Biden’s support on Capitol Hill hangs in the balance as Democrats meet in private
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on Capitol Hill are meeting privately behind closed doors at an extraordinary moment for President Joe Biden’s candidacy. Tensions are running high over whether he should remain as the party’s nominee. House Democrats met early Tuesday at party headquarters – no cellphones, no leaks — just what party leaders billed as a “family” discussion. But one Democrat in the room said the mood was “dour.” Biden emphatically refuses to step aside over concerns about his age and ability to campaign and implored his party in a sharply worded letter to refocus instead on the threat posed by Republican Donald Trump.
Biden looks to make the case at the NATO summit that he is still up to the job of president
WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO leaders are gathering in Washington this week as the military alliance confronts the prospect of the return of NATO skeptic Donald Trump to the White House. The summit kicks off Tuesday and heads of state will work to shore up transatlantic support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia. But for host President Joe Biden, it’s just as much about demonstrating he’s capable of meeting the grinding demands of the presidency for four more years. The president said his work at the summit would be a good way to judge his continued ability to do the job. His reelection campaign has been in a tailspin following a stumbling June 27 debate performance against Trump.
Heavy Israeli bombardment in Gaza City forces medical facilities to close as thousands flee
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy Israeli bombardment is shaking Gaza City. Thousands of fleeing Palestinians are searching for shelter, and medical facilities have been forced to shut down. Separately, an apparent Israeli airstrike killed at least 19 people in southern Gaza, according to local health officials. Israel’s new ground assault in Gaza’s largest city is its latest effort to battle Hamas militants regrouping in areas the army previously said had been largely cleared. One fleeing resident says that “the buildings were destroyed. The roads were destroyed. All has become rubble.” Hamas has warned that the latest raids in Gaza City could lead to the collapse of negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release. The CIA director has met with Egypt’s president to discuss the negotiations.
Trump returns to campaign trail with VP deadline nearing amid calls for Biden to withdraw
MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is getting back on the campaign trail. He is rallying voters Tuesday at his flagship golf resort in the Miami suburb of Doral in a celebratory mood as Democrats face tough calls over President Joe Biden’s reelection chances. Trump is nearing a deadline of his own to announce his running mate but appears in no rush. Much of the attention is still centered on questions about Biden’s ability to govern for another four-year term after some Democrats started calling for him to step down as the nominee following his dismal debate performance.
NYC prosecutors intend to bring new sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein ahead of retrial
NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan prosecutors say they intend to bring new sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein as they anticipate a November retrial for the disgraced media mogul. An assistant district attorney said in court Tuesday that prosecutors are actively pursuing claims of rape that occurred in Manhattan within the statute of limitations. She said some potential survivors that were not ready to step forward during Weinstein’s first New York trial have indicated they are now willing to testify. But Weinstein’s lawyer complained the investigation was simply a delay tactic. The 72-year-old has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
Beryl leaves hot misery in the Houston area. It still threatens flooding on its path northward
HOUSTON (AP) — Officials say wide recovery efforts are underway after Hurricane Beryl left millions still without power as temperatures soar in Texas. Nim Kidd is the head of the state’s division of emergency management. He said at a news conference Tuesday with other state officials that restoring power is the No. 1 priority. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Texas. Emergency crews hope to have power restored to another 1 million people by the end of the day.
Former US Sen. Jim Inhofe, defense hawk who called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax,’ dies at 89
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma has died. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke during the July Fourth holiday and died Tuesday morning. Inhofe was a powerful fixture in state politics for decades. He doubted that climate change was caused by human activity, calling the theory “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” As Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator, he was a staunch supporter of the state’s military installations. He was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020 and stepped down in early 2023.
Appeals court orders release of woman whose murder conviction was reversed after 43 years in prison
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An appellate court has ordered the release of a Missouri woman whose murder conviction was overturned after 43 years in prison. But the state attorney general is still trying to keep her behind bars. A judge overturned Sandra Hemme’s conviction after finding what he called “clear and convincing” evidence that she’s actually innocent. Missouri’s attorney general has appealed, and the appeals court says Hemme must be freed while it reviews the case. Hemme is now 64 years old. The judge agreed with the Innocence Project that police in St. Joseph, Missouri, didn’t share evidence pointing to a fellow officer as the possible culprit.
A rare voice box transplant helped a cancer patient speak again, part of a pioneering study
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man can speak again after surgeons removed his cancerous voice box and replaced it with a donated one, a pioneering move. Marty Kedian is the third patient in the U.S. and the first with cancer to undergo a larynx transplant — and one of a handful worldwide. Kedian is part of a clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona that aims to expand the potentially lifechanging transplants for people who can’t breathe, swallow or speak on their own because of laryngeal injuries or cancer. Early results of the transplant were published Tuesday.
Daniil Medvedev beats Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon and faces defending champ Carlos Alcaraz next
LONDON (AP) — Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has been beaten in the Wimbledon quarterfinals by Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3. The fifth-seeded Medvedev’s victory Tuesday moved him into a semifinal against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. They also met in the final four at the All England Club last year, and Alcaraz won that one. Alcaraz advanced Tuesday by eliminating Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Sinner was treated by a trainer in the third set against Medvedev. It was not immediately clear what was wrong with the 22-year-old from Italy. Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open.
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