Sen. Cassidy knocked out of Louisiana Republican primary as Trump-backed Letlow, Fleming make runoff<\/p>\n
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) \u2014 Sen. Bill Cassidy was decisively defeated in Saturday\u2019s Republican primary in Louisiana, unable to convince voters that he deserved another term five years after voting to convict President Donald Trump during an impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.<\/p>\n
He finished behind U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who capitalized on the power of Trump’s endorsement as the president continues purging his party of people he views as disloyal, and John Fleming, the state treasurer. Letlow and Fleming will compete in a runoff on June 27. <\/p>\n
The result was the latest example of Trump’s unrivaled power over the Republican Party as he approaches the twilight of his second term with persistent inflation, sagging approval ratings and dissatisfaction over the war with Iran. Unlike some other senators who declined to run again after crossing Trump, Cassidy pushed hard for reelection and spent nearly double the combined amount of his opponents. <\/p>\n
But none of that was enough for Cassidy to qualify for a runoff, let alone win a third term. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur country is not about one individual,\u201d he told supporters after his loss. \u201cIt is about the welfare of all Americans, and it is about the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Trump says Islamic State group leader was killed in a joint US-Nigerian mission<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said.<\/p>\n
Trump announced the joint operation in Africa\u2019s most populous country in a late-night social media post. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second-in-command of the Islamic State group globally and \u201cthought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Mainuki was viewed as the key figure in IS organizing and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share sensitive information.<\/p>\n
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside \u201cseveral of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.”<\/p>\n
The joint operation is the latest by both countries since their new security partnership that kicked off last year after Trump claimed Christians were being targeted in Nigeria\u2019s security crisis and threatened U.S. military intervention. Residents and security analysts have said Nigeria’s security crisis affects both Christians, predominant in the south, and Muslims, who are the majority in the north.<\/p>\n
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Bulgaria wins the 70th Eurovision Song Contest with upbeat party anthem ‘Bangaranga’<\/p>\n
VIENNA (AP) \u2014 Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with her infectious party anthem \u201cBangaranga,\u201d giving the southeast European country its first-ever victory in the competition.<\/p>\n
Israeli competitor Noam Bettan came second after a contest in Vienna clouded by protests and a boycott over the country\u2019s participation. <\/p>\n
Dara beat 24 other competitors during Saturday\u2019s grand final of the sequin-drenched pop music competition. The song\u2019s infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine proved a hit with both national juries in participating countries and viewers around the world, whose votes together decide the winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is unbelievable,\u201d Dara said at a post-show news conference early Sunday. \u201cI don’t even know what’s going on.”<\/p>\n
She thanked \u201ceveryone who felt the bangaranga and felt connected to the force.\u201d<\/p>\n
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WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda<\/p>\n
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
The WHO said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like COVID-19, and advised against the closure of international borders.<\/p>\n
WHO said on X that a laboratory-confirmed case has also been reported in Congo\u2019s 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\u2019s most populous and borders Ituri.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
WHO\u2019s emergency declaration is meant to spur donor agencies and countries into action. By WHO\u2019s standards, it shows the event is serious, there is a risk of international spread and it requires a coordinated international response.<\/p>\n
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Brass bands in Beijing make way for sticker shock at home as Trump returns to escalating inflation<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump returned from the spectacle of a Chinese state visit to a less than welcoming U.S. economy \u2014 with the military band and garden tour in Beijing giving way to pressure over how to fix America’s escalating inflation rate. <\/p>\n
Consumer inflation in the United States increased to 3.8% annually in April, higher than what he inherited as the Iran war and the Republican president\u2019s own tariffs have pushed up prices. Inflation is now outpacing wage gains and effectively making workers poorer. The Cleveland Federal Reserve estimates that annual inflation could reach 4.2% in May as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s time with Chinese leader Xi Jinping appears unlikely to help the U.S. economy much, despite Trump’s claims of coming trade deals. The trip occurred as many people are voting in primaries leading into the November general election while having to absorb the rising costs of gasoline, groceries, utility bills, jewelry, women\u2019s clothing, airplane tickets and delivery services. Democrats see the moment as a political opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s returning to a dumpster fire,\u201d said Lindsay Owens, executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, a liberal think tank focused on economic issues. \u201cThe president will not have the faith and confidence of the American people \u2014 the economy is their top issue and the president is saying, \u2018You\u2019re on your own.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s trip to Beijing and his recent comments that indicated a tone-deafness to voters’ concerns about rising prices have suggested his focus is not on the American public and have undermined Republicans who had intended to campaign on last year\u2019s tax cuts as helping families.<\/p>\n
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Trump’s description of Taiwan as a \u2018good negotiating chip\u2019 with China raises anxieties<\/p>\n
Recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that arms sales to Taiwan are a \u201cvery good negotiating chip\u201d in the United States\u2019 dealings with China are heightening anxieties on the island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.<\/p>\n
Trump made the comment in a Fox News interview with Bret Baier that aired right after the U.S. president wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China on Friday.<\/p>\n
