World News

Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of helping a man evade immigration agents and is arrested

FBI arrests judge

Photo: The Canadian Press

Traffic passes the courthouse in Milwaukee on Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Devi Shastri)

The FBI on Friday arrested a Milwaukee judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, escalating a clash between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the Republican president’s sweeping immigration crackdown.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced on social media the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, who he said “intentionally misdirected” federal agents away from a man they were trying to take into custody at her courthouse last week.

“Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public,” Patel wrote.

Dugan was taken into custody by the FBI on Friday morning on the courthouse grounds, according to U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron. She appeared briefly in federal court in Milwaukee later Friday before being released from custody. Her next court appearance is May 15.

“Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety," her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, said during the hearing. He declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter following her court appearance.

Dugan is accused of escorting the man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, and his lawyer out of the courtroom through the jury door on April 18 as a way to help avert his arrest, according to an FBI affidavit filed in court.

The affidavit quotes the courtroom deputy as having heard Dugan say words to the effect of “Wait, come with me” before ushering them into a non-public area of the courthouse. The action was unusual, the affidavit says, because “only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the jury door.”

During President Donald Trump's first administration, the Justice Department in 2019 charged a Massachusetts judge with obstruction of justice on allegations she helped a man who was living in the U.S. illegally sneak out a back door of a courthouse to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent.

The prosecution of a sitting judge sparked outrage from many in the legal community, who slammed the case as politically motivated. The case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph was dropped in 2022 under the Democratic Biden administration after she agreed to refer herself to a state agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by members of the bench.

Dugan's arrest comes amid a growing feud between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the White House’s immigration enforcement policies. The Justice Department had previously signaled that it was going to crack down on local officials who thwart federal immigration efforts.

Court documents detailing the case against Dugan were not immediately available, and the Justice Department didn't immediately have a comment Friday.

A person answering the phone Friday at Dugan’s office said he could not comment. The Associated Press left an email and a voicemail Friday morning seeking comment from Milwaukee County Courts Chief Judge Carl Ashley.

The Justice Department in January ordered prosecutors to investigate for potential criminal charges against state and local officials who obstruct or impede federal functions. As potential avenues for prosecution, a memo cited a conspiracy offense as well as a law prohibiting the harboring of people in the country illegally.

Dugan was elected in 2016 to the county court Branch 31. She also has served in the court’s probate and civil divisions, according to her judicial candidate biography.

Before being elected to public office, Dugan practiced at Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981 with a bachelor of arts degree and earned her Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the school.

Ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to over 7 years in prison for fraud and identity theft

George Santos gets 7 years

Photo: The Canadian Press

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he learned his punishment for the crimes that led to his expulsion from Congress.

Santos, who pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, appealed for mercy. In a federal court a short drive from his old congressional district, he said through tears that he was “humbled” and “chastised” and realized he had betrayed his constituents' trust.

“I offer my deepest apologies,” he said, adding: “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.”

U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert evidently wasn't convinced.

“Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?” she asked as she sentenced him to 87 months behind bars. She said the former politician appeared to feel that “it’s always someone else’s fault.”

The New York Republican served in Congress barely a year before becoming just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues.

He admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his family members, to fund his winning campaign. His plea deal included agreeing to pay roughly $580,000 in penalties.

“From the moment he declared his candidacy for Congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit,” U.S. Attorney John Durham, whose office prosecuted the case, said outside court.

The 36-year-old Santos is due to report to prison July 25. He didn't respond to reporters' shouted questions outside the courthouse, but he had told The Associated Press by text Thursday that he was “ready to face the music.”

Prosecutors sought the 87-month sentence, questioning Santos' remorse in light of his recent social media posts casting himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach.

Santos' victims included a woman with brain damage and two octogenarian men who have dementia, prosecutor Ryan Harris told the judge.

New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon added that “people think of this as a victimless crime because it’s about money," but there actually are many victims, including New Yorkers' unemployment system.

Before winning office, Santos collected unemployment benefits while actually working for a Florida company. Once in Congress, he co-sponsored legislation intended to root out unemployment fraud.

