Harris’ pick of Walz amps up excitement in Midwestern states, inspires big donations
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are spending their first full day as running mates in Wisconsin and Michigan. Meanwhile, the Harris campaign said Wednesday that it had raised $36 million in the first 24 hours after the vice presidential announcement. Wednesday’s trip is aimed at shoring up support among the younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters who were instrumental in helping President Joe Biden win the 2020 election. That coalition has shown signs of fraying over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Military-run hearings for accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are in upheaval following Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to throw out a plea agreement. Defense attorneys contend the plea deal still stands and suspended participation in the pre-trial hearings while legal challenges to Austin’s action play out. The judge overseeing the case, acknowledged concerns over outside pressure on the case. The events of the past week are the latest significant disruption of the U.S. military prosecution of defendants accused in the 2001 killings of nearly 3,000 people, in an al-Qaida plot.
US abortion numbers have risen slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds
A new report shows the number of monthly abortions in the U.S. went up slightly in the first three months of 2024 compared with before the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. The #WeCount report says a major reason for the increase is that some Democratic-controlled states have laws to protect prescribers who use telemedicine to see patients in places with abortion bans. The latest edition of the survey counted an average of just under 99,000 abortions per month, compared with 84,000 in the two months before Dobbs. January was the first time since the survey began that it has counted more than 100,000 abortions across the country in a single month.
Hamas has a new leader. How will that affect the war in Gaza and cease-fire efforts?
Yahya Sinwar’s appointment as the top leader of Hamas formalizes a role he assumed in the early hours of Oct. 7, when the surprise attack into Israel that he helped mastermind ushered in the bloodiest chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is seen as a hard-liner with closer ties to Hamas’ armed wing than his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Iran’s capital last month that was widely blamed on Israel. Sinwar was already seen as having the final word on any cease-fire agreement for Gaza and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. But he is deep in hiding inside Gaza. That raises questions about how he would manage a sprawling organization with cadres across the Middle East.
Putin accuses Ukraine of a ‘large-scale provocation’ with its raid in southwestern Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is describing a Ukrainian incursion into the country’s southwestern Kursk region as a “large-scale provocation” as his officials say they are fighting off cross-border raids for a second day. Ukrainian officials remained quiet about the scope of the operation. If confirmed, the cross-border foray would be among Ukraine’s largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and unprecedented for its deployment of Ukrainian military units. Kyiv’s aim could be to draw Russian reserves to the area and potentially weaken Moscow’s offensive operations in several parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. But it could risk stretching outmanned Ukrainian troops further along the front line.
Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
PARIS (AP) — Every single thing Simone Biles has done at the Paris Olympics has been spotlighted. She won four medals, had an online feud with a former teammate and a social media post that appeared to take a swipe at presidential candidate Donald Trump. Her TikToks regularly draw millions of views and her revelation that she’d gotten Botox made headlines. Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all-time and America’s golden girl. She has a unique ability to retain her staying power beyond Olympic cycles, in part because of her remarkable career achievements. But it is also her authenticity that has made her relatable, inspirational and liked by millions around the world.
Tropical Storm Debby churns up the East Coast, and affects weather as far away as the Great Lakes
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby pushed bad weather up the East Coast and brought no respite to residents as far away as the Great Lakes and New Jersey, where heavy rain flooded highways and streets and stranded motorists. Officials in New York told people in basement apartments to prepare to flee as forecasters warned of flash flooding. The center of Debby was over the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, at midday Wednesday. The storm has brought heavy rain to Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina since coming ashore on the Gulf Coast of Florida early Monday. Debby was expected to make a second landfall in either North Carolina or South Carolina late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Yunus asks for calm as he is set to take oath Thursday
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has asked his people to stay calm and get ready to rebuild the nation after weeks of violence that left hundreds killed, following an uprising that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee to neighboring India. Yunus was on his way home from Paris on Wednesday. In his first statement since he was named as the head of an interim government, Yunus also congratulated the students for “taking the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible.” Bangladesh’s military chief said that an interim government headed by Yunus would be sworn in on Thursday night.
US safety board plans to quiz officials about FAA oversight of Boeing before a panel blew off a 737
WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration are facing questions about the door plug that blew off a 737 Max jetliner in midflight. On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board began the second day of a two-day hearing on the accident. On day one of the hearing, a Boeing official said the company will redesign the part that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet in January. She says the changes will prevent the same kind of accident. The safety board is also scheduled to question representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration about the FAA’s oversight of Boeing, and how that has changed since the accident.
Great Barrier Reef waters were hottest in 400 years over the past decade, study finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef reached the highest they’ve been in 400 years over the past decade, research published Wednesday in the journal Nature found. Researchers from Melbourne University in Australia were able to compare recent ocean temperatures to historical ones by using coral skeleton samples from the Coral Sea to reconstruct sea surface temperature data from 1618 to 1995. They found mostly stable temperatures before 1900, and steady warming from 1960 to 2024. Temperatures were significantly higher over the past decade, when mass bleaching took place. The scientists warned that the reef likely won’t survive if planetary warming isn’t stopped.