US and World News

Exxon Mobil’s second-quarter profit rose and was its second-highest for the period of the past decade as it achieved record quarterly production from its Permian and Guyana assets. The energy company earned $9.24 billion, or $2.14 per share, for the three months ended June 30. A year earlier it earned $7.88 billion, or $1.94 per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations, but Exxon does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales. Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research were expecting earnings of $2.04 per share. Chevron Corp. also reported its second-quarter financial results and they fell far short of profit expectations. The company also announced it is relocating its headquarters to Texas.

The young people who make up more than half of Algeria's population are so disenchanted that they may not vote in next month's presidential election. The gas-rich North African nation's 78-year-old president is running for a second term, five years after street protests led to the ouster of the former president after 20 years. Abdelmadjid Tebboune has attempted to reach out to young people since announcing plans to run for reelection. Though little data exists on why people in Algeria abstain from voting, experts say the aging political elite — which still includes politicians who were involved in wresting independence from France more than 60 years ago — aren’t reaching young people.

There has been a nationwide expansion of maternity homes in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion. Christian anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities for pregnant women to meet a growing need. It’s part of what they see as the next step in preventing abortions and providing long-term support for families. But maternity homes also have a traumatic history of coerced adoptions, particularly in the three decades before Roe v. Wade. Today’s activists and former residents of maternity homes are still grappling with that legacy.

There has been a nationwide expansion of maternity homes in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion. Christian anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities for pregnant women to meet a growing need. It’s part of what they see as the next step in preventing abortions and providing long-term support for families. But maternity homes also have a traumatic history of coerced adoptions, particularly in the three decades before Roe v. Wade. Today’s activists and former residents of maternity homes are still grappling with that legacy.

There has been a nationwide expansion of maternity homes in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion. Christian anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities for pregnant women to meet a growing need. It’s part of what they see as the next step in preventing abortions and providing long-term support for families. But maternity homes also have a traumatic history of coerced adoptions, particularly in the three decades before Roe v. Wade. Today’s activists and former residents of maternity homes are still grappling with that legacy.

Five months after holding its presidential primaries, Washington state is looking further down the ticket to select candidates to compete for federal and state offices in November. A handful of retirements have injected some excitement into Tuesday's primaries for the left-leaning state. Most notable among the retirements are those of third-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. The governorship in particular has attracted a lot of interest, with 28 candidates competing.

Three newly freed Americans are back on U.S. soil after a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia. Journalist Evan Gershkovich, corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with dual U.S.-Russia citizenship, arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland shortly before midnight Thursday for a reunion with their families. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were there to greet them. They continued to a Texas military base for medical evaluations early Friday. They were part of the biggest U.S.-Russian prisoner swap in post-Soviet history that officials say set two dozen people free. The trade follows years of back-channel negotiations despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War.

Kansas voters will choose their parties’ nominees for the U.S. House, the state legislature and the state Board of Education in primaries next week. Tuesday's elections aren’t likely to change the balance of power in Washington or Topeka. But many November races will essentially be determined in Tuesday’s primaries in the heavily Republican state. In the 2nd Congressional District, both Democrats and Republicans are holding primaries to succeed two-term GOP U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, who announced in April he would not seek reelection. In the 3rd Congressional District, two Republicans are vying for the nomination to challenge three-term U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the state’s lone Democratic member of Congress.

While a high-profile primary challenge in Missouri highlights a divide among Democrats, Republicans running for office in the state are showing just how united they are — at least when it comes to their loyalty to former President Donald Trump. The airwaves in Missouri are full of Republicans viciously criticizing one another as they vie for the nomination for governor, attorney general and other down-ballot offices, but that fight revolves around which candidate has proven to be most loyal to Trump. For Democrats, Tuesday's primary between Rep. Cori Bush and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has come to represent their broader disagreement in how the United States should engage with Israel.

Several suspects arrested in violent protests that erupted after the fatal stabbing of three children in northwest England are due in court as officials brace for more clashes over the weekend. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the unrest and blamed it on “far-right hatred.” Starmer has vowed to end the mayhem and says police across the U.K. will be given more resources to stop “a breakdown in law and order on our streets.” Demonstrations over the coming days are being promoted online in Sunderland, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester and other places using phrases including “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.”

