AP-Newswatch

Trucks are rolling across a new US pier into Gaza. But challenges remain to getting enough aid in

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip have rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time. Friday’s shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day. It comes as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hindered the delivery of food and other supplies seven months into the Israel-Hamas war. But the U.S. and aid groups warn that the floating pier project is not a substitute for land deliveries that could bring in all the food, water and fuel needed in Gaza. Before the war, more than 500 truckloads entered the territory on an average day.

Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group is introducing new tactics and weapons against Israel as the war in Gaza drags on and Israeli troops enter parts of the southern city of Rafah. In recent days, Hezbollah has used a drone equipped with missiles to attack an Israeli post as well as an explosive drone to hit its deepest target so far since the clashes began seven months ago. With Israeli troops marching into Rafah and Hezbollah saying the fighting will not stop along the Lebanon border until the war in Gaza ends, tens of thousands of displaced Israelis and Lebanese are not expected to return home soon.

Severe storms kill at least 4 in Houston, knock out power in Texas and Louisiana

HOUSTON (AP) — Severe thunderstorms have hit southeastern Texas for the second time this month, and Houston’s mayor says at least four people are dead. There also have been windows blown out of high-rise buildings, downed trees and power outages for more than 900,000 customers in the Houston area at the height of the storms, which also moved into neighboring Louisiana and left more than 215,000 customers there without power at their peak. The storm system moved through swiftly Thursday, but flood watches and warnings remained Friday for Houston and areas to the east, including eastern Louisiana into central Alabama. Heavy storms slammed the Houston region during the first week of May, leading to numerous high-water rescues.

Putin says Russia wants a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Kharkiv but has no plans to capture the city

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but has no plans to capture the city. Ukraine meanwhile will allow prisoners to join the army’s depleted ranks. Putin said Monday in China that Moscow has launched attacks in the Kharkiv region in response to the Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Belgorod region. Russian authorities say a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea has caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia. Friday’s drone raids marked Kyiv’s attempt to strike back during Russia’s offensive in northeastern Ukraine.

Slovak prime minister underwent another operation, remains in serious condition

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after as assassination attempt and remains in serious condition, the country’s deputy prime minister and defense minister says. Fico, 59, was shot multiple times as he was greeting supporters. A suspected assailant has been arrested. The director of the hospital where Fico was taken said he underwent a CT scan and is currently awake and stable in an intensive care unit. She described his condition as “very serious.” Earlier Friday a man charged with attempting to assassinate Fico was escorted by police to his home Friday. Slovak media reported that it was part of a search for evidence.

French police fatally shoot a man suspected of setting fire to a synagogue

ROUEN, France (AP) — France’s Interior Minister says that a man who was shot and killed by police after a suspected arson attack on a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen was an Algerian national who’d sought medical treatment in France and wasn’t flagged as a suspected extremist. The minister praised the 25-year-old police officer who shot and killed the man. The minister said that he would be decorated for his “extremely courageous, extremely professional” behavior faced with the suspected attacker who rushed at him with a kitchen knife early Friday after the blaze broke out at the synagogue.

Funeral set for Roger Fortson, the Black US Air Force member killed in his home by Florida deputy

STONECREST, Ga. (AP) — A funeral will be held for a Black U.S. Air Force senior airman who was shot and killed in his Florida home by a sheriff’s deputy. Friday’s funeral for Airman Roger Fortson, who died at age 23, comes a day after his mother vowed during an emotional news conference to get justice for her son. The service will be held at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest. Fortson grew up in the area before joining the Air Force. Two weeks after the shooting, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has yet to release an incident report, any 911 records or the officer’s identity, despite requests for the information under Florida’s open records act.

70 years after Brown v. Board, America is both more diverse — and more segregated

Seventy years after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the impact of the decision is still up for debate. Have Americans truly ended segregation in fact, not just in law? The answer is complicated. U.S. schools in recent decades have grown far more diverse and, by some measures, more segregated, according to an Associated Press analysis. On one hand, the number of Black and white students who go to school almost exclusively with students of the same race is at an all-time low. On the other hand, huge shares of students of color still go to schools with almost no white students.

Scottie Scheffler arrested at PGA Championship for traffic violation, returns to course hours later

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship. Stunning images showed him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. He was arrested for second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and not following police directions. He was booked into jail at 7:28 a.m. He was released and arrived at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. Police say a pedestrian was hit by a bus on the road leading to Valhalla Golf Club. ESPN says Scheffler drove past a police car and was chased down and cuffed.