As political theater took center stage in Turkey, the war went on in Ukraine. Kyiv has few options

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Since U.S.-brokered talks began in March, Ukraine’s strategy has been to convince the Trump administration that Vladimir Putin is unreliable, and that Kyiv is serious about peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has few options, analysts and officials say, but to draw U.S. President Donald Trump’s ire against Putin while depending on the united and stalwart support of European allies.

In the latest round, Zelenskyy not only accepted Putin's offer to hold direct talks in Turkey, after the United States endorsed the idea, but raised the stakes and challenged the Russian leader to a face-to-face. The gesture failed to move Putin and the Istanbul talks were demoted to a technical meeting on Friday that failed to yield substantial results on ending the war.

The U.S. has expressed frustration with the stalled talks and threatened to withdraw if results aren’t achieved. On Friday, Trump told reporters after boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, that he may call Putin soon.

“He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it, or maybe not,” Trump said. “At least we’ll know. And if we don’t solve it, it’ll be very interesting.”

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A Russian drone strike in northeastern Ukraine kills 9 people, officials say

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone on Saturday hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, killing nine people and injuring seven, Ukrainian officials said, hours after Moscow and Kyiv had held their first direct peace talks in years that failed to yield a ceasefire.

Local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov and Ukraine’s national police said the attack was in Bilopillia, a town around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Russia. The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the report and there was no immediate comment from Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “deliberate killing of civilians.” He said in a post on Telegram messaging app that the "Russians could scarcely not realize what kind of vehicle they were hitting.”

He lamented the missed opportunity from the talks on Friday, saying that “Ukraine has long proposed this — a full and unconditional ceasefire in order to save lives.”

"Russia only retains the ability to continue killing,” Zelenskyy added.

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The crisis is Gaza is only growing. Here's what to know

JERUSALEM (AP) — The crisis in Gaza has reached one of its darkest periods, as Israel blocks all food and supplies from entering the territory and continues an intensifying bombardment campaign.

Humanitarian officials caution that famine threatens to engulf the strip. Doctors say they are out of medicine to treat routine conditions.

Israeli leaders are threatening an even more intense ground offensive. The military is preparing for a new organization with U.S. backing to take over aid delivery, despite alarms raised from humanitarian groups that the plans won't meet the massive need and could place restrictions on those eligible. It's unclear when operations would begin or who would fund them.

“This is the deadliest and most destructive phase of Israel’s war on Gaza, yet the world has turned away," said Bushra Khalidi, policy lead for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory at the humanitarian nonprofit Oxfam. "After 19 months of horror, Gaza has become a place where international law is suspended, and humanity is abandoned.”

Here’s what to know about the state of affairs in Gaza.

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At least 7 people dead and widespread damage left in the wake of severe Midwest storms

ST. LOUIS (AP) — At least seven people died and authorities were searching from building to building for people who were trapped or hurt after severe storms including at least one possible tornado swept through Missouri.

The storms were part of a severe weather system Friday that caused severe damage in Missouri, spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, left hundreds of thousands without power in the Great Lakes region and brought a punishing heat wave to Texas.

The storms Friday afternoon tore roofs off buildings, blew out windows, ripped bricks off siding and yanked up trees and power lines. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer confirmed five deaths in her city and said more than 5,000 homes were affected and about 100,000 customers remained without electricity on Friday night.

“This is truly, truly devastating,” Spencer said, adding that the city was in the process of declaring an emergency and an overnight curfew Friday had been put into place in the neighborhoods with the most damage.

The number of people injured was not immediately known. Barnes-Jewish Hospital received 20 to 30 patients from the storm with some in serious condition and most expected to be discharged by Friday night, according to hospital spokesperson Laura High.

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Republicans forge their tax bill in Trump's image, with 'MAGA accounts' and more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before Republicans unveiled their sweeping tax cut plan, the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee had one last person to consult. He went to the White House, where he and President Donald Trump went over the legislation “line by line.”

“He was very happy with what we’re delivering,” said Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri.

Trump had every reason to be pleased. His imprint is all over on the bill making its way through the House, starting with its title — the “ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

The legislation realizes many of Trump's campaign promises, temporarily ending taxes on overtime and tips for many workers, creating a new $10,000 tax break on auto loan interest for American-made cars, and even creating a new tax-free “MAGA account” — a nod to his ”Make America Great Again" movement, but in this case, it means “Money Accounts for Growth and Advancement.” This would contribute $1,000 to children born in his second term.

The Trump-inspired contours of the legislative package, months if not years in the making, reflect not only the president's considerable influence over the Republican Party, but also the hard political realities in the House, where Republicans have only the barest of majorities and often find it difficult to find consensus without Trump's involvement.

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Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to resume quick deportations of Venezuelans under 18th-century law

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday barred the Trump administration from quickly resuming deportations of Venezuelans under an 18th-century wartime law enacted when the nation was just a few years old.

