French far right ahead in 1st round of snap elections. Here’s how runoff works and what comes next
PARIS (AP) — French voters face a decisive choice on July 7 in the runoff of snap parliamentary elections that could see the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation — or no majority emerging at all. Projections by polling agencies suggest the far-right National Rally stands a good chance of winning a majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time. Yet the outcome remains uncertain amid the complex voting system. In Sunday’s first round, the National Rally arrived ahead with an estimated one-third of the votes. The French voting system is not proportionate to nationwide support for a party. Legislators are elected by district.
Gathered at Camp David, Biden’s family tells him to stay in the race and keep fighting
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s family has used a Sunday gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his dreadful debate performance. Some family members criticized the way Biden’s staff prepared him for the faceoff. That’s according to four people familiar with the discussions. Biden spent the day sequestered with first lady Jill Biden, his children and grandchildren at the presidential retreat in Maryland. It was a previously scheduled trip for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
Dangerous Hurricane Beryl closes in on southeast Caribbean
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Beryl is closing in on the southeastern Caribbean and government officials are pleading with people to take shelter. The Category 3 storm is expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The National Hurricane Center in Miami warns that Beryl is “forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge.” Beryl was about 110 miles south-southeast of Barbados early Monday. Its top sustained winds were blowing at 120 mph and it was moving west at 20 mph. The storm had reached Category 4 strength Sunday and some fluctuations were forecast.
The Latest | Israel releases 55 Palestinians it had detained from Gaza, including hospital director
A Palestinian health official says Israel has released 55 Palestinians it detained from Gaza, including the director of the territory’s main hospital. Mohammed Abu Selmia was detained in November when Israeli forces raided Shifa Hospital. Palestinian media aired video following his release Monday. Abu Selmia accused Israeli authorities of mistreating Palestinian detainees. Israeli authorities have denied such allegations. Israel accuses militants of sheltering in hospitals and using them for military purposes. Palestinian health officials say Israeli raids recklessly endanger civilians by forcing several hospitals to shut down or reduce services. Hospitals can lose their protection under international law if they are used for military purposes.
Ukraine’s convicts offered release at a high price: Joining the fight against Russia
DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is expanding its military recruiting to cope with battlefield shortages more than two years into fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion. That, for the first time, includes inmates at the country’s prisons and penal colonies. Prisoners can be granted parole after an interview, medical exam, and a review of their conviction, under a new law approved by parliament last month. Certain categories of serious offenders are excluded. Olena Vysotska, Ukraine’s deputy justice minister, told The Associated Press that more than 3,000 prisoners have already been released on parole and have been placed with military units.
The Republicans who want to be Trump’s VP were once harsh critics with key policy differences
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s hard to refer to someone as “Hitler” and end up in their good graces, let alone potentially become the person they choose to help lead the country. But Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s shifting position on Donald Trump over the years from one-time critic of the former president to staunch ally is a metamorphosis shared by many of Trump’s potential running mates. It’s not unheard of for a running mate to move beyond past disagreements with a presidential candidate. But the shift is more striking for Trump’s potential running mates, in some cases requiring them to abandon long-held policy positions and recant vehement criticism.
North Koreans are seen wearing Kim Jong Un pins for the first time as his personality cult grows
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — For the first time, North Korean officials have been seen wearing lapel pins with the image of leader Kim Jong Un. That’s another sign the North is boosting his personality cult to the level bestowed on his late father and grandfather. North Koreans are required to wear pins over their hearts which for decades bore images of either the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung, or his son Kim Jong Il, or both. The pins are part of a state-sponsored mythology surrounding the Kim family which treats Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il like gods. State media published photos showing officials wearing Kim Jong Un pins for the first time on Sunday.
Street medicine teams search for homeless people to deliver lifesaving IV hydration in extreme heat
PHOENIX (AP) — As temperatures reach triple digits in metro Phoenix, heat illness is especially deadly for people who live outside under the broiling desert sun. Homeless people accounted for nearly half of the 645 people who died last year from heat-related causes in Arizona’s Maricopa County. A Phoenix health care nonprofit has begun a new program this year providing intravenous saline drips to dehydrated homeless people. Circle the City’s street medicine team goes where they are — by a major freeway overpass, alongside dry riverbeds, at a city park and near the city’s canals.
In a proud and troubled UK town, voters wonder whether their election choice will make a difference
HARTLEPOOL, England (AP) — A lot of politicians have promised change to voters in Hartlepool, a wind-whipped port town in northeast England. For decades, Labour Party representatives said they would fight for working people, even as well-paid industrial jobs disappeared. Later the Conservatives vowed to bring new money and opportunities on the back of Brexit. But as British voters prepare to elect a new government Thursday, Hartlepool’s many problems with unemployment, crime and drugs persist. Opinion polls put center-left Labour well ahead nationwide, but many voters remain undecided. To regain power after 14 years, Labour must win back disillusioned voters in Hartlepool and other former industrial towns where jaded voters say they have been disappointed before.
Boeing announces purchase of Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion in stock
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing has announced plans to acquire Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion in an all-stock transaction for the manufacturing firm. Boeing, located in Arlington, Virginia, announced the purchase in a statement late Sunday. Boeing says the acquisition’s equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt. Spirit, located in Wichita, Kansas, manufactures key parts for Boeing aircraft. Boeing previously owned Spirit and the aerospace company says bringing the supplier back into the Boeing fold would improve plane quality and safety, which has come under increasing scrutiny by regulators, Congress and airlines.
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