Biden rejects independent medical evaluation in ABC interview as he fights to stay in race
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden, fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, said his disastrous debate performance last week was a “bad episode” and there were “no indications of any serious condition” in a highly anticipated interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. He repeatedly rejected taking an independent medical evaluation that would show voters he is up for serving another term in office. Yet Biden’s rigorous efforts to course correct from his debate performance were not yet quelling internal party frustrations. One influential Democratic senator is working on a nascent push that would encourage the president to exit the race. Biden told reporters earlier Friday that he is “completely” ruling out quitting the race.
What we learned from the UK’s general election that will shape politics over the coming years
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has its first change in government in 14 years after the Labour Party won a resounding victory in a general election. It is the Conservative Party’s biggest defeat ever. The new government faces huge challenges, including fixing the country’s sluggish economic and social malaise resulting in part from the U.K’s exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and several Conservative Party scandals. Among the things that we have learned from this election: the country’s two main parties are not as dominant as they used to be; no election has seen this many Cabinet ministers lose their seats in Parliament; Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza has lost it votes; and Labour is back in favor in Scotland.
Beryl moves over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as Texas officials urge coastal residents to prepare
TULUM, Mexico (AP) — Beryl is leaving Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after battering the resort of Tulum and is emerging into the Gulf of Mexico. That prompted Texas officials to urge coastal residents to prepare. The U.S. National Hurricane Center expects the storm to regain strength in the warm waters of the Gulf and hit south Texas by late Sunday or early Monday. Beryl hit Tulum as a Category 2 hurricane and toppled trees and knocked out power, but caused no injuries or deaths. It then weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula. Some Texas counties have already issued voluntary evacuation orders in low-lying areas.
US says troops are leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military commander in Niger says all American forces and equipment will leave a small base in the West African country this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will be out of a critical drone base in August. The departures come ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline set in an agreement with the new ruling junta. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said Friday a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. The bulk of the other forces will go, at least initially, to Europe. Ekman spoke in an interview from the U.S. embassy in Niamey.
Trump denies knowing about Project 2025, his allies’ sweeping plan to transform the US government
MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is seeking to distance himself from a plan for a massive overhaul of the federal government drafted by some of his former administration officials. Some of those men are expected to take high-level roles if the Republican presumptive presidential nominee is elected back into the White House. Trump says on social media he “knew nothing about Project 2025.” Trump’s attempt to disassociate himself from the plan comes after the head of the conservative think tank spearheading it said the country was in the midst of a “second American Revolution” that will be bloodless “if the left allows it to be.”
July Fourth violence nationwide kills at least 33, Chicago ‘in state of grief,’ mayor says
Shootings and other violence during the extended Fourth of July weekend have left at least 33 people dead and injured dozens more nationwide. In Chicago alone, police say at least 11 people have been killed and 55 have been wounded so far. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city is “in a state of grief.” Violence also prompted officials in Chicago to close a beach early throughout the weekend. In Huntington Beach, California, two people were killed and three others injured in an Independence Day attack after a fireworks show ended. And in Philadelphia, a drive-by shooting left a 19-year-old man dead.
Iran holds runoff presidential vote pitting hard-liner against reformist after record low turnout
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has held a runoff presidential election pitting a hard-line former nuclear negotiator against a reformist lawmaker. Both men had struggled Friday to convince a skeptical public to cast ballots in the first round of voting that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Initial results early Saturday put reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of hard-liner Saeed Jalili, though it wasn’t clear how many people voted in the contest. Mohsen Eslami, an election spokesman, said Pezeshkian had 8.6 million votes, leading Jalili’s 7.5 million. He gave no total turnout figure as counting continued through the night.
Israeli strikes kill 6 in Gaza, including kids and UN worker, as truce talks show signs of progress
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Separate Israeli airstrikes have killed at least six people in central Gaza, including two children at a home and at least one person wearing a United Nations uniform. Palestinian hospital officials and first responders have reported the deaths as stalled cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas show signs of renewed momentum. Violence also flared Friday in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian health officials say Israeli forces killed seven people in a raid and an airstrike. And on the Israel-Lebanon border, Israel’s army said rockets fired by the militant group Hezbollah lightly wounded two Israeli soldiers. Concerns are growing that these low-level clashes could escalate into a wider regional war.
A bench and a grandmother’s ear: Zimbabwe’s novel mental health therapy spreads overseas
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Zimbabwe, talk therapy involving park benches and a network of grandmothers has become a saving grace for people with mental health issues. Now the concept is being adopted in parts of the United States and elsewhere. Zimbabwe has scarce clinical mental health resources. The Friendship Bench was started by a local psychiatrist. Grandmothers from the community are equipped with basic training in problem-solving therapy and have become trusted listeners. It’s inspired by traditional practice in which grandmothers were the go-to people for wisdom in rough times.
Vatican excommunicates a former ambassador to the US and declares him guilty of schism
ROME (AP) — The Vatican has excommunicated its former ambassador to the United States after finding him guilty of schism. It was an inevitable outcome for Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a conservative who became one of Pope Francis’ most ardent critics. The Vatican said on Friday that its doctrine office imposed the penalty after a meeting of its members. It cited what it called Vigano’s “refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council.”
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