Paris Olympics kicks off with ambitious but rainy opening ceremony on the Seine River
PARIS (AP) — Paris has kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century with a rain-soaked, rule-breaking opening ceremony. Widespread travel disruptions triggered by what French officials said were coordinated arson attacks on high-speed rail lines and rains in Paris had dampened the mood ahead of the ceremony’s start on Friday evening. But as global audiences tuned in, the show’s spectacular launch immediately lifted spirits. A humorous short film featured soccer icon Zinedine Zidane. It was followed by fireworks of French blue, white and red. Crowds crammed along the River Seine and watching from balconies “oohed” and “aahed” as Olympic teams began parading in boats along the waterway.
Arsonists attack French high-speed rail system hours before opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics
PARIS (AP) — Arsonists have attacked France’s high-speed rail network, paralyzing train travel to Paris for some 800,000 people across Europe, including athletes heading to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The saboteurs targeted remote locations far from the capital with apparently coordinated attacks that sought to cut off rail routes into the city from all directions. The fires were predominantly set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as the TGV. Blazes were reported before dawn near the tracks on three separate lines, causing widespread disruptions. Another arson attempt, in the south in Vergigny, was thwarted by rail agents who scared off several suspects.
Netanyahu meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, offering measured optimism on a Gaza cease-fire
WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked to mend ties with Donald Trump on Friday and offered measured optimism about progress toward a cease-fire deal for Gaza. Netanyahu was nearing the end of a contentious U.S. visit that put on display the growing American divisions over support for the Israeli-Hamas war. Former President Trump, the Republican nominee to retake the White House, welcomed Netanyahu to his Florida estate for their first face-to-face meeting in nearly four years. The Israeli leader, asked by journalists if his U.S. trip was making progress on a cease-fire, said he hoped so and was eager for a deal. The two men are seeking to mend an important political alliance that had broken down after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 victory.
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris, giving her expected but crucial support
ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats. The endorsement was announced Friday in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple. It comes as Harris builds momentum as the party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse her against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. Harris thanks the Obamas for their backing and says she looks forward to campaigning with them ahead of the Nov. 5 Election Day.
Powerful cartel leader ‘El Mayo’ Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in US, AP source says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. law enforcement official says a powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who has eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of JoaquĂn “El Chapo” Guzmán. The official said Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada got onto an airplane to the U.S. believing he was going somewhere else. Zambada appeared in federal court in El Paso, Texas, on Friday morning and has entered a plea of not guilty to slew of drug trafficking charges, court records show.
Mexico’s president downplays cartel violence that drove nearly 600 Mexicans into Guatemala
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President AndrĂ©s Manuel LĂłpez Obrador has thanked Guatemala for helping nearly 600 Mexicans who have crossed into Guatemala to escape drug cartel violence. But he also minimized the violence that drove them there. In his first comments since the refugees fled earlier this week, the president said Friday that Mexico is a large country, and like many other parts of the world, “there are conflicts.” Mexico’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that it is working with Guatemalan authorities to attend to the Mexican refugees.
Harris will carry Biden’s economic record into the election. She hopes to turn it into an asset
WASHINGTON (AP) — A key question is looming for Vice President Kamala Harris as she edges closer to gaining the Democratic presidential nomination: Can she turn the Biden-Harris economic record into a political advantage in a way that President Joe Biden failed to do? In some ways, her task would seem straightforward: The administration oversaw a vigorous rebound from the pandemic recession, one that shrank the U.S. unemployment rate to a half-century low of 3.4% in early 2023. Yet the cumulative jump in average prices over the past three years — roughly 20%, only partly offset by higher paychecks — has contributed to a general unease about the country’s direction.
Recall of Boar’s Head deli meats announced during investigation of listeria outbreak
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials have announced a recall of some Boar’s Head liverwurst and other deli meats as they investigate a listeria outbreak. The outbreak has sickened nearly three dozen people and caused two deaths since late May. The Agriculture Department said Friday that a tainted sample of Boar Head’s liverwurst was found at a Maryland store as part of the investigation. The company is recalling liverwurst made at a Virginia plant as well as other deli meats made the same day in June as the tainted sample. Testing is underway to determine whether the company’s products are linked to the outbreak.
A tanker plane crash has killed a firefighting pilot in Oregon as Western wildfires spread
Communities in the U.S. West and Canada are under siege from raging wildfires. A blaze sparked by lightning is moving fast in rural Idaho and a human-caused inferno has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in northern California. Authorities said a tanker plane crashed in Oregon while fighting one of the many wildfires. A single pilot was on board and was found dead on Friday. California’s largest active wildfire is zero percent contained after destroying 134 structures and threatening 4,200 more. A California sheriff says the Park Fire was started when a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico.
Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic torch before opening ceremony in Paris
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Snoop Dogg is seemingly everywhere during the Paris Olympics. But on Friday morning you could catch him carrying the Olympic torch ahead of the opening ceremony. He was one of the final torch bearers of the Olympic flame. It was lit in April in Greece and has slowly journeyed toward Paris since. Snoop Dogg’s leg was in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. Snoop Dogg is in Paris to help cover the games for NBC, part of the U.S. broadcaster’s bet to boost ratings by infusing coverage with pop culture.
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