Iran strikes Kuwait’s main airport and kills 1 as ceasefire is tested again

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait briefly shut its main airport Wednesday after Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal, killing an Indian national and wounding dozens. This is the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire. The U.S. military said Iran also fired missiles at Kuwait, which fell apart en route, and that it downed drones targeting American forces. Iranian news agencies have reported that Iran has stopped communicating with mediators about extending the ceasefire with the U.S. and Israel. President Donald Trump insists negotiations are ongoing. The conflict has strained relations and affected global fuel prices, impacting regions beyond the Middle East.

Trump acknowledges calling Netanyahu ‘crazy’ and says Israel is complicating peace talks with Iran

BEIRUT (AP) — President Donald Trump acknowledged criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” in a phone call that involved expletives. Trump discussed the tension between the two leaders in an interview released Wednesday. He said he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran. But the president insisted that his relationship with Netanyahu was solid and that they connected, in part, because they are both wartime leaders. The interview with The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” offered a sign of the growing pressure he faces to resolve the Iran war.

Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg oil terminal before city hosts Russian economic forum

Ukrainian long-range drones have struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, setting it ablaze, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The attack comes as the Russian city hosts a major event for attracting foreign capital. The drones flew over 1,000 kilometers to hit the terminal, a day after Moscow launched a major attack on Kyiv. Russian authorities confirmed the strike but provided few details. The city’s airport briefly suspended flights, and mobile internet services were cut off. Both sides have been launching long-range strikes as the war continues with no end in sight.

Republicans won the redistricting battle. Now voters will decide whether they win Congress

Republicans have won a partisan redistricting battle for Congress. The GOP could gain about 10 U.S. House seats in the upcoming November elections if the new voting districts perform as intended. The question is whether that will be enough for the GOP to maintain a majority in Congress. Democrats need only a few seats to take control. Political trends and historical patterns favor Democrats. President Trump’s approval ratings are negative, and the incumbent’s party has lost House seats in every midterm election over the past two decades.

Takeaways from primaries featuring Spencer Pratt, a missing congressman and a rare Trump setback

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate race in Iowa is one of the most closely watched this year and the general election matchup is now set, with Democrats hoping for a gain. Iowa is also where President Donald Trump’s endorsement streak ended when his pick for governor lost in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Democrats have settled on a nominee in a New Jersey congressional district that could decide which party controls the House after November’s elections. But much of the focus on this round of voting has been on California, in races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. Primary elections were also held in Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota.

Senate will begin voting on funding immigration enforcement after Trump’s settlement fund is dropped

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is set to start voting on legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies. Voting could get underway as early as Wednesday night after the White House was forced to drop its settlement fund for political allies and a proposal for White House security was removed from the funding bill. The roughly $70 billion bill would fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The bill has been delayed for weeks as Republican senators had to navigate obstacles to passage created by President Donald Trump and the White House. Republicans say they’re now ready to move forward with legislation that’s been pared back to its original form.

Suspect who took 10 people hostage in California standoff has been shot and killed, police say

Police say a man held 10 people hostage inside a California office building before the FBI shot and killed him, bringing a more than 15-hour standoff to an end. The Bakersfield Police Department says the hostages were found unharmed early Wednesday inside the downtown Bakersfield building that houses a bank and a school district office. The standoff began Tuesday afternoon when officers responded to a call of a bomb threat. Authorities say the suspect was an Army veteran who was dishonorably discharged, had a history of trouble with law enforcement and was a registered sex offender.

Cannons lost underwater during the American Revolution will soon go on display at a Georgia museum

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s oldest city is welcoming a truckload of historical treasures from the earlier period of U.S. history. Seventeen cannons that experts believe sank in a Georgia river during the American Revolution arrived by truck Wednesday at a Savannah museum that plans to put them on display during the Fourth of July weekend marking American’s 250th birthday. Archaeologists say the big guns sat at the bottom of the Savannah River for nearly 240 years before they were discovered during a 2021 dredging project. The cannons spent years being cleaned and preserved at Texas A&M University before returning to Georgia.

A diet of royal jelly isn’t the only thing that makes a queen bee

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have identified a group of worker honeybees that are specially adapted to build their queen’s home within the hive. Worker bees perform a myriad of jobs to keep up the hive and care for the queen, who lays all the eggs. It was long thought a diet of royal jelly was key to becoming queen. A new study suggests the queen’s environment may also play a role. It found that the specialized worker bees responsible for crafting the queen’s home are younger and effectively run a fever to help melt and blend special chemicals into the wax. The study’s findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Oil prices climb back toward $100, and US stocks halt their record-breaking rally

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are rising following the latest threats to the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, and U.S. stocks are retreating their records. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% Wednesday from its all-time high and was heading toward its first decline in 10 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 445 points, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1%. Oil prices rose more than 2% after both the United States and Iran said they launched retaliations for earlier attacks or attempted ones. Treasury yields also climbed to further crank up the pressure on stocks. The smallest U.S. stocks fell to the sharpest losses.