Russian attacks on Ukraine kill 2 people a day after deadly shopping mall drone strike
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least two people overnight in Ukraine. A railway worker died Saturday in a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv that Russia’s Defense Ministry say hit a locomotive depot, while another person was killed in the Zaporizhzhia region. The attacks come a day after a drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih killed 16 and wounded 130, with nine still missing. Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors, the only weapon in its arsenal able to down them.
US imposes 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, and Canada says it will retaliate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in already tense relations between the historic allies. Canada says it will retaliate. President Donald Trump’s import taxes taking effect Saturday will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, including products ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says, “Canada will match those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses.” He is blaming Washington for the breakdown, saying “last-minute changes in the U.S. proposed terms were unfair."
Wildfires expose — and detonate — buried bombs and mines from WWI and WWII
ELSENBORN, Belgium (AP) — The wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed a potentially deadly threat lurking beneath the blackened landscape: rusty bombs and mines from World War I and II. The explosives now threaten crews fighting the fires. Some of the weapons have exploded in the intense heat. Blasts have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Fires can ignite old munitions but can also burn away the scrub and brush that hides them. This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January, which spurred vegetation growth that became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
What to know about Alex Jones' Texas court win and more than $1 billion in damages he still faces
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Alex Jones won a Texas court ruling that reduced one of the defamation lawsuit judgments against him for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre a hoax by more than $40 million. For the bombastic conspiracy theorist, it was a rare legal victory amid multiple punishing financial verdicts that forced him to file for bankruptcy. Sandy Hook families have yet to collect a dime from Jones while he still broadcasts. But Jones still faces a defamation judgment of $1.25 billion in a Connecticut lawsuit and nearly $6 million that remains in the Texas case.
Former Hong Kong vigil organizer strives to mark Tiananmen crackdown despite convictions
HONG KONG (AP) — Years after Hong Kong’s annual vigil for the Tiananmen Square crackdown ended, former organizer Tang Ngok-kwan still discreetly visits former memorial sites in the city. Overt public commemorations have become risky under a crackdown that started following the imposition of a national security law in 2020. Two of Tang’s former colleagues were convicted Friday of inciting subversion under the law and face up to 10 years in prison. Observers say their convictions reflect the decline in the city’s freedoms. Tang says he wasn't convinced by the verdict and continues to remember the crackdown in his own quiet ways.
TikTok reaches $400 million settlement with US Justice Department over children's privacy
TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws. The DOJ said Friday that TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and another $100 million after an order vacates an earlier consent decree against its predecessor company, Musical.ly. Since the DOJ’s lawsuit in 2024, TikTok has undergone major changes, most notably in the ownership structure of its U.S. arm. In January, the social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture.
Why the bond market is flexing its muscles, and why everyone needs to care
NEW YORK (AP) — The bond market is one of the few forces in the world strong enough to get politicians to snap to attention. It also helps dictate how much ordinary people have to pay on their mortgages and car loans, as well as how much they earn from their savings accounts and 401(k) plans. This week rising bond yields forced the U.S. Treasury Department into an unusual intervention and raised the specter of higher borrowing costs putting the brakes on consumer spending, the lifeblood of the economy. It also sparked concerns that investors might finally be thinking twice about financing a seemingly endless flow of government borrowing.
Trump urges South Carolinians to make Sen. Darline Graham the GOP nominee for US Senate
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump says the first step toward keeping Darline Graham as a U.S. senator from South Carolina involves helping her win a Republican runoff next week. The Republican president also begged supporters to pretend he's on the ballot Tuesday. Trump was nodding to the reality that Republican base voters lose interest in elections when he isn't on the ballot. Trump went to Myrtle Beach on Friday to support Sen. Darline Graham, his chosen candidate to succeed her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. She is serving out the remainder of her brother's term. She faces Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's runoff.
Supreme Court's chief justice allows work on Trump’s $400M White House ballroom to continue for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court for allowing the White House to continue construction for now on his $400 million White House ballroom project. Chief Justice John Roberts signed a temporary order Friday letting work continue as the court considers an emergency appeal from Trump’s Republican administration. Speaking later Friday in South Carolina, Trump thanked the court and Roberts and called the court's action a “good thing.” The temporary order came hours before lower-court rulings would have forced a halt to aboveground construction of the project because Trump didn’t get congressional approval.
Trump announces plan to lower beef prices, but ranchers and some Republicans are already balking
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced his administration will temporarily allow more beef imports into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs. He said Friday the imported beef will be sold at 25% below current market rates to help American consumers. However, conservative rural-state Republicans are already criticizing the plan, fearing it will harm American ranchers. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Trump ally, warns it could make it harder for ranchers to rebuild herds. The plan allows up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to enter the U.S. over the next 90 days.
