Lawmakers spar over possible Trump third term as president leaves door open

WASHINGTON — Some Democratic senators say President Donald Trump’s recent acknowledgment of constitutional challenges to seeking a third term should end any notion that he could run again.

But some of the president’s Republican allies aren’t ruling it out. And one conservative group has begun building a road map toward a legally uncertain third term.

The 45th and 47th president, for months, has left ample wiggle room in his answers to questions about whether he might at least try seeking another four years in the White House in 2028. Earlier this year, Trump said his legal gurus were exploring ways he could do so.

But for the first time during his second term, the president sounded more definitive Wednesday. “If you read it, it’s pretty clear,” he said of the Constitution as he traveled from Japan to South Korea on Air Force One. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad, I mean, stupid. But we have a lot of great people.”

—CQ-Roll Call

Texas Supreme Court says judges can refuse to perform gay marriages

The Texas Supreme Court recently amended rules to state that judges in Texas may now refuse to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds without facing sanctions.

Gay marriage remains legal in Texas. But the rule change means that judges across Texas can now refuse to perform same-sex marriages without facing any discipline from a judicial ethics commission.

Previously, a McLennan County justice of the peace faced discipline from a state judicial ethics commission after she refused to perform gay marriages while also officiating marriages between opposite sex couples.

That justice of the peace, Dianne Hensley, has been fighting a sanction from the State Commission of Judicial Conduct in court since 2016.

—The Dallas Morning News

A mysterious Virginia Beach island may hold pirate secrets. An archeological survey is planned

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A mysterious man-made island with a possible pirate connection in Virginia Beach’s Lake Joyce has piqued the interest of a local real estate attorney who recently bought the land to preserve it.

Hayden DuBay is determined to uncover the origins of “Blackbeard’s Island,” as it is referred to in its legal description, by digging up any possible artifacts it may contain through a self-funded archeological undertaking.

But he faces an uphill battle as there are sparse clues to back up local pirate legends and healthy speculation among some historians who have yet to fully explore the island.

The Hampton Roads region has a rich pirate history. Cape Henry, at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, was known as a spot where pirates would lay in wait for merchant vessels laden with valuable cargo. Determining whether the island existed during the golden age of piracy from 1660 to 1730 is one of DuBay’s goals.

—The Virginian-Pilot

Spanish minister admits suffering caused by conquistadors in Mexico

MADRID — Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares officially acknowledged for the first time on Friday the "suffering and injustice" that Spain's conquistadors meted out to Mexico's indigenous people some five centuries ago.

"There was injustice, and it is merely right and fair to acknowledge and deplore this. It is part of our joint history. We can neither deny it nor forget it," Albares said on opening an exhibition on indigenous Mexican women in Madrid.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described Albares' statement as "the first step" in the right direction.

"This is the first time that a member of the Spanish government has given expression of regret over the injustices committed. That's important," she said during her daily press conference. Apologizing was not humiliation, but rather conferred true greatness on governments and nations, she said.

—dpa