US opens investigation into Delta after global tech meltdown leads to massive cancellations
U.S. airline regulators have opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines, which is still struggling to restore operations on Tuesday, more than four full days after a faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide and disrupted global air travel. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Delta investigation on the X social media platform Tuesday morning “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.” As of Tuesday morning, Delta had an outsized portion of canceled flights. Of the 654 total cancellations of flights within, into or out of the U.S. Delta had 440 of them.
Colombian bullfighters decry new ban on the centuries-old tradition and vow to keep it alive
CHOACHI, Colombia (AP) — Sebastián Caqueza says that a new law to ban bullfighting in Colombia in three years will not dampen his passion for the tradition that he has been practicing since has was a small boy. Caqueza became a professional matador five years ago by taunting a fully grown bull for about 20 minutes and killing it with his sword. Now, the 33-year-old says he will struggle to make a living as a bullfighter, but vows to do his best to stay in the centuries-old tradition. He says he will continue to participate in bullfighting outside of Colombia. And once it becomes illegal in Colombia, he says supporters will continue to stage the events, because “this is our passion and our life.”
Wildfires near Canada’s Jasper National Park prompt evacuation order
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Multiple wildfires have flared up in the Canadian Rockies’ largest national park, forcing visitors along with thousands of residents to evacuate and flee west over mountain roads through darkness, soot, and ash, following a government alert. Photos and videos shared on social media overnight Monday through Tuesday showed a midnight cavalcade of bumper-to-bumper cars and trucks, headlights on, red tail lights glowing, cars inching, stopping, starting, crawling through swirling tendrils of acrid smoke, all trying to get out of Jasper National Park and the Jasper townsite — home to 4,700 residents. The park — in the province of Alberta — is popular among tourists and known for its campgrounds and extensive trail networks.
Jon Stewart pushes VA to help veterans sickened after post-9/11 exposure to uranium
WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Jon Stewart is pressing the Biden administration to fix a loophole in a massive veterans aid bill that has left out some of the very first troops who responded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. They got sick after deploying to a former Soviet base near Afghanistan that was contaminated with high levels of uranium. To understand what the troops were exposed at Karshi-Khanabad, Uzbekistan, or “K2,” Stewart told The Associated Press to “imagine you’re stationed inside the meth lab on ‘Breaking Bad.’” But radiation-related illnesses at K2 weren’t covered by legislation that made care easier to get for millions of veterans exposed to contaminants during the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicts.
Google makes abrupt U-turn by dropping plan to remove ad-tracking cookies on Chrome browser
LONDON (AP) — Google is dropping plans to eliminate cookies from its Chrome web browser, making a sudden U-turn on four years of work to phase out the technology that tracks users for ad purposes. The company had been working on retiring so-called third-party cookies, which are snippets of code that log user info, as part of on overhaul to tighten up privacy on Chrome. But its proposal, known as Privacy Sandbox, had shaken up the online advertising industry over fears that any replacement would leave even less room for online ad rivals. In a blog post on Monday, Google said it decided to abandon the plan after taking into account the impact on publishers, advertisers and “everyone involved in online advertising.”
Calls for Maya Rudolph to reprise her Kamala Harris on ‘SNL’ are flooding social media
NEW YORK (AP) — Will Maya Rudolph’s “funt,” aka Vice President Kamala Harris, be back on “Saturday Night Live?” Speculation has been running hot since Sunday, when President Joe Biden dropped his election news. But Rudolph, an “SNL” alum, is a busy actor these days. She earned four Emmy nominations last week for three different projects. Rudolph played Harris several times as a guest on “SNL” in 2019, during the 2020 presidential election cycle. She won an Emmy for one of her appearances. The 50th season of “SNL” begins Sept. 28. A request for comment from Rudolph’s representative wasn’t immediately returned Monday. An NBC spokesperson says discussions of her returning to “SNL” are premature because the show is on hiatus.
Wembanyama returns home for Olympics. The basketball star will be one of Paris’ biggest attractions
PARIS (AP) — Athletes have a hard time standing out in a Paris cultural sphere driven largely by food, fashion and the arts. Victor Wembanyama may be its first sports star to change that dynamic. The 7-foot-4 basketball phenom made his games appointment viewing as an NBA rookie this past season, boosting his already growing global brand. Now the 20-year-old is returning home for the Paris Olympics as by far the biggest name in his country’s entire delegation.
Horses take to the air with passports and carryons ahead of equestrian eventing at Paris Olympics
PARIS (AP) — The horses on the U.S. eventing team began their journey to France for the Paris Olympics from a farm in Pennsylvania. They went to JFK airport last Wednesday to board an eight-hour flight to Luxembourg. The following afternoon the horses went by lorry to their pre-Olympic base camp in Vittel, located about four hours outside of Paris. Having rested, shaken off jet lag and done some gentle trotting they will arrive in the regal gardens of Versailles Palace for their Olympic check-in on Wednesday. Eventing competition gets underway Saturday with team and individual dressage.
Eminem brings Taylor Swift’s historic reign at No. 1 to an end, Stevie Wonder’s record stays intact
Eminem’s 12th studio album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, unseating Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” after 12 weeks. Swift beat the previous record held by Whitney Houston’s “Whitney” album. It spent its first 11 weeks at No. 1. Swift tied Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” which also debuted at No. 1 and stayed there for 12 consecutive weeks. But Stevie Wonder’s 1976 masterpiece, “Songs in the Key of Life,” which spent 13 weeks at No. 1 after debuting in the top spot, holds the record.
As doctors leave Puerto Rico in droves, a rapper tries to fill the gaps
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico has lost thousands of its doctors in the past decade, many having fled to the U.S. mainland for better pay. The island’s health care system is grappling with severe understaffing and power outages, and the flight of workers seeking better wages is expected to worsen. That’s why one doctor, Pedro Juan Vázquez, who is better known by his stage name PJ Sin Suela, is trying to fill the gaps. He has been treating patients during the day and performing his rap sets at night, singing about the many challenges Puerto Ricans on the island face.