Over two dissenting votes, the justices acted on an emergency appeal from lawyers for Venezuelan men who have been accused of being gang members, a designation that the administration says makes them eligible for rapid removal from the United States under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

The court indefinitely extended the prohibition on deportations from a north Texas detention facility under the alien enemies law. The case will now go back to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined to intervene in April.

President Donald Trump quickly voiced his displeasure. “THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

The high court action is the latest in a string of judicial setbacks for the Trump administration’s effort to speed deportations of people in the country illegally. The president and his supporters have complained about having to provide due process for people they contend didn’t follow U.S. immigration laws.

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Bernie Sanders and AOC are popular with Democrats. Here's a timeline of their alliance

Among Democrats on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wields far more power than New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. But the progressive champions have the hearts of Democratic voters across the country.

About three-quarters of Democrats have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Sanders, while about half have a favorable view of Ocasio-Cortez, according to a recent survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Compare them with Schumer, an establishment Democrat, who is viewed favorably by only about a third of Democrats.

Nearly the entire difference in favorability ratings between Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez can be explained by voters who said they don’t know enough to form an opinion of AOC. Their unfavorable ratings among Democrats were essentially the same, around 15% for both.

Ocasio-Cortez, now 35, was an anonymous Sanders campaign volunteer a decade ago. Now she’s perhaps the best positioned to be the 83-year-old Sanders’ successor atop his progressive movement as the Democratic Partytries to position itself in Trump’s America.

But that role comes with risks — President Donald Trump and Republicans have long made AOC a foil, and some Democrats, progressive and moderate alike, have argued she and Sanders are too disruptive and push for unrealistic policy ideas.

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An alleged smuggler to Colombia's cartels had a secret ally: the DEA

MIAMI (AP) — In the sordid annals of Colombia’s underworld, Diego Marín stood out as the ultimate survivor.

Time and again, the reputed henchman for the Cali cartel evaded capture — or worse fates — as he built a money-laundering network stretching across four continents. He did so, authorities have alleged, with ruthlessness, street smarts and a willingness to bribe a slew of South American police officers and politicians.

All the while, Marín had an even more powerful ally in his corner: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

For years, the elite narcotics agency claimed it was investigating the Colombian importer, telling the U.S. Justice Department he was among DEA’s top targets. In reality, the relationship was more fraught, with Marín briefly signed up as an informant even as he assiduously corrupted agents with a movable feast of prostitutes, fine dining and expensive gifts, an Associated Press investigation found.

In return, at least one of those agents helped Marín launder money and smuggle contraband — throwing law enforcement off his tracks. As the DEA looked the other way, Marín’s business flourished into a criminal empire that generated up to $100 million a year, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

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In Spain, a homelessness crisis unfolds in Madrid's airport

MADRID (AP) — Every morning at 6 a.m., Teresa sets out in search of work, a shower and a bit of exercise before she returns home. For around six months, that has been Terminal 4 of Madrid’s international airport.

Teresa, 54, who didn’t want her full name to be used because of safety concerns, is one of the estimated hundreds of homeless people sleeping in the Spanish capital’s airport amid a growing housing crisis in Spain, where rental costs have risen especially fast in cities like Madrid, the country's capital, and Barcelona.

She and others sleeping at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport — the third-busiest airport in Europe in 2023, according to Eurostat — described a situation where for months, authorities have neither helped them find other living arrangements nor have they kicked them out from the corners of the airport that they have occupied with sleeping bags unfurled on the floor as well as blankets, shopping carts and bags.

Soon, things could change.

Spain’s airport operator AENA this week said that it would start limiting who can enter Madrid’s airport during low-travel hours by asking visitors to show their boarding passes. AENA said that the policy would take effect in the next few days, but didn't specify exactly when. It said that exceptions would be made for airport workers and anyone accompanying a traveler.

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10 escape from New Orleans jail through hole in cell wall while lone guard left to get food

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten men broke out of a New Orleans jail Friday in an audacious overnight escape by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall while the lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, authorities said.

Seven of the escapees, including suspects charged with murder, remain on the lam following the breakout that the local sheriff says may have been aided by members within the department.

Surveillance footage, shared with media during a news conference, showed the escapees sprinting out of the facility — some wearing orange clothing and others in white. They scaled a fence, using blankets to avoid being cut by barbed wire, and then some could be seen sprinting across the nearby interstate and into a neighborhood.

A photograph obtained by The Associated Press from law enforcement shows the opening behind a toilet in a cell that the men escaped through. Above the hole are scrawled messages that include “To Easy LoL” with an arrow pointing at the gap.

The absence of the 10 men, who also utilized facility deficiencies that officials have long complained about in their escape, went unnoticed for hours. It was not until a routine morning headcount, more than seven hours later, that law enforcement learned of the escape.