Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant as US and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone strike has targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant. No one has been blamed and no major damage is reported. But Sunday's incident highlights the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signal they would be ready to fight again. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and shortly afterward said on social media that Iran “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.” Tensions continue over Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace have repeatedly faltered.
WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The World Health Organization has declared an Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. More than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths have been reported. The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus which has no approved treatments or vaccines. A laboratory-confirmed case also has been reported in Congo’s capital Kinshasa. WHO's emergency declaration aims to prompt international action. But the response to past declarations has been mixed. Conflict and migration in the region complicate containment efforts. The outbreak started in April but slow detection delayed the response.
4 crew members eject safely after two Navy jets collide during air show in Idaho
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Officials say all four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided during an air show at a military base in Idaho. Emergency crews responded after the EA18-G Growlers crashed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho on Sunday. Officials say the four crew members are in stable condition and the remainder of the show was canceled. Nobody on the ground was hurt. Videos posted online by spectators show four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummet to the ground near the base about 50 miles south of Boise.
Teenagers arrested in random shootings across Austin that left 4 injured
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Officials in Austin, Texas, say two teenagers are in custody and a potential third suspect is being sought in at least 10 random shootings that left four people hurt in the city over the weekend. Authorities ordered residents of a large part of southern Austin to shelter in place on Sunday while the investigation continued. They lifted the order Sunday afternoon. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson says the shootings appeared to be random. Police Chief Lisa Davis says the shootings occurred Saturday and Sunday morning, including two outside fire stations. Davis says the suspects apparently were stealing vehicles as they moved about.
Cassidy tried to get along with Trump after his impeachment vote. Retribution came anyway
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It was a hurdle too high for Bill Cassidy to clear. The Republican senator from Louisiana had tried to satisfy Donald Trump and his supporters, but they couldn't forgive him after he voted to convict at the president's impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. That was more than five years ago and the ill will lingered. Trump backed one of Cassidy's challengers in Saturday's Senate primary, and the incumbent finished third. He didn't even make the June runoff. Cassidy is the latest name on an increasingly long list of Republicans who crossed Trump and were punished by voters.
Trump administration promotes program to check voter eligibility. Critics fear a midterm purge
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Trump administration has run the names of at least 67 million voters through government databases as it looks for noncitizens and people who've died. The effort is fueling a push for more aggressive purges of state voter rolls before the November elections. But thousands of hits using a federal program known as SAVE include mistakes. In Texas, Anthony Nel's registration lapsed last fall while he obtained a new passport to document his citizenship as an immigrant from South Africa. At least 25 states, most controlled by Republicans, have used SAVE to check their voter rolls. Critics say outdated and incomplete data will lead to eligible voters being wrongly disenfranchised.
Talks to get the largest US commuter rail system running again continue as morning commute looms
NEW YORK (AP) — Negotiators were working into the night to try to end a strike that has shut down North America’s largest commuter rail system. Both sides were talking late Sunday in a bid to reach a deal prior to a Monday morning commute that threatened the travels of about a quarter million commuters. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the National Mediation Board had urged unions for rail workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the Long Island Rail Road in New York, to resume talks. The system shut down early Saturday after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job. The two sides have been negotiating for years seeking a new contract.
Thousands flocked to the National Mall in Washington for an America-themed prayer rally
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of people have streamed onto the National Mall in Washington for a daylong prayer rally. The event Sunday is billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.” President Donald Trump read a passage of Scripture in a video shown at the rally, the same footage used in a Bible-reading event last month. Most speakers celebrated Christianity’s ties to American history. It's a blending of ideas that critics flagged in advance of the prayer gathering as supporting Christian nationalism. The event was organized by a public-private partnership backed by the White House. Congressional Democrats see it as a Trump-controlled end run around a commission charted by Congress a decade ago to prepare 250th anniversary events.
Aaron Rai runs away with the PGA Championship, first English-born winner in more than a century
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rai has become the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship. Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver until he turned to golf, was three shots behind and approaching the turn at Aronimink Golf Club when he delivered a performance worthy of a major champion. He made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during a stretch when he one-putted seven straight greens. Then he holed a birdie putt of some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher. The 31-year-old Rai is the first player of Indian heritage to win a major. He closed with a 5-under 65.
Bulgaria gives its Eurovision winner Dara a grand welcome upon her return home
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Hundreds of cheering fans waving Bulgarian flags have welcomed Eurovision Song Contest winner Dara upon her return home. The 27-year-old singer was visibly tired but smiling when she arrived on Sunday at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport holding up the Eurovision trophy. Bulgaria’s major television stations made changes to their regular programs to air live coverage from the airport. Dara said that “this award marks the beginning of my future international career.” She won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday in Vienna with her infectious party anthem “Bangaranga.” It gave the southeast European country its first-ever victory in the competition.
