Manhattan high-rise to be stabilized

after columns buckle, evacuation

NEW YORK — Workers have begun stabilizing a Manhattan high-rise after buckled columns and sagging floors at the site forced evacuations in and around the midtown construction site.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office said late Tuesday that a team had gone floor-by-floor and observed no additional movement of the damaged columns. The office said on-site contractors were given the greenlight to move forward with emergency repairs.

The building is a former Pfizer headquarters and is being converted to luxury apartments. Nearby buildings, including a school, were evacuated earlier Tuesday. Builders say the 37-story tower is part of the city’s largest office-to-residential conversion project, with over 1,600 planned units.

Judge rejects Justice Department

try to get names of election workers

ATLANTA — A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice cannot have access to personal information for every person who worked during the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County.

The Justice Department in April served a grand jury subpoena seeking the names and personal contact information of county employees and volunteer poll workers.

The county argued the subpoena was overly broad and meant to target and harass President Donald Trump’s opponents. In his ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William Ray called the subpoena “unreasonable.”

Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen

plans to run for president of France

PARIS — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen plans to run for the French presidency next year despite being sentenced to wear a court-ordered electronic monitor for embezzlement.

The decision by the 57-year-old veteran of three presidential races sets up a fourth campaign like no other. She potentially could be seeking votes while subject to electronic monitoring and a judge’s determination of how, and for how long, the punishment is applied.

Le Pen said she will appeal Tuesday’s ruling to France’s highest court.

S. Korea cracks down on false news

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is enforcing a law that allows steep punitive damages against news outlets and social media influencers for spreading false information as journalist groups warned it could chill public discourse and invite censorship.

The law that took effect Tuesday allows courts to award damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large social media channels, such as including YouTube creators, that circulate illegal, false or manipulated information to cause harm or generate profit. Distributors in addition could be fined $656,000 for repeating falsehoods.

Airline fuel costs soar 84% this year

Government data released Tuesday shows that U.S. airlines spent $6.66 billion on jet fuel in May. This marks an 84% increase from the previous year. It was the second month in a row with fuel costs exceeding $6 billion, following April’s $6.47 billion. The latest figures show that the rise is mainly due to pricier jet fuel,, as consumption in May was slightly lower from a year earlier. The average price per gallon was $4.09. That was down slightly from April but 85% higher than in May 2025. Fuel prices have eased since a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but tensions remain.

The Associated Press