Pakistan

strikes Kabul

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded attacks in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the countries.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Friday the two countries are now in “open war.” Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan then carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces Friday.

Tensions have been high between the neighbors for months. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militant groups that then stage attacks across the border and also of allying with its archrival India. A ceasefire ended intense fighting in October, although the two sides have occasionally traded fire since then.

Scouting America

reaches deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has made a deal with Scouting America that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says would maintain their century-old partnership but refocus the organization away from “woke” policies. Hegseth put heavy emphasis on Scouting America’s acceptance of transgender youth, saying Friday that the organization will require members to use their “biological sex at birth and not gender identity.”

But Scouting America President and CEO Roger Krone told The Associated Press that the agreement doesn’t change existing policies regarding transgender youth and that they are welcome. Several of the negotiated changes mirror what the organization suggested to the Pentagon last month, including adding or losing some badges and waiving registration fees for the children of military personnel.

Protesters

indicted

(AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi says federal prosecutors have indicted 30 more people tied to a protest at a Minnesota church over an immigration enforcement crackdown. Bondi says 25 of those people are already under arrest. The protest on Jan. 18 also led to the arrests of independent journalist Don Lemon and local activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.

Both have pleaded not guilty to civil rights charges. Trump officials have strongly condemned the protest for interrupting a church service. Protesters took the action after learning a pastor there is also an immigration enforcement official.

Netflix

drops bid

(AP) — Paramount is set to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix dropped out of bidding, setting up another major Hollywood merger. On Thursday, Netflix said the price no longer makes financial sense. Paramount topped Netflix’s earlier offer and aims to buy the whole company.

Executives say the deal will help them compete in streaming and create bigger movie and television libraries. Paramount is also targeting about $6 billion in savings through overlapping job cuts. Theater owners have warned about more consolidation under any new ownership of Warner Bros.

Paramount’s purchase isn’t a sure thing — regulators have already started reviews, and plans for HBO Max and Paramount+ remain unclear.

Stocks dip,

oil rises

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks sank as Wall Street kept punishing companies that could become losers in the AI revolution. A surprisingly discouraging update on inflation also hurt the market Friday, while oil prices climbed with worries about tensions between the United States and Iran.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% to finish just its second losing month in the last 10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.9%. Block’s stock soared after cutting nearly half its workforce because it said AI tools can replace them.

Treasury yields fell in the bond market as investors sought safer places for their money.