Democrats in Congress are torn between backing Biden for president and sounding the alarm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate demeanor last week has reverberated across the Democratic Party. It is forcing lawmakers to grapple with a potential crisis that could reach beyond the results of the presidential election. The Democratic president has signaled he has no intention of dropping out of the race against Republican Donald Trump, despite the halting and uneven debate delivery that threw a spotlight on questions about Biden’s age and capacity to be president. Some Democrats in Congress are raising concern over Biden’s ability to show voters he is up to the job. Others are standing firmly behind the 81-year-old president.
Trump revels in legal and political wins while Biden’s campaign reels from their debate
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump typically likes to be the one in the spotlight. But in the days since President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, the presumptive Republican nominee has kept a low profile, leaving the focus on the drama engulfing the Democratic Party. The strategy comes as Trump and his campaign revel in a series of legal and political victories heading into the Republican National convention this month. Those victories include a Supreme Court ruling Monday that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution and a ruling Tuesday by the judge in Trump’s New York criminal hush money trial to delay his sentencing, which had been scheduled for next week.
Israel turbocharges West Bank settlement expansion with largest land grab in decades
JERUSALEM (AP) — A settlement tracking group says Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades. Peace Now said Wednesday that authorities recently approved the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers (nearly 5 square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley. The group’s data indicate it is the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo accords at the start of the peace process. The Palestinians view the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank as the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement and most of the international community views them as illegitimate. Israel’s government considers the West Bank to be the historical and religious heartland of the Jewish people and is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
How did a religious gathering in India turn into a deadly stampede?
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — More than 120 people died in a stampede after a religious gathering in northern India on Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest such accidents in recent years. Authorities are investigating. The stampede is believed to have erupted as the event led by a Hindu guru was ending. Authorities believe massive overcrowding, insufficient exits, bad weather and other factors may have contributed to the high death toll. Some 250,000 people turned up for the event, which was permitted for 80,000 and held in a tent in a muddy field. It’s not clear how many were inside the tent.
Why mass shootings and violence increase in the summer
Violence and mass shootings often surge in the summer months. That’s especially true around the Fourth of July. It’s usually one of the deadliest days of the year. The Gun Violence Archive tracks mass shootings and shows June, July, and August have had the highest total number over the past decade. Independence Day tops the list with 58 mass shootings over the last 10 years. Researchers point to a combination of factors that have caused the summer months to see an increase historically in violence and shootings. They say the reasons include more social events, teens out of school and hotter temperatures.
Ominous history for Biden: Incumbents trying to win over their parties often struggle to win again
ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Party leaders are publicly standing by President Joe Biden after a disjointed debate performance. But there’s plenty of private worry about whether the 81-year-old president is up to the job itself or the task of defeating Republican former President Donald Trump. Presidential campaign history offers Democrats lessons to consult. But none offer reasons for optimism. Presidents who still had to shore up their own party support and enthusiasm in an election year invariably did not win second terms. George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford all faced significant primary challenges and lost. Biden had no such challenge. But Lyndon Johnson faced falling popularity and opted in 1968 not to run. Democrats lost anyway.
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have identified a giant salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs that likely ruled waters 280 million years ago. The creature existed before the dinosaurs and likely used its wide, flat head to suck in prey. Findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Researchers study such creatures to understand the origins of tetrapods, four-legged animals that clambered onto land with fingers instead of fins and evolved to birds, amphibians and humans. The discovery was in what’s now Namibia in Africa. That area was once encrusted with glaciers and ice, hinting that tetrapods thrived in colder climates much earlier than previously thought.
To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species
U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls in coming decades. Their goal is to help spotted owls, which are being crowded out by barred owls from the eastern U.S. Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting the forests where they live. But officials say the proliferation of barred owls in recent years is undermining that earlier work and putting spotted owls on the path to potential extinction. The notion of killing one bird species to save another has divided wildlife advocates and conservationists.
From ‘latte makeup’ to ‘girl dinners,’ TikTok has launched tons of trends. Will its influence last?
NEW YORK (AP) — TikTok and its bite-sized videos arrived in the United States as a global version of the Chinese app Douyin. Less than six years later, the social media platform is deeply woven into the fabric of American consumerism, having shortened the shelf life of trends and revamped how people engage with food and fashion. The popularity of TikTok coupled with its roots in Beijing led Congress, citing national security concerns, to pass a law that would ban the video-sharing app unless its Chinese parent company sells its stake. Both the company, ByteDance, and TikTok have sued on First Amendment grounds. But while the platform faces uncertain times, its influence remains undisputed and for now, arguably unrivaled.
LeBron James agrees to a 2-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, AP source says
LeBron James is making it official: He’s coming back for a record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, one where the league’s all-time scoring leader could share the floor with his son Bronny as teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. James has agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Lakers, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Wednesday. The second year of the deal is at James’ option and means he could become a free agent again next summer, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced publicly.
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