Widespread technology outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday. Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. The website DownDectector, which tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded growing outages in services at Visa, ADT security and Amazon, and airlines including American Airlines and Delta. News outlets in Australia reported that airlines, telecommunications providers and banks, and media broadcasters were disrupted as they lost access to computer systems. Airlines in the U.K., Europe and India reported problems and some New Zealand banks said they were offline.
Biden’s campaign faces critical moment, as Democrats encourage him to consider exiting 2024 race
WASHINGTON (AP) — Critical days ahead, President Joe Biden is facing the stark reality that many Democrats at the highest levels want him to consider how stepping aside from the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee atop the ticket could be the party’s best chance of preventing widespread losses in November. Isolated as he battles a COVID infection at his beach house in Delaware, Biden’s already small circle of confidants before his debate fumbling has downsized further. The president, who has insisted he can beat Republican Donald Trump, is with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he weighs whether to bow to the mounting pressure to drop out.
Obama’s dilemma: Balancing Democrats’ worry about Biden and maintaining influence with president
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama has a delicate balance to strike: how to weigh the mounting opposition to President Joe Biden continuing his campaign with his loyalty to his former running mate. In recent days, Obama has taken calls from congressional leaders, Democratic governors and key donors in which he has shared their unease about the prospect of Biden’s campaign following his calamitous June 27 debate performance against his predecessor, Donald Trump. But even as Obama has listened to Democrats’ concerns, he has insisted that the decision to remain in the race is only for Biden to make, according to several people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.
Trump urges unity after assassination attempt while proposing sweeping populist agenda in RNC finale
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Donald Trump, somber and bandaged, accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at the Republican National Convention in a speech that described in detail the assassination attempt that could have ended his life just five days earlier before laying out a sweeping populist agenda, particularly on immigration. The 78-year-old former president, known best for his bombast and aggressive rhetoric, began his acceptance speech with a softer and deeply personal message that drew directly from his brush with death. Moment by moment, the crowd listening in silence, Trump described standing onstage in Butler, Pennsylvania, with his head turned to look at a chart on display when he felt something hit his ear.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim drone strike that kills 1 person, injures at least 10 in Tel Aviv
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone strike early Friday that hit part of central Tel Aviv near the U.S. Embassy, killing one person and injuring 10. The aerial strike rumbled through the streets causing shards of shrapnel to rain down and spreading shards of glass over a large radius. The Houthis have launched drones and missiles toward Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas war, in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against Israel. But until Friday, all were intercepted by either Israel or Western allies with forces stationed in the region. Yahya Sare’e, the Houthis’ spokesperson, said in a statement published on the social media platform X that the strike was made in retaliation for the war and had hit one of many of the group’s targets.
Russia seeks 18-year sentence for US reporter on trial for spying in highly politicized legal system
YEKATERINBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian prosecutors sought a prison sentence of 18 years on Friday for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is on trial on espionage charges that his employer and the U.S. have denounced as fabricated. Gershkovich, 32, was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. He pleaded not guilty, according to the court, and The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have called the trial a sham. Gershkovich appeared in court for a second straight day Friday as the closed-door proceedings in Russia’s highly politicized legal system picked up speed.
Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president, AP-NORC poll shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Joe Biden faces a growing drumbeat of pressure to drop his reelection bid, a majority of Democrats think his vice president would make a good president herself. A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say. Since Biden’s debate debacle on June 27, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Some GOP voters welcome Trump’s somewhat softened tone at Republican National Convention
MILWAUKEE (AP) — For those conservative voters long turned off by former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, his somewhat softened tone in accepting the Republican nomination Thursday night was a welcome relief. “He’s much improved,” said Dave Struthers, a 57-year-old farmer from Collins, Iowa, after watching the beginning of Trump’s speech in the basement of his farmhouse. “It’s more of a conversation with the American people, rather than yelling at them.” Trump, who has a long history of divisive commentary, has said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed as a traitor and mocked Democratic Rep.
Bangladesh security forces fire bullets and sound grenades as protests escalate
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police and security officials fired bullets and tear gas at protesters in Bangladesh on Friday, as internet and mobile services were cut off after days of deadly clashes over the allocation of government jobs. The protests, which began weeks ago but escalated sharply on Monday, represent the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she was won a fourth consecutive term in a January election that was boycotted by the main opposition parties. The fresh clashes follow the bloodiest day of the protests to date, with local media reporting 22 people killed as protesting students attempted to impose a “complete shutdown” on the country.
Comedian Bob Newhart, deadpan master of sitcoms and telephone monologues, dies at 94
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian who became one of the most popular TV stars of his time after striking gold with a classic comedy album, has died at 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses. Newhart, best remembered now as the star of two hit television shows of the 1970s and 1980s that bore his name, launched his career as a standup comic in the late 1950s. He gained nationwide fame when his routine was captured on vinyl in 1960 as “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which went on to win a Grammy Award as album of the year.
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