US official says Mideast mediators are preparing for implementation of cease-fire deal in advance
JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. official says mediators are preparing for a possible cease-fire and hostage-release deal in Gaza, in a sign that mediators believe an agreement to end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war might be imminent. The official spoke to reporters Friday on condition of anonymity in keeping with White House rules. The official said the proposal currently on the table basically bridges every gap between Israel and Hamas and mediators were making preparations before the final agreement was set. It was unclear what measures were being taken before the deal is approved, but the official said a new “implementation cell” was being established in Cairo in preparation. The cell would focus on the logistics of any agreement.
Ukrainian forces left a path of destruction on their march to the Russian town of Sudzha
SUDZHA, Russia (AP) — A trail of destruction lies in the path that Ukrainian forces carved on their risky incursion into Russia, blasting through the border and into the Russian town of Sudzha. Associated Press journalists traveled on Friday on a Ukrainian government-organized trip to the town. Artillery fire has blown chunks out of a statue of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin in a central square. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday the town was fully under his troops’ control. Ukrainian forces overran one Russian settlement after another in the surprise operation that Kyiv hopes will change the dynamic of the 2 ½-year-old conflict. Sudzha is the biggest town to fall since the attack began on Aug. 6.
Harris offers proposals to cut food and housing costs, trying to blunt Trump’s economic attacks
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a sweeping set of economic proposals meant to cut taxes and lower the cost of groceries, housing and other essentials for many Americans. She’s aiming to address the financial concerns that are at the top of the minds of voters and that Republican Donald Trump is attempting to blame on her. During a speech Friday in the battleground state of North Carolina, Harris said that “building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.” She endorsed a proposal for a federal ban on price gouging by food producers and grocers, and proposed $25,000 in down payment assistance for certain first-time homebuyers.
Bibles, cryptocurrency, Truth Social and gold bars: A look at Trump’s reported sources of income
Former President Donald Trump owns more than $1 million worth of cryptocurrency and up to $250,000 in gold bars along with the portfolio of golf courses and real estate properties that have made him a billionaire. That’s according to financial disclosures he filed that were released Thursday night as part of Trump’s Republican presidential bid. The more than 200 pages of paperwork give a limited picture of his money and investments. In accordance with federal law, most assets’ values are listed in a range. The document does not detail the former president’s business losses, making it impossible to determine how much of a profit any of his myriad holdings provides.
A gunshot, a murdered rival and a kidnapped drug lord: Mexico’s ruling party faces growing scandal
MEXICO CITY (AP) — It was surprising when Mexico’s most-wanted drug lord landed at an airfield near El Paso, Texas in July. But the story of how he got there is now growing into a scandal that threatens top figures in Mexico’s ruling party. It is a complex web involving the alleged abduction of drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the killing of a politician who allegedly lured him to a secret meeting where he was kidnapped and flown to the U.S., where he was arrested. The murdered politician was a fierce political rival of the governor of Sinaloa state, who has been a sort of point-man for President AndrĂ©s Manuel LĂłpez Obrador’s policy of not confronting drug cartels.
What to know about the US arrest of a Peruvian gang leader suspected of killing 23 people
A South American crime boss wanted in the killings of at least 23 people in Peru was captured this week in New York. It happened three months after U.S. immigration authorities arrested and then released of Gianfranco Torres-Navarro after he illegally entered the country at the Texas-Mexico border. The arrests Wednesday of Torres-Navarro and his girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna OrtĂz UbillĂşs, ended an international search that gripped Peru in the wake of violence attributed to Torres-Navarro and his “Los Killers” gang. Their capture also raised questions about why the notorious gang leader was allowed to stay in the U.S. after his initial brush with immigration authorities in May.
Hurricane Ernesto barrels toward Bermuda as wealthy British territory preps for storm
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto is charging toward Bermuda as officials on the tiny British territory in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean opened shelters and closed government offices. The Category 2 storm was located 125 miles, about 205 kilometers, south-southwest of Bermuda on Friday. It had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph — or 155 kph — and was moving northeast at 13 mph, or 20 kph. Ernesto’s large eye will likely be very near or over Bermuda on Saturday morning. Tropical storm conditions including strong winds and life-threatening floods began Friday and are expected to continue through Saturday night.
Now that mpox is a global health emergency, will it trigger another pandemic?
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreaks of mpox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency, requiring urgent action to curb the virus’ transmission. Sweden has since announced it had found the first case of a new form of mpox previously only seen in Africa, while other European health authorities warned more imported cases were likely. Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is spread primarily through close skin-to-skin contact with infected people or their soiled clothes or bedsheets.
What is ketamine, the drug involved in Matthew Perry’s death?
Ketamine is the drug involved in the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry and a powerful anesthetic approved by U.S. health regulators for use during surgery. It can be given as an intramuscular injection or by IV. The drug is a chemical cousin of the recreational drug PCP. Ketamine itself has been used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It can cause hallucinations and can impact breathing and the heart.
Michael Brown’s death transformed a nation and sparked a decade of American reckoning on race
Michael Brown has been dead for a decade. The Black teenager’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, prompted an eruption of protests in the suburban city and gave a boost to a then-nascent Black Lives Matter movement. It wasn’t just BLM, though, It was also Indigenous people defending water and land, Latino people opposing draconian immigration detention and deportation practices that ripped apart families, and Asian American activists pushing back on xenophobia. These movements have changed America democracy and culture and inspired multiracial activism. But a decade later, the wins, losses and potential future of racial justice in the U.S. are still in question.
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