Court papers say suspect in embassy killings declared, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man charged with fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington as they were leaving an event at a Jewish museum told police after his arrest, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.” That’s according to court documents released Thursday charging 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez with the Wednesday night attack. The documents say the shooting was captured on surveillance video outside the museum. Authorities say the footage showed Rodriguez firing at the victims several times after they fell to the ground. Rodriguez faces charges of murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and additional charges are likely.

Bonded by work and love, Israeli Embassy colleagues' lives cut short by gunman

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were colleagues, and they were a couple, days away from a marriage proposal. But their interwoven lives were brutally cut short Wednesday evening, when the two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a young diplomats’ reception at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Milgrim was an American from Kansas. Those who knew her say she devoted her burgeoning career to bringing people together to look for ways to promote peace and combat climate change. Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen who spent some of his childhood in Germany. He had a deep attachment to the Jewish state and an interest in bridging cultural and religious divides.

Trump administration bars Harvard from enrolling foreign students

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school. It says thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country. The Department of Homeland Security announced the action Thursday, saying Harvard has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus. It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, saying it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

Music talent agent among dead after jet crashes into San Diego neighborhood

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The music agency Sound Talent Group says three of its employees died on the private plane that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood on Thursday. The music agency says the dead include Dave Shapiro, the agency’s co-founder. Shapiro is listed as the owner of the plane and has a pilot’s license. Sound Talent Group has represented artists including Hanson, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton. The agency didn’t share the names of the other two employees who were killed. The private jet crashed early Thursday into a neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing in San Diego during foggy weather, igniting at least one home and numerous vehicles parked on the street.

Gaza's main hospital is overwhelmed with children in pain from malnutrition

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. children’s agency says more than 9,000 children have been treated for malnutrition in Gaza this year, and food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year. Experts also warn the territory could plunge into famine if Israel doesn’t stop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade. The blockade was in place for more than two months, preventing all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some 2 million Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel’s offensive has destroyed almost all the territory’s food production capabilities.

Rapper Kid Cudi says his car was set on fire weeks after Sean 'Diddy' Combs broke into his home

NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Kid Cudi has testified that he was sure Sean “Diddy” Combs broke into his home in 2011 after learning he was dating Combs' ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie. Speaking Thursday at Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York, Cudi also said that a few weeks after the break-in, someone set fire to his car in his driveway. Cassie testified last week that Combs threatened to blow up Cudi's car. The Grammy-winning Cudi said Combs denied involvement in the car fire at the time. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering. Cudi left the courthouse without commenting after his testimony.

House Republicans pass Trump's big bill of tax breaks and program cuts after all-night session

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans stayed up all night to pass their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package. Speaker Mike Johnson defied the skeptics within his ranks and muscled President Donald Trump’s priority bill to approval Thursday. Last-minute concessions and a stern warning from Trump appeared to win over the hold outs to salvage what he calls the “big, beautiful bill.” The outcome caps an intense time on Capitol Hill, with days of private negotiations and public committee hearings. Democrats, without the votes to stop Trump’s package, tried to stall it. The Congressional Budget Office says the tax provisions would add $3.8 trillion to federal deficits.

RFK Jr.'s MAHA report raises concerns about vaccines, American foods and prescription drugs

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new government-issued report reflects some of the most controversial views on vaccines, the nation’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs held by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The much-anticipated “Make America Healthy Again” report, led by Kennedy and other top Trump administration officials, was released on Thursday. It calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule, a review of the pesticides sprayed on American crops, and describes the nation’s children as overmedicated.

Stop making cents: US Mint moves forward with plans to kill the penny

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out. That word comes from a Treasury Department official who wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the news. An immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs is expected by stopping penny production, according to the official. In February, President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin. The Treasury says there are about 114 billion pennies currently in circulation in the United States — that’s $1.14 billion — but they're greatly underutilized.

Get ready for another busy Atlantic hurricane season, but maybe not as crazy as 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — With warmer-than-normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting another unusually busy hurricane season for the Atlantic. But they don’t think it will be as chaotic as 2024. Last year was the third-costliest season on record, with killer storms Beryl, Helene and Milton. Thursday's hurricane season outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects a 60% chance for an above-normal season, a 30% chance it will be near normal and only a 10% probability it will be quieter than average. The forecast calls for 13 to 19 named storms with six to 10 becoming hurricanes. It projects three to five of those will reach major status, which means winds of more than 110 mph.