Hamas said Friday that it , a significant move that could help end the war in Gaza 鈥� but and could take a long time to achieve, if at all. Israel has not commented on the deal, which President Donald Trump announced hours earlier. It comes nine months after a to end the fighting between Israel and the group was signed.
Trump is taking Friday鈥檚 Cabinet meeting on the road 鈥� to the in Maryland. It will be the first Cabinet meeting at Camp David in 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 second term after an was scuttled because of bad weather.
Trump said Thursday he may pull for the full-time post over a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family.
Here’s the Latest:
Saudi Arabia announces Red Sea defense alliance plan
The kingdom said the alliance includes 14 countries to strengthen maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation and secure international trade routes and energy supply corridors in the Red Sea region.
The Iran war has severely disrupted global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels have declared a blockade on Saudi Arabia over a separate but related conflict, putting at risk .
Saudi Arabia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said Thursday that the coalition is 鈥渄efensive in nature,鈥� and that access 鈥渞emains open to all willing countries.鈥� Oman and the United Arab Emirates were the only two Gulf countries that did not back Saudi Arabia鈥檚 statement. Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan were among those that joined the proposed alliance.
Latest developments in the Iran conflict
No U.S. strikes were reported in Iran on Friday.
Iran fired drones at Kuwait, a Gulf country hosting U.S. forces, and said it had also fired at oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil and gas shipments, which has been largely closed by the fighting.
Kuwait鈥檚 Defense Ministry said Friday its armed forces had shot down drones inside Kuwaiti airspace. It said the Iranian attacks had targeted several vital military facilities, causing material damage from falling shrapnel but no casualties. It did not specify how many drones were intercepted. Iranian state media said Iran had targeted an air base in Kuwait with drones, in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Thursday.
Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard claimed to have hit two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media said four other tankers had turned around. The report did not provide further details on which flags or ownership the tankers were sailing under, or say whether there were any casualties.
FIFA chief operating officer tells AP that staff was 鈥榙eceived鈥� by World Cup sell-off plan that 鈥榤ust not go ahead鈥�
FIFA鈥檚 chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said in a statement to The Associated Press that the staff was 鈥渄eceived鈥� by Gianni Infantino鈥檚 lack of openness while planning the scheme to sell a World Cup stake to private investors linked to 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 family.
鈥淚t is the project of one person,鈥� wrote Lamour, a long-time colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and UEFA. 鈥淣ot only must this project not go ahead 鈥� but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.鈥�
Lamour did not resign the post he held since 2024 but said he had a duty to his colleagues to speak out about the 鈥渃ontempt and intimidation鈥� FIFA staff has faced.
鈥淎nd if that means I lose my job, then so be it鈥� the French official said. 鈥淚 will understand and respect that decision. At least I鈥檒l sleep well tonight.鈥�
鈻�
Wisconsin Democrats shaken by Mandela Barnes鈥� exit from governor鈥檚 race
The former lieutenant governor鈥檚 announcement came Thursday amid news that the state party had reviewed past allegations of inappropriate behavior, further shaking up the race less than two weeks before the Aug. 11 primary in Wisconsin, where independents and moderates are key voters and where Trump won two razor-thin elections.
That leaves four Democrats, including most prominently Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez amid a campaign finance scandal two weeks ago, and State Rep. Francesca Hong, running far to the left.
The single mother and former line cook has captured the imaginations of liberal Democrats upset with the party establishment, but she鈥檚 that her past calls for defunding the police will hurt her chances against Trump-backed in November.
鈻�
Details on disarmament from the Hamas statement
Hamas said Friday that it鈥檚 committed to implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the new roadmap focused on the steps it needs to take to disarm.
says it and other Palestinian factions agreed to the framework as part of a national consensus to protect people in Gaza and help meet their humanitarian needs.
It said Israel must adhere to the ceasefire deal agreed to in October and halt its attacks in order for implementation to move forward, echoing language in the new roadmap released Friday by the Board of Peace.
The agreement calls for Hamas, which ran the government in Gaza, to first turn over all police weapons to a national committee of technocrats responsible for administering the strip. Only later, once the Israeli military withdraws from Gaza, would it be required to decommission and hand over its heavier weapons, according to the text.
鈻�
Democratic candidates grapple with 鈥榙efund the police鈥� baggage
With midterm elections looming, Democrats hope to convince voters that Trump administration lawlessness is the biggest threat to their rights and pocketbooks. The party鈥檚 past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch.
Across the country, Democratic candidates are facing tough questions about their past calls to 鈥渄efund the police鈥� by reimagining public safety services or redirecting spending to other social programs 鈥� a prominent demand during the protests that followed .