Santos’ lawyers had called for a two-year prison stint, the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft.

Defense lawyer Andrew Mancilla portrayed the ex-congressman as a troubled figure forged by adversity.

Santos grew up in a “broken house” and was subjected to bullying throughout his life, the attorney said.

As a result, “he built the man he wanted to be, not who he was,” Mancilla said. “He did that because he believed that the world would not accept him for who he was.”

“Deep down, he is warm, kind, caring, and thoughtful,” Mancilla said.

But, the lawyer said, now “everyone hates George Santos.”

Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP.

Soon after, it was revealed that the political unknown had fabricated much of his life story, painting himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held a valuable real estate portfolio.

In reality, Santos was struggling financially and even faced eviction. The revelations led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how he had funded his campaign.

“He told lie after lie until it caught up with him — until we caught up with him and exposed him for what he truly was: an opportunist and a fraud," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, said outside court Friday. Her office also investigated Santos.

As his sentencing approached, Santos was reflective in social media posts, thanking his supporters and detractors alike.

“I learned that no matter left, right or, center we are all humans and for the most part Americans (LOL) and we have one super power that I cherish and that is compassion,” he wrote Thursday on the social platform X. Addressing “the trolls,” he added: "y’all made me much stronger and made my skin thicker!”

He also made one final plug for his Cameo account, where he records personalized video messages for $100.

“Think ahead and of any celebration or event coming up later this year. Book them today,” Santos wrote, ending the post with a series of heart emojis.

Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal murder charge in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO

Alleged shooter enters plea

Photo: The Canadian Press

FILE - A view of the UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s campus is shown Oct. 16, 2012, in Minnetonka, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him.

Mangione, 26, stood with his lawyers as he entered the plea, leaning forward toward a microphone as U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett asked him if understood the indictment and the charges against him.

Mangione said, “yes.” Asked how he wished to plead, Mangione said simply, “not guilty" and sat down.

Mangione’s arraignment for the killing last December attracted several dozen people to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, including former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served about seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

Mangione, who has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest, arrived to court in a mustard-colored jail suit. He chatted with one of his lawyers, death penalty counsel Avi Moskowitz, as they wanted for the arraignment to begin.

Late Thursday night, federal prosecutors filed a required notice of their intent to seek the death penalty.

That came weeks after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she would be directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for what she called “an act of political violence" and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

It was the first time the Justice Department said it was pursuing capital punishment since President Donald Trump returned to office Jan. 20 with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration.

Mangione’s lawyers have argued that Bondi’s announcement was a “political stunt” that corrupted the grand jury process and deprived him of his constitutional right to due process. They had sought to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.

Mangione’s federal indictment includes a charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The indictment, which mirrors a criminal complaint brought after Mangione’s arrest also charges him with stalking and a gun offense.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, faces separate federal and state murder charges after authorities say he gunned down Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference.

The state murder charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

The killing and ensuing five-day search leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers deleting photos of executives from their websites and switching to online shareholder meetings. At the same time, some health insurance critics have rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state case expected to go to trial first, but Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said his defense team would seek to have the federal case take precedent because it involves the death penalty.

Mangione was arrested Dec. 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City and whisked to Manhattan by plane and helicopter.

Police said Mangione had a 9mm handgun that matched the one used in the shooting and other items including a notebook in which they say he expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.

Among the entries, prosecutors said, was one from August 2024 that said “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box” and one from October that describes an intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO. UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. health insurer, has said Mangione was never a client.

A Russian general was killed by a car bomb just outside Moscow

Russian general killed

Photo: AP Photo

A view of the scene where Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha, just outside Moscow, Russia.

A Russian general was killed by a car bomb on Friday, Russia’s top criminal investigation agency said, in the second such attack on a top Russian military officer in four months.

The Investigative Committee said that Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha, just outside Moscow.

The committee's spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said that the explosive device was rigged with shrapnel. She said that investigators were at the scene.

Russian media ran videos of a vehicle burning in the courtyard of an apartment building.

