is “excellent.” Wiles' diagnosis comes as the Republican president confronts mounting challenges on global and national fronts. Wiles led Trump's 2016 effort in Florida.
WORDS: 501 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 4:38 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpChiefofStaffCancerthLdWritethru/882fc9cfa9bd036d83a8d76ad8e4d79f/text___
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INTERNATIONAL
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Israel says it killed 2 top Iranian officials in wartime blow to country's leadership
SUMMARY: Israel says it has killed two senior Iranian security officials in overnight strikes in a major wartime blow to the country’s leadership. Iran, which did not immediately confirm the killings, fired salvos of missiles and drones at its Gulf Arab neighbors and Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the deaths of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force. With Iran maintaining a tight grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said he’s been rejected by NATO and most allies to join a mission to secure the waterway vital to the global oil market.
WORDS: 1257 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 5:40 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APMLIranUSthLdWritethru/35d15d7cbcfa65fd7d180c28d38e7f31/text___
Cuba's latest blackout underscores its deepening economic crisis as Rubio calls for new leadership
SUMMARY: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is calling for "new people in charge" of Cuba as the Caribbean nation experienced its third islandwide blackout in four months. U.S. President Donald, who has called Cuba a “very weakened nation,” said on Monday he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba.” On Tuesday Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, said the current government is incapable to addressing the problems. The island's government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The country's aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to daily outages.
WORDS: 538 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 3:25 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APCBCubaPowerOutagendLdWritethru/28db6c460ed84df539a574bed16a819d/text___
Afghanistan says more than 400 dead in Pakistan airstrike on Kabul hospital
SUMMARY: Rescue crews are digging bodies from the rubble of a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said an overnight Pakistani airstrike killed at least 400 people, marking a dramatic escalation of a conflict between the two neighbors now in its third week. Pakistan has denied Afghanistan’s accusation that it targeted a hospital. Pakistan said Tuesday that its strikes were aimed at military facilities. It dismissed Afghanistan’s claims of hundreds of casualties from the strike on the hospital as propaganda. It wasn’t possible to independently confirm the death toll.
WORDS: 1058 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 7:13 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APASAfghanistanPakistanthLdWritethru/596bfd6c30d879be09af4d7a039972fe/text___
Zelenskyy and Starmer urge continuing support for Ukraine against Russia as Iran war steals focus
SUMMARY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking support from U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in his country's fight against Russia's invasion. The talks between the two leaders in London on Tuesday comes as the Iran war revives Russia’s ailing economy through increased oil revenue, robs U.S.-brokered talks on ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine of momentum, and could soon limit Kyiv’s access to vital Western air defense systems that are needed in the Middle East. Starmer says, “We can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was also expected to attend the talks.
WORDS: 998 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 11:32 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURussiaUkraineWarrdLdWritethru/4dbc214cc670c4a8e12ab6d45275e2c4/text___
23 killed, 108 wounded in suspected suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria
SUMMARY: Police in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and wounded 108 others in Maiduguri. The attack Monday night is one of the northeastern city’s deadliest in years. Residents and emergency workers reported three blasts in crowded areas Monday night including a major market and the entrance to a hospital. Police said Tuesday that they suspected suicide bombers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. But suspicion quickly fell on the Boko Haram. The jihadi group launched an insurgency in 2009 in northeastern Nigeria to enforce their radical interpretation of Shariah or Islamic law. Boko Haram has since become stronger with thousands of fighters and different factions.
WORDS: 688 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 6:48 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APAFNigeriaBombingsthLdWritethru/3eaeb7f126866ab3c8b1d927a8bc7168/text___
Scottish lawmakers to vote on whether to let terminally ill people end their lives
SUMMARY: Scotland’s Parliament is deciding whether to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill adults, in a vote that could make it a first in the U.K. Lawmakers will get a free vote, so the result is hard to predict. The bill would let adults with six months or less to live request help to end their lives. Two doctors would have to confirm terminal illness and mental capacity. Sponsor Liam McArthur urged lawmakers to support the bill on compassionate grounds. Opponents say disabled, elderly, ill and depressed people could be pressured to end their lives. A similar bill that would legalize assisted dying in England and Wales is currently bogged down in the British Parliament in London.
