North Korea’s ambassador blames U.S. for regional tensions
UNITED NATIONS — North Korea’s U.N. ambassador defended his country’s recent long-range missile launch in a rare appearance at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday where he also accused the United States of driving the situation in northeast Asia “to the brink of nuclear war.”
Biden pursuing prisoner exchange for WSJ reporter
HELSINKI — President Joe Biden on Thursday said he’s serious about pursuing a prisoner exchange for a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days.
India set to launch an mission to the moon’s south pole
SRIHARIKOTA, India — India was set to send a spacecraft to the far side of the moon Friday in a follow-up mission to its failed effort nearly four years ago to land a rover softly on the lunar surface.
Takeaways from AP investigation into Supreme Court ethics
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a monthslong inquiry, which included reviewing tens of thousands of pages of documents from more than 100 public records requests, The Associated Press has examined what happens behind the scenes when Supreme Court justices travel to colleges and universities for lectures and other events.
GOP confidence in 2024 vote count low poll shows
Few Republicans have high confidence that votes will be tallied accurately in next year’s presidential contest, suggesting years of sustained attacks against elections by former President Donald Trump and his allies have taken a toll, according to a new poll.
Trump can be held liable in writer’s defamation lawsuit
NEW YORK — The Justice Department on Tuesday said that Donald Trump can be held personally liable for remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape — a reversal of its position that Trump was protected because he was president when he made the remarks.
Trump asks judge to postpone trial in documents case
MIAMI — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are asking a judge to postpone his criminal trial without setting a new date as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate.
Grand jury seated in Georgia’s 2020 election investigation
ATLANTA — A grand jury that was sworn in Tuesday in Atlanta will likely consider whether criminal charges are appropriate for former President Donald Trump or his Republican allies for their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.
NATO: No timetable set for Ukraine’s membership
VILNIUS, Lithuania — NATO leaders said Tuesday that they would allow Ukraine to join the alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met” — a pronouncement that came just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted the organization’s failure to set a timetable for his country as “absurd.”
Ukraine civilians train to cope with Russia’s war dangers
KYIV, Ukraine — In a cramped municipal building in a residential area of the Ukrainian capital, a group of people take turns training to shoot using a replica of a machine gun with the help of a weapons training simulator relying on virtual reality.
Ukraine invasion spurs NATO to revamp its defense plans
VILNIUS, Lithuania — U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts on Tuesday endorsed the biggest shakeup since the Cold War of the way the military alliance would respond to any attack on its territory by Russia.
Trusses lifted to fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral’s roof
PARIS — A crane hoisted massive oak trusses from a barge and onto Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday in a spectacular operation to rebuild the fire-ravaged monument and bring it back to life by December 2024.
Assessment says Iran not developing nuclear weapons
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A U.S. intelligence assessment says Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons at the moment but has ramped up activities that could help it develop them.
Congress faces deep partisanship, competing voting bills
ATLANTA — Congress in the coming weeks will consider shoring up voting and election laws — efforts that will reflect the vast gulf between Democrats and Republicans on protecting a foundation of American democracy.
Landslide tears apart luxury homes in Southern California
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. — A landslide tore apart luxury homes on Southern California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula on Monday, leaving a confused jumble of collapsed roofs, shattered walls, tilted chimneys and decks dangling over an adjacent canyon.
Rain causes floods, prompts rescues in Northeast
ANDOVER, Vt. — Rescue teams raced into Vermont on Monday after heavy rain drenched parts of the Northeast, washing out roads, forcing evacuations and halting some airline travel. One person was killed in New York’s Hudson Valley as she tried to escape her flooded home
Florida ocean temperatures rise along with the humidity
ORLANDO, Fla. — Record global ocean heating has invaded Florida with a vengeance.
How extreme heat takes a toll on the mind, body
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Southwestern U.S. is bracing for another week of blistering temperatures, with forecasters on Monday extending an excessive heat warning through the weekend for Arizona’s most populated area, and alerting residents in parts of Nevada and New Mexico to stay indoors.
Prigozhin’s commanders met Putin, pledged loyalty
Just five days after staging a short-lived rebellion, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘s commanders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pledged loyalty to the government, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence both men wield.
NATO summit boosted by advancing Sweden’s bid
VILNIUS, Lithuania — NATO’s summit will begin Tuesday with fresh momentum after Turkey withdrew its objections to Sweden joining the alliance, a step toward the unity that Western leaders have been eager to demonstrate in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.