AP News Summary at 10:58 p.m. EDT

Top UN court orders Israel to halt military offensive in Rafah, though Israel is unlikely to comply

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah — but stopped short of ordering a full cease-fire. While Israel is unlikely to comply with Friday's order, it will ratchet up the pressure on the increasingly isolated country. Criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza has been growing, particularly once it turned its focus to Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under heavy pressure at home to end the war. The court rules Friday that Israel must “immediately halt its military offensive” in Rafah and anything else that might result in conditions that could cause the “physical destruction in whole or in part” of Palestinians there.

Egypt agrees to send aid trucks through Israeli crossing to Gaza but impact is unclear

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Egypt says it has agreed to send U.N. humanitarian aid trucks through Israel’s main crossing into Gaza. But it remains unclear if the aid will be able to enter the territory as fighting raged in the southern city of Rafah amid Israel’s escalating offensive there. Israel's army says the bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct. 7 were recovered overnight from Gaza. The CIA chief met in Paris with Israeli and Qatari officials, trying to revive negotiations for a cease-fire and a hostage release.

Trump swaps bluster for silence, and possibly sleep, in his hush money trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump isn’t known for letting slights pass. Yet for weeks, the famously combative presumptive Republican presidential nominee has sat silently in a sterile lower Manhattan courtroom amid a barrage of insults and accusations. Through it all, Trump has spent the majority of his time as a criminal defendant sitting nearly motionless, for hours, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed — so zen he often appeared to be asleep. Trump’s demeanor inside the courtroom has, in many ways, been dramatic for its very lack of drama. And it is at least, in part, a strategy in response to warnings that behaving like he has in past trials could backfire.

Prosecutors seek to bar Trump from statements endangering law enforcement in classified records case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have asked the judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump to bar the former president from public statements that “pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents” participating in the prosecution. The request to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon follows a distorted claim by Trump earlier this week that the FBI agents who searched his home in August 2022 were “authorized to shoot me” and were “locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger.” An attorney for Trump didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment Friday night.

Young missionary couple from US among 3 killed by gunmen in Haiti's capital, family says

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A family member says a U.S. missionary couple and a Haitian man who worked with them were shot and killed by gang members in Haiti’s capital who attacked them as they left a youth group activity held at a local church. Police union head Lionel Lazarre says the attack happened Thursday evening in the community of Lizon in northern Port-au-Prince. The slayings occurred as the capital crumbles under the relentless assault of violent gangs that control 80% of Port-au-Prince while authorities await the arrival of a police force from Kenya as part of a U.N.-backed deployment aimed at quelling gang violence in the troubled Caribbean country.

Uvalde families sue Meta and Call of Duty maker on second anniversary of school attack

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The families of a group of victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new lawsuits against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game Call of Duty and the gun company that made the assault rifle used in the shooting. They accuse the companies of partnering to promote and create content designed to glorify violence and effectively training the teenage gunman in one of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. The lawsuits against Meta, Activision and gun-maker Daniel Defense were announced on the two-year anniversary of the attack on Robb Elementary School.

More severe weather moves through Midwest as Iowa residents clean up tornado damage

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Several tornadoes have been reported in Iowa and Illinois as storms downed power lines and trees. Friday's severe weather comes days after a tornado devastated one small Iowa town, killing four people and injuring 35 others. The latest storm system began overnight in Nebraska before traveling across central Iowa and into Illinois. A weak tornado touched down in suburban Des Moines, according to the National Weather Service. It was also assessing damage from several other reported twisters south of Iowa City and near Moline, Illinois. No injuries or deaths were reported. In Oklahoma, a tornado was on the ground for about an hour Thursday evening.

Louisiana governor signs bill making two abortion drugs controlled dangerous substances

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has signed a first-of-its-kind bill to classify two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled and dangerous substances. The Republican governor announced his signing of the bill Friday, a day after it gained final legislative passage in the state Senate. Opponents of the measure included many physicians who say the drugs have other critical reproductive health care uses, and that changing the classification could make it harder to prescribe the drugs. Supporters of the bill, which affects the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, say it would protect expectant mothers from coerced abortions, though they cited only one example of that happening, in the state of Texas.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin resumes duty after undergoing procedure at Walter Reed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has undergone a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and has resumed duty after temporarily transferring power. He is continuing to deal with bladder issues that arose in December following his treatment for prostate cancer. The Pentagon says the procedure Friday was successful, elective and minimally invasive, “is not related to his cancer diagnosis and has had no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis.” Austin has returned home, and the Pentagon says no changes in his official schedule are anticipated, including his participation in Memorial Day events.

Involuntary manslaughter allegation against Alec Baldwin advances toward trial with new court ruling

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has rejected a request by Alec Baldwin to dismiss the sole criminal charge against him in a fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust.” The decision Friday means the case remains on track for a July trial. Defense attorneys had accused prosecutors of flouting the rules of grand jury proceedings to divert attention away from evidence and witnesses that could aid Baldwin’s defense. Prosecutors had accused Baldwin of “shameless” attempts to escape culpability. Prosecutors previously dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin before rebooting the case. A grand jury later indicted Baldwin on the same charge in cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ death.

The Associated Press