By SEUNG MIN KIM and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would pull the nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital, after a key Republican senator said he could not support him for the job due to his defense of Jan. 6 rioters.

Related Articles

Sen. John Fetterman raises alarms with outburst at meeting with union officials, AP sources say

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s new transit and homelessness grant conditions

The EU publishes a US product hit list and prepares for WTO action against Trump’s tariffs

Denmark says it will summon a US diplomat over report on increased US intel gathering in Greenland

Trump agrees to cut tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal with Britain

“We have somebody else that will be great,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the status of Martin’s confirmation. He said it was disappointing, but “that’s the way it works sometime.”

A spokesperson for Ed Martin didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Martin has served as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia since Trump’s first week in office. But his hopes of keeping the job faded amid questions about his qualifications and background, including his support for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol over four years ago.

Martin stirred up a chorus of critics during his brief but tumultuous tenure leading the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s office. He fired and demoted subordinates who worked on politically sensitive cases. He posted on social media about potential targets of investigations. And he forced the chief of the office’s criminal division to resign after directing her to scrutinize the awarding of a government contract during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Martin’s temporary appointment is due to expire on May 20.

By BABAR DOGAR, MUNIR AHMED, SHEIKH SAALIQ and AIJAZ HUSSAIN

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — India fired attack drones into Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least two civilians, the Pakistani military said. India, meanwhile, accused its neighbor of attempting its own attack, as tensions soared between the nuclear-armed rivals.

India acknowledged that it targeted Pakistan’s air defense system, and Islamabad said it shot down several of the drones. India said it “neutralized” Pakistan’s attempts to hit military targets. It was not possible to verify all of the claims.

The exchanges came a day after Indian missiles struck several locations in Pakistan, killing 31 civilians, according to Pakistani officials. New Delhi said it was retaliating after gunmen killed more than two dozen people, mostly Hindu tourists, in India-controlled Kashmir last month. India accused Pakistan of being behind the assault. Islamabad denies that.

Both sides have also traded heavy fire across their frontier in disputed Kashmir, and Pakistan claimed it killed scores of Indian soldiers. There was no confirmation from India.

Late Thursday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, residents of the city of Jammu reported hearing explosions and sirens. Shesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former director-general of police, said there was a complete blackout in Jammu following loud blasts. “Bombing, shelling, or missile strikes suspected,” he wrote on social media.

Jammu is close to the Line of Control, the de factor border that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to avenge the deaths in India’s missile strikes, raising fears that the two countries could be headed toward another all-out conflict. Leaders from both nations face mounting public pressure to show strength and seek revenge, and the heated rhetoric and competing claims could be a response to that pressure.

The relationship between countries has been shaped by conflict and mutual suspicion, most notably in their dispute over Kashmir. They have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region, which is split between them and claimed by both in its entirety.

With tensions high, India evacuated thousands of people from villages near the highly militarized frontier in the region. Tens of thousands of people slept in shelters overnight, officials and residents said Thursday.

About 2,000 villagers also fled their homes in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

Mohammad Iftikhar boarded a vehicle with his family on Thursday as heavy rain lashed the region. “I am helplessly leaving my home for the safety of my children and wife,” he said.

India fires drones at Pakistan

India fired several Israeli-made Harop drones at Pakistan overnight and into Thursday afternoon, according to Pakistani army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, who said 29 were shot down. Two civilian were killed and another wounded when debris from a downed drone fell in Sindh province.

One drone damaged a military site near the city of Lahore and wounded four soldiers, and another fell in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital, according to Sharif. “The armed forces are neutralizing them as we speak,” he told state-run Pakistan Television.

In Lahore, local police official Mohammad Rizwan said a drone was downed near Walton Airport, an airfield in a residential area about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the border with India that also contains military installations.

India’s Defense Ministry said its armed forces “targeted air defense radars and systems” in several places in Pakistan, including Lahore.

Blackout in Gurdaspur district

New Delhi, meanwhile, accused Pakistan of attempting “to engage a number of military targets” with missiles and drones along the Line of Control that divides Kashmir and elsewhere along their border. “The debris of these attacks in now being recovered from a number of locations,” it said.

At a news briefing, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday rejected India’s claim that Islamabad carried out any attack in Indian Punjab. “These accusations are an attempt to incite anti-Pakistan sentiment among the Punjabi Sikh population in India,” he said.

Related Articles

The EU publishes a US product hit list and prepares for WTO action against Trump’s tariffs

Denmark says it will summon a US diplomat over report on increased US intel gathering in Greenland

80 years ago World War II in Europe was over. Celebrating V-E Day is now tinged with some dread

Trump agrees to cut tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal with Britain

No new pope elected yet after black smoke pours out of Sistine Chapel’s chimney

Seated alongside Dar, the military spokesperson, Sharif said Pakistan shot down 29 Indian drones after they violated its airspace.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told parliament that so far Pakistan has not responded to India’s missiles attacks, but there will be one. Later Thursday, Indian authorities ordered a night-time blackout in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, which borders with Pakistan.

The Harop drone, produced by Israel’s IAI, is one of several in India’s inventory, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance report.

According to IAI, the Harop combines the capabilities of a drone and a missile and can operate at long ranges.

The two sides have also exchanged heavy fire over the past day.

Tarar said that the country’s armed forces have killed 40 to 50 Indian soldiers in the exchanges along the Line of Control. India has not commented on that claim. Earlier, the army said one Indian soldier was killed by shelling Wednesday.

