AP News Summary at 1:54 a.m. EST

Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now 'open war' with Afghanistan after latest strikes

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s defense minister says his country has run out of “patience” and considers that there is now an “open war” with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack. In a post on X Friday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif says Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability. Instead, he alleges, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.” The latest escalation of violence between the neighboring countries makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shaky.

Netflix walks away from Warner Bros deal, clearing the path for Paramount

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix is declining to raise its offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in a stunning move that effectively puts Paramount in a position to take over its storied Hollywood rival. On Thursday, after Warner’s board announced that Skydance-owned Paramount’s offer was superior to the agreement it had previously struck with Netflix, the streaming giant said the new price that would be required to buy Warner would make it a deal that is “no longer financially attractive.” Unlike Netflix’s bid, Paramount wants all of Warner’s operations, including networks like CNN and Discovery. That would put CNN under the same roof as Paramount’s CBS and combine two of Hollywood’s last five remaining studios.

Hillary Clinton testifies she has no information on Epstein's crimes and doesn't recall meeting him

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told members of Congress she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and didn't recall ever meeting him. Thursday's testimony comes at the start of two days of depositions that will include former President Bill Clinton. The depositions are in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, north of New York City. The depositions come after months of tense back-and-forth with the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee. Hillary Clinton has said the Democratic couple's knowledge of Epstein is “very limited.” Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein. Republicans pledge lengthy days of questioning for both Clintons.

Anthropic CEO says it 'cannot in good conscience accede' to Pentagon's demands for AI use

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says the artificial intelligence company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s demands to allow wider use of its technology. The maker of the AI chatbot Claude said Thursday that it’s not walking away from negotiations but that new contract language received from the Pentagon “made virtually no progress on preventing Claude’s use for mass surveillance of Americans or in fully autonomous weapons.” Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell says the department has no interest in doing either and wants to use the technology in legal ways. Anthropic faces an ultimatum to allow the military to use the company’s AI as it sees fit by Friday or risk losing its government contract.

Deadly shooting in Cuban waters highlights obsessions with counter-revolution as US pressure mounts

MIAMI (AP) — Word from the Cuban government of a deadly encounter between its troops and a boat carrying armed expatriates is casting a spotlight on Cubans living in the U.S. who still harbor aspirations of a counter-revolution 67 years after a guerrilla uprising ushered in communism. The Cuban government says its troops exchanged gunfire with a Florida-registered speedboat of armed Cuban expatriates, killing four people and wounding six. The brother of a deceased passenger says freedom became an obsession for his sibling but that death still came as a surprise. Secretary of State Marco Rubio questions Cuba’s account and says the U.S. will gather its own facts. Some Miami exiles also raise doubts.

US military used laser to take down Border Protection drone, lawmakers say

Members of Congress say the U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone. The Federal Aviation Administration responded Thursday by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas. No commercial flights were affected this time. The FAA shut down the El Paso airport and the surrounding area just over two weeks ago after another use of an anti-drone laser. The Defense Department and Transportation Department referred questions to the FAA. The FAA, CBP and the Pentagon issued a joint statement late Thursday that acknowledged the military used the anti-drone laser to mitigate what seemed like a threat.

US and Iran wrap up latest nuclear talks without a deal as the risk of war looms

GENEVA (AP) — Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program but walked away without a deal. That left the danger of another Mideast war on the table Thursday as the U.S. has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been significant progress without elaborating. But just before the negotiations ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uranium, rejected proposals to transfer it abroad and sought the lifting of international sanctions. That indicated Iran was not prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands.

Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project. The preservationists sought an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress. Trump proceeded with the project before seeking input from a pair of federal review panels. Trump hailed the ruling, but the National Trust said the judge's decision also determined it had standing to continue the case.

Columbia student detained by ICE is abruptly released after Mamdani meets with Trump

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal immigration agents have detained a Columbia University student in her campus apartment. But hours after she was taken into custody on Thursday, the student was released, after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed concerns about the arrest to President Donald Trump. The agreement followed an unrelated meeting between the Democratic mayor and Republican president. Attorneys for the student said ICE agents had entered her campus apartment under the guise of searching for a missing person. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the woman's visa was terminated in 2016 for failing to attend class. Her attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Young woman says she was on social media 'all day long' as a child in landmark addiction trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 20-year-old woman is seeking to hold social media companies responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. She began using the platforms as a young child and claims her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta and YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap settled. The woman, who has been identified by her first name, Kaley, and initials, KGM, has testified before a jury in the unprecedented case, saying she was on social media “all day long” as a child.