AP News Summary at 8:15 p.m. EDT

Israeli strikes on tent camps near Rafah kill at least 25 and wound 50, Gaza health officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza health officials say Israeli strikes on a tent camp outside the southern city of Rafah have killed at least 25 people and wounded another 50. Friday's strikes were the latest deadly attack on displaced people in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands have fled fighting between Israel and Hamas. Witnesses whose relatives died in one of the bombardments near a Red Cross field hospital say that Israeli forces fired a second volley, which killed people who came out of their tents. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the hospital was flooded with casualties, including 22 dead and 45 wounded. It condemned the firing of “high-caliber projectiles” a few yards from the facility.

Millions baking across the US as heat prolongs misery with little relief expected

A relentless heat wave continues to bake most of the U.S., with numerous areas expected to see record-breaking temperatures. Forecasters were also warning there would likely be little relief through the weekend for most areas. The steamiest conditions on Friday were expected in parts of Ohio and Indiana, where heat indexes were expected to soar past 100 degrees Fahrenheit and remain there most of the day. But the Midwest was not the only area being baked, as heat warnings and advisories have been issued across the northeast, the mid-Atlantic and in some western states. Idaho officials said Friday that two people in their 60s had died of heat-related causes.

FEMA is ready for an extreme hurricane and wildfire season, but money is a concern, Mayorkas says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Homeland Security Department says the agency tasked with responding to disasters across the country is prepared as it goes into what is expected to be an intense hurricane and wildfire season. But Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told The Associated Press that he's concerned about looming budget shortfalls. Mayorkas was visiting the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday for a briefing about the hurricane season, which started on June 1. Experts think this year could be one of the busiest on record. As parts of the U.S. swelter, Mayorkas said extreme heat could qualify as a major disaster but that local communities historically have been able to deal with major heat waves without needing federal financial assistance.

Escape from killer New Mexico wildfire was 'absolute sheer terror,’ says woman who fled the flames

With little warning, thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a pair of wildfires ballooned in a single afternoon. Traffic was bumper to bumper as residents tried to leave the mountain village of Ruidoso on Monday evening. Smoke obscured their view as they inched just a few miles in what seemed like an eternity. Residents are now scattered from Roswell and Alamogordo to Texas and beyond, after a chaotic escape from the billowing smoke and flames. Rain and cooler temperatures are helping firefighters keep the flames in check. Top officials are expected to visit Saturday to survey some of the neighborhoods that were destroyed.

Trump lawyers in classified files case challenge prosecutor's appointment at start of 3-day hearing

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump are arguing that the Justice Department prosecutor who charged the former president with hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate was illegally appointed and that the case should therefore be dismissed. The longshot argument over the legality of special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment kicked off a three-day hearing that is set to continue next week and bring further delays to a criminal case that had been scheduled for trial last month but has been snarled by a pileup of unresolved legal disputes. The motion questioning Smith’s selection is one of multiple challenges to the indictment the defense has raised, so far unsuccessfully, in the year since the charges were brought.

The Supreme Court upholds a gun control law intended to protect domestic violence victims

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld a federal gun control law that’s intended to protect domestic violence victims. President Joe Biden praised the decision, saying that “no one who has been abused should have to worry about their abuser getting a gun,” The justices ruled 8-1 Friday in favor of a 1994 ban on firearms for people under restraining orders to stay away from their spouses or partners. The justices reversed a ruling from the federal appeals court in New Orleans that had struck down the law. It’s the justices’ first Second Amendment case since they expanded gun rights in 2022. The case involved a Texas man accused of hitting his girlfriend and threatening to shoot her.

NY prosecutors urge judge to keep gag order blocking Trump from criticizing jurors who convicted him

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are urging the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case to uphold a gag order that bars the Republican former president from criticizing jurors, court staff, or members of the prosecution that convicted him. In court papers filed Friday, prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office argued portions of the gag order remained necessary given Trump’s “singular history of inflammatory and threatening public statements." They agreed that one provision of the gag order that prevented Trump from attacking trial witnesses in the case could be lifted. Attorneys for Trump have called on Judge Juan M. Merchan to lift the order following the culmination of his trial last month.

Russia-North Korea pact could dent China's influence, but Beijing still holds sway over both

BEIJING (AP) — China appears to be keeping its distance as Russia and North Korea move closer to each other with a new defense pact that could tilt the balance of power among the three authoritarian states. Experts say Chinese leaders are likely fretting over a potential loss of influence over North Korea and how that could increase instability on the Korean Peninsula. Beijing so far has not commented on the deal and only reiterated boilerplate statements that it seeks to uphold peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and advance a political settlement of the North-South divide.

How Biden and Trump are taking very different approaches to preparing for next week's debate

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is beginning an intense period of private debate preparations at Camp David. The Democrat's trip comes as officials in both major political parties scramble to set expectations for what may be the most consequential presidential debate in decades. Biden's team notes he cannot afford an underwhelming performance against Donald Trump on June 27 in Atlanta. Trump's allies are pushing the Republican to stay focused on his governing plans but expect him to be tested by pointed questions about his unrelenting focus on election fraud and his legal baggage. Strategists on both sides agree on one thing: Nearly four months before Election Day, the political stakes could not be higher.

FDA OKs first menthol e-cigarettes, citing potential to help adult smokers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers. Friday's action is the government’s strongest acknowledgment that switching to flavored vaping can reduce the harms of smoking. The FDA authorized four menthol e-cigarettes from Njoy, the vaping brand recently acquired by tobacco giant Altria, which also makes Marlboro cigarettes. The decision gives new credibility to vaping companies’ longstanding argument that their products can help blunt the toll of smoking. But parent groups and anti-tobacco advocates immediately criticized the decision, saying flavors like menthol are more popular with teens.