WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threw his weight behind his daughter’s latest White House effort Thursday, backing her initiative to provide an economic boost to women in the developing world.

The president on Thursday launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, a governmentwide project led by senior adviser Ivanka Trump. The initiative involves the State Department, the National Security Council and other agencies. It aims to coordinate current programs and develop new ones to assist women in areas such as job training, financial support, and legal or regulatory reforms.

The initiative aims to help 50 million women in the developing world get ahead economically over the next six years. It will draw on public and private resources, with the U.S. Agency for International Development initially setting up a $50 million fund.

Trump has twice tried unsuccessfully to slash USAID’s budget by a third, and his “America first” foreign policy has sought to limit the United States’ role as an international leader. But his daughter said that the women’s initiative was in keeping with administration goals, arguing it was a strategic investment that promoted security.

The initiative builds on previous White House efforts to help women internationally. The Obama administration established an Office of Global Women’s Issues at the State Department and established an ambassador-at-large for global women’s Issues.

That position has been vacant since Trump took office but the White House said it now has a candidate lined up for the job.

Nuns urge changes to church structure to address abuse

VATICAN CITY — The largest association of religious sisters in the United States called Thursday for an overhaul of the male-led leadership structure of the Catholic Church, after Pope Francis publicly acknowledged this week the problem of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious also appealed in a statement for reporting guidelines to be established so abused nuns “are met with compassion and are offered safety.”

The pope’s comments were the first public acknowledgement by a pope of a long-simmering scandal that is erupting at the same time that the Catholic hierarchy is under siege for its decades-long cover-up of the sexual abuse of minors.

The LCWR, based in Silver Spring, Md., represents about 80 percent of Catholic sisters in the U.S.

Justices stop La. from enforcing new limits on abortion clinics

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court stopped Louisiana from enforcing new regulations on abortion clinics in a test of the conservative court's views on abortion rights.

The justices said by a 5-4 vote late Thursday that they will not allow the state to put into effect a law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in putting a hold on the law, pending a full review of the case. President Donald Trump's two appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were among the four conservatives who would have allowed the law to take effect.

The law is similar to a Texas measure the justices struck down three years ago. Roberts dissented in that case.

Ex-Rep. Dingell, longest-serving member of Congress, dies at 92

DETROIT — Former Michigan Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history, died Thursday in Dearborn, Mich. He was 92.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said her husband died at home.

Dingell was dubbed “Big John” for his 6-foot-3 frame and sometimes intimidating manner. The Democrat was a master of legislative deal-making and a staunch advocate for the U.S. auto industry.

Among the landmark laws he supported were Medicare, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act.

Dingell was first elected in 1955, to fill the House seat vacated by his late father. The family tradition continued when his wife was elected to replace him in his Detroit-area district after he retired in 2014.

U.S. officials to visit Mideast to push peace plan

WASHINGTON — White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and other administration officials are headed to the Middle East this month to brief regional diplomats on the economic section of a proposal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Kushner will be joined by Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt, envoy on Iran Brian Hook and other U.S. officials who have worked on the economic part of the plan. Stops are confirmed in Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The plan proposes economic development for Palestinians such as major infrastructure and industrial work, particularly in Gaza. For the plan to even advance, it will need an initial buy-in from Israel and the Palestinians as well as the Gulf Arab states, which officials say will be asked to largely bankroll the economic portion.

Senate panel OKs nominee for attorney general post

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee approved William Barr’s nomination for attorney general along party lines Thursday, with Republicans praising his credentials and Democrats questioning how transparent he’ll be once special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation concludes.

The vote heads to the full Senate, where Barr is expected to be confirmed in a vote as soon as next week. Barr, who previously served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993, would succeed acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, who took over for the ousted Jeff Sessions .

As the country’s chief law enforcement officer, Barr would oversee the remaining work in Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

In Iran: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pardoned a “large number” of prisoners in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, state TV reported Thursday.

The report did not say how many were released, but previous reports suggested it would apply to some 50,000 people.

Saudi censure: Legislation to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and its role in the conflict in Yemen was introduced Thursday by a bipartisan group of senators who said the Trump administration failed to hold a key ally to account. The bill would prohibit some arms sales to Saudi Arabia.