The committee did not mention possible suspects.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described Moskalik's killing as a “terror attack.”

The attack follows the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who died on Dec. 17 when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office. The Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the killing of Kirillov, and Ukraine's security agency acknowledged that it was behind that attack.

Kirillov was the chief of Russia’s Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, the special troops tasked with protecting the military from the enemy’s use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and ensuring operations in a contaminated environment. Kirillov’s assistant also died in the attack.

Friday's bombing came just as U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, was expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Ukraine. The meeting is their fourth encounter since February.

6.3 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean rattles Ecuador

6.3 magnitude earthquake

Photo: USGS

An earthquake has been recorded near Ecuador.

A strong 6.3 earthquake off Ecuador's Pacific coast shook the northern part of the country Friday, with some initial reports of some damages to houses. No injuries were reported.

The earthquake was centered in the Pacific Ocean 13 miles (20.9 kilometers) northeast of the city of Esmeraldas, and it had a depth of 21.7 miles (35 kilometers), according to the United States Geological Survey.

Ecuador's risk management office said on X that the earthquake was felt in at least 10 provinces, but it's still monitoring and assessing the situation.

Some local media showed images of Esmeraldas, the coastal town in the Pacific closest to the epicenter, where the facades of some houses suffered damage.

Esmeraldas is more than 183 miles (296 kilometers) northwest of Quito, Ecuador's capital.

Ecuadorean authorities initially issued a tsunami alert for the Pacific coast, but it was cancelled a little later.

Trump says 'Crimea will stay with Russia' as he seeks end to war in Ukraine

Trump seeks end to war

Photo: AP Photo/John McDonnell

President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April. 24, 2025, in Washington.

President Donald Trump said in an interview published on Friday that “Crimea will stay with Russia," the latest example of the U.S. leader pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to end the war while it remains under siege.

“Zelenskyy understands that,” Trump said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time."

The U.S. president made the comments in a Time magazine interview conducted on Tuesday. Trump has been accusing Zelenskyy of prolonging the war by resisting negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Crimea is a strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. It was seized by Russia in 2014, while President Barack Obama was in office, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.

“They’ve had their submarines there for long before any period that we’re talking about, for many years. The people speak largely Russian in Crimea,” Trump said. “But this was given by Obama. This wasn’t given by Trump.”

Meanwhile, Russia has continued its bombardment. A drone struck an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, killing three people and injuring 10 others, officials said Friday, a day after Trump rebuked Russia’s leader for a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv.

A child and a 76-year-old woman were among the civilians killed in the nighttime drone strike in Pavlohrad, in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, the head of the regional administration, Serhii Lysak, wrote on Telegram.

Russian forces fired 103 Shahed and decoy drones at five Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported. Authorities in the northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv regions reported damage to civilian infrastructure but no casualties.

The war could be approaching a pivotal moment as the Trump administration weighs its options. Senior U.S. officials have warned that the administration could soon give up attempts to stop the war if the two sides do not come to an agreement. That could potentially mean a halt of U.S. military aid for Ukraine.

Amid the peace efforts, Russia pounded Kyiv in an hourslong barrage Thursday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 87 in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since July.

The attack drew a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin from Trump, who has said that a push to end the war is coming to a head.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying.” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Trump’s frustration is growing as his effort to forge a deal between Ukraine and Russia has failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet with Putin in Moscow on Friday, their second meeting this month and the fourth since February.

Trump accused Zelenskyy on Wednesday of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimea Peninsula as part of a possible deal. Russia illegally annexed that area in 2014. Zelenskyy has repeated many times during the war that recognizing occupied territory as Russian is a red line for his country.

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plan to arrive in Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square on Saturday. It wasn’t immediately clear if they would meet separately.

An explosion in Moscow targets a senior officer

Meanwhile, a senior Russian military officer was killed by a car bomb near Moscow on Friday, Russia’s top criminal investigation agency said.

The attack follows the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov on Dec. 17, 2024, when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the killing of Kirillov.

Since Russia invaded, several prominent figures have been killed in targeted attacks believed to have been carried out by Ukraine.

