TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Palm Beach County Judge Renatha Francis to the Florida Supreme Court. The governor announced Francis’ appointment to the Supreme Court at a news conference in West Palm Beach on Friday. Francis is scheduled to join the court on Sept. 1, replacing retiring Justice Alan Lawson.

THOMASTON, Ga, (AP) — A Georgia school bus driver has died after a school bus and utility truck collided Friday morning south of Atlanta. Two students suffered minor injuries. The bus driver was working for the Thomaston-Upson County school district.

SAN DIEGO (BP) – Last year Old Town Community Church sent 72 backpacks stuffed with school supplies to the Philippines. This year, they’re sending 500.

MOSCOW (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They're expected to focus on a grain deal brokered by Turkey, prospects for talks on ending hostilities in Ukraine, and the situation in Syria.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defying anxiety about a recession and raging inflation, America’s employers added a surprising 528,000 jobs last month, restoring all the jobs lost in the coronavirus recession as the country’s hiring boom continued. Unemployment fell to 3.5%, the lowest since the pandemic struck in early 2020.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least eight people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. The strikes come after days of tensions following the arrest of a senior militant in the occupied West Bank.

Elon Musk accused Twitter of fraud in a countersuit over his aborted $44 billion deal for the social media company, which he said held back necessary information and misled his team about its true user base. According to The Washington Post, the countersuit filed by the billionaire and Tesla CEO filed on Thursday alleges that Twitter committed fraud, breach of contract, and violation of the Texas Securities Act.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Three more ships carrying thousands of tons of corn have left Ukrainian ports. The movement Friday is the latest sign that a negotiated deal to export grain trapped since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly six months ago is slowly moving forward. But major hurdles lie ahead to get food to the countries that need it most.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — South Korea is on its way to the moon. SpaceX launched the Asian nation's first lunar explorer Thursday evening from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite is taking a long, roundabout path and will arrive in December. It's designed to orbit the moon for at least a year, collecting scientific data.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Bulldogs aren’t resting on their laurels — or their locks — as they begin their defense of college football’s national championship. Quarterback Stetson Bennett and several of his teammates chopped off lots of hair before the start of preseason practice.

LIND, Wash. (AP) — A small town in Washington state was evacuated due to a fast-moving fire that burned a half-dozen homes as crews in California made progress against the state’s deadliest and largest wildfire of the year. In Washington, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that residents of Lind needed to flee due to the encroaching flames.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four people have been critically injured after a lightning strike near the White House. The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department says the victims, two men and two women, were injured Thursday in Lafayette Park.

NEW YORK (AP) — Deadline acquisition Tyler Naquin homered twice in his home debut, Edwin Diaz locked down his first two-inning save as a pro and the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 to open a pivotal five-game series between the NL East rivals.

DETROIT (AP) — The death toll from exploding airbag inflators made by Takata Corp. has risen to 19 in the U.S. and 28 worldwide. Authorities say the driver of a 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck was killed in what should have been a minor crash last month near Pensacola, Florida. But the driver’s airbag inflator exploded, spewing shrapnel that hit the unidentified driver, a 23-year-old man.

CRESTON, Iowa (BP) – “I’m just excited about some trends we are seeing in our church now,” Pastor Charles “Chuck” Spindler told Baptist Press recently. “Post-pandemic I’m seeing people with a desire to get reconnected, especially young families.

Federal meteorologists say this hurricane season may not be quite as busy as they initially thought, but it should still be more active than normal. Thursday's updated hurricane outlook by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration trims a storm off some of the high end of predictions. It says there's a 60% chance of a busier than normal season.

NASHVILLE (BP) — Most pastors have seen mental illness in their pews, while some have seen it in themselves. A Lifeway Research study explores U.S. Protestant pastors’ experiences with mental illness and how well their churches are equipped to respond to those who need help.

DOUGLAS, Ga. – For retired Associational Missionary Ray Coleman, attending church has always been central in his life, but, since having a debilitating stroke two years ago, he had been unable to go. Until now. Churches in the Smyrna Baptist Association, where he served for two decades, joined together to purchase Coleman a wheelchair-accessible van that has allowed him to be on the road again.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended the elected state prosecutor of Tampa for pledging not to enforce the state’s new 15-week abortion ban and for supporting gender transition treatments for minors. The Republican governor announced Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren's suspension at the county’s sheriff’s office on Thursday.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — National Guard soldiers rushed to distribute bottled water to flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky as forecasters warned of more rain coming to the region. In the days since historic flooding swamped the Appalachian region, the availability of water surfaced as a concern for victims after the floodwaters damaged water systems. As donations pour into the region, water is a top priority, along with cleaning supplies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell below 5% for the first time in four months this week, just after the Federal Reserve jacked up its main borrowing rate in an aggressive effort to get inflation under control. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate dropped to 4.99% from 5.3% last week.

The dispute between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series is now in the courts. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among 11 players who have sued the PGA Tour in federal court in San Francisco. They are challenging the tour's right to suspend them for joining the rival league.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for jobless benefits last week as the number of unemployed continues to rise modestly, though the labor market remains one of the strongest parts of the U.S. economy. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 30 rose by 6,000 to 260,000 from the previous week’s 254,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

KEELUNG, Taiwan (AP) — China says it has conducted “precision missile strikes" in the Taiwan Strait as part of military exercises by its navy, air force, and other departments in six zones surrounding the island. Japan says it protested to China after five of the missiles landed at sea inside its Exclusive Economic Zone. The drills were prompted by a visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week.

KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters have gotten their first hold on California’s deadliest and most destructive fire of the year and say the blaze probably will remain stalled through the weekend. Fire officials say the McKinney Fire near the Oregon border was 10% contained Wednesday night and crews were making progress carving firebreaks around much of the rest of the blaze.