US hands over its last military base in Niger to the ruling junta

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US hands over its last military base in Niger to the ruling junta

2024-08-06 08:36 Last Updated At：08:41

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The U.S. handed over its last military base in Niger — one of two crucial hubs for American counterterrorism operations in the country — to local authorities, the U.S. Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of Defense announced in a joint statement on Monday.

The handing over of Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez came after the U.S. troops withdrew earlier this month from Airbase 101, a small drone base in Niger’s capital of Niamey.

U.S. troops have until Sept. 15 to leave the Sahel country following an agreement with Nigerien authorities.

There are about two dozen American soldiers who remain in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, according to Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon spokeswoman. They are located at the U.S. embassy.

In March, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials of the two countries announced in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September.

Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training.

In recent months Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, turning instead to Russia for security. In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses.

Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for the U.S. because it is forcing troops to abandon the critical base that was used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate

One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo.

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Associated Press reporter Lolita Baldor contributed from Washington.

On jury duty, David Letterman auditioned for a role he's never gotten

2024-09-17 09:27 Last Updated At：09:30

NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime host of “The Late Show with David Letterman” found himself answering questions rather than asking them when a federal judge in New York City put the entertainer through an audition of sorts on Monday for a possible role as a juror in a criminal trial.

It was the serious setting of a criminal trial over a cryptocurrency fraud when Judge P. Kevin Castel confronted the famous bearded comedian, identified in court only as “Juror 16,” with questions just as he did three dozen other potential jurors to determine who would be on a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates.

The prospective jurors had already survived a general round of questioning in which individuals are dismissed for hardship reasons, such as medical issues or jobs from which they cannot be spared. The trial is expected to last less than two weeks.

When Letterman, who stepped down from his show in 2015, made it to what could be the final round for admittance on the jury, the judge lobbed a softball: “Where do you live?”

“Hartford,” Letterman responded, proving that he couldn't make it through a single word without delivering a joke.

“No, it's a joke,” Letterman quickly let the judge know. Hartford is in Connecticut, which would have disqualified him from the jury because it is outside the area where jurors are drawn from.

“Nice try,” the judge responded, adding, “You figured you would forgo Queens,” another location outside the area covered by the Southern District of New York. Queens is located in the Eastern District of New York.

After Letterman revealed his true area of residence — Westchester County — the pair began a volley of questions and answers totaling nearly three dozen exchanges.

Along the way, the judge, lawyers and three dozen or so prospective jurors learned a lot that the world already knows about Letterman. He was born in Indianapolis, obtained a degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and has a 20-year-old son in college in Massachusetts.

Asked what he does for a living, Letterman said he was currently “working for a company called Netflix.”

“Spouse or significant other?” Castel asked.

“I've had both. Currently I just have the spouse,” Letterman responded.

Asked how he gets his news, Letterman gave a nod to the past, saying: “Every morning I used to pick up the paper off the front porch. Now, I turn on the computer and it's an aggregation of news sources from all over the United States and around the world.”

Asked what he likes to watch besides any Netflix programs he's involved with, Letterman said, “I like sports.”

“I'm happy football is here. I'm happy it's this time in the baseball season. I like motor sports. I like pretty much what most Americans watch on TV,” he said.

The judge asked him if he's an Indianapolis Colts football fan.

“Big Colts fan. 0 and 2, but still a fan,” he said, referring to the fact that the Colts have lost their first two games this season.

For hobbies, Letterman said he likes to fish, ski and be outdoors.

“Ever called as a juror?” the judge asked.

“Been called many times. Just couldn't make it happen,” Letterman answered.

“You know, this may be the charm,” Castel said, aware that Letterman had a 50-50 chance to make it onto the panel.

“It would be a pleasure,” Letterman said.

In the end, shortly before the jury was sworn in, Letterman was ejected when a prosecutor exercised what is known as a “strike,” which allows lawyers on either side to release a certain number of potential jurors from the panel for any reason at all. It was the third of four strikes exercised by prosecutors. No reason was given.