It would be easy to be dazzled by the way Israeli, American and other allied militaries shot down virtually every Iranian drone, cruise missile and ballistic missile launched at Israel on Saturday and conclude that Iran had made its point — retaliating for Israel allegedly killing a top Iranian commander operating against Israel from Syria — and now we can call it a day. That would be a dangerous misreading of what just happened and a huge geopolitical mistake by the West and the world at large. There now needs to be a massive, sustained, global initiative to isolate Iran — not only to deter i ..read more

By JOHN RABY (Associated Press) CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a West Virginia transgender sports ban, finding that the law violates Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The 2-1 ruling Tuesday from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocks a West Virginia law banning transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. The court said the law cannot lawfully be applied to a 13-year-old girl who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade ..read more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of potential global economic damage from rising tensions in the Middle East and pledged that the U.S. and its allies won’t hesitate to use their sanctions powers to address Iran’s “malign and destabilizing activity” in the region. She made her remarks ahead of this week’s spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, saying Iran’s weekend missile attack on Israel “underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.” Sh ..read more

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday is taking up the first of two cases that could affect the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020. Hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot also are at stake. Related Articles Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom? Only 1 in 3 US adults think Trump acted illegally in New York hush money case, poll shows More potential jurors dismissed as Trump’s hush money trial enters second day Cha ..read more

The Gophers football team has had its first players this spring exit the program via the NCAA transfer portal. Redshirt freshman cornerback Tariq Watson has entered the portal, a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press on Tuesday. 247sports first reported the news. Watson, of Gretna, La., made 10 tackles playing in all 13 games last season. He appeared in line to be a backup cornerback this fall to Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson, a transfer portal addition from Bucknell. Redshirt freshman lineman Cade McConnell said on X he will enter the portal as well on Tuesday. McConnell, of Choctaw, Okla ..read more

By COLLIN BINKLEY (AP Education Writer) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s latest plan for student loan cancellation is moving forward as a proposed regulation, offering him a fresh chance to deliver on a campaign promise and energize young voters ahead of the November election. The Education Department on Tuesday filed paperwork for a new regulation that would deliver the cancellation that Biden announced last week. It still has to go through a 30-day public comment period and another review before it can be finalized. It’s a more targeted proposal than the one the U.S. Supreme Court str ..read more

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS (Associated Press) ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) — Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled Tuesday at the site of the ancient games in southern Greece. Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when an actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver torch — after offering up a symbolic prayer to Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god. Instead, she used a backup flame that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the final rehearsal. Normally, the foremost of a group of priestesses in lo ..read more

The Gophers men’s basketball roster has undergone significant changes since the end of the 2023-24 season. Of the 13 total scholarship players, Minnesota has had five players — of varying levels of importance — enter the NCAA transfer portal since mid-March, while five other players have said they will return to next year’s squad. The U has two departing seniors and two incoming freshmen, so while setting aside one scholarship for Cam Christie, the U now has five vacant scholarships available for incoming players. The Gophers are actively pursuing players via the portal, with 6-foot-8 Canisius ..read more

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection in Donald Trump’s hush money trial resumed Tuesday as lawyers worked to find a panel of New Yorkers who will decide whether the Republican who hopes to return to the White House will become the first former president convicted of a crime. The first day of the historic trial in Manhattan ended Monday with no one yet chosen to be on the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates. Dozens of people were dismissed after saying they didn’t believe they could be fair, though doze ..read more

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump returned to a New York courtroom Tuesday as a judge works to find a panel of jurors who will decide whether the former president is guilty of criminal charges alleging he falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 campaign. The first day of Trump’s history-making hush money trial in Manhattan on Monday ended with no one yet chosen to be on the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates. Dozens of people were dismissed after saying they didn’t believ ..read more