While Michigan remains one of the crown jewels of the fall presidential campaign, the focus now turns to state primaries that may play a major role in deciding control of the narrowly divided U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state legislature. In the race to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the Democratic primary on Tuesday features U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and actor Hill Harper. The likely Republican nominee is former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is looking to end his party’s 24-year drought in Michigan U.S. Senate races.

Turkey’s communications authority has blocked access to the social media platform Instagram. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, did not provide a reason for the move on Friday. Media reports suggest that the action was taken in response to Instagram’s removal of posts from Turkey that expressed condolences for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. It came days after a top presidential aide criticized the Meta-owned platform for preventing users in Turkey from posting messages of condolences. Turkey has a track record of censoring social media and websites.

A rights group says at least 9 people were killed by security forces in Nigeria during mass protests against Nigeria's economic crisis. Amnesty International's Nigeria office cited accounts from witnesses in its statement Friday. Authorities said a police officer was also killed and others injured, while four protesters were killed by a bomb. Hundreds were arrested in the protests that triggered curfews in several states. The protests that continued on Friday were mainly over food shortages and alleged bad governance in Africa’s most populous country whose citizens are some of the world’s poorest and hungriest people, despite being one of the continent’s top oil producers.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has announced raising $310 million last month. That's an eyepopping sum showing that donors who once seemed spooked about the prospects for November’s election with President Joe Biden are now offering mountains of cash to boost Harris. The haul by Harris, the Democratic National Committee and affiliated entities far outpaced Republican former President Donald Trump, whose campaign and assorted committees said they took in $138.7 million for July. The vice president’s campaign also says it entered August with $377 million in cash on hand. That's well above the $327 million Trump’s team announced having to start the month.

When deadly landslides struck hillside villages in southern India on Tuesday, many people ran toward higher ground and watched their homes get swept away by torrents of mud, floodwater and giant rolling boulders. Survivors described how the landslides rolled towards the village and swept everything that came in its way, leaving behind a trail of destruction as they flattened hundreds of houses and destroyed roads and bridges. At least 201 people have been confirmed dead so far by the authorities. Rescue workers continue to recover and identify bodies, and with nearly 200 people still missing, the death toll is expected to rise. More than 5,500 people have also been rescued from hillside villages and moved to relief centers.

The 1975 is being sued after Matty Healy's kiss of a bandmate on stage shut down a music festival last year in Malaysia. The lawyer for Future Sound Asia said the lawsuit against the band and all four members was filed in London on July 23 and seeks $2.5 million for breach of contract and losses. Healy used profanities as he criticized Malaysia’s stance against homosexuality before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald during the band's headline performance at the festival. Homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The government cancelled the festival, and the band canceled later performances that had been scheduled in Taiwan and Indonesia.

Advocates say air conditioning is no longer a luxury but a public health and affordability issue. The growing number of people dying without sufficient cooling when outdoor temperatures rise underscores the necessity of air conditioning in areas affected by rising summer temperatures. That's especially true for people over 60 who live in older mobile homes, trailers and RVs lacking proper insulation and AC. Calls have increased for better policies to protect vulnerable low-income people. In Arizona's hot Maricopa County last year there were 156 indoor heat-related deaths, often in homes without electricity or with an AC unit that was broken or turned off.

Emergency officials say at least four people have died and dozens are feared buried under rubble after an apartment block in Russia's Ural Mountains collapsed following a gas explosion. Photos published by Russian agencies Friday showed a large part of the five-story prefab building, in the industrial city of Nizhny Tagil, leveled to the ground. Hundreds of emergency workers combed the debris, according to Russia's Emergencies Ministry, and managed to free 15 people, including seven children, and a cat. Law enforcement launched a criminal probe into suspected health and safety failures in Thursday's collapse.

