Ex-national security adviser John Bolton will plead guilty in classified information case: AP source

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or sharing diary-like notes with family members. Officials said the material contained classified information as he was preparing a memoir of his time in government. The person familiar with the matter insisted on anonymity to discuss a deal that hasn’t been made public

Putin says Russia will bolster its air defenses in response to Ukrainian drone attacks

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country. Speaking in response to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting Thursday with heads of international news agencies, Putin acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks, and vowed to bolster its air defenses in response. The media session came on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, his annual showcase for investment. Hours before the forum opened Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and also hit a naval base just outside Putin’s hometown.

Senate rejects first Dem effort to bar Trump from creating $1.8B settlement fund

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have cleared a first hurdle as they try to pass legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies. Republicans rejected a Democratic effort to permanently block Trump from creating a $1.776 billion settlement fund for allies who claim government persecution. Republicans still face a gauntlet of Democratic amendments before the bill can advance, setting up a daylong test. More votes on the settlement fund are expected. The bill would provide roughly $70 billion to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. Democrats say any funding bill for should place restraints on federal immigration authorities.

Hezbollah rejects latest ceasefire agreement as Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government and demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal. Thursday’s announcement came as local authorities said Israeli strikes killed at least four people. A U.N. peacekeeper was also killed in the crossfire. Hezbollah’s leader said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean surrender and defeat. The ongoing fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south, threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

With Trump in a holding pattern on Iran war, allies and critics worry he risks getting boxed in

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump insists he’s comfortable with the current holding pattern in the Iran war. But the Republican president faces warnings from foes and allies alike that he’s getting boxed in on a conflict he sold as a quick military incursion. There’s growing concern inside the administration and from key advisers and allies Trump now finds himself in a bind. That’s according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the administration’s internal deliberations. Trump is buffeted by Democrats looking to seize on surging global oil prices sparked by the war and warnings from hawkish members of his base that an early exit from the conflict would amount to capitulation.

Trump administration has separated dozens of children from their parents for a second time, AP finds

An Associated Press investigation reveals that dozens of children who were separated under the first Trump administration have been re-separated, despite a judge’s order to reunite them. Some of their parents have been locked in immigration detention facilities for months, others deported back to their home countries after being taken from their families once again. Ederson Galicia Alva, now 11, was separated from his mother twice. After nearly a year in Guatemala, his family returned to Florida last week under a federal judge’s order. The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations has led to more separations, with some families deported despite legal protections.

With Oval Office replica and skyline views of Chicago, Obama’s new museum is political and personal

CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Barack Obama’s influence in his presidential museum runs deep, from the Chicago location to the textured stone adorning its dramatic tower, art installations and a striped reading chairs that resemble ones in his own home. The Obama Presidential Center opens to the general public on Juneteenth after a celebratory dedication in Chicago with dignitaries. But tens of thousands of people, including students and journalists, have already been offered a sneak peek as crews finish final art installations and landscaping. The roughly $850 million project covers the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president.

Trump officials went after dozens of colleges. Now they’re rewriting the rules for all of academia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration put dozens of college campuses under investigation last year and cut federal funding unless they came in line with his Republican agenda. Now federal officials are taking a wider approach. As new investigations have been dialed back, multiple agencies are rewriting federal rules governing all of higher education. The new tactic goes after many of the same targets, including diversity, equity and inclusion; transgender athletes; and antisemitism. New rules under consideration would require colleges to end DEI policies and ensure they have “intellectual diversity,” a veiled call for more conservative voices. Some people in higher education welcome the approach, saying it invites conversations that didn’t happen during last year’s investigations.

The Dow jumps 800 points as oil prices ease, but slumping AI stocks keep Wall Street in check

NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks are rising as oil prices ease, but slumps for influential AI winners are weighing on Wall Street. The S&P 500 added 0.4% Thursday, a day after dropping from its record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 800 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. A clear majority of stocks on Wall Street climbed, including seven out of every 10 in the S&P 500. They got a boost from a 3.5% fall for the price of Brent crude oil. Treasury yields eased, which helped stocks of smaller companies to jump. But Broadcom and other AI stocks slumped to keep the market in check.

Unsung Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska reaches French Open final as dream run continues

PARIS (AP) — Maja Chwalinska of Poland became just the second qualifier to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era when she beat Diana Shnaider of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-4. The 24-year-old Chwalinska has a chance to match Emma Raducanu’s title run at the 2021 U.S. Open when she plays Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Saturday’s final at Roland Garros. According to stats provider Opta, Chwalinska and Raducanu stand alone among men and women in having reached a major singles final from the qualifying rounds since the Open Era began in 1968. The 19-year-old Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3.