AP News Summary at 7:57 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

Prince Harry and Meghan made getaway in NYC taxi after being trailed by paparazzi

NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were trailed in their car by photographers as they left a New York City charity event Tuesday night, briefly taking refuge at a police station before being whisked away in a yellow taxicab. The pursuit and media frenzy evoked memories of the 1997 car chase through Paris that killed Harry’s mother, Princess Diana — though in this case, police said, no one was hurt. The royal couple set off alarms when their spokesperson claimed Wednesday that they had been dangerously pursued by paparazzi in a “near catastrophic car chase.” That account led New York’s mayor to condemn the paparazzi as “reckless and irresponsible.”

Key Trump attorney says he’s departing legal team as Mar-a-Lago probe intensifies

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key lawyer for former President Donald Trump says he’s leaving the legal team, a move that comes as a special counsel investigation into the retention of classified documents shows signs of being in its final stages. Timothy Parlatore told The Associated Press that his departure had nothing to do with Trump and was not a reflection on his view of the Justice Department’s investigation, which he has long called misguided and overly aggressive, or on the strength of the government’s evidence. He said he believed he had served Trump well. CNN first reported the development.

DeSantis signs bills targeting drag shows, transgender kids and the use of bathrooms and pronouns

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is banning gender affirming care for minors, effective immediately. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a series of anti-LGBTQ+ bills on Wednesday. Others address drag shows and how schools handle the use of personal pronouns and bathrooms. Planned Parenthood immediately started canceling appointments for gender-affirming health care. DeSantis has promoted anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as he prepares to seek the GOP presidential nomination. His bill-signing ceremony at an evangelical Christian school had a campaign-like feel, with DeSantis throwing Sharpies to a cheering crowd. State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is gay, said the governor chose a setting where he was likely to get praise for bigotry.

Montana says 1st-in-nation TikTok ban protects people. TikTok says it violates their rights

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana has become the first state to enact a complete ban on TikTok. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the legislation Wednesday and it is schedculed to take effect next January. The measure is more sweeping than bans put in place in nearly half the states and by the U.S. federal government that prohibit TikTok on government devices. The law is expected to face legal challenges and become a testing ground for whether a TikTok-free America is possible. TikTok has vowed to fight for Montana residents to be able to use the video-sharing app, which is owned by a Chinese tech company.

Grand jury indicts man in 4 University of Idaho stabbing deaths, eliminating need for hearing

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a man who was already charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, allowing prosecutors to skip a planned week-long preliminary hearing that was set for late June. Bryan Kohberger was arrested late last year and charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 13, 2022, slayings of four students at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus. At the time, Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at nearby Washington State University. A preliminary hearing had been scheduled for June 26, but now that will be skipped and the case will go directly to a district judge.

Effort to expel Santos falters as Republicans vote to send measure to Ethics Committee

WASHINGTON (AP) — A resolution to expel New York Republican Rep. George Santos from Congress is being referred to the House Ethics Committee. Republicans successfully sidestepped an effort Wednesday to force them into a vote that could have narrowed their already slim four-seat majority. California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia introduced a resolution in February to expel Santos. He sought to force a vote on that resolution under a process that left three options for Republicans: a vote on the resolution, a move to table or a referral to committee. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy chose the third option, much to the chagrin of Democrats who described it as a “complete copout.”

Elizabeth Holmes will start 11-year prison sentence on May 30 after losing her bid to remain free

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will remain free through the Memorial Day weekend before surrendering to authorities on May 30. That would be the start of her more than 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors in a blood-testing scam. A federal judge set Holmes’ revised prison-reporting date after her lawyers proposed it in a Wednesday filing. It came after a federal appeals court late Tuesday rejected her bid to remain out of prison while she attempts to overturn her conviction on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy. The punishment also includes a $452 million restitution. The 39-year-old Holmes will leave behind her two young children when she reports to prison.

In Cannes, ‘Rust’ is looking for buyers and Alec Baldwin has a new project

A year and a half after the fatal shooting of its cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the Alec Baldwin Western “Rust” is back on the market at the Cannes Film Festival, shopping for international buyers. Last month, “Rust” resumed shooting in Montana to finish the independently financed production that shut down following Hutchins’ death in October 2021. The Cannes film market is where “Rust” was first formed as a production in 2000. Goodfellas, a sales company formerly known as Wild Bunch International, is handling sales. “Rust” still lacks North American distribution.

Dancers at Los Angeles bar to become only unionized strippers in US after 15-month battle

NEW YORK (AP) — Dancers at a Los Angeles bar could soon become the only unionized group of strippers in the U.S. The Actors’ Equity Association labor union says that owners of the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood have withdrawn their opposition and agreed to recognize the strippers’ union. Dancers at the club have been seeking safer workplace conditions, better pay and health insurance, among other benefits for 15 months. But their unionization drive was stalled by objections and legal challenges from the club’s management. The union announced this week that management had agreed to a settlement, and a formal vote count by the National Labor Relations Board has been set for Thursday.

Every state offers victim compensation. For the Longs and other Black families, it often isn’t fair

Black people are disproportionately denied aid from state programs that reimburse victims of violent crime. That’s according to an AP examination of data from 23 states that shows Black applicants were nearly twice as likely as white applicants to be denied aid in some states, including Indiana, Georgia and South Dakota. The denials add up to thousands of Black families missing out on millions of dollars in aid each year. Experts say the disparities are rooted in biases embedded in the design of victim compensation programs, among other factors. States are starting to address the problem as part of a wider reckoning with racism across the criminal justice system.