Russian forces used Thursday's attack on Kyiv as cover to launch almost 150 assaults on Ukrainian positions along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, Zelenskyy said late Thursday.

“When the maximum of our forces was focused on defense against missiles and drones, the Russians went on to significantly intensify their ground attacks,” he wrote on Telegram.

Western European leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in the negotiations and seeking to grab more Ukrainian land while his army has battlefield momentum.

Zelenskyy noted Thursday that Ukraine agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago, as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Russian attacks continued.

During recent talks, Russia hit the city of Sumy, killing more than 30 civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, battered Odesa with drones and blasted Zaporizhzhia with powerful glide bombs.

Immigration is Trump's strongest issue, but many say he's gone too far, a new AP-NORC poll finds

Trump's gone too far: Poll

Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

President Donald Trump arrives at Leesburg Executive Airport on Marine One in Leesburg, Va., Thursday, April 24, 2025, en route to Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in Sterling, Va. 

President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration remains a point of strength as he takes wide-ranging actions to ramp up deportations and target people in the U.S. illegally, according to a new poll.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade with other countries.

While Trump’s actions remain divisive, there’s less of a consensus that the Republican president has overstepped on immigration than on other issues. Still, there’s little appetite for an even tougher approach. About half of Americans say he’s “gone too far” when it comes to deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally. They’re divided on the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants who are accused of being gang members to El Salvador, and more oppose than support revoking foreign students’ visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism.

Here’s what the poll shows about how Americans are viewing the Trump administration’s actions on immigration.

Immigration is a point of strength for Trump, particularly with Republicans

Immigration was a major factor for voters in last November’s election, particularly for Trump’s supporters, and they were more open to tough stances on the issue than they’d been four years earlier. And even though many of Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts are currently mired in battles with federal judges, it’s remained an issue of relative strength in the court of public opinion.

Similar to an AP-NORC poll conducted in March, nearly half of Americans approve of Trump’s immigration approach, while about 4 in 10 approve of how he’s handling the presidency.

This higher approval on immigration comes primarily from Republicans. About 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, higher than the roughly 7 in 10 Republicans who approve of how he’s handling the economy or trade negotiations with other countries.

Other groups are less enthusiastic about Trump’s approach. About 4 in 10 independents and only about 2 in 10 Democrats approve of Trump on immigration.

Relatively few Americans are concerned they’ll know someone who is directly affected by increased immigration enforcement, according to the poll. About 2 in 10 Americans say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned that they or someone they know will be directly affected.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to worry they’ll be affected, and Hispanic adults are more likely than white or Black adults to be concerned.

About half say Trump has ‘gone too far’ on deportations

About half of Americans say Trump has “gone too far” when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. About one-third say his approach has been “about right,” and about 2 in 10 say he’s not gone far enough.

They’re unhappier, generally, with how he’s approaching trade negotiations. About 6 in 10 say he’s “gone too far” in imposing new tariffs on other countries.

There is not a strong desire for more aggressive action on immigration, though, even among the people who approve of what’s Trump doing. Among the Americans who approve of how Trump is handling immigration, about 6 in 10 say his approach has been “about right,” and roughly 3 in 10 say he hasn’t gone far enough.

Americans are split on sending Venezuelans to El Salvador but oppose revoking student visas

There is a deep divide on whether and how the Trump administration should undertake large-scale deportations, according to the survey, which was conducted in mid-April, while Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., was on a trip to El Salvador to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported there in what officials later described as an “administrative error.”

The poll found that 38% of Americans favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, down slightly from an AP-NORC poll conducted just before Trump took office in January. About the same share of Americans are opposed, and about 2 in 10 are neutral.

The findings are very similar for Trump’s policy of sending Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. who authorities say are gang members to a prison in El Salvador.

But the public is more opposed, broadly, to revoking foreign students’ visas over their participation in pro-Palestinian activism, which has emerged as another flashpoint.

