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Good morning, I'm Siddharth filling in for Sarah Naffa.
In the news today: President Trump's and Elon Musk's contrasting world views finally collide; Russia attacks Ukraine in one of its largest coordinated attacks of the three-year war; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges Israel's backing of armed Palestinian groups in Gaza. Also, see how K-pop's first deaf band is breaking new ground. |
Donald Trump listens to Elon Musk in November in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File) |
Trump and Musk break up, and Washington holds its breath |
Elon Musk has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of betraying promises to cut federal spending, shared a suggestion that the president should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about Trump's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has hit back, threatening to cancel government contracts and subsidies for Musk's companies. Read more. |
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- The question now is whether Trump and Musk find some way to step back from a battle that is tearing apart one of the most consequential relationships in modern American politics. "It's like India and Pakistan," said Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana. "It just escalates and neither one of them seem to back down and understand the strength of each other."
At stake are the future of Musk's companies, including electric automaker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX; government programs that rely on the billionaire entrepreneur's technology; legislation for advancing tax cuts and Trump's other priorities in Congress; Republican chances in next year's midterm elections; and an entire political ecosystem that has orbited around Trump and Musk's deteriorating partnership.
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A Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine kills 3 in Kyiv |
Russia targeted at least six regions across the country with 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of its largest coordinated attacks of the three-year war, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Read more. |
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- The attack came hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, in comments that were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war.
- Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it had aimed at Ukrainian military targets with "long-range precision weapons" and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets.
- Ukraine's human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, called for a strong international response to Russia's attack, saying the assault violated basic human rights. "Russia is acting like a terrorist, systematically targeting civilian infrastructure," Lubinets wrote on Telegram.
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Israel has 'activated' some Palestinian clans opposed to Hamas, Netanyahu says |
The Israeli prime minister's comments on social media were the first public acknowledgment of Israel's backing of armed Palestinian groups within Gaza, based around powerful clans or extended families. Such clans often wield some control in corners of the territory, and some have had clashes or tensions with Hamas in the past. Read more. |
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- Palestinians and aid workers have accused clans of carrying out criminal attacks and stealing aid from trucks. Several clans have issued public statements rejecting cooperation with the Israelis or denouncing looting.
- An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that one group that Netanyahu was referring to was the so-called Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a local clan leader in Gaza's southernmost city, Rafah. In recent weeks, the Abu Shabab group announced online that its fighters were helping protect shipments to the new, Israeli-backed food distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Rafah area.
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Strawberry the kitten poses for a portrait at the Associated Press bureau in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon) |
It's kitten season, and animal shelters need all the help they can get
Kitten season, typically landing during warmer months, is the time of year when most cats give birth. That produces a surge of kittens, often fragile neonates. Shelters in the U.S. get overwhelmed, especially when it comes to the 24-hour care and feeding of extremely young kittens, triggering a need for more foster homes. |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Siddharth |
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