AP News Summary at 5:02 p.m. EDT

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He admitted to following Thompson to an investor conference in 2024 and shooting him on a New York City street. The 28-year-old Mangione acknowledged his actions Friday at a hastily scheduled hearing in Manhattan. At sentencing, he faces life in prison. His lawyers are now seeking to dismiss a separate New York state murder case on double jeopardy grounds. The case has become a fulcrum for debate about the healthcare industry and made Mangione a cause célèbre for some of its critics.

Trump asks Supreme Court to let White House ballroom construction continue during appeal

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court's order to halt the work. Chief Justice John Roberts has set a deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the ballroom project. Trump's solicitor general on Friday petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The divided panel ruled last week the Republican president must stop the White House ballroom's construction because Congress has not approved the project.

Suspect arrested in World War II Memorial vandalism in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — A suspect has been arrested and will be charged in connection with the vandalism of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. Melissa L. Farris will be charged with “Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans' Memorials,” according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who announced the arrest on Friday on her X account. The offenses carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. The Memorial, one of the most popular in Washington, was vandalized with bubbles filling a fountain and “Clean hands dirty $†written in red paint. The vandalism comes weeks after President Donald Trump said the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was deliberately damaged.

Trump focuses on violent crime reduction as he boosts GOP candidates at New York police academy

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump has highlighted his record on crime and safety during a visit to New York, pivoting to one of his strongest issues as he looks to boost Republicans in battleground races ahead of the November midterms. Trump was visiting the Nassau County police academy on Friday in suburban Long Island. But despite the setting and an array of uniformed local police officers behind him on stage, the event was overwhelmingly a political one, with Trump lashing Democrats and promoting his record and his party's candidates. The new FBI statistics released Friday showed the homicide rate in the United States dropped to the lowest it's been in 75 years. The report on 2025 crime statistics also showed that overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year.

With US-Iran talks stalled, diplomatic efforts expand to unlikely European players

WASHINGTON (AP) — While talks to end the Iran war have stalled, the Trump administration appears to be reaching out to a broader swath of countries that might be able to help pressure Tehran or ease its hardline position where traditional mediators haven’t succeeded so far. While discussions between Iran and Oman, as well as Iran and Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar, continue, the administration has been quietly expanding its outreach to include perhaps unlikely interlocutors in Europe. Within days of talks this week with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the foreign ministers of Austria and Greece both held calls with Iran’s foreign minister. The State Department said Rubio made no direct asks on Iran in either call.

Trump says record-setting Navy deployment to support Iran operations ‘not nearly long enough’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is downplaying concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln’s extended deployment in the Middle East. On Friday, Trump refuted reports of mental health and supply issues, saying the more than 260-day deployment is “not nearly long enough.†The Lincoln supports the U.S. war against Iran, and Democratic lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon for accountability over conditions aboard the carrier. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this week said the conditions are “completely misrepresented.†Reports have emerged of mental health struggles among sailors, but the Navy says it has not observed an increase in suicidal ideation. The USS George Washington is expected to replace the Lincoln soon.

2 planes with the same flight number avoid possible disaster thanks to quick-thinking controller

Potential disaster was averted when a Phoenix air traffic controller recognized two American Airlines jets mistakenly were flying the same flight number and acted quickly to avoid confusion and keep them a safe distance apart. Audio of the incident shortly after midnight Friday shows how he found a solution to ensure the planes that were both called American 2482 maintained proper separation as one plane arrived from Chicago shortly after the other had taken off in Phoenix. Normally the same plane flies both legs of the round trip, but American employed a second plane after the flight out of Chicago was delayed. The incident will be investigated.

2 UAE tankers attacked while transiting Strait of Hormuz, and other news from the Middle East

The United Arab Emirates has blamed Iran for firing drones at two tankers operated by a state-owned oil company in the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks, described as acts of piracy, caused no casualties but highlighted the dangers in this critical waterway. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry called on Friday the attacks a violation of the United Nations’ principles of freedom of navigation. Meanwhile, activists marched through the occupied West Bank to bring food and water to Palestinians under siege by Israeli settlers. In Yemen, the military claimed to have thwarted Houthi attacks amid ongoing fighting.

AP Exclusive: US military base schools put new emphasis on Western civilization and Christianity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in the schools it operates for military families. It’s part of an effort by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect the education system toward patriotic values and classical learning. The Western civilization course planned for this fall will use a textbook published by Encounter Books, a conservative publishing house. Historians and educators who reviewed excerpts of the text told The Associated Press it depicts points throughout history in misleading ways. The text represents Western civilization and Christianity as one and the same and casts Islam as a threat to both, scholars said.

Colombia grapples with rebuilding a shattered nation after a deadly earthquake

CALI, Colombia (AP) — Colombia is grappling with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed at least 285 people and affected more than 100,000. Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed in Cali, Pereira, and Manizales in the 7.4 magnitude that struck the country’s west on Monday. President Abelardo de la Espriella, who is visiting affected areas Friday, has announced plans to partner with private companies to rebuild. Aid is slowly reaching affected areas, but many people have to rely on volunteers and neighbors for help. The government is focusing on temporary housing, food, and healthcare as international support continues to arrive.