Kilmar Abrego Garcia is freed from Tennessee jail so he can rejoin family in Maryland to await trial
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A jail release order from a Tennessee court requires Kilmar Abrego Garcia to travel directly to Maryland, where he’ll be in home detention with his brother as his custodian. Abrego Garcia is required to submit to electronic monitoring and can leave the home only for work, religious services and other approved activities. An attorney says Abrego Garcia has been “reunited with his loving family” for the first time since he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March. The Salvadoran national’s case became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. In June, Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. but was immediately detained on human smuggling charges. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys want the case dismissed.
Epstein’s former girlfriend told Justice Department she did not see Trump act in ‘inappropriate way’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein’s imprisoned former girlfriend repeatedly denied to the Justice Department witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions with Donald Trump. That’s according to records released Friday meant to distance the Republican president from the disgraced financer. The Trump administration issued hundreds of pages of transcripts from interviews Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted with Ghislaine Maxwell last month. The administration has scrambled to present itself as transparent amid a fierce backlash over an earlier refusal to disclose records from the sex-trafficking case. The transcripts show Maxwell repeatedly praising Trump and denying she had observed him engaged in any form of sexual behavior.
FBI searches home and office of ex-Trump national security adviser John Bolton
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has searched the Maryland home and Washington office of ex-Trump national security adviser John Bolton as part of an investigation into the handling of classified information. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter Friday. The person was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The person says Bolton was not detained and has not been charged with any crimes. Messages left with a spokesperson for Bolton haven’t been returned. Bolton served as President Donald Trump’s third national security adviser and clashed with him over Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. Trump says he doesn’t want to know about the searches.
Powell signals Fed may cut rates soon even as inflation risks remain
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy. In a high-profile speech closely watched at the White House and on Wall Street, Powell said that there are risks of both rising unemployment and stubbornly higher inflation. Yet he suggested that with hiring sluggish, the job market could weaken further.
Hegseth fires general whose agency’s intel assessment of damage from Iran strikes angered Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a general whose agency’s initial intelligence assessment of U.S. damage to Iran nuclear sites angered President Donald Trump. That’s according to two people familiar with the decision and a White House official. They said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse will no longer serve as head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. Another U.S. official says Hegseth also fired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who is chief of the Navy Reserve, as well as Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversees Naval Special Warfare Command. The ousters have ramped up the Trump administration’s targeting of both military leadership and the intelligence community.
Wall Street soars on hopes for lower interest rates as the Dow surges 846 points to a record
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street rallied to its best day in months after the head of the Federal Reserve hinted that cuts to interest rates may be on the way. The S&P 500 leaped 1.5% Friday for its first gain in six days and finished just shy of its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 846 points to its own record after topping its prior high from December. The Nasdaq composite jumped 1.9%. Treasury yields tumbled in the bond market as traders upped their bets that the Fed will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting in September.
Texas Democrats prepare final show of resistance against Republican-backed redrawn maps
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats are preparing their final show of resistance against a mid-decade redraw of the state’s congressional map. Democratic state Sen. Carol Alvarado said on social media that she plans to speak well into Friday evening to block the map from final passage. The filibuster would follow hours of debate as Democrats argue the new map violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting racial voter influence. California Democrats responded to the Texas effort by passing legislation Thursday for a special election to approve their own redrawn map. The moves are part of a broader redistricting battle among states. Both parties are redrawing lines to secure power ahead of the midterms.
New York tour bus crash on interstate highway leaves 5 passengers dead and many others injured
PEMBROKE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a tour bus returning to New York City from Niagara Falls has crashed on an interstate highway, killing five passengers and injuring many others. The accident happened Friday near Pembroke, about 25 miles east of Buffalo. Police say the bus lost control, went into a media and ended up in a ditch. People inside were ejected as the windows shattered. The driver survived. Several ambulances and medical helicopters transported patients to hospitals. The New York State Thruway Authority has shut down a lengthy stretch of the roadway, urging drivers to avoid the area.
Trump embraces tough-on-crime mantra amid DC takeover as he and Democrats claim political wins
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is proudly promoting the work of roughly 2,000 National Guard troops in Washington to confront what the Republican president describes as an out-of-control crime wave in the Democratic-run city. Trump and his allies are confident that his decision to dispatch soldiers to a key American city with no clear crisis is a big political winner. Democrats say this is a fight they’re eager to have. One Democratic strategist says it’s “an opportunity for the party to go on offense on an issue that has plagued us for a long time.” Trump’s power grab could be a factor for both sides in elections in Virginia and New Jersey this fall — and next year’s midterms.
Israeli defense minister warns of Gaza City’s destruction unless Hamas yields to his country’s terms
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli defense minister is warning that Gaza’s largest city could be destroyed unless Hamas yields to his country’s terms. Israel Katz spoke Friday, the same day that the world’s leading authority on food crises said that Gaza City is gripped by famine from fighting and an Israeli blockade. A day earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorize the military to mount a major operation to seize Gaza City. Katz restated Israel’s ceasefire demands for the release of all hostages and Hamas’ complete disarmament. Hamas has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but the militant group rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.