About half of U.S. adults oppose this, and about 3 in 10 are in support. This action is particularly unpopular among Americans with a college degree. About 6 in 10 strongly or somewhat oppose it, compared with about 4 in 10 Americans who aren’t college graduates.

Australian prime minister condemns anti-Indigenous rights protests during war dead commemorations

Australian protests decried

Photo: AP Photo/Rod McGuirk, FILE

FILE - Jacob Hersant speaks outside the Melbourne Magistrates' Court in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 8, 2024, before his is sentenced after he was convicted for performing the Nazi salute. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned anti-Indigenous rights protesters who disrupted two Anzac Day dawn services on Friday as hundreds of thousands gathered across the nation to commemorate their war dead.

“The disruption of Anzac Day is beyond contempt and the people responsible must face the full force of the law,” Albanese told reporters.

“This was an act of low cowardice on a day when we honor courage and sacrifice,” he added.

The protests come during a heightened political atmosphere ahead of general elections on May 3 in which Indigenous rights are a campaign issue.

April 25, 1915 was the day when the newly-formed Australia and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the beaches of Gallipoli, in northwest Turkey, in an ill-fated campaign that was the soldiers’ first combat of World War I.

It is considered Australia’s most unifying national holiday and a sacred day when political point-scoring and protest are generally avoided.

Protesters disrupt dawn services in Melbourne and Perth

A group of hecklers including self-described Nazi Jacob Hersant booed and jeered during a dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne where 50,000 gathered.

In Perth, a lone man yelled briefly during a dawn service at Kings Park before the 25,000 people who surrounded him persuaded him to stay silent, a police statement said. The man left soon after.

The disruptions were triggered in both cities by the so-called Welcome to Country ceremony, which is held at the outset of many Australian public events in which Indigenous leaders welcome visitors to their traditional land.

The Melbourne-based First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, an Indigenous advocacy group, said in a statement it “strongly condemns the racist attack during the Welcome to Country” in Melbourne.

Prime minister labels protests “disgrace”

Albanese said the disruptions in both Melbourne and Perth were a “disgrace.”

“There is no place in Australia for what occurred,” Albanese said.

In Melbourne, the interruptions continued after the Welcome to Country at any mention by speakers of Indigenous soldiers or traditional owners of Australia.

Hecklers yelled “this is our country” and “we don’t have to be welcomed,” echoing a slogan of the minor party Trumpet of Patriots. The party’s extensive advertising is funded by mining magnate Clive Palmer and party officials say they are inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.

The hecklers were drowned out by the applause of others who urged the speakers to continue.

Lawmakers in the opposition conservative Liberal Party have complained that Welcome to Country ceremonies have become too prevalent and cost the center-left Labor Party government 452,953 Australian dollars ($289,602) over two years.

Opposition leader defends Indigenous ceremony

But opposition leader Peter Dutton on Friday defended the place of such Indigenous ceremonies on Anzac Day.

“Welcome to Country is an important part of official ceremonies and it should be respected. I don’t agree with the booing and I don’t agree, in our democracy, that people can’t accept the views of others,” Dutton told reporters. “We have a proud Indigenous heritage in this country and we should be proud to celebrate it as part of today.”

Police were seen escorting Hersant away from the Melbourne service. Hersant is a leader of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network and last year became the first person in Australia to be sentenced to prison for performing an outlawed Nazi salute.

He remains free on bail because his appeal against a one-month prison sentence has yet to be heard.

“They want to humiliate us over and over again,” Hersant told reporters before police led him away, referring to Indigenous leaders. .

Hersant’s lawyer did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for comment on Friday.

Victoria and Western Australia state police respond

Victoria Police confirmed a 26-year-old Melbourne man had been directed to leave the service. They did not confirm the suspect's identity in accordance with its usual policy.

The suspect had been interviewed over an allegation of offensive behavior and would be issued a summons to appear in court, a police statement said.

Video showed at least one other protester repeating a white supremacist slogan being dragged away from the service by a member of the public.

Western Australia Police Force said the Perth service disruption remained under investigation.

“The Anzac Day service is a solemn commemoration and any disorderly behavior at such commemorations will not be tolerated by police,” a police statement said.

