Trump calls off latest threats to strike Iran, cites breakthrough in talks to end the war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war. Trump said at the Oval Office on Thursday that a deal to end the war is close, without giving details. Trump hours earlier had threatened major strikes on Iran and to seize control of its oil and gas industries as escalating attacks between the countries pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale war. The threats came after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day. Trump has claimed multiple times the U.S. and Iran are on the verge of a peace deal without anything coming to fruition.
Iran's Kharg Island is key to its oil exports. Targeting it carries major risks
Iran’s Kharg Island is home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil. The Persian Gulf island has emerged as a focus of the war launched by the United States and Israel. Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic. An assault would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf infrastructure. That would further drive up oil prices that already threaten the world economy.
Trump nominates US Attorney Jay Clayton to be director of national intelligence
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is nominating Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as director of national intelligence. Trump announced the nomination on social media Thursday amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director. The resulting uproar led to a standoff in Congress as Democrats said they would refuse to renew foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.
El Nino is here and scientists fear it'll be big, bad and costly with heat, floods, droughts, fires
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. meteorologists say an El Nino has formed. That's the natural warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather around the globe. It is likely to a major factor in extreme and deadly weather across the planet for the next year or so. The one announced Thursday is expected to rival the record and costly 1997-1998 El Nino. It is usually strongest in the wintertime, and it makes it incredibly likely that 2027 will set a record for the hottest year globally. The United Nations secretary-general says El Niño conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world.
US puts up $750K to evacuate an American who was aboard hantavirus cruise ship from remote island
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has put up $750,000 to charter a private yacht to evacuate a single American citizen from a remote South Pacific island after she had been aboard a cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. That's according to two U.S. officials and an internal government document obtained by The Associated Press. The woman, who may have been exposed to the virus while aboard the cruise liner in April, had gotten off the ship and flown to San Francisco before traveling to isolated Pitcairn Island through Tahiti. The costly evacuation has added strain to the State Department budget for unforeseen emergencies. Its balance is at the lowest level in seven years.
Supreme Court nixes Alabama request for nitrogen execution, which lower court ruled unconstitutional
ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to let Alabama execute a man with nitrogen gas. The justices refused to lift an injunction blocking the state from carrying out the nation’s ninth execution by that method. They declined to set aside lower court findings that it is unconstitutional. The decision caps a heated legal fight over the humaneness of the method. Alabama had planned to put 49-year-old Jeffery Lee to death Thursday using nitrogen. Lee was convicted of killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998.
Man pleads guilty to killing a top Minnesota Democrat and her husband while posing as an officer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man who assassinated the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband has pleaded guilty so that federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. Vance Boelter fatally shot Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. He is also charged in the nonfatal shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman. He came to their doors in the early hours of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a police-style vehicle. The attacks reverberated far beyond Minnesota, as elected officials across the country feared that escalating threats and polarization could lead to more violence.
Tornadoes pummel communities outside Chicago, leveling homes and ripping down power poles
At least three tornadoes have battered communities outside Chicago, leveling homes and ripping down trees and power poles. Storms have also grounded flights and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands across the Midwest and Northeast. The large funnel cloud swept through Merrillville, a town about 33 miles southeast of Chicago. Meanwhile, the nearby manufacturing and farm city of Streator has set up a family reunification center for displaced residents in its city hall as officials took stock of the major damage. The National Weather Service says tornado warnings were also in place in Chicago and in parts of Indiana and Michigan.
US stocks jump to their best day in 2 months on hopes for a deal to get crude flowing globally again
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied to their best day in two months, and oil prices fell after President Donald Trump called off his threat to bomb Iran in the evening. That raised hopes Thursday for a potential deal to get the global flow of oil going again. The S&P 500 jumped 1.8%, coming off a back-to-back drop that had yanked it back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.5%. Strong gains for chip stocks helped offset a slide for Oracle. Treasury yields eased sharply in the bond market.
Mexico gets off to roaring World Cup start with a 2-0 win over South Africa in the opening match
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez helped Mexico make an exuberant start to the World Cup by scoring a goal each in a 2-0 win over South Africa in the opening match of the tournament. With a capacity crowd of 80,824 watching at the iconic Azteca Stadium, co-host Mexico started the largest World Cup tournament in history by getting goals in each half while three red cards were shown — two for South Africa and one for Mexico. Quiñones gave Mexico the lead in the ninth minute. Jiménez added the second goal on a header in 66th.
