By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday allowed the case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse.

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Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested at the county courthouse in April and indicted on federal charges in May. She quickly filed a motion to dismiss the charges.

U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion. A magistrate judge in July had recommended the case proceed. Adelman’s decision could be appealed to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorneys for Dugan had no immediate comment.

Dugan has pleaded not guilty to helping the man in the country illegally try to evade authorities. No trial date has been set. She faces up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine if convicted on both counts.

The case highlighted a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown.

Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition to its deportation efforts.

Dugan filed a motion in May to dismiss the charges against her, saying she was acting in her official capacity as a judge and therefore is immune to prosecution. She argued that the federal government violated Wisconsin’s sovereignty by disrupting a state courtroom and prosecuting a state judge.

Dugan also argued that the prosecution under federal law violated the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers because it overrides the state of Wisconsin’s ability to administer its courts.

But the judge rejected her arguments.

Dugan is charged with concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, and obstruction, which is a felony. Prosecutors say she escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking to arrest him for being in the country without permanent legal status.

Agents arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase.

Dugan’s case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge, who was accused of helping a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed.

By STEVE PEOPLES, AP National Politics Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Democratic National Committee planned to clarify its position on the Israel-Hamas war this week. But after a surprise reversal, it may be several months before DNC officials adopt a formal position on an issue that has divided their party perhaps more than any other.

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The debate played out on Tuesday as the DNC gathered in a downtown Minneapolis hotel behind a security checkpoint for its annual summer meeting.

There were two competing resolutions that addressed the war and the related humanitarian crisis in Gaza: The first, introduced by the committee’s progressive wing, called for an arms embargo and the suspension of military aid to Israel; the other, backed by DNC Chair Ken Martin, offered more context from Israel’s perspective while calling for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance — including food, water, medicine and shelter — to civilians in Gaza.” It also reaffirmed the Democrats’ support for a two-state solution.

The DNC’s Resolutions Committee voted to support Martin’s version and voted down the progressives’ preference. But after a brief debate, Martin surprised many in the crowded hotel ballroom by deciding to withdraw his measure.

He called instead for members to form a task force to study the issue further.

“As we’ve seen there’s divide in our party on this issue,” Martin said. “I’ve decided today, at this moment, to listen … so we can move forward united today and have the conversation.”

The delay prolongs a sensitive political debate that has divided Democrats for much of the last year. Resolutions Committee members said they received nearly 5,000 emails about the resolution from activists on both sides ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Even when the party adopts a formal position — if at all — the issue threatens to continue dividing Democratic voters heading into next year’s midterm elections. Any DNC resolution would be a symbolic measure with no real power.

DNC member Allison Minnerly of Florida, who sponsored the progressive version, said she was disappointed by Martin’s decision.

“There needs to be urgency,” Minnerly said. “The majority of our party is looking for answers and leadership on this issue.”

It’s unclear when Martin’s yet-unformed task force would report back with an updated position. Martin did not offer a timeline. The DNC is expected to meet again in December.

Harini Krishnan, a DNC member from California, was among several officials to express their frustration.

“I also want to say that I truly hope as a party that we can move beyond this issue,” she said.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer

It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Tuesday.

In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world, but especially Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base.

“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption read, accompanied by an emoji of a dynamite stick.

Kelce was a famous football player when they met — a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Super Bowl champion — but Swift’s unique level of fame catapulted him into a different orbit entirely. Their relationship was documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s Eras concert tour as it traveled the globe.

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By RODNEY MUHUMUZA, Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda is one of at least four African nations that have agreed to receive immigrants deported from the United States.

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The U.S. deported five men with criminal backgrounds to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini and sent eight others to South Sudan. Rwanda has said it will receive up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S.

Now, according to U.S. officials, Uganda is set to receive Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a construction worker who became the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported in March to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador. He was returned to the U.S. in June, only to face human smuggling charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

Abrego Garcia was detained on Monday and homeland security officials said later he was being processed for transfer to Uganda, a country he has no cultural ties with. Some Ugandans have reacted with incredulity at the looming deportation of the high-profile detainee under an agreement whose terms are yet to be made public. Ugandan officials have only said they prefer to receive individuals originally from Africa and without a criminal background.

Here is a brief look at Uganda, an east African country of 45 million people.

An authoritarian leader

Ugandan negotiators involved in talks with the U.S. are believed to have been reporting directly to President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian who has been in power since 1986. The ruling party controls the national assembly, which is widely seen as weak and subservient to the presidency. In 2017 lawmakers removed a constitutional age limit on the presidency, leaving room for Museveni, who is 80, to rule for as long as he wishes.

Museveni is up for reelection in a presidential vote scheduled for January 2026. One of his long-time opponents, Kizza Besigye, has been jailed since November over treason charges his supporters say are politically motivated. His other opponent, the entertainer known as Bobi Wine, says he is harassed and unable to campaign across the country. Some critics say the agreement with the U.S. is a blessing for Museveni, who recently was under pressure from the international community over rights abuses and other issues.

Museveni says criticism of his long stay in power is unjustified because he is reelected every five years. Notably, he has a large following in rural areas, where Ugandans cite relative peace and security among reasons to keep him in power.

A young population

Uganda has the second-youngest population in the world, with more than three quarters of its people below the age of 35, according to the U.N. children’s agency. The results of a national census conducted last year show that 50.5% of Ugandans are children aged 17 and under and those between 18 and 30 account for 22.7% of the population. Many Ugandans migrate from rural areas to seek education and work opportunities in the capital, Kampala, a crowded city of 3 million where the primary form of public transport are passenger motorcycles known as boda-bodas. The development of public infrastructure, including hospitals, has not kept pace with a growing population.

FILE -People wade into the waters of Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, Nov. 25, 2024, in Entebbe, Uganda. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

A lush nation once described as ‘the pearl of Africa’

After a 1907 visit to Uganda, Winston Churchill famously called the country “the pearl of Africa,” a tribute to its natural beauty and abundant wildlife.

Much of that abundance has been lost over the decades, but the country remains an attractive destination for safari visitors who come to see, especially, the endangered mountain gorillas. Uganda is home to about half the world’s remaining great apes, which can be tracked for a fee in a mountainous zone near the border with Rwanda and Congo.

A ‘rolex’ to eat

Uganda’s popular street snack, the “rolex,” is an omelet wrapped in chapati, a type of pan-fried flatbread. While a favorite among Ugandans, the snack has become the fascination for foreigners, some of whom have written about eating their rolex.

Rolex makers can be found in every town across Uganda, usually men who otherwise would be jobless if they didn’t take up such an opportunity. Their stands, illuminated by the red heat of charcoal rising from stoves, light up streets and dark alleys in Kampala at night.

Homosexuality is taboo

In 2023, Ugandan lawmakers passed a bill imposing lengthy jail terms for same-sex relations, a move that reflected popular sentiment but drew international criticism from the U.S. and the World Bank. “Congratulations,” Parliament Speaker Anita Among told lawmakers after passing the bill. “Whatever we are doing, we are doing it for the people of Uganda.” Months later, Among was among high-profile Ugandans targeted for sanctions by the Biden administration.

Same-sex activity has long been punishable with life imprisonment under a colonial-era law, but Among and other Ugandan officials argued that a harsh new law was necessary to deter what they described as promoters of homosexuality. They had the president’s backing.