Biden says ‘no indication of any serious condition’ in ABC interview as he fights to stay in race
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden, fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, said his disastrous debate performance last week was a “bad episode” and there were “no indications of any serious condition” in a highly anticipated ABC interview. “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an excerpt that aired Friday evening. Yet Biden’s rigorous efforts to course correct from his debate performance were not yet quelling internal party frustrations. One influential Democratic senator is working on a nascent push that would encourage the president to exit the race. Biden told reporters earlier Friday that he is “completely” ruling out quitting the race.
Federal Reserve highlights its political independence as presidential campaign heats up
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is highlighting the importance of its political independence at a time when Donald Trump, who frequently attacked the Fed’s policymaking in the past, edges closer to formally becoming the Republican nominee for president. On Friday, the Fed released its twice-yearly report on its interest-rate policies, a typically dry document that primarily includes its analysis of job growth, inflation, interest rates and other economic trends. This time, the Fed used the report to stress the vital need for the central bank to operate independent of political pressures.
What we learned from the UK’s general election that will shape politics over the coming years
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has its first change in government in 14 years after the Labour Party won a resounding victory in a general election. It is the Conservative Party’s biggest defeat ever. The new government faces huge challenges, including fixing the country’s sluggish economic and social malaise resulting in part from the U.K’s exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and several Conservative Party scandals. Among the things that we have learned from this election: the country’s two main parties are not as dominant as they used to be; no election has seen this many Cabinet ministers lose their seats in Parliament; Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza has lost it votes; and Labour is back in favor in Scotland.
US says troops are leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military commander in Niger says all American forces and equipment will leave a small base in the West African country this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will be out of a critical drone base in August. The departures come ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline set in an agreement with the new ruling junta. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said Friday a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. The bulk of the other forces will go, at least initially, to Europe. Ekman spoke in an interview from the U.S. embassy in Niamey.
Beryl moves over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as Texas officials urge coastal residents to prepare
TULUM, Mexico (AP) — Beryl is leaving Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after battering the resort of Tulum and is emerging into the Gulf of Mexico. That prompted Texas officials to urge coastal residents to prepare. The U.S. National Hurricane Center expects the storm to regain strength in the warm waters of the Gulf and hit south Texas by late Sunday or early Monday. Beryl hit Tulum as a Category 2 hurricane and toppled trees and knocked out power, but caused no injuries or deaths. It then weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula. Some Texas counties have already issued voluntary evacuation orders in low-lying areas.
Vatican excommunicates a former ambassador to the US and declares him guilty of schism
ROME (AP) — The Vatican has excommunicated its former ambassador to the United States after finding him guilty of schism. It was an inevitable outcome for Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a conservative who became one of Pope Francis’ most ardent critics. The Vatican said on Friday that its doctrine office imposed the penalty after a meeting of its members. It cited what it called Vigano’s “refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council.”
7 Palestinians killed in West Bank by an Israeli raid and airstrike in the Jenin area
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian authorities say seven people have been killed during an Israeli military operation in the area of the West Bank city of Jenin. That’s where the Israeli military said it had been carrying out “counterterrorism activity” that included an airstrike. The military said Israeli soldiers had “encircled a building where terrorists have barricaded themselves in” and the soldiers exchanged fire with those inside, while an airstrike had “struck several armed terrorists” in the area. The Palestinian Health Ministry said a total of seven people had been killed Friday. The Islamic Jihad militant group named four of the dead as its members.
Wisconsin Supreme Court changes course, will allow expanded use of ballot drop boxes this fall
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is changing course and will allow officials to place ballot drop boxes around their communities in this fall’s elections in the presidential swing state. The court ruled in 2022 that absentee ballot drop boxes could be used only in election offices and no one other than the voter could return a ballot in-person. Liberal justices gained control of the court last year, prompting a progressive voter group to ask the court to reconsider that ruling. The court ruled 4-3 on Friday that placing a ballot in a drop box equates to delivering it to a local election clerk regardless of where the box is located.
Kansas’ top court bolsters a state right to abortion and strikes down 2 anti-abortion laws
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has reaffirmed its stance that the state constitution protects abortion access. The court’s decisions Friday in separate cases struck down a ban on a common second-trimester procedure and state laws regulating abortion providers more strictly than other health care providers. The court declared access to abortion a fundamental right in 2019. Voters also have decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have explicitly declared abortion not a fundamental right. The court has rejected a suggestion from lawyers for the state that the justices should walk back the 2019 decision.
A bench and a grandmother’s ear: Zimbabwe’s novel mental health therapy spreads overseas
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Zimbabwe, talk therapy involving park benches and a network of grandmothers has become a saving grace for people with mental health issues. Now the concept is being adopted in parts of the United States and elsewhere. Zimbabwe has scarce clinical mental health resources. The Friendship Bench was started by a local psychiatrist. Grandmothers from the community are equipped with basic training in problem-solving therapy and have become trusted listeners. It’s inspired by traditional practice in which grandmothers were the go-to people for wisdom in rough times.
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