Belarus’ authoritarian leader pardons 42 imprisoned activists | Ap

A dispute over a proposed church homeless shelter in Toms River, New Jersey, blew up last week, after the town council approved a motion to take the church’s building. Leaders of Christ Episcopal Church say the move is an attack on their ministry. The town’s mayor, Daniel Rodrick, said he wants to build a park where the church stands. A second vote on the proposal is set for later this month. In an interview, Rodrick denied that he was trying to attack Christ Church’s ministry. Instead, he said, he was looking out for the best interest of community members.

NEW YORK — The estranged sister of Harvey Weinstein accuser Kaja Sokola told jurors her sibling appeared “extremely tense” after a 2006 post-lunch meeting with the movie mogul in a Tribeca hotel room — but nothing about the encounter led her to think Weinstein sexually assaulted her.

Authorities say a 77-year-old man is dead after falling while hiking at Arches National Park in Utah. The man has been identified as Rudolf Peters of the town of Haltern am See, in Germany. The National Park Service says Peters was on a rough section of a trail when he fell Tuesday. Bystanders attempted to resuscitate him before rangers arrived, followed by responders from the sheriff’s office and county emergency services. But Peters was pronounced dead at the scene. The park service did not offer more details about the fall.

Federal prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for an inmate accused of strangling his cellmate at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City. A notice of intent to seek the death penalty was filed Wednesday against 27-year-old Jasper Reed. A federal grand jury in Oklahoma City on Tuesday returned a three-count indictment charging Reed with first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Prosecutors allege Reed attacked and seriously injured his first cellmate on April 27, 2024, and then killed another cellmate about a week later. A message left Wednesday with Reed’s attorneys was not immediately returned.

An Arizona woman is facing charges after allegedly faking a pregnancy with “The Bachelor” star Clayton Echard.

Some of the Catholic cardinals watched the Oscar-winning papal election drama “Conclave” to prepare for this week’s real-life Vatican election.

A Maryland board has approved a $14.3 million contract to begin the demolition and rebuilding of Baltimore’s storied but antiquated Pimlico Race Course. The horse racing track is home to the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. The three-member Board of Public Works, including Gov. Wes Moore, voted Wednesday. That’s just days before the 150th Preakness Stakes. The May 17 race will be the last time the Preakness will be held in the old facility before the track is rebuilt on the same site.

The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat for U.S. surgeon general, marking at least the second health-related pick from President Donald Trump to be pulled from Senate consideration. The withdrawal was confirmed by two people familiar with the matter. Nesheiwat had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Thursday for her confirmation hearing. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm a decision not yet made public. She has recently come under criticism from Laura Loomer, a far-right ally of Trump who was instrumental in ousting several members of the president’s National Security Council.

ADDISON, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 7, 2025–

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 7, 2025–

MINNEAPOLIS – Steph Curry’s hamstring strain will keep him out for Game 2 and at least the next week of the Golden State Warriors’ playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins has re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Hankins, 33, signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks as a free agent last year and is entering his 13th season in the NFL. Last season, Hankins appeared in all 17 games for the Seahawks and had 30 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack.

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are planning to trade truculent receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for a third-round pick in the 2026 draft, a move they believe has no bearing or impact on quarterback Aaron Rodgers signing with the team, sources have told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Sonny Gray pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 for their fifth straight victory. Gray struck out eight and walked one in his first win since April 14. The right-hander went 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA in his previous three starts. The Cardinals returned to .500 at 18-18, including a 15-6 record at home. They are 4-2 against the Pirates this year after finishing a three-game sweep. Masyn Winn hit two RBI doubles. Lars Nootbaar had three hits, and Victor Scott II scored all the way from first twice. The Pirates have lost seven in a row and 10 of 11 overall.

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 7, 2025–

North Carolina’s elections board has ousted the agency’s executive director after Republicans gained control. The State Board of Elections on Wednesday replaced executive director Karen Brinson Bell with Sam Hayes, the top lawyer for the GOP’s House speaker. Brinson Bell has been widely praised in election circles nationwide for her performance as executive director for nearly six years. The board’s composition got altered just last week through a state law enacted late last year by Republican lawmakers that stripped the Democratic governor of his appointment power and gave it to the Republican state auditor. The law got implemented even though trial judges struck it down as unconstitutional just two weeks ago.

Brazil’s Amazon state of Rondonia has passed a law in favor of cattle ranchers who converted a large area of rainforest inside the Jaci-Parana conservation zone and turned it into pasture. The new legislation also granted amnesty to slaughterhouses that purchased the illegally-raised cattle. That includes JBS SA, the world’s largest meatpacker, which is poised to start selling shares on the New York Stock Exchange in June. “The law is an affront. If it’s not declared unconstitutional, it will pose one of the greatest threats to the protection of all conservation areas facing land invasions,” said Wellington Lamburgini, a coordinator with the local chapter of the Pastoral Land Commission.

More than a dozen states are suing the Trump administration for withholding funds from for the buildout of electric vehicle chargers across the U.S. The federal lawsuit says $5 billion allocated to states under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 cannot be withdrawn by the Trump administration. The states argue Congress holds the authority to halt funding approved under the law, not the Trump administration. The Trump administration’s move to halt the money is part of a broader push to roll back environmental policies approved under Biden.

A far-left South African politician renowned for his anti-West rhetoric has accused U.K. authorities of denying him a visa to speak at an event at Cambridge University for political reasons. Julius Malema, the leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, says the decision was effectively a ban on him addressing students. The BBC reported that it had seen a leaked letter to Malema’s EFF party from the British high commissioner to South Africa personally apologizing that the Home Office wasn’t able to process Malema’s visa in time, saying it was due to procedural issues.

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday announced granting pardons to 42 imprisoned opposition activists. These are the latest pardon of political prisoners that Lukashenko granted since last summer. Belarus was rocked by unprecedented mass protests in 2020, after a disputed election that handed Lukashenko his sixth consecutive term in office. The authorities unleashed a violent crackdown on demonstrators and government critics, arresting thousands. The United States and the European Union responded with a flurry of crippling sanctions. Since July 2024 the Belarusian leader has been regularly pardoning small numbers of imprisoned government critics in what analysts saw as a signal that Minsk was seeking to ease tensions with the West.

CHICAGO — Former Brennemann Elementary School Principal Sarah Jackson Abedelal was found dead after she failed to show up for her sentencing in an overtime kickback scheme, her lawyer told a judge Wednesday.

Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and Jeremy Peña homered and drove in four runs as the Houston Astros defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 9-1. Houston earned just its second victory in seven games Wednesday to snap Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak and leave both teams with .500 records. The Brewers were attempting to sweep a series from the Astros for the first time since 2012. The Astros led 3-1 before Peña broke the game open by delivering a three-run homer to left off reliever Elvin Rodriguez with two outs in the sixth inning.

President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation designating Thursday as a day for the United States to celebrate victory during World War II. Cities from London to Moscow are holding parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world marks Thursday’s 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. That’s when Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces, including the U.S. Trump says it’s a victory that wouldn’t have happened without the U.S. The Republican president has complained the U.S. doesn’t spend enough time celebrating its military victories like the rest of the world. Trump said he’d also name a day to celebrate victory in World War I.

BOISE, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger’s immediate family will be allowed to attend the entirety of his upcoming capital murder trial, the presiding judge ruled.

Missouri is poised to become the first state to repeal a common tax on profits from stocks and real estate sales. Legislation passed Wednesday would exempt capital gains from Missouri’s individual income taxes starting this year and could also eventually eliminate the tax for corporations. Capital gains currently are taxed both by the federal government and by all states that impose an income tax. Supporters hope the tax repeal will boost investment and economic activity in Missouri and eventually spread to other states. But critics say it will primarily benefit the rich and leave less tax revenue available for public schools and state services.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel are bringing in some prominent performers for the latest Broadway production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Fresh from serving as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” emerging pop star Benson Boone will kick off his first arena tour Aug. 22 at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

LOS ANGELES — At 83, entertainment mogul Barry Diller is finally going public as a gay man while simultaneously explaining his happy, decades-long relationship with — and lengthy marriage to — designer Diane von Furstenberg.

The Los Angeles Rams are moving their minicamp to Maui. The Rams will hold their mandatory minicamp on Hawaii’s second-largest island on June 16-19. The camp will feature two days of on-field workouts at War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, with one day open to the public. The Rams will also host a football clinic for local youth teams, and Rams players and staff will join Habitat for Humanity to rebuild four homes in Lahaina, which was largely destroyed by wildfires in 2023.

A federal judge says that a Georgetown scholar’s petition challenging the constitutionality of his arrest will stay in a Virginia court, where it was initially filed. The judge denied the Trump administration’s request to move the case to Texas. Badar Khan Suri was arrested in Virginia in March and accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda.” U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles says it appears the scholar was swiftly moved across state lines to Texas to bring the case before a more conservative court. She says this fits a pattern as the Trump administration seeks to deport people based on their speech on college campuses.

As more than 130 voting cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the secret process to elect the next head of the Holy See, a new poll finds that a plurality of U.S. Catholics want Pope Francis’ successor to continue his teachings.

TAMPA, Fla. — A Clearwater Ferry passenger who was injured when another boat crashed into the back of it has filed a lawsuit against the Pinellas County man who said he was at the wheel.

President Donald Trump’s administration expanded its capacity to detain immigrants not legally in the country with a facility in New Jersey’s largest city this month. The opening of Delaney Hall spurred protests outside the fenced-in building including from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. The 1,000-bed facility is along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay used to be a halfway house. The city maintains the facility was opened despite not having the proper permits. The situation underscores the divide between the president’s push to deport people not lawfully in the U.S., and Democratic officials who question the administration’s methods as well as the necessity of cracking down.

TAMPA, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he would sign a bill into law to prohibit doing exactly what his administration had proposed last year: building golf courses, hotels and other destructive amenities on state park land.

Police have charged Florida cornerback Dijon Johnson with two felonies, including possession of a firearm, and misdemeanors after his arrest over the weekend while driving a car in Tampa. Police said they pulled over the car Friday for surpassing a stop signal. Officers smelled marijuana and said Johnson was argumentative during the traffic stop, refusing to exit the car, according to the criminal report. The report stated a black Glock 19 loaded with 17 rounds in a magazine was found in the car. Attorney Tim Taylor told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Johnson has filed written pleas of not guilty to all charges.

The Democratic controlled cities of Salt Lake City and Boise adopted new city flags this week that show support for LGBTQ+ people in defiance of new laws passed by their states’ Republican-controlled Legislatures that banned the traditional rainbow pride flags at schools and government buildings. Salt Lake City created new flag designs while Boise made the traditional pride flag one of the city’s official flags. The move in Utah came hours before a ban on all unsanctioned flag displays took effect Wednesday. Idaho’s ban went into effect last month, but Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said she believed the law to be legally unenforceable. She kept the pride flag aloft above city hall and issued a proclamation retroactively making it an official city flag.

The Cincinnati Reds have placed third baseman Noelvi Marte on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Marte was scratched minutes before the first pitch of the Atlanta Braves’ 2-1 win over the Reds in 10 innings on Tuesday night. He was reported to have left side discomfort and the oblique injury was disclosed on Wednesday. Marte was hitting .294 with three homers, 17 RBIs and four stolen bases. Third baseman Jeimer Candelario landed on the injured list on April 30 with a lumbar spine strain. Santiago Espinal filled in for Marte on Tuesday night.

Andrew DeYoung’s auspicious debut feature “Friendship,” which tackles modern masculinity and male loneliness with biting satire and humor, taking detours into horror and the surreal. It involves the meeting of a lonely suburban dad and a charismatic neighbor. Tim Robinson plays the uncool guy and Paul Rudd shines as the cool neighbor. Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy says movie explores the slippery notions of masculinity, both tender and muscular, and the difficulty of joining a circle of guys with their own idiosyncratic and iron laws. A A24 release, “Friendship” is in select theaters Friday and goes wider May 23.

A woman is suing former Los Angeles Lakers player and coach Byron Scott, accusing him of sexually assaulting her during a team event at a high school in 1987, when he was 26 and she was 15. The lawsuit was first filed in December 2022 and amended May 1. The amended complaint names Scott publicly for the first time and accuses him of sexual battery and false imprisonment. It says the alleged victim was attending summer classes when she was assaulted by Scott in a janitor’s closet. Scott said through an attorney Wednesday that he doesn’t deny that sexual contact occurred, but maintains he thought she was of legal age.

Alabama will soon join the states that have banned or restricted the presence of cellphones in schools. The Alabama Senate on Wednesday voted 30-2 for the bill that will ban cell phones in K-12 public schools unless the devices are stored in a locker, car or storage location. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. Ivey used a portion of her State of the State address earlier this year to urge lawmakers to pass the cellphone ban.