Sikh Temple in Kashmir

Tarar denied Indian accusations that Pakistan had fired missiles toward the Indian city of Amritsar, saying in fact an Indian drone fell in the city. Neither claim could be confirmed.

India’s Foreign Ministry has said that 16 civilians were killed Wednesday during exchanges of fire across the de facto border.

Pakistani officials said six people have been killed near highly militarized frontier in exchanges of fire over the past day.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri denied that New Delhi has targeted civilians and a key dam, as Pakistan has alleged. He, in turn, accused Pakistani forces of targeting civilians, including at a Sikh Temple in Kashmir, where he said three Sikhs were killed.

Flights remained suspended at over two dozen airports across northern and western regions in India, according to travel advisories by multiple airlines. Pakistan resumed flights nationwide after a suspension at four airports, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad; Saaliq reported from New Delhi and Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Associated Press writers Rajesh Roy in New Delhi, and Ishfaq Hussain and Roshan Mughal in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

As soon as rookie offensive guard Donovan Jackson was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he started hearing his name in the same sentence as legendary offensive guard Randall McDaniel. It makes sense.

It’s been nearly 40 years since the Vikings have invested such premium draft capital into the interior of the offensive line.

The selection of Jackson marked the first time the Vikings have used a first-round pick on an offensive guard since they selected McDaniel in the first round of the the 1988 NFL Draft.

“I will get out there at some point and make the official greeting,” McDaniel said. “I’m looking forward to that.”

Here’s an excerpt of our chat with McDaniel.

Q: What are your first impressions of Donovan from afar?

A: I definitely like what I’m hearing. The things that he’s been saying are all great. Just a typical offensive lineman. He does all the right things. Just watching him play at Ohio State, loved him moving out to tackle help the team out. That’s what offensive linemen do.

Q: How hard is that to do? It seems like it’s more difficult than people think.

A: It all happens so quickly inside. You can work with the center or the tackle. You’re on an island sliding outside. The technique completely changes up. You have to stop and think. That’s the hard part. You’re used to reacting quickly, so when things change, there’s a hesitation for a brief moment. You’ve got to make sure the technique is sound in order to combat that.

It’s all about the group. That’s how we operate. We’re not worried about ourselves. We’re going to bring our lunch pails to work and get our job done. That’s what I love to see, just that he was willing to step out and get the job done.

Q: What else stands out about his play style watching him on film?

A: They were known for running that ball. I liked that. I like the way he gets after it. He finishes his blocks and initiates it. I’m an old school lineman; anytime I get to see a young kid run blocking, I get excited. I love that he made that switch and stepped up and played some tackle when they had some injuries. He did the job. That’s always good to see. You have to be willing to do things to help the team win.

Q: How much has the game changed since you were playing?

A: It’s a lot different. These guys are a lot bigger. There’s a lot more passing. You would think with the size of these guys that they would be running the ball more (but) it’s all about passing. That’s how it’s supposed to be. When I came out, the guys that played before me would say, “You guys don’t play like we do.” I would be like, “It’s a different game now.” It’s the same thing now. I would be too small. That’s part of the game. It’s exciting. It’s fun to watch the young kids come up and see the things that they can do. It’s their time and I enjoy watching them play.

Q: Would you be willing to be an ear for Donovan? All offensive linemen have to stick together right?

A: “When I first came into the NFL, I had some of the older offensive linemen kind of show me the ropes. It was great being able to pick their brains. I will offer that up to him. If that’s something he’s interested in, I’m more than willing to do that.

Related Articles

How the Vikings adopted their new mantra, ‘MORE IS REQUIRED’

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy: ‘I know I’m ready to start’

Andrew Van Ginkel gets big raise from Vikings

Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer headlines UDFAs for Vikings

Which prospects are joining the Vikings? Meet the full 2025 draft class

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is invoking the “ state secrets privilege ” in an apparent attempt to avoid answering a judge’s questions about its mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis disclosed the government’s position in a two-page order on Wednesday. She set a Monday deadline for attorneys to file briefs on the issue and how it could affect Abrego Garcia’s case. Xinis also scheduled a May 16 hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, to address the matter.

Related Articles

Judge says US must allow migrants a chance to challenge in court any deportations to Libya

What to know about the newly opened immigration detention center in New Jersey’s biggest city

Federal judge rules Georgetown scholar’s wrongful arrest case will stay in Virginia

Appeals court orders ICE to return detained Turkish Tufts University student to Vermont

A man with an open asylum case was deported. His lawyers want to know if there are others

The Republican administration previously invoked the same legal authority to cut off a judge’s inquiry into whether it defied an order to turn around planes deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia, 29, has been imprisoned in his native El Salvador for nearly two months. His mistaken deportation has become a flash point for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and his increasing friction with the U.S. courts.

Trump has said he could call El Salvador’s president and have Abrego Garcia, who was living in Maryland, returned to the United States. Instead, Trump has doubled down on his claims that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang.

Police in Maryland had identified Abrego Garcia as an MS-13 gang member in 2019 based off his tattoos, Chicago Bulls hoodie and the word of a criminal informant. But Abrego Garcia was never charged. His lawyers say the informant claimed Abrego Garcia was in an MS-13 chapter in New York, where Abrego Garcia has never lived.

The administration has balked at telling Xinis what, if anything, it has done to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. The judge ruled that his lawyers can question several Trump administration officials under oath about the government’s response to her orders.

In a court filing Wednesday, his lawyers said they already have conducted depositions of three officials and are “still in the dark” about the government’s efforts to free Abrego Garcia. They are asking for permission to depose a more officials, possibly including one from the White House.