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Former Vice President Mike Pence has launched a new advocacy group as he and other Trump administration officials look to boost their post-White House plans. Pence’s group, Advancing American Freedom, will serve as a counterpoint to President Joe Biden's agenda — as well as a potential springboard for Pence's own presidential campaign. It's one of several groups launched in recent weeks by former Trump aides who are hoping to capitalize on the former president's continued popularity with the Republican base. They include former senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, who has created a new legal group that aims to be an American Civil Liberties Union for conservatives. 

Jon Rahm arrived at the Masters on Wednesday, after not sleeping much or touching a club for the past few days. Such is life for a first-time father. Rahm and his wife, Kelley, welcomed their son on Friday and it’s been a predictable whirlwind ever since for the world’s No. 3 player. Rahm had said he would leave the Masters if that was when the baby decided to arrive. The baby named Kepa is healthy. Rahm’s wife is healthy. And now, Rahm is ready to go at Augusta National.

The face mask that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been required to wear during his trial in George Floyd’s death has hidden his reaction to testimony. That includes any sympathy or remorse that legal experts say can make a difference to jurors. Instead, Chauvin's impassive expression at the scene has become an enduring image throughout the trial. The teenager who captured it on a cellphone camera described it as “cold” and “heartless.” Legal experts say the image presents a problem for Chauvin’s defense because it could  influence how jurors feel about the former officer.

Jurors in the trial of a Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death are hearing from investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It's an agency that could be seen as the state’s equivalent of the FBI. The BCA has come under fire for its investigations of other police-involved deaths, especially the case of a Minneapolis officer who shot and killed an unarmed Australian woman in 2017. It has kept a lower public profile while leading the investigation into the roles of Derek Chauvin and three other fired officers in the death of Floyd in May of 2020.

Dustin Johnson didn’t feel like his Masters victory was less significant last fall because no fans were at Augusta National to see his win and celebrate with him. That said, he pays them the ultimate compliment: In his eyes, they make the Masters what it is. Welcome back, patrons. Welcome back, Masters in the springtime. Welcome back, all the things at Augusta National that bloom this time of year and provide the backdrop for perhaps the most picturesque locale in golf. There are new rules. Masks must be worn, social distancing policies apply and there’s no eating or drinking around the roped-off spots closest to the greens. But after a one-year pandemic-caused absence, fans are back at the Masters.

The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks say 25 members of the organization have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 21 players. The team was shut down last week, and it’s uncertain when it will play its next game. In a statement attributed to team doctor Jim Bovard and infectious disease doctor Josh Douglas, the Canucks say the COVID-19 cases stem from a variant of the virus that was traced back to one individual contracting it in a public setting. Four staff members also tested positive for the virus and another player is considered a close contact. The entire team remains in quarantine. 

The family of celebrity zookeeper and TV show host Jack Hanna said he's been diagnosed with dementia and will retire from public life. In a news release Wednesday, his family said it’s believed he now has Alzheimer’s disease that has progressed quickly in the last few months. The 74-year-old Hanna was director of the Columbus Zoo from 1978 to 1992 and still serves as its director emeritus. Hanna is also well-known for his live animal demonstrations on late-night talk shows, as well as his own syndicated television shows. His entertainment work boosted the profile of the Ohio zoo, leading to massive attendance increases over the years. 

NEW YORK (AP) — What happened to Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2020, like so many philanthropic campaigns during the pandemic, was no laughing matter. Back in February of last year, Alison Moore, the CEO of Comic Relief U.S., had…

PARIS (AP) — French children, parents and teachers are battling with internet connection problems across the country after an abrupt nationwide switch to online learning saturated networks and embarrassed the government. Paris prosecutors opened an investigation Wednesday into possible hacking…

Middle-distance runner Kameron Jones’ contributions to Clemson's track program might not be measured through his times as much as his actions in trying to keep the men’s team from being eliminated. The graduate transfer and his teammates were informed in November that a program sponsored more than 67 years ago would be shuttered after this season for financial reasons. Also being eliminated is the cross country team. This is yet another loss of a college sports program that helped fill the Olympic pipeline. At least 85 sports have been eliminated by schools since the coronavirus pandemic hit a year ago. 

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — President Paul Kagame of Rwanda on Wednesday praised a new French report documenting France's role in the 1994 genocide as “a good thing,” welcoming efforts in Paris to “move forward with a good understanding of what…

LONDON (AP) — Riders for the app-based meal delivery platform Deliveroo held a strike in London Wednesday over pay and working conditions, part of a broader backlash against one of the U.K.'s biggest gig economy companies. Scooter and bicycle delivery…

Grammy award-winning musician Pharrell Williams has called for a federal investigation into the fatal police shooting of his cousin along the Virginia coast. Williams made the call on Instagram Monday after speaking at his cousin’s funeral in Virginia Beach. Williams grew up in the city. He said there were too many unanswered questions. His cousin, Donovon Lynch, was killed March 27 along the city’s popular oceanfront strip. Police said Lynch had a handgun and that it was recovered from the scene. But the officer’s body camera had not been activated. The officer who killed Lynch was also Black. Virginia State Police is investigating the shooting.   

The sheriff for Los Angeles County plans to announce what caused golf icon Tiger Woods to crash an SUV in Southern California earlier this year. He was seriously injured in the wreck. Sheriff Alex Villanueva had previously said detectives had determined the cause of the crash but he would not release it, citing privacy concerns and a purported need for Woods’ permission to divulge information. It was not immediately clear whether Woods had any involvement in the announcement expected Wednesday. Woods previously named his yacht Privacy. Villanueva's office says in a statement that he'll talk about the crash and what caused it during a news conference.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's top academic has expressed concern at government plans to form a new major state scientific institution, amid fears that the move might threaten academic independence by strengthening political control over research. The governing right-wing Law…

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Kits for self-administered coronavirus tests began arriving in Greek pharmacies Wednesday, with residents entitled to one a week free of charge as part of efforts to tackle a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Priority for…

HELSINKI (AP) — Bad weather conditions have postponed efforts to salvage a Dutch cargo ship that's been drifting off the coast of Norway for two days after its crew was evacuated, Norwegian maritime officials said Wednesday. Norwegian and Dutch salvage…

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Security forces on Wednesday stormed a town in northwestern Myanmar where some residents had used homemade hunting rifles to resist the military's February seizure of power, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring many others, local…

Japan’s Osaka prefecture has issued a special warning that a rapid surge in coronavirus cases is placing medical systems in the region at the verge of collapse and requested the cancellation of the Olympic torch relay along all public roads in the prefecture. Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura declared a “medial emergency” in the western Japanese prefecture, where daily cases have reached new highs, and asked hospitals to urgently prepare additional beds. Yoshimura, who previously asked for a cancellation of the torch relay only in Osaka city, said all segments on public roads should be canceled. The Osaka leg of the Olympic torch run is scheduled for April 13-14. 

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech Prime Minster Andrej Babis fired his health minister on Wednesday, the third to have been ousted during the pandemic in one of Europe's hardest-hit countries. Jan Blatny was replaced by Petr Arenberger, the director of Prague’s…