AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EDT

Sen. Ed Markey, 80, wins Mass. Democratic primary over opponent who called for generational change

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts’ Senate primary Tuesday, once again fending off a push for generational change as he seeks a third term.

Markey, 80, defeated U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, who had attempted to argue that it was time to do away with the “status quo” in his pursuit to oust the octogenarian.

Yet Markey successfully pointed to Moulton’s more moderate positions to argue that it was Moulton — not the older incumbent — who was out of touch with the state’s voters. Perhaps no other issue defined the race more than transgender rights, and Markey repeatedly hit Moulton for previously saying he would not want his daughters to play against transgender athletes.

“Massachusetts needs a senator who stands up and fights back, a senator who never forgets who they are fighting for,” Markey said during his victory speech. “That has been the mission of my life, and it always will be.”

In heavily Democratic Massachusetts, the primary is considered the most critical election hurdle, where Democratic winners are expected to prevail in the general election in November. Markey will face Republican John Deaton, who who lost to Sen. Elizabeth Warren by about 20 points in 2024 and was unopposed in his primary Tuesday.

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Judge sends Charlie Kirk murder case to trial with defendant facing potential death penalty

PROVO, Utah (AP) — The murder case against the Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk last year is headed for trial, and the defendant could face the death penalty if he’s convicted.

Utah District Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday sided with prosecutors who said they had “a mountain of evidence” that defendant Tyler Robinson fatally shot the conservative activist as he spoke to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University last September.

Robinson pleaded not guilty to all counts, including aggravated murder, following Graf’s decision. The 23-year-old defendant turned himself in a day after the shooting, and his lawyers have not offered alternative theories for Kirk’s death.

The defense team tried to block a trial or at least take the death penalty off the table, arguing that prosecutors failed to show Kirk’s shooting placed others around him at risk of death. That’s an aggravating factor under state law that makes Robinson eligible for capital punishment.

Kirk’s family called the ruling “an important step in our family’s pursuit of justice.”

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US military completes latest strikes against Iran, while Trump vows more for Tehran’s retaliation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday and Tehran fired missiles and drones at various sites across the region in response as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. One U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding, killing five people and wounding dozens, local officials said.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Tuesday evening that it had completed the latest barrage against Iranian military targets including air defense sites, radar systems and maritime assets.

The U.S. strikes followed others on Sunday that abruptly ended a month without military action and threatened to fully reignite a conflict that has spiked global oil prices and posed political problems for Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections.

Late Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not force Iran to the bargaining table.

“I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” Trump wrote on social media.

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House censures Rep. Chuck Edwards for conduct toward former female staffers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office.

A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion from office.

The 413-2 vote was just the latest instance of the House grappling with revelations about lawmakers’ behavior toward female staffers, a trend that prompted House leaders to launch a bipartisan review this year focused on making Capitol Hill a safer job environment for women.

Rep. Michael Guest, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said the Edwards case did not involve what he called “quid pro quo sexual harassment,” but rather conduct and behavior that created a hostile work environment.

“While Representative Edwards denies that his conduct was intended to be sexual or romantic, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable person to interpret it as such,” Guest said.

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Tropical depression unleashes heavy rain in parts of Texas, knocking out power to thousands

PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) — The former Tropical Storm Edouard weakened into a depression Tuesday while unleashing heavy rains and strong winds on parts of Texas, knocking out power to thousands, toppling trees and flooding roads.

The storm had made landfall in the small coastal community of Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, arriving with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the National Hurricane Center reported. It weakened as it moved inland and traveled over southeastern Texas and forecasters said it would keep weakening before dissipating this week.

In the meantime, several storms were brewing in the Pacific Ocean, including Lowell, which reached hurricane strength earlier in the day.

The hurricane center said Edouard was expected to dump 3 to 7 inches (8 to 17 centimeters) of rain with up to 12 inches (30 centimeters). Southwestern Louisiana was expected to see lesser amounts.

“That rainfall could produce some flash flooding and river flooding,” said Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.

