AP Top News at 6:51 a.m. EDT

Putin and Trump will speak on Tuesday about war in Ukraine, Kremlin confirms

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as he pushes to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. leader disclosed the upcoming conversation to reporters while flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday evening. “We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” Trump said. “A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday morning confirmed the plans for the two leaders to speak on Tuesday, but refused to disclose what the conversation will be about, saying that “we never get ahead of events” and “the content of conversations between two presidents are not subject to any prior discussion.” Any such conversation could be a pivot point in the conflict and an opportunity for Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy.

Severe weather moves east after tornadoes, winds and wildfires killed at least 39 people

A dynamic storm that prompted foreboding predictions of dangerous weekend weather spawned tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires that killed at least 39 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. The weakening but still volatile weather system was moving Monday into the U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, bringing thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds and the potential for more tornadoes. Here’s what to know about the unusually erratic and damaging weather. Forecasters warned of dangerous winds from Florida all the way north to New Jersey, while heavy rain was likely across New York and New England. A tornado watch was in effect until early Monday for a large swath of North Carolina and Virginia, with gusts potentially reaching 70 mph and possible hail the size of ping pong balls, according to the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Deadly nightclub blaze leaves North Macedonia in grief and desperate for accountability

KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia is grappling with the loss of dozens of young lives in a nightclub inferno, while trying to hold those responsible to account and prevent another calamity. Fire tore through the overcrowded Club Pulse early Sunday in the eastern town of Kocani, leaving 59 people dead and 155 injured from burns, smoke inhalation and being trampled in the panicked escape toward the building’s single exit. Although the investigation into the fire’s cause is ongoing, videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting Club Pulse’s ceiling and igniting the blaze as a band played. People as young as 16 were among the casualties, and the nation declared seven days of mourning.

What to know about Yemen’s Houthi rebels as the US steps up attacks on Iran-backed group

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States under President Donald Trump has launched a new campaign of intense airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels. This weekend’s strikes killed at least 53 people, including children, and wounded others. The campaign is likely to continue, part of a wider pressure campaign by Trump now targeting the Houthis’ main benefactor, Iran, as well. Here’s what to know about the U.S. strikes and what could happen next: The Houthi rebels attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January this year. Their leadership described the attacks as aiming to end the Israeli war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Trump administration deports hundreds of immigrants even as a judge orders their removals be stopped

The Trump administration has transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members, officials said Sunday. Flights were in the air at the time of the ruling. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order Saturday temporarily blocking the deportations, but lawyers told him there were already two planes with immigrants in the air — one headed for El Salvador, the other for Honduras. Boasberg verbally ordered the planes be turned around, but they apparently were not and he did not include the directive in his written order.

Trump administration ramps up rhetoric targeting the courts amid mounting legal setbacks

The new populist president railed against the judiciary as they blocked his aggressive moves to restructure his country’s government and economy. This was in Mexico, where former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador eventually pushed through changes that required every judge in his country to be elected rather than appointed. The reforms, and the promise of more by his successor, caused markets to lose confidence in his country’s reliability as a place to invest, which led its currency to weaken. It was one in a series of assaults that populists around the globe have launched on the courts in recent years, and legal observers now wonder if the United States could be next.

Congo says it will participate in peace talks with M23 rebels

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Congo’s government will participate in peace talks in Angola on Tuesday with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group that has captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east, a spokesperson said Monday. A delegation representing Congo is currently in the Angolan capital, Luanda, for the talks, Tina Salama, the spokesperson for President Felix Tshisekedi, told The Associated Press. Tshisekedi had earlier refused direct negotiations with the rebels. M23 also sent a delegation to Luanda, the group’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said on X Monday. The conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by Bukavu in February.

Strong TV ratings and attendance, women’s basketball in good place heading to NCAA Tournament

There was concern that attendance and overall interest in women’s college basketball would drop this year with the departure of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and other stars for the WNBA. Both took a dip -- but only a dip. With JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers and a host of other standout players leading the way, attendance across the country was just short of last season’s record numbers in women’s hoops and still the second-highest ever. More networks showed more games on TV this season and ratings were strong heading into March Madness that starts this week. ESPN will have the lion’s share of tournament games again, but Fox increased its footprint in the sport with five games in primetime on Saturday nights and 18 total on the network.

What’s the future of baseball in Japan as the best players leave for MLB?

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is widely regarded as the best player in Major League Baseball, and Ichiro Suzuki enters the Hall of Fame later this year, reminders that some of the top talent in American baseball is now Japanese. That’s a point of pride at home, but also a reason to worry. What happens to baseball in Japan, to the country’s pro league, if the stars all leave for the United States? About a dozen Japanese played in MLB last season, headlined by Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. They came up through Nippon Professional Baseball and waited for free agency under the Japanese system, or were allowed to go earlier by their clubs.

St. Patrick’s Day brings boisterous parades and celebrations to New York and other cities

NEW YORK (AP) — St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all things Irish, is being marked in cities across the country on Monday with boisterous parades and celebrations. New York City hosts one of the largest and oldest parades in the United States. The rolling celebration, now in its 264th year, takes place along Manhattan’s famed Fifth Avenue. Some 150,000 take part in the march and 2 million spectators attend each year, according to organizers. Major celebrations are also planned on Monday in Savannah, Georgia, and other American communities, though some of the cities most transformed by Irish immigration held festivities over the weekend.