NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks pulled back from their record heights on a shaky Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Thursday to halt its weekslong rally. The Dow Jones lost 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.9%. Stocks also took a hit after the price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly jumped above $107.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A televised debate among six leading candidates for California governor Wednesday underscored sharp partisan divides on issues from homelessness to taxes, while the Democrats sought to distinguish themselves from each other in a chaotic race with no clear leader.

BANGKOK (AP) – China’s role as an unofficial mediator in the latest war in the Middle East is drawing attention across the world as it seeks to project the image of being a responsible global power while U.S. actions are straining its long-standing alliances.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Anthropic on Wednesday told an appeals court that it can’t manipulate its artificial intelligence tool Claude once it is deployed in classified Pentagon military networks – an assertion aimed at debunking the Trump administration’s attempt to brand the rapidly growing technology company as a supply chain risk.

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) – Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to talks to end the war Thursday and condemned capital punishment, in a wide-ranging press conference en route home from his trip to Africa.

NEW YORK (AP) – The Gates Foundation is reviewing its ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the global health funder confirmed Wednesday, as its only remaining founder faces mounting scrutiny over his appearances in Justice Department documents related to its investigation of the disgraced financier.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. health officials stopped the publication of a study on whether the COVID-19 vaccine was keeping adults from becoming sick enough to have to go to the hospital.