North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump and Canada’s prime minister sat down in the Oval Office to discuss trade, Iran and other pressing matters, a model airplane dominated the coffee table in front of them.

Before Trump would answer reporters’ questions about Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone on Thursday, he made an aeronautical detour.

DENVER (AP) — A high school student charged in a classmate’s death during a Colorado school shooting told police that he planned the attack for weeks and intended to target classmates who repeatedly mocked his gender identity.

Written summaries of police interviews with the two suspected shooters portray 16-year-old Alec McKinney as the leader of the attack, enlisting 18-year-old Devon Erickson in the plan to kill the students who bullied McKinney, who identifies as male.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House intelligence committee is set to interview Russia-born business executive Felix Sater about his behind-the-scenes role in Donald Trump’s effort to build a skyscraper in Moscow during the presidential election.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Syrian refugee charged with plotting to bomb a Pittsburgh church to inspire followers of the Islamic State of Iraq is due in federal court Friday.

A criminal complaint alleges Mustafa Mousab Alowemer planned to bomb an unidentified church on Pittsburgh’s north side, and purchased materials he thought were necessary to build a bomb. He also allegedly provided plans and a map to an undercover FBI agent he thought was a fellow Islamic State supporter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a difficult time for the Pentagon to be without a permanent U.S. defense secretary.

The Trump administration is grappling with an escalating crisis with Iran, an unusual and controversial deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, the nearly two-decade-old war in Afghanistan and stalled talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.

XALTIANGUIS, Mexico (AP) — What now passes for the law in Xaltianguis, a little town on the road to Acapulco, arrived with a car bomb and butchery.

A heavily armed vigilante force took over the town in the Mexican state of Guerrero last month by driving out a rival band, blowing up a car with gas cylinders and cutting up the body of one of two fallen foes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cory Booker’s supporters have spent months waiting for a moment when the charismatic senator could break through a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates. That opening came when Joe Biden clumsily talked about segregationists, prompting Booker to push back at his 2020 rival to great effect.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official said the military made preparations Thursday night for limited strikes on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but approval was abruptly withdrawn before the attacks were launched.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets would have included radars and missile batteries.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 20 (APP): The head of the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan has emphasized that the goal of all ongoing peace efforts must be to start formal negotiations between the Afghan Government and the Taliban to reach an agreement that would end the long-running war in the strife-torn country.

WASHINGTON, June 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook on Wednesday described U.S. latest move in the Middle East as "defensive", reaffirming that Washington seeks a "comprehensive and enduring deal" with Tehran.

"No one should be uncertain about our desire for peace or our readiness to normalize relations should we reach a comprehensive deal," Hook said during a congressional hearing over U.S. Iran policy.