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Postal Service work to comply with Trump’s executive order is rushed, sloppy, whistleblower contends

The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The effort is part of the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting and has been temporarily halted by a federal judge. The ruling is being appealed by the administration and the directive may ultimately end up back before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The disclosure from the unidentified whistleblower contends that the Postal Service has been scrambling to try to build a complex system that would normally take a year or more in only three months, sometimes in defiance of the judge’s orders halting work. The goal is to have it ready for use in the midterm elections.

The disclosure contends that, due to the new procedures, a single scanning error in a batch of tens of thousands of ballot envelopes could prevent any from reaching voters. It details a system that election officials have already warned could not be implemented before the first mail ballots begin going out Friday in North Carolina.

“The Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans,” Blumenthal told reporters in advance of releasing the whistleblower information. “This administration seems hell-bent on changing the framework on casting ballots in this country clearly for political reasons.”

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Bessent says 19 finance ministers agreed ‘cheap exports’ are unsustainable, but China dissented

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that 19 of the members of the G20 had agreed to address streams of “cheap exports” that cause global economic imbalances, but said China had dissented.

Bessent made his comments at the end of a two-day meeting with finance ministers and central bankers where he tried to focus on growth, telling reporters he had urged some of his G20 counterparts to take a page from the Trump administration’s playbook of using tariffs and other measures to crack down on trade imbalances.

“We believe that non-market-based economies pushing out a never-ending stream of cheap exports is not sustainable,” Bessent told reporters. describing the sentiment that all but one G20 member had agreed to.

“It is clear that the country with the world’s largest and unsustainable current account surplus, the People’s Republic of China, was the dissenter,” Bessent said.

The Trump administration, echoing many economists, has blamed China for trade imbalances that have left it with a large trade surplus while the U.S. has a sizable deficit. At the closing press conference Tuesday, Bessent also previewed the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping.

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Grand Canyon flooding harms an economy that’s still recovering from a fire

Deadly flooding at the Grand Canyon is damaging the area’s economy, with a washed-out pipeline severing the South Rim’s water supply and shutting down lodging at the popular tourist vista for an indefinite period.

The national park remained open Tuesday but tourists who planned to stay overnight — many traveling long distances for reservations from a year or more ago — have had to scramble to find rooms elsewhere.

The flooding that killed two people and left a third missing washed out an already decrepit pipeline spanning the canyon that supplied every shower, faucet and spigot at the South Rim.

Now, hundreds of rooms are no longer available due to insufficient water, thwarting plans for thousands of tourists staying at the canyon or headed that way in the days ahead.

Michelle Allen, of Olathe, Kansas, got word Sunday evening she’d need to check out the next morning after just one night into a five-night stay.

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Oil giant Chevron is expected to announce it will expand operations in Venezuela, US official says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil giant Chevron is planning to expand its operations in Venezuela, a U.S. official said Tuesday, just days after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits.

The official, who briefed reporters on the expected announcement, said the company’s officials and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are expected to visit Venezuela on Wednesday where the new investment will be formally unveiled. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House for the call.

Chevron is the second-largest U.S. oil company and the only one with a major presence in Venezuela. Chevron did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The announcement comes after the White House confirmed on Monday it is partnering with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) as part of President Donald Trump ’s push to tap into Venezuela’s oil industry.

The sweeping agreement has been met with skepticism from analysts who say it will take years to revive Venezuela’s production. They have questioned whether Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez has the legal authority to give the company 100-year rights over 17 oil fields with reserves of 65 billion barrels — and whether future Venezuelan or American administrations would overturn the agreement.

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Tiger Woods plans to change not guilty plea in DUI case in Florida, court documents show

STUART, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods plans to change his not guilty plea in a DUI case stemming from a rollover crash in Florida, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

In March, Woods’ Land Rover clipped a truck, rolled onto its side and the legendary golfer was arrested, officials said. Woods pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence in the case in Martin County circuit court, just north of Palm Beach County.

He is expected in court Wednesday morning for a plea conference hearing, according to a notice of the hearing posted Tuesday. No additional details about the nature of the plea change were released.

Woods’ attorney, Doug Duncan, and the State Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press requesting additional information.

Woods was traveling at high speeds on a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) speed limit when his Land Rover caused $5,000 in damage to the truck, according to an incident report. He managed to crawl out of the vehicle without any injuries and told a deputy that he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.