Flooding from the remnants of Debby leads to high water rescues in New York, Pennsylvania
First responders have launched high-water rescues in rural New York and Pennsylvania due to flash flooding from the remnants of Debby. The system was a post-tropical cyclone dropping rain on parts of the Northeast and into New England on Friday. The worst flash flooding in New York was happening in a largely rural area south of the Finger Lakes. Bordering counties in northern Pennsylvania also experienced flooding. A helicopter was sent in to rescue residents trapped on the roofs of their homes. People in Vermont were also bracing for heavy rain after two storms caused significant flooding in the state last month.
Donald Trump heads to Montana rally after plane was diverted but landed safely
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump headed to Montana for a Friday night rally in hopes of ousting the state’s Democratic senator, but his plane first had to divert to an airport on the other side of the Rocky Mountains because of a mechanical issue, according to airport staff. Trump’s plane was en route to Bozeman, Montana, when it was diverted to Billings, 142 miles to the east, according to Jenny Mockel, administrative assistant at Billings Logan International Airport. Mockel said the former president was continuing to Bozeman via private jet. Trump’s campaign posted a video of him upon landing in which he said he was glad to be in Montana but did not mention anything about the diversion.
The latest battleground stop for Harris and Walz is Arizona, where a VP runner-up could still matter
PHOENIX (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate are campaigning in Arizona as the latest stop on their tour of battleground states. The Arizona swing is especially significant because Harris passed over the state’s junior senator, Mark Kelly, in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate. That may cost her a handful of votes in a state that President Joe Biden won by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020. But the state is also full of Midwesterners who may warm to Walz. And Democrats say the same energy that’s greeted Harris at earlier stops on her battleground tour is present in Arizona. Kelly is expected to attend the Arizona rally.
Plane crashes in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, killing all 61 aboard, airline says
VINHEDO, Brazil (AP) — A Brazilian airliner says one of its passenger planes with 61 people aboard has crashed into a gated residential community in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state Friday, killing all who were aboard. The airline earlier had reported that 62 people were aboard the flight that crashed in Vinhedo, about 80 kilometers northwest of Sao Paulo, but later updated the number to 61. “The company regrets to inform that all 61 people on board flight 2283 died at the site,” Voepass said in a statement. “At this time, Voepass is prioritizing provision of unrestricted assistance to the victims’ families and effectively collaborating with authorities to determine the causes of the accident.”
Boxer Imane Khelif wins gold to cap an Olympics marked by scrutiny over her sex
PARIS (AP) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She emerged victorious Friday from a tumultuous run at the Games where she endured intense scrutiny and online abuse over misconceptions about her womanhood. Khelif beat Yang Liu of China 5:0 in the women’s welterweight division, wrapping up the best series of fights of her boxing career. Cheering crowds have embraced Khelif in Paris, chanting her name, waving Algerian flags and roaring every time she’s landed a punch. That’s even as she’s faced an extraordinary amount of scrutiny from those who questioned her sex or falsely claimed she was a man. She thanked her supporters and said her win was a dream for eight years.
Breanna Stewart, US women’s basketball team advance to gold medal game at Paris Olympics
PARIS (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 16 points and the U.S. women advanced to their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal game with a 85-64 victory over Australia on Friday. The Americans, who extended their Olympic winning streak to 60 consecutive games, will face France on Sunday. The U.S. is trying to become the first team to win eight consecutive gold medals, breaking the tie with the American men’s program that won seven in a row from 1936-68. A win Sunday would give Diana Taurasi a record six gold medals.
The threat Israel didn’t foresee: Hezbollah’s growing drone power
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group has used dozens of drones to attack Israel in recent months. Such attacks have inflicted casualties and caused damage to vital military posts away from the border. The drones have been effective because while Israel has built air defense systems to guard against Hezbollah’s rocket and missile arsenal, there has been less focus on the drone threat. Now, drones have given the Iranian-backed militant group another deadly option as it seeks to avenge Israel’s airstrike in Beirut last month that killed a top Hezbollah military commander. Analysts say the drones pose a threat that Israel should take seriously.
Russia declares an emergency in Kursk, under attack by Ukraine. 14 die in a Russian strike on a mall
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has declared a “federal-level” emergency in the Kursk region following a large-scale incursion from Ukraine and sent reinforcements there. The announcement came four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured across the border in what appeared to be Kyiv’s biggest attack on Russian soil since the war began. Authorities in eastern Ukraine meanwhile said a Russian plane-launched missile hit a shopping mall late in the morning on Friday. At least 14 people were killed and 44 others were wounded. The mall is located in a town’s residential area. Thick black smoke rose above it after the strike. Donetsk regional chief said it was “another act of terror by the Russians.”
Michael Brown’s death 10 years ago sparked change in Ferguson
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Michael Brown’s death was the catalyst for massive change starting in Ferguson, Missouri. Ten years later, those in the community cite significant progress, but say challenges remain. Every city leader was white in the majority-Black city in 2014. Today, the mayor, police chief, city attorney and other leaders are Black. The mostly-white police force of 2014 now has more officers that are Black than white. The municipal court system that once brought in millions of dollars in court fines and fees paid mostly by poor residents now collects only a fraction of that. But many acknowledge that race still divides the community of 18,000 residents.
3rd person in custody over foiled plot targeting now-canceled Taylor Swift shows in Vienna
VIENNA (AP) — Austrian authorities have announced a third arrest in connection with the foiled conspiracy to attack three now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts even as disappointed fans charmed Vienna by trading friendship bracelets and singing the pop star’s songs in the streets. The main suspect planned to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium with knives or homemade explosives during the concert on Thursday or Friday. Authorities say the scheme was inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida. Swift is set to travel to London’s Wembley stadium for five concerts between Aug. 15 and 20 to close the European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.
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