COLU @ CONCEPTS

Security tight as pope celebrates open-air Mass in Cairo CAIRO (AP) — Military helicopters and police were out in force Saturday as Pope Francis arrived to celebrate an open-air Mass for Egypt's tiny Catholic community on the second and final day of a visit aimed at encouraging Christians following a series of attacks by Islamic militants. Despite the security concerns, Francis zoomed around the Cairo sports stadium in an open-topped golf cart before the start of Mass, evidence of his desire to be close to his flock at all costs. The defense ministry's stadium has a capacity of 25,000, but it was less than half-full by the time Francis arrived. After arriving from Italy, Pope Francis is whisked away to the Presidential Palace and a visit with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. (April 29) Security was exceptionally tight around the stadium and in the upscale neighborhood where Francis spent the night, with uniformed and plain-clothed police stat...

  Critics question top US prosecutor's style after blunt words WASHINGTON (AP) — With two dust-ups in a week, first with a judge in Hawaii and another with leaders of the nation's largest and most powerful police department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions sounds to some more like the conservative senator from Alabama he once was rather than the top prosecutor he is today. And some observers say the Republican's blunt style could strain relationships with the very law enforcement officials whose partnerships he contends are vital and risks politicizing criminal justice issues that demand the Justice Department's attention. Sessions drew the ire of Hawaii's Democratic lawmakers after saying on a radio show he was "amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific" could stop President Donald Trump's travel ban, though he later indicated the comment was meant as a joke. Two days after the radio show, the Justice Department accused...

          Arkansas will face challenges replenishing execution supply Arkansas will have a more difficult time obtaining additional lethal injection drugs after an unprecedented court challenge by a drug distributor and possible complications during at least one of the four executions the state carried out this month, experts said. The state launched an ambitious plan to execute eight death row inmates over 11 days to beat the expiration date on one of the three drugs needed under the state's lethal injection protocol, but four of the executions were halted by courts. Arkansas' remaining supply of midazolam expires Sunday, and it's not known where the state will be able to get more of the sedative or its dwindling supply of the other two drugs. MANUFACTURERS' WORRIES All of the major manufacturers of injectable midazolam have said they do not want their drugs used in executions and most of them have created control systems, including contracts wit...

US executions: New troubles could resonate in upcoming case. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Is unorthodox the same as cruel and unusual punishment? It's the central question of the current U.S. death penalty debate, highlighted by the latest execution involving a disputed sedative that appeared to involve discomfort to the inmate. States struggling to find lethal drugs believe they've got the answer in midazolam, a sedative that's taking the place of barbiturates and anesthetics no longer available because drug manufacturers don't want them used in executions. States that have the drug won't say where they've obtained it, but in recent months have secured enough supplies to carry out or plan executions. But once again, the effectiveness of midazolam has been questioned following executions in Ohio, Arizona and, just this week, Arkansas. That's where condemned inmate Kenneth Williams lurched and convulsed 20 times during a lethal injection execution Th...

   Trump to spend Day 100 in office talking tough on trade WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is marking his 100th day in office by talking tough on trade. The White House says the president will sign an executive order Saturday that will direct his Commerce Department and the U.S. trade representative to perform a comprehensive study of the nation's trade agreements. The aim is to determine whether America is being treated fairly by its trading partners and the 164-nation World Trade Organization. The venue for the signing of the executive order is a shovel factory in Pennsylvania's Cumberland County. In the evening, the president will appear at a rally in Harrisburg to cap the occasion of his first 100 days in office. Source: www.apnews.com   By JILL COLVIN and PAUL WISEMAN

N. Korean missile test fails hours after UN meeting on nukes SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. North Korean ballistic missile tests are banned by the United Nations because they're seen as part of the North's push for a nuclear-tipped missile that can hit the U.S. mainland. The latest test came as U.S. officials pivoted from a hard line to diplomacy at the U.N. in an effort to address what may be Washington's most pressing foreign policy challenge. Turning to diplomacy after flexing military muscle, the United States urged the U.N. Security Council on Friday to increase economic pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, leaning on China in particular to turn the screws on its wayward ally. (Ap...