COLU @ CONCEPTS

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The only woman in the Navy SEAL training pipeline has dropped out, a Navy special warfare official confirmed Friday. The female midshipman voluntarily decided to not continue participating in a summer course that’s required of officers who want to be selected for SEAL training, Lt. Cmdr. Mark Walton, a Naval special warfare spokesman, told The Associated Press. The Navy has not released the woman’s name, part of a policy against publicly identifying SEALs or candidates for the force. No other woman has started the long process required to become a Navy SEAL, Walton said. Another woman has set her sights on becoming a Special Warfare Combatant Crewman, another job that recently opened to women. They often support the SEALs but also conduct missions of their own using state-of-the art, high-performance boats. She has started the various evaluations and standard Navy training. Officials have said it would be premature to speculate when the Navy will see its f...

HAVANA (AP) — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that U.S. diplomats in Havana had been the victims of "health attacks" that left them with hearing loss — the most definitive U.S. statement yet on a series of mysterious incidents that have puzzled longtime observers of U.S.-Cuban relations. His comments came two days after the State Department issued a vaguely worded statement saying there had been "incidents which have caused a variety of physical symptoms." U.S. officials later revealed that American diplomats had suffered unexplained losses of hearing, and on Thursday Canada's government said at least one Canadian diplomat in Cuba also had been treated for hearing loss. "We hold the Cuban authorities responsible for finding out who is carrying out these health attacks on not just our diplomats but, as you've seen now, there are other cases with other diplomats involved," Tillerson said in Bedminster, New Jersey, where Presid...

President Donald Trump’s recent invocation of “fire and fury” in response to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program had a familiar ring to it. It’s the kind of dramatic rhetoric that North Korea regularly uses in its public statements. Thanks in part to Twitter, the American president has also become somewhat infamous for his statements, though in a more casual, off-the-cuff manner than what appears to be North Korea’s carefully crafted script. Has North Korea met its match? Stay tuned. It’s a war of words, and one which analysts fear might lead to actual conflict. FIRE — NORTH KOREA (Rodong Sinmun newspaper commentary in April) “Our pre-emptive nuclear attacks will bring the provocateurs nothing but tragic consequences: South Korea will be submerged in a sea of fire, Japan will be reduced to ashes and the U.S. will collapse.” — TRUMP (Speaking to reporters on Aug. 8) “North Korea had best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fu...

DENVER (AP) — The Latest on a civil trial involving Taylor Swift and a former DJ she accused of groping her (all times local): 6:55 p.m. Taylor Swift’s attorney says he’s proud to represent the singer after a judge tossed a lawsuit from a former radio host she accused of groping her. Outside court Friday, Douglas Baldridge pointed to the pop star’s willingness to file a countersuit after David Mueller sued her to claim she ruined his career. Baldridge says he’s grateful to the judge, who determined that Mueller failed to show Swift personally set out to have him fired after the backstage meet-and-greet in 2013. Mueller’s team didn’t speak in court after the decision. The jury will consider his identical allegations against Swift’s mother and her radio liaison as well as the singer’s claim. ___ 6:15 p.m. After U.S. District Judge William Martinez’s ruling, Taylor Swift and her team walked up to one another and hugged, smiled and whispered. The team of former DJ ...

NEW YORK (AP) — The future of TV may well be a mishmash of streaming services that could rival the cost of a $100 cable bundle — but that are way more difficult to use. Disney’s plan for two new streaming services (and possibly more) is just the latest sign that everyone is jumping into the streaming business. It intends to launch a kids-oriented movie and TV streaming service in 2019 that will pull Disney and Pixar films from Netflix, as well as an ESPN sidekick service (minus pro football and basketball) expected early next year. The company is even exploring the possibility of separate streaming services for its Star Wars and Marvel superhero films. All of that will simply add to a cacophony of existing Netflix-style video services that let you watch what you want, when you want. More are probably on their way, as entertainment companies see profits in controlling not only the creation of their films and shows, but also their distribution. The downside? Potential...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Most meaningful of all the text messages Hideki Matsuyama received last week was the one from Jason Day congratulating the Japanese star for his 61 in the final round at Firestone to win his second World Golf Championship. It read: “Congrats, mate. Unreal playing. See you next week.” Matsuyama looked just as unreal Friday at the PGA Championship, even before the storms arrived and took so much of the bite out of Quail Hollow. Starting with a 12-foot putt — the longest of his seven birdies in the second round — the 25-year-old Matsuyama ran off five birdies over six holes for a 7-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Kevin Kisner going into the weekend. Kisner faced tougher, faster conditions in the morning and holed a 50-foot eagle putt from short of the green on the par-5 seventh hole. When his round was over, Kisner had a five-shot lead over the players from his side of the draw, and it didn’t look like anyone would get near him. The ...

DALLAS (AP) — The NFL suspended star Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games Friday, concluding after a yearlong investigation that the league’s leading rusher injured his former girlfriend in three separate incidents last summer. According to the letter Elliott received informing him of the suspension, the NFL believed he used “physical force” three times in a span of five days in a Columbus, Ohio, apartment last July resulting in injuries to Tiffany Thompson’s face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, wrists, hips and knees. She was his girlfriend at the time. Prosecutors in Columbus decided nearly a year ago not to pursue the case in the city where Elliott starred for Ohio State. In announcing the suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league said its investigation was based on photographs, text messages and other electronic evidence. Commissioner Roger Goodell made his decision based on the findings and in consultation with four advisers, inclu...

