Paxton dominates Cornyn in Texas US Senate runoff, the latest sign of Trump’s hold on GOP<\/p>\n
PLANO, Texas (AP) \u2014 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, easily defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the latest contest where President Donald Trump sought to oust an incumbent he saw as insufficiently loyal. <\/p>\n
Trump endorsed Paxton last week, calling him a \u201ctrue MAGA warrior.” Paxton’s victory in Tuesday\u2019s runoff makes Cornyn \u2014 who was first elected to the Senate in 2002 \u2014 the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party\u2019s nomination for reelection.<\/p>\n
Cheers rang through the ballroom at Paxton’s election night party when the race was called, as the stage filled with supporters holding Paxton campaign signs.<\/p>\n
Paxton took the stage to chants of \u201cKen, Ken, Ken,” and he quickly gave credit to Trump. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn\u2019t listen,” Paxton said. “President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
At least 1 dead, 9 others missing in chemical tank implosion at Washington state mill<\/p>\n
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) \u2014 A massive chemical tank holding nearly a million gallons of a corrosive liquid imploded and collapsed Tuesday at a Washington paper mill, killing at least one worker and leaving nine others unaccounted for, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Nine other people were injured in the spill, some severely. Emergency responders were still working on recovery efforts at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, but hours after the implosion, some liquid remained in the collapsed tank, complicating efforts to reach victims, the Longview Fire Department said Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tank remains unstable, creating hazardous conditions for emergency personnel,\u201d the fire department said in a written statement. \u201cResponders are continuing efforts to structurally reinforce and stabilize the site before additional recovery operations can safely proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those injured was a responding firefighter. Some victims suffered burns or inhalation injuries, and the severity of the injuries ranged from minor to critical, authorities said. There was no immediate threat to the public, they said.<\/p>\n
Some people waited at the company\u2019s visitor entrance on Tuesday, seeking information about loved ones who worked at the facility. They declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter. At a nearby union hall that was serving as a family assistance center, three women shared a tearful embrace before heading inside. Others coming and going were also in tears.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Iran condemns US strikes as a show of ‘bad faith’ and begins restoring internet after long shutdown<\/p>\n
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of \u201cbad faith and unreliability\u201d as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war, and the Islamic Republic began restoring internet access after one of the longest nationwide shutdowns ever.<\/p>\n
The U.S. military characterized Monday’s strikes in southern Iran as defensive, with targets that included missile launch sites and minelaying boats, and said the U.S. acted with \u201crestraint” in light of the weekslong ceasefire.<\/p>\n
Iran’s foreign ministry called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for \u201call consequences,\u201d without elaborating.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered,\u201d it added in a statement.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday that it shot down at least one drone and deterred another drone and a fighter jet that entered its airspace, according to Iran\u2019s official Mizan news agency. It didn’t specify when the incidents occurred.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
South Carolina Senate rejects Trump\u2019s call to redraw congressional map for midterm elections<\/p>\n
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s push to reshape congressional districts ahead of the November elections suffered a double setback Tuesday, as South Carolina senators declined to do so and a federal court blocked a Republican-backed map in Alabama.<\/p>\n
As early in-person voting began Tuesday in South Carolina\u2019s primaries, the state Senate rejected a Republican plan to cancel those congressional votes and instead schedule a new primary under revised districts designed to help the GOP oust a longtime Democrat.<\/p>\n
Some senators said it was simply too late to make a change.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Carolina citizens are going to the polls today. And neither my conscience or common sense is going to let me stop an election that is already underway,\u201d Republican state Sen. Richard Cash said.<\/p>\n
The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy \u2014 propelled by Trump \u2014 to redraw voting districts to the GOP\u2019s advantage in an attempt to hold on to a slim House majority in the midterm elections. Republicans have moved quickly to try to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Southern California officials lift all evacuation orders for residents near damaged chemical tank<\/p>\n
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Southern California officials lifted the final evacuation orders Tuesday night for residents who live near a damaged chemical tank, allowing 16,000 people to return home.<\/p>\n
The crisis forced 50,000 people to evacuate in and around the Orange County city of Garden Grove last week. A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over the Memorial Day weekend. <\/p>\n
The tank contains methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. Health officials have assured residents that there was no contamination or fumes released. Officials say they will keep monitoring the air for several months and checking the sewer and storm drains.<\/p>\n
But the risk of a smaller explosion or potential spill had kept orders in place for about a third of the evacuees. Many were living out of hotel rooms, tents, emergency shelters at schools or staying with family or friends. <\/p>\n
Isabel Mendez said she broke out in a rash on her face and developed tingling lips and a sore throat while evacuating last week. After spending several expensive nights in a hotel, she was staying with her mother in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Trump wraps up 3-hour medical visit to Walter Reed and declares ‘Everything checked out PERFECTLY’<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump had another medical exam on Tuesday, putting his health under renewed public scrutiny after he has worked to dismiss concerns over his age and stamina.<\/p>\n
The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House described as preventive medical and dental checkups. It was Trump’s fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since he returned to office for a second term, and it comes as he tries to project strength ahead of midterm elections that will test his sway with voters.<\/p>\n
In a social media post after the visit, Trump said that he had just finished his \u201c6 month physical\u201d and that \u201cEverything checked out PERFECTLY.\u201d<\/p>\n
The White House did not immediately release a written report from Trump’s doctors.<\/p>\n
