Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics
PARIS (AP) — French officials says high-speed lines have been hit by arson attacks that heavily disrupted traffic hours before the opening of the high-risk Olympics opening ceremony. Rail operator SNCF said lines in the west, north and east of France were affected. French officials condemned the attacks as “criminal actions,” though they said there was no sign of a direct link to the Games. Prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation, saying the crimes could carry sentences of 10 to 20 years.
Paris Olympics off to rough start, with sabotaged trains and weather dampening mood before opening
PARIS (AP) — The Paris Olympics are getting off to a rough start. Suspected acts of sabotage targeted France’s flagship high-speed rail network and cloudy skies with light drizzle are hanging over the French capital ahead of its promised spectacular opening ceremony on Friday evening. It is a day of utmost importance for France and its capital. Dozens of heads of state and government are in town for the Olympic opening and a global audience is tuning in. But French authorities are scrambling to deal with widespread rail disruptions. They blamed coordinated overnight sabotage attacks targeting high-speed train lines. Overcast skies over Paris are further dampening the mood.
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris, giving her expected but crucial support
ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats. The endorsement was announced Friday in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple. It comes as Harris builds momentum as the party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse her against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. Harris thanks the Obamas for their backing and says she looks forward to campaigning with them ahead of the Nov. 5 Election Day.
Harris tries to thread the needle on Gaza after meeting with Netanyahu
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to talk about the war in Gaza. The conversation Thursday came days after she launched her White House campaign, forcing Harris to confront one of the most divisive issues within the Democratic Party. Harris did not deviate from President Joe Biden’s approach to the conflict, but she placed a heavier emphasis on alleviating Palestinian suffering. In a separate statement, Harris criticized protesters who ripped down American flags and spray-painted pro-Hamas messages while Netanyahu spoke on Capitol Hill.
Netanyahu will meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, mending a years-long rift
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is due to talk face-to-face with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in nearly four years. In Friday’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Trump will seek to mend ties that were damaged at the end of his presidency and cast himself as an ally and statesman. For Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting could help sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel. For Netanyahu, repairing relations with Trump is an imperative given the prospect that he may once again become president of the United States, Israel’s main arms supplier and protector.
Wounded in a strike that killed her family, a 2-year-old joins Gaza’s ranks of thousands of orphans
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Two-year-old Siwar Abdel-Hadi is the lone survivor in her family after an Israeli airstrike on her home in central Gaza killed her parents and three siblings. Siwar was left with burns on her face, collapsed lungs and shrapnel wounds. She joins the ranks of thousands of orphans left by Israel’s campaign of bombardment and offensives. Like other families, Siwar’s extended relatives are now trying to figure out how to raise her as they struggle to get by with their own children in the deprivations of the war.
US arrests 2 leaders of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel: ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and son of ‘El Chapo’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department says Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, have been arrested by authorities in Texas. Zambada has been a leader of the powerful cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. His is known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile. A Mexican federal official told The Associated Press that Zambada and Guzmán López arrived on a private plane and turned themselves in to U.S. authorities. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter,
Veterans lobbied for psychedelic therapy, but it may not be enough to save MDMA drug application
NEW YORK (AP) — Military veterans have spent years lobbying for the use of psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD, but a sharply critical review of the club drug MDMA has put the therapy’s approval in doubt. The negative vote by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers came despite great optimism from federal officials, including doctors at the Department of Veteran Affairs. But other experts have long been skeptical of the science on MDMA, which they say has been drowned out by hype from the psychedelic community. The FDA is expected to delay or decline approval when it makes its decision by mid-August.
Wildfire sparked by a burning car triples in size in a day. A 42-year-old man is arrested
Authorities say a Northern California wildfire that has tripled in size in one day was started by a man who pushed a burning car into a gully. Officials say they have arrested a 42-year-old man who will be arraigned Monday. The Park Fire had burned more than 250 square miles near the city of Chico by early Friday. Officials say thousands have been ordered to evacuate and an unspecified number of structures have been destroyed. Meanwhile, some Oregon residents were cleared to return home after a thunderstorm produced rain but also potentially dangerous lightning over the biggest active blaze in the United States.
Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic torch before opening ceremony in Paris
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Snoop Dogg is seemingly everywhere during the Paris Olympics. But on Friday morning you could catch him carrying the Olympic torch ahead of the opening ceremony. He was one of the final torch bearers of the Olympic flame. It was lit in April in Greece and has slowly journeyed toward Paris since. Snoop Dogg’s leg was in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. Snoop Dogg is in Paris to help cover the games for NBC, part of the U.S. broadcaster’s bet to boost ratings by infusing coverage with pop culture.