MIAMI (AP) — Derek Jeter wins again. The Miami Marlins told Major League Baseball they intend to sign an agreement to sell the team to a group that includes the former New York Yankees captain, a person familiar with the negotiations said Friday. Jeter would be a limited partner in the group led by venture capitalist Bruce Sherman, said the person, who confirmed the Marlins’ plans to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not commented. The Marlins’ months-long sale saga included many twists before owner Jeffrey Loria settled on the popular Jeter, who led the Yankees to five World Series championships before retiring after the 2014 season. The person speaking on condition of anonymity said MLB was told Loria’s sale price will be about $1.2 billion to the group, which includes more than 10 entities. Among them is Sherman, who will be the controlling owner, the person said. Sherman has spent much of his financial career in New York and has a ho...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expressing concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and not ruling out military action as a response. Trump told reporters Friday that all options remain on the table in response to anti-democratic actions in Venezuela, including military intervention. Venezuela’s defense minister called Trump’s talk of a military intervention an act of “craziness” and “supreme extremism.” The Trump administration has already placed sanctions against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and numerous other current and former Venezuelan officials in the wake of a crackdown on opposition leaders. The White House says it’s rejected a request by Maduro to speak to Trump, saying restoring democracy must come first. Venezuela is home to the world’s largest oil reserves and is the third largest petroleum supplier to the U.S. Source: www.apnews.com  By JILL COLVIN and JOSHUA GOODMAN

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — It’s early morning at a fishing port in Dubai. A group of mostly retired fishermen are playing cards, eating dates and drinking coffee at the port’s majlis, a traditional meeting space. Here, the Emirati fisherman say they aren’t too worried about the political fallout with Qatar that’s gripped the region since early June, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with the small Gulf state, accusing it of supporting extremists. “When it comes to politics, it’s not our business,” Thani Obeid said. “If everyone walks around saying their opinion there will be chaos.” Obeid, 65, and Salem Jomaa, 70, say they have faith in the “wisdom” of the region’s rulers because “we are one family.” “The Gulf is one home. From Saudi Arabia to Ras al-Khaimah (in the UAE) to Oman. We are all brothers, cousins, friends,” Jomaa said. “We are all Muslims.” Centuries-old ties that bind families to tribes and tribes to ruling sheik...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The father and the fiance of an Australian woman shot to death by a Minneapolis police officer responding to her 911 call grieved at a public memorial service Friday night, the same time the family had planned to be on a plane to her wedding. Justine Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, choked back tears as he vowed to find justice for his 40-year-old daughter, whom he described as being “ripped from our arms.” “We should be walking down the street smiling and laughing,” he said of his first visit to Minneapolis. “But now every step on the foot path is very painful. I feel crushed by sorrow.” Hundreds of people, many wearing heart-shaped stickers, attended the memorial service. An Australian flag was displayed prominently on the stage next to Damond’s picture. Her fiance, Don Damond, said it “felt like a privilege to love Justine.” They were getting married next week in Hawaii, and he pointed out the painful irony that the service — held at a lakefront stage ...

NEW YORK (AP) — The “Son of Sam” killer who terrorized New York 40 years ago says he thought he was doing something “to appease the devil.” David Berkowitz told CBS News in an interview broadcast Friday ( http://cbsn.ws/2vjE4Fa ) that he “surrendered to those very dark forces” when he killed six people and wounded seven. Thursday was the 40th anniversary of Berkowitz’s Aug. 10, 1977 arrest. CBS’ Maurice Dubois interviewed Berkowitz at the prison where he is serving a life sentence. The 64-year-old Berkowitz is now a born-again Christian. He said he’s “very sorry for what happened” and he wishes he could “go back and change things” Dubois asked Berkowitz what he would say to his 23-year-old self. Berkowitz says he would tell himself to “turn around before it’s too late because destruction is coming.” Source: www.apnews.com 

WASHINGTON (AP) — No need to duck and cover just yet. While U.S. intelligence officials are pretty sure North Korea can put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental missile that could reach the United States, experts aren’t convinced the bomb could survive the flight to America. They cite lingering questions about Kim Jong Un’s nuclear know-how. Could North Korea deploy nuclear weapons successfully time after time and hit their intended targets? Would its weapon system break apart from the heat and stress it would sustain as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 10 times faster than a speeding bullet? “I don’t think North Korea has a good measure of how accurate the missile is at this point,” said Michael Elleman, an expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “They don’t know if the re-entry technologies will really hold up — whether the bomb will survive the trip.” North Korea has short-range missiles that can hit its neighbors. It has tested an...

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A wildfire has cut off the return route for dozens of people staying in a Glacier National Park backcountry chalet, leaving them the choice of remaining until rangers tell them it’s safe or hiking out along a longer and more difficult trail, park officials said Friday. Park rangers also planned to lead out 39 other hikers who were staying in backcountry campsites near fires that broke out after a passing lightning storm on Thursday, Glacier spokeswoman Lauren Alley said. It’s peak tourist season at the Montana park, and the stone chalet built more than a century ago is a top attraction in one of the busiest parts of Glacier. There are typically between 40 and 50 guests and 10 staff members at the chalet each night, with most visitors arriving by foot or horse along a steep trail nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Lake McDonald Lodge on the park’s main roadway. A lightning strike ignited a fire in the forest somewhere between the lodge and the chalet. Ne...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s attacks on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell come at the worst possible time, if the president’s goal is actually to accomplish the agenda on health care, infrastructure and taxes he’s goading his GOP ally to pass. Congress, now on its August recess, will return to confront a brutal September workload including two absolute must-do items: funding the government to head off a shutdown, and raising the federal borrowing limit to avert a potentially catastrophic first-ever default on U.S. obligations. Both will require bipartisan cooperation, something that’s been in short supply on Capitol Hill this year. And that’s all apart from the legislation Trump wants to see, including a rewrite of the tax code to lower rates, a sweeping infrastructure bill, and renewed efforts to repeal Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act after McConnell tried and failed last month — an outcome Trump called “a disgrace.” So the president’s rhetoric this past week ha...