The White House seeks sharp spending cuts in Trump's 2026 budget plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has released President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal. It seeks to slash, if not zero out, spending on many government programs. Trump’s plan aims for cuts to child care, disease research, renewable energy and peacekeeping abroad — steps started in many cases under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. That's all while pumping up billions for the administration’s mass deportation agenda. Overall, it’s a sizable reduction in domestic accounts. It comes as Congress is already deep into drafting the Republican president's big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts.

Groups fear Israeli proposal for controlling aid in Gaza will forcibly displace people

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza for two months and says it won’t allow food, fuel, water or medicine into the besieged territory until it can prevent Hamas and other militants from siphoning it away from Palestinian civilians. But officials from the U.N. and aid groups say proposals Israel has floated to use its military to distribute vital supplies are untenable. They are problematic, these officials say, because they allow military and political objectives to impede humanitarian goals, put restrictions on who is eligible to give and receive aid, and could force large numbers of Palestinians to move — which would violate international law.

Dinner parties, listening and lobbying. What goes on behind closed doors to elect a pope

ROME (AP) — British Cardinal Vincent Nichols provides an insider's view of what's going on in these days before the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. The archbishop of Westminster is participating in his first conclave, and says these are days of ''attentive listening," as cardinals get to know one another and identify what the Catholic Church needs in a new leader. His predecessor as archbishop of Westminster was a key behind-the-scenes player in the 2013 conclave that elected an Argentine Jesuit pope.

VP Vance's global travels are a mix of diplomacy, dealmaking, soft power and family time

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has dispatched Vice President JD Vance all over the world in the opening months of the administration. Vance took a five-day trip to Europe, a hastily reorganized trek to Greenland and toured Italy and India. The vice president is usually accompanied by his wife, Usha, and their three children, and he routinely mixes business with cultural excursions, pairing sometimes prickly official remarks with lighter events. Experts say such trips aren't unusual. His quick shifts between work and leisure may be emblematic of his generation.

Australians vote in election with high prices and shortage of housing major issues

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australians are voting in Australia’s general election as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his rival Peter Dutton ended campaigning along the east coast. Both Albanese and Dutton began Saturday in the electorally-crucial city of Melbourne. Albanese returned home to Sydney and Dutton to his hometown of Brisbane to vote. Albanese’s center-left Labor Party is seeking a second three-year term. Dutton wants to become the first opposition leader to oust a first-term government since 1931, when Australians were reeling from the Great Depression. The election is taking place against a backdrop of what both sides of politics describe as a cost of living crisis.

Wall Street extends its gains to a 9th straight day, reclaiming losses since tariff escalation

Wall Street extended its gains to a ninth straight day, marking its longest winning streak since 2004 and reclaiming the ground it lost since President Donald Trump escalated his trade war in early April. The rally on Friday was spurred by a better-than-expected report on the job market and resurgent hope of a ratcheting down of the trade showdown with China. The S&P 500 climbed 1.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.4%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.5%. Treasury yields rose in the bond market after the government reported that employers added more jobs than forecast in April.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let DOGE access Social Security systems

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to clear the way for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The emergency appeal filed Friday comes after a judge in Maryland restricted the team’s access under federal privacy laws. The government says the DOGE team needs access to target waste in the federal government. An appeals court also refused immediately allow DOGE unfettered access, though it split along ideological lines. Social Security holds personal records on nearly everyone in the country, from school records to salary information.

Iranian students at the University of Alabama say immigration crackdown echoes repression at home

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alireza Doroudi has been detained in an immigration facility in Louisiana for nearly six weeks. Doroudi’s detention has instilled fear in the small Iranian community in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he and his fiancee are doctoral students. Doroudi's visa was revoked in 2023, but he wasn't given a reason. His fiancee says he was told that he was legally allowed to stay in the U.S. as long as he remained a student. Now, one Iranian doctoral student says the fear in her community “feels like we’re returning back to Iran again." The student spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because she fears retaliation.

NPR stations targeted for cuts by Trump have provided lifelines to listeners during disasters

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — After Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville, North Carolina, the sound coming from open car windows as residents gathered on a street at the top of a ridge trying to get cell service last fall was Blue Ridge Public Radio. And as they stood in line for water or food, the latest news they’d heard on the station was a frequent topic of conversation. Now, public radio stations are being targeted for cuts by President Donald Trump, who this week signed an executive order aimed at slashing public subsidies to NPR and PBS, alleging “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting.

Harassed by Assassin’s Creed gamers, a professor fought back with kindness

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A Dartmouth College professor who worked as a consultant on the latest Assassin's Creed video game ended up getting harassed by gamers. But she fought back with kindness, reaching out to the haters and engaging them in conversation. Sachi Schmidt-Hori is an associate professor of Japanese literature and culture. When the trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows came out last year, gamers who objected to having a Black man as a protagonist in a game set in 16th century Japan came after her, even though the character is based on a historical figure and she wasn't involved in his selection. She responded by contacting her harassers, some of whom apologized and took down their negative posts.