A halting Biden tries to confront Trump at debate but sparks Democratic anxiety about his candidacy
ATLANTA (AP) — A raspy and sometimes halting President Joe Biden repeatedly sought to confront Donald Trump in their first debate ahead of the November election. But Biden’s uneven performance crystallized the concerns of many Americans that at, age 81, he is too old to serve as president. It sparked a fresh round of calls for the Democrat to step aside. Meanwhile, the 78-year-old Trump’s rhetoric offered Americans an unwelcome reminder of the bombast he launched daily during his tumultuous four years in office, as he struggles to win over skeptical voters. He declined to clearly state he would accept the results of the November election.
Biden’s debate performance spurs Democratic panic about his ability to lead party against Trump
ATLANTA (AP) — Above all, Joe Biden’s allies have wanted him to demonstrate strength and energy on the debate stage this week to help put to rest questions about the 81-year-old Democrat’s physical and mental acuity. But on the biggest stage in U.S. politics on Thursday, Biden did not meet their modest expectations. And by the end of the 90-minute affair, the Democratic president’s allies panicked about his chances against 78-year-old Republican former President Donald Trump this fall. They cited a Biden debate performance punctuated by repeated stumbles, uncomfortable pauses, and a quiet speaking style that was often difficult to understand. Publicly and privately, Democrats question whether the party could or should replace Biden.
Debate-watchers in the Biden and Trump camps seem to agree on something: Biden had a bad night
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans have gathered in watch parties, bars, a bowling alley and other venues to watch Joe Biden and Donald Trump go head-to-head in their debate. Trump supporters, happily, and Biden supporters, in their angst, seemed to largely agree they had witnessed a lopsided showdown, with Trump coming out on top. By the end of the 90-plus minutes, some Democrats were saying what partisans say to put the best face on things: It’s still early. One debate doesn’t necessarily sway the nation. Judge him by what he’s done and wants to do, not by how he says things. But it’s clear that many Democrats were let down.
Shares of Trump Media & Technology rise following first presidential debate
Shares of Trump Media, the owner of social networking site Truth Social, are sharply higher at the opening bell after the first U.S. presidential debate, with some investors believing it could become a bigger mouthpiece for the former president if he is re-elected. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump clashed Thursday evening on topics including abortion, immigration and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Biden’s performance was largely seen as uneven, particularly early on. Citi analysts said Friday there may be increased interest in Trump Media & Technology based on news headlines following the debate.
A decade after the Islamic State group declared a caliphate, it’s defeated but remains lethal
BAGHDAD (AP) — The Islamic State group declared its caliphate a decade ago. IS is now defeated but it still carries out deadly attacks around the world. The group that shocked the world with its brutality and once controlled parts of Iraq and Syria now relies mainly on sleeper cells. The loss of the last sliver of land they once controlled made them move to other parts of the world. They now operate mainly in Afghanistan and Africa. The 10th anniversary of the IS declaring a caliphate comes amid concerns that if the U.S. withdraws from Iraq and Syria the extremists will again try to launch a resurgence.
Iran votes in snap poll for new president after hard-liner’s death amid rising tensions in Mideast
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians are voting in a snap election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi. The race’s sole reformist candidate vowed to seek “friendly relations” with the West in an effort to energize supporters in a vote beset by apathy. Voters face a choice Friday between hard-line candidates and the little-known Masoud Pezeshkian. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from running, while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognized monitors. The voting comes as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
Russia’s Defense Ministry says officials have been ordered to prepare a response to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry noted an “increased intensity” of U.S. drones over the Black Sea, saying that they “conduct intelligence and targeting for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian military by Western countries for dealing strikes on Russian facilities.” Washington and Moscow have clashed before over the issue. In a 2023 incident, a Russian fighter jet damaged an American drone there, causing it to crash. A repeat of such a confrontation could further fuel tensions over the war in Ukraine.
Bolivian government says it detained 4 more people in connection with a failed coup attempt
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian government officials say they have arrested four more people in connection with a failed coup attempt. That brings the total detained to 21. Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo says among those arrested are military officers. Previous arrests included a man who officials say was conducting intelligence in the plaza outside the palace with a bullet proof vest, and a sergeant who was communicating through the app FaceTime and other social media. The government claims Wednesday’s failed coup attempt was headed by Juan JosĂ© Zúñiga, a top general, who alleged without providing evidence that the president had ordered him to carry out the mutiny in a ruse to boost his flagging popularity.
Survivors of Israel music festival massacre unite to build a healing community
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In the months since Hamas’ surprise attack sent them scattering across fields or hiding in desert brush, survivors of a massacre at a trance festival in Israel have come together as a community to heal. On Thursday, some 30,000 people attended the Tribe of Nova’s first mass gathering since the Oct. 7 attack. The Nova Healing Concert is just one part of a robust network of therapy and support that the survivors have built for themselves in the chaotic months since the attack, as Israeli authorities struggle to provide services to devastated communities.
Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge shows price pressures easing further
WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of prices that’s closely tracked by the Federal Reserve suggests that inflation pressures in the U.S. economy are continuing to ease. Consumer prices were flat from April to May, the mildest such performance in more than four years. Measured from a year earlier, prices rose 2.6% last month, slightly less than in April. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation rose 0.1% from April to May, the smallest increase since the spring of 2020, when the pandemic shut down the economy. The latest figures will likely be welcomed by the Fed’s policymakers, who have said they need to feel confident inflation is slowing sustainably toward their 2% target before they’d start cutting interest rates.
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