AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT

The Latest: Rep. Wesley Bell fends off primary challenge from Cori Bush in Missouri rematch

Rep. Wesley Bell won Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District against former Rep. Cori Bush, settling a rematch that provided a test of America’s evolving viewpoints on Israel.

Bell was backed by a political group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The pro-Israeli group also financed his ouster of Bush in the 2024 primary after Bush criticized Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack on the country in 2023.

Meanwhile, Michigan will offer the country its clearest gauge yet on the direction of the Democratic Party, as primary voters in the battleground state choose between a progressive standard-bearer and an establishment-backed candidate for their Senate nominee.

Although there have been similar contests around the country, this one will hold extra weight because Michigan is a key state in presidential races. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also deciding on their parties’ nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

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Man charged with setting Spokane’s largest wildfire was questioned about 2 other blazes last year

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A man charged with intentionally setting a wildfire that’s destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Washington state’s second-largest city was questioned by law enforcement during two fire investigations last year, though he wasn’t charged in either, court documents show.

Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of three blazes that have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. According to court records, he denied setting the fire. His bond was set at $1 million.

The other two fires burning around Spokane were also started by humans, though not necessarily intentionally, investigators said Tuesday. The exact cause remains under investigation.

No deaths have been reported and cooler, calmer weather aided firefighters again Tuesday. Only one of the three fires — the Autumn Lane fire — grew. But hotter, drier and windier conditions are expected later in the week.

Farinacci, 37, served about a decade in prison after killing his father in Arizona in 2010. Last year, authorities questioned him in two fire-related cases in Spokane, according to a probable cause statement filed in Spokane County Superior Court.

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Authorities say a man carrying ammo was monitoring security at Trump golf course near LA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man carrying ammunition and with a gun in his car was arrested Sunday at President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course after appearing to monitor security preparations two days ahead of Trump’s fundraiser there, authorities said Tuesday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Jeanine John Taele, 38, was taking photos and video and had a 16-round magazine with ammunition in his pocket. Authorities recovered a loaded pistol in his car. Law enforcement searched his home in the nearby city of Downey on Monday and found a plethora of firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armor and notebooks with “concerning statements.”

The sheriff’s department announced the arrest as Trump was preparing to arrive for the Republican National Committee dinner at the Trump National Golf Course in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes just south of Los Angeles. The department did not elaborate on what the notebooks’ “concerning statements” were or whether the man was planning an attack on the president or event.

Taele was charged with several felonies including second-degree robbery, receiving a large-capacity magazine and possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun. He was also charged with carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, a misdemeanor.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges Monday and was ordered to stay away from the golf course and not possess weapons. His bail was set at $250,000.

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Netanyahu says no Israeli withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed and pushed back on a recent deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu’s remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war. It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration.

The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60% of Gaza it currently controls. It was based on an October ceasefire agreement that ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts.

Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for reelection in October, reiterated his stance that disarmament should come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to “do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our territory, and our citizens.”

The Trump administration “sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments. … This is our position,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media.

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Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials said Tuesday.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

A U.S. official familiar with the negotiations said that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”

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US stocks hit records as profits keep piling up for Palantir and others, while oil prices ease

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rallied to records on Tuesday as profits kept piling up for companies and as oil prices eased.

The S&P 500 shot up 1.8%, and the main measure of Wall Street’s health topped its prior all-time high set a couple months ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 907 points, or 1.7%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.6%.

Despite worries about high inflation, the war in Iran, frustration with the economy and a possible bubble in stock prices because of the boom in artificial-intelligence technology, Wall Street hit its latest apex and rewarded investors who remained patient because profits keep soaring for companies. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate earnings over the long term.

Palantir Technologies helped lead the way and surged 29.5% after CEO Alex Karp said its overall revenue leaped 93% in what he called an “otherworldly” quarter. Besides reporting a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected, the AI company also raised its revenue forecast for the full year of 2026.

Caterpillar climbed 5.6% after the heavy-equipment maker likewise reported stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected. It was the first time Caterpillar made more than $20 billion in sales and revenue in a quarter, and CEO Joe Creed said it’s seeing strong order rates and a growing backlog across its main businesses.

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Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.

The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche’s nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn’t moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.

After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

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3 killed in Idaho In-N-Out shooting included a man known for helping others get sober

The three people killed when a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger in Idaho included a worker at the restaurant chain and a man from the area known for helping others get sober.

Authorities released the names Tuesday of the people who died when 24-year-old Chad Williams opened fire at the Twin Falls restaurant. The attack Saturday afternoon ended when Williams shot and killed himself. Police said they are confident Williams acted alone but have not yet identified a motive.

Ashley Garibay, 23, who was killed in the shooting, worked for the burger chain on a team that trained new employees away from where she lived in Stockton, California. Her family said she loved her work and called her an “amazing, beautiful soul who loved living life.”

“She was adventurous, outgoing, smart and driven, never letting obstacles get in her way,” her family said in a statement. “She lit up a room with her bright smile and a laugh that was contagious.”

Dale Schultz, 66, of Salt Lake City, and Christopher Claunch, 59, of Hagerman, Idaho, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) northwest of Twin Falls, were also killed, according to police.

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Salvadoran man complained of access to medication before death at NJ immigration jail, family says

Family members of a Salvadoran man who died at a New Jersey immigration jail are demanding an independent investigation into his death, alleging he was denied proper medical care inside a facility that has become a flashpoint for protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The man, Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, was hospitalized Saturday after having a “medical emergency” while being held at Delaney Hall in Newark, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He died the same day.

His official cause of death will be released following further medical examination, according to ICE, which listed his age as 41. Relatives said he was 39.

At a news conference Tuesday, distraught family members said Lopez-Cornejo had complained he was not getting regular access to his medications, which he took for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures. His mother, Maria Cornejo, said he called the day before his death to tell her he had spoken to a doctor early Friday and had lost feeling in half his face and arm.

“My son needed medical attention, and he didn’t receive it,” Cornejo said in Spanish. “He was a good father. A good son. A hardworking man. He didn’t harm anyone.”

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SpaceX posts loss in first report as a public company but less than expected

NEW YORK (AP) — SpaceX reported a smaller loss than Wall Street expected along with a surge in revenue in its first quarterly report as a public company as it sharply boosted spending, particularly on artificial intelligence.

The company run by Elon Musk posted a loss of $541 million, or 9 cents per share, in the three months through June, less than half what financial analysts had forecast. Revenue jumped to $7.8 billion, up more than 90% from the year-earlier period.

A standout in the quarter was the company’s big cash source, its “connectivity” business, with revenue jumping 66% from a year earlier as the number of subscribers to its Starlink satellite communications service doubled to 12 million.

“It’s not out of the question that at some point, Starlink will deliver a majority of the world’s internet,” Musk said in call with analysts.

SpaceX stock rose 9% in regular trading Tuesday, but gave most of the gain back after hours. The rocket, satellite and AI company’s stock has fallen by roughly half since peaking in June shortly after an initial public offering that briefly made Musk the world’s first trillionaire.