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Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say
CAIRO (AP) -- Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East. Two regional officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday that under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. Service fees would be charged. The talks are ongoing. Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a strategic victory for Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump is under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war that has driven up gas prices.
Mass funeral held in Gaza and other developments from across the Mideast
CAIRO (AP) -- A mass funeral was held Tuesday in Gaza City for more than 100 Palestinians whose bodies were recovered nearly three years after Israeli warplanes flattened a residential block. A cargo ship was also reportedly hit by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar said it was mediating peace talks between the United States and Iran, despite conflicting claims from the two sides. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they have fired at Saudi Arabia. And in the Lebanese capital, victims’ relatives marked the anniversary of the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people.
Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has a cleared critical hurdle in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines Tuesday in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney. Blanche has aggressively pushed the Trump administration’s priorities since taking the reins from Pam Bondi in April. The full Senate could vote later this week on Blanche’s nomination. If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was hospitalized after a fall, does not return before then.
Trump is making a rare Western trip to talk about the economy, something polls show he’s weak on
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy and other issues. Trump is seeking to shore up support for fellow Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress. The White House says Trump will attend a Republican National Committee dinner at his golf club near Los Angeles on Tuesday. A likely target will be California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and expected 2028 presidential candidate who has become one of Trump’s sharpest critics. On Wednesday, Trump is slated to talk about the economy at a Las Vegas casino hotel.
Man charged with setting Spokane’s largest wildfire went to prison for killing his father
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A man who went to prison for manslaughter in his father’s 2010 killing in Arizona has been charged with intentionally setting the largest of the wildfires wreaking havoc on Washington state’s second-largest city. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire. According to an affidavit, Farinacci denied under questioning by sheriff’s deputies that he set the fire. It is the biggest of the three blazes that have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced about 67,000 people from their homes in and around Spokane. Farinacci’s is jailed on $1 million bond and is due in court later Tuesday.
What to watch in the Aug. 4 primaries: Michigan Senate race tests Democrats’ path forward
Michigan’s marquee Democratic Senate primary, testing whether the party wants a progressive standard-bearer or an establishment-backed pick with government experience, tops Tuesday’s list of must-watch elections. Voters in Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state are also settling a host of races. But Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary between Bernie Sanders-backed Abdul El-Sayed and four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, has captured outsized attention as a stark indicator of what voters are looking for in a competitive battleground.
Firefighters scramble to contain fires outside Athens before winds and high temperatures return
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Firefighters west of Athens are racing to exploit a break in high winds, working to strengthen containment lines as forecasters warned that stronger gusts and rising temperatures would return in the coming days. Several fires that burned through mountain communities and coastal areas west of the Greek capital were brought under control overnight into Tuesday. Planes and helicopters dumped water inside the contained perimeters through the morning, dousing hot spots while the winds stayed calm.
Trump’s arch could harm the integrity of many of Washington’s historical sites, report says
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch could disrupt the historical significance of many sites near its planned location. The National Park Service says the arch would impact the “integrity” of dozens of historical properties by changing “character-defining visual and spatial relationships” between them. The report, published Monday, highlights the arch’s potential to break alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge, and Arlington House. The project has already received early approval from a federal commission but has sparked opposition, including a lawsuit by veterans and a historian.
US stocks leap toward a record as profits keep piling up and oil prices ease
NEW YORK (AP) -- The U.S. stock market is rallying toward a record as companies keep piling up profits and oil prices ease. The S&P 500 climbed 1.7% Tuesday and is on track to top its all-time high set in June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 966 points to its own record set the day before, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.2%. Palantir Technologies and Caterpillar helped lead the way after becoming the latest U.S. companies to report stronger profits for the spring than analysts expected. The price of Brent crude oil fell below $80 per barrel, which helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market.
Musk likely to face tough questions during SpaceX’s first earnings call as a public company
NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors in Elon Musk’s space company get a chance to question him Tuesday in his first quarterly earnings call since an initial public offering. Stock in SpaceX is down by half from its June peak as investors worry Musk had oversold investors on its future prospects and brace for possible selling by company insiders as a lockup for trading their shares expires later this week. Musk is likely to be asked about when he expects to finish testing SpaceX’s giant Starship rockets, plans for its satellite network and the prospects of putting football-field sized data centers in orbit.