Doctors in Gaza say patients’ protruding ribs and bony limbs offer evidence of malnutrition
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Soon after arriving at a Gaza City hospital, Texas surgeon Mohammed Adeel Khaleel examined a 17-year-old with gunshot wounds sustained when he went to an aid site. The teen whose ribs protruded from his emaciated torso was just one of many patients showing signs of severe malnutrition. When doctors at Al-Ahli Hospital stabilized him, he raised his heavily bandaged hand and pointed to his empty mouth. He and other doctors didn’t have to wait until the pronouncement Friday by the world’s leading authority on food crises that Gaza’s largest city is gripped by famine. They see evidence of deprivation in the patients right in front of them.
Israeli strikes and gunfire kill 33 as Gaza City becomes focus of famine and a military offensive
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hospital officials in Gaza say Israeli strikes and gunfire have killed at least 33 Palestinians sheltering in tents or seeking scarce food aid. Saturday’s attacks occurred as Israel’s military is perhaps days away from a new offensive in Gaza City. That’s where the world’s leading authority on food crises has announced that famine is now occurring. That announcement has sparked new pressure on Israel over its 22-month offensive, which was prompted by Hamas’ October 2023 attack. Israel has denounced the famine declaration as lies. Efforts toward a ceasefire are on hold as mediators await Israel’s next steps.
Texas redistricting fight shakes up battle lines for both parties in key US Senate race
HOUSTON (AP) — The push to redraw congressional maps in Texas is shifting the dynamics of the state’s 2026 Senate campaign. It is renewing hope for Democrats as they gain attention for pushing back against the GOP redistricting efforts led by President Donald Trump. Republican rivals are using the moment to burnish their leadership credentials. Texas Democrats have ended a two-week walkout aimed at stopping a Republican effort to redraw districts before the 10-year timeline in order to secure Trump more allies in the U.S. House during the 2026 midterms.
Fed Chair Powell faces fresh challenges to Fed independence amid potential rate cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) — Now that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has signaled that the central bank could soon cut its key interest rate, he faces a new challenge: how to do it without seeming to cave to the White House’s demands. For months, Powell has largely ignored President Donald Trump’s relentless hectoring that he reduce borrowing costs. Yet on Friday, in a highly-anticipated speech, Powell suggested that the Fed could take such a step as soon as its next meeting in September. It will be a fraught decision for the Fed, which must weigh it against persistent inflation that remains a problem and an economy that could also improve in the second half of this year. Both trends, if they occur, could make a cut look premature.
Pope affirms right of people to return home after unjust exile in meeting with Chagos refugees
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has affirmed the right of people to return to their homes after an unjust exile. Leo spoke during an audience on Saturday with refugees from Chagos, the Indian Ocean archipelago that is home to a strategic U.S.-U.K. military base. Some 2,000 Chagossians were evicted from their homes by Britain in the 1960s and 1970s so the U.S. could build the naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. Leo said: “All peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, in particular the right to live on their land; and no one can force them into exile.”
Texas Gov. Abbott vows to approve GOP-leaning congressional voting map
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has promised to sign a new congressional voting map designed to help Republicans maintain their slim majority in Congress. Texas lawmakers approved the map early Saturday, adding five new districts favoring Republicans. Democrats have vowed to challenge it in court. The move is part of a broader national effort, with governors from both parties redrawing maps to gain advantages in the 2026 midterm elections. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved a special election for a redrawn map to help Democrats win more seats.
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.
Texas lawmakers give final approval to redrawn congressional map favoring GOP, send to governor
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Senate has given final approval to a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. President Donald Trump has pushed for the map to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. It has five new districts that would favor Republicans. The Republican Abbott is expected to quickly sign it into law. Democrats have vowed to challenge it in court, however. The effort by Trump and Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature prompted state Democrats to hold a two-week walkout and kicked off a wave of redistricting efforts across the country.
Iran confers with European nations on its nuclear program as sanctions deadline nears
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister has spoken with his French, German, and British counterparts, trying to stop the reimposition of U.N. sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program. The call Friday came as these countries threaten to use the “snapback” mechanism from the 2015 nuclear deal. Concerns have grown since Iran cut off cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after its war with Israel. Iran insists its program is peaceful but it enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels. The European nations have set an Aug. 31 deadline for Iran to reach a “satisfactory solution” for allowing IAEA inspections and easing the crisis over its nuclear program.
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.