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary. The U.S., like all countries that have formal ties with Beijing, doesn\u2019t recognize Taiwan as a country but has been the island\u2019s strongest backer and arms supplier.<\/p>\n
Trump is now suggesting that is open to negotiation.<\/p>\n
Asked if he would approve a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan that has been held up for months, Trump said that\u2019s up to China.<\/p>\n
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North America\u2019s largest commuter rail system shuts down as workers strike<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The Long Island Rail Road, North America\u2019s largest commuter rail system, was shut down Saturday after unionized workers went on strike for the first time in three decades.<\/p>\n
The railroad, which serves New York City and its eastern suburbs, ceased operations just after midnight after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job.<\/p>\n
The unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the public agency that runs the railroad, have been negotiating for months on a new contract, with talks stalled over the question of workers’ salaries and healthcare premiums. President Donald Trump\u2019s administration tried to broker a deal, but the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m. <\/p>\n
Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new negotiations have been scheduled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re far apart at this point,\u201d Sexton said early Saturday. \u201cWe are truly sorry that we are in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Venezuela says it deported a close ally of Maduro to face criminal proceedings in US<\/p>\n
MIAMI (AP) \u2014 Venezuela\u2019s government said Saturday it deported a close ally of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro facing several criminal investigations in the U.S. less than three years after the businessman was pardoned by President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap.<\/p>\n
The decision marks a stark reversal for Alex Saab, who Maduro fought tooth and nail to bring home after his previous international arrest in 2020. Now, the Colombian-born insider, long described by U.S. officials as Maduro\u2019s \u201cbag man,\u201d may be asked to testify against his former protector, who is awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan after being captured in a shock raid by the U.S. military in January.<\/p>\n
The Venezuelan immigration authority in a short statement Saturday did not explicitly say where it had sent Saab but said the decision was made based on several ongoing criminal investigations in the U.S. The statement’s reference to Saab only as a \u201cColombian citizen\u201d appeared to be a nod to Venezuelan law, which prohibits the extradition of its nationals. Following his last arrest, Venezuela’s government submitted a copy of what it said was Saab’s Venezuelan passport to a U.S. court, with then Vice President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez \u2014 now acting President \u2014 claiming he was an \u201cinnocent Venezuelan diplomat\u201d who had been illegally \u201ckidnapped” while on a humanitarian mission to Iran to circumvent the \u201cimmoral, imperial blockade” imposed by the United States.<\/p>\n
Saab, 54, amassed a fortune through Venezuelan government contracts. But he fell out of favor with the country\u2019s new leadership that took power following Maduro\u2019s ouster. Since taking over from Maduro on Jan. 3, Rodr\u00edguez demoted Saab, firing him from her Cabinet and stripping him of his role as the main conduit for foreign companies looking to invest in Venezuela. For months conflicting news accounts have circulated that he was imprisoned or under house arrest. <\/p>\n
His removal to the United States is likely to deepen divisions inside Rodr\u00edguez’s fragile ruling coalition of Chavistas, named for the movement started by the late Hugo Ch\u00e1vez. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Israeli strike kills Hamas\u2019 military wing leader, who Israel says was an architect of Oct 7 attacks<\/p>\n
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) \u2014 An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the leader of Hamas\u2019 military wing who was one of the last surviving architects of the attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, the Israeli military said Saturday. Hamas confirmed the death.<\/p>\n
Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed on Friday, Israel\u2019s army said, describing him as one of the senior Hamas military commanders who directed the planning and execution of the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw more than 250 taken hostage.<\/p>\n
A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, confirmed the killing on social media.<\/p>\n
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, and the top diplomat overseeing it says it has stalled because of the deadlock over disarming Hamas. Both sides have traded accusations of violations. Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect in October, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n
The ministry is part of Gaza\u2019s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. The ministry overall says Israel\u2019s retaliatory strikes in the war have devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 72,700 people.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Driver plows into pedestrians in Modena, 8 injured as driver detained after attempted escape<\/p>\n
ROME (AP) \u2014 A driver plowed into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring eight people, four of them critically, before trying to flee and being detained by police, local authorities said. They said the man was known to officials for having mental disorders. <\/p>\n
Authorities identified the driver as Salim El Koudri, a 31-year-old second-generation Italian born in Bergamo and living in the province of Modena. El Koudri, who holds a degree in economics, is unemployed, authorities said. He was detained and questioned at police headquarters in Modena as investigators tried to determine whether he acted deliberately.<\/p>\n
Investigators said at a press conference Saturday evening there was no immediate indication the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. His home was searched as part of the investigation. <\/p>\n
Modena Prefect Fabrizia Triolo said el Koudri had been known to local mental health services for schizoid disorders, while officials stressed that early findings pointed to possible mental instability but required further verification. No links to extremist groups emerged.<\/p>\n
Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said no one was killed in the dramatic crash but four victims were in serious condition. He said a woman was pinned against a shop window and required the amputation of both legs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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