MANILA, Philippines — The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy...
Israel Strikes Across Gaza After Allowing Another Small Aid Convoy Into the Besieged Enclave
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza on Monday, including in areas where Palestinian civilians have been told to seek refuge, after another small aid shipment was allowed into the besieged Hamas-ruled territory. Israel has still not allowed any fuel to enter Gaza, where there has...
Father of Freed American Teenage Hostage Says She Is ‘Doing Very Good’
EVANSTON, Ill. — The father of freed American teen hostage Natalie Raanan said Friday she’s doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza. Uri Raanan of Illinois told The Associated Press that he spoke to his...
Deadly Mount Whitney Claims Another Life. This Time It’s an Air France Pilot.
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK — A pilot from France who disappeared while hiking California's towering Mount Whitney was found dead after falling about 1,000 feet (305 meters) off a cliff, the National Park Service said Friday. The hiker was identified as Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, who was a pilot for...
House Republicans Drop Jim Jordan as Their Nominee for Speaker, Stumbling Back to Square One
WASHINGTON — Republicans abruptly dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel. The Outcome The outcome left Republicans dejected, frustrated and sinking deeper...
Judge Fines Donald Trump $5,000 After Post Maligning Court Staffer Is Found on Campaign Website
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after his disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud trial lingered on his campaign website for weeks after the judge ordered it deleted. Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in...
Israel Says Two Americans Held Hostage by Hamas, a Mother and Daughter, Have Been Released
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas on Friday freed an American woman and her teenage daughter it had held hostage in Gaza, Israel said, the first such release from among the around 200 people the militant group abducted during its Oct. 7 rampage through southern Israel. The two Americans, Judith...
Protesters in US, South Korea, Iraq and Indonesia Demonstrate Over Israeli Airstrikes
Protesters gathered at Iraq's border crossing with Jordan on Friday to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and call for an end to Israel's blockade, while in Indonesia's capital, demonstrators marched from several mosques to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to denounce American support for Israel...
Federal Judge Again Rules That California’s Ban on Assault Weapons Is Unconstitutional
SAN DIEGO — A federal judge who previously overturned California's three-decade-old ban on assault weapons did it again on Thursday, ruling that the state's attempts to prohibit sales of semiautomatic guns violates the constitutional right to bear arms. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego conceded that powerful weapons...
Newly Appointed California Senator Will Not Seek Election to a Full Term in 2024
LOS ANGELES — Newly appointed California Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler announced Thursday she will not seek election to a full term in 2024, avoiding what would have been a costly and bruising race for the seat held for three decades by the late Dianne Feinstein. Butler — who was named...