3:04 a.m. EDT AP News Summary | National News

Bolivian general arrested after apparent failed coup attempt as government faces new crisis

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Armored vehicles rammed into the doors of Bolivia’s government palace Wednesday as President Luis Arce said the country faced an attempted coup and urged people to mobilize. He called for “democracy to be respected” in a message on his X account. Hours later, Arce announced new heads of the army, navy and air force amid the roar of supporters. The new army head ordered soldiers back to their barracks, and soon after troops and armored vehicles pulled back. Hours later, the Bolivian general who appeared to be behind the rebellion, Juan José Zúñiga, was arrested after the attorney general opened an investigation.

How the Biden-Trump debate could change the trajectory of the 2024 campaign

ATLANTA (AP) — Both President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, hope to jolt a campaign that many voters are just beginning to watch. Thursday’s debate in Atlanta offers unparalleled opportunities for both candidates to try to shape the political narrative. For Biden, the debate gives him the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding the U.S. through a range of challenges. The 78-year-old Trump, meanwhile, could use the moment to try to move past his recent felony conviction in New York. Their performances have the potential to alter the trajectory of the election.

FACT FOCUS: Here’s a look at the false claims you might hear during tonight’s presidential debate

From former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a failing economy and skyrocketing crime to President Joe Biden’s misrepresentation of inflation and gas prices at the start of his term, The Associated Press examines false and misleading statements made by the candidates as they prepare to face off in a debate Thursday night.

Analysis: No matter who wins Iran’s presidential election, much may hinge on the ‘Great Satan’ US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s presidential election comes after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent war on the militants in the Gaza Strip, which only added jet fuel to a fire now threatening to burn nearly every corner of the wider Middle East. Iran’s support of an array of militias, including Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and its unprecedented direct attack on Israel during the war has made it a direct belligerent in the conflict. But what happens in both the war and with Iran’s future may hinge directly on the U.S., denounced by the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as the “Great Satan” in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and still cursed at major events.

In the searing heat of the Gaza summer, Palestinians are surrounded by sewage and garbage

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — Children trudge through water contaminated with sewage and scale growing mounds of garbage in Gaza’s tent camps for displaced families. People relieve themselves in burlap-covered pits, with nowhere nearby to wash their hands. Gaza’s ability to dispose of garbage, treat sewage and deliver clean water is virtually decimated by eight months of war between Israel and Hamas. Aid groups say it’s made grim living conditions worse and raised health risks for hundreds of thousands of people deprived of adequate shelter, food and medicine. Hepatitis A cases are rising. Doctors fear a cholera outbreak is likely. Israeli authorities say they are engaging in efforts to improve the “hygiene situation.” But relief can’t come soon enough.

Biden’s asylum halt is falling hardest on Mexicans and other nationalities Mexico will take

NOGALES, Mexico (AP) — The Biden administration’s asylum halt that has led to a 40% drop in arrests for illegal border crossings this month falls hardest on nationalities most susceptible to being deported. The asylum halt applies that took effect June 5 to all nationalities. But Mexicans and those Mexico agrees to take back are most likely to be deported. That includes Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. Lack of money for charter flights, sour diplomatic ties and other operational challenges make it more difficult to deport people to many countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the U.S. is working with countries around the world to accept more of their deported citizens.

7 in 10 Americans think Supreme Court justices put ideology over impartiality: AP-NORC poll

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a major case involving former President Donald Trump, 7 in 10 Americans think its justices are more likely to shape the law to fit their own ideology, rather than serving as neutral arbiters of government authority. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. It found that less than one-third of U.S. adults think the justices are more likely to provide an independent check on other branches of government by being fair and impartial. Confidence in the Supreme Court remains low. Rank-and-file Republicans as well aren’t giving the justices a ringing endorsement.

Family that lost home to flooded river vows to keep store open as floodwaters devastate Midwest

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As floodwaters continue to ravage the Midwest, a Minnesota family that watched their home collapse into a swollen river near an at risk dam is vowing to reopen their nearby store. The Rapidan Dam Store remained standing Wednesday but the house where its owners grew up toppled into the Blue Earth River the day before. Their destroyed home is one of hundreds damaged and consumed so far by floodwaters in parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Torrential rains last week led to the deluge. In the coming days, Nebraska and northwestern Missouri are expected to start to see the downstream effects of the flooding.

Prospect of low-priced Chinese EVs reaching US from Mexico poses threat to automakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s auto industry has grown concerned that Chinese carmakers may be preparing to set up shop in Mexico to exploit North American trade rules. The Chinese could then send ultra-low-priced electric vehicles streaming into the United States, devastating the U.S. auto industry, which envisions American EVs as the core of their business in the coming decades. To defuse the threat, the U.S. does have a range of options that it might be forced to deploy. Whatever steps the U.S. government might take, though, would likely face legal challenges from companies that want to import the Chinese EVs.

Back to Woodstock, with Wi-Fi: Women return after 55 years to glamp and relive the famous festival

BETHEL, N.Y. (AP) — Beverly Grant hitchhiked to the Woodstock festival in August 1969 without a ticket and slept on straw. Ellen Shelburne arrived in a VW Microbus and pitched a pup tent. After 55 years, the two longtime friends finally got back to the garden — but this time they stayed in a luxury glamping tent. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which runs the site, recently rolled out the tie-dyed carpet for the 76-year-old women to promote its new glamping facilities and to delve deeper into Shelburne’s trove of photos from the festival held in Bethel, New York.

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