Federal appeals court: Assault weapons bans are unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that New Jersey’s bans on assault firearms and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds are unconstitutional.

This is the first time a federal appeals court has struck down a state ban on such weapons, and it comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Second Amendment. Just last week, a different federal appeals court upheld Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic weapons.

Friday’s appeals court ruling in the New Jersey case goes further than a July 2024 ruling from a federal judge, who said that the state’s ban on AR-15s specifically was unconstitutional but upheld the provision barring larger magazines. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday in its opinion that the state’s entire ban on weapons it deems to be “assault firearms” and restriction on “large capacity ammunition magazines” were unconstitutional.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, a Democrat whose office defended the law, said in a statement that “we are considering our options.”

John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, called the ruling a “historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment and law-abiding Americans.”

At least eight killed, 34 missing after landslide in Chongqing

A landslide Friday on the outskirts of the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing killed at least eight people and left 34 missing, burying residential buildings and forcing more than 1,100 people to evacuate, according to local officials and state media reports.

The landslide occurred about 9:08 a.m. in Pengshui County on the outer edge of the Chongqing municipality, when massive amounts of rocks and soil washed downslope, burying more than 10 residential buildings, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Ten people were rescued from the debris, including two who were seriously injured, Pengshui County Mayor Ren Xujiang said.

7.3 earthquake hits Mexico’s border with Guatemala

A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador.

Authorities did not report any severe damage or casualties in any country. Two people were reported injured in southern Mexico.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with the epicenter 30 miles southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas and at a depth of 9 miles. It was preceded by a smaller quake with an epicenter a bit farther out in the ocean.

There were at least 10 aftershocks between magnitude 4.9 and 6, according to USGS.

U.S. shortens visas for foreign journalists

The Trump administration announced Thursday it will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and prompting China to warn of possible reciprocal countermeasures.

The rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security will do away with the “duration of status” system, which allows foreign journalists to stay and work in the United States as long as they meet eligibility requirements. That will be replaced with a fixed period, although the visas may be extended.

The agency says it’s necessary to better vet the visa holders. But advocates for foreign journalists oppose the change, saying the drastically shorter stay would severely restrict their ability to live and work in the States.

The even shorter visa rule for Chinese journalists, which does not include those from the “special administrative regions” of Hong Kong or Macao, could add tensions to the fraught relations between Washington and Beijing, despite both leaders stating they intend to stabilize ties.

Man charged with hate crimes after Melvin confrontation

A 40-year-old New York man faces hate crime charges after a confrontation with “Today” show host Craig Melvin at NBC’s studio in Manhattan.

The man was arrested Thursday morning inside 30 Rockefeller Center in Midtown by an officer responding to reports of a disorderly individual inside the building, police said Friday.

NBC News says in a statement that an individual approached Melvin after entering an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. Melvin notified security, who held the man until police arrived, according to NBC.

No altercation occurred, and no injuries were reported. NBC did not say how the man gained access to the area. The man has been charged with burglary, menacing and criminal trespass as hate crimes, as well as harassment.

Court rules sentence for Libyan militant is too lenient

A 28-year prison sentence is too lenient for a Libyan militant who was convicted of terrorism-related charges in the 2012 attacks on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out Ahmed Abu Khatallah’s sentence and transferred the case back to the district court in Washington, D.C., for resentencing.

A district judge initially sentenced Khatallah to 22-year prison sentence in 2018, but the appeals court rejected it four years ago as a “shockingly” light punishment under the circumstances.

Parliament dissolves before elections

Israel’s parliament dissolved early Friday after passing a marathon of bills in the last moments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.

The Knesset, which was scheduled to break for its summer recess Friday, will not reconvene before the elections scheduled on Oct. 27.

The expected dissolution comes as Netanyahu is struggling to hold onto power before the next elections as Israel grinds toward the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked nearly three years of war.

— Denver Post wire services