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Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to widen Iran war
CAIRO (AP) -- Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. That has the potential to open a new front in the Iran war as the U.S. military conducted a 12th night of strikes against Iran and international oil topped $100 a barrel. The Houthis have threatened to shut down another key trade route, with the world economy already reeling from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and the U.S. have meanwhile stepped up their attacks as they vie for control of the strait. Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran would adopt an “eye for an eye” policy on U.S. strikes against its infrastructure. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio retorted that President Donald Trump’s policy is “a head for an eye.”
House again OKs resolution seeking to halt military action in Iran, but Senate rejects similar one
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has narrowly passed a resolution to halt U.S. military action in Iran, sending a warning to President Donald Trump for the second time as the war has escalated and the future of the conflict is increasingly uncertain. But the Senate has narrowly rejected a similar resolution. Though the votes forced by Democrats are largely symbolic, they’re meant as a strong signal to the Republican president his support on Capitol Hill is eroding as lawmakers in both parties question his administration’s endgame. Washington Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal says the war has “no clear mission.” The White House says the resolutions don’t have the force of law.
Trump says Saudi nuclear pact requires kingdom to normalize Israel relations through Abraham Accords
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump says a new agreement with Saudi Arabia for a civilian nuclear program requires the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. The Republican president said Thursday on social media the deal doesn’t allow for enrichment of uranium. Nonproliferation experts have raised concerns the deal fails to include guardrails to prevent enrichment of uranium to weapons-grade levels. Trump has sought to build on the 2020 accords, which expanded the number of Arab states with diplomatic ties to Israel. The Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
Brent oil tops $100 per barrel, as tumbles for Tesla and Alphabet yank Wall Street lower
NEW YORK (AP) -- Brent oil’s price jumped above $100 per barrel for the first time since May as increased fighting in the Middle East threatens to slow the global flow of crude. Sharp drops for Alphabet and Tesla, meanwhile, helped yank Wall Street lower. The S&P 500 fell 1.3% and is heading toward its first back-to-back weekly loss since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 537 points, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.2%. Brent oil’s price has shot up from less than $72 early this month as the war with Iran widens, which threatens to worsen inflation. Treasury yields climbed.
House Republican says Smith may have lied about Trump probe and refers him for possible prosecution
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A key Republican lawmaker says he believes that special counsel Jack Smith may have lied to Congress while testifying about his investigation of President Donald Trump and that the Justice Department should consider prosecuting him. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio referred Smith to the Justice Department on Wednesday. Jordan alleges Smith made false statements during closed-door testimony about whether he had obtained records of lawmakers while investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Smith’s lawyers on Thursday denied the allegation and said he testified truthfully. The Justice Department says it “will investigate all evidence of criminal conduct.”
Minnesota man gets 2 life sentences for killing Democratic lawmaker and her husband
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota man who killed Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Vance Boelter pleaded guilty last month in the June 2025 fatal shooting of the house speaker and her husband Mark. The 59-year-old also pleaded guilty to attacking Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Boelter avoids the death penalty with his plea. He was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison.
Salman Rushdie testifies at the terrorism trial of the man convicted of stabbing him
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Salman Rushdie has testified for the second time about being stabbed nearly to death four years ago in a western New York amphitheater. The prize-winning author took the witness stand Thursday at Hadi Matar’s federal terrorism trial. The 28-year-old Matar already was convicted of a state-level attempted murder charge in the 2022 attack at a cultural institution where Rushdie was poised to speak about threats to writers and artists. Matar has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. Prosecutors claim Matar was motivated by an Iranian leader’s 1989 call for Rushdie’s death because of his novel “The Satanic Verses.”
Wisconsin governor calls for transparency after Madison officer fatally shoots man with knife
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The police shooting death of a man with a knife has roiled a Wisconsin city and prompted the governor to call for transparency and accountability in any investigation. Community members gathered at a growing memorial Thursday in the intersection where he died. As cellphone video of the shooting circulated on social media, the Madison police chief urged people to remain calm pending an independent state investigation. The shooting also infused itself into politics ahead of Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary. One Democrat addressed mourners at the vigil site Wednesday night while another called it “painfully reminiscent” of other police shootings. The Republican nominee said the facts should guide accountability.
Sex work or starve: Aid workers in Nepal left jobless by USAID cuts turn to sex work to survive
HETAUDA, Nepal (AP) -- After the United States slashed its foreign aid funding last year, more than 280,000 aid workers worldwide lost their jobs. Most of those workers live outside the U.S., in conflict zones or poor areas where other job opportunities are scarce. In impoverished Nepal, where a conservative culture leaves openly transgender people with few legal job options, the impact on aid workers’ lives was crushing. Starving and scared, around 100 LGBTQ+ aid workers left jobless by the funding cuts have turned to sex work to survive, walking the streets alongside the very people they once fought so hard to help.
US health officials are investigating a new outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasite
U.S. health officials are investigating a new outbreak involving the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. The outbreak included 72 people as of Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet identified which products are linked to the illnesses. Officials also have not said where the cases are located. The FDA earlier this week said it remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of a separate, multistate cyclospora outbreak. The parasite infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water.