Headline News from The Associated Press
AP Headline News - Apr 23 2024 14:00 (EDT)
AP News. I'm Ed Donahue. On the witness stand, informer President Donald Trump's Hush Money Trial is a friend of Trump and a prosecution witness. The AP's Julie Walker is in New York. Donald Trump cranes his neck to watch as former National Enquirer publisher David Pekker testified in his Hush Money Trial. Pekker, telling the jury about the tabloids' checkbook journalism. Jurors appearing engaged. Several watching closely, others appearing to take notes as Pekker went on to discuss a 2015 meeting with Trump and aides asking what he could do to help his presidential campaign. Pekker vowing to only publish positive Trump stories and negative ones about opponents, such as Ted Cruz, shamed by porn star and if the publisher heard damaging Trump stories involving women, he would kill them even if he had to buy them to do it. Trump denies falsifying business records to cover up stories about him. At Court in Manhattan, I'm Julie Walker. National Security Spokesman John Kirby says the Pentagon is ready to send Ukraine $1 billion in aid. A vote is expected in the Senate on an aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Republicans delayed passage of an aid bill in the House. Kirby was asked if that has hurt Ukraine. "Oh yeah, no question about it. When the Russians are launching these massive drone and missiles, they know darn well that the Ukrainians are only going to be able to shoot so many of them down and some are running it through." The University of Michigan is telling students of the rules for upcoming graduation. Banners and flags are not allowed. Protests are okay, but in designated areas away from the cap and gown festivities. French authorities say five people, including a child, died when trying to cross the English Channel. It happened just hours after the British government approved a migrant bill. Police say a ten-year-old boy woke up to find his parents and three brothers dead in their Oklahoma City home, all shot by their father. They say the father turned the gun on himself. This is AP news. Lawmakers in Minnesota are trying not to ban books, dealing with controversial topics. We get the story from the AP's Haya Pandwani. Shea Ross, a high school senior, was able to persuade their district not to ban certain books, dealing with sexuality, gender and race. Now Minnesota state lawmakers are attempting to do the same across the state. In an AP interview Ross says banning books on these topics can harm young adults in the long run. "And if we're trying to essentially raise young adults who are people who drive and work and vote, saying that they can't learn about things like racism and sexual assault isn't protecting them. It's harming them in the long run because they have less information to go off of when interacting with the real world around them." Conservative parents and activists say that the books are too explicit or inappropriate, especially for younger readers. I'm Haya Pandwani. And I'm Ed Donahue, AP News. Wilson, you set the game-winning email at the buzzer, avoiding a 4.55 meeting on everyone's calendar. How did you do it? "I got a huge insist from Grammarly, an AI writing partner that helped me make my point." 96% of Grammarly users say that it helps them craft more impactful writing. Would you agree? "Grimely helped adjust my tone to navigate tough work conversations. And it works everywhere I write, so I can quickly communicate effectively." Your teammate used Grammarly to summarize an important document, making a three-pointer. How did he do it? "It only took one click. When everyone uses Grammarly, everything just makes sense." You made an incredible slam dunk to end the game. The meeting was cancelled, and your team will go home champions. Go to Grammarly.com/podcast to download it for free. That's Grammarly.com/podcast. Easier said, done.