AP News Summary at 11:22 a.m. EDT | National

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — After 10 months of war, the death toll in Gaza has passed 40,000. The small, densely populated area is crammed with corpses. Families are often displaced and forced to bury their dead wherever they can. Witness accounts and video footage show bodies buried in backyards and parking lots, under stairs and on roadsides. Others lie under rubble, their families unsure if they will ever be counted. Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October, a steady drumbeat of deaths has claimed the lives of nearly 2 percent of Gaza’s prewar population. The Health Ministry’s count in Hamas-controlled Gaza does not distinguish between civilians and militants. Health officials and civil defense workers say the real number could be thousands higher.

Mediators hold new ceasefire talks in Gaza and hope to prevent a larger war

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — International mediators held a new round of talks Thursday aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas and securing the release of scores of hostages, a potential deal seen as the best chance of averting an even wider regional conflict. The United States, Qatar and Egypt met with an Israeli delegation in Qatar as the Palestinian death toll in the 10-month war rose to more than 40,000, according to Gaza health officials. Hamas, which did not directly participate, accuses Israel of adding new demands to an earlier proposal backed by the United States and around the world and to which Hamas had agreed in principle. White House national security spokesman John Kirby called the talks an important step and said they were expected to continue through Friday.

According to the White House, agreements have been reached to reduce the prices of popular Medicare drugs that cost $50 billion annually

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials have reached deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices on 10 of the most popular and expensive Medicare drugs. But there are few immediate details on the new prices older Americans will pay when they fill those prescriptions. White House officials estimate taxpayers will save $6 billion and older adults could save about $1.5 billion overall on their medications. The renegotiated prices will affect the prices of drugs that help treat diabetes and blood cancers and prevent heart failure or blood clots. But the new prices won’t take effect until 2026. Next year, the government can select another 15 drugs for price negotiations.

Ukrainian President Zelensky says Kiev troops have the Russian city of Sudzha fully under control

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv’s troops have full control of the Russian town of Sudzha in Kursk Region as they enter Russian territory. The town, the largest Ukraine has reportedly captured so far, had a population of around 5,000 people before the war. Natural gas from West Siberian gas fields flows into the Ukrainian system through pipes that run through Sudzha and cross the Ukrainian border. Zelensky said Thursday that a Ukrainian military commander’s office would be set up in Sudzha. He did not elaborate on the details or the office’s functions. The claims could not be independently verified.

Donald Trump asks judge to delay verdict in hush money case until after November elections

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has asked the judge in his New York criminal trial for hush money to delay his sentencing until after the November presidential election. In a letter released Thursday, a lawyer for the former president and current Republican candidate suggested that announcing Trump’s verdict as scheduled on Sept. 18 — about seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to election interference. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche wrote that a delay would also give Trump time to consider next steps after the trial judge is expected to rule Sept. 16 on the defense’s motion to overturn the verdict and dismiss the lawsuit over the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.

Vance and Walz agree to a vice presidential debate on October 1, moderated by CBS News

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance have agreed to debate each other on Oct. 1, setting up a face-off of potential vice presidential candidates as early voting for the general election begins in some states. CBS News posted on its X-Feed on Wednesday that the network had invited both Vance and Walz to a debate in New York City, citing four possible dates in September and October as options. Walz later accepted Wednesday, and Vance responded Thursday that he would attend on Oct. 1. He also called for Walz to meet on CNN on Sept. 18.

How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas are angering big companies with their investment activism

ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — Among the most persistent shareholder activists in American business are 80 nuns at a monastery outside Kansas City. The Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica have taken a stand against companies like Netflix, Amazon and Google, calling on the companies to do everything from AI monitoring to measuring pesticides. They invest in companies that align with their religious ideals, but also those that don’t, so they can drive change. As activist investing becomes politically polarized, the nuns are no strangers to making a statement. They recently went viral when they condemned a speech by their fellow Catholic, Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hurricane Ernesto heads for Bermuda after leaving many people in Puerto Rico without power and water

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto is barreling toward Bermuda, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power and water as sweltering heat envelops the U.S. territory and raising concerns about people’s health. A hurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda starting Thursday, and Ernesto is expected to pass near or over the island on Saturday. Ernesto is forecast to become a major Category 3 hurricane on Friday, bringing between 4 and 8 inches of rain to Bermuda, with up to 12 inches in isolated areas.

At least one arrest made in connection with Matthew Perry’s death, law enforcement source says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities have arrested at least one person in connection with Matthew Perry’s death, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Authorities plan a news conference in Los Angeles to announce details of the case later Thursday morning. An assistant found Perry facedown in his hot tub on Oct. 28, and paramedics summoned to the scene pronounced him dead immediately. His autopsy, released in December, found the amount of ketamine in his blood was in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery.

The August supermoon will kick off four months of lunar spectacles. Here’s how you can watch it

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first of this year’s four supermoons is about to rise. Stargazers can catch the first act Monday, when the full moon comes a little closer than usual, appearing a little larger and brighter in the night sky. September’s supermoon coincides with a partial lunar eclipse. October’s supermoon will be the closest, and November’s supermoon will round out the year. A supermoon occurs when a full moon phase coincides with a particularly close orbit around the Earth. This typically happens only three or four times a year, and the supermoons appear one after the other.