Nepal marks 10-year anniversary of earthquake that killed thousands

10 years since earthquake

Photo: AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File

FILE — In this Sunday, April 26, 2015 file photo, rescue workers remove debris as they search for victims of an earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal. 

Nepal marked the 10th anniversary of the devastating 2015 earthquake with a memorial service on Friday that was attended by top officials who pledged to be better prepared to face future disasters.

At exactly 11:56 a.m., which was the time of the earthquake on April 25, 2015, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, top ministers, officials and diplomats stood up and held a minute of silence in memory of those killed at the site of a tower that collapsed and crushed 180 people.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed early 9,000 people, wounded more than 22,000 and damaged some 1 million houses and buildings.

“There was a huge loss of both lives and property then but were able to successfully recover and reconstruct.” Oli said. “Nepal has shown resilience.”

Oli was joined by ministers and diplomats from countries helped Nepal with rescue, recovery and later reconstruction efforts to light candles in memory of the lives that were lost in the disaster.

“We could not have done all that just by ourselves,” Oli said. “We want to thank all our partner nations and agencies for their support.”

Some 80% of structures that were damaged by the earthquake have been rebuilt, with almost all schools and public buildings upgraded to new safety standards, according to Anil Pokhrel, who headed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority for years until he retired last month.

As many as 95% of houses damaged in the rural areas have been rebuilt, while there is less in urban areas mainly due to issues like disputes over ownership or rebuilding plans.

Families were given $3,000 to reconstruct their homes and offices were set up by the government in all the districts that were staffed with engineers and experts to help them rebuild.

“Nepal’s reconstruction, given the time, given the scale, given the process it went through and working with development partners, it is really considered as one of the exemplary reconstruction and recovery experiences,” Pokhrel said.

Pope Francis' doctor says pontiff died 'without suffering, at home'

Pontiff died at home

Photo: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Professor and surgeon Sergio Alfieri, who headed the team who treated Pope Francis during his hospitalisation, talks during an interview with the Associated Press at the Gemelli polyclinic hospital in Rome, Saturday, March 29, 2025. 

Pope Francis’ doctor has recounted the pontiff's final moments in a pair of newspaper interviews published Thursday, saying the pope had his eyes open but was unresponsive after being stricken by illness early Monday morning. "He died without suffering, at home,'' the doctor said.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri coordinated Francis’ five-week hospital treatment for double pneumonia and continued to oversee the pope’s treatment after the pontiff returned to the Vatican on March 23 for two months of rest to allow a full recovery.

Alfieri was alerted at 5:30 a.m. Monday by Francis’ health care assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, that Francis had been stricken and needed to be taken to the hospital. The doctor told the Milan daily Corriere della Sera that he arrived 20 minutes later.

“I went into his room, and he had his eyes open. I noted that he did not have respiratory issues, so I tried to call him but he did not respond,’’ Alfieri was quoted by Corriere as saying, adding that his lungs were clear and he was receiving supplemental oxygen. “He also did not respond to stimuli, even painful ones. In that moment I understood there was nothing more to do. He was in a coma.’’

Alfieri said it was too risky moving Francis back to the Gemelli hospital, where he was treated for a complex respiratory infection that nearly killed him twice.

Two hours after falling ill, the pope died, having suffered a stroke.

“He died without suffering, at home,? Alfieri told the Rome daily La Repubblica.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived and said the rosary over the body, accompanied by the papal household staff, Alfieri told Corriere. “I gave him a caress, as a farewell,’’ the doctor said.

Vatican News has reported that the pope managed a gesture of farewell to Strappetti after falling ill.

Alfieri became the pope's surgeon when he needed treatment for diverticulitis in 2021. Alfieri tried to get him on a diet after the surgery.

“He had a big sweet-tooth, and sometimes would go to the kitchen at the Santa Marta hotel for a midnight snack. He put on a dozen kilograms (nearly 30 pounds) too many. At times I came off as too rigorous, because he told me, ‘Remember to live with irony.’ "

After the pope suffered several severe respiratory crises in the hospital that required decisive treatment, the surgeon said, “We knew he wouldn’t return to his former condition, and that the infection had left another scar on his lungs.''

