A strike from Lebanon killed 12 youths. Could that spark war between Israel and Hezbollah?
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Middle East is bracing for a potential flare-up in violence after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. It killed 12 children and teens in what the Israeli military called the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. The strike raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has denied a role in the attack. Any conflict could bring in Iran, which warned Israel that a strong reaction will lead to “unprecedented consequences.” Saturday’s attack came at a sensitive time. Israel and Hamas are negotiating a cease-fire proposal for Gaza.
Kamala Harris has America focused on multiracial identity
President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the White House race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris upended an election year that was already bitter and partisan. It’s not just Harris’s late entry. It’s also the history to be made should she become the first female president who is also multiracial. The daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, Harris is making an historic presidential bid. She has again put a spotlight on American identity politics and the growing number of people who say they are multiracial. Nine million people identified as multiracial in 2010. When Harris ran for VP in 2020, 33.8 million people in the U.S. identified as being more than one race.
Harris raised $200M in first week of White House campaign and signed up 170,000 volunteers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the likely Democratic presidential nominee last week. The campaign announced the eyepopping fundraising total on Sunday for Harris, saying about 66% of the donations come from first-time contributors in the 2024 election cycle. Over 170,000 volunteers also have signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts. Election Day is 100 days away. Campaign communications director Michael Tyler says Harris has momentum, but ultimately the election will be decided by “a small number of voters in just a few states.”
Senate candidate Bernie Moreno campaigns as an outsider. His wealthy family is politically connected
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno of Ohio likes to portray himself as a political outsider in his race against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. But while Moreno’s personal backstory may only be emerging in his home state, his close-knit family’s wealth and influence are well-documented elsewhere. Moreno’s father was a high government official in Colombia. His mother was a successful Florida real estate broker. Among Moreno’s six siblings are a powerful former political adviser and diplomat and an important Colombian businessman. Moreno’s cousin led Colombia’s national infrastructure agency until getting entangled in a corruption scandal and returning to the United States.
Venezuelan election could lead to a seismic shift in politics or give President Maduro 6 more years
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans are voting in a presidential election whose outcome will either lead to a seismic shift in politics or extend by six more years the policies that caused the world’s worst peacetime economic collapse. Whether it is President Nicolás Maduro who is chosen or his main opponent, former diplomat Edmundo González, Sunday’s election will have ripple effects throughout the Americas. That’s because government opponents and supporters alike have signaled their interest in emigrating if Maduro wins the election. More than 7.7 million people have already left the country. An estimated 17 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote.
Blood tests for Alzheimer’s may be coming to your doctor’s office. Here’s what to know
WASHINGTON (AP) — New research suggests certain blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately. Confirming if someone’s memory problems really are caused by Alzheimer’s requires a brain scan or spinal tap to spot one culprit, sticky amyloid protein. Labs are offering tests to find clues in blood instead but they’re not yet widely used because it’s hard for doctors to tell which ones really work. A Swedish study found a certain test helped improve diagnosis without more costly follow-up procedures. Sunday’s findings, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, mark a step toward more use of blood testing.
Can tech help solve the Los Angeles homeless crisis? Finding shelter may someday be a click away
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Can tech help solve Southern California’s homeless crisis? A Los Angeles nonprofit is developing software intended to revolutionize shelter and services in the nation’s epicenter of homelessness. Despite billions in spending, efforts to get people off the streets are being slowed by inefficient, outdated computer systems that often don’t work together and can contain error-ridden data. Better Angels United, founded by tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Adam Miller, has a team of tech experts building a mobile-friendly prototype for outreach workers. It is to be followed by systems for shelter operators and a comprehensive shelter bed database the region now lacks.
Lawmakers from 6 countries say Beijing is pressuring them not to attend summit in Taiwan
BEIJING (AP) — Lawmakers from at least six countries say Chinese diplomats are pressuring them not to attend a China-focused summit in Taiwan. Politicians in Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and one other Asian country that declined to be named, told The Associated Press they are getting texts, calls and urgent requests for meetings that would conflict with their plans to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance conference, in what they describe as efforts to isolate the self-governed island. The IPAC, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing, is set to start the summit on Monday in Taiwan and has long faced pressure from the Chinese government.
Thousands battle Western wildfires as smoke puts millions under air quality alerts
FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Wildfires across the western United States and Canada have put millions of people under air quality alerts, as thousands of firefighters battle the flames, including the largest wildfire in California this year. The so-called Park Fire had scorched more than 550 square miles of land in inland Northern California as of Sunday, darkening the sky with smoke and haze and contributing to poor air quality in a large swath of the Northwestern U.S. and western Canada. Although the sprawling blaze is only 12% contained, cooler temperatures and increased humidity over the next few days could help crews battle the fire, which has drawn comparisons to the 2018 Camp Fire that tore through the nearby community of Paradise.
Rafael Nadal wins in Olympic singles and will play rival Novak Djokovic next
PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal made a last-minute decision to play singles at the Paris Olympics and won his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Sunday’s victory by Nadal sets up a blockbuster showdown against rival Novak Djokovic. Nadal was greeted by a standing ovation from spectators, many of whom used cameras on their phones to capture the moment when he strode into Court Philippe Chatrier. That’s the same stadium where he has captured his record 14 French Open titles. There is a statue of Nadal outside, and fans gathered around it Sunday morning, when it was still unclear whether the 38-year-old Spaniard would be competing in the afternoon.
