A 10-day ceasefire agreed on by Israel and Lebanon goes into effect
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — A 10-day ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed on by Lebanon and Israel has started. Barrages of gunshots rang out across Beirut early Friday as residents fired into the air to celebrate the beginning of the truce. The two neighboring countries held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington after more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group. The truce, if it holds, could boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war that killed thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.
US military will target Iran-linked ships worldwide, broadening scope beyond blockade
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has widened its efforts beyond the blockade of Iran’s ports. It is allowing its forces around the world to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the U.S. would be targeting vessels in other areas, like the Pacific, that had left before the blockade began earlier this week. The military also published a notice detailing an expansive lists of goods that it considers contraband, declaring that it will board, search and seize them from merchant vessels “regardless of location.”
Justin Fairfax killed his estranged wife and himself 2 weeks before a court deadline to move out
ANNANDALE, Va. (AP) — Court records show that former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was facing a court-ordered deadline to move out of his family’s home before police say he killed his wife and then himself. Police say officers found the bodies of Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, at the home early Thursday in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale. A Virginia judge in March told Justin Fairfax he had to move out by the end of April amid what police say was a messy divorce. Justin Fairfax was a rising star in the Democratic Party several years ago before his chances of becoming Virginia’s second Black governor were derailed by sexual assault allegations. He called the encounters consensual.
County prosecutor charges ICE agent with assault for pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors have charged an ICE agent with assault for pointing his gun at the occupants of a car on a Minneapolis highway. The criminal case announced Thursday is believed to be the first brought against a federal immigration officer involved in the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, part of a broader surge of federal agents to U.S. cities. Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. is charged with two counts of second-degree assault in the Feb. 5 incident. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Morgan illegally drove along the shoulder of the highway and pointed his service weapon at two people in a vehicle. Morgan and officials with the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department have not responded to emails seeking comment.
Jet fuel supplies are lagging. What does that mean for airlines and travelers?
NEW YORK (AP) — A looming jet fuel shortage in Europe and Asia sparked by the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz could further upend world travel within weeks if oil doesn’t start flowing soon. That means higher airfares and flight cancellations. International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol says Europe has maybe six weeks of remaining jet fuel supplies. In general, some European countries hold several months’ worth of jet fuel inventory at a time. That's according to a report this week from the IEA. Airlines have reacted with caution, acknowledging fuel issues but working to reassure customers. Still, some carriers have already passed costs on to consumers by increasing fees for baggage and add-ons, embedding costs into ticket prices, or raising fuel surcharges.
Trump bets his tax cuts will please Las Vegas voters on his swing West
LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Donald Trump is betting that the tax cuts he signed into law last year will resonate with voters in Las Vegas. He promoted those cuts in remarks there Thursday, as he pushes a focus on economic issues for this year’s elections. But his effort to highlight the fact that workers who earn tips and overtime will get bigger returns this tax season is getting eclipsed by higher gas prices driven by the Iran war. The president’s trip includes a stop in Phoenix on Friday for an event with conservative political group Turning Point USA.
Trump rails against court decision that once again stalls his White House ballroom project
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has railed against a federal judge’s decision that continues to block above-ground construction of a $400 million White House ballroom. The decision on Thursday allows only below-ground work on a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the site. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington issued his latest ruling Thursday in a lawsuit over the ballroom project several days after an appeals court instructed him to reconsider the possible national security implications of stopping construction. Leon said he is ordering a stop only to the above-ground construction of the planned ballroom, apart from any work needed to cover or secure that part of the project.
Wall Street sets another record after US stocks tick higher
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market ticked upward to another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Thursday, a day after topping its prior all-time high set in January, for its 11th gain in 12 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. Strong profit reports from several big U.S. companies helped support the market and offset a climb for oil prices. The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose back above $99. Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market, while stock indexes rose in much of Europe and Japan.
Tijuana River sewage is making the air toxic and sickening thousands in California
SAN DIEGO (AP) — For decades, billions of gallons of sewage and industrial waste have been dumped into the Tijuana River. Recent research shows this chronically contaminated watershed in Southern California is also polluting the air. The river releases large amounts of hydrogen sulfide into the air. The toxic gas that smells like rotten eggs can cause headaches, nausea and worsen asthma. Its long-term health problems are only starting to be understood. The United States and Mexico signed an agreement last year to clean up the longstanding problem. However, neither country has outlined plans to address the public health impact in the meantime to more than 100,000 people directly affected on both sides of the border.
Artemis II astronauts praise their moonship's performance, especially the heat shield
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts who ignited a lunar renaissance are giving high marks to their moonship for its performance during reentry — especially the heat shield. They held their first news conference Thursday since returning to Earth. Speaking from Houston, the three Americans and one Canadian said their lunar flyby puts NASA in a better position to land a crew on the moon in just two years and set up an eventual moon base. The first lunar crew in more than a half-century launched April 1 and became the most distant travelers ever from Earth as they whipped around the moon's far side.
