WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom is expected to win approval from a key agency on Thursday, days after a federal judge ordered a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The near-daily changes in U.S. gas prices are dizzying for drivers, who are left feeling frustrated and cash-strapped by the highest fuel costs since 2022. With the Iran war pushing up prices worldwide, the U.S. average for a gallon of gas topped $4 on Tuesday, according to AAA.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – International media organizations have joined Serbian journalists in raising the alarm about worsening press freedoms in the Balkan country, including “record levels” of physical violence, online smear campaigns and death threats against reporters.

MOSCOW (AP) – Russia plans to send a second oil tanker to Cuba, the country’s energy minister said Thursday, citing the island’s ongoing energy blockade and reiterating Russia’s solidarity with the troubled Caribbean nation.

HAVANA (AP) – FBI agents have arrived in Cuba to investigate the fatal shooting of five men aboard a U.S.-flagged speedboat in February that the Cuban government said was carrying suspects who were trying to infiltrate the island.

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan on Thursday confirmed it was holding peace talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban government in China, where Beijing is mediating to broker a lasting ceasefire after weeks of fighting that have killed hundreds, disrupting trade and cross-border travel.

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) – A man killed four children in a machete attack inside a nursery school in the Ugandan capital of Kampala on Thursday, police said. The man gained access to the Gaba Early Childhood Development Program in Kampala by disguising himself as a parent, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported.