Police waited 48 minutes in school before pursuing shooter
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Authorities say nearly 20 officers gathered in the hallway of a Texas elementary school for more than 45 minutes before agents used a master key to open a door and confront a gunman. Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a contentious news conference Friday that children repeatedly called 911 from inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 19 students and two teachers. He says the commander at the scene, who was the school district’s police chief, believed Ramos was barricaded inside the classroom and that the children were not at risk, and that “It was the wrong decision.”
NRA meets in Texas amid protests after school massacre
HOUSTON (AP) — With protesters shouting outside, the National Rifle Association has begun its annual convention in Houston, just days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school on the other side of the state. Former President Donald Trump and other leading Republicans are scheduled to address the three-day gun industry marketing and advocacy event. Some scheduled speakers and performers backed out, including several Texas lawmakers and performers. Protesters demonstrated outside, including some holding crosses with photos of the Uvalde shooting victims. The NRA said in an online statement that people attending the gun show would “reflect on” the Uvalde school shooting.
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Despite ample school security plan, Texas shooter found gaps
The shooting massacre at a Texas elementary has spurred renewed calls, especially from Republicans, for more investment in school security. But experts debate whether more heavily fortified schools are the right solution. In cases like Uvalde, security measures can fail — or backfire. Robb Elementary School had a safety plan that included a property fence and a policy to keep classroom doors closed and locked. But police say the 18-year-old shooter was able to enter a back door that was propped open before holing himself in a classroom and opening fire.
Ukraine fears repeat of Mariupol horrors in the Donbas
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials and international observers are raising concerns that Russia’s relentless attacks on the country’s eastern Donbas region carry echoes of an earlier devastating assault on the port of Mariupol. The fighting Friday focused on two key cities: Sievierodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk. Ukraine’s foreign minister warned that without a new injection of foreign weapons, Ukrainian forces would not be able to stop Russia’s advance in the region, where separatists claimed to have captured a railway hub. Now in ruins, the port of Mariupol was constantly barraged by Russian forces in a nearly three-month siege. The battle ended last week when Russia claimed its capture. More than 20,000 of its civilians are feared dead.
Governor saw deadly arrest video months before prosecutors
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) —Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards watched a key video of Black motorist Ronald Greene’s deadly 2019 arrest six months before prosecutors knew it existed. The Democratic governor has distanced himself from allegations of a cover-up, saying evidence was promptly turned over. But an Associated Press investigation found that wasn’t the case with the video he watched in October of 2020. It didn’t reach those with the power to charge troopers who stunned, punched and dragged Greene until nearly two years after his death. Edwards’ lawyer says the governor couldn’t have known at the time that prosecutors didn’t have the video.
Judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit, allowing NY probe to go on
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James, allowing her civil investigation into his business practices to continue. In a 43-page ruling, US District Judge Brenda Sannes said she based her decision on case law that bars federal judges from interfering in state-level investigations in most cases. Sannes’ ruling came a day after a New York appeals court ruled that Trump must answer questions under oath in James’ probe, upholding a lower-court ruling requiring him to sit for a deposition. A lawyer for Trump said his legal team would appeal Friday’s ruling.
McCarthy, GOP lawmakers escalate standoff with Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is making clear that he will defy a subpoena he received from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The defiance will escalate a standoff with the panel over his and other GOP lawmakers’ testimony. The committee now will have to decide whether it will enforce its congressional subpoenas even as it’s looking to wrap up its investigation and prepare for public hearings in early June. It is unclear if members will refer the lawmakers to the House ethics committee or explore taking the unprecedented step of filing contempt of Congress charges against sitting members of its chamber.
Iran seizes 2 Greek tankers in Persian Gulf as tensions rise
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says it has seized two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. The Guard’s statement on Friday night said the ships were seized over unspecified violations. It did not elaborate. The US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet had said it was investigating earlier reports that Iran seized two Greek tankers. Iran had threatened to take “punitive action” earlier in the day over Athens being involved in the US seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Greek waters. The Guard’s announcement comes as tensions remain high between Iran and the West over stalled negotiations regarding its rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Biden tells Naval Academy grads Putin ‘NATO-ized Europe’
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (AP) — President Joe Biden has told Naval Academy graduates that they will be “representatives and defenders of our democracy” because free societies are under threat from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to China’s maritime expansion. Biden spoke Friday at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland to the more than 1,000 newly commissioned ensigns and second lieutenants. It’s his first commencement address of the year. Biden is also set to deliver remarks at Saturday’s graduation ceremony at the University of Delaware, his alma mater. On Sunday, Biden will visit Uvalde, Texas to console grieving families after Tuesday’s shooting at an elementary school that killed 19 children and two teachers.
At long last, jury gets closing arguments in Depp trial
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Johnny Depp’s lawyers have asked a jury “to give Mr. Depp his life back” by finding his ex-wife, Amber Heard, guilty of libel. Depp lawyer Camille Vasquez told jurors in closing arguments Friday that Heard ruined Depp’s life by falsely claiming she was a survivor of domestic abuse. Heard’s lawyer said the lawsuit is not about Depp’s reputation but is part of an ongoing smear campaign Depp launched after Heard filed for divorce. Heard has tested that she was physically and sexually assaulted by Depp on numerous occasions. Depp is suing Heard in Virginia court over a 2018 op-ed she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
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