Kremlin acknowledges intelligence operatives were among the Russians freed in prisoner swap
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — New details have emerged on the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War, with the Kremlin acknowledging for the first time that some of the Russians held in the West belonged to its security services. Families of freed dissidents, meanwhile, expressed their joy at the surprise release. President Vladimir Putin embraced each of the eight Russian returnees at a Moscow Airport and promised them state awards. Among them was Vadim Krasikov, a Russian assassin who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Krasikov is an officer of the Federal Security Service — a fact reported in the West while Moscow denied any state involvement.
Harris raised a massive $310 million in July, as she looks to reset November’s race against Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has announced raising $310 million last month. That’s an eyepopping sum showing that donors who once seemed spooked about the prospects for November’s election with President Joe Biden are now offering mountains of cash to boost Harris. The haul by Harris, the Democratic National Committee and affiliated entities far outpaced Republican former President Donald Trump, whose campaign and assorted committees said they took in $138.7 million for July. The vice president’s campaign also says it entered August with $377 million in cash on hand. That’s well above the $327 million Trump’s team announced having to start the month.
Masked assailants ransack Venezuela opposition leader’s headquarters as post-election tensions mount
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Half a dozen masked assailants have ransacked the headquarters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in an escalation of violence against President Nicolás Maduro’s opponents following the disputed presidential election. The stakes have grown higher for Venezuela’s electoral authority to prove that Maduro won after the United States recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the victor. The U.S. announcement follows a flurry of diplomatic activity from multiple governments, including Maduro’s close regional allies, to force Venezuelan authorities to release precinct-level results. The opposition says it has enough of the printed vote tally sheets from electronic voting machines that prove Maduro lost the election.
Mourners pay respects to slain Hamas leader Haniyeh as worries of regional war mount
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Mourners gathered in Doha to hold funeral prayers for slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as Iran and its regional allies vowed to retaliate against Israel. The assassinations of Haniyeh and other top leaders of Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah mark a victory for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as Israeli forces continue to operate in Gaza. But they set off a scramble among mediators to salvage a cease-fire deal on the table and avert regional war. U.S. President Joe Biden late on Thursday urged Israel to move quickly on the cease-fire deal as demonstrators poured into the streets from Morocco to Iran in a show of support for Haniyeh.
Few Americans trust the Secret Service after a gunman nearly killed Trump, an AP-NORC poll finds
Few Americans have high confidence in the Secret Service’s ability to keep presidential candidates safe after last month’s attempt on Donald Trump’s life. That’s according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only around three in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident that the Secret Service can keep the presidential candidates safe from violence before the election. The law enforcement agency tasked with protecting presidents for more than a century is under intense scrutiny after a gunman got within 150 yards of Trump and fired several bullets from an AR-style rifle.
UK police brace for more far-right protests as government warns of tough response
LONDON (AP) — Several suspects arrested in violent protests that erupted after the fatal stabbing of three children in northwest England are due in court as officials brace for more clashes over the weekend. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the unrest and blamed it on “far-right hatred.” Starmer has vowed to end the mayhem and says police across the U.K. will be given more resources to stop “a breakdown in law and order on our streets.” Demonstrations over the coming days are being promoted online in Sunderland, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester and other places using phrases including “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.”
Thousands were arrested at college protests. For students, the fallout was only beginning
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — More than 3,200 people were arrested on college campuses this spring during a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments protesting the war in Gaza. Many students have already seen those charges dismissed. But the cases have yet to be resolved for hundreds of people at campuses that saw the highest number of arrests, according to an analysis of data gathered by The Associated Press. In addition to the legal limbo, those students face uncertainty in their academic careers. Some remain steadfast, saying they would have made the same decisions to protest even if they had known the consequences. Others have struggled with the aftermath of the arrests.
After the end of Roe, a new beginning for maternity homes
ORANGE, Va. (AP) — There has been a nationwide expansion of maternity homes in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion. Christian anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities for pregnant women to meet a growing need. It’s part of what they see as the next step in preventing abortions and providing long-term support for families. But maternity homes also have a traumatic history of coerced adoptions, particularly in the three decades before Roe v. Wade. Today’s activists and former residents of maternity homes are still grappling with that legacy.
They ran for their lives as boulders and water banged at their door. Now everything is buried in mud
WAYANAD, India (AP) — When deadly landslides struck hillside villages in southern India on Tuesday, many people ran toward higher ground and watched their homes get swept away by torrents of mud, floodwater and giant rolling boulders. Survivors described how the landslides rolled towards the village and swept everything that came in its way, leaving behind a trail of destruction as they flattened hundreds of houses and destroyed roads and bridges. At least 201 people have been confirmed dead so far by the authorities. Rescue workers continue to recover and identify bodies, and with nearly 200 people still missing, the death toll is expected to rise. More than 5,500 people have also been rescued from hillside villages and moved to relief centers.
Who is Imane Khelif? Algerian boxer facing gender outcry had modest success before Olympics
VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has landed in the middle of a divide about gender in sports after her Italian competitor, Angela Carini, pulled out seconds into their bout at the Paris Olympics. Khelif has fought at numerous major amateur boxing tournaments over the past six years, including the Tokyo Olympics. She’s a formidable athlete with respected fighting skills. She’s even won a few regional gold medals. But Khelif was decidedly not known as a dominant champion, an overpowering physical specimen or even a particularly hard puncher at her weight. The reality to those who actually watch Olympic-style boxing is quite different.
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