Torrential rain is inundating southeastern Texas, forcing schools to cancel classes and closing numerous highways around Houston. The National Weather Service on Friday reported more than 11 inches of rain during the past 24 hours in the Houston suburb of Spring. The agency has issued a flood warning until Tuesday for the region. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but officials say several people were rescued from high waters. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a mandatory evacuation order for people along a portion of the San Jacinto River in northern Harris County. Hidalgo says a school bus carrying children required rescue after driving near high waters but that everyone on board was safe.

Demonstrations have ceased at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters. The agreements this week have fended off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The negotiations at schools including Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes playing out on campuses nationwide. More than 2,300 people have been arrested since April 17. Deals have included commitments by universities to at least review their investments in Israel, a longtime U.S. ally. Protesters have also focused on university links to the Israeli military as the war grinds on in Gaza

NEW YORK (AP) — Hope Hicks took the stand Friday in Donald Trump's hush money case, recounti…

Stocks closed sharply higher on Wall Street, erasing their losses for the week, after the government reported a cooldown in hiring last month. For markets that was a welcome sign that the Federal Reserve's efforts to fight inflation by slowing the economy with high interest rates might be making some progress. The S&P 500 rose 1.3% Friday, its biggest gain since February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2%. and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2%. U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs last month, down sharply from a big increase in March. Apple jumped after announcing a mammoth $110 billion stock buyback.

United Methodist delegates have repealed their church’s longstanding ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy. The action marked the final major repeal of a half-century’s collection of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that were embedded in the laws and social teachings of the United Methodist Church. The 447-233 vote by the UMC’s General Conference came one day after delegates overwhelmingly voted to repeal a 52-year-old declaration that the practice of homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching” and two days after they repealed the denomination’s ban on LGBTQ clergy.

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government on Friday loosened some rules governing electric vehicle …