U.S. President Donald Trump has downplayed the texting of sensitive plans for a military strike against Yemen's Houthis this month to a group chat that included a journalist, saying it was "the only glitch in two months" of his administration as Democratic lawmakers heaped criticism on the administration for handling highly sensitive information carelessly.
Trump told NBC News that the lapse "turned out not to be a serious one," and expressed his continued support for national security adviser Mike Waltz.

Three months following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Syria is at a crossroads, the top U.N. envoy for the country said.
Geir Pedersen told the U.N. Security Council that Syria can return to violence or start an inclusive transition and end decades of conflict.

Israel's parliament has passed a state budget, a move that shores up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition even as the embattled leader faces mounting public pressure over the war in Gaza and the hostage crisis.
The budget vote was seen as a key test for Netanyahu's coalition, which is made up of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties that had demanded and largely received hefty allocations for their constituents in exchange for supporting the funding package.

The revelation that U.S. President Donald Trump's most senior national security officials posted the specifics of a military attack to a chat group that included a journalist hours before the attack took place in Yemen has raised many questions.
Among them is whether federal laws were violated, whether classified information was exposed on the commercial messaging app, and whether anyone will face consequences for the leaks.

Stocks rose in morning trading Monday as Wall Street tries to navigate through uncertainty amid a trade war. The S&P 500 jumped 1.1%. It is coming off its first winning week after a four-week losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.5%. Wall Street remains focused on how tariffs could eventually impact inflation, consumer spending and economic growth. Stocks have been riding waves of hope and worry as tariffs are announced, then either implemented or pulled. Genetics testing company 23andme plunged after it announced over the weekend that it had initiated voluntary bankruptcy proceedings.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.

If Italy fails to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time, an embarrassing goal might be remembered as contributing to another epic failure.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and the entire Azzurri defense were protesting to the referee when Joshua Kimmich played a short corner to Jamal Musiala, who scored into an empty net to give Germany a 2-0 lead over Italy in the Nations League quarterfinals in Dortmund.

The 2026 World Cup will have a record 48 teams, and New Zealand qualified on Monday five days after Japan became the first nation excluding the three hosts to secure a spot. Other teams could follow in the current international window.
Next year's tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11 and the final will take place on July 19.

Defending champion Spain and France needed penalty shootouts on Sunday to reach the Nations League semifinals, where they were joined by Germany and Portugal.
Spain was pegged back three times by the Netherlands in a 3-3 draw after extra time in the second leg for a 5-5 aggregate score. Barcelona midfielder Pedri scored the decisive penalty kick after Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón had saved Donyell Malen's effort as the shootout finished 5-4.

Wildfires have hit several regions in western Japan, injuring at least two people, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate and damaging a number of homes as hundreds of firefighters battled the widening blazes in the mountainous areas.
The fires in the western towns of Okayama, Imabari and Aso broke out Sunday, quickly burning hundreds of hectares (acres).

Prolonged droughts, wildfires and water shortages. Torrential downpours that overwhelm dams and cause catastrophic flooding.
Around the globe, rising temperatures stoked by climate change are increasing the odds of both severe drought and heavier precipitation that wreak havoc on people and the environment.
