AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EDT

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.”

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.

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.

Gaza peace talks enter their second day 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 triggered the bloody conflict 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.

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.

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.

Trump expresses ambivalence toward the future of US-Mexico-Canada trade deal as he meets with Carney

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was open to extending the free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada through a renegotiation or seeking “different deals” as he met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House.

Carney made his second visit to the Oval Office ahead of next year’s review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and as one of the world’s most durable and amicable alliances has been fractured by Trump’s trade war and annexation threats.

The free trade agreement was enacted during Trump’s first term, and it allows the majority of Canadian and Mexican goods to be shipped to the U.S. without tariffs. But Trump has made it clear since returning to office that he wants to reshape the relationship, and he expressed ambivalence over the process as long as he feels like he’s able to improve America’s position.

“We could renegotiate it, and that would be good, or we can just do different deals,” he said. “We’re allowed to do different deals if we want. We might make deals that are better for the individual countries."

The remarks suggested that Trump is willing to let uncertainty over the agreement’s future linger.

Priscilla nears major hurricane status in Pacific as new tropical storm swirls in the Atlantic

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Priscilla neared Category 3 status on Tuesday in the Pacific as a new tropical storm formed and then strengthened in the Atlantic, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Just off the west coast of Mexico, Priscilla was spinning with maximum sustained winds around 110 mph (175 kph) and moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). It was centered Tuesday afternoon about 330 miles (525 kilometers) west of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, and about 215 miles (345 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, forecasters said.

On Tuesday, outer bands of the hurricane were already extending across the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.

Meanwhile in the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Jerry formed Tuesday with maximum sustained winds rising to 50 mph (85 kph) by the afternoon. It was centered about 1,190 miles (1,920 kilometers) east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands while traveling to the west at 23 mph (37 kph).

Forecasters said Jerry is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in another day or two. Swells from Jerry were expected Thursday to reach the Leeward Islands with the core of the storm moving near or north of the northern Leeward Islands late Thursday and Friday.

Truck driver sues Mark Sanchez and Fox after violent fight over parking space

A 69-year-old truck driver who was seriously injured in a fight that prosecutors say was started by former NFL quarterback and sports analyst Mark Sanchez is suing Sanchez and his employer, Fox Corporation, in Indiana state court.

Lawyers for Perry Tole filed the lawsuit Monday seeking an unspecified amount in actual and punitive damages, as well as attorney's fees. The lawsuit accuses Sanchez of instigating a fight with Tole Saturday night outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel, leading to “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function” and other injuries and emotional distress.

Tole also stabbed Sanchez several times in the fight, according to police. A picture of Tole circulating online shows him in a neck brace on a hospital bed, covered in blood with a deep slash to the side of his face.

In an email, Fox Sports declined to comment on the lawsuit. Attorneys representing Sanchez in his criminal case also declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Attorneys representing Tole in the lawsuit, which requested a jury trial, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

US stocks snap a 7-day winning streak as gold’s price tops $4,000 per ounce

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s record-breaking rally ran out of momentum on Tuesday after the price of gold topped $4,000 per ounce for the first time.

The S&P 500 dipped 0.4% from its latest all-time high and broke a seven-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 91 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7%.

Stocks took a pause following a nearly relentless rush higher since April on hopes that the economy will remain resilient and that the Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates.

Tesla was the heaviest weight on the market and dropped 4.4% after unveiling cheaper versions of two of its electric car models. The stock gave back most of its leap from the prior day, when speculation and hype built after Tesla hinted at a coming product announcement.

Oracle also helped drag the market lower. It fell 2.5% after a news report suggested it’s making thin profit margins on a key line of business related to artificial-intelligence technology.