AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT

National Guard members from Texas are in Illinois in Trump’s latest move to send troops to cities

ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) — National Guard members from Texas were getting settled at an Army Reserve center in Illinois on Tuesday, the most visible sign yet of the Trump administration’s plan to send troops to the Chicago area despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has accused President Donald Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” said he didn’t get a heads-up from Washington.

The Associated Press saw military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Trucks marked Emergency Disaster Services pulled in and out, dropping off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra fencing was spread across the perimeter.

The Guard’s exact mission was not immediately clear, though the Trump administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have frequently rallied at an immigration building outside Chicago in Broadview. The president repeatedly has described Chicago in hostile terms, calling it a “hell hole” of crime, although police statistics show significant drops in most crimes, including homicides.

Trump’s bid to deploy the military on U.S. soil over local opposition has triggered a conflict with blue state governors. Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to intervene and stop “Trump’s long-declared ‘War’” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. In Oregon, a judge over the weekend blocked the Guard’s deployment to Portland, Oregon.

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Q&A: A look at the National Guard’s role as Trump seeks to deploy troops in Oregon and Chicago

President Donald Trump’s efforts to send National Guard troops into U.S. cities — including Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and Chicago — over the objections of Democratic mayors and governors have prompted a host of questions about the president’s authority and who controls the Guard.

A judge in California has ruled that the deployment of 4,000 National Guard members — along with 700 Marines — in Los Angeles earlier this year violated federal law. A judge in Oregon issued two temporary restraining orders over the weekend blocking the administration from deploying federal troops to protect federal property in that state. Chicago and Illinois have sued in hopes of obtaining a similar order there. National Guard troops from Texas have arrived in that state.

Amid the rapid developments as the administration appeals, here’s a look at National Guard deployments, how they have been done before and the legality of Trump’s efforts to send troops into Democratic-led cities.

National Guard units are under the control of governors, who may activate them to respond to disasters such as hurricanes or wildfires in their own or other states, unless they are called up by the president.

Under federal law, the president can take command of a state’s National Guard troops in limited circumstances: when the U.S. is being invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation; when there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the United States; or when the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

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Trump administration threatens no back pay for federal workers in shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration warned on Tuesday of no guaranteed back pay for federal workers during a government shutdown, reversing what has been long-standing policy for some 750,000 furloughed employees, according to a memo being circulated by the White House.

Trump signed into law after the longest government shutdown in 2019 legislation to ensure federal workers receive back pay during any federal funding lapse. But in the new memo, his Office of Management and Budget says back pay must be provided by Congress, if it chooses to do so, as part of any bill to fund the government.

The move by the Republican administration was widely seen as a strong-arm tactic — a way to pressure lawmakers to reopen the government, now in the seventh day of a shutdown.

“There are some people that don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way,” Trump said during an event at the White House.

He said back pay “depends on who we’re talking about.” Asked a second time about backpay for furloughed federal workers given that the requirement is spelled out in law, Trump said: “I follow the law, and what the law says is correct.”

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Bondi dodges questions as she clashes with Democrats over claims she’s weaponized Justice Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly deflected questions as she sought during a combative congressional hearing on Tuesday to defend herself against growing criticism that she’s turning the law enforcement agency into a weapon to seek vengeance against President Donald Trump’s political opponents.

Democrats sought to use the hearing, coming on the heels of the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, to warn of what they view as the politicization of a department that has long prided itself on remaining independent from the White House.

Bondi brushed aside with seeming disdain questions about her tumultuous tenure, flatly refusing to answer time and again as Democrats pressed her on politically charged investigations, the firings of career prosecutors and other matters. Her refusal to engage on the questions meant little if any fresh insight was offered about her actions and decisions, with Bondi instead opting to respond to Democrats’ attacks by echoing conservative claims that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department — which brought two criminal cases against Trump — was the one that had been weaponized.

“They were playing politics with law enforcement powers and will go down as a historic betrayal of public trust,” Bondi said of the Biden Justice Department. “This is the kind of conduct that shatters the American people’s faith in our law enforcement system. We will work to earn that back every single day.”

The hearing split early along deeply partisan lines, with Republicans repeatedly leaping to her defense to highlight the criminal cases against the president that they say show the institution she inherited was deeply politicized. They pointed to revelations from a day earlier that the FBI had analyzed phone records of several Republican lawmakers as part of an investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden, a Democrat.

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Trump-backed Van Epps and Democrat Behn win Tennessee primaries for US House special election

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Matt Van Epps, a former commissioner in Gov. Bill Lee’s administration who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, and Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn won their crowded primary races Tuesday and will face off in December in a special election to replace a GOP congressman who left office this summer.

Van Epps clinched victory with the presidential endorsement that came after in-person early voting ended. Eleven Republicans were on the ballot for the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Mark Green.

