Three days after attempted assassination, Trump shooter remains an elusive enigma
BETHEL PARK, Pa. (AP) — Three days after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the 20-year-old man who came close to killing the former president remains an enigma. Neighbors describe Thomas Matthew Crooks as an intelligent loner with few friends who left a vanishingly thin social media footprint and no hint of strong political beliefs. Even his cellphone bore few clues after the FBI accessed its contents, frustrating investigators’ efforts to identify a potential motive. Classmates at Bethel Park High School said Crooks was smart but standoffish, often seen wearing headphones and preferring to sit alone at lunch looking at his phone.
Unity at the RNC, knocks on Trump’s prosecutions and Senate politics: Takeaways from day 2
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Republican National Convention marched into its second day Tuesday, showcasing classic GOP themes like border security and public safety that have become the centerpieces of former President Donald Trump’s campaign. With Trump’s primary rivals speaking, it was also an occasion for the GOP to demonstrate its unity, a sharp contrast to the Democratic party’s mounting concerns over the viability of President Joe Biden.
Biden aims to cut through voter disenchantment as he courts Latino voters at Las Vegas conference
LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is courting disenchanted voters key to his reelection chances. He’ll be meeting with members of a Latino civil rights organization in the battleground state of Nevada on Wednesday. And at the UnidosUS conference in Las Vegas, he will announce that beginning Aug. 19, certain U.S. citizens’ spouses without legal status can begin applying for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without having to first depart the country. The program could affect upwards of half a million immigrants. The president’s visit with Latino activists comes as Republicans are hosting their national convention in Milwaukee.
As Gaza’s doctors struggle to save lives, many lose their own in Israeli airstrikes
BEIRUT (AP) — Israel’s 9-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza has decimated the territory’s medical system. It has not only wreaked physical destruction on hospitals and health facilities, it has devastated Gaza’s medical personnel. The U.N. says more than 500 health care workers have been killed since October. One of those killed was Dr. Hassan Hamdan, a plastic surgeon who specialized in wound reconstruction. An Israeli airstrike killed him earlier this month, along with his wife, son, two daughters, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, six grandchildren and one other person, as his family sheltered in their home in an Israeli-declared “safe zone.”
Ukraine faces twin challenges of fighting Russia and shifting political sands in the US
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After almost 30 months of war with Russia, Ukraine’s difficulties on the battlefield are mounting even as its vital support from the United States is increasingly at the mercy of changing political winds. A six-month delay in military assistance from the U.S., the biggest single contributor to Ukraine, opened the door for a push on the front line by the Kremlin’s forces. Ukrainian troops are now laboring to check the gains by Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army. The next two or three months will likely be the hardest this year for Ukraine, says Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment. Lurking in the background is another nagging worry: How long will the Western political and military support critical for Ukraine’s fight endure?
Government urges Bangladesh’s universities to close after 6 die in protests
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Authorities in Bangladesh urged all universities to close after at least six people died in violent protests over the allocation of government jobs and police raided the headquarters of the main opposition party. Authorities said that at least six people were killed on Tuesday in violence across the country as student protesters clashed with pro-government student activists and with police, and violence was reported around the capital, Dhaka, the southeastern city of Chattogram and the northern city of Rangpur. Overnight, Dhaka police raided the headquarters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, accusing it of playing a role in the violence.
Traces of cyanide are found in the blood of Vietnamese and Americans found dead in a Bangkok hotel
BANGKOK (AP) — Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six people who were found dead in a room at a central Bangkok luxury hotel. The bodies were found Tuesday in Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in downtown Bangkok. They had last been seen alive Monday afternoon when food was delivered to the room. Police said cyanide was found in drinking containers but initial autopsy results were expected later Wednesday. The dead were two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals, three men and three women. A husband and wife among the dead had invested money with two of the others, suggesting money was a motive.
UK’s new Labour government sets out plans to ‘take the brakes off’ the economy in King’s Speech
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new Labour Party government campaigned on a promise to bring bold change at modest cost. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a chance to show how he aims to reconcile those two aims on Wednesday when the government announces its plans for the coming year. Starmer said the measures will “take the brakes off Britain” and “create wealth for people up and down the country” by spurring economic growth. The government says the speech will include more than 35 bills, including measures on housebuilding and nationalizing Britain’s railways and creating a publicly owned green energy firm. Labour won a landslide victory in Britain’s July 4 election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
Paris mayor dips into the Seine River to showcase its improved cleanliness before Olympic events
PARIS (AP) — After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River, fulfilling a promise to show the river was clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics. Clad in a wetsuit, Hidalgo plunged Wednesday into the river. Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet joined her. It’s part of a broader effort to showcase the river’s improved cleanliness ahead of the Summer Games which will kick off July 26 and host open-water swimming competitions. Daily water quality tests in early June indicated unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, followed by recent improvements.
‘Shogun’ could rise and ‘The Bear’ may feast as Emmy nominations are announced
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Bear” could again dominate the comedy categories but the drama field is wide open as the Emmy Award nominations are announced Wednesday morning. “The Bear,” the FX show about a struggling chef and his ramshackle crew, could easily top the 13 nominations it got last year. Another FX show, “Shogun,” could be the favorite in the drama category, but Emmy veteran “The Crown” could also loom large. The nominations come just six months after the last Emmys, which were delayed by last year’s Hollywood strikes. The schedule gets back to normal now. The Emmys will air on ABC on Sept. 15.
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