AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

Conservative Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of Trump’s sweeping unilateral tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical Wednesday about President Donald Trump ’s ability to unilaterally impose far-reaching tariffs, putting at risk a cornerstone of his agenda in the biggest legal test yet of his boundary-pushing presidency.

Three conservative justices raised questions about whether an emergency law gives Trump near-limitless power to set and change duties on imports, with potentially trillion-dollar implications for the global economy.

The court’s three liberal justices also appeared dubious, so at least two conservative votes could limit Trump’s tariff power under the law. It likely would not end it altogether, however.

The case is the first major piece of Trump’s agenda to come squarely before the nation’s highest court, which he helped shape by naming three of the nine justices in his first term. The conservative majority has so far been reluctant to check his extraordinary flex of executive power in short-term orders in cases ranging from high-profile firings to major federal funding cuts. That could change with a more detailed ruling in the tariff case, though it will likely take weeks or months to come down.

The Constitution says Congress has the power to levy tariffs. But, in a first, the Trump administration argues that an emergency law allowing the president to regulate importation also includes imposing tariffs.

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Trump pressures GOP senators to end the government shutdown, now the longest ever

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at Senate Republicans to end the government shutdown, now the longest ever at 36 days, blaming the impasse for the party’s defeat in closely-watched elections while Democrats, emboldened by their off-year victories, dug in for a fight.

Trump, whose first term at the White House set the previous government shutdown record, said this one was a “big factor, negative” in Tuesday’s races. He revived his demands for Republicans to end the Senate filibuster as a way to reopen government — something senators have refused to do.

At the same time, Democrats hardened their resolve after sweeping governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey and the mayor’s race in New York. The Democratic leaders said Trump needs to get serious about negotiating an end to the stalemate and resolve the problem of expiring health care subsidies that are central to the debate.

“The election results ought to send a much needed bolt of lightning to Donald Trump that he should meet with us to end this crisis,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Now into a sixth week, the shutdown and its impacts have deepened nationwide. The federal closures are disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with program cuts, flight delays and workers scrambling to make do without paychecks. Officials have warned of a worsening climate to come, including chaos in the skies. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will reduce air traffic starting Friday in major markets.

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FAA reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 ‘high-volume’ markets during government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was taking the extraordinary step of reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The cutback stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft. The agency didn’t immediately identify which airports or cities will be affected but said the restrictions would remain in place as long as necessary.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference.

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1, and most have been on duty six days a week while putting in mandatory overtime. With some calling out of work due to frustration, taking second jobs or not having money for child care or gas, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at a number of U.S. airports.

Bedford, citing increased staffing pressures and voluntary safety reports from pilots indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, said he and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point.

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Mamdani announces veteran transition team as he makes plans to carry out an ambitious agenda for NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off his historic victory in New York City’s mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday announced a slate of seasoned officials to help lead his transition to City Hall, offering an early glimpse at how he intends to turn his ambitious campaign promises into reality.

“In the coming months, I and my team will build a City Hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani, a democratic socialist, said at his first news conference as mayor-elect. “We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”

That transition team will include two former deputy mayors, Maria Torres-Springer and Melanie Hartzog; former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan; and Grace Bonilla, the head of United Way of New York City, a nonprofit focused on low-income residents. Political strategist Elana Leopold will serve as executive director of the team.

Mamdani said the officials would help steer his transition as he adapts from the “poetry of campaigning” to the “beautiful prose of governing,” a winking reference to a phrase used by former Gov. Mario Cuomo, the late father of one of his opponents in the mayoral race, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The incoming mayor said he had not yet heard from Andrew Cuomo since defeating him on Tuesday night in a race that saw the highest turnout for a New York City mayoral election in more than five decades. He said he had spoken by phone with his Republican opponent, Curtis Sliwa.

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President Donald Trump, in Miami, brags about the economy despite an election-night rebuke

MIAMI (AP) — President Donald Trump took a victory lap on the economy on the one-year anniversary of his successful election, boasting of cheaper prices and saying the U.S. is the envy of the globe even while the Republican Party faced a rebuke from voters anxious about their own finances in Tuesday’s off-year elections.

Trump, speaking Wednesday at the America Business Forum, said he thinks that communication was the problem, insisting that “we have the greatest economy right now” and that “a lot of people don’t see that.”

“These are the things you have to talk about,” Trump told a packed arena at Miami’s Kaseya Center that included top business executives, global athletes and political leaders. “If people don’t talk about them, then you can do not so well in elections.”

It marked a significant effort from Trump to put a positive spin on the economy at a time when Americans remain uneasy about the cost of living and their own financial security — and when major campaigns in Tuesday’s elections — from New York to Virginia — were centered on affordability and the economy.

