House Votes To Rein In Trump On Iran War

BEIRUT - Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to renew a fragile ceasefire and create pilot security zones in the south, but Hezbollah promptly rejected the deal. Naim Qassem called the talks “futile” and “humiliating” for Lebanon, while Israeli strikes kept hitting the country and Hezbollah fired back across the border. The truce may exist on paper. On the ground, not so much.

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin in a public letter, saying Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire during negotiations. The Kremlin said it had received the letter and would brief Putin. Putin, speaking in St. Petersburg, said he was willing to reach an agreement, but only if both sides make compromises. Whether this goes anywhere now depends on him.

MOGADISHU - Heavy gunfire has broken out in Somalia’s capital as government forces and opposition-allied militias trade fire over President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s delayed election timetable. The clashes began Wednesday and continued into Thursday, damaging property and forcing some residents to flee. Opposition leaders say they were preparing peaceful protests. Police called it a security operation. The next flashpoint is the street.

SIMFEROPOL - Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea said a Ukrainian strike killed at least three people and wounded seven in Simferopol, the first fatal attack there. A separate strike hit a commuter train bound for Kerch, killing one person and injuring three more. Kyiv has not commented. The attacks came a day after Ukraine hit targets around St. Petersburg.

WASHINGTON - President Trump said he plans to nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Justice Department permanently, a move that would put his former personal lawyer in the top law enforcement job if the Senate agrees.

Blanche has run the department since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. Some Republicans are already uneasy about the pick, which is not exactly a shock when the nominee is also the president's former defense attorney.

LA PRYOR, Texas - The U.S. confirmed its first New World screwworm case in about 60 years, after larvae were found in a 3-week-old calf’s umbilical area. The USDA says only that animal is affected so far and is moving fast: quarantines, extra traps, and a containment zone near the Mexico border. Ranchers are watching beef prices. So is everyone else.

WASHINGTON - California's top-two primary is still being counted more than a day after polls closed, with Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra leading the governor's race as ballots trickle in. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and challenger Spencer Pratt are also waiting on results. The delay is normal in a state that leans heavily on mail-in voting and gives counties days, sometimes weeks, to finish the job.

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan pair of senators asked a federal court Thursday to keep blocking the Justice Department's $1.7 billion anti-weaponization fund, calling it an immediate threat to the constitutional order. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said the fund could pay people tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Todd Blanche says the department is no longer moving ahead. Trump, naturally, is not helping.

NEW YORK - SpaceX says it plans to raise about $75 billion in a record IPO, valuing the company at roughly $1.77 trillion. The filing calls for 555.6 million shares at $135 each, and says Elon Musk will keep about 84% of the voting power after the listing. The company also added water access as a risk factor. The debut is expected next month.

NEW YORK - Peloton Interactive Inc. acquired Skōp, a Pilates-focused startup, as it tries to widen its offerings and pull in new users.

The deal brings new expertise and technology into a platform that still needs a turnaround more than a slogan. Peloton has spent years trying to move past the bike-only era. Wellness is the latest answer. We will see if it sticks.

SAN ANTONIO - Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and the New York Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Brunson shook off a knee scare, then put New York ahead for good with 13 points in the fourth quarter. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 26 points but shot 6 of 21. The Knicks now lead the series 1-0 and have stolen home court. Game 2 is Friday.

NEW YORK - Russell Wilson is done playing football, and he is heading straight to CBS Sports as an analyst on The NFL Today.

The 37-year-old announced his retirement Wednesday in a social media video, ending a 14-season career that began with Seattle in the third round of the 2012 draft. He leaves with one Super Bowl ring, 10 Pro Bowls, and a résumé that should keep the Hall of Fame debate busy for a while. Not that Wilson ever seemed interested in making it simple.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Belmont Stakes is back at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, and the move has made the final jewel of the Triple Crown a little less punishing. With Belmont Park still under renovation, the race is being run at 1 1/4 miles instead of the usual 1 1/2. That has put Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, Renegade and Chief Wallabee at the center of the board. The shorter trip should help. It also makes the betting messier, which is half the fun.

LOS ANGELES - Jennifer Lopez is back in Netflix romcom territory with *Office Romance*, a glossy workplace comedy that gives her the kind of star vehicle she still knows how to drive.

She plays an airline CEO opposite Brett Goldstein, who also co-wrote the script. The film leans on Lopez’s charisma and a familiar opposites-attract setup, but the reviews say the chemistry never quite catches fire. Netflix, at least, knows exactly what it is buying here.

PARIS - Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French artist behind Persepolis, has died at 56. Her family said she died of sadness a little over a year after the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa.

Persepolis followed a girl through the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, and helped bring Iranian life, and especially women’s experience, to a global audience. Satrapi’s black-and-white memoir became a landmark graphic novel, then an Oscar-nominated film. France called her a major figure in its culture. She was that, and more.

HOLLYWOOD - SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a four-year contract with the major studios, approving new rules for synthetic performers and a merger of the union’s two pension funds. Of those who cast ballots, 91.4% voted yes and 8.6% voted no. The deal lets producers use AI performers only when they bring significant additional value over a live actor or that actor’s digital avatar. The union says that should keep synthetics rare. Some members are less sure.