LOS ANGELES (AP) – California regulators apologized to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk this week as they settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive. The California Coastal Commission acknowledged its members made “improper” statements about Musk’s political beliefs.

HAVANA (AP) – Cubans hunched over tables this month to sign up for the socialist government’s campaign to support national sovereignty and defy the U.S. as tensions between the countries escalate. They are endorsing “My signature for the Homeland” movement, which President Miguel Díaz-Canel launched earlier this month.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

PANAMA CITY (AP) – The U.S. State Department accused China of violating Panama’s sovereignty over a port dispute in the Central American nation, triggering another fierce back-and-forth on Wednesday as the Chinese government called the Trump administration hypocritical.

Another oil facility deep inside Russia was reportedly on fire Wednesday after what Ukraine’s president claimed was his country’s latest long-range drone attack.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Elon Musk took the stand for the second day Wednesday in the landmark trial that pits the world’s richest man against Sam Altman, a fellow OpenAI co-founder he accuses of betraying promises to keep the company as a nonprofit dedicated to humanity’s benefit.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Republican-controlled House is moving forward with a three-year reauthorization of a divisive U.S. surveillance program ahead of its expiration on Friday, adding new oversight measures but stopping short of the warrant requirement that critics have demanded.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran’s national rial currency dropped to a record low Wednesday while a U.S. naval blockade has increased pressure on its already battered economy amid a fragile ceasefire.