Mexican cartel leader ‘El Mayo’ Zambada pleads not guilty to US charges

NEW YORK (AP) — Longtime drug cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada has pleaded not guilty to U.S. narcotics trafficking charges. Participating through a Spanish-language interpreter, Zambada didn’t speak at Friday’s hearing, except to give yes-or-no answers to a magistrate’s standard questions about whether he understood procedures. Zambada also said he was feeling fine when asked. His lawyers entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf. Zambada has been in U.S. custody since July 25, when he landed in a private plane at an airport outside El Paso, Texas, in the company of another fugitive cartel leader, according to federal authorities.

Firefighters gain ground on 3 huge Southern California blazes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters battling three major wildfires in the mountains east of Los Angeles are gaining ground against the blazes. And cooler temperatures are helping. Authorities began scaling back evacuation orders that displaced thousands of people after fire crews increased containment on the blazes. The largest blaze is the Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles, which has burned 81 square miles, torched at least 33 homes and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. Temperatures had reached the triple digits last weekend. But forecasts for this weekend call for temperatures to drop to the 70s.

US hits Russian state media with sanctions for raising money for Moscow’s troops in Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department has announced new sanctions on Russian state media, accusing a Kremlin news outlet of working hand-in-hand with the Russian military and running fundraising campaigns to pay for sniper rifles, body armor and other equipment for soldiers fighting in Ukraine. While the outlet, RT, has previously been sanctioned for its work to spread Kremlin propaganda and disinformation, the allegations announced Friday suggest its role goes far beyond influence operations. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, RT is a key part of Russia’s war machine and its efforts to undermine its democratic allies.

Boeing works to conserve cash as 33,000 factory workers go on strike

SEATTLE (AP) — Blue-collar workers from Boeing are walking picket lines in the Pacific Northwest instead of building airplanes after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed contract that would have raised their wages by 25% over four years. The strike by 33,000 machinists that started on Friday will not disrupt airline flights anytime soon, but it is expected to shut down production of Boeing’s best-selling jetliners. And it marks yet another setback for a company already dealing with billions of dollars in financial losses and a damaged reputation. Boeing says it’s taking steps to conserve cash while the company’s new CEO looks for ways to come up with a contract that union members will accept.