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Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, President Donald Trump and other top Republicans will read passages in a marathon Bible event; the U.S. military pushes for a boost in 2027 spending; and deadly domestic violence cases stir calls for more prevention resources for Black communities.

UP FIRST

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible on Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)

Trump and other top Republicans will read passages in a marathon Bible event

President Donald Trump and many of his leading Christian supporters and top Republicans are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a “return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country.” The America Reads the Bible event is slated to feature a video of Trump on Tuesday evening reading a passage that called for national repentance in ancient Israel — words that have been used prominently for decades by those promoting the belief that America has been and should be a Christian nation. Read more.

TOP STORIES

US military pushes for boost in 2027 spending on drones and air defenses used in Iran war

U.S. military officials on Tuesday called for spending tens of billions of dollars in the next budget year on drones, air defense systems and fighter jets that have been a key part of fighting the Iran war. As part of President Donald Trump’s push to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion in the 2027 budget, the Pentagon wants to triple spending on drones and related technology to more than $74 billion and invest over $30 billion into more critical munitions, including missile interceptors, whose stockpiles have become critically low during the Iran war. Read more.

Deadly domestic violence cases stir calls for more prevention resources for Black communities

Two deadly domestic violence cases, one in Louisiana and the other in Virginia targeting Black mothers, have sparked a national conversation about domestic violence prevention resources and mental health care available to Black communities. Read more.

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IN OTHER NEWS

A wildfire researcher walks in front of an accessory dwelling unit burning during an experiment at the Institute for Business & Home Safety center on Thursday in Richburg, S.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Burn to learn: As the planet warms, scientists burn homes to figure out how to best protect them in wildfires

A mother’s memoir: Her kidnapped son was killed in a Gaza tunnel. A new memoir gives a searing account of her grief

World Cup: FIFA sanctions fail to silence homophobic chant in Mexican soccer

Eldest member of the Osmonds: Alan Osmond dies after decades with multiple sclerosis

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: After facing the demise of its dominant newspaper, Pittsburgh's media has a surprising turnaround

WATCH: Come on an AP tour of the newly found location of Shakespeare’s London house

TRENDING

Meghan Ireland and her dog, Murphy, walk by one of the 750-gallon pot and column whiskey stills at the WhistlePig distillery April 6 in Shoreham, Vermont. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) 

Women take the lead in whiskey production as more female drinkers and distillers change the industry

A growing number of women are taking leading roles in the traditionally male-dominated U.S. whiskey industry. But women are not new to whiskey production. Women managed distilleries in the 1800s in Kentucky, where Catherine Carpenter recorded the first known recipe for sour mash, which is now the most common style of American whiskey.