Dorothy Abernathy, regional media director of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Friday, March 4, 2016. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. WHAT GOP DEBATE REVEALED ABOUT PARTY LOYALTY
Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich all say they would support Donald Trump if he is the Republican nominee. He, too, said he would support whoever wins.
2. ROMNEY, MCCAIN SAY TRUMP ENDANGERS AMERICA’S FUTURE
The party’s most recent presidential nominees lambast the billionaire businessman, calling him unfit for office and a danger for the nation and the GOP.
3. NORTH KOREA MAKES NUCLEAR THREAT
Kim Jong-un orders his country’s nuclear weapons made ready for use at a moment’s notice, the country’s official state news agency reports.
4. IN A FIELD ON THE EDGE OF GREECE, REFUGEES’ DESPERATION GROWS
By the hundreds they come, dragging toddlers and pushing the injured in wheelchairs — a seemingly endless stream of humanity heading north for a better life.
5. U.S. MILITARY BEGINNING TO RECRUIT WOMEN FOR COMBAT JOBS
All of the services say they have made required changes to base bathrooms and other facilities to accommodate women.
6. WHERE CHRISTIAN HAMLET BEARS SCARS OF FIERCE FIGHTING
Residents of Syria’s Maaloula recall the shock they felt when they returned to the town that fell to jihadi militants in 2013, and was recaptured by the Syrian army in 2014.
7. TECH INDUSTRY GROUPS, SECURITY EXPERTS BACK APPLE
Leading U.S. companies join independent programmers and civil liberties advocates who filed court papers backing CEO Tim Cook in his fight with the FBI over an iPhone used by a killer.
8. WHO SAYS AMERICANS SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE WORLD
This is the advice dispensed by Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau, who also takes a jab at an unnamed U.S. presidential candidate whose rise he attributes to Americans’ lack of knowledge of foreign affairs.
9. U.S. SEEKS END TO YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLY PROTECTIONS
The move would open the door to future hunts for the fearsome bruins across a three-state region.
10. WHOSE SUSPENSION IS BACK ON THE TABLE
Circuit Judge Denny Chin says evidence of ball tampering in Tom Brady’s “Deflategate” is “compelling, if not overwhelming,” suggesting the quarterback “knew about it, consented to it, encouraged it.”