AP National

Associated Press McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Texas is widening investigations into aid organizations along the U.S.-Mexico border over claims that nonprofits are helping migrants illegally enter the country. A judge in El Paso this week accused the state of harassment after Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tried shuttering a shelter in the border city.

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Replay of an interview with President Joe Biden; U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio; Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. ___ CNN’s

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico has made his first public appearance since he was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, attacking his liberal political opponents and praising his Hungarian counterpart. Fico has been recovering at home from multiple wounds he suffered in the May 15 attack when he was shot

TABERNACLE, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving forest fire has burned several hundred acres in southern New Jersey. The blaze in the Wharton State Forest was reported early Friday. Officials believe it began in the area of the Batona Campground in Tabernacle, which was evacuated as a precaution. No injuries have been reported, but authorities say

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An animal rescue center says a dehydrated coyote pup rescued by California firefighters has died. A spokesperson for the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA said Friday the pup was about 6 weeks old. Photos on social media of the July 4 rescue show a big-eared pup bundled up in material and

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Joe Biden has canceled a planned speech in Philadelphia at the annual conference of the National Education Association after the union’s staff announced a strike. It set up picket lines Friday around the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia. Biden had planned to speak Sunday, but his campaign says the

Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Police say two people were killed and three others injured in Independence Day violence in a Southern California beach city. A city spokeswoman says Friday that police arrested a 26-year-old Huntington Beach resident on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Authorities say they found the victims when they

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades and advanced plans to build thousands of new settlement homes, according to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group. They are the latest steps by Israel’s hard-line government meant to cement Israel’s control

Associated Press Rail cars carrying hazardous material have derailed and burst into flames in a remote area of North Dakota. Emergency officials say no one was hurt in Friday’s derailment. They also say the threat to those living nearby appears to be minimal. Twenty-nine cars of a CPKC train derailed around 3:45 a.m. Cars were

AP Tennis Writer LONDON (AP) — Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has come back to eliminate Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 to reach the fourth round. The third-seeded Alcaraz was outplayed for stretches by No. 29 Tiafoe on Friday but improved to 12-1 for his career in fifth sets. Tiafoe fell to

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is highlighting the importance of its political independence at a time when Donald Trump, who frequently attacked the Fed’s policymaking in the past, edges closer to formally becoming the Republican nominee for president. On Friday, the Fed released its twice-yearly report on its interest-rate policies, a

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that officials can place ballot drop boxes around their communities in this fall’s elections, overturning its own ruling two years ago limiting their use in the presidential swing state. The court limited the use of drop boxes in July 2022, ruling then that

Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Nashville judge has ruled that the writings of the person who killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville last year cannot be released to the public. Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles ruled Thursday that The Covenant School children and parents hold

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A court in Romania’s capital has ruled that social media influencer Andrew Tate can leave Romania but must remain within the European Union as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The Bucharest Tribunal’s decision Friday to allow

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — After a few hours of sleep to shake off a night of celebration and an audience with the king, Keir Starmer stepped through the front door of 10 Downing St. for the first time as prime minister on Friday. When he did, he entered the alternate reality of a man

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — Authorities say shark attacks have disrupted Fourth of July celebrations at Texas’ South Padre Island. Two people were taken to the hospital with bites, at least one of them severe. City official Nikki Soto says police were called for the attack on the man who was severely bitten around

Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO leaders plan to pledge to keep pouring arms and ammunition into Ukraine at current levels for at least another year. U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts will make the pledge at a summit in Washington next week. They hope to reassure war-ravaged Ukraine of ongoing support and show

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has its first change in government in 14 years after the Labour Party won a landslide victory early Friday in a general election that saw the Conservative Party suffer its biggest defeat ever. The new government faces huge challenges, including fixing the country’s sluggish economic and social malaise

Associated Press ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Friday excommunicated its former ambassador to Washington after finding him guilty of schism, an inevitable outcome for Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. The conservative had became one of Pope Francis ‘ most ardent critics and a symbol of the polarized Catholic Church in the United States and beyond.

Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis will preside over an interfaith meeting in a mosque in the world’s largest predominantly Muslim country during a four-nation Asian visit in September. The Vatican released the itinerary Friday for Francis’ Sept. 2-13 trip that will be the longest and most complicated foreign trip of his pontificate. He’ll

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Rishi Sunak’s campaign to remain Britain’s prime minister showed a lack of political touch. The Conservative Party’s problems were grave before Friday’s resounding election defeat but missteps by Britain’s richest prime minister contributed to its defeat. Predecessors such as Tony Blair and Boris Johnson were more politically astute and able

PARIS (AP) — Candidates in France’s pivotal and polarizing legislative elections were making their last pushes on Friday for the second and decisive round of voting after a three-week campaign marked by hate speech, verbal abuse and physical attacks. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said his ministry has registered 51 verbal and physical attacks against

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — New fighting has broken out in northeastern Myanmar, bringing an end to a Chinese-brokered cease-fire and putting pressure on the military regime as it faces attacks from resistance forces on multiple fronts in the country’s civil war. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, one of three powerful militias that launched a

Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has visited Moscow for a rare meeting by a European leader with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed peace proposals for Ukraine. The visit Friday triggered condemnation from Kyiv and some European officials that he had no mandate for discussions beyond bilateral relations. The visit

Associated Press ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan, a young and newly minted member of Mongolia’s parliament, is unhappy with below-cost electricity rates that she says show her country has yet to fully shake off its socialist past. Most of Mongolia’s power plants date from the Soviet era and outages are common in some areas.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a roadside bomb planted on a bridge has struck a rickshaw in northwest Pakistan, killing at least three people. Police say seven other people were wounded in Friday’s attack in Mardan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Such attacks previously have been

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The German government has announced an agreement on its budget for 2025 and a stimulus package for Europe’s largest economy, easing a monthslong squabble that threatened to upend Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left coalition. Scholz, a Social Democrat, and leaders of the Free Democrats and Greens agreed on the budget early

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Separate Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people Friday in central Gaza, including two children at a home and at least one United Nations worker, Palestinian hospital officials and first responders said, even as stalled cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas show signs of renewed momentum. Four

Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A former Philippine opposition senator has accused ex-President Rodrigo Duterte of plundering state coffers in a criminal complaint. Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV alleged that Duterte conspired with an aide to award government infrastructure contracts worth millions of dollars to cronies. The accusation, filed with the Department of Justice

Associated Press After advancing further than ever in World Cup qualifying, the Palestinian soccer team is determined to host a game for a change. The football association has proposed playing games in the third stage of its Asian qualification campaign in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and already has support from a number of its opponents,

Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Zimbabwe, talk therapy involving park benches and a network of grandmothers has become a saving grace for people with mental health issues. Now the concept is being adopted in parts of the United States and elsewhere. Zimbabwe has scarce clinical mental health resources. The Friendship Bench was started

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — For someone often derided as dull, Keir Starmer has delivered a sensational election result. Starmer led Britain’s Labour Party to a landslide election victory, and on Friday became the country’s 58th prime minister — the first leader from the center-left party to win a U.K. national election since Tony Blair,

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to more records Friday after a highly anticipated report on the job market bolstered Wall Street’s hopes that interest rates may soon get easier. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to set an all-time high for a third straight day following Thursday’s pause in trading for

Associated Press MONUMENT VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — It’s as if the sky opened up and dropped everything it had in a matter of minutes. Giant raindrops combined with hail to transform an otherwise toasty summer day into a white wintry scene, at least for a few minutes. Then it all turned to red mud. That’s

Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Organizers of an effort to scale back Arkansas’ abortion ban said they have more than enough signatures to try to put their proposal before voters in November’s election. Arkansans for Limited Government submitted petitions said they turned in more than the 90,704 signatures from registered voters needed to

Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — In parts of Afghanistan where there are no street names or house numbers, utility companies and their customers have adopted a creative approach for connecting. They use mosques as drop points for bills and cash, a “pay and pray” system. Now the national postal service wants to phase this

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran held a runoff presidential election on Friday that pitted a hard-line former nuclear negotiator against a reformist lawmaker after the first round of voting saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Initial results early Saturday put reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of hard-liner Saeed

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, says he will lead a “government of service” on a mission of national renewal. The comment came in Starmer’s first official remarks after his Labour Party swept to power in a landslide victory after more than a decade in opposition. Starmer led his party

Associated Press TULUM, Mexico (AP) — Beryl moved into the the Gulf of Mexico Friday and took aim at the south Texas coast after battering Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Texas officials issued disaster declarations and urge coastal residents to prepare as the storm headed their way. Beryl hit Tulum as a Category 2 hurricane and toppled

Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Prominent activist Joshua Wong has asked for a lesser sentence in court after he earlier pleaded guilty in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case. Wong was one of 47 activists charged in 2021 under a Beijing-imposed security law for their involvement in an unofficial primary. The charges alleged they

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — The indictment of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for money laundering and criminal association in connection with undeclared diamonds from Saudi Arabia marked the far-right leader’s second formal accusation, with more potentially in store. The indictment on Thursday by Federal Police, confirmed by two officials with knowledge of the

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers delivered another healthy month of hiring in June, adding 206,000 jobs and once again displaying the U.S. economy’s ability to withstand high interest rates. Last month’s job growth did mark a pullback from 218,000 in May. But it was still a solid gain, reflecting the resilience of

Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. and partners say more migrants and refugees in Africa are heading north toward the Mediterranean and Europe, crossing dangerous land routes in the Sahara where criminal gangs roam subject them to enslavement, organ removal, rape, kidnapping for ransom and other abuses. A report from the U.N. refugee and

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court says a man who stabbed the country’s opposition leader in the neck earlier this year has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The man attacked Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung in January after approaching him asking for his autograph at an event in

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s housing minister says the country will drastically ease restrictions on land use in a bid to “flood the market” with land for homes and override the powers of local councils to curb development. Chris Bishop said the new measures would require local councils to make enough

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo elects a new governor this weekend, but residents say personal publicity stunts have overtaken serious campaigning to a degree never seen before, with nearly nude women in suggestive poses, pets, an AI character and a man practicing his golf swing. It’s impossible to ignore. With internet campaigning still relatively

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s second largest party withdrew from the government Thursday to join its longtime rival in a new coalition, as pressure builds on the prime minister to resign. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) announced it was withdrawing support for Dahal and all their ministers resigned. Leaders of the Communist

Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Vast swathes of Indonesia’s old-growth forests are left undeveloped for years after they’re felled. And when the land is finally put to use, it’s most often for new palm oil plantations. That’s according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. But some experts —

Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — The Peruvian Congress has approved a law establishing a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002, a decision that human rights organizations have warned could encourage impunity and thwart investigations into serious abuses. It could also benefit figures including former president Alberto Fujimori and retired military

Associated Press SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has offered a forceful defense of embattled President Joe Biden. The governor told Democrats at an Independence Day picnic in Michigan Thursday that the 81-year-old president has the record and energy to win a second term despite widespread doubts about his ability to govern

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro for money laundering and criminal association in connection with undeclared diamonds the far-right leader received from Saudi Arabia during his time in office, according to a source with knowledge of the accusations. A second source confirmed the indictment, although not

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Officials say thousands of people evacuated during a Northern California wildfire have been allowed to return home. A spokesperson for Butte County says the vast majority of people were able to go home Thursday afternoon. The Thompson Fire near the city of Oroville has stayed roughly the same size since Wednesday

Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The City of New Orleans on Thursday officially welcomed thousands of people descending on the Big Easy for the Essence Festival of Culture. The celebration has been around for three decades — no easy feat, Essence CEO Caroline Wanga said Thursday during a news conference at Gallier Hall to

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s incoming president has announced her appointees for top posts, but hopes for a fresh approach were dashed by the re-appearance of old faces in the new cabinet. President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum announced Thursday that Rosa Icela Rodríguez, who headed outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s failed security strategy, will serve as

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — An armed person who was making unspecified threats at Yellowstone National Park died and a park ranger was hospitalized following an exchange of gunfire Thursday, authorities said. The shooting happened at Canyon Village, an area in the central part of the park that has a campground, lodging and visitor

AP Tennis Writer LONDON (AP) — The good news, Novak Djokovic said, was that his surgically repaired right knee was pain-free at Wimbledon on Thursday. The bad news, he knows, is that his movement, such a big part of his success, was not yet back to normal during a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 victory in

AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus Group, which owns Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores, for $2.65 billion, with online behemoth Amazon holding a minority stake. The new entity would be called Saks Global, which will comprise

PARIS (AP) — Authorities in France say a film director accused of sexual assault and violent, controlling behavior has been handed preliminary charges of rape, sexual assault and violence by a judge investigating the case. Benoît Jacquot has more than 50 director credits in film and television. He has become one of the most prominent

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday opened a critical stretch in his effort to salvage his imperiled reelection campaign, facing a growing sense that he may have just days to make a persuasive case that he is fit for office before Democratic support for him completely evaporates. In the aftermath of