WORDS: 551 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 12:56 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUBritainScotlandAssistedDying/85d102752c87ce9cb1846bf377fdaabc/text___
Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war's story the way we see it
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump and his team are increasing the pressure on journalists to cover the war in the Middle East the way the administration wants. The Republican president has complained on social media about stories he doesn't like and berated a reporter on Air Force One over the weekend. The government's top media regulator warned broadcasters risk losing their licenses to operate if they don't stay away from “fake news.” Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have questioned the patriotism of some news outlets because of their reports. Antagonism between presidential administrations and the press isn't unusual, but Trump's team has shown a hostility toward the very idea of being questioned.
WORDS: 1095 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:03 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSMediaTrumpIranWarstLdWritethru/d8bba1bcfa09bd47a9e1523616be480c/text___
Islandwide blackout hits Cuba as it struggles with deepening energy crisis
SUMMARY: Officials in Cuba report an islandwide blackout in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen. The Ministry of Energy and Mines notes a “complete disconnection” of the country’s electrical system and says it is investigating. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday warned that the island had not received oil shipments in more than three months and that it was operating on solar power, natural gas and thermoelectric plants. Cuba has blamed its woes on a U.S. energy blockade. U.S. President Donald Trump warned in January of tariffs on any country that would sell or provide oil to the island.
WORDS: 1151 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 6:13 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APCBCubaPowerOutagethLdWritethru/4dcd92d4b7b3bbeda88622b543074ceb/text___
Hundreds of migrants are vanishing in the Mediterranean. Authorities are withholding information
SUMMARY: The beginning of 2026 ranks as the deadliest start to any year for people trying to cross the Mediterranean. But the true count may be even higher. Human rights groups are increasingly struggling to verify tolls as Italy, Malta and Tunisia have gradually restricted information on migrant rescues and shipwrecks along the deadliest migration route in the world. The news barely makes headlines, in part because the lack of transparency prevents journalists from confirming reports. After Cyclone Harry, activists report more than 1,000 missing, but officials have not confirmed details. Migrants families have pleaded for help identifying bodies washing ashore.
WORDS: 1253 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 5:08 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APAFMigrationMediterraneanVanishingMigrantsstLdWritethru/ee527d91dc96550685c88e87c1ce4e6b/text___
Poland is now among the world's 20 largest economies. How it happened
SUMMARY: Poland once was in economic ruins when communism fell more than three decades ago. Now it's the 20th largest economy in the world. Poland edges out Switzerland with more than $1 trillion in annual output. The Trump administration is taking note by inviting Poland to attend the Group of 20 summit of leading economies this year. Poland prospered by turning decisively toward the European Union and dodging the corruption that plagued other countries that had been in the Soviet orbit. Poland's entrepreneurs aren't afraid to take risks and start new businesses. All that means many educated young people see their future at home instead of abroad.
WORDS: 1182 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 5:34 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUPolandNewfoundProsperitythLdWritethru/26fe06e120398410f8d773ba5661e7aa/text___
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BUSINESS
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Oil prices resume their rise, but US stocks hold steadier this time around
SUMMARY: Oil prices are resuming their rise because of the war with Iran, but U.S. stocks are holding steadier this time around. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Tuesday and added to its gain from the day before, which was its best since the war began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 102 points, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%. It’s a break from the usual playbook since the start of the war, where stock prices have tended to go in the opposite direction of oil prices. Airline stocks rose after Delta and American raised their revenue forecasts. Treasury yields eased.
WORDS: 770 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 4:49 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFinancialMarketsthLdWritethru/c206d3ca9d54f9cb2c0548eb6bb639d0/text___
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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Judge blocks US government from slimming down vaccine recommendations
SUMMARY: A federal judge in Boston has blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and says U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee. The decision Monday halts an order by Kennedy to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. It also stopped a meeting of a Kennedy-appointed vaccine advisory committee, which was set to convene this week in Atlanta. Federal health officials indicated they planned to appeal.
WORDS: 707 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 8:39 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSMEDVaccinesLawsuitrdLdWritethru/fc758951019f41d2f5e81e4e2faa22d3/text___
Is spring really — finally — here?
SUMMARY: Spring gets its official start Friday in the Northern Hemisphere with the arrival of the vernal equinox. But what does that mean? The Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle as it travels around the sun. On the equinox, the Earth’s tilt is neither toward nor away from the sun, so both hemispheres get the same amount of sunlight. This means day and night last about the same amount of time. It also marks the start of a new season. Days will get a little longer every day in the Northern Hemisphere until the solstice in June.
