Blinken: Some of Hamas’ proposed changes to a cease-fire plan in Gaza are workable, some not
BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that mediators will keep trying to close an elusive cease-fire deal after Hamas proposed numerous changes to a U.S.-backed proposal. He said Wednesday that some of the changes were “workable” and some not. The back-and-forth keeps hopes alive for an accord that can bring an end to eight months of war that has decimated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and left scores of Israeli hostages still languishing in militant captivity. But it also laid bare the frustration after previous moments of optimism have been repeatedly dashed by the differences between the two sides over the deal.
Russian warships reach Cuban waters ahead of military exercises in the Caribbean
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A fleet of Russian warships have reached Cuban waters ahead of planned military exercises in the Caribbean. Some see their deployment as a projection of Russia’s strength as tensions grow over Western support for Ukraine. The U.S. military expects the exercises will involve a handful of Russian ships and support vessels, which may also stop in Venezuela. Russia is a longtime ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and its warships and aircraft have periodically made forays into the Caribbean. But this mission comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
North Korea’s Kim hails Russia ties as Putin reportedly plans a visit
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hailed the country’s expanding relationship with Russia as reports suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon visit the country for his third meeting with Kim. North Korea’s state media reported Wednesday that Kim sent Putin a congratulatory message marking Russia’s National Day and spoke about booming bilateral ties. Cooperation between the two countries have sharply increased since Kim visited Russia last September for a meeting with Putin.
SCOTUS has lot of work to do, little time to do it with sizable case backlog
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has a lot of work left to do and little time to do it. The court is headed into its final few weeks with nearly half of the cases heard this year undecided, including ones that could reshape the law on everything from guns to abortion to social media. The justices are also still weighing whether former President Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution in the election interference case against him, more than a month after hearing arguments. The court has heard 61 cases but still has 29 cases to decide.
House moves to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for withholding Biden audio
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to vote on a resolution holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case. It is a move that comes just weeks after the White House blocked release of the recording to lawmakers. The contempt action represents House Republicans’ latest and strongest rebuke of the Justice Department and of Garland’s leadership. And it’s playing out against the backdrop of an extraordinary conflict over the rule of law that has animated the presidential campaign. But it remains uncertain if House Speaker Mike Johnson can garner enough support on the floor to pass the contempt resolution as Republicans have the slimmest of majorities.
Faking an honest woman: Why Russia, China and Big Tech all use faux females to get clicks
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to online scams and foreign disinformation, it pays to be female. Or at least to pretend to be. That’s according to research that shows that chatbots and fake social media accounts get more engagement when they have female personas. Researchers say that’s because people are more likely to view women as warm and approachable, and to see chatbots with feminine personas as more human than those posing as male. As a result, many chatbots are given a female personality, while groups linked to the Kremlin and China prefer fake accounts with female profile pictures to spread disinformation and propaganda.
Thefts of charging cables pose yet another obstacle to appeal of electric vehicles
DETROIT (AP) — Across the U.S., thieves have been targeting electric-vehicle charging stations, intent on stealing the cables, which contain copper wiring. The price of copper is near a record high on global markets, which means criminals stand to collect rising sums of cash from selling the material. The stolen cables often disable entire charging stations. Broken-down chargers have emerged as the latest obstacle for U.S. automakers in their effort to convert more Americans to EVs despite public anxiety about a scarcity of charging stations. If even finding a charging station doesn’t necessarily mean finding functioning cables, it becomes another reason for buyers to stick with gasoline-fueled or hybrid vehicles, at least for now.
US inflation cooled in May in a sign that price pressures may be easing
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States eased in May for a second straight month, a hopeful sign that a pickup in prices that occurred early this year may have passed. The trend, if it holds, could move the Federal Reserve closer to cutting its benchmark interest rate from its 23-year peak. Consumer prices excluding volatile food and energy costs — the closely watched “core” index — rose 0.2% from April to May. That was the smallest such increase since October. Even as overall inflation moderates, such necessities as groceries, rent and health care are much pricier than they were three years ago — a continuing source of public discontent and a political threat to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
Federal Reserve is likely to scale back plans for rate cuts because of still-elevated inflation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday will likely make official what’s been clear for many weeks: With inflation sticking at a level above their 2% target, they’re downgrading their outlook for interest rate cuts. In a set of quarterly economic forecasts they’ll issue after their latest meeting ends, the policymakers are expected to project that they will cut their benchmark rate just once or twice by year’s end, rather than the three times they had envisioned in March. The Fed’s updated economic forecasts, which it will issue Wednesday afternoon, will likely be influenced by the government’s May inflation data, released Wednesday morning. That report showed that inflation cooled unexpectedly.
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