In India and China, torrential rains have killed more than 250 people in the past week. Three others died in Pakistan. Widespread flooding also has been reported in North Korea near the border with China with no word on whether anyone died. This is monsoon and typhoon season in Asia, and climate change has intensified such storms. Heavy rains have triggered landslides and flooding, devastating crops, destroying homes and taking lives. Governments have launched disaster prevention plans to try to mitigate the damage. Sometimes it isn’t enough, as the tragic consequences playing out in Asia show.

An Australian investigation has found the Israeli military’s attack on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed seven people resulted from serious failures of defense procedures, mistaken identification, and bad decisions. Australian Zomi Frankcom was among those killed in the April 1 Israeli drone strikes on three World Central Kitchen vehicles. The report released Friday says the convoy’s armed security guards were likely mistaken for Hamas operatives. Two Israeli officers were dismissed and three reprimanded, but Frankcom’s family says more should be done. Former Australian Defense Force Chief Mark Binskin was appointed as Australia’s special adviser on the matter. He says Israel should apologize to the families.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling for “all parties” in the Middle East to avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict. He said Thursday that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering. Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and representatives of Palestinian militia groups held prayers for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Worry has spread that the shock assassination risks escalating the fighting into an all-out regional war. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion quickly fell on Israel. Iran's Khamenei has vowed revenge for the attack on its territory.

The U.S. and Russia completed on Thursday their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, a deal involving 24 people, many months of negotiations and concessions from other European countries who released individuals in their custody as part of the exchange. The deal is unlikely to signal a broader breakthrough in U.S.-Russia relations, but it's striking nonetheless. Several Americans were left behind, and though there's an imbalance in wrongfully detained Americans being traded for criminals convicted in Western courts, President Joe Biden says deals like this require hard choices.

Few Americans have high confidence in the Secret Service’s ability to keep presidential candidates safe after last month’s attempt on Donald Trump’s life. That's according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only around three in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident that the Secret Service can keep the presidential candidates safe from violence before the election. The law enforcement agency tasked with protecting presidents for more than a century is under intense scrutiny after a gunman got within 150 yards of Trump and fired several bullets from an AR-style rifle.

The United States and Russia have completed a 24-person prisoner swap, the largest in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free. Three freed Americans arrived at an Air Force Base outside Washington late at night to an emotional welcome from their families, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Thursday's exchange follows a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the U.S. in exchange for notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Russia meanwhile secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West.

This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include an EP from country-turned-pop singer Maren Morris, Léa Seydoux and George MacKay lead the intriguing French sci-fi “The Beast,” and an HBO documentary lets Elizabeth Taylor tell her story by relying on 40 hours of recently discovered audio. Just in time for Olympics fever, director Luca Guadagnino’s sweaty, synthy “Challengers” makes its streaming debut on MGM starring Zendaya, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” lands on Hulu and the new 30-minute talk show “Influenced” on Prime Video gives internet personalities a TV platform to delve further into their areas of expertise.

More than 3,200 people were arrested on college campuses this spring during a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments protesting the war in Gaza. Many students have already seen those charges dismissed. But the cases have yet to be resolved for hundreds of people at campuses that saw the highest number of arrests, according to an analysis of data gathered by The Associated Press. In addition to the legal limbo, those students face uncertainty in their academic careers. Some remain steadfast, saying they would have made the same decisions to protest even if they had known the consequences. Others have struggled with the aftermath of the arrests.

The Air Force says a deadly Osprey aircraft crash last November off Japan was caused by cracks in a metal gear and the pilot’s decision to keep flying instead of heeding multiple warnings that he should land. The Air Force released its investigation report Thursday. The crash killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members and led to a monthslong military-wide grounding of the Osprey fleet. The crash has driven renewed congressional investigations into the Osprey’s safety record and a split among the services about the future role for the unique warplane that can fly like an airplane but land like a helicopter.

A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader has made his second appearance in federal court in Texas after being taken into U.S. custody last week. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada used a wheelchair for the hearing Thursday before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso. The 76-year-old Zambada is the longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. He eluded U.S. authorities for decades until a plane carrying him and a son of notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán” landed near El Paso last week. Both men were arrested. They're charged in the U.S. with drug crimes. They remain jailed.