US and Russia complete biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, freeing Gershkovich and Whelan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia have completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Michigan corporate security executive American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free. That’s according to officials Thursday in Turkey, where the exchange took place. The trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden placed securing the release of Americans held wrongfully overseas at the top of his foreign policy agenda for the six months before he leaves office.
Israel says it has confirmed that chief of Hamas’ military wing was killed in a July strike in Gaza
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has confirmed that the head of Hamas’ military wing was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. The announcement about Mohammed Deif comes a day after the assassination of Hamas’ political chief in an airstrike in Iran. The killings have left U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators scrambling to salvage talks for a cease-fire deal in Gaza, even as international officials try to avert an all-out regional war. Hamas had no immediate comment on Israel’s announcement of Deif’s death. The militant group had previously said he survived the airstrike.
For Iran and Hezbollah, calibrating response to Israeli strikes leaves no room for error
BEIRUT (AP) — Two back-to-back strikes in Beirut and Tehran targeted high-ranking figures in Hezbollah and Hamas and have been attributed to Israel. The attacks have left Hezbollah and Iran in a quandary. Analysts agree that both strikes hit too close to home to pass without a response. Calibrating that response to restore deterrence without sparking an even more damaging escalation may be the most delicate balancing act in nearly a year of teetering on the brink of a regional war.
British prime minister announces police unit to deal with violent clashes after stabbings
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will set a national policing unit to crack down on violent protesters after clashes with police across England on the past two nights. Starmer condemned the violence and said, “We will put a stop to it.” The announcement came after police were pelted with bottles in several cities by what Starmer called “marauding mobs” who apparently were reacting to a horrific stabbing Monday at a children’s dance class that killed three and wounded 10. The attack at a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and vexing problem, though mass stabbings are rare.
What polling shows about the top VP contenders for Kamala Harris
As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to announce her running mate, a poll finds several of the top contenders are largely unknown to voters. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey was conducted after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race and Harris became the likely Democratic presidential nominee. The poll highlights the strengths and weaknesses different politicians could bring to the ticket. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly stands out as a prospect who has more name recognition and higher favorability. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and others are less known nationally but could draw on a deeper well of support in their home states.
Trump ramps up his defense of Vance after one of the rockiest VP rollouts in recent memory
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is in the rare position of having to defend someone else’s controversial comments. Trump said Wednesday running mate JD Vance is “strongly family-oriented” when asked repeatedly to explain Vance’s history of criticizing childless Americans. Trump’s latest defense of his vice presidential pick came more than two weeks after he announced Vance’s selection. Since the announcement, Trump’s team has been confronted with multiple reports of the Ohio senator’s controversial statements that have made his rollout among the most turbulent in recent history. A senior Trump adviser says there has been “zero conversation” about replacing Vance as his running mate.
Donald Trump’s gag order remains in effect after hush money conviction, New York appeals court rules
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court has denied Donald Trump’s bid to end a gag order in his hush money criminal case, rejecting the Republican former president’s argument that his May conviction “constitutes a change in circumstances” that warrants lifting the restrictions. A five-judge panel in the state’s mid-level appellate court ruled that the trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, was correct in extending parts of the gag order until Trump is sentenced, writing that “the fair administration of justice necessarily includes sentencing.” Merchan imposed the gag order in March after prosecutors raised concerns about Trump’s habit of attacking people involved in his cases. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
As India grows older, a secret shame emerges: Elders abandoned by their children
GARHMUKTESHWAR, India (AP) — In its traditions, in its religious tenets and in its laws, India has long cemented the belief that it is a child’s duty to care for his aging parents. But in a land known for revering its elderly, a secret shame has emerged: A burgeoning population of older people abandoned by their own families. Though there is no reliable count of how large the population of abandoned elders is, shelters have sprouted up in cities across the world’s most populous country. The shelters are struggling to accommodate a swell of exiles. Though India has experienced decades of phenomenal growth, economics are a major driver of abandonment. Most older people in India do not receive a pension, government assistance or health insurance and families are often looked to for support.
Inmate sentenced to more than 4 years in prison killing of Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — An inmate has been sentenced to more than four years in connection with the 2018 prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. Paul J. DeCologero was sentenced Thursday. He was accused of being a lookout while another inmate hit the 89-year-old Bulger in the head with a lock attached to a belt while Bulger was in his cell at a troubled West Virginia prison. Bulger was killed hours after he arrived from a Florida prison.
Paris Olympics sweetheart: Rugby player Ilona Maher promotes body positivity through social media
PARIS (AP) — Ilona Maher is America’s rugby-playing social media sweetheart. A day after helping the United States win its first Olympic rugby sevens medal, she walked onto the terrace of Team USA House carrying a sandwich and had the bronze medal hanging around her neck. In between a rapid-fire media rotation, she squeezed in bites of her snack and reapplied her trademark red lipstick. It was authentic Maher, who uses the platform she’s built to promote body positivity and the sport she loves, all while insisting women who run, tackle and throw stiff arms can still be feminine.
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