Still, ”he improved with physical therapy. I saw him on Saturday, and I found him in good shape. I didn’t think it would be the last meeting,'' Alfieri told la Repubblica.

Though Francis was ordered to rest and avoid crowds for two months to recover, Alfieri expressed understanding for the pope's desire to return to work. “Going back to work was part of his treatment, and he never exposed himself to dangers,? Alfieri told Corriere.

Francis couldn't resist appearing in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, which culminated with a long drive through the Easter crowd of 50,000 on the pope mobile, with several stops to bless children. He also insisted on inviting health care workers from the Gemelli hospital to the Vatican before Easter, even though the doctor suggested they wait until the end of the two-month convalescence in June.

“I have the clear sensation now that there were a series of things he felt he had to do before dying,? Alfieri told Corriere. ”We knew he wanted to return home to be pope until the last instant, and he didn't disappoint us.''

Here's how to watch Pope Francis's funeral in Canada, online or on broadcast TV

View Pope Francis's funeral

Photo: The Canadian Press

A vigil to Pope Francis is seen at the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica in Ottawa, on Monday, April 21, 2025. The pontiff died Monday at the age of 88.  

Mourners are expected to gather for Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, following his death on Monday at the age of 88.

The Vatican says the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. local time, which is 4 a.m. ET. That means Canadians will need to set their alarms extra early to catch it live.

The funeral for the first Latin American pontiff is expected to bring international leaders along with cardinals, archbishops and priests from across the globe to the Vatican.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will represent Canada at the ceremony, as Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigns in the final leg of the federal election.

From national broadcasts to online streams, here’s a selection of the outlets where Canadians can follow the historic moment in real time.

CBC NEWS - FRANCIS: A POPE’S FUNERAL

CBC News Network anchor Heather Hiscox will host live from St. Peter’s Square, where people from around the world will say goodbye to a pope who CBC says led the Catholic Church “while consistently challenging convention and defying expectations.”

Starts at 3 a.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC GEM and across CBC News’ digital, streaming and social channels

CTV NEWS SPECIAL

CTV News chief anchor and senior editor Omar Sachedina will lead live coverage of the funeral, with added analysis from Canadian academic Dr. Michael Higgins, who wrote last year's “The Jesuit Disruptor: a Personal Portrait of Pope Francis."

The special will also feature on-site reporting in Vatican City from CTV National News correspondent Genevieve Beauchemin alongside Gerard O’Connell, who is the Vatican correspondent for America Magazine.

Starts at 3:30 am ET on CTV, CTV News Channel, CP24, CTV.ca, CTVNews.ca and the CTV and CTV News apps.

CITYNEWS LIVESTREAM

Rogers Communications will carry the proceedings on its streaming news channel, CityNews 24/7, with its reporters covering the funeral as part of CityNews's regular news coverage throughout the day.

Starts at 4 a.m. ET on CityNews 24/7, available on Rogers Xfinity, Amazon Prime Video and online on CityNews' website

ABC NEWS - CELEBRATING FRANCIS: THE PEOPLE’S POPE

"World News Tonight" anchor David Muir will lead ABC news' special coverage from the Vatican, joined by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts, chief international correspondent James Longman, senior national correspondent Terry Moran, foreign correspondent Maggie Rulli and reporter Ines de La Cuetara.

Starts at 3 a.m. ET on ABC

NBC COVERAGE

NBC says it will broadcast Pope Francis's funeral live on the same channel you usually tune in to watch regularly scheduled NBC programming.

Starts at 4 a.m. ET on NBC

VATICAN NEWS CHANNEL LIVESTREAM

Vatican News, the official multimedia outlet of the Holy See, will livestream coverage of Pope Francis's funeral and related events, on its official YouTube channel. The coverage will be available in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.

