In rare rebuke of Putin, Trump urges Russia to 'STOP!' after deadly attack on Kyiv
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying.” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least 12 people were killed and 90 were injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July.
Trump’s frustration is growing as a U.S.-led effort to get a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has not made progress.
The comments about Putin came after Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and accused him of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula as part of a possible deal. Russia illegally annexed that area in 2014.
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Russian strike on Kyiv kills at least 12 in biggest attack on Ukrainian capital since last summer
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pounded Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones Thursday, killing at least 12 people in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since July and drawing a rare rebuke of Moscow from U.S. President Donald Trump just as peace efforts were coming to a head.
The attack kept residents on edge for about 11 hours, with many staying awake all night while loud explosions reverberated around the city and flashes of light punctuated the sky. Families gathered in public air-raid shelters, some of them bringing cats and dogs. The strikes that began around 1 a.m. hit at least five neighborhoods and heavily damaged multiple residential buildings. Around 90 people were wounded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would cut short his official trip to South Africa and return home as the city reeled. The bombardment appeared to be Russia's biggest attack on Kyiv in nine months, and Zelenskyy called it one of Russia's ”most outrageous."
Trump, who has long been reluctant to criticize the Kremlin, said he was “not happy” with the assault. He implored Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease the devastating strikes.
“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform, adding "Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
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Tens of thousands file into St. Peter's Basilica to pay final respects to Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY (AP) — So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour and a half Thursday morning for cleaning.
The basilica was bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe made a slow, shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis, who died Monday at age 88 after a stroke.
The Vatican said more than 90,000 people had paid their respects by Thursday evening, a day and a half after opening. The basilica closed for just a short time Thursday morning, and will stay open Thursday night as long as there are mourners, the Vatican said.
The hours spent on line up the stately via della Conciliazione through St. Peter's Square and through the Holy Door into the basilica has allowed mourners to find community around the Argentine pontiff's legacy of inclusion and humble persona.
Emiliano Fernandez, a Catholic from Mexico, was waiting in line around midnight, and after two hours still had not reached the basilica.
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Houthi rebels have shot down 7 US Reaper drones worth $200 million in recent weeks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Houthi rebels in Yemen have shot down seven U.S. Reaper drones in less than six weeks, a loss of aircraft worth more than $200 million in what is becoming the most dramatic cost to the Pentagon of the military campaign against the Iran-backed militants.
According to defense officials, three of the drones were shot down in the past week — suggesting the militants' targeting of the unmanned aircraft flying over Yemen has improved. The drones were doing attack runs or conducting surveillance, and they crashed both into the water and onto land, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
The U.S. has increased its attacks on the Houthis, launching daily strikes since March 15, when President Donald Trump ordered a new, expanded campaign. He promised to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor.
Central Command spokesman Dave Eastburn said Thursday night that the U.S. has struck more than 800 Houthi targets. “These strikes have destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, advanced weapons storage locations, and killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” Eastburn said.
Another defense official said that although hostile fire is likely the cause of the drone losses, the incidents are still under investigation. The official noted that the increase in U.S. strikes can add to the risk to aircraft, but said the U.S. will take every measure possible to protect troops, equipment and interests in the region. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to comment on sensitive military issues.
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Automakers focus on the global market, chide the US over tariffs at Shanghai's auto show
SHANGHAI (AP) — Booths of big Chinese, German and Japanese automakers were bustling at Shanghai’s auto show this week as the industry kept its focus on a wider global market not subject to steep U.S. tariffs on imports of cars and auto parts.
Signs are that U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on auto imports is causing companies to recalibrate their strategies, and in some cases find new opportunities.
“When governments up above are at odds, it's going to impact the businesses down below,” Ma Lihua, general manager at Soling, a Chinese maker of domain control units and other electronics used in such things as rearview camera displays.
Soling, headquartered in Shanghai, counts Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and many other top tier global and Chinese automakers among its customers. It's also setting up a manufacturing base in Vietnam, whose local EV maker VinFast has ambitions to become Southeast Asia's leading automaker.
Many of the dozens of auto parts and components companies exhibiting at the Shanghai auto show have operations spanning both the Chinese and world markets.
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Judge halts parts of Trump’s overhaul of US elections, including proof-of-citizenship requirement
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.