WORDS: 596 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 2:01 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APSCIEquinoxSolsticeExplainerndLdWritethru/e70d97f42571da5d863ba0887399909c/text___
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CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
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Iran war pushes countries into energy triage as they conserve power and curb soaring prices
SUMMARY: The escalating Iran war is pushing parts of the world into energy triage. Governments are deciding where to cut demand or absorb higher costs, while prioritizing dwindling supplies. In places like Bangkok and Vietnam, people are being urged to work from home, take the stairs and keep air-conditioning above 24°C, while some businesses are preparing for disruptions. The conflict is disrupting critical oil and natural gas shipments from the Middle East, sending prices soaring and threatening global growth — with Asia facing the greatest risk from the shock. That prompted some governments to draw on their emergency reserves, a stopgap measure that can only go on for so long.
WORDS: 1269 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 3:58 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APASIranEnergyTriagerdLdWritethru/f22739369eb36ccaf87543459cfed320/text___
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RELIGION
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Vatican appeals court declares mistrial in the 'trial of the century' against a cardinal
SUMMARY: The Vatican appeals tribunal has declared a mistrial in the Holy See’s big “trial of the century.” It’s a stunning blow to both Pope Francis’ legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had prosecuted a cardinal and several other people on alleged financial crimes. In a 16-page ruling, the appeals court ruled that Francis and Vatican prosecutors both made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment of Cardinal Angelo Becciu and required a new trial. The court set a June 22 as the date for the new trial to begin. Defense lawyers say such a ruling is enormously significant if not historic, since it amounts to a Vatican court declaring an act of the pope had no effect.
WORDS: 1155 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 1:55 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURELVaticanTrialthLdWritethru/e82536c82130531f1e1341c047f15682/text___
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ENTERTAINMENT
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Len Deighton, author of bestselling spy thrillers, dead at 97
SUMMARY: Len Deighton, a prolific writer whose tough, stylish spy thrillers featured on bestseller lists for decades, has died. He was 97. Deighton’s literary agent, Tim Bates, said he died Sunday. No cause of death was given. London-born Deighton had huge success in 1962 with his first novel, “The IPCRESS File.” The story of a secret agent confronted with duplicity and bureaucracy from his own side while investigating a Soviet kidnap ring, it went on to sell millions of copies and was adapted into a 1965 film starring Michael Caine. His other thrillers included “Funeral in Berlin,” “Billion-Dollar Brain” and “Berlin Game.” Deighton also wrote nonfiction history books and several cookbooks that he illustrated himself.
WORDS: 649 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 10:40 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUBritainObitLenDeightonrdLdWritethru/9bc4558b04d5a962d17f00d0f9ab627d/text___
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SPORTS
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Broncos get star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from Dolphins in a blockbuster trade, AP sources say
SUMMARY: The Denver Broncos have acquired standout wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster deal that sends three draft picks to the Miami Dolphins, including a first-rounder, according to two people with knowledge of the trade. Both spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced. The Dolphins will receive the 30th overall pick in next month’s NFL draft along with picks in the third and fourth rounds. Denver will get Miami’s fourth-rounder along with Waddle. Waddle gives Bo Nix another main playmaker along with Courtland Sutton, boosting a passing offense that finished 11th in the NFL last season.
WORDS: 312 - MOVED: 03/17/2026 3:55 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFBNDolphinsBroncosTradendLdWritethru/0b385d35183ba6cad8a8ec83fa51bc54/text___
Duke heads into March Madness ranked No. 1 in AP Top 25, Purdue, St. John's back in top 10
SUMMARY: Duke is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 of the regular season. The Blue Devils received 50 first-place votes from a 57-person media panel in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll, a day after they were named the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. No. 2 Arizona received the other seven first-place votes, with Michigan, Florida and Houston rounding out the top five.
WORDS: 480 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 6:13 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APBKCTMensPoll/ff1a37b107d45e5a5c937a341dc7ff1c/text___
NBA owners will work on expansion again next week with Vegas and Seattle the targets, AP sources say
SUMMARY: The NBA may move a step closer to adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas next week when expansion will be again discussed by the league’s board of governors, two people with knowledge of the matter tell The Associated Press. It is expected that a vote on whether to go forward with those two cities as the sole targets for expansion at this time takes place next week as well, the people said. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because those were not released publicly. It would take a three-fourths majority of governors to go forward.
WORDS: 488 - MOVED: 03/16/2026 4:04 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APBKNNBAExpansionstLdWritethru/e9a697d07529303653e59d3bac490b1d/text___
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