BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian authorities launched search and rescue operations off the Black Sea coast Thursday after a fire broke out on board a ship, leaving eight people missing. Four were rescued.
The cause of the fire aboard the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader, a chemical tanker traveling from Tunisia to Romania, was not immediately clear, but a recent spate of drone strikes on ships in the Black Sea has raised fears of Russia’s war in Ukraine spreading.
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FILE - Romanian warships sail engulfed in smoke during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - Romanian naval servicemen stand next to a gun onboard the M-270 Mine-hunter during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - A Romanian naval serviceman guards onboard the M-270 Mine-hunter during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - Romanian warships sail during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
Bulgarian Navy emergency rescue tug Mizar is seen near the ship Azov Concord, where four sailors rescued from the drone-attacked and sunk ship HS Dignity await transportation to the port of Varna, Bulgaria, late Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (Moreto.net via AP)
A “group of air targets” was monitored overnight near Ukraine’s Snake Island, and a drone briefly entered Romania’s airspace at 1:34 a.m. southeast of Sulina, before disappearing from radar, according to Romania’s Ministry of National Defense.
There were 12 people aboard the ship when the fire broke out 13 nautical miles (15 miles) southeast of the port town of Sulina, according to the Romanian Naval Authority.
Similar drone incursions have occurred this month in the exclusive economic zones of Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO and European Union members.
A fire was reported on the Comoros-flagged Yara J, a chemical and oil tanker traveling from Turkey to Sulina, Romania, on Wednesday evening in Romanian territorial waters. The crew was safe.
Romania’s acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said an investigation was underway but that no drone was seen on military radars heading toward that tanker.
On Tuesday, drone strikes on two ships off Bulgaria prompted emergency rescue operations for 11 crew members from the HS Dignity, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship, who remain missing.
The other ship, a Ukrainian-operated coastal freighter named Chelsea 3, was sailing under a Maltese flag. Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members, with five receiving treatment for minor injuries. The crew reported the ship’s deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones.
The Tuesday incidents, for which Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Russia was likely responsible for, came a week after sea and aerial drones struck two other commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. A Togo-flagged ship sank, while a Bulgarian ferry evacuated the 18-member crew of a damaged Palau-flagged vessel.
A day earlier, on Oct. 5, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire following a drone attack and later sank in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued.
FILE - Romanian warships sail engulfed in smoke during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - Romanian naval servicemen stand next to a gun onboard the M-270 Mine-hunter during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - A Romanian naval serviceman guards onboard the M-270 Mine-hunter during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - Romanian warships sail during a Romanian Navy led exercise outside Constanta, Romania, on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
Bulgarian Navy emergency rescue tug Mizar is seen near the ship Azov Concord, where four sailors rescued from the drone-attacked and sunk ship HS Dignity await transportation to the port of Varna, Bulgaria, late Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (Moreto.net via AP)
A strong majority of voters believe that President Donald Trump is falling short at home and abroad, and they want major change in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new AP-NORC poll that raises serious warning signs for the Republican Party at a critical moment.
House Democrats are preparing an ambitious 100-day agenda focused on delivering their campaign promises — making life more affordable and conducting vast oversight of the Trump administration — if voters return them to majority control in the Nov. 3 elections. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become House speaker, said Democrats will be united “right out of the gate.”
And Trump's new press secretary is facing mounting questions about her background and resume as she transitions into her role. Katie Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer, but so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed a bar exam.
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Student-led demonstrators clashed Thursday with Albanian police in the capital Tirana for a third day running, joining a broader anti-government movement launched in opposition to a major development project promoted by Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Youths protesting Albania’s long-serving Socialist government hurled rocks at a police cordon outside the Education Ministry, and riot police responded with tear gas and water cannons. Wednesday’s riots featured protesters attacking government buildings, banks and businesses, leaving 89 people injured including 61 police officers, according to the Health Ministry.
Student groups seeking education reforms have joined the so-called flamingo movement — named for the birds in a nature reserve where the luxury tourism development is planned — which is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over allegations of widespread corruption and in opposition to the Kushner venture.
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched up last week as layoffs remain historically low and most American workers enjoy job security.
Initial jobless claims for the week ending October 10 ticked up by 1,000 to 199,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose by 250 to 198,500.
Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at a historically low level below 220,000.
The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending October 3 fell by 4,000 to 1.71 million, also a historically healthy figure.
Wholesale inflation rose more quickly than expected last month on a big jump in fuel costs, a sign that stubbornly rising prices remain an economic challenge for consumers and a political problem for Republicans as Americans begin to vote.
The Labor Department’s producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — soared 6.3% in September from a year ago, up from 5.6% in August and the biggest increase since December 2022, the government said Thursday.
Thursday’s data amplifies the better-known consumer price index, released Wednesday, which also accelerated in September as gas prices jumped. A broad range of goods and services also got more expensive. Both inflation reports raise pressure on the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to hike their key interest rate. Inflation has now topped the central bank’s 2% target for five and a half years.
Federal authorities investigating Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe.
The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities probe potential fraud in Omar’s immigration paperwork, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to federal agents searching Omar’s Washington, D.C. home on Monday just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.
