Trump weighs Taiwan arms package after summit aimed at steadying US-China ties

BEIJING (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s not yet made a decision on whether a major sale of U.S. arms to Taiwan can move forward following his three-day visit to China. The president spoke to reporters Friday as he flew back on Air Force One. Trump’s Republican administration has authorized the sale, but it has yet to proceed. Some Republicans in Congress expressed displeasure at the president’s comments on weapons to Taiwan. China opposes the deal and has suggested that Washington’s relationship with the self-governing island is the key factor in China-U.S. relations. Trump also says he raised a potential three-way nuclear deal involving the U.S., Russia and China.

U.S. eyes indictment against Raul Castro amid pressure by Trump administration, sources tell AP

MIAMI (AP) — The Justice Department is preparing to seek an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, three people familiar with the matter tell The Associated Press. The indictment would require approval by a grand jury. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. One of the people said the potential indictment is connected to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of planes operated by the Miami exile group. Prosecutors in Miami have been building cases against senior Cuban officials amid renewed pressure from south Florida Republicans and a pledge earlier this year by President Donald Trump to orchestrate a “friendly takeover” of the communist-run island

Judge declares a mistrial in Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial after jury says it is deadlocked

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial has ended in a mistrial. A judge declared it Friday after the jury deadlocked. The former Hollywood mogul has been convicted of other sex crimes on two U.S. coasts and remains behind bars. But the mistrial leaves the New York rape charge in limbo after three trials. Weinstein appeared expressionless as court officers ushered him out in his wheelchair. The stalemate emerged a few hours into the third day of deliberations. Weinstein didn’t testify during the trial. A majority-male Manhattan jury weighed whether the former movie mogul raped a woman in a New York hotel in 2013. Defense lawyers argue that the encounter was consensual.

Justice Department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum. Prosecutors disclosed the decision in a court filing Friday. Elias Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum last May. The charges against Rodriguez include a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which allows prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.

Pentagon halts deployments to Poland and Germany to cut troop numbers in Europe, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is drawing down thousands of troops in Europe by stopping units from deploying to Poland and Germany as opposed to yanking those already stationed there. Several U.S. officials confirmed that 4,000 troops from an Army brigade are no longer en route to Poland this week. The Trump administration had previously said it was cutting U.S. forces only in Germany. The deployment was canceled after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing a brigade combat team to be moved out of Europe. That’s according to two U.S. officials. One of them said the choice of which unit was left to military leaders. The memo also led to the cancellation of an upcoming deployment to Germany.

Kyiv mourns as death toll from Russian attack in the Ukrainian capital rises to 24

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from a Russian missile attack that flattened a Kyiv apartment building has risen to 24. It was one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in the 4-year-old war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said three teenagers were among the victims. He led an official day of mourning Friday in Kyiv, a day after the Russian cruise missile struck the nine-story corner block amid what the Ukrainian air force said was Russia’s biggest barrage of the country since its full-scale invasion in 2022. Throughout the day, people came to the rubble-strewn site to leave bouquets and stuffed toys. Zelenskyy said Thursday’s assault mostly targeted the Ukrainian capital, where 48 people were wounded.

Iran’s top diplomat says a lack of trust is impeding talks to end war with the US

NEW DELHI (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister says that a lack of trust remains the biggest obstacle in negotiations to end the war with the U.S. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages from the U.S. have made Iran reluctant about its intentions in the stalled ceasefire negotiations. U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week dismissed Iran’s latest formal proposal as “garbage.” Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities while Iran has said that it has a right to enrich uranium. Iran’s top diplomat says the issue of its enriched uranium stockpile is another one of the difficult sticking points in its negotiations.

Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign after redraw of his Memphis district

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee is ending his bid for reelection. He’s just the latest lawmaker to have his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country. Republicans in Tennessee this month enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen’s majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage. It’s part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim Republican majority in the November midterm elections. Cohen has represented his Memphis-based district for nearly two decades. He lamented that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican delegation after the next election.

Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court has refused to declare that Democratic state lawmakers who briefly left the state last year in a quorum break to stop a vote on new congressional voting maps pushed by President Donald Trump vacated their offices. The all-Republican court dealt a blow to Gov. Greg Abbott and state Republicans on Friday in their efforts to severely punish the more than 50 Democrats who bolted for New York, Illinois and Massachusetts in a bid to stop a vote on the maps during a special session. State Republicans had sought their arrest and threatened fines to bring them back to the state Capitol.

A new Ebola outbreak is confirmed in a remote Congo province, with 65 deaths recorded

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Africa’s top public health body confirms a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s Ituri province. There are 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths so far. Uganda also reports one death from a case it says was imported from neighboring Congo. Most cases are in Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones. The Africa CDC says preliminary tests suggest a non-Ebola Zaire strain. Uganda’s Health Ministry confirms the imported case and has quarantined contacts. The WHO is sending aid and funds to help Congo’s response. The outbreak is the 17th in Congo since 1976 and raises concerns due to its proximity to Uganda and South Sudan.