AP News Summary at 11:56 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

Top Cats: Panthers win their 1st Stanley Cup, top Oilers 2-1 in Game 7

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — There was no collapse. The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions for the first time, and they took about the hardest path possible to the title. Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals, Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves and the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. It was the third title-round appearance in Florida’s 30-year history; it was swept in 1996 by Colorado and routed 4-1 by Vegas last season. This time, they were on the right side of history — after avoiding what would have been a historic collapse.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with US that will allow him to walk free

WASHINGTON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has left a British prison ahead of a court hearing where he is expected to plead guilty in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will resolve a long-running legal saga over the publication of a trove of classified documents. Assange is scheduled to appear in the U.S. federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge. Assange is expected to be sentenced to the five years he has already spent in the high-security British prison while fighting to avoid extradition to the U.S. to face charges. In a statement posted on X, WikiLeaks said it was grateful for “all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom.”

Netanyahu says he won’t agree to a deal that ends the war in Gaza, testing the latest truce proposal

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The viability of a U.S.-backed proposal to wind down the 8-month-long war in Gaza has been cast into doubt after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only agree to a “partial” cease-fire deal that would not end the war. His comments, made in an interview with a pro-Netanyahu Israeli TV channel late Sunday, sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu’s comments did not deviate dramatically from what he has said previously about his terms for a deal. But they come at a sensitive time and could represent another setback for mediators trying to end the war.

With another setback for cease-fire talks, worries of full-scale war for Israel and Lebanon escalate

BEIRUT (AP) — The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia terrifies people on both sides of the border. But some see it as an inevitable fallout from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, particularly as cease-fire negotiations have faltered. Such a war could be the most destructive either side has ever experienced. Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006. That monthlong conflict ended in a draw. They’ve also had nearly nine months to prepare for another war, even as the United States tries to prevent a widening of the conflict that could drag it into a confrontation with Iran.

Missouri, Kansas judges temporarily halt much of President Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri have together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. The judges’ rulings prevent the U.S. Department of Education from helping many of the intended borrowers ease their loan repayment burdens going forward under a rule set to go into effect July 1. The decisions do not cancel assistance already provided to borrowers. In Kansas, the judge is allowing parts of the program applying to students who borrowed $12,000 or less remain in effect, but not parts for others. In Missouri, the judge blocked forgiving loan debt.

Is Trump shielded from criminal charges as an ex-president? A nation awaits word from Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will soon confront a perfect storm mostly of its own making: a trio of decisions stemming directly from the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. Within days of each other, if not hours, the justices are expected to rule on whether Donald Trump has immunity from criminal charges over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and whether the Republican’s supporters who stormed the Capitol can be prosecuted for obstructing an official proceeding. The court also will decide whether former Trump adviser Steve Bannon can stay out of prison while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack.

Trump has spent months painting Biden as incompetent. Now he’s changing his tone before the debate

NEW YORK (AP) — After months of casting President Joe Biden as a senile shell of a man incapable of putting two sentences together, Donald Trump has changed his tune. As he prepares to face Biden in their first debate of the general election this week in Atlanta, the former president and presumptive GOP nominee and his campaign are trying to adjust expectations amid concerns that the bar has been set so low for Biden that he is sure to exceed it. The effort to recalibrate expectations underscores the stakes for both men in a race that has appeared largely static for months.

Lawsuit challenges new Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s new law mandating that the Ten Commandments must be displayed in every public school classroom. Plaintiffs in the suit filed Monday include parents of Louisiana public school children, represented by attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Opponents argue that the law is a violation of separation of church and state and that the display will isolate students, especially those who are not Christian. Proponents say the measure is not solely religious and has historical significance. In the language of the law, the Ten Commandments are “foundational documents of our state and national government.”

What’s causing the devastating flooding in the Midwest?

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Heavy rains have caused record-setting flooding in parts of Iowa and South Dakota. The floods have forced evacuations and some basic services are disrupted. Lots of rain late last week fell on already-wet soil and flooded rivers. Rivers are likely to crest early this week and then flow into the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and cause them to swell, too. Heavy rain and flooding are not unusual in the region this time of the year. But climate change is increasing the amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold and leading to some wetter rain events.

Music record labels sue AI song-generators Suno and Udio for copyright infringement

BOSTON (AP) — Big record companies are suing artificial intelligence song-generators Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. They are alleging that the AI music startups are exploiting the recorded works of artists from Chuck Berry to Mariah Carey. The Recording Industry Association of America announced the lawsuits Monday brought by labels including Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Records. RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier says the music industry is already collaborating with responsible AI developers but says Suno and Udio are unlicensed services that copy an artist’s life’s work and exploit it for their own profit without consent or pay.