Hot dog eating contest crowns Patrick Bertoletti as new men’s champion
NEW YORK — It was the Fourth of July in New York City, and for some, that meant only one thing. No, not fireworks, sweaty subway rides and family cookouts. It was time for the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island.
Fight over seabed agency leadership turns nasty
WASHINGTON — Allegations of possible payments to help secure votes. Claims of abuse of agency funds by top diplomats. A possible job offer to entice a candidate to withdraw from a race.
The vanishing islands that failed to vanish
DHIGULAABADHOO, Maldives — On a wisp of land in the Indian Ocean, two hops by plane and one bumpy speedboat ride from the nearest continent, the sublime blue waves lapping at the bone-white sand are just about all that breaks the stillness of a hot, windless afternoon.
Major Democratic donors devise plans to pressure Biden to step aside
After several days of quiet griping and hoping that President Joe Biden would abandon his reelection campaign on his own, many wealthy Democratic donors are trying to take matters into their own hands.
Biden stumbles over his words as he tries to steady reelection campaign
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden sought to steady his reelection campaign by talking with two Black radio hosts for interviews broadcast Thursday, but he spoke haltingly at points during one interview and struggled to find the right phrase in the other, saying that he was proud to have been “the first Black woman to serve with a Black president.”
On small islands off Canada’s coast, a big shift in power
HAIDA GWAII, British Columbia — The Raven, the story goes, alighted on the beach and heard sounds coming from a giant clamshell. He found creatures cowering inside, but, ever the trickster, he cajoled them out into the world. Liberated, they became the first people of the islands of Haida Gwaii.
Things to bring to college that you can’t buy at Target
Extra-long sheets. Shower shoes. The wall hooks and putty that hold things up but don’t leave marks.
Big donors turn on Biden. Quietly.
Wealthy Democratic donors who believe a different nominee would be the party’s best chance to hold the White House are increasingly gritting their teeth in silence about President Joe Biden, fearful that any move against him could backfire.
26,000 evacuate as wildfire spreads in Northern California
Fast-moving flames engulfed several homes and vehicles in Northern California as 26,000 people evacuated their homes this week, according to a local official, fleeing a wildfire that burned through a region scarred by previous blazes.
Robert Towne, screenwriter of ‘Chinatown’ and more, dies at 89
Robert Towne, whose screenplay for Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” won an Oscar, and whose work on that and other important films established him as one of the leading screenwriters of the so-called New Hollywood, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89.
Biden tells allies he knows he has only days to salvage candidacy
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has told key allies that he knows the coming days are crucial and understands that he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince voters that he is up to the job after a disastrous debate performance last week.
Biden tells governors that he is staying in the race
President Joe Biden told a group of Democratic governors on Wednesday that he was staying in the 2024 campaign, as the group peppered the president with questions about the path forward after Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week.
In a volatile term, a fractured Supreme Court remade America
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump had a very good year at the Supreme Court. On Monday, the court ruled that he is substantially immune from prosecution on charges that he tried to subvert the 2020 election. On Friday, the court cast doubt on two of the four charges against him in what remains of that prosecution. And in March, the justices allowed him to seek another term despite a constitutional provision barring insurrectionists from holding office.
Democrats go public with panic about Biden amid fears of an electoral debacle
Democratic anxiety over President Joe Biden’s fitness to run for reelection erupted into the open on Tuesday in a spike of panic, as the first sitting member of Congress called on Biden to withdraw and a slew of other prominent officials who have backed the president vented their concerns.
Cash crunch squeezes Kennedy amid costly fight for ballot spots
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign is spending heavily, amassing steep debts and resorting to layoffs as it becomes almost singularly focused on the costly effort of placing his name on state ballots.
Elon Musk’s politics may be pushing some buyers away from Tesla
Few auto executives are as closely identified with the companies they manage as Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is. And probably none are more prolific in broadcasting their political views on social media.
New drug approved for early Alzheimer’s slows decline but carries risks
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, the latest in a novel class of treatments that has been greeted with hope, disappointment and skepticism.
Judge delays Trump’s sentencing until Sept. 18 after immunity claim
NEW YORK — The judge in Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal case delayed his sentencing until Sept. 18 to weigh whether a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling might imperil the former president’s conviction, the judge said Tuesday in a letter to prosecutors and defense lawyers.
Biden’s lapses are increasingly common, according to some of those in the room
In the weeks and months before President Joe Biden’s politically devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta, several current and former officials and others who encountered him behind closed doors noticed that he increasingly appeared confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations.
Supreme Court declines to rule on tech platforms’ free speech rights
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court sidestepped a definitive resolution on Monday in a pair of cases challenging state laws aimed at curbing the power of social media companies to moderate content. The ruling left in limbo an effort by Republicans who had promoted the legislation as a remedy to what they say is a bias against conservatives.
