Trump meeting with aides to make ‘final determination’ on moving forward with Iran deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s holding a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he looks to make a “final determination” on moving forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire. Iran says the agreement has not been finalized. Trump confirmed the high-level talks on Friday, the day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

Judge temporarily blocks payouts from Trump’s $1.776 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement fund

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from paying any claims through a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for the Republican president’s allies who believe they were victims of a weaponized government. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday also barred the government from moving forward with the fund’s creation while litigation is pending to challenge it. The judge scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend the order blocking payouts from an “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the government created to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. The White House declines to comment.

Bondi refuses to answer lawmakers’ questions about Trump’s involvement in Epstein files release

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has finished her interview with House lawmakers about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Bondi stood behind the Trump administration’s release of the Epstein files but refused to answer questions on President Donald Trump’s involvement in it. Democratic lawmakers said Friday that Bondi told them she would not speak about the Republican president in the closed-door interview. Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where lawmakers were interviewing Bondi. The survivors tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room but say they were shoved aside by police officers.

Louisiana’s Legislature has passed a new congressional map to give the GOP another seat

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers have passed a new congressional map to pick up a Republican seat while leaving the state with one of its two majority-Black House districts. The map approved Friday is designed to give Louisiana a 5-1 split in Republicans’ favor. The U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down one of the state’s majority-Black districts as an illegal racial gerrymander, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. That decision intensified a national battle over partisan redistricting fueled by President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect the GOP’s slim House majority in this year’s midterm elections. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the measure.

War and displacement in Gaza are fueling a rise in early marriage

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The war in Gaza and the mass displacement of Palestinians have helped fuel an increase in marriages of young girls. That’s according to official data and experts. Some mothers see marriage as a source of protection and financial support in the harsh conditions of sprawling tent camps. Girls who marry early can face sexual assault and physical abuse from their husbands and in-laws. Many also become pregnant too young, putting them at risk of miscarriage or worse. Divorce rates are also high among early marriages, meaning some return home with babies and no support. The Associated Press spoke to six girls in Gaza who got married between 13 and 16 and their parents. They spoke on condition they not be identified by their full names because of the deep sensitivity of the issue.

Bus hits cars in Virginia, killing 5 people and injuring 34, state police say

Virginia State Police say a bus struck six vehicles on Interstate 95 as traffic slowed for a work zone, killing five people and sending 34 to hospitals. The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County. A state police statement says all five of those killed were in vehicles hit by the bus. Most of the injured were taken to hospitals in Stafford and Fredericksburg. Three of the injured were in critical condition, police said. Police said the crash is under investigation and charges are pending. The southbound lanes were reopened by noon, with traffic backups.

Blue Origin investigates rocket explosion as public is warned about possible wreckage washing ashore

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is assessing damage to its Florida launch pad after a rocket exploded during a test firing. The company fueled the massive New Glenn rocket Thursday night, hoping to briefly ignite the engines ahead of a satellite launch next week. But the 321-foot rocket blew up, taking part of the pad with it. Emergency officials are warning the public to avoid any wreckage that might wash ashore and instead call 911. New Glenn is the rocket that Blue Origin plans to use to launch landers to the moon for NASA.

Canadian man pleads guilty to selling lethal substances to people who killed themselves

NEWMARKET, Ontario (AP) — A Canadian man accused of running an online operation selling lethal products in more than 40 countries has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of counseling or aiding suicide. A lawyer for Kenneth Law says Canadian prosecutors will withdraw 14 murder charges in exchange for the plea. Police in Canada and internationally have been investigating more than 100 suicides linked to Law. Canadian police say he used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite. The substance is commonly used to cure meats and can be deadly if ingested. Police say Law is suspected of sending at least 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries.

US stocks gain ground, adding to their records, as Dell soars

Stocks are rising on Wall Street, adding to the all-time highs they set a day earlier. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Friday. The index is coming off six gains in a row and is headed for a ninth straight winning week, which would be the longest such streak since 2023. Dell Technologies soared about 31% after delivering profits that blew past expectations. The company also raised its outlook, citing powerful demand for AI computing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 325 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. European and Asian markets mostly rose. Brent crude fell.

Djokovic’s 25th Slam bid ends in a grueling French Open loss to Brazilian teenager

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record 25th Grand Slam has ended with a defeat to Joao Fonseca in the French Open third round. The 39-year-old Serb is a three-time champion at Roland Garros but lost to the 19-year-old Brazilian 7-5 in the fifth set on Friday. Temperatures reached 33 degrees C and Djokovic looked exhausted in the fifth set. His exit leaves the men’s draw even more open especially after Jannik Sinner’s second-round exit on Thursday.