Venezuela’s Maduro and opposition are locked in standoff as both claim victory in presidential vote
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition and President Nicolas Maduro’s government are locked in a high-stakes standoff as each side claims victory in a presidential vote that millions in the long-suffering nation saw as their best shot to end 25 years of single-party rule. Several foreign governments, including the U.S., held off recognizing the results of Sunday’s election. Officials delayed releasing detailed vote tallies after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, to 44% for retired diplomat Edmundo González. On the streets of Caracas, a mix of anger, tears and loud pot banging greeted the announcement of results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli strike kills 2 in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media say
Lebanon’s state-run news agency says Israeli strikes killed two people and injured three others in southern Lebanon early Monday. It came as Israel weighs its response to a rocket attack from Lebanon over the weekend that killed 12 youths in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights. The new strikes did not appear to be Israel’s widely expected response to the deadly weekend attack as concerns continue about a broader regional war. Cross-border fighting between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah has occurred almost daily since the war in Gaza began in October. Netanyahu has visited the site of the rocket attack, but some residents protested.
Biden unveils plan for Supreme Court changes, says US stands at ‘breach’ as public confidence sinks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris says the proposal President Joe Biden has unveiled for changes to the U.S. Supreme Court would help restore confidence in the court. The Democratic president is calling on Congress to establish term limits and an ethics code for the court’s nine justices. Biden also is pressing lawmakers to ratify a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity. The White House detailed the contours of Biden’s court plan Monday. But the proposal appears to have little chance of being approved by a closely divided Congress with just 99 days to go before Election Day. Biden is expected to speak about his proposal Monday at the LBJ Presidential Library in Texas.
Trump and Harris enter 99-day sprint to decide an election that has suddenly transformed
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability loomed over the presidential election. But now, just 99 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape with new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties. Vice President Kamala Harris is smashing fundraising records, taking over social media and generating levels of excitement not seen since former President Barack Obama’s historic candidacy. On the other side, Republicans are fearful and frustrated as they struggle to accept the new reality that Donald Trump’s victory is no sure thing. The incredible speed with which the election was transformed over the last week is a stark reminder that, in the Trump era, little is certain and the conventional wisdom is often wrong.
California firefighters make progress as wildfires push devastation and spread smoke across US West
FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters have made progress in the battle against wildfires covering massive areas and leaving a trail of damage in the western United States. The Park Fire in California had scorched an area greater than Los Angeles and was one of more than 100 blazes burning in the U.S. Sunday. Some were sparked by the weather during blistering heat and bone-dry conditions. A man accused of setting the Park Fire is due in court Monday. Firefighters increased containment to 12% on Saturday, aided by cooler temperatures and more humidity. About 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate because of a fire sweeping through Southern California’s Sequoia National Forest. Air quality alerts have been issued for Monday in the northwestern U.S. and western Canada.
Ten years on, many Yazidis uprooted by Islamic State onslaught struggle to find stable homes
SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — Ten years ago, Islamic State militants launched an onslaught on villages and towns of the Yazidi religious community in northern Iraq. Thousands were killed or captured — including women and girls subjected to human trafficking and sexual abuse. As the anniversary of the onslaught arrives, tens of thousands of Yazidis face a tough choice: Remain in displacement camps that — for all their harshness — they’ve called home for many years. Or return to hometowns that many say remain unsafe. A government order to clear out the displacement camps adds new urgency to the decision-making.
Thousands in Ukraine honor soldiers killed in blast and urge government to get prisoners freed
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians are urging their government to do more to get Russia to release prisoners of war. They voiced their anger on Sunday at a ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of an explosion that killed more than 50. Several thousand soldiers and civilians gathered at Kyiv’s Independence Square. It was the second anniversary of an explosion that killed more than 50 Ukrainians Russia held in the Olenivka prison barracks. Speakers at the solemn ceremony urged the Ukrainian government to work harder to get the soldiers freed in a prisoner exchange. The Olenivka explosion was one of the most painful pages in the war, according to many soldiers.
Infants’ tongue-tie may be overdiagnosed and needlessly treated, American Academy of Pediatrics says
NEW YORK (AP) — A prominent doctors’ group worries that a condition in infants that can affect breastfeeding known as tongue-tie is being overdiagnosed in the U.S. and too often treated with unnecessary surgery. The American Academy of Pediatrics is the latest and largest medical society to sound an alarm about the increasing use of scissors or lasers to cut away some infants’ tongue tissue when breastfeeding is difficult. The academy’s new report was released Monday. It encourages pediatricians and other medical professionals to consider nonsurgical options for ankyloglossia. The report cites a study that suggests less than half of the kids with the characteristics of tongue-tie actually have trouble breastfeeding.
Vandalism hits communication lines in France during Paris Olympics
PARIS (AP) — The French government says multiple telecommunications lines have been hit by acts of vandalism, affecting fiber lines and fixed and mobile phone lines as cities around France are hosting events for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The scale of the impact is unclear, as is whether it has affected any Olympic activities. The vandalism came after arson attacks hit train networks around France on Friday, hours before the Olympics opening ceremony. Marina Ferrari, secretary of state in charge of digital affairs, posted on X that damage in several regions overnight Sunday to Monday affected telecommunications operators. She says that led to localized impact on access to fiber lines and fixed and mobile telephone lines.
Paris Olympics Day 2: Simone Biles and LeBron James shine as Americans step up at the Games
PARIS (AP) — On the first sunny day of the Paris Olympics, the stars from the United States shined bright. Simone Biles and LeBron James dazzled, so did the U.S. women’s soccer team. Torri Huske grabbed some of the spotlight, and Haley Batten made a name for herself by earning a silver medal in mountain biking for the best finish ever by an American rider. Although it was French swimmer Léon Marchand who received the most boisterous cheers in crushing the field to win gold in the men’s 400-meter individual medley, the U.S. had a strong Sunday on Day 2 of the Games.
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