The decision is a setback for President Donald Trump, who has argued the requirement is needed to restore public confidence in elections. But the judge allowed other parts of Trump's sweeping executive order on U.S. elections to go forward for now, including a directive to tighten mail ballot deadlines around the country.
Trump's March executive order overhauling how U.S. elections are run prompted swift lawsuits from the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the Democratic National Committee and others, who called it unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with voting rights groups and Democrats, saying that the Constitution gives the power to regulate federal elections to states and Congress — not the president. She noted federal lawmakers are currently working on their own legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote.
In a 120-page decision on Thursday, she said the plaintiffs had proven that the proof-of-citizenship requirement would cause their clients irreparable harm and go against the public interest, while the government had offered “almost no defense of the President’s order on the merits.”
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India and Pakistan ramp up tit-for-tat spat as tensions mount over Kashmir attack
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — India and Pakistan cancelled visas for their nationals to each other’s countries and Islamabad warned New Delhi for suspending a water-sharing treaty Thursday.
The moves came after India blamed Pakistan for a deadly attack by gunmen that killed 26 people in disputed Kashmir.
India said all visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be revoked with effect from Sunday, adding that all Pakistanis currently in India must leave before their visas expire based on the revised timeline. The country also announced other measures, including cutting the number of diplomatic staff, closing the only functional land border crossing between the countries and suspending a crucial water-sharing agreement.
In retaliation, Pakistan closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country.
Tuesday's attack in Kashmir was the worst assault in years, targeting civilians in the restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.
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Survivors of July Fourth parade shooting have mixed feelings about gunman's absence from sentencing
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — Grieving relatives and survivors of a mass shooting at a 2022 July Fourth parade recounted harrowing details for hours in a packed courtroom this week, telling a judge that the attack has done long-lasting damage.
But the man who admitted to carefully planning the shooting, and was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for killing seven people and wounding 48, remained out of sight in his jail cell.
The long-awaited sentencing hearing for Robert E. Crimo III brought together dozens of people whose lives were torn apart by the shooting in suburban Highland Park north of Chicago. Even as they were accustomed to Crimo’s erratic behavior — skipping hearings, firing attorneys and pleading guilty moments before trial — survivors said his absence set off a range of emotions, including relief, anger and closure.
“I don’t have to think about him anymore. I don’t have to worry about him anymore,” said Liz Turnipseed, who was seriously injured in the shooting and now relies on a cane. “I don’t need to see his face. I know what he looks like.”
Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti handed down seven sentences of life in prison for Crimo, as prosecutors requested, for the first-degree murder charges after hearing evidence prosecutors prepared for trial and hours of emotional testimony. She also sentenced Crimo to 50 years for 48 counts of attempted murder. There’s no possibility of parole.
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Weinstein accuser had 'zero interest' in sex with him, friend testifies
NEW YORK (AP) — Friends of one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers testified Thursday that the woman told them long ago that Weinstein sexually assaulted her.
Adding a new perspective to the ex-movie mogul’s retrial, one witness said she’d once suggested that accuser Miriam Haley date the movie mogul, but Haley balked.
“She had zero interest in dating him or sleeping with him,” witness Christine Pressman said, describing Haley as “distraught” when she later disclosed the alleged sexual assault.
Some of the emerging details show how this trial is a reprise — but not an exact repeat — of the 2020 trial in which Weinstein was initially convicted of rape and sexual assault. That conviction has since been overturned.
Pressman didn't testify at the original trial. Prosecutors brought her in this time to support Haley's allegations, but Weinstein's lawyers quizzed her about whether Haley in fact had a willing sexual relationship with the Oscar-winning studio boss.
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Trump asks Supreme Court to allow ban on transgender members of the military to take effect, for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed.
Without an order from the nation's highest court, the ban could not take effect for many months, Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote, “a period far too long for the military to be forced to maintain a policy that it has determined, in its professional judgment, to be contrary to military readiness and the nation’s interests.”
The high court filing follows a brief order from a federal appeals court that kept in place a court order blocking the policy nationwide.
At the least, Sauer wrote, the court should allow the ban to take effect nationwide, except for the seven service members and one aspiring member of the military who sued.
The court gave lawyers for the service members challenging the ban a week to respond.
The Associated Press
