AP News Summary at 12:30 p.m. EDT (2024)

Netanyahu says he won't agree to a deal that ends the war in Gaza, testing the latest truce proposal

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The viability of a U.S.-backed proposal to wind down the 8-month-long war in Gaza has been cast into doubt after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only agree to a “partial” cease-fire deal that would not end the war. His comments, made in an interview with a pro-Netanyahu Israeli TV channel late Sunday, sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu’s comments did not deviate dramatically from what he has said previously about his terms for a deal. But they come at a sensitive time and could represent another setback for mediators trying to end the war.

Mass shootings across the US mar the first weekend of summer

The first weekend of summer brought a tragic yet familiar pattern for American cities wracked by gun violence. Mass shootings over the weekend left dozens dead or wounded at a party in Alabama, an entertainment district in Ohio and a grocery in Arkansas. It was the second straight weekend that saw an outbreak of mass shootings and across the U.S. It all left mayors in several cities marred by the shootings pleadings for help from the state and federal governments. Police in Montgomery, Alabama, say hundreds of rounds were fired at a crowded party early Sunday where nine people were wounded.

Midwest flooding collapses rail bridge, forces evacuations and kills at least 1

NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (AP) — A huge train bridge has collapsed in the Sioux City, Iowa, area during flooding in the Midwest that has led to evacuations and killed at least one person. Images from local media show a large span of the steel bridge partially underwater as floodwaters from the Big Sioux River rush over it. Heavy rain has caused flooding in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. Entire neighborhoods and at least one whole town in Iowa have been evacuated. More rain is expected this week. Forecasters say a heat wave will continue early in the week in the Southeast, portions of the South and the Plains.

Is Trump shielded from criminal charges as an ex-president? A nation awaits word from Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will soon confront a perfect storm mostly of its own making: a trio of decisions stemming directly from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Within days of each other, if not hours, the justices are expected to rule on whether Donald Trump has immunity from criminal charges over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and whether Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol can be prosecuted for obstructing an official proceeding. The court also will decide whether former Trump adviser Steve Bannon can stay out of prison while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack.

Young gay Latinos see a rising share of new HIV cases, leading to a call for targeted funding

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is years into an initiative to end the nation’s HIV epidemic by pumping hundreds of millions of dollars annually into certain states, counties and U.S. territories with the highest infection rates. African Americans continue to have the highest HIV rates in the United States overall. But a KFF Health News-Associated Press analysis shows Latinos made up the largest share of new HIV diagnoses and infections among gay and bisexual men in 2022 compared with other racial and ethnic groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “HIV disparities are not inevitable.” Latino health policy advocates want the feds to declare a public health emergency in hopes of directing more money to prevention and treatment.

In one affluent Atlanta suburb, Biden and Trump work to win over wary Georgia voters

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Georgia is the election battleground that yielded the closest margin of any state in the 2020 election between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump. It became the epicenter of Trump’s efforts to overturn Biden’s election. Now the two will meet there Thursday for their first general election debate in their rematch. Georgia will test which man can best assemble a winning coalition despite their respective weaknesses. Many voters say they’re dispirited by the Trump-Biden rematch. Some once-solid Republicans don't want to vote for Trump. For Biden, the challenge is replicating the coalition that delivered his razor-thin margin. Some Black and young voters could defect from the Democratic incumbent.

Dali cargo ship leaves Baltimore for Virginia, nearly 3 months after bridge collapse

The cargo ship Dali is headed out of Baltimore for Virginia. It departed Monday morning, nearly three months after it lost power and crashed into one of the Francis Scott Key bridge’s supporting columns and caused the bridge to collapse. The 984-foot Dali started moving shortly before 8:30 a.m. with four tugboats. It is headed to Norfolk, Virginia, for the removal of the remaining containers on the vessel and additional repairs. Shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore early on March 26, the ship lost power and propulsion and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns, killing six construction workers.

'Hamster' crypto craze has taken Iran. It highlights economic malaise ahead of presidential election

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Cab drivers and bikers at red lights in June in Tehran tap away furiously on their mobile phones, ignoring police officers. Some pedestrians do the same. They all believe they could get rich. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Iran's economy remains hobbled by Western sanctions, stubbornly high inflation and a lack of jobs. And after years of hearing about bitcoin, Iranians are now piling into this app, hoping it might one day pay off.

Russian region of Dagestan holds a day of mourning after attacks kill 20 people, officials say

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s southern region of Dagestan is holding the first of three days of mourning following a rampage by Islamic militants who authorities say killed 20 people, most of them police, and attacked houses of worship in apparently coordinated assaults in two cities. Sunday’s violence was the latest that officials blamed on Islamic extremists in the predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus. It also was the deadliest in Russia since March, when gunmen gunmen opened fire at a concert in suburban Moscow, killing 145 people. That attack was claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. but no group has taken responsibility for Sunday’s attacks in Dagestan’s cities of Makhachkala and Derbent. All five gunmen were reported killed.

Princess Anne sustains minor injuries and a concussion in an 'incident,' Buckingham Palace says

LONDON (AP) — Buckingham Palace says Princess Anne has sustained minor injuries and a concussion following an incident on an estate in southwest England. The 73-year-old sister of King Charles III has been hospitalized as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full recovery. The palace said the incident happened on Sunday on the Gatcombe Park estate. It did not offer details. Britain's Press Association reported that the princess was walking within the protected perimeter of the estate when the incident occurred. Though the exact cause of the injuries is unconfirmed, there were horses in the area.