Democratic leaders fear the outlier opinions may sink their chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor鈥檚 mansions and statehouses as the party鈥檚 captivates its base, just as Republicans stoke fears about crime, immigration and democratic socialism in their .
鈻�
Asian soccer joins Europe and North America in opposing World Cup privatization plan
The Asian Football Confederation, a key ally in Gianni Infantino鈥檚 presidency of global soccer, has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in protesting his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors tied to the Trump family.
鈥淔ootball should never have been placed in such a position,鈥� . Together with Europe and North America, they count 136 of FIFA鈥檚 211 members.
鈥淪ome things are simply too important to sell,鈥� UEFA said in a statement Thursday announcing a boycott of FIFA events.
Infantino鈥檚 secret proposal revealed Tuesday would spin off its commercial operations in a new $20 billion subsidiary 20% owned by private investors, whose core investor would be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump swings at Cornyn over Blanche nomination
Trump, still frustrated about the status of his attorney general pick, began his Friday morning by going after one of the Republican senators who was holding up Todd Blanche鈥檚 confirmation to lead the Justice Department.
Continuing a criticism he began earlier this week, Trump said Texas Sen. John Cornyn had no issue with the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund until after he endorsed his primary challenger, Ken Paxton, for the Senate.
In the post, Trump also continued to defend the controversial fund, which Blanche said in his Senate testimony was dead. Republican senators want him to put that commitment into writing.
鈥淧erhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation鈥檚 history,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hey are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them.鈥�
Blanche met privately with Cornyn and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis over the issue later Thursday and the sides were working collaboratively, although Blanche鈥檚 confirmation prospects still remain unclear.
FIFA adviser on White House鈥檚 World Cup panel resigns to protest Infantino private equity plan
Senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the , resigned Friday to protest its .
鈥淚 cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,鈥� Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker, said in a statement resigning as adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.
Cordeiro often joined Infantino on working visits to meet Trump at the White House in recent years.
鈥淟et me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,鈥� the former U.S. Soccer Federation president said, calling the $20 billion commercial subsidiary 鈥渁 bad deal for football.鈥�
鈥淔ootball has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is why this proposal should be rejected.鈥�
鈻�
The Trump administration is ending a Medicare drug subsidy program. Here鈥檚 how it could affect costs
Millions of older adults on could face steeper monthly costs in 2027, after the Trump administration concludes a temporary subsidy program that has helped offset premiums for the past two years.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week announced it would , which was initially implemented by the Biden administration in 2024 to lower patients鈥� Medicare Part D prescription drug costs in response to the effects of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
While federal officials insist the financial impact on Medicare beneficiaries will be minimal, the decision opens the Republican-led administration to potential political consequences in a high-stakes midterm election year. Voters have identified as a top concern, and many older adults, who tend to vote in high numbers, are on fixed incomes where every dollar counts. The roughly 25 million Americans with Medicare Part D plans will find out about their 2027 rates in the fall, when they are casting ballots in November鈥檚 elections.
鈻�
Trump floats pulling Blanche鈥檚 nomination for attorney general to avoid conceding to GOP demands
Trump said Thursday he may pull for the full-time post to avoid conceding to Senate Republicans鈥� demands over a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family.
After failed negotiations to advance Blanche鈥檚 nomination, Trump suggested he was holding firm against pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. They have expressed concerns about the controversial against the Internal Revenue Service, which a judge denounced as
The senators said the Justice Department seemed interested in reaching an agreement with them, but the White House wouldn鈥檛 budge to aid the confirmation of 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 loyal former personal attorney, who has as acting attorney general. Instead, Trump said in a social media post that he might pull Blanche鈥檚 nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year.
鈻�
Trump is taking his Friday Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David
Trump told his Cabinet members to meet him at the in Maryland, a rustic backdrop for the Trump administration sessions that have come to be known for being overly long and consumed by endless praise for their boss.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 13th such meeting of the Republican president鈥檚 second term 鈥渨ill be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together.鈥�
An was scuttled because of bad weather. During his first term, Trump .
The public portion of 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 Cabinet meetings has lasted as long as three hours, with the president letting everyone at the table update him on their departments or agencies 鈥� with added praise for him personally and his leadership thrown in. In a departure from other presidents, he allows the news media to stay for the duration, a move that Leavitt has said proves his commitment to transparency.
鈻�
Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain
A Hamas official said Friday that they did reach an agreement on disarmament, the most crucial part of the ceasefire deal. Israel didn鈥檛 give an indication that they had agreed.
Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down .
The White House announcement comes nine months after a was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had over the implementation of its second phase, including the and the reconstruction of Gaza.
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.
鈻�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
