RISE: Reformists sweep in Iran; N. Korea makes bold statement; Drake racks up
Reformists sweep Tehran municipal vote as Rouhani wins Iran
TEHRAN, Iran — Reformist candidates have reportedly swept municipal elections in the Iranian capital, taking all 21 seats in Tehran as moderate President Hassan Rouhani won a second term.
Iranian state television reported Monday that Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, a son of the influential late former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, won more than 1.7 million votes to come in first among the candidates.
The result means reformists can replace Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who had been a presidential candidate before withdrawing to support hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi.
Iranian municipal councils choose mayors and decide on budgets and development projects. Iranian media reports suggest reformists won big in other areas as well.
Rouhani, a cleric whose administration struck the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, decisively won a second term in Friday's election.
North Korea says ready to deploy, mass produce new missile
TOKYO — North Korea says it's ready to deploy and start mass-producing a new medium-range missile capable of reaching Japan and major U.S. military bases there following a test launch it claims confirmed the missile's combat readiness and is an "answer" to President Donald Trump's policies.
The solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 missile flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) and reached a height of 560 kilometers (350 miles) Sunday before plunging into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea's media said more missiles will be launched in the future.
Trump, traveling in Saudi Arabia, had no immediate public comment.
AP Source: Ford replaces CEO in push to transform business
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is replacing CEO Mark Fields amid questions about its current performance and future strategy, according to a person familiar with the situation.
CEO Mark Fields is retiring at age 56 after 28 years at the company, says this person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement hasn't been made.
Fields will be replaced by Jim Hackett, who joined Ford's board in 2013, the person says. Hackett has led Ford's mobility unit since last year. He is the former CEO of office furniture maker Steelcase.
Drake breaks Adele's record at Billboard Music Awards
Hello, Drake has surpassed Adele's record at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, picking up 13 awards.
Adele set a record at the show in 2012 with 12 wins. The rapper, who walked into the show Sunday with 22 nominations, won top artist, top male artist and top Billboard 200 album ("Views"), among others, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
"I got my whole family up here," said Drake, who stood onstage with nearly two dozen people, including his father, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.
Next stop for Trump is Israel, in pursuit of 'ultimate deal'
JERUSALEM — President Donald Trump has cast the elusive pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians as the "ultimate deal." But he will step foot in Israel having offered few indications of how he plans to achieve what so many of his predecessors could not.
Trump has handed son-in-law Jared Kushner and longtime business lawyer Jason Greenblatt the assignment of charting the course toward a peace process. The White House-driven effort is a sharp shift from the practice of previous U.S. administrations that typically gave secretaries of state those responsibilities.
Kushner and Greenblatt were to accompany Trump on his two-day visit, set to begin Monday and include separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Trump also planned to visit the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and the Western Wall, an important Jewish holy site.