AP News in Brief at 6:04 a.m. EDT

Two powerful quakes strike off southern Philippines, killing at least 7 people

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two powerful offshore earthquakes struck the same region in the southern Philippines hours apart on Friday with the first 7.4 magnitude temblor killing at least seven people, setting off landslides and prompting evacuations of coastal areas nearby because of a brief tsunami scare.

The second one had a preliminary 6.8 magnitude and also sparked a local tsunami warning by authorities. It was caused by movement in the same fault line, the Philippine Trench, at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 miles) off Manay town in Davao Oriental province, Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology chief Teresito Bacolcol said.

“The second one is a separate earthquake, which we call a doublet quake,” Bacolcol told The Associated Press. “Both happened in the same area but have different strengths and epicenters.”

Bacolcol and other authorities expressed fears that the second nighttime earthquake could further weaken or collapse structures already undermined by the first one.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., facing his latest natural disaster after a recent deadly quake and back-to-back storms, said the potential damage was being assessed and rescue teams and relief operations were being prepared and would be deployed when it was safe to do so.

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Officials investigate blast at Tennessee explosives plant that left 18 missing and feared dead

McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) — Officials were investigating a blast that leveled an explosives plant in rural Tennessee, as families of the 18 people missing and feared dead waited anxiously Saturday for answers.

The explosion Friday morning at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military, scattered debris over at least a half-mile (800-meter) area and was felt by residents more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis.

Aerial footage showed the company’s hilltop location smoldering and smoky Friday, with just a mass of twisted metal, burned-out shells of cars and an array of debris left behind.

Davis, who described it as one of the worst scenes he’s ever seen, said multiple people were killed. But he declined to say how many, referring to the 18 missing as “souls” because officials were still speaking to family.

“What we need right now is we need our communities to come together and understand that we’ve lost a lot of people,” he said.

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Thousands of Palestinians return to what’s left of their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes effect

WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip on Friday as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect in a deal that raised hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war. All the remaining hostages were set to be released within days.

Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended a ceasefire in March, hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.

The latest truce nevertheless marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that was triggered by Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90% of the Gaza population of some 2 million, often multiple times. Many of them will find fields of rubble where their homes once stood.

The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday. Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military’s announcement.

Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.

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Some Palestinians pack up and move north toward their homes in Gaza after ceasefire goes into effect

WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza started walking north Friday toward homes they were forced to flee — or what remains of them — after the Israeli military announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had gone into effect.

Eager for the killings, displacement and destruction to stop, many Palestinians in Gaza were relieved to hear that Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire to the devastating two-year war. But it was mixed with pain from staggering losses and concern about what comes next.

“We packed our stuff as we may return home. But we are still suffering from the same struggles,” said Jamal Mesbah, who was displaced from northern Gaza.

“There isn’t much joy, but the ceasefire somewhat has eased the pain we feel psychologically from death and bloodshed, and our loved ones and relatives who suffered immensely in this war.”

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect in Gaza on Friday, the Israeli military said, hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal to pause the fighting and exchange the remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners. It marks a key step toward ending the ruinous two-year war.

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Firings of federal workers begin as White House seeks to pressure Democrats in government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started, an attempt by President Donald Trump’s administration to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown dragged into a 10th day.

Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on the social media site X that the “RIFs have begun,” referring to reduction-in-force plans aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.

In a court filing, the budget office said well over 4,000 employees would be fired, though it noted that the funding situation was “fluid and rapidly evolving.”

The firings would hit the hardest at the departments of the Treasury, which would lose over 1,400 employees, and Health and Human Services, with a loss of over 1,100. The Education Department and Housing and Urban Development each would lose over 400 staffers. The departments of Commerce, Energy and Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency were all set to fire hundreds of more employees. It was not clear which particular programs would be affected.

The aggressive move by Trump’s budget office goes far beyond what usually happens in a government shutdown and escalates an already politically toxic dynamic between the White House and Congress. Talks to end the shutdown are almost nonexistent.

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National Guard stands down in Illinois while troops patrol in Memphis with local police

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — National Guard troops patrolled in Tennessee’s second-largest city for the first time Friday while soldiers in Illinois were engaged only in planning and training after a judge handed a loss to the Trump administration and blocked their deployment to the Chicago area.

