News in brief
By The Associated Press
Trump’s attacks on justice system could be used by autocrats
Donald Trump attacked the U.S. criminal justice system after his historic guilty verdi
ct. He made unfounded claims of a “rigged” trial that echoed remarks from the Kremlin. Former senior White House national security adviser Fiona Hill and other analysts say Trump’s attacks could be useful to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other autocrats. Those leaders hope to boost their standing among their own citizens, potentially sway the upcoming U.S. presidential election in which Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, and undermine the United States’ global influence.
Moscow agreed with Trump’s assessment of Thursday’s verdict. A Kremlin spokesman called it the “elimination of political rivals by all possible legal or illegal means.”
FDA issues warning to avoid infant formula distributed by Texas company
WASHINGTON | U.S. health officials warned parents to avoid powdered infant formula sold by a Texas dairy producer, because a dangerous bacteria was found in one of the company’s products.
The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert Friday on Crecelac Infant Powdered Goat Milk Infant Formula, after a sample collected from a Texas store tested positive for cronobacter, which can cause deadly infections in babies. The same bacteria sparked recalls and shortages of infant formula in 2022 after it was detected at a major U.S. formula factory.
Condemnations mount over Israeli proposal to label UN aid agency a terrorist group
TEL AVIV, Israel | Qatar and Saudi Arabia have condemned an Israeli parliamentary bill that seeks to label UNRWA, the main provider of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, a terrorist group. They join a growing list of countries to speak out against the proposal.
The bill, which passed a preliminary vote in parliament last week, is the product of increasingly tense relations between Israel and the United Nations agency for Palestinians. The bill moving through parliament also seeks to cut diplomatic ties between Israel and the agency.
UNRWA has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has long railed against the agency, accusing it of tolerating or even collaborating with Hamas.
Iran’s hard-line former president registers for June 28 presidential election
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | Iran’s hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has registered as a possible candidate for the June 28 presidential election, seeking to regain the country’s top political position after a helicopter crash killed the nation’s president and seven others.
The populist former leader’s registration puts pressure on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In office, Ahmadinejad openly challenged the 85-year-old cleric, and his attempt to run in 2021 was barred by authorities.
The firebrand, Holocaust-questioning politician return also comes during a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, its arming of Russia in its war on Ukraine and its wide-reaching crackdowns on dissent.
—From AP reports