Trump’s comments echoed sentiments from his predecessor, Joe Biden, whose White House insisted that the Democrat’s political standing would improve if they better communicated his economic accomplishments.

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12 dead after engine fell off UPS plane that crashed and exploded in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A UPS cargo plane’s left wing caught fire and an engine fell off just before it crashed and exploded after takeoff in Kentucky, a federal official said Wednesday, offering the first investigative details about a disaster that killed at least 12 people, including a child.

Finding survivors seemed unlikely as first responders searched the charred area of the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, Gov. Andy Beshear said. The inferno consumed the enormous aircraft and spread to nearby businesses.

After being cleared for takeoff, a large fire developed in the left wing, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation. The NTSB will now try to determine what caused the fire and why the engine fell off. It will likely take investigators more than a year to answer those questions.

The plane gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of the runway before crashing just outside Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Inman told reporters.

Airport security video “shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll,” he said.

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Judge in Comey case scolds prosecutors as he orders them to produce records from probe

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered prosecutors in the criminal case of former FBI Director James Comey to produce to defense lawyers a trove of materials from the investigation, saying he was concerned the Justice Department’s position had been to “indict first” and investigate second.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick instructed prosecutors to produce by the end of the day on Thursday grand jury materials and other evidence that investigators seized during the investigation. The order followed arguments in which Comey’s attorneys said they were at a disadvantage because they had not been able to yet review information that was collected years ago as part of an investigation into FBI media leaks.

Comey, who attended the hearing but did not speak, is charged with lying to Congress in 2020 in a case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. Comey has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have argued that it’s a vindictive prosecution brought at the direction of the Republican president and must be dismissed.

Fitzpatrick raised his own concerns, telling lawyers on Wednesday, “The procedural posture of this case is highly unusual.” He said it appeared to him that the Justice Department had decided to “indict first” and investigate later.

Comey’s defense lawyers had already asked for a transcript of grand jury proceedings, citing irregularities in the process and potential legal and factual errors that they said could result in the dismissal of the case.

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Judge orders improvements at a Chicago-area immigration facility after claims of inhumane conditions

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered authorities to improve a Chicago-area immigration facility after a group of detainees sued, alleging they were being kept in “inhumane” conditions.

The order will be in effect for 14 days. It requires officials to provide detainees at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the west Chicago suburb of Broadview with a clean bedding mat and sufficient space to sleep, soap, towels, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, menstrual products and prescribed medications.

“People shouldn’t be sleeping next to overflowing toilets,” U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said. “They should not be sleeping on top of each other.”

The temporary restraining order says the holding rooms at the facility must be cleaned twice a day. Detainees must be allowed to shower at least every other day and should have three full meals and bottled water upon request.

Advocates have raised concerns about Broadview’s conditions for months, and the facility has drawn scrutiny from members of Congress. Lawyers and relatives of people held there have called it a de facto detention center, and tense demonstrations have been held there for several weeks.

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Israel says Hamas hands over additional remains believed to be of a hostage

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that Hamas has handed over remains believed to be of a deceased hostage to the Red Cross in Gaza, the latest step forward under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The military said in a statement that the remains were being brought back into Israel. Ahead of the announcement, Hamas had returned the remains of 21 hostages to Israel under the terms of the ceasefire that began Oct. 10. If the latest remains are confirmed during forensic testing, that would leave the remains of six others in Gaza.

The announcement came after search operations in Gaza City’s Shijaiya neighborhood uncovered the remains. A bulldozer with an Egyptian flag flying on it was seen digging in a heavily destroyed area in Shijaiyah as masked members of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, guarded the area. ICRC vehicles were also present.

Hamas militants were seen later leaving the area with several bags seen in the back of a pickup truck. In late October, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for hostages’ bodies.

Hamas has said recovering bodies is complicated by the widespread devastation in the coastal enclave and has returned one to three bodies every few days. Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages.

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Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves 114 dead, 127 missing in Philippines, many in province recovering from quake

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials said Thursday the death toll from widespread flooding and devastation caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi in the country’s central region has risen to at least 114 with 127 people reported missing, many of them in a hard-hit province still recovering from a deadly earthquake.

Most of the deaths were reported in the central province of Cebu, which was pummeled by Kalmaegi on Tuesday, setting off flash floods and causing a river and other waterways to overflow, said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense.

Kalmaegi moved away from western Palawan province into the South China Sea before noon Wednesday and was barreling toward Vietnam, according to forecasters.

Among the dead were six people who were killed when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in the southern province of Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. The crew was on its way to provide humanitarian help to provinces battered by Kalmaegi, the military said. It did not give the cause of the crash.

Provincial officials said Kalmaegi set off flash floods and caused a river and other waterways to swell. The resulting flooding engulfed residential communities, forcing residents to climb on their roofs, where they desperately pleaded to be rescued as the floodwaters rose, officials said.