1st AP Northwest News Minute

More US troops to head to Syria … Trump ticked at Cruz, Kasich teamup … Unfinished marathon 

HANNOVER, Germany (AP) — President Barack Obama says another 250 U.S. military personnel will head to Syria, on top of the 50 already there, to help local troops combat the Islamic State group. Obama says the special operations forces will not be leading the fight on the ground, but will be providing training and helping local forces. The announcement comes a week after the U.S. said more than 200 U.S. troops would soon be headed to Iraq to help local forces who are battling IS.

HANNOVER, Germany (AP) — President Barack Obama is crediting German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN’-geh-lah MEHR’-kuhl) for setting the tone for nations to step up and share responsibility for those fleeing violence in the Middle East. At an appearance today in Hannover, Germany, Obama said, “we can’t turn our backs on fellow human beings who are here now and need our help now.”

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign calls it “desperation” that GOP presidential rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich are teaming up to take as many delegates away from him as possible. Kasich says he’ll get out of the way and give Cruz “a clear path in Indiana.” And in return, Cruz says he’ll “clear the path” for Kasich in Oregon and New Mexico in their primaries. But Kasich and Cruz did not say what they’ll do about tomorrow’s primaries in five Northeastern states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — At stake in tomorrow’s five Democratic presidential primaries are 384 delegates. Front-runner Hillary Clinton can’t win enough delegates to officially knock Bernie Sanders out of the race, but she can erase any lingering doubts about whether she’ll soon be the Democratic nominee. Tomorrow’s primaries are in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

LONDON (AP) — A British Army officer has died while trying to complete the London Marathon. Thirty-one-year-old Capt. David Seath, an Afghanistan war veteran, was three miles short of the finish line yesterday when he collapsed at the 23-mile mark. Race organizers say he died at a hospital. Seath had been running for the charity Help For Heroes, which raises funds for wounded army members. Friends and colleagues now want to complete the marathon course for him and continue to raise money for his charity.