AP Top News at 2:33 p.m. EDT

Israel fires on Lebanon after rocket attack in the heaviest exchange since truce with Hezbollah

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, killing two, including a child, in the heaviest exchange of fire since its ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah almost four months ago. The rockets fired from Lebanon were the second ones launched since December and again sparked concern about whether the ceasefire would hold. In a statement, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the latest attack, saying it was committed to the truce. Israel had said it would respond “severely” to the early Saturday attack targeting northern Israel. Israel’s army said the intercepted rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula.

Father of the last living American hostage in Gaza hopes Trump can bring his son home

TEL AVIV (AP) — Unlike many families who blame Israel’s government for not getting their loved ones released from captivity in Gaza, Adi Alexander is hesitant to point fingers. Pragmatic and measured, the father of the last living American being held hostage by Hamas just wants his son to come home. “I don’t want to get into who came first, the egg or the chicken,” Alexander told The Associated Press on Friday from his New Jersey home. Still, with the once-promising ceasefire giving way to renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas, he wonders whether Israel can secure his son’s freedom and is more hopeful about the U.S.'s chances to do it.

The Pentagon’s DEI purge: Officials describe a scramble to remove and then restore online content

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every day over the past few weeks, the Pentagon has faced questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages after it purged online content that promoted women or minorities. In response, the department has scrambled to restore a handful of those posts as their removals have come to light. While the pages of some well-known veterans, including baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson, are now back up on Pentagon websites, officials warn that many posts tagged for removal in error may be gone forever.

Trump’s latest sports-focused trip will be to the NCAA men’s wrestling championships

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to attend the NCAA wrestling championships for the second time in three years, the latest example of how he has mostly limited travel early in his new term to trips built around sports events. Trump is expected to be at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday night as Penn State looks to close out its fourth straight men’s team title. The Republican president spent Friday night as his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, about 70 miles northeast of Philadelphia, on what was his first visit there of his second term. “We’re going to the big fight.

Pope Francis to be released from hospital Sunday after 5 weeks fighting life-threatening pneumonia

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis will be released from hospital on Sunday after 38 days battling a severe case of pneumonia in both lungs that threatened his life on two occasions when he suffered acute respiratory crises, his doctors said Saturday. Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who coordinated Francis’ medical team at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, said Francis will require at least two months of rest and rehabilitation as he continues recovering back at the Vatican. But his personal doctor, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said if he continues his steady improvements to date, he should be able to resume his normal activity. The doctors spoke at a hastily-called press conference Saturday evening in the Gemelli hospital atrium, their first in-person update on the pontiff’s condition in a month.

Sudan’s army says it seized key buildings in Khartoum after retaking the Republican Palace

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan ’s military on Saturday consolidated its grip on the capital, retaking more key government buildings a day after it gained control of the Republican Palace from a notorious paramilitary group. Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesperson for the Sudanese military, said troops expelled the Rapid Support Forces from the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service and Corinthia Hotel in central Khartoum. The army also retook the headquarters of the Central Bank of Sudan and other government and educational buildings in the area, Abdullah said. Hundreds of RSF fighters were killed while trying to flee the capital city, he said.

Venezuela to resume repatriation of migrants after deal with US, official says

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela will once again accept repatriation flights from the United States carrying its deported nationals after reaching an agreement with the U.S., a Venezuelan official said on social media Saturday. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro suspended flights on March 8, after the U.S. Treasury Department announced the withdrawal of Chevron’s license to export Venezuelan oil. “We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s Assembly and Maduro’s chief negotiator with the U.S. Venezuela accepted the deal to guarantee the “the return of our compatriots to their nation with the safeguard of their Human Rights,” Rodríguez said.

Abortion once more plays a key role in a state political fight, this time in Wisconsin’s court race

MILWAUKEE (AP) — As the candidates for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat squared off in a recent debate before early voting, one issue came up first and dominated at the start. “Let’s talk about abortion rights,” the moderator said. The winner of the April 1 election could hold the power to determine the fate of any future litigation over abortion because the outcome of the race for a vacancy on the state’s highest court will decide whether liberals or conservatives hold a majority. Abortion has become a central plank of the platform for the Democratic-backed candidate, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, in part because of its effect on voter turnout, although to a lesser extent than during a heated 2023 state Supreme Court race that flipped the court to a liberal majority.

New Hampshire town elections offer a preview of citizenship voting rules being considered nationwide

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A voter in Milford, New Hampshire, missed out on approving the town’s $19 million operating budget, electing a cemetery trustee and buying a new dump truck. In Durham, an 18-year-old high school student did not get a say in who should serve on the school board or whether $125,000 should go toward replacing artificial turf on athletic fields. Neither was able to participate in recent town elections in New Hampshire thanks to a new state law requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Their experiences, recounted by town clerks, could prove instructive for the rest of the country as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act advances in Congress and more than a dozen states consider similar legislation.

Three killed, 14 injured in a shooting at a park in New Mexico’s Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — At least three people were killed and 14 others were injured in a mass shooting at a park in the desert city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, police said Saturday. Gunshot victims ranging in age from 16 to 36 were sent to all three local hospitals, as well as to University Medical Center of El Paso, the regional trauma center, according to police and hospital officials. Of six patients who arrived at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces by ambulance and private car, five were sent to El Paso, said marketing and communications director Andrew Cummins.