US attacks Iran over ship being hit in Strait of Hormuz; Tehran lashes out again at Gulf Arab states
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States has attacked Iran over an Iranian attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The strike set a container ship ablaze and forced its crew to abandon it. Iran apparently responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The new crossfire in the Persian Gulf comes after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested an interim deal and ceasefire in the Iran war was “over.” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote online: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.” The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit some 140 targets in the strikes, far more than the last two round.
Trump suggests a standing order to attack Iran if it assassinates him. But Vance would make the call
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he's ordered the U.S. military to destroy Iran if he were to be assassinated. His aim is to deter Tehran with threats of overwhelming retaliation should it try to make good on threats to kill him. But there's no automatic system that allows a president's death to trigger an immediate military response. If Trump were killed, Vice President JD Vance would become president and decide whether to retaliate. He could do so, but it wouldn't be an automatic decision. The U.S. has contingency plans for government continuity but not for immediate strikes upon a president's death.
Dangerous heat wave threatens oppressive temperatures in much of the US
A widespread and dangerous heat wave is building across the U.S., with triple-digit highs expected in the Southwest and Great Plains this weekend. The heat will spread eastward under a dome of high pressure that meteorologists say could trap oppressive temperatures for a week or more in as much as two-thirds of the continental United States. Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees warmer than normal in many areas, including at night. That's especially bad for people’s health because their bodies won’t have a chance to recover.
New York Times reporters are subpoenaed after Air Force One stories, raising press freedom concerns
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice confirms that it's subpoenaed New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The subpoenas mark a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s campaign against the media that's drawn condemnation for eroding a fundamental freedom of American democracy. The new jet was a present from the U.S. ally and the administration spent $400 million on to retrofit and upgrade. The plane entered service last week. But Trump used an older model Air Force One jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey and later referenced threats against him made by Iran.
A July 4 boat trip, an 18-year-old's death and a family's search for answers in the Deep South
NEW YORK (AP) — A week ago, 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells took a boat trip with friends to celebrate the Fourth of July on an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. He never came back. Two days later, he was found dead. What happened, Wells’ parents say, is a mystery riddled with conflicting stories, implausible explanations and missing details. It is a case shadowed by the state’s fraught racial history and lingering distrust in law enforcement. At a news conference Friday in New York City, Christine and Elmore Wonsley called for a thorough and transparent investigation into their son’s death, skeptical of claims that Wells told his friends to leave the island without him and suggestions that he, an elite athlete who knew how to swim, had accidentally drowned.
Bellingham scores twice to lift England past Haaland and Norway 2-1 and into World Cup semifinals
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jude Bellingham scored in extra time to lift England past Norway 2-1 and into the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2018. Bellingham’s shot in the 93rd was his second of the game. The Real Madrid star is now tied with England teammate Harry Kane with six goals in this tournament. England, winner of the 1966 World Cup and facing pressure to return to the title match, is now one win away from getting there. It will face Argentina in the semifinals.
Alvarez’s 112th-minute goal helps lift Argentina past Switzerland 3-1 and into World Cup semifinals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Julian Alvarez has sent Argentina into the World Cup semifinals with a stunning long-range strike in extra time against Switzerland. His goal in the 112th minute broke a 1-all tie, and Lautaro Martinez added another goal in the final seconds to wrap up the 3-1 win. Alexis Mac Allister scored earlier off a corner kick from Lionel Messi, helping Argentina advance to play England on Wednesday in Atlanta. The game took a controversial turn in the second half, when a yellow card for Leandro Paredes was overturned by video and a Swiss player sent off instead. They had to play the rest of the way with only 10 players.
Shooting near Toronto street festival kills 2 people and wounds 4, police say
TORONTO (AP) — A shooting near a Toronto street festival killed two men and wounded four other people. Police say that what initially prompted an active-shooter warning Saturday was an exchange of gunfire between two people targeting each other. Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo says investigators recovered two firearms after the shooting reported at 8:12 p.m. near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the Salsa on St. Clair festival was underway. He says there was no active shooter, but warned that the gunfire “indiscriminately put vast numbers of people in danger.” There were no immediate arrests.
Missouri flooding leaves one dead, while rescuers helicopter more than 200 to safety at summer camp
A woman has been found dead in Missouri after heavy rainfall battered parts of the state, forcing numerous emergency rescues and evacuations. More than 200 children and staffers at a Missouri summer camp were helicoptered to safety, and about 20 people were rescued from another campground after a building collapsed Friday during the deluge. The woman who was found dead disappeared after a house was swept from its foundation. Several other states also faced potential severe thunderstorms and flash flooding Saturday as the slow moving storms moved southward.
Mexican builder fatally shot by an ICE officer is mourned after making a life in the US
The builder got up every morning long before dawn, left home to pick up his construction crew and then headed out to work on yet another house somewhere across the sprawl of Houston. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had built hundreds of houses over 35 years, creating a life for his family in the U.S. On Tuesday, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot 52-year-old Salgado Araujo as he drove his crew to their latest job site. The shooting has outraged Houston leaders and renewed public scrutiny over ICE and Trump’s immigration crackdown.