In a victory speech, the Republican nominee said the endorsement “made the difference, and I will never forget it.” He pledged to work with Trump on issues ranging from illegal immigration enforcement to providing care for veterans.

“In Congress I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump to advance our America First agenda,” Van Epps said.

Behn, a social worker and community organizer, said her win proved that “authenticity, energy, organizing power consistently outperformed corporate money and poll-tested messaging.”

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A divided Israel marks 2 years since Oct. 7 attack as war in Gaza grinds on and hostages languish

REIM, Israel (AP) — Thousands of people converged on southern Israel on Tuesday to mourn the dead as the nation marked two years since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel and Hamas pressed on with indirect peace talks in Egypt.

The main memorial event in Tel Aviv, organized by the bereaved families, was separate from a ceremony that the government will hold on the anniversary next week according to the Hebrew calendar. The split reflects deep divisions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s leadership, which many blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire that would free the remaining hostages held by the militants.

In the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed tens of thousands of people and razed entire towns and cities, those who can are fleeing another Israeli invasion of Gaza City while others are sheltering in place. Many are unable to make the arduous and costly journey south.

It’s been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets. They stormed army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including women, children and older adults.

They abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals. Forty-eight hostages remain inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive. Hamas has said it will release them only in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all of the captives are returned and Hamas has been disarmed.

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Gaza peace talks appear to gain momentum on the war’s anniversary

CAIRO (AP) — Peace talks between Israel and Hamas resumed at an Egyptian resort city on Tuesday, the two-year anniversary of the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel that started the war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The second day of indirect negotiations at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is focused on a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump last week that aims to bring about an end to the war.

Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, told Egypt’s Qahera TV that Hamas wanted guarantees of a lasting ceasefire as part of any deal to return the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.

It appeared to be his first public appearance since an Israeli strike targeting him and other top Hamas leaders in Qatar last month killed six people, including his son and office manager.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted Trump’s plan, which calls for the immediate release of the hostages. The plan also calls for Gaza to be placed under international governance and for Hamas to be disarmed, elements the militants have yet to accept.

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Supreme Court seems skeptical about state bans on ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ+ kids

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Supreme Court justices on Tuesday seemed likely to side with a Christian counselor challenging bans on LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy” for kids as a violation of her First Amendment rights.

Kaley Chiles, with support from President Donald Trump’s administration, argues the laws passed by about half of U.S. states wrongly bar her from offering voluntary, faith-based therapy for kids.

She’s challenging the law in Colorado. The state says its measure simply regulates licensed therapists by barring a practice that’s been scientifically discredited and linked to serious harm.

But the court’s conservative majority didn’t seem convinced that states can restrict talk therapy aimed at changing feelings or behavior while allowing counseling that affirms kids identifying as gay or transgender. Justice Samuel Alito said the law “looks like blatant viewpoint discrimination.”

The case blends two trends in the recent decisions of a court that’s backed several claims of religious discrimination and taken a more skeptical view in LGBTQ rights cases. The court is also expected to hear a case this term over which sports teams transgender athletes can join. A decision in Tuesday’s case is expected by June.

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Raleigh, Suarez, Crawford homer and Mariners top Tigers 8-4 for a 2-1 lead in the AL Division Series

DETROIT (AP) — The Seattle Mariners are on the brink of a spot in the AL Championship series for the first time in 24 years.

Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer, Eugenio Suarez and J.P. Crawford had solo shots and Seattle beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Division Series.

The Mariners are within a win of their first AL Championship Series since 2001. Their first chance to advance is on Wednesday afternoon in Game 4 at Comerica Park and if necessary, another opportunity awaits on Friday back in Seattle for a decisive Game 5.

“The Seattle Mariners deserve where we’re at right now,” Suarez said.

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said not to count his team out after it showed resolve following a historic collapse in the regular season and bounced back by eliminating Cleveland in an AL Wild Card series, then won Game 1 against Seattle.

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Hundreds of hikers rescued from Mount Everest after severe snowstorm

BEIJING (AP) — About 900 hikers, guides and other staff who were stranded by a weekend snowstorm on the Chinese side of Mount Everest have reached safety, state media said late Tuesday.

A severe storm struck the area Saturday night, cutting off access to where the hikers were staying in tents at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

In all, 580 hikers and more than 300 guides, yak herders and other workers were stranded. About 350 hikers were able to descend by noon Monday and the rest had arrived by Tuesday, state media said, citing the local government.

Some hikers reportedly had hypothermia, and the official Xinhua News Agency said about a dozen of them were escorted to a meeting point by teams with food, medicine, heating and oxygen supplies.

The scenic area at Mount Everest in China’s Tibet region has been temporarily closed. The 8,850-meter (29,000-foot) peak, the world’s highest, straddles the border with Nepal.