At least nine armed Guard members began their patrol at the Bass Pro Shops located at the Pyramid, an iconic Memphis landmark, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from historic Beale Street and FedEx Forum, where the NBA’s Grizzlies play.

They also were at a nearby tourist welcome center along the Mississippi River. Wearing Guard fatigues and protective vests labeled “military police,” the troops were escorted by a local police officer and posed for photos with visitors.

Meanwhile, in Illinois, Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said they were barred from visiting an immigration enforcement building near Chicago. For weeks it’s been home to occasional clashes between protesters and federal agents.

“What are you afraid of?” Duckworth told reporters, referring to the government. “You don’t hide, you don’t run away when you’re proud of what you’re doing.”

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President Donald Trump is in ‘exceptional health,’ his doctor says, after visit to Walter Reed

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is in “exceptional health,” his physician said Friday after he underwent a checkup that included lab tests and preventive health assessments at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump spent roughly three hours at the Bethesda, Maryland, hospital earlier Friday for what his doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, called a “scheduled follow-up evaluation” that was a “part of his ongoing health maintenance plan.” While there, Trump also got his yearly flu shot, as well as a COVID-19 booster vaccine.

“President Donald J. Trump remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological and physical performance,” Barbabella wrote in a one-page memo released Friday night by the White House. The doctor noted in the memo that the evaluation helped prepare for Trump’s upcoming overseas trips and included advanced imaging, lab testing and preventive health assessments.

The president is traveling to the Middle East this weekend and is scheduled to fly to Asia at the end of this month.

Barbabella also said he evaluated Trump’s cardiac age, which was about 14 years younger than his chronological age. Trump is 79 and was the oldest U.S. president at his inauguration.

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María Corina Machado, a symbol of the political resistance in Venezuela and now Nobel winner

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — María Corina Machado has long been the face of resistance to Venezuela’s 26-year ruling party. Now, she may become a symbol of peace, too.

Machado, the Venezuelan opposition powerhouse who prompted millions of Venezuelans to reject President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s election, on Friday was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work “to achieve a just and peaceful transition” of power in the South American country. The award also recognized the seasoned politician for being a “unifying figure” in the fractured opposition.

The award, however, is being granted at a time when opposition supporters are questioning her leadership, including her embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Venezuela policy, which has seen Venezuelan migrants sent to an infamous prison in Central America and deadly U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean.

Sandra Martínez, 32, called Machado a “great woman” as she waited at a bus stop in Caracas, but said she’s not sure if the prize will have any effect on her country. “I don’t know what can be done with that to improve the situation, but she deserves it,” Martínez said.

Machado, an industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the non-governmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.

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Fear and vigilance rise as attacks on houses of worship intensify worldwide

Every week hundreds of millions of people around the world gather to worship in peace. But for some, there comes a day when deadly violence invades their sacred spaces and shatters that sense of sanctuary and safety.

It happened recently at a synagogue in England and two churches in the U.S. Before that, there were high-profile attacks at mosques in New Zealand, a synagogue in Pennsylvania and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. This violence can intensify anxiety and outright fear among clergy and worshippers worldwide.

Security measures have been bolstered, congregants have been placed on alert, and yet the key question lingers: Can believers feel safe — and at peace — continuing to worship together?

The Oct. 2 attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England, left two congregants dead and, according to police, was carried out by a man who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Two days later, a mosque in an English coastal town was targeted with a suspected arson attack.

Following those two attacks, “there is real fear,” said a Church of England bishop, the Right Rev. Toby Howarth. “People must feel safe in going to places of worship.”

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Immigration crackdown stirs unease ahead of this weekend’s Chicago Marathon

Michael Guidotti will have his driver’s license on him when he runs the Chicago Marathon, just as he did during every training run since summer.

After the Trump administration escalated its immigration crackdown in the city, runners like Guidotti, 31, are worried they could become a target during Sunday’s race.

“Just knowing that I do come from a Hispanic background and also that I am somewhat darker, and that these individuals do seem to be targeting people of that demographic as well,” Guidotti said. “So it’s just an extra precaution that I’m taking that I have my driver’s license with me at all times.”

Questions have been swirling for weeks over whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might target the marathon, which draws thousands of runners from around the world each year. Reflecting the unease, event organizers sent an email to participants Wednesday that referred to an immigration “Know Your Rights” page on the city’s website.

An ICE spokeswoman, Tanya Roman, said rumors that agents will be at the race are false.