MS NOW, CNN and Politico say their journalists were denied access to White House after Trump ban
NEW YORK (AP) — Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico have been denied access to the White House. Reporters from the two cable networks both went live to report they’d been barred following a ban imposed by President Donald Trump. The actions escalated Trump’s long-running efforts to restrict news coverage by journalists he finds objectionable. It's the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States. Trump said Friday he would ban both organizations and also Politico, because of their coverage — which he called “fake news.” Politico said its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry to the White House and had her badge confiscated.
Trump used to slam China. Here's why he's now rolling out the red carpet for Xi
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Donald Trump ran for office a decade ago, he called China a menace to the U.S. economy. Today, the Republican president had changed his tune. He's playing down the impact that Beijing has on trade, artificial intelligence and other issues. His new strategy of currying favor with China’s Xi Jinping has helped undermine traditional U.S. economic and national security alliances. Xi will be in Washington for a state dinner Thursday. Meanwhile, other Western leaders have found themselves trying to shore up their economic ties with China, too. Trump’s focus on having a good relationship with Xi has left experts questioning whether the U.S. is adequately positioning itself to compete against China.
Ed Sheeran says situation in Gaza is 'catastrophic and unjustifiable' as he opens concert
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ed Sheeran opened a concert in Philadelphia with comments about Gaza, saying what’s happening is “catastrophic and unjustifiable.” He said in the Saturday night performance at Lincoln Financial Field that he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. But he added he has found himself in the middle of a debate about free speech and a complex political issue. He then addressed the controversy that unfolded since his supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped from the tour after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.
Saudi Arabia confirms Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile
CAIRO (AP) — Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile. It was the first attack targeting Riyadh since the escalation in fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudis. The statement late Saturday by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis came long after the early morning attempt, which the coalition said was intercepted. The statement also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu but they were thwarted. The recent fighting has opened a new front in the Iran war.
Saudi Arabia says Houthis tried to attack its capital, and other Mideast developments
Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile. It was the first targeting of Riyadh since the escalation in fighting with the Tehran-backed rebels that has opened a new front in the Iran war. Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran has sent Washington its conditions for ending the war via Qatar, a key mediator. In Gaza, Israeli strikes killed three people. And Israel launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon after a bomb planted by the Hezbollah militant group wounded two soldiers.
Lawsuit says Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google made illegal agreement on AI slowdown
A new lawsuit claims that Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google illegally agreed to slow their AI development. Filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit argues that this coordination violates antitrust laws and reduces consumer value for paid AI subscriptions. The lawsuit points to a Sept. 12 essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urging industrywide cooperation on safety measures. OpenAI's Sam Altman, SpaceXAI's Elon Musk and Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis publicly agreed. The plaintiffs, who are individuals with paid subscriptions to the AI companies' services, argue this agreement has an anticompetitive effect.
Voting groups sound alarm on funding shortfalls that they say could affect midterm turnout
WASHINGTON (AP) — Several of the nation’s largest left-leaning voter engagement and racial justice organizations are facing steep funding shortfalls and staffing cutbacks. Their financial woes are surfacing just as voting is getting underway in a midterm election that will determine control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. The shortfalls are setting off alarms among Democratic strategists, who are betting on high turnout and robust voter protection efforts this fall. They’re worried that many grassroots groups won’t be able to mount effective registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. In response, the Democratic National Committee says it's making “historic investments in organizing.”
Russian election observer loses consciousness during arrest by police, opposition party says
Russia’s liberal opposition Yabloko party says that one of its election observers lost consciousness while being arrested by police at a St. Petersburg polling station. The happened incident happened Saturday on the second day of a tightly controlled parliamentary election. The voting to elect members of the State Duma is Russia’s first parliamentary election since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The three-day election features virtually no opposition and is all but certain to secure the Kremlin’s political dominance. Yabloko said that officials at the polling station accused a party election observer of attempting to “disrupt the elections” and called the police which “used force” against him.
Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi tells the AP that Iranians paying the price for war and repression
Iran's most prominent human rights activist says Iranians are suffering seven months into the war and paying the price for the conflict. Narges Mohammadi is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was released from prison with a suspended sentence earlier this year. Her memoir titled “A Woman Never Stops Fighting” was written behind bars with parts smuggled out by fellow inmates. Mohammadi said in an interview conducted by The Associated Press from outside Iran on Friday that Iranians are grappling with multiple crises but many resist.
Van silences doubters in Pantoja rematch as Tsarukyan, Pitbull score dramatic UFC 331 finishes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Flyweight Champion Joshua Van erased the controversy surrounding his first victory over Alexandre Pantoja by defeating the former champion over five rounds Saturday, then declaring that his UFC flyweight title could no longer be dismissed as the product of an accidental injury. Van said critics had questioned his legitimacy after Pantoja (30-7) suffered an injury early in their first meeting. The rematch gave the champion the opportunity to prove himself in a complete fight against the division’s former standard-bearer. Van finished with 140 significant head strikes, to Pantoja’s 99.
