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

Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant as US and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone strike sparked a fire on the edge of the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack.” No one was blamed, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signaled they were ready to fight again.

There were no reported injuries or radiological release. The UAE, which has hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks. Tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway gripped by Iran, which is under a U.S. naval blockade.

“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media shortly after a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, whose attack on Iran with the U.S. sparked the war on Feb. 28.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

“Our armed forces’ fingers are on the trigger, while diplomacy is also continuing,” Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on state television.

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WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The World Health Organization declared the Ebola disease outbreak caused by a rare virus in Congo and neighboring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths.

WHO said the outbreak doesn’t meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like COVID-19, and advised against the closure of international borders.

WHO said on X that a laboratory-confirmed case has also been reported in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, which is about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the outbreak’s epicenter in the eastern province of Ituri, suggesting a possible wider spread. It said the patient had visited Ituri and that other suspected cases have also been reported in North Kivu province, which is one of Congo’s most populous and borders Ituri.

On Sunday, the rebel government of Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, said in a statement that the first confirmed case of Ebola was detected in the city. The infected person traveled from Ituri province and was currently under isolation, the statement said. Goma was the site of a rapid rebel offensive in early 2025, and the conflict between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel paramilitary group has displaced hundreds of thousands.

Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.

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4 crew members eject safely after two Navy jets collide during air show in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.

The two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, were performing an aerial demonstration when they collided, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The crash was under investigation, Umayam said. Base officials said the crew members were in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.

“Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show.

The base announced it was locked down immediately following the crash. The remainder of the air show was canceled.

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Teenagers arrested in random shootings across Austin that left 4 injured

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two teenagers were in custody and a potential third suspect was being sought following at least 10 random weekend shootings in Austin, Texas, that left four people injured, city officials said Sunday.

Driving around the city in stolen vehicles, the suspects fired at two fire stations, apartment buildings and houses during a robbery and shooting spree from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.

The two boys, ages 15 and 17, were apprehended after they were pulled over in a stolen car and attempted to run. A third person who had been in the car also ran and remained at large. Davis said it was unknown if that person was involved in the shootings.

She said the firearm that was used in the shootings had earlier been stolen by the 15-year old, and that the 17-year old was wanted for a separate firearm theft.

The city ordered residents of a large part of the southern area of Texas’ capital city to shelter in place Sunday while they were searching for the suspects. With two suspects in custody, the order was later lifted.

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Cassidy tried to get along with Trump after his impeachment vote. Retribution came anyway

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When Charles Wandfluh voted in Louisiana’s Republican primary over the weekend, he could only conjure the unflattering image of a panicked rodent when talking about Bill Cassidy’s desperate attemp t to cling to his U.S. Senate seat despite opposition from President Donald Trump.

“He’s just a squirrel running around the tree, chasing nuts to find whatever he can get to benefit him,” said Wandfluh, 57, in a suburb of New Orleans.

Cassidy’s scramble was in vain, and his defeat on Saturday demonstrated the near-impossibility of a political future within the Republican Party without Trump’s acquiescence. Despite outspending his rivals, Cassidy finished third in the primary, falling short of even making a runoff. The outcome was the latest and perhaps most spectacular failure by a Republican who tried to cross Trump and get away with it.

Even within a party notorious for its political contortions during the Trump era, Cassidy stood out. As a doctor, he overlooked Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine activism to support his nomination as Trump’s health secretary, only inevitably to clash with Kennedy once he took the job.

Cassidy was also unable to repair his relationship with Trump five years after voting to convict him during his impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Although Cassidy tried to assure Republican voters that he remained committed to Trump’s agenda, that did not satisfy their loyalty to the Republican president.

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Trump administration promotes program to check voter eligibility. Critics fear a midterm purge

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Even as Democratic officials fight the effort in court, the Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to determine their eligibility in a process that critics worry could end up purging valid voters from the rolls before the November elections.

At least 67 million registrations, primarily from Republican-controlled states, have gone through a beefed-up verification program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and tens of thousands of those have been flagged as potential noncitizens or people who have died. Some states allow only a month for people to prove their eligibility and others suspend it immediately.

The scanning of state voter rolls at the national level is part of a broader effort by Republican President Donald Trump to federalize certain election functions and promote his messaging that elections are marred by noncitizen voting, even though instances of that are rare. Voting and civil rights advocates say the DHS system is error-prone and can mistakenly flag people who are eligible to vote.

“If a voter is wrongly removed, by the time they learn about it and correct it, they may miss their opportunity to vote in that election,” said Freda Levenson, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The group is challenging an Ohio law requiring monthly checks with the DHS system.

Voters such as 29-year-old Anthony Nel have been caught in the middle.

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Talks to get the largest US commuter rail system running again continue as morning commute looms

NEW YORK (AP) — With the first weekday morning commute looming, negotiators were working into the night Sunday to try to end a strike that has shut down the Long Island Rail Road, North America’s largest commuter rail system.

Unions representing rail workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which runs the railroad, resumed talks earlier in the day with some prodding from the National Mediation Board and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

But it’s not clear a deal could be reached in time to prevent disrupting Monday morning’s commute because of the time needed to get the crews and trains in place.

The board, the federal labor agency that governs labor relations for railroads and airlines, summoned representatives for both sides to an afternoon meeting in an effort to jumpstart talks, which then began and continued past 10:30 p.m.

Earlier Sunday, Hochul, appeared with the MTA’s chief executive and said they were ready to do whatever was necessary to help talks along as a strike continued for a second day.

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Thousands flocked to the National Mall in Washington for an America-themed prayer rally

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of people streamed onto the National Mall for a daylong prayer rally Sunday billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.”

Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument, worship music blared from a stage that made clear the event’s Christian focus. Arched stained-glass windows, set underneath grand columns resembling a federal building, depicted the nation’s founders alongside a white cross.

Most speakers celebrated Christianity’s ties to American history, a blending of ideas that critics flagged ahead of the prayer gathering as supporting Christian nationalism.

President Donald Trump read a passage of Scripture in a video shown at the rally. Filmed in the Oval Office, it was the same footage used during a marathon Bible-reading event last month. The verses from 2 Chronicles are often cited by those who believe America was founded as a Christian nation.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways,” Trump read, “then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

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Aaron Rai runs away with the PGA Championship, first English-born winner in more than a century

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rai was just another name among a dozen others who had reason to believe the PGA Championship was theirs for the taking Sunday at tough Aronimink.

There was Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, with 10 majors among them, all ready to seize the moment on a stage that was unfamiliar to Rai.

Justin Thomas was the clubhouse leader for nearly four hours after a 65 before the course turned hard under a hot sun.

What followed was a master class from golf’s newest major champion.

Rai made six birdies over the last 10 holes, taking the lead for good on the 13th and pouring it on with a 70-foot birdie putt across the 17th green that evoked a roar so loud everyone else on the course must have realized it was over.

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Bulgaria gives its Eurovision winner Dara a grand welcome upon her return home

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Hundreds of cheering fans waving Bulgarian flags welcomed Eurovision Song Contest winner Dara upon her return home on Sunday.

Visibly tired but smiling, the 27-year-old singer arrived at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport waving the Eurovision trophy. Bulgaria’s major television stations made changes to their regular programs to air live coverage from the airport.

“This award marks the beginning of my future international career,” Dara said.

The singer won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Saturday with her infectious party anthem “Bangaranga,” giving the southeast European country its first-ever victory in the competition.

“We have done something great for Bulgarian music, and I hope this sends a message that Bulgaria’s performers and artists deserve stronger support,” Dara said.