AP News Summary at 4:28 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

Trump names Lee Zeldin to lead EPA, Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters. Trump says Zeldin, who mounted a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, would “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards.” The announcement comes after Trump selected longtime adviser Stephen Miller to be the deputy chief of policy and named Rep. Elise Stefanik as his nominee or U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change Senate rules and give him more power to appoint unconfirmed nominees. Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida are running in a secret ballot election on Wednesday to lead the conference as longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell steps aside from power after almost two decades. Trump has not endorsed any of the candidates, but on Sunday he made clear that he expects the new leader to go around regular Senate order to allow him to fill his Cabinet quickly.

Kremlin rejects reports of a conversation last week between Putin and Trump

The Kremlin is rejecting reports that President Vladimir Putin spoke last week with President-elect Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine, and a spokesman for Trump refused to comment on what he called his “private calls” with world leaders. The Washington Post first reported on Sunday, citing anonymous sources, that the two spoke on Thursday, with Trump advising Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and cited the sizable U.S. military presence in Europe. In a conference call Monday with journalists, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said “there was no conversation” and the report was “completely untrue, it is pure fiction.” Speaking at a foreign policy forum Thursday, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory.

Russian glide bombs, drones and a ballistic missile kill 6, injure 30 in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russian glide bombs, drones and a ballistic missile have smashed into cities in southern and eastern Ukraine, killing at least six civilians and injuring about 30 others. Ukraine’s president said Monday that Russia recently intensified strikes in civilian areas in an apparent effort to wear down Ukrainians’ willingness to keep up a war that’s approaching its 1,000-day milestone. Both Russia and Ukraine are waiting to see how Washington will change its policy on the war after Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president in January. The U.S. is the biggest provider of military help to Ukraine.

Israel’s military is building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria, satellite images show

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel has begun a construction project along a demarcation line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, apparently laying asphalt for a road right along the frontier. That’s according to satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press. The United Nations confirmed to the AP that Israeli troops have entered the demilitarized zone. The work, which appears to have begun in earnest in late September, comes as the Israeli military already has created new roadways and what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Israel. It has also started demolishing villages in a similar manner in Lebanon. The Israeli military didn’t respond to requests for comment. Syria declined to comment.

Haiti swears in a new prime minister as gangs open fire at a flight landing in the main airport

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s international airport has shut down temporarily after gangs opened fire at a Spirit Airlines flight landing in Port-Au-Prince, the U.S. State Department and the airline said. The latest violence came as a new prime minister was sworn in. In other parts of Haiti’s capital, firefights between gangs and police broke out. Rounds of gunfire echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers ducking behind walls and civilians ran in terror. In other upper class areas, gangs set fire to homes. Schools closed as panic spread in a number of areas. The country’s slate of gangs have long capitalized on political turmoil to make power grabs.

Gunshots at Tuskegee University sent terrified students running for their lives

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — A Tuskegee University student says he hid under a car when he heard the gunshots that ripped across his Alabama campus. Sid Guynn said Monday that he ran back to his dorm terrified by what sounded to him like a machine gun. The shooting early Sunday left one man dead and injured at least 16 other people. A dozen of them were injured by gunfire. Many of the injured were students. Authorities say 25-year-old Jaquez Myrick, of Montgomery, was arrested hours later. Officials say he had a handgun with a machine gun conversion device but have not accused him of the shooting.

Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires

RINGWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Fire crews have been battling small wildfires across the Northeast U.S. — including a blaze in New York and New Jersey that killed a parks employee over the weekend and postponed Veterans Day plans. A quarter-inch of rain fell overnight from Sunday into Monday in a forest area straddling the border between the two states, giving a slight respite to firefighters. The fire is one of several burning on the East Coast amid a lack of much rainfall since September. The East Coast fires were burning Monday as much larger wildfires raged in California. Firefighters continued making progress against a wildfire northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County that broke out Wednesday and quickly exploded in size due to dry, warm and gusty Santa Ana winds.

Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls

DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — A former drugstore worker in the small Indiana community of Delphi has been convicted of murder in the 2017 killings of two girls who vanished during an afternoon hike. Richard Allen was accused of cutting the throats of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German. Prosecutors said he forced the girls known as Abby and Libby off a trail in February 2017. Allen faces up to 130 years in prison on two counts of murder and two additional counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping. Evidence included a recording of Allen telling his wife, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”

Afghanistan attends U.N. climate talks for first time since Taliban return to power

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Afghanistan’s first delegation at United Nations climate talks since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan. Matuil Haq Khalis, head of the country’s environment protection agency, told The Associated Press that Afghanistan is among the worst affected nations by climate change and needs the world’s support to deal with extreme weather like erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and flash floods.