Embattled Democrats express new hope with Harris at top of ticket
WASHINGTON — Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., was not on anyone’s watch list of incumbents facing serious reelection trouble given the reliable partisan tilt of his state, which has not voted for a Republican for Senate since 2002 or a Republican presidential candidate since 2004.
JD Vance stumbles in his debut as Democrats go on offense
The choice of Sen. JD Vance as former President Donald Trump’s running mate reflected the confidence of a campaign so sure of victory in November that it could look beyond a second Trump term to the legacy of his movement.
Fans of the Dead come alive in Las Vegas
Midway through their residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas during a record-breaking heat wave, Dead &Company played its jam band specials over the Fourth of July weekend for an eclectic crowd. The band’s audience — some die-hard fans, others just curious — came from all over the country (and the world) to pledge their own form of allegiance.
WNBA’s popularity booms, but money for players hasn’t kept pace
PHOENIX — Allisha Gray is a 29-year-old guard for the Atlanta Dream. She is 6 feet tall, speaks with a central Georgia drawl and smiles as if she’s keeping the best secret.
Battling inflation, Russia raises key interest rate to 18%
BERLIN — Russia’s central bank raised its key interest rate to 18% on Friday, the highest level in more than two years, in a sign of mounting concern in Moscow that the country’s wartime economy risked producing runaway inflation.
Now facing Harris, Trump backs off his commitment to debate in September
Advisers to former President Donald Trump said they would not commit to another debate, one they had already agreed to participate in, now that the Democrats have changed candidates from President Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Arson attacks disrupt trains in France on day of Olympic opening ceremony
LILLE, France — An apparent arson attack on France’s high-speed rail network early Friday morning disrupted travel for 250,000 people the morning of the Olympic opening ceremony and directly hurt the route designated to transport USA Basketball’s men’s and women’s teams between Paris and Lille, the site of the early games of their tournaments.
After Netanyahu’s meeting with Harris, pressure for cease-fire grows
Australia, Canada and New Zealand called Friday for an urgent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, increasing the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel a day after Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, declared she would “not be silent” about Palestinian suffering.
As Trump looms, Blinken aims to reassure allies on U.S. commitment to Asia
LUANG PRABANG, Laos — For three and a half years, President Joe Biden and his aides have insisted that the United States is a Pacific power, and that its allies and partners in the region need not worry about Washington’s commitments.
Park Fire, now California’s largest this year, spreads rapidly
An enormous wildfire in Northern California has destroyed buildings, left at least two people injured and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of people as it raged in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. As of early Friday, the fire had burned more than 164,000 acres, making it the state’s largest fire this year.
‘We feel stuck’: Child care needs limit women’s workforce gains
Jessica Cuevas loved her job as a college counselor at a high school. But after giving birth to a son in January 2021, she switched to a remote corporate job at a grocery store chain because it gave her more flexibility and saved her commuting time. After her second son was born two years later, she quit that job, too.
Clear encampments? Mind your own business, Los Angeles says.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared this week wearing work gloves and Ray-Ban sunglasses as he hauled a garbage bag from under a freeway overpass in California. His message was obvious: He wanted state and local officials to clear out homeless encampments, just as he was doing, and he had signed an executive order to spur them into action.
Spaceman, Senator, VP pick? Kamala Harris sizes up Mark Kelly
The rugged border lands around Douglas, Arizona, dip through precipitous canyons and shoot skyward on rocky mountain walls, impossible terrain for a 30-foot steel bollard wall but not for the cartels smuggling people and contraband from Mexico.
The Summer Olympics: How to Watch. What to Watch.
Another Summer Olympics already? It’s true: Because Tokyo 2020 was delayed to 2021 by the pandemic, only three years have passed since the last Games.
Homicides in US continue to fall from pandemic highs
Homicides in the United States are continuing to dramatically decrease from the surge in violent crime in the first years of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice.
Obama has been in touch with Harris and is expected to endorse her soon
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama has been in regular touch with Vice President Kamala Harris since she emerged as the likely Democratic nominee to share his experiences — and is expected to endorse her soon, according to people familiar with the situation.
Southwest Airlines will end its long-standing open-seating policy
Southwest Airlines will start assigning seats to passengers, ending its long-standing policy of allowing passengers to pick their seats once they have boarded, the airline said Thursday.
Breast cancer survival not boosted by double mastectomy, study says
For the more than 310,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year, no matter how well the treatment goes, there is always a lingering fear. Could the disease come back, even years later? And what if it comes back in the other breast? Could they protect themselves today by having a double mastectomy?
Newsom orders California officials to remove homeless encampments
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered California state officials on Thursday to begin dismantling thousands of homeless encampments, the nation’s most sweeping response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that gave governments greater authority to remove homeless people from their streets.
Taiwan on high alert as powerful typhoon slams into coast
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Typhoon Gaemi lashed the northeastern region of Taiwan on Wednesday night, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain in what was forecast to be the most powerful storm to hit the island in eight years.
