1:32 a.m. EDT National News Summary

Biden’s uncertain political future divides Democrats as they return to Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deeply torn over President Joe Biden’s candidacy, Democratic lawmakers are returning to Washington at a pivotal moment. They are deciding whether to work to revive Biden’s campaign or edge out the party leader after his dismal performance in the debate. As Biden digs in, it’s a make-or-break time for his reelection and the lawmakers’ own political futures. Three top-ranking Democratic lawmakers are joining calls for Biden to step aside. At the same time, some of the president’s most staunch supporters are redoubling the fight for his presidency, insisting there is no one better to beat Republican Donald Trump.

Biden’s focus shifts to this week’s NATO summit. But questions about his campaign may only intensify

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will shift this week from focusing on campaigning for reelection to hosting a NATO summit. But that won’t quiet the increasingly urgent questions about his precarious political situation now threatening to consume his own party. European leaders gather in Washington starting Tuesday to celebrate the alliance’s 75th anniversary. Biden will hold a news conference. Congress is also heading back into session, meaning there will be face-to-face meetings where Democratic lawmakers can discuss concerns about Biden’s ability to stay in the presidential race. Biden say’s he’s staying in, which may only serve to make the internal Democratic Party divisions more bitter.

French vote gives leftists most seats over far right, but leaves hung parliament and deadlock

PARIS (AP) — A coalition of the French left has won the most seats in high-stakes legislative elections, beating back a far-right surge but failing to win a majority. The outcome left France facing the stunning prospect of a hung parliament and political paralysis. The political turmoil could rattle markets and the French economy and have far-ranging implications for the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe’s economic stability. It also comes just weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics. President Emmanuel Macron called the election on June 9, after the far right surged in French voting for the European Parliament. He said turning to voters again would provide “clarification.” On almost every level, that gamble appears to have backfired.

Beryl regains hurricane strength as it bears down on southern Texas

MATAGORDA, Texas (AP) — Beryl strengthened and once again became a hurricane as it heads toward southern Texas, where its outer bands lashed the coast with rain and intensifying winds as residents prepared for the powerful storm that has already cut a deadly path through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. The hurricane had top sustained winds of 75 mph (122 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving northwest at 10 mph (16 kph). As the storm neared the coast, Texas officials warned Sunday it could cause power outages and flooding but also expressed worry that not enough residents and beach vacationers in Beryl’s path had heeded warnings to leave.

Searing heat wave grills large parts of the US, causes deaths in the West and grips the East

DEATH VALLEY, California (AP) — After causing deaths and shattering records in the West over the weekend, a long-running heat wave will again grip the U.S. on Monday, with triple digit temperatures predicted for large parts of the East Coast. A visitor to Death Valley National Park has died from heat exposure and another person has been hospitalized as the temperature there reached 128 degrees this weekend. Officials say the two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists riding through the Badwater Basin area on Saturday. The park said in a statement Sunday that the other motorcyclist was taken to a Las Vegas hospital for severe heat illness. An excessive heat warning, the National Weather Service’s highest alert, was in effect for about 36 million people nationwide.

June sizzles to 13th straight monthly heat record. String may end soon, but dangerous heat won’t

The European climate service Copernicus says Earth’s more than year-long streak of record-shattering hot months kept on simmering through June. It was the 13th straight month of record warmth. Scientists say there’s hope that record streak will soon end, but not the climate chaos that has come with it. Earth’s June average was 62 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 1.2 degrees above the 30-year average for the month. A Copernicus scientist said there’s a good chance the record streak will end when the next monthly report comes out. He based that on global averages of the last few weeks being a bit cooler than the same time last year.

Boeing accepts a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over 737 Max crashes, Justice Department says

The Justice Department says Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners. Now it’s up to a federal judge whether to accept the plea and a sentence that is part of the aerospace giant’s deal with U.S. prosecutors. Boeing’s decision on Sunday came a week after the Justice Department gave the company the choice of entering a guilty plea or facing a trial. Prosecutors say Boeing violated a 2021 deal that had shielded the company from prosecution earlier. Lawyers for some of the relatives of those who died in the two crashes have said they will ask the judge to reject the agreement. One lawyer called it a “sweetheart deal.”

Fight with Kash: Trump loyalist mythologizes former president while building his own brand

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kash Patel is a trusted aide to Donald Trump and a swaggering campaign surrogate who mythologizes the former president while promoting conspiracy theories and his own brand. Patel is poised to take on an influential role in the federal government if Trump wins a second term. He frequently cites his experience as a public defender and federal prosecutor to lend credibility to his plan to go after the very intelligence community he could one day help oversee. Many who previously worked with Patel said he was an ambitious if not exceptional lawyer whose quick rise and far-right tilt have left them stunned.

Israeli protesters block highways, call for cease-fire to return hostages 9 months into war in Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Marking nine months since the war in Gaza started, Israeli protesters blocked highways across the country calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and pushing for a cease-fire that could bring back hostages held by Hamas. Sunday’s “Day of Disruption” started at 6:29 a.m., the moment that Hamas militants launched the first rockets toward Israel on Oct. 7. Israel and Hamas inched closer to a possible cease-fire deal after Hamas appeared to drop their demand that any deal include a complete end to the war, though both sides said significant gaps remain. Israel issued new evacuation orders for parts of Gaza City, which was heavily bombed and largely emptied early in the war.

Japan and the Philippines sign a defense pact in the face of shared alarm over China

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japan and the Philippines have signed a defense pact allowing Japanese forces to deploy in the Southeast Asian country for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills. The Philippines was under a brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as they face an increasingly assertive China. The agreement similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa signed the pact Monday in a Manila. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attended the signing ceremony.