Maduro locked in standoff with opponents as each side claims victory in presidential elections
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition and President Nicolas Maduro’s government were locked in a high-stakes standoff after each side claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential vote, which millions in the long-suffering nation saw as their best shot to end 25 years of single-party rule. Several foreign governments, including the U.S., held off recognizing the results as election officials delayed releasing detailed vote tallies after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, to 44% for retired diplomat Edmundo González. “Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened,” González said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken from Tokyo said the U.S.
Blinken says US has ‘serious concerns’ about announced result of Venezuelan election
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has ‘serious concerns’ about the announced result of Venezuela’s hotly contested presidential election that authorities say was won by incumbent Nicolas Maduro. Speaking in Tokyo on Monday shortly after the announcement was made, Blinken said the U.S. was concerned that the result reflected neither the will nor the votes of the Venezuelan people. He called for election officials to publish the full results transparently and immediately and said the U.S. and the international community would respond accordingly. “We have seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan Electoral Commission,” he said.
Israel weighs response to Hezbollah after a rocket from Lebanon kills 12 youths on a soccer field
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Middle East braced for a potential flare-up in violence on Sunday after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens in what the military called the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. It raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which in a rare move denied it was responsible. The White House National Security Council said it was speaking with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts and working on a diplomatic solution to “end all attacks once and for all” in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
Trump and Harris enter 99-day sprint to decide an election that has suddenly transformed
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability hung over the U.S. presidential election. Donald Trump’s allies gleefully predicted a landslide victory during a Republican National Convention that felt more like a coronation for a nominee who had just survived an assassination attempt and was promising to unite the country. Democrats, desperate and listless, feared the worst as a diminished President Joe Biden clung to his party’s nomination. But over the last seven days, a week unlike any other in American history, the 2024 presidential contest has been transformed. And now, just 99 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape featuring new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties.
Biden is pivoting to his legacy. He speaks Monday at the LBJ Presidential Library
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, who belatedly opted against seeking reelection, on Monday will pay a visit to the library of the last president to make the same difficult choice, more than a half-century ago. Biden’s speech Monday at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, is designed to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, enacted under President Lyndon Johnson. But the visit has taken on very different symbolism in the two weeks it took to reschedule it after Biden had to cancel because he got COVID-19. The speech, originally set for July 15, was once seen by the White House as an opportunity for Biden to try to make a case for salvaging his sinking presidential campaign — delivered in the home district of Rep.
California firefighters make progress as wildfires push devastation and spread smoke across US West
FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters made progress and were aided by improving weather Sunday in the battle against wildfires covering massive areas and leaving a trail of damage in the western United States, but further evacuations and resources have been necessary as thousands of personnel tackle the flames. The so-called Park Fire, the largest wildfire in California this year, was one of more than 100 blazes burning in the U.S. on Sunday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some were sparked by the weather, with climate change increasing the frequency of lightning strikes as the western U.S. endures blistering heat and bone-dry conditions.
The Galapagos Islands and many of their unique creatures are at risk from warming waters
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador (AP) — Warm morning light reflects from the remains of a natural rock arch near Darwin Island, one of the most remote islands in the Galapagos. In clear, deep blue water, thousands of creatures — fish, hammerhead sharks, marine iguanas — move in search of food. The 2021 collapse of Darwin’s Arch, named for the famed British naturalist behind the theory of evolution, came from natural erosion. But its demise underscored the fragility of a far-flung archipelago that’s coming under increased pressure both from climate change and invasive species. Warming oceans affect the food sources of many of the seagoing animals in the Galapagos.
Ten years on, many Yazidis uprooted by Islamic State onslaught struggle to find stable homes
SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — When Rihan Ismail returned to her family’s home in the heartland of her Yazidi community, she was sure she was coming back for good. She had yearned for that moment throughout long years of captivity. Islamic State militants had abducted then-adolescent Ismail as they rampaged through Iraq’s Sinjar district, killing and enslaving thousands from the Yazidi religious minority. As they moved her from Iraq to Syria, she clung to what home meant to her: a childhood filled with laughter, a community so tight knit the neighbor’s house was like your own. After her captors took her to Turkey, she finally managed to get ahold of a phone, contact her family and plan a rescue.
Paris Olympics Day 2: Simone Biles and LeBron James shine as Americans step up at the Games
PARIS (AP) — On the first sunny day of the Paris Olympics, the stars from the United States shined bright. Simone Biles and LeBron James dazzled, so did the U.S. women’s soccer team. Torri Huske grabbed some of the spotlight, and Haley Batten made a name for herself by earning a silver medal in mountain biking for the best finish ever by an American rider. Although it was French swimmer Léon Marchand who received the most boisterous cheers in crushing the field to win gold in the men’s 400-meter individual medley, the U.S. had a strong Sunday on Day 2 of the Games.
US women beat Germany 4-1 at Olympics and Canada tops France 2-1 amid drone-spying scandal
MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Coach Emma Hayes tempered expectations as the United States cruised to a 4-1 win over Germany on Sunday night for a spot in the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics. Sophia Smith had a pair of goals for the Americans, who have won their opening two matches in France. Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored against Germany. “We haven’t done anything, let’s be frank,” Hayes said. “We’ve got three points against a really good German team. That’s is all it is, nothing more.” The Americans are playing their first major tournament under Hayes, who took over the U.S.
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