Cuomo, de Blasio join union rally ahead of key court case; NEWS BRIEFING; Staff and news services; Mexico arrests 4 police officers in disappearance of Italian men ; Car bombers kill at least 6, injure 43, Yemeni officials say; Toyota and Hyundai announce recall of 110,000 trucks, SUVs ; Buffett points to $29B boost from tax reforms; Driver flees after killing 9 kids in jeep crash in India

NEW YORK - Supporters of organized labor rallied Saturday in New York City ahead of arguments in a Supreme Court case that could make it hard for unions to operate.

"This is the place, sisters and brothers, where we make a stand today," said American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees president Lee Saunders, whose union is the defendant in the case before the court.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear a challenge to an Illinois law that allows government employee unions such as AFSCME to collect fees from workers who choose not to join. The unions said the outcome could affect more than 5 million government workers in 24 states and the District of Columbia.

The court split 4-4 the last time it considered the issue in 2016.

Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the court in April and has yet to weigh in on union fees.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats, vowed to protect unions regardless of how the Supreme Court rules.

"We will not let our city or our country be taken over by the 1 percent," said de Blasio. He said New York "is the biggest union town in America and we are proud of that."

Cuomo said workers "need the strength and solidarity of the labor movement more now than ever."

He pledged that "as long as I am governor of the state of New York, the state of New York is going to have the back of organized labor."

Mexico arrests 4 police officers in disappearance of Italian men

MEXICO CITY - Four municipal police officers were arrested Saturday in the disappearance of three Italian men last heard from more than three weeks ago in western Mexico, and authorities said the agents apparently handed the men over to a criminal gang.

Jalisco state Attorney General Raul Sanchez said at a news conference that the suspects, three men and a woman, all active-duty police officers in Tecalitlan, "confessed" to delivering the Italians to members of an organized crime group operating in the town.

Authorities were still investigating why.

Sanchez did not name the crime group, but the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel is dominant in the area.

The officers are suspected of forced disappearance, a crime punishable by 40 to 60 years in prison, Sanchez said.

Car bombers kill at least 6, injure 43, Yemeni officials say

SANAA, Yemen - Two car bomb explosions killed at least six people and wounded 43 others including civilians Saturday in Yemen's southern city of Aden, security officials and witnesses said, in an attack later claimed by the extremist Islamic State group.

The explosions targeted the site of an anti-terrorism military camp with detention facilities , the officials said.

The Islamic State's statement said the attackers had struck the camp in Aden.

Aden has been the seat of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government since 2014, when Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, seized the capital Sanaa and forced him into self-exile. A Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.

Toyota and Hyundai announce recall of 110,000 trucks, SUVs

NEW YORK - Toyota and Hyundai have recalled roughly a combined 110,000 trucks and SUVs, including the 2018 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, and the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport.

In its recall announced Saturday, Hyundai said some of Santa Fe vehicles are at risk for the steering wheel breaking away from the steering column. Roughly 43,900 vehicles are included in Hyundai's recall.

Toyota recalled roughly 64,900 Tundras and Sequoias, saying these vehicles are at risk for having their electronic stability control systems shutting down unexpectedly.

Both car makers will notify affected owners of the recalled vehicles in March, and if necessary, will repair the vehicles at no cost.

For more information, visit www.safercar.gov.

Buffett points to $29B boost from tax reforms

OMAHA, Neb. - Investor Warren Buffett mixed investment advice with details of how Berkshire's many businesses performed in his annual letter to shareholders Saturday. Buffett blamed his recent acquisition drought on ambitious CEOs who have been encouraged to take on debt to finance pricey deals.

Buffett is sitting on $116 billion of cash and bonds because he's struggled to find acquisitions at sensible prices. "We will stick with our simple guideline: The less the prudence with which others conduct their affairs, the greater the prudence with which we must conduct our own."

He said the conglomerate recorded a $29 billion paper gain because of the tax reforms Congress passed late last year. That helped it generate $44.9 billion profit last year, up from $24.1 billion the previous year.

Driver flees after killing 9 kids in jeep crash in India

PATNA, India - A speeding vehicle plowed through a group of schoolchildren crossing a road in eastern India on Saturday, killing nine and injuring 10 of them.

The jeep first hit and injured two adult female pedestrians. While trying to escape from the spot, it hit the children, who were leaving their school on the outskirts of Muzzafarpur, a town in Bihar state, said Officer Vivek Kumar.

Police are looking for the jeep driver, who sped away after the accident, he said.

Kumar said the injured children and women were taken to a nearby hospital, some of them in critical condition.

More than 110,000 people are killed annually on India's roads. Most crashes are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

A U.S. Navy sailor died Saturday after he was struck by a helicopter blade Wednesday at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base, north of San Diego. The Marine Corps said the sailor, assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was hit by the spinning tail rotor of a Venom helicopter, which was on the ground.

The death toll in a pair of explosions Friday in Somalia's capital has risen to 21, authorities said Saturday. Two car bomb blasts shattered a monthslong period of calm in Mogadishu, which is often the target of attacks by the al-Shabab extremist group. The Somalia-based group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Caption: Israeli protest: Thousands of asylum seekers - nearly all from dictatorial Eritrea and war-torn Sudan - protest Saturday in Tel Aviv against an Israeli plan to deport them. Israel has given the migrants until April 1 to leave the country for an unnamed African destination in exchange for $3,500 and a plane ticket, or they will be incarcerated.

Ariel Schalit/AP