Democrats will honor Biden while pivoting to Harris on first day of convention
(AP) — A refreshed Democratic Party is gathering for a valedictory speech from President Joe Biden, whose decision to end his reelection bid released newfound energy with Vice President Kamala Harris′ rise to the top of the ticket. The Democratic National Convention that began Monday in Chicago holds particularly high stakes for the party. If successful, Democrats will slingshot Harris toward a faceoff with Republican Donald Trump. Harris made an unannounced appearance onstage Monday evening to preview Biden’s speech later in the program. She said: <“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you’ll continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.”>
Some protesters tear down security fence as thousands march outside Democratic National Convention
(AP) — Dozens of protesters broke through a security fence near the site of the Democratic National Convention on its opening day as thousands took to the streets to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza. Families with babies in strollers, students, elected leaders and others holding signs and flags joined the march on Monday to the United Center, where the convention is being held, to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. As the larger group marched peacefully, a few dozen who broke away tore down pieces of the security fence. Several protesters who had managed to get through the fence were detained and handcuffed by officers.
Trump is visiting battleground states this week as he struggles to adjust to Harris as his new rival
(AP) — As Democrats kick off their convention in Chicago, Donald Trump is trying to regain his footing after weeks of struggling to adjust to Vice President Kamala Harris as his rival. The former president and GOP nominee on Monday delivered a speech at a factory in Pennsylvania as he attempts to undercut the Democratic celebration with a jam-packed schedule. He is holding daily events in battleground states tied to subjects where Republicans think they hold an advantage, including the economy, crime and safety, national security and the border.
US intelligence officials say Iran is to blame for hacks targeting Trump, Biden-Harris campaigns
(AP) — U.S. intelligence officials say they’re confident that Iran was responsible for the hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, casting the cyber intrusion as part of a brazen and broader effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and to undermine faith in democratic institutions. Although the Trump campaign and private-sector cybersecurity investigators had previously said Iran was behind the hacking attempts, it is the first time the U.S. government has assigned blame for the attack. The joint statement from the FBI and other federal agencies issued Monday also indicates that Iran was responsible for attempts to hack Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. It says hackers had sought access to people from both presidential campaigns.
Blinken says Israel OKs a plan to break the cease-fire impasse and urges Hamas to do the same
(AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether the latest draft had addressed concerns cited by the militant group. Blinken spoke after holding a 2 1/2 hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, and was expected to travel to Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday. Blinken did not say whether the latest proposal addressed Israel’s demands for control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza, which Hamas has said is a nonstarter, or other issues that have long bedeviled the negotiations.
Civilians flee Pokrovsk as Russia’s army bears down on the key eastern Ukraine city
(AP) — Civilians with small children in their arms and lugging heavy suitcases are fleeing Ukraine’s eastern city of Pokrovsk, where the Russian army is bearing down fast despite a lightning Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Local authorities said Russian forces are advancing so quickly that families must leave the city and other nearby towns and villages from Tuesday. Around 53,000 people still live in Pokrovsk, officials say, and some decided to get out while they could as Russia’s army menaces. People of all ages hastened to leave the city, boarding trains and buses with the belongings they could carry. Some wept as they waited to depart, and soldiers helped the elderly with their bags. Pokrovsk is one of Ukraine’s main defensive strongholds.
George Santos pleads guilty, acknowledging lies and blaming ambition for conning his way to Congress
(AP) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in his federal fraud case. The New York Republican entered the plea Monday in a courtroom in Long Island. His trial had been set to start in early September. Santos was indicted on charges he stole from political donors, used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses, lied to Congress about his wealth and collected unemployment benefits while working. He was expelled from Congress following an ethics investigation. Santos remains free on bond awaiting sentencing Feb. 7. He faces more than six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines and owes at least $370,000 in restitution.
Missouri now requires proof of surgery or court order for gender changes on IDs
(AP) — Missouri residents now will need proof of surgery or a court order to change their gender on driver’s licenses. Missouri previously required approval from a doctor to update gender on state-issued identification. The change follows protests earlier this month against a transgender woman’s use of a women’s locker room at a suburban St. Louis gym. Several Republican state lawmakers had criticized the old process for updating gender on IDs. LGBTQ+ advocacy group PROMO says the new process is more difficult and that the change was made secretly. According to PROMO, the previous policy was made with input from Missouri transgender leaders.
Authors sue Claude AI chatbot creator Anthropic for copyright infringement
A group of authors is suing artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, alleging it committed “large-scale theft” in training its popular chatbot Claude on pirated copies of copyrighted books. While similar lawsuits have piled up for more than a year against competitor OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, this is the first from writers to target Anthropic and its Claude chatbot. The smaller San Francisco-based company — founded by ex-OpenAI leaders — has marketed itself as the more responsible and safety-focused developer of generative AI models that can compose emails or summarize documents. But the lawsuit filed Monday in a federal court in San Francisco alleges that Anthropic’s actions “have made a mockery of its lofty goals.”
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88. NBC’s ‘Today’ show, citing family members, said that Donahue died Sunday. Dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show. The decision set “The Phil Donahue Show” apart from other 1960s interview shows and influenced a format that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others. Later renamed “Donahue,” it had a 26-year national run and won 20 Emmys. Donahue lived in New York with his wife, actress Marlo Thomas.
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