May 18, 2026 5:07 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone strike has targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant. No one has been blamed and no major damage is reported. But Sunday’s incident highlights the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signal they would be ready to fight again. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and shortly afterward said on social media that Iran “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.” Tensions continue over Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace have repeatedly faltered.
May 18, 2026 5:10 am
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A debate over congressional redistricting is shifting to South Carolina. The state House there is to take up debate Monday on legislation that would redraw U.S. House districts to try to help Republicans win an additional seat in the November elections. Similar debates already have unfolded in Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana. The Southern redistricting efforts come after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts. That has opened the door for Republicans to redraw districts with large Black populations that have elected Democrats. The effort is being encouraged by President Donald Trump.
May 17, 2026 5:09 am
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection. The MV Hondius reached Rotterdam on Monday morning, carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel. All passengers had disembarked elsewhere. The crew will enter immediate quarantine. During the outbreak, three passengers died, including a Dutch couple believed to have been exposed in South America. The outbreak has reached 11 cases, with nine confirmed. The ship will be decontaminated based on Dutch public health guidelines before being allowed to sail again.
May 18, 2026 5:08 am
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Officials say all four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed during an air show at a military base in Idaho. Emergency crews responded after the EA18-G Growlers crashed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho on Sunday. Officials say the four crew members are in stable condition and the remainder of the show was canceled. Nobody on the ground was hurt. Videos posted online by spectators show four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummet to the ground near the base about 50 miles south of Boise.
May 17, 2026 5:04 am
One of the eaglets in a nest in Glen Hazel has died. Tamarack, PixCams and the Glen Hazel eaglecam team issued a joint statement on Sunday. Per the statement, eaglets GH3 and GH4 started presenting signs of illness on Friday. At that point, Tamarack Wildlife Center was notified and began monitoring, but no intervention could be done before the eaglet’s death. Officials say several diseases and toxins could be the cause of the eaglets’ distress and death. They’re now exploring whether it’s possible to get state and federal approval to remove GH4 for a necropsy and/or GH3 for assessment and care. It’s not a guarantee that the removals will be granted because the Federal Wildlife Service policy states that permission is not granted for interference with the natural course of events at an eagle nest. The groups are also concerned for mom, Iris, who they say is spending more time in the nest than usual and eating smaller bites.
May 17, 2026 6:10 am
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming have advanced to a runoff in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary. Letlow capitalized on the power of President Donald Trump’s endorsement in another attempt to purge his party of people he views as disloyal. Trump supported Letlow over incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the few Republican senators who voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial over the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Cassidy has also clashed with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. By receiving less than 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming were unable to avoid a runoff. It takes place June 27.
May 17, 2026 6:12 am
MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s government says it has deported a close ally of Nicolás Maduro to face judicial proceedings in the U.S. less than three years after the business owner was pardoned by President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap. The Venezuelan government in a statement Saturday did not explicitly say where it had deported Alex Saab but said its decision was based on several ongoing criminal investigations in the U.S. The Associated Press reported in February that federal prosecutors have been digging for month into Saab’s role in an alleged bribery conspiracy involving Venezuelan government contracts to import food.
May 17, 2026 6:09 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli airstrike in Gaza has killed Hamas military wing leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad. The Israeli military said Saturday that al-Haddad was one of the last surviving architects of the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that triggered the war on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas confirmed his death. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile with accusations of violations from both sides. Violence has flared in the West Bank meanwhile. Israeli troops shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian in the Jenin refugee camp. The Israeli military said that the man was shot after failing to comply with warning shots.
May 17, 2026 6:07 am
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The USS Gerald R. Ford has returned home to Virginia. The world’s largest aircraft carrier is back in port at Naval Station Norfolk after an 11-month deployment. That’s the longest since the Vietnam War. The Ford supported the U.S. war with Iran and the capture of Nicolás Maduro when he was Venezuela’s president. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on hand for the arrival Saturday of the warships, which included the destroyers USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan.
May 17, 2026 6:04 am
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Thousands of people gathered in Montgomery, Alabama, to mobilize support for voting rights amid concerns about redistricting efforts. Organizers say states are moving to dismantle congressional districts that expanded representation opportunities. The rally began in Selma and moved to the Alabama Capitol. Participants and veterans of past struggles warn that recent legal decisions threaten decades of progress. Leaders and activists say the moment requires renewed commitment to protecting voting rights and preserving representation gains.
