Defense calls Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi in federal gun trial after prosecution rests case
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden’s defense attorney has called Naomi Biden to the stand in his federal gun trial. She is Hunter Biden’s daughter. Abbe Lowell began calling witnesses Friday after federal prosecutors wrapped up their gun case. They say the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form when he said he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty Lowell has said he did not believe he had a serious drug problem at the time of the gun purchase and that there was no attempt to deceive anyone.
Biden apologizes to Zelenskyy for monthslong congressional holdup to weapons that let Russia advance
PARIS (AP) — President Joe Biden has for the first time publicly apologized to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a monthslong congressional holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make battlefield gains. Biden and Zelenskyy met Friday in France, where they attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Biden told Zelenskyy he apologized to the Ukrainian people for the weeks of not knowing if more assistance would come while Congress waited six months before sending him a $61 billion military aid package. The Democrat insists Americans stand by Ukraine. Biden says, “We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly.” Zelenskyy has appealed for bipartisan U.S. support “like it was during World War II.”
Putin says he sees no threat warranting use of nuclear arms but warns Russia could arm Western foes
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says that he sees no current threat to Russia’s sovereignty that would warrant the use of nuclear weapons but has again warned that Moscow could send arms to countries or groups to strike Western targets. He spoke Friday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Putin said use of nuclear weapons is only possible in exceptional cases and that he does not believe such a case has arisen. But he repeated a warning made days earlier that Moscow reserves the right to arm Western adversaries as a response to some NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets inside Russia. He didn’t specify where such arms might be sent.
Biden looks to Pointe du Hoc to inspire the push for democracy abroad and at home
POINTE DU HOC, France (AP) — President Joe Biden has spoken from Pointe du Hoc, marking his second trip to the Normandy coast during his visit to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Biden used the site Friday to rally Americans in defense of democracy, which he says is under threat from Donald Trump in this year’s election. The cliffs of Pointe du Hoc were scaled by Army Rangers during the invasion. The mission was memorialized by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, when he paid tribute to “the boys of Pointe du Hoc.” Biden says the legacy of Pointe du Hoc is a call to “stay true to what America stands for.”
US-built pier in Gaza is reconnected after repairs, and aid will flow soon, US Central Command says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military-built pier designed to carry aid into Gaza by boat has been reconnected to the beach in the besieged territory after it broke apart in storms and rough seas. U.S. Central Command said Friday food and other supplies will begin flowing in the coming days. The pier section that connects to the beach in Gaza was rebuilt two weeks after heavy storms damaged it and abruptly halted what had already been a troubled delivery route. Central Command says operations at the reconnected pier will be ramped up soon with a goal to get 1 million pounds of food and other supplies moving through the pier into Gaza every two days.
Justice Jackson reports a $900,000 book advance and tickets from Beyoncé
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson collected nearly $900,000 last year for her upcoming memoir, among four justices to report sizable income from book deals. Jackson also disclosed BeyoncĂ© gave her four tickets valued at $3,700 for one of her concerts. The details are included in annual reports of the justices’ finances released Friday. Justice Clarence Thomas belatedly reported travel paid for by others from 2019: a hotel room in Bali, Indonesia, and food and lodging in Sonoma County, California, both provided by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Thomas did not report any travel paid by others last year. The reports offer a partial picture of the justices’ finances.
Alex Jones seeks permission to convert his personal bankruptcy into a liquidation
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seeking court permission to convert his personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation. That would lead to a sell-off of a large portion of the Infowars host’s assets to help pay some of the $1.5 billion he owes relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jones and his media company both filed for bankruptcy reorganization after the Sandy Hook families won lawsuits against him for his repeatedly calling the 2012 shooting that killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, a hoax. A bankruptcy judge in Houston is holding a hearing next week on whether Jones and his company’s cases should be converted to liquidations.
Scorching heat keeps grip on Southwest US as records tumble and more triple digits forecast
RENO, Nev. (AP) — The first heat wave of the year is expected to maintain its grip on the Southwest United States for at least another day as record-setting temperatures continue to soar past 110 degrees Fahrenheit from southeast California to Arizona. The official start of summer is still two weeks away. But roughly half of Arizona and Nevada remain under an excessive heat alert into Friday evening. The alert continues through Saturday in Las Vegas, where its never been hotter this early in the year. New record highs Thursday included 113 in Phoenix, 111 in Las Vegas and 122 in Death Valley National Park.
Zombies: Ranks of world’s most debt-hobbled companies are soaring, and not all will survive
NEW YORK (AP) — They are called zombies, companies so laden with debt that they are just stumbling by on the brink of survival, barely able to pay even the interest on their loans and often just a bad business hit away from dying off for good. An Associated Press analysis found their numbers have soared to 7,000 publicly traded companies around the world, including 2,000 in the United States alone, whiplashed by years of piling up cheap debt followed by stubborn inflation that has pushed borrowing costs to decade highs. And now many could be facing their day of reckoning, with due dates on hundreds of billions of dollars of loans.
Carlos Alcaraz reaches his first French Open final by beating Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz has reached his first French Open final by beating Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Alcaraz’s victory on Friday makes the 21-year-old from Spain the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam title match on three surfaces. He won the U.S. Open in 2022 on hard courts, then Wimbledon in 2023 on grass. He will face Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final. Sinner entered the semifinals with a 13-0 record in Grand Slam play in 2024 after winning the Australian Open in January, and he will move up to the No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
