New York governor won’t remove NYC mayor, for now, but plans to increase oversight of City Hall
Gov. Kathy Hochul won’t immediately remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, but will instead push for increased oversight of City Hall as he faces intense scrutiny over his bribery case and his relationship with the Trump administration. Hochul announced Thursday that she has, for now, decided against using her authority to remove Adams over concerns that such a move could result in “disruption and chaos” and would ultimately be undemocratic.
Wellness blogger Belle Gibson lied about having cancer. Years later, Australia is still chasing her
A decade after wellness influencer Belle Gibson admitted she didn’t have terminal brain cancer, which she claimed was cured by the healthy lifestyle that made her famous, her story has inspired a new Netflix series — and fresh outrage in Australia about the case’s lack of resolution. Authorities said this week they’re still pursuing the disgraced Instagram star for unpaid fines, fueling ongoing ire among Australians about one of the country’s most brazen online scams — an episode that drew attention to the destructive harms of false health claims on social media.
Lawyers to deliver closing arguments in the trial of man charged with stabbing Salman Rushdie
Lawyers are set to deliver their closing arguments Friday in the trial of a New Jersey man charged with trying to kill Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in a knife attack that left the author blind in one eye and with other serious injuries. Hadi Matar, 27, is charged with attempted murder and assault in the August 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Latin America and Caribbean
Children played at a park during summer vacation in Santiago, Chile. Bolivians held a ceremony to elect representatives for Chuta, Pepino and Chola — characters for Carnival. People flocked to Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro. This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Latin America and the Caribbean. The selection was curated by AP photographer Fernando Llano, based in Mexico City.
Joint Chiefs chairman heads to US-Mexico border to assess rapid military buildup
Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting troops along the U.S.-Mexico border Friday to assess the military’s progress in fortifying sections of the wall, coming as the Pentagon rapidly expands its border mission in line with President Donald Trump’s efforts to combat illegal immigration. The military in the past month has quickly surged troops and equipment to the border, is seeking expanded authority for cooperation with Mexican forces, has conducted scores of deportation flights and is readying the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to possibly house as many as 30,000 migrants.
Stock market today: Asia shares trade mixed as China benchmarks surge while others slip
Asian shares were mixed Friday after a sharp slide for Walmart helped pull Wall Street off record highs. In Japan, where investors were watching currency swings, the benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.3% in afternoon trading to 38,781.99. A weak yen is a boon for some export-reliant manufacturers in Japan. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 150.46 Japanese yen from 149.53 yen. The euro cost $1.0495, down from $1.0500.
Singer of Canadian anthem at 4 Nations Face-Off changes lyric to protest Trump’s 51st state remarks
The anthem singer who performed the Canadian anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game Thursday night changed a lyric in “O Canada” as a response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks about making the country the 51st state. Publicist Adam Gonshor in an email to The Associated Press confirmed Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyric from “in all of us command” to “that only us command” and confirmed Trump’s 51st state comments were the reason why. During Canada’s 3-2 overtime victory, Kreviazuk told the AP she did it “because I believe in democracy, and a sovereign nation should not have to be defending itself against tyranny and fascism.”
Singer of Canadian anthem at 4 Nations Face-Off changes lyric to protest Trump’s 51st state remarks
The Trump administration has kept withholding foreign aid despite a court order and must at least temporarily restore the funding to programs worldwide, a federal judge said Thursday. Judge Amir H. Ali declined a request by nonprofit groups doing business with the U.S. Agency for International Development to find Trump administration officials in contempt of his order, however.
Judge won’t immediately block Trump administration’s abrupt halt to Catholic refugee funding
A federal judge on Thursday refused to immediately block the Trump administration’s abrupt halt to funding of the nation’s largest private refugee resettlement program in a setback to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Judge Trevor McFadden denied the bishops’ request for a temporary restraining order that would have restored the funding, but called his ruling “very tentative.”
An Argentine court drops charges against 3 people tied to the death of singer Liam Payne
A court in Argentina dropped charges of criminal negligence against three of the five people indicted in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last October, according to a ruling obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday. In its decision issued Wednesday, the Argentine federal appeals court ordered the other two defendants in the case to remain in custody. They are facing prosecution on charges that they supplied the famed British boyband star with narcotics.