Starts at 4 a.m. ET on Vatican News' YouTube channel

Judge halts parts of Trump’s overhaul of US elections, including proof-of-citizenship requirement

Judge rules against Trump

Photo: The Canadian Press

FILE - A voter picks up a sticker after voting at a polling place, March 5, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.

The decision is a setback for President Donald Trump, who has argued the requirement is needed to restore public confidence in elections. But the judge allowed other parts of Trump's sweeping executive order on U.S. elections to go forward for now, including a directive to tighten mail ballot deadlines around the country.

Trump's March executive order overhauling how U.S. elections are run prompted swift lawsuits from the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the Democratic National Committee and others, who called it unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with voting rights groups and Democrats, saying that the Constitution gives the power to regulate federal elections to states and Congress — not the president. She noted federal lawmakers are currently working on their own legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote.

In a 120-page decision on Thursday, she said the plaintiffs had proven that the proof-of-citizenship requirement would cause their clients irreparable harm and go against the public interest, while the government had offered “almost no defense of the President’s order on the merits.”

Accordingly, she granted a preliminary injunction to stop the citizenship requirement from moving forward while the lawsuit plays out.

The judge also blocked part of the Republican president’s order requiring public assistance enrollees to have their citizenship assessed before getting access to the federal voter registration form.

But she denied other requests from a group of Democratic plaintiffs, including refusing to block Trump's order to require all mailed ballots to be received by Election Day nationwide. She also did not touch Trump's order to open certain databases to billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to allow it to review state voter lists to search for noncitizens. The judge said those arguments brought by Democrats were either premature or should be brought by states instead.

The plaintiffs had argued Trump's proof-of-citizenship requirement violated the Constitution’s so-called Elections Clause, which gives states and Congress the authority to determine how elections are run.

They also argued that Trump’s order asserts power that he does not have over an independent agency. That agency, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, sets voluntary voting system guidelines and maintains the federal voter registration form.

During an April 17 hearing, attorneys for the plaintiffs had said requiring proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form would complicate their clients’ voter registration drives at grocery stores and other public places.

Aria Branch, counsel for the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic plaintiffs, also argued the executive order’s effort to tighten mail ballot deadlines would irreparably harm her clients by forcing them to reallocate resources to help voters navigate the changes.

“That’s time, money and organizational resources and strategy that can’t be recouped,” she said.

Michael Gates, counsel for the Trump administration, said in the hearing a preliminary injunction wasn’t warranted because the order hadn’t been implemented and a citizenship requirement would not be on the federal voter registration form for many months.

Roman Palomares, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a nonpartisan plaintiff, said Thursday the judge's decision was a “victory for voters.”

“Efforts to silence the voice and votes of the U.S. electorate must not stand because our democracy depends on all voters feeling confident that they can vote freely and that their vote will be counted accurately,” he said in a statement.

Representing the Democratic plaintiffs, Branch said in a Thursday statement that “this fight is far from over” but called the ruling a “victory for democracy and the rule of law over presidential overreach."

The chairs of the DNC, Democratic Governors Association and Democratic committees in Congress said if the judge hadn't ruled in their favor on citizenship proof, “Americans across the country — including married women who changed their last name and low-income individuals — could have been unable to register to vote.”

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said it was disappointed by the ruling.

“Few things are more sacred to a free society or more essential to democracy than the protection of its election systems,” said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Donald Palmer, chair of the EAC, a defendant in the case, said his office was still reviewing the ruling and opinion “but we will comply with the Judge's decision.”

The judge's decision comes as state and local election officials from across the country are meeting to consider the implications of Trump’s executive order on their work.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Standards Board, which was holding a public hearing in North Carolina on Thursday, is a bipartisan advisory group of election officials from every state that meets annually.

Meanwhile, other lawsuits against Trump’s order are still pending.

In early April, 19 Democratic attorneys general asked the court to reject Trump’s executive order. Washington and Oregon, which both hold all-mail elections, followed with their own lawsuit against the order.

The U.S. differs from many other countries in that it does not hold national elections run by the federal government. Instead, elections are decentralized — overseen by the states and run by thousands of local jurisdictions.