US sanctions Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in latest move to pressure island's leadership
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife and three other individuals. The action Thursday is the latest move by the Trump administration to pressure the island’s leadership, and it drew immediate condemnation from Havana. Included in the sanctions are the son and grandson of former President Raúl Castro as well as the current Cuban president's stepson. The new penalties come as U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba and then ordering an energy blockade. Díaz-Canel says “these measures are aimed at reinforcing the blockade and escalating the conflict between Cuba and the United States.”
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton will plead guilty in classified information case: AP source
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time. That's according to a person familiar with the matter. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or sharing diary-like notes with family members. Officials said the material contained classified information as he was preparing a memoir of his time in government. The person familiar with the matter insisted on anonymity to discuss a deal that hasn't been made public.
Republicans debate limits on $1.8B Trump settlement in late-night Senate session
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are working toward passage of legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies. The action in the Senate Thursday included a vote to turn aside a Democratic effort to permanently block Trump from creating a $1.776 billion settlement fund to allies who claim they were persecuted by the government. But Republicans still face a gauntlet of amendments before the bill can advance. It's created a test of party unity that could go late into the night. The bill would provide roughly $70 billion to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. Democrats say any funding bill should place restraints on federal immigration authorities.
Homicide convictions reversed for Colorado paramedics who injected ketamine into Elijah McClain
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado court reversed homicide convictions against two paramedics on Thursday in the ketamine overdose death of Elijah McClain after the Black man was pinned down by police. The court ordered new trials for Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec. McClain had been forcibly restrained by police, who responded to a suspicious person complaint and stopped the massage therapist as he walked home from a convenience store in 2019. Cooper and Cichuniec were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Cichuniec also was convicted of felony assault, and the appeals court affirmed that conviction.
Putin says Russia will bolster its air defenses in response to Ukrainian drone attacks
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his hometown of St. Petersburg. Replying to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting Thursday with heads of international news agencies, Putin vowed to bolster Russia's air defenses. The media session came on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, his annual showcase for investment. Hours before the forum opened Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and also hit a historic nearby naval base.
What to know about the New World screwworm fly and its reappearance in the US
The New World screwworm fly is threatening the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry for the first time in more than a half century. An infestation from its flesh-eating larvae has been confirmed in south Texas in a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio. Federal and state officials had been working to keep the parasite from reaching Texas since its late 2024 appearance in southern Mexico. Before that, it had been contained in Panama for years. The U.S. eradicated the pest by the early 1970s by breeding sterile male flies and dropping swarms from planes to mate with wild females. Millions are being released each week now.
Hezbollah rejects latest ceasefire agreement as Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon
BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government and demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal. Thursday's announcement came as local authorities said Israeli strikes killed at least four people. A U.N. peacekeeper was also killed in the crossfire. Hezbollah's leader said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean surrender and defeat. The ongoing fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south, threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Murder charge dropped for Arkansas sheriff nominee who killed daughter’s alleged abuser
A judge has dismissed a murder charge against an Arkansas sheriff nominee who was accused of killing his teenage daughter’s alleged abuser in 2024. Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the case against Aaron Spencer on Thursday because a dash camera memory card that may have captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement. His trial on the second-degree murder charge was expected to begin in just a few weeks. Spencer’s attorneys did not deny that he shot and killed 67-year-old Michael Fosler. Fosler was out on bond after being charged with dozens of sexual offenses against Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter.
Kennedy Center moves to erase Trump references after judge said they were illegally added
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center is removing references to President Donald Trump after a federal judge ruled they were added illegally. A memo to staff Thursday from the Kennedy Center's Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.” The changes must be completed by June 12. A federal judge ruled on May 29 that Trump’s name had been illegally added to the venue. The judge also blocked the administration from closing the venue for major renovations planned for July.
Trump administration has separated dozens of children from their parents for a second time, AP finds
An Associated Press investigation reveals that dozens of children who were separated under the first Trump administration have been reseparated, despite a judge's order to reunite them. Some of their parents have been locked in immigration detention facilities for months, others deported back to their home countries after being taken from their families once again. Ederson Galicia Alva, now 11, was separated from his mother twice. After nearly a year in Guatemala, his family returned to Florida last week under a federal judge's order. The Trump administration's push for mass deportations has led to more separations, with some families deported despite legal protections.
