Daily briefing
Trending
Nation
Texas
ICE officer charged with assault
HOUSTON -- A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally ramming his car into a Mexican construction worker in Houston has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Harris County prosecutors say Mario Alberto Morales was driving an unmarked SUV when it struck 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez.
New York
3 taxpayer-funded ads must be pulled
NEW YORK -- A judge has ordered the federal government to pull three taxpayer-funded Trump administration ads from television, social media and elsewhere that she says appear to have been made for political or propaganda purposes.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon in New York on Friday ordered that the government take down some advertisements.
District of Columbia
China-linked accounts pose as US voters
WASHINGTON -- Analysts at Graphika report that the influence campaign known as Spamouflage is active ahead of the midterm elections. Accounts likely linked to China are posing as U.S. voters and posting divisive content about politics and social issues on X.
Graphika flagged four accounts with a history of Spamouflage activity that now amplify MAGA-styled personas and another account with more than 200,000 followers that presents itself as a Philippine culture blog but now posts pro-China and divisive U.S.-focused content.
World
Israel
Difficult negotiations ahead in gov't
JERUSALEM -- Israel's final election results show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc lost its majority in parliament. It won 53 seats in Tuesday's voting, while the main opposition secured 48. Arab-led parties achieved a historic 19 seats.
Parties must now negotiate to see if they can form a coalition with at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu remains in charge, but coalition talks are expected to be challenging.
Vatican City
Pope Leo votes in US general election
VATICAN CITY -- Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election, casting a mail-in ballot in Chicago. The Vatican confirmed Friday that Leo, born Robert Prevost, exercised his right as a U.S. citizen, emphasizing his belief in civic participation.
Leo holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship and has voted whenever eligible. U.S. law allows citizens abroad to vote via absentee ballot.
Ukraine
Oleshky residents begin evacuation
KHERSON -- Russian and Ukrainian officials say some residents have been evacuated from the war-ravaged city of Oleshky.
The evacuations Friday came on the fourth day of the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began 4½ years ago.