The scope of the investigation into Omar is unclear, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suggested that authorities were examining potential crimes related to her family’s immigration paperwork. Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 when she was 17 years old, five years after she arrived with her family after obtaining asylum in the United States.
The search of Omar’s home so close to next month’s midterm contests was swiftly condemned by Democrats, who accused the administration of targeting the Democrat for political purposes. Omar, in a statement on X, called the search an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”
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Voters are deeply frustrated with Trump’s leadership on the issues they say matter most, the new poll found.
The economy and the cost of living are high priorities for voters on both sides of the aisle. The survey found that the vast majority of Republican and Democratic voters say both issues are among the most important for the upcoming election.
But about 8 in 10 registered voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living and about three-quarters disapprove of his performance on the economy.
Even among Republican voters, only 44% approve of Trump’s performance on the cost of living, while 54% approve of his leadership on the economy. That’s a sharp contrast with other issues, like crime, where Republican approval is much higher.
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One thing is crystal clear on the eve of the 2026 midterms: Voters want change.
About half of voters say they want “substantial change” in how the country is run, according to the new AP-NORC poll. Roughly 3 in 10 want “complete and total upheaval.”
Democrats and independents are much likelier than Republicans to want a full overhaul of the country’s direction. But even Republican voters are still looking for something different. Slightly fewer than half, 45%, want substantial change, while 13% want upheaval.
“I’m kind of tired of sending people there, and nothing gets done,” Krista Kohles, a 70-year-old Republican told the AP. “Nothing’s changing.”
Democratic voters are more enthused than Republican voters about casting a ballot, according to a new AP-NORC poll conducted weeks before the midterm elections.
The survey finds that registered voters who identify as Democrats are more enthusiastic than Republican voters about voting, and more voters want Democrats to win control of Congress. The Democratic advantage is small in some cases, but taken together, the findings paint a challenging picture for Republicans.
Overall, about two-thirds of registered voters say it’s “extremely” important to vote in the upcoming election, while about 2 in 10 say it’s “very” important. But about three-quarters of Democratic voters say this is “extremely” important, compared to roughly 6 in 10 Republicans.
Clear contrasts were on display during a statewide debate between Alaska’s top two U.S. House candidates, starting with their attire.
Republican Rep. Nick Begich donned a suit and tie. Independent Bill Hill, a commercial fisherman, wore jeans, a dress shirt and zip-up vest and a cap with a fishing company logo.
Begich said he’s been effective. He expressed support for Trump, the president’s use of tariffs and the war in Iran. He said he wants to continue seeing expanded oil development in Alaska.
Hill asked Alaskans to look at their grocery bills and health care costs and ask if they’re better off than they were two years ago. He said many Alaskans are upset about U.S. involvement in “never-ending” wars.
The debate came a day after Trump held a rally in Wasilla in support of Begich and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Alaska independent U.S. House candidate Bill Hill is challenging Republican Rep. Nick Begich for Alaska’s only House seat. Hill faced criticism early on for declining to say which party he would caucus with were he to win next month’s election. He has been endorsed by the state Democratic Party.
During a debate Wednesday, Hill said he’d like to caucus with people who are “tired of this party-line partisanship” and who would support addressing issues like health care costs and pushing back against an overreaching executive branch.
Begich, an ally of Trump, said Hill is “too progressive” for Alaska and that it’s clear who he’d caucus with. Hill, meanwhile, accused Begich of being a rubber stamp for Trump.
The new White House press secretary is facing mounting questions about her background and resume as she transitions into her role as the public face of the Trump administration.
Katie Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer as she has worked to establish herself as a commentator for conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. But so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed the bar exam in any state or in China, where she worked for a large law firm years ago.
The questions add to the confusion surrounding Trump’s decision to hire Zacharia, who had worked for his social media company for only a few months when he announced her appointment and whose debut at the podium on Tuesday has been widely panned.
Afterward, the president was asked by reporters where Zacharia had passed the bar exam, following a report by the independent outlet Popular Information that she did not appear to be licensed in any state.
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House Democrats are preparing an ambitious 100-days agenda focused on delivering their campaign promises — making life more affordable and conducting vast oversight of the Trump administration — if the party seizes majority control in next month’s elections.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if the party wins power, said the Democrats will be united “right out of the gate” on reinstating Affordable Care Act tax breaks, reversing Republican Medicaid cuts, holding votes against the Iran war and undoing President Donald Trump’s tariff regime.
They expect to launch the agenda in the first 100 hours, once the new Congress is seated in January.
“Fighting for an affordable America — that’s what unites Democrats all across the country,” Jeffries said recently at the party campaign headquarters in Washington.
“That’s our commitment to the American people, because the cost of living is way too high and far too many people who are working hard, playing by the rules, can’t thrive and can barely survive — and are drowning — in the Trump economy.”
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Stickers are seen at The High Museum of Art voting center on the first day for early voting in Georgia, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., poses for a photo with supporters after voting early at the Bessie Branham Recreation Center in Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (Ben Hendren/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, center, White House aide Natalie Harp, left, and Danielle Alvarez, right, walk on the South Lawn as they arrive at the White House with President Donald Trump, early Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump dances at a campaign rally at Majestic Valley Arena, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Kalispell, Mont. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
