Federal court hears new case against Trump's latest global tariffs

NEW YORK (AP) – The centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s economic policy – sweeping taxes on global imports – is under legal assault again. The U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York, is hearing oral arguments Friday in an attempt to overturn the temporary tariffs Trump turned to.

Stocks drift lower and oil prices ease ahead of US-Iran talks

Stocks drifted mostly lower on Wall Street and oil prices slipped ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks following a shaky ceasefire agreement. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. Trading remained choppy ahead of high-level talks between negotiators from Iran and the U.S.

A president and a pope: The world's most influential Americans are at odds over Iran

Donald Trump is accustomed to criticism from coast to coast – Democrats, disaffected Republicans, late-night comedians, massive protests. Yet in his second presidency, Trump’s most influential American critic doesn’t live in the country but at the Vatican.

Melania Trump denies ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Why now?

WASHINGTON (AP) – First lady Melania Trump’s seemingly out-of-the-blue statement Thursday denying affiliation with disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein left people still wondering Friday what prompted the public declaration at a time when the case had receded from the spotlight.

Melania Trump denies knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes

WASHINGTON (AP) – First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.” She and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies”

Unsettled and uncertain: What the Iran war means around the world

The long-term fallout of the war in Iran is only beginning to take shape, but this much is clear: The conflict has left the Middle East unsettled, alliances strained and the world facing uncertain shifts in the balance of economic and military power.

US and Iran prepare for high-level talks as Israel and Hezbollah trade more fire

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – With the ceasefire in Iran still shaky, U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed Friday to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials, as Israel and Hezbollah traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Editorials from The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

In first 100 days, Mamdani brings star power to New York City governance

NEW YORK (AP) – In his first 100 days in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has governed with a star power unusual in politics. Crowds of supporters show up to his news conferences. Basic municipal services have been infused with newfound excitement. Celebrities help him promote his agenda.