For decades, administrations have released selected results from presidential physicals, offering the public a glimpse at the commander-in-chief\u2019s health. But the results are filtered through the White House and must be approved by the president, raising questions about what the public does and doesn’t get to see. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
NASA lays out moon base plans with landers, buggies and drones at the top of the list<\/p>\n
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) \u2014 NASA is already ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling moon base, less than two months after the Artemis II’s record-breaking lunar flyaround. <\/p>\n
The space agency outlined the first phase of its moon base plans on Tuesday, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four U.S. companies. <\/p>\n
Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface, at a spot near the moon\u2019s south pole. These so-called lunar terrain vehicles will be built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Firefly Aerospace, which landed successfully on the moon last year, will deliver the first drones to the moon. <\/p>\n
All this hardware is ideally supposed to arrive before the first Artemis astronauts land on the moon, planned for as early as 2028. <\/p>\n
During April’s Artemis II mission, four astronauts flew around the moon, traveling deeper into space than the Apollo moon crews did during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For next year’s Artemis III, another team of astronauts will practice docking NASA’s Orion capsule in orbit around Earth with the lunar landers being developed for crews by Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Venue gets mixed reviews as National Spelling Bee returns to DC ahead of White House UFC event<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 After 15 years at a convention center in suburban Maryland, the Scripps National Spelling Bee moved this year to a grand stage befitting the stakes of the competition: Constitution Hall, Washington’s largest dedicated concert venue.<\/p>\n
Not everyone at this week’s competition appreciates the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like they should not have moved it. The old venue was better. Because it’s a bit of a hassle, getting on the bus and going there and then coming back,\u201d said 14-year-old Yahya Mohammed, a three-time speller from Hoffman Estates, Illinois. \u201cThe old venue was more spacious, and it feels kind of isolated in the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the National Spelling Bee began with Tuesday’s preliminary rounds, spellers and their families marveled at the historical significance of their new venue and the nearby cultural opportunities while also dealing with logistical hurdles: crowded hallways, limited dining options and shuttle bus rides to and from their hotel.<\/p>\n
Built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Constitution Hall sits a few blocks from the Washington Monument and the White House. Spellers and their families are staying at the nearby J.W. Marriott, a favored haunt of lobbyists and interest groups, and the quickest route to the competition venue would normally be a stroll across the Ellipse, the grassy expanse south of the Executive Mansion.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
As US stock market hits new highs, 2 of 3 Americans are cutting back on spending, survey shows<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 U.S. consumer confidence declined slightly this month as gas prices stayed high and inflation remained elevated, a sharp contrast to soaring stock prices hover near record levels. <\/p>\n
The Conference Board\u2019s consumer confidence index slipped 0.7 points to 93.1 in May, the first decline after three months of gains. The measure hasn’t fallen as much this year as other gauges of consumer attitudes, but it has been stuck at a low level since the pandemic. Before COVID-19, it regularly reached 130. <\/p>\n
A separate gauge of consumer sentiment released last week by the University of Michigan fell to a record low this month. Soaring gas and food costs have worsened inflation that is outpacing the average growth in paychecks, reducing most Americans\u2019 purchasing power. Americans have soured on President Trump\u2019s economic policies, polls show, potentially creating problems for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. <\/p>\n
Consumer sentiment is mostly gloomy even as the economy is still growing and the unemployment rate has stayed low. Some economists argue that the gap reflects inequality in a \u201cK-shaped\u201d economy, with higher-income Americans benefitting from rising stock prices and still spending while lower-income households struggle. <\/p>\n
Tuesday’s consumer confidence survey showed that confidence grew among households with incomes at or above $100,000, while it fell for most others. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Supreme Court won’t intervene in discrimination suit led by Black ex-head coach Flores against NFL<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to intervene in a discrimination lawsuit led by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores against the NFL, allowing the case to proceed toward trial. <\/p>\n
The justices rebuffed an appeal from the league, which wanted the case handled through its arbitration process rather than open court in New York. Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the decision not to hear the case.<\/p>\n
Flores, who’s Black, sued the league and three teams in February 2022, alleging the league was \u201crife with racism\u201d regarding its hiring practices when it comes to Black coaches. He was later joined in the lawsuit by fellow Black coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton. <\/p>\n
Flores, who was fired by the Dolphins shortly before the suit was filed, is now the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator. <\/p>\n
The NFL has argued Flores should go through arbitration rather than the legal system, but lower courts have sided with the plaintiffs. The league said it respected the Supreme Court decision, which allows lower-court rulings to stay in place, but is “fully prepared to defend ourselves as this matter proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paxton dominates Cornyn in Texas US Senate runoff, the latest sign of Trump’s hold on GOP PLANO, Texas (AP) \u2014 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, easily defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the latest contest where President Donald Trump sought to oust an incumbent he saw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"7eaeaff4-6de7-4977-9871-cdffa46ff600","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"","published":"2026-05-25 21:05:18","updated":"2026-05-26 20:04:49","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1304],"tags":[],"region":[1301],"class_list":["post-5946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","category-world","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5946\/ap-news-in-brief-at-1104-pm-edt-331\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5946\/ap-news-in-brief-at-1104-pm-edt-331\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5946\/ap-news-in-brief-at-1104-pm-edt-331\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-05-26T04:05:18Z","datePublished":"2026-05-26T04:05:18Z","dateModified":"2026-05-27T03:15:06Z"},"rendered":"