In new gun law, a quiet breakthrough for victims of abuse
WASHINGTON (AP) — Victims of abuse and their families saw a quiet breakthrough this summer when a new bipartisan gun safety law made it more difficult for intimate partners convicted of domestic abuse to obtain firearms. Congress’ move to close the so-called “boyfriend loophole” was nearly a decade in the making. It makes it tougher for a convicted domestic abuser to obtain firearms even when the abuser is not married to or doesn’t have a child with the victim. Advocates and lawmakers are hopeful the change will save countless lives and become a significant part of the law’s legacy.
Containers are no hindrance for migrants on Arizona border
YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — A border wall with Mexico isn’t the issue it was during Donald Trump’s presidency but plans for more barriers in Yuma, Arizona, is a reminder of obstacles that the federal government always faces: difficulty working on tribal lands and private property. When the Biden administration announced plans to award a contract this fall to plug gaps in the Yuma border wall, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said he couldn’t wait and last week finished installing 130 double-stacked shipping containers. So far, they’ve had no discernible impact. Hundreds of migrants have continued walking through tribal lands before dawn each day.
Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches
A new study finds that Greenland has more than 120 trillion tons of ice that can be thought of as zombie ice that’s going to raise sea level globally by at least 10 inches. Monday’s study looks at the edges of Greenland’s ice sheet, ice that authors say is starving and dead. It will unavoidably melt and increase sea level rise no matter what else happens with future carbon pollution. That’s because of decades of global warming. 3.3% of Greenland’s ice sheet is not getting replenished from winter snow. Scientists calculated the ratio of area getting new ice to those starved of new ice and figured this much sea level rise is in the pipeline no matter what.
Trump legal team advances broad view of presidential powers
WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly unsealed FBI document about the investigation at Mar-a-Lago not only offers new details about the probe but also reveals clues about the arguments Donald Trump’s legal team intends to make. A May 25 letter from one of his lawyers attached as an exhibit to the search affidavit advances a broad view of executive power, asserting that the commander-in-chief has absolute authority to declassify whatever he wants. It also says the primary law governing the handling of classified information applies to other government officials but not the president. Legal scholars are dubious of the arguments’ effectiveness.
Clashes erupt after Iraqi Shiite cleric resigns, 15 dead
BAGHDAD (AP) — An influential Shiite cleric announced that he will resign from Iraqi politics, and hundreds of his angry followers responded by storming the government palace. The move sparked violent clashes with security forces in which at least 15 protesters were killed. Medical officials said dozens of protesters were wounded by gunfire more were injured by tear gas and physical altercations with riot police. The protests on Monday followed the announcement by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since al-Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in October parliamentary elections but not enough to secure a majority government.
Ex-classmates recall Safeway gunman as angry, liked to fight
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The 20-year-old who opened fire in a Bend, Oregon, supermarket, killing two before he turned the gun on himself, was a loner who was known for getting into fights at the high school where he graduated in 2020. A former classmate says shooting suspect Ethan Blair Miller “tried to fight quite literally everybody” at Mountain View High School and once threatened to shoot a student after a school fight. Police say they are investigating reports that the gunman posted his plans on social media before Sunday’s shooting and wanted to attack his alma mater next week but grew impatient.
EXPLAINER: Pakistan fatal flooding has hallmarks of warming
What’s behind the flooding in Pakistan are all hallmarks of manmade climate change: Warmer temperatures, hotter air holding more moisture then dumping unrelenting rain, and melting glaciers. Add to that other human factors such as people building in areas that are in harm’s way. That’s how you get deadly flooding. It’s happening in one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change. Pakistan didn’t cause the problem but certainly is feeling it.
UN agency to inspect Ukraine nuclear plant in urgent mission
KYIV (AP) — A U.N. nuclear watchdog team has set off on an urgent mission to safeguard the endangered Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant which has been at the heart of fighting in Ukraine. The world hopes this long-awaited trip will help avoid a nuclear catastrophe. The trip is to a country where the world’s worst nuclear accident, at Chernobyl in 1986, sent radiation across the region, shocked the world and intensified a global push away from nuclear energy. The stakes of the U.N. mission are high because of fighting at and near the plant, and because the plant is occupied by the Russian military. Elsewhere, new fighting was reported in southern Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces attacking a Russian-occupied city and neighboring regions.
Serena Williams not done yet; wins 1st match at US Open
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams has won her match in the first round of the U.S. Open. Williams beat Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion who turns 41 next month and has said she is ready to move on from her playing days. After her victory Monday night, Williams said she has been intentionally vague about whether the U.S. Open will be her last tournament — and wants to keep it that way. She will play again Wednesday in the second round of singles against No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit.
NASA scrubs launch of new moon rocket after engine problem
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has scrubbed the launch of its new moon rocket on a no-crew test flight after a cascade of last-minute problems, including unexplained trouble related to an engine. The next launch attempt won’t be until Friday at the earliest. The 322-foot rocket was set to lift off Monday morning from Florida on its first flight, a mission to propel an empty capsule into orbit around the moon. The shakedown flight will be a big step forward in America’s quest to put astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago.