Israel strikes high-rise building and threatens to hit more in Gaza City offensive
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has struck a high-rise building in Gaza City after warning residents to evacuate. Strikes elsewhere in Gaza City killed at least 27 people, health officials said. The military accuses Hamas of using high-rises for surveillance and plans more targeted strikes. Israel has declared Gaza City a combat zone, sparking protests among Israelis worried about hostages. Hamas released a video of two hostages pleading for an end to the war. Israel's offensive has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Judge blocks Trump administration's ending of legal protections for 1.1M Venezuelans and Haitians
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal protections that have granted more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela the right to live and work in the United States. The ruling Friday by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco for the plaintiffs means 600,000 Venezuelans whose temporary protections expired in April or whose protections were about to expire Sept. 10 have status to stay and work in the United States. It also keeps protections for about 500,000 Haitians. Chen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s actions in terminating and vacating three extensions granted by the previous administration exceeded her statutory authority and were arbitrary and capricious.
AP reporting calls into question why and how Israel attacked a Gaza hospital
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Associated Press reporting into an Israeli attack that killed 22 people at a Gaza Strip hospital, including five journalists, raises questions about Israel’s rationale for the attack and the way it was carried out. Among those killed was Mariam Dagga, who worked for AP and other news organizations. The military struck a position known as a journalists’ gathering point, based on its conclusion that a camera was being used by Hamas to observe Israeli forces nearby because it had a towel draped over it, along with other unspecified intelligence. AP has gathered new evidence indicating the camera in question actually belonged to a Reuters video journalist who routinely covered his equipment with a white cloth to protect it from the sun.
Trump executive order aims to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War. He criticized the previous name as “woke” and said the new name is “more appropriate.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, now referred to as the “secretary of war,” emphasized a shift to “maximum lethality.” The change requires congressional approval, but Trump plans limited rebranding efforts to save money. This move is part of a broader effort to reshape the U.S. military and challenge progressive ideology. Supporters in Congress are proposing legislation to formalize the name change.
Trump says US will host next year’s G20 summit at his Florida golf club but he won't make money
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the U.S. will host next year’s Group of 20 summit at his golf club in southern Florida. In his first term, Trump tried to host a separate global summit at the club, located in Doral, but backed down after criticism from his own party about the propriety of doing so. On Friday, though, Trump argued it was “the best location” for the high-stakes international gathering and insisted his family’s business “will not make any money on it.” The president has nonetheless prided himself in blurring the line between domestic and global policy and generating profits for the Trump brand.
US hiring stalls with employers reluctant to expand in an economy grown increasingly erratic
WASHINGTON (AP) — The American job market, a pillar of U.S. economic strength since the pandemic, is crumbling under the weight of President Donald Trump’s erratic economic policies. Uncertain about where things are headed, companies are reluctant to hire, leaving agonized jobseekers unable to find work and worrying the consumers (70% of U.S. economic activity) whose spending has driven impressive growth for the world’s biggest economy since the COVID-19 disruptions of 2020. The Labor Department reported Friday that U.S. employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — added just 22,000 jobs last month, down from a 79,000 in July and well below the 80,000 that economists had expected. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3% last month, the highest since 2021.
Putin says foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be legitimate targets
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, particularly while its invasion is still ongoing, would be considered “legitimate targets” by Moscow's forces. Putin's comments on Friday came hours after European leaders repledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force. Putin said that “we assume that they will be legitimate targets” if any foreign troops are deployed to Ukraine “especially now while fighting is ongoing.” Putin made the remarks at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. Putin also dismissed the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after any final peace deal.
Homeland security official says 475 people were detained during an immigration raid in Georgia
ELLABELL, Ga. (AP) — U.S. immigration officials say some 475 people were detained during an immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large,” though he did not provide an exact figure. No charges were immediately announced. Officials from Homeland Security Investigations say the raid resulted from a monthslong investigation into allegations of illegal hiring at the site and was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the agency’s two-decade history.
Most of those killed in Lisbon streetcar derailment were foreigners, police say
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Police in Portugal say that 11 of the 16 people killed when a streetcar derailed in the capital Lisbon were foreigners. Police said Friday that the dead included five Portuguese, three British, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian. Police said that a German man also thought to have died in the crash was found to be in a Lisbon hospital. It didn't provide an explanation for the error. The list of nationalities was published following forensic identification.
Pentagon-funded research at colleges has aided the Chinese military, a House GOP report says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional investigation finds the Pentagon has funded research involving collaboration with Chinese entities linked to China's defense sector. Many of these entities are blacklisted by the U.S. government. The report by House Republicans on the Select Committee on China warns that U.S. technological know-how is being diverted to modernize China's military. Friday's report highlights concerns about the Defense Department's research policies, which it says have allowed foreign adversaries to exploit American research. Committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar has proposed a bill to prohibit defense funding for projects involving problematic Chinese entities. Beijing has said that science and tech cooperation is mutually beneficial and helps the two sides cope with global challenges.
