Trump insists US-China relations are in a good place despite differences as he wraps up Beijing trip
BEIJING (AP) — President Donald Trump is insistent that U.S.-China relations are good and getting better despite deep differences on key issues. Trump started his last day of his whirlwind trip to Beijing by boasting on social media that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had “congratulated me on so many tremendous successes.” But Trump’s rosy outlook collides with some difficult truths, including China's limited involvement in resolving the Iran conflict. Xi privately warned Trump that their differences on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, if handled poorly, could hurtle the world’s dominant powers toward an “extremely dangerous situation.” Trump and Xi are meeting again Friday for more talks before Trump returns to Washington.
Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as a ship is seized and another is sunk
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Tensions are escalating again near the Strait of Hormuz after a ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran and another was attacked and sank near the coast of Oman. The incidents reported on Thursday came as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim to the waterway. Another Iranian official says Tehran has a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S. The British military says the ship seized near the UAE was moving toward Iranian territorial waters. The seizure comes as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Former Oklahoma death row prisoner freed from jail as he awaits retrial in 1997 killing
An Oklahoma man who has narrowly avoided execution three separate times could walk free from a county jail after a judge agreed to grant him bond while awaiting retrial. Judge Natalie Mai on Thursday set bond for Richard Glossip in the amount of $500,000. Glossip must wear an electronic monitoring device and will not be allowed to travel outside Oklahoma. He also must not contact any witnesses in the case, or consume any drugs or alcohol. The decision paves the way for the 63-year-old Glossip to be freed for the first time in nearly 30 years. Glossip has long maintained his innocence in the 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his former boss.
Emails show FBI Director Kash Patel's Hawaii trip included 'VIP snorkel' at a Pearl Harbor memorial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Government emails obtained by The Associated Press show that FBI Director Kash Patel went on a “VIP snorkel” session last summer at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The FBI didn't publicize the excursion or Patel's return to Hawaii after official visits to Australia and New Zealand. With few exceptions, snorkeling and diving are off-limits around the USS Arizona. The battleship is now a military cemetery reachable only by boat. It has stood as one of the nation’s most hallowed sites since Japan bombed and sank the ship in 1941. A Navy spokesperson confirms the outing but says the service wasn't able to track down who initiated it.
Louisiana senators pass new US House map while South Carolina plans for extra redistricting work
State senators in Louisiana have passed a new congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the previous one. The new plan would eliminate a majority-Black district, giving Republicans a chance to win an additional seat in the November midterm elections. The plan now goes to the House for consideration. Louisiana must redraw its House map because the court ruled it illegally used race to gerrymander its districts. The court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act has spawned a wave of redistricting efforts in Southern states. South Carolina's governor has called a special legislative session to start Friday on congressional redistricting.
Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion pill, while lawsuit plays out
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has preserved women’s access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues. The court’s order Thursday allows women seeking abortions to continue obtaining the drug, mifepristone, at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Access is likely to remain uninterrupted at least until well into next year as appeals play out in a suit filed by Louisiana, including a potential appeal to the high court. The court is dealing with its latest abortion controversy four years after its conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.
What to know about a Tennessee man known for making racist videos now charged with attempted murder
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man who goes by the moniker Chud the Builder and is known for posting racist videos is charged with attempted murder. Dalton Eatherly posted audio to social media on Wednesday admitting to shooting a man who he says hit him. He says the shooting was self-defense. Eatherly also notes that he shot himself in the arm. Eatherly, who is white, posts videos to social media where he tries to provoke Black passersby by using racial slurs and racist dog whistles. He has claimed it is free speech, but the fact that he also openly carries a pistol could make it a crime under Tennessee law.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro's grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say
HAVANA (AP) — Cuban and U.S. officials say that CIA Director John Ratcliffe has met with Cuban officials including Raul Castro’s grandson during a high-level visit to the island. Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP. Ratcliffe was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes."
Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI make their final case in a trial that could shape AI's future
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI made their final arguments Thursday in the landmark trial whose outcome could shape the future of artificial intelligence. Musk, the world’s richest man, was a co-founder of OpenAI, the company that launched in 2015 and went on to create ChatGPT. After Musk invested $38 million in its first years, his lawsuit filed in 2024 accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his top deputy of shifting into a moneymaking mode behind his back.
Scottie Scheffler part of 7-way tie for the lead at PGA Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — The PGA Championship has its biggest logjam after one round in 57 years. One name stands out. Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion, took everything Aronimink gave him on a tough day in the Philadelphia suburbs. Scheffler made two long birdie putts and got one big break for a 67. The other seven players tied for the lead are Martin Kaymer, Stephan Jaeger, Aldrich Potgieter, Alex Smalley, Ryo Hisatsune and Min Woo Lee. Scheffler had at least a share of the lead for the first time after the opening round of a major. Rory McIlroy struggled to a 74.
