AP News Summary at 11:43 p.m. EDT

From birth to death, legacy of racism lays foundation for Black Americans' health disparities

From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts. They have higher rates of infant and maternal mortality, higher incidence of asthma during childhood, more difficulty treating mental health as teens, and greater rates of high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses. The Associated Press spent the past year exploring how the legacy of racism in America has laid the foundation for the health inequities that Black people face.

Trump makes video appearance in New York criminal case, trial date set for March primary season

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has made a video appearance in a New York courtroom, where the judge tentatively scheduled the former president’s criminal trial for March 25. That date that would fall in the heat of the presidential primary season. Trump had pleaded not guilty last month to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records at his family company, the Trump Organization. Trump glowered at the camera Tuesday as New York Judge Juan Manuel Merchan advised him to cancel all other obligations for the duration of the trial, which could last for several weeks. Trump has portrayed the New York case and the other investigations he faces as a coordinated effort to sully his reelection chances.

Trump lawyers seek meeting with Garland as Mar-a-Lago investigation shows signs of winding down

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked for a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland as a Justice Department investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents shows signs of winding down. In the Tuesday letter, which Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, attorneys John Rowley and James Trusty assert that Trump is “being treated unfairly” and ask for a meeting to discuss “the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your Special Counsel and his prosecutors.” Agents and prosecutors have interviewed a broad cross-section of witnesses, including attorneys for Trump, former White House officials and other close aides.

DeSantis plans to announce 2024 bid Wednesday on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk, sources tell AP

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to announce his 2024 presidential campaign in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk on Wednesday. That's according to two people with knowledge of the plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly. Musk seemed to confirm the news Tuesday in London, saying DeSantis would be making “quite an announcement" on Twitter on Wednesday. He called it “the first time something like this is happening on social media,” with real-time questions and answers. DeSantis is seen as Donald Trump's leading rival for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Typhoon Mawar closes in on Guam as residents shelter, military sends away ships

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam is being buffeted by rains and winds from Typhoon Mawar, the strongest storm to approach the U.S. Pacific territory in decades. Residents have stockpiled supplies, battened down windows and abandoned wood and tin homes for emergency shelters. The U.S. military has sent away ships, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration and anyone not living in a concrete house is being urged to seek safety elsewhere. Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero says the emergency declaration is “especially crucial given our distance from the continental U.S.” The storm is currently a Category 4 typhoon, but it could possibly strengthen to a Category 5.

Catholic clergy sexually abused Illinois kids far more often than church acknowledged, state finds

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois’ attorney general has released the results of a sweeping investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, saying investigators found that 451 clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950. That's far more than the 103 individuals the church had named when the state review began in 2018. At a news conference Tuesday announcing his office’s findings, Attorney General Kwame Raoul credited accusers for making the review possible. He said state investigators found that 1,997 children across the state were abused by clergy between 1950 and 2019. Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said the church has improved its policies and that it cooperated fully with the attorney general's office investigation.

South Carolina ready to renew abortion ban around 6 weeks of pregnancy after Senate vote

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Senate has approved a bill that would ban most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy, sending the bill to the governor who has promised to sign it. The proposal passed on Tuesday restores the ban South Carolina had in place when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. That ban was overturned by the state’s highest court because it violated the state Constitution’s right to privacy. Republicans have been searching for an answer to that ruling because it left abortion legal through 22 weeks of pregnancy and sharply increased the number of abortions taking place in South Carolina as most other Southern states enacted stricter laws.

Chief Justice Roberts says Supreme Court can do more on ethics, but offers no specifics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts says there is more the Supreme Court can do to “adhere to the highest standards” of ethical conduct. It's an acknowledgment that recent reporting about the justices’ ethical missteps is having an effect on public perception of the court. Speaking at a law dinner where he was honored with an award Tuesday, Roberts provided no specifics but said the justices “are continuing to look at the things we can do to give practical effect to that commitment.” He said he is “confident there are ways to do that." The court has resisted adopting an ethics code of its own. But all nine justices recently signed a statement of ethics. Roberts' remarks suggested he knows that statement is not enough to quiet critics.

As India's electrical grid strains, rural hospitals and clinics find reliable power in rooftop solar

RAICHUR, India (AP) — In the searing heat that often envelops southern India, a ceiling fan brings sweet relief for the newborn babies and their mothers at the Government Maternity Hospital in the ancient town of Raichur. But such respite wasn’t always guaranteed in a region where frequent power cuts to India’s overmatched electrical grid can last for hours. It wasn’t until Government Maternity installed rooftop solar a year ago that it could depend on constant electricity that keeps the lights on, patients and staff comfortable and vaccines and medicines safely refrigerated. Now it's one of more than 250 hospitals or clinics that is relying on the technology to ensure modern health care in remote and rural communities.

Tatum scores 34, Celtics stave off elimination by topping Heat 116-99 in Game 4

MIAMI (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each added 16 points and the Boston Celtics staved off elimination in the Eastern Conference finals by running away in the second half to beat the Miami Heat 116-99 in Game 4 on Tuesday night. Grant Williams scored 14, Al Horford added 12 and Marcus Smart scored 11 for the Celtics, who still trail the series 3-1 — but sent it back to Boston for a Game 5 on Thursday. Jimmy Butler scored 29 for Miami, which led by nine in the second half before getting outscored 48-22 in a 14-minute stretch that turned the game and perhaps the series completely around.