Israel’s military warns people to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel’s military warned people Thursday to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor. The warning came in a social media post on X. It included a satellite image of the plant in a red circle like other warnings that proceeded strikes. The Arak heavy water reactor is 155 miles southwest of Tehran. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. The Israeli military said a new round of airstrikes Thursday targeted Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating. It later said Iran fired a new salvo of missiles at Israel and told the public to take shelter.

As Israel strikes Iran, many wonder if the US will deepen its involvement

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As Israeli strikes kill top Iranian generals, take out air defenses and damage nuclear sites, many wonder if President Donald Trump will deepen U.S. involvement in the conflict. Trump has long railed against what he refers to as the “stupid, endless wars” waged by his predecessors. That includes conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq where the U.S. helped overthrow governments. Iran's government is looking increasingly fragile, and if the U.S. does get involved, its strikes could help severely damage the country’s nuclear program or even end its 4-decade-old theocracy. The recent history of U.S. attempts to remake the Middle East by force is one of costly blunders and colossal failures, and there are plenty of hard-earned lessons for anyone who wants to try it again.

Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a jolting setback to transgender rights. The justices’ 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to Tennessee’s. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for trans minors doesn’t violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. An American Civil Liberties Union lawyer says the decision is “a devastating loss for transgender people.”

Erick strengthens into a Category 3 major hurricane approaching Mexico's coast

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Erick has swiftly intensified into a dangerous Category 3 major hurricane as it closes in on the southern coast of Mexico. Forecasters at the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center say a hurricane hunter aircraft found Erick on Wednesday evening had reached maximum sustained winds of 125 mph after hours of rapid intensification. The hurricane center says the dangerous storm is in the eastern Pacific about 55 miles southwest of Puerto Angel and moving to the northwest toward an expected Thursday morning landfall. Forecasters say Erick is expected to strengthen further before crashing into the coast with potentially destructive winds and life-threatening flash floods over a wide area.

Fed leaves key rate unchanged as it awaits the impact of tariffs and Trump again scolds Powell

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its key rate unchanged Wednesday as it waits for additional information on how tariffs and other potential disruptions will affect the economy this year. The Fed’s policymakers signaled they still expect to cut rates twice this year, even as they also project that President Donald Trump’s import duties will push inflation higher. They also expect growth to slow and unemployment to edge up, according to their latest quarterly projections. Fed policymakers had cut their rate three times late last year but have since have been on hold.

Karen Read found not guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of drunken driving in boyfriend's death

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — A jury has found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder in death of her Boston police officer boyfriend but guilty of a lesser charge of drunken driving. The jury handed down its decision Wednesday after deliberating for at least 22 hours since June 13. The verdict comes nearly a year after a separate jury deadlocked over whether Read killed John O’Keefe in 2022. Along with the second-degree murder charge, Read also faced charges of manslaughter and leaving the scene for allegedly striking O’Keefe with her SUV during a blizzard and leaving him to die in the snow. The case attracted international attention, with many people siding with the defense argument that Read was framed by police.

The world's only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV could stop transmission — if people can get it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV. In two groundbreaking studies, Gilead Sciences’ shot, a drug named lenacapavir, nearly eliminated new infections in two groundbreaking studies of people at high risk. It will be sold under the brand name Yeztugo. Wednesday’s approval marks the first step in an anticipated global rollout that experts say could protect millions — if they can get access. Drastic cuts to public health in the U.S. and abroad cloud the prospects.

US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department says it’s restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but says all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for review. The department says consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles. In a notice made public Wednesday, the department said applicants who refuse to set their social media accounts to “public” and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected as the refusal could be a sign they are trying to evade the requirement or hide their online activity.

Kyiv rescuers find more bodies as death toll from latest Russian attack climbs to 28

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Emergency workers have pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile. The finds on Wednesday brought the death toll from the attack on the Ukrainian capital the previous day to 28. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building in one of Kyiv’s districts that took a direct hit and collapsed. It was the deadliest single attack on Kyiv so far this year. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year.

Buss family to sell controlling stake of Lakers to Mark Walter for $10B valuation, AP source says

The Buss family has agreed to sell the controlling stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, doing so with a franchise valuation of $10 billion — the most ever for a professional sports franchise, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday. As part of the deal, Jeanie Buss — whose family has had control of the Lakers since her father bought the team in 1979 — intends to remain as governor, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side immediately announced details.