US military conducts another strike against Iran after Trump says Iran is 'negotiating on fumes'
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces have carried out new defensive strikes on an Iran military facility after downing Iranian attack drones. That's according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. They said U.S. Central Command forces on Wednesday shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone, according to the officials. The strikes came after President Donald Trump asserted Wednesday that Iran is “negotiating on fumes.”
US imposes sanctions on Iranian agency trying to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
The Trump administration has placed additional sanctions on Iran as part of a sprawling economic pressure campaign during the war, this time targeting the country’s newly created agency that is trying to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The move Wednesday, first reported by The Associated Press, is the latest U.S. effort to use economic leverage on top of military action to push Iran’s leadership into an agreement to end the war and open the waterway. The sanctions were announced late Wednesday after U.S. forces carried out strikes on an Iran military facility after downing Iranian attack drones, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
9 missing after Washington paper mill tank rupture and officials say there's no hope of survivors
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Crews are resuming the search for nine people presumed killed at a Washington state paper mill where a chemical tank ruptured. It's likely to be one of the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in years. Authorities on Wednesday said the presumed death toll rose to 11 after a second person died. Authorities says there's no hope of finding more survivors following Tuesday’s tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview. Some contamination made its way into the nearby Columbia River. Authorities say the tank failure hasn't impacted the region's air or drinking water, but testing is ongoing.
Israel's military tells residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it fights Hezbollah
BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military has told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations there. The statement says the military will “work with extreme force” against Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. The warning on Wednesday is the first since a ceasefire went into effect on April 17, and came amid a rising escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah war, with Israeli troops crossing the Litani River and edging closer to the southern city of Nabatiyeh. The escalation comes two days before Lebanese and Lebanese military officials were scheduled to meet at the Pentagon to discuss among things strengthening the ceasefire agreement.
France moves to repeal Code Noir, the slavery law it never abolished
PARIS (AP) — France's parliament is moving to repeal a slavery law called Code Noir that has remained quietly in place for nearly two centuries after slavery was abolished. French lawmakers will likely formally eliminate Code Noir or Black Code in a vote on Thursday. The colonial-era law that classified people as property stayed quietly in place. That realization has upset many. Especially those who live in French overseas departments. Most of their residents are descended from the enslaved.
Iranians are back online after a monthslong shutdown but still face heavy restrictions
CAIRO (AP) — Iranians have begun to regain internet access after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users say service is slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January. Authorities justified the outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to lift some restrictions this week came as negotiators appeared to be closing in on a more permanent truce. But many Iranians feared access could be cut off again at a moment’s notice.
AP Exclusive: Trump administration tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela leader, sources say
MIAMI (AP) — The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime target of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. That's according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials. It's the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation. It’s unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodriguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email “there was never an investigation into her to shut down.”
Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, despite a lower court's ruling the map intentionally discriminates against Black people. The state filed an emergency appeal with the justices Wednesday, a day after a three-judge court blocked a map with a Black majority in just one of Alabama's seven congressional districts. The judges ordered Alabama to use a court-ordered map with two districts with large Black populations. The appeal is the latest development following last month’s Supreme Court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act and part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to preserve Republicans’ slim House majority.
Teen charged with killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise remains free after hearing
MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge has allowed a teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship to remain free for now. The judge is considering arguments following Wednesday's hearing in Miami. Timothy Hudson, initially charged as a juvenile, was allowed to live with an uncle and be electronically monitored. After the case moved to adult court, prosecutors wanted the 16-year-old in custody. The judge ended Wednesday's hearing without a final decision, saying he wants to talk to the U.S. Marshals Service about detaining Hudson closer to his family. Hudson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
Uganda closes its border with Congo, where suspected cases of a rare Ebola type are surging
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda has ordered the closure of its border with Congo, where suspected Ebola cases are surging. A local Ugandan task force gave the order on Wednesday. This comes after Ugandan health workers were exposed to Ebola following the arrival of Congolese patients who crossed the border before the outbreak in Congo was declared on May 15. Uganda has so far reported seven cases of Ebola, including a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala, the country's capital, on May 14. Meanwhile, the number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000. There are also at least 220 suspected deaths.
