Harris and Trump offer starkly different visions on climate change and energy
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have starkly different visions on how to address a changing climate while ensuring a reliable energy supply. But neither has provided many details on how they would get there. Harris cast the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law. As a senator from California, she co-sponsored the Green New Deal but now says she will not ban fracking, a common drilling technique. Trump, meanwhile, leads chants of “drill, baby, drill” and calls oil “liquid gold.” He has vowed to boost production of oil and other fossil fuels and repeal key parts of the 2022 climate law.
Trump courts conservative male influencers to try to reach younger men
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign has fully embraced the bravado-filled, macho, often contrarian online spaces of younger men on livestreaming platforms. The former president has done an interview with the influencer Logan Paul and appeared on X with multibillionaire Elon Musk, a figure revered by many younger conservatives. Trump admitted in a recent appearance on 23-year-old Adin Ross’ show that he only “more or less” understood livestreaming — the publishing of live video on social media. But he told Ross he appreciated that the show was part of “the new wave” of information. And he publicly credits his youngest son, 18-year-old Barron, for helping educate him about Ross and others.
3 days, 640,000 children, 1.3M doses. The plan to vaccinate Gaza’s young against polio
JERUSALEM (AP) — The U.N. is about to launch an ambitious campaign to vaccinate 640,000 children in Gaza against polio, a disease that doctors fear has spread in the territory due to the massive humanitarian catastrophe unleashed by Israel’s military offensive there. But carrying out the vaccination campaign will be no easy feat. Gaza’s roads are largely destroyed, its are hospitals badly damaged and its population is spread into isolated pockets across the territory. The World Health Organization said Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Israel for limited pauses in the fighting to allow for the vaccination campaign to take place.
7 US troops hurt in raid with Iraqi forces targeting Islamic State group militants that killed 15
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Seven American troops were hurt in a joint raid with Iraqi commandos targeting the Islamic State group. That’s what the United States military told The Associated Press on Saturday. Five were wounded in the operation, while two others were hurt in falls. The official added that all personnel are in stable condition. The raid killed 15 people on Thursday. The U.S. military’s Central Command alleged the militants were armed with “numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts” during the attack, which Iraqi forces said happened in the country’s the Anbar Desert. Iraq earlier announced the raids, without saying the U.S. took part.
With men at the front lines, women watch over Ukraine’s night sky for Russian drones
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Women are joining the ranks of Ukrainian mobile air-defense units to shoot down drones as more men are drawn to the battles on the eastern front line. In Kyiv’s suburb of Bucha, 70 new female recruits have joined in recent months. The women work in shifts and rush to duty when air raid sirens blare. Their main goal is to shoot down Russian-launched Shahed drones. The women come from all walks of life, from stay-at-home moms to doctors and more. All say they are motivated to keep their families and friends safe from what has become a daily menace to Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure.
Brazil blocks Musk’s X after company refuses to name local representative amid feud with judge
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil has started blocking Elon Musk’s social media platform X, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through its mobile app after the company refused to comply with a judge’s order. X missed a deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension. It marks an escalation in the monthslong feud between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. To block X, Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, told internet service providers to suspend users’ access to X. As of Saturday after midnight local time, major operators had begun doing so.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is shocked at the US Open one night after Carlos Alcaraz’s loss
NEW YORK (AP) — Defending champion Novak Djokovic has lost at the U.S. Open one night after Carlos Alcaraz did. Djokovic bowed out in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss against 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia on Friday night. The No. 2-seeded Djokovic was trying to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. Instead, he finishes a year without claiming at least one major championship for the first time since 2017. Before that, it hadn’t happened since 2010. The third-round exit equals Djokovic’s worst showing at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz was beaten by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday.
In South Africa’s richest area, mother-to-baby HIV transmission is a concern despite free prevention
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — It’s a worrying question for health officials in one of the richest and most developed areas of the African continent: Why are babies being born with HIV when free medication is available to prevent mother-to-child transmission? In the first half of this year, 232 babies were born with HIV in South Africa’s Gauteng region, which includes Johannesburg and the capital of Pretoria and is home to at least 15 million people. Pregnant women in South Africa can access HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy free of charge from health facilities. Alarmed health officials believe even one case of mother-to-child HIV transmission is too many.
Japan wants its hardworking citizens to try a 4-day workweek
TOKYO (AP) — Japan is a nation so hardworking its language has a term for literally working oneself to death. Now, the government is trying to address a worrisome labor shortage by coaxing more people and companies to adopt four-day workweeks. The Japanese government first expressed support for a shorter working week in 2021. The concept has been slow to catch on, however. Hoping to produce more takers, especially among small and medium-sized businesses, the government launched a “work style reform” campaign that promotes shorter hours and other flexible arrangements along with overtime limits and paid annual leave. The labor ministry recently started offering free consulting, grants and a growing library of success stories as further motivation.
Young girls are using anti-aging products they see on social media. The harm is more than skin deep
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Young girls are buying up anti-aging products they see promoted on social media, with harmful effects for their skin — and their mental health. Girls as young as 8 are turning up at dermatologists’ offices with rashes, chemical burns and other allergic reactions to products not intended for children’s sensitive skin. Extensive data suggests a fixation on appearance also can affect self-esteem and body image and fuel anxiety, depression and eating disorders. The skin care obsession offers a window into the role social media plays in the lives of today’s youth and how it shapes the ideals and insecurities of girls in particular.