Father of boy killed in Minneapolis church shooting: Remember his love, not the violence
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The families of the two Catholic school students fatally shot while celebrating Mass at a Minneapolis church are continuing to wrestle with their grief. The father of the 8-year-old boy killed wants his son remembered “for the person he was and not the act that ended his life.” Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski were killed Wednesday, and more than a dozen of their schoolmates were wounded when a shooter fired 116 rifle rounds through the church’s stained-glass windows. Police said Thursday that the shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, idolized mass killers and wanted to terrorize innocent children. The children were celebrating Mass during the first week of classes at the Annunciation Catholic School.
UN food agency chief says women and children are starving in Gaza and pressed Netanyahu on aid
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The director of the U.N. World Food Program says it’s “very evident” after a visit to Gaza that there is not enough food and that mothers and children are starving. Cindy McCain, the program’s executive director, tells The Associated Press that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says he is “concerned” about the issue. International experts have declared a famine in Gaza City and say it is likely to spread without a ceasefire and the full restoration of humanitarian aid. Israel rejects the famine declaration and has called claims of starvation a propaganda campaign by Hamas.
Wife and ally of ousted South Korean president indicted by special prosecutors
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo have been indicted as part of investigations into the administration of ousted President Yoon Suk-Yeol and his attempt to overcome opposition by declaring martial law. Prosecutors say that Kim is being charged with violating financial market and political funding laws and receiving bribes, while Han is being charged with abetting Yoon’s imposition of martial law, falsifying and destroying official documents, and lying under oath. Yoon was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his December martial law decree, and three special prosecutor investigations into Yoon and his allies have been launched by the new government.
Parents of students killed in Minneapolis church shooting share emotional pleas
The parents of two schoolchildren fatally shot in a Minneapolis church have spoken out, urging the community to address the root causes of school shootings. Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed on Wednesday morning when a shooter opened fire at a Mass attended by students at Annunciation Catholic School. Fifteen other students and three adults were also shot. Only one person – a child – was in critical condition. Moyski’s parents hope her memory fuels action against gun violence and mental health issues. Merkel’s father expressed gratitude for the heroic actions that prevented further tragedy.
Trump suggests more US cities need National Guard but crime stats tell a different story
President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and other big cities as a way to fight crime. Yet behind the aggressive talk, data actually shows that most U.S. violent crime has been in a steady decline. Homicides through the first six months of 2025 were down significantly in Chicago, New York City, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. It’s a continuation of a trend since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aggravated assaults were also down, with the exception of New York, where they were virtually unchanged. The Associated Press relied on numbers from AH Datalytics, which tracks crimes across the country.
New Orleans marks 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with memorials and brass band parade
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans is set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating landfall on the Gulf Coast. Events including memorial services and a parade are planned to honor those who were affected. Thousands of people are expected to gather Friday in the Lower Ninth Ward, a majority Black neighborhood where the federal levee system was breached on Aug. 29, 2005. They will follow a brass band in a parade known as a second line, a beloved city tradition. A wreath is to be laid at a memorial for dozens of unidentified victims, and there will be a minute of silence along with speeches from survivors and city leaders.
Oregon could join Hawaii in mandating pay-per-mile fees for EV owners as gas tax projections fall
Oregon lawmakers are considering a proposal that would make the state the second in the nation to require electric vehicle owners to enroll in a pay-per-mile program. The measure is part of a larger transportation funding package that lawmakers will consider during a special session that starts Friday. States are facing transportation budget shortfalls partly stemming from projected declines in gas tax revenues as more people adopt fuel-efficient and electric cars. Under Oregon’s proposal, EV drivers would pay a fee based on distance traveled or pay an annual fee. In 2023, Hawaii became the first state to create a mandatory road usage charge for EVs.
CDC gets new acting director as leadership turmoil leaves agency reeling
NEW YORK (AP) — Jim O’Neill, a deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will serve as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two Trump administration officials confirmed the move, requesting anonymity to discuss a personnel change that has not been formally announced. The administration wants O’Neill to replace Susan Monarez, who is fighting her removal just a month after starting the job. The situation has caused bipartisan concern as Kennedy pushes anti-vaccine policies. The turmoil comes before a key meeting of an advisory committee that Kennedy has reshaped with vaccine skeptics. Two Republican senators have called for oversight, and some Democrats want Kennedy fired. Monarez’s removal has left the CDC in chaos.
New trial ordered for 3 Memphis ex-officers in connection with the beating death of Tyre Nichols
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ordered a new trial for three former Memphis police officers who were convicted of federal charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. The order comes after defense lawyers argued that another judge who presided over their trial was biased against the men. U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman issued the order for a new trial for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. The three were found guilty in October 2024 of obstruction of justice through witness tampering in the January 2023 beating death of Nichols after he fled a traffic stop.
Trump administration asks military base near Chicago for support on immigration operations
CHICAGO (AP) — The Trump administration has asked a military base outside of Chicago for support on immigration operations. The move offers a clue of what its expanded law enforcement crackdown might look like in the nation’s third-largest city. A base spokesperson says the Department of Homeland Security asked Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations.” The spokesperson says no decisions have been made on the request, and that the base hasn’t received an official request to support a National Guard deployment. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have pushed back against a possible mobilization, saying crime has fallen in Chicago. They plan to sue.