Biden at 81: Often sharp and focused but sometimes confused and forgetful
WASHINGTON (AP) — Behind closed doors, in the Oval Office, on Air Force One or in meetings around the world, many people describe President Joe Biden in the same dual way. He is often very sharp and focused. But he also has moments, particularly later in the evening, when his thoughts seem jumbled and he trails off mid-sentence or seems confused, and he doesn’t grasp the finer points of some foreign policy details. The president is 81. And that he would be less sharp than he once was is not surprising. But these moments have taken on a fresh resonance following Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
Israel weighs Hamas’ latest response to Gaza cease-fire proposal as diplomatic efforts are revived
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet is to convene to discuss Hamas’ latest response to a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire in Gaza. Diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the nine-month war stirred back to life after a weekslong hiatus as the Palestinian death toll soared past 38,000. That’s according to Gaza health officials on Thursday. Fighting, meanwhile, intensified between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, with the militant group saying it fired more than 200 rockets and exploding drones into northern Israel to avenge the killing of a senior commander in an Israeli airstrike the day before. Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire between Hamas — a fellow Iran-backed ally — and Israel.
Fires have become the most visible sign of the conflict heating up on the Lebanon-Israel border
CHEBAA, Lebanon (AP) — With cease-fire talks faltering in Gaza and no clear offramp for the conflict on the Lebanon-Israel border, the daily exchanges of strikes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have sparked fires that are tearing through forests and farmland on both sides of the frontline. The blazes are exacerbated by supply shortages and security concerns. Fire have consumed thousands of hectares of land in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, becoming one of the most visible signs of the escalating conflict. There is an increasingly real possibility of a full-scale war that would have catastrophic consequences for people on both sides of the border. Some fear the fires sparked by a larger conflict would also cause irreversible damage to the land.
Labour is hopeful and Conservatives morose as voters deliver their verdict on UK’s election day
LONDON (AP) — British voters are picking a new government in a parliamentary election Thursday that is widely expected to bring the opposition Labour Party to power. A jaded electorate is delivering its verdict on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010. Polls opened at 7 a.m. in 40,000 polling stations in a vast variety of locales _ including church halls, a laundromat and a crematorium. Hundreds of communities are locked in tight contests in which traditional party loyalties come second to more immediate concerns about the economy, crumbling infrastructure and the National Health Service.
France’s government spokesperson is attacked on the campaign trail, days before decisive election
PARIS (AP) — Several candidates have reported being attacked on the campaign trail in the final stretch before a high-stakes French legislative election. They include French government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot, who was assaulted by a group of people on Wednesday evening while putting up election posters near Paris. Prosecutors said Thursday they have opened an investigation but provided no indication of the motivation for the attack. Candidates have complained of both verbal and physical violence in the torrid and polarizing campaign.
Hurricane Beryl roars toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Beryl ripped off roofs in Jamaica, jumbled fishing boats in Barbados and damaged or destroyed 95% of homes on a pair of islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before rumbling toward the Cayman Islands and taking aim at Mexico’s Caribbean coast with at least seven dead in its wake. What had been the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic has weakened to a Category 3, but remained a major hurricane. Its eye was forecast to pass just south of the Cayman Islands overnight. Mexico’s popular Caribbean coast prepared shelters, evacuated some small outlying coastal communities and even moved sea turtle eggs off beaches threatened by storm surge.
Indian mother delivers baby on boat as her river island is inundated by floodwaters
MORIGAON, India (AP) — A blue tarp covered a mother and her newborn daughter from the incessant rain on their boat journey. Jahanara Khatoon had just given birth on the boat on their way to a healthcare center, surrounded by the raging floodwaters of the Brahmaputra River. She and her husband had left their home on Phuliamari Char, one of the islands in the river, after it was inundated by floodwaters. Increased rainfall in the region blamed on climate change has made the river — already known for its powerful, unpredictable flow — even more dangerous for those who live near it. India, and Assam state in particular, is seen as one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change.
The questions about Biden’s age and fitness are reminiscent of another campaign: Reagan’s in 1984
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan answered the age question with a clever joke that reset his campaign from a stumbling debate performance to a 49-state landslide and a second term. The wobbles came during his first debate with Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale. Two weeks later, the opponents returned to the debate stage and Reagan, the oldest president in history until President Joe Biden took that title, got his moment. He said: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” The 81-year-old Biden is hoping to bounce back after a disastrous debate against 78-year-old Republican Donald Trump.
Americans to celebrate Fourth of July with parades, cookouts — and lots of fireworks
All signs point to big celebrations for Americans this Fourth of July even as sizzling temperatures are triggering heat warnings for millions. Travel records are projected to fall as people gather for cookouts, parades and fireworks. Some unique celebrations are also planned. In Down East, Maine, lobster boat races will be held off. In Philadelphia, descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence will ring the Liberty Bell. An annual tug-of-war contest is being held in California. And, of course, there’s the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island, New York.
With Taylor Swift heading to Germany, one city has taken her name — at least for a few weeks
BERLIN (AP) — The Swifties are about to take over the German city formerly known as Gelsenkirchen, where American superstar Taylor Swift is set to give three Eras Tour concerts later this month. In honor of the singer, the city has renamed itself “Swiftkirchen” — at least temporarily — to welcome the tens of thousands of fans who are expected to come for her shows on July 17, 18 and 19, German news agency dpa reported. German news agency dpa reported that a yellow city sign with the new name was unveiled Tuesday by Swift fan Aleshanee Westhoff, who suggested the name change to the mayor a few weeks ago and started a petition.
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