The Manhattan district attorney investigating Donald Trump has rebuffed House Republicans’ request to turn over documents. The office called the effort an “unprecedented inquiry” into an ongoing probe. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the general counsel for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg admonished the congressional requests as “an unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.” The response from Bragg’s office comes days after the Republican chairmen of three House committees sent a letter to him, seeking information about his actions in the Trump case, which they characterized as an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, whose half-century reign makes her Europe’s longest-serving monarch, is expected to resume most of her official duties on her 83rd birthday next month, the palace said Thursday.

The African Union is appealing for nearly $90 million for its peacekeeping force in Somalia as it provides support to the country's military forces battling al-Shabab extremists. The AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, says the more than 19,600-strong AU force won’t be able to function properly and help the Somalis unless that funding gap is filled. The AU force is supposed to hand over full responsibility for Somalia's security to its military at the end of 2024. Adeoye says that if the AU force doesn’t have sufficient funds to operate effectively before the handover, “it may mean that al-Shabab will eventually take over the responsibilities of a state in Somalia.”

The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to hear most of Republican Kari Lake’s appeal in a challenge of her defeat in the governor’s race, but revived a claim that was dismissed by a trial court. The state’s highest court said a lower-court had erroneously dismissed Lake’s claim challenging the application of signature verification procedures on early ballots in Maricopa County. The court sent the claim back to a trial court to consider. Lake, who lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes, was among the most vocal 2022 Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trump’s election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign.

A lawyer for one of the former Proud Boys leaders charged with seditious conspiracy says federal prosecutors have revealed that a defense witness was secretly acting as a government informant for nearly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Defense attorney Carmen Hernandez on Wednesday asked a judge to schedule an emergency hearing so the defense can learn more about the prosecutors' use of the informant. The judge ordered prosecutors to file a response to the defense filing by Thursday afternoon and scheduled a hearing for the same day, putting testimony in the case on hold until Friday. The U.S. attorney’s office did not immediately comment on the filing.

Proposals in several states would allow or require schools to deadname transgender students or out them to their parents without consent. Transgender kids and their families say the proposals could eliminate K-12 public schools as one of the last remaining havens to explore their identities. The stated aim of the bills is to give parents greater control over their childrens' education. Some parents and teachers argue they have a right to know. But others warn the proposals could jeopardize children's health and safety. And some teachers say the reporting requirements force educators to betray the trust of their students or risk losing their job.

Actress Lindsay Lohan, rapper Akon and several other celebrities have agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to settle claims they promoted crypto investments to their millions of social media followers without disclosing they were being paid to do so. Lohan, Akon, recording artists Ne-Yo, and Lil Yachty, boxer and internet personality Jake Paul, and adult film performer Michele Mason, all agreed to pay more than $400,000 combined to settle the claims. That's according to the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday. Two others, rapper Soulja Boy and pop singer Austin Mahone, did not reach a settlement. The SEC claims the celebrities were paid to promote Tronix and BitTorrent, crypto asset securities that were illegally offered for sale.