US employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 jobs last month

WASHINGTON (AP) – American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 new jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February. And the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring marked a turnaround from the loss of 133,000 jobs in February.

China aims to show global leadership with Iran war diplomacy

WASHINGTON (AP) – China is stepping up its diplomacy on the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open the Strait of Hormuz.

A look at how the Epstein files dogged Pam Bondi's time as attorney general

NEW YORK (AP) – After Pam Bondi became U.S. attorney general last year, conservative influencers, online sleuths and others who wanted the government to disclose all it knew about Jeffrey Epstein thought they might have a champion in the Department of Justice.

French and South Korean leaders say they'll work together on Strait of Hormuz

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Company backed by Trump sons looks to sell drone interceptors to Gulf states

NEW YORK (AP) – A drone maker backed by President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the U.S. military led by their father. The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began.

Hegseth allows troops to take personal weapons onto military bases

WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country. He said any denial of a service member’s request must be explained in detail and in writing.

Why one Las Vegas newspaper just stopped printing its rival

LAS VEGAS (AP) – The Las Vegas Review-Journal announced Friday that it will no longer print its rival the Las Vegas Sun for the first time in decades, amid an ongoing legal dispute over the nation’s last joint operating agreement stemming from a 1970 law designed to preserve newspapers.

Pope Leo XIV to carry cross for entire procession, the first to do so in decades

ROME (AP) – Pope Leo XIV will personally carry the wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as pontiff, marking the first time in decades that a pope carries the cross to every station.

Bondi struggled to prosecute Trump foes. But will new AG make a difference?

WASHINGTON (AP) – Pam Bondi is out of her job after failing to deliver criminal cases against President Donald Trump’s political enemies.  But there’s no guarantee her successor will have any better success at placating the president. Over the last year, Bondi’s Justice Department has encountered resistance from judges, grand jurors and its own workforce.