AP Top News at 7:00 a.m. EST

Judge finds mass firings of federal probationary workers were likely unlawful

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive dismantling of the federal workforce. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including at the Department of Defense. “OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe,” to hire or fire any employees but its own, Alsup said.

With flattery and frank talk, Starmer urges Trump not to abandon Ukraine in press to end Russian war

WASHINGTON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer used a visit to Washington on Thursday to press President Donald Trump not to abandon Ukraine as he looks to find a quick endgame to Russia’s bloody invasion of its neighbor. With a mix of flattery and frank talk, the center-left Starmer made the case to the Republican president to remain cautious as he goes about ending the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. The British premier started the visit by delivering an invitation from King Charles III to come to Scotland for a “historic” state visit — noting it was an “unprecedented” honor since Trump already had been given the royal treatment by Queen Elizabeth II during his first term.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians seek shelter after Israeli assaults across the West Bank

JENIN, West Bank (AP) — When Israeli snipers took positions in her neighborhood, Haleemeh Zawaydeh knew her family needed to leave quickly. As the snipers’ gunfire rang out, the 63-year-old matriarch said there was no time to pack as she and 14 other family members fled on foot. The invasion of Jenin was faster than past Israeli assaults, she said. And, now, like some 37,000 other Palestinians the U.N. estimates have been driven out by a month-old offensive against militant groups in the occupied West Bank, Zawaydeh and her family are waiting to return to the place they’ve long called home.

Mourners bury one of the last hostages released from Gaza as talks start for ceasefire future

JERUSALEM (AP) — Mourners in Israel on Friday were burying the remains of one of the last hostages released in the first phase of the ceasefire between Hamas militants and Israel, as negotiators discussed a second phase of the deal that could end the war in Gaza and see the remaining live hostages returning home. The funeral procession for Tsachi Idan, an avid soccer fan who was 49 when he was abducted by Hamas militants, began from a football stadium in Tel Aviv towards the cemetery where he was to be buried in a private ceremony. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Idan, who was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the Hamas-led Oct.

Trump plans tariffs on Mexico and Canada for Tuesday, while doubling existing 10% tariffs on China

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China. In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said illicit drugs such as fentanyl are being smuggled into the United States at “unacceptable levels” and that import taxes would force other countries to crack down on the trafficking. “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” the Republican president wrote.

Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were dead for some time, warrant shows

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, investigators said. The bodies were found Wednesday. Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds that would indicate foul play. But Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant affidavit investigators thought the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.” Hackman, 95, was in an entryway, and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was lying on her right side in the bathroom.

Vatican makes new plans for Ash Wednesday as worst is apparently over in pope’s pneumonia battle

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis reached the two-week mark in his recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection but held out on declaring him out of danger entirely. The Vatican, though, made alternative plans for Ash Wednesday next week, making clear Francis still had a long road ahead. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a Vatican official and former vicar of Rome, will preside over the March 5 ceremony and procession that inaugurates the church’s solemn Lenten season leading up to Easter in April. The Vatican’s early Friday update suggested a level of normalcy and routine as the 88-year-old pope continues recovering at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Florida ups the stakes for crimes by immigrants in the US illegally

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — For most people in Florida, misdemeanor theft can result in up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. For an immigrant illegally in Florida, that same crime now carries a felony punishment of up to five years behind bars and a $5,000 fine. The new laws in Florida come as President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigration. They impose harsher penalties for offenses committed by people illegally in the U.S. than for everyone else. The consequences are particularly stiff for first-degree murder, which now carries an automatic death sentence for anyone who is in the U.S.

Are egg producers inflating prices during the bird flu outbreak to boost profits?

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Egg producers blame the bird flu outbreak for driving prices to record highs, but critics believe giant companies are taking advantage of their market dominance to profit handsomely at the expense of budget-conscious egg buyers. Advocacy groups, Democratic lawmakers and a Federal Trade Commission member are calling for a government investigation after egg prices spiked to a record average of $4.95 per dozen this month. The Trump administration did unveil a plan this week to combat bird flu, but how much that might ease egg prices — a key driver of inflation — remains to be seen.

Stephen Curry does it all in a 56-point masterpiece, from a halfcourt heave to a jersey toss to mom

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — When Stephen Curry has it going from long range like he did Thursday night — like he has more often than any player in NBA history — his coach just knows the ball is going in. Curry scored 56 points in Golden State’s 121-115 victory over Orlando and made 12 3-pointers, including one from beyond midcourt that ended the first half. “He’s had so many of those the last couple of years. As soon as he let it go, I said, ‘That’s in,’” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I just felt it, and I thought that set the tone for the second half.” Curry then came back out and outscored the Magic 22-21 in the third quarter of his 1,000th regular-season start.